《靈寶歸空訣》

The Lingbao Guankong Jue (Precious Scripture on Returning to Emptiness) Explained in Plain Language

(This classic was compiled by the Yuan Dynasty Daoist master Zhao Yizhen, an important transmitter of the Lingbao lineage in Daoism)

Main Content:

Superior practitioners who have attained mastery in cultivation are like heroic figures capable of freely controlling life and death—their destiny lies entirely in their own hands. Intermediate practitioners, though also cultivating the Dao, must still maintain clear awareness when facing death.

Methods for Determining Lifespan:

1. Crown Perception Method: During New Year's Eve or midnight meditation, focus intently on observing the "Great Radiance Pass" (a vital acupoint at the crown of the head). If you hear sounds resembling thunderclaps or skull splitting, the number of sounds indicates remaining lifespan: three sounds signify three years, two sounds two years, one sound one year.

2. Occipital Tapping Method: At the same hour, cover both ears with your hands and tap the back of your head 36 times with your index fingers. Hearing drumbeats indicates good health; bells mean three years, chimes one year, cicada sounds one hundred days, while earthworm noises signify only seven days remain.

3. Physical Signs Observation:

• No response from occipital tapping with limp neck (called "Mount Kunlun Collapsing")
• Left hand pressed against forehead shows expanding arm shadow
• Teeth tapping produces no sound
• No light visible when flicking eyelids in darkness (called "Sun-Moon Losing Radiance")
• Cessation of pulse before the ears (called "Reeling in the Fishing Rod")
• Drying up of sublingual fluids (called "Caoxi Stream Depleted")
• Inability to see one's shadow during nighttime incense offerings

These are all considered signs of impending life exhaustion. Practitioners use these methods to foresee their time of return, preparing adequately for transcendence.

(Note: These methods integrate Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) practice with Chan Buddhist thought. "Caoxi" refers to the Sixth Patriarch Huineng's Chan center, here metaphorically representing the body's vital energy source.)

The Lingbao Guankong Jue (Scripture of Returning to Emptiness) describes the physical signs and corresponding practices for adepts approaching death:

When a person's shadow no longer appears on either side (known as "the shadow not following the form"), this signals impending departure. First the left kidney (called the Yin Mother) sinks into the abdomen, followed the next day by the right kidney (the Yang Father) in a process lasting seven days. If both kidneys sink simultaneously, death will occur within half a day. When the kidneys descend again at the final moment—termed "Yin-Yang urging" or "the precipice"—one must tightly bind the legs with silk or cotton cords to prevent complete abdominal sinking, thus delaying bodily decay. The cessation of the Five Organs' functions marks the soul's imminent departure.

If urination brings excruciating kidney contraction—with men feeling pain in the left foot and women in the right—this agony is called "the Hell Pass" or "Life Gate severance." One must sit upright with focused awareness, pressing hands firmly against the heart to maintain clarity until the pain subsides after approximately half a day.

When the body experiences crawling-ant or slithering-snake sensations reaching the heart region—causing bone-joint pain and mental confusion in three to five recurring episodes (called "all desires leaving the body")—this indicates the dissipation of worldly attachments. Here, absolute mental composure is essential, as the slightest negligence may lead to unfortunate rebirths.

During nighttime meditation, burn incense to self-examine. Should two or three death signs appear, bathe in peach-wood infused water, change clothes, drink white tea, and sit quietly. Continuously observe for other extraordinary visions. This entire process demands utmost vigilance—no subtle sign should be overlooked.

This scripture describes the various illusory visions one may encounter at the moment of death and their corresponding antidotes:

When life approaches its end, if you feel yourself departing yet not completely gone, drink one or two sips of pure water to calm the spirit (Shen). At this time, various figures and scenes will appear to lure you into the karmic paths of rebirth. You must steadfastly maintain your original mind—neither clinging in desire nor shrinking in fear.

During the dying process, each part of the body transforms into different ghostly manifestations: the eyes become the Nameless Ghost, ears the Who-Is-There Ghost, nose the Dead-Tree Ghost, tongue the Swift-Army Ghost, body the Contemplating Ghost, and heart the Male-Female Ghost. These spectral beings all arise from your own mind—they are not external entities. This fundamental truth must first be understood.

Possible illusory visions include:

• Seeing buddhas, bodhisattvas or ceremonial processions welcoming you: These are demonic illusions from external paths
• Encountering past enemies or seeing yellow/white/red roads: These are karmic-path demon realms
• Perceiving lamplight: Manifestations of internal demonic obstructions
• Finding yourself in wilderness: Foretells rebirth in the human realm
• Seeing relatives and sisters: Indicates entering the cycle of rebirth
• Witnessing carriages and horses: Portends rebirth as oxen or horses
• Beholding palaces: Signals rebirth as pigs or sheep
• Meeting figures in yellow/white robes: Predicts rebirth as cats or dogs
• Seeing yellow banners with leopard tails: Indicates rebirth as wild beasts
• Encountering elephants: Foretells rebirth as foxes
• Hearing flute music: Signals rebirth as earthworms or cicadas
• Hearing drum music: Portends rebirth as birds or insects
• Finding yourself in pleasure quarters: Indicates rebirth as snakes
• Arriving at crowded marketplaces: Foretells entering the animal realm
• Seeing wine, meat or food: Warns of falling into the hungry ghost realm
• Smelling exquisite fragrances: Indicates ascending to heavenly realms
• Seeing parents and relatives: Signals entering the Six Desire Heavens
• Meeting golden-armored deities: Means qualifying as a celestial being

All these visions are projections of your own consciousness attempting to seduce you—they are not the true path. The crucial point is to maintain unwavering mind, free from grasping or fear, neither seizing nor loving. A single stray thought can plunge you into rebirth. Even if you feel as though being cleaved by an axe, remain unshaken and firmly guard your original mind. Ultimately you will see the path illuminated by lightning—proceed decisively toward it to attain the Pure Land.

