《無上祕要》Vol. 23

Interpretation

Scripture of Virtue (Jingde Pin)

From the Wushang Biyao (Essential Secrets of the Supreme Dao), Scroll 31 (also numbered Scroll 11)

The Five Elders' Five Scrolls of Numinous Treasure True Script (Wulao Lingbao Wupian Zhenwen) are celestial writings descended from the Primordial Heavenly Lord (Yuanshi Tianzun). They arose within the "Void Cavern" (Kongdong) and serve as the root of Heaven and Earth. Their numinous and sublime nobility, the solemnity of their teachings and methods, and the expansion of the Three Primes (Sanyuan) have made their Virtue preeminent among all the heavens. Their Virtue has fourteen aspects:

1. Its Virtue is like the Great Void, vast and empty, the source of the Primordial Beginning.

2. Its Virtue is like the Nonbeing, producing being from non-being, and returning being into non-being.

3. Its Virtue is like the Great Dao, its numinous power boundless, a treasure of spirits and luminaries.

4. Its Virtue is like Heaven, clear, pure, and lofty, covering the boundless without limit.

5. Its Virtue is like Earth, opening wide and receiving all, bearing up every being.

6. Its Virtue is like the three lights of sun, moon, and stars, shining through all the heavens and bestowing light on all.

7. Its Virtue is like the Exalted Perfected, expounding the mysterious teaching, and honored as supreme among the heavenly beings.

8. Its Virtue is like the Divine Immortals, delivering all without exception and universally receiving the natural order.

9. Its Virtue is like the Great Mystery, purified, opened, and broadly established, the capital of the divine immortals.

10. Its Virtue is like clouds and rain, through which all things receive nourishment and moisture.

11. Its Virtue is like the wind, which bears upon all things its blowing, scattering, and nurturing.

12. Its Virtue is like the four seasons, through which all things are brought to completion and transformed into life.

13. Its Virtue is like Mount Tai, securing the sovereign lineage, pacifying the numinous and anchoring the spirits.

14. Its Virtue is like the great rivers, surging without obstruction, and embracing all without exception.

The numinous script is profound and layered, and these fourteen Virtues stand as lofty and exemplary norms. Their measure is beyond counting, like mountains that shelter, and their spiritual flow endures through countless kalpas. Through them all transformation is revealed and clarified, and nothing comes into being apart from them.

(The above is drawn from the Dongxuan Chishu Jing (Scripture of the Red Writings of the Cavern of Mystery).)

Laozi said: The Supreme Numinous Treasure existed before Heaven and Earth first came into being. From the primordial Nonbeing, through countless kalpas, it has been chaos and naturally so. The true essence of the Dao is the root of the Dao within the Dao and the origin of Method within Method; the divine persons of the ten directions all begin from the numinous perfected.

Laozi said: At the beginning of chaos, the source of subtlety, before the opening of heaven and earth, there seemed to be a natural numinous treasure of True Script, prior to the Image of the Divine Sovereign. I am the abyss of the Great Dao of the Numinous Treasure; those who enter its gate receive its essence and subtlety, and thereby become the spirits of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

Laozi said: The Supreme Numinous Treasure was born within the void cavern, where the myriad things had not yet taken form.

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Interpretation

Commentary on the Wushang Miyao (Supreme Secret Essentials)

The Great Dao (Dao) ordinarily moves within Wuji (the Limitless), where through Wuwei (non-action) it naturally coalesces into a single whole. It is so honored that it cannot be named, standing above both "being" and "non-being," and for this reason it is called Taishang (the Most High). It is so vast that it encompasses everything, and so fine that it penetrates everywhere, so its principles are subtle and hard to fathom. Heaven, Earth, and humanity all arise from it. In Heaven it appears as the five planets moving in their courses and the sun and moon shining their light. On Earth it appears as the Five Sacred Peaks standing guard and mountains high and seas deep. In the human body it appears as the five viscera in harmony and the form preserved whole.

If Heaven lacked the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure), how would it shine? If Earth lacked the Lingbao, how would it take form? If humans lacked the Lingbao, how would they obtain life? Thus the myriad things, teeming in profusion, take me as their root and as their gate. What is meant by root, and what by gate? It is because I possess the Lingbao Writ.

Laozi says: when a snake obtains it, it is transformed into a divine dragon; when a bird obtains it, it becomes a phoenix; when a common beast obtains it, it becomes a qilin; and when an ordinary person obtains it, they are called a sage.

What is meant by a sage? One who possesses the True Writ (zhenwen) that reaches the sacred realm and practices it can roam among the Five Peaks and wander freely through the void. Such a person transforms the five viscera and alters their form, commands ghosts and spirits, penetrates the ten directions, appears and vanishes without constraint, ascends heights and rides the clouds, and remains far removed from dust and turbidity.

Laozi says: that which is numinous (ling) can connect with the Dao and reach the Great Dao, and the utmost numinous can command the myriad spirits (shen). That which is a treasure (bao) can preserve itself together with Heaven and Earth. Therefore it is called Lingbao, the supreme of Taishang and of the Dao.

Laozi says: when a state is about to flourish, cultivating and bringing forth this writ is the way to proceed. When people wish for wealth, honor, and longevity without aging, they can attain the Lingbao. If the Son of Heaven obtains it, phoenixes come to dance, the five planets align in their proper measures, the sun and moon shine brightly, the four quarters submit as guests, the realm is clear and peaceful, malign demons do not arise, the feudal lords all turn to him, and his life matches that of Heaven and Earth while the myriad people do not decline. If a feudal lord obtains it, the lunar lodges align in brilliance, the state and household prosper, their office and rank rise, they attain long life and enduring vigor, and in the end they keep themselves free from calamity. If a grandee (dafu) obtains it, their lineage extends without end, their noble rank and heavy stipend grow, and they rise to the ranks of kings and lords.

(Cited from the Dongxuan Wuchen Jing, the Scripture of the Five Designations of the Cavern Mystery.)

