《雲笈七籤》Vol. 49

The True Scripture of the Most High on Wisdom and the Dissolution of Demons says: “One” has no fixed form and is not governed by desire or action. It is difficult to seek, yet easy to lose once attained. It is lost because the mind grows dark and cannot turn darkness into light. When greed lingers in the heart, it brings on decline and aging; when joy leads to a loss of caution, it brings on illness; when delusion is clung to without change, it brings on death. Decline, illness, and aging can all be delayed, treated, relieved, and overcome through the “Three Ones”—the true spirits who dwell in the body’s three palaces. First, one must guard the One. Without guarding it, one cannot be healed or brought to completion.

In guarding the One, the mind should be calm, peaceful, and still. Desires should be reduced and anger dispelled; one should turn from delusion to the right path and reach a state of emptiness, clarity, and Wuwei (non-action), becoming one with the One. This is the state attained by superior practitioners through the De (Virtue/Power) they cultivated in previous lives. Those of middling ability or higher may also advance through gradual practice, even if they did little good in the past or accumulated virtue without bringing it to completion. They should visualize the “Three Origins”—the three places within the body where the spirits and Qi dwell—and carefully discern the forms of the spirits and Qi, their coming and going, and their presence and absence. When these are settled and guarded in the Three Palaces, the Three Corpses—the spirits said in Daoism to dwell within the body, often seen as prompting wrongdoing and damaging one’s nature and life—will be eliminated. Once their poison is removed, one can turn darkness into clarity, attain wisdom and spiritual powers, live forever, and become a true sage and immortal. Each person receives the corresponding reward according to their karmic affinities.

The Scripture of Great Peace says: Where does practice begin? It begins with contemplating and guarding the One. The One is the beginning of number and the point from which the Dao unfolds. It is where the primordial Qi—the original Qi of the cosmos—arises, and the guiding principle that governs Heaven and Earth.

The Scripture of the Five Talismans also says: Understand the One, and there is nothing you cannot understand; fail to understand the One, and nothing can be truly understood. “One” is the most honored and incomparable title.

The Scripture of the Supreme Clarity on the Record of the Lords of the Three Heavens recounts that Baicheng Xusheng asked Yunfang about the method of cultivating the Dao and the secrets of the Three Perfected Ones. The Jade Emperor replied: “The Three Perfected Ones” are the Lords who manifest within your body, the fundamental true spirits among its hundred spirits. If the assisting spirits each fulfill their duties correctly and without error, the Three Sovereigns will be at peace, Taiyi will guard the fetal origin, and the Five Elders will support Jing (essence) and Qi. One dwells in the Dantian (energy center), governs life, and protects its vital force; one dwells in the Crimson Palace—the heart palace—and suffuses the whole body with purple Qi; one dwells in the Cavern Chamber, the palace within the head, where the Three Qi converge and light shines forth.

Within the body are also palaces called the Cavern of the Numinous, the Bright Hall, the Cloud Palace, the Purple Gate, the Jade Gate, the Yellow Tower, the Golden Chamber, the Cinnabar City, and the Vermilion Window. All are inner residences of the Imperial One and treasure chambers of the Three Perfected Ones. When the luminous vision within the Cloud Chamber joins with the spirit beings, it can reach upward to Kunlun…

Below Kunlun Mountain, clear depths stretch far beneath the heights, while clouds rise like a lofty canopy. The bamboo groves are lush and green, and the Seven Numina—the seven wondrous powers—circle and flow.

Five-colored radiance winds and stretches without end, and tier upon tier of towers and pavilions rise in countless layers. The Three Qi—the three primordial energies spoken of in Daoism—gather into mist; the jade palace stands pure, empty, and serene. Seven deep, shadowy gates lead inward, and five talismanic registers are stored in golden gates and jade cabinets. The Noble Son, here referring to a deity or practitioner in the scripture, gathers his Shen within and draws in his Qi from without. Baiyuan, a Daoist deity, merges completely with the Original Spirit, and the bodily form is thereby brought to completion. He calls forth Yang and summons Yin; the High God and the Director of Destiny each protect living beings. This Dao is subtle and difficult to express. Unless one is an immortal, it will not be transmitted.

The Formula of the Three Ones

The Scripture on Ascending to the Mystery records that the immortal Dou Ziming asked about the Dao: “I previously heard the Dharma Master explain the True One and the Great One, but I did not hear the formula of the Three Ones. How should this be understood? If it is called ‘One,’ why is it also called ‘Three’? Are there three within one, or one within three? Although I have followed and practiced these teachings in the past, I still do not understand their meaning. Please explain them fully, so that beginners who come later may also understand their true import.”

The Dharma Master replied: “The Three Ones are in fact the Orthodox One. They are taught and named separately in three places, and so are called the Three Ones. They are called the Three Ones because what is called One here is called Three there. Although they are spoken of as three, in substance they remain one; hence the name Three Ones. The Three Ones mark the initial stage of entering the Dao. One has not yet entered the true realm and has glimpsed only a part of it; one cannot yet set aside the ‘three’ and return to the complete ‘One.’ This shows that one has not yet left the three, though one has begun to glimpse the one. Hence the name Three Ones. They are spoken of separately as three because the three have never departed from the one, and so they are still called the Three Ones.”

