《洞玄靈寶本相運度劫期經》

This scripture recounts the origins of a miraculous realm and its mysteries:

The Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure (one of the Three Pure Ones in Daoism) once asked a Daoist named Yanming on Mount Dongfu: "How long have you dwelled in this mountain?" Yanming replied, "This disciple has resided here for three million kalpas" (a Buddhist time unit representing an immeasurably long period).

The Celestial Worthy inquired further: "Having lived here so long, have you witnessed anything extraordinary?" Yanming described a wondrous kingdom: its orchid forests never withered, and phoenixes lived eternally. The leaves of these trees naturally bore the patterns of "Heavenly Scenes of Great Chaos" (mystical inscriptions representing the primordial origin of the cosmos), which the nine-colored phoenixes often consumed as nourishment. These phoenixes would sing marvelous songs six times daily, and upon hearing them, the people would bow in reverence toward the sound. The inhabitants—both men and women—had golden complexions, lived for 360,000 years, and knew no premature death.

The kingdom also possessed a "Fire-Refining Pool." When its waters churned, patterns resembling the Heavenly Scenes of Great Chaos would emerge. Every three years, the people bathed in it, though they knew not why. These folk understood neither the veneration of the Three Treasures (Daoism's Dao, scriptures, and teachers) nor the creation of evil karma, living as naturally as birds and beasts. Yanming beseeched the Celestial Worthy to explain these phenomena.

The Celestial Worthy revealed the mystery: their longevity and freedom from calamity stemmed from his own act during the "Red Brilliance Era" (a Daoist calendrical period), when he inscribed the Heavenly Scenes of Great Chaos upon this land and refined their essence into the pool through fire alchemy. By bathing in and drinking these waters every three years, the people harmonized their bodies and prolonged their lives. The characters on the orchid leaves arose from this same source—phoenixes consumed them to gain immortality, their songs becoming exquisite.

Yet the Celestial Worthy prophesied: celestial cycles would shift, and these true scriptures would be withdrawn to the Purple Tenuity Palace (a heavenly abode). Thereafter, human lifespans would shorten, the Five Turbidities (Buddhist concept of kalpic decay, erroneous views, and other corruptions) would flourish, heretical paths would multiply, and disasters like war and plague would arise.

This scripture depicts the sufferings of the mortal world and the path to liberation through cultivation:

The world is filled with cruelty, with people everywhere afflicted by disease and death—neither men nor women can escape misfortune. The Celestial One (Tianzun), moved by compassion for all beings, composed this scripture to impart methods of salvation. If virtuous men and women can cultivate Dao and De (Virtue), they may transcend this age of suffering and attain the blessings of Wuwei (non-action) and purity. Yet such profound truth is difficult to comprehend, beyond ordinary understanding—to encounter it today is truly great fortune.

The Celestial One declares: Now as the celestial cycle nears its end, the true scriptures shall be withdrawn to the heavenly realms. The Five Turbidities (referring to kalpa-turbidity, view-turbidity, affliction-turbidity, being-turbidity, and lifespan-turbidity) prevail in the human world, with lives cut short and various heterodox paths running rampant. People suffer endlessly from disease and death. Facing these afflictions, only through sincere worship, incense offerings, and prayers can one seek blessings in future rebirths.

The methods for cultivation and liberation include:

1. The Three Treasures (Dao, scriptures, and teachers) form the foundation of spiritual practice

2. Purification of the Three Karmas (body, speech, and mind) is the path to divine communion

3. Prolonged fasting (changing) establishes the basis for becoming an immortal

4. Generosity accumulates immeasurable merit

5. Upholding the Five Precepts (no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no false speech, no intoxicants) brings peace and joy

6. The Forty-Five Contemplations (specific recitation practices) generate great compassion

7. Establishing Daoist temples brings the joy of tranquility

8. Supporting cultivators earns heavenly nourishment

9. Relieving others' thirst brings stability

10. Building bridges secures divine protection

The scripture emphasizes: With sincere practice, celestial beings will surely offer protection. But mere superficial observance, though it may bring temporary blessings, will ultimately see them withdrawn. Cultivation requires unity of body and mind, consistency between appearance and reality—otherwise one walks a perilous path, ever at risk of falling. Purge inner desires completely, as one might cast dust into the vast ocean.

