《道教三字经》

The Daoist Three-Character Classic (compiled by Yi Xinying)

The Great Dao, through One Qi, Transforms into the Three Pure Ones

The Great Dao (the Way) is empty, still, numinous, and wondrous, beyond the reach of words; one can only reluctantly give it a name and call it the “Great Dao.” The substance of the Great Dao accords with what is natural. It manifests prior to the “One,” as though earlier than the Celestial Emperor. At that time all was an undifferentiated void, profound and unfathomable; mysterious transformations circulated, and from them light and sound arose. Chaos gradually opened, and a faint brightness slowly appeared. The Great Non-Being transformed and divided into three kinds of Qi (vital energy): the initial azure Qi formed the Qingwei Heaven; the primordial white Qi formed the Yuyu Heaven; and the mysterious yellow Qi formed the Dachi Heaven. These three Qi correspond respectively to the heavens of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) spoken of in Daoism. The scripture further uses such formulations as the Longhan kalpa, the manifestation of the true writs, and the inauguration of the Supreme Sovereign to describe how heaven and earth were founded and the myriad things multiplied.

The Scriptures and Registers of the Three Caverns, Supreme in Past and Present

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning expounded the Dongzhen Jing (scripture/classic), founding the teaching of the Great Dao and setting forth the dharma gates of the Three Vehicles. The Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure expounded the Dongxuan Jing, establishing the golden codes and precepts and transmitting the precious registers. The Celestial Worthy of the Dao and Its Virtue expounded the Dongshen Jing, and with the twelve divisions of scriptures taught and delivered celestial beings and humans.

Within the precious pearl a dharma assembly was convened and the scriptures were transmitted, their principles inexhaustible. The August Person gathered the cloud writings and, at the beginning of the kalpa, collated the sounded texts of the celestial realm. The scriptures were arranged according to the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen), and then further divided into the Four Supplements, forming seventy-two collections in all, foremost among the classics of past and present. (The “Three Caverns,” the “Four Supplements,” and the “seventy-two collections” are the classificatory system of the Daoist canon.)

The Gods Spread the Dao and Transmit the Way of Ascension

From Yuqing to Xina, the mysterious influence of the Dao also circulated there, and people alike followed its transforming teaching. The Jade Emperor was exalted and rich in compassion. He relinquished the throne and cultivated with arduous effort; through many kalpas his resolve never changed, until at last he realized the fruition of a Golden Immortal and was titled Tathagata. He dwells in the Jade Capital, guards the Xiao Terrace, carries out the office of Celestial Emperor, and holds overall charge of the Three Powers—heaven, earth, and humanity.

The Benxing Jing can remove obstacles. In it, bodhisattvas are admonished that cultivation should not be bound by distinctions of inner and outer. The Venerable Lord of Stillness and Wonder extensively preached the wondrous dharma at the Terrace of Nine Harmonies, displaying outstanding eloquence.

The text sets forth how Lord Lao began by studying the Dao and cultivating the true, and later transformed into a king. He taught the subjects of his realm, spread the teaching, and converted three thousand people; once they had received the oral instructions for cultivation, they ascended in broad daylight.

Ancient Immortal Lineages Venerate the Dadong Jing

Up to this point the original text contains only the section title. The meaning of the line “From Yuqing to Xina” is not sufficiently clear; the rendering above keeps to the literal sense of the original.

Tracing the origins of Daoism must begin in high antiquity. The only work that can demonstrate these principles is the Daojiao Sanzijing (Three-Character Classic of Daoism). By examining the lines of transmission, one can distinguish the patriarchs of the various schools. Both the greater and the lesser lineages must be traced from their source.

The lineage of the ancient immortals comes from remote antiquity. By the time of the Yellow Emperor (a legendary sovereign of high antiquity), learning of the Dao (the Way) was especially flourishing. Wishing to govern the realm well, he admired Guangchengzi (a legendary immortal), went to Mount Kongtong to visit him, and inquired into the Dao of longevity. Later the Yellow Emperor came to Mount Juci, sought out the Jinglu hermitage, paid homage to the various Zhenren (Perfected Persons), and presented a diagram of the zhi herbs. He also visited the nine chambers of Qingcheng Peak and obtained the Longqiao (in Daoist legend, an art of walking used by immortals); traces of it remain to this day.

The Shouyi jing (Scripture of Guarding the One) is said to have been transmitted by the Immortal King. It sets forth the principles of nurturing life and helps one remove illness and impurity. In cultivation, one must not disturb Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), nor exhaust Shen (spirit). One should let go of attachment to the body and the senses, bring Shen and Qi into harmony, and form the immortal embryo. Once this is achieved, the body will not age even after one thousand two hundred years.

In the kingdom of Jingle (a legendary realm) there was a prince who cast off worldly troubles and awakened to life and death. He entered the realm of Taihe (Great Harmony), cultivated diligently, raised the sword of wisdom, and subdued the “two attendants” (an ancient name for illness). Later he leapt from the southern cliff and manifested as Zhenwu (Great Emperor Zhenwu, a revered Daoist deity). When the great work was accomplished, he repaid the kindness of his parents.

