《無上祕要》Vol. 60

Section on Ascending to the Highest Clarity, Part Two

In the third month of summer, the Lord of the Nine Primordial Origins and the Supreme Void Emperor changes his appearance, manifesting as nine suns linked together, their rays layered upon one another. Their radiance flows and turns, illuminating the realm of Highest Clarity. After contemplating this image, return to his original, true appearance. To cultivate the Way of the Lord of the Nine Primordial Origins and the Supreme Void Emperor, enter a chamber on the day of the winter solstice, face north, and bow to the Void Emperor. When the bows are complete, click your teeth three times. Contemplate the Void Emperor changing his appearance with the four seasons. His true body dwells in the Land of Tranquil Waters, Upper Good Village, Northern Primordial Prefecture, north of the Seven-Treasure Palace of Jade Clarity. The light of returning to the Real shines down and enters the mysterious pass between your eyebrows. Then recite the incantation:

“Hidden stillness reaches the subtle. Scatter essence to the Void Emperor. The Three Primordials merge as one; flying immortals stream with light. Divine youths water and nourish; jade maidens scatter fragrance. The Primordial Father joins in celebration; blessings and good fortune are mine. The Eight Luminaries attend and protect; the Five Elders descend to my chamber. I behold the highest spirit and meet the countenance of the Immortal King. I enjoy blessings without end, gaze upward, and fly through the Great Void. With feathers light, I soar and enter the Upper Palace.”

When the incantation is complete, tilt your face upward and swallow the Qi ten times, then stop. This supreme Way of Hidden Stillness is secretly preserved in the Purple Chamber of the Six Directions of the Great High One. According to ritual rules, it is transmitted once in ten thousand kalpas and imparted mysteriously to those destined to become supreme immortals. Those who receive it can attain immortality and practice the Way of Highest Clarity.

The Lord of the Nine Primordial Origins and the Supreme Void Emperor received the Qi of the Primordial Flying Emperor. His taboo name and courtesy name are formed from his bodily features, and his body is fifty million zhang tall.

In the three months of winter, he wears a purple crown of soaring flight and a five-colored patterned robe with a tiger pelt. He wears a bell of flowing gold and a sash of interwoven numinous silk. Standing atop a black tortoise amid dark clouds, he shines brilliantly and illuminates Highest Clarity. After contemplating this image, return him to the form five cun and five fen tall.

In the three months of spring, the Lord of the Nine Primordial Origins and the Supreme Void Emperor transforms into an old man. He wears a yellow headcloth and a robe of dark feathers, holds a golden halberd, and stands upon purple clouds. After contemplating this image, return him to his original, true appearance.

In the three months of autumn, the Lord of the Nine Primordial Origins and the Supreme Void Emperor transforms into light of two colors, yellow and black. Its brilliant radiance illuminates the north. This is the Qi of returning to hidden stillness and the renewed reception of the essence of the Primordial Flying Emperor’s refinement. After contemplating this image, return him to his original, true appearance.

(From the Scripture of the Primordial Beginning’s Transformations of the Origin, from the Cavern of Truth.)

At the spring equinox, the moon lodges above the Golden Gate. Above the Golden Gate is a gate that opens to the numinous. At this time, the moon undergoes refinement in the pool where golden essence is smelted.

This passage belongs to the Highest Clarity school’s methods of visualization, paying homage to the Real, and reciting incantations. It pairs seasonal visualizations of the Lord of the Nine Primordial Origins and the Supreme Void Emperor with entering a chamber at the winter solstice, facing north to bow, and swallowing Qi, in pursuit of the merging of the Three Primordials and ascent to Highest Clarity. The incantation and bodily dimensions given here—fifty million zhang and five cun and five fen—are typical of religious visualization language, not ordinary measurements.

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

On the day when Shijing, Shuimu Ying, and Chi Yu Huaguang are on duty, infuse the “Golden Gate” with Yang essence and take Yellow Qi into the “Jade Spring.” The Sovereign Perfected One and the beings of the heavens also gather flowers from the Qian tree on this day, using them to brush away the radiance of the sun and moon. The moon, in turn, waters the faces of the heavenly beings with Yellow Qi. Thus, on the spring equinox, all Qi is in harmony, and the divine radiance is at peace: it is precisely the time when Yellow Qi and Yang essence descend and meet.