This scripture primarily explains how to cultivate Daoist practice to overcome calamities during the Dharma-Ending Age (a period of spiritual decline). The Celestial Master (Tianshi, the highest Daoist deity) reveals:

When the world is filled with the Five Turbidities (referring to kalpa-turbidity, view-turbidity, affliction-turbidity, being-turbidity, and lifespan-turbidity) and evil reigns, with beings suffering from disease, death, and government oppression, practitioners must maintain pure mental states undisturbed by external chaos, realizing the truth of "neither arising nor ceasing." Those who cultivate accordingly will receive divine protection and accomplish the Dao.

The Celestial Master specifically transmits methods for relieving suffering: On the first Shangyin day of the first lunar month during the Chiming era (a Daoist calendrical period), when heaven and earth display auspicious signs, the ten-volume Divine Incantation Scripture (Shenzhou Jing) was revealed. This scripture helps beings escape calamities like illness and legal troubles. Devotees who recite, transcribe, or venerate it will not only find present-life peace but also be reborn in Tusita Heaven (the Pure Land of Maitreya Bodhisattva, a Buddhist concept assimilated by Daoism).

For those unable to practice all ten volumes, the two scrolls titled Oath-Binding Demon-Subduing Incantations are most essential—even cultivating one can avert disasters. These texts summon thirty-five Great Demon Kings (actually protective deities) to safeguard practitioners. The scripture emphasizes that during turbulent times, the Celestial Master compassionately delivers all beings, and practitioners should diligently recite these divine incantations.

(Note: The text involves Daoist concepts of "kalpic cycles" (jieyun), viewing cosmic operation as periodically catastrophic; "divine incantations" (shenzhou) as mantras with mystical power; "Tusita" (Doushuai) reflects Daoist adaptation of Buddhist cosmology.)

This scripture elucidates several Daoist methods for dispelling calamities and resolving difficulties, which can be categorized into three primary approaches:

The first method involves invoking the power of the Medicine Kings. The text mentions "Yao Wang Yao Sheng" (the immortal governing medicine) and "Two Medicine Perfected Ones" (two immortal physicians), stating that when illness strikes and medicine is unavailable, simply concentrating one's mind on these immortals' names can bring healing. However, distracted thoughts will diminish the efficacy.

The second approach centers on reciting the names of various celestial beings. The scripture enumerates multiple groups of divine titles:

• The Seven Perfected Ones of Primordial Yang's Upper Realm, Six Spirit Immortals, and Thirteen Realized Perfected Ones
• The celestial deities of the Thirty-Two Heavens (the thirty-two layers of celestial realms)
• Twenty-Five Perfected Ones from the Great Clarity Heaven
• The names of the Six Heavens' Demon Kings recorded in the Dadong Zhenjing (Great Cavern True Scripture)
• Twelve True Lords
• The Nine Heavens' appellations from the Sanmei Zhenjing (True Scripture of Samadhi)
• The Five Viscera's True Spirits (divine beings governing the human organs)

The text emphasizes that sincerely invoking these divine names during calamities will summon assistance. Yet genuine devotion is essential—mechanical recitation without heartfelt intention remains ineffective even after ten thousand repetitions.

The third method focuses on scripture recitation, particularly highlighting the Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (Marvelous Scripture of the Numinous Treasure on Limitless Salvation). This scripture contains the profound celestial sounds of all heavens, possessing inconceivable power. Transcribing, chanting this text, or reciting it ten times for the deceased can liberate souls from hellish suffering and elevate them to celestial bliss.

The core teaching throughout this passage is clear: when facing illness or disaster, sincere recitation of immortal names and specific scriptures can bring deliverance—but the key lies in unwavering concentration and authentic devotion.

This scripture primarily explains the method of obtaining divine protection and overcoming calamities through devout faith and reciting the names of sages, as well as the importance of cultivating merit (De).