Ziming asked: “What, exactly, is this ‘One’?”

The Dharma Master replied: “It is originally without existence, yet something appears.”

Ziming asked: “If it is without existence, how can anything appear?”

The Dharma Master replied: “Take ‘nonexistence’ as existence.”

Ziming asked again: “On what basis does nonexistence exist?”

The Dharma Master replied: “By realizing nonexistence, one can see existence.”

Ziming asked again: “If what is realized is still nonexistence, what does that mean?”

The Dharma Master replied: “Form and sound are both illusory.”

Ziming asked: “Why call them illusory?”

The Dharma Master replied: “Because they cannot remain forever.”

Ziming asked: “What does it mean that they cannot remain?”

The Dharma Master replied: “Because they soon change.”

Ziming asked again: “Though they change quickly, they do not entirely cease to exist. If you say they change, there must be something that changes. How, then, can you call them nonexistent?”

The Dharma Master replied: “When I spoke of change just now, I did not mean that things are wholly nonexistent, like empty space. I meant that all existence is illusory, not real and unchanging. Whatever is born must die; whatever exists will eventually disappear; whatever takes shape will eventually be destroyed; whatever flourishes will eventually decline; and whoever is young will eventually grow old. What exists today will later be no more. As cold and heat take turns, all things change with them; the affairs of the world are elusive and impermanent.”

The Great Treatise on the Mysterious Gate: The Formula of the Three Ones (with preface)

The so-called Three Ones may be described this way: the illumination of wisdom has no bounds, the wondrous workings of the spirit cannot be measured, and in a hazy, indistinct state… (The original text ends here.)

Its form is like a golden countenance, its substance like jade: deep and mysterious, it embodies a state in which Jing, Shen, and Qi are blended into one while still containing the subtle principles of all three. Contemplating this state opens the gate to all mysteries. The effects of cultivation take concrete form as virtue, and in the end one reaches a state of profound mystery.

The Dao Jing says, “These three cannot be pursued to their ultimate end, so they blend into one.” The Dongshen Jing, in the “Three Circles Formula,” says that the three are Jing, Shen, and Qi. The Shiming explains that “the Three Ones” means Jing, Shen, and Qi blended into one. Jing is the capacity of subtle, empty wisdom to illuminate all things; Shen is the power to transform without fixed limits and transcend entanglements; Qi is the principle that has direction and form.

Jing, Shen, and Qi can also be explained through the terms “Yi, Xi, and Wei.” Yi means equality; Xi means sparse and hard to perceive; Wei means fine and subtle. Jing is called “Yi” because it sees all realms as equal and returning to unity. Shen is called “Xi” because its mystery has no fixed bounds: it is everywhere, yet difficult to find. Qi is called “Wei” because its essential meaning is subtle and fine. Though it has wondrous effects, it is not something coarse or readily apparent.

Jing corresponds to the eyes, because the eyes perceive light, which accords with Jing’s meaning of illumination. Shen corresponds to the ears, because the emptiness within the ears allows them to hear principles that have no form or sound, which accords with Shen’s meaning of emptiness. Qi corresponds to the nose, because the nose senses breath; Qi comes into contact with the body, and the two respond to one another.

Master Meng said, “It is called three and also called one: it is neither four nor two. Once ‘one’ is spoken of, it has already become ‘three.’” The point here is that different explanations each have their proper use, and the number is not fixed. For example, there are six spiritual powers and the ability to reach in all four directions—must these really be reduced to three? So long as the teaching’s fundamental principle is not distorted, these explanations are all valid.

Yet although the three have different meanings, they cannot be rigidly separated; and although they belong to a single whole, they cannot be made completely identical. They are blended but not wholly indistinguishable, so in principle they are distinguished as three. Precisely because they cannot be rigidly separated, their underlying substance blends into one. When three combine as one, they are no longer three isolated from one another; when one divides into three, the one is no longer solitary and unchanging. This is what is meant by “not three, yet three; not one, yet one.” The “three” here is neither simply “three” nor simply “not three”; the “one” is neither simply “one” nor simply “not one.” This is the meaning of “Repeated Mystery” (Chongxuan), the Daoist teaching’s mysterious state that transcends distinctions such as existence and nonexistence, right and wrong.

There are, broadly speaking, four interpretations of the underlying substance.

The first is Master Meng’s interpretation: the Three Ones take “wondrous existence” as their underlying substance. Though it is “existence,” it has not yet manifested a shape, and so it is called “wondrous.” It stirs within the underlying principle, and so it is called “one.” He cites the scripture’s words, “The Dao gives birth to one,” and adds that the Dao disperses its breath to bring forth and shape the myriad things, each with a different form. Although these workings encompass the three, they take “one” as their root. The view presented here differs: if the teaching at the stage of fruition has already arisen, it cannot be said that it has not yet manifested…

The Scripture on the Subtlety of Form says: “Is the existence of life truly an eternal, unchanging foundation?”