The way of seeking immortality: On the day of the spring equinox, enter a room at “feeding time” (around one in the afternoon). Face west, and sit or recline as you wish. Close your eyes and turn your thoughts inward. Visualize a lady glowing with blue light in the moon (her surname, taboo name, and appearance are recorded in the text): she is nine inches tall, her hair arranged in a drooping-cloud coiffure, and she wears a blue brocade skirt patterned with flying clouds. She holds moonlight in her mouth; its radiance enters your body and settles above your eyes. In an instant, the moonlight disperses into Yellow Qi and flows throughout your body. The lady stands at the center of the moon, gathers flowers from the Qian grove, and scatters them through the Yellow Qi. From her mouth she exhales Yang essence and red Qi, infusing them into your body. The Yellow and red Qi wind and weave together from within outward, illuminating your whole body. The lady bestows upon you six secret sounds written in purple script and cinnabar characters. Then draw in and swallow Yellow Qi twenty-four times, and Yang essence sixteen times; stop there. Click your teeth together twenty-four times, look up, and recite the incantation:

(The incantation’s general meaning:) Eight refinings of Golden Liquor, the Cinnabar Pool vast and deep; Jade ointment surges and pours, streaming across the eight Qian. Yellow Qi rises thickly, Yang essence gathers as smoke; gather blossoms in the orchid courtyard, the flying skirt sways and circles. The lady rinses her mouth with fragrance, the Sovereign pours forth the nectar; the tender radiance melts in season, circling through all the heavens. Cinnabar brilliance shines in eight directions, its light clear and radiant; turning beams bend and reflect, descending into my body. May I join the moon’s soul and preserve my numinous years for long; riding the empty and mounting the floating, may I reach the furthest realm.

After stopping, swallow Qi twenty-four times, then swallow liquid sixteen times; stop there. Take the purple script and cinnabar characters once more. Practice this way for eight years, and the lady will bestow the true sounds of the cinnabar characters. Flying flowers from the moon will brush your body, your face will reveal a golden countenance, and you will be able to fly through the Upper Clarity heavens.

The method described above: The purple script and cinnabar characters called “The Hidden Sounds of the Moon’s Soul” are inscribed in the eastern region of the moon, on the Qian grove tree; natural writing forms upon its leaves. Whoever obtains and takes these characters may live ten thousand years. There are several dozen methods for working with the sun and moon, but these sounds are kept secret and not transmitted. If they are carelessly divulged to the world, the person who reveals them will immediately undergo the trial of wind and blades; their seven generations of ancestors will be consigned to the boundless realm of ghosts, condemned to the Three Paths and Five Sufferings, and unable to escape for ten thousand kalpas. Therefore, this method should be practiced at dawn on the day of the autumn equinox, facing east, in accordance with its instructions.

Note: This text belongs to the Shangqing tradition of Daoism and to the category of visualization practices. It pairs the spring and autumn equinoxes with the sun and moon, and seeks longevity and ascent through visualizing a lady in the moon, drawing in and swallowing Yellow Qi and Yang essence, reciting an incantation, and taking written characters. Terms such as “Golden Gate” and “Jade Spring” often refer to apertures within the body or in the celestial realm. “Purple script and cinnabar characters,” “six sounds,” and “true sounds” are secret talismanic sounds; they must not be used without transmission from a ritual master. The final warning against revealing the secret follows a common pattern in this type of Daoist scripture.

The Supreme Secret Essentials: A Plain-Language Interpretation

First Passage: Writing and Wearing a Talisman on Purple Paper

Use a brush to write the talisman on purple paper, then swallow it. Click the teeth twelve times and silently recite the incantation:

“Dark radiance shines clear; purple Qi glows brightly. Dense winds ride the sun, and the four and six communicate. Outside, you brush away vermilion splendor; inside, you form eight rays. The purple Dao flows and shines through my body. In carefree fullness, I mount the radiant carriage and ascend to the Emperor’s hall.”

When you have finished reciting, swallow the breath twenty-four times, then stop.

Alternatively, write the talisman in cinnabar on raw purple silk—purple silk that has not been dyed—and wear it on your head. After three years, three feet of purple radiance will emerge from the crown of your head, and six Jade Maidens will attend you. You will be taught the sacred sounds—the secret formulas transmitted orally. Anyone who recklessly reveals them to others will be punished by the officials of the underworld after death. Within a hundred years, if someone bears a golden name and jade characters, meaning their name is recorded in the heavenly registers, the teaching may be passed on to one more person. Those who guard the secret strictly will become immortals and ascend to Highest Clarity (Shangqing).

