《靈寶無量度人上經大法》Vol. 1

Great Method of the Lingbao Wuliang Dure Shangjing (Volume One, Combined with Volume Two)

Chapter on the Eight Illuminations and the Opening of Hearing

The Daoist master said: "The Lingbao Dafa (Língbǎo Dàfǎ, the Great Method of the Numinous Treasure) was spoken by the Unsurpassed Great Luo Yuanshi Tianzun (Yuánshǐ Tiānzūn, the Celestial Honored One of Primordial Beginning) and received by the Jade Chen Daojun, the Five Elder Emperors, the Lofty Venerable Holy Ones, the Wondrous Conduct Perfected, the Divine Kings of the Ten Directions, and the Great Spirits of True Realization. Later, the Latter Sage Xuanyuan Jinque Gaozhen Tiandi (the Heavenly Emperor of the Golden Gate of Profound Origin) put it into practice for the transformation of the world and transmitted it to humankind so that people could hear it. This scripture belongs to the Thirty-Six Venerable Scriptures and comprises eighteen thousand chapters. It is the root of all the Daoist methods. Its meaning is deep and subtle, yet it penetrates every gate of practice."

First, it explains how the Ancestral Qi of Primordial Origin (the source-breath, the original qi from which the cosmos began) gave birth to the Jade Characters. The Lingbao Yuzi Neiyin Jing (Língbǎo Yùzì Nèiyīn Jīng, the Scripture of the Inner Sounds of the Lingbao Jade Characters) says that before the Three Qi (the qi of Primordial Origin, Beginning, and Initial Stage, which divided into yin and yang), and after heaven and earth were still undivided chaos, the true essence within it transformed suddenly and produced Primordial Qi (yuán qì). Within this Primordial Qi there was a spirit named the Primordial Heavenly King. His qi came into being together with Primordial Origin, circulating and transforming, and formed a fragrant and wondrous shape. This form had no color and no fixed appearance, sometimes unfolding and sometimes contracting.

When the Yankang kalpa (the era of Yankang, a cosmic epoch of creation) opened, one qi divided into two, and from emptiness the Beginning Qi arose naturally. The two qi joined and condensed, filling the great void and covering the boundless. Within them appeared the Jade Characters, each shaped like an octagon and casting down light, so that people could not fully fathom their principles. The two qi mixed and gathered, enclosing the Jade Characters within.

When the Longhan kalpa (another epoch of creation) opened, the Primordial Heavenly King separated and settled the two qi, opening the chaos and revealing the light. The clear and light qi rose and became clear, forming heaven. The heavy dregs sank and gathered, forming earth. Between the division and union of the two qi arose a harmonizing qi, called the Mysterious Qi (xuán qì), also known as the Qi of Great Brahma.

In the Chiming kalpa (the Red Brightness era), Primordial Origin unfolded its diagrams and writings, and the true yang qi within them became the Penetrating Yang Fire (dòng yáng zhī huǒ). Primordial Origin used this fire to refine the Three Qi, mixing them until they condensed into the Jade Characters, which then took the form of red script. For this reason the kalpa is called the Chiming kalpa, and the characters are called the Red Writing of the Jade Characters. The principle lies here.

Second, it explains how chaos gave birth to the myriad things and shaped the myriad forms. After chaos divided, the Three Qi formed written characters, and through refinement by fire they became the Red Writing. The essence of the light within the bright qi became the sun, the essence of the numinous radiance became the moon, and the remaining light spread outward and divided into the myriad phenomena. The spirits of the Three Qi divided into the Sages of the Three Clarities (sān qīng, the three supreme deities revered in Daoism). From then on, all living beings and things were born and multiplied from this source, and none failed to originate from the Three Qi of Mystery, Origin, and Beginning.

