《靈寶無量度人上品妙經》Vol. 30

Silently recite this thirty-six times, then inwardly bow and submit a petition to the Thirty-Six Heavens. Close your eyes and meditate quietly, sitting upright amid clouds of red, yellow, and purple Qi. Feel that all within and around you is deep and dimly veiled. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, together with lions and white cranes, stand in ranks on either side. The sun and moon shine upon you, their radiance reaching through the empty expanse. Let heaven and earth shine bright, and visualize a round celestial image forming above your head and filling the ten directions, making it all perfectly clear in your mind.

Silently recite the prayer of invocation:

Supreme Mysterious Origin, Most High Lord of the Dao, please summon the Three-Five Meritorious Officers within my body, along with the official messengers on my left and right, the jade boys who attend the incense, the jade maidens who transmit words, the Five Emperors’ appointed talisman officers, and the incense officers assigned to this day—thirty-six of each. Ask them to report on my behalf: Today is an auspicious day. I have purified myself through fasting and am cultivating the Scripture on Delivering People Without Measure in a quiet chamber. May the prayers and petitions I have raised ascend to the heavenly court and be presented directly before the Supreme Primordial Emperor of the Thirty-Two Heavens.

The ritual ends here.

Then guide the Qi thirty-two times, face east, and recite the scripture.

The Wondrous Scripture of the Primordial Beginning, Supreme Grade, on Delivering People Without Measure

The Supreme-Grade Wondrous Opening, the Ten Thousand Transformations, Delivering People, and Hidden Rhythms of the Primordial Beginning’s Great Cavern, Whirling Wind, and Harmonious Union, is a jade text of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) formed by nature, and a scripture of the True Immortals of the Cavern of the Spirits. In the primordial kalpa of the First Beginning, the heavens were opened and brought into being, and Yin-Yang opened and closed, giving rise to the myriad things. Above the natural Great Dao there is no formed realm of material existence; below it there is no formed foundation. Its realm is empty and boundless, and only the Dao is its root.

When the Five Texts unfold, they bring forth spirits everywhere. Nothing can manifest without writing; nothing can communicate with the spirits, transform, illuminate, change, or be accomplished without writing. This refers to the Heaven of Jade Dawn in the Upper Clarity: the Brahma Qi of the Nine Heavens fills it, while the Numinous Terrace of the Bud-Scriptures and the Golden Palace and Jade Capital rise above, reaching to the sacred realm of the Supreme Great Luo. There, the emptiness is vast and boundless, appearing and disappearing as if concealed. It contains the Seven Radiant Flowering Chambers, the Dragon Court of Nine Transformations, the Bright Jade Pavilion, and the Purple Tenuity Heaven.

Pure Yang Brahma Qi fills the ten directions. Within it are the Great Lord of Long Life at the Southern Pole; the Jade Clarity Divine King who Quells Demons; the Azure Florescence Emperor of Fusang; Lord Han, the Elder of Nurturing Life; the Celestial Worthy of Delivering People, Dispelling Calamity, and Settling Destinies in the Southern Palace; and the Benevolent, Compassionate, and Transformative Perfected Lord in the Southern Pole Palace. They can make abandoned remains rise again and bring the dead back to life, carrying out boundless merit in delivering people. Today, the true spirits of the heavens have come to attend the court and examine the scripture.

The Eastern Limitless Azure Florescence Divine King, Great Sage of Long Life, Deliverer of People Without Measure…

In the south, west, north, northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest, above, and below, there is an Immeasurable God-King: Red Spirit, Pure Radiance, Mysterious Wonder, Life Preservation, Gathering Auspiciousness, Precious Wheel, Brahma Qi, Heaven-Transversing, and Rampart Guardian. They are all great sages of long life, possessing boundless power to deliver people.