Second Passage: The Method of Absorbing the Sun and Moon (Summer Solstice Method)

Anyone who studies the Dao and practices the method of absorbing the sun and moon must, at noon on the day of the Beginning of Summer, take eight fen of genuine pearl. Write the “Jade Talisman of the Eight Refinements and Cinnabar Embryo” in cinnabar on yellow paper, then place it in clear water. Face south and bathe. While standing by the basin, click your teeth twenty-four times and silently recite the incantation—the same text used in the Beginning of Spring rite. After reciting, draw in and swallow the breath eight times, then stop.

Return to your room and burn incense. Mix the refined cinnabar with purple powder and other powders, then apply the mixture over your body. Rub your hands together until warm, wipe your face, and spread the mixture over your whole body. Lie with your head facing south. Click your teeth nine times, close your eyes, and make a firm fist below your navel. Visualize the following:

Layers of purple Qi from the sunlight pour down into your body. You are within the sun’s radiance, which encircles you and rises with you, entering the Palace of the Grotto of Yang, in the Forest of Hollow Blue and the Court of Flowing Fire. Visualize the Perfected One of the Southern Pole and Grotto of Yang, named Rong, eight inches tall, wearing crimson ceremonial robes and a single-layered garment, with the Crown of Solar Essence and Universal Yang upon his head. Red Qi pours from his mouth, surging like flames, and burns and refines your body. After a short while, absorb the essence of the Green Forest and unite it with your body. Consume this essence yourself; it tastes sweet, and you feel warmth throughout your body. Swallow the breath eighty times, then stop. Silently recite the incantation:

“Solar radiance shines upon patterned silk, joining the Dark Abode. Flowing fire surges in abundance; the myriad springs lift their waves. The empty forest is thick with green; golden wings wheel and dance. The Cinnabar Mother of the Eight Refinements is fragrant and peaceful. The four gates of the Golden Palace stand open: the home of the August Ones. Sacred radiance breathes forth essence; I look up and sip the flying flowers. To the left, I rise to the Dark Heights; to the right, I command the spirits of fate. My body ascends the high terrace, wandering and gazing upon the Green Fields. The Eight Radiances wing through the heavens, amid purple jade and cinnabar clouds. My Qi is one with the Jade Perfected; my lifespan matches the sacred branches. I feast forever in the Nine Mysteries, and the road has no steep or perilous slopes.”

When you have finished reciting, take the Jade Talisman of the Eight Refinements and Cinnabar Embryo. Swallow the breath eighty times and swallow saliva thirty-six times, then stop.

Note: This text describes rites of the Shangqing and Grotto of Yang traditions of Daoism, involving the absorption of solar energy, wearing talismans, and visualization. It emphasizes the timing (noon at the Beginning of Summer), direction (facing south), talismans, incantations, and the coordinated use of internal Qi (swallowing breath and saliva). Terms such as “Jade Maidens,” “golden names and jade characters,” and “Highest Clarity” refer to Daoist celestial realms, heavenly registers, and states of ascension. The specific practices involve Waidan (external alchemy), talismanic water, and applying substances to the body; this text is presented here for documentary understanding only and should not be imitated.

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

When practicing this method, at night before going to bed: During the period from the beginning of summer to the beginning of autumn, massage both sides of the heart with your hands, eighty times on each side. In your mind, visualize the sun above the heart and the moon below it, their light shining over your whole body. Tap your teeth twelve times and recite the incantation:

“By day I roam the green woods; by night I lodge on the high terrace.

Blazing fire streams ten thousand fathoms; I undergo refinement and receive the jade embryo.

My hun is calm, my po is joyful, and the myriad spirits rejoice.

May the sun endure to its farthest reach, the moon endure forever, and the Three Lights meet their appointed time.”

When you have finished reciting, lie down. After practicing this for eight years, you will be unharmed even if you enter a fire. Your face will be ruddy and bright as cinnabar, and you will be able to speak face to face with Rongzhu (the internal elixir). You will be able to summon Cinnabar Mists and fly to the highest reaches of the heavens.

