《靈寶無量度人上經大法》Vol. 3

On Reciting, Chanting, and Visualization

The Mysterious Master said: Whenever you recite a scripture, do so in a quiet chamber, following the order in which the divine beings manifest. Visualize the names and forms of the thirty-two heavens in the four directions, along with the layers of overlapping clouds. Among the clouds are palaces, temples, towers, and halls. The celestial emperors wear robes suited to their respective heavens and ceremonial crowns; envision each figure clearly and distinctly.

Next, visualize the divine beings. Beginning with the Great Sovereign Heaven, click your teeth once and pay homage inwardly. Then visualize the Great Bright Heaven, proceeding in order until you have contemplated all thirty-two heavens. Afterward, close your eyes and meditate quietly. Visualize blue, yellow, and white clouds of the Mysterious, Primordial, and Originating energies rising within the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers)—the body’s three sites of cultivation. The clouds are threadlike at first, then gradually grow dense and leave the body. They intertwine around your whole body, then coil around and illuminate the table and mat on which you sit, spreading across the scripture mat. Next, they swirl vigorously throughout the chamber, then expand outward to encircle the four directions. After a long while, visualize the clouds merging indistinguishably with Heaven and Earth.

Next, visualize the Azure Dragon appearing from the liver and standing to your left; the White Tiger appearing from the lungs and standing to your right; the Vermilion Bird appearing from the heart and positioned in front; the Dark Warrior appearing from the kidneys and positioned behind; and a lion appearing from the spleen and standing in the lower Dantian. Twelve other divine beings stand in ranks on either side. Then visualize nine white cranes flying out from the Mudball Palace in the brain—the abode of the divine beings within the head—and taking their places in the four directions.

Visualize the sun and moon emerging from the eyes within the Palace of the Six Directions behind the brows, nine inches from the face. Their light illuminates the chamber and makes everything clear and bright. Then visualize their light gathering into a form and circling the Great Vertebra, the gateway at the back of the head. It becomes a round radiance of nine colors, like a rainbow, shining in all ten directions.

Once these visualizations are clear, recite the secret invocation of the Primordial Beginning. There are three kinds of invocation: a mental invocation, in which you hold the divine beings in mind and silently recite the words; a subdued invocation, spoken softly enough for you to hear; and a secret invocation, spoken only with the mouth, so that others cannot make out the words. Ten recitations make one round, and ten rounds make one cycle. During recitation, speak in a low voice; during chanting, sing clearly. After every ten words, swallow once; after every hundred words, click your teeth gently once. Swallowing saliva nourishes Qi and moistens the inner palaces; clicking the teeth gathers true Qi and harmonizes the divine beings, protecting the body so that its form does not wither and its spirit does not dissipate.

If you misrecite a word, go back thirty words and recite again; if you omit a word, go back fifty words and recite again. After every ten recitations, perform the visualization once. When the whole text is complete, you may eat and rest. Whenever you rise and move about, after some time has passed, or after finishing a meal, perform the visualization again according to the prescribed method. Do not mix it with other practices or let it become disorderly.

If the mind and spirit wander elsewhere, if the mouth does not honor the laws of the Supreme Dao, the High Sages, and the Utmost Truth, if the heart does not revere the teachings of the Three Treasures (the Dao, the scriptures, and the master), the sovereign, teachers, and parents, if one’s intentions do not esteem the scriptures and talismans, precious as jade and splendid jewels, and if one’s conduct fails to show reverence for incense, morning and evening practice, and bows and kneeling prostrations, then one merely recites the scriptures aloud while the mind and spirit drift away. The body may appear to sit upright, but the will is elsewhere. Such a person cares only for a pleasing voice and quick recitation, hastening to complete the required number of repetitions, skipping or misreading words, and treating the sacred scriptures lightly. Even if they recite ten thousand times, how can they expect to ride a cloud chariot up to heaven? Even if they recite a hundred million times, they will only sink into the underworld. Such people then blame the Great Dao, calling it empty talk. Do they not know that they have brought this upon themselves?

To recite the scriptures, one must first receive the transmission from a teacher, and what one recites must accord with the laws of Heaven. If, after reciting ten thousand times, one still cannot ascend into the vast sky, then has my Dao incurred blame, and will it ultimately be unable to prove that one has attained the rank of an immortal and perfected being? Those who receive the transmission and recite the scriptures should apply themselves wholeheartedly and avoid the transgressions of reciting carelessly or casually divulging the teachings. If they commit these errors, it is not because the Great Dao lacks compassion. Heaven has clear and established laws, and the spirits do not show favoritism.

Visualization Ritual for Reciting the Scriptures

Whenever you recite the scriptures and practice, first sweep and purify a quiet room, observe purification in body and mind, then enter and sit upright facing east. Burn incense and click your teeth ten times, so that no one else can hear. Then recite silently:

Spell for Purifying the Mouth

Spirit of the cinnabar mouth, expel impurity and dispel evil Qi; spirit of the tongue, set the order aright, connect with life, and nourish the spirit. Spirit of the Luo Qian teeth, drive away evil and protect the true. Spirit of the throat, the Tiger Warrior; spirit of Qi, draw in the fluids. Spirit of the heart, Cinnabar Origin, enable me to understand the true Dao. The spirit of thought refines and transforms the fluids, so that upright Qi may endure.