The supremely true and mighty God-Kings of the ten directions—the four quarters, the four diagonal directions, above, and below—and the immeasurable great gods who grant long life and deliver beings from the world all ride together in a cloud chariot drawn by six flying dragons. The chariot bears a nine-flowered jeweled palanquin, an emerald canopy, and carved wheels; phoenixes draw it while golden dragons protect it. They raise vermilion banners and carry sacred tokens that embody the numinous powers of the Five Directions, subdue demons, ward off evil, dispel calamities, and bestow blessings. Four divine beings carry banners at the front and lead the way, playing sacred ao flutes. Behind them, flutes and zithers sound, while lions and white cranes cry out together in harmony. Taiyi, a revered Daoist deity, and his attendants, the True Kings, the immortals who assist the Celestial Emperor, and countless millions of immortals descend from the sky to welcome and escort the sacred chariot.

They respectfully celebrate the numinous and wondrous sounds of the scripture. The gods of the heavens who administer laws and hold official records, along with demon kings, chief ministers, and celestial rulers, all come before the Heavenly True God-King. The great god Han Si, registrar and supervisor of life in the Upper Palace of Nanchang, who oversees registers of names and records of life and death, also brings the rolls. Together they appear before the Imperial Lord, carefully examining the celestial registers according to the circumstances of those destined to be delivered, and proclaiming the matter throughout the Three Realms.

The Immeasurable True King, the Jade Court of the Divine Empyrean, the Flower Palace of Fusang, the Three Pure Ones and the Nine Heavens, the countless celestial realms, and the million immortal kingdoms all erase from living beings the evil registers and records of sin accumulated by their ancestors and across generations. They remove the roots of karmic offenses, freeing people from their hold and enabling them to unite with the Dao and become immortal perfected beings. This is the talismanic decree of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, promulgated throughout the nine regions of heaven and earth.

The radiance of the southern numinous fire can deliver a person’s soul and spirit; the true talismans of the Northern Bureau can release the spirits of the dead. The God-Kings recommend departed souls for rebirth, while the Southern Palace refines and delivers the spirits of the dead, transforming them into immortals. The living, too, can be delivered: they endure calamities and remain alive, and even as they pass through the cycles of the kalpas, they can live as long as Heaven and Earth. The scripture also says that refining the corpse and gathering Qi protects the embryo-immortal—the body’s innate primordial spirit—so that the inner realm becomes bright and the breath settled. One gathers the mysterious Qi, forever cuts off the entanglements of death’s gate, refines and delivers those at the passes of the netherworld, transcends the Three Realms, and ascends freely to the heavens of Shangqing, the highest heavens of Shangqing, and the realm of the Divine Empyrean, where the Jade Perfected of the Celestial Emperor resides, to cultivate the Brahma way.

The Nine Heavens of the East (the nine celestial realms of the East):

Chonghua Wenchao Heaven, ruled by Emperor Zhaofan Daojing; Liuchen Fanjing Heaven, ruled by Emperor Dingxuan Yaoming; Supreme True Jade Heaven, ruled by Emperor Fuluo Yongyan; Upper Numinous Origin-Transformation Heaven, ruled by Emperor Dayuan Chenbing; Quding Haodu Heaven, ruled by Emperor Shengjin Shengguang; Qiongying Fanjing Heaven, ruled by Emperor Youdi Bianlun; Seven-Morning Fuming Heaven, ruled by Emperor Yuanyu Feiheng; Pushing the Void, Stirring the Spirit Heaven, ruled by Emperor Xiqi Fuli; Joyful Transformation, Self-Contentment Heaven, ruled by Emperor Miangeng Rongxi.

The Nine Heavens of the South (the nine celestial realms of the South):

Bright and Vast Red Brahma Heaven, ruled by Emperor Yuanjing Jinni; Beneficent and Upright Radiance-Offering Heaven, ruled by Emperor Yong’ai Jiayin; Wondrous Sound, Drifting and Wafting Heaven, ruled by Emperor Haoshi Xingmian; Flowering Separation, Upright Stillness Heaven, ruled by Emperor Huli Jicheng; Proclaiming Radiance, Sixfold Void Heaven, ruled by Emperor Zhengpo Atan; Transforming Forms, Delivering Reverence Heaven, ruled by Emperor Bofu Zizhen; Dragon Hope, Reaching Everywhere Heaven, ruled by Emperor Congfu Xiangqing; Sunlit Expanse, Vast and Clear Heaven, ruled by Emperor Mianyi Shenji; Brocade Patterns, Brilliant Splendor Heaven, ruled by Emperor Jingshu Faning.

