《雲笈七籤》Vol. 82

Yunji Qiqian, fascicle 81, “Cun (Visualization), Part Two”

Compiled by imperial command by Zhang Junfang, Gentleman for Service (Chaofeng Lang), Vice Director of the Bureau of Revenue of the Department of State Affairs, and Collator of the Jixian Academy.

Gengshen Section

Shangqing (Highest Clarity) Yuanshi (Primordial Beginning) Register of the Great Perfection Jade Instructions (two gates in total)

The Three Corpses and Three Evils Gate

The first gate is called the Gate of Sensual Desire, also known as the Way of the Upper Corpse, and also called the Heavenly Disciple Realm.

The second gate is called the Gate of Craving Love, also known as the Way of the Middle Corpse, and also called the Human Disciple Realm.

The third gate is called the Gate of Greedy Desire, also known as the Way of the Lower Corpse, and also called the Earthly Disciple Realm.

These three evil gates are also called the Way of the Three Corpses or the Realms of the Three Disciples. The Three Corpses (sanshi), the malevolent entities that Daoism says reside in the human body and hinder cultivation, constantly remain within the body, block the entrances to the body’s three passes, sever the root of life, obstruct the path of learning to be an immortal, and suppress the hun and po souls that would enable one to ascend.

The root of cultivating the Dao lies in not allowing corpse evils to fall into these three paths and in removing desire from the gates of the three realms. Otherwise, how could the true Dao descend, and how could the Dao be cultivated to completion? Those who study higher Dao methods should dispel all desires and destroy the root of the Three Corpses. In this way the true Dao is naturally accomplished, and one can overcome obstacles, ascend to the higher realms, and enter the realm of the Three Pure Ones.

The Three Corpses and Five Paths Gate

The first gate is called the Gate of the Suffering Heart Entangled by Form, also known as the Bitter Path of Taishan Hell.

The second gate is called the Gate of the Suffering Spirit Entangled by Love, also known as the Bitter Path of Wind Knives.

The third gate is called the Gate of the Suffering Body Entangled by Greed, also known as the Bitter Path of Carrying Mountains and Bearing Stones.

The fourth gate is called the Gate of the Suffering Essence Entangled by Vainglorious Competition, also known as the Bitter Path of Making Rivers.

The fifth gate is called the Gate of the Suffering Soul Entangled by the Body, also known as the Bitter Path of Swallowing Fire, Eating Charcoal, and the Boiling Cauldron.

These five sufferings and five gates of paths constantly dwell in the human body, bind the root of life, block the road by which one draws down the true Dao, and close the gate of cultivating immortality. The root of cultivating the Dao lies in not letting the body be trapped in the five paths and not letting one’s traces sink into the five suffering states. If the various entanglements are not cut off, one will sink into the gate of sin; how then can one free oneself, conceal one’s form and transform, and become flowing radiance and jade light?

To cultivate higher Dao methods, one should first cut off all entanglements and eliminate the suffering paths. Then the true Dao naturally descends and the immortal way is naturally accomplished; one can transform one’s body and roam and feast in the various heavens. To escape the Way of the Upper Corpse, one should write in cyan characters, in Shangxuan (the Upper Heaven Mystery Realm), a jade talisman for extinguishing desire, beheading the corpses, and transforming radiance.

Holding a knife in the mouth, stand facing north toward the "Gate of Lust," and have a cup of clear water brought. The master stands behind the disciple, clicks the teeth nine times, and recites the incantation:

The Upper Corpse (shangshi; a corpse-worm believed to dwell in the upper part of the body and provoke desire), Qingyu, calls itself Peng Ju; it can transform into nine forms, with a bird's head and a snake's body, its mind muddled and chaotic, now sinking, now floating. It craves delicious flavors and beautiful forms, roams everywhere, disturbs the hun and po souls, governs people's transgressions, and damages the root of human life and nature; it causes Qi to scatter and Shen to depart, and wanders through the body's Three Palaces (the upper, middle, and lower cultivation loci). Little corpse-worm, do not obstruct the cultivator of the True. Jia and Yi (the placeholder for the recipient of the ritual) have already worn Fulu (talismans and registers); lust has been cut off, and the road to death has been removed. Yuanshi Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning) has already issued a ritual command: please behead the corpse-worm. The Three Terraces (star deities who inspect the human body) inspect the bodily form; corpse-worm, depart at once and do not linger; destroy its root, cut off its seed, and leave no remnant. Jia and Yi cultivate the True Dao; the Three Palaces are pure, quiet, empty, and bright; the Five Emperors inspect and illuminate; Taiyi (a high Daoist deity) records them in the register. Beiyuan (North Primordial) bathes and changes garments, advances in sequence, flies beyond the heavenly realm, rides the flowing-light jade carriage, transforms and conceals its form, ascends into Shangqing (Highest Clarity), and roams in the void.

After the recitation is finished, the master takes out the knife held in the disciple's mouth, circles it nine times around the disciple's head, then removes the rolled-up jade talisman, buries it beneath the "Gate of Lust," and pours the clear water from the cup over it. If one practices according to this method, one can destroy the Upper Corpse, eliminate lust, transcend the ordinary realm, and free the body and souls from suffering. This is the method of Taizhen Shangdao (the Supreme Perfection's Higher Dao); be cautious and do not transmit it lightly.

Next, enter the middle gate in sequence and subdue the Middle Corpse (zhongshi; a corpse-worm believed to dwell in the middle of the body and provoke love-desire). When subduing the Middle Corpse, write on yellow paper a jade talisman with the inscription "Zhongyuan Eliminates Desire and Beheads the Corpse; Transforms the Scene into Flowing Light," and paste it on the chest. Stand before the "Gate of Love-Desire," face the Wang direction, hold the knife pointed at the abdomen, and have a cup of clear water brought. The master stands behind, clicks the teeth twelve times, and recites the incantation:

The Middle Corpse, Peng Zhi, calls itself Zhonghuang (Middle Yellow); it coils within love-desire, attaches to the abdomen to hide, sinks and floats, transforms, and its form is inconstant. It manipulates people's hun and po souls, roams everywhere through the Three Palaces, and drives the mind and Shen into frenzy; desire clouds the mind and Shen, and all transgressions arise from this little corpse-worm. The True Person Jia and Yi have already been summoned by the Supreme Lord on High, wear jade talismans, cinnabar script, and golden registers, and are named in the heavenly roster. The three desires have been forgotten; Yuanshi Tianzun sends down a talismanic command to behead and destroy the corpse-form, cut off its roots and seeds, and forbid it to scatter and cause mischief again. Jia and Yi receive and uphold the Five Talismans, fast and cultivate, the true immortals are settled and stabilized within the body, and the inner palace gives rise to light. The Five Emperors inspect and illuminate; Taiyi patrols in sequence. Zhongyuan (Middle Primordial) bathes and changes garments, sheds the shackles of bodily form, conceals and transforms its form, radiates flowing-light jade color, flies up to Shangqing, breathes and exhales in the great void, long preserves its innate nature, and shares the lifespan of Heaven and Earth.

The “Corpse-Falling” inscription (the lower corpse among the corpse-worms) should be written in white, indicating that at the lower prime—the lower part of the human body, the region associated with desire—one extinguishes desire, cuts away the corpse-worms, and causes the bodily form to transform and become flowing light.

Affix the jade talisman to both feet at the “Gate of Lower Greed-Desire”; face south, lay a knife horizontally over both feet, and place a cup of clear water beneath the feet. The master stands behind, clicks his teeth three times, and recites:

Lower Corpse Peng Jiao, you glory in greed and desire. You manifest as white, chaotic and formless; you cling to a person’s two feet, provoke human passions, make people weigh gain and loss, rush about unsettled, and disturb the souls. The Three Palaces are therefore uneasy, and the Red Child has no peace. Greed and desire are like tiny insects, hidden in the obscure darkness. The Perfected One refines them three times with the Qi (vital energy) of Jia and Yi; the gate of desire is now purified, blocked and sealed, no longer invaded by evil Qi. The Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning urgently commands the Star Lords of the Three Terraces to descend into the courtyard, quickly expel you, and allow no concealment; together with your brothers and descendants of nine generations, cut away all traces. The Five Emperors confer ordination upon the Perfected One; Taiyi records the name. At the lower prime, bathe, change clothes, and don the cap; fly up to Qingxuan and pass through the Three Realms; on high, drink the primordial Jing (essence), liberate the bodily form, conceal and transform, become flowing light, and ascend to Shangqing (Highest Clarity). Tread the void and walk; the Three Realms together are illumined. Having passed through the Three Realms, then pass through the Way of the Five Sufferings.

Method for Dissolving the Form and Hiding Transformations, Flying Across the Five Paths: Prepare a set of new clothes, headcloth, and shoes—all must be new. At the first station, the “Gate of Accumulated Suffering of the Mind,” write in black “Dissolving the Form and Hiding Transformations, Deliverance from Hell, Flowing Radiance”; place the jade talisman beneath both feet and stand steadily facing north. The master clicks his teeth five times and recites:

Dissolve the form and hide transformations; fell the corpse and pass the Five Hardships. The three kinds of desire have already been purified; divine fluids pour into the body. Cast off the old body and refine a new body, fragrant as an orchid, warm and moist as jade. The jade talisman erases traces, so the earth no longer constrains. Fly beyond the heavenly realm and ascend above the clouds; the demon-kings guard the true Qi and make it merge with the natural. Seven generations of ancestors are raised together, stepping into the Heavenly Gate. The Five Emperors inspect, and ten thousand spirits all come to stand guard. When the ritual is finished, untie the bindings and bury the talisman beneath both feet; take off your shoes and leave straight away.

