《雲笈七籤》Vol. 48

Laojun (the Most High Lord Lao) said, “The inner practice of the Golden Water, based on the transformations of Yin and Yang, can use Yin to set Yang in motion. Master this Daoist art and you can multiply your forms: from one, become countless, and summon six armies in the blink of an eye. Even a hundred billion li away, you can come and go as easily as breathing; ride the clouds and tread upon water, entering and leaving without hindrance. You will be able to see heavenly spirits, earth deities, evil ghosts, ancient demons, and all manner of invisible beings. With focused and careful contemplation, you can also foresee the future. If you can maintain this Daoist art, you can become an immortal king.”

Laojun said, “If you wish to practice the method of the luminous mirror, do not enter places where funerals or childbirth are taking place. Keep your mind and spirit quiet and clear. When bathing, use five kinds of incense and drink a fragrant infusion of orchid and cassia. Do not eat meat, fish, or pungent foods, and do not go near women. Practice in a secluded place, in a quiet room. You must not hear the sounds of carts and horses or of bronze drums and gongs, nor be disturbed by the clamor of birds and beasts. The greatest danger in practicing this Daoist art is disturbance: once interrupted, it is difficult to resume; once it fails, it is difficult to succeed again. During practice, let no distracting thoughts remain in your mind and pay no attention to sounds from outside. Focus your spirit, gaze as though looking and not looking, and keep contemplating subtle principles without growing slack; only then may you succeed.”

Laojun said, “You should prepare a nine-inch luminous mirror. Its surface must have no chips, cracks, stains, or flaws. It must be clear and bright, perfectly shaped, and able to reflect a person’s face. In the past, my master used a mirror one foot and two inches across, placing one in each of the four directions—front, back, left, and right. These were called the ‘Four Regulators.’ This Daoist art is difficult to practice, though success comes quickly; it is also easily ruined by disturbance. If you are startled, a great calamity will follow, and few people can master it. Rongcheng also used a one-foot mirror, placed upright before him. He was able to see some miraculous visions, but this did not enable him to live forever. Shangzi said that placing one nine-inch mirror on each side of the body, called the ‘Sun and Moon,’ could also prolong life.

“If you wish to multiply your forms, vanish while seated, ascend into the Yellow Court—the important inner palace within the body described in Daoist teaching—and live forever; to command the myriad spirits, pass through water and fire, metal and stone, plants and trees, and earth; or even to fly wherever you please, then you should use the Four Regulators method I have described. If you only wish to foresee good and ill fortune and the changes of the sun and moon, the luminous mirror method described earlier will suffice.”

Laojun said, “The way to set up these ritual implements is to place them one and a half feet from yourself, level with your eyebrows. Suspend a purple or blue thread from each, and place flower-infused water beneath them. Be sure everything is level. During practice, keep your eyes open day and night; success is marked by being able to see. You must not close your eyes, because the divine beings may suddenly appear while your eyes are shut, and you may fail to see them in time. You may also lose them, and the spirits may depart. If you suddenly open your eyes and see them without having gradually become accustomed to their presence, you will be startled, and your practice will fail.

“Those who practice the Way of the Four Ritual Implements are certain to see exalted divine beings. Do not teach this method to anyone who is not an accomplished practitioner and a person of utmost truth. The Daoist method I transmit is profoundly secret. If there is no suitable person in the world, it is better not to pass it on even to someone in the Daoist tradition.

“Anyone who wishes to practice the Four Ritual Implements must set them up one and a half feet away and three feet high.

“When practicing the eastern implement, you should see two immortals. They wear caps decorated with red ribbons and have long, narrow faces, high-set ears, and black hair covering their heads and bodies. Do not be alarmed when you see them.

“When practicing the western implement, you should see the Queen Mother of the West, a revered Daoist deity, and the Jade Maidens who attend her.

“When practicing the southern implement, you should see the Primordial Lady of Central Harmony and the Limitless. She has eleven heads covering her body, wears a crown of natural design, and is dressed in red.

“When practicing the northern implement, you should see the Lord of the Celestial Emperor. He has thirteen heads, and the colors of his clothes and cap change with the season.

“Sometimes you will see a man dressed in yellow, wearing a yellow cap and sporting a white beard. He is the Lord of Prolonged Life. If he appears young, he is the Lord of Granted Years.

“Sometimes you will see a young man dressed in red and wearing a red headcloth. He is the Lord of Received Mandate. If he appears elderly, he is the Lord of Destiny.

