《無上祕要》Vol. 58

Wushang Miyao, Scroll 91, Section 1

Section on Ascending to the Taiji Palace

Spirit-Talisman for Refining and Transforming at the Taiji, Settling the True Spirit

The old text of this talisman comes from the first chapter, “Jade Radiance,” of The Most High’s Transformation of the Empty Cavern. It is kept in the Great Taiji Palace.

Those who practice the Dao and seek immortality, and who wish to contemplate the spirits and preserve the True, repent of their offenses and dispel their faults, and hope to receive the grace of an encounter with divine beings, should write the talisman with a green brush on the day of the Beginning of Spring. Facing east, they should ingest one copy. Their past transgressions will then be dispelled, and the Taiji will enter their names on a jade register. If they cultivate for eight years without violating a single precept, the Taiji will grant them eight jade youths. Through contemplation and an encounter with the divine, the Heavenly Perfect Ones will descend, allowing them to see divine forms and summon a carriage of the Eight Radiances. They will then ascend in flight to the Taiji Palace.

(From The Hidden Talisman of the Eight Ways of the Dongzhen)

Spirit-Talisman of the Upper True Ones, the Six Jia of the Middle Origin, and the Yang-Born Transformation

This is the essence of the Yang spirits of the Upper Jia. It transforms into jade script to assist the Upper True Ones of the High Dawn, transform the Qi of the eight directions, communicate with spirits, summon the True Ones, and preserve life for a long time. After ingesting it for eight years, the practitioner will be granted nine jade youths from the Upper Palace of the Taiji. They will be able to communicate with spirits and summon the cloud carriage of the Eight Radiances, which will come to meet them and carry them in flight to the Vermilion Palace of the Taiji.

The Upper True Ones transform the Lower Origin, bringing forth the divine palaces of the Eight Radiances to assist the practitioner. Those who know the treasured names, palaces, offices, and abodes of the Upper True Ones may ingest and use the spirit-talisman to summon the Qi of the Eight Radiances. The forms of the Upper True Ones will descend, shine upon the practitioner, summon spirits, and bring Qi. They will command the officials who serve a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen. If the practitioner ingests the talisman and cultivates for eight years, the High and Most High will be moved to joy; the True Spirits will descend and appear, bringing the divine officials of the Eight Radiances and flying cloud canopies of feathers. They will carry the practitioner upward into the clear heavens, transform the eight directions, and ascend to the Taiji Palace.

This is a numinous text of the Nine Heavens, bestowed on those who have, from former lives, been recorded in the Taiji’s golden registers and jade rolls. Whoever gains sight of its contents may attain immortality in life or after death. Anyone who carelessly reveals these most forbidden teachings will be punished by the Nine Heavens’ Inspector of Treachery, and their body will be conscripted for labor at Mount Meng.

(From The Scripture of the Seventy-Four Transformations of the Dongzhen)

Words of the Dao

The Dao says: The cycles of fortune and blessing neither perish nor come into being. Those who delight in learning and honor their master and the Three Treasures, forming a bond with the Dao that endures from life to life, do so through the accumulated deeds of their former bodies.

Those who follow this Dharma-wheel are superior practitioners, diligent and devoted. They open the gates of the teaching wide, put others before themselves, save kings and rulers, restrain their speech to relieve the needy, clothe themselves lightly to protect those who are cold, and extend their kindness to birds and beasts, their generosity reaching …

Brief notes on terms

• Taiji (Supreme Ultimate): One of the highest celestial realms in Daoism, often mentioned alongside the Eight Radiances and jade youths.
• Eight Radiances: Eight auspicious visions or eight celestial levels; often refers to the procession and realm that receive the True Ones as they ascend to heaven.
• Jade register / golden register and jade name: Celestial documents recording a person’s name and immortal status.
• Contemplation (cun si): A cultivation method involving quiet sitting and visualization of divine beings, talismans, and palaces.
• Revealing forbidden teachings: Disclosing secret methods, true names, and scriptures that must not be transmitted; the texts regard this as a grave offense.

Essential Secrets of the Highest Mystery: A Plain-Language Reading

1. Admonitions for Cultivation

Those who are alive should treat their master with reverence and follow the teachings as if standing before the gods. They should observe fasting for a long time, reflect with earnest care, study the mysterious principles deeply, and practice breathing exercises to regulate Qi (vital energy) and bodily fluids. They should let their hearts grow detached from worldly concerns, diligently seek the Dao (the Way), cut away the burdens of sexual desire, and let all thoughts fall silent. When feelings and Qi are at peace, both people and spirits rejoice.

