《太上靈寶淨明飛仙度人經法釋例》

This passage is drawn from the Taishang Lingbao Jingming Feixian Duren Jingfa Shili, annotated by Xu Xun (also known as Xu Jingyang), patriarch of the Jingming Daoist tradition. It expounds on the mystery of the "Natural Jade Characters":

The fundamental "Great Brahma Qi" (Xiantian Yuanqi, Primordial Energy) of the cosmos is formless and imageless, yet gives birth to all things. Transcending the state of primordial chaos, it exists in an imperceptible mystical realm as the foundational force that creates heaven and earth, operates Yin-Yang, generates sun and moon and stars, drives seasonal cycles, and harmonizes the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). This primordial energy nurtures the Dao of Central Harmony, manifesting through various auspicious forms. The sages established their teachings by observing these natural phenomena.

Ancient sage-kings like the Yellow Emperor and Fuxi gained enlightenment by studying celestial patterns and terrestrial formations (such as the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams). When Cangjie created writing by imitating bird tracks, supernatural occurrences followed—"ghosts wept at night and dragons hid in fear." These were not artificial constructs but revelations of the natural Dao.

The scripture reveals: Those who truly comprehend this natural Dao can transcend temporal and spatial constraints—ascending to heaven, roaming the earth, riding the radiance of sun and moon, and treading the Gangbu (a Daoist cultivation term referring to practice utilizing stellar energies). The profundity of this "Great Brahma Qi" eludes ordinary understanding. Only during Yuan Shi Tianzun's (the supreme Daoist deity) kalpic revelations to save humanity are such truths transmitted through scriptures like the Lingbao and Dadong classics.

The text concludes: Those who encounter these scriptures in this life must have previously heard celestial music in heavenly realms. By treasuring human incarnation, recognizing the difficulty of cultivation, and refining the primordial Lingqi (Numinous Energy) to return it to the Dantian (Yuangong, Primordial Palace), one's true nature reunites with its source. This resembles the cultivation state of "the perfected being returning to their ancestral abode."

This scripture recounts the origins and essential practices of the Supreme Lingbao Jingming Feixian Duren Jingfa (Scripture of the Flying Immortal's Salvation Methods from the Numinous Treasure's Pure Brightness). Originally expounded by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, the supreme deity in Daoism) and later compiled by the Dao Lord, the scripture itself has existed since ancient times, though its cultivation methods remained secret until celestial deities from the Sun and Moon Palaces systematized the practices based on its core principles.

The author explains that revealing these esoteric methods—despite the risk of disclosing celestial secrets—is an act of compassion to universally deliver sentient beings. The scripture is divided into three parts:

1. Xuwei (Subtle Discourses), one volume representing Heaven, expounds profound principles.

2. Shili (Exemplary Explanations), two volumes representing Earth, details concrete cultivation methods.

3. Xujing (Scriptural Discourses), four volumes symbolizing the four seasons, forms the main body of the text.

Key cultivation insights include:

• Written characters are condensations of Qi (primordial energy), while talismans (Fulu) distill the essence of these characters.
• Talismans must be drawn with cinnabar, and incantations recited with sincerity to commune with spirits.
• The crux of practice lies in harmonizing one’s personal Qi with cosmic Qi, attaining the state of “spirit and Qi merging as one” (Shen-Qi Xianghe).
• Methods like ingesting talismanic characters (Fufu) and visualization (Cunxiang) align the practitioner with the upright Qi of Heaven and Earth.

The text concludes by observing that the Dao (Dao) is fundamentally formless, undifferentiated, and beyond enumeration. Only through differentiation do written characters and forms emerge. In its unmanifest state, it is pure primordial Qi; when manifest, its clear and light aspects ascend as Heaven, while turbid and heavy aspects descend as Earth. The entire cosmos’s transformations are ultimately encapsulated within the single character for “Heaven” (Tian).

(Note: Cunsi [visualization] is a core Daoist practice involving focused contemplation of deities or internal Qi dynamics; Fufu [talisman ingestion] refers to consuming ash from burned talismans or absorbing their energy through intention.)

This scripture primarily elucidates the correspondence between heaven-earth-all things and the human body, along with the fundamental principles of cultivation:

"Earth" represents the two qi of Yin-Yang, while "human" embodies the Dao of the Three Powers (heaven-earth-humanity). These three interact dynamically: the primal qi of heaven disperses to form the movements of stars, earth's primal qi scatters to create mountains, rivers, and vegetation, while human primal qi generates birds, beasts, insects, and fish. All existence contains three levels - qi (one), form (two), and name (three).

Human life originates from the qi of the Great Brahma (cosmic source). Sages established teachings by comprehending this principle. Practitioners of the Dao understand that their own being is likewise a condensation of Great Brahma qi, and that the luminosity of their spirit (shen) equally stems from its pure essence. When the microcosm of the human body resonates with the macrocosm of heaven and earth, one naturally aligns with the seasonal cycles, and internal qi flows spontaneously.

The text employs alchemical metaphors: the body's vital essences (lead and mercury, representing jing and qi) unite with heaven-earth's refined energies through talismanic writing (fuzi), saliva as energy conduit (qi-jin), and scripture recitation (dongzhang). True comprehension of these forms, sounds, and flavors leads to the state of "abundant chamber and fulfilled intent" - signifying cultivation's perfection.

