《雲笈七籤》Vol. 53

The Eight Radiances Flying Scripture describes a Daoist cultivation ritual performed on particular days.

The text says that the Elder of the Nine Heavens received this scripture from the Primordial Heavenly King of Golden Truth and Jade Radiance in the Numinous Capital of the Vast Void, and named it the Eight Radiances Flying Scripture. It is also called the Upper Scripture of the Eight Whites, the Jade Instructions of the Plain Book, or the Golden Chapters. The scripture holds that its Daoist teachings are profound and exalted in status among the scriptures. Practitioners must not violate taboos, enter polluted places, or come into contact with defiling matters associated with death or childbirth. If they break these taboos, the true spirits will depart and return to Heaven. Even if summoned, they will not come, and may instead bring misfortune. Practitioners should therefore begin by carefully observing the precepts.

On the day of the Beginning of Spring, the Three Plain Ladies—Daoist deities—go to a banquet hosted by the Great Emperor of Heaven. The scripture regards this as a day for practicing the Way of the Primordial Radiance and cultivating the methods of becoming an immortal. Those who practice the Golden Truth and Jade Radiance Eight Radiances Flying Scripture should bathe and observe purification on this day. At dawn, they should enter a quiet chamber, burn incense, and bow. Following the ritual, they should place talismans for summoning spirits and subduing demons in the four directions, sit in the center facing northeast, and click their teeth twelve times.

Next, practitioners should visualize purple, green, and white clouds swirling in from the northeast. Inwardly, they should recite a prayer asking the Three Plain Ladies to turn back their divine chariot, descend to their right side, inscribe their names in the celestial register, and grant them the Way to immortality. They should then visualize the Lord of the Primordial Radiance and the Lord of the Records in the Palace of Primordial Yang, within the Upper Mansion of Qingwei in the East. The Lord’s surname is Ge and his given name is Taixi. He is seven cun and eight fen tall, wears a dark yellow sash and a jade crown adorned with seven-colored celestial radiance, and has shoes of five colors. He carries a rod of numinous authority and rides an eight-axle chariot drawn by a flying tortoise cloud-car. A Green Dragon pulls it, and twenty-three Immortal Children of Supreme Harmony accompany him. He descends into the practitioner’s Niwan Palace, the Daoist abode of spirits within the head.

The practitioner then offers a quiet prayer:

“Great Spirit of the Primordial Radiance, turn the essence and Qi through the Dark Way. The upper joints proclaim the beginning, and the myriad Qi arise in a state of undifferentiated unity. The Qi of the Nine Subtleties transforms above, then turns and descends into my body. Please preserve my Primordial Palace, oversee and command the Imperial Spirits, and summon the true spirits…”

The practice of the “Eightfold Way of Primordial Radiance” can subdue demons, make one’s Dao power manifest and one’s Jing and Qi abundant, and bring one into communion with the divine. Practitioners may behold the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three highest deities revered in Daoism) and ride the flying radiance up to the imperial court. When the practice is complete, raise the head and swallow the Eight Qi (the energies of the eight directions); this concludes the practice.

This is the “Way of Primordial Radiance.” After eight years of practice, clouds of the Three Essences and the flying wheels of the Eight Carriages will come to welcome the practitioner and raise them to the Court of the Celestial Emperor. The “Secret Words for Invoking the Spirits through the Eightfold Way of Primordial Radiance” must not be passed on to those who have not attained immortality.

On the day of the spring equinox, when the Heavenly Emperor of Taiwei goes to court before the High and Exalted Jade Emperor and attends a banquet, one should practice the Way of Initial Radiance and receive the immortal teaching. Prepare that day as described above. At midnight, face east and click the teeth nine times. Look upward and visualize the blue, yellow, and red cloud vapors of the Hai direction circling in from the northeast. Then silently recite these secret words in your heart: “Heavenly Emperor of Taiwei, turn back your divine carriage and descend upon me; grant me a place in the imperial register, so that I may attain immortality.” Once you have finished reciting, visualize the Great Lord Lao of Initial Radiance in the Palace of Dark Subtlety, Upper Court of Azure Yang, in the east.

The family name of the Great Lord Lao of Initial Radiance is unknown. His personal name is Youwan. He is nine inches tall, wears a purple and blue sash, and bears on his head a precious nine-colored crown that reaches to Heaven. He wears nine-colored shoes and holds the seal of the Spirit of Life. Leading thirty-six solar immortal youths, he rides the carriage of the Eight Radiances and a chariot of azure clouds, drawn by a blue-green dragon. He descends to the Palace of the Bright Hall within the practitioner’s body. Then, in a low voice, offer this prayer: “Initial Radiance, Upper Origin, summon the numinous spirits and welcome the Perfected Ones; receive the breath and regulate destiny, in accordance with the statutes of the Emperor. I ask the Emperor to turn back his divine light and descend above Jade Dawn; let numinous Qi descend to guard my body, preserve my Jing, and refine my primordial Qi. May the Five Blossoms gather and purple Qi flow and shine, enabling me to commune with and command the spirits, ride the flying radiance upward, and attend a banquet above the Jasper Pavilion.” When the prayer is complete, raise the head and swallow the Nine Qi. The practice ends here.