King Fuchai of Wu (a ruler of the state of Wu in the Spring and Autumn period) was urgently devoted to the methods of the Dao. Seeking to deliver and transform the people of the world, he went to the state of Qi. The Kongdong pian (Chapter of the Empty Cavern) is not a scripture lightly transmitted; this text has circulated in the world for forty thousand kalpas (a Daoist expression for an immensely long span of time). This lineage takes the Dadong jing (Scripture of the Great Cavern) as its foundation and studies true principle, and Canghu likewise held it in high regard.

Five: the Golden Liquid (Jinye) coalesces; the two mysterious powers work in concert and suit each other.

The alchemical methods of the Golden Liquid school are said by tradition to have begun with Nüwa. They set forth the principles by which all things transform, and they take Yin-Yang as their model. In the time of the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, people devoted themselves to the study of this learning; alongside affairs of government and moral instruction, they also studied the arts of becoming immortal. They compounded divine medicines and refined the Golden Elixir. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor rode a dragon chariot and ascended to heaven at Dinghu. Those who received the transmission were mostly his close ministers. Related traces still remain in the region of Mount Jing.

This school takes the Nine Tripods as its guiding principle, refining mercury and lead and inquiring into their root principles. It gathers subtle teachings, transmitted by Zuo Zhen and then passed on to the Huang clan in the time of King Xuan of Zhou. It stresses inner cultivation, and its method is the most concise of all: one merely clarifies the mind and spirit (Shen), and puts aside desire for things; one lets the mind enter emptiness and stillness, and contemplates three essentials; one keeps clarity and quiet, in hope of reaching the great Way (Dao).

Another school takes purity and stillness as its guiding principle, cultivating through steadfast holding and quiet contemplation, like a round pearl reflecting all things.

Six: Embryonic Breathing, the Yellow Sprout, and the Return from Old Age to Youth

The Changhuai school opens the way of spiritual illumination, dwelling on high and awakening to the true method. Cultivation must return to the root and restore the life-mandate—that is, return to the foundation of life. The one-character formula is to be realized within a quieted mind. One observes the rising of clouds of vital energy (Qi), and regulates the breath as one tunes a string; one probes to the end the subtlety of “being,” and joins the human being with Heaven and Earth. This school takes embryonic breathing as its guiding principle, holding that when the breath circulates as far as the edge of the string, one can reach the Limitless.

The Baohe school honors the elder Rong Cheng. Practitioners ingest the “Five Sprouts” (symbols of the generative Qi of the five directions) and “Cloud Blossom” (an immortal medicine spoken of in Daoism), keeping the practice with rigor so that the primordial spirit is made full; when the body is undisturbed, one can seize the creative work of Heaven and Earth. This school takes the ingestion of Qi as its guiding principle, guarding the “Mysterious Female” (the mysterious portal that gives birth to all things) and returning to the subtle principle.

Seven: Nourishing Life in the Bedchamber, and Methods of Regulating Essence and Spirit

The school of regulating the spirit was transmitted from the Plain Girl. It speaks of methods for preserving the body, and these contain subtle principles; they can regulate and treat many illnesses, their efficacy is marvelous, and they can also repair injury, so that the countenance does not easily age. The practitioner gathers in essence (Jing) and Qi, guards the Mysterious Female, and returns to the subtle principle; one must also make essence and Qi abundant, nourish the blood and the brain, guard against deviant and delusive error, and examine oneself with care. This school takes the bedchamber arts of nourishing life as its guiding principle, setting forth the rules by which the breath moves and the methods of nurturing Yang.

Eight: Nangong Cang Yi Jian Li Ling

In the passages above, a number of sentences recur, and individual characters may also be in error; the rendering therefore follows only the content already present in the source. “Nangong Cang Yi Jian Li Ling” appears to be the title of the next piece; the original does not provide the scripture that follows.

The Nangong School follows the teaching of the lineage master, Patriarch Yizhen. Its methods include secret incantations that can command ghosts and spirits, and the wielding of a spirit sword that forces demons and malign beings to withdraw. Arts such as invisibility can be mastered only through personal cultivation and verification. This school takes Fulu (talismans and registers) as its guiding principle, putting the spirit to use so as to accord with the Qi (vital energy) of the clouds and with the myriad things.

The Cangyi School is transmitted in the line of Pengzu and Tongjun and inherits the life-nourishing methods of the Dawei clan and Shennong. They refine cinnabar, taking as their model the guiding order of Heaven and Earth’s movements; they gather numinous medicines and compound them according to the method of nine transmutations. Ingesting mineral powders, or swallowing lingzhi as lustrous as jade, can transform the bone marrow and restore the bodily appearance of an immortal. This school takes ingestion as its guiding principle, prolonging life and preserving the root of the physical form.

The Jianli School flourished in the age of the Xi and Nong clans, later passed on to Chisongzi, and also included such figures as Ningfengzi. This school is used to regulate conditions of weakness and pathogenic stagnation, and it can also extend life. Rinsing and swallowing the numinous fluid keeps calamities from coming to trouble one; stretching the joints and opening through the Niwan (the key site of the head, as Daoism describes it) makes the body strong and the sinews and bones firm. It can also subdue vermin and snakes, remove misfortunes, and drive malignant illnesses a hundred li away. This school takes daoyin (guiding and stretching) as its guiding principle: by regulating the body and circulating Qi, it brings Jing (essence) and Qi to the most subtle place and enters the mysterious and wondrous realm.

