《靈寶無量度人上經大法》Vol. 26

The Venerable Master, who transmits the Great Teaching, said: “A practitioner who wishes to contemplate the Heavenly Venerables of the Ten Directions must focus single-mindedly and awaken wisdom. First, keep the meditation chamber bright and clean. Let the seven emotions and six desires—all feelings such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and every kind of desire—settle completely, without further disturbance. Keep the mind intent and reverent, never giving in to indulgence or slackness.

“In daily life, reduce desires, put aside distracting thoughts, be content, act with compassion, follow the natural principles of growth and nourishment, live frugally, endure humiliation, restrain anger, eat less, sleep less, quiet the mind’s ruminations, moderate what you see and hear, speak little, and keep to proper measure in both action and stillness. Whether active or at rest, do not lose this discipline. Then choose an auspicious day and hour—the scripture’s ‘ten prescribed days and eight seasonal festivals’ refer to suitable dates. Bathe and cleanse the body inside and out, burn various fragrant incenses, and respectfully face the sacred image of the Jade Purity Supreme Emperor, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, foremost among the Three Pure Ones.

“Next, sit cross-legged, gently click the teeth together to gather the spirit, swallow the saliva, harmonize the souls, settle the mind and spirit, purify thoughts, and make the breath even. Then bow three times inwardly. Steady the mind and focus intently as you examine the sacred form. First contemplate the Jade Purity jeweled crown of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, in all its transformations. Then contemplate the perfectly radiant face, its true form golden in color and encircled by a halo like a nine-colored rainbow. Next, contemplate in order the nine-colored cloud cape and robes, the hands extended and forming the Heavenly Seal. Then contemplate the feet, seated upon a golden and green jeweled lotus throne, with a green jade table before it. Afterward, examine each feature carefully again, beginning with the face and crown.

“As you contemplate, close your eyes from time to time and retain the image in your mind. If it is unclear, open your eyes and look again until it is perfectly distinct, without the slightest discrepancy; then close your eyes and contemplate it. Do this while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, until the contemplation is complete.

“Afterward, burn incense and sit silently in a quiet place. Contemplate the Jade Purity Heaven in the northwest, where the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning resides: within wondrous, empty space, it is vast and open, filled with a brilliance like the sun and moon that extends throughout the entire Dharma Realm, with no mountains, rivers, plants, or trees. Once this state of stillness is attained, you will see only a Heavenly Venerable in the empty space. Contemplate the divine presence just as before: seated on a golden and green lotus dais, raising a hand to expound the teaching, radiant all around, complete with seventy-two auspicious marks and eighty-one excellent features. Observe with your whole mind, making every detail clear. Keep your attention fixed on the image, without letting it wander.

“Once this contemplation is complete, you will be able to see the radiance and excellent features of the Heavenly Venerables of the Ten Directions, raising their hands to proclaim the Great Lingbao Teaching. After seeing them, you will further be able to see the Heavenly Venerables who manifest in response to circumstances throughout the billions of eons in the Ten Directions, and then Heavenly Venerables without limit or measure. At first they appear nearby; gradually you will see them farther away, and the more distant they are, the more clearly you will see them.”

After the vision of great brightness appears, gather the mind and spirit, then turn back and visualize the northwest, just as before, leaving nothing out. Once this visualization is complete, visualize above, below, and the four directions in the same way. When all ten directions—the four cardinal directions, the four intermediate directions, above, and below—appear clearly, proceed to contemplate all ten directions at once: the heavens, numbering hundreds of thousands of millions, appear everywhere as soon as the mind turns toward them.

The Celestial Worthies share the same wisdom. They awaken to the source of the Great Dao, see all phenomena in their fullness, and penetrate Wuwei (the state of following the Dao without contrivance). If one practices this way over a long period, meditative stability gradually develops, and one naturally comes to see the Celestial Worthies of the ten directions. They will expound the Great Lingbao Teaching, dispel the entire web of doubt, and guide the practitioner back to the correct path.

If deep karmic obstacles from past lives prevent one from seeing the Celestial Worthies, one should repent for a full day and night, dividing the time into six periods. With focused reflection, meditation, and prostrations, one should repent for the wrongs committed in this life, diligently cultivate the Great Dao, follow all virtuous conduct, and persevere in practice with a joyful heart. In time, one may also come to see the Celestial Worthies. Even if they do not expound the teaching, the practitioner has already realized the wondrous fruit of peace and ease within, and body and mind are settled. Given time, the practitioner will likewise be able to see the Great Dao of Wuwei.