“Sometimes you will see two deities dressed in yellow feather robes and wearing black caps. They are called the Lords Who Inspect Conduct.

“Sometimes you will see three deities dressed in red feather robes and wearing blue caps. They are called the Lords Who Hear Sounds.

“Sometimes you will see a deity wearing a tall cap, dressed in vermilion, and holding writing materials. He is the Lord Who Oversees Transgressions.

“Sometimes you will see a deity dressed in yellow, wearing a cap that covers his face. He is the Lord Who Adds Years.

“Sometimes you will see two deities wearing red skirts. They are called the Lords Who Observe Appearances.

“Sometimes you will see Jade Maidens dressed in blue, called the Jade Maiden of Beneficent Essence; dressed in black, called the Jade Maiden of the Great Mystery; dressed in red, called the Jade Maiden of Red Jade; and dressed in yellow, called the Jade Maiden of Constant Yang.

“The final sentence of the original breaks off at ‘three boys arrive together, dressed in blue, with purple lower garments.’ This means: ‘Sometimes you will see three boys arrive together, dressed in blue and wearing purple garments below’; the following text would presumably identify them or explain their significance.”

Some are named “Constant Presence,” some “Extinction of the Cavern,” and some “Five Virtues.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see nine Jade Maidens, dressed in five-colored robes, arriving together. Their names are: Shangyi, Hu, Fu, Lingque, Konglin, Ping, Zhu, Duo, and Yuan.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person whose eyes are about three inches in diameter, dressed in a yellow robe and a blue-green lower garment. This is the Lord of the Eyes.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see an infant, two or three feet tall, smiling at you. This is the Youth of the Nine Capitals.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a youth, five or six feet tall, standing and smiling. Above his left side is a naturally formed canopy—a parasol symbolizing good fortune. This is the Youth in the Sun. Above his right side is another naturally formed canopy; this is the Youth in the Moon.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person with the body of a bird and the head of a human, whose body displays the five colors of dark yellow. This is the Supreme Supreme Lord Taiyi, also known as the Father of the Dao.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see nine people, all dressed in blue-green robes and with white hair. These are the Lords of the Limitless Great Origin.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person six feet five inches tall, wearing a horned crown and a white robe with a red collar, patterned with tigers or phoenixes. His surname is Li, his given name Er, and his courtesy name Boyang. He is usually seen at dawn, just before the sky grows light.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person six feet seven inches tall, wearing a Chonghua crown and a white robe with a blue-green lower garment. His name is Li Tan, and his courtesy name is Boyang. He is usually seen at sunrise.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person six feet nine inches tall, wearing a Chonghua crown and robes in five colors. His name is Li, and his courtesy name is Boguang. He is usually seen at breakfast time.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person seven feet two inches tall, wearing a crown that wards off evil and robes of fine gauze shaped like a dragon or serpent. His name is Li Shi, and his courtesy name is Menggong. He is usually seen in midmorning, around nine to eleven.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person seven feet three inches tall, wearing a Flying Dragon crown and vermilion robes. His name is Li Zhongquan, and his courtesy name is Ziwen. He is usually seen at noon.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person seven feet five inches tall, wearing a Sanjie crown and robes the color of vermilion jade. His name is Li Ding, and his courtesy name is Yuanyang. He is usually seen in midafternoon, around one to three.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person eight feet tall, wearing a fur crown and black robes. His name is Li Yuan, and his courtesy name is Boshi. He is usually seen in the late afternoon, around three to five.”

Laojun said, “At times, you may see a person one foot five inches tall, wearing a crown formed naturally and dressed in…” (The original text ends here.)

The spirit called “Dragon and Serpent” is named Li Yuan, courtesy name Yuansheng. Practitioners often see him as the sun is setting.

Laojun said: Sometimes one will see a person nine chi and five cun tall, wearing a crown of natural form and blue-purple clothes. This spirit is named Li De, courtesy name Bowen, and often appears at dusk.

Laojun said: To cultivate the Way of the Bright Mirror, those of superior aptitude can complete the practice in seven days; those of middling aptitude need ten days; and those of lesser aptitude can complete it in one month.

Laojun said: The inner layer of the mirror is made by combining purple and blue to form a round compass nine cun across. The compass itself measures one chi and two cun; this is the mirror.

Laojun said: During cultivation, those of superior aptitude will first see their own image, then the ghosts and spirits in their dwelling, and then the heavenly spirits.

