《無上祕要》Vol. 2

Scripture

Juan 4 of the Wushang Miyao (Supreme Secret Essentials), second section, "Three Realms" (sanjie).

The Perfected Taiji Zhenren (Taiji Perfected) said: To cultivate the Way of flying through the Three Realms (sanjie), one must attain the principle of "non-being in all being, and being in all non-being" (wei wu bu wu, wu you bu you). Penetrate the principle between "being" (you) and "non-being" (wu). Though one dwells at the two extremes, the mind remains unconstrained. Only then will one naturally transcend the Three Realms, roam in the Jade Capital (Yujing), and fly through the ten directions.

Six Heavens of the Desire Realm (yujie): Taihuang Huangzeng Tian, Taiming Yuwan Tian, Qingming Hetong Tian, Xuantai Pingyu Tian, Yuanming Wenju Tian, and Qiyao Moyi Tian. These six heavens belong to the Desire Realm, where yin and yang unite and beings are born from the womb as humans, with lifespans reckoned in tens of thousands of years.

Eighteen Heavens of the Form Realm (sejie): Xuwu Yueheng Tian, Taiji Mengyi Tian, Chiming Heyang Tian, Xuanming Gonghua Tian, Yaoming Zongpiao Tian, Zhuluo Huangjia Tian, Xuming Tangyao Tian, Guanming Duanjing Tian, Xuanming Gongqing Tian, Taihuan Jiyao Tian, Yuanzai Kongsheng Tian, Taian Huangya Tian, Xianding Jifeng Tian, Shihuang Xiaomang Tian, Taihuang Wengzhong Tian, Wusi Jiangyou Tian, Shangdie Ruanle Tian, and Wuji Tanshi Tian. These heavens belong to the Form Realm. Yin, yang, and bodily form still exist here, much like the Desire Realm, but the beings of the two realms do not interact. All are born by transformation (huasheng), with lifespans reckoned in hundreds of millions of years, and none die young or suffer injury.

Four Heavens of the Formless Realm (wusejie): Haoting Xiaodu Tian, Yuantong Yuandong Tian, Hanchong Miaocheng Tian, and Xiule Jinshang Tian. These heavens belong to the Formless Realm. Yin and yang still persist, and bodies may extend several hundred li without becoming a burden. Beings can hide their forms and enter the minute, and they are free of desire for form and sensual pleasure, knowing one another only through their "true appearances" (zhenxiang). Over accumulated kalpas, even those who do not deliberately study will do good, and the fruits of their merit are brought to completion.

As for demon kings (mowang), whose study of the Way has not reached its limit, they can only roam these heavens. They cannot transcend the Three Realms and remain liable to great calamity (hongzai, "flood disasters"). When the fire cycle (huoyun) turns and the twenty-eight heavens are thrown into confusion all at once, like grain sifted through a sieve (meaning sorted and disturbed), they are caught up in it. Those who study truly and are fit to be seeds of the Way are welcomed by the Queen Mother (Wangmu) and ascend above the four heavens of Changrong, Yulong, Fandu, and Jiayi. Those who study to become sages, perfected ones, or immortals within the Three Realms may instead return to the human path and undergo the suffering of the Three Paths (santu, the three evil destinies). Only those who can truly ascend advance according to their merit.

Above each of the heavens there is a gate of life (shengmen). Within each gate is a cavity (kongdong), and one recites the hymn chapters of the cavity's chants (yaoge).

Modern Rendering

The Perfected Taiji Zhenren explains that the path of flying through the Three Realms depends on understanding "being" (you) and "non-being" (wu). The point is not to treat them as two opposing enemies but to see the truth between them. When the mind is not trapped by any boundary, one can transcend the Three Realms, travel to the Jade Capital (Yujing) for leisure, and fly freely through the ten directions.

The heavens are arranged in three tiers. The lowest is the Desire Realm (yujie), with six heavens: Taihuang Huangzeng, Taiming Yuwan, Qingming Hetong, Xuantai Pingyu, Yuanming Wenju, and Qiyao Moyi. This tier still has desire and the union of male and female yin and yang. Beings are born from wombs as humans do, and their lifespans can reach ten thousand years.