This is the “Way of Initial Radiance.” After eight years of practice, the flying wheels of Dark Radiance will come to welcome the practitioner and raise them to the Great Clarity. The “Secret Words of the Eightfold Way of Initial Radiance” must not be passed on to those who have not attained immortality.

On the day of the Beginning of Summer, when the Three Primal Perfected Ones, the Supreme Perfected Ones of Taiji, go to court at the Purple Tenuity Palace and attend a banquet, one should practice the Way of Dark Radiance and receive the immortal teaching. Prepare that day as described above. At dawn, face southeast and click the teeth nine times. Look upward and visualize purple, blue, and yellow cloud vapors circling in from the northwest. Then silently recite these secret words in your heart: “Three Primal Perfected Ones, Supreme Perfected Ones of Taiji, turn back your divine carriage and descend upon my dwelling; inscribe my jade name, so that I may attain immortality.” Once you have finished reciting, visualize the Jade Light of Dark Radiance in the Taiwei Palace, Upper Court of Lesser Yang, in the southeast.

The Limitless Dao Lord bears the surname Wang and the given name Wuying. He is eight cun and eight fen tall, wears a sash of red brocade, a jade cap of the Limitless Worthy-of-Advancement style, and shoes of nine colors, and holds a talismanic seal that summons the spirits. Riding in a dark-green carriage of Mysterious Radiance and a five-colored cloud chariot, drawn by a phoenix, he is followed by thirty-nine numinous flying immortal youths. He comes to preside over the ritual in your Palace of the Cavern Chamber. At this time, softly recite the prayer:

“Numinous One of Mysterious Radiance, you command the Qi of the eight directions and roam above the Nine Heavens, soaring through boundless realms. I ask the true spirit to descend and release the obstructions that have long accumulated within me. Protect me with flying clouds and cover me with a purple canopy, so that I may ride the chariot of the Eight Radiances and ascend into the clouds.” When the prayer is complete, tilt your head back and swallow the eight Qi.

This is the Way of Mysterious Radiance. After eight years of practice, clouds of purple, green, and yellow Qi, together with the dark-green carriage of Mysterious Radiance, will come to welcome you and raise you into the Great Clarity. Do not transmit the secret words of the Eight Ways of Mysterious Radiance to anyone who has not yet become an immortal.

On the day of the summer solstice, the Great Emperor Lord of Fusang travels to the Palace of Great Subtlety for a banquet. This is the day when the Numinous Radiance follows the Way and practitioners receive the transmission of immortal methods. On that day, follow the method above: at dawn, face south and click your teeth eight times. Raise your head and visualize clouds of red, white, and green Qi circling in from the southeast. Then silently recite the prayer in your heart:

“Great Emperor Lord of Fusang, turn back your divine radiance and descend upon me. Enter my name in the records at Donghua, so that I may ascend riding on flying mists.”

When the prayer is complete, remain facing south and visualize the Grand Commandant of Numinous Radiance, Lord Yuanxian of the Purple Tenuity Palace in the Upper Mansion of the Sun. Lord Yuanxian bears the surname Xuan and the given name Boshishi. He is eight cun and eight fen tall, wears a deep-red brocade sash, a jade cap of Level-Heaven Radiant Essence, and shoes of nine colors, and holds a talismanic seal that subdues demons and evil influences. Riding in the Chariot of the Eight Ways of Light and a red cloud chariot, drawn by a phoenix, he is followed by thirty-six jade youths of the Cinnabar Numinous Upper Palace. He descends into the Palace of your Central Dantian. Then softly recite the prayer:

“Numinous spirits of Numinous Radiance, open the numinous Qi and set it turning with the currents of Qi. Ride the swift chariot of the Eight Ways and release the power of radiance. Descend into the Palace of my Dantian and illuminate my cinnabar radiance. Gather in demons and evil influences, command the spirits, and bring all numinous beings under control. Let me see into the hidden and subtle, and ascend in flight together with the radiance.”

When the prayer is complete, tilt your head back and swallow the eight Qi.

This is the Way of Numinous Radiance. After eight years of practice, the Chariot of the Eight Ways of Light will come to welcome you and raise you into the Great Clarity. Do not transmit the secret words of the Eight Ways of Numinous Radiance to anyone who has not yet become an immortal.