The Nine Heavens of the West (the nine celestial realms of the West):

Bright Vastness, Unfolding and Expansive Heaven, ruled by Emperor Wolin Fuji; Swift Flight, Primordial Tranquility Heaven, ruled by Emperor Yingfu Jinhua; Dust-Fallen, Universal Prosperity Heaven, ruled by Emperor Zhiweng Shiling; Pistil Court, Imperial Might Heaven, ruled by Emperor Yuefu Sicheng; Origin-Raising, Star-Jade Heaven, ruled by Emperor Xianjia Yingxiang; Dragon Governance, Bestowing Grace Heaven, ruled by Emperor Yunjia Xuankang; Joyful Delight, Broad Transformation Heaven, ruled by Emperor Yuhua Wugen; Untroubled Wandering, Inviting Blessings Heaven, ruled by Emperor Huoluo Xingyi; Vast Heaven’s Radiance, Fanning the Whirlwind Heaven, ruled by Emperor Dongyu Cangti.

Here are listed the nine celestial realms belonging respectively to the East, South, and West, together with the titles of the emperors who rule each heaven. “Heaven” and “Emperor” are both technical terms in the Daoist celestial hierarchy. The names of these heavens and imperial titles are mostly sacred designations and should not be broken down as ordinary phrases.

In the north are nine layers of heaven: Xuanming Zhengchitian, Yuanyang Lüxiaotian, Yuanmo Shixuntian, Linli Wuchengtian, Zhengli Fenhuatian, Youli Hongsengtian, Fuming Daputian, Xuqu Guangmengtian, and Yuyuan Yuanjingtian. Each layer is ruled by a Heavenly Emperor.

Each of the Thirty-Six Heavens has thirty-six Heavenly Emperors. The hidden names of the various heavens and the secret names of the ten thousand heavens are recorded in the celestial realm’s grand Brahmic script, a sacred Daoist script known as jade writing. The secret names of the Three Heavens, the celestial sounds, and the names of the Heavenly Emperors are numinous writings and jade sounds governed by the exalted Heavenly Perfected Spirit Kings and the great demons who serve as high ministers.

Reversing the wind, blending and refining the body, and ascending to become an immortal are profound, unfathomable methods within the boundless, wondrous Dao. Practitioners who preserve Yin and embrace Yang can become perfected immortals.

To deliver all beings in heaven and on earth, people joyfully celebrate today the rite of deliverance. Passing through the barriers of the heavens, they pray for the three evils to be destroyed and the roots of reincarnation cut away. They fly beyond the gate of death and have their names entered in the register of perfected immortals.

The Demon Kings oversee and recommend those receiving deliverance, who are no longer barred by the gates of heaven. The Eastern Dipper oversees and examines living beings; the Western Dipper dispels calamities; the Northern Dipper supports their spiritual nature; the Southern Dipper transforms their souls; and the Central Dipper helps them become perfected beings. Together, they govern all spirits. The Azure Emperor nourishes life, the White Emperor protects the spirit, the Red Emperor enhances vital energy, the Black Emperor sets radiance in motion, and the Yellow Emperor steadies the heart.

The myriad spirits protect the body. The Azure Heaven Demon King drives away impurity, enabling people to receive life; the Red Heaven Demon King takes divine perfection as an inner treasure; the White Heaven Demon King dispels evil and supports what is upright; the Black Heaven Demon King keeps watch, upholds, and safeguards the Dao; and the Yellow Heaven Demon King protects the myriad spirits. The Five Emperors’ Great Demons are the lords of all spirits.

Practitioners make the Qi throughout the body flow freely, gather spirit and Qi at the Niwan, the Daoist cultivation point within the crown of the head, and draw in original Qi and Jing, making the spirit clear and calm. They sit in stillness and contemplate the vast expanse of space, calling themselves “Red Talismans.” The merit of the upper heavens and the power with which the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning delivers beings are received through this practice. The spirit infant of the life palace, which symbolizes life’s origin, receives instruction; the roots of rebirth are cleared away, the impurity of blood and Qi is cut off, the gate of death is closed, and scattered Jing is gathered back together. All enter the Wondrous Court, the sacred inner realm.