Next enter the “Gate of Love-Desire and Suffering of the Spirit.” On the gate write in white “Dissolving the Form and Hiding Transformations, Deliverance from the Wind-Knives, Flowing Radiance”; place the jade talisman beneath both feet and stand steadily facing west. The master clicks his teeth nine times and recites:

Walk like a cloud, step and fly upward; conceal and transform, your body emits jade light. Liberate the form, cast off traces, loosen your hair and soar. No longer constrained in the human world, ride the void and walk. The heavenly demons have already protected you; the road to the Five Paths has opened. Cross beyond the suffering of the wind-knives, and your form ascends to the Upper Palace. When the ritual is finished, bury the talisman beneath both feet, and do not look back when you leave.

Discourse on the Gengshen Visualization of the Youth and the Method for Removing Xuanling (Mysterious Numen) (five methods in total).

The Yingyang Jing says: “Tongzi” (the child) refers to the human mind-spirit, the ruler of the many spirits. Xuanling (the hidden, numinous spirit) deludes people’s ears, eyes, nose, mouth, body, and consciousness. Xuanling acts together with the Three Corpses (Sanshi) and the Six Jia deities (Liujia shen) both within and outside a person; these spirits all have their own forms. Once they come into contact with external things, they all want to make people indulge in carriages and horses, fine clothing, fame and profit, and food and drink, giving rise to many desires and never knowing satisfaction; doing so harms oneself and invites disgrace.

First one must train one’s own mind, causing those with desires to become desireless, and causing those originally without desires to understand that there is something to seek; regard desire as the Dao and seeking the Dao as desire. Broadly speaking, people are easily pulled along by sounds and sights and by flavors, and sounds, sights, and flavors are precisely where passions and desires gather and the root of the mind-spirit’s loss and confusion. Do not single-mindedly chase these desires, and do not deliberately pursue some kind of purposeful action.

Those who have attained the Dao say: “Those with desires should be without desires; those without desires should have desires.” (Another account holds that the Zhiren treasures words in order to restrain desire; people’s thoughts arise through contact with things, and desires are thus produced. Things are the masters of desire, and words are the tools for seeking the Dao; once the great Dao is realized, words can be forgotten, desires disappear, and matters also subside.) This statement has nothing unreasonable about it. The Zhiren therefore lets desires recede and lets the mind-spirit rest: receding for a hundred ke, resting for a hundred ke. Resting and receding are used alternately; this was the ancients’ method of cultivating the Dao. (“Ke” here means one round, each round corresponding to one kind of desire.)

From among ten thousand desires, open one gate and peer at the path that leaves desire; recognize the way that reaches the Dao, and walk there; understand where a matter ends, and let it end. In action, one should alternately use receding and resting, and carefully examine one’s own traces. (The commentary says that “examine” means to adjust the breath in a yielding way and train the mind-spirit: from wuwei, desire arises, allowing the passions to stretch out, while maintaining reverence and harboring no selfish thoughts. Thus the scripture says: “When reverence prevails over desire, one flourishes; when desire prevails over reverence, one declines.”)

One must carefully scrutinize oneself, overcome the difficulties within the heart, concentrate the spirit, and make the heart Qi gentle. Each time one inspects a desire, one should observe it through the way of humility and retreat. If one feels dull and sleepy, unable to think out the principle, then become quiet and still, and look inward. A great man should earnestly question his own heart, restrain private longings, learn from sages and worthies, and enlighten and wash himself with principle. Therefore the scripture says: “Take little and one gains something; seek much and one instead becomes confused.” (The commentary says that “little” means returning the mind to its source; there, originally there is no matter, and one can thus respond to the ten thousand things without confusion.)

The Dao of Heaven dislikes fullness, and the way of the spirits rests in numinous clarity. One should know that the principle of the mind is obscure and difficult to perceive; penetrating the principle and reaching extreme stillness, practicing over the long term and persevering, one will naturally become broad and great. Holding to correctness, focusing single-mindedly, and meeting with the Dao—this is what it means.

One should constantly reflect on past, future, and present matters. (The commentary says that the past is what has already happened, the future is what has not yet happened, and the present is what is now waxing and waning today; all should be clearly understood.) In action, do not commit the two kinds of fault; at all times examine one’s own desires…

To cut from the mind those desires that do not accord with original nature is especially painful; one must be as resolute as if cutting away one’s own flesh. One must also release and let go of concerns and attachments, and only then can one transcend the gate of birth and death and enter the realm of purity, stillness, clarity, and luminosity. Practice continuously without stopping, and your reputation will ascend to Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), the highest realm spoken of in Daoism. The great Dao (the Way) is so great that it encompasses all, so small that it enters all. To realize this, one should calm passions and desires, moderate the flavors of food and drink, and cause the five viscera to become clear and harmonious and the Shen (spirit) to become unimpeded. This is an important path to reaching the state of utmost truth and to longevity and prolonged life.

Methods for Controlling the Six Desires and Shen (Spirit)

The tongue is the key that invites honor and disgrace and the gateway of harm; disorder often begins with speech, so the noble person is cautious in speech and moderate in food and drink. Each of the six Shen governs one kind of desire. Cutting off desires and discerning matters should both be done with balance and moderation; if one merely suppresses them by force, one will instead become weak, allowing subtle distracting thoughts to seize the opportunity and breed. Therefore, in the face of external things, one should begin by controlling desire.

The “six Shen” mentioned here refer to the portals through which the six desires pass: the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, body, and intention. They are the pathways by which the workings of Shen become scattered. Thoughts arise from within the mind and lodge themselves on external things; external things come from outside and also enter through these portals. When a person contacts external things, the mind naturally has perceptions. If one can constantly maintain a heart of compassion and reverent caution, one can understand that original nature is inherently pure and still and does not arise in dependence on external things. This is what is meant by responding to things: to contact external things in this way without losing original nature. The Wenzi says: “The convergence of the myriad things all passes through one opening; the root of the hundred affairs all comes from one gate.” One should guard this gate in advance: dissolve a desire the moment its first trace appears, and settle the heart-mind and Shen before they become disordered, keeping the mind strong in the face of desire. The so-called “strength” must also know humility; only by dwelling in strength while guarding humility can one preserve oneself.

The Huangting Jing says, “Carrying armor and holding talismans, opening the seven gates”; this refers precisely to guarding in advance. The root of human nature lies in the mind, and the root of purity and stillness lies in original nature. Once the mind stirs, nature easily becomes disordered; once nature is disordered, the mind grows dim; once the mind grows dim, Shen shifts, original nature is damaged, and ruin is not far off. Therefore, when contacting external things and mind-consciousness begins to stir, the inner mind should not let passion and desire take the lead. Desires arise with perception; this is a common reaction in contact with external things. If the inner mind is truly settled and free of grasping, what need is there to force desires down? One need only follow naturalness and will not fall into endless pursuit.

Opening the mysterious single gate restores the root of life, so that heart-mind and Shen no longer flow in restless agitation but remain plain and detached; breathing becomes steady and relaxed, so that the hun and po souls are harmonious and smooth, and thought becomes refined and comprehensive. One should nurture life by the method of forgetting desires. If external things pull at the mind, making it waver, become confused and deluded, one should stop the calculating mind and hold deep reverent caution, like an upright, steadfast stone that is not turned by external things. If one continues thus for long, one can follow naturalness, let go of attachments to form and speech, and no longer be bound by distinctions of words and the principles of things; discard the outward display of softness and weakness while accumulating strength, and let go of external beauty and . . .

In this way, the heart-mind and Shen (spirit) will naturally settle. If you feel that external things have already departed, yet some lingering attachment remains in the mind and you are undecided whether to advance or withdraw—meaning that desire is still present—you should still the inner mind, keep humble and self-restrained, examine yourself with purity and sincere reverence, and stand aloof from desire.

When the breath is calm and the spirit and thoughts are peaceful, you should regard desire as you would view dry wood or empty space. “To have desire but not be moved by desire” means that although a thought of desire arises, the mind does not go along with it. When the Dao (the Way) responds to a person, there must be a reason; faith is the teacher of the mind, and calm stability is the master of action. Deluded, restless consciousness arises from having nothing to rely on; since it has nothing to rely on, it should naturally come to rest.

At the very moment one seeks the principle, scattered thoughts and agitated mental impulses take the opportunity to race about, throwing the inner mind into confusion. In this way, the inner mechanism of numinous clarity is stirred, and true realization cannot appear. The heart-mind and Shen form deluded thoughts through repeated conditioning; turbid Qi (vital energy) fumes and disturbs them, and worldly habits are deeply rooted. At this point one must precisely discern and restrain deviant thoughts. The “deviant spirit” here refers to the Xuanling (inner numinous spirit) that disturbs a person; because it clings to desire and does battle with the human heart-mind, this situation arises.

If one does not make a vow to stay alert and carefully examine oneself, but instead turns away from the real, follows the false, and lets desire occupy the mind, one will become ever more self-indulgent and slack. One should use the gentle original nature to govern rigid desire, causing desire’s inclination to cleave to external things to return to the original nature and accord with the Dao. As long as you hold fast to the right way, you will naturally discern and remove deviant thoughts; there is no need to doubt.

You should also reflect: the Xuanling (inner numinous spirit) is using desire to make me slack. Therefore you should set up a great resolve, train diligently, and be stable and firm; seek success as when planning a great undertaking, and seek victory as when going into battle. Be both kind and decisive, and restrain desire with the right way. A great man should share one heart with Heaven and Earth, maintain purity, calm, and freedom from affairs and disturbance, and constantly encourage himself; even before a dignity like that of venerable elders, he should be solemn and reverent. Cultivating De (Virtue/Power) through humility, the inner knots of trouble will dissolve, and the realm of desire will no longer arise. This is the meaning of “one without desire can still accomplish things”; when desires no longer arise, the Shen will not dissipate.

This is the method of using stillness to master motion, causing desire to recede, and dissolving various calamities. When about to be liberated, one should often withdraw and hide in quiet, secluded places. Being able to untie difficulties and escape danger, one can dwell securely in the world. One can also abide peacefully amid danger; the key lies in realizing the original mind when facing external conditions: seeing difficulty in what is easy and plain, and not rashly advancing merely because there seems to be no road before one—then action will succeed. To retire after success is a practice that accords with the heavenly Dao, like forgetting the fish trap after catching the fish, no longer clinging to the tool.

