《無上祕要》Vol. 62

The Supreme Secret Essentials, Volume 95, “Section Four of Kong: Ascending to Purple Dawn” — A Plain-Language Interpretation

“Ascending to Purple Dawn”

Those who practice the Way of the Seven Turns and Seven Transformations of the Dance of Heaven in the Divine Land—that is, a method on the land of the Divine Land based on seven turns and seven transformations and attuned to the Dance of Heaven—may command twenty-one Jade Boys and twenty-one Jade Maidens to travel among the Five Sacred Mountains. They carry a staff decorated with blue-green feathers, ride a dragon of blue radiance, wear a talisman of the Divine Tiger and a lotus crown, and dress in a purple embroidered cape of feathers and a red-and-blue flying skirt. They ring golden bells and are accompanied by a canopy and flowered banners of purple jade, bearing nine red-spotted talismans. They can seal mountains and summon clouds, and travel upward to the Purple Ultimate Golden Hall.

If they are not yet able to transform their forms and soar into the heavens, they continue practicing this Way in the human world. The Parents of the Nine Heavens and the August Sovereign of Purple Dawn will still bestow upon them ritual robes and the insignia of flying immortals; these simply remain unseen amid the clamor of the mortal world. When you practice this Way, you should often visualize yourself wearing these robes and insignia, riding a dragon and driving the clouds. After seven years, the perfected spirits will appear to you, and you will ascend to Purple Dawn.

The August Sovereign, Master and Lord of Purple Dawn, was descended from the lineage of the Two Radiances, and formed from the essence of Jade Dawn. He nurtured dragon mist in the Great Void, embraced the Purple Void to connect with the numinous, and relied on the Nine Mysteries to contain his excellence. He condensed the vast dew to become spirit, fashioned the Three Qi to nourish himself, and was born according to the pattern of the Mysterious Mother. Through the passage of kalpas he received transformation; moved by the sun’s proclamation, he made his radiant form manifest.

Thus, in the first year of the August Sovereign, when the Heavenly Stem Jia ushered in the dawn, he was born beneath the Heaven of the Eight Views of the Divine Land, beside the cavernous abyss in the central region of Pingqiu. His personal name was Bodi; his courtesy name was Hu□, with one character missing from the original text. On the day of his birth, his face shone with golden features and his body reflected the light of jade. He bore purple markings in five colors and possessed seventy-two transformations; his essence gleamed in his jade-like countenance. A divine dragon spat out a sacred fungus to nourish him, while phoenixes shaded him with their wings. The numinous radiance of the Mysterious Elixir scattered across the jade pavilion, and its flowing light shone brilliantly among the distant perfected ones. The Two Luminaries paused their light across the Eight Brightnesses; the Seven Primordials turned their essence to uphold the dawn. Golden Immortals scattered incense to disperse the vital energies, and divine consorts cast down flowers to raise clouds of mist. The Five Planets formed a network of numinous excellence across the purple heavens.

At eighteen, he wandered freely in the middle realm, eating essence and swallowing Qi, breathing in and out the numinous fluids. He took sacred fungi inward to nourish himself, gathered his spirit into the embryo of an immortal, and drew in and rinsed his mouth with the vital essence while keeping silent. Calm and detached, he followed his natural course, contemplating subtlety and attending to Qi without interruption. Through accumulated spiritual communion, he penetrated the Origin. His name surpassed the highest clarity; he received the title August Sovereign and attained rank in Purple Dawn. Orchids and phoenixes answered with auspicious signs as the cycles of time unfolded. His spirit held the Five Luminaries, his form was anchored in the Seven Primordials. He flew through the skies, circling the celestial wheel, riding the void and descending through the mists, while the host of immortals opened the way.

Notes for comparison with the original:

The three lights merge into one, flashing with the force of lightning. The spirit rides swiftly through the realm of the Nine Profound Heavens, ascends once more the jade steps, and makes three visits to pay homage at the Purple Court.

It wanders among the jade palaces and feasts amid the splendid scenes of the Three Origins, joining in covenant with the Five Elders, the five ancestral gods revered in Daoism, and taking its place as an honored guest in the Jade Empyrean. Flying beasts crouch in a circle; divine phoenixes stroke their wings and cry out at length. Great dragons hold the reins, while numinous winds scatter fragrance, its perfume rising and spreading through the misty realm of Jade Clarity. Golden lads climb the clouds to attend the carriage; jade maidens tread the void to guard the spirit.

