《云笈七签》Vol. 8

Those who attain the Dao typically show seven signs.

First, their minds settle easily, and they can recognize and clear away distracting thoughts and distress. Here, “dust and outflows” refers to stray thoughts that disturb the spirit and scatter the mind.

Second, past illnesses gradually disappear, and the body and mind become light and at ease. In Daoist cultivation, this is said to happen because true Qi grows abundant and embryonic breathing gradually takes shape, allowing illness to heal. As cultivators align with the Dao, their bodies also become vigorous and resist aging.

Third, premature decline and depletion are repaired, extending one’s lifespan. The filling of the bone marrow and the preservation of a youthful appearance are here called “restoring youth and renewing life.”

Fourth, the lifespan extends to ten thousand years, and the person is therefore called an “immortal.” “Immortal registers” are the books said in Daoist tradition to record the names of immortals.

Fifth, the body is refined and transformed back into Qi; this is called becoming a “True Person.” “Original primal Qi” means the primal energy that is the foundation of life; “upright nature without pretense” means a nature that is proper and sincere.

Sixth, Qi is refined into Shen (spirit), and the person is called a “Spirit Person.” True Qi communicates with Shen, while the transformations of Yin-Yang are unfathomable; hence the name “Spirit Person.”

Seventh, Shen is refined and joined with the Dao, and the person is called a “Perfected Person.” This means that the true spirit accords with the Dao.

As one’s level of cultivation rises, the power of inner observation grows ever clearer and remains continuous. Once the highest Dao is reached and cultivation is complete, wisdom becomes fully perfected. “Observation” here means the spirit’s sustained, lucid awareness, free from obscurity.

If someone practices calming the mind for a long time yet never shows any signs of progress, lives only briefly, and suffers bodily decline, then returns to emptiness only after their appearance has vanished, while claiming to have awakened and attained the Dao, this does not accord with the principles of seeking the Dao. A person’s own conviction of awakening, while still bound by birth and death, does not count as true attainment of the Dao. The Jing of the Western Ascension says: “Having lost the root of life, how can one know the source of the Dao?”

The following verses explain this:

Thoughts arise in response to external circumstances, and the fire of emotion is kindled by particular conditions. These are genuine movements of the mind and nature; if people follow them as they unfold, they lose the root of the Great Dao. Trying to stop thoughts instead gives rise to the notion, “I must still my thoughts,” making the mind even more unsettled. If we understand that awareness is empty by nature, awareness itself can become a gateway to penetrating the myriad wonders.

Laojun said: The Dao has clarity and turbidity, stillness and movement. Clarity and stillness are the root; turbidity and movement are their downstream expressions. Thus, Yang is clear and Yin turbid; Yang moves and Yin is still; the male is clear and the female turbid. All things unfold from root to branch, and in this way they come into being.

Clarity is the source of turbidity, and stillness is the foundation of movement. Those who can remain clear and still will be honored throughout the world. The human spirit naturally delights in clarity, yet thoughts disturb it; the human heart naturally delights in stillness, yet desires pull it away. If we can let go of desires at all times, the heart will naturally become still; if we make the heart clear, the spirit will naturally become calm and clear. Then the six desires—the desires of the senses—will not arise, and the three poisons—greed, anger, and delusion—will dissipate. We fail to do this because the heart has not yet become clear and desire has not yet been relinquished.

Those who understand how to let go turn inward and observe their own heart, discovering that there is no fixed, unchanging “heart.” They observe the body outwardly and discover that it, too, has no fixed, unchanging nature. Looking farther out at the myriad things, they find the same to be true of them. The heart, the body, and the myriad things cannot be grasped; thus, only emptiness is seen. They then contemplate “emptiness” and discover that emptiness itself is also empty, with no graspable “emptiness” to hold on to. Since even “nothingness” cannot be grasped, they also let go of “nothingness of nothingness.” The mind becomes clear and still, without attachment even to “stillness”; in the end, neither stillness nor non-stillness can be found. Where, then, could desire arise?

When desire does not arise, the heart is naturally still. When the heart is still, the spirit is undisturbed. When the spirit is undisturbed, clarity and stillness can be maintained. Remaining in clarity and stillness, one can unite with the Dao and truly meet it. This is called “attaining the Dao.” Although it is called attaining the Dao, in reality there is nothing to attain; the word “attain” is used only as a makeshift expression. This expedient gateway to cultivation is taught in order to guide living beings.

Laojun further said: Whether one attains the Dao depends on one’s own heart. One realizes the Great Dao inwardly; the Dao does not deliver itself to a person. What is called “attaining” means realizing the Great Dao for oneself, not acquiring something. That is why, in reality, there is nothing attained.

The Lord Lao says: People cannot attain the Dao because they still perceive a “mind.” Once they are aware of a mind, they become aware of a body. As long as they cling to the body, they cannot be said to have attained the Dao. Thus, in truth, there is nothing to attain in the Dao.

The Lord Lao also says: People cannot attain the Dao because they perceive a mind. Perceiving a mind, they perceive a body; perceiving a body, they perceive the myriad things. Seeing the myriad things, they give rise to craving and attachment. Craving and attachment bring distress, and distress in turn gives rise to deluded thoughts. Once deluded thoughts arise, emotions are stirred and confused by external circumstances. People then sink into a turbid sea of suffering, drift through birth and death, endure the torments of hell, and remain separated from the Dao for a long time. If people constantly preserve clarity and stillness, they will naturally attain the Dao. Thus the verse says:

The wondrous workings of the Celestial Worthy, a Daoist title for the highest divine being, are ever present before us. Every movement of the body and every rise and fall of thought occurs naturally.

Let the activity of thought come to rest, and observe where thoughts arise. That place is perfectly clear, yet has no bounds.

What we call bounds is inherently empty of self-nature. It is not that, by observing the mind and seeing clearly, one comes upon a stretch of emptiness.

Realize for yourself that things arising through causes and conditions have no fixed self-nature, and you can move freely beyond them, entering directly into the Purple Tenuity Palace, the mythical dwelling of the Daoist Celestial Emperor.

Within the palace and beyond it, all is illumined. Amid the perfect harmony of the myriad teachings, the Dao remains equal and without distinction.

A pure mind is clear as a bright mirror, unobstructed. When there is no obstruction and no mind, the mind is free.

The equal Dao knows no distinctions. Who, then, has arranged heaven and hell?

Consciousness is inwardly still and unchanged by increase or decrease. If good and evil are empty, where could they arise from?

It is only ordinary people who produce all kinds of discriminating views, insisting on drawing crisscrossing paths across level ground.

Though these distinctions bring a thousand kinds of suffering, examine them one by one: there is no master within them.

Look closely and you will see that there is no master, and no fixed foundation. Understanding this, you can grasp the principle of causes and conditions.

Though we speak of grasping it, there is no fixed “grasping.” Set aside distinctions and contrivance, follow what is natural, and let all things pass freely.

Anyone who understands the meaning of this scripture can dispel countless obstacles and harmful karma accumulated in the past by reciting it with concentration, receiving it sincerely, and steadfastly putting it into practice, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Adversaries can be reconciled with one another, and they will no longer suffer the consequences of past deeds. The Dao can also subdue demons and heterodox forces. The scripture admonishes all beings: if you wish to pass through calamity, keep body and mind pure, and receive and practice the scripture with faith.

The Central Scripture of Laozi (Part One), also known as The Pearl Palace and Jade Calendar.

The First Immortal

The scripture says: “The Highest Taiyi” (the supreme divine being revered in Daoism) is pure. You should receive and practice this teaching with faith.

The scripture also says: “The Highest Taiyi” is the source of the Dao and existed before Heaven and Earth came into being. He dwells above the nine heavens, within Supreme Clarity, beyond the hidden realms in the eight directions, and in the most minute places. The scripture says: “I do not know his name; what is called ‘primordial Qi’ (the original Qi from which the cosmos arose) is he.” His divine form has a human head and a bird’s body, resembling a rooster, with the five colors of the phoenix. He wears a robe of black and yellow pearls. He is directly above the believer’s head, nine feet from the body, and always dwells amid purple clouds beneath a canopy. When the believer sees him, they should say: “Lord of the Highest Taiyi, your great-grandson, the humble young King Jia, has purified his aspirations and longs for the Great Dao. I pray for long life.”

The Second Immortal

The scripture says: “The Limitless Most High Primordial Lord” (a revered deity emanated by the Lord of the Dao) is the Lord of the Dao. He has one body and nine heads, and can also transform into nine people. Each wears a robe of five-colored pearls and a crown symbolizing the nine virtues. He is the son of “The Highest Taiyi.” The scripture then explains that this is not kinship in the usual sense: they are both naturally generated from primordial Qi. The Limitless Most High Primordial Lord is directly above the believer’s head.

The scripture says that the “Most High Primordial Lord of Limitlessness” is the Lord of the Dao. He has one body and nine heads, and can also transform into nine persons. These forms all wear robes adorned with five-colored pearls and crowns symbolizing nine virtues. The Lord of the Dao is said to be the son of the Most High Supreme One, yet he was not truly born from anyone. He came into being naturally through Primordial Qi.

The Lord of the Dao dwells in the purple clouds above the head of the adept—the practitioner of the Dao—and beneath the canopy that symbolizes the clouds over the crown of the head. The adept may pray to him: “August Heaven, Supreme Lord, Most High Lord of the Dao, your great-grandson, the humble adept Wang Jia, longs for the Great Dao and hopes to attain long life. Please nurture and protect me. May poisonous insects and fierce beasts fall motionless when they see me, and may my undertakings succeed and my wishes be fulfilled.”

The scripture also says that the Lord of the Dao resides in the “Village of Great Clarity, District of Emptiness.” His surname is Zhuyu, his personal name Guang, and his courtesy name Dixang. He is a star in the Gouchen region of the Taiwei enclosure, titled “Heavenly Emperor, Great Sovereign, Radiant Spirit Treasure.” Adepts should contemplate him often and never forget him. A deity of this kind also exists within the human body. One should keep it in mind between the eyebrows, where it can pass through to the Niwan, the spirit chamber in the head, and cause Qi to rise and connect with Heaven.

○ Third Immortal

The scripture says: The King Father of the East is the primordial Qi of Azure Yang and the ancestor of the many gods. He wears clothing adorned with pearls and jade in five colors and a three-seamed crown, a cap decorated with three seams or three points. Above his head is the radiant cloud of the Great Clarity, displaying five colors. He governs the East and dwells on Mount Penglai. His surname is Wuwei, and his courtesy name is Junxian; another account gives his courtesy name as Junjie.

The King Father of the East also exists within the human body. He is at the crown of the head, with Wang Ziqiao on his left and Chisongzi on his right. He governs the left eye and moves about in the head. When his vital essence rises, it transforms into the sun, called Fuxi. The Great Clarity is located on Mount Penglai; its surname is Wuwei, and its courtesy name is Junxian, though another account gives the name Junjie. The Great Clarity also exists within the human body: at the crown of the head, with Wang Ziqiao on the left and Chisongzi on the right. It governs the left eye and moves about in the head. When its vital essence rises, it transforms into the sun, called Fuxi.

In the Eastern Brightness Ward of Great Clarity, the Queen Mother of the West has the courtesy name Yanchang. The left eye symbolizes the sun and moon: the sun is on the left and the moon on the right. Within the eye is a youth whose courtesy name is Yingming. The King Father of the East dwells in the left eye, the Queen Mother of the West in the right, and the youth in the center; the two eyes correspond to one another.

Practitioners who wish to cultivate the True Way should visualize the King Father of the East and the Queen Mother of the West above the crown of the head, standing together as a trio, and bring the radiant essence of the sun and moon into union. Then lower the attention and visualize, in sequence, the Purple Chamber, the Great One, the Crimson Palace, the Yellow Court, the Great Abyss, the Dantian, and the other sites of cultivation within the body. Let the True Qi circulate through the abdomen five times, then twelve times, until it reaches the whole body. When the practice is complete, let it come to rest at the Vermilion Bird Gate, a site represented by the two breasts. The Gate is the breasts: the left is called Jun’e and the right Wengzhong. Beneath them is the Jade Gate, guarded by the Celestial Dog and the Celestial Rooster, who crow at dawn and dusk.

The Fourth Immortal

The scripture says: The Queen Mother of the West is the primordial Qi of Great Yin. Her surname is Ziran, and her courtesy name is Junsi. She governs beneath Mount Kunlun, where there are nine tiers of golden walls amid clouds of five colors, rising ten thousand zhang high.

The scripture says: The Queen Mother of the West is the primordial Qi of Great Yin, the source of Yin energy. Her surname is Ziran, “the Natural,” and her courtesy name is Jun Si. Below, she governs Mount Kunlun and dwells within the nine-tiered Golden City, where clouds shimmer in five colors atop a peak ten thousand feet high. Above, she governs the Dipper and dwells in the Flower Canopy’s Purple Chamber, beneath the Northern Pole Star.

The Queen Mother of the West also exists within the human body. She resides in the right eye; her surname is Great Yin, her name is Dark Radiance, and her courtesy name is Hidden Jade. A person must receive the protection of the King Father and Queen Mother—the guardian deities who correspond to the sun and moon—so that the eyes can guide movement, see clearly, remain perceptive, and distinguish beauty from ugliness. The deities’ influence flows downward like a mother’s care for her child, returned by the child’s care for the mother. When their vital essences and Qi join, they can endure.

Beneath a person’s breasts lies the vital essence of the myriad spirits, and it is also where Yin and Yang fluids meet. The sun lies beneath the left breast, and the moon beneath the right; this is where the King Father and Queen Mother dwell. They govern the eyes from above, roam through the head, and stay beneath the breasts. At night, they rest in the Crimson Palace’s Purple Chamber, the body’s mysterious inner abode that symbolizes the heart palace. All of this is the working of Yin and Yang Qi.

The Fifth Immortal

The scripture says that the Dao Lord, a deity revered in Daoism, is “the One”: the supreme deity represented by the August Heaven, the Supreme Emperor, the Northern Pole at the center of the heavens, and the central star. He dwells above the Nine Heavens, in the vast heights of the Great Abyss Purple Chamber Palace. He wears a five-colored robe and a Nine Virtues crown. Primordial Qi of Great Clarity appears all around him, and the clouds shimmer in five colors. Beneath his nine-tiered canopy, a symbol of sacred majesty, Laozi and Great Harmony stand at his sides.

The Dao Lord’s surname is Zhi Huang, his name is Shang Huangde, and his courtesy name is Hanchang. A Dao Lord also dwells within the human body. He resides in the Purple Chamber Palace beneath the canopy, at a place called Origin Noble Township and Peaceful Joy Ward. His surname is Lingyang and his courtesy name is Ziming. His body is yellow and nine fen tall. He wears a five-colored robe adorned with pearls and a Nine Virtues crown. In visualization, he appears three cun tall beneath the canopy in the Purple Chamber Palace.

The Dao Lord’s wife is the Jade Maiden of Dark Radiance of Great Yin. She wears a dark yellow robe adorned with five-colored pearls and is nine fen tall. In visualization, she too appears three cun tall. She dwells in the Great Simplicity Palace, where she nurtures the perfected being Zidan. Zidan gradually grows until he is as tall as your own body.

If you persist in visualizing these deities and converse with them, the Dao Lord will summon you to pay him a visit. He rides a cloud-and-jade chariot drawn by horses from the Nine Extremes. He also rides six dragons as he surveys and rules the world. You should visualize the Dao Lord often and, on the eight seasonal festivals, at the end and beginning of each month, pray at dusk or midnight:

“Celestial Spirit, Festival Glory, Perfected One, Wang Jia wishes to attain long life. One of the Great Mystery, please guard Wang Jia’s body; spirits of the five organs, please bless me with lasting peace.”

