《太上妙始經》

The Taishang Miaoshi Jing (Scripture of the Wondrous Primordial) Explained in Plain Language:

The Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) declares: The Dao (the Way) originates from a state beyond form, name, sound, color, or taste. Rooted in emptiness, it arises spontaneously, founded upon the subtle and mysterious primordial Qi (vital energy). The Dao possesses boundless power, without distinctions of inner or outer, above or below, before or after. In stillness, it exists as undifferentiated unity, present even before heaven and earth took form. So profoundly mysterious and unfathomable it defies verbal description, thus we name it "Dao."

When the Dao coalesces, it forms primordial Qi; when dispersing, it creates heaven and earth. Every 360 billion years, heaven and earth reunite. As cosmic cycles near their end, yang essence transforms into fire while yin essence becomes water—first celestial flames descend from the sixth heaven to the ninth earth, then floods engulf all existence, returning the myriad beings to primordial chaos. After another 360 billion years, the chaos separates anew: the pure, light Qi ascends to form heaven while the turbid, heavy Qi condenses into earth. Heaven's essence crystallizes as sun and moon, whose refined energies in turn manifest as stars and the twenty-eight lunar mansions. Thus emerge the natural rhythms of four seasons, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the sixty-year cycle, and twelve daily hours.

When heaven and earth's Qi intermingle, life emerges—humankind, beasts, plants, and insects. The Five Sacred Mountains and Four Great Rivers take form alongside thirty-six immortal mountains, governing clouds and rains. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors appear, and generations of common people multiply. This eternal cycle of Qi's gathering and scattering continues without end, persisting for countless billions of years.

When heaven and earth finally perish, all existence returns to emptiness. Only realized adepts and Daoist masters, through immeasurable merit cultivated in practice, transcend life and death within the Mysterious Primordial Realm of the Nine Heavens, transforming freely with the primordial Qi. Then the cosmos contains only divine beings and Qi—with the Dao remaining as supreme principle. Beyond the six directions of space, the universe resembles an egg or spinning wheel, its primordial Qi circulating like a solar halo, all being manifestations of primordial Jing (essence).

The Scripture of the Supreme Wondrous Origin describes a grand cosmological structure:

Mount Kunlun (the sacred mountain of Daoist legend) spans eighteen thousand li in circumference, its entire form composed of gold, lapis lazuli, and crystal. The palaces, plants, trees, birds, and beasts upon it all manifest the shapes of the Seven Treasures (a Buddhist concept of seven precious materials). This is the dwelling place of the Celestial Emperor, who oversees the records of the thirty-six thousand kinds of divine spirits and the life and death of all beings.

Above Mount Kunlun lie the "Nine Heavens" (Jiutian, the nine celestial realms of Daoism), each with countless layers, yet none exceeding the ultimate number of nine. The palaces of these heavens float in the air, and their inhabitants possess bodies of emptiness, capable of flight, far-seeing, subtle hearing, and transformation. The "Three Heavens" (Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing—the Three Pure Ones) represent the highest realm of the true Dao, where only those of the greatest merit may reside. The other heavens are assigned according to the virtue and accomplishments of their inhabitants.

Beneath Mount Kunlun lie the "Nine Earths" (Jiudi, the nine subterranean realms), each layer supported by water and wind, totaling nine in all. The earthquakes of the present world are caused by the shifting of these winds and waters. When a ruler possesses great merit or governs tyrannically, heaven and earth tremble in response, and the spirits take notice. Below the Nine Earths lie the ghostly courts and hells, while even within the Nine Heavens there exist prisons.

Above the Nine Heavens dwell the immortals and sages, while below them reside the spirits and ghosts, governed by demonic officials, each with their own rulers maintaining perfect order. The Gate of Heaven lies in the northwest, and the Door of Earth in the southeast, positioned directly opposite each other.

The eastern region is called Juntian (Heaven of Balance), containing eighty-one kingdoms spanning eighty-one thousand li; the southern region is Yantian (Heaven of Flame), with sixty-four kingdoms across sixty-four thousand li; the western region is Sutian (Heaven of Purity), with forty-nine kingdoms across forty-nine thousand li; and the northern region is Xuantian (Heaven of Mystery), with twenty-five kingdoms spanning twenty-five thousand li. The inhabitants and territories of these four heavens differ greatly, while the sun, moon, stars, Five Sacred Peaks (Wuyue), Four Great Rivers (Sidu), and twenty-six mountains are all governed by the Three Heavens.

The Scripture of the Supreme Wondrous Origin elucidates the relationship between human conduct during life and posthumous destiny, while outlining the fundamental structure of the cosmos.