The Gaoshang Sanyuan Bu Jing (Scripture of the Three Primes Distributed on High) comprises the true books of the Three Heavens of Shangqing (Highest Clarity), the Jade Registers of the Upper Realm (yujian), and the chapters of flight through the void. The Upper Primordial (Shangyuan) inspects the great register of Heaven, the Lower Primordial (Xiayuan) inspects the jade writ of Earth, and the Middle Primordial (Zhongyuan) inspects the true writings of the immortals.

The Sanyuan Pian (Chapter on the Three Primes) states: the jade register's writ issues from the immortals of the empty abyss of the Nine Mysteries (jiuxuan), and it condenses natural qi to form the jade script. When the nine heavens were divided and the three paths made clear, if Heaven lacked this writ, the three lights would grow dim, the Five Emperors would lose their places, the nine cycles would turn askew, and the seven lunar lodges would run wild and lose their essence.

Notes on terms (for first-time readers): Lingbao refers to the "numinous" and the "treasure," the power to connect with the Great Dao and preserve oneself together with Heaven and Earth, often used for secretly transmitted writs and cultivation methods. Jade Register (yujian) denotes a celestial document or roster in the form of a jade tablet. The Three Primes (Sanyuan) are three celestial documents: the Upper Primordial on Heaven, the Middle Primordial on the immortals, and the Lower Primordial on Earth. The Nine Mysteries Empty Abyss (jiuxuan kongdong) is the lofty and profoundly obscure realm of the Daoist cosmology.

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Interpretation

Fragment One (from the Dongzhen Sanyuan Yujian Jing, the Scripture of the Jade Register of the Three Primes of the Dongzhen)

Were this scripture absent from the earth, the soil of the nine provinces would sink into the abyss, the five sacred peaks would crumble, and mountains and rivers would overturn.

For those who cultivate the Dao, the absence of this scripture means that the xian guan (immortal officials) would not descend, the di guan (earth officials) would not protect them, and no mysterious name would be inscribed for them in the nine heavens (jiutian). Their practice would be wasted, and the work of the Dao could not be accomplished.

This method is profound and mysterious, the secret text of the three primes (sanyuan mipian). Whoever receives this scripture may rise in rank to become a xian qing (immortal minister).

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Fragment Two (on the Shengxuan Jing, the Scripture of Ascending to the Mystery)

A Daoist scripture says that the Shengxuan Jing is the essential principle of heaven and earth and the ancestral source of De (Virtue or Power). It is revered by the highest sages and feared by ghosts and spirits. Its height surpasses the nine heavens, its depth penetrates the nine earths, and its transformations are infinite. Everything of the Dao is contained in it.

Taishang (the Most High), Laozi, said: In my former lives, I sought to become a xian (immortal) by refining stones and consuming fungus of immortality, and I gained only longevity. Though I lived for millions of years, I still suffered after death. Though I had the strength to move mountains, halt flowing rivers, and conceal the sun and moon, I still could not escape the santu bana (the three paths of suffering and the eight calamities). Later I met the Wushang Tianzun (the Supreme Heavenly Venerable), and I heard the Lingbao Jing and the Zhai Fa An Jing. After cultivating for one thousand seven hundred years, I attained the true Dao, and I could then see the good and evil deeds of the three times: past, present, and future.

Zhang Daoling asked: I do not understand the meaning of "shengxuan." I beg you to explain it clearly, so that those in the future who have the affinity may understand its hidden depths.

The Dao replied: You ask an essential question. I will explain it, so listen carefully and do not forget.

"Sheng" means to ascend. All the great sages of the ten directions, those who neither are born nor die, and the true persons who have attained the Dao, all rise beyond the three realms and climb to the golden gates of heaven. Their bodies, born of water and fire, join with emptiness and share its virtue. They gather the most refined essence, vast and open without limit. Above, they encompass all the heavens; below, they enter the bottomless depths. They are subtle beyond the smallest things, rising beyond form, their bodies clear and natural.

"Xuan" is the image of no light and the form of no thing. When you face it, it has no head; when you follow it, it has no tail. It cannot be approached closely, nor can it be kept at a distance. It embraces the great wonder: the heaven within heaven, the truth within truth, the spirit within spirit. Whoever attains it is called one who has ascended to the mystery.

Zhang Daoling said: Since your disciple became a true person, I have ascended to a mysterious office. It has now been nine years, and only now have I received the wondrous scripture of Shengxuan.

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Fragment Three (the Supreme Lord Lao on the classics of the Daoist tradition)

The Supreme Lord Lao said: Among the Daoist scriptures, none is greater than the Five Thousand Characters (the Daodejing, or Classic of the Dao and De) together with the chants of the Dongxuan and Dongzhen. This book is vast and distant, and reciting it can bring down the presence of the great sages.

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Notes

Santu bana refers to the Daoist belief that after death one falls into places of suffering, and it also names the eight kinds of trials encountered in cultivation. Dao Ling refers usually to Zhang Daoling, known as Zhang Tianshi (Celestial Master Zhang). Shengxuan names both a scripture and a stage of cultivation, meaning the ascent to the mysterious Dao and the attainment of an immortal position. The marker "you chu" is a textual-critical annotation indicating that a passage is quoted from another scripture and is not part of the original text.

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Interpretation

[Preface: The Merit of Reciting the Scripture]

Riding a cloud chariot and holding a jeweled canopy, one drives dragons in swift flight and ascends to heaven in broad daylight. The Five Thousand Characters (referring to the Daodejing) are the ancestral source of the Dao (Dao), the truest of the true. Regardless of rank, whoever constantly recites it and expounds its subtle meaning may bring great peace to kings and lords. One who recites it while keeping purification fasts may have the body ascend as an immortal.

(This passage comes from the Dongxuan Qingwen Jing, the Scripture of Dongxuan Inquiries.)