Next, close your eyes and quietly visualize the Azure Dragon of the east pouring down sweet rain. Let the rain mingle with moonlight, white Qi, and the water of the kidneys, as though bathing in the ocean and washing the filth from the Five Viscera. After holding this visualization for a time, visualize true fire descending from the south, combining with the essence of the sun and red Qi, and joining the fire of the heart. Let it burn the body and the ritual chamber until all is reduced to ashes, leaving not even a trace of smoke or impurity. Then imagine a great wind sweeping away all dust and grime. Next, imagine the infant within the Dantian emerging through the Earthly Gate—the opening at the lower part of the body—stepping across the stars and ascending to the ritual altar. Then recite silently:

Spell for Purifying Heaven and Earth

Within the cavern, mystery is wondrous and still; light shines brightly upon the Great Origin. The awesome spirits of the eight directions make me natural. The commands of the Numinous Treasure proclaim their authority throughout the Nine Heavens. The Qianluo Danuo, the Donggang, and the Great Mystery. Slay demons and bind evil; destroy countless ghosts and apparitions. This divine spell of Mount Zhong is the jade script of the Primordial Heavenly Worthy. Recite it once to drive away ghosts and prolong life; as it travels across the Five Sacred Peaks, the Eight Seas all know it. The Demon King bows his head and guards my chariot. Malice and impurity disperse, and Dao Qi endures.

Gently inhale the true Qi from the four directions—the primordial energy between Heaven and Earth—then exhale lightly, allowing the Qi to spread throughout the body. Beginning in the east, silently bow toward the ten directions. At the same time, visualize an infant within the Dantian and silently recite the “Mystic Essence Mantra for Opening the Scripture.”

The mantra says:

Still and deep, it reaches the state beyond origin and beginning;

the void is lofty, enduring through countless kalpas;

vast and profound, its mystery cannot be fathomed.

Who can know this deep and distant realm?

Once one enters the Great Vehicle, who would still count the kalpas that have passed?

It neither arises nor perishes;

when it appears, it rises like a lotus, surpassing the common paths of the Three Realms.

With a compassionate heart, it releases the bonds of the world;

the perfected person possesses supreme De, and in every generation becomes one of the immortals.

Then begin reciting again from the beginning and continue through the words “ascend and fly to Shangqing.” Next, close your eyes and quietly contemplate the thirty-two heavens—the thirty-two tiers of Heaven described in Daoism. Visualize beginning at the northern edge with Taihuang Huangzeng Heaven, then proceeding east to south and around the four directions, with eight heavens in each direction. They all lie amid azure skies and purple clouds. In the celestial towers and palaces, the Emperor Lords sit in solemn dignity, while their guards stand in orderly ranks.

Visualize the Qi of each heaven pouring down, entering your body like jade-colored rosy light. As you reach each heaven, first silently click your teeth once, then use your mind and spirit to report upward to that heaven. After making your report, bow inwardly once. Once you have visualized all thirty-two heavens in sequence, visualize blue Qi issuing from the upper Dantian (the space between the brows), white Qi from the middle Dantian (the heart), and yellow Qi from the lower Dantian (below the navel). At the same time, blue Qi from the east, white Qi from the west, and red Qi from the south descend from their respective directions and mingle with the three colors of Qi within the body. The various Qi and lights fill the room. I sit within them as cloud-Qi courses through my whole body, spreading among the Five Viscera. Inside and out, it is dense and full, as though I were seated amid the radiance of a hundred treasures.

Next, visualize the blue Qi in the liver leaving through the left ear and transforming into a blue dragon standing guard on the left; the white Qi in the lungs leaving through the right ear and transforming into a white tiger guarding the right; the red Qi in the heart leaving through the crown of the head and transforming into a vermilion bird leading the way ahead; and the black Qi in the kidneys leaving through the soles of the feet and transforming into a Black Tortoise following behind. Then visualize lions emerging from the lower Dantian (below the navel) and white cranes appearing from between the eyebrows—six of each—to lead the way ahead. Jade boys and jade maidens stand on either side of the scripture table, arranged to the left and right. Then visualize the viscera of the six palaces (the original text annotates this as “brows”)…

The sun and moon emerge from the apertures on either side, sending out nine streams of purple-red light that pour into the nose and enter the Golden Flower Palace directly, four inches behind the head. Then, from the crown of the Palace of Purple Tenuity and Jade Peach, the light rises and transforms into a circular radiance of nine colors, like a rainbow: luminous, shining everywhere, and unobstructed.

Visualize the infant in the sacred realm of the ten directions dwelling in your own Dantian, and recite the incantation silently. When you reach the words “immeasurably saving all beings,” continue by reciting the scripture passage in sequence. When you reach “before the throne of the Primordial Beginning Supreme God,” pause there. Then guide the Qi of the thirty-two heavens to circulate throughout the ten directions, and recite the scripture ten times in a low voice.

Each time you guide the Qi, follow the method described earlier: begin with the Heaven of the Sovereign Ancestor, inhale through the nose, then swallow. For example, visualize the Qi of the eight eastern heavens entering the space between the liver and gallbladder, where its vital essence transforms into the Young Lord Without Form, who dwells in the liver. The Qi of the eight southern heavens enters the space between the heart and pericardium; its vital essence transforms into the Director of Destinies, who dwells in the heart. The Qi of the eight western heavens enters the space between the organs and the skin; its vital essence transforms into the Venerable Spirit White Origin, who dwells in the lungs. The Qi of the eight northern heavens enters the space between the kidneys and the joints; its vital essence transforms into Lord Peach Health, who dwells below the navel.

The practice begins in the first month and continues through the sixth month, following the same method. It begins again in the seventh month and continues through the ninth, following the same method; then it begins in the tenth month and continues through the twelfth, again following the same method.

In the first month, practice in the lower Dantian; in the seventh month, in the middle Dantian; and in the tenth month, in the upper Dantian. Together, these three places are called the “Three Fields,” or the “Three Palaces.” In cultivation, attention is given to the rising and descending movement between them.