The heavenly demons guide those receiving deliverance upward to the Jade Capital, the celestial city of immortals, dispelling miasma, epidemic poisons, ghosts, and demonic influences. The celestial troops clear the way ahead, while the marshal stands guard with his staff…

Banners are cast down and fierce fire sweeps across ten thousand li; flowing bells shake the eight directions. If anyone dares to offend or obstruct the Shangzhen (the Perfected of the upper realm, or its venerated deities), the golden yue (the golden great axe held by divine generals) cuts them down first, and only then is execution carried out; demons and specters are torn apart, while wind and fire never cease. Heads are severed by the tens of thousands, and forms are shorn away tens of millions of times, so that demonic evil cannot intrude and ghosts no longer do harm. The seven po-souls grow calm, and the Three Corpses (Sanshi—the spirits which, as Daoism teaches, lodge in the human body and obstruct cultivation) rush swiftly out; outwardly the whole body is guarded, and inwardly the hundred passes are protected. The myriad spirits each rest in their proper place: the White Tiger watches over the zhi herbs, and the Azure Dragon encircles the vital fluids. This command is proclaimed throughout the boundless infinite; all the myriad spirits must obey, declare it to the Five Emperors of the Three Realms (the celestial emperors of the five directions who govern the Three Realms), and convey it upward to Shangqing (the celestial realm venerated in Daoism).

The Precious Calendar of the Jade Dawn and the Divine Chapters of the Assembled Mystery say that, when the Longhan kalpa opened (the beginning, in Daoist teaching, of a kalpic cycle), divine spirits descended from the Flowery Chambers. Primordial chaos passed through nine transformations, and evil was thereby cut off and perished. With this, the gates of every household opened: above there was no realm of the Dao (the Way), and below there was no foundation of the Dao. The way of life and death is like the gate of the Mysterious Female (Xuanpin—the mysterious gate of coming-into-being); within it, only Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) gather and disperse without cease. Inwardly contemplate the original spirit and bring it back to the root, and only then can one succeed; turn the breath around, leave the road of death, and enter once more through the gate of life.

Shen and Qi also course through the Niwan (the Muddy Pellet, the seat of spirit and qi within the head) and pass through every gate of Jing (essence). Each of the thirty-nine households (the passes in the human body through which Jing and Qi enter and leave) may bear upon life or death; closing them can preserve life. Where does life go in and out? Every household should be opened or closed. Close them, so that Jing and Qi do not leak outward, and long life may be attained. What is called a “household” is an orifice; when the orifices are full, spirit and Qi meet and unite, and the dragon and tiger (commonly used to refer to the two qi of Yin-Yang) can hold firmly to the root.

Blood congeals, and Shen gathers without scattering—only then is a solid foundation formed. If it is allowed to disperse without end, nothing can be achieved. When Qi is full and abundant, it penetrates the Niwan and then spreads through the Dantian (energy center—the important site in the lower abdomen for the cultivation of Neidan, internal alchemy); rising and falling again and again, one can return to a state like that of an infant. Qi goes out and comes in, and life has its death and its birth; if it no longer goes out or comes in, the households are cut off, and the root is cut off as well.

The method of cultivation for cutting off these households is to refine Jing with fire, to settle and guard the households, so that the blood within the womb congeals and the root is made secure. Yang qi carries out its generative transformation and yin qi undergoes change; breath flows and the whole body is nourished, answering the Celestial Pass above and gathering the hundred spirits below. This is the essence of the elixir. When the households are closed, Shen and Qi manifest as refined essence. The seven stars scatter and move through the yin chambers; the Two Instruments, Heaven and Earth, draw in the breath and leave the traces of their course, and sunlight is spread abroad. After the movement of Yin-Yang comes to rest, they meet and unite, turning from red to black, and then changing from yellow to purple.

When Jing and Qi are abundant and flow freely, the impurities in the blood settle. The upper Qi descends and the lower Qi rises. Before the path of death arrives, crimson clouds encircle the body, and Jade Liquor gathers to meet them. When the Qi above and below harmonize and unite, one can naturally realize the true state.