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[On the Survival of Scriptures]

The Heavenly Venerable (Tianzun) said: I have surveyed all the heavens. From countless kalpas until today, the great sages of high attainment who obtained the Dao in the heavens, the true persons of the various heavens, and the flying immortals of the Nine Officials and Five Sacred Peaks all attained perfection by receiving salvation through the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao) teachings. This scripture is exalted and wondrous, and it delivers countless beings. When the great kalpa draws to its end, heaven collapses, the earth sinks, the four seas merge into one, gold and jade dissolve, and the momentum of all the Dao is exhausted. Yet this scripture alone survives, and its teaching does not cease.

All the various miscellaneous methods, including gymnastic guidance and nourishing life, techniques of transformation, pharmaceutical prescriptions, and scattered vulgar customs, are bound to the six heavens and lie within the desire realm. When a minor kalpa comes together, their teachings are all extinguished and nothing remains.

The Great Clarity (Taiqing) miscellaneous transformation talismans and diagrams, the Scripture of Great Peace, and the major and minor scriptural sections circulate among the eighteen heavens above and below, within the form realm. At the crossing of the great kalpa, when heaven and earth are remade, their texts also sink away, leaving not a trace.

The supreme Dao of Jade Clarity (Yuqing), the spirit scriptures of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen), the spirit-perfected tiger patterns, the golden writings and jade characters, and the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao) true scriptures all issue from the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi). They dwell above the twenty-eight heavens of the formless realm. When the kalpa cycle returns, their texts are all restored and placed in the Seven-Jewel Dark Terrace above the Jade Capital, in the midst of the Supreme Great Void Heaven (Daluo), where calamity cannot reach.

(The above is drawn from the Dongxuan Lingshu Dumingjing, the Scripture of Lingshu on Salvation of Life.)

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[The Wondrous Scripture of the Wheel of the Dharma]

The Dao (the Heavenly Venerable) said: My Wondrous Scripture of the Wheel of the Dharma has existed since countless kalpas past, as numerous as dust and sand, and its span cannot be counted. The formation and destruction of heaven and earth cannot be fully reckoned either. All other scriptures are exhausted, but my scripture is never extinguished. It turns with the cycles of fate, its enlightening transformation grows ever more prosperous, and its deliverance reaches without limit.

Among scriptures it is the most honored, just as the heavens open and transform all things, and none surpasses it. If its teaching does not circulate, then among all the teachings that are propagated, this scripture comes first. It is like the countless stars shining together, where this scripture is like the moon, most abundant and most bright, illuminating the ten directions. It is like the darkness of the Three Realms that never dissolves, where this scripture is like the rising sun, shining everywhere across the heavens until all is clear. It is like the flow of ten thousand rivers, where this scripture is like the Tanggu Abyss, from which all waters ultimately arise.

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Explanatory Note: Terms such as "six heavens," "desire realm," "form realm," "formless realm," "eighteen heavens," "Supreme Great Void Heaven," "Jade Capital," "Seven-Jewel Dark Terrace," "Numinous Treasure," and "Primordial Beginning" are Daoist terms for the hierarchy of heavens and the levels of scriptures. "Countless kalpas," "great kalpa," and "minor kalpa" refer to vast spans of time and cosmic cycles. "Three Caverns" refers to the three categories of Daoist scriptures: Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen. The translation aims to stay close to the original meaning, and the first occurrence of each proper term has been briefly glossed.

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Interpretation

A Vernacular Reading of the Wushang Miyao (Supreme Secret Essentials)

In Praise of the Scripture (Jingwen Zan)

This scripture is like the source of the great sea, to which all things return. It is also as lofty as Mount Sumeru (a mountain of Buddhist legend, extremely high, used here as a metaphor for its sublimity). It is further like Jade Capital Mountain (Yujing Shan), embracing all things. Its subtleties are profound and endure together with Heaven and Earth. The Yuan Kings (Yuanwang) of the heavens and the High Immortal Perfected (Gao Xian Shang Zhen), too numerous to count, all obey the command of this scripture.

In this way the scripture universally delivers living beings. Whether or not they have studied it, it opens the gates of the Dharma widely. Above, it regulates the three luminaries of sun, moon, and stars. In the middle, it harmonizes Yin and Yang. Below, it awakens all living things, so that all receive its protection and shelter. It liberates ancestors of seven generations, rescues souls in poverty and distress, and accomplishes all that concerns life, death, injury, and ruin. It turns without end, like a boat carrying people across a river.

(Cited from the Dongxuan Falun Miaojing (Wondrous Scripture of the Dongxuan Dharma Wheel).)

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Chapter on Encountering the Scripture and Allotment of Destiny (Yujing Sufen Pin)

The Seven Sages' Mysterious Records Turning Heaven (Qisheng Xuanji Huitian). In the preceding text, some passages rhyme with one another, some are arranged by category and cross-referenced, and some join above and below to form sounds. Some mark proper names, and some use single characters and compound words together. All of these issue from the empty depths of primordial mystery, compiled by high sages to manifest numinous writings. Scholars of later generations whose names appear in these chapters and who receive the precious secret formulas will naturally become high immortals.

Yet there are the "Six Unions" (liuhe), and there are the "Seven Injuries" (qishang). Treasure them and they unite; neglect them and they perish. Those who have a share of the Dao (dao) should apply themselves with diligent sincerity. They should fast for long periods on spirit mounds, seek out distant secluded mountains, burn incense and perform rites, and recite the scripture morning and evening. Abandoning all miscellaneous thoughts, they should fix the mind on Taizhen (the Great True, the Dao in its original truth). Only then can they attain mysterious descent and ascend in broad daylight.

