《無上祕要》Vol. 3

Wushang Miyao (Supreme Secret Essentials), Scroll 5, Part 3: On Human Nature

The Old Lord of the Nine Heavens answered the Jade Youth of the Three Heavens: "Heaven and earth revolve, and yin and yang meet. When the two images unite in the True, the qi of yin and yang descends and responds above to the Nine Heavens. The elixir qi (dānqì) turns nine times and gathers into essence (jīng). Essence transforms into spirit (shén), and spirit transforms again into a human being. Thus the human form resembles heaven and earth, and the methods of qi are natural. What we call natural qi is the essence of the Nine Heavens transformed into the human body."

The child is nurtured in the womb for nine months, when the qi fills the Nine Heavens, and in the tenth month the qi spreads fully, and the child is then born. The conception and transformation of the embryo may be auspicious or inauspicious, long-lived or short-lived, and all of this is determined by the roots one inherits from past existence. If the qi at conception is impure, if the stomach harbors stagnation, if the six viscera are damaged, and if the form and spirit are not secure, the body cannot receive numinous influence, and the qi of death enters the bodily orifices. How, then, could such a person endure?

When the qi of yang is red, it is called the Mysterious Elixir (xuándān). When the qi of yin is yellow, it is called the Yellow Essence (huángjīng). When yin and yang have united, the two qi descend, and essence transforms into spirit, so that the conception responds above to the Nine Heavens. The qi of the Nine Heavens spreads downward into the Dantian (dāntián), where it joins with essence and condenses. It gathers at the Gate of Life (mìngmén) and must pass through nine transitions before the person is completed, transforming upward in the Dantian and condensing downward.

In the first month, the body receives qi. In the second month, it receives spirit. In the third month, the elements combine and change. In the fourth month, essence condenses. In the fifth month, the head and body take shape. In the sixth month, the form is completed. In the seventh month, the places of spirit are arranged. In the eighth month, the nine orifices become clear. In the ninth month, the qi of the Nine Heavens spreads fully and the child makes sounds. In the tenth month, the Director of Destiny (Sìmìng) records the registry, and the person receives his life and is born. Thus all people receive the qi of the Nine Heavens: yang descending and yin essence, called the Nine Elixirs (jiǔdān), combine to form the human body.

When people are born, the qi condenses into the Nine Elixirs, which transform upward within the womb, following the qi of the Nine Heavens. Once the qi is full and spirit is present within the womb, one should naturally know one's past destiny, recognize one's origin and roots, and understand the cycles of rebirth and karmic causes. The body was formed from the qi of the Nine Heavens, and once one sees the open path of yang and the three lights shining clearly, one forgets where one came from and by what means. This is because the roots of the womb are blocked, the Three Passes (sānguān) are fixed in place, the Five Palaces (wǔfǔ) are not ordered, the qi of death blocks the gate, and the numinous gates do not open. Therefore, one forgets one's causes and conditions.

If a perfected being with numinous qualities refines the jade womb with the nine qi, passes briefly through the Purple Gate (zǐhù), and walks the path of humanity, with a naturally upright and elegant bearing, shining radiantly and beholding the numinous, then such a being rises bodily into the Nine Heavens. He or she no longer comes into being through the condensation of essence and the receiving of qi in an ordinary womb.

Brief Background Note: This passage belongs to the family of Daoist inner alchemy (nèidān) and embryological teachings. It uses the "qi of the Nine Heavens" to link conception through birth, and it correlates the ten months of gestation with numerical concepts such as the "nine transformations," the "Nine Elixirs," and the "nine orifices made clear." The Dantian, Gate of Life, Three Passes, Five Palaces, Purple Gate, and Director of Destiny often refer, in meditative literature, to channels, gates, and levels of spiritual awareness within the body. The final section contrasts the ordinary human, who is born from the womb and forgets his origins, with the numinous perfected being, who refines the embryo and ascends to the Nine Heavens without passing through an ordinary human gestation.

When the elixir transforms into a person, the embryo forms and gathers its bloom, and the pattern is spontaneous.

