《靈寶無量度人上品妙經》Vol. 10

The opening of the Wondrous Scripture of the Highest Rank of the Numinous Treasure for Delivering People Without Limit describes the scripture’s sacred origins, the arrangement of the heavens, and the gods who oversee the salvation of living beings.

This scripture is the Numinous Treasure’s true text, through which the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), a revered Daoist deity, penetrates the mysteries. It is a classic of boundless salvation in the highest, mysterious expanse. Its verses come from the Great Clarity (Taiqing), the pure celestial realm of Daoist tradition. Its words arose naturally; they are deep and still, yet reach into the mysteries. In the age of the High Sovereign, the sacred Treasure’s transformations gave rise to numinous writings, used to save living beings and prolong life.

The numinous writings gathered above the mysterious expanse and below Supreme Clarity. Three palaces stood in solemn array, blending as one with the Great Dao. The Elder of Nine Lights (Jiuguang Zhangren), a Daoist deity, transformed and established the heavens amid the darkness of the great calamity. Sages in heaven dwelt in the Court of Great Red. Perfected beings assisted the Way of the Highest Mystery, nurturing the immortals and perfected beings and commanding the celestial officials of the nine ranks. They established offices for the celestial officials, who governed the span of life and helped people escape the end of their allotted years and the disasters of the kalpas. The scripture also portrays the twelve thousand regions beneath the floating sky and around the Misty City, along with the vast celestial realms where the Eight Radiances of Supreme Clarity traverse the Three Paths.

These numinous writings appear as soon as they are contemplated, revealing the vast forms of Heaven and Earth. This is the Mysterious Brahma (Xuanfan), the wondrous sound and splendor of the celestial realm. The Heaven within Heaven, the Three Emperors’ Grotto of Spirit, the Supreme Ultimate and Great Darkness, and the lofty sacred realms of Floating Transcendence, Jade Capital, Golden Flower, and Dragon Mountain all belong to the heavens, layered one above another. Primordial Numen, the True Primordial Mysterious Qi, and the divine firmaments of the Three Realms dwell at the highest reaches, extending to the supreme Great Luo Jade Clarity. There, all is lofty and subtle, as if it exists and as if it does not. Jade Flower’s vast banquet hall, jade chambers, golden gates, and jeweled towers shine with radiance. The True Qi of the Great Empyrean circulates through the ten directions, guarding the boundaries of the eight quarters and flowing through the center as well.

The Three Heavens of the Yellow Emperor and the Old Master (Huanglao Dadong Santian), a Daoist name for the celestial realms, generate the patterned writings of the scriptures and gather in all primordial Qi, bringing peace and prosperity to the world. Among them are the deity of the Great Red Numinous Writings; the Lord of Long Life at the Southern Pole; the Venerable Lord of Green Radiance, Protector of Life; the Great Divine Emperor of Primordial Sovereignty, who Stabilizes and Guards; the Elder Lord Han, who cherishes life; the True Lord of Purple Ultimate, Red Origin, and Supreme Unity; and the Radiant Jade Register, Mysterious Way, Venerable Deity of the Southern Capital, who governs life and transformation. These deities oversee life and change. They can restore scattered bones to life and raise the dead, bringing salvation to living beings on a vast scale.

Today, the gods of the heavens descend to the hall to examine and register the scripture. The text then names the Limitless Divine Kings of the various directions. They are all great sages of long life, charged with delivering people without limit:

The Eastern Limitless Flying-Sky Divine King; the Southern Limitless Cinnabar Radiance Divine King; the Western Limitless White Grotto Divine King; the Northern Limitless Purple Empyrean Divine King; the Northeastern Limitless Eight Radiances Divine King; the Southeastern Limitless Luminous Transformation Divine King; and the Southwestern Limitless Life-Giving Way Divine King.

The God-Kings of Boundless Qi, Ancestor of the Northwest; Boundless Spiritual Fortune of the Above; and Boundless Protection and Pacification of the Below are all great sages of longevity, charged with saving all beings.