Nine: What follows recounts from the beginning the method of setting up an altar to suppress evil.

The transmission of this lineage of ritual codes and offerings is traditionally said to have begun with Gaoxin, a title of the ancient sovereign Zhuanxu. At Mude Terrace he received precious talismans and, drawing on the two Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth, pacified the spirits of the mountains and peaks, preserved the blessings and fortunes of the state, dispelled calamities, and enabled people to gain liberation and enter the mysterious palaces of the immortals. The golden slips, gold tablets inscribed with scriptures or talismanic mandates, were then put away and sealed within Mount Zhong.

King Yu of Xia also descended to Gaoxin. Yu of Xia was diligent and frugal. He dredged the Nine Rivers and brought an end to the floods of that age. In cutting open the gorge gates, though the labor was perilous in the extreme, he still prayed that spirits and perfected persons would aid him in secret. The spirits bestowed on him a jade seal and scriptural talismans, helping him cut away the calamities of the world, and they further dispatched Tonglü. Dwelling in the mountains and chanting incantations, he subdued demons by the power of the methods, and by ritual arts he sealed and restrained the mountains, peaks, and rivers and locked the whirlpools of the Huai. Only after his death were water and soil restored to peace. When his merit was complete, he ascended to the realm of Yangming.

In the Wu-Kuai region there was a recluse named Zhang. While tilling beside a river he obtained the scriptures of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, Yuanshi Tianzun, a revered deity of Daoism. He built a numinous palace and was diligent in offerings, and thus moved the Celestial Worthy to respond. He was granted the methods of scriptures and registers of the Dadong Jing—jinglu being the scriptural methods and registers of names transmitted in Daoism—together with the heart-seal, the essential points of the secret methods passed from master to disciple.

A single gatha, a short rhymed verse, of Yuan Bojing could drive off pestilential calamity and put an end to epidemic disease. By the power of his original vow he returned to the Lord on High.

King Helü ascended Baoxu and sought out the Forest Chamber, where he obtained the Writings of Yu. The Writings of Yu were gathered into a single scroll, written in characters of red jade, one hundred and seven characters in all, with fourteen characters besides. At this point the original text contains the character “Tai,” and then repeats the account of Yuan Bojing driving off pestilence and eliminating epidemics and of King Helü obtaining the Writings of Yu.

The Taizhen Ke insists upon strict ritual order. The Tongdian Ge is divided into seven classes: registers, codes, precepts, statutes, and zhai purifications, together with memorial texts and jiao offering rites. There are one hundred and two kinds of registers, forty-six kinds of codes, and one thousand and two kinds of precepts; there are also statutes, purifications, greater and lesser memorials, and the various offering liturgies. This school takes Lingbao as its ancestral teaching, offers praise to the divinities, and the realms of which it speaks are profound and subtle.

The ten lineages above belong to the orthodox transmission. Each lineage further divides into different branches, and each has its own order of precedence.

The tenth is the Pillar Historian’s transmission of the mysterious and marvelous teaching to Sanfeng.

The title “Youlong” (“like a dragon”), bestowed on Guan Zhushi—Laozi, who once served as keeper of the archival chambers of the Zhou dynasty—praises him as unfathomable, like a dragon. From the Tang and Song dynasties all the way to Zhang Sanfeng, the transmission continued without interruption.

Yin Xi, Keeper of the Pass (Yin Xi, commandant of Hangu Pass), was the earliest successor. He wrote down nine chapters of the Daodejing, the scripture (Jing) of the Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue/Power), setting forth the profound source of the Dao. Lord Xiyi (Chen Tuan) lived in seclusion on Mount Taihua. The Muyan ji and Shi Wenjia record these events.

The Sixth Patriarch Zhang (Zhang Junfang, the sixth-generation patriarch in the Daoist transmission), styled Yinxian, the Hidden Immortal, blended the Daoist methods of north and south and composed the Xuanyao pian. The learning of the Dao handed down through Lord Xiyi’s line thereupon flourished. The third-generation successor was Shao Yong, courtesy name Yaofu. He received this line of transmission and wrote the Guanwu pian and the Huangji jingshi shu. The principle of the Great Circle that he expounded accords with the Dao of emptiness and nonbeing.

The sixth generation was carried on by Zhou Dunyi (styled Lianxi). His Diagram of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) takes the Yijing (Classic of Changes) as its foundation. At this point the words “Muyan ji, Shi Wenjia,” together with the text that follows them, are repeated in the original; afterward the passage continues with phrases such as “Lianxi succeeded.”

The Confucian line is represented by Kong Zhongni (Confucius), whose aspiration was to model himself on the sages and worthies. Confucius once traveled to the domain of Zhou, around the time of King Jing of Zhou, and consulted Lao Dan about the rites.

After Zigong came Xun Qing (Xunzi). He assessed the various masters and drew the distinctions with great clarity. The sixteen characters “The human mind is precarious; the mind of the Dao is subtle” are called words from the books of the Dao.