○ The Sixth Immortal

The scripture says: Lao Jun is Heaven’s hun, its ethereal soul, and the lord of Nature. He constantly serves at the Dao Lord’s left. Thus, the nine of us are all lords with nine heads. I am the royal father who holds the foremost place; the others have no specific duties. Within the human body there is also a deity of this kind. He dwells in the Small Hut of Golden Tower Village. His surname is Pi, his name is Ziming, and his courtesy name is Lanlan. He wears blue-green robes, is nine fen tall, and holds a sacred fungus and a blue-green banner. He serves at the Dao Lord’s left and follows the immortal Zhong Chengzi. When visualized, he is three cun tall and always stands at your left, level with your body. His wife, the Plain Maiden, wears yellow robes and is nine fen tall; when visualized, she too is three cun tall.

○ The Seventh Immortal

The scripture says: Taihe is Heaven’s po, its corporeal soul, and the lord of Nature. He constantly serves at the Dao Lord’s right. Within the human body there is also a deity of this kind. He dwells in Wutai Village. His surname is Jiaoli; he is called Master, and his courtesy name is unknown. He wears white robes, is nine fen tall, and holds a golden sword and a white banner. He serves at the Dao Lord’s right and follows the immortal Qu Wenzi. When visualized, he is three cun tall. Whether you rise, sit, walk, or stand still, he is always at your right. His wife, the Jade Maiden Qingyao, wears blue-green robes and is nine fen tall; when visualized, she too is three cun tall.

○ The Eighth Immortal

The Lord of the Muddy Pellet—that is, the spirit of the brain—is born within the brain. He is the root of Kidney Qi and the essence of the Heart Spirit. He dwells in the “land of the Flowery Canopy, the village of Penglai.” His title is the Old Man of the Southern Pole, and his courtesy name is Yuanxian. He wears a robe of five-colored pearls and is nine fen tall. He is located in the brain atop the practitioner’s head; when he appears, he can be seen before Naohu, an acupoint at the back of the head. When visualizing him, he is three cun tall. After seeing him, the practitioner should recite: “Old Man of the Southern Pole, grant that I, so-and-so, may live forever. Whether going east, west, south, or north, entering the earth or ascending to heaven, may I never die, be destroyed, or lose my way. Enter my name in the register of long life, so that I may serve the Lord Dao and endure as long as Heaven and Earth.”

○ Ninth Immortal

The scripture says: The Southern Pole is “One,” the first of the immortals to appear and the supreme Taiyi, the highest deity in Daoism. He reaches upward to the heavens and descends into the underworld, traveling freely between Heaven and Earth. He never dies, is destroyed, or loses his way. He enters the practitioner’s name in the register of long life, enabling the practitioner to serve the Lord Dao and endure as long as Heaven and Earth.

○ Ninth Immortal

The scripture says: The Southern Pole is “One,” the foremost of the immortals and the supreme Taiyi. He is also a marquis and king of the heavens, and the Grand Marshal. He oversees various disasters and unusual transformations, as well as signs of good and ill fortune in the fate of the state. In Heaven, the Southern Pole corresponds to the Planet of Blazing Confusion (Mars); on Earth, he governs Mount Huo.

There is also a Southern Pole deity within the human body. He dwells in the village of Changwu, in the central chamber of the Crimson Palace. His surname is Li, his personal name is Shang (also called Chang), and his courtesy name is Zengzi. He wears crimson clothing and is nine fen tall; when visualized, he is three cun tall and sits in the heart. His wife is a Jade Maiden, dressed in white and nine fen tall; when visualized, she too is three cun tall. The scripture says to visualize regularly a Flowery Canopy in the heart, beneath which is a deity wearing a red headcloth and tall hat, dressed in crimson ceremonial robes and an under-robe. Named the Heavenly Marquis, he wears a jade belt and a purple sash and holds a golden seal. Whoever sees him can see through the eight directions; after a thousand days of practice, one can ascend to immortality. Then observe the brain: seeing a small child there means one has seen this deity.

○ Tenth Immortal

Beneath the sun and moon is a deity named the Heavenly Marquis, wearing a red headcloth and tall hat, and dressed in crimson ceremonial robes and an under-robe. He wears a jade belt and a purple sash and holds a golden seal. Whoever sees him can see through the eight directions; after a thousand days of practice, one can ascend to immortality. Then observe the brain: seeing a small child there means one has seen this deity.

○ Tenth Immortal

The scripture says that the Sun and Moon are called the celestial divine officials Situ and Sikong. They oversee the faults of rulers and common people, and send the planets Taibai and Chenxing down to the areas around Huayin and Hengshan to govern matters there. Within the human body, too, are the essences of the Sun and Moon: the left kidney belongs to Yang and the male, and wears black; the right kidney belongs to Yin and the female, and wears white. In ordinary times the two spirits are nine fen tall; in visualization, they may be imagined as three cun tall. They are formed from the gathered essences of the Sun and Moon and the Qi of emptiness. They are the root of human life and correspond to the eyes: the left eye symbolizes Lord Situ, and the right eye Lord Sikong.

Each kidney has three spirits, six in all. On the left are offices such as Siming and the Commandant of the Retainers; on the right are offices such as Silu and the Minister of Justice. They record people’s faults and report them to the August Celestial Emperor and the Grand Supreme Dao Lord, a revered Daoist deity. Practitioners should visualize these spirits regularly and pray to have their names removed from the register of the dead and entered in the register of long life. The scripture says they belong to Taichu Township and Xuanming Ward.

Silu and the Six Ding Jade Maidens—six female deities—and other spirits have the courtesy name Daoming. They all sit upon a divine tortoise and ride in a chariot of purple clouds, drawn by two carp. The scripture also mentions Taichengzi. The Mysterious Mother is the Mother of the Dao. She resides at the center, serves as the body’s guide, and is responsible for nurturing the gods within the body. She sits beneath a canopy made of clouds in five colors, wearing jewels like the Taibai star and the bright Moon on her head; their radiance illuminates her entire body.

On the nights of the Eight Seasonal Festivals, important observances in Daoism, practitioners should lie down and visualize these spirits, then pray: “Siming, Silu, Six Ding Jade Maidens, please erase the name of [name] from the register of the dead and enter [name] in the Jade Almanac of Long Life, the register of those who attain longevity.”

○ The Eleventh Immortal

The scripture states that “Zhongji Huanglao” (Middle Pole Yellow Elder) is the lord of the Middle Dipper who dwells in the palace of the Zhenren (realized person); in heaven he is a marquis-king and presides over the Empress Sounü Palace. Within the human body there is a corresponding presence called the “Huangting Zhenren” (Yellow Court immortal who governs the Yellow Court within)—parent of the Dao and born of the Chizi (Crimson Child, the spirit of vital essence within the body); here “self” (ji) means one’s own person.

The “Empress” is the Taiyin Xuanguang Jade Maiden (goddess of yin essence), mother of the Dao, situated above the spleen where the Middle Dipper resides. She wears a robe of five-colored pearl beads and sits beneath a canopy formed of yellow cloud-qi, nourishing the Chizi.

In practice, one should constantly visualize below the two breasts the sun and moon, and within them the yellow essence and red qi (Neidan imagery of refined essence). This qi enters the Jianggong (Crimson Palace, the heart region), then the Huangting Zifang (Purple Chamber of the Yellow Court), filling the Taicang (Great Storehouse, the stomach). The Chizi sits in the stomach duct, facing south; after drinking the yellow essence and red qi it is sated. With such visualization, myriad illnesses vanish and calamities do not approach. The practitioner who often performs cunsi (inward contemplative visualization of inner deities and scenes) can become a Zhenren. Hence it is said that one source appears under different names. The commentary adds that sun and moon likewise share one source with different names.

Taisu Township and Zhongyuan Lane are locales within the inner landscape; the Zhonghuang Zhenren (Central Yellow Immortal), styled Huangshangzi, oversees bigu (grain abstention through cultivation) and can make the spirit seem suddenly large or small. At cockcrow and at mealtimes each day, recite this invocation:

“Huangshangzi, Huangshangzi, the Huangting Zhenren is within my own body. Please bring me medicinal wine, pine confections, husked rice, millet broth, and whatever may be eaten or drunk, and let them arrive at once.”

After reciting, close the eyes briefly, seal the lips and swallow, and repeat fourteen times; one will feel full.

The Twelfth Immortal

The scripture says: “I” (wu) is the child born of the Dao. Such a presence also exists within the human body—not mine alone. It resides in the stomach, faces south, sits upon a bed of pearls and jade, with a yellow cloud canopy above and a five-colored pearl robe upon it. When the mother holds it at the upper right, it is sated.

The Twelfth Immortal

The scripture says, “I am the ‘child of the Dao.’ Everyone has a child of the Dao; I am not the only one.” The child of the Dao is located inside the stomach, facing due south and seated on a bed of pearls and jade. A canopy made of yellow clouds covers his head, and he wears a robe of five-colored pearls. His mother, above him on the right, holds and nurtures him; his father, above him on the left, instructs and protects him. The father is therefore named Lingyang, styled Ziming; the mother is named Taiyin, styled Xuanguang Yunu; and the child himself is Yuanyang, styled Zidan.

The Perfected One (a transcendent who has succeeded in cultivation), styled Zhonghuang, is my teacher. He often teaches me the way of immortality and longevity, and frequently attends me. When he rests, he lives in the Great Granary (an inner-palace image of the stomach). In the spleen, together with Huangshangzi, he guards me, supplies what the spirits need, and oversees the delivery of the traveling kitchen (food for the immortals).

Therefore, regularly visualize the Perfected One, Zidan, inside the stomach, facing due south and seated, eating yellow essence and red Qi, and drinking sweet spring water. Yuanyang Zidan is nine cun tall; in visualization, make him the same size as your own body. His parents raise him, and only then can he attain the Dao and become an immortal.

Always imagine yourself as a child inside the stomach, dressed in five-colored robes and seated on a bed of pearls and jade, with yellow clouds and red Qi surrounding you like curtains. You eat golden and jade delicacies, take divine elixirs and medicinal fungi, and drink sweet spring water. You ride a chariot wreathed in yellow clouds and adorned with pearls and jade of five colors, drawn by twelve flying dragons, twenty-four white tigers, and thirty-six vermilion birds. Visualize this for nine years, and you will be able to ride the clouds away from the earthly world and pay homage to the Lord of the Dao. My retinue consists of thirty-six thousand spirits; my entire clan, too, can attain the Dao, become immortals, and ascend to heaven in broad daylight.

Throughout the four seasons, make the prescribed offerings to my ancestors. On a hai day in the first month, at cockcrow, make offerings to the suburban altar and ancestral temple. On a hai day in the second month, make offerings to the altars of the soil and grain, the Wind Earl, and the Rain Master. In the fourth and fifth months, make offerings on a shen or mao day; in the seventh and eighth months, on a ji or wu day; and in the tenth and eleventh months, on a mao or xu day. In the final month of each season, make no offerings. Simply dispel the influence of Wutu Gong, the spirit in charge of impure earth-energy, and drive away the Hidden Corpse, the impure force believed in Daoism to lie dormant in the body and obstruct cultivation.

Each of these spirits has its own dwelling: the suburban altar is at Naohu, the brain gate at the back of the head; the ancestral temple is on the bone behind the crown of the head; the altar of the soil is at the spleen’s left end; and the altar of grain is at the end of the large intestine. The Wind Earl dwells at the Eight Gates, located beside the navel among the Five Cities and Twelve Towers, an image of the palaces of immortals within the body. The Rain Master dwells at the end of the small intestine. The cloud-energy of the Four Rivers—the divine waterways associated with the Yangtze, Yellow, Huai, and Ji Rivers—emerges from Kunlun; the Weak Water lies in the womb (the bladder). The place where the spirits take their meals is the Great Granary. Call upon them in turn by name to summon them, and do not forget.

Xuanji (the Northern Dipper) is the Star Lord of the Northern Dipper and a marquis-king in heaven. He governs twelve thousand spirits and keeps the registers of human lifespans. Within the human body there is a corresponding spirit, located at the navel and called Lord Taiyi. He is the marquis-king within the body, as well as the Great General Who Supports Heaven and the Marquis of Special Advancement. He governs the twelve thousand spirits within the body.

Lord Taiyi resides in Xuanji Lane, Central Pole District. His surname is Wang, his given name is Yang, and his courtesy name is Lingzi. He wears a cap with three stitched seams and a deep red ceremonial robe, and is nine cun tall. When visualized, he may also appear three cun tall, or at a size equal to one’s own body. Lord Taiyi has eight attendants, who are the spirits of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua). Taiyi dwells at the center, overseeing and reviewing all the spirits and checking and assessing their registers so that none can escape or go unrecorded. The eight attendants pay court to Taiyi on the days of the eight seasonal nodes. For this reason, the navel is called the “Office of the Great Abyss, District of the Capital,” the residence from which Taiyi governs the spirits.

The scripture says that the registers are ordinarily checked on the autumn equinox. The practitioner fasts, bathes, and lies quietly for three days without going out. Each day, they call upon Taiyi three times, making nine calls over the three days. With continued practice, no spirits will escape or go unrecorded, and the practitioner’s name will be entered in the registers of the immortals, confirming their status as a perfected person. Taiyi must not be petitioned casually, for an inauspicious report may bring calamity. Only the eight attendants are responsible for submitting reports.

Therefore, on the days of the eight seasonal nodes, as well as the dark moon, new moon, first quarter, and full moon, press the navel fourteen times with the right hand and the heart twenty-one times with the left hand, then pray:

“Celestial Spirit, Festival Glory, Perfected One: I, so-and-so, wish to attain long life. May the Great Mystery True One protect my body, and may the lords of the Five Viscera be at peace.”

Recite “Gongzhao” seven times and “Shuzhao” fourteen times. At dawn the next day, pray again, saying:

Reverently I report to the Lord Taiyi of the Northern Pole, a revered Daoist deity, and ask him to inform the gods: may they constantly protect and keep my Hun and Po souls at peace, and not let them leave my body. This is the method known as “confining the Hun and restraining the Po,” which steadies and binds the souls so they do not depart from the body.

On the last day of the twelfth month each year, late at night when all is still, face the Taiyi of the Monthly Direction, the Taiyi deity assigned to that month’s direction. In an empty room, bow twice, then sit upright with eyes closed and pray:

“Rulers of the five viscera, gods of the Hun and Po souls: I, so-and-so, pray for long life. Please do not leave my body. May the Hun and Po souls always remain joined to my physical form, together making one whole person.” Men and women each recite this three times.

On each of the Eight Seasonal Nodes—Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—face the direction corresponding to that day and bow twice indoors. Close your eyes and pray:

“The Great Dao is vast and deep. On the day of the Heavenly Node, the Hun and Po souls of the countless living beings ascend to the heavens, while the bodies of perfected beings unite with the divine. I, so-and-so, seek long life and pray not to be entered in the register of the dead. Alone in an empty room, I offer this prayer.” Men and women each recite this three times.

On the last day of the twelfth month each year, pray through the night from the preceding evening until dawn the next day. Indoors, face the Yin direction, the northeast, bow twice, and pray:

“O vast and deep Great Dao, I, so-and-so, receive the Dao’s grace and look up toward the lofty summit of the Mysterious Taiqing. May the years of life I lost last year be restored to me; may the Hun and Po souls protect my body.” Men and women each recite this three times.

