《無上祕要》Vol. 50

The Bathing Chapter

The Celestial Worthy said: Those who seek to study and cultivate the Dao, if on an auspicious day of the Three Primordial periods they cleanse and bathe themselves with fragrant water, will find that the Five Spirits—the spirits of the five organs—become clear in Qi and upright in form, while their spirits grow fresh and coalesce into the Real. Their bodies will not be affected by foul Qi or stained by dust; the Three Passes will be pure and empty, and no evil influence will intrude. The Three Departments and Eight Luminaries will shine with penetrating clarity. The body’s inner faculties will be regulated and guided; the Five Palaces will give rise to fragrant vapors, filling the inside and out. In this way, one will naturally become an immortal.

The Celestial Worthy also said: On the fifteenth day of the first month, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and the fifteenth day of the tenth month, bathe the body regularly at three times: dawn, midday, and midnight. Wash yourself with the five fragrances. When preparing to bathe, face south and use a golden ladle to scoop up fennel-infused water. Turn left toward the southeast thirty-two times, and, with eyes open, visualize the sunlight above the left eye and the moonlight above the right. The Five Stars form a jeweled garland above the head, while clouds of five colors encircle the body. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, lions, and white cranes stand arrayed on either side; immortal youths hold towels, Jade Maidens scatter flowers, flying immortals ride through the air, and divine guards surround the body. Then click the teeth thirty-two times and recite:

The heavens are clear and the Qi pure; the five colors shine on high. The sun and moon pour forth their radiance, bathing my body. Divine fluids dwell deep within; fragrant water refines my essence. The luminous visions shine through, radiant in the Highest Clarity. My Qi receives no dust; the Five Palaces receive numinous power. Sins are erased across the Three Paths, calamities dispelled in the Nine Darknesses. Evil roots are severed, and blessings arise of themselves. Today I make a great vow, pledging all to the covenant. May my body receive deliverance and ascend into the imperial court.

When finished, tilt the head back and swallow thirty-two times. After bathing, put on cap and clothes, then click the teeth thirteen times and recite:

The Five Turbidities are now cleansed; the Eight Luminaries are now clear. Today I receive refinement: sins are erased and blessings arise. May I long join the Five Emperors as a perfected numinous being of the highest order.

Then enter the chamber and practice the Dao according to the prescribed method.

(The above is from the Scripture of Precepts and Admonitions for the Three Primordial Periods of the Cavern Mystery.)

Lord Green Lad said: Those who set their hearts on inner study, nourish the spirit, and seek immortality should bathe often to summon numinous Qi and bring the Jade Maidens down. Without bathing, the Three Palaces become defiled.

(The above is from the Transmission of the Lady of Mount Heng.)

Lady of Purple Tenuity said: The Scripture of the Great One’s Nine Transformations and Ten Metamorphoses, Renewal and Change, says: If you tread in foul and polluted places, or in any other unclean place, you should first bathe and wash your body to remove the defilement. The method is as follows: Take ten ounces of bamboo leaves and four ounces of the white inner layer shaved from peach bark, and add them to clear water…

(The text continues in the original scroll.)

Related Passages from the Wushang Miyao — A Plain Language Interpretation

A Bathing Formula for Cleansing Impurities

Boil one hu and two dou of the medicinal liquid—a measure of capacity in ancient times, equal to somewhat more than ten liters—in a pot. Do not let it boil over. When it has cooled until it is neither too hot nor too cold, but just right for bathing, use it to wash the whole body.

Bathing this way can dispel the various “ten thousand forms of miasma”—Daoist impurities such as foul and corpse energies that accumulate on the body. It both cleanses impurities and helps guard against ailments such as damp impediment, sores, and itching.

The formula uses bamboo reed and peach. Bamboo reed is green on the outside and white within, while peach can drive away evil and dispel impurities. These two substances are therefore used to remove pollution from within the body.

When celestial immortals descend to the human world and then return to Heaven, they all cleanse themselves with this water. Common worldly minor arts, such as talisman water, blessed water, and mouth-rinsing formulas, are all inferior to this formula.

Washing the hair and bathing at the same time is even more effective.

On Bathing, According to Various Perfected Ones (from the Zhengao)

The Lady of Mount Heng said: There is no harm in bathing often; it is simply something ordinary people cannot manage. Frequent bathing washes away corpse odor, making it easier for True Qi to enter the body.