It travels east to the lodge among blue waters and mulberry groves, to the source of the vast, numinous abyss, supremely pure. The Divine King of Yang Valley presides over the offices of immortal jade and requests the Nine Profound Primordial Chart, the radiance of the nine transformations of blue essence and emerald clouds, and the liturgical text of the sun’s bright dawning. With these, the true is refined and the form transformed, and it wanders in the palace above the Cavern.

It reaches west to the dark-feathered, pale wilderness and the banks of Dragon Meng River. In the Purple Tenuity Jade Hall, the Queen Mother of the West requests the Bright Spirit’s Pale Text and the Primordial Register of Mount Turtle, which establishes the jade rank of the perfected. She then confers the title of Purple Sovereign.

It journeys south to Vermilion Mound, the Great Cinnabar realm, the land of searing heat and flowing fire. At the nine-tiered jade terrace of the Sun’s Jade Palace, the Supreme Primal Lord of the South requests the Great Cinnabar Cavern-Origin Fire Bell, the Jade Text of the Seven Luminaries, and the Golden True Jade Light. With these, the jade essences of the Two Luminaries are summoned, and the appearance is refined and transformed through seven changes.

It journeys north to the cold realm of the Nine Profound Heavens in the dark north. At the Jade Dawn Palace of the Moon, the Perfected Consort of the Nine Primal Powers receives the precious text of flowing essence and flying radiance. The Nine Luminaries are made to recede, the Seven Primal Powers to open and shine forth; thus she passes through the Gate of Heaven and attends the banquet in the Jade Palace.

It ascends above to the rugged terraces of the Jade Capital, the Primal Radiance of the First Heaven, and to its chamber of nine bends. The Venerable Man of Great Truth and the Lord of the Great Dao above receive the orthodox rites of the Three Heavens, wield authority over the Six Heavens, and receive the text of the Nine Crimson Flying Essences. Clad in a flowing-gold phoenix seal, they rise in rank to Purple Dawn.

Then the Master of the Highest Sovereign shines with numinous radiance, his golden countenance bright and composed. His body is crowned with ritual robes, and his head bears a seven-colored crown patterned in purple, its frost-like streamers flying. A multitude of attendant maidens and immortals—tens of billions—surround the jade carriage, guarded by flying dragons and fierce beasts. The night shines with its own light; divine torches fill the chambers and diffuse the fragrance of subtle incense. The wind drums the dark banners, which wheel and dance in a swirling haze, while a clear cry resounds through the Great Void. Jade tones set the air vibrating; songs ring out from the void and fly afar. Eight echoes answer and converge; phoenixes cry and luan birds sing, their clear music blending with the mysterious sounds. The essence of the mysterious resplendently reflects the Three Mornings.

When the canopy comes to rest, the myriad Perfected offer reverence and congratulations; all place their trust in him. He nourishes the spirit in the palaces of the Divine Region and in the boundless, desolate lodges, orders the cycles of the Three and Five, and rescues and transforms the age of hardship inherited from Tang. He brings the Two Forms into harmony through the mysterious chart, gathers the Virtue of the Highest Sovereign, and shines upon the ten directions.

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

The methods handed down from the Sovereign of High Antiquity are recited quietly in the Jade Pavilion. One gazes down into the hidden realm, where the Three Passes are deep and flourishing. The lines of the text begin, its rhythms join in chorus, and the mysterious palace answers. Clear patterns respond in praise, while empty sounds race back and forth. The radiance of penetrating wisdom shines forth; the Eight Winds surge and rush, and the flowing lightning is gathered to raise the essence. The Six Jia (deities employed in Daoist rites) are summoned within the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and the celestial troops and martial ranks are put to work. The commands of the Five Sacred Peaks await the arrival of the chariot; mighty proclamations are issued to shake the spirits. The celestial dance is transformed across the divine realm, turning seven times in the wondrous court. The Void is summoned to pour itself within, and jade talismans are taken to lift the body. Mysterious images are set in the sun and moon; the Seven Qi are set in motion among the Dipper stars.