The text states: If one can calm the body-mind and maintain purity of the hun and po souls, the spirit (Shen) will become clear and radiant, keeping misfortunes at bay. By sincerely reciting the boundless names of the sages and calling upon their assistance, all such invocations will receive responses and fulfill one's wishes. Yet many beings neither believe in this practice nor in the power of the sages' names, remembering to seek Daoist help only when facing suffering. Even then, if they sincerely recite the sages' names, they will still receive divine resonance.

The Celestial Worthy (Tianshi, the supreme Daoist deity) responds: The key lies in initial sincerity and sustained practice. How could there be no resonance when one cultivates with wholehearted devotion in body and mind? It's like a starving person who regains strength and rosy complexion after eating. Reciting sages' names can save people from peril, manifesting five kinds of merit within five days. The sages always act with compassion, aiding those in distress, never rejecting help because of past ignorance.

Someone asks: What reward will a man receive if his practice is complete and his virtuous deeds perfect? The answer: He will be recorded in the register of the Ten Immortals (ten grades of xian immortality), because his virtue (De) is complete and karmic obstacles eliminated.

Another asks: What if a woman similarly perfects her practice and virtuous deeds? The answer: She will gain the blessing of rebirth in a male form. Having attained female embodiment due to insufficient past cultivation, her current perfection of practice can now transform destiny.

This scripture emphasizes:

1. The efficacy of reciting sages' names

2. The value of sincerity and perseverance in practice

3. Both male and female practitioners receiving corresponding rewards

4. The power of cultivation to transform fate and transcend suffering

This scripture primarily discusses the progressive stages of cultivation for attaining immortality and the essential characteristics of the Dao (the Way). Here is the vernacular interpretation:

Regarding the path of cultivation and attainment:

• Practitioners must complete the process of "transforming feminine into masculine" (a Daoist technical term referring to the alchemical transformation of yin-yang constitutions) to verify their spiritual attainment.
• There are ten ranks of immortality, progressing sequentially from the first to the tenth immortal stage—this cannot be achieved overnight. Individual capacity varies greatly: some ordinary people may cultivate to the tenth immortal stage, while certain practitioners (sravakas) may struggle to reach even the first stage, depending on their mental disposition and spiritual awakening.
• The method emphasizes the primacy of "heart-mind": one need not rigidly count years of practice or ascetic deeds, as the crucial factor lies in heart-mind cultivation. Some practitioners attain realization through focused practice in a quiet chamber because they emphasize mental refinement, accessing the true Dao through correct cultivation.

On the nature of the Dao:

1. Generation of all things: All phenomena under heaven arise from "Dao-Qi" (the energy of the Way), though four substances—earth, water, stone, and iron—possess only "nature" (essential qualities) without "life" (vital characteristics), as they lack blood vessels or fluid colors.

2. Differentiation of life: Humans possess "ten subtle essences" while plants have "eight subtle essences," distinguished by the presence or absence of conscious activity.

3. Characteristics of the Dao:

• The Dao is supremely pure and utterly pristine, possessing all virtues without defilement.
• All things below the Dao fail to reach this ultimate purity.
• The Dao's nature is detached and empty: neither increased by praise nor diminished by criticism, unstirred by agitation yet not made clearer by sedimentation.

4. Why the Dao is called "the One": The Dao simultaneously embodies Wuwei (non-action) and omnipotence. Though supremely exalted, it has no boundaries—nothing above can cover it, nothing below can support it. It stands peerless and unparalleled.

Through this dialogic format, the scripture elucidates both the gradual, heart-mind centered approach to cultivation and the Dao's transcendent nature—supremely pure, beyond all phenomena, and effortlessly spontaneous in its operation.

This scripture primarily elucidates the meaning of "Original Manifestation" (Benxiang) and the causes behind the generation and transformation of all things in heaven and earth. It can be understood in two parts:

The first part explains "Original Manifestation":

"Original Manifestation" serves as the title of this classic. "Original" (Ben) refers to the source where Daoist teachings first emerged, sages began their practice, and methods of cultivation were initially disseminated. "Manifestation" (Xiang) denotes the revelation of Daoist methods to teach sentient beings, enabling them to cultivate within the Three Realms (Desire Realm, Form Realm, and Formless Realm), with radiance illuminating the Ten Directions. Combined, these two characters signify the fundamental origin of all truth and the starting point for practitioners to accomplish the Dao.