The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court), a Daoist classic on visualization and nourishing Shen, says: “It passes through the six fu organs and is stored at Mao and You; turning yang into yin, it is stored in the Nine.” If one can cultivate in this way constantly, one may unknowingly delay aging; perhaps this is exactly the principle meant.

The human heart-mind is originally meant to uphold fairness and justice; it should not draw close to desire and distance itself from the great Dao. It is only because the Xuanling is affected by habitual conditioning that this happens. The desiring mind is restless and slippery, while the nature of the Dao is profound, distant, and subtle. If one does not take hold of oneself, but lets thoughts float and emotions change with external things, one cannot preserve one’s original truth. The human mind-consciousness changes ceaselessly without one noticing; is this not precisely because the Xuanling is operating in secret? Therefore one should earnestly reflect and stay vigilant.

Those who attain the Dao (the Way) pity people in the world who have lost the true path, and so they point out the principles of cultivating life: some things, though invisible, truly exist; some principles, though not understood for the moment, can still be connected with the divine through resonance—this is the function of the Dao. Many talk about such things, but few actually put them into practice; the fundamental reason is that their resolve is not firm enough. Losing the mind of the Dao is like footstep and shadow, sound and echo following one another; if one can practice the true Dao, how could one feel it is remote and unreachable?

The so-called Three Corpses (Sanshi)—in Daoist belief, spirits that lodge in the human body, foster desires, and damage cultivation—manifest their efficacy by relying on Yin Qi (vital energy); they act through private desires, hide within the viscera, and cause people to develop confused habits. People influence one another and sink into greed and benightedness; this is not the clear and bright nature they are born with. Once mired too deeply in turbidity, it is hard to change the heart.

Observe your own life: if you cannot recognize “nonbeing,” you cannot make “being” manifest; things with form ultimately return to emptiness, while desire is like a shadow. Desire is a shadow: when desire arises, the Three Corpses arise with it; when desire diminishes, the Three Corpses perish with it. The ancients said, “Those who have desire do not want, while those without desire instead want”; this means that the coming and going of desire transform into one another, and one should examine this repeatedly before one can understand.

To quickly remove the Three Corpses and accomplish the great Dao, first restrain outwardly the pleasures of sound and sight, fame, and profit, then pacify inwardly joy and anger, love and hatred, gather in the thoughts and reflect on oneself, until one thoroughly reaches true purity, stillness, and desirelessness (here “true nonbeing” means truly having no surplus desires). Whether moving or still, one must see oneself clearly and not let one’s place in the world obstruct cultivation. People often chase external things because of emotion until they exhaust their lives; the sage therefore pities the world and takes universal salvation as the heart. If one can use the mind to escape emotional desire and firmly maintain emptiness and stillness, the Three Corpses will have nowhere to hide and will quietly depart. Constantly think of the true Dao, making the mind clear and unconfused, and the Three Corpses will no longer lodge in the heart.

The text also says: what the inner mind seeks is what Xuanying (the subtle, mysterious spiritual nature) seeks—the “desire of no-desire”; so-called no-desire means that Xuanying is not drawn by worldly desires. One must strictly restrain the “Mind-King” (Xinwang—likening the body to a state, the mind is like the ruler; when the ruler keeps upright, the myriad things can naturally transform and be nourished); what can the Three Corpses do to such a person? Therefore the noble person, while at peace, thinks of danger; in governing, does not forget disorder; only when the body is settled can the state be preserved; only when the spirit is settled can nature and life be preserved.

If one is slack and self-indulgent, lacking reverence, indulging in sleep and food, the Three Corpses will transform and grow with desire, causing worldly troubles to deepen day by day, and the ignorant will die young prematurely. The Daoist text says: do not quarrel with others in order to argue right and wrong, for that diminishes lifespan; if this is so even for disputing small matters, how much more for sinking into greater worldly affairs? A person of understanding should not become attached to this.

After Xuanying has departed and the mind-spirit has settled, the refined Qi of the five directions (the pure Qi from the four quarters and the center) will enter the “Lingtai” (Spirit Terrace, the seat of the mind-spirit) and nourish the “Tongzi” (the Child—a term in Neidan (internal alchemy) symbolizing pure original nature). The scripture says: “Elusive and indistinct, yet within it there is an image; now hidden, now visible...”

In a state of huanghu (dimness and indistinctness), there seems to be some kind of presence, and from this the Tongzi (divine child; here referring to the divine spirits or Jing and Qi within the human body) comes into being. The Huangting Jing says: “Between heaven and earth there is the Tongzi.” Here “kui” is read in the departing tone and means approximately “to deceive”; that is to say, if a person between heaven and earth maintains a reverent and cautious mind and does not let distracting thoughts intrude, then Shen and Qi will not dissipate.

Heaven and earth are formed by Yin-Yang each taking its place; the Tongzi is the purest part of the divine spirits in the human body. Without pure Qi, one cannot ascend to sage-like clarity; when the heart-mind is scattered, foolishness instead increases. Therefore the sage cultivates with sincerity and practices with diligence. If one can restrain oneself and firm one’s resolve, within no more than three years one can complete the cultivation. At that time, white Qi will gently rise in the heart and emit light; the longer one practices, the more abundant this light becomes.

Method of Visualizing the Tongzi and Removing the Xuanling in the Six Jia (Liujia)

On a Jiazi day (the first day of the sixty-day Jiazi cycle) and on corresponding day-branches, if these coincide with a person’s birth year and month and destiny, there may occur a situation of “daily diminution,” with harm from the Xuanling (here referring to a spirit that depletes lifespan). In such a case, one may rise at midnight, sit upright, and silently recite the names of the Xuanling—Peng Ju, Peng Zhi, and Peng Jiao—seven times, without letting others hear. Then, according to the method of guarding stillness and purity, regulate body and mind; during the day one should continue the practice and must not sleep. On Liujia days and Gengshen days one should maintain this practice in the same way. The Huangting Jing says: “Only by not sleeping day or night does one become true.” This is what that refers to.

The abbreviated examples in the lower chapter of the Yingyang Shu say: When calculating, first seek the days of change from ancient calendars, then accumulate the days according to the Liujia and examine the numbers of the Jiazi deities in heaven and earth. Respond with a clear and still heart-mind, and verify one by one against the twelve pitch standards (ancient pitch pipes); when the sound harmonizes with the pitch standard, first visualize the Tongzi. The Tongzi is able to hear; if one can visualize the Tongzi, one may first remove the Three Corpses (the bodily spirits spoken of in Daoism) and then unite with the Dao (the Way).

Tongue Method for Regulating the Spleen and Kidneys

During the Jiazi decade (a continuous run of ten stem-and-branch days), the Xuanling often moves within the Huangting (Yellow Court), the Youguan (Hidden Pass), and the Linggen (Spiritual Root), causing people to lust, indulge desires, scatter their minds, and leak Jing and Qi; it also causes them to crave flavors and to lose measure in speech and laughter.

Within this decade, if the day-branch and the year, month, and destiny coincide with the circumstances described, then retract the tongue, rectify speech, close the eyes, and preserve the Shen, beginning the practice according to the scriptural method. For those who have desires, one should cause them to no longer crave; for those who originally have no desires, one should cause them to have a certain desire. The other decades are treated by analogy. In this way one can, at the Linggen, eliminate craving for flavors, preserve and nourish original Qi, stabilize the heart-mind, and preserve the true nature. (The spleen governs intention; intention is the commander of Qi; when intention is stable, spleen Qi is harmonious.) When the principal day of this decade arrives, the refined Qi of the Five Directions responds in the heart according to the pitch standards, and the Xuanling will naturally be transformed.

Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) especially need to be nurtured in timely fashion by clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva, so that the “spiritual root” (the root of the tongue) becomes firm. (Beneath the root of the tongue is the “Hua Pool” [Huachi], which connects with the kidneys; one should keep the fluids in the kidneys from drying up, because the saliva in the mouth and the fluids in the kidneys share the same source.) The kidneys and the tongue protect each other. If one can guard and nurture them according to the method, the heart-Shen (spirit) will become clear and calm. (“Ling” should be understood as “jing” [calm]; “qu hu” means removing the character “hu.”)

Shen and Qi will increase every day. Therefore the scripture says: “Conceal and nurture the spiritual root, so that it no longer dries up; close and firm the Mingmen (Gate of Life), like the Jade Capital.” (“Cang” means not speaking; “yang” means swallowing saliva. The kidney palace governs lifespan, hence it is called “Mingmen.” “Yu” describes saliva; “du” means gathering.)

Master Rongcheng said: Within a person’s two kidneys are the sun and moon; at the Mingmen, on the left a man wears the sun, on the right a woman wears the moon. Emptiness and non-being generate each other; cold and heat complete each other; male and female thereby become manifest. Within them are two deities, both wearing blue-green garments; those who can see them may attain long life. By day revere the Mysterious Light; by night follow the true traces; observing them for a long time is cultivating the Dao (the Way).

Methods for Regulating the Nose, Mouth, and Throat

In the Jiaxu decade (the Jiaxu day within a ten-day cycle), the Xuanling (a spirit guarding within the body) often moves in the “Shenlu” (the inner region corresponding to the nose), the Tianque, and the windpipe, causing people to love fragrant scents and dislike foul odors; when odors enter the nose, they stir the inner heart.

One should follow the method of this decade: open a portal at the Shenlu, so that fragrant and foul Qi are balanced and harmonized. Concentrate the spirit, speak little, nurture Jing and swallow fluids; regulate the breath evenly, letting turbid Qi be exhaled from the mouth and clear Qi be inhaled through the nose, with breathing continuous and unbroken, as if present yet difficult to perceive. Thus the Xuanling will no longer enter the person’s brain, and the Shangyuan (the Shen and Qi residing in the head) will become clear and calm.

