《太平經》Vol. 107

Source: Taiping Jing, Scroll 107, “Xun” chapter, passage 13

The passage below is entry 172 from the “Spirit-Blessing Register Texts.” (“Spirit-blessing” refers to protection granted by Heaven or the spirits; “register texts” are Daoist documents recording divine names, talismans, incantations, and secret teachings.)

Plain-language rendering of the scripture

(It should be) carefully kept in a hidden place and protected by the spirits.

Points to note when reading the text

“Store it in a secluded place”: This is commonly understood to mean keeping such documents somewhere deep and out of sight, such as a hidden room or the depths of a chest or cabinet, and not showing them casually. In some versions, “right” may also refer to a direction or a rule for storing it; the precise meaning depends on the surrounding text in the full scroll.

“May the spirits bless it”: This short phrase at the end is generally understood to mean that divine protection, or the power of that protection, keeps the document or the teachings it contains from being lost, defiled, or harmed.

The character fu: In some transmitted versions, it occasionally appears as “blessing” or is used interchangeably with “register.” Here it is read as a spirit-blessing register text, in keeping with the scroll’s title.