《雲笈七籤》Vol. 7

Scroll Seven, “Study Seven,” of The Seven Tablets in a Cloudy Satchel

Compiled and presented by Zhang Junfang, a court gentleman of the Song dynasty, an assistant director in the Ministry of Revenue, a proofreader at the Institute for the Advancement of Learning, and a recipient of the crimson robe and fish-shaped pouch, with the honorary privilege of wearing purple

Section on the Scriptures and Teachings of the Three Caverns

Main Text

On the Method of the Three Origins, Eight Assemblies, and Six Scripts

The Great Treatise on the Daoist Gate says: “When Yin and Yang first separated, there arose the Qi of the Three Origins, Five Powers, and Eight Assemblies. From this came the flying script of Heaven; later, the cloud script of the Eight Dragons and the chapters of Bright Light were also composed.”

Master Lu explains: “The Three Origins are the three powers: Heaven, Earth, and humanity. Once the Three Origins were established, the Five Phases were complete. The Five Phases were assigned to five positions, and when three and five came together, they were called the Eight Assemblies. They are the root of all writing. The cloud script of the Eight Dragons and the chapters of Bright Light, meanwhile, are characters formed when the naturally arising, flying, mysterious Qi condenses in empty space. Each character is ten zhang square. They originated within the various heavens and brought forth and established all things.”

The True Annals records the Lady of Purple Tenuity as saying: “The writings of the Three Origins and Eight Assemblies are the ancestral source of all written works; the cloud script of the Eight Dragons is the source of the written characters, the beginning of writing.”

Another view holds that the Eight Assemblies are the three powers and the Five Phases, and came into being only after the forms of Heaven and Earth had been divided. The Red Writings, however, say that the True Writings of the five chapters of the Lingbao Red Writings appeared before the Primordial Beginning. From this, it seems that the “Three Origins” here may not mean the three powers, and the “Five Powers” may not mean the Five Phases. Rather, they may be the three kinds of primordial Qi belonging to the Venerable Elder of the Three Treasures, with the five Powers inherent in those three kinds of Qi.

Thus the Scripture of the Nine Heavens on the Generation of Spirits says: “The transformations of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things cannot come into being unless they are nurtured by the Three Origins and guided by the Nine Qi.” It also says: “The Three Qi are the honored foundation of Heaven and Earth; the Nine Qi are the source of the myriad things.” This shows that the Three Origins existed before Heaven and Earth were opened and before they came into being.

Master Song explains: “The Eight Assemblies are the Three Qi and Five Powers. The Three Origins are: first, the Origin of Primordial Nonbeing in the Undivided Cavern, which is the Qi of the Most High Jade Emperor; second, the Origin of Primordial Nonbeing in the Red Mixture, which is the Qi of the Supreme Jade Void; third, the Origin of Mysterious Communion in the Dark Stillness, which is the Qi of the Supreme Jade Void. The Five Powers are the qualities inherent in the Three Origins. The meeting of three and five is the harmony of Yin and Yang: Yin has Lesser Yin and Great Yin; Yang has Lesser Yang and Great Yang; and, added to these, there is the ‘harmony’ within the union of Yin and Yang. Together, these make the Five Powers.”

The word “script” carries the meaning of arranging and gathering. The gathered writings of the heavenly realm are therefore called “cloud script.” Thus, the writings of the Three Origins and Eight Assemblies and the chapters of the cloud script of the Eight Dragons are all heavenly texts.

Examples of this kind of writing include script such as “Cloud Seal of Bright Light,” used to write talismans such as the Five Talismans and the Five Victories.

The “Original Text of the Eight Assemblies” contains 1,109 characters, of which 668 are true-text characters in its chapters. It is regarded as the foundation of the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), and as the basis for the opening of Heaven and Earth, the transformation and generation of all things, and the origins of the gods, human beings, and all things. This is why it is said to contain the Ways of Heaven, Earth, the gods, and humanity.

The Jue of Jade says that, in practicing and applying this method, each of the five sections has its own character count and contains four topics.