Therefore the scripture says: “Within the Shenlu, one should cultivate and regulate the Xuanying (the throat) and the windpipe, receive the tally-mandate of Jing and Qi; one must quickly firm and guard Jing and Qi, and thereby sustain oneself.” That a person can be calm after birth is the innate nature bestowed by Heaven. Heaven bestows life; Earth completes form; Heaven and Earth create and transform the myriad things. Those whose nature and disposition are clear and calm can endure; those who are turbid and disordered easily invite calamity. From this one knows that the root lies in the true nature bestowed by Heaven. Such a person may be called Zhiren (Perfected Person); as for relying on the advantages of Earth, how is that worth valuing? The human form is called the “Three Passes” (Sanguan); the nose communicates with Heaven, and its use is inexhaustible; the rest can be inferred from this.

Methods for Regulating the Lungs, Heart, and Ears

In the Jiashen decade (the Jiashen day within the ten-day cycle), the Xuanling often moves in the Yutang, Lingtai, and Shenyou (inner regions related to the heart-Shen, ears, and eyes), causing greedy desires to increase, the heart-Shen to scatter, sorrow and fright to injure the Hun and Po souls, causing people to turn away from the Dao and De (Virtue/Power), and to become frivolous, impatient, agitated, and restless.

One should follow the method of this decade: open a portal at the Lingtai, do not recklessly discuss right and wrong, do not recklessly scrutinize and listen; eliminate craving for beautiful sights and delicious tastes, and make the breath relaxed and gentle. This is what is called the place where Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth) Qi unite, namely the Yutang and Lingtai. In cultivation one must look inward at the formless and listen inward to the soundless…

The six bowels and five viscera each have a governing spirit deity, and spirit, Qi, and essence all circulate within the body. The scripture says that day and night one should visualize the Heavenly Scripture within the body, and spirit and Qi will gradually become full. Guard the upper, middle, and lower three passes so that perverse Qi cannot enter; then perverse Qi will have no way to work its tricks. The commentary says: the upper pass is at the mouth, the middle pass is at the hands, and the lower pass is at the feet; “pass” means to close, guard, secure, and protect. “Perverse Qi” refers to the spirit-mind being stirred by external things and disturbed by entanglements.

Cleansing the five viscera requires measure and regularity; regulate and nourish the six bowels and keep them pure. The commentary says: if one can regulate the three passes, this is equivalent to cleansing the five viscera and nourishing the six bowels. The five viscera are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys; the six bowels are the large intestine, small intestine, stomach, gallbladder, bladder, and Triple Burner. The five viscera belong to Yin, the six bowels to Yang; Yin and Yang alternate in operation and generate one another.

Do not deliberately seek the Dao, and the Dao will come of itself; do not deliberately seek to obtain anything, and what is obtained will likewise arrive naturally. In less than three years of cultivation, one can sit quietly and see events ten thousand li away, foreknow success and failure, and discern affairs under Heaven as swiftly as an echo responds to a sound.

The Divine Technique for Regulating the Space Between the Eyebrows, the Brain, and the Tongue

The Jiawu decade—a ten-day period reckoned by the sexagenary cycle. The commentary says: during this decade, the Xuanling (mysterious spirit within the body) often roams within the Mingtang, Niwan, Linggen, and Chizhai. If one cannot properly regulate and nurture it, one will see falsely, become dull and drowsy, crave heavy flavors, and speak rashly and excessively.

In practice, one should follow the method of initiating the one gate: at the upper, middle, and lower Dantian, withdraw the gaze and nurture the spirit-mind, protecting oneself with single-minded sincerity and reverence. Reduce sleep and dreaming, moderate speech and food, and cause the inner passes to become quiet and the fluids in the tongue to become abundant. The commentary says: “moistening” means to drink and swallow the fluids of the Huachi (Flower Pond); the “two repositories” are the kidneys and the tongue. When essence and fluids unite, original Qi flows freely: Yang Qi becomes pure, Yin Qi becomes settled, and the hidden passes can then be clearly illumined.

The Mingtang is the central chamber within the body, where the True One (original source Qi) constantly circulates. One Qi contains three functions, circulating and transforming without end. The commentary says: the Qi of Heaven and Earth receives the True One; the Qi of the True One is born from the Dao.

Therefore the scripture says: “The Mingtang extends in four directions; the Dharma Sea is complete.” The Perfected One Zidan is right before me. Firmly guard one gate among the Three Spirits, and by not deliberately seeking the Dao, one can make the Dao appear naturally. The “Three Spirits” are the three Dantian: three inches inward from the space between the eyebrows is the upper Dantian; the heart is the Crimson Palace, which is the middle Dantian; three inches below the navel is the lower Dantian. Guarding the Dantian is for the sake of keeping spirit and essence from scattering and uniting the three places as one. What the heart visualizes appears; when visualization ceases, it disappears. With sustained focused practice, one can penetrate upward to Heaven, unite with the Dao, and bring Heaven and humanity into communication.

Jade Maidens (Yunü), the Six Jia (Liujia), and various spirits are all beside the person, speaking with them; then the Xuanling (mysterious spirit) disappears.

Methods for Regulating the Liver, Eyes, and Yang Qi in the Body

During the Jiachen ten-day period, the Xuanling often roams in the Lantai (Orchid Terrace, here referring to a corresponding inner bodily location) and the Cuntian (Inch Field, the place within the body where yang qi is stored and nourished), causing people to be unpredictable in joy and anger, unsettled in spirit, prone to obsession and excessive thinking, drowsy and fearful, lazy and stingy, self-conceited and boastful.

In cultivation, one should follow the prescribed rules and open a gate within the body without slackening. Rectify the mind, silently visualize, and remove distractions and excessive cleverness and cunning so that the hun and po souls become stable; do not let the will be disturbed, and also moderate joy, anger, and sorrow, as well as desires for food, drink, sound, and sex, for these all disturb the upright qi. Cultivate the heart pass so that the Tongzi (the inner child spirit) becomes pure and tranquil; then the Xuanling cannot work mischief.

The left eye is like the sun and is governed by Wangfu (King Father); the right eye is like the moon and is governed by Wangmu (Queen Mother). If one can guard these two places, one can long preserve oneself with heaven and earth, radiant as the sun and moon. In this way, the external Xuanling will depart of itself, and the internal yang qi and the deities of the Three Passes (the spirits of the body’s passes and openings) will naturally arise.

Therefore the scripture says: “The hun must return to heaven, the po must sink into the abyss; to make the hun return and the po revert to its root is the way of nature.” This is what it means. True nature is originally so and is not manufactured by human effort; to gather and conceal it in the obscure and subtle, without clinging to being or nonbeing, is the method for returning the hun and po to their source.

Methods for Regulating the Hands and Feet

During the Jiayin ten-day period, the Xuanling often roams in the Four Passes (the bodily passes and openings related to the hands and feet), causing people to want to grab things at random and move about as they please.

In cultivation, one should follow the prescribed rules and open a gate at the Four Passes. Clench the fists, visualize the hands not grabbing randomly and the feet not walking randomly; strictly restrain the mind so that actions remain quiet and pure. Then the Xuanling can no longer remain and will scatter and flee.

Therefore the scripture says: “The mouth is the heavenly gate, the pivot for the exit and entry of spirit; the feet are the earthly gate, the portal of life; the hands are the human gate, governing flourishing and decline. Close the two gates and keep them tightly shut; only then will jing (essence) and qi (vital energy) subtly coagulate in the Dantian (energy center).” Here the “two gates” refer to the gates of the two kidneys, which connect with the lower pass. When the passes and openings move, the gates open; when jing and qi leak away, life also wanes. One skilled at closing and storing can gather true qi in the Dantian and transform it to generate the Red Child (an image in Neidan, internal alchemy, symbolizing the coagulation of inner life).

The Central Scripture of the Three Corpses (also known as The Way of Removing the Corpses, Preserving Complexion, and Attaining Deathlessness)

The Taishang Central Scripture of the Three Corpses says: Human life is entirely entrusted within the womb born of father and mother; it relies on the five grains to nourish the body and accumulates jing and qi. Therefore, in each person’s abdomen there are respectively…

The Three Corpses and Nine Worms (which Daoism regards as unclean, malevolent entities residing in the human body and harming the person) are a great danger to humans. They often ascend to heaven on Gengshen days (one of the days in the sexagenary cycle) to report people’s sins to the Heavenly Emperor, recording and reporting even the smallest details, hoping to erase people’s names from the register of life and death, reduce their allotted fortune and lifespan, and cause them to die early. After a person dies, the hun-soul rises to heaven and the po-soul enters the earth, while only the Three Corpses continue to wander about; people call them ghosts.

At the four seasons and eight festivals (times of seasonal change and important holidays), the Three Corpses look forward to people’s sacrifices; if the sacrifices are not sincere, they bring down calamities, causing various diseases to break out one after another and harming people’s lives.

The upper corpse is named Peng Ju and dwells in the human head, harming the upper body and causing blurred vision, hair loss, bad breath, facial wrinkles, and tooth loss. The middle corpse is named Peng Zhi and dwells in the human abdomen, harming the five viscera and causing lack of strength, forgetfulness, a fondness for doing evil, and gluttony; it may also cause confused and disordered dreams. The lower corpse is named Peng Jiao and dwells in the human feet, making the lower body restless, disturbing people’s emotions and disposition, and making them impulsive and lustful, so that they find it difficult to restrain themselves.

The Three Corpses have the form of small children, sometimes also of horses; they are covered with hair and are about two inches long, hiding within the human body. After a person dies, they come out and become ghosts, with appearance, clothing, and stature identical to those of the person when alive.