As for scholars of later generations whose names were not inscribed in the mysterious registers yet who nonetheless obtain the precious scripture, this is because their own bodies carry heavy virtue (de) from past lives. Its abundant branches cast shade, so that blessings reach their persons. Or, if their bodies bear hidden merit and their aspirations rise above the crowd, who practice austerities alone and wholeheartedly, they move the August Jade Emperor (Yuhuang) above. The Four Ultimates (Siji) report them, and the Five Sacred Peaks (Wuyue) record their names, so that they encounter a scripture master and receive the precious texts. If they are diligent and avoid the Seven Injuries, the Perfected will descend and bestow upon them the true writings.

Those who have seen the texts of the Supreme Sage Mysterious Records all have, from primordial mystery, a share of flying immortality. They are able to write it down in the image before birth and to inscribe it in reverse upon the mysterious emptiness of the register. Since they have received the human Way, the Azure Palace (Qinggong) records their names, the four offices (Sisi) guard them, and the Five Emperors (Wudi) bear witness. The Jade Void (Yuxu) forms a storehouse, and the purple network takes root. Their bones bear extraordinary light, and their forms lift and join with immortality. The Four Ultimates secretly descend and covertly bestow the precious texts. The Supreme One (Taiyi) fixes the registers, and the Minister of Destiny (Siming) alters their years. The soul is secured and the corporeal soul (po) settles. The six bones knot into perfection, and the myriad spirits are all gathered. They are able to become high immortals.

The High Sage Lord (Gaosheng Dijun) says: all who obtain the texts of the Seven Sages' Mysterious Records Turning Heaven and the Nine Heavens (Jiuxiao) (although the text here appears to connect with the preceding passage, it is retained as in the original), their meaning is as described above.

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Proper names such as Taizhen (the Great True Dao), Four Ultimates (Siji, the celestial deities at the extreme points of the four directions), Siming (the deity who governs lifespan), and Seven Injuries (qishang, seven kinds of harm or taboo to be avoided in cultivation, whose definitions vary slightly among scriptures) are retained here in keeping with the Daoist context.

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Interpretation

First Section (Ascent to Heaven and Ranks)

Those who ascend to heaven are those for whom the Azure Palace (the palace governed by the Azure Lord of Heaven) sends down memorials and records their names, and for whom the talismanic mandates of the Five Marchmounts are issued. The spirits, the mountains and rivers, and the officials who govern the seas all come to guard their persons. Twelve Jade Youths and twelve Jade Maidens attend the spirit writings and travel while bearing the scriptures. This is a profound correspondence, in accord with the natural principles of Heaven and Earth. The Supreme Sages all rely on it to have their names reentered in the Azure Register (the immortal registers of the Azure Lord), attaining the rank of Immortal Minister. One must first perfect the Four Truths and harmonize with the bedchamber, and only then may one descend from the spirit carriage and ascend in broad daylight at dawn. The ranks gained in a single glance advance one toward immortality according to one's merit. This Dao is deep and subtle, and cannot be grasped through ordinary learning.

Words of the Exalted Sage Emperor (On Which Scriptures One Sees According to Innate Endowment)

Those whose bodies bear jade-bone cinnabar patterns and whose names are listed in the Imperial Chart obtain sight of the Mysterious Records of the Seven Sages.

Those whose marrow is golden and whose inner organs are purple, and whose names are inscribed on golden tablets, obtain sight of the hidden inner writings.

Those with spirit-marked, unusual hair, a purple womb and jade vessels, whose names are marked in the Highest Clarity, obtain sight of the first part of the White Slips.

Those whose essence flows as purple light, illuminated within and enveloped without, whose treasure is stored in a golden countenance, and whose names are written in the Jade Void, obtain the writings of the Azure Register.

Those whose spirit form responds to the diagrams, whose jade womb holds a purple void, and whose names are inscribed in Donghua, obtain the Examination Writings on the Seven Wounds.

Words of the Exalted Sage Emperor (On the Cultivation of Later Students)

If later students love the Dao methods and diligently cultivate them, with harmonious conduct and gentle yielding, embracing the Four Seas and responding to all kinds of beings with tolerance, such people have their mysterious names entered in the imperial registers and their purple characters bound into the jade chapters. Their reception of Qi opens within the spirit diagrams, and their De rises to union with the immortals. Within, the Taiji observes and reflects them; without, they are counted among the source of the Great Artisan. When merit is complete and the Dao is perfected, they naturally ascend to heaven in broad daylight.

(Cited from the Dongzhen Seven Sages Yuanji Jing)

Lady Ziwei Relays the Words of the Queen Mother

Nine Qi are molded and smelted, and the Supreme One moves the Shen. Since you have been born as human, and humans are many, without the Supreme One's spirit tablets, the Three Origins' golden names, the Director of Destiny's hidden talismans, and the purple registers of the Five Elders, then even though you receive heavenly Qi and are born, none of you can see or hear the highest Dao.

Moreover, if you lack the purple tablets of the Mysterious Office, the Supreme Emperor's treasured names, the Supreme One's jade registers, the hidden Donghua diagrams, the inscribed spirits of the Three Origins, and the joined souls of the Supreme Emperor, then though you receive the nature of Heaven, and though you may briefly hear the highest Dao, you cannot cultivate it to completion. Practice that is not sustained does not last; what lasts but is not fixed is not concentrated; and what is not concentrated cannot penetrate. One may only visualize the Five Marchmounts within and walk the ordinary path of constant life, but one cannot pass beyond the Eight Luminous Realms into the heavens, float upon mist and govern the light, soar on spirit feathers, or leap through the Great Void.