Next, if one can remain clear and focused for seven days and seven nights, one can see the sacred realm of Jade Clarity, the subtle empyrean described in Daoism. Once the preceding great meditation and focused contemplation have been cultivated, one should go to a quiet, restful place and, even while lying down to sleep, concentrate on envisioning the Three Holy Ones—here, three divine beings—in the upper palace, the Niwan Palace, an inner cultivation site in the head. Imagine the place as open and luminous, sending forth white light; the vast light of wisdom shines throughout the Dharma Realm. Keep the Three Holy Ones in mind with every thought, and let the heart shine with every thought. With long practice, the power of visualization and meditative stability will develop. If the mind and spirit remain undimmed through seven days and seven nights, one will certainly see the Celestial Worthy Primordial Beginning expounding the teaching. Divine powers will appear before one, instructing the heart and leading one into the source of the Great Dao. This is what is meant by never letting a thought lapse.

Prostrate before the Celestial Worthy’s sacred countenance and recite:

With one-pointed mind, contemplate the Three Holy Ones; the Three Holy Ones return to a single light.

Light upon light arises from the heart; brightness upon brightness appears through the light.

The heart of the One Holy One reaches through myriad transformations, and so the light becomes whole and unobstructed.

It shines everywhere upon living beings, awakening them so they do not lose their way or fall into neglect.

Recite also:

With sincere devotion, walk toward the correct path; let not a moment pass in vain.

Seek the true state of emptiness: though it is called empty, it is not nothingness.

First let the heart return to emptiness; then the response appears.

First attain, then penetrate. Thoughts arise and cease, yet have neither beginning nor end.

Chapter on the Hidden Court’s Imperial Preceptor

Pay homage to Jade Clarity.

The practitioner should burn incense and sit upright in a secluded chamber, then click the teeth twenty-four times. Visualize a point three inches inward from between the eyebrows: this is the Niwan Palace, the dwelling place of the Primordial Lord. The practitioner recites the three hidden names of taboo—the secret names of Daoist deities—“Hong ▲▲,” summoning the Three Qi, the three primordial energies described in Daoism, to enter from the Niwan Palace…

Next, move your attention down to the Central Palace, then enter the Lower Palace, and finally return to the Upper Palace. Visualize your own Original Spirit.

Face the Primordial Lord of Heaven and recite the Three Heavenly Hidden Names—the sacred secret names of the celestial realm—as many times as you wish. Visualize the Three Qi, the three primordial energies described in Daoism, appearing and filling the Nine Palaces, their light shining everywhere. The Primordial Lord of Heaven sits upright in the Hall of Light, upon a thousand-petaled lotus throne, radiant as the sun. He wears the Jade Purity Crown of Ten Thousand Transformations and robes of nine-colored silk, with a precious mantle of dawn essence and cinnabar feathers. A circular halo shines behind his head. His face is like gold and jade, and his bearing is solemn and majestic. His hands form the Jade Purity Mudra, one pointing down and the other up. Make these images clear in your visualization.

Visualize yourself arriving beneath the Golden Tower, a celestial palace. Perform the nine-bow rite, then kneel upright and silently present this petition:

“I, a humble person in the mortal world, a man who studies the Dao, your servant So-and-so, am filled with awe and trepidation. I bow my head to the ground and respectfully submit this petition:

“Before the Most High Patriarch of the Sacred Realm of Jade Purity in the Three Heavens, the Primordial Celestial Worthy of Emptiness and Natural Spontaneity, the Supreme Lord: in my youth I received the protection of the Daoist teachings. I was born in a flourishing age and was fortunate to meet a master who transmitted the teachings to me, enabling me to study the Great Method and inherit the Celestial Seal, while temporarily serving in the office of the Mysterious Bureau. Yet my faults have accumulated day by day, and I have not yet repented or made amends. I beseech the Celestial Worthy, in his compassion, to issue a special decree informing the offices that govern the gods—the Northern Court of Luofeng, the Three Officials, Mount Dai, the source of the River, and the Palace of the Springs—to pardon my thousand sins and ten thousand trials, my ten thousand calamities and thousand misfortunes; to erase my grudges, adversaries, and records of offenses; and to allow me to be enrolled among the Three Heavens, advance in the Dao, and cultivate the Real, free from demonic trials, the hindrances rooted in my prenatal origins, and all obstructions, so that I may pass freely through the Three Realms.