In the Kaihuang kalpa (the era of Kaihuang), the Three Qi divided and returned to the Three Primes (the Upper, Middle, and Lower Primes) and gave birth to the various sages. When the Shanghuang kalpa (the Upper Sovereign era) came, the five kalpas opened in succession, and the forms of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) were complete, giving birth to……

The Daoist scriptures and their revelations (Dao) of the Five Kalpas (Wuje) were born from the subtle essence-qi (jingqi) within the mysterious, and the spirits of this essence-qi are all called the "Supreme Sovereigns" (Shanghuang), which is why this kalpa is named the "Supreme Sovereign Kalpa" (Shanghuang Jie).

Within the Five Kalpas, the upright qi (zhengqi) of the Five Phases (Wuxing) spread throughout the four directions and took on various forms: at times gathering, at times dispersing, at times curling and unfurling, appearing as clouds, mist, fire, or fog, or as stars, dippers, gold, and jade; it could also transform into insects, fish, dragons, and birds. All of these forms differentiated out of the Red Book of Jade Characters (Chishu Yuzi), a celestial script in Daoist legend, and naturally generated the scriptures and talismans of the Three Caverns (Sandong) and Four Supplements (Sifu), along with the Dragon Embryo Stone Scenes (Longtai Shijing) and hundreds of millions of other writings. The three scriptures and one thousand articles of the method catalog were jointly written by the True Emperor of Heaven (Tianzhen Huangren) and the Imperial Consort of Great Perfection (Taizhen Yufei), recorded in bamboo-slip volumes and talismans, to establish the root of the generation of all things, to govern the source of all phenomena, to refine the mechanisms by which creation shapes the myriad kinds, and to serve as the key to the transformation of perfected immortals.

Third, it is explained that the Great Method of the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Dafa) is a naturally generated writing capable of governing all phenomena, becoming the pivot through which the three powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity (Sancai) operate. This is the principle behind it.

Fourth, it is explained that the Great Method of the Numinous Treasure is the ancestral source of the scriptures of the Three Caverns and the origin of the teachings of all the sages. After the opening and enlightenment of the Five Kalpas, the scriptures of the Three Caverns—the Jade Clarity Dongzhen (Yuqing Dongzhen), the Highest Clarity Dongxuan (Shangqing Dongxuan), and the Grand Clarity Dongshen (Taiqing Dongshen)—together with the talismans of the Four Supplements, were all transformed from the Red Book of Jade Characters, formed by receiving the qi of the Numinous Treasure.

In the past, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable (Yuanshi Tianzun) ordered the Thirty-Nine Emperors of the Supreme Sovereign and the Heavenly Emperors of the Nine Empyreans to each record scriptures and prayer texts, which were compiled into the Great Cavern Scripture in Thirty-Nine Chapters (Dadong Sanshijiu Zhang). This scripture elucidates the origin of the opening of the Five Kalpas and the substance of the cavern-heavens (dongtian), and also describes the method by which the Three Primordial Qi (Sanyuan Qi) are harmonized and returned to unity; it was transmitted to the Lord of the Jade Palace (Yuchen Daojun). Afterward, the Thirty-Six Honored Scriptures (Sanshiliu Bu Zun Jing) were proclaimed throughout the heavens.

Thereafter, from the age of the Three Sovereigns onward, the Later Sage Xuanyuan Laojun (Jinque Houshèng Xuanyuan Laojun), of the Golden Gate, descended to the human world many times to teach:

• In the age of Shennong, he took the form of Yumozi, tasted hundreds of herbs, distinguished the five grains, and expounded the Scripture of Longevity (Changsheng Jing).
• In the age of Fuxi, he took the form of Yuanhuazi, corrected the eight directions, and deduced Yin and Yang, and expounded the Numinous Treasure Yuanyang Scripture (Lingbao Yuanyang Jing).
• In the age of Zhurong, he took the form of Yuhuazi, taught the methods for cultivating the Three Bonds (Sangang) and regulating the Seven Governances (Qizheng), and expounded the Numinous Treasure Five Stars Constant Scripture (Lingbao Wuxing Hunchang Jing).
• In the age of the Yellow Emperor, he took the form of Guangchengzi, and expounded the Numinous Treasure Daoist Precepts Scripture (Lingbao Daoje Jing).
• In the age of Shaohao, he took the form of Suiyingzi, and expounded the Numinous Treasure Yuanzang Scripture (Lingbao Yuanzang Jing).
• In the age of Gaoxin, he was called Yuanyangzi, and expounded the Numinous Treasure Subtle Words Scripture (Lingbao Weiyan Jing).
• In the age of Emperor Yao, he was called Wuchengzi, and expounded the Numinous Treasure Governance Affairs Scripture (Lingbao Zhengshi Jing).
• In the age of Emperor Shun, he was called Yinshouzi, and expounded the Grand Clarity Scripture (Taiqing Jing) and the Numinous Treasure Red Book (Lingbao Chishu).

Among these, "Three Caverns" (Sandong) refers to the three categories of the Daoist scriptural system; "Four Supplements" (Sifu) is the classification of scriptures that assist the teachings of the Three Caverns. Terms such as the upright qi of the Five Phases and the Three Primordial Qi are technical expressions in Daoism used to explain the generation and operation of heaven, earth, and the myriad things.

In the time of the Great Yu of Xia, an immortal called Zhenningzi transmitted five chapters of the Zhenwen Jing (Scripture of True Writings) and the Longjue Jing (Scripture of the Dragon Stilts). In the Zhou dynasty, Guo Shuzi transmitted the Lingbao Chijing Jing (Scripture of the Numinous Treasure Red Essence), two chapters of the Daode Jing (Scripture of the Dao and De), and the Lingbao Bawei Zhimo Jing (Scripture of the Numinous Treasure Eight Majesties for Subduing Demons). Under the First Emperor of Qin, a text called the Guilin Jing (Scripture of the Ghost Grove) was passed down, along with talismans for commanding ghosts and spirits. In the Han dynasty, Chisongzi expounded the Sanyi Jing (Scripture of the Three Ones), and during the reign of Emperor Wen, Heshanggong expounded the chapters of the Daode Jing. Under Emperor Wu of the Han, the Queen Mother of the West, acting on the command of Yuanshi Tianzun (the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning), descended to the human world. She transmitted the Lingbao Sanshiliu Bu Zunjing (Venerable Scriptures of the Thirty-Six Divisions of the Numinous Treasure) and gave the teachings of the three supreme Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen) to the Emperor. In the first year of the Yongshou era under Emperor Huan, these teachings again descended to the world and clarified the Way of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity), Taiqing (Great Clarity), and Dongshen. The teachings of the Three Caverns were thus completed. All of them arose from the Lingbao Dafa (Great Method of the Numinous Treasure), and through them every sage was accomplished.

Section Five explains that the human body follows the principles by which Yuanshi Tianzun created primordial chaos. The holy embryo (shengtai, the inner sacred nature cultivated in practice) and the dharma body (fashen, the divine body attained through cultivation) also come into being in the way that a father and mother unite and their Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) gather to form a body. When a single harmonizing Qi divides, it first forms the kidneys. When three kinds of Qi begin to separate, they form the divine palace where Shen (spirit) resides. When four kinds of Qi join and gather, they form the Huagai (Canopy of Flowers). When five kinds of Qi interact and shine, they resemble the five petals of a flower, and the five viscera are thereby complete. The process by which these Qi are generated is like the development of the three Qi through the five kalpas (the stages of cosmic formation).

After the two Qi separate, they produce upward the Nini (Mud Pellet, a divine palace within the head) and descend to the Xuangu Shuifu (the Water Palace of the Dark Valley) in the lower body. When the three Qi are refined by fire, they produce the sun and moon upward, like the two eyes of a person. When the whole body radiates light, it can illuminate all phenomena. The human body is formed according to this principle.