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Interpretation

Plain-Language Commentary on the Wushang Biyao (Essential Secrets of the Most High)

I. Secret Scriptures and Registers Not Open to All

Among the scriptures and registers listed under titles such as the Qiongtai Yuzha (Feathered Letters of the Jade Terrace), the Liuyun Wuban (Five Boards of Flowing Clouds), the Taiyi Jinge Wuhuang Yinlu (Hidden Registers of the Five Sovereigns of the Golden Pavilion of the Great One), the Houshen Qifu (Seven Talismans of the Later Sages), the Kongshan Shihan (Stone Casket of the Empty Mountain), the Dantai Suzhang (Plain Seals of the Cinnabar Terrace), the Xuanhuang Wuxing (Five Phases of Dark and Yellow), the Tianmu Baotu (Heavenly Mother Embracing the Diagram), and the Taishang Tuming Baozhen Xiujing Guangliian Shen Qu (Taishang Diagrams for Preserving Truth and Refining the Spirit Body), a person who studies the Perfected Way must not see the transformations of the Lord Emperor in the Dongzhen (Cavern of Perfected Truth) Xuanjing (Dark Scripture). Nor may such a person hear the chants of Xiaomo (Dispelling Demons), Shenhu (Divine Tiger), and Zhifan (Wisdom Brahma), the words of the Taishang Yinshu (Hidden Writings of the Most High), or the Basu (Eight Essences). They also may not hear the thirty-nine chapters of the Taidong Zhenjing (Scripture of the Great Cavern of Perfected Truth), the Jinzhen Yuguang (Golden Perfection and Jade Light), the Huoluo Qiyuan (Seven Primes of Huoluo), and similar texts.

Those who study the Perfected Way and receive this book must have their names entered in the Lord Emperor's register. Those whose names appear in the Langjian Ruishu (Jade-Slip Pistil Writings) within the Xihua Palace, or who are destined to become perfected persons in the Ziwei Palace, may obtain this text. The scripture had its mysterious name and register fixed five thousand years before you were born, and you were destined to encounter it. Do not conclude, merely because you have just received this book, that it lies outside your destined share.

(From the Dongzhen Taidan Yinshu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Writings of the Cinnabar Terrace of Perfected Truth))

II. Names Registered in Each Heaven Determine What May Be Seen

A name registered under Shangqing (Highest Clarity) and bearing the Jinshu Yulu (Golden Writings and Jade Registers) grants access to the Taishang Zhongwen Lu (Registers of the Multitude of Writings of the Most High). A name registered under Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) and bearing the Baijian Qingwen (White Slips and Blue Writing) grants access to the Chu Liu Tian Wen (Writings for Removing the Six Heavens) and the Santian Zhengfa (Correct Methods of the Three Heavens). A name registered under Fangzhu and bearing the Xuansu Ziming (Dark-White Purple Names) grants access to the Taiwei Lingdu Wanzhuan Zhenwen (Subtle Writings of the Spirit Capital of Taiwei). A name registered under Jinque (Golden Gate) and bearing a Jade Name grants access to the Jiulao Xiandu Xuanliu Ziji Yuanjun Zhenshu (True Writings of the Lord of the Mysterious Flow and Purple Pole of the Nine Elders' Immortal Capital). A name registered under Taiqing (Great Clarity) and bearing a Jade Register with Crimson Name grants access to the Qinghe Gong Tiandi Junzhen Shu (True Writings of the Lord Emperor of the Palace of Pure Harmony). A name registered under Taisu and bearing Jade Slips with Golden Characters grants access to the Ziwei Xuangong Yudi Feitian Zhenshu (Flying Heavenly True Writings of the Jade Emperor of the Mysterious Palace of the Purple Subtlety). A name registered under Xuandu Dantai (Cinnabar Terrace of the Mysterious Capital) and bearing White Jade Golden Characters grants access to the Xuanzhou Xianbo Kaitian Wanxian Zhenshu (True Writings of the Immortal Elder of the Mysterious Continent, Who Opened Heaven and the Myriad Immortals). A name registered under Nanji (South Pole) and bearing Cinnabar Writings and Purple Registers grants access to the Kunlun Yongtai Feitian Zhenwen (Flying Heavenly True Writings of the Kunlun Terrace). A name registered in the Xuan Palace and bearing Blue-Gold Red Writings grants access to the Penglai Gaoshang Zhenshu (Supreme True Writings of Penglai). Finally, a name registered in the Sanyuan Palace and bearing Blue Letters grants access to the Tiandi Zhangren Huangshang Zhenshu (True Writings of the Celestial Lord's Elder, the August Supreme Sovereign).

Those whose names are golden in DongHua (Eastern Florescence) and whose green characters are preserved in Shangqing may encounter this talisman.

(From the Dongzhen Shenhu Neifu (Inner Talisman of the Divine Tiger of the Dongzhen))

Note: Phrases such as "name registered in a certain palace," "Jinshu Yulu" (Golden Writings and Jade Registers), and "Langjian Ruishu" refer to the registers of celestial immortal rolls and the titles of talismans and registers (fulu). Whether a person may see a given scripture depends mainly on fixed registers established before creation and on prior names. This reflects the graded esoteric transmission common in the early Shangqing and Dongzhen traditions.

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Interpretation

Plain-Language Interpretation of the Wushang Miyao (Supreme Secret Essentials)

I

Those who have not been registered among the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), with a Qiong Register, a Jade Name, and an inscribed tablet, may neither receive the Golden Tiger Inner Talisman nor hear the Supreme One’s Jade Chapters.

(This passage comes from the True Talisman of the Golden Tiger of the Celestial Lord of Great Subtlety in the Cavern of Truth.)

II

Those who do not have a Golden Name, a cinnabar name in the Orchid Terrace, and an entry in the register of the Purple Chamber may not see or hear this book.

(From the Hidden Jade Book of the Feathered Chapter of the Golden Origin in the Cavern of Truth.)

III

Anyone whose name and jade characters appear among the listed celestial registers has the vital energy of flourishing life hidden in their bones and should be able to obtain this text.

(From the Inner Invocation of the White Spirit of the Great King Who Dispels Demons in the Cavern of Truth.)

IV

Anyone with golden bones and a jade name, whose name is listed in the Palace of Clarity, may obtain this text.

(From the Hidden Text of the Divine Wisdom of the Most High Who Quells Demons in the Cavern of Truth.)