The second part describes the evolution of heaven, earth, and all things:

In a question-and-answer format, the scripture explains that during the primordial opening of heaven and earth, human lifespans were long, and hearts were pure and virtuous. The world was sustained by the pristine "Dao-Qi" (the energy of the Dao), and rulers governed through Wuwei (non-action). Gradually, however, human hearts became corrupted, the Dao-Qi turned turbid, celestial cycles (natural laws) grew disordered, and demonic forces (obstructors of the true path) descended upon the world, leading to the proliferation of heretical ways. Tyrannical rulers emerged, wars and chaos erupted, plagues spread, and the people were displaced.

The scripture details the manifestations of societal decline:

• Disrupted marriage customs led to Yin-Yang imbalance, causing natural disasters.
• Crop failures triggered famines, even driving people to cannibalism.
• Promiscuous men and women made reckless oaths before the sun, moon, stars, or mountain and river shrines.
• Ghosts and spirits wrought havoc, increasing infant mortality.
• Banditry flourished, and officials oppressed the common people.
• Human lifespans shortened to no more than thirty years.
• Boys as young as eight and girls as young as seven exhibited premature sexual maturity.

By contrasting the world's transition from purity to corruption, this passage reveals the Daoist understanding of the relationship between transformations in Dao-Qi and human society, as well as the natural environment. It reflects the Daoist perspective on cosmic principles and human destiny.

This scripture depicts a cataclysmic scene of cosmic chaos with clashing Yin-Yang forces, along with the majestic structure of Mount Kunlun as the cosmic axis:

In the era of apocalyptic calamity, celestial and terrestrial movements become frantic and disordered, with the two vital energies (Qi) of Yin and Yang violently colliding. The fury of Yang's toxicity and Yin's wrath ignites great fires, causing rivers and seas to boil. The entire cosmos turns to ashes, leaving the universe empty and desolate. At this critical juncture, enlightened sages wielding ritual implements (furnace bellows and pipes) will recreate heaven and earth—the clear Qi ascends to form heaven while the turbid Qi descends to form earth, thus re-establishing the Dao of Yin-Yang.

The scripture meticulously records the cosmic architecture: Heaven and earth stand separated by 150,000 li, with the eighty-one-tiered Mount Kunlun (symbolizing the eighty-one celestial realms) at the center. This sacred mountain lies at the source of the Four Seas, its foundations extending 3,360,000 zhang deep into the Dragon Abyss, inhabited by thirty-two great dragon kings and a million celestial deities. Towering 15,000 li high, Kunlun features a spiraling celestial roadway winding twelve circuits to its summit—where divine ox-drawn chariots of immortals remain to this day.

Notably, beyond 300,000 zhao li south of Kunlun exist countless similar sacred mountains, though none surpass Kunlun's supremacy. All phenomena in the universe follow cyclical patterns mirroring the twelve-month solar cycle. Through this grand cosmological vision, the scripture manifests the Daoist doctrine of "kalpic cycles" (jieyun), revealing the perpetual process of cosmic destruction and renewal.

This scripture expounds the Daoist cosmological theory of temporal cycles and kalpas (cosmic periods):

Mount Kunlun (the sacred mountain of Daoist legend) serves as the central axis of the four directions. The text measures spatial distances in units of "thousand": the span between one Kunlun peak to another counts as a single unit. Accumulating one thousand such units constitutes a "minor thousand," three minor thousands form a "middle thousand," and three middle thousands compose a "great chiliocosm"—thus originating the concept of the "three thousand worlds," each governed by ten perfected immortals.

