《無上祕要》Vol. 64

The practice of turning the mind and spirit inward, drawing in Jing and Qi, and summoning the essences of the Five Planets from above in order to ascend to the heavens can also protect the Seven Mysteries above—an Daoist concept connected with one’s ancestors and origins—and loosen the bonds of the myriad forms below. It brings body and mind into harmony with the transformations of all things, allowing one to rise swiftly to the wondrous order of the Dao. For this practice, bathe, burn incense, and maintain a quiet fast in a purified room. Following this method can make the Five Viscera luminous and the Seven Orifices clear, fill the Crimson Palace within the body with spirit and Qi, and raise body and spirit to the realm of the Five Planets. This is an exceedingly mysterious method, and it must not be passed on to anyone who is not truly suited to receive it. As the saying goes, “Those who know the Dao find it easy to practice; those who understand the methods of practice find it hard.” Since cultivating the Dao is so difficult, how could its methods not be kept secret?

Choose one of these days: Jiazi, Jiawu, Yiyou, Yimao, Jichou, Jiwei, Wuchen, or Wuxu. After bathing and fasting, enter a quiet room. You may sit or lie as you wish. Close your eyes and clasp your hands. Concentrate on visualizing the Azure Emperor of the East, Tongming, courtesy name Gaiqing, entering your body. He wears an azure headcloth, robe, cap, and shoes, and carries the insignia of Penetrating Light and Yang Radiance, a symbol of divine power. Next, visualize the four True Spirits in your liver, named Clear Bright Lord, courtesy name Bright Wheel Youth. They dwell perpetually in the liver, guarding the entrance to the stomach tract—that is, the aperture beneath the fatty membrane—and barring the death Qi. Visualize the Azure Emperor bestowing Azure Essence and Blue Water Jade Fungus upon you. Then visualize the luminous essence of Jupiter, inhale it through the mouth, and swallow it ninety times, until Azure Qi fills the Liver Palace. After practicing this for nine years, you will be able to command nine Azure-Robed Jade Maidens of the East to stand at your side.

Next, visualize the Red Emperor of the South, the Sun, courtesy name Young Forest, entering your body. He wears a red headcloth, robe, cap, and shoes, and carries the insignia of Fourfold Radiance and Vermilion-Bi. Then visualize the One Origin Vermilion Emperor in the Crimson Palace, the palace where the heart resides. He is named Spirit-Circling Pearl and has the courtesy name Southern Vermilion Youth. He is also called Life-Rising Elder and History Cloud-Reins. He eternally guards the Crimson Palace and protects the head’s “first gate,” the aperture in the head, cutting off the passage through which death Qi enters. Visualize the Red Emperor bestowing Vermilion Essence and Red Water Jade Fungus upon you. Then visualize the luminous essence of Mars, inhale it through the mouth, and swallow it eighty times, until Red Qi fills the Crimson Palace. After practicing this for nine years, you will be able to command eight Red-Bi Jade Maidens of the South to stand at your side.

Next, visualize the White Emperor of the West, Tongyin, courtesy name Origin Rising, entering your body. He wears a white headcloth, robe, and cap, with plain white shoes, and carries the insignia of Bright Spirit and Fuxi. Then visualize the six True Spirits in your lungs, named the Upper Prime Jade Lord, courtesy name Middle Southern Youth Liang.

Let it fill my lungs, and guard the twelve gates within them, completely sealing off the path by which deathly Qi enters. May it bring me Su Zhi, white water, and the elixir of Jade Essence. I visualize the essence-light of the Great White Star—that is, Venus—draw it in through my mouth, and swallow sixty times. Then I stop, allowing the star’s Qi to fill my lungs and entrails. After nine years of this cultivation, six Tai Su Jade Maidens will attend at my side.

Next, I visualize the Black Emperor of the North, the deity who governs the north. His sacred name is Tongshen, and his courtesy name is Zigui. He wears a blue headscarf and robe, a blue cap and shoes, and at his waist is the Yuzhen Xiaofeng insignia, a Daoist talismanic badge. I visualize him entering my body. Then I visualize the seven true spirits in my kidneys, one of whom is Lord Xuanyang, whose courtesy name is Mingguangsheng. I ask him continually to replenish both my kidneys, guard the underworld within the bones of my back, and seal off the path by which deathly Qi enters. May he bring me dark Yin elixir fungi and water of the nine fluids. I visualize the essence-light of the Northern Star—that is, Mercury—draw it in through my mouth, and swallow fifty times. Then I stop, allowing the star’s Qi to fill both my kidneys. After nine years of this cultivation, five Tai Xuan Jade Maidens will attend at my side.

Next, I visualize the Yellow Emperor of the Center, the deity who governs the center. His sacred name is Wanfu, and his courtesy name is Dacang. He wears a yellow headscarf and robe, a yellow cap and shoes, and at his waist is the badge of the Eight Directions of the Central Origin and the Jade Gate, a Daoist talismanic badge. I visualize him entering my body. Then I visualize the five true spirits in my spleen, one of whom is Lord Yangguang, whose courtesy name is Taichangzi. I ask him continually to replenish my spleen, guard the most fundamental gate, and seal off the path by which deathly Qi enters. May he bring me yellow water, moonlight, and Jade Embryo elixir fungi. I visualize the essence-light of the Central Stabilizing Star—that is, Saturn—draw it in through my mouth, and swallow twelve times. Then I stop, allowing Qi to fill my spleen and entrails. After nine years of this cultivation, twelve Huang Su Jade Maidens will attend at my side.

Next, I visualize the Upper Mysterious Primordial Father, named Gao Tongsheng, whose courtesy name is Zuo Huiming, and the Lower Primordial Mysterious Mother, named Shu Huowang, whose courtesy name is You Huiliang. I visualize these two deities guarding the root of my allotted life, blocking the source of deathly Qi, and bringing me Yang fungi and Yin essence to nourish my body. Then I visualize the two lights of the sun and moon shining over my whole body. I draw in their radiance through my mouth and swallow thirty-six times. Then I stop, allowing light and Qi to fill the Dantian palace below my navel. After nine years of this cultivation, my face will shine with a golden luster and light will flow in my eyes. I will be able to command the Six Jia, summon and control the Six Ding, and act as I please. When a perfected immortal comes to my dwelling, I visualize the true spirits of the Five Emperors and the two celestial lights of the sun and moon. When the ritual is complete, I recite this incantation:

“The Five Stars circle around me, their light flowing into my body, clear and bright. The rosy glow of the sun and moon nourishes the vital essence of the Five Viscera. The true spirits replenish the organs and entrails, preserving the peace of the Yellow Court for long ages. Taiyi devises wondrous transformations, changing the embryonic origin and restoring old age to infancy; the liver and lungs hold fast to their charge.”

The following is a plain-language interpretation of this passage from the Wushang Biyao, arranged to follow the structure of the original as closely as possible.