The scripture states: Human destinies vary because each person's accumulation of virtue and transgression differs—matters never recorded in ordinary texts. Since ancient times, heaven-born sages required no written doctrines to teach. Within a nation, the natural order exists where rulers and subjects, fathers and sons, noble and base, good and evil each have their place. Yet common people endure the greatest hardships: toiling at plowing and weaving, bearing tax burdens and corvée labor, suffering hunger and thirst, illness, oppression by officials, and the agony of life and death.

Those who uphold Daoist precepts (Daoke) during life shall ascend seven days after death to celestial abodes of blessing (Fudi), dwelling peacefully within Dao-Qi, exempt from punishment. Their blessings extend to descendants, and may even absolve seven generations of ancestral sins. Should they reincarnate as humans, they will invariably be born into wealth and nobility.

Conversely, those who commit evil deeds descend to hell for judgment after death, where their souls endure manifold torments, repaying sins through bitter labor. Upon rebirth, they inevitably enter families of poverty, low status, and ignorance.

The scripture further describes cosmic architecture: Beyond Mount Kunlun (the Daoist sacred mountain) and the Four Heavens lies the Iron Encircling Mountain, beyond which stretches the "Eight Dark Realms" untouched by sunlight or moonlight. These are governed by the Lord of Mount Tai (ruler of the underworld), overseeing various hells. The deceased first arrive here for their sins and blessings to be recorded before assignment to appropriate hells for punishment. These realms contain boiling oil cauldrons, grinding wheels, bronze pillars, iron spikes, swords, and other unspeakable tortures.

Beyond these regions, past the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths, the four directions of Kunlun, and the Six Directions (cardinal directions and vertical axis), only primordial Qi (the cosmic source-energy) encircles the void—a mystery even sages cannot fully comprehend. Earth-Qi manifests as yellow, governing the center; thus Mount Kunlun functions like an axle hub around which the Six Directions revolve.

Presently, the sun and moon rise from Tang Valley, where a Fusang tree stands. At dawn, the sun ascends to its crown before traversing the sky, setting at Mengsi at dusk. Both Tang Valley and Mengsi are aquatic realms connected to subterranean waters, enabling the earth to resonate with celestial movements. The solar and lunar cycles, their waxing and waning, and the perpetual cycle of life and death within heaven and earth ceaselessly unfold within the Six Directions.

The text concludes with an admonition: To escape the tribulations of the Three Officials (heaven, earth, and water deities governing human fortunes), one must strictly observe precepts and honor the master's teachings. The Dao never deceives; it eternally abides in the world, delivering beings across generations. The Dao may manifest as emperors, officials, commoners, the disabled, beggars, beasts, elders, or stars—often unrecognizable to mortal eyes.

The Scripture of the Supreme Wondrous Origin expounds the relationship between humans and the cosmos, as well as the principle of karmic retribution:

If a practitioner persistently accumulates virtue (De) through good deeds and perfects their merit, they may achieve celestial ascension in broad daylight (becoming a liberated transcendent, or shijie xian). Those who fail to do so will experience ordinary death when their lifespan concludes. Human destiny is predetermined, and one should not resent the Dao of Heaven. Celestial beings in the heavenly realms stand thirteen feet tall, while ordinary humans do not exceed eight feet, and spirits measure below five feet.

The human body corresponds to Heaven and Earth. Within it reside thirty-six thousand spirit deities (Daoism holds that every part of the body is guarded by divine beings), eighteen thousand palaces (referring to the body's organ systems), and three hundred sixty joints. The ten-month gestation period aligns with the ten directions of the cosmos. The human face mirrors the forms of the Five Sacred Peaks and Four Great Rivers (symbolizing facial features as mountains and waterways), embodies the symbolism of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) and Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the cyclical signs of the sixty Jiazi and twelve celestial stems (ancient timekeeping methods), and is composed of the Four Elements (wind, fire, water, earth). Only through the harmonious union of these four elements, combined with the yin-yang interaction of parents and the convergence of myriad spirits, can a fetus form. Wrapped in the amniotic sac—called the "entangling net"—the fetus retains memories of past lives before birth, which are forgotten upon its first cry.

In life, movement, blood circulation, and bodily warmth all result from the workings of the Four Elements. In death: wind (Qi) scatters, leaving the body cold; fire (warmth) extinguishes, causing blood to coagulate; water (fluids) ceases flowing; and earth (the physical form) stiffens. Animals too are influenced by yin-yang and the Five Phases, but their incomplete endowment renders them inferior. At birth, harmonious Qi coalesces to form the body; at death, a fierce wind disperses it—such is the principle of life and death.