On the day of the beginning of autumn, the Supreme Perfected Lord of Great Simplicity, the White Emperor, travels to the Jade Heaven and Dark Emperor…

The time of the High Perfected Ones’ journey and feast is the day when the Lord of Primordial Radiance (Yuanjing Daojun), the revered deity of the southwest, practices the Dao and transmits the Way of the Immortals. On this day, follow the method described above: at dawn, face southwest, click your teeth twelve times, raise your head, and visualize clouds of red, white, and purple Qi (vital energy) swirling in from due west. Then silently recite in your heart: “I ask the Perfected One of Great Purity to turn back the radiance of his spirit and descend upon me, and to report my name to the Jade Heaven, so that I may become a Perfected One.” After completing the visualization, imagine that in the Palace of Subtle Yang, the Upper Mansion of Lesser Yin in the southwest, dwells the Lord of the Dao of Greatly Tranquil Heaven, Yuanjing. His surname is Huang and his name is Yunzhu. He is seven cun and eight fen tall, wears a dark yellow silk sash, the garment of an immortal official, and a Seven-Treasure Cap of Advancing the Worthy. He wears nine-colored shoes and holds the Register of the Spirits of Destiny. He rides a purple-cloud carriage with a jade canopy and a multicolored vermilion cover, drawn by six dragons. In attendance are twenty-four immortal youths from the Upper Palace of Yellow Silk. He descends to protect the Dantian (energy center) palace within the practitioner’s body. Then recite this blessing in a low voice:

“Supreme Perfected One of Primordial Radiance, mysterious radiance of the Eight Ways. Above, you govern the Yellow Mother; below, you govern my body. Your divine carriage wanders, its light flowing through the Purple Clarity. You guide Qi through the cycles of time; the Three Primordial Powers shine forth. You command the spirits and subdue demons; my Dao penetrates the essence. May I long preserve the radiance above, and fly as an immortal, living forever.”

After reciting the blessing, raise your head and swallow seven breaths. If you practice the Way of Primordial Radiance in this manner for eight years, a jade carriage will come to welcome you, and you will ascend into the Great Clarity (Taiqing), one of the highest realms of the immortals in Daoism. The secret words of Primordial Radiance’s Eight Ways must not be transmitted to anyone without an affinity for becoming an immortal.

The autumn equinox is when the Supreme Perfected One of the South Pole, the Red Emperor, goes to the Terrace of Langfeng to feast and wander with Lady Ninefold Numinous. It is also the day when the Radiance of Dawn is practiced and the Way of the Immortals is transmitted. On this day, follow the method described above: at dawn, face west, click your teeth twelve times, raise your head, and visualize clouds of blue, yellow, and red Qi swirling in from the southwest. Then silently recite in your heart: “I ask the Supreme Sovereign Red Emperor, Supreme Perfected One of the South Pole, to turn back the radiance of his spirit and look down upon my dwelling. Grant me a jade scroll, and report me to the Ninefold Numinous, so that I may ride the flying radiance and ascend to the formless realm.” After completing the visualization, imagine that in the Upper Mansion of Great Yin, in the Palace of Dui in the due west, dwells the Lord of Great Harmony at Dawn, Mingjing. His surname is Hao and his name is Renyi. He is six cun and eight fen tall, wears a white-patterned sash of numinous purity, and a Celestial Crown of Boundless Jade Treasures. He wears nine-colored shoes and holds the Jade Register for Delivering Destiny and Preserving Life. He rides a crimson-jade carriage and a white-cloud chariot, drawn by a white tiger. In attendance are twenty-four jade youths from the Upper Palace of Numinous Purity. He descends to protect the practitioner’s body.

In the Palace of the Canopy (the name of a Daoist immortal palace), silently recite the invocation:

“Bright Radiance, Dao’s Ancestor (an honorific title of a divine perfected being), command the Nine Heavens. Set in order and govern the Purple Empyrean, and swiftly ride the mists of the eight directions. Please turn back your jade carriage and descend into my body. Open me with radiance and impart to me the way of the Golden Perfected, so that I may suddenly attain understanding. Summon the numinous perfected ones without delay. May I ride the vital energy of flying radiance and ascend to the dawn banquet in the empyrean.”

After reciting this, tilt your head back and swallow the breath seven times. This is the Way of Bright Radiance. After eight years of practice, a crimson-jade carriage will come to receive the practitioner and carry them up to the Great Clarity. Do not transmit the secret words of the Eight Ways of Bright Radiance to anyone who is not an immortal.

On the day of the Beginning of Winter, the Perfected Lord and Sovereign Ancestor of the Upper Clarity go to the High Sovereign Jade Emperor of the Nine Heavens to enjoy a banquet. This is the day for cultivating the Way of Grotto Radiance and receiving the immortal method. On that day, follow the method described earlier: at dawn, face northwest, click your teeth nine times, and tilt your head back to visualize green, purple, and blue clouds turning back from the southwest. Then silently recite the invocation:

“I pray that the Perfected Lord and Sovereign Ancestor of the Upper Clarity turn back their divine carriage and descend into my chamber, grant me an immortal book and jade name, and report me to the Upper Clarity, so that I may ride flying radiance and ascend to the realm of formlessness.”