Then one drifts across the Nine Regions, with the young lord sharing a carriage and the Director of Destinies keeping pace. They roam and feast in Purple Dawn, overseeing the depths of the Caverns and commanding all the immortals. From Heaven downward, none fails to serve the Sovereign of High Antiquity. All of this comes through the Way of the Seven Transformations, whose wonders defy description.

The Way of the Seven Turns and Seven Transformations was received by the Lord of Purple Dawn, Sovereign of High Antiquity, from the Father and Mother of the Nine Heavens. After perfecting the Way through cultivation, he transmitted it to the Sovereign Lord of Mysterious and Responsive Clear Heaven. The Sovereign Lord passed it to the Jade Lad of the Three Heavens; the Jade Lad passed it to the True Origin Lord of the Purple Pole; the True Origin Lord passed it to the Celestial Emperor; the Celestial Emperor passed it to the Lord of the Upper Origin at the Southern Pole; the Lord of the Upper Origin passed it to the Celestial Emperor of Great Tenuity; the Celestial Emperor of Great Tenuity passed it to the Lord of the Golden Gate, the Sage of Later Ages; and the Lord of the Golden Gate passed it to the Azure Lad, Chief Minister. The transmission continued from one to the next, with each handover separated by ten thousand kalpas. The King of the Lesser Heaven later compiled a copy and sealed it in a mountain in the Western Regions. Those who obtain it must welcome the Sacred Lord at the Palace of Highest Clarity. They are granted twenty-one Jade Lads and twenty-one Jade Maidens, who guard the numinous writings and protect the bodies of those who possess the scripture.

The Way of the Seven Turns of the Sovereign of High Antiquity is written in crimson slips and purple books, kept secret within the Purple Heaven’s Original Terrace and the Jade Chambers and Golden Halls. It is transmitted to those who have already attained true perfection, and not taught to beginners. Those who receive the Thirty-Nine Chapters of the Caverns of Truth, the Jade Register of the Female One, and the Wondrous Scripture of Great Being, and use them to untie knots, disperse stagnation, and deliver the Seven Generations of Ancestors, but do not know the method of the Seven Turns, may not recite or chant from the Jade Text. The chapters of the Seven Turns are all melodies of the divine realm and sounds of the Most High. They move through Heaven and Earth and join with the Three Luminaries. Turning left and right, they converge at the Cavern Gate; they transform five and return to two, answer above to the Seven Primordial Ones, and turn three back to five, mapping the measures of Heaven’s Pass. Their Way is exceedingly wondrous, so it is performed as a celestial dance and recited. When one chapter is fully and seamlessly illuminated, the Seven Turns… (the following text continues with the specific sequence of the “Seven Turns”).

After reciting it eight times, the Three Lights—the sun, moon, and stars—unite with the true spirits, and the Five Elders, the Daoist venerable deities of the five directions, enter one’s name in the register. The deity who governs the allotment of life changes one’s years and lifespan, dispersing the burdens of karma from past lives and completely severing the roots of the womb. One’s nine generations of ancestors may thereby be reborn as embryo immortals. In this way, one can command a thousand demons and myriad devils, compelling them to restrain themselves and submit. After completing ten thousand recitations, one may take a place in the Purple Dawn Immortal Palace.

The above comes from the Scripture of the Seven Transformations of the Divine Continent of the Cavern of Truth.

Section on Ascending to the Jade Palace

The Great Emperor’s Plain Words: Inner Invocation, First

Sit alone and upright in a quiet room, facing east. Knock the teeth together nine times, close the eyes, and silently recite the invocation: “Cangyuan Haoling Shaoyang, Master, please return the nine Qi to my liver and bring peace to my hun and po souls. If any evil spirits intrude, use the flowing bells to subdue them. May the Supreme Emperor write my name in the Jade Register and enter it in the immortal register of Great Clarity.” After reciting, hold the breath for nine counts and swallow the saliva nine times. This completes the practice.