There are many kinds of Three Corpses and Nine Worms. The roundworm is four or five cun long, some are eight cun; when this worm pierces the heart, the person dies. The white worm is one cun long and multiplies greatly, with the larger ones reaching five cun; when restless, they harm the five viscera and may even cause death, and they also make people gluttonous and cause vexing fullness and distension in the abdomen. The fei worm makes people cough frequently; the stomach worm makes people vomit and lose appetite; the diaphragm worm makes people produce excessive nasal mucus and saliva; the red worm causes intestinal rumbling and a feeling of emptiness and distension in the abdomen; the qiang worm makes people feel exhausted whether moving or still, and also brings about malignant sores, mania and dementia, as well as various conditions such as abscesses, boils, deep-rooted ulcers, fistulas, tinea, scabies, epilepsy, and leprosy.

Not every human body necessarily has all these worms; some people have only a few. Among them are ten categories, and they are especially numerous in women’s bodies. These worms are fierce and malicious and like to soil people’s new clothes. If cultivators are troubled by this and wish to treat and expel them, they may stay awake all night on Gengshen days and keep vigil until dawn; if truly exhausted, they may lie down briefly in bed, but should wake frequently and not fall into deep sleep. In this way, the Three Corpses cannot ascend to heaven to accuse them before the Heavenly Emperor.

The Taishang Lüke (Supreme Code) further says: On Gengshen days, the Northern Emperor opens all the gates of sin and allows ghosts and spirits to pass through and bring lawsuits; hosts of demons gather to inspect the good and evil deeds committed by the people of the world and by various nonhuman beings, and according to the measure of each one’s merits and transgressions, they bestow rewards, record labor, or impose punishments…

If one completes three observances of the Gengshen vigil (shou Gengshen, a Daoist night-watch practice), the Three Corpses (Sanshi) will be frightened and uneasy. Persisting in the Gengshen vigil, the Three Corpses will gradually be cut off, and one’s spirit will become calm and stable and one’s body will endure. When the Five Spirits (Wu Shen) are peaceful and no longer harass the person, one is not deluded, not confused, not self-indulgent, and anger is pacified; true spiritual powers will guard and assist one, enabling one to abide long with Heaven and Earth.

Each night before sleeping, click the teeth twenty-one times (that is, “three sevens,” or three times seven), place the left hand over the heart, and call the names of the Three Corpses, so that they dare not do harm.

Talisman Method for Expelling the Three Corpses (write the talismans in cinnabar)

The Most High (Taishang) said: The Three Corpses and Nine Worms (Jiuchong) can cause all kinds of illness; when the sick dream at night of fighting, it is also these worms that cause it. One may draw three talismans on peach-wood boards and bury them beneath the threshold; this will stop it. On every Gengshen day, write them and carry them on one’s person; on the Gengzi day swallow them, and the Three Corpses will depart of themselves. One may also write them on each of the six Geng days and place the names written on the talisman in the Register of Original Destiny (Yuanming lu); then the Three Corpses will not dare to make trouble.

This talisman can eliminate the Nine Worms. On the six Geng days, one should write it on thin white paper or bamboo paper and swallow it; do this on every Geng day. Only when writing on the Gengshen day is the number unrestricted. Beginning at dawn on the Gengshen day, swallow one; then swallow one on the Gengwu day; do not miss any of the six Geng days. In this way the worms will not invade the five viscera, and the human body will not fall ill. When swallowing the talisman, recite the incantation:

The sun rises in the east, radiant and great. I, so-and-so, take the divine talisman; the divine talisman guards the four directions. The divine talisman enters my belly, regulates my stomach and intestines, scours my stomach and intestines, so that the hundred illnesses are removed and bones and body become strong. A thousand ghosts and ten thousand evils dare not withstand it. Know that the talisman has divine power, and the Dao is the true Dao. When I swallow this talisman, the Nine Worms leave my body; I gather in the ten thousand poisons, and I am raised to become a Zhenren (Perfected One). As swiftly as the statutes and ordinances command!

Yunji Qiqian (Seven Slips from a Cloudy Satchel), fascicle 82: “Preserving the Three” (Cun San)

(Compiled and presented by the Song-dynasty court gentleman for service, vice director of the Revenue Bureau of the Department of State Affairs, concurrently collator of the Hall of Assembled Worthies, recipient of the crimson fish-bag, and granted the wearing of purple, your subject Zhang Junfang.)

Gengshen Section: Chapter on the Three Corpses

The Dongzhang (Cavern Chapter) says: The Three Qi of the Most High transform into a divine talisman, called the “Three Primes Immeasurable Cavern Chapter” (Sanyuan Wuliang Dongzhang). It governs the allotment of destiny, controls the movement of the Six Jia (Liujia), causes the Five Phases to circulate in order, brings what has been dispersed back into union, and enables people to escape death and attain long life.

Eliminate the three ghosts and cleanse the five spirits. The Five Spirits are also called the “Five Corpses” (wushi); the three ghosts are also called the “Three Worms” (sanchong). The names “worm” and “corpse” may be used interchangeably. The Three Corpses are the Upper Corpse, Middle Corpse, and Lower Corpse. The Five Corpses are the Green Corpse, Red Corpse, Yellow Corpse, White Corpse, and Black Corpse.

The prayer says: “May the Three Corpses and Five Corpses all go to the Yellow Springs. I ascend to the pure heaven, secure long life, enjoy happiness in generation after generation, and occupy the position of Heavenly King.”

The Divine Immortals’ Method of Keeping Vigil on Gengshen

On a Gengshen day (one of the days of the sexagenary cycle), stay awake all night. The Lower Corpse will come out and report the person’s faults, and then it is cut down and can no longer return. On the next Gengshen day, stay awake all night; the Middle Corpse comes out and reports faults, and it too is cut down and can no longer return. On the next Gengshen day, stay awake all night; the Upper Corpse comes out and reports faults, and it too is cut down and can no longer return. Once all Three Corpses have been fully eliminated, Siming (the Director of Destinies, the deity who governs human lifespan and life and death) will delete the person’s name from the register of the dead, record it in the Register of Long Life, and enable the person to associate with heavenly beings.

Another account says: Gengshen days in the sixth and eighth months are especially good; one should keep vigil from daytime all the way into the night. When keeping vigil on Gengshen, the Three Corpses will hide themselves; after seven Gengshen vigils, the Three Corpses will be permanently eliminated.

Method for Incanting to the Corpse-Worms on Gengshen Night

Usually on a Gengshen night, sit upright, click the teeth seven times, tap the forehead, and call Peng Ju; click the teeth seven times again, rub the chest, and call Peng Zhi; click the teeth seven times again, press the waist, and call Peng Jiao. Then write talismanic characters using the palms of both hands, and pray:

“I receive the numinous talisman of the Most High and the divine talismans of the Five Peaks. My left hand holds the seal, my right hand holds the halberd; the sun and moon enter my bosom; turbid Qi goes out, clear Qi comes in. Three Corpses Peng Ju, go out; Peng Zhi, go out; Peng Jiao, go out. Swiftly, swiftly, as by statute and command!”

Method for Eliminating the Three Corpses on Jiazi Days

Usually at midnight on a Jiazi day (one of the days of the sexagenary cycle), loosen the hair and sit facing east, calling the names of the hidden corpses in the abdomen. The first is named Gai Dong, the second Peng Hou, and the third Xiama (Toad). Each time a name is called, rub the heart three times with the right hand. After the hidden corpses answer the call, they no longer leave the human body and no longer report the person’s faults upward.

Another account says: men use the left hand and women the right hand to rub the heart. This can retain the hidden corpses, so that they do not leave the human body and no longer report the person’s faults upward. As long as one is diligent in circulating Qi and retaining the breath, the gods within the body will naturally become settled; over time, the corpse-worms will be eliminated.

Method for Eliminating the Three Corpses by the Six Jia

The method says: purify the mind, sweep the center of the courtyard, face due north, set out a table, and arrange three cups on it filled with well-flower water (water drawn from a well at dawn). On a Jiazi day at midnight, loosen the hair…

Afterward, perform three more bows, kneel, and refer to yourself as: “Your servant is [Name], a great-grandson from such-and-such prefecture, commandery, county, township, and ward.” Request Beiji (the North Pole), the Lords of the Three Terraces (Santai), and the Perfected within the Dipper (Douzhong Zhenren) to bestow three cups of water, to be used to remove the Three Corpses (sanshi) and enable me to cultivate the Dao and become an immortal.

When drinking the three cups, begin with the cup in the east and intone: “Water of the Lords of Sun and Moon, remove the corpse in my head.” Then drink the middle cup and intone: “Water of the Zhenren, remove the corpse in my belly.” Finally drink the cup on the west and intone: “Water of the Lords of Sun and Moon, remove the corpse in my feet.” After drinking, call yourself “your servant” and bow three more times. Turn to the left, return to your bed, and lie down; you should dream of someone coming to take leave and depart. If in the dream they do not leave, wait until the next Jiazi day and perform this method again; do not forget.

Method for Removing the Three Corpses

Regularly at cockcrow, rinse your mouth, take “Liquan” (Sweet Spring, sweet spring water), and swallow it three times. Slowly settle and regulate your breath, and do not speak with anyone.

Method for Making the Fushi Depart

On the fifth day of the first lunar month or the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, take pokeweed root (shanglu), chop it, soak it for three days in “Xuanshui” (Mysterious Water; the original does not specify what water this is), then dry it in the shade and grind it into powder. Each time take one fangcunbi (the amount held by an ancient square-inch medicine spoon) and swallow it with Xuanshui, three times a day. After taking it for one hundred days, the Fushi (latent corpse) will all be expelled, in human shape; after offering a Zhaijiao sacrifice to it, bury it and intone: “The Fushi should return to earth; I should return to heaven. Do not come again to summon me. Now depart; go by the old road and do not turn back.” Eat something before taking the medicine; avoid all flesh and blood and pungent vegetables.

Method for Suppressing and Controlling the Corpse Worms

The Zhenren says: In Jiangnan there is much baizhi (angelica). Dig up the root, pound it into a fine powder, and use it for bathing. This fragrance is detested by the Three Corpses.