The Dao of Heaven operates spontaneously. The karmic consequences of human deeds, whether good or evil, follow as inevitably as a shadow trails its form or an echo answers a sound. To attain the Dao, one must concentrate on contemplating the Way of True Unity (the highest realm of Daoist cultivation). The laws of Heaven are pure and impartial, not to be recklessly interfered with. The Dao is ever-present among humanity, though people remain unaware. On the first, fifteenth, and final days of each lunar month, the Celestial Emperor dispatches the Sixfold Registry Envoys (heavenly inspectors) to observe human conduct and record virtues and transgressions. Therefore, act with utmost caution—be ever vigilant!

Laozi said: Since the creation of heaven and earth, I have expounded millions of scriptures. Some were stored in jade caskets and stone chambers of the Orchid Terrace (the imperial library of the Han dynasty), while countless others remained secret and never transmitted to the world. During the chaotic decline of King You of Zhou's reign, I came to the Hangu Pass and taught Daoist arts to Yin Xi, the guardian of the pass. After Yin Xi attained the Dao and became a perfected being (zhenren), I led him westward to the lands of the Hu people.

We first practiced cultivation at Mount Yangu in Jibin (ancient northwest India). When the local king sent men to set the mountain ablaze, we remained unharmed. I manifested my Dharma form—my body transparent as empty space, radiating sunlight from my crown, displaying the indestructible vajra form with eighty-one majestic marks. Only then did the king submit and accept the Daoist teachings. Later, I composed the 40,000-character Prajñāpāramitā Sutra for the Hu people, along with thirty chapters of the 5,000-character Dao De Jing.

Continuing with Yin Xi to Śrāvastī, on the eighth day of the fourth month I transformed into a prince. At fifteen, I renounced the throne to cultivate the Dao, attaining realization as Śākyamuni Buddha—for "Buddha" in Hu language means "immortal" (xian) in Chinese. Yin Xi took the name Ānanda, leading 1,250 śramaṇa disciples known as bodhisattvas—what we now call cultivators of the Dao.

After teaching the Hu people, I ascended through corpse-liberation (shijie, a Daoist method of transcendence) on the fifteenth of the fifth month, with my spirit residing in the Muddy Pellet Palace (niwan gong, the upper Dantian). The Muddy Pellet represents the realm of non-action (wuwei), where the Great Dao has no fixed form. Sometimes I manifest as Śākyamuni Buddha, sometimes as the layman Vimalakīrti, sometimes as a wheel-turning sage king—countless transformations for teaching beings.

To honor the Dharma, people built pagodas (stūpas) and crafted divine images from painted woodcarvings. Returning to the Central Plains, I became known as the "Supreme Great Dao of Non-Action." "Supreme" (taishang) means unsurpassed. The Venerable Lord (Laojun) declares his existence prior to heaven and earth—called "Ancient" (lao) for possessing limitless Qi. The Dao values non-action, treasures life and abhors killing, with compassion as its root.

People misunderstand this truth, slaughtering creatures in sacrificial prayers for longevity, abandoning wuwei to pursue purposeful action—thus bringing plagues and diseases, leaving the world unsettled. I shall propagate the Orthodox Unity Covenant Authority (Zhengyi mengwei, core teaching of the Celestial Masters), commanding the 36,000 celestial troops of the eight directions and four seas.

(Note: This scripture blends Daoist and Buddhist elements, reflecting early Daoist "Laozi's Conversion of the Barbarians" legends that identify the Buddha as a transformation of Laozi. "Corpse-liberation" refers to a Daoist transcendence method where the spirit ascends while leaving the physical body; "Muddy Pellet" denotes the upper Dantian at the crown point, considered the spirit's abode.)

This passage expounds the demon-subduing and Dao-protecting methods of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition (also known as the Celestial Master tradition). The core teaching reveals that celestial soldiers and generals (including deities like the Six Ding and Eight Histories spirits) possess the power to vanquish all manner of demonic forces and malevolent entities, with this divine authority originating from the supreme "True One Heavenly Venerable." When these sacred powers manifest, all demonic disturbances in the world naturally cease.

The Daoist transmission emphasizes master-disciple lineage, hence these Zhengyi methods were passed down to Zhang Zhennan (likely a member of the Celestial Master Zhang family). The scripture mandates that descendants must uphold these teachings to guide the people. Male and female Daoist practitioners (daoshi) are entrusted to lead communities, particularly during times of cosmic upheaval when initiates bearing the sacred registers (minglu containing disciple records) must support one another. All cultivators are admonished to diligently study the scriptures and observe the precepts.

The text further explains: The fundamental doctrines of Daoism stem from the Three Caverns scriptures (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen classics). Considering the vast complexity of rituals and precepts that might overwhelm ordinary practitioners, this essential compilation of the Covenant Power Orthodox Methods (key zhaijiao purification rituals) has been distilled to save humanity. These crucial teachings are now revealed to you—receive them with utmost reverence.