《無上祕要》Vol. 13

The Essentials of Supreme Mystery, Volume 21: “Palaces and Pavilions of the Immortal Realm”—A Plain-Language Interpretation

This section records the names of the immortal palaces and pavilions in the Daoist heavens, along with the scriptures, talismans, diagrams, and secret texts treasured in each place.

Palace and Seven-Treasure Mysterious Terrace of the Great Luo Heaven

They stand on Jade Capital Mountain in the Great Luo Heaven, the highest of the thirty-six Daoist heavens. When a great cosmic cycle comes to its end, the divine scriptures of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen) are all stored here, beyond the reach of calamity.

Chamber of Communion with the Dao

Located in the Heaven of Imperial Cliffs, this is where scriptures in the Inner Sounds—the secret transmissions of the heavenly realm—are written.

Terrace of Primordial Yang

Located in the Heaven of Ruanle, this is where scriptures in the Inner Sounds are written on the terrace.

Palace of the Highest Heavens, Palace of the Numinous Capital, and Terrace of Primordial Yang and Purple Tenuity

In the three highest heavens, the Five Venerable Spirits, the emperors of the various heavens, and the Perfected of Wondrous Practice gather here every “six assemblies” to calculate the celestial origin and assess the cycles of cosmic motion and calamity.

Source: Dongxuan Jing.

Palace of the Nine Heavens and Palace of Great Abundance

Inside the palace are secretly stored three hundred scrolls of precious Shangqing scriptures, nine thousand chapters of Jade Instructions, and seven thousand sections of talismanic diagrams.

Nine Palaces

Each palace is governed by a spirit known as one of the “Nine Spirits of the Celestial Emperor.”

Mysterious Numinous Terrace and Jade Chamber

The Treasured Scriptures of the Five Elders, the Twelve Vows, the Eight Slips of the Mysterious Mother, and the Thirty-Nine Chapters are stored here.

Golden Terrace, Jade Chamber, and Plain Numinous Chamber

The Three-Nine Plain Sayings, the Supreme Transformation of the Mysterious Elixir, and the Dao of the Three Perfected Ones and the Three Caverns are stored here.

Palace of the Numinous Capital, Golden Chamber, and Curved Chamber

This is where the Celestial Emperor of Great Tenuity keeps secret the Immortal Writings on the Supreme Elixir of the Hidden Heart. The Five Elders of the Primordial Beginning also keep five texts of authentic writing concealed here.

Golden Terrace, Jade Chamber, and Nine-Turn Elixir Chamber

The Lofty One keeps the Jade Registers of the Three Origins here, and the Three Origins arrange their scriptures within it.

Five-Spirit Jade Capital and Golden Blossoms Purple Chamber

The secret writings of the Five Elders are stored here.

Boundless Mysterious Terrace

The King of the Heaven of Boundless Udan governs here.

Jade Kingdom Pearl Grove and Seven-Treasure Jade Terrace

The King of the Heaven of Highest Shangshan governs here.

Jade Capital Palace of the Numinous Capital

The King of the Heaven of Xuyan governs here.

Vermilion Palace and Jade Terrace

The King of the Heaven of Tranquil Stillness governs here.

Palace of Primordial Radiance and Nine-Tier Jade Terrace

The King of the Heaven of Unboastful Joy governs here.

Jade Grove Palace and Vermilion Radiance Chamber

The King of the Heaven of Transformative Response governs here.

Seven Radiances Palace

(The original text breaks off here; the following section may have continued the list of palaces and heavenly kings.)

Note: “Section” denotes a category of entries. Most of the places listed are palaces in the Great Luo Heaven, the three highest heavens, and the various levels of heaven. The text identifies the scriptures and talismans kept there and the kings who govern each place, helping practitioners imagine the hierarchy of the heavens and where their scriptural collections are held. The Five Elders, the Primordial Beginning, Shangqing, and Dongxuan are all familiar names for Daoist deities and scriptural traditions.

The Celestial King of Fobao governs the Ninefold Mysterious Jade City and the Purple Jade Terrace.

The Celestial King of Kama governs the Lofty Jade Capital, the Marvelous Palace of Great Abundance, and the Nine-Bend Chamber.

The Celestial King of Bolidahe governs the Nine-Tiered Jade Terrace.

The Nine-Tiered Jade Terrace stands above the Celestial Pass of the Nine Heavens. On it are the jade names of the Supreme August Grand Emperor and the registers of the Later Sages and Perfected Ones. They are kept under the charge of the Jade Morning Inspector of the Great Void.

The Six-Tiered Jade Terrace stands above the Celestial Chart of the Nine Heavens. On it are one hundred thousand scrolls of golden slips and jade tablets, and purple phoenix cinnabar writings. They are kept under the charge of the Supreme Jade Attendant.