If a child is born in the seventh month, then in the tenth month the embryo receives the qi (vital energy) of Bōlídādōng Tiān (Boli Dadong Heaven). If born in the eleventh month, it receives the qi of Fànmójiāyí Tiān (Fanmojiayi Heaven). Born in the twelfth month, it receives the qi of Fànbǎo Tiān (Fanbao Heaven). Born in the first month, it receives the qi of Huàyìngshēng Tiān (Huayingsheng Heaven). Born in the second month, it receives the qi of Bùjiāolè Tiān (Bujiaole Heaven). Born in the third month, it receives the qi of Jìrán Tiān (Jiran Heaven). Born in the fourth month, it receives the qi of Xūyán Tiān (Xuyan Heaven). Born in the fifth month, it receives the qi of Shàngshàng Chánshàn Wúliàngshòu Tiān (Supremely Good Meditative Heaven of Immeasurable Life). Born in the sixth month, it receives the qi of Yùdān Wúliàng Tiān (Yudan Immeasurable Heaven).

For a person who conceives in the tenth month, the nine heavenly qi are full by the sixth month. When the seventh month joins with the tenth, heaven and earth's qi are fully abundant, and the child is born under the movement of the sun (Tàiyáng).

(The above is drawn from the Dongzhen Jiudan Shanghua Taijing Zhongji Jing , the Middle Record of the Scripture of Nine Elixirs of the Dongzhen Cavern on Transformation into Embryonic Essence.)

Taishang (the Most High) says: A person receives life through the joining of essence, the accumulation of qi, conception, and the gathering of blood. Yellow and white dwell in obscure coagulation, and cinnabar and purple merge into vapor. From this come the forming of bone, the secretion of fluids, and the distribution and flow of the body's liquids. Through four stages of transformation and the single knot of the nine palaces, the five spirits give the body its form, and the Great One (Tàiyī) fixes its talismanic registers. Suddenly it stands, vaguely it is completed, dimly it becomes whole, and abruptly it is born.

Then the nine spirits enter and settle in their palaces. The five viscera arise in mysterious generation, and the five spirits govern them. Parents know only that the beginning of birth is their own doing, and do not realize that the Lord Emperor's five spirits come to dwell in the space between. The human body has venerable spirits whose dwelling is not fixed, and who come and go through the six voids.

The upper and lower three fields exchange and reverse yin and yang, discard the old and take in the new, and circulate in turn to nourish and transport, flowing into the primal fluids. The Great Spirit gives rise to life in emptiness and forms the single body within. Refining its substance and transforming it through practice, it changes into radiant light.

(The above is drawn from the Dongzhen Jiuzhen Zhongjing , the Middle Scripture of the Nine Perfections of the Dongzhen Cavern.)

Humans receive life from Heaven, the soul is formed from the primal numinous, and it turns through the nine qi. The life-mandate is raised by the Great One, the three passages open, and the spirit accumulates in the dark palace. Therefore the mysterious fluid flows through its seven coils and spreads moisture, the sun and moon shine upon the six voids, the mouth and ears move their spiritual vessels, and clouds move and rain falls, with virtue matching that of heaven and earth. When the womb is fully enclosed, the five causes all come into being. This is how the way of establishing the human is formed. The five causes are the five spirits, and the three passages are the three perfected.

Brief explanatory notes (to aid reading the above):

Nine heavenly qi: Each birth month corresponds to a different heaven's qi, matched to the stages of development in the womb. This belongs to the Daoist doctrine of embryonic storage and receipt of qi.

Five spirits and nine spirits: These are the spirits that reside in the body, distributed among the five viscera and the nine palaces. They relate to the teaching that the Lord Emperor descends his spirit and that form and spirit stand together.

Three fields (sāntián): The upper elixir field (Níwán, the Mud Pellet), the middle elixir field (Shānzhōng, the Chest Center), and the lower elixir field (below the navel), where spiritual qi circulates.

Five causes and three perfected: The five causes are the five spirits. The three passages are the three perfected, relating to the spirit-perfected within the body and to the stages of cultivation.

Wushang Biyao (Supreme Secret Essentials): A Vernacular Reading

First Passage

The Five Spirits (wǔshén) are the souls and spirits of Heaven. The Three Truths (sānzhēn) are the Dao of Heaven. The Nine Qi (jiǔqì) are the embryo of Heaven. Taiyi (the Supreme One) is the source of Heaven. The sun and moon are the eyes of Heaven. The Mysterious Fluid (xuányè) is the abyss of Heaven. The Six Voids (liùxū) are the light of Heaven. The Hidden Palace (yōugōng) is the treasury of Heaven. The Divine Vessel (shénqì) is the transformation and nurturing of Heaven. The Primordial Spirit (yuánlíng) is the transformation of the Lord Emperor.