First, it summons the Supreme Emperors of the Nine Heavens, examines the registers and lists of the immortals, and discusses the methods for cultivating immortality and becoming perfected. Second, it summons the stars and celestial palaces, corrects the measures and divisions of the celestial patterns, and seeks stability for the state and peace for the people. Third, it commands and restrains the energies of the Six Heavens of Fengdu, the netherworld in Daoist belief. Fourth, it commands the Water Emperor to subdue and summon forth dragons and birds.

The inner sounds of each Heaven—mysterious celestial sounds described in Daoist scriptures—consist of eight characters per Heaven, or 256 characters across the Thirty-Two Heavens. These texts describe the measures and assembly periods of the Heavens; the names and ranks of the great perfected immortals; the offices and terraces under their jurisdiction; the transformations of the immortals and the order of their ascent and descent; and the kinds of demons, the Eight Ghosts, and the causes and conditions of the cycle of life and death. Thirteen characters give the names of the primordial essences of the Five Directions. Related material also includes methods for ingesting substances, seeking immortality, refining the spirit and transforming the body, and ascending into the sky in broad daylight. The source says that the remaining 122 characters lack explanations of their primordial sounds.

Second, the “Eight Assemblies” developed into writing in the forms of dragons and phoenixes, known as “Dragon Script.” The following kinds of writing were all set down by the Mysterious Sage to imitate the patterns of the heavens.

Third, in the time of the Yellow Emperor, Cangjie modeled ancient writing on the forms of dragons and phoenixes and the tracks of birds and beasts, creating it to replace the use of knotted cords for keeping records. This is the ancient script.

Fourth, in the Zhou dynasty, Shi Zhou revised the ancient script into Large Seal Script.

Fifth, in the Qin dynasty, Cheng Miao revised Large Seal Script into Small Seal Script.

Sixth, after the Qin, Xuyang revised Small Seal Script into clerical script. Some also say that in the Han dynasty clerical script was called “assistant script.” Another account holds that Cheng Miao created this writing while imprisoned; because it came from convicts performing labor, it was called “clerical script.” These are the six kinds of writing.

Cloud Script

There is also the “Chapter of Cloud Seal of Bright Light.” It is a Brahmic script formed in accordance with shapes, with characters divided into sixty-four kinds and circulating throughout the Thirty-Six Heavens. The scriptures that have been passed down today mostly use clerical characters to explain the celestial script, so the celestial script and clerical script have come to be used together.

Eight Styles, Six Types of Writing, Six Scripts

The first is Large Seal Script, the second Small Seal Script, the third incised-talisman script, the fourth insect script, the fifth…

The ancients said that forms of writing included seal-script, title-script, halberd-script, clerical script, and others. During the reign of Wang Mang, Sima Zhenfeng was ordered to revise the written characters and listed six forms of script: first, ancient script, meaning the characters discovered inside the walls of Confucius’s old residence; second, unusual characters, variant forms differing from ordinary ancient script; third, seal-script; fourth, assistant script, that is, clerical script; fifth, seal script for carving and copying inscriptions; and sixth, seal-script forms such as bird script.

When Cangjie created writing, brushes must already have existed. The Book of Songs mentions “red tubes,” which refers to brushes. Later accounts say that Meng Tian invented the brush because, as a Qin general, he came from a family famous for three generations. His skill in making and improving brushes was so refined that he became especially renowned for brushmaking. Paper was first made by Cai Lun during the reign of Emperor He of Han. Before then, people mainly wrote on bamboo and wooden slips. A “tablet” was a wooden strip used to record events or arrange prose; a “slip” meant a bamboo strip, on which the writing was kept as concise as possible.

The text says that the foundational heavenly writing was inscribed on golden slips. The eight forms of script and six categories of characters that appeared afterward all developed from the authentic lineage of writing. Later scholars may investigate this further. As for when this scripture was first written on paper and assembled into scrolls, it is now difficult to know. The scripture also says that brushes already existed at the beginning of the kalpa, when Heaven and Earth first came into being. The heavenly writing set down by the Great Perfect One, the Daoist name for the supremely real, therefore cannot be said to have been made without a brush. The Celestial Worthy, in creating and transforming all things, possessed every method. Later generations inherited and used these characters and forms of script, which naturally appeared in a particular sequence.