Laojun said: When spirits appear, sometimes only a single figure will show itself, and one must not gaze for long. At most, six or seven spirits may appear. Simply focus on the image reflected within the compass and become familiar with what you see; then you will see the spirits. At that moment, do not speak or bow. Quickly calm yourself, and do not panic or feel afraid.

Laojun said: Those who cultivate this method must not cut down trees in spring or use water to extinguish fire in summer. In the months when the seasons change, do not handle earth. In autumn, do not smelt metal; in winter, do not dam streams or draw wells dry.

Laojun said: Those who cultivate this method must not eat liver in spring, heart in summer, spleen in the months when the seasons change, lungs in autumn, or kidneys in winter. If the spirits of the Five Viscera become angry, they will cloud a person’s mind and shorten their lifespan.

Laojun said: Practice consistently and do not slacken. If you complete the practice in seven days, thereafter perform it once every seventy days. Each time, you must see the spirits as you did on the first day.

Laojun said: This method can restore youth and delay aging.

Laojun said: After seeing the spirits, perform the method once more and you may ask them for the secrets of long life. They will tell you everything, one point at a time.

Laojun said: Once you have completed this Way of the “Four Compasses,” you may perform it using just one compass; there is no need to use all four.

Laojun said: The two youths of the Hidden Gate both wear green headcloths. One ascends into the Northern Pole, while the other descends into the Mysterious Palace. Use the mirror to reflect the corresponding sights.

Laojun said: When cultivating this method, one generally sets the Vermilion Bird above, three chi tall; the Black Tortoise below, five chi tall; the Azure Dragon to the left, nine chi tall; and the White Tiger to the right, seven chi tall. One must also tread upon the forms of the sun and moon.

Laojun said: Do not merely reflect your own image. Have the Vermilion Bird carry a mirror nine cun across in its beak, the Black Tortoise bear a round mirror one chi and two cun across on its back, the Azure Dragon carry the sun in its beak, and the White Tiger carry the moon. Let your own image transform into a dragon and serpent, able to divide itself into multiple forms, and sit upright as you see beyond the Four Seas. The practice is complete only when the true spirits appear.

The Old Lord says: When lighting a lamp at night, sesame oil makes an excellent fuel.

The Old Lord says: If you wish to treat a sick person, or enter the depths of the mountains and fear that mountain spirits and the myriad ghosts may test you, hang a bronze mirror over the door. Beneath the mirror, place a vessel filled with flower water, then lay a sword or blade across the surface of the water, with its edge facing outward. The myriad ghosts will not dare approach. Even if an old demon—a malign spirit that has cultivated power over many years—bursts straight through the doorway, it cannot cross the water and will die at once. Its blood will remain in the water; keep it hidden and do not show it to ordinary people.

The Old Lord says: If you wish to ward off weapons and all manner of evil spirits, cast a round mirror three inches across into a Celestial Talisman, an object embodying the power of Heaven’s realm, and hang it behind you to wear as a charm. On Yin days, place it on your right; on Yang days, on your left. When entering a crowd, you will be able to surpass everyone, and all will hold you in awe. This is a secret method of my Dao.

The Method of the Oath

The Daoist priest So-and-so, of such-and-such monastery in such-and-such village, district, and county, transmitted the Essential Instructions on the Four Rules and the Bright Mirror of the Old Lord to the student So-and-so, of such-and-such village, district, and county. The recipient offered forty feet of white silk, one dou of rice, a bundle of firewood, and five sheng of salt as tokens of the oath. The transmitter was bound to disclose the essential instructions. If the recipient failed to follow them, then after death they would enter the Yellow Springs and swear in accordance with the precepts and statutes of the former master. Both parties vowed to devote themselves to practice and signed their names together as proof. Only after three years, once results had been achieved, could the instructions be passed on; they must not be given to unsuitable people. Anyone who broke the oath would have to seek forgiveness from the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, the deities who govern those realms. Such a person could never become an immortal and must never speak words that betray their roots.

The Method of Illuminating Vision

If you wish to see your own face in a mirror, open the doors and windows slightly so that the room is dimmer than the brighter space outside. Close your eyes for a moment and focus your thoughts on your face. At first, you may see nothing. After a night has passed, your vision will gradually grow deeper and clearer, until you can make out your features and headscarf, and your mind, too, will become clear and lucid.