V

Anyone who has a Mysterious Chart, an Imperial Tablet, and green characters of Highest Clarity, and who also has the constitution of golden bones and a jade repository, should obtain this text.

(From the Inner Scripture of the True Ones of the Golden Chamber Who Grant Deliverance from Fate in the Cavern of Truth.)

VI

All who bear a Golden Name, an Imperial Tablet, and purple characters of Highest Clarity, and who receive this text, are people who, in a former life, were exceptional and destined to become immortals. Their names are recorded in the Azure Palace.

VII

If your own embodied form (meaning your prenatal body or body allotted by your destiny) lacks extraordinary Qi, yet is especially endowed with what is natural and accords with the workings of the spirit—if divine light shines inward and feathered radiance illuminates the Mysterious; if primordial Qi (the original Qi from before birth) gives rise to the five organs, the seven spirits enter the Muddy Pellet (the internal Dantian within the crown of the head), the bones bear the jade radiance of the Five Emperors, and the blood flows like a vast spring of liquid gold—then these are signs of a celestial immortal. If you lack these heavenly signs, you will ultimately never meet a master who transmits this scripture.

(The above passages come from the Jade Register of the Eight Radiances of the Golden Origin, Bestowed by the Most High Sage in the Cavern of Truth.)

VIII

The Ancient Ancestor Azure Youth said: “Anyone with golden bones and a jade body, whose name is listed in the Azure Palace, may obtain this text.”

(From the Wondrous Scripture of Great Being and Pure Numinous Presence in the Cavern of Truth.)

IX

Unless someone has a jade name in the Golden Gate and green characters in Eastern Florescence, they will never hear of or see the titles of these two chapters.

It also says: “Unless someone has, from a former life, the registers of Flying Mystery and celestial immortality, they cannot see or hear them.”

(From the Jade Text of the Red Radiance of the Sun’s Path through Yu Yi in the Cavern of Truth and the Jade Chapter of the Yellow Radiance of the Moon’s Path through Frost-Binding, by the Supreme One Jade Morning.)

X

If someone has a record in the Golden Book of Eastern Florescence and sees this text, it means that their destiny from a former life makes them fit for immortality.

It also says: “Unless someone has a Golden Name and a jade grade, they cannot hear of or see it. If those who seek immortality do not wear the Five Talismans on their person, the immortal officials of the Five Sacred Mountains will not protect their bodies.”

(From the Scripture of the Divine Origin of Purple Radiance in the Cavern of Truth.)

XI

If someone’s bone features accord with the required signs, or if they seek earnestly and contemplate with unwavering devotion, moving the heights of Highest Clarity and thereby gaining sight of this text, their name has already been entered in advance in the Azure Palace. By submitting the required petition according to ritual regulations, they will become a perfected being.

Note to help make sense of the whole passage:

The passage says that the various secret texts, talismans, registers, and inner invocations of the Cavern of Truth are not for everyone to read. One must either be entered in the heavenly registers (as indicated by a Golden Name, jade characters, an Imperial Tablet, green or purple characters, Eastern Florescence, or the Azure Palace), or have bone features, a bone register, heavenly signs, and a grade fit for immortality. Only then may one “obtain” or “receive” the scriptures, or meet a master.

The “Golden Tiger Inner Talisman,” “wearing the Five Talismans,” and “the immortal officials of the Five Sacred Mountains protecting the body” refer to Daoist procedures for receiving teachings, protection, and practice. The Muddy Pellet, the seven spirits, the jade radiance of the Five Emperors, and blood flowing like liquid gold are signs of the body’s inner landscape in cultivation. They serve as evidence corresponding to a register of celestial immortality.

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Interpretation

An Explanation in Plain Language of the Supreme Secret Essentials

Clearly understood (the meaning is now clear).

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The following passages are drawn from the Various Scriptures on the Mysterious Essentials and Golden Roots of the Cavern of Perfection

The writings of the Mysterious Radiance, the Supreme Dao, and the exalted spirits of Jade Clarity are transmitted only to those who already bore a mysterious name in a former life, whose names were inscribed on tablets in the Nine Heavens, who would be born with golden books and jade registers, writings of radiant dragons and precious jade, and who were destined to become perfected beings.

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The following passage is drawn from the Scripture of the Nine Ways of Returning to the Origin and Flying Through the Heavens, from the Cavern of Perfection

The scripture says: Only those whose names appear in the golden register, among the green characters of Donghua and within the Purple Court may receive these wondrous writings and attain a rank in Jade Clarity. It also says: You must possess jade bones to see this text.

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The following passage is drawn from the Scripture of the Plain Words of Three and Nine, from the Cavern of Perfection

If someone has a mysterious chart and an imperial tablet, recorded characters in Purple Clarity, golden bones and jade marrow, and a name written in the Green Palace, then the King of the Nine Heavens will send perfected beings from the Four Poles to impart to that person the precious jade writings and imperial chapters of the celestial realm. If someone has a destined affinity, follows a wise teacher, and encounters the right time through mysterious good fortune, then that person should receive this text and, once it is engraved, become an immortal of the highest order.

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The following passage is drawn from the Scripture of the Precious Jade Writings of the Lang Book of the Great Empyrean, from the Cavern of Perfection

All who are destined to see this text have been brought together by mysterious forces. They are certain to have a fixed allotment as immortals.

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The following passage is drawn from the Scripture of the Forty-Four Formulas of Yellow Qi, from the Cavern of Perfection

Those with a golden name, jade bones, and precious characters in Supreme Clarity may receive this talisman. After wearing it for three years, they will become perfected beings of the Five Sacred Peaks.

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The following passage is drawn from the Scripture of the Five Emperors’ Inner Realities and the Nine Red-Spotted Talismans, from the Cavern of Perfection

Those who in a former life bore a jade name and are destined to become immortal perfected beings may be able to understand this text. Only those with a golden name, characters recorded by Donghua, and a place in the Phoenix Tower may see it.