The six categories of characters are: first, pictographs, such as “sun” and “moon,” formed according to the shapes of things; second, ideograms, such as “above” and “below,” in which signs indicate meaning; third, phono-semantic compounds, such as “river” and “sea,” made up of a component indicating meaning and one indicating sound; fourth, associative compounds, such as “martial” and “trust,” in which character forms are combined to express meaning; fifth, derivative cognates, such as “test” and “old,” whose meanings are related and can explain one another; and sixth, phonetic loans, such as “command” and “long,” in which an existing character is borrowed to write a different word.

Talismans

All things in the world act through their Jing-Qi, their inner vital force. The two forms of Heaven and Earth, along with the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—also depend on Jing-Qi moving within them. Since all things exist, Jing-Qi likewise moves within them. Thus the Five Phases and all kinds of things each have their own Jing-Qi. When the Dao’s Jing-Qi is set down on paper and ink and made to correspond with the Jing-Qi of things, it can drive out evil and falsehood, support the righteous, summon the spirits, govern life and death, protect the cycles of cosmic transformation, and secure and guard the five directions.

These talismans originally emerged from the void. The Great Perfect One wrote them after gazing up at the patterns of the heavens, then arranged them according to direction and distinguished their images. Talismans, writings, and diagrams each differ: talismans take their forms from clouds, Qi, the sun, moon, and stars; writings distinguish the sounds of characters and the meanings of sentences, weighing what they express; diagrams depict the forms of numinous transformations. Yet talismans also contain writing and carry the sense of images; writings also…

Because images and sounds are used together, eight forms of writing and six kinds of script take shape. They appear through one another and explain one another.

The Eight Manifestations

The “Eight Manifestations” are as follows. First is “heavenly writing,” the script of the Eight Assemblies. Second is “spirit writing,” or cloud seal script. Third is “earthly writing,” meaning characters shaped like dragons and phoenixes. Fourth is “inner writing,” meaning characters emitted by turtles, dragons, fish, and birds. Fifth is “outer writing,” meaning characters carved on scales, shells, fur, and feathers. Sixth is “ghost writing,” meaning characters with disorderly forms, hidden and difficult to understand, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. Seventh is “Central Xia writing,” meaning the scripts of the Central Plains, including cursive script, artistic script, and cloud seal script. Eighth is “Rong-Yi writing,” meaning characters shaped like insects.

Among these six kinds of script and eight forms of writing, some characters have the same forms in ancient and modern times, while others have ancient forms identical to modern ones. Symbols and ornamentation are interwoven to form a single pattern and work together. Thus, there is no fixed standard for the similarities and differences among character forms. These accounts are based on the explanations of Master Song and do not come from the surviving text itself. Still, some talismanic writings in the scriptures of the Three Caverns, one of the classification systems for Daoist scriptures, contain characters, just as some ancient characters in the Book of Documents in Ancient Script are the same as their modern forms.

The Formula of Jade Characters

At the Upper Lodge of Southern Cinnabar Cave, the Most High Lord of the Way taught the scholar Wang Long the numinous text The Formula of Jade Characters. Its precise date of composition is unknown, and scholars may continue to investigate it.

The text also discusses methods used in cultivation, including the use of Fulu (talismans and registers), the establishment of a Jiao (a Daoist sacrificial rite), visualizing the Five Directions, and praying to avert calamity. Its main subject, however, is the explanation of the script of the Eight Assemblies, with the meaning of the scriptures brought in to illuminate its principles. For example, in explaining the True Text, it also clarifies the principle of spiritual response and communion; the Scripture for Settling the Will discusses the meaning of “subtle contemplation.” Practical matters also include specific ritual procedures: the Jade Formula, for instance, explains the rites for transmitting scriptures and making vows when bestowing the teachings.

Thus, chapters in the various scriptures that explain secret teachings and clarify scriptural texts may all be collectively called “Jade Formulas.”

Imperial Writings and Sovereign Inscriptions

The Scripture of the Three Sovereigns says: “The writings of the sovereigns and the inscriptions of the emperors” all emerge from the natural, empty void, formed as characters from Qi condensed in space. They have no founding ancestor or origin. They are boundless, appearing and disappearing with the turns of time, yet continuing without interruption and abiding forever.