Above it is the Form Realm (sejie), with eighteen heavens, from Xuwu Yueheng to Wuji Tanshi, including Taiji Mengyi and Chiming Heyang. This tier still has physical form and yin-yang, and it resembles the Desire Realm, but its beings do not interact directly. Everyone is born by transformation, and lifespans are counted in hundreds of millions of years, with no early death or injury.

Above that is the Formless Realm (wusejie), with four heavens: Haoting Xiaodu, Yuantong Yuandong, Hanchong Miaocheng, and Xiule Jinshang. Yin and yang still exist here, but bodies can grow several hundred li tall without feeling weighed down. Beings can conceal themselves and enter tiny spaces. Desire for form and sensual pleasure has faded, and they recognize one another mainly through their "true appearances" (zhenxiang). After long ages, even those who do not study deliberately will act virtuously and receive the full reward of their merit.

Demon kings (mowang) have not reached the highest level of the Way, so they can reach only these heavens. They cannot escape the Three Realms, and they remain vulnerable to the great flood disasters (hongzai). When the fire cycle turns and all twenty-eight heavens fall into disorder together, like grain run through a sieve, they cannot avoid it. Those who study truly and have the potential to become seeds of the Way are received by the Queen Mother (Wangmu) and raised above the heavens of Changrong, Yulong, Fandu, and Jiayi. Those who aim for sagehood, perfection, or immortality within the Three Realms may instead fall back into the human world and suffer the Three Paths (santu: hell, hungry ghosts, and animals). Only those who can truly rise will ascend step by step according to their merit.

Each heaven has a "gate of life" (shengmen) above it. Inside each gate is a hollow cavity (kongdong), and within it are chants (yaoge) concerned with practice and transcendence.

Plain Interpretation of the Wushang Miyao (Esoteric Essentials of the Highest Order)

Wang Ling Pian Ci (Discourses of the Royal Numinous Chapter, Consulting the High Perfected)

First: The Sound of Flying Through the Desire Realm

The human Way (rendao) is obscure and distant, while the Way of the immortals (xiandao) is vast and far-reaching. The Way of ghosts (guidao) may seem joyful, yet it turns from the Shengmen (Gate of Life) into a realm of suffering. The Tiandao (Way of Heaven) values life, while the guidao values endings. The xiandao often brings its own auspicious signs, while the guidao often brings its own dangers.

The Gao Shang Qing Ling Shuang (exalted deities of the heavens) sing sorrowful songs that resound through the vast sky. They wish only for the success of the Way of the immortals and do not want the human Way to reach its end. In the Beidu Quanqu Fu (Northern Capital Spring-Bend Palace, the place where the Northern Yin governs ghosts), myriad ghosts gather, seeking only to shorten human lifespans and cut off the gates of human life. The good person recites the cavern scriptures to gather in the Bei Luofeng (northern ghost domain), receive and dispatch the essences of demons, and strike down the sharp edges of the Six Ghosts. The qi of all the heavens surges widely, and our Dao grows ever more prosperous.

Second: The Chapter of the Demon Kings of the Form Realm

High and widely raised, the bright qi rises in all directions, traversing the heavens and encircling the ten directions. Countless great spirits all emerge from my body. If one holds the cavern scripture ten thousand times, one may become a spirit immortal. The Way of the immortals values delivering people, and the way of ghosts is bound up with it. Heaven and earth are vast and murky, and foul qi hangs thick in the air. The joys of the Three Realms may be enjoyed forever by those who pass beyond them, and whoever crosses my realm enters into naturalness. Here, the joy is thin because of my grace. In the age of Longhan (Dragon Han), who can tell the true from the false? My realm is hard to cross, so I composed this cavern writing and transformed myself to fly through the air, testing your bodies. Success or failure, slackening or retreat: how many can truly be delivered? I laugh at you for not crossing over, and so I sing this song.

Third: Song of the Demon Kings of the Formless Realm

Above the Three Realms lies the vast Dai Luo (Great Net Heaven). Above it is the root that has no color, where the clouds rise high. Only the house of the primordial great kalpa (Yuanshi) governs my realm and unites the Xuandu (Mysterious Capital). Whoever passes beyond my realm enters the Yuxu (Jade Void). I am the sovereign of the higher position, who corrects and governs the myriad demons. In the empty sky, myriad transformations unfold, and foul qi scatters in profusion. Few keep to the true, and many are confused. The Way of the immortals is hard to keep firm, while the way of ghosts easily turns toward evil. The human heart, surely, does not depend on others: the Way of the immortals values substance, while the human Way values ornament. If you do not delight in the Way of the immortals, how can you cross the Three Realms? If they wish to turn toward the Five Paths of rebirth, what can I do in response?