The fifth-generation successor was Han Fei. He wrote the Jie Lao and the Yu Lao, turning Laozi’s thought toward Legalist teaching. When it came to Jia Yi, he followed the worthies who had gone before, clarified the arts of the Dao, and revised them.

Eleven: in the Maoshan region, disciples in the transmission of Daoist methods were many.

The School of Governing the Dao (the Way)—a lineage devoted mainly to ordering worldly affairs and cultivating the arts of the Dao—venerates the Elder, a senior and ancestral master. When the teaching reached An Qisheng, the methods divided into different branches. The arts of Huang-Lao, techniques of governance that fuse the thought of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi and excel at ruling the people, were transmitted to Master Gai, who later became a minister of the Han dynasty.

An Qisheng also passed one branch to Ma Ming. Ma Ming esteemed Inner Learning, a teaching that emphasizes inner cultivation. Studying under Perfected Lord Yin, he received the Taiqing Jing (scripture/classic), the Scripture of Great Clarity, entered Mount Chicheng to cultivate, refined white metal, and used it to relieve the poor of his time.

The original text then reads: “The third transmission: Wei Bo, who takes his origin from the Elder.” After this sentence, the passage from “reaching An Qi” to “refined white metal and benefited the poor of the time” is repeated, and a duplication or corruption in copying is suspected. It then turns to the third generation, Wei Boyang. Wei Boyang wrote the Cantong qi, honored as a representative work among the elixir scriptures. The Shenxian zhuan also records this, saying that the Cantong qi borrows the images and numbers of the Yijing, the Classic of Changes, to discuss the refining of the elixir. In the Tang dynasty, Peng Xiao explained the book on the basis of the Yuanshu, clarified its true meaning, and drew the Mingjing tu, the Diagram of the Bright Mirror.

The Maoshan School, a Daoist lineage centered on Mount Mao, honors Guiguzi as its teacher. After Chucheng received the teaching, he withdrew to live in seclusion on Mount Hua. Lord Shushen received the transmission from Master Xicheng and obtained the “Two Luminaries”—in Daoist cultivation, a particular essence of sun and moon, or a method of inner refinement—and later returned to Jintan.

The fifth generation reached the Perfected One of Pure Vacuity. He transmitted the Eight Hidden Writings and the Scripture of Lofty Immortals. The sixth generation was a certain Zhou, styled Ziyang, who transmitted the Register of Numinous Radiance and the Chapters of Golden Mystery. After the Perfected One of Pure Vacuity, the line passed to Lady Wei. Lady Wei retired to a quiet chamber and mastered the Huangting Jing, an important Daoist classic of nourishing life and visualization.

The transmission reached the ninth generation, Yang Xi. Yang Xi taught the orthodox method and the Qusu wen. The Ziyang line continued downward and brought Xu Ying forward. Xu Ying ingested jade liquor and cultivated “paying court to the essence of the brain,” a technical term of Daoist inner cultivation referring to a practice bound up with the cultivation of Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit).

The second generation was Attendant Gentleman Xu. He cured an abdominal illness by means of medicinal formulas of the ingestion arts. Master Jianji is listed as the sixth generation; he studied the Daoist Canon and compiled scriptures and Fulu (talismans and registers). The eighth generation was of the Tao clan, styled Zhenbai—that is, Tao Hongjing—who annotated the Zhengao and corrected secret oral formulas of cultivation. The eleventh generation is called the Sima clan; they set forth the principle of “sitting in forgetfulness” and elucidated its essentials.

As for people such as ourselves, what matters most is to cherish life. When the way of life is made full, one can return to the original authenticity bestowed by Heaven.

Chapter Twelve: the essentials of the arts of the formula-immortals, concerning the Immortal Elder Ge.

In the Fangxian school (the lineage that seeks immortality through technical arts), the Queen Mother of the West once descended into the palace of Emperor Wu of the Han and transmitted immortal methods to him. The Shangqing Jing (scripture/classic) records twelve matters, and the Inner Biography of Emperor Wu of the Han gives a detailed account of them. The thirteen biographies later handed down all treat of technical arts. Figures such as General Wuli, for the most part, never grasped the true principle.

In the Han the Prince of Huainan set great store by the vessels used in refining the elixir, and the Hongbao Shu recorded these matters, though unfortunately it was lost long ago. Ge Xianweng (Ge Hong) carried on the learning of the Zuo lineage; the Liuzhu Ge records the deeds of his lifetime. He cultivated the Dao (the Way) of Zhenyi, True Unity, and entered a state of profound meditative absorption; he also transmitted scriptural methods and jiao rites to the two masters Bao and Zheng. In the Jin dynasty Ge Hong received the books transmitted by the Zheng family, composed writings on the Way of the elixir running to more than a thousand in length, and further discussed immortal recipes, setting forth their fundamental principles. The whole work, in twelve chapters, is called a peerless art.

Thirteen: The Taiping, Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity), and Yuzhang Schools

The Taiping lineage honors Yu Ji as its teacher and transmits the Qingling Shu in one hundred seventy juan. Those who cultivate this method may see their descendants flourish; the book also discusses how to make the state prosper, analyzing affairs in the finest detail. Yu Ji prized the doctrinal meaning of the classics, and Xiang Kai held him in especial esteem. Xiang Kai memorialized the emperor many times, yet the emperor did not grasp his meaning.