The Nine Heavens mentioned here are the transformations of the Mixed Lord Emperor. What transforms into nine is called the Nine Palaces (jiǔgōng), and the Nine Palaces, through mixing and transformation, return to a single unity.

Those who wish to cultivate the body in pursuit of longevity should begin with the "source from which one is born," which refers to the Primordial Father (yuánfù) and the Mysterious Mother (xuánmǔ). The Primordial Father governs the transformation of qi and the ordering of the first principle of the Emperor. The Mysterious Mother governs the transformation of jing (essence) and the formation of the embryo. Jing and qi complete one another, and yin and yang give rise to each other.

The clouds move and the omens appear, and the Dao unites with the nameless. Number arises from three and five, and the omens begin to receive form. When seven and nine are complete, the body of the omen is formed. When three and five and seven and nine merge in profound darkness, they resemble what precedes the Emperor. One must rely on the work of the Emperor's camp and the Heavenly Sovereign, transforming nine times to become spiritual. When the work is achieved and the body is formed, body and shen (spirit) become one. When spirit departs, one dies; when spirit is preserved, one lives.

Therefore, the Three Primes (sānyuán) are the beginning of the Dao, the Lord Emperor (dìjūn) is the root of the Dao, Taiyi is the transformation of the Dao, the Nine Heavens are the spirit of the Dao, the Nine Palaces are the dwelling of the Dao, and the Mysterious Fluid is the saliva of the Dao. With these one nourishes the three cinnabar fields (sāntián, the three Dantian), and so attains the state of immortals. In the morning one moves toward the six directions, and in the evening one guards the Niwan (the Mud Pellet, the upper field). One firmly holds the embryonic jing and keeps joy constantly in the heart. A student of the Dao must take this as the basis for the connection. Only one who has seen this scripture can begin to speak of the nine-qi refinement of the Taiyi and the spirit-movement of Taiyi.

(Cited from the Dongzhen Taidan Yinshu (Hidden Book of the Great Elixir of the Three Caverns, Dongzhen).)

Second Passage (The Heavenly Venerable Says)

Qi follows qi in continuity, and each kind of cause gives rise to conditions. Good and evil, misfortune and blessing, each has its root of destiny. It is not Heaven, not Earth, and not other people; it is precisely the heart-mind (xīn). The heart-mind is shen.

The body is not truly mine. The reason I was able to be born came from the empty, self-so nature, and through conditions I was entrusted to a womb, received transformation, and was born. The parents who bore me in the womb are not the parents of my "first birth." My true parents are not in these parents. The parents I have now are those who entrusted me, supplied my conditions, received me, and raised me, a kindness I repay with ritual. Therefore I call them father and mother.

The form I have received is also not my own form. It is like a dwelling that I have been given, a structure that houses me. It is attached to a form, and through this form the presence and absence of things is shown.

Therefore, the one who has attained the Dao is without ... (The scripture breaks off here, emphasizing the principle that heart-mind and spirit are real, that the true parents differ from the false parents, and that the form is a lodging.)

Note: The original text contains lacunae and archaic writing habits (for example, the terms "omen" and "imperial camp"), so the vernacular rendering stays close to the literal sense. Cultivation details (the three fields, Niwan, embryonic jing, and so on) refer in the Daoist canon largely to stages of internal practice. They are rendered here only for readability and are not expanded upon.

I. Form and the Absence of Body

When the form returns to manifestation, what calamity could befall a "self" that no longer has a body? Calamity comes to me because "I have a body." Where there is a body, a hundred evils gather; where there is no body, one enters naturalness. When conduct is established in accordance with the Dao (the Way), body and spirit (shen) become one. When body and spirit are united, this is the True Body, and one returns to the original parents of birth and attains the Way.