The Perfected One of Clear Emptiness said: One must bathe on every Jiazi day.

The Lady of Purple Tenuity said: Bathing should not be too frequent—this accords with the nature of the Po (the corporeal soul, which favors stillness and little movement). Going against the Po’s nature is like refining impurities; the Po may instead be damaged and dissipate.

A Bathing Method to Ward Off the Three Corpses (from the Dongzhen Taishang Huangsu Sishisi Fang Jing)

Whenever one visualizes the Dao above and recites incantations to expel the Three Corpses, take white angelica root and green agarwood, boil them together in flowing water from the east, and use the liquid to bathe the whole body. This can ward off various blood corpses and malign energies. The ingredients may also be burned with incense to summon the spirits. If green agarwood is unavailable, white angelica alone will also do.

Auspicious Bathing Days for Receiving the Lingbao Talisman (from the Dongxuan Zhenyi Wucheng Jing)

The Yellow Emperor said: Because the Celestial Elder previously understood only minor signs and had not yet mastered Heavenly Qi, he had to use methods such as the Lingbao Five Titles Talisman Scripture. He bathed and observed ritual purification on auspicious days governed by the Dongjing constellation, which are suitable for pure fasting, before he could receive the Lingbao talisman.

The suitable bathing and talisman-receiving times for each month are as follows. In ancient practice, these dates and times were thought to correspond with Heavenly Qi, Dongjing, and the harmonizing incense of the immortals:

These are days when Heavenly Qi aligns with the lunar mansion Dongjing, and when the immortals’ incense is in harmony. Bathe on these days and the spirits will descend; they are auspicious for receiving talismanic instructions.

Note: The terms “Three Corpses,” “Po,” “Dongjing,” “Heavenly Qi,” and “Lingbao talisman” are Daoist terms relating to cultivation and the selection of auspicious days. Here, bathing is both a matter of hygiene and a ritual act of purification, talisman reception, and dispelling impurities.

The waters of the Celestial River pour into the Eastern Well; the essence of the water spirit dwells within the stone’s radiance. A rounded halo brushes across the numinous light. The dark radiance shines clear and bright; the Primordial Beginning parts the dense night, and the celestial beings follow the moon as it rises.

Bathe above the rippling pool. A dragon bears a bottle with a long cord; a golden boy scatters fragrant blossoms, and a jade maiden pours forth the Five Stars. Wash your cap and sash in the jade spring, refine and transform the forms of the Five Immortals. The fragrance of the body brings down the myriad spirits; ride upon the radiance and ascend to the heights of brightness.

(From the Scripture of the Twenty-Four Birth Images of the Cavern Mystery)

Divine Water for Refining the Womb (Method of Mysterious Water)

Use three hu of water, four liang of green aquilaria, seven liang of genuine sandalwood, and two liang of scrophularia. Combine the ingredients and boil them until the mixture comes to a boil once. Strain it clear, let it cool to a suitable temperature, and use it for bathing. This is the method of Mysterious Water used by the Celestial True Jade Maidens, called Divine Water for Refining the Womb.

(From the Scripture of the Cavern Spirit)

Section on Entering the Chamber

Lady of Mount Heng said: When entering the quiet chamber, first place your right foot forward, then bring your left foot up to meet it. After that, walk in this manner. This enables one’s petitions to be clearly conveyed and heard above.

(From the Zhengao)

Section on the Bright Lamp

The Lord Emperor always dwells on the Terrace of Radiant Jade, within the golden chambers and purple gates. There he illumines himself with a bright, mysterious lamp, sending its distant light through the eight windows, contemplating the Great Truth within the five forms, and unfolding the Three Vows in the imperial chamber. The Void Above descends with a purple canopy; from the midst of Nothingness comes a golden boy to attend him. Naturally, I am named to the imperial rank and hold overall charge of the Mysterious Palace. The Great Teaching arises at the beginning; the wondrous Dao lies in the faintest glimmer. I now impart this to you: diligently honor and practice it.