Dawn and sunset are the best times to look in the mirror. If the sunlight is strong, open the doors and windows slightly and peer into the mirror from a bright place; at such times, no image will appear. If you use a lamp, set it farther away and do not bring it too close. Look into the mirror with your eyes open and observe your body in a bright place. To imagine your face with your eyes closed, stay in a dim place facing toward the light; this makes it easier to see.

The key to looking into the mirror is to lie quietly, gather your spirit, and contemplate with sincerity. Before going to sleep, relax your body for a little while. Then a reddish-yellow light will seem to shine from your forehead, illuminating the whole room. Afterward, you will sense an image, faint and hazy, as though…

When waking or lying down, you may see your face appear in the light, as though you were looking at yourself face to face. After a while, the image disappears. After waking while lying down, you can look in the mirror again; when going to sleep, continue the visualization in the same way as before. Practice like this every night, and gradually you will begin to see visions.

Sometimes, on waking while lying down, you may see two faces turned toward each other; sometimes, you may see your own image divide into two people sitting side by side. Some people, between sleep and waking, see beautiful divine boys and jade maidens, around fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in splendid clothes with well-shaped foreheads. When they appear, bow to them. At times, you may hear a voice beside your ear that foretells good and ill fortune in the world and various other matters; at times, you may see the western wall on the eastern wall; at times, after lying down in the evening, you may dream that you are looking in a mirror; and at times, you may gather in the light and turn your gaze inward to contemplate the five viscera. Begin practicing these visualizations during the hour of Shen, from three to five in the afternoon.

The officials and officers under Lord Bright Mirror number one hundred and twenty, and live in the Palace of Opening Yang. Lord Bright Mirror’s master is the Child of the Two Eyes. The radiance of the children’s essences reflects between them and reveals visions, allowing one to discern good and ill fortune. Lord Bright Mirror is accompanied by three boys and nine maidens. The three boys are six feet tall, and the nine maidens are five feet tall.

The three boys and nine maidens wear the following colors:

Qingyao wears blue; Dangwen wears purple; Neizi wears blue; Suniang wears white; Huangnü wears yellow; Zhangshang wears pale yellow; Daonü wears yellow; Nüying wears red; and Lunü wears deep red.

The Method of the Precious Mirror’s Radiance

After completing the visualization of the spirits at midnight, rise and sit upright to perform this method. Do nothing else at this time. Sit facing Wangping (the text does not specify whether this is a direction or a spirit’s name), clasp your hands firmly in the fist-sealing gesture used in Daoist practice, and gently close your eyes.

Next, visualize a mass of white Qi, each about the size of an egg, within each eye, appearing before you. After a while, the white Qi becomes two bright mirrors, each nine inches in diameter. One shines from the front and the other from behind, illuminating your whole body and the twenty-four spirits within it, making everything clearly visible. Continue the visualization for a time: place the left mirror in front, so it illuminates the spirits’ faces, and the right mirror behind, so it illuminates their backs. The twenty-four spirits appear in the mirrors, each settled in its proper place. Even if you do not recite their names one by one, clearly visualize their appearance, colors, and height.

Then silently recite the invocation in your heart:

“Great Bright Precious Mirror, divide forms and scatter transformations; illuminate the original spirit and subdue the myriad demons. Fly through Highest Clarity, wear the cloud cap, command a thousand spirits, seal the mountains and summon the rivers.”

When you have finished reciting, the light of the mirrors suddenly grows dim, withdraws to the space between your brows and eyes, and then disappears. After that, lie down.

(Continuing from the previous passage) If one often practices in this way, calamities will not occur, and the practitioner will be able to ascend to the rank of an immortal.

The Mirror-Polishing Method

Long ago, there was a Daoist who knew how to polish mirrors. He often traveled among the people, making his living by polishing their mirrors. Whether a mirror was large or small, he charged only six or seven coins each time and accepted no other payment. He simply applied a medicine to the mirror’s surface and rubbed it clean, making it shine.

A man devoted to the Dao, Yuan Zhongyang, knew that this Daoist possessed magical arts. He sincerely invited him to stay, treated him with the customary courtesies owed to a guest, and then bowed and asked for instruction. The Daoist told Yuan Zhongyang: “The Way of the Bright Mirror can produce images and transform them in myriad ways. It can also make people wise and let them know in advance what will happen. It can even enable them to see the perfected beings in Heaven. If you practice this Daoist method and observe its rules, all the gods and immortals in Heaven will come to you. The practitioner can also attain long life, escape old age, and remain forever young.