○ The Fourteenth Immortal

The navel, regarded in internal alchemy as the root of life, is also called Central Ultimate, Great Abyss, Kunlun, Special Pivot, and Five Cities. Within the Five Cities dwell five Perfected Ones; the Five Cities are the Five Emperors. Outside them are eight officials, the gods of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua). Together with the God Taiyi, they are called the Nine Ministers. Beyond the Eight Trigrams stand twelve towers, symbolizing twelve princes and twelve high officials. Together with the gods of the Three Burners, they are called the Twenty-Seven Ministers. The gods of the four limbs are called the Eighty-One Origin Officers.

The Perfected Ones of the Five Cities govern the four seasons and submit their reports upward at the end of each season. The Eight Gods govern the eight seasonal divisions—Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—and submit their reports on those days. The twelve Ministers govern the twelve months and must report at the end of each month without fail. Once these reports have been made, one should still continually visualize and attend to the gods; in this way, one may attain long life.

At midnight near the end and beginning of each month, and on the nights of the eight seasonal divisions, the God Taiyi often commands the Five Cities to beat their drums, summon the gods, assess merit and virtue, and deliberate over good and evil. Those recorded in the Register of Life may have their years extended, with the gods making a joint recommendation on their behalf. Those absent from the Register of Life will die, as the God of Fate will erase their names from it.

For this reason, practitioners should, before going to sleep near the end and beginning of each month and on the nights of the eight seasonal divisions, visualize the Upper Taiyi, Middle Taiyi, Lower Taiyi, the Five Cities, and the Perfected Ones of the twelve towers, and offer this prayer:

“Emperor of Heaven, Lord Taiyi, Emperor of Heaven, Lord Taiyi: I respectfully visualize the gods and wish to draw near to them. Registrar of Destiny, God of Fate, and Jade Maidens of the Six Ding, please erase [name] from the Register of the Dead and enter [name] in the Record of Life. Grant me long life.”

○ Fifteen Immortals

The scripture says that the “Perfected Ones of the Five Cities” are the divine names of the Five Emperors of the five directions: the Azure Emperor of the East, the Red Emperor of the South, the White Emperor of the West, the Black Emperor of the North, and the Yellow Emperor of the Center.

The deity of the East is called Goumangzi, with the title Master Hongya of the Beginning of Writing. He is the Azure Emperor of the East and ruler of the Eastern Sea. The deity of the South is called Zhurongzi, with the title Chengzi of the Red Essence. He is the Red Emperor of the South and ruler of the Southern Sea. The deity of the West is called Rushouzi, with the title Yellow Lord of Xiali. He is the White Emperor of the West and ruler of the Western Sea. The deity of the North is called Yuqiangzi, with the title Zichang of Dark Mystery. He is the Black Emperor of the North and ruler of the Northern Sea. These are all postcelestial deities, belonging to the same category as the deities of Heaven and Earth and the human world.

The Earl of Wind, the deity who governs the wind, is named Zha Jun and titled Changyu. The Master of Rain, the deity who governs rain, is named Feng Xiu and titled Shude. Those who cultivate the Dao should regularly hold these deities in their thoughts with sincere devotion, and pray that, together with Lord Siming, who governs the span of life, and Lord Silu, who records merits and transgressions, they will erase the devotee’s name from the register of the dead. In this way, one can become a Perfected One and attain long life. Those who fail to honor and remember these deities may suffer violent winds, torrential rain, thunder, and lightning; be carried to distant places; or lose their lives in deep mountains or ravines. They may also be harmed by poisonous vapors or attacked by ghosts and spirits. Therefore, anyone who wishes to cultivate the Dao should revere these deities. The scripture also says that these deities can harm people, and that those who govern a state must understand this as well.

The deity of the Center is called Huangshangzi, with the title Yellow Spirit Pengzu. He is the ruler of the Yellow Emperor of the Center.

Together with the Central Great One, the deity who dwells in the middle of the human body, he governs human life spans. He cherishes and nurtures the good, helps people accomplish great deeds, and often serves the Perfected One of the Yellow Heaven. A deity of this kind also dwells within the human body. He often serves the Perfected One and is called Zidan; he is bestowed by divine spirits. If those who cultivate the Dao resolve to seek the Way and often contemplate Zidan, they can go without hunger or thirst, live long without growing old, and ultimately become Perfected Ones. They can also cause food and drink to appear on their own and command ghosts and spirits. The deities of the state altars and the River Earl are named Feng Yi, and are titled the Envoy of Yuanliang.

○ Sixteenth Immortal

The scripture says: The heavenly deities of the Eight Trigrams descend to travel among humankind, guard the Great One, and serve as messengers in the eight directions. They oversee the records reported to Heaven on the days of the eight seasonal nodes, and examine and determine good and ill fortune. The deity of Qian is named Zhongni; the River Earl deity is named Feng Yi, and is titled the Envoy of Yuanliang.

○ Sixteenth Immortal

The scripture says: The heavenly deities of the Eight Trigrams descend to travel among humankind, guard the Great One, and serve as messengers in the eight directions. They oversee the records reported to Heaven on the days of the eight seasonal nodes, and examine and determine good and ill fortune. The deity of Qian is named Zhongni and is titled Fuxi; the deity of Kan is named Great Zengzi; the deity of Gen is named Shining Jade; the deity of Zhen is named Little Zengzi; the deity of Xun is named Great Xiahou; the deity of Li is named Wenchang; the deity of Kun is named King Yangdi and is titled Nüwa; the deity of Dui is named Yishi (another annotated edition gives “Bashi”). On the days of the eight seasonal nodes, one should visualize and silently recite the names of these deities. They are said to dwell in the navel; doing so can prolong one’s life.

○ Seventeenth Immortal

The scripture says that the Dantian (energy center) is the body’s foundation, where spirit is stored and nurtured. It is also the source of the Five Qi and the dwelling place of the “Red Child,” which refers to the inner life cultivated within the body. Men store Jing (essence) there, while women store menstrual blood. The Dantian governs reproduction and is the gateway through which Yin and Yang unite.

The Dantian lies three inches below the navel, near the spine, and is connected to the two kidneys. At its center is red; to the left, green; to the right, yellow; above, white; and below, black. It extends four inches in each direction. Its position three inches below the navel follows the numerical pattern of Heaven, Earth, and humanity: Heaven is one, Earth is two, humanity is three, and time is four; hence the measure of “four inches.” The five colors correspond to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water).

The Dantian is also called the “Land of Clear Water,” “Village of Ao Hill,” or “Palace of Stored Jing.” The spirit within it is named Kong, with the personal name Qiu and the courtesy name Zhongni; tradition says that people revered him as a teacher.

Practitioners should regularly quiet the mind and visualize at midnight: see red Qi rising to the Crimson Palace, the Qi center in the heart, and the Canopy of Splendor, the Qi center in the chest, then circling to the right in each place. Taiyi (here, the inner spirit and Qi) enters the Yellow Court, the central region of the body, fills the Great Granary in the stomach, and nourishes the Red Child. It then enters the Great Abyss, deep within the body, and gradually fades from view until its location is unknown. Next, visualize Taiyi again, guiding the Qi back to the Dantian, where it comes to rest. Also keep in mind the words, “Taiyi, Mysterious Radiance, Mother of the Dao, nurtures the True Person, Child of the Elixir, and sets my body upright.” “Zhao” is the practitioner’s self-designation; remember this.

○ The Eighteenth Immortal

The scripture next uses the term “large intestine,” then repeats the visualization instructions given earlier and again states: “Then think of Taiyi again, and the Qi returns to rest in the Dantian. Always think of Taiyi, Mysterious Radiance, Mother of the Dao, nurturing the True Person, Child of the Elixir, and setting my body upright. ‘Zhao’ is my own name; do not forget this.”

○ The Eighteenth Immortal

The scripture says: The large and small intestines are like the “Envoys of the Primordial Bridge,” responsible for driving out and pursuing evil Qi. The Triple Burner and Guanyuan are like She, the Earth Deity on the left, and Ji, the Grain Deity on the right; they are responsible for capturing evil things within the body. When the primordial Qi of the upper burner rises into the head, it is like the ancestral temple within the body. The human body corresponds to Heaven and Earth. Thus, the myriad things between Heaven and Earth must not be casually violated or disturbed; the deities of Heaven and Earth will know. Nor should the limbs be injured: the deities likewise know when the body feels pain or itching. The principle is clear: Heaven cannot be deceived, and Earth must not be betrayed. One should cultivate body and mind, act with care, and avoid slackness.

To drive out evil Qi and treat all illnesses, one may knock the teeth fourteen times, then recite this invocation: “She on the left, Ji on the right, Envoys of the Primordial Bridge, drive out and capture calamity; act swiftly in accordance with the statutes and commands!” Recite the invocation once for every five swallows, until thirty swallows have been completed; swallow 360 times in the course of a day and night. The scripture says that after thirty days, evil Qi will recede; after sixty days, minor illnesses will be cured; and after a hundred days, serious illnesses will be cured. The Three Worms—wormlike evil beings said in Daoism to dwell in the human body and hinder cultivation—will all die, and the Three Corpses—spirits believed in Daoism to reside in the body, record misdeeds, and obstruct cultivation—will leave the body. The face will glow, and one will become a companion of the deities. After every six invocations, pause once; twelve invocations count as one cycle.

The scripture says that the space between the two kidneys is called the “Great Sea,” also known as “Weak Water.” There dwells a divine tortoise that breathes primordial Qi—the fundamental vital energy on which the generation of all things depends. It sets the breath in motion and brings about its transformations, forming wind and rain, and carries Qi throughout the limbs, leaving nowhere it cannot reach.

Above the Great Sea are nine divine beings, divided into three groups of three. The first group consists of Han Zhong on the left, Fan Li on the right, and Taichengzi in the center. The second consists of Situ Gong on the left, Sikong Gong on the right, and the Lord Taiyi in the center. The third consists of the Jade Maiden Qingyao on the left, the Pure Maiden Baishui on the right, and the Jade Maiden Xuanguang in the center. The Jade Maiden Xuanguang is the mother of the Dao’s primordial Qi.

On either side are the Record Keeper and the Lord of Destiny, attended and guarded by the Wind Master, the Rain Master, and the gods of thunder and lightning. Immortals and Jade Maidens guard the palace gates. For this reason, the place is called the “Palace of the Great Abyss,” and is also said to be where the mother of the original, pure Qi resides. The Purple Chamber Palace contains Taiyi, the Mysterious Maiden, and the Red Child. The Mysterious Maiden often wears the Great White Star and earrings of luminous pearls. Their radiance shines over the whole body, enabling people to extend their lives and attain immortality.

The Twentieth Divine Immortal

The scripture says that the stomach is the “Great Granary,” the kitchen and storehouse of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. The Lunar Mansions of the Room and Heart are the emperor’s palace. Since all the gods come to the Great Granary to eat and drink, the stomach is called the Great Granary. The stomach is also where the sun and moon move along their three paths. It is also called the Great Sea, and a divine tortoise dwells within it. The seven stars of the Northern Dipper lie on the tortoise’s back, directly at its center. The tortoise is yellow.

It resembles a golden disc, with the sun and moon shining on either side. For this reason, the area below the navel is regarded as the earth within the body, containing the Five Sacred Mountains, four great rivers, and springs whose waters flow into one another. It is also like the dark, turbulent waters of the Weak River beneath Mount Kunlun: a shadowy, unfathomable abyss.

The sun and moon follow their courses. By day, the sun shines beneath the earth, bringing light to all the gods. The human body, too, follows the movements of Heaven and Earth. By day, the sun travels to the navel and illuminates the Dantian (energy center below the navel where inner cultivation takes place), brightening the gods within the navel. At night, the sun travels to the stomach and shines upward into the chest. The gods there roam and play, talking with one another; this is why people dream. The Way of Heaven does not conceal things where people cannot perceive them, so people can receive these revelations. At night, the sun is in the stomach, shining upward into the chest, where the gods roam and play, talking with one another and causing people to dream. The Way of Heaven does not conceal people’s transgressions. You can therefore summon these gods and ask them about good and evil, fortune and misfortune, so that people of De may act with care.

At night, the moon travels to the navel and shines downward on the gods. By day, it travels to the stomach and shines upward on the gods in the chest. The sun and moon thus alternate in their movements above and below, without pause. There are twelve gods in the stomach. Among them, the Grand Master of Remonstrance Huang Changzi, Huang Tengzi, and Zhong Huangzi assist the Crown Prince. The Jade Maiden of Dark Radiance fetches the Golden Liquor, divine elixirs, fungus of immortality, Jade Liquor, pine preserves, and other elixirs for drinking or eating; whatever is needed arrives at once.

Twenty-One: The Immortals

The scripture says: If you truly wish to become an immortal, you should know where the Red Child, the father and mother of Heaven and Earth, resides. If you cultivate the Dao, you must know the names of these five gods. The Golden Liquor, divine elixirs, fungus of immortality, Jade Liquor, pine preserves, and other elixirs for eating and drinking will also arrive at once.

The scripture says: “If you truly wish to become an immortal, you should understand where Heaven and Earth, the parents, and the infant child reside. Since you seek the Dao, you must know the names of these five spirits; for this, you should cultivate yourself diligently. Once you know them, act in accordance with that knowledge, hold firmly to it, and keep it constantly in mind. In this way, you can become an immortal. All of this is recorded in the scripture; you need only grasp it with care. After learning about these spirits, you must also obtain the Great One’s divine elixir and Golden Liquor before you can become an immortal.

“The primordial Qi of the spirits arises from emptiness and Wuwei (non-action); it becomes sacred naturally, and is beyond the reach of ordinary people. If you cannot take the divine elixir and Golden Liquor, you must devote yourself to visualization and arduous cultivation. So I tell you: During the day, often visualize the sun inside your navel, its bright reddish-yellow vital essence shining within. Visualize the moon in your stomach, with white light and reddish-yellow vital essence filling it. At night, when you lie down, visualize the sun in your stomach, its bright reddish-yellow vital essence shining through your chest; visualize the moon in your navel, where red, yellow, and white luminous Qi shines. Continue this visualization without pause.”

○ Chapter Twenty-Two: Immortals

The scripture says: “There are seven spirits of the hair, formed from the vital essence of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper; you should remember their divine names. There are six spirits of the eyes, formed from the vital essence of the sun and moon: the spirit of the left eye is named Yingming, and the spirit of the right eye is named Xuanguang. There are three spirits at the crown of the head, among them the Eastern Royal Father (a Daoist deity).”

Three spirits dwell in the Brain Gate at the back of the head. They are called the Lord of the Mud Ball. Three spirits dwell between the eyebrows. They are called the Spirit Lord of Primordial Radiance of the Elder of the South Pole. The ears together house four spirits, the essences of Yin and Yang, named the Charming Maidens. One spirit dwells in the philtrum beneath the nose. Named the Great One, with the courtesy name Open Lodge, it is originally a celestial spirit. Two spirits dwell beside the mouth. They are the kitchen guardians who oversee food and drink. One spirit dwells inside the mouth, named the Lord of the Great One, with the courtesy name Cinnabar Vermilion. Three spirits dwell at the chin. They are the spirits of Great Yin. Two spirits dwell on the outside of the neck. They are called the Lords of the Jade Maidens. Each hand contains a spirit, the essence of Great Yang, with the courtesy name Soul Yin. Two spirits dwell in the nape of the neck, with the courtesy name Upper Interval. Two spirits dwell at the shoulders and back. They are the essences of Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang, with the courtesy name Maiden Noble. Two spirits dwell in the chest. They are called the Tiger Warriors.