When the root of the embryonic origin is preserved, the Dao can be fulfilled and life can grow normally. Only by severing the root of the embryonic origin can one be entered in the Southern Palace, where the registers of the immortals are kept. A child is conceived and takes shape in the parents’ womb; when the body disperses, it becomes Qi, and when Qi gathers, it takes on form and name. Gathering and dispersing are the foundations of life. Only by severing the root of death can one endure forever.

To unite with the Dao and become true is to grasp Heaven’s hidden workings and see into the nature of all spirits. The Dragon Script of the Three Heavens, the Jade Writ of the Primordial Beginning, and the Jade Characters of the Red Book are all sacred celestial talismans, kept in brocade talisman pouches of vermilion silk. By penetrating the obscure and wondrous, one can roam through realms of light and protect the cycles of cosmic change, allowing the Brahma Qi to spread, the myriad forms to unfold, and the guiding patterns of Heaven and Earth to circulate and transform.

The thirty-six heavens turn in their courses, while the Formless Realm moves through the ten directions. The Celestial Radiance—the light of the heavenly bodies in motion—follows the Dao’s appointed cycles, directing the Five Constants and the thirty-nine kinds of Qi, and gathering all within the body. The Qi of the eight directions unites in subtle ways; when it is abundant, it can bring forth transformation. The wondrous principle lies in severing the root of the embryonic origin and tightly sealing the gate of death.

Having attained the Dao and become an immortal, one wanders amid rosy clouds and chants the Cavern Chapters, Daoist scriptures. The golden light of truth shines clear, and its sound spreads through the clouds. Jade tones gather the breath; numinous winds draw together mist and rosy clouds. The Qi of the Purple Void flourishes in splendor, guiding the myriad immortals back to the right path. By cultivating according to the talismans and registers, one can behold the true realm, where spirits dwell: the Great Lord of Long Life, the Divine King Who Quells Demons, the Primordial Lady of Purple Tenuity, the Young Lord Wuying, Perfected One Gaoxuan, and others. They hold and govern the talismans and registers.

They protect life and nourish its root. Above, they roam the heavens of Highest Clarity; they enter and leave the Chamber of Liquor, the dwelling place of celestial spirits, and the halls of Bright Beams. In the realm of divine transformation, they also descend to guard the human body. They sever the root of death and gather the embryonic origin, bringing the Five Qi into union and settling the hundred spirits. They turn back the numinous Qi of seven generations, and cause the radiant light of the perfected beings and the divine winds to appear.

The Immortal Way prizes the cherishing of life and saves people without limit. It opens the gate of life above and sets the flying celestial wheel in motion; it steadies the roots of the sun and moon and secures the Yellow Court, the body’s inner center of spirits and Qi. Those bound by karmic ties from former lives are opened to the Way and saved in great numbers. They transform and become immortals, attain true bodies, and are reborn as immortals. This practice reaches up to all the heavens; above them, the immortal gate is especially revered.

Within the immortal gate are scriptures such as the Great Cavern Chapter for Quelling Demons. This is a numinous text of Jade Clarity, meant to guide the lofty Perfected Ones, immortals of the highest rank.

First Chapter: The Hidden Numinous Sound of the High Sovereign of the Divine Empyrean and Jade Clarity.

The cosmic cycles of the Primordial Beginning, the numinous writings of Jade Clarity: through them, those lost on the path awaken and see into the profound emptiness. Celestial immortals guard these teachings carefully and keep them secret; concealed for so long, they have become difficult to understand. Sever the gate of death and enter directly through the gate of life; destroy the Three Corpses, the three life-harming spirits said to dwell in the human body, and bind the souls of the Five Dippers, divine forces associated with the five directions and Five Phases. Let blood become Jing, and from it bring forth the Divine Infant, the numinous embryo formed through cultivation.

The ancestors of seven generations can all receive protection, and a hundred deities can dwell in peace together. The cultivator can move freely between being and nonbeing.

Stabilize and guard the Yellow Court, the part of the body used in Daoist internal alchemy. Nurture the Mudball, the head’s internal alchemy center; regulate the Mysterious Fluids, the body’s fluids; and guide the breath downward into the Dantian (energy center) in the abdomen. Seal and secure the hundred channels throughout the body, filling the inner Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) to the full.