“When a Daoist enters the mountains, mountain spirits and ancient demons often come to test him, sometimes taking human form. Therefore, when a Daoist lives in a stone chamber, he should always hang a nine-inch-long bright mirror behind him to ward off every kind of evil. Even if the hundred ghosts and aged beings that have gained supernatural powers can change their forms, they cannot alter the images reflected in the mirror. As soon as they see their own forms appear in it, they will vanish and flee, daring not to cause trouble.”

The Daoist therefore had a medicine for polishing mirrors. The recipe comes from the Pazi Recipe. Take four liang of tin and heat a pot until it is red-hot, the same color as the fire. Then add powdered tin. Take three liang of lead white and add that to the pot as well. Carve a stirring stick from fresh white poplar wood, one chi long, two cun wide, and one cun thick; the length of its handle may be whatever suits the maker. Stir with it, keeping the hand steady, until only seven cun of the stick remain. Then add four liang of cinnabar and one liang of lead white, and continue stirring. When only two cun of the stick remain, add four liang of mirror-polishing tin and stir until everything is thoroughly mixed.

When using the medicine, grind it into a fine powder about the size of a soybean and mix it with saliva; adding animal fat makes it more effective. Alternatively, take a tiny amount, about the size of a grain of rice, place it on the front teeth, and breathe on it. Then spread it on the mirror’s surface with saliva and rub the mirror with it. The surface will shine as brightly as the sun and moon.

Before making this medicine, observe a seven-day purification retreat and work in a quiet, secluded room, where no one can see you. Keep the fire burning strongly. This method should be kept secret and not passed on indiscriminately to unsuitable people.

The Child-Dispelling Method

The Method for Clearing the Eyes of Youthful Vitality (a method for restoring youthful vigor): To clearly perceive the twenty-four spirits of the body—the twenty-four guardian spirits within the human body—perform this practice at noon on a Gengwu day in a Jiazi cycle. Take one sheng of clear water. Water that flows east is best, though water from an ancient well may also be used. Add one zhu of True Elixir, a Daoist medicine ground into an extremely fine powder, and stir it twenty-one times, turning to the left. As you stir, turn the vessel one full circle to the left, following the direction assigned to the month by the zodiacal branches; this counts as one turn.

Pray softly: “Mysterious Origin, essence of water, bring forth the radiance of the Eight Luminaries. The spirits of the body, arrayed in their multitudes, come forth and reveal their forms; let me see clearly for ten thousand miles, and reach inward to the Nine Numinous Ones.” When you have finished praying, face east and use your left hand to sprinkle water on your eyes fourteen times. As you pray, sprinkle toward the direction assigned to the month, while keeping your face turned east. Keep the remaining water and use it to sprinkle your eyes, without reciting the prayer again.

The Spirit Pillow Method (supplementary note)

The record relates that long ago, at the foot of Mount Tai, there lived an old man whose name has been lost. When Emperor Wu of Han traveled east, he saw the man hoeing by the roadside, with a white radiance several feet high rising from his back. The emperor was astonished and asked whether he knew the arts of the Dao.

The old man replied: “When I was eighty-five, my body had grown old and I was close to death. My hair was completely white, and all my teeth had fallen out. A Daoist taught me to eat dates, drink water, abstain from grains, and make a spirit pillow. The pillow was to contain thirty-two items: twenty-four beneficial ones, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms, and eight poisonous ones, corresponding to the eight winds. After I followed these instructions, my body gradually grew young again. My white hair turned black, my lost teeth grew back, and I could walk three hundred li in a day. I am now one hundred and eighty. I did not want to leave the human world and go into the mountains to cultivate; I could not bear to part from my grandchildren, so I returned home and began eating grains again. More than twenty years have passed, yet the spirit pillow still keeps me from growing old.”

The old man looked about fifty, so Emperor Wu questioned his neighbors. They all said the story was true. The emperor then obtained the method from the old man and made a pillow of his own, but he could not abstain from food and live on water as the old man had.