In the second interpretation, Master Song holds that the Subtle One has two aspects: the whole and its distinctions. Taken as a whole, the Three and the One merge into a single body—that is, Jing (essence), Shen (spirit), and Qi (vital energy). Taken separately, Jing has three kinds of wisdom: Dao (the Way), reality, and expediency; Shen has three palaces—upper, middle, and lower; and Qi has three forms: Mystery, Origin, and Beginning. This account distinguishes the Three from the One, but does not establish what ultimately serves as the substance of the Three and the One.

In the third interpretation, Master Xu Su holds that the Subtle One is the supremely wondrous principle and the source of great wisdom. Its complete and immeasurable mystery disperses primordial Qi to bring forth and nourish the myriad things, and shapes them so that each finds its proper place. “Encompassing the Three” describes its meaning; “being the One” describes its substance. Though this interpretation is better, it remains vague and does not clearly explain the substance. For example, “supreme principle” and “great wisdom” refer to the realm and its knowing, while “source of wisdom” and “shaping” refer to the foundation and its manifestations. It therefore still fails to define the substance.

In the fourth interpretation, Master Xu Jing says: “The foundation of the Subtle One transcends words and forms. It is neither matter nor emptiness; it can respond and transform, yet remains still and unmoving.” From this account, he takes complete wisdom as the substance. Complete wisdom is neither the foundation nor its manifestation, neither an outward trace; yet it can be the foundation and appear as a trace. It belongs neither to formed things nor to nothingness, yet it can manifest both form and emptiness.

This interpretation can be explained further: the Subtle One is neither foundation nor trace, neither One nor Three, and yet it is both One and Three. It is neither a solitary One nor three unrelated things. The Three and the One are mutually complete, and so too are foundation and trace. To say that the trace is complete means that it does not depart from the foundation, so the trace is also the foundation. The foundation does not depart from the trace, so the foundation also contains the trace. Since the foundation contains the trace and the trace contains the foundation, they cannot be sharply divided. Because both foundation and trace are mutually complete, they share the Three and the One as their substance.

The mutual completeness of the Three and the One does not apply only to Jing; Shen and Qi are equally complete. Why? When Jing is free of all entanglements, it is Shen; the subtle substance of Jing is Qi. The wisdom of Shen is Jing, and the wisdom of Qi is also Jing. When Qi is free of all entanglements, it too is Shen. Thus substance and function merge as one, and the meanings of the three interpenetrate.

Each of the three is complete in itself, yet none departs from the single body. The single body is complete, yet does not exclude the three. Since it does not exclude the three, it remains three even as it is One; since it does not depart from the One, it remains One even as it is three. Because the Three and the One are mutually complete, they share the wisdom of Jing as their substance. All three meanings are complete, but here “Jing” is chosen as the name because it is especially subtle and surpassingly refined.

The principles are divided into nine categories, and their functions appear in five signs. The nine categories arise when each of the “Three Ones” is divided into three, making nine altogether: Jing has three kinds—Correct, Real, and Expedient; Shen has three—Emptiness, Penetration, and Nonbeing; and Qi has three—Beginning, Origin, and Mystery.

The three meanings of Jing can be understood through terms such as “realm,” “wisdom,” “order,” and “understanding.” Among the three meanings of Shen, “Nonbeing” means suddenly becoming manifest; “Penetration” means reaching through and being identical; and “Emptiness” refers to the principle of openness without obstruction. As for the three meanings of Qi, the Zhengyi Jing says, “The Great Nonbeing transforms and manifests the three Qi.” Yellow Qi is Mystery, white Qi is Origin, and blue-green Qi is Beginning.

In the sequence of their generation, Correct Wisdom gives rise to Real Wisdom, and Real Wisdom gives rise to Expedient Wisdom; Nonbeing gives rise to Penetration, and Penetration gives rise to Emptiness; Emptiness gives rise to Beginning, Beginning to Origin, and Origin to Mystery. Yet when the One differentiates into three, and the three unfold into nine, they accord with the transformations of all things. In the end, all return to the fundamental One. They are indistinguishable from one another, yet distinctions appear; though distinctions appear, fundamentally there is no difference.

As for the five signs in which their functions appear, the Dongshen Jing says, “The Great Dao has no limit; its limit is the natural. Its transformations are without limit, and their subtle workings lie in three, five, eight, and nine.” “Three” refers to Jing, Shen, and Qi. “Five” refers to five sovereigns: Jing has two sovereigns, Jing and Qi; Shen has two, Shen and Qi; and Qi has one.

Of the two sovereigns associated with Jing, the red Qi is called Great Yang. It transforms into the Elixir of Original Yang, the Son of Cinnabar, and then changes into the Dao Lord. Of the two sovereigns associated with Shen, the red Qi transforms into yellow and is called Central Harmony; it becomes Laozi and then the Yellow Spirit. Of the one sovereign associated with Qi, the yellow Qi transforms into white and is called Great Yang, then becomes Great Harmony. The principle of matching the five with the substance of the Dao does not mean only dividing it into two or three: through the transformation of the One, the five sovereigns appear. Three plus five makes eight; since the three also contain the One, the total becomes nine. This is another way of explaining the Dao’s five manifestations. Yet the forms taken by the Dao’s transformations are many and varied, too numerous to count.