The "Chapter of Spontaneous Perfection" further clarifies: both cosmos and human form are manifestations of primal qi. The sun and moon correspond to eyes; mountains and rivers mirror qi channels and bones; heaven-earth's Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) resonate with the five viscera's movements. This heaven-humanity correspondence forms the crucial theoretical foundation for Daoist cultivation practices.

This scripture elucidates the correspondence between the human body and the cosmic order, as well as the path to achieving the state of cosmic harmony through cultivation:

The human body mirrors celestial movements, with the five organs corresponding to the four seasons. Understanding this cosmic pattern nurtures life, while violating it harms vitality. Cultivation requires aligning with heaven and earth's intrinsic nature, allowing the body's primordial Qi (innate energy) to merge with cosmic energies. Specific methods include:

1. Visualization Practice (Contemplative Cultivation):

• Visualize three-colored Qi: Azure (heart-fire merging with liver-wood) emanating from the crown, white (kidney-water merging with lung-metal) rising from the soles, and yellow (the harmonizing Qi of spleen-earth) radiating from the navel.
• Conjure symbolic images: the lion (representing lung's majestic authority) and white crane (embodying liver's benevolent virtue). When these visions crystallize, spiritual communion occurs.

2. Body-Cosmos Correspondences:

• The throat resembles twelve-tiered jade towers; the mouth becomes the Purple Portal (sacred gateway)
• The spleen's position marks the Alchemical Chamber (core cultivation site), while kidneys form the foundation
• Five-organ Qi dynamics: kidney Qi stabilizes → lung Qi responds → heart-liver essences fuse

3. Cultivation Effects:

• Attaining the "chewing sun and moon" state (assimilating celestial essences)
• Opening heart orifices, smoothing pulmonary Qi circulation
• Kidney Qi synchronizing with the Big Dipper's energy
• Spleen attaining spiritual sensitivity, liver brimming with righteous Qi

4. Advanced Realms:

• Through focused visualization and breath regulation, summoning wind and clouds becomes possible
• Receiving divine guidance to transcend mundanity
• During nocturnal cultivation, perceiving meteorological transformations across the Thirty-Two Heavens (Daoist cosmological planes)
• These celestial realms fundamentally manifest the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and nine Yang-Qi transformations

Core principle: By harmonizing the five organs' Qi mechanisms, internal cultivation synchronizes with cosmic rhythms, ultimately achieving the transcendent state of inner-outer resonance and cosmic unity.

This scripture elucidates the correspondence between the human body and natural cosmology, along with the cultivation principles of the Five Phases' generative and restrictive cycles:

The human skull contains thirty-two joints, corresponding to thirty-two acupoints on the crown (known as the "Thirty-Two Heavens"). These acupoints each correspond to the Five Phases' colors: yellow represents Earth, white represents Metal, red represents Fire, green represents Wood, and black represents Water. When the Qi (vital energy) of different acupoints intermingles, new color combinations emerge: yellow and green blend into jade-green, black and green form deep-blue, green and white create pale-blue, while black and red combine into purple.

The four directions of heaven and earth each govern specific functions: the East governs germination, the South governs growth, the West governs harvesting, and the North governs storage. For instance, the northeastern "Heaven of August Ancestry" (Huangzeng Tian) should theoretically combine green and black but manifests yellow instead, as this marks the starting point of all creation (corresponding to the Yellow Bell pitch). The eastern "Heaven of Harmonious Yang" (Heyang Tian) should blend green and red but appears white, symbolizing the dawn of civilization. In the southwest, the "Heaven of Ascendant Void" (Kongsheng Tian) blends red and white into purple, representing the transformation of Yin and Yang.

The distribution of the five internal organs mirrors cosmic patterns, with the Qi of Five Phases (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) following their generative and restrictive cycles: Water nourishes Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire produces Earth, Earth bears Metal, and Metal in turn generates Water. Practitioners must master breath regulation to align with these Five Phases cycles, transforming negative thoughts into virtuous ones. When the Five Qi harmonize and the Five Virtues (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness) are perfected, one attains immortality. Conversely, indulgence without cultivation leads to posthumous suffering as wandering spirits.

The key to immortality lies in upholding righteous conduct and accumulating merit (De). Through breath regulation and alignment with natural laws, practitioners transform body and mind, ultimately achieving the state of celestial ascension.

This passage comes from the Daoist scripture Explanation of the Supreme Lingbao Jingming's Method for Transcendents to Deliver Humanity, conveying that:

The so-called methods of "delivering humanity" (helping others achieve spiritual cultivation) are merely tools used by realized adepts to guide sentient beings. Just as fish traps (Quan) and rabbit snares (Ti) are but instruments, the true essence of practice lies in comprehending the Dao itself rather than clinging to specific techniques. This scripture explains concrete examples of how to apply the Jingming School's (an important Daoist lineage) Flying Transcendent methods to liberate beings.

(Note: The term "Quan-Ti" refers to Zhuangzi's famous metaphor about discarding tools after achieving their purpose; "Jingming" denotes a Daoist school flourishing during the Song-Yuan periods that emphasizes loyalty/filial piety as foundation and cultivates both internal and external practice)