The Upper Prime Lord of Mount Heng said: You study the Dao of the divine and perfected, dwelling above the palace of emptiness and within the chamber of jade. Yet you do not know to illumine yourself with a bright lamp and send mysterious light into the five inner organs. If you do this, clarity will arise, and the spirit of your bodily form will return. If, at dusk, you light a lamp for your birth destiny, and, at dawn, light one for your current year, then continually light lamps at these three places—your birth destiny, your current year, and the Grand Year—and direct your prayers and thoughts toward them, your body will become clear and your Qi upright. True light will shine within, and the myriad spirits will be radiant and pure. If you honor and practice this method for three years, twenty-four Night-Luminous Boys will appear, and mysterious light will shine of itself. You will then be able to send light through without lighting a lamp. Practice this Dao of mine for nine years, and your body will shine with light, your sight will reach ten thousand li, and you will behold the Natural Order at dawn. At night, the Night-Luminous Boys will descend into your chamber.

Keep a lamp perpetually lit in the quiet chamber where you live, at the place corresponding to your birth destiny. At dusk, enter the chamber and face the lamp.

A Plain-Language Reading of The Supreme Secret Essentials

Prayer for Kneeling and Knocking the Teeth (1)

Kneel upright and knock the teeth twelve times. Then recite:

Mystic light shines upon the Great Yin, reaching clearly and brightly in all eight directions. Within the chamber of the curved room—the Dantian within the body—purify body and mind; look upward and behold the penetrating light of Highest Clarity. The Five Purities emerge from the Luminous Terrace, and jade fungi arise of themselves. Their radiance penetrates all things and reaches the Great Perfected; the myriad spirits watch over my form. Let the energy of the Nine Yin be cut away and destroyed, and let my name be entered in the registers of immortals kept by the Lord of Donghua. Preserve for me the blessing of endless life, so that I may stand forever alongside the sun and moon. Deliver me from the calamities of the Seven Ancestors, and grant me a more honored name in the Southern Palace. Bright light is kindled by the Jade Emperor, who bestows upon me the Scripture of Inner Observation. May Heaven send down a flying chariot of the Firmament; may I soar through the air, borne in a green carriage, and gain an audience at the Great Emperor’s palace, advancing to pay homage at the Jade Emperor’s court.

When you have finished reciting, bow twice toward your birth destiny—the deity or direction associated with it. Tilt your head back and swallow the fluid in your mouth, called jade fluid in Daoist practice, seven times; then stop.

Prayer for Lighting a Lamp at the Position of the Year’s Fortune (2)

It is also customary to light a lamp at the position of the year’s fortune, calculated according to one’s age, and to face the lamp and knock the teeth twelve times. Then recite:

The bright lamp shines at the position of the year’s fortune, scattering its radiant glow in all eight directions. Its infantlike form is pure and clear; through inner observation, its light shines into the empty depths. The son who lays open and releases the spirit’s heart is connected above with the Jade Perfected. Looking up, I revere the Dao of the Most High; my cultivation is remote and leaves no trace. I long for the Mystic Spirit to descend, and to take the reins and drive the flying dragon. Turn back the span of my hundred years and restore the appearance of an infant. Grant me a maiden of the Western Florescence and provide me with a youth of the Golden Dawn. Let them attend to incense and accompany my years and destiny; I bow my head at the Jade Emperor’s palace. When the spirit arrives, the Dao also flows freely, and joy fills the fragrant smoke. I steady my heart and focus it on the Great Mystery; through refined feeling, I penetrate the empty heavens. May the chamber summon the spirits of the Divine Empyrean to descend, and may my eyes behold the lord of the immortal capital. Deliver me from the calamities of my seven ancestors, and guide my transformed body back to the Southern Palace.

When you have finished reciting, bow twice toward the lamp and swallow Qi twenty-seven times; then stop.

Prayer for Lighting a Lamp Above the Grand Duke Jupiter (3)

It is customary to light a lamp above the Grand Duke Jupiter, the deity who presides over the year, in order to commune with the spirits and, further, to seek the Realized. If you persist for three years, mystic light will shine within, and the divine Realized will descend to transmit the formula for immortality. A response will come in its own time. Burn incense morning and evening, knock the teeth twelve times, and recite toward the lamp:

The lamp’s flame shines upon the Great Perfected, its bright light penetrating the mystic void. I open myself to the supreme Dao, fixing my heart on the Jade Emperor’s palace. I penetrate the interior of the empty and boundless realm; the spirit sees my form and it unfolds of itself. Through accumulated devotion, I bring about the descent of numinous beings; my heart is tranquil, and the principles of the Dao quietly spread within me. In the morning I pay homage in the Great Emperor’s hall; in the evening I recite the book of the Golden Realized. I roam freely within the Mystic Cavern, and after ten thousand years return to the form of an infant. May Heaven crown me with the rosy clouds of the Purple Empyrean, and may the Emperor grant me a carriage of green jade. May I wander freely atop the Five Sacred Peaks.