Master Meng said, “In its function it divides into three; fundamentally it has always been one.” Here is an explanation of the underlying meaning: in substance it is one, while in principle it is three. In terms of the fundamental and its manifestations—that is, the source and the forms in which it appears—four configurations transform into nine.

The four configurations are as follows. First, the fundamental is one and its manifestations appear as three. Second, the fundamental is three and its manifestations appear as one. Third, both the fundamental and its manifestations are three. Fourth, both the fundamental and its manifestations are one. In the first configuration, “one fundamental, three manifestations,” the subtle source is perfectly unified and differentiates to appear as three. In the second, “three fundamentals, one manifestation,” the Qi that responds through transformation is the fundamental, while the substance appears as three. The third and fourth configurations are stated in relation to the first two. They show that the fundamental and its manifestations are without distinction; therefore, both may be called three, and both may be called one. These principles have already been explained above.

The “nine transformations” refer to the transformations of the Three Ones…

Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) can also generate one another. They continue in a cycle, together producing nine kinds of transformation. Thus, one can be developed into nine, and nine can return to one. The True Book of the Upper Origin says:

The first is called “Source One,” the second “Origin One,” the third “Great One,” the fourth “Mysterious One,” the fifth “True One,” the sixth “Female One,” the seventh “Male One,” the eighth “Three Ones,” and the ninth “Orthodox One.”

“Source” means the root of the ultimate Dao and the wellspring of every mystery. “Origin” is the foremost of all goodness and the beginning of all methods. “Great” names the utmost breadth: it can encompass all things, and takes this capacity as its De. “Mysterious” means freedom from constraint; its function is to be supremely wondrous and lofty, empty and profound. “True” means removing falsehood and dispelling delusion, and understanding that although things have forms and appearances, their nature is empty. “Female” refers to quiet gentleness: contemplating emptiness while discerning what is real. “Male” refers to vigorous activity, the ability to respond to things through transformation, and skill in applying flexible, expedient methods. “Three” refers to Jing, Qi, and Shen. “Orthodox” means setting right what is deviant and false, eliminating evil conduct, and turning from darkness toward light.

This shows that when the ultimate Dao manifests in the world, it can appear through these nine approaches. They converge with one another and ultimately return to the root, all reaching unity. The Correct Teachings of the Three Heavens says: “Returning from nine to one is to enter the true realm of the Dao.”

The Discussion of the Teachings says that the Three Ones listed in the first category do not match the accounts in the various scriptures. Master Meng held that the study of Daoist methods should take the Three Ones as its foundation. Accordingly, the nine kinds of Three Ones found in the seven scriptural traditions each have their own diagrams and methods of cultivation. They are listed below in order:

First, the Three Ones of the Dongzhen Cavern: the Upper Origin is the Heavenly Emperor Diqing in the Palace of the Muddy Pellet; the Middle Origin is the Lord of the Cinnabar Emperor and Assistant Emperor Qing in the Crimson Palace; the Lower Origin is the Primordial King of the Yellow Court and the Guardian Assistant Qing in the Dantian Palace. See the Scripture of the Three Origins and the True One.

Second, the Three Ones of the Dongxuan Cavern: Yuan Xianzi and Dan Yuan Yangzi, who govern the three Dantian. See the Scripture of the Supreme One and the True One.

Third, the Three Ones of the Dongshen Cavern: the Elder of the Southern Pole, the Dao Origin of the Central Pole, and the Mysterious Marvel of the Northern Pole. See the Scripture of the Supreme One and the Three Ones of the Dongshen Cavern.

Fourth, the Three Ones of the Sovereign Person: Beginning Azure, Origin White, and Mysterious Yellow. See the Secret Instructions of the Sovereign Person.

Fifth, the Three Ones of the Great Clarity: the Red Child, the True Person, and the Infant. See the upper volume of the Scripture of the Great Clarity, Upper and Middle.

Sixth, the Three Ones of Great Peace: the Spirit of Intent, the Spirit of Will, and the Spirit of Thought. See “Method for Assessing Prosperity and Decline for Oneself,” in the first volume.

Seventh, the Three Ones of the Great Mystery: Yi, Xi, and Wei. See the Diagram of Great Preservation and the Dao De Jing.

Eighth, the Three Ones of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity): the text is damaged here, and the surviving characters read “□ broad □, that is, governing the Three Origins.”

Ninth: On the “Threefold Unity of the Natural” (that is, emptiness, red light, primordial yellow light, the void, white light, and so on).

Taken together, nine scriptures explain the “Threefold Unity.” They all describe its correspondence with the three palaces, as well as methods and rites for maintaining and guarding the body. The details are given in the relevant scriptures. The transformations of the “Threefold Unity” described in the Dongshen Jing also include spirit, Qi, Jing, and such concepts as emptiness, nonbeing, and the void; see volume thirteen of that scripture for details.