Below the breasts lie the Sun and Moon. Each contains a great spirit, called the Royal Father and Royal Mother. Two spirits dwell beneath the armpits. They are the spirits who herald the souls. Two Jade Maidens dwell in the lower abdomen. Another two Jade Maidens dwell on the inner sides of the hips, with the courtesy name Hidden Yin. Two spirits of Metal and Wood dwell in the shins, with the courtesy name Followers of Confucius. Two spirits dwell in the feet. They are the essences of Great Yin, called the Pillar of Heaven Strongmen.

In addition, the spirit in the hair has the courtesy name Emolument. The spirits in the ears are called the Charming Maidens. The spirits in the eyes have the courtesy names Bright Insight and Dark Radiance. The spirits in the nostrils have the courtesy name Open Lodge; the spirit in the mouth, Cinnabar Vermilion; and the spirits in the shoulders and back, Vermilion Bird—or, according to another account, Maiden Noble. The spirits in the hands have the courtesy name Soul Yin. The spirit of the Upper Origin has the courtesy name Majestic Accomplishment; the spirit of the Middle Origin, Central Yellow; and the spirit of the Lower Origin, Bright Radiance—or, according to another account, Life Radiance. The Yin spirit has the courtesy name Exhausted Hero. The spirits within the hips have the courtesy name Hidden Yin, and the spirits in the knees, Pivot Lord.

When preparing to sleep, close your eyes and call these spirits three times in succession, proceeding from the top of the body downward. Once you have finished calling them, stop. If any part of the body aches or is ill, call the spirit dwelling there nine times and ask it to heal you. The scripture says this will dispel all illnesses and ultimately enable one to become an immortal.

There are eight deities of the lungs, honored by the title “Lord Great Harmony.” They dwell in the Jade Truth Palace, also known as the Office of the Director. Their attendant officials number 3,600. They ride in a chariot shaped like white clouds, drawn by a white tiger, and sometimes ride a white dragon as well.

There are nine deities of the heart, honored by the title “Lord Grand Commandant.” They dwell in the Crimson Palace, where “the Elder of the Southern Pole, the Primordial Radiance of the Great Beginning” resides. Their attendant officials number 3,600. They ride in a chariot shaped like crimson clouds, with a Vermilion Bird—the divine bird of the south—as its canopy and a red snake as its shaft. The chariot is drawn sometimes by a Vermilion Bird and sometimes by a red dragon.

There are seven deities of the liver, honored by the title “Lord Laozi.” They dwell in the Palace of the Bright Hall, also known as the Office of the Orchid Terrace. Their attendant officials number 3,600. They ride in a chariot shaped like azure clouds, drawn by an Azure Dragon, and sometimes ride a white deer as well.

There are five deities of the gallbladder, honored by the title “Lord of the Great One.” They dwell in the Purple Chamber Palace. They ride in a chariot formed from clouds of five colors, with a dark, yellow, and purple canopy adorned with pearls and jade, drawn by six flying dragons. Their attendant officials number 3,600.

There are five deities of the spleen, called the “Jade Maidens of Mysterious Radiance.” They are the mothers of “Zidan.”

Once cultivation has been perfected, the perfected person can ride in a carriage adorned with gold, precious jade, and cloud vapors, drawn by phoenixes or yellow dragons, with 3,600 attendants by their side. The Perfected One Yuanyang Zidan sits upright above, resting in the region where the stomach spirit resides. Yellow cloud vapor forms curtains, and precious jade becomes a bed. The perfected person consumes food made from gold and jade, drinks sweet spring water and jade liquid, takes the Great One Divine Elixir—a marvelous elixir spoken of in Daoism—and eats immortal medicines such as jade plums and mushroom herbs. Through visualization—contemplating the spirits and Qi within the body—and their careful nurturing, practitioners can become perfected persons after nine years.

At that time, the perfected person rides in a carriage with a thousand chariots and leads ten thousand mounted attendants to pay homage to the Supreme Yellow Dao Lord, a revered deity in Daoism: bowing to the Royal Father in the east, the Royal Mother in the west, and the Elderly One Yuanguang in the south. Having attained the Dao, the perfected person becomes one with Heaven and Earth. Yuanyang Zidan says, “I am Yuanyang Zidan. Once my Dao practice is complete, I depart and ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.” At times, he rides in a carriage adorned with gold, cloud vapors, and precious jade, drawn by six flying dragons and driven by horses without limit, accompanied by 18,000 attendants.

The Great Celestial Master deity sends 18,000 people down into my body. Added to the 18,000 spirits already there, they make 36,000 in all, enabling me to ascend to Heaven in broad daylight. There are twelve spirits in the stomach, representing the Qi of the Five Origins and holding offices like those of remonstrance officials. There are five spirits in the navel and eight Great One spirits, thirteen altogether; together with the stomach spirits, they number twenty-five. All are spirits who govern the Five Phases and Yin-Yang.

Above the divine turtle are three spirits: the Mysterious Maiden, Emptiness, and the Dao Mother. The kidney spirits number six: the Ministers of Works, of Public Works, of Destiny, of Records, and of Justice, together with the Commandant and the Chief Minister of Justice. The practitioner rides in a divine-turtle carriage drawn by six carp (some say white fish), with a canopy formed from dark and white cloud vapors. There are three spirits in the Dantian, the body’s storehouse for nurturing essence and Qi; they are the human foundation. The three unite to form De and correspond to the ordinances of the Great Dao.

There are six spirits in the Three Burners, the functional regions of the internal organs in Chinese medicine and Daoism: the Left Altar, the Right Granary, the Wind Earl, the Rain Master, Thunder and Lightning, and Thunderclap. The large and small intestines each have one spirit, together called the Yuanliang Messengers. There are two Tiger Guard spirits, strong protectors stationed at the Vermilion Bird Gate. They can prolong life and serve beneath the perfected person’s Phoenix Pavilion. The Dark Valley spirits number five and are called the Great General and the Marshal. There are three Yin spirits, called the Senior Generals, the gathered essence of all the spirits; men call them Qiongying, and women, Dancheng.

There are 18,000 spirits in Heaven and 18,000 spirits within the human body, 36,000 in all. Together they lift a person up to Heaven, and that person becomes an immortal.

Twenty-Fourth Immortal

The scripture says: The divine maiden of the east is called the Jade Maiden Qingyao; the one of the south, the Jade Maiden Chigui; the one of the center, the Jade Maiden Huangsu; the one of the west, the Jade Maiden Baisu; and the one of the north, the Jade Maiden Xuanguang. Those on the left are called Changyang, and those on the right, Chengyi. These are all titles of the Jade Maidens.

According to the principle of the Five Phases overcoming one another, the phase that is overcome is often paired as a spouse with the phase that overcomes it. For example, the Heavenly Stem jia or yi belongs to Wood. Wood overcomes Earth, so jia is paired with ji as its wife. Jia and ji, yi and geng, bing and xin, ding and ren, and wu and gui are all pairs of Heavenly Stems joined as husband and wife. The liver and gallbladder belong to Wood, so the Wood Emperor takes the Central Palace’s (the center among the five directions) Wujisu Maiden as his wife. The other directions follow the same pattern.

If Daoist cultivators encounter these two Jade Maidens, they should serve them respectfully, but with caution, and must not take them as wives. The scripture holds that sexual union with a Jade Maiden brings death and ultimately prevents one from attaining the Dao. Cultivators should therefore abstain from sexual desire. They may command the Jade Maidens to fetch jade nectar, the drink of the immortals, and to bring them the traveling kitchen’s provisions, food for immortals or cultivators.

Twenty-Fifth Immortal

The scripture says that the highest-ranking divine being is named Lord Great One of Primordial Radiance. Seeking to obtain the spirit of Great One does not mean a person’s own mind-spirit, but a celestial deity: the Elder of the South Pole, Primordial Radiance. He resides in the human heart. Practitioners often invoke him at dawn, at noon, or on Jiawu or Bingwu days, saying, “Lord Great One of Primordial Radiance, Elder of the South Pole, I, so-and-so, wish to obtain the divine elixir of Great One and the Way of long life.” They then close their eyes and silently visualize a young Great One within the heart, wearing a dark red robe, its color reddish yellow like sunlight. After counting ninety breaths, they stop.

Another deity within the heart is named Guangjian. He is Lord Central Pole of the Central Great One and resides in the spleen, where he oversees nourishment of the body. Practitioners often invoke him at cockcrow, at mealtimes, at sunset or dusk, or on Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei days, saying, “Lord Great One Guangjian of the Central Pole, I, so-and-so, wish to obtain the Yellow Court Way of the perfected immortal.” They then close their eyes and silently visualize yellow Qi filling the stomach, with a yellow human-shaped deity above the spleen. After counting fifty breaths, they stop.

The deity below the heart is named Xuangu. He is the Lord of the North Pole and the Mother of the Way, Mysterious Radiance. Practitioners often invoke her at midnight, or on Jiazi, Bingzi, Wuzi, Gengzi, or Renzi days, saying, “Lord of the North Pole, Mother of the Way Xuangu, I, so-and-so, wish to obtain the golden liquid and sweet spring that can be drunk and consumed.” They then close their eyes and silently visualize white Qi between the kidneys. Within the white Qi is a divine tortoise, and upon the tortoise sits a Mysterious Maiden. To her right is the Director of Fate; to her left, the Director of Records. Once these figures appear, they invoke the Directors of Fate and Records and the Jade Maidens of the Six Ding to erase their name from the register of the dead and enter it in the Jade Register of the living, praying for long life.

Thus, the scripture says that knowing the names of these three divine beings can turn back one’s allotted years and prolong life. These three are the names of the Three Primordial Lords, the divine Dao rulers of Heaven and Earth; they are the source of human beings. One should recite them silently often and never forget them. They are also the three exalted primordial deities of Heaven.

Those who wish to cultivate the Dao should first visualize, in sequence, the deities in the various parts of the body. Only after seeing them with their own eyes will they develop faith. As faith accumulates, the deities will naturally reveal themselves.

First visualize the Lord of the Celestial Spirit, the deity who resides between the eyebrows. His body is blue and his head is white; he is situated between the two brows. Visualize him for three days, and you will be able to see his form.

Next visualize Xuanying, the deity in the throat, whose form glows bright red. Then visualize the throat itself as silver-white, encircled by twelve layers. Spend three days on each of these visualizations. Then visualize the lungs as pure white. They are called “Honghong”; visualize them for seven days. Visualize the heart as pure red, called “Xuxu,” for nine days; the liver as pure blue, called “Lanlan,” for three days; the gallbladder as pure blue, called “Huhu,” for three days; the spleen as pure yellow, called “Bibi,” for five days; the stomach as pure yellow, called “Dandan,” for five days; and the kidneys as pure black for three days. The name given for the kidneys is damaged in the original text.

Next visualize Taiyi, the deity who resides in the navel. He is red and is called Yulingzi; visualize him for three days. Visualize the large intestine as pure white, called “Dongdong,” also written “Dongdong,” for seven days; the small intestine as red, called “Qiqi,” for nine days; and the Dantian, an important part of the body for refining and cultivating Jing and Qi. It is red, and within it is a red person called Cangjing; visualize him for three days.

Then visualize Xuanzhang Fangzhang, a divine realm described in the original text, where someone resides; do this for seven days. Visualize the Gold and Jade Seal as dry, whole, and firm for three days. Visualize Xuanying as pure black, moist and shining, for three days.

Also visualize the “spleens” on either side of the body; another version of the text reads “shishi.” Within each one is a Jade Maiden wearing a deep red shawl and short jacket with a blue skirt. They stand upright on either side. Visualize them for three days. Then visualize a person beneath each foot. Both are pure white; visualize them for three days.

When these visualizations are complete, your cultivation of the Dao is considered successful. During practice, remain in the quiet chamber, leave worldly affairs behind, and enter a realm of purity and emptiness. Before beginning the visualizations, first observe ritual purity and restrict your diet, then concentrate on the visualizations in accordance with Daoist methods.

If you are resolved to cultivate the Dao and seek immortality and long life, you must first eliminate the “Three Worms”—impurities that, in Daoist teaching, harm the body and obstruct cultivation—and subdue the “Hidden Corpse,” an evil spirit lurking within that can disrupt your practice. As the scripture instructs, cultivate daily through the practice of ingesting Qi: inhale 360 times, pausing after every 30 breaths and resting briefly after every 90. Complete four rounds each day.

At midnight and at cockcrow, regularly recite the invocations, swallowing three times after each passage. In sequence, the invocations praise the mysterious vital energies and immortal substances of the Azure Teeth of the East, Vermilion Cinnabar of the South, Yellow Qi of the Center, Luminous Stone of the West, and Dark Nourishment of the North. They ask that these be imbibed, along with such immortal drinks as Morning Splendor, Cinnabar Pool, Sweet Spring, Golden Liquor, and Jade Syrup. In the scripture, “imbibe” and “drink” are expressions used in Daoist visualization, Qi circulation, and Qi ingestion practices; they do not necessarily refer to ordinary food and drink.

The scripture says that after practicing in this way for thirty days, the Three Worms will die, the Hidden Corpse will leave the body, and the body’s “three spirits and true Qi” will settle. The Hidden Corpse will not return. The practitioner can then become an immortal and live long, bearing a jade inscription and golden name in the registers of immortals, and riding the clouds up to Heaven.

Contemplate verdant trees and a dark tortoise, flowing water like a river, and crimson flames encircling the whole body (some versions read “palace” for “body”). How could such images enable one truly to understand it? The Dao has already arrived and returned to oneself. The Dao has already arrived and returned to oneself!

Next, contemplate the liver as deep green in color, moist and radiant, high and precariously situated on the left side of the body. Then contemplate the gallbladder as deep green and round, yellow within and green without, moist and clear-bright. It grows beside the liver, close to the heart and attached to the liver; the liver covers it from above. This is the beginning of cultivating the Dao. Once the contemplation is complete, call upon its spirit and say: “Little Blue Flesh” (some versions read “skin” for “flesh”), you accompany me, moist and clear-bright, growing at the side, close to the heart and attached to the liver, with the liver covering you from above. This is the beginning of cultivating the Dao. Once the contemplation is complete, call upon its spirit and say: “Little Blue Flesh, you accompany me. Remain as my messenger. I wish to obtain the Great One’s Divine Elixir and take it, so that so-and-so may live forever. Do not leave my body; dwell always in the Purple Chamber Palace and unite with the Dao.”

Then close your eyes and contemplate the green Qi descending from the essence of the sun and attaching to the body, entering through the nostrils. Next, contemplate the liver’s green Qi meeting it before the eyes and coming into the mouth. Swallow it twenty-one times, then stop. Next, imagine the green Qi circulating through and filling the whole body. Continue for ninety breaths, then stop.

On the Yi day, contemplate its spirit again and call out: “Plain Maiden of the Great One’s Purple Palace (the female deity of the Great One in the Purple Palace), you accompany me. Remain as my messenger. I wish to obtain the Great One’s Flower Talisman and take it.” On the Jia-Yin and Yi-Mao days, perform the contemplation again.

○ The Twenty-Ninth Immortal

The scripture says: Always on a Bing day, during the late-morning hour near noon, pat your heart and pray, saying:

The Vermilion Bird’s Elixir Fluid takes Heaven as the sea and Earth as the river. I wish to attain the Way of long life and immortality, and to consume the natural harmonious Qi (“Heavenly Harmony”; some versions read “Supreme Harmony”). Then close your eyes and visualize a red glow appearing in your mind, like the sun, resting between the lobes of the lungs. Next, visualize the sun’s essence transforming into a reddish-yellow breath that comes before your eyes. Inhale it into your mouth and swallow it; repeat three times. Then imagine this red breath circulating throughout your whole body. Silently count 180 breaths, then stop.