Forming the Blossoms, the Heart and Kidneys, and Paying Court in Jade Clarity

Begin by visualizing the “forming of the blossoms.” Let the Qi of the heart and kidneys become full, while the spleen guards the central palace. The Qi of the five viscera comes to life like the “Five Mushrooms.” Then visualize the precious light of the sun and moon merging with yourself. Your spirit consciousness rises through the open sky to pay court in the realm of Jade Clarity.

Calling Forth the Inner Perfected Ones, Filling the Cavities and Guarding Their Places

Next, visualize each one by name and have them “fill” and dwell in the corresponding part of the body:

• The three Perfected Ones of Jing and blood: Lord Primordial Birth, courtesy name Yellow Peace Adept—constantly fills the place below the two openings (the area of the two lower bodily openings).
• The two Perfected Ones of the source and bones and joints: Lord Firm Jade, courtesy name Coalescing Feather Pearl—fills the palace of the Great Granary and the openings of the five intestines (the area of the stomach and the entrances to the intestinal organs).
• The Perfected One in the heart: Lord Heaven’s Essence and Liquid, courtesy name Flying Birth, Exalted Bloom—fills the openings of the four poles within the chest and the Nine Origins (the chest, diaphragm, and essential cavities of the upper burner).

• The male, named Restraint and Control, courtesy name Three Yang—guards the Gate of Hidden Dawn in the left ear (the inner landscape’s gateway in the left ear).
• The female, named Returning Above, courtesy name Imperial Daughter—fills the Gate of Hidden Dawn in the right ear (the inner landscape’s gateway in the right ear).

• Lord Purple Plain, Left Origin: Concealed Abundance, Blade Without Edge, courtesy name Peaceful Arrival—fills above the realm of the head and face.
• Lord Yellow Plain, Central Origin: Rounded Bloom, Yellow Blade, courtesy name Great Expansion—fills above the realm of the chest and abdomen.
• Lord White Plain, Right Origin: Bright Opening, Desolate Blade, courtesy name Golden Gate—fills above the realm of the lower pass (the lower abdominal cavity).

• Lord of Fate in the Sun: named Receiving Life—fills the left hand.
• Lord Peach in the Moon: named Fullness at the Four Quarters—fills the right hand.

• Lord of the Primordial White Qi within the womb: Mysterious Endeavor Adept, courtesy name Nurturing the Exalted—together with the two spirits of the essence and soul of the Great One, Mysterious Returning Adept, courtesy name Flourishing Prosperity, fills above the five viscera and at the root of the throat knot (the root of the throat and the upper edges of the five viscera).

• Lord of the Blue Qi within the knot: Prolonged Abundance, courtesy name Joining in Harmony—together with the two spirits of the essence and soul of the Infant Origin Lord, Boy Guarding the Grain, courtesy name Bright Man, fills below the five viscera and above the great stomach (the stomach pit and the lower edges of the five viscera).

• Lord of the Black Qi within the joints: Patterned Arrival of Life, courtesy name Essence at the Upper Gate—together with the two spirits of the essence and soul of the Imperial Perfected One, Jade of the Hidden Terrace, courtesy name Pouring Down from Above, fills the openings of the Nine Intestines and below the Hidden Source (the intestinal openings and the depths of the Qi source).

• Lord of the Yellow Qi within the womb: Ancestral Bright Chariot, courtesy name Spirit Without—together with the two spirits of the essence and soul of the Extreme Heaven Emperor, Regulating and Preserving, courtesy name Dharma Pearl, fills within the lower abdomen and at the root of the two openings (the lower abdomen and the roots of the two openings).

• Lord of the Red Qi within the blood: Adept Blended Separation, courtesy name Uncle Protector—together with the two spirits of the essence and soul of the Firm Lord of Fate, Adept Hair Knot, courtesy name Celebration of the Mysterious, fills the blood of the hundred passes and below the severed joints (the body’s many cavities and the essential points along the circulation of blood).

• Lord Primordial Father of the Upper Mystery: High One Born Together, courtesy name Left Turning Brightness—together with the Mysterious Mother of the Lower Origin, Uncle Fire King, courtesy name Right Turning Radiance; the Imperial Sovereign, Great One, Deeply Dark Space, courtesy name Hidden Vastness; the Nine Emperors; and others, all guard their corresponding positions. (In the source text, this passage may connect to the preceding or following lines in the base edition. The specific cavities to be filled should be determined by consulting the liturgical procedures in the full text.)

Notes for readers; not part of the scripture

• “Filling” and “guarding”: In Daoist inner-landscape practice, these mean visualizing divine beings, Qi lords, and spirits of essence dwelling in particular places within the body, thereby harmonizing Qi, protecting the body, and opening communication with the divine.
• Purple Plain, Yellow Plain, and White Plain: These are often associated with the left, center, and right, or with primordial lords of different colored Qi, corresponding respectively to the head and face, chest and abdomen, and lower pass.
• “Gate of Hidden Dawn”: A name for the ear orifices in the inner landscape; the male and female divine names are assigned to the left and right sides.
• Many personal names and courtesy names also appear in other works of the Daoist Canon. This plain-language rendering translates their literal meanings without altering the ritual method. Anyone using the passage in practice should follow the order given in the complete text and the instruction of a teacher, and should not extract this passage and arrange it independently.

The section in the Essential Secrets of the Most High in plain language

The honored deity is named Mingzhen, with the courtesy name Zhongdi. Its vital essence is named Yangtangyu, with the courtesy name Baling Jiuguan; its soul is named Lühui Dao, with the courtesy name Jueming Tianji. Its imperial soul is named Zhaowu A, with the courtesy name Guangshen Qishen. Use these names to fill the root of my original life and seal the gate to my road of death.

Visualize and silently invoke the assembled Perfected Ones. From the head down to the navel, everything becomes brilliantly bright. Let the Golden Liquid flow throughout the body, the Jade Radiance illuminate the soul, Shen and Qi fill the deepest bowels, and imperial Qi fill the Nine Passes. The Seven Ancestors are released from the Three Paths (the hells), and change their wombs in the Southern Palace to be reborn. Within the body, deities arise and Qi spreads, thereby securing the years of one’s life.

When finished, click the teeth thirty-nine times and say:

Qi arises from nothing; when Qi gathers, Shen is born. Yang Qi is offered outward, while Yin Qi rises within. The two forms turn and intermingle, joining to form the primordial spirit. The inner Perfected Ones fill and guard the nine apertures, receiving life, protecting the soul, and securing the spirit; the myriad deities settle in peace. Guard my Three Passes; let the blossoms of Zhi fill them. Rise together with me, and together reach Jade Clarity.

When finished, swallow the Qi thirty-nine times, filling the thirty-nine chambers. Let its moistening influence spread throughout the body.

If you can cast off burdens, remain unbound by worldly dust, still your heart and calm your thoughts, and clearly behold the empty chamber; if you gaze inward and look within, filling Shen and securing the soul, severing death Qi from the nine chambers, and filling the palace of life at the upper pass; if you repeatedly visualize and invoke the deities as though speaking face to face—then, after three years, the True Deities will appear in visible form. Bright Radiance will return to its root, decayed teeth will grow anew, and the Five Viscera will form connecting networks, replenishing and filling the interior. You will command the Six Jia and direct the Six Ding; guests from the Nine Heavens will arrive at your chamber, and the deities will descend in carriages adorned with the Three Pure Ones. Your Shen will fly and your body rise; in broad daylight you will ascend to the celestial realm.