During the practice in the first month, visualize your infant moving up and down in the lower Dantian—below the navel—accompanied by the three-colored cloud Qi. During the practice in the seventh month, visualize your infant rising from the Dantian with the three-colored cloud Qi and moving through the middle Dantian, above the heart. During the practice in the tenth month, visualize your infant rising from the Dantian with the three-colored cloud Qi and moving through the upper Dantian, at the point between the eyebrows. The practices for the three periods are broadly similar.

Scripture Recitation Ritual

The Celestial Worthy said: Whenever you recite scripture and practice the Dao, you should wear the true talisman and cultivate according to this method. Then all the spirits will respectfully follow you. “Days of practicing the Dao” means days on which scripture is recited; on these days, you should bathe. The fragrant bathing water mentioned here is prepared from five aromatic ingredients: angelica root, green costus root, agarwood, white sandalwood, and spikenard, twenty … of each.

Sift four zhu of the medicinal ingredients finely, then boil them for several rolling boils in one shi of water from a long-running spring that flows eastward. First loosen your clothes, burn incense on your left, and then sit down. Visualize sunlight interweaving in five colors as it shines into the five-spice bath. Then visualize five immortal boys and five jade maidens of five colors from the east, burning incense and scattering flowers as they stand on either side, holding towels and clear water. Next, stir the water thirty-two times with a ladle, and recite this incantation beside it:

“Five-spice mysterious spring, splendid essence of sun and moon. Wash and refine my body; remove the turbid and preserve the pure. May corpse-dust vanish and my organs shine with light. May filthy Qi be swept away, and the defilements accumulated through the ages in the womb disperse. May I transcend the dusty world and ride the void, ascending to Shangqing.”

When you have finished, click your teeth thirty-two times. First drink a bowl of the decoction at a comfortable temperature, then bathe in another bowl of it while reciting this incantation:

“Great Thearch, bid me loosen my hair and grant me long life. On my left is the hidden moon; on my right, the root of the sun. Today I cleanse and refine myself; may the hundred spirits receive your grace.”

When you have finished, wash your hair and then comb it, reciting this incantation:

“The essences of sun and moon flow into the Mudball Palace (the spirit aperture in the head), nourishing the nine palaces and delighting the hundred spirits. May corpse-evil be destroyed; may the True Master descend to inspect me and bestow the divine tiger, so that I may become a guest of the Thearch.”

When you have finished, bind up your hair and bathe. Among the methods of the Three Pure Ones, and when immortals descend to roam the world, there is also a plain decoction for refining the corpse: boil four liang of peach bark and two liang of bamboo leaves in a substance that is pure, unadulterated, empty, and luminous, and bathe in it. Its effects surpass those of other mixed methods.

Greenwood incense is a wondrous fragrance cherished by the Mother. The Great You Three Wonders Jing says that it is the fragrant purity of jade tallies and can sweep away dusty turbidity and filth. Some also say that if one sincerely submits a petition to the Dark Heaven, the five-spice decoction may then be burned as incense to clear away dust and defilement and open a passage to the heights of the heavens. After bathing, put on your clothes and headwear, and recite this incantation:

“Today is auspicious and joyful, in accord with the Thearch’s grace. Now that dust and defilement are cleansed, may the sins of the corpse-soul’s descent and its karmic afflictions be thoroughly purified within and without. I call upon the sun and inhale the moon; I tread the Nine Mornings. I circle the Three Terraces and travel around the Five Stars. I wear talismans and registers, hold petitions and memorials in my hands, wear a phoenix robe and tiger skirt, and hold mysterious writings. I chant the sounds of Dongling, my voice reaching the Highest Empyrean. May the Five Thearchs turn their chariots and bestow upon me a luminous writ, so that I may ascend to Shangqing.”

When you have finished, put on your clothes and headwear as usual. Whenever taking food, decoctions, or immortal medicines, recite this incantation:

“I respectfully call upon the Five Spirits of the Five Directions to summon the Celestial Physician Bian Que and fifty officials, so that after I take this medicine, pain will leave my body and illness will be removed from me, as I ride…”

Kui Star (one of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper) rides the Celestial Ladle’s Qi and ascends to heaven, traveling through the nine regions of the earth. Destiny, blessings, and rank all flourish and become manifest; one attains long life without death and unites with the Great Dao, becoming a perfected one.

After reciting the incantation, face east and swallow it.

Those who practice this Way should behave with dignity and grace when reciting the wondrous scriptures, and act in accordance with proper ritual. If their conduct is careless and arrogant, ghosts and spirits will scrutinize them severely, and the Three Offices—the divine authorities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water—will call them to account for their faults. The rules and ordinances of fasting have already been made clear: a Daoist priest should be a model for those who cultivate the Way. To act contrary to the rules is to fall short of the Daoist ideal. Even the “perfected ones” spoken of in the scriptures—those who have succeeded in cultivating the Way—must follow the standards of the perfected. If they must study these standards, how much more must those who are merely learning the Way?

Before eating, recite this incantation:

“Grains and all flavors enter the spleen and stomach, bringing peace to the five viscera and dispelling the corpse demons, the harmful influences believed to afflict the body. May my ancestors of seven generations be at peace, and may I live long and see far.”

After reciting, click the teeth thirty-two times and swallow saliva nine times, then eat. It is best to eat before the hour of the Horse. When eating after the hour of the Rooster, do not speak of death. Do not leave food standing for too long. Before the hour of the Horse is when the celestial spirits eat; after the hour of the Rooster is when demons and ghosts eat. Speaking of death, birth, and illness, or leaving food standing too long, can invite harmful influences. For this reason, perfected ones abstain from grain and enter the mountains in search of the essential means to become immortals.