Next, call upon the spirits within your body and say: “Li Shang (some versions read ‘Li Chang’) and Master Zeng, I wish to become your friends. Please stay and serve as my messengers. I, so-and-so, wish to obtain the Great Unity Divine Elixir, an immortal elixir bestowed by the spirit of Great Unity. It is like golden liquid and can be drunk. May it remain forever within the Crimson Palace, the inner palace associated with the heart, and unite with me.” On a Ding day, visualize the spirit in the Crimson Palace and call out: “Jade Maiden of the Crimson Palace of the Celestial Emperor, I wish to become your friend. Please stay and serve as my messenger. I, so-and-so, wish to obtain the Celestial Emperor’s Way of long life.” On a Bing-Wu day or a Ding-Ji day, visualize her uniting with you in the Crimson Palace. On a Ding day, visualize and call to her again, seeking the Way of long life of the Celestial Emperor; on a Bing-Wu day or Ding-Ji day, perform the same visualization.

○ The Thirtieth Immortal

The scripture says: On each of the six Wu days, at cockcrow and at sunset, gently tap your chest with your hand and pray:

“Heavenly Dao, Heavenly Dao! May I never grow old, and may my life outlast that of the Central Yellow One. May I ascend to Heaven soon. May my life be prolonged, and may I remain forever with the Great Dao.”

Then close your eyes and visualize yellow Qi rising from the spleen to the mouth. Next, visualize the essence of Heaven transforming into yellow Qi that comes before your eyes. Inhale it into your mouth and swallow it; repeat three times. Then imagine the yellow Qi circulating throughout your whole body. Silently count 150 breaths, then stop.

Next, call upon the spirits within your body: “Jade Maiden of Mysterious Radiance, Red Child who Nourishes the Son, and Perfected One Zidan, consume the primal Qi and drink the sweet spring.” The scripture says that among the spirits of the body there are three who are parents. On a Ji day, visualize and call out: “Jade Maiden of the Yellow Court, Perfected One, I wish to become your friend. Please stay and serve as my messenger. I, so-and-so, wish to obtain the immortal Way of the Yellow Court of the Perfected One.” On Wu-Chen, Ji-Wei, Wu-Xu, and Ji-Chou days, perform the same visualization.

○ The Thirty-First Immortal

The scripture says: On each of the six Geng days, during the Shen hour, gently tap your chest with your hand and pray:

“Benzi, Benzi” summons a spirit named Benzi. The invocation says: “White clouds suddenly rise, and thick mist covers ten thousand li. May the white clouds return and accompany me, ever ready to do my bidding. Carry out the commands of the immortals and perfected ones again and again; when they are complete, begin anew.” On the jichou day, visualize this spirit once more.

The Thirty-First Immortal

The scripture says: Always on a geng day, during the shen hour (about three to five in the afternoon), gently tap your chest and recite:

“Benzi, Benzi, white clouds suddenly rise, and thick mist covers ten thousand li. May the white clouds return and accompany me, ever ready to do my bidding. Carry out the commands of the immortals and perfected ones again and again; when they are complete, begin anew.”

Then close your eyes and visualize your lungs as pure white. Let white Qi come to your mouth. Silently say in your heart: “The vital essence of Heaven, the white Qi, descends before me.” Then draw it into your mouth and swallow it, repeating this twenty-one times. Next, visualize the white Qi circulating throughout your body for one hundred and forty breaths, then stop.

Afterward, call upon the spirit of the lungs and say: “Master, please become my friend and stay to do my bidding. Please uphold the canopy of protection, the Golden Fluid and Jade Essence—the precious vital essence of Daoist cultivation. Remain within me and do not depart. Serve me, your Dao Lord, and become one with me.”

On a xin day, visualize and call upon the spirits once more: “Radiant Yellow Jade Hall, Jade Maiden of the Green Waist, please become my friends and stay to do my bidding. I, so-and-so, wish to obtain Pengzu’s medicine of long life and deathlessness and take it.” On the gengshen and xinyou days, visualize this spirit again. Here, “visualize” means to keep the image of the spirit or the associated thought present in the mind.

The Thirty-Second Immortal

The scripture says: Always at midnight on a ren day, gently tap your chest and recite:

“May I see the spirits of Heaven, and may they become my friends and stay to do my bidding. I, so-and-so, wish to obtain Pengzu’s medicine of long life and deathlessness and take it.”

On the gengshen and xinyou days, visualize this spirit again.

May you behold the Heavenly Mirror, a symbol of inner clarity, and let mysterious nourishment descend into the Jade Pool, the place in the mouth or body where saliva is gathered during cultivation. Let white hair turn black again, and preserve the state of an infant. Bring spirit and Qi back to yourself, keeping them in harmony with the five organs.

Then close your eyes and visualize white Qi moving between the kidneys, coursing through the whole body twelve times. Let it gather and then disperse, flowing into the limbs. Next, visualize the kidneys rising high, shaped like a pair of carp: the right one black and the left one red, positioned on either side of the spine. Let their radiance shine brightly throughout the body.

Then visualize the primal Qi of the Azure Heaven and Great Clarity, pure and still, descending before your eyes. Let it enter your mouth and swallow it, repeating this nine times before stopping. Imagine the white primal Qi of Great Clarity moving throughout the body, then draw it back into the Dantian, the cultivation center within the abdomen. Call upon the Registrar and the Jade Maidens of the Six Ding, divine beings who oversee the registers of names, and ask them to erase your name from the register of the dead, so that you may live long and ultimately become a perfected person. All Twelve Great Ones, deities associated with the twelve directions or cycles of time, should each proclaim, “Life.” Perform this visualization again on the Renzi and Guihai days.

“Chapter Thirty-Three: The Immortal Deities”

The scripture says: Once you have completed the visualization of the deities of the five organs, visualize the Mysterious Essence, Jade Essence, and Golden Elixir, and never forget them. Visualize the Mysterious Essence, wishing it abundant and moist as it flows in ordered courses. Then visualize the Jade Essence, in which a person stands upside down, like a little child dressed in garments. Imagine it firm and strong, gradually growing and doubling in size. Then visualize the Golden Elixir, wishing it dry and smooth, shaped like purple grains containing mercury.

Once all these visualizations are complete, begin again from the first and repeat the cycle twelve times. In this way, the spirit settles within, harmonious Qi comes naturally, and all illnesses are dispelled. Your lifespan will endure as long as Heaven and Earth; life will be unending, and there will be no need to worry about when death will come.

The scripture says that absorbing the essence of the sun can prolong life and bring immortality. Through this method, one may ultimately ascend to Heaven and pay homage to the Lord of the Dao.

Practitioners usually choose the first, second, fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, and fifteenth days of each month. At sunrise, they let their hair hang loose, face the sun, close their eyes, and visualize a small child within the heart. He wears a deep-red robe patterned in five colors; his whole body is bright red, and the centers of both his palms are a vivid red as well. Then they rub their face with both hands, move down to the chest, and repeat this twelve times.

Next, they visualize the sun’s essence transforming into reddish-yellow Qi and settling before their eyes. They then imagine it entering the mouth and swallow it nine times. At the same time, they rub the body with their hands, guiding the breath toward the chest, and gently tap the chest while reciting this invocation: “Lord Jing’s original Yang Qi, unite your De with mine, and together nourish the small child in the crimson palace.” This means: May Lord Jing’s original Yang Qi unite with mine, and may we together nourish the small child in the crimson palace, the place where the heart resides.

After a while, they visualize the breath traveling from the chest to the Dantian, guiding it there by rubbing with their hands. The scripture says that by placing the sun in the heart, the heart receives the sun’s essence, and one can thereby become an immortal.

Thirty-Five: Immortals

The scripture says that absorbing the essence of the moon can nourish the roots of the kidneys, turn white hair black, restore lost teeth, and ultimately make one an immortal. Usually, at midnight, practitioners visualize white Qi between the kidneys circulating through the body, rising to the brain gate—the area at the back of the upper head—and then descending to the soles of the feet. The scripture says that the Way of nature seems easy to attain, but is difficult in practice.

Usually, on the fifteenth day of each month, practitioners face the moon and recite this invocation:

The radiant essence of the Moon Lord joins with mine, nurturing a small child within my Dantian, the important place in the body where essence and Qi are stored. Then close your eyes and visualize the Moon’s white and yellow Qi descending before you. Draw it into your mouth, swallow it, and repeat this twenty-one times. Next, rub your body with your hands, guiding this Qi down to the Dantian.

The Qi in the Dantian is a true red. Within it is a little figure nine fen tall: the small child, dressed in red. The Dantian then appears red within and black without, green on the left, yellow on the right, and white above. The Qi of all five colors is now complete. The Moon must also be used to lodge in the kidneys. Only when the kidneys receive the Moon’s essence can the transformations of rising and descending take place.

The red at the center of the Dantian is the Sun’s essence and the Qi of the heart’s Fire. The black outer layer is the essence of Great Yin and the Qi of the kidneys’ Water. The green on the left is the essence of Lesser Yang and the Qi of the liver’s Wood. The yellow on the right is the essence of harmony and the Qi of the spleen’s Earth. The white above, covering and shining like a silver disc, is the essence of Lesser Yin and the Qi of the lungs’ Metal.

Within are five people, each the crown prince of one of the five organs and the spirit of one of the Five Phases. A person must bring the Dantian practice to completion in order to become a realized person. The nature of benevolence is revealed through the liver’s essence and Qi; a demeanor in keeping with ritual propriety is revealed through the heart’s essence and Qi; what is called “the wisdom of righteousness” …

…is an expression of the essence of the lungs. Cheerfulness and joy are expressions of the essence of the kidneys; loyalty, trustworthiness, sincerity, and kindness are expressions of the essence of the spleen; eloquence, courage, and decisiveness are expressions of the essence of the gallbladder.

A slow and gentle temperament is a sign of weakened gallbladder Qi; blindness is a sign of weakened liver Qi; timidity is a sign of weakened lung Qi; madness is a sign of weakened heart Qi; a weak, limp, and powerless body is a sign of weakened kidney Qi; lack of virtue, loss of voice, or deafness are signs of weakened spleen Qi. When any of the five viscera are weakened, the corresponding symptoms will appear in that organ.

Grief, sorrow, and persistent dejection can damage the liver. When the liver is damaged, symptoms such as keeping the eyes closed or the hair turning white may occur. One should cultivate inner visualization of the kidneys and heart to restore it. Excessive indulgence in pleasure can damage the kidneys. When the kidneys are damaged, there may be back pain, heaviness in the body, and pus and blood in the urine or stool. One should cultivate inner visualization of the liver and lungs to restore them. Anger can damage the heart. When the heart is damaged, madness and vomiting blood may occur. One should cultivate inner visualization of the liver and spleen to restore them. Suffering hardship and distress can damage the lungs. When the lungs are damaged, one should cultivate inner visualization of the spleen and kidneys to restore them. Overeating and excessive drinking can damage the spleen. When the spleen is damaged, one should cultivate inner visualization of the heart and lungs to restore them.

Let the corresponding “child organ” and “mother organ” nourish one another, and the illness can be cured and the ailments dispelled. Here, “child and mother” refers to the parent-child relationships among the organs according to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). “Inner visualization” is a Daoist practice of focused contemplation, using the mind to nourish body and spirit. Those who seek immortality should avoid harming the five viscera; practitioners must understand this.

Thirty-Six: Immortals

The scripture says: Those who consume the refined Qi of Taiji can attain long life. On each of the six Wu days, at the hour corresponding to that day’s earthly branch, the Daoist dresses properly indoors, faces north, bows twice, and prays: “August Heaven, Shangdi, and the Most High Lord of the Dao above, your great-grandchild, the humble novice Renjia, delights in the Daoist teachings and seeks long life.”

After lying down for the night, the practitioner gazes inwardly upon the great star at the center of the Northern Dipper’s Taiji. Its refined Qi transforms into a pure yellow radiance, descends before the practitioner’s eyes, then enters the mouth. The practitioner swallows it three or five times, then stops. Next, the practitioner visualizes the yellow essence filling the Great Granary and Yellow Court, then descending into the Dantian (energy center). The practitioner then visualizes a red deity in the Crimson Palace. In the Purple Chamber are five divine beings: Lord Taiyi in the center; Laozi and the immortal Zhong Chengzi on the left; Taihe and Qu Wenzi on the right. In the Hall of Light is the Jade Maiden of Mysterious Radiance, with Huang Changzi on the left and the Perfected One of Central Yellow on the right. Together, these deities protect the Perfected One, Zidan.

The practitioner then turns the gaze inward and downward to the Three Ministers in the Jade Hall, and calls upon the Registrar, the Six Ding, and the Jade Maiden to erase a certain person’s name from the register of the dead, so that this person may attain long life. Once the breath has settled, the practitioner visualizes the Perfected One, Zidan, in the stomach passage and offers this prayer:

“Jade Maiden of Mysterious Radiance, please nurture and protect my Perfected One, Zidan, so that he may consume primordial Qi and drink sweet spring water. May the central position of the Northern Dipper be lodged in my spleen, so that the spleen receives the refined Qi of the Dipper’s Pole and thereby becomes a Perfected One.”

“Great Granary,” “Yellow Court,” “Dantian,” “Crimson Palace,” “Purple Chamber,” “Hall of Light,” and “Jade Hall” are terms used in Daoist inner cultivation to describe internal regions of the body or the dwelling places of deities. The “register of the dead” refers to the register governing life and death. The “six Wu days” are specific days calculated using the sexagenary cycle of heavenly stems and earthly branches.

The scripture says: The lungs are the Shangshu, the liver is the Orchid Terrace, the heart is the Grand Commandant, the left kidney is the Minister of Instruction, and the right kidney is the Minister of Works. The spleen represents the empress, noble consorts, and ladies; the gallbladder represents the Son of Heaven and the Lord of the Great Dao. The stomach is the Great Granary, and also the residence of the crown prince and my own dwelling. The large and small intestines are the messengers of the Yuan Liang. The lower primordial Qi is the Grand Herald, the middle primordial Qi consists of the eighty-one primordial officers, and the upper primordial Qi is the High Chariot messenger. They carry the intention of the spirits up to the August Sovereign.

Thus the lungs are called the Jade Hall Palace; the heart, the Crimson Palace and the Vermilion Bird Gate; the kidneys, the Northern Pole’s Hidden Gate and the Black Tortoise Side Gate; the spleen, the Bright Hall, also known as the attendants’ and chamberlains’ offices. The stomach is called the Upper Sea, where the sun and moon pause in their courses. The navel is called the Lower Sea, where the sun and moon alternately rise and set, continuing up to the stomach.

The Great Beginning is the origin of primordial Qi; it is the Dao, the One. Above the heart corresponds to Heaven. The Great Commencement is the origin of all things; it corresponds to mountains, rivers, and Earth, and also to the kidneys. The Great Simplicity is the origin of humanity; it corresponds to Jing, the spleen, and Earth. The upper part of the body also has three palaces: the two eyes correspond to the Crimson Palace, the two ears to the Jade Hall Palace, and the nose and mouth to the Bright Hall. The space between the eyebrows is called the Suburban Mountain. If one harmonizes the Qi of the Three Primordials to nourish the perfected child within—the inner divine nature—one can perceive things with clarity.