The Zhengyi school honors the Celestial Master (Tianshi) of the Han as its founding patriarch and transmits the Mengwei Lu (the school’s Fulu, talismans and registers) together with the rite of presenting memorials. In the rite one prays and averts misfortune by cutting away stale Qi (vital energy) and dissolving the three karmas (the karma produced by body, speech, and mind); the school also seeks attainment of the Great Elixir and the distinction of the orthodox Way from deviant arts. It reveres the Beidou Jing and confers transmission and ordination at Yuju Abbey. The lineage has passed through sixty-three generations, each succeeding the last.

The Xuanxue school takes He Yan and Wang Bi as its authorities, exalts the Laozi and the Zhuangzi, and is represented by such writings as the Chongyou Lun and the Shulao. When it developed as far as the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, the emphasis fell on “learning non-learning”; for inquiry into the depths of mysterious principle, Xiang Xiu and Guo Xiang are held in highest regard.

The Yuzhang school honors Lan Qi as its patriarch and takes Xiaoti Wang, the King of Filiality and Fraternal Duty, as its root teacher. Xiaoti Wang personally awakened Lan Qi and opened three tombs; when the corpses were seen, the bodies suddenly drew closed together. Lan Qi then journeyed afar and ascended in flight, manifesting numinous powers. He left a bronze tally-token imbued with wondrous efficacy, transmitted the methods to Mother Chen, and charged her to guard the “True Hawk.” He further entrusted the one who received ordination, the Magistrate of Jingyang. The three patriarchs of the Xu clan were honored with the title Xiandu, the Immortal Capital; a stone casket records the methods and the affairs of cauldron and furnace.

Fourteen: Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Cultivation of the Way, the Southern and Northern Schools

The original text of this section repeats what comes before, and the wording appears disordered: after “the Southern school arose; the patriarch,” there immediately follows the earlier Yuzhang passage, “guard the True Hawk … the stone casket records; methods, cauldron, and furnace,” which cannot be read as a continuous sense.

The Southern School, one of the schools of Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), arose with Boduan (Zhang Boduan) as its founding patriarch. Master Haichan (Liu Haichan) of Tianhui Town, on the point of departing, personally instructed him: “After you have laid aside your ritual robes, the method is to be transmitted to you.” Later Boduan met a man of the Ma clan, who presided over the work of true practice; when Boduan reached Jinghu, he ingested the elixir and ascended as an immortal.

The third patriarch of the Southern School, Xue (Xue Daoguang), had originally been a Buddhist monk. He took Xinglin (Shi Tai) as his teacher, received his transmission, mastered the doctrines of the lineage, and wrote the Fuming Pian (Essay on Returning to Destiny). Only with assistance from outside was the work of cultivating the Dao (the Way) brought to completion.

The fourth patriarch, Chen (Chen Nan), styled Niwan, followed a humble trade and lived concealed in the marketplace. A man of Mount Limu transmitted to him the Dalei Shu (Great Thunder Book), which he used to destroy evil spirits and dispel calamities. He portioned out the elixir from his gourd to relieve the people, and he bequeathed the Cuixu Pian to a minor official.

The fifth patriarch, Bai (Bai Yuchan), lived on Mount Wuyi. He compiled the Haiqiong Ji (Collected Works of Haiqiong) and made clear the secret essentials contained in it.

The ancestral master of the Northern School (a branch of Quanzhen (Complete Perfection)) was styled Chongyang (Wang Chongyang). He honored the methods of the Dao taught by Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin, and took Shaoyang (Wang Xuanfu) as his patriarch. He received five texts and the transmission of Ganzhen. He once lived in a tomb and called himself a “living dead man”; he burned his thatched hut in order to show the true and the false; and he went to the Eastern Sea to convert Liema (Ma Yu). He himself laid open a person’s original state before birth. The nine-times-refined elixir—an important term in Neidan cultivation—how many are able to comprehend it? Through such writings as the Fifteen Discourses he taught the people, consulting the various Jing (scriptures/classics) and drawing together the profound principles within them.

Qiu, Liu, Tan, Hao, Wang, Sun, and others inherited his Dao. The sovereign of the Yuan dynasty honored the Longmen school, an important branch of Quanzhen. The patriarch of the Danyang (Ma Yu) lineage was Piyun (Wang Zhitan). The Wutu Jing and the phrases “Liema,” “before birth, personally laid open,” “the nine-times-refined elixir—how many awaken,” “the Fifteen Discourses, a collection of teachings,” and “consulting the scriptures, summing up the mysterious meaning” appear again in the original text.

The fourth patriarch of the Southern School, Zhao (Zhao Youqin), lived at Nanyue. He wrote the Tongyuan Lun (Treatise on a Common Origin), warning later students not to regret that they had awakened only afterward. Elder Zhixu was his direct disciple; he expounded the Dao of the Prior Heaven and set down its essentials. Zhiping (Song Defang), patriarch of the Changchun (Qiu Chuji) lineage, received the teachings handed down and propagated the Dao in Yanjing. He compiled the Baoguang Ji (Anthology of Preserving the Light) and a record of sayings, established ritual grounds, and enlarged the scale of Daoism.