After reciting this, visualize the Lord of the Sunlit Way, who records the registers of Grotto Radiance, in the Palace of Subtle Clarity in the Upper Mansion of Yin Radiance in the northwest. His surname is So-and-so, and his personal name is Yuanfu. He is five cun and eight fen tall, wears a dark-yellow sash, and has on his head a jade crown of Ninefold Mystery and Flying Radiance. He wears five-colored shoes and holds the law of subjugation and execution. He rides a cinnabar carriage of Dark Radiance and Eight Lights, together with a purple-cloud carriage. The Black Tortoise draws the carriage, and twenty-four young immortals of Great Mystery follow him. He descends into the practitioner’s body and arrives at the Palace of the Storehouse of Life.

Then silently recite the invocation:

“Venerable Emperor of Grotto Radiance, numinous spirit of Yin, ride the rosy clouds and mount the dragon, driving the flying mists. Above,游 through the Jade Clarity; below, descend to Great Mystery. Please turn back your purple carriage and descend into my body, so that I may ride the vital energy of the Eight Radiances and take my place among the Perfected.”

After reciting this, tilt your head back and swallow the breath five times. This is the Way of Grotto Radiance. After eight years of practice, a cinnabar carriage of Dark Radiance and Eight Lights will come to receive the practitioner and carry them up to the Great Clarity. Do not transmit the secret words of the Eight Ways of Grotto Radiance to anyone who is not an immortal.

On the day of the Winter Solstice, the Jade Consort of Great Empyrean and the Perfected One of Great Numen go to the Palace of the Great Sovereign, pay their respects to the Lord Emperor of Great Subtlety, and join the banquet. This is the day for cultivating the Way of Clear Radiance and receiving the immortal method. On that day, follow the method described earlier: at dawn, face due north, click your teeth twelve times, tilt your head back, and visualize vermilion, jade-green, and yellow clouds turning back from the northeast. Then silently recite the invocation…

When chanting “Perfected Lady of Great Numinous Power in the Highest Empyrean,” pray that she turn her divine carriage back and descend into my chamber. Ask her to bestow a jade name upon me and present my name to the Highest Empyrean, so that I may become a Perfected One and feast and wander in the upper palace. After completing the bows, visualize the Dao Lord of Admonition and Counsel, Mysterious Harmony, in the Palace of Subtle Dao, within the Northern Upper Court of Yin Essence.

The Dao Lord of Mysterious Harmony has the surname Wang and the name Yin Essence. He is five inches and eight fen tall, wears a robe the color of dark clouds and a five-colored sash, and has on his head the jeweled crown of Dark Dawn. His shoes are shaped like five-colored lions, and he holds a staff for summoning spirits. He rides the Jade Carriage of Wandering, a vehicle adorned with brocade clouds and pearls and jade, drawn by a dark phoenix with black feathers. Twenty-six immortal youths from the Highest Palace of Great Mystery descend with him to govern the Palace of Dark Grain within the practitioner’s body. Then softly recite the invocation:

“Perfected One, pure and clear, primordial and numinous, you receive the transformations of the Nine Origins and contain the breath within, moving to and fro like a vermilion infant. Riding the Jade Carriage of Wandering, you roam freely through the realm of Purple Clarity. Set the Eight Nodes in motion and order the celestial scriptures. Remove my name from the register of the dead and preserve my life, so that I may live forever. Let me ride the flying radiance, yoked alongside the green carriage.”

After reciting, tilt your head back and swallow the Five Qi. This completes the practice of the Way of Clear Radiance. After eight years of practice, the Jade Carriage of Wandering will descend to receive the practitioner and carry them up to Great Clarity.

The secret words of the “Eight Ways of Clear Radiance” must not be passed on to anyone who is not an immortal.

By practicing the Eight Secrets of the Eight Ways in the Scripture of Flying Radiance, one receives the command of the Jade Emperor of the Highest Sovereign and the protection of the saints of the ten directions and the numinous immortals of the Five Sacred Peaks. A divine carriage and flying chariot will descend, enabling the practitioner to ascend to Highest Clarity alongside the Perfected Ones. The True Sovereign guards their nature and life, while the Great One protects their body, allowing them to come and go freely without encountering danger or disaster.

Even if someone’s immortal name has already been entered in the jade registers and listed in the charts of the Purple Palace, do not use this scripture to open their understanding. Once a practitioner obtains this scripture, Donghua will enter them in the register, granting them the same standing as a Perfected One. This scripture must be carefully guarded and treasured. Do not reveal it carelessly or disclose its secret words freely; to divulge them recklessly will sever your own path to immortality.

The Eight Methods of the Elixir of the Great Dao for Concealing Oneself in the Earth is also called The Jade Talisman of the Eight Transformations of Flying Spirits in the Purple Empyrean.