The above describes the deities of the Supreme Perfected. Their precious names are within; they fill the human body and set in motion the Qi of the Nine Heavens, securing the workings of the six viscera. The transformation and generation of all vital essences come from Shen: when Shen fills the body, life flourishes; when Shen departs, life ends. With diligent devotion and accumulated spiritual resonance, one can raise the human body and ascend to the Mysterious Palace.

If one seeks the way to immortality but knows neither the inner names of body and spirit nor how to seal the gates of death and bring forth the palaces of life, how can one hope to attain it?

Those who practice this way must not tread carelessly among filth and impurity, eat the pungent foods, or violate the upright Qi, lest the deities depart. Those who understand that rich dishes delight the palate and titles and stipends adorn the body, yet do not pursue them, know that food pleasing to the palate is an axe that damages life, and extravagant honors and wealth are a source of the loss of the true. Thus the Spirit Immortals cherish quiet seclusion and make it their dwelling; they do not reveal themselves amid the dust of the world.

Plain-Language Interpretation

Should One Not Be Careful in a Family Blessed with Life’s Affinity for the Dao?

If one is born into a family whose destiny is connected to the Dao, should one not treat that inheritance with care?

The High Sage Emperor Lord said: Those who wish to have their names entered in the golden books and jade registers of Shangqing (the Daoist celestial realm), and who hope one day to ride a flying carriage into the palaces of Shangqing, should, on the second day of the second lunar month, write the Ten Sounds of the Jade Register—a set of specific sacred sounds and titles—in blue ink on white paper. Facing due east, they should wear it on their person, click their teeth nine times, and silently recite:

“Primordial spirit of dark origin, inheriting the ancient, empty law; bone and form answering the chart; jade register and golden book; the River Chief entwined and bound; the Five Spirits shining forth; next, the celebration of the two origins; the dark Perfect One descending to the dwelling; name inscribed in Shangqing; granted passage in a flying carriage; forever enjoying boundless blessings and abundant favor.”

After reciting, swallow the breath eight times and bow eight times, then direct the rite toward the eight divine sovereigns of the Shangqing palace. If one completes this practice for nine years, Shangqing will inscribe one’s name in the jade register and send a flying cloud carriage to receive one and escort one upward to the Jade Clarity Palace.

The High Sage Emperor Lord also said: Those whose bones and features are like jade, whose cinnabar markings are manifest, and whose names appear in the imperial chart may see The Mysterious Record of the Seven Sages. Those with golden marrow and a hidden purple store, whose names are inscribed on golden slips, may see the inner texts of the hidden scriptures. Those with strange spiritual signs, unusual hair, purple wombs, and jade-like channels, whose names are marked in Shangqing, may see the upper chapters of the White Slips. Those with flowing essence and purple radiance, shining within and winding around them without, with precious stores and golden countenances, whose names are written in Jade Void, may see the writings of the Azure Registers. Those whose spirits are upright and answer the chart, with jade wombs and purple emptiness, whose names are inscribed in Donghua, may see The Writings of the Five Injuries and Their Examination. Without such spiritual roots and endowments, one must not presume to take up these precious texts, much less read them. Those permitted to see these scriptures are people of mysterious nature suited to becoming immortals. Once their nine years of practice are complete, they may fly through the mysterious void and ascend to Jade Clarity.

The Five-Bell Talisman for Ascending into the Sky, Treading the Void, and Preserving Immortality (also called the Fire Bell)

At the beginning, when the Great Subtlety Heavenly Emperor Lord received Qi and the mysterious forms first took shape, he ascended the Terrace of the Nine Mysterious Void-Births. Divine officers of the Five Emperors guarded the eight directions. The Five Talismans shimmered in the air, seeming to exist and yet not exist, their forms veiled above the Phoenix Terrace and within the winding inner chambers of the jade halls. After seven thousand years, their writing first appeared. Its radiance streamed across the Nine Heavens, and its patterned Qi shone richly in Jade Clarity. Cast to the left, it becomes a flowing-gold Fire Bell; shaken to the right, it becomes the Seven Primordial Ones of Broad Release. It can subdue demons at the farthest reaches of heaven, and its might spreads through the courts of the nine distant regions. This is the utmost, wondrous Dao, penetrating the subtle and difficult to overcome.

The Emperor Lord purified himself in the Hall of Dongzhen on the Jade Terrace of the Great Void, in the chambers of jade and rooms adorned with golden flowers. Attendant maidens, perfected beings, and ten billion multicolored divine officers were present, along with flying beasts… (The following talismanic incantations and ritual procedures continue in the original volume.)

A Plain-Language Reading of The Supreme Secrets

Poisonous dragons guard the great gate of Xiakue, while giant serpents a thousand zhang long protect its walls and banks. Phoenix calls and dragon roars reverberate through the hall in a hundred kinds of sound, their might resounding across the broad courtyard. Lions roar, and the assembled spirits play songs of the sacred; the sounds of jade shimmer and flow. The divine consorts sing together and make music, while jade maidens pluck and play the strings.

Then they invite the Central Yellow Venerable Lord and the Four Perfected Ones of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate). They lay out beautiful wine as radiant as flowing clouds and freshly picked fruit: red trees with white seeds, hidden mushrooms growing in clusters, and fragrant blossoms falling everywhere. This continues for ninety days.

The Mother of Turtles takes up the brush, Taiyi smooths the mat, and the Heavenly Consort attends to the incense. Yuhua completes the text. Its writing is inscribed in gold on tablets of white jade, then entrusted to Lord Zuo of the Immortal Capital. He seals it in a jade case and a pouch of cloud brocade, and delivers it to the Central Yellow Venerable Lord. In keeping with their pact, the Venerable Lord respectfully receives the Five Talismans, bows deeply, and withdraws. He then summons the Ninefold Spirits and a cloud chariot of flowing radiance, along with fifty thousand divine officials in five colors, bearing flying green feathers and dragon capes. They ascend to the Golden Tower, the Jade Palace of Pure Clarity.

Great Spell of the Flowing-Gold Fire Bell for Inner Vision and Awe-Inspiring Power

Carry the Flowing-Gold Fire Bell when traveling near or far. When passing through dangerous terrain, bandit attacks, illness, or calamity, visualize the light of the True Ones protecting you and opening a road that extends ten thousand li.