The fourth patriarch of the Southern School, Li (Li Daochun), styled Haoran, authored the Xiyou Ji (Journey to the West), known as a bequeathed text. The fifth patriarch, Wang (Wang Zhijin), wrote the Xinxin (On Faith) and transmitted the luminous teaching to Baiyun (Chen Zhiyuan). After eight further generations, the transmission reached Chongxu (Zhang Dechun), who composed the Zhengli (Correct Principles) and clarified the mysterious principles. His successor was the monk Huayang, who wrote the Xianlun (Treatise on Immortality) and brought the methods of the Dao to flourish.

The fifteenth section: The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) expounded the methods of the Dao and left behind the precepts.

The precepts of the Vinaya school have the longest transmission of all. The Venerable Xuhuang (a Daoist deity) left behind the Qingtu. Immortals of the Han dynasty were upright in conduct and observed the Xinli, amounting in all to one hundred eighty precepts. In the Jin dynasty Ruan Ji, and in the Qi dynasty Zhang Ba, upheld the great precepts and ritually recited the Baojie (verses of praise). In the Tang dynasty Lord Pan set forth the articles of the precepts, dividing them into eighty-one major precepts and six minor precepts. The Precepts of the Three Perfected take the Dao (the Way) as their teacher. People diligently practiced and compiled them, so that the precepts continued without interruption, and they also studied them together in the Mysterious Capital. Beginners observe the ten precepts and then proceed to study the three hundred precepts. The wisdom precepts belong to wondrous virtue. The precepts for female perfected ones likewise value this cultivation, urging people to correct their faults and renew themselves, so that the precepts are held in balance. By the end of the Ming dynasty the Kunyang lineage inherited the transmission of the teaching, expounded the method of the mind, and made the precepts shine forth still more clearly. The foregoing has treated the thirteen schools; the methods of purification and repentance are also often carried out together with Fulu (talismans and registers).

The Golden Register Retreat, the Jade Register Retreat, and the Yellow Register Retreat—these three purification rites can accumulate unseen blessings for the dead. When the Golden Register Retreat is held, one prays for the protection of the imperial sovereign, offering prayer in person and hoping for timely rain. Lord Daowu once presided over a grand purification rite, pacifying the realm and sweeping away the miasma of calamity. The Retreat of Illuminating Truth, the Retreat of Spontaneity, the Retreat of the Three Primordials, the Retreat of the Eight Nodes, the Dongshen Retreat, the Retreat of Instruction, and the Retreat of Mud and Soot are together called the seven kinds of purification rites. Cultivating the method of entering sagehood and performing the rite of ascent into the void can both increase blessings and longevity. The repentance rite for relief from suffering is established in the realm of the Azure Mystery; precious banners flutter, and people worship with wondrous solemnity. The power of gracious light is like the willow in the vase: it can cause flesh to grow upon white bones and the withered to revive.

Who compiled the Repentance of the Myriad Spirits? Perfected Lord Liu compiled it together with his disciples. It can dispel disasters and extinguish calamities; it is a precious chapter of the ritual law, clarifying the mysterious and wondrous and enabling people to understand the root source. Lord Suonan inherited the methods of his predecessors and was especially skilled at performing sacrificial refinement for the lonely and the suffering. He Qiao, having received the charge, traveled the path of the underworld and rescued the souls detained in the Dark Capital.

Chapter Seventeen is titled “Knowing the Dharma: Movement and Stillness, Wondrous without End”; no scripture is appended here.

Once the ancestral registers—the Fulu (talismans and registers) transmitted in Daoism—are clearly understood, one should grasp the norms they contain; the transformations of movement and stillness must also be thoroughly comprehended. What are called water, fire, earth, wood, and metal are the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); the Five Phases act upon one another and serve as one another’s causes and conditions.

What are called Jing (essence), Shen (spirit), hun, po, and yi are the five spirits; the five spirits move in accordance with the objects they govern. What are called allotted life, merit, time, things, and affairs are the five thieves; one must not cling to them. When the inner five spirits and the outer five thieves suddenly resonate with one another, ten kinds of karmic action arise. Once karmic consciousness—consciousness formed by actions and habitual tendencies—arises, six kinds of desire appear. The “seventeen vehicles” are established from this as well.

The eyes, nose, ears, tongue, body, and mind form deep-seated habits through contact with good and evil. If one becomes lost amid the inner five spirits and the outer five thieves, and they suddenly resonate with one another, ten kinds of karmic action arise; when karmic consciousness arises, six kinds of desire appear, and the “seventeen vehicles” are established from this as well. The eyes, nose, ears, tongue, body, and mind form deep-seated habits through contact with good and evil.

The deluded are ordinary people; the awakened are sages. Understanding the principle of favorable and adverse circumstances, one cultivates good conduct. Among immortals there are numinous immortals, human immortals, earthly immortals, and divine immortals; with celestial immortals added, they fall into five ranks altogether. Taking “nine” and “six” as what holds the guiding principles together, from the immortal perfected beings up to the supreme sages, each undergoes three promotions, corresponding to nine grades.