(The above Wang Ling Pian Ci is drawn from the Dongxuan Dule Jing (Scripture of Salvation of the Dongxuan Cavern).)

Jiudi Pin (Chapter on the Nine Earths)

The Dao moves and governs the world, and opening and creation are mysteriously connected. The three colors mingle in chaos, now existing and now vanishing. When the movement reaches its limit, the three qi open their light. Clear qi rises and clarifies, accumulating yang to form heaven. Congealed qi becomes dregs, accumulating stagnation to form earth.

(Drawn from the Dongxuan Jiutian Jing (Scripture of the Nine Heavens of the Dongxuan Cavern).)

Names of the earth's layers (first three tiers):

• First tier: Runze Di (Moist-Color Earth)
• Second tier: Gangse Di (Hard-Color Earth)
• Third tier: Shizhi Seze Di (Stone-Fat Lustrous-Color Earth)

Note: The "Wang Ling Pian" belongs mostly to chapters on salvation, the trials of the demon kings of the Three Realms, and the chanting of scriptures to deliver ghosts, and it is closely tied to the traditional Dule Jing (Scripture of Salvation). The "Jiudi Pin" describes the origin of heaven and earth and the names of the underground layers. It belongs to the literature on cosmology and the sequence of the underworld. Terms such as liu gui feng (the edge of the Six Ghosts), Longhan (the Dragon Han age), and Dai Luo (Great Net Heaven) are proper names for Daoist realms, cosmic ages, and celestial regions. They should be read alongside the full scripture and should not be extracted as everyday practice formulas.

The Essential Secrets of the Highest (Wushang Biyao) describes nine earths, one beyond another. The first six sections of this passage list the layers and their distances, and the final section turns to the mountains of the Four Quarters.

Ninth Earth Layers and Their Distances

The fourth layer is called Runze Di (Moistening Earth), the fifth Jinsu Ze Di (Golden Millet Marsh Earth), the sixth Jingang Tie Ze Di (Vajra Iron Marsh Earth), the seventh Shui Zhi Ze Di (Water-Controlling Marsh Earth), the eighth Da Feng Ze Di (Great Wind Marsh Earth), and the ninth Dongyuan Wuse Gangwei Di (Colorless Earth of the Cavernous Abyss and Cosmic Cords). Each of these nine layers, or "lei" (bastions), contains four colors of soil. Each has an Earth Sovereign (Tu Huang, the venerable deity who governs that layer's ground), who holds five sounds: the Zheng Yin (Correct Sound), the Xing Yin (Moving Sound), the You Yin (Wandering Sound), a sound written with a rare character that cannot be reproduced here, and the Ji Yin (Ultimate Sound). The Earth Sovereigns dwell in the lower Dongyuan and at the source of the cosmic cords, where they govern the world and keep all things from falling. Above them stretches a boundless expanse, all contained within the origin of the cords. The nine earths descend in nine tiers, and each tier holds thirty-six sounds and thirty-six Earth Sovereigns. These correspond above to the thirty-six heavens and below to the thirty-six realms. The rank of an Earth Sovereign equals that of the Jade Emperor (Yu Huang), the supreme deity of the heavens. The two differ only in how they divide the qi and in their places of rule above and below. Their titles are simply different.

The distances between the nine earths are as follows. The first earth lies ninety yiwan li from the heavens. The second earth lies eighty yiwan li from the first lei. The third earth lies one hundred twenty yiwan li from the second lei. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh earths each lie twenty yiwan li from the lei above them. The eighth and ninth earths each lie eighty yiwan li from the lei above them. (Yiwan li is a traditional hyperbolic expression for an enormous distance.) Below the nine lei, the Dongyuan and its source hold the world together and keep it from falling. Measured upward, the total distance from the first lei is five hundred twenty yiwan li. (This is drawn from the Dongzhen Waiguo Fangpin Jing, the Dongzhen Scripture on the Release of Outer Realms.)