In this way, the Dao I cultivate will be complete.

Section Two: The Hidden Rhythmic Sound of the Supreme One, Jade Clarity King Who Dispels Demons

This is the heavenly Dao’s secret treasure: see clearly and seal the lower gate, and carefully guard the hidden realm of the Original Spirit.

Congeal the inner elixir and escape life and death; hold to softness and stillness, embracing the Qi of the True One. This is the path to long life. Cut off the roots of life and death and master the Nine Gates of Life, the vital portals of life force; let the Qi within the immortal court undergo nine transformations.

Shen (spirit) and Qi gather and return to the state of an infant. No old causes accumulated over immeasurable kalpas remain; only the Great Dao nurtures and transforms your body and mind.

Look up to the scriptures of the Three Realms, the three tiers of the heavens. Transcend them, and you may reach the dwelling place of the deities. Part the clouds and disperse the purple mists. The joining and separation of Yin-Yang breaths shifts with the movements of the sun and moon.

Do not speak lightly of the prohibitions governing cultivation. Flowing, luminous essence gathers in the Mudball; pure Qi summons the myriad spirits. Eliminate the foul Qi of corpses so it can no longer assail you through the seven apertures. Mysterious radiance shines upon the essence of the sun, while the Three Essences float among the clouds.

Whirling winds support the morning light; the Qi of the True Source fills the six directions of empty space with spirit. Within the Grand Tenuity, the sun and moon revolve. Deliver the souls and spirits from their mortal state and raise them to Jade Capital, the celestial realm of immortals. From this, primordial vastness emerges out of chaos.

This is therefore called the “Mysterious Song.”

Section Three: Song of the Green Florescence Emperor of Fusang

The Dao gives rise to the forms of all things, and the hundred spirits return to their source. Only when all things each take on their own form and substance does their spiritual nature become manifest.

The root of the Dao lies in form, body, and mind: this is the wondrous Jing and Qi. Turn your gaze inward, and you will see the changes within; outward appearances gradually fade away. Hold to this supreme Dao, and you can nurture life and endure for a long time.

Recite it silently ten thousand times, and you will accord with the natural world. Purify blood and filth, sever evil at its root, and look toward the rank that grants passage to the immortal realm, ascending beyond to the Southern Palace.

If you lose the right path and fail to awaken, you will sink forever among the ghosts.

The secret words of heaven are deeply hidden, and the Elixir’s Florescence is profound and hard to fathom. The harmonious Qi of the south holds the tally; the North Pole guards the spirits. Metal Qi enters the Three Realms, and Jade Marrow flows through the nine apertures.

The Great One (Di Yi, a revered Daoist deity or the primordial Qi) blends into perfection, appearing without form or trace, and without any visible light.

These two chapters of jade text are sacred hymns sung by the True King above the Three Realms. Their sounds join together, reaching everywhere with penetrating clarity. Reciting them one hundred times is called “crossing over to the Southern Palace.” Reciting them one thousand times can sever the path to the gate of death. Reciting them ten thousand times brings the Dao to completion: one ascends through the open sky, rises beyond the Three Realms, and takes a place among the immortal officials.

When these sacred sounds are heard, a thousand true spirits protect the body. Acting under orders, they subdue the earth deities and guard, escort, and welcome practitioners, helping them escape the Earth Gate, the entrance to the netherworld. After enduring the five sufferings and eight tribulations, seven generations of ancestors can also ascend to Heaven and take office in the Nine Palaces. Their souls are transformed and sent to Zhu Ling, the Daoist realm where the dead are refined and delivered; their corpses undergo refinement and are reborn. This is called “universal deliverance without measure, extending without end.”

These scriptures are a secret treasure of Heaven, revered by all the heavenly realms. Anyone who reveals or treats them with disrespect will fall into hell, bringing calamity upon seven generations of ancestors.

The Dao says: These two chapters are the secret sacred sounds treasured by the Lords of Heaven, the most numinous spirit kings, and the True King of Jade Clarity. They are the words of the Great Brahma—the sacred language of the heavenly realms—not ordinary speech. Their sounds follow no worldly rhythms and make no attempt at ornate melodies. For this reason they are called mysterious and profound, beyond exhaustive inquiry.