(The above is from the Dongzhen Huangqi Yangjing Wangdao Shunxing Jing.)

The twenty-four qi of the Upper Origin: These form twenty-four palaces and prefectures, each with its own name. The twenty-four august Emperors dwell above the Jade Clarity Heaven, at the summit of the boundless, within the empty grotto, and in the midst of the Great Void. The Emperor Lords arise by relying on the Void and take human form through an encounter with numinous harmony. Their palaces and prefectures are all formed from jade qi. They are named to assist the Highest Perfected Ones of the Upper Origin; their radiance shines through the grottoes and illuminates the highest heavens in a reflection of the Void.

On the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes, the twenty-four Emperors partake of the qi that has just come into being, refine the Real, transform their spirits, and descend. Those who study this should, on these days, purify themselves, fast, bathe, burn incense, and enter a chamber. First, visualize blue qi emerging from your right eye and white qi from your left. The two qi mingle, billow, overlap, and fill the entire room. Visualize yourself within them, and see the forms of the divine perfected ones with complete clarity, carefully discerning their colors and radiance. Then perform the recitation for partaking of the qi. Concentrate completely in stillness and do not let other thoughts arise. Thus, single-mindedness brings an encounter, and refinement brings the wondrous. In this way, one can turn the purple carriage and fan the Void, ride the wind wheel, and ascend.

Those who have not received the Golden Names and Jade Characters of the Great Ultimate cannot know or hear of this. Those who see its chapters and titles are all beings endowed with profound potential and destined to attain the rank of High Immortal. If kept secret, numinous beings descend; if divulged, calamity ensues. The Upper Origin disperses the twenty-four qi, which transform into the Three Departments, the Eight Radiances, and the twenty-four original grotto palaces of the gods. They govern below, within the bodies of those who study. In the central palace of the Upper Origin, qi also mingles and transforms, arising by relying on the Void. All these beings have a thousand chariots and ten thousand cavalry to guard and protect the body. If you preserve the heavenly Real Ones in a quiet chamber, concentrate your thoughts on the spirit’s countenance within the numinous inner realm.

If you cultivate according to this method, the thirty-eight deities will settle in and guard the palaces within your body. After remaining still for years, you may summon the manifestation of divine beings: Jade Maidens and Jade Youths will stand at your sides, ready to serve at your command. Within eight years, a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen will arrive together. The Eight Effulgences’ jade carriage will descend, auspicious signs will attend you, and your physical body will ascend into the palaces of Highest Clarity.

The Lord of the Three Origins of Great Originality was originally the daughter of the One True One and is also the mother of the Three Original Lords of Simplicity. The Lord of Great Originality formed a fetus in empty space and was born from radiance in the Heaven of the Jade Emperor, the Ninth Mysterious Heaven of Precious Simplicity in Highest Clarity above. Her taboo name is Zheng Huitiao, and her courtesy name is Yun Chunyíng. On her head she wears a precious lang cap and a Fuchen feather crown. She is clad in a brocade cape of floating clouds and purple Qi, and beneath it wears a feather skirt of nine-colored dragon brocade. At her waist hang a flowing-gold fire bell and a tiger tally inscribed with dragon script. She sits in the vastness of space, with clouds of three colors—cinnabar, green, and blue—always beneath her knees, their vaporous forms arching over her body.

Those who wish to practice the Way of flying immortals and carry the jade documents of the Three Origins should, at midnight, face north in a secluded room and close their eyes. Click their teeth three times, then visualize the clothing, taboo name, and courtesy name of the Lord of the Three Origins of Great Originality. See her descend from the Heaven of the Jade Emperor into the room, riding a swift wheel of the Three Simplicities—cinnabar, green, and blue. Then bow inwardly to the Lord and softly recite the incantation:

“Primal essence of the three Qi, spirits of the nine heavens; the dawn’s bright radiance shines, and jade splendor illuminates the depths. The Three Simplicities fly on swift winds, with cinnabar shafts and green canopies; the Eight Winds raise their wheels, their flowing light reflected in the courts of the heavens. Summon the Perfected and bring the immortals, descending into my form. May my aspirations prosper and all my wishes be fulfilled. May my golden face and radiant features shine, my inner palace grow clear and bright. May the Eight Effulgences support my carriage, my bones take flight and my flesh grow light; may I ascend to the Cinnabar Terrace and pay court to Jade Clarity.”