To make the pillow, on the fifth day of the fifth month or the seventh day of the seventh month, take cypress wood from the mountains. The pillow should be one chi and two cun long, four cun high, and hollow enough to hold one dou and two sheng. Make its lid from the reddish heartwood of the cypress. The lid should be two fen thick and fit tightly, while still opening and closing. Then drill three rows of holes in the lid, forty in each row, for a total of one hundred and twenty. Make each hole large enough to hold a grain of millet. As for the medicinal ingredients to be used…

Chuanxiong, Chinese angelica, dahurian angelica root, magnolia flower, wild ginger, white atractylodes, ligusticum root, magnolia bark, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, dried ginger, fangfeng root, ginseng, platycodon root, baiwei root, vitex fruit (some editions read “zhuang jing fruit”), cistanche, cirsium, arborvitae seed, coix seed, coltsfoot flower, baiheng, Qin pepper, and miwu—twenty-four kinds in all, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms. Add eight poisonous medicines to correspond to the eight winds. Place miwu at the end of the list.

Aconite, hellebore, Chinese honeylocust fruit, wang grass, □ stone, pinellia, and asarum. Together with the medicines listed above, these make thirty-two kinds. Take one liang of each, pound them all, and put them inside a pillow. Wrap them in a cloth bag and make a pillow lining. Use it continuously for one hundred days; it is said to make the complexion smooth and radiant. After a year, all manner of illnesses and wind disorders in the body will be cured, and the body will give off a fragrance. After four years, white hair will turn black, lost teeth will grow back, and hearing and sight will become clear. This is a marvelous and efficacious secret formula, not to be passed on to unsuitable people.

Ligusticum root is the mother of old chuanxiong. Emperor Wu of Han once asked Dongfang Shuo about it. Dongfang Shuo replied: “In ancient times, Nü Lian passed this formula to Yuqing, who passed it to Guangchengzi, who in turn passed it to the Yellow Emperor.” In recent times, Chunyu Gong, a Daoist from Gucheng, placed this medicinal pillow beside his ear and slept on it. He is said to have lived for over a hundred years without his hair turning white. Illnesses all begin in the Yang meridians; now, by sleeping on a medicinal pillow, one prevents pathogenic wind from entering the body.

Even after wrapping the pillow in a cloth bag, it should be enclosed in several layers of protective covering. Remove the outer wrapping only when going to sleep. The emperor issued an edict awarding the old man a bolt of silk, but he refused it, saying: “I serve my sovereign as a son serves his father. For a son to teach his father the Dao is, according to righteousness, no reason to accept a reward. Nor do I profit from transmitting the Dao; I offered this formula only because Your Majesty delights in the good Dao.” The emperor then let the matter rest and instead bestowed various medicines on him.

The Method of the Spirit Staff

Make the spirit staff from a nine-jointed bamboo that grows toward the sun; the specific method for selecting the bamboo is recorded elsewhere. Before using it, fast, bathe, burn incense, bow twice, and then click the teeth thirty-six times. In the mind, visualize one direct talisman officer of the Five Emperors—the divine attendants who serve the Celestial Emperors of the five directions—for each Emperor. Each wears the color associated with their direction, and the five-colored radiance circulates and shines upon the staff. Then visualize one Jade Maiden of the Five Emperors for each Emperor, together guarding the spirit staff on both sides. Next, recite the invocation in a low voice, saying:

The Most High Immortal, the Primordial Beginning’s Supreme Essence (the highest of the perfected immortals, the essence of the Primordial Beginning), opened Heaven and Earth, using sweet bamboo to connect with the spirits. Talisman officers guard their subordinates and command divine troops; five-colored radiance streams forth, while red robes and golden bells assist in protection.

The High Perfected (immortals of lofty rank) enter and leave the netherworld, summon the gods of Heaven, and the gods respectfully answer their commands. They summon the spirits of Earth, who come forward to greet them. They point toward demons and apparitions, and these are destroyed. Demons and monsters are bound in bodily form; numinous talismans and divine staffs awe and subdue the four directions. They perish together with me, and endure forever together with me. After ten thousand kalpas, they take the place of my body; the numinous image beyond my body releases my spirit-consciousness, enabling me to ascend to Shangqing (the Daoist heaven of a higher realm). All who receive the talismanic mandate and obey its commands respectfully heed them.

When the ritual is complete, draw in the Qi of the five directions and swallow it twenty times, then stop. Point the staff toward Heaven, and the gods of Heaven bow. Point it toward Earth, and the spirits of Earth come forward to greet you. Point it toward the northeast, and all ghosts are bound in bodily form.