At the start of your journey, face the direction you intend to go. Click your teeth fourteen times and swallow your breath thirty-six times. Then visualize the place you are heading: mountains, forests, plants, people, birds, beasts, and spirits, all clearly and brightly, coming to pay homage before you. Let the seven stars of the Northern Dipper cover your head. Then visualize your left eye as a shooting star and your right eye as a swift flash of lightning. Their light blazes brightly and streams beyond ninety thousand li. See the road ahead opening wherever their light falls. Make mountains, forests, plants, people, houses, soldiers, bandits, and ghostly influences all vanish completely, leaving nothing behind and clearing the way in every direction. Then recite:

“Open in front, close behind; heaven lies level, earth rises high. The divine lord goes forth; the roads in every direction are opened wide. Let heaven and earth make a bridge for me, so that front, back, left, and right are open through to all eight directions. With my left hand I cast a shooting star; with my right, a flash of swift lightning. Fire streams for ten thousand li—what demon could stand against it? Taiyi sends his generals, and the myriad spirits come to welcome me. Wherever I go, wherever I turn, all is auspicious. Riding the clouds and driving through the void, I ascend to the highest heavens.”

When you have finished, draw the essence of both eyes back into their respective palaces. Take in seven breaths on the left and seven on the right, and swallow them. The rite is complete. In this way, one can pass through danger.

Notes for Reading the Original

The Central Yellow Venerable Lord and the Four Perfected Ones of Taiji are revered Daoist deities and Perfected Ones associated with the direction of Taiji. They often preside over the transmission of scriptures and the bestowal of talismans.

The Immortal Capital is a name for a realm in the higher heavens. The jade case is a container for scriptures, and the Five Talismans are Fulu (talismans and registers) bestowed as part of a sworn pact.

The Flowing-Gold Fire Bell is a ritual implement for protection during travel. Its use combines visualization of the light of the True Ones, the Northern Dipper covering the crown of the head, the transformation of the eyes into a shooting star and swift lightning, and the recitation of a spell. This practice belongs to the tradition of inner vision and awe-inspiring power.

Clicking the teeth fourteen times and swallowing the breath thirty-six times are prescribed counts in the ritual. They are used together with visualizing the spirits and reciting the spell.

A Plain-Language Reading of The Supreme Secret Essentials

1. The Method Must Not Be Passed On Recklessly

This method is used when facing danger, attacking ghosts, and conducting military campaigns, and it never fails to work. Its teachings are exceedingly subtle and must not be passed on casually. They may be transmitted only orally, from mind to mind, and must be handled with the utmost care.

2. The Five Talismans of the Five Emperors’ Flowing Bells

The Five Talismans of the Five Emperors’ Flowing Bells can subdue demons in the heavens and summon and gather the spirits of the five directions. Above, they correspond to the Five Planets and take part in the movements of the Seven Luminaries; below, they correspond to the human body’s nine openings and seven lights—its nine apertures and seven orifices. They extend throughout the cosmos and across the earth, reaching everywhere; they perceive even the most hidden and minute things.

When a talisman is worn, its light appears; when it is cast, its power shakes the surroundings. If you encounter a place haunted by evil ghosts in the human world, perform the Great Spell for Displaying Might, facing north:

1. Hold your breath for twelve counts.

2. Visualize the Qi of the five directions covering your head. Imagine your whole body, inside and out, shrouded in darkness, with nothing visible.

3. Knock your left teeth thirty-six times.

4. Swallow the Qi of the five directions, swallowing three times for each direction, until all the Qi has entered your body.

5. Visualize the luminous eyes of the young spirit in both your eyes, shining like meteors as they flash down upon the five directions.

The spell says:

Seven essences of the Heavenly Origin, flowing bells of the Five Emperors,
Their flashing casts lightning-bright beams, like stars racing through the sky.
Their radiance shines across the ten directions, revealing the true forms of ghosts.
What lesser demon would dare stand in my gate of life?
The Most High has given the command: slay them all, sparing none.
Cut out their livers and guts; annihilate the essence of ghosts.
By the thousands they are crushed; by the tens of thousands they are brought down.
Divine might issues forth in the spell, summoning and recording without pause.

When the recitation is complete, swallow the Qi thirty-six times, then stop.

With one recitation, the spirit officials of the five directions all protect the wearer’s life. They immediately summon the numinous Qi of the place and bind it, bringing it before the divine court. Three recitations destroy the ghostly Qi at its root.

3. Entering the Five Sacred Peaks and Traveling Through Mountains and Rivers

When entering the Five Sacred Peaks, traveling through mountains and rivers, or venturing across perilous heights, first knock your left teeth thirty-six times while still one hundred paces from your destination. Then, according to the peak you are approaching, visualize that direction’s Emperor and imagine clouds and mists protecting your body:

Brief Explanations of Terms

• Five Emperors: In Daoism, this usually refers to the celestial emperors of the five directions—Azure, Red, White, Black, and Yellow—associated with the Five Sacred Peaks and the Qi of the five directions.
• Flowing bells: Bells that ring when used as ritual instruments. Here, used together with the five talismans, they symbolize summoning and gathering spirits.
• Knocking the teeth: A ritual performed in cultivation and the practice of methods, in which the teeth are knocked together to communicate with spirits and startle ghosts.
• Summoning and recording: Calling in ghosts and recording their names and registers so they cannot escape.
• Seven lights: Perhaps a reference to the clarity of the seven orifices. Together with the “nine openings,” the term links the apertures of the human body with divine spirits.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Wushang Miyao

Spell for Covering the Crown and Protecting the Body

General meaning of the spell:

Heaven in the Qian position manifests its power; the Seven Mornings—the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper—reveal their mysterious essence, while the Five-Dipper canopy of stars circles around my body. Radiance in five colors flies down to cover me, blending and interweaving. I wear the Seven Primordial Ones, the essence of the Northern Dipper, upon my body; golden flames and fire bells shine in every direction, clearing all obstacles in my path. As the far reaches of heaven grow dark and obscure, the divine officials of the Five Emperors command the heavenly troops to subdue the mountains, rivers, and lands, along with all ghosts and spirits, for my sake. They make them bow their heads and reveal their true forms, striking down those before and behind, leaving none of the captured unaccounted for. When this spell is recited, heavenly demons vanish without a trace and the myriad spirits come to pay homage. Traveling across the Five Sacred Peaks and passing through mountains and rivers, one will no longer suffer harm from hostile scrutiny. The immortal officials of the Five Sacred Peaks themselves present the Five Mushrooms and Five Blossoms to nourish the body.

Practice Amid Armies, Bandits, Weapons, and Calamity

If you find yourself among armies or bandits, beneath drawn blades, or in the midst of calamity:

1. Knock the right teeth twelve times, visualizing the Northern Dipper covering your body and its mysterious light shining through you.

2. Knock the left teeth twelve times, visualizing that the liver, as the Year Star, emerges on the left; the lungs, as the Great White Star, emerge on the right; the heart, as the Fiery Deluder Star, emerges in front; the kidneys, as the Water Star, emerge behind; and the spleen, as the Guarding Star, rests above the chest. Let the essences of the five stars coil around you, in front and behind, while you dwell within the Dipper’s bowl, beneath the five stars.