When the incantation is finished, swallow the breath twenty-four times and stop. Open your eyes and recite the song of jade and gem-like music from the Upper Palace of Jade Clarity. This harmonizes the Qi of your body and soul, and allows you to joyfully meet the high Perfected of Great Originality. The song says:

“Primal Greatness links through to Jade Clarity; the Three Luminaries shine through, illuminating the heights. The Eight Effulgences wheel in the dawn wind; clouds disperse in misty veils, and flying spirits emerge. A round wheel is cast into the empty void; golden light crowns the essence of Heaven. Jade splendor gathers into the Five Elders; purple smoke carries the celestial carriage onward. Riding the Qi, I sweep through the mysterious chamber; yielding and following, I break free from the paths I have traversed. My golden form shines amid the nine rosy clouds; my jade body leaps in the cold courtyard. The hidden youth turns his gaze in astonishment; the aged return to infancy. The One Emperor is secured in the Mudball Palace; the Nine Perfected are preserved in the Yellow Court. My gaze reaches beyond ten thousand kalpas, enduring even as these nine heavens fall.”

The incantation and song are formulas recited alongside visualization and breath swallowing during cultivation. Their wording draws heavily on images of the celestial realms, the Eight Effulgences, and ascent. Their full meaning is best explored with a teacher’s guidance or in the context of the complete text; here, only their general sense is translated for ease of reading.

Modern Interpretation

(Closing the ritual)

After completing the devout bowing, swallow saliva three times. The entire ritual is now complete.

The Primordial Father, Mysterious Mother, and the Palaces within the Body

The Supreme True Primordial Father is born from the Qi of the Jade Essence of the Nine Heavens. He is an inner deity of the One Dao and dwells in the Palace of the Utmost Dao of Wuwei (non-action).

The Supreme True Mysterious Mother Below is born from the Qi of the Jade Spirit of the Nine Yin. She is an inner deity of the Yin Ultimate and dwells in the Palace of the True Primordial Central Spirit.

The two Qi govern above in the Palace of the Utmost Cavern of the Nine Heavens, and below in the human body, in the Chamber of the Golden Gate’s Yin and Yang—the place where Yin and Yang meet within the body.

On the days of the Beginning of Spring and the Spring Equinox, the Primordial Father and Mysterious Mother regularly receive the Qi of Jiaoxu and Ying. They disperse essence and pour spirit into the body, refining Jade Immortals in the Heavenly Origin and transforming the True Ones below.

Those who study the Dao should, on these days, bathe, fast in purity, enter their chambers, and burn incense. They should visualize the forms, secret names, garments and headwear, palaces, offices, native places, and retinues of the two True Ones. They should also wear the numinous talismans of the two True Ones of Yin and Yang, thereby securing the spirit palaces in the hidden realm and safeguarding their registers in the Primordial Chart.

During visualization, hold this thought: Yang departs from the region of the Northern Darkness; Yin meets in the Land of Golden Clouds. The two Qi mingle and transform through refinement; Yin and Yang unite and support one another. Then the Primordial Beginning issues its command in the Southern Pole, and the Three True Ones record their names in documents in Eastern Florescence. Like incense smoke curling and turning back, one roams and gazes upon the cliffs of the Purple Empyrean; the knots of death are undone in the Primordial Womb, and the Supreme True One is aided in the Hidden Capital. The Eight Luminaries spur their steeds, the Three Primordials swiftly cross the void; the body flies to Highest Clarity, transforming into the Great Void. Thus the seventy-four realms unite with one’s form: the body is their dwelling.

The Seventy-Four Transformations of Highest Clarity: Titles of the Supreme True Ones

The Supreme True One of the Upper Primordial is formed from the high, bright Qi of the Primordial Mystery and Spirit. He dwells in the Jade Clarity Palace of the Exalted Jade, the Palace of Cinnabar Radiance, the District of the Three Primordial Essences, and the Village of Primordial Rectitude. He is titled the Jade Youth of the Three Heavens Above.

His secret name, head ornament, Three Flowers of precious radiance, and jade crown of the Cavernous Heavens are as follows: he wears a blue-and-yellow brocade robe of seven transformations, a sash bearing the vermilion Essence’s seal that restrains Heaven, and carries a golden fire bell that flows with the Seven Luminaries. He governs the Palace of the Jade Essence, Exalted Jade, and below disperses the Qi of the Primordial Ninefold Dao, which gives birth to Cavern Immortals.