(Cited from the Dongxuan Zhutian Neiyin Jing [Scripture of the Inner Sounds of the Dongxuan Heavens])

II. Gestation in the Womb and the Generation of Spirits by the Nine Heavens

A person receives life in the womb. The Three Primordials (sanyuan) nourish and rear the child, and the Nine Qi (jiu qi) gather to form the body. Thus in the ninth month the spirit is distributed and the qi is full, and the infant is able to cry out. When the voice emerges, the spirit is complete, and the Nine Heavens offer their celebration. Taiyi (the Supreme One) holds the talisman, the Lord assigns destiny, the Recording Officials inscribe the registers, Siming (the Director of Fate) fixes the span of life, the Five Emperors oversee the birth, and the Holy Mother guards the chamber. Heavenly deities, earth spirits, and the guardians of the Three Realms all stand in attendance. The Minister of Horses of the Nine Heavens is present in the court, facing east, and reads the Jiutian Shengshen Zhang (Chapter on the Generation of Spirits by the Nine Heavens) nine times. For a male child, the myriad spirits chant in reverence; for a female child, they chant in submission. For a male child, Siming respectfully assents; for a female child, Siming respectfully complies. Only then is one born. If the Minister of Horses of the Nine Heavens does not issue the command, and the myriad spirits do not chant their reverent assent, then one will never be born.

A person who regains birth in the human realm, rising from the womb into the sunlight, startles heaven and shakes the earth. The honor of such a birth is hard to describe. The True Immortals, the earth spirits, and the Three Realms all arrive together, which is no small matter. At the moment of birth, one is not lowly either. Therefore, one who can cherish the form, preserve the spirit, honor the qi, and secure the root will not die and decay, but will attain immortality. Bone and flesh rise together and ascend to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing). This is because the qi unites in Virtue (De) with the Three Qi, and the Nine Qi are all brought into harmony.

Yet people who are born often fail to honor their own qi, value their form, treasure their life, or cherish their spirit. They bring death and decay upon themselves and depart from their original true nature.

(Cited from the Dongxuan Jiutian Shengshen Zhang Jing [Scripture of the Generation of Spirits by the Nine Heavens])

III. Humankind as the Most Precious

The Dao says: Of all the myriad things, the human being is the most precious. If a person can keep the form free of affairs and the spirit free of substance, and through pure stillness attain the intention of non-action (wuwei), then one accords with the Dao.

(Cited from the Miaozhen Jing [Scripture of Wondrous Truth])

IV. The Mutual Completion of Form and Spirit

Laozi says: Spirit gives birth to form, and form nourishes spirit. Form without spirit cannot sustain itself, and spirit without form cannot complete itself. Therefore, when form and spirit are united, they mutually generate and mutually complete one another.

(Cited from the Xisheng Jing [Scripture of the Western Ascension])

V. Guarding the Spirit and Repelling Evil

Among all living beings, the human being is the most spiritually aware. Yet people do not know this about themselves, and they fail to guard the spirit so as to repel the myriad evils. One who knows this does not seek blessings from the heavenly spirits.

Note: In this text, "Three Primordials," "Nine Qi," "Taiyi," "Siming," and "Three Pure Ones" are common Daoist terms for embryonic formation, destiny registers, and the stages of immortality. The Jiutian Shengshen Zhang is a scripture of the Dongxuan lineage concerned with birth and the recitation of chapters. Here its ritual meaning is described according to the original text, without added interpretation.

Cultivating oneself from within is sufficient. Therefore, a person's body is like a state. The chest and abdomen are like palaces, the four limbs spread out like the outlying fields and borderlands, and the joints each have their own domains, like the hundred officials. Shen (spirit) is like the sovereign, blood is like the ministers, and Qi (the vital energy circulating within the body) is like the common people. Thus, one who knows how to regulate the body also knows how to govern a state.

When the people are cherished, the state is secure; when the Qi within the body is treasured, the body is preserved whole. When the people scatter, the state perishes; when the Qi is exhausted, life comes to an end. Once a person dies, they cannot be restored to life. The Zhiren (perfected person, one who has accomplished the Dao) can eliminate misfortunes before they arise and treat illnesses before they take form. In times of peace, they take precautions in advance rather than regretting matters after they have already passed. The common people are difficult to nourish yet easily disturbed, so one must use authority and virtue with caution in order to maintain order, and restrain one's appetites and desires in order to protect the blood and Qi. Only when these things are accomplished can Zhenyi (True Oneness, the pure and original essential Qi spoken of in cultivation) remain.