The Old Lord said: Though there are many methods of cultivating the Dao, it is enough to focus the mind on preserving the One, the child cinnabar—the inner cinnabar essence. The One is the Dao. The gallbladder is located within the Purple Chamber Palace; the child cinnabar is me. “Me” means oneself. Here the essential meaning of the Dao is complete.

○ Thirty-Eighth: The Immortal Spirit

The scripture says that practitioners of the Dao use mercury, dissolving sand liquid, pearls and jade, and the Eight Minerals to refine divine elixirs. Swallowing a single daogui—an ancient measure for elixirs, here meaning a small dose—can enable one to ascend to the heavenly palace. Only by constantly taking Qi as nourishment can one attain long life and become an immortal; only by visualizing deities and consuming elixirs can one become a perfected person. After attaining the Dao, perfected people assist the Supreme Sovereign in governing the heavens.

The perfected people hold that water and earth were vast and chaotic, and heaven and earth lay in darkness; the myriad things had not yet taken shape. After eighteen thousand years, heaven, earth, and humanity came into being. The perfected people fashioned humans from earth, giving them breath and the ability to eat and drink, as well as attendants and mounts to serve them. This kept the clay from being lonely and unaccompanied, and ensured that humans would not exist alone. Thus, yellow earth is said to be humanity’s source. The perfected people leave the mortal world and ascend to the Nine Heavens; those in the world who lack the Dao descend to the Yellow Springs.

The scripture also says, “Add three sheng of earth, child (some versions read ‘complete’), without bones or sinews (some versions read ‘ribs’).” The Venerable Lord of the Nine Heavens, a revered deity of the celestial realm, once said: “Those who eat what is from heaven must repay heaven with their own bodies and ascend to the Nine Heavens as perfected people. Those who eat what is from earth must repay earth with their own bodies and, after death, become corpse demons. Those who eat what is from the human realm must repay humanity with their own bodies, and in the end their flesh and bones will be cast aside.”

If practitioners of the Dao wish to cultivate the Dao, they should not eat birds. Repeatedly killing creatures nourished by Heaven will diminish one’s lifespan. The scripture also says that those who raise and eat these animals will slaughter the six domestic animals like butchers. They must avoid the animals forbidden by the Six Ding deities: Dingmao is the rabbit, Dingchou the ox, Dinghai the pig, Dingyou the chicken, Dingwei the sheep, and Dingsi the snake. These are all strictly forbidden under the Six Ding deities’ taboos.

When taking Qi and elixirs and cultivating in a quiet chamber, practitioners must keep living creatures away and abstain from the meat of the five domestic animals. These are the horse, ox, sheep, pig, and dog; only eggs and fish may be eaten. They must also abstain from the five pungent plants, foul-smelling foods, and animals that have died naturally. Taking elixirs already calls for caution; during the practice of “riding the nie,” dietary restrictions must be observed even more strictly.

The scripture says, “The Dao is me; it is also the supreme Lord of the Central Pole.” At sunrise, noon, the hour of You (about five to seven in the evening), and midnight, practitioners should look up and contemplate the Great Yellow Star at the center of Taiji, the Lord of the Central Pole. Some accounts give the times as the hours of Shen and You.

During practice, visualize the essence and Qi of the Lord of the Central Pole descending and settling between your eyebrows. It appears as red, yellow, and white light, like the sun. Then use your intention to guide this essence and Qi into your mouth and swallow it, letting it enter the Palace of Crimson, the Purple Chamber, and the Yellow Court—terms in Daoist Neidan for different parts of the body. Swallow three or five times, then stop and recite this invocation:

“Heavenly Emperor, Lord of the Most High Dao: your great-grandchild, little Guang Renjia, delights in cultivating the Dao and hopes to attain long life. This is my primordial Qi; I was born from this Qi.”

Repeat the visualization and recitation ten thousand times without stopping. The scripture says that in this way you can attain long life and become a perfected person. Then a cloud chariot will come to receive you, carry you up to the heavenly palace, and take you to pay homage to the Emperor before the Primordial Light of the Old Man of the South Pole.

Laojun says: The methods by which sages cultivate “Melting the Pearl” and “Kidney Person, Water Jade” follow the same principle. “Melting the Pearl” means absorbing the sun’s refined energy; the sun corresponds to the left eye. “Water Jade” means absorbing the moon’s refined energy; the moon corresponds to the right eye.

Let the hair hang loose, lie flat on the back, and close the eyes. Frequently visualize yellow refined energy between the eyes. Imagine red Qi descending from there, entering the mouth, and then swallow it. Repeat twenty-seven times. This can clear the spirit and enable one to see in all eight directions. Next, visualize the white Qi in the lungs rising through the throat and entering the mouth. Swallow it and repeat twenty-one times. The scripture says this can clear the spirit and give the body a lustrous appearance, ward off evil influences, summon spirits, and bring a Jade Maiden to attend you, thereby prolonging life and keeping away the ghosts of the dead.

Also frequently visualize a small child inside the body, dressed in deep red and seated in the center of the heart. The center of the heart is where the spirits reside. At times, visualize a purple canopy in the heart. Beneath it stands a person wearing a red headcloth and a tall crown, dressed in a deep-red tunic, holding an arrow and drawing a crossbow, with an angry expression. The scripture says that visualizing this person can ward off military calamities and command ghosts and spirits.

Fortieth Immortal

The scripture says: Frequently visualize purple clouds rising from the crown of the head. They are shaped like a canopy or flames, patterned with five colors, and extend upward to meet the sky. Then use the mind to spread the purple clouds fully, as though they were descending together with the sky.

Visualize a mass of yellow Qi the size of an orange in the stomach. Let it gradually grow until it takes the shape of the sun. Then visualize the primordial Qi beneath the eyes, along with red and yellow human figures. Let the Dao Qi circulate and spread through the limbs, then ascend high and enter the sun. Rise to the Crimson Palace, the palace where the heart is located, then to the Purple Chamber and the Great One, the deity venerated in Daoism. Recite the following invocation:

The Supreme One of the North Pole, the highest northern deity revered in Daoism, respectfully instructs the gods: “Always keep the soul of so-and-so settled; do not let it leave his body.” This is called “natural formlessness.”

Forty-First Immortal

The scripture says: “The Ghost Arrows have twelve stalks and can be used to ward off military calamities. Regularly visualize twelve stalks of lingzhi in your heart, reaching upward to the lungs. Gather them with your intention; this is called the ‘Ghost Arrows.’ Practitioners who regularly perform this method will naturally repel weapons and armies, and harmful events will naturally dissipate. Use it to resist enemy troops from the four directions, and the force of their lightning-like might will scatter. Even when confronted with shields, swords, halberds, gold, or silver, the heavenly gods will aid the practitioner, while the Thunder Lord beats his drum to strengthen their power. The spirit of the Taibai star sends forth its light; the White Emperor holds a bow and crossbow; Chiyou drives away military calamities; the Azure Dragon guards the gate; the deity of Wuyi is in the courtyard; and the serpent Xun and the Dark Warrior govern the warding off of misfortune.

The white rabbit pounds the medicine, with the toad beside it. The Supreme One, the revered deity of the North Pole, blends the potion, while Peng Zu, the legendary immortal of longevity, leads the way. Take a small portion of the medicine, and the face will glow with radiance; feathers will grow on the body, enabling one to pay audience to the Supreme Emperor, a revered deity of the heavens. This is the method of the Dao: it enables the Qi of the gods to unite with that of the practitioner. Practice it with care and do not grow lax.”

Forty-Second Immortal

The scripture says: “On a Gengshen day, during the hour of Shen, undo your hair, point your head toward the southwest, and lie on your back facing the Shen direction. Relax your whole body and close your eyes. Visualize the lungs as white, moist, and bright, with lingzhi growing inside. Each stalk is about as thick as a little finger, hollow and luminous within, and connected below to the heart. Within the lingzhi are blue and red Qi, linked from top to bottom. Qi rises from the heart and enters the lungs. Continue visualizing until the end of the Shen hour, at about five in the afternoon.

“The lungs are the part of the body that corresponds to Heaven, and the heart is the part that corresponds to the sun. The sun’s Qi rises upward, like the essence of red cinnabar. Without obtaining this Qi, a person cannot live; when this Qi is lost, a person dies. This cultivation is called the ‘natural Way’; through it, practitioners can communicate with the spirits.”

One should regularly visualize a mass of red Qi in the heart, like the sun. This sunlike Qi rises from within the body, the essence of red cinnabar Qi. Without ever obtaining this Qi, a person cannot survive; if it is lost, the person will die. This is called the “Way of Nature,” a way that can reach the spirits.

Immortal Method Forty-Three

One should regularly visualize a mass of pure red Qi in the heart, like the sun, green within and black without. The three unite to accomplish their work, in accordance with the workings of the Dao. The master said: Each morning, visualize the heart as pure red, like the sun. Within the sun is a person wearing a tall crown and red headcloth, dressed in a deep red robe. When you see him in your visualization, call out: “Heavenly Emperor, Lord Taiyi (the revered deity, the Emperor of Heaven), please grant so-and-so long life and raise him to the rank of a Perfected One (an immortal who has attained the Dao).”

Immortal Method Forty-Four

The method of “returning essence” to the Crimson Palace (the place where the heart resides) is as follows: On the first and fifteenth days of each month, and at the end of the month, when the sun has just risen, let your hair hang loose and lie facing east, with your head toward the sun. With your left hand, massage downward from between the breasts to the pit of the stomach, then back up, repeating this nine times. Then stop. Silently recite: “Divine hand, please return the spirit to the Crimson Palace. Do not let it leave my body. Spirit, please settle and dwell quietly within, and speak with me.” Recite this silently three times, then stop. The master said: Massaging between the breasts is meant to make the breath flow up and down along its pathways. When lightly pressing the pit of the stomach, visualize a small child; this is called “Emptiness.” Returning essence to the Crimson Palace three times each month is a method of cultivating immortality.

Immortal Method Forty-Five

The Primordial Yang Red Person is Taiyi; the Primordial Yang Lord of the Dao is Central Taiyi; the Primordial Yang Cinnabar Child is oneself. This is the Way of the immortals.

Immortal Method Forty-Five

The names Primordial Yang Red Person, Primordial Yang Lord of the Dao, and Primordial Yang Cinnabar Child refer respectively to Taiyi, Central Taiyi, and oneself. Together, they indicate the Way of the immortals described here.

The scripture says: “‘Crimson Person of Primordial Yang’ refers to Taiyi; ‘Dao Lord of Primordial Yang’ refers to Central Taiyi; ‘Zidan of Primordial Yang’ refers to oneself; ‘Jade Maiden of Mysterious Radiance of Primordial Yang’ is the mother goddess of the Dao; ‘August Person of Primordial Yang’ is the King of Taiyi; and ‘Dantian of Primordial Yang’ is the palace that stores Jing.”

The master explains: “‘Primordial’ refers to Qi, and ‘Yang’ refers to the sun. In cultivation, imagine a sun within your heart. In the sun is a Crimson Person wearing a red headscarf and a tall crown, dressed in a deep red robe. Next, imagine a great white star in your gallbladder, shining with three interwoven rays of light. On the star are three figures, each dressed in deep red and wearing a crown of the Nine Virtues. The Dao Lord is in the center; to his left are Laozi and Zhongchengzi, and to his right are Taihe and Quwenzi, making five figures in all.

“Then visualize the area above your spleen as bright yellow. There is a sun within it, and three figures in the sun: the Dao Mother, Jade Maiden of Mysterious Radiance, in the center; Huangchangzi on the left; and Zhonghuangzhi on the right. Next, visualize the Perfected Person Zidan inside the stomach, as if seated upon pearls and jade, with golden clouds forming a canopy around him, and Jade Maidens and young attendants serving at his sides. Then visualize Taiyi in your navel, dressed in multicolored vermilion robes and wearing a crown of three crimson bands. A blue figure stands to his left, a white figure to his right, a red figure before him, and a black figure behind him. Then visualize red Qi in your Dantian. Within the red Qi are three figures: the Crimson Person in the center, the blue figure on the left, and the yellow figure on the right. Red Qi surrounds them; the inner layer is blue, the outer layer black, the upper part white, and the center yellow. When you have finished visualizing, lie down. If you see anything, the Shen and Qi will come and speak with you.”

46. Immortals

The scripture says: “Frequently visualize yellow Qi rising from the spleen to the mouth, then swallow it. Repeat this three or five times, and you will feel full. In this way, one can abstain from grain, and one can also cultivate while sitting until the physical form perishes.”

The master explains: “Frequently visualize a sun in the spleen. Within the sun are sixteen golden Immortals.”

The scripture says to regularly visualize yellow Qi rising from the spleen to the mouth, then swallow it. Repeat this three to five times, and you will feel full. By following this method, you can avoid eating grains; you can even die instantly while seated.

The master says to regularly visualize a sun inside the spleen. Within the sun is a golden box containing a book. A door made of yellow jade seals the box; it is three inches wide, and the words “Wei Xi” are written on it. Focus your visualization, and harmful Qi will depart of its own accord. If you can see and read the words inside, your mind will become clear and your eyes bright, and you will immediately become an immortal.

○ Forty-Seventh Immortal

The scripture says to regularly visualize the stomach as if filled with congealed fat, with yellow Qi filling it. (In ancient times, the stomach was called the “Great Granary.”) The Qi rises to the mouth; swallow it, and you will feel full.

The master says that the stomach is the “Great Granary,” where all kinds of spirits eat and drink. Inside it are pots and steamers made of gold, attended by Jade Maidens and young boys who provide and serve food. Hence it is called the “Yellow-Robed One,” and it can summon the Traveling Kitchen, a divine kitchen that supplies food on the road.

○ Forty-Eighth Immortal

The scripture says that the kidneys are the root of primal Qi. Regularly visualize the white Qi between the two kidneys rising to the crown of the head, then descending to the centers of the feet and the tips of all ten toes. Let it circulate through the whole body twelve times, then stop. This will warm your hands and feet. You will be able to go without hunger or thirst, feel no fear of cold, avoid aging, and have your white hair turn black again. You should practice this visualization regularly.

○ Forty-Ninth Immortal

The scripture says that on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, visualize the white Qi between the two kidneys rising to the crown of the head, then descending to the centers of the feet. Visualize a multicolored turtle, whose shell bears patterns like crossing ribbons. On it sits a Jade Maiden of Mysterious Light, with two male lords seated facing one another, ...

Ahead is Taiyi, the divine being who governs all things between Heaven and Earth. Behind are the Record Keeper of the Dark Mystery and the Lord of Destiny, divine beings who govern human lifespans, life, and death. Together, they determine whether a person lives or dies. Focus your mind and silently invoke these deities for thirty breaths, each breath being about one inhalation and exhalation. Recite the incantation: “Lord Record Keeper, Lord of Destiny, Jade Maidens of the Six Ding (protective goddesses in Daoism), please remove so-and-so’s name from the register of the dead and enter it in the register of the living. In this way, one may attain long life.” Then breathe like a divine tortoise, exhaling stale Qi and inhaling fresh Qi, and circulate the Qi freely. Visualize the spirit of the white tortoise, letting primordial Qi flow throughout the body and warming all four companions—here, the relevant Qi within the body—for thirty breaths. Recite the same incantation once more. Then breathe like a divine tortoise, exhaling the old and taking in the new, circulate the Qi freely, and visualize the spirit of the white tortoise. Let primordial Qi circulate and warm the four companions.

A person must first acquire Kidney Qi for tortoise breathing to arise. By regularly visualizing and practicing on Jiazi and Renzi days, one can attain long life.