The Mountains

Fengdu Mountain (Fengdu Shan) lies in the gui direction, north by west, so its northeast is the Gate of Ghosts (Gui Hu) and the root of dead qi. The mountain rises two thousand six hundred li and measures thirty thousand li around its base. (This is drawn from the Dongzhen Tianguan Santu Qixing Yidu Jing, the Dongzhen Scripture on the Seven Stars' Movements and Three Charts of the Celestial Gate.)

South of the Yishatuo Kingdom lies a long island called Qingqiu. On its left and right stand the Wind Mountains, which constantly shake and roar. There is also Yanzhou, the Island of Flames, with the Fire Forest Mountain, where light-beasts dwell. (This is drawn from the Dongzhen Waiguo Fangpin Jing.)

Xuanlong Mountain lies northeast of Kunlun Mountain.

The Supreme Secret Essentials (Wushang Biyao): A Plain-Language Reading

Zhong Mountain

Zhong Mountain lies north of the Weak Waters (Ruoshui), nineteen thousand li away. It rises twelve thousand li high, its summit spans seven thousand li, and its circumference is thirty thousand li. The sun and moon cannot reach it, yet it is bright day and night. Its radiance can be seen a hundred thousand li away, farther than the light of the Milky Way reaches. When the sages speak of "Heaven's deficiency in the northwest," they mean that Zhong Mountain's light shines down into the Nine Yin.

Mount Kunlun

Mount Kunlun rises thirty-six thousand li above the plain. Its summit has three corners, each ten thousand li across, and the whole formation is shaped like an inverted basin. The northern corner, which governs the essence of the star Chen, is called the Langfeng Terrace (Langfeng Tai). The western corner is the Xuanpu Terrace (Xuanpu Tai), and the eastern corner is the Kunlun Terrace (Kunlun Tai). Other peaks, including Beihu Mountain and Chengyuan Mountain, are branches of this range. They connect upward to the Jade Armillary (Xuanji) and to the inlets of the Nine Heavens (jiutian zhi ao). They are the root from which the myriad immortals derive their lineage and the handle by which heaven and earth are bound and measured.

(The above is drawn from the Dongzhen Taixiao Yinshu, the Hidden Book of the Great Void of the Cavern of True Perfection.)

Donghua and the Nine Elders

In the east, Donghua contains Mount Yunbo. The Azure Youth Lord (Qingtong Jun) often drives the qi of the round pearl, ascends Mount Yunbo, and enters the Palace of Donghua. At the edge of the Fusang tree stands the Capital Mountain of the Nine Elders. There the Nine Elder Immortal Sovereigns, the Great Lord Emperor, and the two Daoist lords meet from time to time in the Capital of the Nine Elders. They issue the spirit-gate talismans and summon the Great True King and the myriad immortals to receive their assignments.

The Mountains of the Heavens

The Heaven of Supreme Clarity (Taiqing Tian) contains Floating Peerless Mountain, governed by the Three Heavenly Kings and formed from the qi of the Great Dao. The Heaven of Supreme Polarity (Taiji Tian) contains Xiuhua Mountain, beneath which stands a jade hall, the dwelling of the Five Spirit True Lords. Nearby is Hantong Spirit Mountain, which immortal guests often ascend. The Heaven of Supreme Tenuity (Taiwei Tian) contains Jade Longevity Mountain, ruled by the Yellow Lord (Huang Lao), where the myriad spirits gather. The Inner Scene Heaven (Neijing Tian) contains Purple Void Mountain, which the Azure Essence Lord often climbs, riding a carriage of feathered flight and accompanied by a youth of dark radiance. The Upper Clarity Heaven (Shangqing Tian) contains Rainbow Reflecting Mountain, where the sun rises, the Moon Sovereign presides, and light and qi disperse. Also here is Golden Flower Convenience Mountain, on whose summit lies the sleeping hall of the Great Elder, which the Eight Yellow Lords visit from time to time. The Jade Void Heaven (Yuxu Tian) contains Flying Mist Mountain, which only those who can practice the Great Cavern Scripture may enter. The Supreme One Primordial Heaven (Taiyi Shangyuan Tian) contains Golden Flower Mountain, home of the Lord of the Supreme One's Prohibitions. Finally, the Seventh Dawn Heaven (Qichen Tian) contains Three Treasures Mountain, where a fragrance grows in reverse and flows back against the mountain. The Supreme Emperor's True Person dwells there.