Heavenly Writing

The Scripture of the Inner Sounds of the Heavens says that a heavenly text suddenly appeared, each character measuring a zhang square, manifesting naturally in the air. Its patterns shone brilliantly; rays streamed from its eight corners, dazzling the eyes so that no one could look directly at it.

The Celestial Perfected Emperor said: “This writing is exalted and mysterious, beyond comparison with ordinary things. It opens the beginning of ‘Great Being,’ then gathers in the light of Heaven and hides it from view. It treasures the Dao and honors this writing. Its forms are profound and subtle, unlike the shapes of ordinary writing; its preciousness lies in its mysterious images, which conceal the most true Dao.”

Dragon Patterns

The Lingbao Jing says: During the era of Chiming, a legendary age of calamity, Heaven and Earth moved according to their natural course. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) stabilized and guarded the world, and bestowed five volumes of red writing in jade characters, known as the Eight Awe-Inspiring Dragon Script. These dragon inscriptions could ward off and restrain calamities, ensuring that the Dao of Heaven would endure.

Phoenix Script

The Zifeng Chishu Jing says: An ancient copy of this scripture was kept in the Purple Chamber of the Supreme One’s Six Directions. Six great beasts, like lions, guarded it on every side, while jade boys and jade maidens stood nearby as attendants. The “Phoenix Script” referred to here is the phoenix-shaped writing in the scripture.

Jade Tablets and Golden Writing

The scriptures issued during the Three Primordial periods were engraved on books of Golden Elixir and stored in bags made from naturally formed cloud brocade. After being stamped with the Three Primordials’ divine seal, they were kept in the Great Being Palace above the nine heavens. Scriptures of this kind were called “Jade Tablets and Golden Books.”

Another account says that the slips were made of purple jade, the characters written in unworked gold, and the slips bound together with gold thread and wrapped in blue silk. The Taishang Taizhen Ke says that the slips of the Jade Tablets and Golden Books were made from the Seven Treasures; they were also called “Purple Slips.”

Characters on Stone

The Benxing Jing says: The Lord of the Dao related that long ago, in the world of Chanli, a king named Dui had a daughter called Guayin. She never learned to speak. When she was fourteen, the king, puzzled by her condition, abandoned her in a deserted mountain in the southern floating lands, near Mount Changsang.

Guayin wandered through the mountains and suddenly encountered a divine being beneath a cypress grove at a dwelling in Danling. The being took her hand in his right hand and wrote characters on a red stone, telling her, “Though you cannot speak, you can record these.” Heaven was moved by her affliction and sent down a numinous boy from the Vermilion Palace to teach her methods for caring for her body and transmit the Eight Characters of Red Writing. After that, Guayin could speak.

The Lingbao Yujue Jing says: The Lord of the Dao told Aqiuzeng, “In a former life, you lived with the Venerable Spirit of the South Pole in the world of Chanli. Beneath the cypress grove at the dwelling in Danling, you both made a vow to seek the Dao. At that time, the Venerable Spirit of the South Pole was surnamed Huang and named Duming. He took your right hand, and together you inscribed characters on a red stone, recording your names. The Southern Palace later copied your handwriting and inscribed it on the southern porch, where it remains to this day. The characters on the stone also still survive. Do you remember?”

On hearing this, Aqiuzeng understood inwardly. He looked up and saw characters engraved on the south wall, which was under the care of the Venerable Spirit of the South Pole: “On the first day of the seventh month of the Tai Jia year, Huang Duming and Wang Aqiuzeng made a vow together beneath the cypress grove at Danling.” The twenty-three characters were clear and distinct.

Writing on Silk

The Wufu Jing says: A complete set of the Five Talismans should be written on silk produced in Nanhe. Nanhe is a place name; “silk of Nanhe” here means silk from Nanhe, identified in the commentary as red silk.

(The colored silk: a silk fabric dyed in color.) It was sealed in a box made of golden essence and covered with the seal of the Mysterious Capital, then handed to the Lord of Dongxuan in the Zhenshui Cave. The Jing on the Questions of the Immortal Duke says: “The Upper and Lower Jing of the Dao and De, the Mysterious Jing of Dongzhen, the Celestial Writings of the Three Sovereigns, the Hymns of the Many Writings of Shangqing, and the like are documents written by the Most High. They were written on silk from Nanhe, and so are called ‘inscriptions on plain silk.’”