The above is from the Huangren Jing (Scripture of the August Person).

Tianlao said: Human beings are born from the interaction of Yin and Yang and grow by relying on Yuanqi (original Qi, the root of vital life), yet they may not fully possess the Five Constant Virtues (the five innate dispositions corresponding to the Five Phases). Among ten people, fewer than one in ten is able to sense even one of these. Those who sense Fire are discerning, those who sense Metal are firm, those who sense Water are clear, those who sense Wood are flourishing, and those who sense Earth are benevolent. Those who cannot sense any of these dispositions will decline and perish.

Between heaven and earth there are the Five Phases, and each of the Five Phases has five further transformations, which together make up twenty-five modes of circulating Qi. At birth, a person who senses one of these may live one hundred years; one who senses two may live one hundred and twenty years; one who senses three may live one hundred and thirty years; one who senses four may practice the arts of method and live one hundred and forty years; one who senses five may accomplish the Lesser Dao and live two hundred years; and one who senses six may accomplish the Great Dao, with a lifespan that cannot be measured.

One who senses seven may understand the intentions of ghosts and spirits; one who senses eight may comprehend the will of the shen-ming (divine spirits); one who senses nine may commune with the deities; one who senses ten may penetrate the way of perspicacity; one who senses eleven will live free of calamity throughout life; one who senses twelve can accord with the mind of Heaven; one who senses thirteen will have the Five Sacred Peaks' spirits come to pay homage; one who senses fourteen will be protected by the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions; one who senses fifteen can summon the Jade Maidens; one who senses sixteen can become a sage; one who senses seventeen can summon Xiwangmu (the Queen Mother of the West); one who senses eighteen can summon Dongwangfu (the Father King of the East); and one who senses nineteen can invoke Taiyi (the Great One, a supreme deity revered in Daoism).

Achievements of Response (Continued)

Ganying (Response) Twenty-One: Summons the Northern Lord (a deity of the north) to descend.

Ganying Twenty-Two: The body unites with Heaven and Earth as one.

Ganying Twenty-Three: A goddess comes forth to pair with the practitioner, forming a Dao companion bond.

Ganying Twenty-Four (as written in the source): Resonates and communicates with the Celestial Emperor.

Ganying Twenty-Five: Forms a Dao friendship with the Upper Sovereign (the Supreme August One).

The above is drawn from the Dongshen Jiangan Jing (Scripture of the Cavern of Spirit, Supervising Heaven).

Shen Body Chapter

Twenty-four deity lords reside within the human body. They belong to three sections, upper, middle, and lower, and each governs its own domain:

The Eight Lords of the Upper Section

The Eight Lords of the Middle Section

The Eight Lords of the Lower Section

The above is drawn from the Dongzhen Zaoxing Ziyuan Ershisi Shen Jing (Scripture of the Twenty-Four Deities of the Purple Origin, Dongzhen Cavern).

The Celestial Essence Lord and the Firm Jade Lord

On the birth-sign day (benming ri) of the first month, and at the dawn (pingdan) hours of the Jiazi and Jiaxu days, Lord Taiyi (Supreme One) joins and mingles with the Five Deities. They transform into a single great deity who dwells within the human heart, called the Celestial Essence Lord (Tianjing Jun).

On the birth-sign day of the third month, and during the Chen hour (7 to 9 a.m.) of the Jiashen day, Lord Taiyi unites the Five Deities, and within the body they transform into a single great deity. It disperses its form and breath and spreads throughout all the bones, called the Firm Jade Lord (Jianyu Jun).

A Plain-Language Reading of the Wushang Biyao (Supreme Secret Essentials)

The Great Spirits That Enter the Body by Month and Ganzhi Hour, and Their Names

In the fourth month, on one's benming day (the day matching one's birth ganzhi) and on the Jiawu and Dingmao days, during the Si hour (9 to 11 a.m.), the Lord (Dijun) and the Five Spirits of Taiyi (Taiyi, the Supreme One), which are five kinds of spirit-qi transformed from the Venerable Lord of Taiyi, blend and transform into one great spirit. This great spirit then suddenly divides into Yellow Qi, which is dense and flows downward to fill the essence and blood entirely. It is called Lord Yuansheng.