Another Method

On the third day of the third lunar month, take peach leaves (some say peach root), pound them, and extract seven sheng of juice. Add one sheng of strong vinegar and boil together until five or six fen remain. Eat first, then take it all at once; do not eat anything the night before. It is said the corpse worms will be expelled together.

Method of the High Immortals for Removing the Three Corpses

One jin of cinnabar, finely ground and subjected to flying refinement (feilian); three sheng of strong vinegar; two sheng of pure lacquer. Mix the three evenly and heat over a gentle fire until dry and thick enough to form pills. The pills should be the size of hemp seeds; take them twice a day, starting with three pills and gradually increasing to twenty-one. After forty days, it is said all illnesses heal of themselves and the Three Corpses are expelled spontaneously; after one hundred days, the skin and flesh become firm; after one thousand days, one can attain long life without death and endure with heaven and earth. These things cannot be fully explained at one time; in time you will naturally understand.

Formula for Expelling the Three Corpses (sanshi): a formula to cause the worms of the Three Corpses within the body to descend and be expelled.

Guanzhong, five fen (chiefly treats hidden worms); Bai Lilu, twelve fen (chiefly treats long worms); Shuqi, three fen (chiefly treats white worms); Wuyi, five fen (chiefly treats flesh worms); Shican, five fen (chiefly treats dung-beetle worms); Houpo, three fen (chiefly treats lung worms); Langyazi, four fen (chiefly treats stomach worms); Leiwan, six fen (chiefly treats red worms); Jiangcan, four fen (chiefly treats diaphragm worms).

Fry the above nine ingredients until yellow, combine them, pound and sift, and make them into pills the size of wutong seeds with refined honey. Take with rice broth, five pills each time, three times daily; gradually increase to ten pills each time. After twelve days of taking it, accumulations and masses in the abdomen will be passed downward; after sixty days, all kinds of illness will be cured. When taking it, begin with a small amount. If a woman can observe fasting and ritual purity and be cautious, she may also take it.

Formula of the Immortals for Expelling the Three Worms and Hidden Corpses (fushi): a formula said to cause the Three Corpses worms and hidden corpses to be expelled.

Poria, ten jin; Shanglu root, five jin, with the upper outer skin peeled off and only the white part underneath taken. Steam and brew the two drugs together with clear wine and wheat qu, five jin each. Put the wine into a basin, seal it well, and after twenty days the medicinal wine is ready. Squeeze and strain the medicinal liquid, taking only the rich, potent portion; then grind roasted soybeans into powder, mix to the consistency of malt syrup, and combine into pills the size of large pellets.

Take three pills daily; after ten days gradually increase the amount until each pill is the size of an egg yolk. After taking it for one hundred days, the upper corpse will be expelled; after sixty days, the middle corpse; after forty days, the lower corpse. The upper corpse is as large as a palm, the middle corpse as large as a foot, and the lower corpse as large as an egg; the upper corpse is black, the middle is greenish-blue, and the lower is white.

The so-called Three Corpses are said to be born together with a person and constantly wish to cause death. At the end and beginning of each month, they ascend to Heaven and report the person's faults. On these days one should restrain the seven po (qipo); keeping vigil on the night of Gengshen is also to prevent the Three Corpses from acting. If a person dreams on a Gengshen night of fighting with someone, it is said that the hun-soul and the ghost of the corpse-po are struggling: the hun always wishes to keep the person secure, while the po constantly makes the person confused, because it wants the person to die early and therefore tries to seize the person's body and mind. This is what is called the struggle of the Three Corpses.

Ordinary Daoist priests and physicians only know how to treat illness according to prescriptions, but do not know where the hidden corpses are. The upper corpse loves precious treasures and material goods, the middle corpse loves the five flavors of food and drink, and the lower corpse loves sensual beauty. If they are not eliminated, one is merely deceiving oneself. After eliminating them, a person will no longer be hungry, the mind and spirit can be calm, and one may extend one's years and increase longevity. The Zhenren (Perfected) value their Dao, Daoist priests revere their medicines, and the worthy...

Ordinary people treat the cultivation of such arts as foolish and laughable, which is why they say that after death a person is left with nothing but bones. The scripture explains that the “three worms” are so named, each with its own rank and title. One should take Danglu Powder to dispel the three corpses (in Daoist belief, three spirit-worms lodged in the body that harm life); there is no need to ferment it in wine before ingesting it. Sophora seeds also aid qi-ingestion, so this method need not be used. What is called true qi is the essence of the Azure Teeth of the Five Directions; when a Daoist takes it, within twenty-one days the three corpses leave the body.

How perfected ones remove the three corpses and extend life to return to youth: It is appropriate to take the marrow of floating water and dark mysterious clouds. The scripture says this medicine grows of itself, changing once in a thousand years and transforming once in a hundred years—it is the refined essence of a drug that first transforms and then takes form; ingesting it grants long life. The mother-substance of Dan Light is pine resin; the marrow of floating water is poria (fuling). The scripture says they can subdue ghosts and spirits and keep one from death while granting rebirth.

When pine resin seeps into the earth, after a thousand years it becomes poria; poria after a thousand years becomes amber, and amber after another thousand years becomes Dan Light. Dan Light is bright crimson and can illuminate a person’s form. After a thousand years Dan Light becomes Feijie lingzhi; Feijie lingzhi after a thousand years becomes the marrow of floating water; the marrow of floating water after a thousand years becomes night light, night light after a thousand years becomes gold essence, gold essence after a thousand years becomes flowing star, flowing star after a thousand years becomes copper vitriol (shidan), copper vitriol after a thousand years becomes adamantine substance, and adamantine substance after a thousand years becomes Muweixifu. The scripture says that gold placed in fire is not consumed, and placed in water it grows all the more. The transformations of pine resin have no fixed form, so it can sink into the earth and move without fixed direction, and can also ascend to Taiqing (the clear, empty heaven of Daoism). This is the method of flying immortals; it must not be transmitted to those who are unfit.

The specific regimen is as follows: take twelve pounds each of poria and pine resin. First soak the pine resin in water for seven days, and at dawn facing the sun pour off the water; then combine two dou of pure wine with the poria and soak them together, and dry them in the sun. Take one pound per month. If one wishes to abstain from food, refine the pine resin to remove bitterness and foul odor, warm it by fire and place it in the poria, then mix with white honey and take them together.

The scripture describes the changes month by month after taking the medicine: after one hundred days the body becomes light and strong; after two hundred days, symptoms of chills and fever subside; after three hundred days, wind in the head and dizziness disappear; after four hundred days, the five labors and seven injuries lessen; after five hundred days, cold in the abdomen, hidden masses, fluid retention, and abdominal qi stagnation recede; after six hundred days, the complexion is preserved; after seven hundred days, dark spots on the face are removed; after eight hundred days, black hair grows anew; after nine hundred days, scars from fire injury vanish. The sequence of doses embodying this content continues up to one thousand days.

Days of cultivation: after two thousand days, the eyes become bright; after three thousand days, the countenance transforms; after four thousand days, one walks without leaving traces; after five thousand days, all kinds of marks on the body disappear; after six thousand days, one sees objects at night with a radiance; after seven thousand days, the muscles transform; after eight thousand days, the skin and vessels recede; after nine thousand days, the spirit becomes strong; after ten thousand days, the body is light like a child’s; after twenty thousand days, the Shen becomes unobstructed; after thirty thousand days, one manifests divine marvels in broad daylight; after forty thousand days, Taiyi (a high Daoist deity) comes to welcome one; after fifty thousand days, one can depart immediately while seated.

Take it three times each day; be careful and do not forget. Once one surpasses ten thousand days, one can transform freely, change one’s name and surname, ascend to heaven, and roam the famous mountains—all of this can be done.

The immortals’ prescriptions for removing the Three Worms (sanchong) and destroying Fushi are two in total.

Shanglu root (the root of pokeweed, also called Zhanglu) is sour and toxic. It chiefly treats pathogenic Qi in the chest; applied topically, it can treat swelling and pain, and it can also kill spectral beings. After processing, it can harmonize the five viscera and disperse water Qi. Roots that resemble a human form are thought to possess numinous properties and often grow in old fields. Shanglu is dug up in the third and eighth months. It also has names such as Yehu, Danggen, Danglu, Xianlu, Changgen, Shanglu cao, Shenlu, Baihua, Zhuxie, Tiancao, and Zhuyin zhi Jing; it is a divine herb.

This medicine can remove the Three Worms, kill Fushi (the malevolent impurities that Daoism describes as lodging in the human body and obstructing cultivation), eliminate black spots on the face, and increase wisdom so that one never forgets. It is said to cure the illnesses that men and women suffer from the five taxations and seven injuries, as well as women’s lingering postpartum ailments, leukorrhea, and red-and-white leukorrhea.

Take ten jin of wine starter and three dou of rice, add one dou of finely ground Tianmendong, and brew wine; then soak Shanglu in the wine for six days. After observing ritual abstinence, take it for five days, reduce food for twenty days, and afterward cut off the five grains. This fills the stomach and intestines, moistens the complexion, makes Qi and strength abundant, drives out all kinds of worm ailments, sharpens the ears and brightens the eyes, and causes scars to disappear. Choose a lunar mansion and a ghost day; gather Shanglu at the Ding hour. Each dose is the size of a jujube, taken three times a day. Daoists often plant this herb in the garden of a quiet chamber, believing that it enables one to communicate with spirits, to avoid aging and attain long life, to remove the Three Worms, and to keep the hundred diseases from causing harm.

Another prescription:

Take forty jin of Danglu root, shave off the coarse bark, and cut it into fine slices; use eight dou of water and decoct on an east-facing stove until the water is reduced by half. Strain out the dregs and continue decocting until it can be made into pills. Make honey pills the size of parasol-tree seeds; take one pill at a time and do not let others see you.