The God-Kings of the True and Supreme Great Transformation in the Ten Directions, together with countless great gods who fly through the heavens to save the world, arrive riding jade-cloud carriages bathed in emerald light. Their retinues include Cinnabar Carriages of the Grotto Sun, phoenix-feather fans, and white canopies. The carriages are adorned with jade wheels of the Eight Radiances and drawn by nine dragons, speeding through the vast emptiness. They ride ascension carriages that reflect vermilion clouds, holding immortal tokens that symbolize the carrying out of Heaven’s commands, along with great banners of the Ten Blossoms. Those at the front play jade flutes and sing immortal songs in unison; music sounds from behind as well, their voices harmonizing together. Auspicious beasts—lions, spotted qilin, and pixie—bellow and roar. The Five Planetary Lodges clear the way, while the constellation of the Northern Dipper leads the procession. Countless carriages and horses come from the sky, their radiance shining bright. They wheel around to inspect the practice of the Dao and transform and save all beings.

The Three Heavens’ Great Marshals, the venerable elders and exalted worthies, the True Kings of the Four Poles, and the heavenly spirits of the Nine Heavens arrive together before the Celestial Emperor. Holding registers of law and overseeing the rolls of names, they carefully examine the affairs of the heavens, each within their appointed jurisdiction. The divine Qi of the Great Red numinous script spreads through the Palace of Transformation in the Highest Mystery, reaching as far as the deep Springs Palace. The high-ranking gods consult the registers and tallies, compose their documents into formal texts, and proclaim them throughout the Three Realms, the divine realm of the Jade Firmament, the palaces where stars are arrayed, the Northern Pole’s primal network, the Three Enclosures and Nine Paths, and the Twelve Passages.

The scripture prays that the suffering and distress of one’s ancestors and relatives through the generations may be relieved above; that illness may be dispelled, records of sin erased, and evil roots swept away; and that the dead may no longer be detained, but may unite in body and spirit with the high immortals. By command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the dead may ascend in rank at the appointed time. The spirits of the Northern Capital’s Cold Pool guard body and soul, subdue demonic obstacles, and recommend the dead for promotion. In the Southern Palace, the souls of the dead are refined and delivered, transformed into immortals and granted life anew.

Those who receive deliverance themselves transcend the world and endure through the cycles of calamity. They persist through the turning of the ages and share Heaven’s longevity. They are forever freed from the Three Paths, Five Sufferings, and Eight Hardships, rise beyond the Three Realms, and roam at ease in the realm of Highest Clarity. The Heaven of Highest Clarity is the pure, luminous, formless realm where the Celestial Emperor dwells, and the place where the Brahma practice of pure cultivation is carried out.

The Eight Heavens of the East

• Heaven of Numinous Blessings and True Extremity: Celestial Emperor Hou Shi Yanjun
• Heaven of Numinous Caverns and Firmness: Celestial Emperor Ba Guangyuan
• Heaven of Supreme Unity and Wandering Thought: Celestial Emperor Zhi Li Pujing
• Heaven of Imperial Awakening and Auspicious Ancestry: Celestial Emperor Xianmi Taimang
• Heaven of Nine Transformations and Dark Yellow: Celestial Emperor Du Jing Nawu
• Heaven of Cloud Ford and Fulfilled Purpose: Celestial Emperor Meng Li Zhu
• Heaven of High Numinous Aid and Life: Celestial Emperor Lu Changjiu Cen

The heaven that resounds with power in all eight directions, the Heaven of the Eight Majestic Powers of Lingxiao, is governed by Emperor Yushang Gengyuan.

The Eight Heavens of the South

The Heaven of Vermilion Mound and Worthy Accord is governed by Emperor Xianyu Cijian.

The Heaven of Elusive Subtlety in the Cinnabar Palace is governed by Emperor Han Yi Dongwen.

The Heaven of the Supreme Ancestor of Highest De is governed by Emperor Moling Xi.

The Heaven of the Dragon of Luminous Sovereignty and Grace is governed by Emperor Danghui Shuyun.

The Heaven of the Sagely Power of the Mysterious Dao is governed by Emperor Fangdu Yanhui.

The Heaven of Nurturing Shen and Stirring Reflection is governed by Emperor Yangxi Lingbang.

The Heaven of the True Mirror of Central Numinous Power is governed by Emperor Xiuxun Yao.

The Heaven of Cinnabar Refinement and Divine Rectitude is governed by Emperor Huzhen Qizhen.

The Eight Heavens of the West

The Heaven of Exquisite Truth and Dignified Beauty is governed by Emperor Zuliang Shisun.