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The following passage is drawn from the Supreme Scripture of the Curved Plain Texts of the Phoenix Terrace of Jade Dawn, from the Cavern of Perfection

Those whose golden names and jade characters are listed in the mysterious chart should receive this text.

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The following passage is drawn from the Scripture of the Three Paths of Yellow Qi and Yang Essence, Moving in Order, from the Cavern of Perfection

The writings of the precious jade registers of the Southern Pole and Highest Origin cannot be seen by anyone lacking golden bones, jade marrow, a mysterious name, and a place in the imperial chart.

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The following passage is drawn from the Scripture of the Three Origins, the Jade Registers, and the Cloth, from the Cavern of Perfection

Only those whose physical constitution accords with becoming immortals and whose names are written in the imperial registers may receive this text.

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The following passage is drawn from the Central Record of the Elixir Embryo and Essence of the Nine Elixirs of the Highest Immortals, from the Cavern of Perfection

It should be transmitted to those whose physical constitution accords with becoming immortals. Those who are able to see it will have their names recorded by the Supreme Ultimate and presented to Supreme Clarity.

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The following passage is drawn from the Supreme Scripture of the Golden Writings of the Supreme Ultimate, the Jade Pendants and Golden Dang, from the Cavern of Perfection

Those whose golden names are listed in Supreme Clarity and whose Elixir Essence resonates with the Nine Heavens may see this scripture.

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The following passage is drawn from the Precious Scripture of the Two Luminaries Flying Through the Mysterious Cavern of the Origin

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Summary

This passage lists a number of scriptures from the Cavern of Perfection, associated with the Shangqing tradition, and repeatedly explains that they are not for everyone to read. A person must possess a golden name (an entry in the immortal registers), jade bones (the bones of an immortal), an imperial tablet or chart (a celestial register), and a destined affinity from a former life, or meet a wise teacher, before they may “receive” or “see” the text. Some scriptures also state that wearing a talisman for three years can make one a perfected being of the Five Sacred Peaks. Overall, the passage emphasizes secret transmission, destiny, and ranks among immortals, in keeping with the nature of the Supreme Secret Essentials as a compilation of Daoist canonical secrets.

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Interpretation

Supreme Secret Essentials, Scroll 31: A Plain-Language Interpretation

This passage describes a salvation ritual involving the Three Platforms and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, as part of the True Talisman for Release and Salvation. It is intended chiefly for people who drowned and whose bodies washed ashore without anyone claiming them, or whose remains were reduced to scattered bones and could no longer be identified.

1. When the ritual applies and its general principles

If someone drowns and the body is carried ashore by the water, but no one comes to claim or bury it, or if only scattered bones remain and the family cannot identify them or bury them according to customary rites, an altar should be established according to the diagrams and instructions. A purification offering should be performed, and talismans such as the True Talisman of the Earth Gate and Water Court should be written and used according to the ritual.

The scripture says that one measure of wheat—“a cauldron” here is a measure, and the phrase suggests abundance—can manifest the universal power of salvation on the scale of a single grain of millet. This is a metaphor for using a little to encompass much and for merit reaching everywhere. In keeping with this principle, the Three Platforms and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions should be invited, making thirty-one ritual masters (or thirty-one presiding deities), each to write one True Talisman. Together, the thirty-one talismans are used specifically to save the souls of unclaimed bodies washed ashore and of the dead whose remains are scattered bones.

A Hall of the Three Platforms is set up, with a twelve-zhang-long white silk banner hung for the thirty-one ritual masters to attach their talismans. The ritual masters wear five-colored ritual robes, horn-shaped crowns, and hairpins set into pearl-like topknots—garments and ornaments used in Daoist rites—and perform the ritual in the following order.

2. The seventeen ritual procedures, in sequence

1. Build the Hall of the Three Platforms and establish the altar.

2. Hang a twelve-zhang-long white silk banner for the thirty-one ritual masters to attach their talismans.

3. Have the ritual masters wear five-colored robes, horn-shaped crowns, and pearl-like hair ornaments.

4. Establish altars for the Five Emperors, Five Dippers, Five Directions, and Five Tombs, associated with the Five Directions and Five Emperors, the stars of the Five Dippers, the baleful forces of the Five Directions, and the Five Tombs.

5. Establish an altar to the Five Prisons, associated with the officers of the underworld.

6. Establish an altar to the Five Roads, the paths of transmigration and the turning wheel of rebirth.

7. Establish an altar to the Five Earth Courts, the underworld courts of the five directions.

8. Establish an altar to the Five Water Courts, the courts of the five directions governing rivers, lakes, and seas.

9. Establish an altar to the Five Violent Deaths, for souls who died through injury or accident.

10. Establish an altar to the Five Drowned Deaths, specifically for those who drowned and whose bodies were carried by the water.

11. Establish an altar to the Five Stranger Deaths, for those who died far from home and have no one to claim them.

12. Establish an altar to the Five Recorded Deaths, for those already entered as dead in the register of death.

13. Establish an altar to the Five Recorded Births, concerning the comparison of death and birth registers and the revision of their entries.

14. Establish an altar to the Five Mounds, referring to tombs and abandoned graves.

15. Establish an altar to the Five Registered Mounds, concerning tombs and their entries in the registers of the dead.

16. Establish an altar to the Five Registered Injuries, concerning the records of those who died from injuries.

17. Establish an altar to the Five Registered Stranger Deaths, concerning the records of those who died away from home.

Once all the altars are in place, talismans are written and the purification offering is performed according to the diagrams and instructions, to release and save the souls of the drowned, the dead whose bones are scattered, and the unclaimed.