“May all nations throughout the world submit in reverence. May I soon encounter a profound master and receive instruction in the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir, lead and mercury. May he teach me to enter meditative stillness and cultivate; may my heart awaken to the profound mystery upon mystery; may talismanic water be efficacious, and may my invocations and commands be answered. May my cultivation reach completion and earn me a place among the Real Immortals. I look up to the Dao’s boundless grace with the deepest gratitude. I respectfully pray to Heaven and the sages, and await your decree.”

After completing the petition, perform six bows inwardly. Kneel before the Primordial Lord of Heaven, silently recite the Three Heavenly Hidden Names, and await the divine command. Visualize yourself receiving the decree, as the Three Qi become purple light that encircles your whole body. Then bow your head to the ground three times, rise, and withdraw. Enter the Crimson Palace, the palace where the heart-spirit resides, and then return to the Lower Field, the lower Dantian.

Paying Respects to Shangqing:

The practitioner burns incense and sits upright in a secluded room, then clicks the teeth twenty-four times. Visualize a palace called the Flowing Pearl Palace, located four inches inward from the space between the eyebrows. This is where the Most High Dao Lord resides. The practitioner recites the Three Heavenly Hidden Names, “Hongcheng▲,” and summons the Three Qi to enter from the Upper Palace of the Mud Pill, the upper Dantian in the head, into the Central Palace, then the Lower Palace, before returning to the Upper Palace. Then visualize the practitioner’s own Original Spirit. The characters at “Hongcheng▲” in the source appear to be damaged.

The practitioner rides upon the Three Qi—the three primordial energies described in Daoism—to pay court to the Supreme Lord of the Dao. The Supreme Lord sits upright in a jeweled hall, wearing a nine-colored lotus robe and a purple cloud cape, clad in a robe of flying, dense frost-patterned gauze, and wearing a crown that can transform in an instant into a hundred different forms. The practitioner should clearly visualize these scenes, then picture themselves arriving beneath the jade steps, performing nine bows, and kneeling for a long time before silently presenting this petition:

“Your humble disciple, a lowly seeker of the Dao in the dusty world, your servant [name], approaches in fear and trembling, bows with forehead to the ground, clasps hands, and presents this petition:

“Before the august presence of the Boundless Great Dao, the Supreme Lord of the Dao, and the Supreme Emperor of Shangqing, I respectfully submit: I was originally a worldly being, defiled and impure. Fortunately, I encountered a teacher and lineage, took part in practice, received and wore sacred writings, and assumed the duties of conducting purification rites and administering a ritual precinct. In fear and trembling, I reflect that the wrongs I have committed, knowingly or unknowingly, in past and present lives, and the countless sins wrought through the three actions of body, speech, and mind and through the six sense faculties, leave me with nowhere to confess or repent. Day and night I am filled with worry and dread. I reverently pray for the Celestial Worthy’s compassion, and especially for the pardon of my sins.

“I am often troubled by the great matter of life and death. As the seasons of cold and heat alternate, the years hasten us toward old age; life is like the morning dew, quick to vanish and hard to prolong. Now I cultivate the secret scriptures of the Supreme Dao, swallow and wear sacred texts imbued with true Qi, and visualize the Three while guarding the One—that is, I visualize the three energies and keep the original spirit unified. I cleanse and refine my body: inwardly, I undo entanglements and the roots of the womb; outwardly, I remove impure Qi, dispel illness, and sever the roots of calamity.

“I respectfully ask the Celestial Worthy to erase my name from the register of the dark and remove it from the register of the dead. Thereafter, may I enter deeply into the subtle and mysterious, realize the true and eternal De, bring body and spirit to the wondrous state, and unite with the Dao in authentic realization. May all sentient beings attain the fruit of the Dao. I have presumptuously presented this petition and trespassed upon the Celestial Majesty; my heart is filled with utmost fear and trembling as I await the Celestial Worthy’s command.”

After presenting the petition, the practitioner performs six bows to the Celestial Worthy envisioned in the heart, then kneels before the Emperor-Lord and recites the hidden taboo names—secretly transmitted names or characters used in Daoist ritual—as many times as desired. After awaiting the decree, the practitioner visualizes the Three Qi transforming into purple light that surrounds the body, performs three more bows with forehead to the ground, and then withdraws. Next, the practitioner lets the attention sink to the Crimson Palace, the heart palace, and then returns it to the lower palace, the Dantian.