The Heaven Where Immortals Present Their Wishes and Blessings Descend from the Mysterious is governed by Emperor Duohua Xiyin.

The Heaven of the Origin Shen of Can and Wei is governed by Emperor Zhuozhi Wuchen.

The Heaven of Benevolence and Stillness in the Great Thousand Worlds is governed by Emperor Dingkong Zhenhun.

The Heaven of the Mysterious Dao’s Transformative Rites is governed by Emperor Shiqing Ciwen.

The Heaven of Auspicious Yang and Vast De is governed by Emperor Zhaobo Yuan.

The Heaven Where All Conduct Brings Auspicious Blessings is governed by Emperor Wu Qiang Li Rong.

The Heaven of Exalted Numinous Power, Proclaimed Wisdom is governed by Emperor Bitong Jingji.

The Eight Heavens of the North

The Heaven of Mysterious Numinous Power and Clear Intent is governed by Emperor Liaodong Weigong.

The Heaven of the Precious Relay and Settled Truth is governed by Emperor Yi Anhuayi.

The Heaven of the Four Brightnesses and Jade Dragon is governed by Emperor Zhaozhang Beixuan.

The Heaven of Receiving Splendor and Gazing Toward the Utmost is governed by Emperor Baochong Hujuan.

The Heaven of Precious Fortune, Numinous Shen, and Vast Deliverance is governed by Emperor Yuedu Gao.

The Heaven of the Highest Firmament, Opening the Origin and Revealing the Unbounded is governed by Emperor Zuchang Ming.

The Heaven of Great Nonbeing and Luminous Shen is governed by Emperor Duozhu Yanbang.

The Heaven of Condensed Transformation and Cloud-Woven Networks is governed by Emperor Miansuo Buyin.

The list above names thirty-two heavens and their thirty-two Celestial Emperors. It also states that each heaven has concealed taboo names—sacred names not spoken publicly—as well as hidden names.

The Central Void Cavern’s Great Scarlet Numinous Text is the hidden, wondrous sound of the many heavens. It is the sound of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate, the foundation of the cosmos), and the mysterious Qi and numinous power of the true demons manifested by the Venerable One of Great Darkness and the Spirit of Great Space. Spirit and Qi unite in harmony, bringing forth transformations without end. The text contains the profound, immeasurable mysteries of the Great Clarity, the Daoist realm of supreme purity, which are too deep to explain in full. Thus the numinous text was expounded and spread to save all beings in the heavens and the human world.

Today, we joyfully celebrate those who have received deliverance after enduring trials throughout the heavens. They have asked that the three evils be destroyed and the roots of falling into evil realms be cut away. Those who receive and uphold the numinous text, and wear its scripture talisman, will have their names entered in the register of the Mysterious Great True King, the deity who governs the wondrous celestial realm. He will watch over and recommend them, and no gate of heaven will bar their way.

The Dipper lodges of the East grant people vitality and spiritual awareness; those of the West confer longevity; those of the North divide and transform spirit and Qi; those of the South enable people to attain their original nature; and those of the Center bring their thoughts and intentions back to the true. The writings of the Five Emperors each possess divine power: the Jade Characters of the Azure Emperor, the Golden Script of the White Emperor, the Cinnabar Radiance of the Red Emperor, the Mysterious Crystal of the Black Emperor, and the Fulfilled Intent of the Yellow Emperor can all summon spirits and call forth numinous beings.

The Divine King of Azure Script makes the Qi of Thunder resound across the sky; the Divine King of Red Script subdues fierce demons; the Divine King of White Script strikes with wind and fire; the Divine King of Black Script clears every kind of obstruction; and the Divine King of Yellow Script nourishes the force by which the Primordial Beginning gives rise to life. The five Divine Kings of Script are champions of Great Scarlet. They can transform the numinous text and are the sovereigns of the myriad spirits. Riding through the sky, accompanied by music, they command immortal troops and wave banners, drums, and tally tokens as they patrol Great Space in radiant splendor, establishing great achievements throughout the heavens. Those who receive and wear the numinous text are also protected under their close guard.