In the sixth month, on the Jiachen benming day and on the Wuyin day, during the Wu hour (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), the Five Spirits of Taiyi transform into one great spirit that enters the liver. It is called Lord Qingming.

In the seventh month, on the third day and on one's benming day, and on the Gengwu day, during the Si hour, the Five Spirits of Taiyi blend into one great spirit that dwells in the spleen. It is called Lord Yangguang.

In the eighth month, on the fifteenth day and on one's benming day, and on the Gengshen day, during the Shen hour (3 to 5 p.m.), one great spirit forms and dwells in the lungs. It is called Shangyuan Suyu Lord.

In the ninth month, on the nineteenth day and on one's benming day, and on the Wuxu day, during the You hour (5 to 7 p.m.), the great spirit suddenly divides into two spirits that scatter and dwell in the two kidneys. They are called Xuanyang Lord.

In the tenth month, on the twentieth day and on one's benming day, and on the Xinsi day, during the Wu hour, one great spirit forms and dwells in the gallbladder. It is called Hejing Lord.

In the eleventh month, on the twenty-eighth day, which is one's benming day, and on the Bingzi day, during the Si hour, one great spirit forms and dwells in the purple chamber within the Niwan (the area inside the crown of the head). It is called Chang Shang Huang Lord.

(The above is taken from the Dongzhen Jiuzhen Zhongjing (Central Scripture of the Nine Perfected of the Cavern of True Perfection).)

The Nine Palaces Within the Head (Measured Inward from Between the Eyebrows)

Measure upward and inward from the exact center between the two eyebrows. Three fen inward (a little under one cun) is the Palace of the Guarding Inch and Twin Fields. One cun further inward is the Mingtang Palace (Hall of Light). Two cun further is the Dongfang Palace (Cavern Chamber). Three cun further is the Dantian Palace, which refers to the Dantian in the head and not the one in the lower abdomen. Four cun further is the Liuzhu Palace (Flowing Pearl). Five cun further is the Yudi Palace (Jade Emperor Palace).

Each palace also has a further layer above it. One cun above the Mingtang is the Tianting Palace (Celestial Court). One cun above the Dongfang is the Jizhen Palace (Ultimate Perfection). One cun above the Dantian is the Xuandan Palace (Dark Elixir). One cun above the Liuzhu is the Taihuang Palace (Grand Sovereign).

Together these form the nine palaces within the head, each with its own presiding deity. The Yudi Palace is dwelt in by the Jade Clarity Divine Mother (Yuqing Shenmu). The Tianting Palace is dwelt in by the Shangqing True Maiden (Shangqing Zhennü). The Jizhen Palace is dwelt in by the Imperial Consort of Taiji (Taiji Di Fei).

(If the text goes on to describe each palace in detail, the translation can continue by following the scripture.)

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

The Palaces Within the Body and the Spirits That Dwell in Them

Taihuang Palace: The Supreme Lord and Queen (Taishang Junhou) dwells here.

Mingtang Palace: The Lord of the Bright Mirror Spirit (Mingjing Shenjun), the Lord of the Bright Youth (Mingtong Jun), and the Perfected Lord of the Bright Maiden (Mingnü Zhenjun) dwell here together as three lords.

Dongfang Palace: Wuying Zi dwells on the left, Bai Yuan Jun on the right, and Huang Lao Hun in the center, three occupants in all.

Dantian Palace: The Supreme Primordial True One Emperor Lord (Shangyuan Zhenyi Dijun) dwells here, along with two attendants from the Emperor Lord's domain.

Xuandan Palace: The Niwan Taiyi Perfected Lord (Niwan Taiyi Zhenjun) dwells here.

Liuzhu Palace: This is the place traversed by the Perfected Spirit Liuzhu (Liuzhu Zhenshen) and the Lord of Fate (Siming Jun).

(From the Dongzhen Taishang Suling Dayou Miaojing.)

The Infant (Chizi) dwells in the Upper Dantian Palace, the Perfected Person (Zhenren) dwells in the Middle Dantian Palace, and the Newborn Babe (Yinger) dwells in the Lower Dantian Palace.

(From the Dongzhen Sigong Ciyi Baoming Yujue Jing.)