Taken together, these mountains and heavens form the geographical system of immortal abodes and sacred realms in the Daoist cosmology. The system corresponds closely with the stages of cultivation and with the framework of the Blessed Grottoes and Fortunate Lands (dongtian fudi).

Selected Passages from the Wushang Miyao (Vernacular Excerpts)

In the Heaven of Primordial Dawn (Yuanchen Tian) stands a mountain called Sanxiu Shan, the Mountain of Three Luminosities, and from this heaven arises the Huangjing Qi, the auspicious golden-hued vapor whose flow originates here. In the Taiji Heaven (Taiji Tian) lies the Mountain of the Most High Sun, Empty and Shadowless, set among the Taixia, the great clouds and rosy mists, where the Pengshi chamber serves as the dwelling of the Lord of the Great Void (Taixu Yuanjun). The Taixuan Heaven (Taixuan Tian) contains Feng Shan, where divine light shows itself most lofty and luminous. In the Yuzhen Heaven (Yuzhen Tian) rises Gaoyuan Shan, which the Venerable Wanhua often ascends to rest and feast in the Palace of Myriad Splendors (Wanhua zhi Gong). The Yuqing Heaven (Yuqing Tian) holds Yugen Shan, the Jade Root Mountain, home of the Five Venerable Perfected (Wulao Shangzhen), and also Huangxia Shan, the Yellow Mist Mountain, where the Five Emperors reside and the Supreme Sovereigns roam.

Above the Nine Heavens, the Immortals Who Cleanse Stagnation and the Elders of the Nine Qi frequently ascend these peaks. Within the Court of Supreme Void (Taiwu zhi Ting) lies a mountain of the Taixia, called Wujian Shan, the Mountain of Five Intervals, which is the dwelling of the Lord of the Morning Center of Supreme Void. In the Taiwu Heaven stands Emei Shan, on which are built cavern palaces and jade gates (immortal mansions), and on whose stone surface are inscribed the names of those who have attained the Dao and been registered among the immortals. (Drawn from the Yuzhen Taidong Yujing.)

The Xuandu Yujing Mountain of the Lingbao tradition stands at the center of the highest heaven. (Drawn from the Dongxuan Yujue Jing.)

In the land of Lu'na Luowei stands the Xumi Lingfei Renniao Shan, the Mountain of the Spirit-Flying Human-Bird, which is the separate seat of the Celestial King of Primordial Origin (Yuanshi Tianwang). The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwang Mu) also ascended this mountain when she first began to study the Dao. (Drawn from the Dongxuan Yinzhu Jing.)

In the Western Kingdom of Xi'na in the far west stand Yucha Shan and the Fuluo Peak. (Drawn from the Dongxuan Lingshu Duming Jing.)

The Most High said that the Renniao Shan is the place where Heaven and Earth take root, and from it the primordial Qi arises through its own causes. Those who seek its realm among the mortals, and the spirit immortals who revere its divine power, thereby gather at the Five Marchmounts and command the sea gods. (Drawn from the Dongxuan Wufu Jing.)

The Most High further said that the Taixuan Xuandu Yujing Mountain towers above all the Luo Heavens of the eight directions, and the celestial immortals of the various heavens name it with ten titles: Gaitian Shoushan, Mixuan Shangshan, Luoxuan Dongxu Shan, Gaoshang Zhenyuan Shan, Zhongbao Youjie Jieren Shan, Wuse Dajue Shan, Zhouguan Dongxuan Shan, Jinghua Taizhen Shan, Bukesiyi Shan, and Taixuan Xuandu Yujing Taishang Shan. (Drawn from the Dongxuan Yujing Shan Jing.)

This passage catalogs the famous mountains, cavern abodes, and resident deities of the various heavens, and it cites several scriptures of the Dongxuan corpus to establish the central position of the Yujing Mountain and the Renniao Mountain within the Daoist cosmology. The ten names are the immortals' different honorific titles for the same sacred mountain.

Jurong Mountain and the Golden Altar

Between Jurong Mountain and the locale rendered in the source with a rare character [unidentified place name], there is an ancient site called Jinling (Golden Hill), covering roughly thirty-eight qing (about 380 acres). This is the land of the Golden Altar (Jintan). The soil is rich, the well water is sweet, and those who live here will surely be able to transcend the world and become immortal, and will see an age of Great Peace (Taiping).