3. Names of the thirty-one True Talismans: an outline

The talisman names include the following, with each corresponding to a presiding figure or a particular function:

• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Release and Salvation
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Souls
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Corpses
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Bones
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Po
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Form
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Consciousness
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Life
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Karma
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Calamity
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Suffering
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Sin
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Transgression (transgression meaning an offense or fault)
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Obstructions
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Burdens (burdens accumulated through karma in successive lives)
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Retribution
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering the Adjudication (the matching of records in the underworld courts)
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering the Register (the register of life and death)
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering the Register of Status
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering the Name
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering the Surname
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Souls (repeating the earlier name for delivering souls; the scroll may assign it to a separate office)
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Corpses
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Bones
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Po
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Form
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Consciousness
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Life
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Karma
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Calamity
• True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Delivering Suffering

The thirty-one talismans in the scroll correspond to the Thirty-One Presiding Figures—the Three Platforms plus the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions. Some categories repeat; in practice, each talisman refers to a separate office for delivering souls, corpses, bones, karma, registers, and the like.

These are used together with the True Talismans of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, the general talisman of the Three Platforms, and general talismans for the Earth Gate and Water Court and for release and salvation.

4. The diagrams and instructions for the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions

The diagrams and instructions give the positions of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions across the celestial sphere. Each mansion has an incantation and a talisman design. The mansion names and their approximate directions are as follows, in the order given in the text:

Mansion	Direction or association	Incantation (transcribed as in the scroll)
Horn Mansion	East	Om ma ni da mo ni
Neck Mansion	East	Om ma ni da mo ni
Root Mansion	East	Om ma ni da mo ni
Room Mansion	East	Om ma ni da mo ni
Heart Mansion	East	Om ma ni da mo ni
Tail Mansion	East	Om ma ni da mo ni
Winnowing Basket Mansion	East	Om ma ni da mo ni
Dipper Mansion	North	Om ma ni da mo ni
Ox Mansion	North	Om ma ni da mo ni
Girl Mansion	North	Om ma ni da mo ni
Emptiness Mansion	North	Om ma ni da mo ni
Rooftop Mansion	North	Om ma ni da mo ni
Encampment Mansion	North	Om ma ni da mo ni
Wall Mansion	North	Om ma ni da mo ni
Legs Mansion	West	Om ma ni da mo ni
Bond Mansion	West	Om ma ni da mo ni
Stomach Mansion	West	Om ma ni da mo ni
Hairy Head Mansion	West	Om ma ni da mo ni
Net Mansion	West	Om ma ni da mo ni
Turtle Beak Mansion	West	Om ma ni da mo ni
Three Stars Mansion	West	Om ma ni da mo ni
Well Mansion	South	Om ma ni da mo ni
Ghost Mansion	South	Om ma ni da mo ni
Willow Mansion	South	Om ma ni da mo ni
Star Mansion	South	Om ma ni da mo ni
Extended Net Mansion	South	Om ma ni da mo ni
Wings Mansion	South	Om ma ni da mo ni
Chariot Mansion	South	Om ma ni da mo ni

During the ritual, the positions of the mansions are determined according to the diagrams. The corresponding incantation is recited and the appropriate mansion talisman is written.

5. Praises to the spirits of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions: the general sense

The scroll contains lengthy praises naming the spirits of each mansion and describing their offices. In essence, the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions govern different sectors of the celestial sphere. They can relieve the calamity of drowning and of bodies washed ashore, open the Water Court, make passage through the Earth Gate, illuminate the Three Platforms, and bring the registers of the dead before the courts for review. In this way, consciousness may be delivered and the form and Po may find peace.

Each mansion spirit holds authority to release and save. Working together with the Three Platforms, they rescue the unclaimed souls on shore and the Po of those drowned beneath the water. The passage uses rhymed phrases and repeated parallel lines; during the purification offering, it is recited in the order of the mansions to summon and connect with their celestial spirits.

6. Talismans and incantations: instructions for use

An incantation accompanies each talisman diagram and should be recited while writing or activating the talisman. The following examples convey the general sense. Many talismans in the scroll follow the same pattern; these examples represent the general talisman of the Three Platforms and the mansion talismans.

Incantation for the True Talisman of the Three Platforms for Release and Salvation (general sense)

We respectfully summon the Star Lords of the Three Platforms and the True Officers of Release and Salvation. Open the way and deliver the souls of those drowned and carried by the water, and the Po of those whose bones are scattered. Dissolve the karmic obstructions in the Water Court and bring them out of the sunken darkness beyond the Earth Gate. Act with the utmost urgency, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

Incantation for a mansion talisman (example: the Horn Mansion)

We respectfully summon the True Lord of the Horn Mansion, who brings release and salvation in the East. Rescue those drowned and carried by the water; deliver their souls and bones. Act with the utmost urgency, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The other mansion talismans follow the same structure, changing only the mansion’s name, direction, and divine title.

Incantation for the True Talisman of the Earth Gate and Water Court (general sense)

We respectfully summon the True Officers of the Earth Gate and the True Lords of the Water Court. Open the passage through the hidden realms and release the souls submerged in the water; deliver and save the unclaimed bodies carried ashore. Act with the utmost urgency, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

Talismans must be written according to the strokes specified in the diagrams and instructions, while visualizing the divine spirits entering them. The strokes and visualization must not be disordered. When the purification offering is complete, the talismans may be burned and sent upward, hung on the altar’s banner, or sealed within the ritual space, according to the teacher’s transmission.

7. Summary

The central concern of this scroll is how to help the dead whose burial is difficult: those who drowned, whose bodies washed ashore, who have no one to claim them, or whose bones are scattered. The ritual uses a Hall of the Three Platforms, thirty-one talismans, an altar to the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, and their incantations. These are combined with seventeen altars, including those for the Five Directions, Five Prisons, Five Water Courts, and Five Drowned Deaths. Following the prescribed ritual, the masters establish the purification offering and write the talismans, seeking the help of the Three Platforms and the lunar mansions to release the dead from the registers, deliver their souls and bones, and free them from their confinement in the Water Court.

The text brings together diagrams, incantations, talismans, and altars as one complete system. It is a specialized method of release and salvation within Daoist Yellow Register purification rites.

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