Before sleeping, recite this incantation:

“Heaven has nine stars, and Earth has nine palaces. The myriad spirits in the hundred joints of my body all come to accompany me. The Three Corpses, spirits said to dwell in the body and hinder cultivation, lie hidden; the five viscera function freely. The movements and stillness of the Three Fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian—and the four limbs all abide in equilibrium. Dragon, tiger, and the Eight Trigrams guard my jade countenance; ghosts, demons, and myriad spirits must not disturb the true divine officers.”

Click the teeth twenty-four times. After reciting, click the teeth again as described above. When sleeping, do not leave your mouth open or lie rigidly on your back like a corpse. Do not lend others the robes, ritual garments, or implements worn and used in the higher Way. Those who practice breathing Qi, guard the Three Ones—the method of maintaining the three places within the body and the “One Qi”—or recite the wondrous scriptures should especially avoid these prohibitions.

When facing an image, click the teeth three times and recite this incantation:

“On my left is the spirit of virtue; on my right, the pure spirit. On my left is the Lady of the Officer Attendants; on my right are the Six Ding. Drive away filth and harmful influences, remove my name from the register of the dead, and enter it in the register of the living.”

Click the teeth three times. Do not spit, face north, gaze up at the sun, moon, or stars, or allow men and women to ascend together; all these things are considered inauspicious.

When leaving home, recite this incantation:

“I leave the Yin and enter the Yang; the roads in all four directions are clear and open. The Eight Spirits and Six Jia accompany me, bringing ease and good fortune. The sun and moon assist me; the Seven Stars rest above my head.”

Click the teeth seven times, visualize the Seven Stars above your head, and see the Celestial Ladle pointing forward.

Bathing Talisman

“The true Qi of the Most High’s divine water flows forth; Yin and Yang unite, and radiance appears. The divine candle shines, accompanied by numinous Qi; filth and harmful influences are cleansed, and my name is erased from the register of the dead.”

Reciting this passage is intended to calm the “Three Corpses”—spirits said in Daoism to disturb body and mind and obstruct cultivation—so that one may live longer and remain in harmony with the Dao.

When bathing, recite the following incantation three times, breathe onto the water three times, and stir the purified water:

“Bathe the body in the sweet, fragrant liquor of gold and the jade-like fluid of the sacred spring. Wash away defilement with dark water, making body and mind pure and the Original Spirit calm. Seven spirits guard at the sides, while the myriad forms of Original Qi spread out and arrange themselves. The mind aspires to the realm of clear emptiness; all manner of visions appear amid mysterious brightness.”

The true talisman used when reciting the scripture in the first lunar month bears these words:

“The jade table and dark pearl descend into the heart field, surrounded and guarded by the hundred spirits. The myriad sages descend upon the ritual altar; the Dharma wheel of the Brahma realm spins, connecting with the netherworld and reaching the spirits.”

The true talisman used when reciting the scripture in the seventh lunar month bears these words:

“The golden tablets shine with radiance, and the dragon patterns contain the mystery of the Great Dark. The Qi of the Five Phases enters the Golden Gate and turns within the Jade Chamber, enabling one to pass through calamities and extend one’s life.”

The true talisman used when reciting the scripture in the tenth lunar month bears these words:

“Original Truth is spread far and wide; light shines upon the roads in the nine directions, and wondrous transformations appear at the Imperial Terrace. The Brahma sound resounds through the Great Void and fills the Six Directions, enabling one to ascend to the immortal capital.”

These four talismans together are called the “Jade Emperor’s Precious Registers of Long Life and Lasting Vision.” The true talisman used when reciting the scripture on the Eight Festivals bears these words:

“True Qi and empty forms pass through the Three Passes; mysterious radiance weaves together and reaches everywhere. The Qi of the Eight Scenes grows with each passing day, spreading out and arranging itself, in union with the perfected person.”

These four talismans should be written in cinnabar on blue paper in a quiet cultivation chamber, and should not be discussed with others when put into practice. Those who cultivate the Dao may write them in red on plain paper, burn them facing southeast on a day dedicated to longevity, then mix the ashes with purified water and drink it.

The true talisman used when reciting the scripture on one’s birth date bears these words:

“The womb-born immortal is bathed and refined; the Qi of the left destiny and the spirit of the Upper Scene gather like jade radiance. The numinous spirit on the right lets out a long cry, preserving constant peace and keeping the spirit of Golden Dawn alert and upright.”

This talisman is called the “Numinous Talisman of the Divine Empyrean Jade Purity Immortal King’s Descent of Truth.”

After burning the talisman, recite the Jade Emperor’s incantation:

“Heavenly Truth, divine spirits; Original Truth of Jade Purity; Flowery Chamber of Highest Clarity; Lord Lao, the Primordial Beginning—wondrously entering the Great Rosy Clouds, shining upon the mysterious writings. The seven spirits fly to the spring; the Northern Feng receives the smoke. I occupy the station of the Supreme King and drive away the hosts of demons. The Eight Powers breathe fire, purifying and ordering the honored spirits. Thousands upon thousands cast off defilement; evil and misfortune cease to exist. Tens of thousands of demon kings protect life and cut down wicked forms. Hasten, hasten, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!”

Recite the Jade Emperor’s incantation three times.

Whenever an altar is set up, circle it and sprinkle it with purifying water three times.

Essential Instructions for Reciting the Orthodox Scripture of Chapter Two

On any day when the scripture is recited, set up a scripture table and a seat in a clean, quiet room, facing east.