The “Threefold Unity” discussed here refers to spirit, Qi, and Jing, as well as the ineffable, the subtle, the elusive, emptiness, nonbeing, and the void. It is called the “Threefold Unity” because the principles it expounds are complete and profound. The “Threefold Unity” described in earlier scriptures such as the Zhengyi Sanyi Jing presents shallower principles and remains largely at the surface.

In the Shengxuan Jing, the Supreme One tells Daoling: “What you practiced in the past was called the ‘True Unity.’ It is the wondrous Dao of Yin-Yang transformation and a supreme method of ingesting and refining. It is not the ‘True Unity’ that I speak of.” This belongs to the teachings of the past. The scripture goes on to say: “You can receive my most true and impartial essentials, and my unsurpassed, wondrous scripture.” Only in the fourth section does it speak of “the One within non-oneness.” This is the teaching meant here.

The “Threefold Unity” described in the other six scriptures does not clearly explain the void, and treats it only as an object of contemplation of Qi. These teachings can therefore be classed as belonging to the past. Juanzi’s practice of the Shangqing Way, which reached only the level of an earthly immortal, is one example. If the three Qis and three colors are all said to belong beyond the mundane world, then the original purpose of the “Threefold Unity” in the Three Caverns scriptures is to lead people into the void; this kind of teaching belongs to the present.

Those who understand the sacred teachings know that a teaching does not inherently belong to either “being” or “nonbeing,” nor can teachings simply be divided into those of the past and those of the present. Beings follow their own subjective views and attachments, fail to understand, and cling to the teachings; only then do they regard them as belonging to the past. When they grasp their meaning, teachings of the past become teachings of the present.

The past and present can also be distinguished in two other ways: by the principles of the Great and Lesser Vehicles, and by the principles of cause and effect. The distinction between the Great and Lesser Vehicles uses three criteria: whether a realm is taken to be truly existent, whether there is attachment to one side, and whether there is relative distinction or freedom from distinction.

First, consider taking a realm to be truly existent. The Lesser Vehicle of the past treated the “Threefold Unity” as a fixed and unchanging state of meditation, with its principles confined to “being.” The Great Vehicle of the present treats the “Threefold Unity” as the content of wisdom, with its principles directed toward “emptiness.” Why is this so? When practitioners of the Lesser Vehicle of the past entered meditation, they set aside “being”; once they entered a state of “emptiness,” the “Threefold Unity” was no longer present. Practitioners of the Great Vehicle of the present contemplate all phenomena as empty; therefore, even in emptiness, they do not lose the “Threefold Unity.”

Thus, when the Dongshen Jing explains how to maintain the “Threefold Unity,” it says: “Those who know how to maintain emptiness, nonbeing, and the void belong to the Great Vehicle; those who maintain the spirit and refine the form belong to the Middle Vehicle; those who maintain Qi and contain…” (The original text ends here.)

“Harmony” is the Small Vehicle’s way of speaking. The phrase “two extremes brought together” means that earlier Small Vehicle teachings leaned to one side, whereas the Great Vehicle can now accommodate the Small Vehicle. The Small Vehicle discards form—the things that have shape—and enters emptiness, so it cannot accommodate the Great Vehicle. The Great Vehicle, by discerning emptiness within form, can accommodate the Small Vehicle.

“The three dependencies cut off” means that in the past, “three” and “one” were used as means of entering “nonbeing.” Once “nonbeing” was reached, it was called “the true One.” But this “One of nonbeing” is still a “nonbeing” set against “being,” and so it still contains both sides, “being” and “nonbeing,” and remains dependent on them. The “three and one” spoken of now have a fundamental nature that is neither “being” nor “nonbeing.” Since they fall into neither side, there is nothing on which they depend. Having nothing to depend on is called “cut off.”

The distinctions can also be made in terms of cause and effect, in three ways: near and far, expedient and ultimate, and permanence and impermanence.

First, near and far: In the past, “three” meant Qi, the energy that constitutes the myriad things. The fruit attained through visualization reached, at most, the limit of the Three Realms. Now, “one” means Shen, spirit, and the fruit attained through visualization reaches farther, all the way to the place of the Dao. When the highest fruit is reached, complete wisdom is achieved. The meaning of “three and one” here is as explained above.

Second, expedient and ultimate: In the past, expedient methods were taught, and the highest fruit attained was within the Three Realms. Now, the ultimate teaching is given, and the highest fruit is the Eternal One. The Shengxuan Jing says, “This is the ultimate.” The ultimate means that one’s work is complete and one’s offenses have been exhausted; thus one returns eternally to the One.

Third, permanence and impermanence: In the past, the fruits of the Three Realms of Existence—the Desire Realm, Form Realm, and Formless Realm—arose through calamities and changes, and were therefore impermanent. Now, the fruit of the Eternal One stands firm and unmoving, and is therefore permanent.