Special warning: Never drink tea or "soul-bewitching potions" offered by shadowy figures—this is the most dangerous illusion.

This scripture primarily teaches practitioners how to maintain their original pure nature and avoid falling into cyclic rebirth. The core message can be understood as follows:

The first passage warns practitioners to be particularly cautious: when encountering food or tea offered by women—whether given freely or sold—accepting and consuming such offerings will lead one to fall into lower realms of existence. One must resolutely refuse and discard them, for only then can the ability to remember past-life karma be preserved.

The "four categories of noble practitioners" mentioned in the text refer to two traditions:

1. Daoism: male and female monastics (daoshi), and male and female lay practitioners

2. Buddhism: bhikkhus (monks), bhikkhunis (nuns), upasakas (male lay devotees), and upasikas (female lay devotees)

The scripture explains that the physical body is ultimately impermanent, while the "six thieves" represent sensory desires: the eyes craving beauty, ears longing for pleasing sounds, nose seeking fragrances, tongue desiring flavors, body chasing pleasures, and mind indulging in fantasies. These desires obscure one's true nature, and when particularly strong, they manifest as the "Three Corpse Worms," binding people to attachments and trapping them in the suffering of samsara.

The text emphasizes that spiritual practice requires the same fierce determination as ancient generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei—not through martial prowess, but through wisdom to subdue desires. When one sees through sensory illusions, the indestructible "Dharma Body" (one's true nature) becomes apparent. At this stage, even the decay of the physical form cannot affect the awakened being's true essence. This is the realm of the "Great Dharma King of Non-Birth."

The entire scripture instructs practitioners to strictly uphold precepts, see through desires, and through courageous diligence realize their original face—transcending the cycle of birth and death.

In this human existence, once the physical form takes shape, it is destined to decay and perish. A hundred years pass as fleetingly as a dream. At life's end, if one's mind remains clouded and confused, one will inevitably follow the karmic forces accumulated during life into the cycle of rebirth, finding it difficult to attain liberation. This is what we call the impermanence of life and death, and the dreadfulness of samsara.

Regarding the method of "returning to emptiness" (referring to death and transcendence), there have been transmitted teachings throughout history, some attributed to Bodhidharma. However, examining the text reveals disjointed and incoherent content, unlike Mahayana Buddhist doctrine. Moreover, since Bodhidharma came from the West precisely to teach "not establishing words and letters" (the Zen tradition's emphasis on direct realization beyond scriptures), this text was likely falsely attributed to him by later generations.

Now, based on older versions and referencing other records, I have corrected errors, eliminated redundancies, and compiled a seven-character mnemonic verse in fourteen chapters, each containing four lines for easy memorization. Each chapter also includes detailed annotations. Those fortunate enough to encounter this text should treasure and keep it secret, not carelessly revealing it. Awaken quickly—see through childhood habits, maintain non-attachment when facing external circumstances, perform good deeds widely, and plant wholesome roots. In daily life, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, strictly observe precepts and maintain samadhi (a focused, tranquil state of mind), neither forcing nor indulging. When such genuine practice accumulates sufficiently, innate wisdom will manifest, enabling one to master life and death in the present moment.

When the time comes, guard the crucial point (the Mysterious Pass, referring to key cultivation points or timing), observe the signs of life and death, and depart with ease. This is the way of great beings—such a method of returning to emptiness truly aids liberation. Yet we must understand that even among cultivators, some meet unfortunate ends: Master Guo Jingchun, though enlightened, still suffered execution; Zen Master Dahui, though realizing mind-nature, died from sudden illness. Conversely, some ordinary people who never practiced cultivation can foresee their death and pass peacefully. All this stems from past karma, resolved according to each individual's circumstances.

Worldly people often criticize the spiritual path based on how practitioners meet their end—this lacks wisdom. True awakened ones have minds united with the Dao; they remain unshaken even facing swords or poison. Their true nature (dharmakaya) already transcends the mundane—even if their physical body meets mishap, it causes no obstruction. But if ordinary minds remain uncleansed and wisdom unopened, at life's end one will still be muddled like a dreamer, finding genuine liberation difficult.

The Lingbao Guikong Jue (Scripture on Returning to Emptiness) discusses the practitioner's attitude toward the illusory realms of life and death. The essential meaning is this:

Ordinary people become entangled in worldly desires, losing their way in the cycle of birth and death, while advanced cultivators (the "four grades" refer to progressive stages of practice) can see through the dreamlike transformations of this world, understanding how difficult it truly is to escape the sea of suffering (the Buddhist concept of samsara). The scripture urges people to awaken early and join in crossing over to the shore of enlightenment.

The concluding gatha (a Buddhist verse form) summarizes: Life and death follow natural laws, fundamentally unrelated to worldly affairs—all suffering arises from attachment and craving. The method of returning to emptiness (the Daoist view of primordial void as the source of all things) ultimately transcends fixed techniques, just as the sun's rising and setting are part of one seamless cycle.

The title Lingbao Guikong Jue signifies: Through the cultivation methods of the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) tradition—a major Daoist school—one returns to the fundamental emptiness underlying all phenomena.