The Palace of the Five Yangs, Cavernous Radiance, Cavernous Ultimate, and Void Above, in the Middle Primordial, governs below the Palace of Yellow Longevity within the body of the True Person.

The Jade Youth of the Three Heavens regularly, on the days of the Beginning of Spring and the Autumn Equinox, takes in and uses the Qi of the Primordial Mystery and Void to refine the True Ones and transform the spirit. He disperses the Qi of the Primordial Ninefold Dao to pour into the bodies of those who study the True Way. Those who cultivate the Way of Flying Immortals should enter their chambers on these days at dawn, late afternoon, and midnight, face east, take in the numinous talisman of the Supreme True One of the Upper Primordial, and knock their teeth together three times.

Notes for Reading the Scripture

• Secret name: The hidden name of an immortal. It should be silently recited during visualization and must not be revealed carelessly.
• Seventy-four realms: Names for positions and transformations in Shangqing visualization practice, corresponding to the palaces within the body and to ascent and transformation through refinement.
• Eight Luminaries and Three Primordials: In Daoist contexts of spirit visualization and ascent, these refer to eight groups of radiance and the Three Primordial deities of Highest Clarity. Here they suggest riding forth and ascending through the void.
• This passage describes a practice of visualizing the Primordial Father, Mysterious Mother, and Jade Youth of the Three Heavens at appointed times, while wearing talismans and knocking the teeth together. It is closely associated with the Beginning of Spring and Spring Equinox, as well as the Autumn Equinox mentioned later.

Practice Instructions

Close your eyes and visualize the “Three Heavens” (the Daoist upper celestial realms). Silently recite the hidden names of the Jade Youths and the colors of their garments. Visualize them riding the qi of the Mysterious Void as they descend into your body, joining and merging in one place with the “qi of the Nine Paths” within you. Then guide the qi and swallow it three times, silently reciting the secret incantation:

“Vast and boundless is the Mysterious Void; the golden chambers and jade halls shine. The Three Spirits set the workings in motion, and the Six Origins spread throughout. The flowing Zhen descends and bestows on me the Mysterious Talisman. Its radiance illuminates the Eight Encirclings, and the Dao’s light shines forth in support. Golden tablets and jade characters, purple script and cinnabar writings, establish my rank among the Nine Heavens, where the numinous and the Zhen share the same order. May the green-canopied flying clouds descend and arrive, and the dragon carriage fly upward to Shangqing. May I ascend into the Mysterious Void, preserve my life through kalpas, and enjoy blessings without end.”

When the incantation is complete, tilt your head back and swallow the qi three times; then stop.

Source and Title of the Scripture

This passage comes from the Supreme Scripture of the Seventy-Four Transformations of the Dongzhen Cavern.

The scripture is also called the Book for Examining the Immortals and Zhen, and its full title is the Chapter of the Three Origins in the Numinous Register of Yin and Yang of the Great Zhen. It is a hidden text of supreme subtlety concerning the Three Heavens and the Nine Spirits. Heaven and Earth have a measure of great kalpas: the scripture will appear only after eight thousand kalpas have passed. When it appears, three hundred officials holding talismans of the Mysterious Terrace of the Three Origins and ninety-one Jade Maidens will all come to protect its bearer. Those who wear and carry this scripture have every spirit of their embodied form granted a name and can become naturally formed Jade Immortals.

Without this text, form and spirit cannot transform, and the hun and po souls wander without direction. The spirit then mingles with evil, and the body is eventually destroyed and reduced to ashes. If form and spirit do not transform, one cannot summon immortal officials or command the High Zhen, nor can one recite the “Ten Thousandfold Jade Chapter.” The Ten Thousandfold Jade Chapter is the hidden name of the myriad spirits of the Nine Heavens’ Great Zhen. Reciting it makes the Nine Heavens listen in alarm, while the myriad immortals fasten their sashes and come.

Without the text for examining the immortals, anyone who recklessly summons immortal officials and stirs the Nine Heavens will find that the Immortals and Zhen do not descend and Heaven does not receive them. Their vocal soul will scatter and their po-soul qi will flee; their palace and dwelling will shake, the Red Child will be disturbed, and the heavenly demons will bring calamity. Their body will then perish and turn to ashes.