The Divine King of Northern Feng, the deity who governs the shadowy underworld of the north, is charged with sweeping away all inauspicious forces. The Jade Xi destroys what is foul; golden beasts charge in from the four directions. Fire troops clear the way, divine generals carry banners, vermilion phoenixes fly, and streaming bells flash. Lightning rises as smoke, clouds, and thunder crash down in a violent assault. The Green-Tusked Jue devours evil spirits. Anyone who dares to offend or obstruct the numinous text is cut down by golden axes at the front and punished by mighty swords behind. Ghosts and demons are slaughtered, while wind and fire rage without pause. Heads are severed and souls destroyed by the thousands and tens of thousands, so that demons dare not invade and ghosts can no longer create strange disturbances.

The Three Officials, the Daoist Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, together with the spirits of Northern Feng, clearly discern the roots of evil and leave them nowhere to hide. A golden horse courier carries this command outward, proclaiming it to the limitless host of spirits. The Three Realms and the Five Directional Emperors all obey the order and report it to the heavens of Highest Clarity, Great Clarity, and Great Scarlet. This is the Heavenly Numinous Text’s Treasure Chapter.

The sovereign of all things enters and leaves Great Space like a flying dragon. Its name is manifest in the void, yet it has no form. The void is vast and cannot be exhausted. As the beings of the Three Realms sink into emptiness amid the sudden transformations of the kalpas, the realm of Great Scarlet remains like a scene appearing within the heart.

Neither birth nor extinction need be clung to; the mind should be empty and still. When thoughts cease, they too return to emptiness and stillness. If one can contemplate the true realm of the Dao, one can dissolve every kind of phenomenal appearance and penetrate to Xuanyuanshi—the primordial source of the cosmos in Daoist teaching. The Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three supreme deities of Daoism and also the realms they inhabit, then appear; this is called “the threefold wondrous emptiness.” In the Great Scarlet Heaven, as inner thoughts gradually quiet, subtle images may still seem hazy. This is the third contemplation: visualizing the mysterious Qi in the Palace of Great Clarity.

Once the heart is empty, what is seen has no form or color, and subtle images vanish without trace. One naturally comes to know the dharmic body—the essential body of the Dao’s teaching. When numinous light merges with spirit-consciousness, one rides the divine wind, ascends beyond the primordial realm, and enters the ethereal Yuyu Heaven—the immortal realm in Daoist cosmology.

When these characters are written in vermilion on green foil, burned to ash on the Three Yuan days (the festivals of the upper, middle, and lower yuan), and taken with water flowing from the east, one can command ghosts and spirits, sit in stillness and know long life. Immortals who wear this token find even stone spirits bowing their heads; whatever they seek goes as wished. To grasp its meaning is to attain the Dao and ascend as a true immortal (dengzhen).

Refined mysterious Qi passes through firing until true fire blazes through; ninety-nine thousand streams of Qi turn into crimson script. When the yin-yang count of sixty-six is complete, the celestial yuan takes form. Jade towers and cinnabar palaces—the halls of the immortal courts—and soaring pavilions rise above the divine capital of the heavens.

Long ago, when the mysterious womb first opened and the era of the dragon had not yet arisen, countless kalpas passed; heaven and earth were still chaos. Above there was no form or color; below there was no abyss. Wind moved through the void, gathering firm qi into a solid body; the nature of that solidity became metal, metal fluid flowed like a spring, the spring became white water, and then it received the breath of the golden abyss—the gold and water congealed and transformed.

From this, Heaven and Earth came into being: Heaven above and Earth below. Whether hidden in darkness or sunk in the deepest obscurity, they had no form or image, and no boundaries.

The boundless, primordial state of chaos was vast and empty, without light. The sacred writings of the Great Red Heaven, one of the heavenly realms in Daoism, moved and transformed of their own accord. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) stood firm in the Danyuan, its central seat. The red-script jade characters of the upper scroll were refined by fire and transformed into dragon-shaped sacred writings. They guarded and governed the cycles of calamity, sustaining Heaven and Earth for ages.

The dark Qi spread everywhere, and from it all things unfolded. Original Jing flowed through the thirty-two passes, circulating through the realm without color and rising into the Niwan, the cultivation center in the head. It cycled back and forth, reaching the Ten Directions; it crossed fire and trod upon water, circled the Dipper and Winnowing Basket constellations, and harmonized the Qi of the Five Constant Virtues. White clouds became fluid, and jade dew condensed into dark frost.