Regarding temporal cycles, the formation and destruction of heaven and earth constitute one kalpa cycle. This cycle divides into upper, middle, and lower eras (sanyuan), each containing three calamities (disaster cycles), totaling nine great cataclysms. The specific durations are:

• Upper Era's three calamities: 810,000 years, 640,000 years, 490,000 years
• Middle Era's three calamities: 360,000 years, 250,000 years, 160,000 years

(Note: The lower era section remains incomplete in the original text)

These kalpa cycles operate with immutable regularity, beyond even heaven and earth's power to alter. When a kalpa arrives, all things undergo destruction and renewal—just as Mount Kunlun itself experiences the vicissitudes of geological transformation within the cosmic ocean. Yet the Dao (ultimate truth) remains eternally unchanging, transcending all cyclical kalpas while standing alone in perpetual existence.

The Celestial Worthy (Daoism's supreme deity) explains that when these cycles reach their terminus, the phenomena of cosmic destruction and universal renewal inevitably occur. The scripture particularly emphasizes how these predetermined kalpa durations constitute inviolable cosmic laws.

This scripture expounds the Daoist theoretical system concerning temporal cycles and kalpic calamities (disasters). The content is organized into several key sections:

First, it explains the temporal concept of "Three Origins and Nine Calamities": The Lower Origin (a Daoist temporal unit) is divided into upper, middle, and lower phases, corresponding respectively to cycles of 3.39 million years, 2.24 million years, and 10,000 years. At the conclusion of each phase, inevitable calamities occur—these are fixed destinies that cannot be altered.

The text then details three major disasters:

1. Every 3,000 years, a great catastrophe strikes, causing massive civilian deaths with unburied corpses littering the land

2. Every 1,000 years, a medium disaster eliminates half the population

3. Every 100 years, minor disasters bring widespread warfare with accompanying casualties

Six cyclical calamities are also described:

• Disasters occurring every 360, 300, 240, 180, 120, and 60 years

Within these cycles manifest three minor calamities:

• Every 30 years: conflagrations, cattle plagues, and grain price surges
• Every 12 years: livestock trade disruptions and grain reserve crises
• Every 6 years: textile devaluation coupled with wheat and rice inflation

The scripture emphasizes these kalpic disasters cannot be averted through ritual supplication (sacrificial elimination), but wise observers may avoid them by recognizing cyclical patterns. Practical recommendations include:

1. Stockpiling provisions against famine

2. Following virtuous sages

3. Selecting auspicious dwelling sites

4. Avoiding perilous territories

Finally, it discusses the nature of Dao (Dao-xing): While all beings possess the potential for enlightenment (the latent capacity for realizing Dao), during this Dharma-ending age (period of spiritual decline), only those maintaining compassionate hearts and steadfast practice at Daoist centers (cultivation sites) can attain realization. The text employs the metaphor of seeds surviving water immersion through inherent vitality to illustrate how those who prioritize fundamental cultivation can transcend these cyclical catastrophes.

This scripture primarily discusses the varying levels of attainment among beings who cultivate the Dao. Through a question-and-answer format, it explains:

Even when practitioners attain immortality and become transcendents (xian), they can only reach the title of "World-Honored One" (shizun). The state of complete unity with the Dao is exceedingly difficult to achieve. Just as a hungry person forgets their hunger once satiated, practitioners often become complacent and stagnant after reaching a certain level of attainment.

Regarding the nature of the Dao (daoxing), the scripture clarifies: The Dao's essence is inherently invisible and can only be revealed through cultivation achievements. Different levels of practice yield varying degrees of understanding—ordinary practitioners (xueshi) perceive merely one ten-thousandth of the Dao's nature, while more advanced disciples (shengwen) and those with perfect enlightenment (yuanjue, Buddhist stages of attainment), though diligent, still have limitations. Only those who reach the state of "knowing advancement while forgetting retreat" can sever all afflictions and fully possess spiritual powers (shentong).

The scripture categorizes practitioners into four levels (sidao): Those in the first three paths (sandaoguo ren) still retain uneliminated habitual tendencies, particularly attachments to family and loved ones (called "leaks"), which hinder progress in cultivation. Only those who reach the fourth path and beyond can shine as brightly as the midday sun, having severed all attachments and obstructions.

Finally, an analogy illustrates this: Just as the sun inevitably rises from dawn to noon, practitioners free from leaks and obstructions will certainly achieve complete perfection.