The Three-Tiered Jade Terrace stands above the Celestial Pass of the Nine Heavens. On it are three hundred scrolls of the Precious Scripture of Great Clarity, along with brief registers of the Perfected Ones who study the Way and seek to become immortals. They are kept under the charge of the Jade Director of the Great Emperor’s Office for Inspecting the Perfected.

(From the Scripture of the Cavern of Truth)

The Jade Gate Tower of the Nine Heavens: within it are written the inner sounds of Jiangyou Heaven. (From the Scripture of the Cavern of Mystery)

The Jade Clarity Palace and the True Yang Palace are residences of the Jade Emperor.

The Chamber of the Great Elder’s Bedchamber is a room that the Eight August Old Lords often enter.

The Palace of Gathered Directions is the residence of the Nine Elder Immortal Emperors.

The Hall of Scattered Blossoms is governed from above by the Dao Lords of the Four Dippers and Seven Stars.

The Jade Terrace and the Jade Chamber are where the High Jade Emperor concealed the hidden sounds of the Golden Mystery Feather Writings.

The Sevenfold Radiant Purple Terrace conceals the inner name of “Treading the Celestial Net, Empty and Everlasting.”

The Woven Terrace, Dragon Mountain Terrace, Bright and Graceful Terrace, and Great Radiance Terrace are places where the Supreme Perfected Earth Emperor wanders.

The Three Blossoms Chamber is the residence of Yang’an Wujun.

The Jade Clarity Palace is the dwelling of the High Jade Emperor, the Primordial Heavenly King, and the Grand Perfected One.

The Purple Jade Palace and Cinnabar Jade Manor are the residences of the Northern Mysterious High Void Emperor.

The Palace of Receiving Spirits and the Manor of Transformative Birth are the residences of the Southern Vermilion High Void Emperor.

The Palace of Luminous Sound and the Eight Open Fields Manor are the residences of the Western Florescence High Void Emperor.

The Purple Tenuity Palace and Vermilion Bird Manor are the residences of the Eastern Radiance High Void Emperor.

The Golden Spirit Palace and Phoenix Cry Manor are the residences of the Central Residence Void Emperor.

The following is a vernacular explanation of the names of the heavenly palaces and bureaus and of the venerable lords residing in them as recorded in Wushang Biyao, juan 21, with brief notes on sources and proper names.

Heavenly Palaces and Bureaus, and Their Resident Venerable Lords

The Fengsheng Palace and Dongguang Bureau are the residence of Wuling Shangming Hunsheng Gaoshang Jun. The Mingfan Palace and Huihua Bureau are the residence of Sanyuan Yuanshang Xuanlao Xuhuang Yuanchen Jun. The Qiyao Palace and Beiyuan Bureau are the residence of Xuanji Yuan Wushang Xuhuang Jun. The Yulin Palace and Baming Bureau are the residence of Daming Linghui Zhongzhen Yuanshang Jun. (“Baming” is sometimes written with a variant graph and denotes a name of the kind used for the nether realm.) The Yunwu Palace and Xiaoshang Bureau are the residence of Sanyuan Siji Xuanshang Yuanling Jun. The Dongxiao Palace and Yanzhen Bureau are the residence of Sanyuan Chenzhong Huangjing Xuhuang Yuantai Jun. The Fanxiang Palace and Fengzhi Bureau are the residence of Sanyuan Ziying Huishen Xusheng Zhen Yuantai Jun. The Qiongrong Palace and Taidan Bureau are the residence of Qingjing Shangzhen Neijing Jun. (“Qingjing” is a designation of the kind used in Daoist inner-landscape and body-deity terminology.) The Qiongguang Palace and Tongling Bureau are the residence of Taiyang Jiuqi Wangxian Yuanjun. These honorific names of palaces and bureaus come from the Dongzhen Jing (Dongzhen Scripture).

Cloud Palace

Within the Cloud Palace is stored the Yulong Tianzhong Neiyin (secret sounds of heaven, inner-sound scripture texts), written therein.

Yang Terrace

On the Yang Terrace is also written the Jiayi Tianzhong Neiyin. (“Jiayi” is a character used in an honorific title; editions may show variant forms.) The Cloud Palace, the Yang Terrace, and the inner sounds written there come from the Dongxuan Jing (Dongxuan Scripture).

Note: This entry is a common “palace–bureau” pairing in the Daoist Canon; palace and bureau are each names of heavenly realms, and “Jun” is mostly an honorific for high perfected beings and Yuanjun. “Sanyuan,” “Xuhuang,” “Yuantai,” and the like are terms of the heavenly hierarchy in the Shangqing and Dongzhen systems. If one needs to compare it with a specific chapter of a Dongzhen or Dongxuan scripture, the Daoist Canon edition and juan number used must be checked again.