Verses: When the mind and intention are calm and at ease, and all find their proper place, the ancestors of seven generations may be freed from the evil realms of the Three Paths, with blessings and joy to spare.

Ritual: After completing the bows, bow once more. Swallow saliva fourteen times, then stop.

If the lamps are kept constantly alight at the three appointed places of practice, the ancestors of the Seven Generations and the Mysterious Way may be freed from the Ten Sufferings and ascend to become Immortals of the South. Their bodies will be clear and upright; divine perfected beings will descend; light will appear of its own accord in the night, and all will be transparent within and without.

(From The Scripture of the Three Charts of the Celestial Gate and the Seven Stars’ Shifting Courses [Dongzhen Tian Guan San Tu Qi Xing Yi Du Jing])

Hymn to the Bright Lamp

The Most High manifests throughout the ten directions; flower lamps carry the power of sincere devotion. The heavens are likewise bright, and the whole earth shines clear. My body, too, is brilliantly illuminated; the five organs flourish like flowers.

The blazing radiance shines through the Great Nonbeing; my far-reaching thoughts turn to the splendors of Jade Clarity. The cinnabar essence rests in the Great Nonbeing; mysterious Yang reverberates in the void. The formed body is contained, and the roots of suffering are extinguished; the hidden and wondrous reach the true thought.

Hanging flowers reveal no substantial form; through causal conditions they manifest as images of light. My body is likewise so: through transformation, it rides upon flowing radiance.

The night’s light reveals the Yang Cinnabar, shining far and wide through the numinous chamber. The heavens everywhere release their radiance, and all Yin is extinguished; my spirit, too, becomes clear and discerning.

I constantly contemplate wisdom and insight, roaming at ease in accord with the Dao’s workings. I let change and passing follow Heaven’s course, climb upon forms and tread the empty cavern, while the night lamp gleams amid the flowing radiance.

Recitation Upon Seeing a Burning Lamp

Whenever you see a burning lamp, lightly tap your teeth three times and recite the hymn above.

The Celestial Emperor of Taiwei said: “If you merely light a lamp, but do not know this text or recite this hymn, the Demon Courts of the Six Heavens will not spare you, and your life will be cut short. The heavenly beings of the eight directions will not send jade youths, jade maidens, flying immortals, or divine beings to descend upon you. The Three Realms of the Ten Directions will not enter the name of a nascent immortal in the Southern Palace of Donghua, nor will they grant your seven generations of ancestors, fathers, and mothers the way to be reborn.”

(From The Scripture of the Great Precepts of Wisdom of the Cavern of Truth [Dongzhen Zhihui Dajie Jing])

Method for Making Fragrant, Mysterious Ointment (Lamp Oil)

One hu of sesame oil, one jin of genuine sandalwood, one jin of greenwood incense, one liang of black ginseng, and three liang of fragrant beads.

Pound the ingredients, mix them into the oil, and cover tightly. Simmer over a low flame for half a day; it is then ready for use in lamps.

(From the Scripture of the Cavern of Spirits [Dongshen Jing])

Incense Materials and Method for Making Upper Origin Fragrant Beads

Method for Making Upper Origin Fragrant Beads:

Three jin of aloeswood, two jin of frankincense, nine liang of greenwood incense, five liang of clove, three liang of black ginseng, six liang of sparrow-head incense, two liang of Champa incense, two liang of angelica root, and four liang of genuine sandalwood.

(This formula is for making incense to burn, in keeping with the lamp-lighting and incense-burning rites described above.)

Plain-language interpretation of the Supreme Secret Essentials

Incense recipes and preparation

Take three liang of mugwort incense, four liang of benzoin (a fragrant tree resin), and three liang of magnolia. Pound the twelve kinds of incense ingredients separately and sift them through silk. Add ten liang of dates, then pound everything another thirty thousand times. Put the mixture into a vessel, seal it tightly, and steam it for one day to bring out the fragrance. When it is ready, mix it with honey and roll it into pellets the size of parasol-tree seeds. String them on a green cord and dry them in the sun. These are the “Pearls of the True Primordial Essence of the Three Sovereigns.” When burned, their fragrance can reach through the Nine Heavens.