The Lord’s Superior Method of Seeking Immortality through Inner Contemplation by the Bright Lamp

This method was transmitted by the Lord of the Southern Pole, the Upper Origin, to the Lord. The Lord dwells in the Palace of Radiant Mystery, where there are golden chambers and purple doors. He lights the Mysterious Lamp (a lamp used in inner contemplation practice) and turns its radiance upon himself, allowing mysterious light to shine through and illuminate the windows. He contemplates the Perfected Ones (the divine perfected beings envisioned in the practice) within the five organs, and sets forth three aspirations in the Imperial Chamber (the dwelling place of divinities in contemplation). The Numinous One descends with a purple canopy; the Primordial Sovereign bestows a golden youth. Through the Way of Nature, I am able to command the Palace of Mystery. The highest rank arises from the wondrous state of the beginning; the Dao dwells where subtlety is hard to perceive. Now I tell you this method: practice it diligently.

The Lord of the Southern Pole, the Upper Origin, admonished the Lord, saying: “You study the Way of the divine perfected beings and dwell above the Numinous Palace, within the Jade Chamber, yet you do not know to light the Bright Lamp and turn it upon yourself, so that mysterious radiance may shine through the five organs. Without light within the five organs, the divinities in your body cannot return. If, at night, you light a lamp at the place of your natal year (the calendrical stem and branch corresponding to your birth year), in the morning light one at the place of your annual cycle (the stem and branch corresponding to the current year), and often light one at the place of the Grand Year (the spirit governing the current year), then make your aspirations and contemplations at all three places. Your body will become clear and pure, your breath will return to the Real, true radiance will shine from within, and the assembled gods will become bright and clear.

“If the Primordial Lord receives this method and practices it for three years, he will summon twenty-four Night-Light Youths. Mysterious radiance will shine forth naturally, and light will penetrate without the need to light the Bright Lamp again. This, however, is the wondrous method practiced by the High Perfected, and it is not transmitted to people of the lower age. If you are listed among those with golden names and jade characters, and possess the standing required by the Mysterious Gate, then, having received my method and practiced it for nine years, your body will shine with light. You will be able to see through ten thousand miles and observe with clarity. Night-Light Youths will naturally descend into your room and transmit the true scriptures to you, enabling you to ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.”

The instructions say: Often light a Bright Lamp in the place corresponding to your natal year, within the quiet chamber where you reside. At night, enter the chamber, kneel facing the lamp, click your teeth twelve times, then pray, saying:

The mysterious radiance shines upon the Great Yin, extending clearly and brightly in all eight directions. In the Qu Room, the quiet chamber used for cultivation, one stills the heart and clarifies the spirit. Looking upward, one can then see through to radiant clarity.

The radiance of Shangqing, the celestial realm spoken of in Daoism, shines upon the Luminous Terrace. Jade fungus grows of its own accord; its light illumines all and reaches the Great Perfected. The myriad spirits watch over my body, dispel the Qi of the Nine Yin, and record my name in Upper Donghua. May I escape the final calamity, and may my body endure as long as the sun and moon. May I deliver my Seven Generations of Ancestors and kin, and attain honor and distinction. The bright light opens the realm of the Jade Emperor, and I am able to receive the Scripture of Inner Observation above. A flying chariot descends from heaven. I ride it upward through the sky, driving a green-canopied carriage, and am able to pay my respects at the Hall of the Great Emperor and enter the Jade Emperor’s court to make obeisance. When the rites are complete, I bow again toward the star governing my birth destiny, raise my head, swallow saliva seven times, and stop.

One should also keep a bright lamp lit in the direction of the star governing one’s current year. Facing the lamp, click the teeth twelve times and recite this invocation:

Bright lamp, shine upon the star governing my year; let your radiance spread through the eight directions. May your light be clear and pure, and inner observation lucid and penetrating, with nothing obscured. Part the light and reveal the garment of the spirits. May I communicate with the Jade Perfected and look up to the exalted Supreme Way. The Great Dao is profound and far-reaching, its traces difficult to find. I long for the mysterious clouds to descend; prepare the carriage, and let me ride the flying dragon. Please extend my life to a hundred years and restore the appearance of an infant. Grant me a Lady of Western Florescence, and send the Golden Dawn Boy to serve me. May my years unfold in peace, as I bow before the Jade Emperor’s palace. My spirit and Qi are calm, my heart in the Dao at ease. Amid the joyful fragrance of incense, I center my thoughts and focus on the Great Mystery. Through sincere devotion, I commune with the empty chamber of the Grotto Void and summon the Divine Empyrean to descend. With closed eyes, I behold the Immortal Lord and deliver the Seven Generations of Ancestors, freeing them from calamity, releasing them from bodily suffering, and returning them to the Southern Palace. When the rites are complete, I bow again toward the lamp, swallow Qi fourteen times, and stop.