Paying Court in the Taiqing Realm

In a quiet room, the practitioner burns incense and sits upright, clicks the teeth twenty-four times, and visualizes the attention moving two inches inward from the midpoint between the eyebrows. This place is called the Palace of the Grotto Chamber, the central abode of the Yellow Elder and the Supreme One. The practitioner recites the Three Heavens’ hidden taboo name, “Hongcheng ▲,” and summons the Three Qi to enter from the Niwan Palace, the inner palace at the crown of the head. They descend to the central palace, then to the lower palace, and afterward return to the upper palace.

The practitioner then visualizes their original spirit paying court to the Supreme One and recites the hidden taboo name as many times as desired. They also visualize the light of the Three Qi filling the Nine Palaces and shining brightly in all directions. The Supreme Lord Lao is seated upright upon a thousand-petaled lotus in the Golden Gate and Jade Hall. His golden, sacred countenance appears face-to-face with the practitioner; the Seven Luminaries—the sun, moon, and five major planets—…

Wearing a jeweled crown and a white-feathered cape embroidered with nine colors of morning essence and frost, I lean against a jade table of blue-green stone and hold a feather fan. Visualize clearly: you are beneath the Golden Gate. Perform nine bows, kneel upright, and silently submit this petition:

“I am a humble cultivator in the world of dust, a man who studies the Dao. I, your servant, [name], am filled with awe and trepidation. I bow until my forehead touches the ground and offer this formal salute. I respectfully submit this petition:

Your Majesty, Emperor of Primordial Unity and Supreme De, the Most High Lord Lao, Great Emperor of the Great Clarity: By good fortune, I met a master in this life, received the transmission of the Fulu (ritual credentials of Daoist rank), and took on the duty of guiding the people. Yet my faults have accumulated day by day, and I have not yet offered thanks above. I humbly beseech the Celestial Worthy, in compassion, to send down an edict and inform the relevant divine offices, granting me special pardon for my offenses. May my mind henceforth become clear and open, my understanding lucid, and my hearing and sight keen. May the assembled immortals deliberate and bestow upon me the Golden Elixir, dispel calamities and avert misfortune, and enable me to become an immortal and a patriarch of the teaching, proclaiming the Great Dao and delivering beings in the underworld and the human world, so that all may benefit. May I also become a seed for the sages who will teach in ages to come, and endure alongside Heaven and Earth.

May Heaven and Earth be clear and bright, the sun and moon shine resplendently, the stars follow their courses, the mountains reveal their numinous power, and wind and rain arrive in due season. May water and fire lie dormant and bring no harm, may the heavens be at peace, and may no calamities arise. May flying and crawling creatures alike attain deliverance and ascent.

I have offended against the majesty of Heaven and am filled with the deepest fear. I respectfully await the edict.”

When the petition is complete, make six bows inwardly, kneel before the Emperor, and silently recite the hidden names. The number of recitations need not be fixed. When you visualize the edict descending and purple Qi encircling you, bow three times, then withdraw. Enter the Crimson Palace, the inner alchemical palace of the heart, and return to the lower Dantian.

The Mysterious Elixir Palace lies five inches inward from the space between the eyebrows. It is the Hall of Light where the Jade Emperor, the August One of the Vast Heavens, resides. One inch inward from the space between the eyebrows is where the Great Emperor of Longevity, the Jade Clarity of the Divine Empyrean, resides. To the left of the Hall of Light are the residences of Lord Han and the men of letters, who each hold authority there. The Nine Morning Stars of the Northern Dipper are above the Muddy Pellet Palace in the brain. The Piao star points forward, while the two stars of the Venerable Emperor of the North Pole lie within the Northern Dipper.

When performing a rite, a cultivator should first determine which palace governs the matter at hand. For a Great Yellow Register Retreat, inform every palace and the Ninefold Darkness. For a rite of refining and deliverance, inform Jade Clarity, Lord Han, and the men of letters. For matters involving thunder and rain, inform the Divine Empyrean. There is no need to repeat what has already been said in the prayer.

Paying Homage to the Emperor and Receiving Qi from the Master

In a quiet chamber, the cultivator burns incense and clicks the teeth. Follow the rest of the rite for paying homage to the Origin as described earlier. Visualize yourself beneath the Golden Gate, kneel upright, and silently submit this petition:

I am a novice disciple learning the Dao, known as [name], and respectfully submit: Reflecting on the past thousand years and more, I am fortunate to have been able to follow the teachings of Daoism. I look up to the great Lingbao method, a truly wondrous and profound teaching among the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen), the three main divisions of Daoist scriptures. It can dispel calamities between Heaven and Earth and correct imbalances in Yin-Yang. In the netherworld, it can save beings from the Three Evil Paths—the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals—and through its practice one can escape birth and death. It embraces and provides for all things, contains limitless mysteries, and is so profound that it is difficult to describe in full.