If a student of the Dao possesses this text, they need not deliberately cultivate in order to become an immortal. When an age of great peace is about to arrive, they may welcome the sacred lord at the Shangqing Palace. Without the Mysterious Diagram, the Emperor’s Register, and books engraved with cinnabar script, one must not recklessly reveal the precious texts or carelessly divulge Heaven’s secrets. Otherwise, the seven generations of ancestors will be punished and confined for a long time in the offices of the dead; the bearer will lose their life and be barred from entering the realm of immortals.

Transmission

The Primordial Lord of the Upper Origin of the Upper Pure Jade Radiance and Cinnabar Spirit Grotto Heaven bestowed the Text of the Three Origins’ Jade Register on a Perfected of Shangqing to wear while traveling through the heavens, inspecting and governing the vast sky, and directing the assembled Zhen. Those who obtain and wear this text hold rank equal to that of numinous immortals; all the heavens honor them, and the Five Emperors send attendants to greet them. After nine years, the Lord of the Three Origins will proceed to the Shangqing Palace.

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

Scripture:

To receive this text, you must observe ritual purification and abstinence for nine days, then use a blue brush to write it on nine feet of yellow silk and make an offering at the sacred mountain associated with your birth destiny. Afterward, wear it on your person for nine years. If you have not yet ascended to the heavens, make another offering and cast the document into the blue, smoke-filled sky. Then you may ascend to the Jade Radiance Palace of Shangqing, where you will be granted a five-colored cloud carriage to come and welcome you.

The recipient of the teaching has already become clear and empty in body. In the first year, the year of Gengyin, on the ninth day of the ninth month, at the appointed hour of the Upper Jia cycle, the Heavenly King Primordial Beginning observed ritual purity in the Palace of Shangqing and swore an oath to the Supreme: that which has no summit, no color, no shadow, no form, no name, no ancestor, no lineage, and no limit. He penetrated the clarity of the Nine Mysteries—the Dao that is naturally beyond numberless kalpas—and bestowed the Jade Inscription of the Three Origins. The Jade Youths of the Three Heavens received the command to deliver it to later generations of Dao practitioners whose mystic names had already been fixed, and who were destined to become Perfected Ones of Shangqing. Their names were entered in the Golden Treasury of the Cinnabar Terrace, in the jade registers and purple writings, and on the jade tablets. They would then welcome the holy lord and ascend to the Palace of Shangqing.

The Lords of the Three Origins of Great Simplicity dwell in the Palace Above the Highest Shangqing, in the Hall of Broad Radiance. Morning lamps shine upon Jade Perfected Ones, and bright light illuminates the Cinnabar Chamber. The Three Blossoms radiate their splendor through the natural world, while divine radiance shines clearly through the Nine Mysteries. Auspicious clouds veil the Jade Terrace; drifting mists fill the Purple Pavilion. The Dark Diagram is illuminated in the upper hall, the Five Talismans are ordered in the Womb Venerable, and the Three Origins are spread through Great Simplicity. They govern the registers of life at the Jade Gate.

In the lofty, quiet pavilion, one contemplates the wondrous abyss alone. When they travel out to survey the heavens, the sun and moon dim their light, and the clustered lamps uproot themselves. The Eight Winds send waves circling back, and fierce gusts sweep the hidden source. Jade radiance shines across the high sky; dawn’s crimson clouds billow in a dance, while yellow clouds coil in seven layers. The Five Elders clear the way, the Great Emperor steadies the carriage, the Western Sovereign holds the command pennant, and the Eastern Florescence raises the banner. The Nine Heavens hover in attendance; the Great Wuwei (non-action) rises in clouds of mist. Hidden breaths of Qi (vital energy) fill the air, and the Eight Radiances brush away the dust. Their gaze encompasses the Supreme; their movements above and below extend through all the heavens. Truly, the height of the Perfected Ones is beyond reach, and the subtle transformations of the Dao are beyond measure.

(From the Cavern-Truth Scripture of the Jade Inscription)

This is the method of the Inner Contemplation Jade Talisman of Flowing Rosy Clouds and Illumination. Face east and write it with a vermilion brush on white paper. Knock the teeth twelve times, then recite:

“Sun, with your nine paths, the Eight Perfected Ones shine as one. The Three and Five revolve and transform, blending with the Cinnabar Spirit. Stone radiance and jade womb, essence of vermilion cinnabar: gather the flying mystery and let it descend into my form, so that I may live and die together with the Three Mornings for all time.”