○ Fifty-first Immortal

The scripture says: At noon on Jiawu days, let your hair hang loose and lie on your back with your head facing south. Close your eyes and visualize a mass of yellow Qi in the Dantian (energy center) three inches below the navel, red at its center and about the size of a palm. Its outer layer is black, and beyond that is a layer of blue-green. White Qi covers the area above the navel; this is Lung Qi. To the left is blue-green Qi, and to the right is yellow Qi, each about the size of a palm. These three masses of Qi are the Qi of the liver, spleen, and lungs, respectively.

The master says: The red at the center of the Dantian is the Qi of the sun; the black outer layer is the Qi of Great Yin; the blue-green layer beyond it is the Qi of Lesser Yang. The three kinds of Qi unite to form complete merit. By having them guard the body, one can attain long life.

○ Fifty-second Immortal

The Scripture says: The heart is the root of empty Qi, and the kidneys are the root of Original Qi. Empty Qi rises upward, appears blue, and becomes Heaven. Original Qi settles and descends, becoming Earth, then enters the Great Abyss, a name for the depths or for a part of the body associated with Original Qi. Thus empty Qi gives rise to exhalation, and Original Qi gives rise to inhalation. The heart is like the sun, the kidneys like the moon, and the spleen like the Northern Dipper. Heart Qi descends, kidney Qi rises, and the two join as one, circulating throughout the body without pause. The heart is therefore associated with blood, and the kidneys with Qi; when the two combine and circulate, this is called the “pulse.” The pulse bears a person’s hun and po, the ethereal and corporeal souls, and gives form to the person’s appearance. Once the hun and po depart, life falls silent. When the pulse is exhausted, Qi ceases; when Qi ceases, death follows.

Therefore, those who cultivate the Dao must guard their spirit, nurture their roots, and strengthen their Original Qi. You must strive in your practice—strive in your practice, for life is about to depart. Perfected beings who attain the Dao meet once every eighteen thousand years; Daoist practitioners who attain the Dao meet once every thousand years. For this reason, I composed the Central Scripture and left it to later generations. This book was originally kept by the August Sovereign in a golden coffer. If a Daoist obtains it, they must not pass it on, even if someone offers a thousand gold pieces.

○ Fifty-Second: Immortals

The classic says that the Three Origins converge on the day of jǐhài. The “Three Origins” refers to Taiyi, Taiyin, and Palace Qi. All three begin their cycles from jǐhài: Taiyi moves to the left, passing through one chen position each year; Harmful Qi moves to the right, passing through one of the four seasonal first months each year; and Taiyin moves to the right, passing through one chen position every three years and completing one direction every nine years. After thirty-six years, the Three Origins converge together at the hài position.

In the year when the Three Origins converge, calamities such as floods, droughts, warfare, and famine will strike all at once. Yin and Yang, though separated, intermingle and interact, stirring Heaven and Earth as Harmful Qi spreads: wherever it passes during the day, crops are damaged; when it passes among people, they fall ill; when it passes over fields, it brings famine and high grain prices. If you happen to live in such an age, it will be difficult to keep yourself safe. Since this is so, how could you fail to seize the opportunity to study the Daoist Way?

In an age of turmoil, floods and droughts and locust plagues follow one another. Food grows scarce and prices soar; war breaks out everywhere, people fall ill, and roads are cut off. The common people carry the elderly on their backs and lead their young children away, scattering to other places. Parents, spouses, and siblings are separated; grief wells up from the depths of the heart and cuts to the bone. Some are reduced to servitude and no longer even know where their hometown is. If you wait until then to study the Dao, will it not be too late? Far too late indeed! I solemnly urge you: preserve the Shen (spirit) and cultivate the Elixir—that is, practice gathering and refining the Neidan (internal alchemy)—and prepare yourself early. If turmoil comes, withdraw from danger and live in seclusion. If a wise and enlightened ruler governs the world, the Daoist Way can then be practiced openly.

Thus, when the currents of Heaven and Earth converge, a minor famine occurs once every forty-five years, and a small-scale famine once every ninety years; a greater famine occurs once every one hundred and eighty years, and a major famine once every three hundred and sixty years. Every five hundred years, the worthy gather on a small scale; every thousand years, the sages gather on a small scale; and every three thousand six hundred years, the sages gather in great numbers. Once every eighteen thousand years, the perfected ones briefly appear in the world to govern; once every thirty-six thousand years, the highest immortals appear to govern. Every three million six hundred thousand years, Heaven and Earth undergo a great convergence: primordial Qi fills the world in a boundless chaos, and the forms of the myriad things have not yet become distinct. Among all things, people cannot tell east from west or north from south. People transform into animals, and animals into people. The perfected ones dwell above primordial Qi, while the immortals dwell in a distant, boundless realm. Even Daoists who live in seclusion and cultivate the Way can receive honor.

The Celestial Capital of Jingzhao lies at the left end of the Gouchen constellation, one of the celestial court’s star groups, and is known as Lord An De. Together with the Northern Lord of Great Taiyi, he deliberates on the affairs of the gods and oversees human souls. After a person dies, their soul gathers in the southern pole.

Those listed in the register of longevity can extend their lives, and the gods will jointly recommend them. For those absent from the register, life comes to an end. The God of Fate, who governs human lifespans and destinies, sends such people away, and their souls gather in the northern pole.

Those who accrue merit through their deeds toward people, Heaven and Earth, and all things will have wealthy and honored descendants. They themselves will live long and attain distinction, may even be enfeoffed as a marquis, and can be reborn as human beings after death.

There are three kinds of people without De. The first are cruel and tyrannical, harming the workings of Heaven and Earth and the order of the four seasons. The second curse others, envy them, indulge in lust, and show contempt for the gods of Heaven and Earth. The third are disloyal, steal, harm people in secret, or push them into pits and bury them alive. The descendants of those who commit these three kinds of offenses will die out. Each person is born with one of three allotted destinies; these are determined again when they marry or give a daughter in marriage.

The fate of an ordinary person is shaped by many factors. Matters such as moving house and burial can also affect one’s destiny. Good fortune may bring you a long life and wealth and honor for your descendants; danger may bring your death and leave your descendants poor and beset by hardship. Living between Heaven and Earth, how could you fail to revere them? The spirits are awe-inspiring.

Heaven, therefore, has spirits such as the sun and moon, the Northern Dipper, the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, and the Five Planets, who govern worldly affairs. Spirits such as the Six Jia and Six Ding also patrol the human realm. If you do not know what these spirits do, you should still hold them in reverence. Your home may also contain evil ghosts and uncanny beings, as well as spirits who govern the local shrine, waterways and soil, fate, doors and gates, wells and stoves, latrines, the Great Yin, and water channels. The scripture says that all of these may harm people. To drive away evil and ward off ghosts, you should wear Fulu (talismans and registers) and take divine medicines. Fulu are credentials that convey commands between Heaven and Earth and serve as proof of authority to the spirits; the medicines are elixirs refined to nourish the body. They can strengthen your vitality and make your body light and robust, protecting you from pernicious influences, ghosts, and spirits, until you ultimately become an immortal. Ghosts are messengers of the spirits; when they see the seals of authority from Heaven, they will depart.

There are spirits within the human body as well. In the Central Region of the Northern Capital, in Xuanji Lane, Xia Village, lives the Yellow Lord, whose courtesy name is Virtuous Sovereign. He resides at the center of the navel. He is the Great One (Taiyi), the ruling spirit within the body, also known as the Jade Numinous Child. Wearing a five-colored vermilion robe, he oversees the inspection and review of the Yellow Spirits. Each year, at the autumn equinox in the eighth month, he checks and summons all the spirits. Practitioners should remain indoors for three days: the day before the autumn equinox, the day itself, and the day after.

Begin visualization each day at cockcrow. At dawn, joyfully invite the spirit to come, and continue until around midday. Practice in this way for three consecutive days. While practicing, let your hair hang loose, face northwest, and lie on your back with your body extended. Do not let anyone see you, and tell your family in advance to keep quiet. On the day itself, first observe a fast and bathe. When the time comes, enter a quiet room, settle your mind, and then pray:

“I, a humble seeker called So-and-so, of the Lu Sun lineage, love the Dao and wish to attain long life. Today is the autumn equinox. The Celestial Emperor’s emissary, the Yellow Lord of Xia Village, will descend into my body to inspect and summon the spirits. Let none of the spirits evade this summons; all must come and gather.”

Then invite them as described above, three times each day, for nine times over three days, stopping at midday. Afterward, recite:

“Registrar, Six Ding, and Jade Maidens, remove his name from the register of the dead and enter it instead in the jade calendar of the long-lived immortals. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and commands!”

That day, the Boundless Lord of the Celestial Emperor will descend in response and say, “Granted.” Then get down from the bed, turn around, bow and prostrate yourself, and give thanks to the heavenly spirits. The scripture says that this completes the entire practice.

Would you like to know what perfected beings and immortals are like? Immortals wear light, soft garments and have feathers growing on their bodies. Perfected beings cast no shadow and wear multicolored vermilion robes. They have no fixed dwelling: in spring they live in the east, in summer in the south, in autumn in the west, and in winter in the north. They travel through the skies above such famous mountains as Kunlun, Penglai, and Daying, and over the Nine Regions—that is, throughout the world—and appear at court before the Supreme Sovereign, the highest divinity, at appointed times. Once they attain the Dao, perfected beings can live for eighty million years. They ride chariots adorned with pearls and jade that travel through the clouds, driving horses of primordial force. At times they ride six flying dragons, assisting the Supreme Sovereign in governing Heaven and Earth.

Immortals of the middle rank can ascend into the sky and travel on clouds, crossing rivers and seas. Those of lower rank are expected to ascend to immortality through corpse liberation, in which the body is left behind or transformed as a sign of release from mortal existence. On the last day of each lunar month, they must attend the court assembly and pay their respects without fail; afterward, they serve as divine messengers. The practice of the Dao itself does not differ; only the ranks of the immortals vary.

The scripture goes on to describe the bodily changes of long-lived people: at one hundred years old, their hair turns yellow; at two hundred, their cheekbones rise; at three hundred, their ears can hear all things; at four hundred, vertical lines appear on their faces; at five hundred, their pupils become square; at six hundred, their ribs join together; at seven hundred, their bones grow full and strong; at eight hundred, their intestines turn into sinews; at nine hundred, their ears lengthen; and at one thousand, they ascend to the heavenly realm and pay their respects to the Supreme Sovereign Taiyi, the name of the highest god. Immortals and perfected beings have double pupils—two pupils in each eye—so they can see clearly in all eight directions. Eating lingzhi mushrooms and taking elixirs can prevent aging. At eighteen thousand years of age, a person becomes a child again; the cycle of growth and development starts anew, counted from age eight for boys and age seven for girls.

To subdue all manner of evil spirits, ghosts, and demonic beings that have acquired supernatural powers, one can carry talismans and a sharp sword at all times, placing them on a water jar and observing the beings’ forms and shadows in the water. If an unusual creature suddenly appears while one is away from home, its form can be examined in the light of the sun or moon.

The scripture says that anyone wishing to subdue all kinds of wicked spirits, ghosts, and ancient sprites should keep talismans and a sharp sword with them at all times. Place them over a water jar and watch the shapes reflected in the water. If an uncanny creature suddenly appears while you are away from home, you can also examine its shadow in sunlight or moonlight and identify it from what you see. Write an apotropaic talisman in cinnabar and place it over the jar of water; when wicked ghosts see it, they will withdraw of their own accord.

All kinds of sprites and ghosts, as well as dragons, snakes, tigers, leopards, domestic animals, foxes, fish, softshell turtles and tortoises, birds, roe deer, and old trees may transform into spirits and trouble people. When you encounter them, you can use talismans to subdue them, carve talismanic signs to cut them down, and then consign them to the Earl of the River, the water deity, and the Clerk of the Altar, an official under the local earth god. You should also summon the talismanic emissary on duty that day and the Six Ding deities, Daoist guardian spirits, to keep watch at night.

The related talismanic texts appear in “The Forty-Nine True Ones of the Six Jia Palaces” in the Eighty-One Mysterious Diagrams. Four other talismans—“Pearl Embryo,” “Seven Mechanisms,” “Flower Canopy,” and “Pure Contemplation”—can also subdue harmful spirits, but those who are impure must not wear them. Instead, one should wear the talismans “Mighty Joy,” “Giant Victory,” “Left Pact,” “Right Archer,” “Supreme Ultimate,” “Great Purity,” “Great Mystery,” “Yang Insignia,” “Reaching Heaven,” “Embracing Primordial Qi,” and “Great Void.” These belong to the talismans and registers of the Great Dao. They may be worn throughout the year and are said to ward off all kinds of intrusion, without any restrictions.

The prescribed text for wearing the talisman reads: “This is the supreme vestment of August Heaven.” Another text of supplication says, in essence: “August Heaven, the Supreme Emperor, and the Most High Lord of the Dao: I, Wang Jia, a later generation who cultivates the Dao, cherish the Great Dao and seek long life. May my wishes come as I desire, and may I be at ease in my heart; there is no need to say more.”

The text used when sealing a talisman petitions August Heaven, the Supreme Emperor, the Most High Lord of the Dao, Tianyi, Taiyi, the Lord of the Northern Dipper, the Lords of the Sun, Moon, Yin, and Yang, the Lord of Destiny, and the Lord of Records. It asks them to remove a person’s name from the register of the dead and enter it instead in the jade calendar and immortal register of long life, making that person a perfected one. The text also states that on that day the speaker received a mandate to become an emissary of Taiyi and paid homage to the Lord of the Dao in the Upper Sovereign realm. At the end, it says that Zhonghuang Menzi, a Daoist title, bows twice, then prepares the covenant text, seals the talismans and registers, and transmits them. One must first purify body and mind and rid oneself of transgressions. The rite is generally held on an Exclusion Day in one of the four seasons of the West, or on one of the Eight Festival Days.

On the appointed day, set out wine and dried meat by a river flowing east, and perform a rite to expiate your faults and vow to become a perfected person—one who has attained the Dao and become an immortal. On that day, I, your subject, was appointed a messenger of Great Unity (Taiyi). I bowed twice and accepted the appointment. The Lord Dao of the August Sovereign commanded Zhonghuang Menzi to receive the covenant with a bow, wear the talismanic credential, and seal away the talisman registers. The appointed person must first purify themselves and clear away their transgressions. This rite is generally held on the day of Chu in the fourth month of each season, or on one of the Eight Nodes.

Set out wine and dried meat by a river flowing east to expiate your faults; a river flowing south will also do. The Mysterious Diagram of the Immortals says: “The names and talismanic credentials in the fifty-five chapters of the Jade Calendar were originally kept in the Golden Coffer, Jade Case, and Jade Basket of the August Sovereign, sealed behind nine layers. If you obtain them, do not pass them on casually. Be prudent and accept no payment. When you meet a suitable person, transmit them, and you can attain the Dao and become an immortal.”

I have often examined these three scriptures myself: the upper and lower sections of the Central Scripture. I often send the Director of Destinies, the deity who governs people’s lifespans and registers, to instruct the spirits and ghosts to protect you. Do not alter or omit my words casually. Even if a single character is missing, I will know. You must be exceedingly careful. Follow what I have said, and the talismanic covenant and the immortal Dao will accord with you. Write the text below in cinnabar and blue pigment; this is the credential I use to establish its authenticity.