The “Mysterious True Art of the Eight Transformations for Concealing Oneself in the Earth” consists of eight methods: first, conceal one’s form and hide one’s shadow; second, ride the void and travel through the air; third, vanish and ascend through the clouds; fourth, move in and out between being and nonbeing; fifth, send flying spirits in the eight directions; sixth, dissolve the body and escape through transformation; seventh, turn the light of dawn and circulate the mysterious Qi; and eighth, conceal one’s body and dance through the heavens. These are wondrous arts kept in a secret chamber of the Golden Terrace and Jade Hall of Highest Clarity, stored in a jade case and sealed with a golden writ, with jade youths attending and jade maidens guarding them.

Eight hundred people received this method from the Supreme Sage Lord of Jade Dawn. After seven thousand years, it was passed on to the Perfected Taiji, the Great Spirit of the Eastern Florescence, the Azure Youth of Fangzhu, the Divine King of Fusang and Yanggu, and the Perfected Clear Emptiness. They swore an oath in the Shangqing realm, using a fragment of gold as their pledge. Anyone who possesses this text can make their body disappear and conceal their tracks in every direction; anyone who practices the arts it contains can ride the void and travel through the air. These methods may be passed on only by word of mouth and must not be taught indiscriminately: a son must not tell his father, nor a subject his ruler. Only those whose names are inscribed on jade tablets and who have had the text engraved on golden slips may learn them. Whoever carelessly reveals these secret writings will bring calamity upon seven generations of ancestors and become a ghost in the lower realm, filling the source of the rivers. These secrets should be guarded with the care of the immortals.

The first method is called “Concealing Form and Hiding Shadow.” At dawn on the day of the Beginning of Spring, enter a room and sit facing the northeast corner. Visualize purple Qi rising from the Gen Palace in the northeast—a Bagua position representing the northeast. It grows dense and spreads, enveloping the whole room until inside and out are dark. After a while, the purple clouds transform into a nine-colored divine beast, shaped like a qilin, which appears before you. Then click your teeth thirty-six times and softly recite:

“Turn back the original Qi; transform my body and shadow. Twilight light of the hidden orchid, cover and protect me. Let a purple wall conceal me and a golden city guard me. Let me merge with the breath, so that no one can see my form.”

When you have finished reciting, swallow nine times, hold your breath, and close your eyes. When the clouds have dispersed, put on the Lingfei Jade Talisman, a Daoist talisman. After practicing for a year, you will be able to make your form disappear into the air at will. In a moment of danger, stand in the direction of the Gen Palace and take some earth corresponding to your birth destiny, molding it in your hand as a shield. Visualize and recite the invocation as at the Beginning of Spring; the Qi will cover and protect you, making you invisible to others.

The second method is called “Riding the Void and Traveling Through the Air.” At noon on the day of the Spring Equinox, enter a room, face east, and close your eyes. Visualize dense, surging blue-green clouds descending from the east, from the Zhen Palace—a Bagua position representing the east—like a spinning wheel. The clouds envelop the whole room until inside and out are dark. After a while, the blue-green Qi transforms into an azure dragon, which coils beside your left ear and winds around your whole body. Then click your teeth thirty-six times and softly recite:

“Ride the mysterious Qi and travel by its power, turning through the eight directions. When seated, I am among people; when I rise, I enter the house. Let blue-green clouds cover and protect me, and let the divine dragon guard me. Let my form appear and disappear, passing through deep and shadowed realms. I swallow and absorb the nine numina, without end forever.”

When you have finished reciting, swallow nine times and hold your breath. Open your eyes and put on the talisman. After practicing for two years, you will be able to ride the void and travel through the air. In a moment of danger, stand in the direction of the Zhen Palace and take some earth corresponding to the year’s cyclical fortune, molding it in your hand as a shield. Visualize and recite the invocation as at the Spring Equinox; the Qi will cover and protect you, making you appear like vapor.

Third, the Method of Concealment in the Clouds and Free Flight. On the day of the Start of Summer, at noon, enter a room and face southeast. With your eyes closed, visualize a mass of crimson cloud-Qi, like smoke, drifting from the Xun Palace—the Bagua position associated with the southeast. It fills the whole room, making everything indoors and out dim and indistinct. After a while, the crimson Qi transforms into a black rabbit and comes to rest above your chest and abdomen. Then knock your teeth together thirty-six times and softly recite:

“Numinous black rabbit, swift in flight, I call upon the Three Mornings, the celestial spirits of Daoism. Sweep away the veils of worldly dust and open the way for me to pure, clear fluids. May I ascend on clouds and raise my Qi, descend amid purple mist; may all spirits bow to me and prostrate themselves before me.”

After reciting, swallow the breath nine times, hold your breath, open your eyes, and take the talisman. After three years of practice, you will be able to conceal yourself in the clouds. When danger arises, stand to the left of the Xun Palace position and draw in fourteen breaths to protect yourself; then you will be able to move together with the Qi.