Instructions on the Scripture of the True One of the Three Origins and Five Dippers, by the Lord of the Golden Towers

Juanzi transmitted this method. At midnight on the day of the spring equinox, rise and sit facing east. Close your eyes and visualize the three palaces, the three Ones, and the three ministers within your body, together with yourself, making seven people in all. You are seated at the center. The seven of you ride together on purple vapor and rising clouds, ascending to the Yangming Star of the Northern Dipper. The Yangming Star is the star spirit in the east of the Northern Dipper. Then visualize yourself entering the star and sitting there with the others. Swallow the purple vapor thirty times. After long practice, you will naturally see the Primordial Upper Palace to the east of the Yangming Star. In the palace is a young Azure-Profound童, who will bestow true radiance upon you.

(First visualize the purple vapor within the Northern Dipper star, as thick as a bowstring, flowing straight down from above to the space before you; then visualize the three Ones.)

Lord Zhou’s instructions say: Visualize the seven perfected beings aligned with the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, ascending together to the Yangming Star in a formation like geese in flight, with yourself in the center. Visualize a headcloth covering the seven stars, with the Dipper’s bowl above your head and its handle pointing forward. Then visualize yourself swallowing the purple vapor thirty times.

Also visualize the “Three Ones” and the “Three Ministers” swallowing purple Qi together. After swallowing, visualize the seven true spirits.

Visualize the people who are destined to accompany you, coming down from the sky suffused with purple Qi and returning to the three palaces within your body—the three Dantians, or spirit abodes. Wait quietly for a moment, then silently recite this invocation:

“Three Venerable Perfected Ones, high spirits of the Great Mystery; Yangming governs spring, and the myriad youths open the gates; Danyuan governs summer, while vermilion and purple hold the mist; Yinjing governs autumn, and the heavenly might arrays the six formations; the North Pole governs winter, sealing off the myriad evils; the Five Earths flourish in their appointed season, and the heavenly gates of Wu and Ji stand open. Wherever they point, evil Qi is utterly extinguished; wherever they turn, nothing dares to offend. Refine and transform my seven Po souls, harmonize my three Hun souls, and nourish my five organs, so that I may attain the Dao and become perfected, ascending to the Upper Clarity. Riding the drifting radiance, roaming among the Seven Origins, may I live long and never die, proceeding in due order, chanting and singing without end. The thousand spirits are complete.”

This visualization may also be practiced before sleep. Each season has its own corresponding ritual, but the same invocation is recited each time.

At midnight on the summer solstice, rise and sit facing south. Close your eyes and visualize the three palaces, the Three Ones, and the Three Ministers within your body. Together with yourself, they make seven people, with you seated in the center. The seven of you ride purple clouds together and ascend to the Danyuan Star of the Northern Dipper. The Danyuan Star is where the spirits of the Dipper’s southern quarter dwell. Then visualize entering the star and sitting together inside it. Swallow purple Qi thirty times. After practicing for some time, you will see the Palace of the Most High south of the Danyuan Star. Within the palace is the Vermilion Yang Numinous Consort, who will bestow on you crimson scrolls and a precious robe.

At midnight on the autumn equinox, rise and sit facing west. Close your eyes and visualize the three palaces, the Three Ones, and the Three Ministers within your body. Together with yourself, they make seven people, with you seated in the center. The seven of you ride purple clouds together and ascend to the Yinjing Star of the Northern Dipper. The Yinjing Star is where the spirits of the Dipper’s western quarter dwell. Then visualize entering the star and sitting together inside it. Swallow purple Qi thirty times. After practicing for some time, you will see the Palace of the Most High west of the Yinjing Star. Within the palace is the White Silken Maiden, who will bestow on you jade registers and tiger scriptures.

At midnight on the winter solstice, rise and sit facing north. Close your eyes and visualize the three palaces, the Three Ones, and the Three Ministers within your body. Together with yourself, they make seven people, with you seated in the center. The seven of you ride purple clouds together and ascend to the North Pole Star of the Northern Dipper. The North Pole Star is where the spirits of the Dipper’s northern quarter dwell. Then visualize entering the star and sitting together inside it. Swallow purple Qi thirty times. After practicing for some time, you will see the Palace of the Most High north of the North Pole Origin Star. Within the palace is the Perfected One of Mysterious Essence, who will bestow on you golden books and secret characters. “Proceeding in order through the Three and Five”...

On the first or fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month, avoid practicing around the autumn equinox and summer solstice. At midnight, sit upright facing southwest, close your eyes, and visualize the Three Palaces within your body, the Three Ones, and the Three Ministers, together with yourself—seven people in all. You occupy the center. The seven of you ride together on smoke formed from four kinds of Qi: crimson, purple, blue-green, and yellow. You ascend to the Celestial Gate Star of the Northern Dipper. The Celestial Gate Star is a divine star within the Dipper.

Next, visualize yourself entering the star and sitting upright with the others, your eyes lowered. Each of you swallows the Qi of the four colors ten times apiece. Swallow the crimson Qi first, then the other three colors in sequence. After practicing for a long time, you will see the Palace of Primordial Great Sovereignty inside the Celestial Gate Star. In the palace is the Perfected One of Great Sovereignty and Might, who will transmit to you a demon-subduing talisman, an evil-cleaving axe, and registers of yellow-clad soldiers.