The Qi (vital energy) of the four directions—west, north, south, and east—circulates and gathers, entering the central palace. What are called dragon, tiger, and cinnabar-earth are three natures that return to one place. One circulates the celestial circuit—the process in Neidan (internal alchemy) whereby the movements of Qi flow through a complete cycle—and cooks and refines with diligence; the flames rise, and the True Person appears. When the five Qi gather, form and function are fully complete; the transformations of the Three Ones are of inexhaustible wondrous function.

What are called the body of the Dao (the Way), the true body, and the reward body are together termed the three bodies. A response body arises, and a birth body is also manifested; wondrous forms are displayed so as to meet the hardships of the world. Whether gathering or dispersing, there is no limit. One may divide into bodies like clouds and manifest as the myriad phenomena. The former is the root; the latter is the trace. Appearing according to conditions, the transformations are not of one kind.

There are Baiyuan, Wuying, Taokang, Siming, and Taiyi, together called the Five Numina. When the Five Numina are perfectly complete, spiritual illumination naturally appears. Celestial-vision penetration, Brahma-sound penetration, spirit-touch penetration, spirit-communion penetration, former-spirit penetration, and portent penetration extend throughout the entire Dharma realm, and there is nowhere they cannot reach.

Eighteen: The Six Perfections of Ultimate De (Virtue/Power)—Cultivate Early

What are called heaven and earth, and the water path, are all items mentioned next in the scripture. Sinful karma accumulated over successive lifetimes must in the end be met with the corresponding culpability. What are called the entanglement of form, the entanglement of craving… Here the continuing text of the original is damaged, and the meaning of what follows is difficult to determine.

What are called “Heaven and Earth,” and what is called the “water path” (a way or destination in the waters, set alongside Heaven and Earth)—the karmic offenses accumulated life after life must in the end be borne as punishment. What are called “entanglement by sensual desire” (being dragged along by lust), “entanglement by love” (being dragged along by affection), “entanglement by greed” (being dragged along by craving), “vain contention” (the pursuit of empty show and rivalry), and “entanglement by the body” (being bound by the body and its physical form)—these five are all suffering. Added to them are the “three paths” (the three destinations of suffering spoken of in Daoism), and so to live as a human being is not easy.

Through hearing, reflection, and cultivation (hearing the teaching, reflecting on its principles, and practicing according to the teaching), one may enter the path of awakening. Those who are skilled at comprehending and putting it into practice can come to some realization. The Degree of Correct Faith, the Degree of Settled Goodness, the Degree of the Golden Flower, the Degree of Universal Virtue, the Degree of Original Destiny, and the Degree of Complete Perfection (Quanzhen)—these methods of gradual cultivation and realization are together called the “Six Degrees.”

When the four qualities of compassion, love, goodness, and forbearance have been fully cultivated, one receives the recognition of the cinnabar writ. What are called “True Constancy” and “Pure Response” are the virtues that practice is meant to attain; possessing these four virtues, one may realize entry into the Pure Capital (the pure immortal realm spoken of in Daoism). The paths of sages and ordinary people are not the same, and purity and defilement each have their own gateways. As for the five paths (the five destinations of living beings), they will not be discussed one by one here.

Nineteen: The principles of Heaven and Earth and of Yin-Yang must be understood for oneself.

Huangzeng Heaven, a name for a celestial realm in Daoism, has six layers of heaven. Only those who accumulate many good deeds and much merit can ascend to a higher place.

Yueheng Heaven has eighteen layers of heaven. Practitioners purify the six roots—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—and remove coarse, heavy defilement. Passing through a further six heavens, the defilement becomes fine and faint; passing through yet another six, even slighter stains are gradually cleared away.

Xiaodu Heaven has four layers of heaven. There one forgets thought and consciousness and turns instead to contemplate the movement of Qi (vital energy). As cultivation grows gradually more subtle, one enters Heng Heaven. Heng Heaven has eighteen layers of heaven: the six roots are purified and coarse, heavy defilement is removed; passing through a further six heavens, the defilement is made fine and faint; passing through yet another six, still slighter stains are removed. One then comes to the four layers of Xiaodu Heaven, forgets thought and consciousness, and turns to contemplate the movement of Qi. As cultivation grows gradually more subtle, one enters the realm of Chongxuan, the deep and mysterious state spoken of in Daoism.

Thereafter one enters the Four Brahma Heavens, which do not fall into decay: Changrong Heaven, Yulong Heaven, Fandu Heaven, and Jiayi Heaven. The four celestial realms spoken of here communicate with the Three Realms. Practitioners who set out on the various paths of cultivation can all pass through freely, without obstruction.

The heavens having been set forth, the earthly realm must also be discussed. Earth depends upon Heaven and is wrapped and borne up by Qi. Between Heaven and Earth lie the worlds of the ten directions and the Dongyuan, cavern-heavens and abyssal regions of hidden depth. The six directions have places of gathering, encircling the Capital Mountain. At the beginning of chaos there was no distinction, only a vast and simple undividedness; clouds and vapors lay layer upon layer, with neither high nor low; all was dim, still, deep, and boundless. The Luotian, the heavens arrayed and spread forth, unfolds, and the Sanjing, the three layers of pure celestial realms spoken of in Daoism, are vast. Fine rain drifts in a mist and the myriad things flourish; Heaven and Earth operate like a great furnace, with nothing to obstruct or conceal them. Roads open through the four intermediate directions, and the worlds of the eight directions unfold in full.