These are treasures kept by Heaven, hidden in the scripture hall within the eastern wall of the palace of the Jade Clarity King of the Divine Empyrean. According to the secret regulations of the Dao, they are transmitted only once every sixty thousand kalpas. A person who has attained the Dao may receive the scriptures only after offering gold and jewels as tokens, making a sincere oath, following the established regulations, and swearing an alliance with the Three Heavens.

The Dao says: The workings of Heaven and Earth, too, have times of decline and ending; the sun, moon, and five planets wax and wane. Even the most sacred spirit beings have times of rest and decline, while beginners on the Dao encounter illness and injury. Whenever such calamities arise, fellow practitioners should use their own cultivated bodies to receive and guide those afflicted, helping them and delivering them from suffering.

Reciting the scriptures ten times can shift the spirit’s awareness and settle the breath, enabling a person to regain life. This immeasurable text can deliver all beings without end.

The Dao says: A beginner’s cultivation is still shallow; perhaps their rank among the immortals is not yet complete, or the gate of death has not yet been closed and the foundation of their prenatal life remains. If their allotted span is ending and their body enters Great Yin, the realm of the netherworld, an accomplished fellow practitioner should open their spirit’s awareness, recite the scriptures, gather in their breath, and transmit the Dao to them, thereby delivering their corpse.

According to the prescribed rites, their spirit can ascend directly to the Southern Palace. Their days there are then determined by the merits of their cultivation, allowing them to be reborn and pass through cycles of transformation without losing their way. In the end, they can become immortals.

The Dao says: When the workings of Heaven and Earth reach their end, one should observe purification, burn incense, and recite the scriptures. When the stars move out of order and the sun and moon behave abnormally, one should likewise observe purification, burn incense, and recite the scriptures. The same should be done when the seasons fall into disorder and Yin-Yang becomes unbalanced. When a ruler suffers calamity or warfare breaks out repeatedly, one should observe purification, burn incense, and recite the scriptures. The same applies when epidemics spread and people are killed or injured, and when a fellow cultivator dies.

The merit gained through purification and recitation is profound: above, it can dispel calamities in Heaven, protect the emperor, and bring him peace; below, it can drive away harm and bring deliverance to the people. The living and the dead alike may receive its blessings. This merit is beyond measure, and so it is called “immeasurable”; it brings universal deliverance to beings in Heaven and among humanity.

The Dao says: Whoever uses this scripture to cultivate these merits for Heaven and Earth, the emperor, and the people can end the suffering of birth and death and ascend to the palaces of the immortals. When calamity strikes, if one resolves to observe purification, burn incense, and recite the scriptures ten times, all the heavens will record one’s name, and the gods will protect one.

Those who can do these things may become perfected beings and serve as ministers to the sage ruler in the Golden Tower, the palace of Heaven. The heavens record people’s merits and faults, omitting nothing, however small; the demon kings of Heaven will also recommend and protect you. Only when a cultivator reaches this state can they be said to have truly understood the scripture’s highest principles.

“Among the heavens, the hidden words of returning wind and harmonious union, in immeasurable sounds” refers to the celestial esoteric language composed by the Dao Lord—that is, the scripture’s mysterious sounds and phrases.

The Middle Section of the Numinous Book of the Primordial Beginning: The Nine Heavens of the East

The following are the hidden sounds of the Nine Heavens of the East. They are mysterious recitations within the scripture, not ordinary phrases, and therefore cannot easily be translated word by word into plain language: Huaming Huiqi, Yaomo Heyi, Xuanjing Sanmiao, Jiangying Lüfei, Lifu Hujia, Fanping Jingyi, Fuyu Dongyao, Huiyu Fanqing, Lingbiao Huanli, Dangwei Huiling, Nawu Chengsa, Qingji Xiaoling, Shangjia Nayü, Maoqu Wanjing, Daohui Jingyu, Faming Chenyān, Yiji Jiaochan, Liudu Xuanxuan.