3. Then visualize the divine officials of the Five Emperors guarding you on either side, and recite the spell:

General meaning of the spell:

Heaven is my roof, earth is my bed, and the Five Sacred Peaks, mountains, and rivers are my bridges. The primordial essence of the mysterious Dipper cuts and makes my clothes. I conceal myself within the Seven Primordial Ones, in the realm of flowing fire. Taiyi and Wuyou ferry me across; Baiyuan and Wuying carry me through. Calamity cannot reach me, and weapons cannot harm me. Let my body ascend to the Golden Palace, to the capital of the Nine Elders.

After reciting this, one can escape even when trapped in hardship.

Required Offerings for Receiving the Talismanic Scripture

Ritual for Receiving the Talismanic Scripture

Anyone receiving the talismanic scripture should:

1. Bring the offerings to the master.

2. Observe a purification fast for three days and bathe.

3. Burn incense, write the talisman and scripture, and leave them exposed on a high altar overnight.

4. At dawn the next day, ascend the altar together and make the invocation.

The Northern Emperor’s Covenant Talisman Scripture (Precepts for Transmission)

The Northern Emperor (the Great Emperor of the North Pole and Purple Tenuity) lays down in the Covenant Talisman Scripture that a disciple receiving transmission must personally ascend the altar and declare an oath. The scripture’s title must not be opened without authorization. If a master carelessly divulges the scripture, he will face the trial of wind and blades. If a disciple reads the scrolls in secret before formally receiving initiation, calamity will befall the Seven Generations of ancestors; the disciple will suffer bodily impairment and blindness. This offense falls under the statutes of the Four Extremities. The laws of Great Zhen strictly forbid revealing the scripture without a covenant oath. Unless one’s name is inscribed in gold and jade registers—that is, among the immortals recorded in the celestial books—one must not hear or see it. A seeker of immortality who does not wear the Five Talismans will receive no protection for body or spirit from the immortal officials of the Five Sacred Peaks, and will remain listed among the dead in the registers of the Three Officials, the underworld’s books of life and death. Dwelling in mountain valleys, one will be overcome by the demons and artificers of the Nine Heavens; entering the human world, one cannot escape the blades of county officials and soldiers. Those who obtain and wear this talisman may traverse Heaven and the deep without limit, moving freely as they please. By keeping the true spirits in mind, they will return to their original palaces; the Five Fungi will grow of themselves, their bodies will shine with jade radiance, and immortal officials will guard them. The Three Primordials—the Upper, Middle, and Lower—will come to their chambers. Riding clouds and soaring through the void, they will ascend to Jade Clarity.

(From the Dongzhen Scripture of Purple Transcendence, Flaming Radiance, and Spirit Origins’ Transformation)

Portents and Secret Incantation (Jade Register of the Three Primordials)

If one sees a being with a dragon’s head and phoenix’s body, or a crow with nine heads and a phoenix’s body, this is a portent: an official of the Highest Truth, sent down by the Primordial Heavenly King’s Left Forge of Empty Radiance, has manifested in a sign-body. The Dao is about to be realized. Take care not to speak of it. Click the teeth together nine times, swallow the breath thirty-two times, and recite this incantation silently:

“Two paths proceed in accord; the Primordial Beginning wanders.

Mystery and truth shine clear; the nine numina disperse and open.

My gaze flows without end; send down your radiance upon me.

Above, I don the vermilion splendor; let obstruction dissolve and my heart open.

May I mount the flying rosy clouds and raise my body to Purple Tenuity.”

When finished, bow inwardly three times and stop. Practice this for three hundred days, and one will surely behold the true form of the Primordial Beginning. He will confer the portent of the Nine Heavens and grant the petitioner a place in the heavenly register, so that they may fly through Jade Clarity.

(From the Dongzhen Scripture of the Jade Register of the Three Primordials)

Central Great Yellow Jade Talisman of the Ten Thousand Beginnings

For a petitioner who wishes to summon the Lord of the Jade Office of the Yellow Emperor, this talisman should be written in red ink on yellow paper and consumed facing the direction of the year’s ruling Tai Sui on the day of one’s birth-year deity. It should also be written in red ink on yellow silk and worn. After nine years, the Jade Office will erase the petitioner’s name from the register of the dead and enter it in the register of the living. It will send down a carriage of yellow clouds to welcome the petitioner’s body and raise them to the palace of Jade Clarity.

Statutes of the Four Luminaries of the Great Mystery Metropolis (Origins of the Scriptural Treasury)

The Statutes of the Four Luminaries of the Great Mystery Metropolis records that the Azure Essentials Purple Writings and the many scriptures of the Golden Root are chapters received by the True King of the Nine Heavens from the self-arising Void Mystery. They were entrusted to the Jade Emperor, Primordial Sovereign of the Nine Yangs, and sealed in secret above the Nine Heavens, on the Jade Terrace of the Seven Treasures of the Mysterious Numina. Three thousand jade maidens serve as custodians of the canon. Through ten thousand kalpas, they will transmit it to the Lord of the Azure Essentials, the High Sovereign of the Void, and the Dao Lord of Primordial Numina. (The text continues in another volume.)

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

The Lord of the Great Light of the Grotto of Highest Simplicity, the Primordial Lord of the Southern Pole, and the assembled emperors issued this command:

A single Dao—the secret method of transmission—is to be sealed away on Mount Wangwu. If someone has a body of golden bones and jade sinews, and their name is already entered in the register of the High Lord, then within seven hundred years, should they encounter a worthy person, the method may be transmitted three times. For each transmission, the transmitter must prepare one golden fish and one jade dragon, along with one hundred feet of purple silk and forty feet of blue silk. Master and disciple must observe fasting rites together for one hundred days. The transmission may take place only after they have made a sworn covenant. Twenty-four jade maidens and twenty-four jade youths will guard the recipient of the teaching. After one hundred days of practice, they can communicate with the spirits and attain the Real; after nine years, they can ride the clouds and fly, ascending to the celestial realm of Jade Clarity.

Anyone who violates the rules and prohibitions will face punishment. Three violations bar entry among the immortals. Five violations bring retribution upon the offender and their parents and grandparents for seven generations. The Three Offices on the left and right—the gods who oversee merit and transgression—will punish them with such torments as mountains of knives, fiery lands, and the twenty-four peaks. Only after ten thousand kalpas may they return to life, and even then they must serve as lowly ghosts, carrying stones and performing other harsh labor. These regulations come from Nüqing of the Left Palace in Xuandu. Recipients of the teaching must understand them and observe them with care.

The High Lord of Jade Dawn, Commander of the Demon-Spirit Banners, commanded the Demon-Spirit Great King of the Eastern Azure Emperor to protect and preserve the health of the mountain adept Wang Jia, so that he might embody the Real and unite with the immortals. In the space of a breath, the celestial officials of the Eastern Mountain were to dispatch a feathered carriage to escort Wang Jia. His body would ascend to the Purple Phoenix Terrace in the Jade Clarity Palace, as confirmed by the credentials of the Nine Heavens.

(This passage is written on blue silk.)