On each of the Eight Seasonal Nodes, focus in turn on the Eight Eyes and Eight Ears, beginning the practice at midnight on the day of the node. At other times, simply visualize the Three Palaces within your body and sit quietly. Concentrate fully on the visualization until you receive a response and something begins to appear faintly.

Instructions for Guarding the True One of the Five Dippers Scripture

A Daoist who resolves to seek the Way should live in seclusion in the mountains, in a quiet place, remain withdrawn for a long time, and keep far from the human world. The more diligently one practices in this way, the sooner one can attain one’s goal. Yet some people do not know how to calculate dates and seasonal nodes, or how to compile a calendar. Without knowledge of the calendar, they cannot determine the dates of the twenty-four solar terms and the Eight Seasonal Nodes. Nor can they go in and out of the human world year after year to ask for and copy calendars. This, too, is a difficulty for those who cultivate the Dao.

Here I follow what is stated in the Northern Emperor’s Scripture of Naturalness: the third day of the first month is the Beginning of Spring; the fifteenth day of the second month is the Spring Equinox; the first day of the fourth month is the Beginning of Summer; the sixteenth day of the fifth month is the Summer Solstice; the seventh day of the seventh month is the Beginning of Autumn; the twenty-second day of the eighth month is the Autumn Equinox; the fifth day of the tenth month is the Beginning of Winter; and the eleventh day of the eleventh month is the Winter Solstice. Daoists living in the mountains may practice according to these dates. If you can obtain a calendar from the outside world that gives the dates of the Eight Seasonal Nodes, you should, of course, follow the dates in that calendar.

The Eight Seasonal Nodes set by the calendar mark the precise intervals of the Xuanji, an ancient instrument or astronomical system used to observe the heavens and determine the seasons. They are also the days when many Perfected Immortals, numinous immortals, and spirits assemble in court. The dates listed in the Northern Emperor’s Scripture of Naturalness fall on particular days of each month. They are also days when the Qi of the sun and moon accompany one another, and are auspicious. Those who cultivate the Dao should practice and gather their spirit through visualization on these days. Of the views set out above, I have adopted only this one.

People from other regions call the first day of each month “Establish” and the second “Remove,” then calculate the days in sequence. Those living deep in the mountains without a calendar may use this method.

The Xiongnu state took the first day of the first lunar month as the Jia-Yin day, the new moon (the Jia-Yin day was the first day of the first month). After one full cycle of the Six Jia, the cycle begins again. The first month has twenty-nine days, the second thirty, the third twenty-nine, the fourth thirty, the fifth twenty-nine, the sixth thirty, the seventh twenty-nine, the eighth thirty, the ninth twenty-nine, the tenth thirty, the eleventh twenty-nine, and the twelfth thirty. Even when you are in a remote place with dense woods, where all traces have vanished, you should practice in this way.

On each Jian day (a day designated “Jian” in the sexagenary calendar), or at dawn on the first day of each month, visualize the Three Ones (the three deities within the human body) emerging from the Three Palaces in your body and sitting before the Si position. Then, inwardly, rise and bow twice, as though you could see them, their forms faintly appearing before your eyes. Silently recite:

“Heavenly Worthies, Three Emperors, please guard my Gate of Life. You emerge from my body and travel through the empty spaces. The Six Qi alternate and transform, nourishing my Five Spirits and setting my Three Hun souls in proper order. Let my five organs grow naturally, and let me attain long life and become a flying immortal.”

When you have finished reciting, visualize them returning from the empty spaces to the Three Palaces. Wait quietly for a moment, then swallow saliva thirty times, counting each set of ten as one round, for three rounds in all. If you practice this at night, you should be able to see the Three Ones and the Three Ministers (three attendant deities). At times, dreams of white birds, white swans, white tigers, gold, or jade are also visions and signs of the Three Ones’ manifestation. Keep up this practice without slackening, and you will gradually begin to see them, until it is as though you are meeting them face to face.

At midnight on each Chu day (the last day of the lunar month), rise quietly and face north. Look up at the seven stars of the Northern Dipper and visualize the inner scene appearing among them: the Three Ones descend from the auxiliary stars and enter the Three Palaces in your body. When you have finished visualizing, return to bed and focus your thoughts on them. If their forms are faintly visible, recite softly:

“Supreme Heavenly Assistant of the High Origin, where the Three Emperors travel; the Three Ministers support them, joining with the Perfected Ones on their journey. Please descend and enter my body. Sit quietly and do not expel vital essence. Let vital essence nourish my body, and my souls become harmonious and moist. Let me become a flying immortal, riding in a cloud chariot and roaming freely.”

When you have finished reciting, swallow saliva twenty-seven times. Choose one Chu day each month for this practice.

At midnight on each Kai day (a day designated “Kai” in the sexagenary calendar), rise, sit facing east, and, if you wish, remove your head covering and let your hair down. Then comb and bind it. When you have finished, recite:

“Three Perfected Ones of the Upper Origin, Infant within the Perfected: please let down your hair and open the vapor, so it rises to the Heavenly Terrace. Make the Mudball (the inner alchemy site in the head) firm and settled, enduring as long as Heaven, and let me become a flying immortal, traveling between the Cavern Terraces.”