The Hetu Neiyuan Jing (Inner Origin Scripture of the River Chart) records that this land has fertile soil and clear water. Behind the Golden Altar of Jurong Mountain, one can transcend the world and ascend, and the same holds for Qucheng. The middle section of the Hetu also says: "The Golden Mountain of Ju, though it contains tombs, is free from the calamities of war and disease, and great waves do not reach it." This is precisely the place described. The ancient name of Jinling is the "Land of the Hidden Dragon" (Fulong zhi Di). The Fudi Zhi (Records of Blessed Lands) states that the Land of the Hidden Dragon lies west of Liugu Valley and to the right of the Golden Altar, where one may dwell in seclusion. It is, in other words, the blessed land (fudi) of Jinling.

Jurong Mountain is also called the "Golden Altar of Ju," because a cavern heaven (dongtian) within it contains a golden altar one hundred zhang (roughly three hundred meters) high, which gave it this name. There is also Jijin Mountain, which takes its altar name from accumulated gold. Its source pool was called the Cave of Quju, and because the mountain's shape is winding and bent, later people combined these into the name Jurong Mountain. Afterward, the Three Lords Mao came to govern this mountain, and the elders of the time passed down that it was "the Mountain of the Lord Mao," that is, Sanmao Mountain.

The various hidden peaks of Sanmao Mountain are linked together, and all of them are simply different parts of the single mountain named Jurong. Later generations, naming things according to events, gave these parts dozens of branch names and many aliases. The mountain is also known as Gang Shan (Ridge Mountain). The Kongqiu Fudi (Blessed Land of Kong Qiu) says that among the ridges of Gang Shan lies Fulong Village, where one may escape floods and disease.

To the east are famous mountains such as Sangai Shan, Sanhuo Shan, Santai Shan, and Erjin Shan. Jurong is one of the mountains of the Golden Altar group.

At the northern edge of Mao Mountain, near the cave entrance, stands a mountain called Liangchang Shan. Originally it was connected to Jurong and shares the same mountain name.

Geyan and the Three Mountains

Going west, one reaches Geyan Shan, another name for the same range. Geyan is made up of connected mountains: Xuanxi Shan to the west, Yujuegen Shan to the east, and Ge Shan at the center. These three mountains are tightly bound together, covering an area of three thousand li in circumference, rising two thousand seven hundred li high, and lying seventy thousand li from Kunlun. Among them is Gaohui Shan, which has a cave whose light shines like the sun. These three mountains, Geyan, Xuanxi, and Yujuegen, are described in the Daoji Jing (Scripture of the Traces of the Dao).

Fangzhu Mountain

Lady Ziwei said: Fangzhu Mountain faces the four cardinal directions squarely, and that is why it is called Fangzhu. One side measures one thousand three hundred li in length, the four sides together total five thousand two hundred li, and its height is . . . [The original text continues with the form and structure of Fangzhu Mountain here; this section is omitted.]

A Vernacular Interpretation of the Wushang Biyao (Essential Secrets of the Supreme)

Geography and Fangzhu

Beyond ninety million zhang, there are the Changming Great Mountain, the Yueye High Hill, and others, each encircled by a perimeter of one hundred li. There is also Xuanhan Mountain. The Fangzhu consists of an eastern, a western, and a southern lesser Fangzhu, each three thousand li from the Great Fangzhu, and each lesser Fangzhu extends three hundred li on all four sides. The Great Fangzhu directly faces the southern part of Kuaiji. From there, the coastline of Kuaiji lies about seventy thousand li away. Looking northeast, one sees the Yanggu township, and continuing roughly sixty thousand li in the direction of Fangzhu.

(The above is from the Zhenji Jing [Scripture of True Traces].)

Chapter on Forests and Trees

The Azure Sovereign Lord of the Eastern Extremity (Dongji Cangdi Jun) said: In the land of Great Fuli, there are green forest trees on whose leaves purple script appears of its own accord. When the wind stirs the trees, their sound becomes the numinous voice of the Dongzhang (Cavern Chapters), resounding brilliantly through all of space. Nine-colored phoenix birds often dwell in these trees, and whoever obtains a phoenix feather may ascend to immortality.