Within the ordinary human body there are likewise three palaces, six viscera (fu), one hundred and twenty joints, and thirty-six thousand spirits. When a person commits wrongdoing, the bodily spirits report it to the three palaces. When a person does good, they rejoice and celebrate that person's immortal name.

Life and death, and misfortune and blessing, all arise first through the resonance and correspondence of the bodily spirits, and they operate according to nature (Ziran). A person is born by receiving qi, and that qi condenses into spirit (Shen). One who can nourish qi and spirit will endure long. Inwardly contemplating and guarding the True (Zhen), the True never leaves the body.

(From the Dongzhen Sanyuan Pinjie Jing.)

Names of the Bodily Spirits (the Character Is the Name)

There are nineteen spirits in all. The common surname (Zhaoxing) serves as the surname, the personal name serves as the name, the name is the style, and the style is the name.

Spirits of the Five Viscera and Other Organs

• Liver: Lord Laozi
• Lungs: Lord Taihe
• Heart: Duke Taiwei
• Spleen: Mother of the Elixir (Danmu)
• Kidneys: Minister of Education (Situ), Minister of Works (Sikong), Director of Fate (Siming), Director of Records (Silu), Director of Retainers (Sili), and Chief Justice (Tingwei)
• Gallbladder: Supreme Lord Dao (Taishang Daojun)
• Stomach: Grand Remonstrance Officer (Jianyi Daifu)
• Navel: Taiyi

Large and small intestines have the "Envoy of the Yuanliang" and the "Great General of Xuangu." The Triple Burner (Sanjiao), the collective term for the three regions of the body through which qi circulates (upper, middle, and lower), has the Left Altar of the Soil and the Right Altar of the Grain, along with divine generals such as the Wind Earl, Rain Master, Thunder Duke, and Thunderbolt.

These ten divisions together command eighteen thousand spirit beings. In cultivation, if one can guard the spirit (cunshen), meaning gather the intent of these divine generals within the body and keep it from scattering, then the eighteen thousand spirits will not disperse. While they remain, Heaven sends another eighteen thousand spirits to attach themselves to the body, making thirty-six thousand in all. When they together lift the body upward through the Three Heavens, one becomes an immortal and can transform without limit.

Humans take Earth as their model, and Earth takes Heaven as its model. The form is outside while the spirit is within. When the form is complete, the spirit dwells in it; when the spirit departs, the form decays.

Ordinary people do not know how to guard the spirit. Their movement and stillness are left to whim, they act in ignorance, and so their spirit scatters and their form withers. Immortals, perfected beings, and sages keep their spirit without lapse, constantly abiding in ease, and their names are recorded in the Left Register. Those who aspire to learning should understand that the human body naturally contains thirty-six thousand spirits: three Hun souls on the left and seven Po souls on the right, which join in yin-yang complementarity to assist and protect the conscious spirit (shishen), the spirit that governs perception and thought. In addition, the rulers of the Five Phases in their prosperous states guard the interior of the body, while one thousand two hundred forms and shadows and twelve thousand essential lights stand guard outside it. If one contemplates these spirits every day, continuously and without forgetting, one attains longevity without death. Though one cannot keep them present without interruption, if one maintains them through the Eight Seasonal Nodes (the eight solar terms of the year) without fail, one can nourish the bodily spirits, grow strong, and remain free of illness. When ill, call upon them three times, and they will always guard one's person.

When about to lie down, press the left hand to the heart and the right hand to the navel, each for twenty-one repetitions, and recite the yin incantation:

"Desiring to perfect the bodily spirits, begin at the head, pass through the four limbs, and reach the ankles."

After the incantation, visualize the spirits in full detail and then sleep. One will surely have an auspicious dream and seem to see the spirits. If one has committed transgressions that should bring calamity, the spirits may come and speak to the person, reveal their forms, or take shelter in objects, so that the person reflects and understands themselves. One will then clearly perceive what is auspicious or inauspicious, good or evil, avoid misfortune, and seek blessing, and whatever one undertakes will be in harmony.

Three Hun Souls

The first is the Embryonic Light, the second is the Clear Spirit, and the third is the Hidden Essence.