Jade Characters

The Jing of the Jade Characters of Inner Sounds records that the Celestial Perfected Sovereign said: “The natural jade characters of the inner sounds of the heavens are each one zhang square. They appear spontaneously above the empty mystery, with radiance streaming down from their eight corners. Their brilliant light dazzles the eyes. These numinous writings undergo eight kinds of convergence and transformation. Their forms are not fixed, and their meanings are profound and intricate, difficult to investigate fully. They are the secret language of the Great Brahma Heaven among the heavens, congealed from flying, mysterious Qi and bringing together the sounds of the Five Directions. They came into being above the Primordial Beginning and emerged from the empty cavern. As the times turn, they open the way to instruction and bring the work of Heaven and Earth to completion everywhere.”

The Celestial Worthy ordered the Celestial Perfected Sovereign to annotate the correct pronunciation of these characters, so that the Imperial Dao might become clear and unobstructed, and its grace extend to the ten directions. The Sovereign dared not disobey. Taking up his brush, he wrote: “My body and soul are nearly exhausted. I can only rely on what I have seen and heard and tentatively annotate these characters. ‘Fivefold convergence’ means that this Dao is sufficient to enlighten and deliver both heavenly beings and immortal perfected ones. It brings together the immeasurable sounds of the Five Directions to form the inner sounds of the heavens; this is why it is called ‘fivefold convergence.’”

Writing Arises in the East

The Jing of Great Peace says: “Writing arose in the east and became manifest in the south. The celestial patterns began in the northeast, and so writing, too, appeared from the northeast. Among the patterns revealed in Heaven, the tiger bears markings, and the tiger belongs to Yin; the dragon bears colored patterns, and the dragon belongs to Chen. Writing arose in the east and flourished in the south.” From this we know that the true celestial writing first appeared in the northeast.

Jade Registers

The Hidden Book of Yuqing contains imperial slips, golden writings, and registers inscribed on dark jade, through which the Jing of Mysterious Feathered Jade may be transmitted. It also says: “Unless one possesses the imperial diagrams and jade registers, one cannot hear of or see these scriptures.” These scriptures include the Jade Wisdom of the August Sovereign, the Hidden Book of Yuqing, and the feathered scriptures of Golden Mystery and Hidden Mystery.

Jade Chapters

The Preface to the Many Chapters says that the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning ordered the Great Perfected One to hold the brush while the Jade Consort wiped the mat. They cast gold into slips and wrote the Jade Chapters. The Five Elders were in charge of the jade registers and kept them secret in the Palace of the Ninefold Numinous Immortal Capital. Later, the scripture was stored among the clouds and bestowed upon Immortal Duke Ge.

Jade Slips

The Jing of the Golden Root says that the Lord of the Great Dao of the Most High handed the Great Cavern True Jing to the Chief Minister… (The original text ends here unfinished.)

The Celestial Official Qing Tong Jun, who oversees Daoist scriptures and texts, recorded these documents in the Eastern Florescent Green Palace and ordered them to be conveyed to the Perfected One Ying, the Later Sage. These gold slips and jade tablets came from the Palace of Numinous Capital of the Great High One and were carved from jade.

Cinnabar Writings and Ink Registers

The Regulations of Great Truth says that cinnabar slips are tablets coated and inscribed with red lacquer. Bright red symbolizes fire and belongs to Yang; ink registers are documents written in ink, and ink belongs to water and symbolizes Yin. Those who study the Dao and practice according to these documents to cultivate long life can thereby attain immortality. Cinnabar slips and ink registers are therefore both secret documents, not to be passed on casually.

Jade Tablets

The Celestial Sovereign held the Jade Tablet of Flying Immortality; the Human Sovereign held the Jade Tablet of the Supreme Sovereign for Preserving Life; and the Earth Sovereign held the Jade Tablet of the Primordial Sovereign for Fixing the Registers.