The thirty-five kinds of Qi divided, joined, and gathered, then returned together to the Upper Origin, merging in hidden accord with the Eight Radiances. Qi entered the most profound realm of mystery and reached the supremely numinous Holy Mother, the Primordial Lady.

She roamed freely in the purple void, singing out the sounds of the Grotto Heavens. The Qi of golden radiance joined and flowed through the Cloud Palace, becoming jade tones and sacred light that swirled and stirred the wind. The Qi of Great Clarity rose and transformed, flourishing in beauty and abundance and spreading in all eight directions. A thousand kinds of harmonious Qi joined with the myriad things, and the true Dao came naturally to completion.

In the realm of truth dwell the Great Lord of Long Life, the Utmost Mystery of the Golden Gate, Wuying, Baiyuan, the Jade Consort of Huayang, the Supreme Perfected One of Great Unity, and such divine perfected beings as the Lords of Fate of the Nine Palaces, Taokang, and Heyan. They wield the sacred writings and protect the root of life. The spirits ascend through the highest clarity, entering and leaving the Flowery Chamber and reaching into the hidden and subtle regions of all eight directions. They also descend to guard the human body, regulating the Five Qi within the Niwan and the Crimson Palace, the cultivation center in the heart. There they bring the hundred spirits into harmony, set the sacred Qi circulating, and gather the myriad Qi together to attain immortality.

The way of the immortals prizes cherishing life. Life-giving Qi can deliver all beings, open the eight gates above, and set the flying wheel of Heaven—the law governing the celestial realms—in motion. Guilt and blessing, prohibitions and precepts, destiny from past lives, and karmic ties are all contained within it. Through universal deliverance, the souls of the dead are saved, while those born again regain bodily form. Practitioners are thus reborn and ascend to the various heavens. Each level of Heaven has a Gate of Life. Within it are songs of the empty grotto, sacred chapters of the kings of the perfected, whose words and verses join in accord with the highest perfected beings.

The Flying-Heaven Sound of the First Mysterious Qi Giving Birth to the Great Red Heaven

Red and black each occupy half. This Qi is called “Mysterious”: Yin is hidden and subtle, while Yang is refined and wondrous.

It is also called “Great Origin”: a vast, empty expanse, unstained by anything, in which the nature of all things shines clear. Its name comes from comparing it to this empty, luminous light; from it arise the two Qi of red and black.

The Mysterious Qi then spreads out. “Mysterious” describes the state before Yin and Yang have yet become distinct, when the pattern of Heaven and Earth has not yet unfolded. When Yin reaches its limit, red appears; the Great Red Heaven is its dwelling place.

The Great Red Heaven lies below the highest clarity and above the Heaven of the Seed People. It governs the twelve levels of Heaven and is the dwelling place of the Most High.

The third method of visualization is to contemplate the “Celestial Road to the Dao Realm,” the heavenly path leading to the realm of the Great Dao. If you practice the Dao in this way, your desires may have been completely cut off, yet their lingering traces have not vanished. Your mind may be empty and still, yet the marks of the past remain. Your realization of the Dao is therefore incomplete: you are still bound by the idea of emptiness. This is called the “Great Clarity” realm. Only upon reaching the courtyard where the Nine Immortals dwell, completely severing all traces and letting go of attachment to the mysterious, can you see the Dao.

If you do not understand what the true Dao is, simply withdrawing to live in the mountains and forests will not enable you to attain it. The Great Red Heaven, one of the heavens described in Daoism, contains numinous writings. Recite them, and you can ride the wind wheel up to heaven.

Second: The Great Red Heaven is a chapter on the immortal realm of Great Clarity.

The spirit and Qi are vast and boundless. Pure Yang Qi rises like smoke, then is refined by true fire. Red jade becomes the sky, while the flames have yet to die down; hence the name “Great Red.” When the fire subsides, one’s true nature appears, and the realm becomes still and serene. This is Great Clarity. Its palace gates are built of beautiful cinnabar-colored jade, and purple clouds spread across its courtyards. The Great Red Heaven is lofty and expansive, reaching upward to the Jade Capital, the celestial city.