Fourth, the Method of Going Out and Entering the Formless. On the day of the Summer Solstice, at noon, enter a room and face south. With your eyes closed, visualize dense crimson Qi surging from the Li Palace—the Bagua position associated with the south. It fills the whole room, making everything indoors and out dim and indistinct. After a while, the crimson clouds transform into a phoenix and come to rest above your head. Then knock your teeth together thirty-six times and softly recite:

“Crimson clouds shine; mysterious Qi flows freely. Through nine transformations, it becomes a phoenix. Grant me a true talisman and jade nectar, so that I may emerge through the Gate of Heaven and enter through the Li Palace. Summon a cloud chariot, that I may ride through emptiness on a beam of light.”

After reciting, swallow the breath nine times, hold your breath, open your eyes, and take the talisman. After four years of practice, you will be able to enter anywhere and go in and out without limit. When danger arises, stand to the left of the Li Palace position and draw in nine breaths. Then open your eyes and take the talisman, swallow the breath nine times, and hold your breath. Take soil from the direction of the monthly branch to shield yourself. Visualize crimson Qi covering your body, following the method of recitation used at the Start of Summer, and your body will turn into a blaze of light.

Fifth, the Method of Flying to the Eight Directions. At dusk on the day of the Start of Autumn, enter a room and face southwest. With your eyes closed, visualize in your mind dense white Qi, like mist in the sky, surging from the Kun Palace—the Bagua position associated with the southwest. It fills the whole room, making everything indoors and out dim and indistinct. After a while, the white Qi transforms into a qilin and appears before you. Then knock your teeth together thirty-six times and softly recite:

“Reverently receiving mysterious essence, I swallow yellow radiance. Wings of flight grow from my body, and lightly I rise into the rosy clouds. I roam and feast in the Eight Palaces, enduring without decline.”

After reciting, swallow the breath nine times, hold your breath, open your eyes, and take the talisman. After five years of practice, you will be able to ascend and travel in the eight directions. When danger arises, stand above the Kun Palace position...

Raise your head and swallow thirty-six breaths of Qi. Then take earth from the position corresponding to today’s Chen hour or Chen direction and use it to conceal and protect yourself. Proceed as described above.

For example, at the Start of Autumn, visualize white Qi covering you. Your body then transforms into mist and dew, making you invisible.

Sixth, the Method of Unbinding Form and Evading through Transformation: On the evening of the Autumnal Equinox, enter a room, face west, close your eyes, and quietly visualize white clouds drifting from the Dui Palace—the western position in the Bagua—and covering the entire room, plunging both inside and outside into darkness. After a while, the white Qi transforms into a White Tiger, which always stays on my right. Then click your teeth thirty-six times and softly recite this prayer:

“Unbind form and evade through transformation; pursue flight and tread upon the air. First pay homage to the Jade Emperor, then withdraw to the eight remote regions. Divide into ten thousand bodies and go wherever you wish; whatever you seek will be granted. In the blink of an eye, you will have traversed all eight directional palaces.”

When you have finished reciting, swallow nine breaths of Qi, pause, open your eyes, and ingest the talisman. After six years of practice, your body will be able to turn into a shadow and transform freely, traveling in any direction and going wherever you wish. When danger arises, stand in the direction of the Dui Palace and visualize fiery Qi coming to burn you. Raise your head and swallow nine breaths of Qi, then take earth from the Bing position to conceal and protect yourself. Recite the prayer as described above, and others will be unable to see you.

Seventh, the Art of Returning to Dawn and Turning the Mysterious: At the Zi hour on the day of the Start of Winter, enter a room, face northwest, close your eyes, and quietly visualize black clouds drifting from the northwest, from the Qian Palace—the northwestern position in the Bagua—and covering the entire room, plunging both inside and outside into darkness. After a while, the black clouds transform into a Teng Snake, which appears beneath my left foot. Then click your teeth thirty-six times and softly recite this prayer:

“Taiwei’s Nine Mysteries transform into the Teng Snake; turn the Five Stars and set the Seven Mechanisms in motion. Ascend to the Mysterious Palace, where the Eight Radiances shine as one. Swallow essence and take in Qi, never to be exhausted.”

When you have finished reciting, swallow nine breaths of Qi, pause, open your eyes, and ingest the talisman. After seven years of practice, you will be able to turn the Five Dawns—the stars of the five directions—and move freely in and out. When danger arises, stand in the direction of the Qian Palace and visualize black clouds coming to cover you. Raise your head and swallow thirty-five breaths of Qi, then take earth from the Gate of Heaven to conceal and protect your body. Proceed using the prayer recited at the Start of Winter, and others will be unable to see you.