To make a transformation body appear outside the body, one must understand the Lingbao Zuqi (the Ancestral Qi of the Numinous Treasure). When the Lingbao Qi enters sand, the sand turns to gold. When it enters stone, the stone turns to jade. Birds are thereby born as luan and phoenix, beasts as dark dragons, and plants as lingzhi fungus, and even the five grains carry auspicious Qi. When the Qi disperses, it becomes gentle wind. When it rises, it becomes auspicious cloud. When it descends, it becomes sweet dew. When it enters water, it produces night-shining pearls. When it enters a human body, it enables that person to become a sage or worthy. The Lingbao Ancestral Qi described here is the most harmonious Taiyi Jingqi (essence Qi of the Great One) and the foremost of all numinous powers. It is the most precious root, like the source of human life. It enters the central part of the Dan Valley in the Great Fuli Earth, which the scripture describes as the place of generation, and through nine transformations, division of forms, and five changes, it becomes the dharma body. This accords with the teaching that Yuanshi Tianzun illuminates the ten directions and can cause dry bones to grow anew.

Section Six explains that the Primordial Ancestral Qi existed before there was form or image. Later it condensed into shape, became Qi, and generated the myriad things. What form does it take now? And how should one gather and refine this Qi and take it in as nourishment?

Thus one may ascend to the rank of Perfected (zhenren). The "Qi of the Numinous Treasure" (lingbao zhi qi) is found in all kinds of things, such as the dragon pearl, the tiger treasure, bezoar, and the crow's elixir. The flowing essences, jade light, and elixir spoken of today belong to this same category. The Numinous Treasure Qi between heaven and earth corresponds to the sun and moon, and when a person cultivates within the sun, this is the moment when one's own Shen (spirit) and Qi begin to converge.

For this reason, the Perfected Taiyi (Taiyi Zhenren) said: "Always dwell in the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji) and grasp the pivot, so that the Shen-pearl of stillness and motion descends into the curtains. The Numinous Treasure will then naturally emerge from the Mysterious Valley, about the size of a millet grain. At this point one can chant in the air." This refers to precisely such a state. One who obtains and takes this Numinous Treasure Qi may ascend to the rank of Perfected, while lesser immortals cannot even approach its shadow.

Seventh, the text explains the cultivation method of the Great Dharma, "Great Cavern nurturing things and returning spirit" (dadong yu wu, hui ling), which enables a person to ascend to immortality in broad daylight. Next, one recites and chants the scriptures on long life, transcending the world, and attaining the Dao through corpse liberation (shijie). Each of these scriptural sections contains myriad methods of practice. The purpose of these precious scriptures is to guide those who have lost their way and to clarify the teaching of the Celestial Worthy of Original Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), which is also an enduring principle.

Among these, the highest method is inner cultivation of True Practice, which allows both bone and flesh to ascend together. The middle method is long life and transcendence of the world, attaining the Dao through corpse liberation. The lower method is delivering ancestors and rescuing those in the hidden realms. In broad terms, it protects heaven and earth, corrects the measures of celestial star movements, dispels calamities, and repels demons. In narrow terms, it cures persistent illness and restores corpses to life. Its conspicuous effects include summoning wind and thunder and effecting natural transformations, while its subtle functions include commanding myriad spirits and perceiving the documents of the celestial realms in all ten directions. Therefore it is said that it contains myriad methods.

Eighth, the text explains that the practice of the Great Dharma is divided into three grades, each of which can accomplish sagehood, perfection, or the way of the immortals. If one penetrates the profound principles and exhausts the subtleties, and cultivates the ten grades of the supreme Dao with all merits complete, one may ascend to immortality in broad daylight. Other practitioners who can recite and cultivate even one of these methods or teachings may also attain long life and transcendence of the world, becoming leaders among the immortals of the earthly grotto-heavens. Even those who only perform morning and evening worship, show reverence, serve, and make offerings will certainly attain the rank of immortality through corpse liberation, becoming one of the scattered immortals of the Ten Continents and Three Islands.