There is another prescription: take thirty jin of Zhanglu root, dug in the first, second, ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth month; after these months it is no longer suitable. After gathering, wash the Zhanglu root…

Cut the medicinal ingredients into small sections about two cun long, and do not let them be exposed to wind. Put them all into a silk bag, hang it in a cool, shady place on the north side of the house, and air-dry them for a full sixty days; then grind them into powder. Each time take one fangcunbi—an ancient medicinal measure, roughly the amount held by a small square spoon—and take it with water on an empty stomach in the morning.

After taking it for ten days, it is said that one can see ghosts; after sixty days, it is said that one can command ghosts to fetch gold, silver, and treasures and to build houses according to one’s wishes; after eighty days, it is said that one can see scenes a thousand li away; after one hundred days, it is said that the body can fly, mount the wind, and tread upon clouds, and that the intestines transform into sinews. Taken over the long term, it enables one to become an immortal.

Methods for Removing the Three Corpses (sanshi) and Nine Worms (jiuchong) (with Medicinal Substances and Techniques)

The Master said: “The ghosts of the Three Corpses change without fixed form; sometimes they appear as malevolent ghosts, and sometimes they disguise themselves as human beings. Even if they manifest in thousands of strange and bizarre sights, although cunning, they have no true spiritual powers and cannot understand human speech. When practicing this technique, you must be cautious and not make it known; when reciting silently in your mind, also do not make a sound. Once ghosts hear a person’s voice, they may bring harm, causing disasters and inauspicious influences to occur one after another.

“You must carefully examine the source of disasters, quickly clarify and guard against them, and not let yourself sleep in damp places. Therefore, the oral formula says: practice the method on Jian days, and on Po days ingest talismans and prepare medicines. If one wishes to eliminate the Three Corpses, these ghosts also commonly avoid these days.

“Also guard against them working mischief at month’s end, on Geng days, Kai days, and Zhi days. At these times, they may confuse people’s minds and spirits, making them dull and drowsy, with dreams inverted and abnormal. They may also use whatever people fear or loathe in their hearts to conjure various terrifying scenes: calling a person’s name in dreams; disguising themselves as officials to arrest and bind; impersonating parents or brothers to scold the person; dreaming that wife and children are gravely ill or have died, causing alarm, grief, and weeping; dreaming of disordered graves and bones strewn everywhere; dreaming of being in danger and driven to a point where there is no escape; or dreaming of fierce creatures pouncing and biting; seeing oxen and horses charging and colliding, neighing and trampling, or birds and beasts, insects and snakes displaying all kinds of strange forms; they may also disarrange a person’s hat and headcloth and expose their faults. All these are said to be the deeds of the Three Corpses ghosts.

“One may, one or two days in advance, gather in the mind and spirit and focus on acting according to the Dao; this may help in performing the technique and driving them away. The Xian Jing (Immortal Scripture) says that before taking immortal medicine, one must first remove the Three Corpses. The prescription is as follows:

Prepared aconite (fuzi), seven pieces; wuyi (Ulmus fruit), two liang, roasted; dried lacquer (ganqi), two liang, roasted until smoking.”

Sift the three medicines on the right and pound them into a powder; they are usually taken on an empty stomach with wine. After seven days, the Upper Corpse (shangshi, one of the Three Corpses [sanshi] in Daoism) will depart; after another seven days, the Middle Corpse departs; by the twelfth day, the Lower Corpse departs. Afterwards one should have diarrhea into a basin, and presently the forms of the Three Corpse worms will be seen. Wrap them in cotton floss, bury them in water flowing eastward, and softly weep while reciting the incantation:

“After death you return to earth; I am able to ascend to heaven. We each go our own way; go back, and do not look back again.”

After three days, one may sometimes suddenly weep aloud in broad daylight, with the mind agitated and unsettled in a trance; do not be alarmed. Afterwards one will become clear and bright, and become a Daoist adept.

The Method of Liu Gen the Perfected One (zhenren) for Expelling the Three Corpses (This formula is slightly similar to the preceding one; it is merely listed separately here.)

The Perfected One said: “If one wishes to seek long life, one must first remove the Three Corpses. When the Three Corpses are removed, the mind and will become settled; when the mind and will are settled, cravings and desires will be eliminated.” He then transmitted five divine formulas to others and said:

“The Fushi (the Prostrate Corpse; here one of the Three Corpses) often ascends to heaven on the fifteenth, the end of the month, and the first day of each month to report people’s transgressions to the heavenly court. Therefore Siming (the deity in charge of human lifespan and destiny) deducts from a person’s allotted lifespan, preventing long life. To remove it, one may use this formula.”

Seven pieces of Sichuan dog’s-spine (gouji), two liang of dried jujube, and two liang of wu yi (a medicinal substance).

Process the above medicines according to the prescribed procedure, pound them with a pestle, and sift into a powder. Take one ge with clear water twice a day. After seven days, the Upper Corpse departs; after nine days, the Middle Corpse departs; after twelve days, the Lower Corpse departs. Their forms resemble human beings; wrap them in cotton cloth, bury them in water flowing eastward, and recite the incantation:

“After death you return to earth; I will ascend to heaven. We each go our own way; go back, and do not look back again.”

Within three days one will feel dazed and unsettled; afterwards one will improve.

The Transmission History of Ancient Divine-Immortal Formulas (Two Accounts)

Zhu Huang was from Guangyang. When young he suffered from a toxic abdominal mass (an ancient type of abdominal accumulation), so he went to the foot of Mount Sui to follow the Daoist priest Ruan Qiu in cultivating the Dao (the Way). Ruan Qiu pitied him and said: “If you can remove the Three Corpses from your abdomen, you will have the foundation for becoming a Perfected One (zhenren), and I can transmit the method to you.” Zhu Huang said: “After my illness is cured, I am willing to serve as your retainer for thirty years and dare not break the agreement.”

Ruan Qiu then gave Zhu Huang seven medicines and had him take nine pills each day. After a hundred days, Zhu Huang discharged several sheng of matter resembling liver and spleen, and only then was the illness cured. After another few dozen days, he became robust, and his spirit became clearer day by day. Ruan Qiu then gave him Lord Lao’s Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture) and told him to recite it, saying: “Recite it three times each day. After you have read it through, if you can also comprehend its meaning, you will be able to transcend the dusty world.”

Later, Ruan Qiu and Zhu Huang together entered the Jade Maiden Shrine on Mount Fuyang and stayed there for nearly eighty years before returning again to their original place. By this time Zhu Huang’s head was already covered with white hair.

His black beard had grown another three chi or more. He returned home and lived there for several years, then left again; by the late years of Emperor Wu of Han, he was still alive.

Shen Wentai was a native of Jiuyi. He obtained the Red Thread Divine Elixir—a divine elixir named for red thread—and used Earth Talismans, talismanic methods connected with taking elixirs or with cultivation, to expel the earth qi from his body, prolong his lifespan, and practice the way of longevity. After he took it, the effects were indeed realized. He went to Kunlun, stayed there for more than twenty years, and transmitted these methods to Li Wenyuan, telling him: “If you do not remove it with the Earth Talisman, merely taking elixirs and cultivating the Dao will be useless.” Li Wenyuan then received these secret methods and later also became an immortal. Today the methods of boiling and refining elixirs with bamboo-root juice, the yellow-and-white art of refining gold, silver, and the like, and the techniques for removing the Three Corpses—the three deities that Daoism holds dwell in the human body and hinder cultivation—all originate with these two men.

Record of a Journey to Zhichuan

The monk Qixu was surnamed Li. His father served as censor during the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. From childhood Qixu loved Buddhism; at twenty he shaved his head and became a monk, wore coarse cloth, and lived in a Buddhist temple in Chang’an.

Later, when Emperor Xuanzong went to Shu and An Lushan’s army captured the two capitals, Chang’an and Luoyang, Qixu entered Mount Taibai, ate cypress leaves, and no longer ate grain. There he met a Daoist named Qiao Jun. Qiao Jun was thin, of lofty and ancient demeanor, and his hair and temples were white as snow. He said to Qixu: “Your appearance and bone structure are pure, extraordinary, and refined; in the future you will travel in immortal realms.” Qixu modestly thanked him. Qiao Jun said further: “Later, prepare some food at an inn on Mount Shang. When you meet woodcutters, treat them well and give them food. If anyone asks what you seek, simply say you wish to journey to Zhichuan. Then a woodcutter will take you there.”

When the An Lushan rebellion was pacified, the Retired Emperor Xuanzong returned to Chang’an, and the realm was again at peace, Qixu prepared meals at an inn on Mount Shang. When he met woodcutters, he gave them food. Over several months he fed several hundred woodcutters; they ate and left, and no one asked him anything. Qixu gradually grew weary, thought Qiao Jun had deceived him, and planned to return to Chang’an.

Suddenly he met a young woodcutter. The woodcutter asked Qixu where he was going, and Qixu replied: “For many years I have wished to journey to Zhichuan.” The woodcutter said in surprise: “Zhichuan is an immortal realm; how could one possibly reach it?” Qixu said: “Since childhood I have loved Daoist arts. I once met someone who had attained the Dao, and he urged me to go to Zhichuan; I only do not know the way.” The woodcutter said: “Come with me, and you will reach it.”

So the two traveled together. When they reached the mountains of Lantian, they arranged their packs and together climbed Mount Yu. They passed through steep and dangerous places, climbed over cliffs and crags, and after traveling more than eighteen li came to a cave. Water flowed out from the side of the cave. The woodcutter and Qixu moved stones to dam the flow; it took three days to stop the water, and only then did the two enter the cave. The cave was dark, and nothing could be seen clearly; far off they glimpsed a gate about ten li away. The two walked toward the gate and emerged from the cave to find a gentle breeze and bright sun, with clear, beautiful mountains and waters. Wherever they walked ...