The Heavenly Emperor’s Plain Words: Inner Invocation, Second

Face due south, close the eyes, knock the teeth together three times, and silently recite the spell: “Above the Crimson Court and Crimson Palace dwell the High Perfected. The three Qi return to the heart; this is my Cinnabar Origin. Please make my body and mind pure and clear, convey my appeal directly to Heaven, and write my name in the green immortal register of Taiwei, placing it among the names of the immortals.” After reciting, hold the breath for three counts and swallow the saliva three times. This completes the practice.

The Southern Pole Supreme Primordial Lord’s Plain Words: Inner Invocation, Third

Face due west, close the eyes, knock the teeth together seven times, and silently recite the spell: “Perfected Spirit of the Plain Origin, Cavernous Floating Heaven, please use the seven Qi to guard my lungs and dwell there with the spirits. Make me clear, sincere, and bright, pure as polished stone, as I roam the realm of mysterious emptiness. May the Nine Emperors’ true writings inscribe my name in white jade and gold, enabling me to ascend as an immortal and remove my name from the register of the dead.” After reciting, hold the breath for seven counts and swallow the saliva seven times. This completes the practice.

The Great Emperor of Taiwei Heaven’s Plain Words: Inner Invocation, Fourth

Face the direction corresponding to the destiny of the current year. Close the eyes, knock the teeth together twelve times, and silently recite the spell: “Spirit of the Yellow Origin, Central Emperor, who governs my destiny, please use the One Qi to attend and guard my spleen, so that I may attain the Dao and become perfected. May living beings in generations to come turn toward the right path, and may a thousand spirits come to pay homage. Please have the Old Lord enter my name in the Mysterious Register, list me among the immortals, and grant me long life and enduring vision, so that I may abide with Heaven and Earth.” After reciting, hold the breath for one count and swallow the saliva twelve times. This completes the practice.

The Rear Sage Emperor’s Plain Words: Inner Spell, Fifth

Face due north, close the eyes, knock the teeth together five times, and silently recite the spell: “Supreme pivot of the Mysterious Origin, extending to the eight extremities, please use the five Qi to guard my kidneys. May my name be written on a jade tablet, and may my lifespan equal that of Heaven and Earth. The August Supreme Emperor stands majestically in his lofty seat, undeceived by evil. Please command the spirits of the Six Jia to summon the gods of the Eight Powers.” After reciting, hold the breath for five counts and swallow the saliva five times. This completes the practice.

The Plain Words of the Assembly of Perfected Ones: Inner Spell, Sixth

These rites prescribe in sequence the direction to face, the number of times to knock the teeth together, the words of the invocation or spell to recite silently, and the number of counts to hold the breath and swallow saliva. The invocations and spells center on protecting the five organs, purifying body and mind, entering one’s name in the immortal registers, and extending life to attain immortality.

Baihua Commentary on the Supreme Secret Essentials

(Practice steps) Next, turn east and visualize the Qi of the five directions. When this is complete, swallow saliva nine times and click the teeth.

Then bow again to the north and recite the Yin invocation:

“I respectfully address the Most High and the Four Perfected Ones of Taiji. I ask to visualize the Five Emperors and the Five Numinous Spirits of the five directions, inscribe their names in green characters, and harness their chariots as they travel through the ten heavens. May the myriad demons have their Qi bound, and may all the evil influences vanish like smoke, so that I, [name], may meet them and speak with them.” After reciting, concentrate deeply once more.

The Most High said: “Anyone who wishes to practice the methods of the scriptures, visualize and remember the divine and perfected beings, or follow the method of Guarding the One must first understand and open the Three Palaces, illuminate the Nine Orifices, and regulate the Five Viscera. If you begin practice without doing so, the divine Qi will not be pleased, the Perfected Spirits will not descend, and even the most intense contemplation will be in vain, bringing no benefit to your self-cultivation. Those with resolve should practice these methods diligently. After reciting the plain invocations of the five directions, return to visualization. When the Qi is regulated and harmonized, the inner spirits rejoice, and their response meets yours; all becomes clear and radiant. Apply yourself to the practice, and you will surely attain immortality. This supremely subtle, highest method is not transmitted to anyone unworthy.”