The Book of Linked Blessings

The Scripture in Thirty-Nine Chapters says that the Great High One has a gate called the Gate of Jade Feathers. Heyan is the king of fetal destiny, Xuanyi is the venerable lord of the Three Qi, and the Primordial Elder is a guest of the Supreme God. Together, they support a person’s body and spirit, and engrave the person’s name on a slip of linked blessings. The scripture also says that the Great High One’s gold slips and jade tablets are the Book of Linked Blessings.

Jade Texts of Langqiu

The Scripture of Flying and Soaring on Feathers says that gold books and jade registers are the jade texts of Langqiu.

Silver-Bound Booklets

The Scripture of the Golden Chamber for Deliverance and Prolonging Life says that the Palace of Numinous Spirits in the Palace of the Great Constancy holds secret methods for deliverance from mortality and the prolonging of life. These methods were cast onto gold slips, then engraved and bound into booklets with silver. They were written in purple ink.

Red Writings

The Scripture of Jade Instructions says that the five red writings of truth of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning set forth the way of the Five Emperors. They guide them through Yin and Yang, make them turn the pivot of the heavens, and set in motion and reveal the radiance of the Five Planets.

True Writings Refined by Fire

The Scripture of Original Manifestation says: “In the past, in the first year of Red Light, I once refined true writings by fire in this land with the Great Sage of the Highest Heaven, the Jade Emperor. Fire brought out the forms of the characters and made them shine. After the true writings had been refined by fire, the remaining breath transformed into a forest of the Seven Treasures. Its branches and leaves became purple writing; the ground became gold, revealing jade texts as if engraved in silver. The dragons, birds, fierce beasts, and various divine insects in the forest often drank its dew and true Qi. Once this Qi entered their bodies, they could all live for thirty million kalpas. At the end of their lifespans, they transformed into flying immortals and continued their cultivation; ultimately, they too could attain the true and correct Dao of Wuwei (non-action).”

Characters Written with Ink from a Golden Flask

The Sacred Annals says that the kingdom of Futi offered two people skilled in writing. At times they appeared old, at times young; when they concealed their bodies, only their shadows remained, and when their voices were heard, they hid their forms. At the time, they took out a golden flask four inches high, on which there were five…

The Dragon’s seals (clay seals used to secure stored scriptures) were made of blue-green clay. The vessel held a black liquid, thick as lacquer. When sprinkled on wood or stone, the liquid brought forth seal script, clerical script, and tadpole script (an ancient script with strokes curved like tadpoles), recording the origins of creation and human relations. Lord Lao wrote Daoist scriptures amounting to as many as a hundred thousand words. They were all inscribed on jade tablets, bound together with golden cords, and stored in jade cases and golden vessels. When the liquid ran out, the two Futi men considered cutting open their hearts and using their own blood in place of ink.

Jade Tablets

The Hidden Book of the Jade Clarity: Golden Tiger Talisman says: “The red script of Yuyi (a divine script associated with the sun) summons the sun and rides with it in the same chariot; the yellow chapters of Jie Lin (divine scripts associated with the moon) dwell together with the moon.” The Scripture on Dispelling Demons of Highest Clarity opens the cavern gate at Xilin and seeks traces of the numinous at Danxue; it opens the vermilion casket of Primordial Heaven and gazes afar at the jade tablets of Highest Clarity. The wondrous writings have already been engraved on jade tablets, and the names of the immortals are beginning to be inscribed at the spirit towers. Four times they met the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water in the Dark Palace; six times they paid their respects to the Five Elders, the sovereigns of the five directions, in the Spirit Chamber.

Purple Characters

The Scripture of the Eight Su says: The wondrous writings of the True Scripture of the Eight Su arose within the Great Void and appeared on West Tortoise Mountain, above the Dark Garden, and north of Jishi Mountain. The feathered chapters and numinous writings of the Eight Su, lofty and profound, appeared in all their splendor on the markers of the grotto-heavens; purple characters shone brightly amid the jade groves. Divine light illuminated the Nine Origins, while golden sounds rang clear through the purple heavens. The characters’ divine power shone forth brilliantly, and their vital energy filled the Purple Court. The assembled Perfected calmly bowed and offered congratulations to Highest Clarity.