In the Jade Realm of Xina in the Western Extremity, there grows the seven-treasure Qian tree, which bears red fruit and white rings. Upon it dwell phoenixes, peacocks, and golden-winged birds, which sing elegant sounds through the six periods of day and night.

(The above is from the Dongxuan Lingshu [Numinous Writings of the Dongxuan].)

Taishang (the Most High) said: On Jade Capital Mountain there are seven-treasure trees that arise naturally. A single one can shade an entire heaven, and eight of them shade the Luotian (Luo Heavens) of the eight directions.

(The above is from the Dongxuan Yujing Shan Jing [Scripture of Jade Capital Mountain of the Dongxuan].)

Beyond the land of Helouti in the east lies Fusang, which grows within the blue sea. Its forests resemble mulberry trees and rise several thousand zhang high. Its great trunks measure three thousand wei in circumference, and the trees grow in pairs from a single root. Their fruit is red like mulberries, and immortals eat it. Whoever eats it becomes golden in body, and the fruit ripens only once every nine thousand years. Beyond the land of Yisha Pool in the south lies the Qingqiu region, where a great tree grows three thousand zhang high, its trunk measuring two thousand wei around.

On Kunlun Mountain grow the golden-root trees and the forest of jade-stalked cinnabar fruit, whose fruit is Yuqing (Jade Clarity). The trees bear carved inscriptions in the scripts of thirty-six countries. Purple swallows, phoenixes, white sparrows, ospreys, kun pheasants, swans, red crows, and blue magpies dwell among them.

(The above is from the Dongzhen Waiguo Fangpin Jing [Scripture of the Emanated Chapters of the Outer Lands in the Dongzhen Canon].)

Within the Qing Palace of Fangzhu stand several hundred jade trees, upon which dwell guan-chickens, phoenixes, and birds of nine colors. Beneath them grow zhi (numinous fungus) and jade wells with naturally springing water. Whoever drinks of it attains a lifespan equal to that of the sun, moon, and the three luminaries.

(The above is from the Dongzhen Qingyao Zishu Jingen Jing [Scripture of the Purple Writings of the Azure Essentials and the Golden Root in the Dongzhen Canon].)

In the Dongyang Palace of the Riyue Guan (Sun-Ascending Hall), there is a forest of empty-blue trees. Whoever eats their flowers gains their benefits.

Note: In this text, terms such as Fangzhu, Kuaiji, Yanggu, Dongzhang (Cavern Chapters), and three luminaries are names from Daoist cosmic geography and immortal realms. Azure Sovereign Lord and Taishang are honorific titles. Each jing (scripture) is cited as the source title of another text in the Daoist Canon, given here only for attribution. Its teachings are not expanded in this passage.

Shishi Aspects of Daoist Heaven: Notes on the Illustrated Essentials

Body Generating a Golden Light (Practitioners manifest a golden radiance upon the body)

Along the path where the moon's radiance flows, within the Eastern Well, there is a palace of vast spirit, in whose center grows a tree bearing three flowers and a high ring of fruit. Only once in a kalpa (an extremely long span of time in Buddhist and Daoist reckoning) does it produce the "Flower of Natural Three Qi," whose blossoms shine like lotus. Eating a single one of these flowers grants a lifespan equal to a full kalpa.

Above the Moon Palace stands the Palace of Vast Cold, in whose center grows the Green Flower Tree. The tree stands four thousand zhang tall. Its leaves resemble bamboo but are red, its blossoms gleam like a polished mirror, and its fruit resembles a plum but has no pit; this is what is called the "crimson tree with cinnabar fruit." Eating its leaves prolongs life; eating its blossoms makes one spiritually one with the moon; eating its fruit allows one to feast in the Jade Pure Realm.

(From the Dongzhen Huangqi Yangjing Jing*, Scripture of the Yellow Qi and Yang Essence of the Cavern Perfected.)

Laozi traveled west, past the Mountain of the Great Tortoise, where he saw the Grand Perfected Queen Mother eating jade-patterned dates, each as large as a ding (a kind of vessel). He also ate green peaches and purple pears.

Climbing further north to the Ridge of the Hollow Cavern, he saw the Northern Flower Perfected Lord and the Four Flower Immortals eating the Hollow Cavern Spirit Melon, which ripens only once every four kalpas.