Those who practice the Way of long life and the method of ascending to the heavens in broad daylight must make pure abstinence and devoted contemplation their first priorities. How could the learning of the Perfected Ones be empty or false, when they look to the clouds and rosy mists to bring about a descent, and contemplate in order to summon the unseen and elicit a response? The Way of Heaven is mysterious and silent; when you look for it, it seems to vanish. Yet since you have set your heart on it, where does it reside? It is within you. Surely, through steadfast sincerity, firm discipline, and holding to the true Dao, you need not expect it in some distant future. In just a few years, when you accord with the Qi, the Dao will descend. This is the Most High’s subtle secret; whoever obtains it becomes an immortal.

All learning should proceed from the lower stages to the higher, with practice undertaken in due order. Do not skip steps or neglect the regulations of Heaven. The scriptures have three grades, and the Dao has three kinds of Perfected beings. The Inner Writings of the Three Sovereigns, the great characters of the celestial writings, the registers of the Nine Heavens, and the Way of the Yellow and White can enable one to guide a chariot through the mysterious heavens and roam among the Five Sacred Peaks. They therefore form the lowest grade. The Lingbao and Dongxuan traditions were born together with the Primordial Beginning. Profound and subtle, they share the same aim as the original purification rites. By purifying oneself with fragrant orchids five times and reflecting them in the mystery, one can deliver seven generations of ancestors and release the roots of their sins. These practices can also bring about the descent of Perfected beings and ascent through flight to the Great Clarity. Such is the subtlety of the middle grade. Earthly immortals belong to the lower realm. The scriptures of Shangqing and the hidden writings of the Great Elixir include three hundred precious names and nine thousand jade instructions. These are the foremost teachings of the highest Perfected beings and the inner texts of the Jade Emperor. Those who obtain them have their names entered on jade tablets and their registers inscribed in the Green Palace. They ascend to Heaven in broad daylight and reach the halls of the Emperor. These methods of the highest grade are kept secret above the Nine Heavens, in the Palace of Great Being.

The study of Daoist methods should begin with more accessible teachings and advance step by step; only then can one ultimately reach Jade Clarity, the highest heaven in Daoism. Three scriptures are especially important in these methods. The first is the Great Cavern Perfect Scripture, comprising thirty-nine chapters; the second is the Precious Scripture of the One Yin; and the third is the Supreme Lord’s Wondrous Scripture of the Great Being in the Plain Spirit Cavern of Mystery. These scriptures are transmitted to perfected Realized Ones, not to beginners. If beginners happen to come across their titles, they must not read the sacred texts on their own initiative. They should first study introductory teachings, then advance to the true Dao. Only by learning in order can they complete their cultivation of Daoist methods and ultimately become immortals. Those who cultivate the Dao should diligently observe these instructions and never violate them.

Anyone who studies Daoist methods without first learning the various liturgical rules and precepts—the procedures and prohibitions for cultivation—will ultimately find it difficult to succeed, even if they study. The liturgical rules and precepts restrain transgressions. Once one understands them, one can correct one’s faults and naturally accord with the true Dao. The Rules of Great Perfection are divided into nine grades, with twelve articles in each; the Rules of the Nine Perfections are divided into three grades, with nine articles in each; and the Clarified Rules of the Four Poles are divided into four grades, with twenty-four articles in each. These rules and precepts specify the gravity of offenses and the corresponding blessings and punishments. Cultivators should therefore consult and study them first. For introductory practice, it is enough to study these rules and precepts on their own; there is no need to include them all in the various scriptures.

The Supreme Lord’s Plain Spirit Great Being Jade Chapters and the Clarified Rules of the Nine Perfections are transmitted only to those with the foundation of an immortal and a perfected being, who are capable of accord with the true Dao. According to the old regulations handed down from the era of the August Sovereigns, these scriptures were transmitted only once every ten thousand kalpas. After the Three Heavens established orthodoxy, the rule changed: transmission was permitted three times every seven thousand years. If a suitable recipient appeared within seven hundred years, transmission was also permitted three times. The recipient must prepare offerings according to the liturgical rules: three liang of fine gold, one hundred chi of purple-patterned silk, twenty-seven chi of blue silk, five liang of red thread, one jin of aloeswood, and one liang of cinnabar, then bring them to the master. The recipient must also make a vow before the master for one hundred days, or at least thirty days, and swear an oath before the deities of the Nine Heavens, the Northern Emperor, the Great Spirit, the Myriad Perfected Ones, the Immortal Guides, the Jade Office, and others, thereby establishing a bond of trust. The recipient must solemnly safeguard the secret teachings and cultivate the sacred texts, never disclosing or publicizing them carelessly. Anyone who breaks the oath or violates the rules and precepts will bring calamity upon nine generations of ancestors. After death, their soul will be flogged and imprisoned in the underworld for a long time, denied release through ten thousand kalpas; their body will also be destroyed, and they will ultimately fail to become an immortal.