By cultivating in this way, one life after another comes to an end, yet one’s resolve never falters. In time, one may attain the rank of a high immortal. When the three masters are all in place, one ascends bodily to Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), receives the rank of an immortal minister, and gains boundless, wondrous powers of transformation: a thought can turn the spirit.

The verse says:

Wondrous powers transform my spirit;

The vast, universal merit is without measure.

When the Dao is realized, through the ages of Heaven and Earth,

Transformation unfolds through the nine heavens.

Death and rebirth are brought to an end;

Each encounter has its proper source.

Through mature understanding, the hardships of coming and going fall away;

Form and soul have neither beginning nor end.

Merit accumulated becomes the foundation of blessings;

The body rises beyond the peaks of the Five Difficulties.

One leaves the three evil paths behind

And enters, serene, the tranquil hall.

The thought of saving others reaches without limit;

A settled mind evokes spiritual powers.

The Dharma Wheel turns and spreads three times,

Helping to make one a great immortal.

Retrace my steps of the Great Chun tree,

And drift upward to the Palace of Taiji.

The Perfected One of Supreme Mystery and Unity said to the Immortal Lord: “I have received the command of the Most High to give you the Wondrous Scripture of Admonitions and Precepts, expound the Dharma, and teach its principles. Its subtlety reaches the utmost here. This text is kept secret within the Purple Tenuity Palace of the Most High; unless one is an Immortal Lord entrusted with this responsibility, it may not be seen. I now explain its precepts to complete your training. You, immortal disciple, should treasure this record and practice it diligently. When you have realized the Dao, I will welcome you again at the Palace of Taiji.”

The Immortal Lord bowed with his head to the ground, received the precepts, and took his leave.

(From the Wondrous Scripture of the Dharma Wheel of Admonitions and Precepts on the True Unity of the Cavern of Mystery)

2. Chapter on Ascending to the Palace of Taiwei

The Most High said: “What makes the Perfected One’s ‘Unity’ precious is that true unity is simply ‘One.’ Where the One finds accord, the great void responds and transforms; the One’s transformations harmonize perfectly with Heaven and Earth in their hidden union.

“Thus, the upper One is the Heavenly Emperor within the body; the middle One is the Cinnabar Sovereign of the Crimson Palace, the palace within the heart; and the lower One is the Primordial King of the Yellow Court, the place associated with the Dantian (energy center). The true beings of the Three Ones oversee and govern the twenty-four Qi within the body. Qi is received at birth, and life establishes the body. Above, it corresponds to the twenty-four Perfected Ones of Taiwei. The true Qi circulates and harmonizes; the myriad things take form; spirit and Qi become mixed and indistinct; and the Purple Chamber lies in deep obscurity.

“Qi gathers like empty mist and becomes spirit. Spirit entrusts itself to the Three Ones and comes into being. Transformation is created by the Three Ones. All who attain transformation do so through spirit, which makes itself hidden; mingling with the yellow, they bring things into being together and attain the utmost mystery. Each of the Primordial Lords of the Three Ones oversees one part of the body. Above, they correspond to the twenty-four Perfected Ones of Taiwei; below, to the twenty-four Qi within the human body. Qi is received at birth, and life establishes a form. Above, it corresponds to Taiwei and its twenty-four Perfected Ones. The true Qi circulates and harmonizes; the myriad things take form; spirit and Qi become mixed and indistinct; and the Purple Chamber lies in deep obscurity.”

Note: “Immortal Lord” in this text generally refers to Xu Xun, also known as Perfected Lord Xu. “Three Masters” refers to the Dao, the scriptures, and the master, or to the high master who initiates people. “Three Ones” refers to the One in the upper, middle, and lower regions, as well as the spirits of the three Dantian within the body. “Taiwei” is the name of a stellar office and also a metaphor for the palaces within the body. “Purple Chamber” refers to the place where spirit and Qi gather in the brain or Dantian. The final passage may contain repetitions or errors from the process of copying. This plain-language version follows a commonly used reading; comparison with an original printed edition may allow for further textual correction.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Wushang Miyao

If the human body contains true Qi, and this Qi gathers and takes form, it seems to possess a thousand chariots and ten thousand riders of its own, with cloud chariots and feather canopies.

By regularly entering the Purple Palace within—the area of the Dantian in the brain—and ascending to Jade Clarity, one of the heavenly realms of Highest Clarity, a person can have their name entered in the celestial register called the Primordial Chart. They can transform the womb and protect the embryo, and nourish the body through the Three Ones, the three and one deities within the body. In this way, they may become a perfected person, fly through the nine heavens, and receive office in the heights above.