Anqisheng said to the Grand Perfected Lady: "Long ago, with a maiden, I roamed the western sea-shore of Xi'an, where I ate dates of exceptional sweetness, far beyond any found here. Looking back on that time, it seems only a short while ago, yet three thousand years have already passed." The Divine Maiden replied: "Long ago, I shared a single one with you, and it was not yet finished. How could these small dates compare?"

(From the Xianguo Daoji Jing*, Scripture on the Traces of the Way and the Fruits of the Immortals.)

(The Lady Yu Ying says: "The Jiao pear and the Fire date are the medicines of ascension, distinct from the Golden Elixir.")

(From the Zhenji Jing*, Scripture of True Traces.)

Cavern Grottoes

The Five Sacred Peaks and famous mountains all contain grotto chambers:

(From the Daoji Jing*, Scripture of the Traces of the Way.)

Heavenly Grotto Realms

• Xiaoyou Qingxu Heaven
• Daayou Kongming Heaven
• Taixuan Zongzhen Heaven
• Sanxuan Jizhen Heaven
• Baoxian Jiushi Heaven
• Shang Yuqing Pingtian Heaven

(Grotto Heavens are the secret celestial realms, each with its own name and rank, said in Daoism to be the dwelling places of the immortals.)

Wushang Miyao (Essential Secrets of the Supreme), Scroll Four (Vernacular Commentary)

Celestial Names and Sources

The Heaven of Radiant Perfection Illuminating Brilliance (Zhuming Yaozhen Tian) and the Heaven of Golden Altar and Brilliant Yang (Jintan Huayang Tian) are named here, along with the Heaven of Divine Left Profound Emptiness (Zuoshen Youxu Tian) and the Heaven of Accomplished Virtue Concealed Mystery (Chengde Yinxuan Tian). These names come from the Daoji Jing (Scripture of the Traces of the Dao).

Grotto-Heavens Within the Great Heaven and Earth: The Chapter on Divine Waters

From the Dongzhen Great Cavern Scripture (Dongzhen Dadong Jing)

In the Jade Clarity Heaven (Yuqing Tian) lies the Sea of Ten Thousand Fords (Wanjin Zhi Hai), whose waves surge and whose swells rise to match the mountains. In the Heaven of Primordial Beginning (Taichu Tian) flows the River of Felicitous Origin (Qingyuan Zhi He), known as the Ford of the Auspicious Folk (Jiren Zhi Jin). There is also the Pool of Flowing Waters (Liugu Zhi Chi), where jade trees grow and lotuses rise ten zhang high. The pool stretches a thousand li across, its water fragrant and golden in color. The Golden Flower Immortals (Jinhua Xianren) often dwell within the lotuses and drink from these Flowing Waters.

On Xuan Island (Xuan Zhou) is the Ford of the Three Weaknesses (Sanruo Zhi Jin), which none but immortals can cross. In the Court of Great Nothingness (Taiwu Zhi Ting) stands Mount Jade Tablet (Yujian Shan), and on its summit lies the Pool of Clear Abyss (Qingyuan Zhi Chi), a thousand li in circumference. There is also the Emperor River Pool (Dichuan Chi), north of Xuan Island, where the Jade Spirit Immortal Mother (Yuling Xian Mu) and the Golden Flower Immortal Maidens (Jinhua Xiannü) often travel.

From the Dongxuan Numinous Writings (Dongxuan Lingshu)

The Primordial Heavenly Worthy (Yuanshi Tianzun) dwells in the Yudan Kingdom (Yudan Guo) of the world of Great Fortune Discarding the Worthy (Dafu Qixian Shijie). The land is made entirely of congealed water-essence and glass, so that people walk on it as if on solid ground. In the kingdom lies the Cold Pool (Han Chi), stretching five hundred li in each direction, and jade fungus grows within it. The men and women of the kingdom eat and drink its waters, whose surface gleams like jade fat. The people have no illness and no sorrow, and they live thirty thousand years without dying young. After death their bones do not turn to ash, and for ten thousand years they give off no stench or decay.

Note: The passages above belong to the Daoist cosmological accounts of grotto-heavens (dongtian) and divine waters (shenshui). Drawing on the early Dongzhen and Dongxuan scriptures, they use images of immortal lands, sacred pools, and longevity to describe celestial realms and states of cultivation. They should not be read literally as worldly geography.