Then enter the quiet chamber, turn your back to the seat, face east, and perform three bows. When you have finished, step back and turn to face north. Sit on the mat, regulate your breathing, then slowly turn to the left and sit upright facing east.

Recite the “Spell of Mysterious Depths.” When you finish, rest your hands on your knees and click your teeth thirty-two times. Then close your eyes and visualize an Emperor in each of the thirty-two heavens. Silently recite the names of the heavens in order, and bow inwardly to the Emperor of each one. Beginning with the Heaven of Imperial Ancestry, turn in sequence according to the directions, paying respects to the four quarters in turn; then gradually ascend until you reach the Heaven of Jiayi, completing thirty-two bows. Though your body remains still, imagine yourself bending to bow in your heart.

When you have finished, visualize yourself within clouds of blue, yellow, and white Qi. In an instant, the clouds fill the chamber, dense and serene. A Azure Dragon is on your left, a White Tiger on your right, a Vermilion Bird in front, and a Black Tortoise behind. Six lions sit facing one another in two rows. The white cranes are equal in number to the lions and stand outside them. The sun and moon appear behind you, their radiance illuminating the chamber. A circular halo of nine colors forms above your head, its light shining throughout the heavens. Then visualize all the scenes you have just contemplated, clearly present before you.

Next, silently recite the spell:

“Supreme Mysterious Origin, Most High Lord of the Dao, summon the Three-Five Merit Officers within my body, the left and right attendant envoys, the incense-attending youths, the message-bearing maidens, the Five Emperors’ talisman officers, and the daily incense officers—thirty-two of each. Ask them to report on my behalf the matters I have presented.”

The “matters I have presented” include anything you pray for or report to Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, the stars, the ruler of the realm, teachers and friends, ancestors, or yourself. When you reach the words “submit my petition,” state your specific request. For example: “On this auspicious day, in a purified chamber, I cultivate by reciting the Scripture of Limitless Deliverance. I, together with [name the person or state the request], turn the scripture and receive rebirth. May the matter I have presented be conveyed upward to the Most High Primordial Emperor, the Supreme One seated before the honored throne of the thirty-two heavens.”

When you have finished the spell, slowly draw in one breath from one of the thirty-two heavens and swallow it. Carry out the remaining steps according to the preceding method. This completes the day’s practice. After reciting two chapters of the scripture during the day, face south as you leave the mat, bow once more, and then depart.

The preceding chapter is based on Chen Jingyuan’s interpretation, supplemented by Zhang Wanfu’s instructions.

The seated meditation diagram is shown roughly in the accompanying illustration. It mainly depicts the interior of the chamber. The chamber need not face south, and there is no need to open the door to submit a petition.

Recite the “Instructions on Inner Sounds.”

Sit upright and tap the teeth nine times. Visualize nine-colored dragons guiding you in front and behind, while layers of azure cloud qi encircle your whole body. Then silently recite:

“Crimson radiance opens the scriptures and diagrams. The qi of the eight directions returns to the true Dao and gathers at the mysterious portal. The divine power of the Great Spirit of the Azure Emperor spreads throughout the nine directions, coiling around and protecting my body. The eight wondrous tones and sixty-four scriptural passages shine through Heaven and Earth, bringing me into union with the Immortals and perfected beings. When the appointed time arrives, I will ride a dragon to Heaven and ascend the Heavenly Emperor’s chariot.”

When you have finished, draw in the qi and swallow nine times, then recite the scripture.

Recite the sixty-four-character scripture of the South, from “Nan Yan Dong Fu” to “Shen Ying.” Sit upright and tap the teeth three times. Visualize a vermilion phoenix flying in the South, with three layers of red clouds encircling your whole body. Then silently recite:

“The three original qi revolve without cease, and the numinous phoenix flies here. The eight characters of jade sound shine brilliantly, illuminating Ziwei, the celestial palace. An auspicious day arrives, and a grand celebration begins; through this, my Dao arts become manifest. Nourished by vermilion elixir, I raise my face and draw in its wondrous radiance. Water and fire qi arise within my body. Clad in a red sash and feathered robe, I travel through the sky and step onto the phoenix ladder. I journey through the heavenly realms of the eight directions, with seven generations of ancestors accompanying me.”

When you have finished, draw in the qi and swallow three times, then recite the scripture.

Recite the sixty-four-character scripture of the West, from “Dao Li Chan You” to “Bai Kong Du Xian.” Sit upright and tap the teeth seven times. Visualize a white tiger and a lion guarding you in front and behind, with seven layers of white clouds encircling your whole body. Then silently recite:

“The seven kinds of original qi move back and forth, and the qi of the metal spirits and the divine beings of the Eight Directions descend. The white tiger draws the chariot, and the lion supports and guards its shafts. Seven kinds of original qi coil around my body, refining it until I become an Immortal. Golden light shines from my body, illuminating the white clouds. Within and without, I undergo transformation and ascend through the gate of the Grotto-Heavens. Seven generations of ancestors leave the darkness of night, their souls emerging from the Ninefold Abyss, the depths of the underworld. Through countless kalpas, all attain deliverance and endure with the long course of Heaven.”

When you have finished, draw in the qi and swallow seven times, then recite the scripture.