After walking more than a hundred li, they climbed a high mountain. Peaks clustered and rose in layer upon layer; the stone path was steep and perilous, almost piercing the clouds. Qixu was dazzled and frightened, and did not dare go farther. Fengzi said to him, “The Immortal Capital—where immortals dwell—is nearby. Do not retreat on your own.” With that, he took his hand and continued climbing.

When they reached the summit, the view suddenly opened out broad and flat. Looking down, peaks and rivers vanished into the distance and could no longer be made out. They walked another hundred li and entered a cave; after several tens of li they emerged. Beyond the cave was a vast expanse of water with no visible end. On its surface was only a perilous path, no more than a foot or so wide, yet stretching a hundred li across. Fengzi led Qixu by the hand, stepping on stones as they went forward. Qixu was terrified and did not dare even turn his head to look back.

Arriving below a mountain, they saw a huge tree with dense shade and luxuriant aspect, towering several tens of xun high (an ancient unit of length, one xun about eight chi). Fengzi climbed the tree and gave a long whistle for a long while. Wind immediately rose among the treetops, and in a moment a huge rope hung down from the mountain top, with a bamboo basket tied to it. Fengzi and Qixu entered the basket, sat upright with eyes closed, and seemed to soar into the air. When the rope was pulled, they quickly reached the summit.

On the summit were cities and palaces, with pearls and fine jade shining in mutual reflection, as if rising beyond the clouds. Fengzi pointed ahead and said, “This is Zhichuan.” Then he brought Qixu along. Hundreds of immortal youths stood in attendance nearby. A great immortal asked Fengzi, “Why has this monk come here?” Fengzi replied, “He has long yearned to visit Zhichuan, so I brought him.”

They came into a hall and saw a great immortal wearing a crown, of imposing appearance, sitting beside a jade table, surrounded by guards in strict security. Fengzi had Qixu bow and told him, “This is the Perfected Lord of Zhichuan.” After Qixu paid his respects, the Perfected Lord summoned him forward and asked, “Have you already cut off entanglement with the Three Peng (the three corpse spirits in Daoism, believed to disturb cultivation)?” Qixu could not answer. The Perfected Lord said, “He has not yet attained the Dao and cannot remain here.” He then ordered Fengzi to take him up to Cuihua Pavilion.

In the pavilion a red railing stretched across the air, and clouds rose high. Inside, a man lay asleep with his body exposed; his hair was dozens of feet long, thick, black, and glossy, startling to behold. Fengzi again had Qixu bow to him and said, “This is Yang Wailang. He entered the mountains to cultivate the Dao because of the turmoil of the Sui dynasty and later attained the Dao. He is not blinking; he is using penetrating vision (a Daoist term for observing the human world through his gaze).” Just as Qixu bowed and made his request, the man suddenly woke and opened his eyes; his gaze was as bright as the sun and moon.

They also saw a man lying beneath a stone cliff. Fengzi said, “This is Lord Yiyou, named Run, also one who has attained the Dao.” Afterward, by command of the Perfected Lord, Fengzi brought Qixu back to the human world. Every place they passed along the way was the same as the route by which they had come.

Qixu asked Fengzi, “When the True Lord asked about the Three Peng, I still have not understood it.”

Fengzi replied, “The Three Peng (Sanpeng) are the surnames of the Three Corpses (sanshi)—the deities or worms that, in Daoist belief, dwell in the human body and obstruct cultivation. They constantly reside in a person’s body, watch for his faults, and wish for his early death. On every Gengshen day (one of the days in the sexagenary cycle), they list his offenses one by one and report them to Heaven. If a cultivator seeking immortality does not remove the Three Corpses, there is no way to attain the Dao; he will suffer in vain and gain no benefit.”

Later they reached the flat land of Taichuan, but still did not know where Fengzi had gone. From then on Qixu lived at Taibai Mountain and never brought up the matter of Ge Zhichuan. During the Zhenyuan era, Qixu moved to Hua Mountain. Zheng Shen of Xingyang and Shen Yu of Wuxing, coming out through the pass from the capital, met Qixu. He had already cut off food and drink and did not light a fire to cook. Zheng Shen found this strange and asked about what he had encountered, so Qixu told this story. When Zheng Shen heard it, he was greatly astonished and turned back from east of the pass to visit Qixu’s dwelling; but Qixu had already left, and no one knew where he had gone. This account was written down by Mr. Zheng on the basis of the Record of Zhichuan.

Discourse on Dreaming of the Three Corpses

Daoist texts say that in the human body there are Three Corpses worms, dwelling in the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (the three cultivation sites within the body according to Daoism). They delight in confusing people’s nature and desires and hope for an early death. On every Gengshen day, the Three Corpses slander the person to the Heavenly Emperor and ask that disasters be sent down. Therefore people often die young and meet with calamity. Cultivators use methods and medicines to remove the Three Corpses, and thereby can prolong life and avoid death.

In the region of the Pu River there was a man named Song Yanhua, who was fond of Confucian learning and literature as well as esoteric arts and techniques. From a cultivator he learned methods and obtained medicines, and tried every means to remove the Three Corpses. One night he suddenly dreamed of three men wearing ancient caps and robes, standing in the hall. Yanhua asked, “Who are you?”

The three replied, “We are the Three Peng who live in your body. Today we have come especially to take leave of you.”

In the dream Yanhua reproached them: “I received life from Heaven; Heaven bestowed life upon me. Whether a life is long or short, you yourselves know in your hearts. I have heard that you like to dwell in my body, slander me and cast illusions, disturb my mind and spirit, and cause me to suffer malevolent influences, early death, and disaster, and that you are glad when I die. How exactly have I wronged you? Now my master has taught me Daoist arts and wants to kill you. If you do not leave quickly, you will surely suffer.”

The Three Corpses said, “If you are willing to listen to us, we wish to defend ourselves, explain that we are not guilty, and then take leave of you. May we?”

Yanhua said, “Speak.”

The Three Corpses replied, “Our kind are the essence of Yin-Yang, and above we are connected with the Great Void. From the formless we transform into form; as soon as an ordinary person has a living bodily form, then…”

The Heavenly Emperor sent us brothers into the human body, putting us in charge of people’s hun and po souls, guarding their original nature, and helping them keep their inner hearts. But once people reach the prime of life, they are often pulled along by all kinds of desires: greedy for wealth, addicted to food and drink, licentious and self-indulgent, and also given to affectation and deceit, cunning and flattery. Outwardly they feign uprightness, while inwardly they do crooked things. They are not filial to parents, not fraternal to siblings, not kind and generous; they oppress the common people, plunder property, flaunt power and bully others, secretly spy and scheme against people, caring only about enriching their own families. They love gain, envy the worthy and capable, despise the poor, and curry favor with the rich.

They drive us brothers day and night; truly it is hard labor. Exhausted beyond endurance, we have no choice but to record the worst and most swiftly harmful conduct among them, hoping to leave sooner and catch our breath. Otherwise, how could we be content?

Now if you wish to cultivate the Dao, you need not drive us brothers away. Just cultivate the Way of Central Correctness, cast aside glory and splendor, be indifferent to the desires of mouth and belly, withdraw from worldly turmoil, abandon greed, and stop making others serve you. Let the heart-spirit be calm and clear; settle the Three Palaces (sangong) and stabilize the Nine Bureaus (jiufu). Then radiance like the sun and moon will illumine the interior, and the stars will hang above. We brothers will be free and at ease; even after millions of years, we can accompany and protect you and guard outer things, no longer forced into labor. How then could we be negligent, much less harm you?

If you still cling to glory and extravagance, are attached to worldly passions, command us to use cunning schemes to obtain wealth and sexual beauty, and afterward blame us instead, then we will leave. When Upper Peng leaves, your speech will be deranged, your ears deaf, your eyes dim, and your appearance and sense of taste no longer normal. When Middle Peng leaves, your plans will miscarry, official affairs will be mishandled, and achievements, aspirations, writings, and skills will all fail to prosper. When Lower Peng leaves, you will have no more joy, travel will be difficult, you will have no strength to sit or stand, your descendants will decline, and your hun and po souls will scatter. At that point you will become a shell capable only of movement, like a walking corpse, no longer like a complete human being.

People live in the world relying on us brothers for Jing and Qi, discernment, and thought. You do not cultivate the Way of Central Correctness or nourish primordial Qi, yet you falsely accuse us of wrongdoing—is this not reversing right and wrong?

After speaking, the Three Peng (Sanpeng) bowed to Yanhua and prepared to leave. In the dream Yanhua grabbed their sleeves and said, “Since ancient times, everyone has ultimately died; common people cannot live without money. Now I can no longer preserve my true authenticity. Please stay and seek wealth with me; I will no longer be fickle.”

The Three Peng immediately leaped into his nose. Yanhua woke with a start in a daze. From then on, he made accumulating wealth his career and no longer spoke of Daoist arts.

Mr. Minghong said: “I have heard that the Great Dao is empty and formless, with no concrete thing by which to identify it. It enters from the formless into the formed; perhaps bodily form is generated in this way; human beings receive…”

When the mind and conduct are centered and upright, one cannot of oneself take a crooked path. If one can maintain this centered uprightness, one can unite with the spirits of Heaven and Earth; how then could mere small creatures harm such a person? Even if the so-called “Three Peng” (deities in Daoist lore said to dwell in the human body and report people’s faults to the heavenly court) truly had spiritual power, how could they constrain Heaven and Earth?

If people believe such claims, it is mostly because their own conduct is improper and their minds are enslaved by yin evil, and only then do they invite misfortune. In fact, even something smaller than the Three Peng is enough to bring disaster. Are such claims really worthy of deep belief?

The Song family was wealthy and skilled at reselling goods, and had once accumulated a good deal of money. He admired Daoist arts, but by now had spent his entire family property. He told me about a dream, so I recorded this matter to pass on to later generations, and also to make a laughing matter of his delusion.

Yunji Qiqian (Seven Slips from a Cloudy Satchel), Scroll 82