(From the Scripture of the Cavern Spirit.)

The Lady of Mount Heng said: “When burning incense, do not look back. To look back is to offend the true Qi and may easily invite a response from harmful spirits.”

(From the Declarations of the Perfected.)

Lord Blue Youth said: “Whenever you engage in focused visualization and cultivation, first burn incense on your left and right.”

(From the Scripture of Daoist Traces.)

On Knocking the Teeth

The method of knocking the teeth is as follows: knock the left teeth against one another; this is called “striking the Heavenly Bell.” Knock the right teeth against one another; this is called “striking the Heavenly Chime.” Knock the upper and lower teeth together at the center; this is called “sounding the Heavenly Drum.”

If you suddenly encounter something evil and inauspicious, strike the Heavenly Bell thirty times. If you pass through mountains to ward off evil, or face a great blessing and a mighty spirit, strike the Heavenly Chime. When visualizing, contemplating the Dao, summoning the Perfected, or calling forth spirits, sound the Heavenly Drum.

Although tooth-knocking is one practice, it has distinct forms for the left, right, upper, and lower teeth. Thus evil things fear the sound of the Heavenly Bell, mountain spirits dread the movement of the Heavenly Chime, and when spirits are summoned, they are solemnly stirred by the Heavenly Drum. The notes of the palace and shang tones have their proper measure; what is subtle and imperceptible responds within. These methods cannot be treated as one and the same.

The same principle applies to the many chapters and practices. The method of knocking the teeth is described in detail, and the sounds of the bell and drum are distinct. Therefore, the methods of the Dao must not be confused, and ritual techniques must not be mixed together. Confusion leads to hidden failure; mixing them brings calamity and ruin. This is not because there is no hidden order connecting them, but because that order has been put into practice without sequence. The Dao is not realized and the rite does not bring a response, often because those seeking the Perfected stray from the proper path and commit many errors.

“Strike the Heavenly Bell thirty times” means that when no other invocation is prescribed, this may be done as a provisional means of dispelling inauspicious influences. When following a particular method, however, knock the teeth as many times as that method specifies; there is no need to strike the Heavenly Bell exactly thirty times.

(From the Hidden Book of the Most High of the Cavern of Truth.)

In all methods of making petitions to the High Ones, knocking the teeth, swallowing saliva, and the like, each has its own direction and proper sequence. They must not be mixed up, lest the Perfected spirits become confused. Knock the teeth to summon the life spirits; swallow Qi to harmonize with the Perfected; take in harmony and swallow the six fluids to set them in motion within. To govern the spirits, sound the drum and proceed.

A Plain-Language Interpretation

1. Keeping Precepts and Observing Purification Fast

Keeping precepts and observing purification fasts are rules that Daoist practitioners must follow. There are five kinds of purification fast: first, the fasting of the heart-mind; second, bodily fasting; third, fasting at appointed times; fourth, fasting at the six periods of the day; and fifth, fasting at the eight seasonal junctures. The fasting of the heart-mind means keeping the inner self pure and free of distracting thoughts. Bodily fasting means keeping the body clean and avoiding defilement. Fasting at appointed times means observing the precepts at the prescribed times and seasons. Fasting at the six periods of the day means observing the precepts at each of the six daily periods—morning, noon, evening, night, zi, and chou. Fasting at the eight seasonal junctures means observing the precepts at the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice.

2. Stages in Keeping the Precepts

There are five stages in keeping the precepts: first, resolving to keep them; second, receiving and upholding them; third, observing them; fourth, safeguarding them; and fifth, perfecting their observance. Resolving to keep the precepts means forming the intention to observe them. Receiving and upholding the precepts means accepting them and putting them into practice. Observing the precepts means keeping them over the long term without falling away. Safeguarding the precepts means not only observing them oneself, but also helping others to do so. Perfecting their observance means keeping the precepts fully and bringing oneself into accord with the Dao.

3. The Merits of Keeping the Precepts

The merits of keeping the precepts cannot be measured. Those who keep them can eliminate karmic offenses, strengthen their roots of goodness, receive the protection and mindful care of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and accomplish the work of the Dao. For those who keep the precepts, they are like armor that protects the body and wards off external evils, like a bright lamp that dispels darkness, and like sweet dew that nourishes the Dharma body.