Always keep a lamp lit in the direction of the Grand Year to communicate with the spirits, perform the rites, and make prayers. If this is continued for three years, the mysterious radiance will shine upon the heart, the divine perfected beings will descend, and they will teach the methods of long life and immortality; a response will naturally follow. One should burn incense morning and evening, click the teeth twelve times, face the lamp, and recite this invocation:

Lamp flame, shine upon the Great Perfected; bright light, reach through to the mysterious void. May your radiance illuminate the Supreme Way, while my heart is fixed upon the Jade Emperor’s palace. I perceive the realm of empty clarity, and the spirits see my body naturally unfold. By accumulating sincerity and reverence, I can bring about a numinous response; my heart and spirit settle as I cultivate in stillness. In the morning, I pay homage at the Hall of the Great Emperor; in the evening, I recite the scriptures of the Golden Perfected. I roam freely in the Mysterious Capital and, after ten thousand years, return to the state of an infant. Grant me a heavenly talisman and purple clouds of the empyrean; let the Jade Emperor bestow mysterious jade upon me, so that my reputation may shine. Let me wander atop the Five Sacred Peaks and peacefully attain what I seek. May the Seven Generations of Ancestors escape the Three Paths of suffering and evil, and may blessings and celebrations endure without end. When the rites are complete, I bow again, swallow saliva fourteen times, and stop.

If one keeps lamps burning continually in these three places, the Seven Generations of Ancestors and the Nine Ancestors can leave behind the ten kinds of suffering and ascend to the realm of the Southern Immortals. One’s own spirit will also become clear and upright, and one’s sight will reach ten thousand li.

With keen hearing and clear sight, one can hear sounds from afar, and the mind can foresee what has not yet happened; then the divine and perfected beings—immortals and true immortals—will descend. The Lad of Night Light should teach you the Way of seeking immortality. After cultivating in this way for nine years, numinous light will appear of itself and flow through you from within.

According to the Method of the Celestial Court

The Celestial Court refers to the place between the eyebrows, near their inner ends—that is, the inner sides of the two browbones. “Sunken Mountain Source” refers to the root of the philtrum beneath the nose, the hollow below the nose. The “Flowery Court” lies in the hollows beneath the eyebrows.

Each morning and evening, face the appropriate direction, sit upright with your eyes lowered, and swallow saliva three times. Then press the corresponding areas three times with the middle fingers of both hands, pressing hard enough to feel pain. As you press, recite this prayer:

“Open the Celestial Court and grant me long life; let me see through ten thousand miles and return my hun and po souls to the state of an infant. Destroy ghosts and demons, drive away evil spirits, and summon all numinous beings. Ascend to the Most High and stand alongside the sun and moon; let me join the ranks of the perfected and have my name entered in the Mysterious Register.”

This is a method by which ordinary people may summon efficacious powers, gain the ability to see through things, and defend themselves against all manner of evil influences.

The Method of Absorbing Mist

Each morning, sit or lie as you please in a quiet bedroom. First close your eyes and look inward, as though seeing the Five Viscera. Then open your mouth and exhale twenty-four times while lowering your gaze and visualizing Qi in five colors coiling around your face, dense and vivid. Next, inhale this five-colored Qi through your mouth fifty times, and finally swallow saliva sixty times. Then recite softly:

“Great rosy clouds shine forth; numinous clouds flow in all directions. Qi coils and gathers; five colors illuminate the Cavern Heaven. Divine smoke converges and opens; metal and stone blossom with radiance, and true Qi grows abundant. In the purple empyrean I refine and preserve my form, revealing luminous images while concealing what is subtle and hidden. The Five Numinous Powers transform, unite, and bring forth brightness, fanning the void. Riding the six clouds, they regulate and nourish my body, enabling me to ascend to the nine heavens.”

After the prayer, click your teeth seven times and swallow saliva seven times, then open your eyes. The rite is complete. This method of cultivation is said to be exceptionally wondrous. Many people in the Mysterious Capital of the Divine Continent have also practiced and mastered it. With sustained practice, one can roam freely, riding clouds and mist.