Characters of Nature

The Mystical Record of the Seven Sages of the Jade Emperor says: Then they looked back toward the Nine Heavens and saw only white tablets and blue-green talismans. The High Sages and Sovereign Lords received, from within the Ninefold Void, the characters of Nature, formed from the purple Qi of Flying Mystery. The Mystical Record contains the names of those in later ages who would study the Dao and attain it. Their numinous sounds accorded with their rhythms; the jade tones rang clear, and each received the True Dao. Some of these writings appeared in visible characters, while others were conveyed through hidden sounds. Their convergences in all directions, above and below, revealed mysterious names.

These writings arose from the empty air and were inscribed in the Hall of Vast Numinous Presence. The ancient scriptures contained one hundred thousand jade words. Their forms belonged to no ordinary category, and their pronunciations followed no fixed pattern; none but a High Sage could grasp their meaning. After seven thousand years, they appeared in the Chamber of Kunlun, at the source of the Northern Cavern. Each character was a zhang square, brilliantly patterned and radiating light in all four directions. In the empty air they appeared and disappeared, seeming both present and absent. Flowing purple Qi brushed away their dust and grime, while gold, refined through smelting, made the characters brighter. Though they had passed through countless kalpas, their forms remained vivid.

On the seventeenth day of the ninth month in the first year of the High Sovereign, the Seven Sages gathered in the numinous realm. They purified themselves in the Long Palace and, through an oath sealed in gold and blue-green, swore before Heaven to receive the numinous writings with reverence. The deity of Highest Eminence explained their meaning to them… (The original text ends here unfinished.)

“Qu Zhi, the Seven Sages Reveal Its Wondrous Sound” is recorded in the Treatise on Attaining the Dao in the Nine Heavens That Turn Back Heaven. The text was engraved on silver tablets and written in flying, blue-green script. It was stored in a brocade cloud pouch, sealed with the “Edict of Opening Destiny,” entrusted to the Left Immortal Duke of the Five Elders’ Immortal Capital, and entered into the records of the Jade Palace.

Characters Formed by Convergence on Four Sides

The Jade Emperor’s Profound Record of the Seven Sages says: “The Profound Record of the Seven Sages” is a text from the upper reaches of the heavens that turn back Heaven. Some characters correspond according to rhyme; others are paired according to the kind of character; still others form sounds when strokes converge from above and below or from the four directions. Some mark formal taboo names, while others combine single and compound characters. These characters all originate in the primordial, empty cavern and were compiled by perfected beings of profound attainment to elucidate numinous writings. Those who study them in later generations can see this text if they have a profound name—that is, a name entered in the registers of the Dao. In the blue sky, their names are marked with talismanic writing, guarded by the Four Offices, and recorded by the Five Emperors.

Lang Tablets and Rui Script

The Jing of the Eight Forms says that the Western Florescence Palace holds books written on lang tablets in rui script. Only those destined to become perfected beings can obtain this text.

Stone Cabinet

The Pearl Satchel of the Three Caverns says that in the seventh month of the first year of the Shanghuang era, the Queen Mother of the West descended to the Southern Floating Cavern to deliver instructions, and gave a written text to the Perfected Man of Clear Emptiness, Lord Wang. Lord Wang later passed it on to Xia Yu. Yu sealed the text inside a stone cabinet in the Southern Floating Cavern. The Five Talismans also says, “The numinous book of the Nine Heavens remains sealed in the stone cabinet.” The character “gong” in this passage is sometimes written as “shuo,” but a search of various dictionaries finds no character “shuo” with that form. The lower chapter of the Jade Instructions offers a similar example in the phrase “the true writings of the Five Elders sealed and inscribed on jade □.”

The Record of Kuaiji in the Assembly of Kongling Talismans says that south of Mount Kuaiji lies Mount Wanwei. On the mountain is a cliff of stone, known locally as the “Stone Basket.” It rises sheer into the clouds, and one must climb successive ladders to reach it. Tradition says that when Yu the Great was controlling the floods, the work was not yet complete. He fasted on this mountain, then opened the Stone Basket and found golden tablets inscribed with writing. From them, Yu learned the lay of the land and the rivers. He then cleared the waterways, allowing each river to flow freely toward its proper destination.

Seven Slips from a Cloudy Satchel, juan 7