Today, on an auspicious day, I respectfully receive the various sacred Qi according to the Jade Statutes, the Daoist ritual rules. I beseech the Patriarch, the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning, who is void and natural, and the Great Emperor of Jade Purity, to extend their compassion and grant me special grace by opening the way to deliverance. I now swallow the various sacred Qi, using it to infuse and refine the Five Organs and wash away impure energy. I respectfully pray for heavenly mercy and special bestowal of the radiant, true Daoist Qi of the various perfected deities, that it may enter my body: inwardly removing the defilements of my heart, and outwardly refining and nourishing the vital essence of my eyes. May every undertaking be brought to completion, with the efficacy of the rite made manifest in every case.

I now respectfully face the imperial presence to receive the true Qi. In awe and trepidation, I bow my head, prostrate myself, and respectfully submit this petition once more.

Then, forming the Jade Purity hand mudra with both hands, recite the invocation for receiving Qi:

Three times a year, I receive Qi. The Qi I receive includes: the Qi of Heaven, facing upward toward the heavens; the Qi of Earth, bowing toward the ground; the Qi of the Sun, taking the Zi direction in the first lunar month; the Qi of the Moon, taking the Yin direction in the first lunar month; the Qi of the Five Planets, taking the five directions; the true Qi of the Three Sovereigns, taking the Zi, Shen, and Yin directions; the Qi of the Six Offices of the Southern Dipper, taking the due south; the Qi of the Seven Primordials of the Northern Dipper, taking the due north; the Qi of the Perfected Ones of the Three Terraces, taking the tip of the Dipper’s handle; the Qi of the inner secret names of the Three Heavens, taking the northwest; the divine Qi through which the Three Masters deliver me, taking the five directions; the wondrous Qi that protects the body from the Five Sacred Peaks, taking the five directions; the Qi of the Chief of the Three Evil Paths, taking the Zi, Wu, and Qian directions; the gentle Qi of the Six Dings, taking the Ding direction; the vigorous Qi of the Six Jias, taking the Jia direction; the Qi of the Immortal Great One, taking the direction occupied by the day; the true Qi of the Divine Tiger and Seven Primordials, taking the north; the Qi governed by the Four Watches of Dipper Yin, determined by the year, month, day, and hour; the true, life-giving Qi of the [character unclear] Supreme Emperor, taking the Heavenly Dipper; the true Qi of the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens, taking the southwest; the Qi of the Three Perfected Ones refined within, taking the Gate of Heaven; and the Qi of the Cloud, Thunder, and Rain Ministries, taking the Xun direction.

“Heaven cannot cover me, and Earth cannot bear me. Whoever strikes me will die; whoever offends me will perish. Hasten, in accordance with the statutes! Command them to be gathered and contained!”

Then form the “Five Emperors and Three Paths” hand mudra, one of the hand gestures used in Daoist practice.

As the formula is recited, it is accompanied by the incantation and visualization—that is, forming images in the mind. The words listed in the scripture are mostly formulas or taboo characters used alongside the ritual gestures. Their precise meanings cannot be determined from the surviving text alone. Then recite: “Gather the souls of Gongdu; summon the swift messengers from the eight directions, the heavenly gods, earthly spirits, and all numinous beings. Let all spirits gather together and unite with Heaven and Earth. Command them to be gathered and contained. Unite with the Radiant Heavenly Emperor’s Sun; unite with the Radiant Heavenly Emperor’s Sun.”

After reciting the incantation, bow twice, join both hands in the “Jade Emperor” mudra, another Daoist hand gesture, and visualize the Qi of the Three Heavens—the primordial energy of Heaven and Earth, as described in Daoism—entering your body. Then visualize the various kinds of Qi summoned earlier entering your body along with the Qi of the Three Heavens, and flowing into the lower Dantian, the area in the lower abdomen where Qi is stored.

Once this is complete, at the Zi hour (11 p.m. to 1 a.m.) on the first day of each lunar month, practice absorbing Qi through regulated breathing and recite the hidden taboos of the Three Heavens ten thousand times. The scripture says this will enable one to reach the true Dao and commune with the spirits; with each breath, one can summon clouds, thunder, rain, and lightning, and command the gods and spirits of Heaven and Earth. The recitation must not be loud, nor may others hear it. One must observe a day of ritual purification and abstain from meat.