The same format applies to the other directions: for the Southern Red Emperor, the Demon-Spirit Great King is to send the celestial officials of the Southern Mountain in a feathered carriage to escort the adept, and the text is written on deep red silk; for the Western White Emperor, the officials of the Western Mountain escort the adept, and the text is written in vermilion ink on white silk; for the Northern Black Emperor, the officials of the Northern Mountain escort the adept, and the text is written in yellow ink on black silk; for the Central Yellow Emperor, the officials of the Central Mountain escort the adept, who ascends as above to the Purple Phoenix Terrace in the Jade Clarity Palace.

Here, “Demon-Spirit Great King” and “Commander of the Demon-Spirit Banners” are names for protective deities who support cultivation and subdue demonic obstacles; they do not refer to evil spirits in general. The Five Emperors of the five directions are each paired with one sacred mountain and one color of silk. Together, these form the format of a covenant document for escorting adepts to immortality.

Plain-Language Interpretation

First passage (account of an immortal’s deeds)

Wang Xianbao served the master Wang Jia of a certain sacred mountain. He attained immortality in his physical body and united with the Dao. Before long, he departed this life and ascended to become an immortal. The immortal palace on Mount Zhongyue sent a feathered carriage to welcome him. Wang Jia’s body rose to the Jade Clarity Palace and ascended the Purple Phoenix Terrace, as a sign of verification transmitted from the Nine Heavens.

Source

The passage above is written in green ink on yellow silk.

It also comes from the explicit rules and statutes in the Precious Scripture of the Jade Maidens of the Four Poles, Thirty-One Independents, of the Left Palace of Great Primordiality in the Cavern of Perfection.

A passage in which the Venerable of the Nine Heavens delivers a command

The Venerable of the Nine Heavens and the Jade Youths of the Three Heavens, in the year of the Beginning of Primordiality, at the hour of the Heavenly Stem Jia and the Earthly Branch Chen, descended upon the northern quarter and shifted the course of the celestial carriage. The Three Primordials shone together, and the Nine Emperors returned to their true state. They ascended to the lofty Jade Lodge Above and the heaven of Purple Emptiness. With the plain words of the Three and Nine, they opened the numinous gateway. The true formula of Jade Essence orders one’s life and preserves it forever. In stillness, one investigates the vast and luminous; in clarity, one finds serene ease. The Jade pronouncements reveal the refined emptiness, while the music of jade resounds beyond the heavens. Fragrant winds stir the formless; wise chants reach into the distance. Their fragrance flows deep and abundant, and their Qi (vital energy) rises above the divine winds. The jade registers govern all, and the myriad immortals come to pay court. This is the wondrous transformation of the ancient mystery, undiminished through ten thousand kalpas. The true formula was composed and transmitted to test the aspirant’s diligence and resolve. Those whose names are inscribed in gold in Donghua and whose place is in the green halls and purple courts may receive this wondrous text and ascend in rank to Jade Clarity.

Another source

The passage above comes from the True Formula of Jade Essence in the Plain Words of the Three and Nine.

The Scripture of the Supreme Emperor, Master of Purple Dawn

The Divine Continent lies north of the Gate of Heaven, while the sun and moon circle south of it, and the Seven Stars revolve at its center. By day, they turn left through the Eight Celestial Divisions; by night, they turn right through the Seven Celestial Paths. As the Seven Stars complete their circuit, the light of heaven turns back to the numinous. This is the court where the Supreme Emperor of Purple Dawn received the teachings. Those who practice the method of the Seven Turns will rise in rank to Jade Clarity.

Essentials of the Seven Turns practice

In practicing the Way of the Seven Turns, on the first and fifteenth days of each month and on the days of the Eight Seasonal Nodes, one should fast, observe the precepts, enter a chamber at midday, face east, and recite the chapter of the Seven Turns eight times. At midnight, face north and recite it another seven times. The total for one day and night is fifteen turns. Above, this accords with the movements of the Gate of Heaven and the Three Lights; in the middle, it puts one’s whole body in order, opens the channels, and strengthens the spirit; below, it subdues the myriad demons and brings the thousand spirits to an end. The rotations harmonize with one another, and the Three and Five shine as one. If students lose this Way, they will die and enter the netherworld. Those who practice diligently and keep their thoughts steadfast will be able to ride the flying carriage, ascend to Purple Dawn, and roam and feast in Jade Clarity.

The Fifth Chapter of the Chapters on the Way of the Great One

The Jade Chapter of the Divine Continent says: “Its luminous transformation reaches the Nine Mysterious Gates; Jade Dawn circles the Purple Essence. Within, it illuminates the secluded palace; riding emptiness, it reaches the Four Brightnesses. The Dharma Wheel turns three times; through seven transformations, it returns to the unformed.”

Note

The original contains many Daoist technical terms, such as Jade Clarity, Purple Dawn, the Gate of Heaven, the Seven Turns, the Eight Seasonal Nodes, the Three Primordials, and the Nine Emperors. It also includes characters that may be copyists’ errors, such as “fǔyǎng qiǎn” and “jī wú.” The modern interpretation has aimed to read these passages coherently in keeping with common understandings in the Daoist Canon.

Plain Language Interpretation

(Mantra/Praise Section)

The August Supreme Unity (a divine name of the Supreme Unity) inspects and disciplines the heavenly demons, reviews the petitions sent up in rotation, and sets the thousand spirits in order. To the left, it cries out the subtle mysteries of the Cavernous Mystery; to the right, it roars, shaking the Nine Heavens. It brings order to the distant wilderness of the eight directions. Its gaze sweeps across the divine troops, who cut their way through; the Seven Ancestors cannot pass beyond them. It delivers one into the court of the Immortal Emperor, where the Director of Destinies safeguards the original registers and the Eastern Palace records one’s name in jade. Returning the light, one enters the Palace of the Mudball (the Dantian at the crown of the head); the finest blooms of the five viscera flourish. Radiant splendor bears the round pearl, securing the soul and protecting one through the years of tribulation. Above, one feasts in the halls of the Nine Empyrean Heavens, then rises in solemn procession to the Jade Clarity.

(From the Right-Hand Column)

This passage comes from the Scripture of the Seven Turns and Seven Transformations of the Dance of the Divine Regions.

Practicing the Dao, Contemplating the Spirits, and Summoning the numinous in the Three Months of Autumn

When practicing the Dao, contemplating the deities, and summoning perfected spirits during the three months of autumn, write this on white paper in yellow ink and face west when consuming it (or wear and carry it). After one hundred days, you may communicate with spirits; after one thousand days, you may see them. The Highest Perfected will descend and meet you face to face. You will be able to command six Jade Maidens of Great Simplicity and summon the golden essence and the sun’s radiance, to refine the Fungus Jade Blossom (a kind of numinous lingzhi jade essence).

Alternatively, write it in white ink on blue silk and place it on the west side of the mat where you sit or lie. Cover it with white silk floss. After one hundred days, the White Elder (a type of western divine general or envoy) will descend into the room, and the officers of the White Emperor will serve as guards. Those who practice this talisman will, after six years, bring down the Threefold-Simplicity cloud chariot to cover their bodies; their forms will ascend into the Great Void and fly to Jade Clarity.