Thus, what the One brings to fulfillment is the great function that gives rise to all things in Heaven and Earth, not merely small matters such as the flight of insects or the crawling of worms. The more firmly one can preserve it, the more freely Jing and responsive communion will flow. When Jing and responsive communion flow freely, the Three Origins—Heaven, Earth, and humanity, or Jing, Qi, and Shen—can be seen. When the Three Origins are visible, white Qi gathers and transforms. As the white Qi gathers and transforms, the undivided and the differentiated arise of themselves. A thousand chariots and ten thousand riders arrive in an instant; one can command a feather canopy and ride a cloud carriage. Then one ascends to Heaven in broad daylight and reaches the celestial realm of Great Subtlety.

In the Heaven of Great Subtlety are twenty-four Qi. They mingle with yellow and gather together. The Qi condenses and changes at appointed times; suddenly it separates, and in a trance it takes form. Within the Qi, twenty-four perfected people come into being. They condense out of emptiness, without passing through a womb, all brought about by the Qi of the Three Ones, the Imperial Sovereigns. They divide into different ways and transform, entrusting themselves to the mysterious and establishing their manifestations. If one can preserve the Three Ones within the body, then the perfected lords of the Three Origins and Imperial Sovereigns in the Heaven of Great Subtlety will descend and appear outwardly, and speak face to face with you.

Within the body there are also twenty-four perfected people. They too are formed from the body’s mysterious Qi and numinous essence, dividing and transforming to create the myriad things. When the cloud carriage arrives, one joins Qi with the morning radiance and ascends to Great Subtlety. All twenty-four perfected people of Great Subtlety then feast together with the body’s divine beings in the midst of the mingled yellow Qi. Their radiance is shared within the Purple Chamber; they entrust their forms to Qi along a thousand paths. Those who have turned away are restored to childhood; their names are removed from the death register of the Northern Abode. They receive enduring life in the Imperial Realm, enter and leave Jade Clarity, and dwell in Great Subtlety.

If one receives only a single Way, the Three Origins will not be complete. Yet by focusing the mind on the One, one can still attain long life and escape death, and enter Taiqing alone. One cannot roam in the radiance of the Heaven of Great Subtlety or ascend north to the palace of Highest Clarity.

The above passage is from the Dongzhen Dadan Yinshu Jing.

The old text of the Talisman for Hidden Ascent to the Numinous Capital of Great Subtlety, from the sixth chapter, “Jade Radiance,” of the Taishang Huabian Kongdong, is stored at the Observatory of Great Subtlety.

Those who practice the Way, seek immortality, visualize the spirits and preserve the perfected, confess their sins and resolve their faults, and humbly hope that the Great Emperor, the Great Sage, and the honored spirits will pardon their past offenses, should do so on the day of the autumn equinox, in white… (The text continues no further.)

Excerpt in Vernacular from The Supreme Secret Essentials

(1) Writing and Taking Talismans, and Eight Years of Practice

Write the talismans with a brush according to the prescribed ritual, then face northwest and take or wear six of them. The assembled deities will erase your offenses from the register of fate and record the years granted for extending life and preserving your life on the jade tablets of the Director of Destiny, the deity who governs longevity. If a practitioner cultivates for eight years without missing a single session, the Great Emperor, the Celestial Emperor, will bestow twelve jade maidens. They will open communication with the Dao and bring spiritual powers; divine beings will descend, and all wishes will be fulfilled. You may ride a carriage formed from the six radiances, ascend by flight to Shangqing, and enter the Palace of Taiwei.

This passage comes from The Hidden Talisman of the Eight Daoist Paths of the Cavern of Truth.

(2) The Two Talismans of Yin-Yang Transformation in the Lower Origin of the Beginning-Born High Perfected Ones

These are the two talismans of Yin-Yang transformation in the Lower Origin of the High Perfected Ones: write the upper talisman in blue and the lower one in white. On the day of the Beginning of Spring, perform the rite by taking the lower talisman first, followed by the upper one. On the day of the Autumn Equinox, take the upper talisman first, followed by the lower one. Just before taking a talisman, knock your teeth together twelve times and silently recite this brief invocation:

“Two essences, highest spirits, open the way to the gods and bring forth the Perfected. Summon the radiance of the Eight Qi and descend into my body. A thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen, with each breath forming clouds of smoke. Jade radiance lingers, and spirits fill the Three Palaces. Inner and outer unite; I soar above the Nine Heavens. Through transformation I reach the dawn of the Emperor, to pay court to the Jade Venerable One.” When the invocation is complete, tilt your head back and swallow the Eight Qi; then stop.