The Most High wears yellow brocade robes, radiance circling his body as golden bells ring. On his left, he commands nine dragons to draw his carriage; on his right, he drives the divine tiger forward. Wind and rain lead the way, with bells and drums following behind. The demons of the Three Realms bow their heads and plead for the true Dao to save them. Yin-Yang Qi settles into harmony, and all things are thereby renewed. The numinous writings of the Great Red Heaven are revered by the many exalted spirits.

Third: The Song of the Numinous Writings and the Spirit’s Transformation of the True Sovereign

Mysterious Qi spreads like fine threads and travels on the wind, drifting through the vast sky like a soaring dragon. From it, the Nine Yangs arise. It appears as the color of the Great Red, unfurling in a slanting curve shaped like a bow. The numinous writings condense in the void, their characters reaching high into heaven. The Emperor of Humanity holds a purple brush and writes; the words he inscribes seem to accord with the true Dao of Heaven.

These talismans can command the myriad spirits, and their merit in saving people is boundless. If you can give rise to faith, wear them and honor them, gaze up toward the lofty heavens, and swallow Qi through visualization, you can summon primordial Qi. Jade Fluids, the saliva cultivated in practice, flow naturally, and red vapor forms in the stomach. The joints seem to be tempered like bronze. The Six Ding, six protective deities in Daoism, come to serve and offer a cloth. They transform the practitioner, leading deep into the Dao of the netherworld. Then one can let out a long cry, sing, and ascend to Great Clarity.

The workings of Shen (spirit) have never followed a fixed course.

These two chapters of the Jing are hymns sung by the True King above the Three Realms, in the heights of the sky. Reciting them repeatedly one hundred times brings deliverance through the Southern Palace; reciting them one thousand times, and the True King will protect and welcome you; reciting them ten thousand times enables you to perfect Daoist methods, ascend through the vast heavens, transcend the Three Realms, and take your place among the immortal officials.

When the True King hears the sacred sound, he honors the person’s body and spirit, and commands the earth deities to guard and escort them. They are freed from the Gate of Earth, the entrance to the netherworld, released from the Five Sufferings and Eight Calamities, and their ancestors of seven generations are elevated, forever leaving behind the passes of the Yellow Springs. Their soul and spirit are delivered to Divine Empyrean, where they undergo refinement and are reborn. This is called “universal deliverance without measure or end.”

This Jing is a document kept secret in Heaven and revered by all the heavens. Anyone who reveals it or treats it with contempt will fall into hell, and the calamity will extend to their ancestors of seven generations.

The Dao says: These two chapters of the Jing are the Great Red Spirit Writings of the Heavenly Emperors, secret celestial sounds that can harmonize Heaven and Earth, calm the land, avert calamities, and protect the state. Wearing or upholding them brings one closer to the true Dao and wards off disaster. They can also aid the transformation wrought by the Dao, protect the people, and make blessings everlasting. These are utterances of the Great Brahma, the sublime language of the celestial realm, not ordinary worldly speech. They have none of the worldly tones or ornate melodies, and so are called mysterious and profound, beyond exhaustive investigation.

This Jing is a treasure stored by Heaven, kept hidden in the scripture chamber of the Jade Palace of Jade Purity in Divine Empyrean. Only when the Lord of the Dao of the Eastern Repository carried out the work of transformation and transmitted the Dao in response to the appointed time was it passed down to the human world. A person who has attained the Dao may receive this Jing only after offering gold and treasure as tokens of faith, following the established rites with sincerity, and swearing an oath of alliance to Jade Purity.

The Dao says: The Great Red Spirit Writings are the foundation of the Three Qi and can deliver those on the verge of death; nothing is beyond their power to accomplish. The movements of Heaven and Earth have their rises and declines, beginnings and endings; the sun, moon, and five planets wax and wane. Even the most holy divine beings experience times of declining fortune. When someone whose study of the Dao is still shallow and whose practice is not yet deep encounters illness or calamity, all those connected to them in Qi should fast together, offer incense during six periods of the day, and recite the Jing ten times. Then blessings and De will descend, and every kind of ill omen will disperse. This immeasurable Jing can deliver all beings, reaching without end.