The earthly realm floats in the void, upheld by the force of wind. Wind and the void chafe and surge against each other, and the workings of Qi toss and churn; a power firm as diamond bears up the heavens. The sun, moon, and stars course in multiplied motion, turning layer upon layer like spinning pellets. If Yin-Yang runs out of due measure, going too far or falling short, and the two clash with each other, disasters and obscurations arise.

The so-called Nine Yang and Hundred-Six are numbers and cycles within the revolutions of Heaven; they drive the gate of Heaven and turn the axis of Earth. Reckoning the rounds, they return upon themselves through three thousand six hundred. Yin Qi blocks and erodes, while Yang Qi surges with violent force; Heaven reaches the extreme of Yin Qi and Earth the extreme of Yang Qi, and the two great wheels contend with each other. Looking at Heaven above and Earth below, human beings stand between them; gazing from the four directions, one enters the broad vault of Heaven.

Reckon the transformations of the great earth until the vast kalpa arrives, an age of extreme length. Without the sustaining power of the Dao (the Way), who could escape destruction? Earth comprises the Moist and Fertile Earth, the Golden Grain Earth, the Hard Iron Earth, the Water Marsh Earth, and the Great Wind Marsh, together called the Five Earths. Among them are further levels of emptiness, form, and moisture, descending gradually into what is extremely fine and profound. Reckon the transformations of these earthly realms until the vast kalpa arrives. Without the sustaining power of the Dao, who could escape destruction? Earth comprises the Moist and Fertile Earth, the Golden Grain Earth, the Hard Iron Earth, the Water Marsh Earth, and the Great Wind Marsh, together called the Five Earths. There are also levels of emptiness, form, and moisture, down to what is extremely fine.

Earth is further divided into Wu soil, Ji soil, and Fuli soil, three kinds of soil in all.

Twenty: Immortals of Successive Ages Lead the Way

The Scripture of Salvation (Duren Jing), an important Daoist classic, consists of sixty-one juan and is explained layer by layer in due order. The scripture speaks of the Dao (the Way) of the Most High, the Dao of the Upper Perfected, the Dao of the Middle Perfected, and all manner of methods for cultivating the Dao. To grasp what is essential in it, one observes its key points; when the mind is empty and clear, one can enter the many mysterious realms.

All who study the Dao should personally experience the principles within it. With firm resolve, one strives to do good; when one has both faith and the ability to practice, the efficacy attained is beyond compare. One must clear away the defilements of body and mind and diligently temper and cleanse them; one studies the various arts, extracts what is essential in them, and then advances step by step, entering more deeply into cultivation and inquiring into the immortal realms of Daoism and their mysterious principles, until at last one reaches the state of empty stillness and Wuwei (non-action), in which no sign appears.

In former times, King Mu of Zhou grew weary of conducting the affairs of state, looked lightly upon wealth and rank, and went to Mount Kunlun. Li Babai was a ruler of ancient Shu; he later withdrew into seclusion and abdicated the throne to Bie Ling. Prince Jin (Wangzi Jin) loved the way of the immortals, followed Master Fuqiu, and departed riding a crane. Ma Shihuang delighted in saving living beings and cured a dragon of its illness with a decoction of licorice. Jie Yuanzhe understood the arts of the Dao; he once caught a mullet and presented it to the King of Wu. Dong Zhongjun was skilled in cultivation by ingesting Qi (vital energy); he was once imprisoned and later vanished and departed.

Qian Miaozhen cultivated the Dao from childhood, living on Mount Juqu (in the area of present-day Mount Mao in Jiangsu) and reciting the scriptures of the immortals. Ding Lingwei began to study the immortal Dao at the age of seven and returned to the human world a thousand years later. Ji Huiyan cultivated the art of cicada-like transformation, and on Mount Tianmu the coffin and its boards flew up. Lady Feng Xue practiced with arduous devotion and, after death, became an immortal by the method of shijie (liberation through the corpse); a mysterious crane came to receive her. The Woman of Great Mystery (Taixuan Nü) lost her husband in her youth and later practiced immortal arts, able while seated to summon a traveling kitchen (a legendary Daoist art by which food and drink arrive of themselves). Zhang Zhennu once lived in the pleasure quarters; she later repented, received a spiritual response from Immortal Lü (Lü Dongbin), and was thus able to cultivate the orthodox Dao.

The lofty perfected of antiquity (immortal perfected ones of profound attainment) left many sincere admonitions. Alas, fellow practitioners so easily let their cultivation fall into delay and neglect. This Three-Character Classic (Sanzi Jing) was therefore composed, to encourage beginners to ponder it with care and cultivate it with diligence, and from it to obtain the highest joy. Do not cling to outward forms, nor become attached to the written word; only when one comprehends the principles within does one truly understand.

(In the original text, the passage from “Jie Yuanzhe” to “Ding Lingwei” appears twice; content such as the “licorice decoction” is retained in accordance with the original.)