The High Sovereign Lord of Western Florescence

He is transformed from the Qi of the Original Supreme Sovereign. His taboo name is written in a particular form, and his body is sixty million zhang tall.

The Three Months of Autumn

He wears a crown of jade pearls adorned with the Three Lights and a robe of naturally formed numinous patterns. He wears the numinous banner that subdues demons of the Nine Heavens and carries a sword of interwoven gold, the essence of the sun. Seated atop a plain cloud, he holds a golden talisman. His light shines brilliantly, illuminating the Upper Clarity throughout. Contemplate him amid the plain clouds, in the depths of the eight dark regions, and return to his true form, six cun and six fen tall (the imagined scale of the ritual body).

The Three Months of Winter

He transforms into a tiger’s head with a human body, wearing a seven-colored tiger robe patterned with brilliant stripes. Contemplate him above the Upper Clarity, amid white clouds, and return to his true form.

The Three Months of Spring

He transforms into an upright human figure, golden in color, with a round halo at his neck. He wears a robe of thirty-two bands in nine colors. His light shines through, illuminating the ten directions. Contemplate him above Jade Clarity, amid purple clouds, and return to his true form.

The Three Months of Summer

He transforms into two lights, red and white, their colors blending like the essence of jade, illuminating the Upper Clarity. This is the drawing back of the Qi of Western Florescence, to receive again the refined essence of the Supreme Sovereign. Contemplate him and return to his true form.

Practicing the Way of Western Florescence

On the day of the Beginning of Autumn, enter a chamber and face west to contemplate him, following the seasonal forms and directional ritual described above.

The Essential Secrets of the Supreme — A Plain-Language Interpretation

1. Paying homage to the Lord of the Void Sovereign

After paying homage to the Lord of the Void Sovereign, one of the Daoist deities often associated with the Jade Clarity Heaven, face north and click the teeth together nine times. Inwardly visualize the Lord of the Void Sovereign changing with the four seasons, his forms and images always present in places such as the Palace of Resonant Light, the Eight Enclosures, the Four Radiant Villages, and the Land of the Utmost Subtlety in Jade Clarity, one of the Three Heavens of Highest Clarity and the highest celestial realm. The true spirit descends and enters the “body of the adept”—the practitioner’s imagined self—at the “Gate of Abundance,” an aperture at the back of the head. Then recite the spell:

The numinous power of Western Florescence unfolds; the Golden Gate shines with refined essence. Refinement and transformation pass through four stages—this is called Jade Clarity. The divine and the true unite; blessings flow and good fortune is born. Qi spreads, the soul is at peace; the spirit is settled and the corporeal soul is tranquil. The Great One protects the register; the Director of Destiny records my name. The roots of the womb are extinguished; the channels of the stomach flourish in splendor. May I enjoy good fortune for a long time and live as long as the Three Luminaries.

When the recitation is complete, tilt the head back and swallow the “Six Qi”—six methods of absorbing breath—and stop. After practicing this method for nine years, the radiance of Western Florescence will shine down in a curving arc, and the divine and the true will descend in visible form. One will penetrate the Void and reach the subtle; transformation will be accomplished at once. Whether sitting, standing, disappearing from sight, or ascending by flight, one may enter Jade Clarity.

2. The way to seek immortality: the method of entering the chamber at the winter solstice

To seek immortality, enter a chamber at noon on the winter solstice and face north. Lie down or sit as you wish, close your eyes, and turn your thoughts inward. Within the moon is the Lady of Mysterious Radiance, a name for the lunar deity. Her surname and personal name are concealed; she is about five inches and five tenths tall, with her hair arranged in a drooping cloud coiffure and wearing a dark brocade flying skirt. Visualize her holding moonlight in her mouth as she descends into the heart of the adept’s imagined body. In a moment, the moonlight disperses into yellow Qi and fills the adept’s body. The lady, within the moon, gathers from the forest of azure blossoms and scatters them through the yellow Qi. She then breathes out red Qi of Yang essence, which pours into the adept’s form from within to without. The yellow and red Qi intertwine and illuminate the whole body. The lady bestows upon the adept the Six Sounds of the Purple Writ and Cinnabar Firmament, secret characters in a cinnabar text and their six vocal formulas. Then draw in and swallow the yellow Qi thirty-two times, and draw in and swallow the Yang essence twenty-four times; stop. Click the teeth together twenty-four times and, looking upward, recite the spell:

The cold pool of mysterious Yin; the flowing spring fills the vast court. Flying blossoms scatter their radiance; I breathe out yellow and take in essence. One Qi winds on without end; the Jade Mushroom grows in the Void. The Jade Maiden breathes its fragrance; the lady lends her numinous power. The Orchid Pool pours forth in abundance; flowing yellow fills the deep expanse. All beneath heaven receives its radiance, which descends upon my form. I return to youth and refine my appearance; white reaches its limit and becomes green. The Purple Firmament is the Eastern Palace; my name is written in green in the Cinnabar Text. Flying steeds and feathered canopies; the Four True Ones ride together in a carriage. They take me with them as we ascend, all arriving at Jade Clarity.

Stop. Swallow the Qi thirty-two times and the saliva twenty-four times; stop. Take in the Purple Writ and Cinnabar Firmament. After practicing this method for eight years, the lady will bestow on the adept an earring of the bright moon and the way of the Cinnabar Firmament. One will be able to fly through the mysterious Void and ascend to Jade Clarity.

3. Note

The Purple Writ and Cinnabar Firmament, as well as the hidden lunar sounds, are all written in the southern region of the moon, upon “azure void,” a name here for the lunar realm or the medium on which the writing appears.

Notes on the ritual’s structure

The text as a whole belongs to a form of secret cultivation involving spirit visualization, paying homage to deities, absorbing Qi, and reciting spells. It emphasizes observance of the proper time and direction, visualization of the prescribed forms, and drawing in and swallowing Qi. It does not promise health benefits in the modern sense; it is best read as a Daoist ritual text.

The Essential Mysteries of the Supreme — A Plain-Language Interpretation

First passage: The Eightfold Plain Scripture and the Purple Writ in the Cinnabar Firmament

This is a secret scripture that came into being naturally. On the day of the summer solstice, the Eightfold Plain Perfected Ones and the heavenly beings gather the Purple Writ in the Cinnabar Firmament (purple talismanic characters) and consume it. After consuming these six characters, one can live as long as the Eightfold Plain Perfected Ones. At that time, a round halo appears above the head, shining in all ten directions, while its sound remains utterly hidden.