The Dao says: Those whose study of the Dao is still shallow may sometimes meet a death fixed by their allotted fate before attaining an immortal rank, and their bodies pass into Great Yin, the netherworld. As they approach death, fellow practitioners who have attained the Dao may offer incense and recite the Jing ten times, following the ritual procedure to deliver the deceased’s bodily form. They then write the Great Red Spirit Writings in cinnabar ink and tie them to blue silk, for the deceased to wear or place over the heart. In this way, the person’s soul and spirit can ascend directly to the Southern Palace, where, according to the merit earned through practice, they receive rebirth, no longer lost in the cycle of reincarnation, and ultimately attain immortal status.

The Dao says: When the workings of Heaven and Earth reach their end, the courses of the stars will fall into disorder, the sun and moon will lose their light, the seasons will become irregular, and Yin-Yang will fall out of balance. Calamities will occur within the realm; ghostly influences will spread everywhere, pestilence and poison will proliferate, and the people will suffer injury and death. Teachers and friends will pass away, and loved ones will die one after another. Whenever such things occur, one should fast, burn incense, and recite the scriptures.

The merit of fasting and reciting the scriptures is immense. Above, it can dispel heavenly calamities and protect the emperor; below, it can ward off poison and spare the people from disaster. Both the living and the dead can benefit from it. This blessing and virtue are beyond measure, and so it is called “boundless universal deliverance for Heaven and humanity.”

The Dao says: Whoever possesses this scripture and can cultivate this merit on behalf of Heaven and Earth, the emperor, and the people should resolve to fast, burn incense, and recite the scripture ten times on the day a calamity occurs. The heavens will record that person’s name and have the myriad spirits protect them. Another account says that a Perfected One—a person of profound cultivation—can thereby become an official in the Golden Court of the Sage Sovereign. The heavens record people’s merits and faults, omitting nothing, however minute; the True Kings of Heaven will also recommend you. Only those who cultivate the Dao and attain it can truly comprehend these highest principles.

The Great Brahmā Hidden Words of the heavens—the sacred, secret language used by the heavens—are sounds without limit, compiled by the Lord of the Dao.

The Middle Section of the Scripture of Primordial Beginning’s Great Red Numinous Writ

Below are the celestial hidden words of the eight heavens in the east, the eight heavens in the south, and the eight heavens in the west. These phrases are sacred sound-texts from the scripture, meant to convey the names and sounds of the celestial realms. They should not be interpreted word by word as ordinary sentences.

The Eight Heavens of the East:

Yi Tan Bao Shi, Bi Quan Qi Mei, Dong Guan Qi Du, Yan Zhu Qian Hui, Yao Yuan Xian Zhi, Dian Ning Wei Shi, Jian Hu You Lüe, Ci Qiong Yin Ji, Zhuo Li Fu Jiu, Yuan Zeng Tiao Yue, Yuan Bang Qu Pin, Dao Lian Xi Yue, Qi Mian Xuan Huang, Yun Ming Bu Fang, Jing Zhuang Han Fu, Pi Wei Lü Gang.

The Eight Heavens of the South:

Jing Tong Fu Xi, Qi Ying Qiong Chi, Ding Jiang Qi Ma, Liao Cheng Xuan Yi, Hua Guan Gou Ye, Po Gong Shen Qi, Rou Ying Zhuo Ze, Mang Hu Bi Chi, Liang Yu Shu You, Jin Ji Mo Chang, Lian Suo Miao Xian, Chong Yi Yang Yi, Zi Shan Tai Wu, Xin Si Gong Yi, Wen Xian Huang Lang, Dan Ming Yu Wei.

The Eight Heavens of the West:

Jing Wu He Wei, Shou Shen Wan Hui, Hao Lan Die Ying, Jie Hua Kun Wei, Dao Yu Jing Chuan, Yi Ming Shi Zhuan, Tian Li Zi Bo, Xuan Hui Guang He, Feng Ming Xi Tu.

“Pacifying the Yin-dwellers and subduing demons, checking the blades of the Spring Realm, and cutting down the wicked and slaying demons” means: pacifying the demons of the underworld, bringing the forces of the Spring Realm to heel, and removing the wicked and destroying evil spirits.

“Numinous writing commands the True Ones; guard the Golden Tower of the Emperor; await the sea and listen to the Void; receive and uphold with sincere devotion” is a set of Great Brahma hidden words—sacred secret formulas recited in Daoist scriptures. “Guard the Golden Tower of the Emperor” refers to protecting the Golden Tower of the Heavenly Emperor. “Receive and uphold with sincere devotion” means accepting and putting into practice these teachings with reverence and sincerity.