Recite the sixty-four-character scripture of the North, from “Jue Wu Zi Yu” to “You Ji Du Ren.” Sit upright and tap the teeth five times. Visualize a flying dragon, the Dark Warrior (the northern divine beast), and a magnificent feathered canopy. Divine boys and jade maidens wear feathered robes, their garments billowing. Five layers of black clouds encircle your whole body. Then silently recite:

“The qi of the Dark Heaven revolves, its radiance streaming through Shangqing, the highest Daoist heaven. The realm of Great Being opens and sets transformation in motion; the eight-character scripture reveals its light. Flying-Profound qi clears the sky, and Grotto-Yin qi arises naturally. Five kinds of original qi coil around my body and pour into my form. I don the northern headdress and receive the refining power of Grotto-Spirit qi. The Kidney Palace, the inner cultivation site corresponding to the kidneys, appears in the North; within and without, it is radiant and pure. I fly through the Three Realms and wander at leisure in the Purple Court, the celestial palace. Seven generations of ancestors share in these blessings, joyful and long-lived.”

In the passages above, “sitting upright, tapping the teeth, visualizing, and drawing in and swallowing the qi” refer to the recitation ritual described in the scripture: tap the teeth the prescribed number of times, visualize the deities and cloud qi of the corresponding direction encircling the body, then swallow the qi you have drawn in the prescribed number of times.

In the Seven-Treasure Grove, one returns to the original womb and receives life anew, leaves the long-night darkness of suffering, and has one’s name entered in the Southern Palace, the dwelling place of the immortals in Daoist belief.

By means of the Yellow Registers and White Documents, records used in Daoist purification rituals to list merits and names, one may become an immortal in every generation.

When the spell is finished, guide the Qi, swallow five times, then recite this text.

Items praising and extolling this scripture:

The Highest Sage has already become a Perfected One, mastered the profound principles, and fathomed the hidden mysteries.

The master said: This passage is not something that ordinary people in the world can master or fathom simply by reciting it.

Those who can fully understand this scripture may attain ten grades of merit.

The most devoted students—the master said: This refers to those who aspire to cultivate the Dao. By reciting it, they may attain six grades of merit.

Students—the master said: This refers to ordinary people in the world who study and seek to cultivate the Dao. By reciting it, they may attain three grades of merit.

Making offerings and showing reverence—the master said: This refers to all students who cultivate according to these teachings. They may attain five grades of virtuous merit.

All who recite this scripture—the master said: This also refers to Perfected Ones who have already attained realization, further explaining the merits and rewards they have gained.

The spirits of one’s ancestors and relatives will all ascend to the Vermilion Palace, a dwelling place of Daoist divinities. According to the ranks of Vermilion Mound, a realm involved in the Daoist deliverance of the dead, after nine years they will be born again and receive instruction, becoming persons of noble standing. On the day one’s own merit is complete, one too can ascend to Highest Clarity, the higher heavens in Daoist belief, and, with permission from the Golden Gate in the celestial palace, feast and wander in Jade Capital, the residence of the Celestial Emperor.

Advanced students—the master said: This refers to cultivators of a higher level. They can deliver and raise only themselves to the Southern Palace; their merit cannot benefit their great-grandparents.

People of the world who uphold and recite the scripture—the master said: Such people can only lengthen their lives or transform their bodies through corpse liberation, a Daoist means of leaving no corpse behind as body and spirit undergo transformation, and ascend to the Great Void. One person’s recitation alone cannot bring the blessing of ascending to Vermilion Mound, nor readily enable their great-grandparents to be born again and receive instruction.

The Demon King’s song—the master said: After reciting it a hundred times, one may be named and delivered into the Southern Palace; after a thousand times, the Demon King will escort and welcome one; after ten thousand times, one can ascend to the Great Void. This is a song of the Three Realms, not another scripture.

Hearing the numinous sound—the master said: Those who devote their hearts and bodies in faith and listen attentively to the recitation may attain nine grades of virtuous fruit.

Practicing this merit—the master said: Those who resolve to undertake purification, burn incense, and recite the scripture may attain two grades of virtuous fruit.

The passage to the right speaks separately of the Perfected Ones—the master said: Those of the most devoted learning who practice this merit can become officials in the Golden Gate of the Later Sage Emperor of Highest Clarity.

Knowing this sound—the master said: This is material from the middle section. It means that those who understand the scripture can attain eight grades of good fortune, in proportion to their spiritual attainment.

This sound—the master said: The sound of the middle section has four boundless divine powers: warding off evil, dispelling calamities, delivering beings, and bringing them to fulfillment. Those who recite it may receive ten grades of auspicious responses. When transmitting it, one must bring gold and silver valuables, swear a sincere oath before Heaven, and follow the Mysterious Regulations, the rules governing Daoist transmission. It may be transmitted only once every forty thousand kalpas, and gold and silver valuables must serve as tokens of trust during the transmission.

One must still follow the established rules of old, make a solemn oath and covenant, and wait ten full years before transmitting the teachings.

The Master said: These three rules govern the transmission and reception of the teachings. Under the old regulations, one transmission was permitted only once every forty thousand kalpas.

Those were the regulations of an earlier kalpa. The Yellow Emperor received the charts, Yu the Great received the talismans, and Gao Xin received the Heavenly Scripture. Later, Taiji descended into the world to teach. How could transmission have been forbidden except once every forty thousand kalpas? Under the new regulations established after the Holy Mother (a revered Daoist deity, often identified with the Queen Mother of the West) descended into the world, transmission is permitted once every four hundred years. When a suitable person is found, another transmission may take place after forty years. No more than seven people may receive the teachings in any four-hundred-year period. If, within four years, a Perfected One—a person of exceptionally high virtue and cultivation—is encountered, one person may also be taught. These three rules concern the great method of the Two Chapters and the ritual for reciting the scriptures of the Three Grades. The melodies for chanting the scriptures are governed by separate rules, detailed in the Xu Xian and Xian Ge.