Eighth, the Art of Concealing Radiance and Dancing in Heaven: At the Zi hour on the day of the Winter Solstice, enter a room, face north, and quietly visualize layer upon layer of black Qi descending from the north, from the Kan Palace—the northern position in the Bagua—and covering the entire room, plunging both inside and outside into darkness. After a while, the black Qi transforms into a Dark Tortoise, which appears beneath my right foot. Then click your teeth thirty-six times and softly recite this prayer:

The Eight Concealment Methods (the art of becoming invisible): Hide beneath the earth and travel unseen through the sky. Make your form appear through the Qi of the Six Yin. Ride a jade wheel, drive a dragon, and ascend through the mist to the Emperor’s celestial court at dawn. When the practice is complete, swallow the Qi nine times. When your breath comes to a stop, open your eyes and take the talisman.

After eight years of cultivation, you can ascend to the Jade Clarity Palace. In a time of danger, stand in the Kan Palace, the northern position. Imagine black clouds covering your whole body, tilt your head back, and swallow the Qi thirty-five times. Then take soil from the Earth Gate and use it to cover yourself. Pray with the invocation from the Winter Solstice section. People will then be unable to see you, and you can escape in concealment.

The Supreme Method of Contemplating the Purple Radiance of the Great Clarity Jade Rosy Clouds

In general, on an upper-ten-day period corresponding to the day of your birth, bathe, fast, and put on clean clothes. At dawn, enter a quiet room and use the method of inner contemplation to open the jade talisman. Wash your eyes, rinse your mouth, and cleanse your abdomen with pure, clear water, so that you are clean inside and out: no taste remains in your mouth, no breath remains in your abdomen, no distracting images remain in your eyes, and your body is free of dust and grime. Let your mind be calm and quiet, and allow only the Dao to fill you.

Then sit upright facing south. Close your eyes and contemplate inwardly as purple Qi wells up above the crown of your head and surges straight into the sky. Let its breath envelop your whole body until everything within and without is dim. Next, draw in the purple Qi, tilt your head back, and swallow thirty-nine times. Each time you sense the breath, swallow thirty-nine times. When the purple Qi enters your mouth and abdomen, finish swallowing and open your eyes; you will feel suddenly clear and open. Then click your teeth together three times, tilt your head back, and pray:

“Rosy clouds of Highest Clarity, their radiance shines upon me; on this truly auspicious day, purple clouds cast their glow. The numinous Qi rises, the vital essences mingle. I dwell within the golden gate and jade door, protected by the divine spirits of contemplation. They harmonize and nurture my hun and po souls, keeping them from dispersing. The Nine Perfected of the Luminous Emperor, the Eight Ways streaming in abundance; I climb the clouds and summon the numinous, and the numinous descend, rejoicing in the River of Heaven, penetrating the hidden and profound. The Three Mornings gather for a banquet and a journey; I rise aloft above the Jade Hall and pay homage at the Emperor’s palace.”

When the prayer is complete, tilt your head back and swallow the Qi three times.

This practice should be performed during an upper-ten-day period corresponding to your date of birth. For example, someone born in the Jiazi cycle uses the Jia yin day as their upper-ten-day period; other cases follow the same pattern.

The Secret Instructions of the Purple Book say: To practice the Highest Clarity method of inner contemplation of the Jade Rosy Clouds, take three sheng of water from a westward-flowing stream on the first day of the month; a copper vessel may be used to hold it. Add one liang of genuine pearls. This is called “the dewdrop essence of the embryo of the King of the Mother of Stone Radiance and Golden Essence.” Place it in a courtyard. At noon on the fifteenth day, sunlight shines upon the Mother of Stone Radiance, and the image of the sun appears bright within it. Facing east, cast the talisman for contemplating the Jade Rosy Clouds of the Flowing Radiance and Open Clarity into the Mother of Stone Radiance. Then turn south, click your teeth together sixteen times, tilt your head back, and call: “Solar Soul, Pearl Radiance, shine upon the veiled green light…”

“Crimson Child of the Vermilion Dawn, Dark Flame, Whirling Image”—these are sixteen characters. After reciting them, close your eyes and visualize the sun. Five-colored clouds descend from the sky and cover the practitioner, making the whole body bright and transparent. Visualize your body appearing in its complete form.

In the sun is an immortal, eight inches tall, wearing a vermilion-red crown of the Vermilion Yang and deep-red brocade robes with a cinnabar skirt. He is positioned above the practitioner’s head. Visualize him drawing forth from the sun its crimson cinnabar and golden essence, along with the luster of the Stone Essence and Water Mother, a spiritual substance mentioned in the scripture, and using them to pour into the practitioner’s body. Then place these substances in a vessel of water, letting the water reflect the sunlight, and softly recite this prayer:

“Radiant Luo, Vermilion Sun; primal splendor spreads and unfolds. The crimson furnace shines bright; the nine Qi become one in truth. The three and five circulate essence; the two forms intertwine. The jade womb and stone body are refined, returning the old to new. Dark streams of rosy clouds pour down; the Water Mother gathers Shen. Harmonize the hun-soul and soften the po-soul; within and without, become one with the clouds. Look up and partake of cinnabar radiance; gather the sun’s root with the mouth. Lingzhi overflows; the face shines with the Golden Immortal. Share a body with Qi, endure together with the sun. Ride the radiance through the sky and ascend to the imperial dawn.”