If you truly wish to attain the Dao and become an immortal, you must first take Returned Elixir and Golden Liquor—the Daoist methods of refining and ingesting elixirs—and practice preserving the spirits within you. Then you can quickly become an immortal, a perfected person. If you do not take divine elixirs and Golden Liquor, you will only suffer: you will be plagued by spirits of cold, warmth, and wind. The Director of Destinies will not save you, and the spirits who protect the Dao will be powerless to help. If you cultivate the Dao only by dressing and eating appropriately, maintaining emptiness and stillness, and following things as they are, the spirits and ghosts cannot kill you. Yet when your allotted years are over, you will still die naturally. Why is this so? Because you have not firmly guarded your own Qi and spirit. Just as all things, though they do not seek death as they grow, naturally age, wither, decay, and die, so it is with people.

I offer these words to urge you: make every effort to seek out a master. The eighty-one disciples I taught all became immortals. Ten of them live scattered among the people, practicing immortality as they travel around the Yungu area. I did not appear during the Qin and Xiang eras; I manifested only in the Han, in accord with the Yellow Age. To meet me is a great auspice.

The Supreme Lord of the Great Dao, the revered deity of the highest Way, told the True Lord of the Northern Pole:

“Long ago, I traveled through the northern heavens, riding my chariot across the realm of Vast Cold. I trod upon the Flower Canopy and pushed the Nine Origins with my hands, roaming freely through the cloud palaces and traveling to and fro in the secluded, mysterious lands of the north. I wandered at ease in the Hall of Northern Yin and explored the Gate of Hidden Radiance. Looking up, I gazed upon the Jade Pivot—the constellation of the Northern Dipper—to summon the movements of Heaven, hasten the turning of the cosmic cycles, and set the celestial wheel in motion. I lamented the decline and decay of all things, yet looked down and saw that Heaven and Earth endure. From this I grasped the wonders of the Nine Stars and understood the supreme spiritual subtlety of the Dipper’s Ladle, the handle of the Northern Dipper.

“The Nine Stars are the foundation of the numinous Qi of the Nine Heavens, the pillars that uphold the radiance of the sun and moon, and the source of all things. Heaven has nine Qi, and the Nine Stars are their spiritual pivots. Earth has nine provinces, and the Nine Stars are their divine rulers. Humans have nine apertures, and the Nine Stars are the center of human life. Yin and Yang have nine palaces, and the Nine Stars are their gateways. The Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Seas, too, conceal their spiritual power in the Nine Stars. Five and nine interweave to form an inexhaustible order: they govern the constellations above, set the sun, moon, and stars in motion, and harmonize the four seasons and the Five Phases. Through them, Heaven and Earth endure; they are the root of all things, and the immortals rely on them to complete their cultivation.

“Without the Nine Stars, Heaven could not be clear and lofty; without them, Earth could not reveal its numinous nature; without them, the nine human apertures could not be open and bright. The Supreme Emperor uses the Nine Stars to communicate with the true realm; immortals rely on them to cultivate and attain realization. The Five Phases follow the Nine Stars in their movements and transformations, and all things receive their Qi and thereby grow.

“When Heaven and Earth are clear and settled, the Nine Stars shine brilliantly. When the Qi of Heaven and Earth surges and is obstructed, the Nine Stars grow dim and concealed. The Jade Pivot summons the moment when the cosmic cycle turns, while the Celestial Pass, the pivot of the heavenly realm, sets the Qi of the Five Phases in motion. Like a great wheel turning its spokes in the void, it hastens the appointed convergence of the Nine Heavens. Thus divine light courses through the heavens, illuminating and secretly overseeing all things. When the Nine Stars stray from their customary positions, they foretell calamity or good fortune.

“The great cycles of Heaven and Earth turn, and the calamities of the Hundred and Six years—the cycle of disasters described in Daoist teaching—come to pass because the Nine Stars have reached the end of a cycle. Then Yin and Yang collide, the two Qi become blocked and agitated, and Heaven and Earth are overturned. The Nine Seas sink into darkness and chaos; even gold and jade melt, and nothing, however minute, escapes. All these changes arise as the Nine Stars revolve and the Jade Pivot hastens their course. From this, one can understand the workings of Heaven and Earth and the principles of their mysterious order.”

Through cultivating and attaining this, one can reach the state of “constant emptiness” and become able to make oneself invisible, conceal one’s tracks, and transform one’s appearance. The Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—and all things can be made to turn instantly into black specks. One can also vanish into the twenty-five hidden names. The meaning of this teaching is deep and subtle. It is a secret method, not to be passed on to outsiders.

Above are the Nine-Star Lords of Splendid Radiance; in the middle are the Nine Sovereign Ladies. Their souls, essences, corporeal spirits, and numinous powers are all the awe-inspiring might of the Nine Dipper Stars. They breathe forth the radiance of the Seven Luminaries—the sun, moon, and five major planets—which streams across and appears at the gates of the Nine Heavens, making the dark and empty realms completely bright, so that not the slightest thing remains unseen. The yang light of these stars becomes flowing golden fire-bells; their yin light becomes the Seven Primordial Powers of Expansive Radiance. These are the methods of the high and exalted spirits, and the awe-inspiring seals of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning.

The “Art of the Dragon Flying Across White Silk” is a secret method written on white silk. Its concealed teachings are kept in oral transmission and arranged beneath splendid morning light. When one offers a sheep and a goose in homage to Heaven and summons the perfected spirits, mysterious radiance bends down to illuminate the place of the covenant. The Nine Mornings descend to the sacred abode, the Nine Sovereign Ladies rejoice upon the sleeping mat, and the Dark Dipper records the initiate’s name in a hidden register. Knowing this Daoist method, one need only hold it in mind and uphold it to escape great calamities and pass through the floods of the Jia-Shen years. After fourteen years of practice—two periods of seven—one will grow wings like a wild goose, soar into the air, surge toward the Purple Empyrean, and ascend to the Morning Heavens.

This is a supreme method of the Jade Clarity realm, and cannot be compared with the middle-ranking methods of immortality of the Highest Clarity realm. The Jade Clarity realm is where the perfected beings of the highest rank in the Highest Clarity realm dwell; the Highest Clarity realm is where the high spirits of the Great Clarity realm dwell; and the Great Clarity realm is where the exalted numina among the flying immortals dwell.

When practitioners of the Jade Clarity Daoist methods travel, spirits of the various heavens attend their carriage. They are accompanied by three thousand Jade Boys and Jade Maidens, and raise ceremonial banners and staffs in three and seven colors. They ride a purple-cloud flying carriage, led by twelve jade-wheeled chariots, with phoenixes singing alongside. The Six Masters of the Dark Tune clear the way, while flying dragons guard the carriage pole. Their rank is that of a high immortal, and their names are entered in the Jade Clarity registers.

When practitioners of the Highest Clarity Daoist methods travel, spirits of the Five Lodges attend them. They are accompanied by one thousand Jade Boys and Jade Maidens. They ride a purple-cloud flying carriage, led by twelve jade-wheeled chariots, with phoenixes singing alongside. The Six Masters of the Dark Tune clear the way, while flying dragons guard the carriage pole. Their rank is that of a high immortal, and their names are entered in the Jade Clarity registers.

Those who cultivate the Way of Highest Clarity (Shangqing), an advanced method of the Shangqing school, travel under the guard of the Five Lodgings—the constellations of the five directions—and are accompanied by fifteen hundred Jade Boys and fifteen hundred Jade Maidens. They raise a ceremonial standard adorned with purple plumes and ride in a vermilion cloud chariot that travels among the clouds. Phoenixes and luan birds play music ahead of them, while the music of the Celestial Court resounds behind. A dark dragon leads the way, and the Five Emperors attend beside the chariot. This rank is equivalent to that of the left and right ministers of Highest Clarity.

Those who cultivate the Way of Great Clarity (a method of the Taiqing lineage) travel under the guard of the Five Emperors and are accompanied by eight hundred Jade Boys and eight hundred Jade Maidens. They raise a five-colored ceremonial standard and ride in a dragon chariot wreathed in flying mist. Nine phoenixes cry out ahead, while eight luan birds play music behind. A white horned dragon leads the way, and a Perfected One of the Supreme Ultimate attends beside the chariot. From this we can see that Perfected Ones who have attained the Way also differ in rank, and that the mysterious Way has distinct levels.

The Way of Jade Clarity, the highest teaching of the Yuqing lineage, is profound and wondrous, beyond comparison with those of the ranks of Middle Perfected Ones and flying immortals. The Way of Mysterious Radiance, the supreme teaching of the Nine Stars, is one I received long ago from the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. Since then, seven hundred million eons have passed. Heaven and earth have risen and fallen many times, and all things have declined and perished, yet this Way alone has continued to be transmitted. Even now, I still cultivate it above the Cloud Vista, and never forget it in my heart. This Way is so sublime that it inspires longing and joy. How much more so for people of the world, who have only just begun to study the art of ascending to the heavens, yet do not know the methods of seeking through the hidden realms and walking upon empty space. How, then, could they open the layered gates of Heaven and behold the beginning and end of Heaven and Earth?

Without such a Way, one remains cut off from the Nine Mornings, the realm inhabited by celestial immortals, unable to visit and associate with them. Even if one has a mysterious title, is entered in the registers of the Celestial Emperor, and can soar high and far, at most one can ride cloud dragons and roam the Five Sacred Peaks. In the end, one has merely escaped death. If one wishes to go further, stepping onto the Dipper’s ladle and traveling through the Flowery Mornings, then ascending to the realm of Jade Clarity, the time for that achievement may never come.

In the future, you will assist in governing the cycles of tribulation, oversee the Ten Heavens, examine the Mysterious Registers, and adjudicate matters concerning the immortals. You must therefore receive this method, so that you may govern the myriad spirits. I now transmit it to you.

When practicing this secret method, Perfected One Jiuchen says: The day before practicing the “Way of Flying Steps”—a Daoist cultivation method in which one visualizes the stars and walks according to prescribed steps—bathe and fast to purify both body and mind. On the day itself, lay out a star chart in the courtyard according to the direction of the Dipper’s handle. Then kneel facing north, burn incense beneath the Star of Dark Mystery, and click your teeth thirty-six times. Close your eyes and visualize Jupiter beside your left flank, Venus beside your right flank, Mars above your head, Mercury below your navel, and Saturn at your heart.

Next, visualize the nine stars in different parts of your body. First raise your left hand, bend it over your head, and shape it like the Northern Dipper. Imagine the Star of Yang Brightness in your left palm, the Star of Yin Essence on your left elbow, the Star of the Perfected One over your left breast, and the Star of Dark Mystery at your heart. Burning incense beneath the Star of Dark Mystery and making your invocation there allows your heart spirit to resonate with the luminous radiance in heaven.

Then imagine the Star of Cinnabar Origin beside your right flank, the North Pole Star on your right knee, the Star of the Celestial Pass on the sole of your right foot, the Assistant Star below your navel, and the Aide Star above your head. When you have finished, recite the incantation softly:

“My body is clad in the celestial Dipper, my head wears a golden scarf. Riding the Kui and Gang stars, I enter the Dipper’s gate, pay audience to the Perfected One, and bow before the Radiant Morn. The twenty-eight lunar lodges circle and cover my body, enabling me to ride the empty sky, tread the void, and ascend of my own accord.”

When you have finished reciting, swallow your breath nine times. Then raise your right hand, shape it like the Northern Dipper, and hold it over your head. Visualize in turn the Star of Yang Brightness in your right palm, the Star of Yin Essence on your right elbow, the Star of the Perfected One over your right breast, the Star of Dark Mystery at your heart, the Star of Cinnabar Origin beside your left flank, the North Pole Star on your left knee, the Star of the Celestial Pass on the sole of your left foot, the Aide Star over your left eye, and the Assistant Star over your right eye. When you have finished, recite the incantation softly:

I harness the celestial order—the pattern by which the heavenly bodies move—and tread across the Nine Heavens, ascending to the Northern Dipper’s handle. I perform the art of flying immortals and comprehend the heart of Heaven; all the gods rejoice. I can make my form disappear and conceal light and shadow, changing without limit. Even when faced with a thousand trials, I can gather them up and confine them within the Dipper’s gate. I sweep away ill omens and make the righteous Way and truth manifest. A fire bell appears on my left, and a numinous banner shines on my right. Their awe-inspiring radiance extends ten thousand li; when I summon the spirits, they come before me at once. This is the incantation transmitted by the Jade Emperor, and it never fails to work. When the ritual is complete, swallow the breath sixteen times.

Next, ride the Dipper’s Qi in a circling course beyond the Northern Dipper. Tread in sequence through the Dipper’s stars and the positions of the hun and po souls: begin at the star Tianshu, face the star Yangming, then ascend the stars Tianxuan and Tianji, and circle in order to Yinyuan. Make three circuits back and forth. When finished, chant the “Chapter on Flying through the Three Caverns” at Yinyuan, then ascend to Yangming. At this point, stand and visualize the Lady; her appearance is shown in the illustration. Then circle in order from Tianji to Yinyuan, three times back and forth. When finished, chant the “Chapter on Flying through the Three Caverns” at Yinyuan, then ascend to Yangming.

The first star, Tianshu, is where the hun spirit of Yangming resides. Tianshu is majestic but does not dazzle; it shines but does not cast light. It is concealed in the Great Void, extending nine hundred and twenty li around, and faces the gateway to the northwest of Yangming. The spirit of this star is titled “Lady of the Supreme True Emperor, Essence of the Kui of the Primordial Dipper Palace.” Her surname is Mingtong, her taboo name is Nixuan, and her true name is Shangjing. Her hair is arranged in a drooping Flying Cloud Flower coiffure, with the rest falling to her waist. She wears garments of purple, yellow, and blue-green, and a sash adorned with nine bells. She constantly breathes blue radiance from her mouth, infusing Yangming so that the star shines brilliantly.

When practicing the method of flying steps, visualize the Lady’s surname, name, and appearance, then recite the incantation. In this way, the hun spirit becomes clear and upright, the Bright Star rejoices, and the light of Heaven shines through. The hun and its shadow then ascend together, reaching the immortal realm of dawn.

Bring your feet together and stand on Tianshu, facing Yangming. Press your left hand against your chest and point your right hand toward Yangming. Knock your teeth together nine times, swallow saliva nine times, hold your breath for three breaths, then quietly recite the incantation:

The Celestial Consort gathers and condenses the essence and Qi of the nine stars, forming a true body. The Seven Luminaries—the Sun, Moon, and the five planets of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—intertwine and circle around her; this is called Jade Dawn. A canopy of flowers rises above her, and below she treads upon the Dipper’s Bowl, the bowl-shaped part of the Northern Dipper. She rides the Celestial Pivot Star, her steps flying across a high terrace like carved jade. Soul, essence, po, spirit, and bodily form unite, and she cultivates an immortal body. Her original Qi endures like the Sun and Moon, lasting as long as Heaven and Earth. She follows the changes of the seasons, joining with the consorts of the immortals; together they ascend to the Nine Heavens, where their forms appear of themselves. When this is done, hold the breath for three breaths’ time. Then place the left foot on the position of the Celestial Jade Star, step forward with the right foot until it is level with the left, and then resume breathing.

The second star, the Celestial Jade Star, is the soul-spirit of the Yin Essence Star. Its light shines from afar, bright but not dazzling, and lies hidden in the Great Void. Its domain extends for five hundred and fifty li, opposite the western gate of the Yin Essence Star. This star is called the Lady of the Upper Mystery, Lord of Vacuity and Essence, of the Palace of the Mysterious Dipper. Her surname is Xuanjing, her taboo name Yuboguang, and her true name Jingui. Her hair is arranged in a soaring cloud-shaped coiffure, with the remaining tresses falling loose to her waist.