Those who recite the scriptures carelessly will bring calamity upon themselves. Those who carelessly disclose the scriptures or treat the teachings with disrespect will bring calamity upon nine generations of their ancestors. Those who disclose or disrespect them in the gravest way will fall into hell, bringing calamity upon seven generations of their ancestors.

The Master said: Taken together, these three rules mean that reciting the scriptures without purification, bathing, burning incense, and performing the proper rites invites calamity. Treating the rules lightly and recklessly disclosing the teachings to unsuitable people; transmitting them privately before the prescribed interval has passed; or, even after that interval, revealing secret and forbidden methods without purification, an oath, and formal receipt of the teachings—all these are offenses of the intermediate degree, bringing calamity upon nine generations of ancestors. Revealing or disrespecting the teachings without concern, deliberately falsifying them, seeking novelty or clever advantage, criticizing or slandering sacred canons and mysterious scriptures, or stealing Heavenly Treasures are grave offenses of the kind described here, bringing calamity upon seven generations of ancestors.

Signs of Response from Cultivation and Recitation

The Master said: If those who recite the scriptures wish to know whether their merit accords with Heaven, they may look for one hundred and fifty-one kinds of mysterious response. When such a response appears, it means they may hope to become immortals and ascend to Heaven in the future. If no response appears, they should all the more repent of their faults, correct their body and mind, and maintain single-minded discipline, regarding mysterious responses as auspicious signs revealed by Heaven.

The auspicious signs are divided into the following categories:

• Ten signs, including the distant chanting of the various heavens, are auspicious signs of the manifestation of the Highest Sages.
• Six signs, including the attendance of the Five Emperors as guards, are auspicious signs for those resolved to seek learning.
• Three signs, including the subduing and commanding of the terrestrial spirits, are auspicious signs for students of the Dao.
• Five signs, including prosperity in the household, are auspicious signs for those who make offerings.
• Ten signs, including the arrival of all the heavens together, are auspicious signs for ordinary scripture reciters.
• Two signs, including immediate deliverance through salvation, are auspicious signs for those who receive and study the scriptures.
• Six signs, including a long life and extended years, are auspicious signs for people of the world.
• Two signs, including release from earthly bonds and service, are auspicious signs for those who recite the scriptures in the first lunar month.
• Three signs, including attaining an immortal body, are auspicious signs for those who recite the scriptures in the seventh lunar month.

The Great Method of the Limitless Deliverance Scripture of Numinous Treasure

The following lists the auspicious effects said to result from reciting the scripture or practicing its methods:

Six kinds of auspicious effects said to occur when reciting the scripture in the tenth month, including the stabilization of the nation’s fortunes.

One kind of auspicious effect said to occur when reciting the scripture on one’s natal day (the day of one’s birth), concerning the Perfected Ones of the Nine Palaces and others.

Ten kinds of auspicious effects on one’s natal day, including the purification and rectification of the soul and spirit.

Nine kinds of auspicious effects said to occur when entering the quiet chamber to practice, including closing the eyes and contemplating in stillness.

Six kinds of auspicious effects when summoning messengers through the mysterious configuration, including the Three and Five Merit Officers—divine officials summoned in Daoist ritual magic.

Fourteen kinds of auspicious effects, including reciting the Cavern Chapters ten thousand times.

Four kinds of auspicious effects from prayers to avert calamity, including when Heaven and Earth reach the end of their cycle.

Three kinds of auspicious effects from the lunar corpse-refining method, including “I am a late student, with only a shallow understanding of the Dao”—a self-deprecating description of one’s limited cultivation. This method is associated with Yin’s lunar Qi and corpse refinement.

Ten kinds of auspicious effects from performing purification rites and practicing the Dao, including when Heaven and Earth reach the end of their cycle.

Five kinds of auspicious effects from performing meritorious practices, or accumulating merit through cultivation, including having one’s name recorded by the various heavens.

Six kinds of auspicious effects, including “when a kindred spirit recites it”—that is, when someone with an affinity for the scripture recites it.

Twenty kinds of auspicious effects for those who recite the scripture, including being able to ward off all things.

Ten kinds of auspicious effects said to occur during inward recitation, including the blind regaining their sight and the formation of the sacred embryo of the Origin—the sacred nature attained through cultivation.

The Lord of Jade Dawn Speaks the Scripture Ten Times

When the scripture is spoken, it summons beings from the ten directions, beyond limit and number, extending throughout the lands of the ten directions. After the heavenly beings and humans hear the scripture’s teaching, its corresponding effects appear in due course.

At the first recitation, the Perfected Great Spirit of the East comes flying through the air. The land is called the Village of An Tai Hall and the World of Embracing Goodness. Those who are deaf and hear the teaching all become keen of hearing.

At the second recitation, the Perfected Great Spirit of the South comes flying through the air. The land is called the Domain of Wanli City and the World of Abandoning Worthies. Those who are blind and hear the teaching all regain their sight.

At the third recitation, the Perfected Great Spirit of the West comes flying through the air. The land is called the Abyss of Empty Blessings and the World of Universal Practice. Those who are mute and hear the teaching are all able to speak.

At the fourth recitation, the Perfected Great Spirit of the North comes flying through the air. The land is called the Wilderness of Yu Dan and the World of Purity. Those who are lame or have long been ill and hear the teaching are all able to rise and walk.

At the fifth recitation, the Perfected Great Spirit of the Northeast comes flying through the air. The land is called the Village of Gathered Blessings and the World of Lasting Peace. Those who have long been ill or suffer from stubborn, hard-to-cure diseases and hear the teaching recover their usual health at once.

At the sixth recitation, the Perfected Great Spirit of the Southeast comes flying through the air. The land is called the Village of Originating Blessings and the World of Employing the Worthy. After hearing the teaching, white hair turns black, and lost teeth grow back.