When you have finished reciting, swallow saliva nineteen times. Then put on your head covering, go to bed, and focus your thoughts on the Three Ones and Three Ministers, each settled in their own palace, with the Three Emperors and Three Ministers seated facing one another. Next, visualize the Three Ones exhaling thirty times within their palaces. As you hold them in your thoughts, exhale thirty times along with them. Here, “exhale” means to breathe out through the open mouth. As you exhale, you should also feel heat throughout your body; this will bring your spirit and Qi into harmony.

To gather the soul, when guarding the “Three Ones,” one should face the eyes and envision the Palace of the Spirit in the heart.

The method of guarding the “One” is to let the Qi of the Three Primordial Essences of the Most High appear within the three palaces. The “Three Essences” are three layered hues of Qi—purple, blue-green, and deep red—with purple at the top. While guarding the Three Ones, envision yourself within them. Then imagine the celestial officials of the Northern Pole Purple Chamber and Jade Palace arranged in order. Picture yourself about to sit upright before the Emperor, report what you seek, and bow in your heart. “The Most High” refers to the Emperor of Shangqing, a supremely exalted deity; the “Northern Pole Purple Chamber” is the dwelling of the Lord Emperor.

You should also envision the Three Ones within your body and tell the Lord Emperor the way to ascend and become perfected, and to live forever. Whenever you have a sumptuous meal, steady your thoughts, guard the “One,” and envision it in your heart. Let the “One” partake of the food first, then eat yourself. If you do this regularly, evil Qi will keep away and true Qi will come before you. After eating, recite silently in your heart:

“The grains enter my stomach, unite with the Qi of the spirit, and enrich my blood. Corpse-demons and evil influences vanish and fall away. May I live forever, enduring with Heaven and Earth; may I ascend on high to the Golden Tower, command the Six Ding spirit youths, and have them protect and guard the One.”

One method of practicing “guarding the One” is to wait until midnight on a Jiawu, Jiachen, or Jiayin day. Sweep the sleeping chamber and its courtyard clean and quiet, spread a mat within a space one zhang square, and burn incense. Face north and bow twice, or bow only in your heart. Then look up at the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper and envision purple Qi rising from the Dipper and entering the three palaces within your body. Facing north, place your hands together on your knees and envision the Three Ones, the Three Ministers, and yourself riding purple Qi upward to Taiji. Here, “Taiji” means the North Star. Imagine yourself gradually forgetting your body, until in a daze you seem to be ascending to Heaven. According to the scripture, practicing in this way brings one close to the Way of the immortals; immortals call this method “Great Stillness.”

On rainy days, you may also practice on your bed. Alternatively, prepare an altar in advance in a spacious place, marking off a space one zhang square and enclosing it with a fence several feet high. When the appointed day arrives, you should practice. This is the Way of Great Stillness.

Another method of guarding the One is to wait until the moon has just risen, face it, and bow twice. Then recite silently in your heart:

“Lady of the Mysterious Essence of Great Yin, radiant Bright Moon, when you first rise, may your flowing light illuminate my three palaces. May the Way of the immortals enable me to ascend and soar freely through the eight directions, and may all that I seek and desire meet with blessings.”

During practice, regularly envision the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper above your head, with the Dipper’s handle pointing forward. The scripture calls this an essential instruction: practiced in this way, it will prevent the hundred evils from disturbing you and cause baleful Qi to disperse.

Those who practice guarding the One should avoid eating the five pungent foods, pork, and dog meat, and should not enter the home of a woman who has recently given birth. On a Jiazi day…

During cultivation, one should avoid heavy drunkenness and stay away from all kinds of filth and putrid things. Treat these prohibitions with care and do not violate them. Do not doubt these requirements, and do not practice while holding an infant; this point must not be overlooked. Practitioners should also avoid sharing clothes or shoes with others, and should not share a bed or mat. When practicing visualization—that is, cultivating through focused contemplation—one should be alone. Activities such as contemplating the true Dao, quieting the mind and concentrating the spirit, reciting Daoist methods, and summoning divine spirits should likewise be carried out in a separate place. These requirements are not limited to the practices just mentioned.

In ancient times, the Later Sage, the Lord Emperor of the Golden Palace, received the Scripture of the True One of the Three Origins. The Lord Emperor of Taiji transmitted to him the “True Talisman” and the Scripture of the True One of the Five Dippers; the Lord Emperor of Taiyi then transmitted the Precious Writ. He later passed these four methods on to the immortal Juanzi. Juanzi was once fishing in a river when he caught a carp. He cut open the fish and found inside a green jade casket. Opening it, he discovered two talismans and two scriptures: precisely these methods and texts.

These are the secret teachings preserved by the Most High, and the highest Daoist methods cultivated by earthbound immortals. It is said that once perfected, they enable one to pay audience and feast in Shangqing, roam through Taiji, fly freely among the peaks of Mount Kongtong, and sleep at ease on Mount Kunlun.