The Sovereign Eightfold Plain Perfected One wrote this sound in the Eightfold Plain Jade Chapter, and so it became a sublime scripture of the highest rank. If this sacred sound is carelessly revealed, one’s seven generations of ancestors will be punished, one’s body will suffer the blades of the wind, and one will never attain immortality. On the night of the beginning of summer, write it in cinnabar on white paper, then consume it. Click the teeth twelve times and silently recite the incantation:

Yang essence in the Cinnabar Pool, surging flames and dense winds; the golden carriage’s wings shelter the void, dark radiance brushes the skies. Eight green ones gather orchids, scattering fragrance at the jade court. Green woods and drooping willows, the wind stirs their jade branches. Cinnabar writings and purple characters, flourishing with hidden beauty. Fragrance flows and fills the fluids, nourishing all without limit. May I share the radiance of the Dark Radiance in the Purple Empyrean.

When the recitation is complete, swallow the breath twenty-four times.

Alternatively, wear the Cinnabar Writ and Purple Characters on your head. After three years, the dark radiance of the sun and moon will shine upon your body. The Lady of Moonlight will bestow the True Writing and send six Jade Maidens. If the method is carelessly transmitted to an unworthy person, one’s seven generations of ancestors will remain unforgiven for ten thousand kalpas. After secretly cultivating for eight years, a cloud carriage will descend, and one will ascend to heaven in broad daylight, rising to the immortal realm of Jade Clarity.

Second passage: The method of consuming the sun and moon

Those who cultivate the highest Way and consume the way of the sun and moon should, at dusk on the day of the beginning of autumn, take three he of dragon fat (dragon bone may also be used). With blue ink, write the Talisman of the Nine Refinements of the Dragon’s Radiance on white paper, cast it into clear water, and bathe facing east. Click the teeth twenty-four times and silently recite the incantation (the same text as for the beginning of spring). When the recitation is complete, draw in the breath and swallow nine times.

Return to the room and burn incense. Grind dragon bone into powder and apply it to the whole body. Rub the face with both hands, then lie down facing east with the entire body turned in that direction. Click the teeth nine times, close the eyes, and hold the fists firmly. Visualize layers of purple Qi descending with the sunlight and enveloping the body, which now rests within the sunlight. The sunlight moves through the body, rising into the Hall of Vast Cold, the Eastern Well, and beneath the High-Ring Tree.

Visualize the Cinnabar-Spirit, Lesser Yang Perfected One, whose name is “Ju Shang.” His true form is nine inches tall. He wears a flying robe of blue feathers and a crown of penetrating essence and radiant light. He breathes out blue Qi and, using a vessel of colored glass, pours the paste of Jade Spring and Blue Zhi mushroom into your body.

Terminology notes

• Eightfold Plain Perfected Ones: A title for high-ranking Daoist immortals.
• Clicking the teeth: Lightly tapping the upper and lower teeth during cultivation, in coordination with visualization.
• Holding the fists firmly: A cultivation hand gesture in which the thumb is tucked inside the fingers.
• Punishment of seven generations of ancestors: The ancestors of seven generations are punished for revealing a secret method.
• Dragon fat/dragon bone: Substances used as medicines or materials for talismans in cultivation.
• Paste of Jade Spring and Blue Zhi mushroom: An elixir from the realm of immortals.

Using the method of “nourishing the body,” nourish body and spirit with the essence of the Three Qi of Heaven, Earth, and humanity. When the mouth tastes sweet and fragrant and warmth spreads throughout the body, swallow the Qi ninety times, then softly recite this incantation:

“Jade Gate, Orchid Chamber, the sun’s radiance soars high;

The Three Blossoms gather their finest beauty, and wondrous scenes brush the dawn.

Great Simplicity returns to the true; winding streams pour into the Jade Spring.

The body dwells in Guanghan, while rainbows shine upon the vermilion carriage.

The Cavern of Yang exhales essence; the Eastern Well refines the soul.

The Five Emperors crown and gird me, transforming my face to golden radiance.

With joy, beauty, and clarity, I become a Jade Immortal.

The cinnabar spirit of Shaoyang makes me one with the natural way.

Golden-winged birds sweep their wings in adornment; feathered robes gleam at dawn.

Suddenly I rise through the void and drink from the sun’s root above.

My body mirrors the essence of water; radiant, I rejoice in the dragon carriage.

The feathered carriage comes to welcome me, and I ascend before the Jade Emperor.”

When the recitation is finished, take the talisman of the Dragon Radiance’s Nine Refinings, then swallow Qi ninety times and swallow saliva twenty-four times, and stop.

Those who practice this method should, when lying down to rest at night, follow it from the beginning of Autumn to the beginning of Winter. Cup both shoulders with the hands and rub each shoulder thirty-two times. Imagine the sun at the Jianjing point on the left shoulder and the moon at the Jianjing point on the right; let the radiance of the sun and moon shine over the whole body. Knock the teeth twelve times, then recite:

“Sun on the left, moon on the right; the Two Radiances watch over the spirit.

At dusk I rest in Shaoyang; at dawn I ascend to Yuqing.

The Three Hun guard the chamber; the Seven Po share one form.

The myriad spirits support and guide me, keeping pace with the Radiance.”

When the recitation is finished, lie down. After practicing this method for eight years, the whole body will shine with light, and the face will reveal the essence of a blue-green glow. You will be able to speak with Shaoyang and summon the green carriage, flying through the mysterious void and ascending to Yuqing.

In the Palace of Guanghan grows a forest of Qinghua, four thousand zhang tall, with branches spreading twelve hundred li and a circumference of two hundred and forty li. Its leaves resemble bamboo but are red; its flowers resemble mirrors and shine brightly; its fruits resemble plums but have no pits. These are the so-called “cinnabar fruits of the crimson tree.” Eating the leaves can extend one’s life for ten thousand years; eating the flowers grants a spirit as enduring as the sun; eating the fruits allows one to roam and feast in Yuqing. Above, golden-winged birds circle the palace, beating their wings. Below lies the Pool of Guanghan, where the naturally formed Ninefold Refined Vast Spring arises. It is five thousand li deep and five thousand li across. The High Perfected, emperors, exalted immortals, and perfected beings all ascend to the Palace of Guanghan on the day Winter begins, gather Qinghua to adorn themselves, and approach the Pool of Guanghan to refine the true with its vast spring. In later generations, all who succeed in studying the Dao, as well as scholars among the Seven Ancestors destined to ascend to Heaven, pass through the Palace of Guanghan.

The practitioner enters the “Pool of Nine Refinements” to undergo transformation. Once the process is complete, they may ascend to Heaven. They may then eat the flowers and fruits of the green forest.

The Golden-Winged Bird weaves a flying immortal’s robe from its feathers and bestows it on those who have undergone refinement, so they can ascend to the Upper Palace of Jade Clarity.

—The above is from the Upper Scripture of Primordial Beginning’s Transformations and True Reality.

Additional notes:

The Pool of Nine Refinements is a Daoist image of cultivation: a sacred place where one undergoes nine transformations and is reborn.

The green forest is a woodland in the immortal realm, whose flowers and fruits serve as food for immortals.

The Golden-Winged Bird is a divine bird of the Daoist heavens, said to make garments for immortals from its feathers.

The Upper Palace of Jade Clarity is the Heaven of Jade Clarity, one of the Three Pure Ones’ realms, where high-ranking immortals reside.