At the seventh recitation, the Perfected Great Spirit of the Southwest comes flying through the air. The land is called the Village of Extending Blessings and the World of Benevolence and Stillness. After hearing the teaching, the elderly regain their vigor, and the young become strong.

Eighth Recitation: The Great God of Perfect Truth from the northwest comes floating through the air and arrives in the World of Blessings, Virtue, and Wild Expanse. Women become pregnant, and birds and beasts carry their young. Whether already born or still unborn, all are able to develop and be born smoothly.

Ninth Recitation: The Great God of Perfect Truth from above comes floating through the air and arrives at the palaces and gates of the various heavens. The Earth Treasury becomes manifest in the world, and gold and jade reveal their forms.

Tenth Recitation: The Great God of Perfect Truth from below comes floating through the air and arrives at the ravines and abyssal layers of the Nine Earths, the thirty-six palaces where the four sounds of the Brahmā realm move in proper order, and the palaces and offices of the earth. Withered bones grow anew, and all beings can rise and become human.

The Efficacy of Reciting the Two Chapters of the Correct Scripture

During the first month, if one observes purification and recites this scripture, one can release the souls of the dead from former generations from their confinement in the netherworld and enable them to transcend and ascend to the Southern Palace.

During the seventh month, if one observes purification and recites this scripture, the reciter can attain the state of an immortal. The heavens will write the reciter’s name in the Yellow Register and White Slips, Daoist ledgers used to record merits, faults, and names. This removes the name from the register of the dead and enters it in the register of the living.

During the tenth month, if one observes purification and recites this scripture, kings, emperors, rulers and ministers, fathers and sons can be brought to stability. The nation’s fortune is secured, allowing the country to endure for a long time and continue through successive generations. The lands governed by the ruler can also be made peaceful, so that the people praise the era of peace.

Reciting this scripture on the Eight Seasonal Nodes—the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—can enable one to become a Perfected One of the Nine Palaces. Reciting it on one’s natal day, the calendrical day of one’s destiny determined from the sexagenary cycle of one’s birth year, can clear and rectify the soul and spirit, preserve the ten thousand Qi forever, and end all suffering. One’s own body will shine with light; attendants will guard one throughout the Three Realms; the Five Emperors will come to welcome one; and the myriad spirits will come to pay homage. One’s name will be recorded in Heaven. When one’s merit is complete, one can ascend by flight to Highest Clarity.

Reciting it ten times causes the various heavens to record one’s name; reciting it a hundred times enables one to pass through the gates of the Southern Palace; reciting it a thousand times brings even the demon kings to escort and welcome one; and reciting it ten thousand times completes one’s cultivation, allowing one to ascend by flight through the vast sky.

If one is able to encounter this opportunity and recite this scripture according to the ritual instructions, one can, above, dispel celestial calamities and protect and stabilize the emperor; below, eliminate poisons and harms and save living beings; and at the same time deliver one’s ancestors. In the end, one attains the Dao. Such merit is truly lofty and vast.

The Efficacy of Reciting the Inner Sounds

If one recites the Great Brahmā Sound of the East, a sacred sound of Daoist scripture, for nine years, each of the Eight Heavens will send eight Blue-Waisted Jade Maidens and eight Azure Florescence Jade Youths to attend and protect the reciter. They will bestow the essence of the Nine Qi of Blue Sprouts, causing the reciter’s body to shine with light and allowing them to see through to the Void. After ten thousand recitations, one’s cultivation is complete, and one can fly to Highest Clarity; the ancestors of seven generations will ascend to Heaven as well.

If one recites the Great Brahmā Sound of the South for three years, each of the Eight Heavens will send eight Cinnabar Rosy-Cloud Jade Maidens and eight Sunlight Jade Youths to attend and protect the reciter, bestowing the Vermilion Cinnabar…

Jing (essence)—here referring to Qi, or the vital energy of life—can restore one’s appearance and preserve youthful vigor. It will never decay, even after countless aeons. As a result, one’s ancestors for seven generations may ascend to the Hall of Blessings, while one returns to the state of the fetal immortal and is born anew.

After seven years of chanting the Brahma sounds of the West, eight plain-robed jade youths, each from one of the Eight Heavens, guard the chanter’s body and bring down the essence of the Seven Qi of Great Simplicity. This can prolong one’s years and preserve one’s appearance, keeping a childlike face through countless aeons. Its blessings also extend to one’s ancestors for seven generations, enabling them to ascend to the Southern Palace. The chanter returns to the womb and is reborn, becoming an immortal in every lifetime.

After five years of chanting the Brahma sounds of the North, eight jade youths of Primordial Origin, each from one of the Eight Heavens, guard the chanter’s body and bring down Mysterious Nourishment. This can prolong life, preserve one’s appearance, and safeguard one’s life force. Its blessings extend to the Three Pure Ones and the Nine Mysteries—that is, one’s ancestors for nine generations—and one ascends to heaven in every lifetime.

If one chants the Inner Sounds of the Four Directions—the Daoist sacred sounds corresponding to the four directions—in accordance with the prescribed methods, one can ward off all kinds of disasters and dispel every kind of misfortune, deliver living beings, and accomplish meritorious deeds. One may fly to the celestial realm and ascend to pay homage to the Supreme Emperor; one’s distant chants summon the myriad spirits to come and pay their respects. The divine beings of the Three Realms attend the imperial procession; all spirits are awed into submission, and the ten directions fall into solemn stillness. When one’s Dao practice is complete and one’s merit accomplished, one may serve in the Three Realms of Clarity.