4. Essentials of Keeping the Precepts

The essentials of keeping the precepts are sincerity of heart, single-minded intention, and steadfast conduct. With a sincere heart, the substance of the precepts remains pure; with a focused intention, observance does not waver; with steadfast conduct, the power of the precepts does not diminish. Those who keep the precepts should regularly examine themselves, encourage themselves, and guard themselves, so that the substance of the precepts remains firm, their observance pure, and their power continues to grow.

5. Keeping the Precepts and Cultivating the Dao

Keeping the precepts is the foundation of cultivating the Dao. Only those who keep the precepts can enter the Dao, and only those who enter the Dao can realize it. Keeping the precepts and cultivating the Dao are like the two wheels of a cart or the two wings of a bird; neither can be missing. Those who keep the precepts should take them as their teacher, companion, protection, and place of refuge. In the end, they can accomplish the work of the Dao and attain liberation.

Note: This plain-language interpretation aims to remain faithful to the original meaning, retaining terms such as “purification fast,” “keeping the precepts,” “resolving to keep them,” and “receiving and upholding them,” with brief explanations when they first appear.

A Plain-Language Reading of The Supreme Secret Essentials, Scroll 66 (excerpt)

The Central Three-Five Officers of Merit (Zhong Sanwu Gongcao), the left and right official messengers, the left and right incense bearers, the courier dragon riders, the attendant incense-bearing golden youths, the message-bearing jade maidens, and the Five Emperors’ Direct Talismans—thirty-six of each—come forth from the pass to make their formal petition.

Report to the true officials of the local earth in the four directions: “I am now burning incense and formally making my petition. May the upright and true Qi of the ten directions enter my body, so that the matter I petition about may be heard above and reach the presence of the Supreme, Most True, Great Sage, Revered Spirit, the Jade Emperor.”

Whenever those who study the Dao have a request or wish, practice the higher teachings, or cultivate themselves, they should first make a formal petition to the gods and open the way. Otherwise, they may be disturbed by demons and malign forces; their matter may not reach the celestial realms, their practice may bring no response, and the gods may take no notice. Their efforts will be in vain.

A Daoist scripture says: Those who study the higher teachings, contemplate the spirits and the Dao, live in the mountains with a tranquil mind, perform purification rites and recite scriptures, deliver their seven generations of ancestors, or seek immortality for themselves should practice the higher method of the Five Elders’ Red Writ of Perfect Writings. According to the old text, first click the teeth together eleven times and recite:

“Lofty and numinous powers above, Primordial Beginning, revered spirit and great sage, move among us. The myriad Perfected attend the celestial hall; the Three Luminaries spread their radiance, and auspicious clouds gather on every side. The highest auspicious powers inspect the registers and calculate the Nine Heavens. Today I present my wish, submitting my petition to the numinous mountain. These writings, naturally true, are written in cinnabar ink and red characters. I report them above to the Five Emperors, that my name may be entered in the jade records. May the myriad spirits reflect the light of the sun and moon and bear clear witness to my wish to be delivered, to be born, to attain spirit, and to become an immortal. May Heaven, Earth, and the stars shine mysteriously upon my body. May the great gods of the Three Offices, the Nine Palaces, and the Five Sacred Peaks proclaim this without end and erase the roots of my offenses. Primordial Beginning opens the way wide; none of my words will go unheard. May the souls of my seven generations of ancestors naturally receive blessings; may they forever leave behind the Three Paths and Five Sufferings. May those who have endured the Eight Difficulties attain radiance equal to the Three Luminaries. As the purple dawn wheels onward, may the deathless body attain flight and become an immortal.”

When the incantation is finished and the written petition has been read, cast it into a sheer cliff and scatter incense over the numinous mountain. Then click the teeth together three times and pray toward the direction corresponding to your birth destiny—that is, the direction associated with the star and spirits governing your birth year:

“May Primordial Beginning behold and illumine me. My name as an immortal has already been recorded, and my offenses will all be erased by the Three Offices and Nine Palaces. I scatter incense and report my pledge to the Five Emperors and the great void. May things be as I have stated, and may I dwell here throughout the long kalpas.”

When finished, tilt the head back and swallow the nine Qi, then stop.

The foregoing is from The Jade Instructions on the Red Writ of Perfect Writings in the Cavern Mystery (Dongxuan).

This concludes Scroll 66 of The Supreme Secret Essentials. Scrolls 67 through 73 are missing.