The Nine Heavens of the South

These are likewise the hidden sounds of the Nine Heavens of the South, intended for recitation: Yanju Muyin, Guanghan Xiangpi, Hehuo Tunxia, Fanqi Jiuyi, Sheji Fantao, Longbian Chiqi, Zhili Kangyu, Linfeng Neixi, Qingmiao Yunluo, Yufu Huashi, Tingsheng Jibiao, Kuiche Yongyan, Zeyuan Honglun, Fuming Chiyuan, Kuang’ai Jinglian, Xiuluo Mingji, Dingcha Bingfang, Daye Fuli.

The hidden utterances of the Nine Heavens of the West are:

“Dingxi jiaocui, Wanling jiuji, Moke fanrun; xing shi lüli, zhi yi fanying, ai ya tongchi; kongdang yanne, gan shi huiwen, tuo luo biaoyou; xun su yanshi, kui lü shoubian, li zhuan huizhen; yingzhao tongju, yi mu jiying, hao yang tufou; bi yi zhen ting, jiu ben zhiyuan, yi sheng fuling.”

The hidden utterances of the Nine Heavens of the North are:

“Kunfu wochi, binghuan taixiao, chi dui qindi; ze miao xuanbiao, du fu pianmo, bingweng xulin; ji po jiansu, qi chi fengyin, qu yin jieyi; yan xun jiaming, gangyan fubi, chanfahui ting; zhifu huanli, lu shen baoning, qi yin zixiu; xianwei chesheng, tongshen miaokong, jingxiao chengren.”

The scripture says that the “Great Brahma hidden utterances” of these celestial realms—the sacred, secret sounds of Heaven—are boundless in number and recorded in books of lapis lazuli and jade. Written in dragon script and vermilion seal script, they are stored in precious chests and jade cases, and kept secret among divine treasures such as the golden-threaded precious flowers of the Hall of Eastern Florescence and the floating radiance of jade. The True King of Jade Clarity of the Divine Empyrean and the Azure Florescence Emperor of Fusang both know these sounds and have passed them down.

When someone observes purification and recites these scriptures, the heavens send flying celestial spirit-kings and scripture-bearing divine officials to descend and inspect their body and mind, record their merit and diligent practice, and report it to the heavens. The myriad spirits come to pay homage, while the earth deities guard the gates. The Spirit King Who Quells Demons of Jade Clarity will recommend the practitioner, enabling them to ascend to immortality. Once their cultivation and merit are complete, they can receive deliverance, rise to the Jade Capital, and enter the Golden Gate.

These sounds reach everywhere and pass through all things. They can deliver all beings from suffering and bring about what is wished for; they are sounds that arise naturally from the True Way. Thus, when they are recited, flying celestials descend to inspect, the Supreme Emperor answers in song from afar, the myriad spirits come to pay homage, the divine beings of the Three Realms attend the celestial carriage, the Five Emperors welcome and escort it, and ghosts, spirits, and numinous beings depart of their own accord.

The scripture’s sound rings out like jade chimes, bringing solemn stillness and purity to the ten directions. Rivers and seas grow calm, mountains draw in their mists, the myriad spirits bow in reverence, and the assembled immortals answer the summons and arrive. No foulness remains in Heaven, no demonic or dusty energy on Earth; the underworld and the realm of wisdom alike become clear and thoroughly illuminated. This is a realm vast and profound, mysterious and without limit.

This passage provides notes on the pronunciation and meaning of uncommon characters in the Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (Wondrous Scripture of Supreme Grade on the Limitless Deliverance of People by Lingbao):

“脆” is the vernacular form of “脃.” It is pronounced like “毳” and means soft or easily broken. “蒻” is pronounced “弱” and is the name of a kind of grass. “幷” is pronounced “饼” and here means “to join together.” “跽” is pronounced “技” and means to kneel; the “长” in the original note is presumably a pronunciation cue for “跪.” “𩃬” is an ancient written form of “阴.” “罙” is pronounced “弥.” “旼” is pronounced “珉” and means gentle. “珏” is pronounced “觉.” “骼” is pronounced “格” and refers to the bones of birds and beasts. “喁” is pronounced “顒.” “柰” is pronounced “𡞏” and refers to the fruit of a kind of tree. “𥲀” is pronounced “巢” and refers to a kind of musical instrument. “紞” is pronounced “耽.” “褭” is pronounced “嫋.”