After practicing this method for eight years, the High Perfected will bend their radiance toward you, and the Eight Radiances will appear in visible form. The divine officials of the ten thousand horsemen will come to you, and you will be able to fly upward into the Palace of Taiwei.

This passage comes from The Scripture of Seventy-Four Methods of Transformation in the Cavern of Truth.

(3) The Numinous Talisman of Yin’s Ultimate Transformation in the Middle Origin of the High Perfected Ones

The Numinous Talisman of Yin’s Ultimate Transformation in the Middle Origin of the High Perfected Ones is the essence of Taiyi’s Cavern of Yin at its ultimate limit. It supports the divine officials of the Eight Radiances, the Perfected Ones of the Middle Origin in the Upper Origin: it connects upward to the Perfected Ones of Heaven, descends into the human body, summons spirits and draws in Qi, and brings the protection of the officials of a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen. Take this talisman for eight years, and eight jade maidens who fly with spiritual power will appear in bodily form to serve and obey your commands. You will be able to obtain numinous elixirs and the essence of sacred plants, master arts of transformation, and summon the carriage of the Eight Radiances. This will prepare you for flight upward and ascent to the Palace of Taiwei.

(4) The Two Talismans of Yin-Yang Transformation in the Middle Origin of the Beginning-Born High Perfected Ones

The Yin-Yang transformation in the Middle Origin of the Beginning-Born High Perfected Ones also uses two talismans: write the upper talisman in blue and the lower one in white. On the day of the Beginning of Spring, take the lower talisman first, followed by the upper one; on the day of the Autumn Equinox, take the upper talisman first, followed by the lower one. Just before taking them, knock your teeth together twelve times and recite this incantation:

“True Father and True Mother of the Upper Origin unite their spirits. The two Qi mingle and pour forth; the Six Origins transform and come to life; the Eight Radiances reveal the gods of the Cavern. Transformation reaches Shangqing; the Perfected Ones turn and descend in gracious response. Come and behold my form, and enable me to ride the carriage of the Eight Radiances, soaring by flight to the cloud court of Taiji.” When the incantation is complete, tilt your head back and swallow the Qi eight times; then stop.

After practicing for eight years, you will draw the divine officials of the Eight Radiances to appear and descend. They will carry you upward to the Palace of Taiwei.

The Supreme Secret Essentials: A Plain-Language Interpretation

(1)

This passage comes from the Upper Scripture of the Golden Root in the Purple Book of Qingyao, in the Dongzhen section of the Daoist canon.

Those who study the Dao must understand the treasured names, palaces and offices, and dwelling places of the Central Perfected Ones. They must also wear and use spiritual talismans to summon the Qi of the Eight Radiances: this connects them above to the forms of the Central Perfected Ones as they descend, and reflects below into the body’s inner offices. In this way, they summon spirits and bring about immortality, commanding the officials who serve in a thousand chariots and ten thousand mounted ranks. After eight years of wearing talismans and cultivating, the Highest Ones are moved to favor them. The divine officials of the Three Divisions and Eight Radiances appear within their bodily precincts; cloud chariots of the Eight Radiances circle around them, and their bodies rise into the pure realm, transform in all eight directions, and ascend into the Palace of Purple Tenuity—that is, to places such as Fangzhu and Donghua. This teaching is imparted only to those whose names were recorded in former lives, in the golden registers and jade writings of Donghua. Those without this foundation may not hear of it. All who see its chapters will have their nine generations of ancestors ascend to immortality. Those who carelessly disclose or neglect the text will suffer the ordeal of wind blades, and the Nine Heavens will punish their lifespans for treachery.

(2)

The Central Perfected Ones transform, and the Lower Origin gives rise to life; the divine officials of the Eight Radiances assist the bodies of those who study the Dao. Practitioners should learn the treasured names, palaces and offices, and dwelling places of the Central Perfected Ones. They should wear and use spiritual talismans to summon the Qi of the Eight Radiances, bring down the forms of the High Perfected Ones, and reflect them into their bodily precincts. In this way, they summon spirits and bring about Qi, commanding the officials who serve in a thousand chariots and ten thousand mounted ranks. After eight years of wearing talismans and cultivating, the Highest Ones are moved to favor them. The Perfected Spirits descend, and the divine officials of the Eight Radiances, borne in flying cloud chariots of jade, welcome the practitioner and raise them to the Palace of Purple Tenuity. This Dao is lofty and wondrous, and is not practiced in the lower world. Those who attain it gain life beyond birth and death. Those who carelessly disclose its sacred writings will be punished with the ordeal of wind blades and conscripted to serve at the source of the River.