After reciting, face upward toward the sun and swallow sixteen times. Next, take the luster of the Stone Essence and Water Mother and wash your eyes facing the sun, then bathe your whole body with it. Let the remaining water flow westward. Practice in this way for nine years, and your face will take on a golden hue; within and without, you will be clear and radiant, shining like the sun. You will then be able to fly through the open sky and ascend to the celestial realm of the sun.

This method is profound and wondrous, and must not be passed down to later generations. Anyone who carelessly discloses this precious scripture will suffer punishment from ghost soldiers: the body will be put to work by ghost officials, and seven generations of ancestors will also meet with misfortune.

Method of Preserving the Dark and the White

The Inner Method of the Black and White Central Images of Embryonic Essence: Practice each morning. You may sit or lie down; the posture does not matter. Visualize black Qi in the Niwan Palace, the inner landscape within the head; white Qi in the heart; and yellow Qi in the navel. The three currents of Qi arise together, spreading over the whole body like clouds. At first, visualize them as small as beans; gradually enlarge them until they shoot straight up to the heavens. The three currents coil around the body and merge into one mass. This mass of Qi then changes into fire, and the fire burns throughout the body, making it bright and transparent within and without, as though all were fused into one.

Practice every day until midday, then stop. Next, take in Qi one hundred and twenty times, completing the full practice. Persist for thirty years, and you will be able to make your body invisible and travel five hundred li each day.

Method of the Three Plain Clouds

After lying down to sleep at night—you may also rise and sit to practice after waking sometime after the hour of Zi; there is no need to practice only at night. The essential point is to practice at a time when generative Qi is strong. Thus, you may practice any time after the hour of Zi and before the hour of Wu, with the period after the hour of Chou and before the hour of Mao being preferable. First close your eyes…

Face east in a seated position. Bring both thumbs from behind the ears around to the ear gates, then press and rub the eyes to either side. Cross your hands behind your neck and bring them together. Repeat this twenty-seven times (“three nines” means three times nine).

Visualize purple, blue-green, and crimson clouds within each eye, all welling out from before the eyes. These are the “Three Plain Clouds” within the eyes—the clouds of three colors—which nourish the “童子” (tongzi, the youthful spirits of the eyes in Daoist visualization practice). First visualize these three-colored clouds within each eye; then imagine them welling out separately from before the eyes and gathering there for a moment. Next, press and rub the eyes. Each time you press and rub, imagine the clouds outside the eyes returning to the youthful spirits within, making the light within the eyes bright and clear. After your hands pass over the eyes, the clouds well out again; after you rub the eyes once more, they return within. Repeat this cycle until you have completed the prescribed number of repetitions.

At the same time, silently recite this invocation:

“Three clouds of the youthful spirits of the eyes, True Lords of the two eyes (the spirits who protect the eyes): let your insight pour in Jing (essence), so that Shen (spirit) may flow freely. Great Mysterious Cloud Rite, numinous and efficacious text, protect my eyes and ear gates, so that the body’s nine apertures and hundred joints may be clear and bright, and perception keen. Let the morning fluid (the body’s internal fluids) flow back to the Mudball (Niwan, the upper Dantian in the head), so that I may ascend to the Jade Palace and take my place among the True Lords.”

After reciting, swallow your saliva fifty times and visualize it entering the liver. The text says that practicing for a year will make your hearing and sight keen. With long practice, it is said, you can see things a thousand miles away and hear even the faintest sounds.

The Scripture of Fetal-Returning Massage records another method. On a yang day (here, the first day of each lunar month), at dawn, or after waking during the night before going back to sleep, first shut your eyes tightly and face the direction corresponding to your birth destiny, determined by your birth date. Rub your palms together until they grow slightly warm, then press and rub each eye. Move your hands around the ear gates to meet behind the neck, and repeat this sequence nine times.

Next, visualize purple, red, and yellow clouds within each eye, descending separately into the two ears. Pause for a moment, then silently recite this invocation:

“Three clouds of the youthful spirits of the eyes, True Lords of bright vision: shine with radiance and pour in Jing, so that Shen may flow freely. Great Mysterious Cloud Rite, Jade Numinous Text, protect my eyes and ear gates, so that the body’s nine apertures and hundred joints may be clear and bright, and perception keen. Let the fluids flow back to the Mudball, so that I may ascend to the Jade Palace and take my place among the Supreme Perfected (the high-ranking perfected immortals of Daoism).”

After reciting the invocation, swallow your saliva three times, then open your eyes and rise. The text recommends practicing regularly, and says that doing it at dawn and at night is less effective than following the times described above. After three years of practice, it says, your hearing and sight will become keen.