Seven Po Souls

The first is the Corpse Dog, the second is the Hidden Arrow, the third is the Sparrow Yin, the fourth is the Swallowing Thief, the fifth is the Flying Poison, the sixth is the Removing Filth, and the seventh is the Stinking Lungs.

(The above is drawn from the Dongshen Jing (Scripture of the Cavern of Spirit).)

Chapter on Lifespans

In the Uttarakuru Immeasurable Heaven, the lifespan of the people is nine million years.

In the Supreme Supreme Chan-Good Immeasurable Life Heaven, the lifespan of the people is three thousand six hundred years.

Plain-Language Interpretation of the Wushang Miyao

Tushita Heaven (the heaven where Maitreya dwells), also called Xuyan Heaven: its inhabitants live for 152 million years.

Heaven of Delight in Non-Arrogance, also called Boni Mi Heaven: its inhabitants live for 2.34 billion years.

Heaven of Transformation in Response to Sound, also called Heaven of Freely Enjoying Others’ Transformations: its inhabitants live for 9.216 billion years.

Brahma-Jewel Heaven, also called Poluoniyeba Heaven: its inhabitants live for seven kalpas.

Brahma-Kaya Heaven, also called Heaven of Brahma’s Retinue: its inhabitants live for two kalpas.

Polidahuo Heaven, also called Great Brahma Heaven: its inhabitants live for four kalpas.

(From the Dongzhen Taixiao Langshu Jing.)

The Eastern Expanse at the Utmost Edge of the Luxuriant Forest: The land’s name in its people’s language is Heluoti. Its inhabitants are twenty feet tall and live for four hundred years.

The Southern Wilderness at the Utmost Edge of the Cavernous Sun: Its inhabitants are twenty-four feet tall and live for three hundred and sixty years.

The Western Ridge at the Utmost Edge of Vast Purity Beyond the West: Its inhabitants are sixteen feet tall and live for six hundred years.

The Northern Court at the Utmost Edge of the Obscure Yin Beyond the North: The land’s name in its people’s language is Xunluo. Its inhabitants are twelve feet tall and live for three hundred years.

Within the Upper Pure Yang Ashen Void of the Nine Directions Above: There is no color, image, form, or shadow. This is the realm of the Inscription of the Cavernous Void (the source-ground of empty space) and the Land of Primordial Essence, Azure Purity, and Naturalness. Its inhabitants are the High Jade Emperor, True Sovereign of Ten Thousand Sages (the original true being of the Jade Emperor). The root from which they are born never perishes; their lifespan is immeasurable, counted only in kalpas.

The Great Wind Marsh at the Utmost Edge Directly Below the Middle Kingdom (the wind marsh between the earth and the various heavens) lies 52 billion li from the earth. Its name in its people’s language is Great Harmony, Precious Truth, and Immeasurable Land. Its inhabitants are nine feet tall and live for 1,200 years.

(From the Dongzhen Waiguo Fangpin Jing.)

Land of the Great Hall of Blessings: The Lord of the Way, Taishang Daojun, says that the men and women of this land have passed through 7.5 million kalpas since they first became visible to the eye. The people there show no signs of aging.

Land of Great Fuli: The Nine-Qi Celestial Lord says that 9.9 million kalpas have passed since entering this realm. From the beginning, no one there has had to learn how to become an immortal; everyone naturally lives forever.

Note: Many of the heavenly names and lifespans in this text correspond to the Buddhist account of the three realms, nine heavens, and Brahma heavens, interwoven with the celestial hierarchy of the Daoist Canon. The various “foreign lands” to the east, south, west, north, above, and center are celestial regions in Daoist cosmic geography, defined in relation to the central lands of Huaxia. Their account follows the same lineage as scriptures in the Dongzhen tradition.

The Three-Qi Heavenly Lord of the Red Bright Kingdom said, “Since settling in this realm, 3.1 million kalpas have passed. I have never heard anyone in this land utter a sorrowful cry; I have seen only people who do not grow old.”

The White Emperor Heavenly Lord of the Western Naya Jade Kingdom said, “Since entering this realm, seven million kalpas have passed. I have never heard a sound of grief in the kingdom.”

The Five-Qi Heavenly Lord of the Boundless Yudan Realm said, “Since entering this realm, five million kalpas have passed. The men and women here know only that they are born as human beings; they do not know where they came from.”