All who receive transmission of the Plain Spirit Scripture of the Cavern of Mystery should pass it on to a suitable person within the prescribed period. Once that period has passed, they must no longer disclose the titles of its chapters, so as not to publicize the secrets of the Three Wondrous Ones indiscriminately. The mysterious teachings of the Plain Spirit Scripture should be used to instruct later students, so that those who diligently seek the Dao may learn of them and carefully observe the Clarified Rules.

The emperors of the heavens, the Later Sage, the Ninefold Mystery Emperor, the Blue Youth of the High Ministers, and the Perfected One of Taiji respectfully bow and ask:

The Supreme Heavenly Worthy: The Daoist methods of the utterly perfect and supreme Dao are wondrous and peerless, mysterious, distant, and clear. They encompass and govern the myriad things and are their root.

The Supreme Secret Essentials, Volume 95: A Plain-Language Interpretation

From stillness and emptiness, wondrous principles take shape, inspiring subtle teachings that nurture the Three Vehicles—Dao, Heaven, and Earth, or different stages of cultivation. Their reach spans countless eons and defies measure. How, then, could they be confined to written rules and regulations?

The Most High said: “Well said. People of later ages who do not descend from the lineage of Jade Void—the immortal realm of Shangqing—and who were not born endowed with the Qi of Nature are mostly conceived from the Qi of chaos and tainted by the noise and impurity of the mundane world. Their endowment is impure, and their minds find it hard to remain steadfast in goodness. Though they aspire to the mysterious Dao, their hearts often turn away from their true selves. Every action they take brings some transgression. Transgressions show outwardly, while the roots of life are damaged within. To study and cultivate under these conditions—is that not to stray far from the true Dao? If the Three Offices of Heaven, Earth, and Water, which oversee merit and fault, apply their laws and call you to account, the underworld will examine the case and implicate seven generations of ancestors, while the burden of guilt falls upon you. For those who commit such transgressions, the Most High has established a system of penalties and correction in Xuandu, the capital of the Daoist realm, along with means of atonement prescribed by its regulations. If these rules are followed, one may hope to draw closer to the truth. Without this self-examination, even the most concentrated thought and arduous cultivation will come to nothing.”

For this reason, the “Illuminating Chapters of the Nine True Ones and Three Grades” are presented here. The Perfected One of the Supreme Ultimate withdrew to a purification chamber and received the Wondrous Scripture of the Great Presence of the Numina in the Shangqing realm. The secret records of the Nine True Ones’ regulations and examinations were stored in a golden treasury and a jade coffer. Three thousand Jade Boys and three thousand Jade Maidens attended to the sacred texts, scattering fragrant incense through the empty courtyard. Flying dragons, venomous beasts, and great serpents, each a thousand fathoms long, raised their claws to guard the cloud walls and protect the Jade Gate. Thus, the great sages of the Ten Heavens and the perfected immortals of the Nine Palaces ascend to the Mysterious Palace once every three months, receive the illuminating regulations, and bow in homage to the sacred texts.

The Lord of the Azure Lad, Chancellor of the High Realm, said: “Those endowed with bones of gold and marrow of jade, whose names are recorded in the Azure Palace—the immortal register of Shangqing—may receive this text, keep it secret, and put it into practice. If the rites of transmission accord with the mysterious canon, and their application follows the proper measure, their merit will equal that of the Perfected Ones. In this way, they may atone for transgressions and escape calamity; bonds forged in past lives will all be released, and the ancestors of seven generations will rejoice. They themselves may ascend and feast in the Jade Palace above.”

(The above is from the Wondrous Scripture of the Great Presence of the Numina of the Most High of the Dongzhen Cavern.)