(3)

The Central Origin disperses the twenty-four Qi, giving rise to the three Qi, the Eight Radiances, and the twenty-four divine officials of the Dongzhen Cavern, who descend to govern the bodies of practitioners. The officials of the Central Origin transform through the Red-Mixed Qi, arising from the void; each is accompanied by a thousand chariots and ten thousand mounted ranks to guard the body. If practitioners keep the Heavenly Perfected Ones in their hearts and summon their numinous countenances into the chamber of stillness, they will soon see the forms of the gods of the Three and Eight Divisions, and can immediately command jade boys and jade maidens. Within eight years, they can summon the thousand chariots and ten thousand mounted ranks, bring the jade chariots of the Eight Radiances around them, and ascend to the Palace of Purple Tenuity. Even those who cultivate the Nine Perfected Ones and Eight Ways without this text should still quiet their thoughts in the Mysterious; there is no need to waste effort on the mouth and eyes. Thus the twenty-four gods reside within the human body: above, they summon the twenty-four Perfected Ones; within, they settle the twenty-four palaces; below, they connect with the twenty-four Qi. If even one god fails to guard its place, the myriad gods will be unsettled and their palaces left empty.

Brief Glossary for Reading

An Excerpt from Fascicle 91 of the Wushang Miyao (Supreme Secret Essentials): A Vernacular Interpretation

If one neglects and lets go of the protection and maintenance of the “Red Child” (referring to the pure, true primal Qi within the body—an ultimate-yang, utmost-pure Qi like that of an infant), pathogenic Qi and demons easily intrude and a hundred illnesses arise. If Dao cultivators do not understand this, there is no hope for the path to immortality. How, then, could the procession of a thousand chariots and ten thousand riders, or the Eight Scenes (Bajing) Jade Carriage—the precious carriage of the deities of the eight tiers of heaven as Daoism calls it—be summoned at will and mounted?

The Upper Perfected (perfected beings of the upper realm), the Lower Primordial (the realm of the three grades of the lower primordial), and the Numinous Talisman of Yin-Birth Transformation are numinous writings transformed from the essence of Northern Dark Yin. They are used to assist the Upper Primordial, the Lower Perfected, and the Eight Scenes divine officials: above, they communicate with heavenly Qi; below, they support the body of the Dao cultivator. They can summon the Perfected and bring down spirits, and command the officials of the thousand chariots and ten thousand riders. If one practices and habituates oneself to this talisman method for eight full years, eight Jade Maidens of the Great Mystery will descend and manifest, obeying commands and carrying out tasks. One may then obtain the True Scriptures of the Nine Heavens and the Divine Charts of the Jade Peaks, summon the Eight Scenes Jade Carriage, and ascend flying to Shangqing (Highest Clarity). Its text is secretly stored in Taiwei Heaven; according to the Mysterious Code of liturgy, it emerges into the world only once every forty thousand kalpas.

The above is from the Dongzhen Scripture of the Seventy-Four Methods of Transformation.

Diagram of the Eight Archivists Who Communicate with the Numinous and Determine Essence: Upper Section, Third True Qi

The Three Scenes emit numinous radiance; brightly the Eight Gates open. Within is the deity of wisdom, clad in flying-heaven garments. The Eight Archivists communicate the numinous Qi; the jade talisman penetrates essence and subtlety. Treasure clouds reflect jade characters; giant beasts rouse heavenly awe. Radiant is the Palace of the Eight Assemblies; in profusion numinous beings fly. Refined contemplation summons true Qi; the Five Talismans generate brilliance. The Eight Scenes drive the jade carriage; soaring into the void, it enters Ziwei (Purple Microstar).

The above is from the Dongyuan Lingbao Scripture of the Diagram of the Twenty-Four Births.

Note: This section belongs to the esoteric comprehensive compilation of the Shangqing and Dongzhen lineages in the Daozang (Daoist Canon). It frequently cites method scriptures and diagram instructions, discussing talisman practice, Qi refinement, completion of the work after eight years, the descent of Jade Maidens, the Eight Scenes Jade Carriage, and so on. It is a typical account of cultivation and summoning deities, not an ordinary narrative scripture. The original has punctuation and variant characters (such as variant forms for “treasure” and “true”); in this interpretation they have been ordered according to common meaning, without altering their religious significance.