The hidden words of the eight northern heavens, in sequence, are:

“Dipper’s cord bears Chou; ordering words transform into immortals; true union shines brilliantly. Qi fills the Dark Spring; grasping the Luo, it welcomes the vast expanse; the settled region follows the wall. The root of destiny has nine teeth; distinguishing the relay station, the shrine’s offerings endure; the toad’s essence nourishes and unites the blossoms. The Dipper clan exchanges chariots; Han governs the Lesser Origin; Qiu’s resources begin in the chamber. Panman commands Cao; the horn renews its words on the plate; the moon’s humble palace wards off. Tengming, Ruan Guang.”

The scripture says that these Great Brahma hidden words in the celestial realms are all immeasurable sacred sounds. In ancient times, they were engraved above the vermilion palace of the Great Red Heaven, where they governed the ordinances of Heaven and Earth, assisted the transformations of Yin-Yang, and commanded the myriad spirits. Each character was one zhang wide. The Celestial True Emperor once wrote them down as the correct sounds.

If someone understands these syllables and can recite them after observing ritual purification, the heavens will send a Red Heaven Spirit King down to inspect them, record their diligence and merit, and report these to the Divine Empyrean. The myriad spirits will come to pay homage, the earth deities will stand in attendance at the gate, and the Great Meritorious True King will recommend them. Once such a person has attained the Dao of Highest Clarity, they can travel among the Three Realms and ascend through the Golden Gate.

These sounds can ward off, avert, deliver from, and bring about anything; they are sounds arising naturally from the Celestial True Ones. When they are recited, numinous writing appears in the air, purple clouds fill the room, and the hundred spirits attend the chariot as the myriad immortals come to pay homage. When they are worn, the High Emperor sends down talismanic instructions, and one can ascend the Eight Luminaries and fly upward at dawn. When they are consumed, the Qi of the five organs blends, Jade Essence circulates, the Three Origins rejoice, and precious Qi condenses into auspicious signs. When cultivated within oneself, they enable the spirit to roam through the Great Clarity, the body to ride upon red Qi, and the practitioner to unite with the Great Void—the primordial realm of nothingness in Daoist thought—and transcend all existence.

Practitioners can also divide themselves into a thousand million forms and, even while seated upright, immediately send their spirits roaming to distant places. Their tinkling, jade-like sounds shake the four quarters, purify the ten directions, still rivers and seas, and make mountains draw in their mists. Numinous demons fear and submit, while the assembled immortals are summoned to appear. Emptiness and clarity unite with the profound mystery; wondrous transformations arise naturally, and wisdom grows deep and clear, unchanged even through kalpas of tribulation.

“Notes on the Pronunciations of the Two Sounds in the Jiao Collection” is the title of this passage. The text below gives the pronunciation and meaning of each uncommon character, one by one:

褭 is pronounced “niǎo” (嫋); 菂 is pronounced “dì” (的) and refers to a lotus seed or a treasure within the lotus; 熠 is pronounced “yù” (煜), meaning bright or shining; 埏 is pronounced “yán” (延); 倐 is pronounced “shū” (叔); 𠟡 is pronounced “hū” (䬍).

𧕏 is pronounced “niè” (蘖); 繖 is pronounced “sǎn” (散), meaning an umbrella or canopy; 𣤛 is the original form of 欻 and is pronounced “hū” (䬍); 飊 is pronounced “biāo” (标); 惒 is the original form of 和; 瀋 is pronounced “shěn” (沈).

艧 is pronounced “hú” (鹘) and refers to a boat; 𦊰 is pronounced “juǎn” (卷); 竦 is pronounced “sǒng” (悚), conveying reverence or awe; 駞 is the same as 驼; 猋 is pronounced “biāo” (标); 瞀 is pronounced “mào” (茂).

慜 is pronounced “mǐn” (敏); 兀 is pronounced “jī” (机); 矴 is pronounced “dīng” (丁); 勑 is pronounced “lái” (莱), meaning weary or fatigued; 扆 is pronounced “yī” (衣), with the falling-rising tone; 濆 is pronounced “fén” (汾); 崿 is pronounced “è” (谔).

殟 is pronounced “wēn” (温) and refers to an illness; □ is pronounced “zhù” (注) and also refers to an illness.