When finished, cast the talisman into the water of the Stone Radiance Water Mother.

(The Upper Method of Inner Contemplation, Jade Rosy Clouds and Purple Radiance of Shangqing, also called Golden Essence and Stone Radiance.)

Scroll Ninety-Three of the Wushang Miyao: The Scripture of the Water Mother’s Jade Womb (The Way of Gathering and Taking in the Sun’s Root and Summoning the Rosy Clouds)

A Plain-Language Reading of the Scripture

Scripture title: The Scripture of the Water Mother’s Jade Womb, also known as The Way of Gathering and Taking in the Sun’s Root and Summoning the Rosy Clouds—a method of cultivation and ascension through gathering the essences of the sun and moon.

On the first day of each lunar month, take three sheng of the yellow-flower essence of the Eastern Well constellation (Jing, one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions; the ancients believed its position corresponded to a “Jade Well” in the sky, from which vital essences flowed down). Here, “yellow flower” refers to well-flower water: a numinous liquid associated with the Eastern Well, or golden water prepared according to ritual. A gold vessel is preferred. Place it in the courtyard, and on the night of the sixteenth, at midnight, let the light of the moon’s essence shine mysteriously into the yellow flower.

The practitioner faces east and writes the talisman of Yellow Qi, Yang Essence, and Luminous Numinous Opening, then casts it into the vessel of yellow flower. Next, face west, click the teeth twenty-four times, raise the head, and call out the name of the Moon’s Po (a total of twenty-four characters). After reciting it, close the eyes and visualize: five-colored flowing essences in the moonlight, with purple light descending and pouring into the body. Then visualize a perfected being within the moon, nine inches tall, wearing a purple crown and a yellow brocade flying skirt over the whole body, standing above one’s head and drawing the moon’s yellow flower into the mouth to irrigate one’s body.

Then, before the vessel of yellow flower, reflect the moonlight and softly recite the gist of the incantation:

“Radiant Shu, shining light; the Three and Five open in purity. Purple and yellow descend together; the two Qi mingle and unite. The Heavenly Origin separates and joins, its cycles waxing and waning. The imperial mushroom overflows; the yellow embryo forms its essence. The perfected being in the radiance washes and irrigates my form. The Lady, Consort of the Moon, secures my yellow tranquility. Golden clasps and jade pendants make me thoroughly luminous; I wane with the moon and live with the moon. Long shall I feast on the yellow flower, ascending to the imperial court; roaming through the Great Void, guiding and controlling the flying carriage, I shall enjoy the limitless years of countless kalpas above.”

When the incantation is finished, raise the head toward the moon and swallow the breath twenty-four times. Take the yellow flower and use it to wash the eyes in the moonlight, then bathe the whole body with it. Pour any liquid left over into water flowing east.

It is said that practicing this method for nine years enables one to see the realms of the void, see clearly for ten thousand li, and discern good and ill fortune in advance. One refines the body and changes its substance: the face gains the essence of jade, and purple light shines from the body. One can ride through emptiness and ascend to the Highest Clarity. The Three Passes open, the Nine Gates open, and one receives numinous power. The face appears golden, and the Five Viscera flourish. The Golden True Ones open and flow freely; all becomes open, unobstructed, and luminously clear. Spiritual light shines within, and treasured radiance appears at night. Flowing gold is cast back and forth, and the fire bells summon with a cry; they arrive at once, enabling one to command divine troops. The Three Origins come to one’s chamber and bring down a green carriage. In the end, one can ride through emptiness and soar up to the Highest Clarity.

Source note: The above comes from The Supreme Method of Inner Contemplation of the Jade Rosy Clouds and Purple Radiance, one of the Upper Clarity school’s higher methods of inner contemplation, named for jade rosy clouds and purple radiance.

Note: “Three and Five,” “Three Origins,” “Lady, Consort of the Moon,” “green carriage,” and “flying carriage” are terms used in Upper Clarity cultivation. The ritual includes visualization, talismans and incantations, swallowing and rinsing, and pouring water away eastward. These belong to Daoist traditions of visualization and gathering lunar radiance and should be understood as historical texts, not treated as modern medical or health practices.