《上清明鑑要經》

Interpretation of Volume 9 of the Shangqing Mingjian Yao Jing (Essential Scripture of the Luminous Mirror of Highest Clarity):

Before cultivation, one must bathe and observe purification rituals, keeping the body and clothing clean while perfuming garments with incense.

Methods for using the luminous mirror (a Daoist ritual instrument):

1. Method of Reflecting on One’s Form in the Mirror:

This should be practiced in a dimly lit room with slightly open windows, facing toward a source of light. Briefly close the eyes and visualize one’s own face. At first, the image may appear indistinct, but after practicing until midnight, the reflection—including one’s face and headscarf—will gradually become clearer. The best times for this practice are at dawn and dusk, as strong light makes it difficult to see.

2. Method of Illuminating the Mirror with Firelight:

The firelight should come from a distance, never too close. When gazing into the mirror with open eyes, do so in a bright space; when visualizing the face with closed eyes, remain in darkness. The key is to lie flat in tranquil contemplation, maintaining focused awareness. Before falling asleep, after relaxing the body for a short while, a reddish-yellow glow may emerge from the forehead, illuminating the room. In this state, one may faintly glimpse their own face appearing in the light, though it quickly vanishes. Upon waking, this method can be repeated, and each night the vision may reappear.

Phenomena that may arise during practice:

• Seeing two versions of oneself sitting opposite each other
• Encountering celestial youths and maidens (attendants of the Daoist immortals), aged fifteen or sixteen and dressed in splendid robes—one must bow in reverence upon meeting them
• Hearing voices that foretell fortune or misfortune
• Gaining the ability to see through walls
• Dreaming of gazing into the mirror
• Inner vision of the five viscera (a practice of Daoist internal observation)

Specific procedural guidelines:

1. Use a nine-inch luminous mirror, its surface flawless and unblemished.

2. Place one mirror on each side, positioned one and a half feet away from the practitioner and level with the eyes.

3. Place a purified vessel (zaoguan) beneath the mirror, filled with well water drawn at dawn (jinghua shui).

4. At night, use a sesame oil lamp for mirror illumination.

5. When one’s reflection appears, kneel and recite: "You and I share one body. May you divide into countless forms, that we may accompany each other eternally, our shapes never decaying." The vow of ten thousand years of companionship must be witnessed in the mirror. The luminous mirror can reveal all things—and even hear human speech.

The Shangqing Mingjian Yao Jing (Essential Scripture of the Bright Mirror from Upper Clarity) contains profound teachings on mirror cultivation practices.

When practicing the Bright Mirror method, one is protected by three divine youths (each six feet tall) and nine attendants (each five feet tall). These celestial beings wear specific colored robes: Qingyao in green, Dangjian in purple, Neizi in black, Sunü in white, Huangnü in yellow, Zhangshang in pale yellow, Daonü in yellow, Nüying in red, and Zengnü in deep red.

The Bright Mirror Lord (Mingjing Jun), the deity governing mirrors, commands 120 officers and generals stationed in the Kaiyang Palace, overseeing human eyesight. Through the interplay of the youths' luminous essence, practitioners can foresee auspicious or inauspicious events.

The second section recounts the story of an ancient mirror-polishing Daoist: A wandering adept specialized in polishing bronze mirrors for common folk, charging only six or seven coins regardless of the mirror's size. Instead of conventional methods, he applied medicinal powder to the surface, rendering the mirrors extraordinarily clear. A seeker named Yuan Zhongyang, recognizing the Daoist's extraordinary skill, invited him to stay and learn. The Daoist revealed that mastering the Bright Mirror practice enables bodily transformation, enhanced wisdom, foresight, and communion with celestial immortals. When perfected, deities descend, and practitioners rejuvenate.

When cultivating in mountains, practitioners often face disturbances from shape-shifting mountain spirits and ghosts. Thus, those practicing in stone chambers must hang a nine-inch bright mirror behind them to ward off malign influences. Though demons can alter their forms, their reflections reveal their true nature, causing them to flee upon exposure.

Lastly, the scripture details the mirror-polishing elixir recipe: Heat four taels of tin in a red-hot cauldron, add three taels of hufen (cosmetic lead powder), and stir with a white poplar wood paddle (one foot long, two inches wide, and one inch thick) until reduced to seven inches. Then add four taels of zhendan (cinnabar) and one tael of hufen, stirring further. Finally, incorporate four taels of specialized mirror-polishing tin powder to complete the elixir. For use, a pea-sized portion suffices.

Plain English Interpretation of the Shangqing Mingjian Yao Jing (Essential Scripture of the Luminous Mirror from Highest Clarity):

The method for crafting the luminous mirror ointment:

The most effective preparation combines saliva with animal fat (suet). Take a grain-of-rice-sized portion of medicinal powder placed on the front teeth, exhale Qi (vital energy) upon it, then apply it to the mirror's surface with saliva for polishing. This renders the mirror radiant as sun and moon. Before preparing this substance, observe seven days of purification (zhaijie), performing the procedure in a secluded, clean space away from observers. Maintain intense heat control during preparation—this secret formula must not be indiscriminately transmitted to unworthy recipients.

Summoning the Six Ding Jade Maidens (Daoist guardian deities):

Align with the ten-day celestial cycles (xun) of the sexagenary calendar, facing specific directions:

• First decade (Jiazi period): face due east (Mao)
• Second decade (Jiaxu): northeast (Chou)
• Third decade (Jiashen): northwest (Hai)
• Fourth decade (Jiawu): due west (You)
• Fifth decade (Jiachen): southwest (Wei)
• Sixth decade (Jiayin): southeast (Si)

Maintain this directional rotation during daily activities; the celestial maidens will descend to dispel misfortunes.

[Laozi's Hundred Flowers Elixir] for Disaster Prevention and Longevity:

Formula: Equal parts (2 portions each) of realgar, cinnabar, coltsfoot flower, and polygala root, blended with 2 sheng (≈1.2L) of powdered hundred-flower herbs gathered in July. During plague years, ingest 0.5 qian (≈1.5g) doses while abstaining from meat. When besieged in warfare or encountering storms at sea, dissolve 1 liang (≈37g) in 1 dou (≈6L) water for ablutions—1 sheng (≈0.6L) serves three people. In emergencies, swallow two red-bean-sized pills. Sharing this medicine with afflicted kin may break their calamities. Store the formula in a golden casket—transmission requires strict secrecy.

[Immortal's Divine Wine] Preparation:

Combine 0.5 sheng (≈0.3L) each of Sichuan pepper, cinnamon bark, licorice, aconite (5 pieces), yeast, dried ginger, sophora root, and jujube. Pulverize and sift the eight ingredients, then steep in 10 dou (≈60L) premium wine. Sun-dry and re-steep until the wine is fully absorbed. Preserve the final product in oiled cloth for critical situations.

(Note: These medieval Daoist (Neidan) practices involve potentially toxic substances like realgar and aconite. Modern replication requires professional medical supervision.)

The Shangqing Mingjian Yao Jing (Essential Scripture of the Bright Mirror of Upper Clarity) presents two remarkable formulas: an alcohol-making technique and a medicinal pillow for longevity.

First, the secret method for brewing wine: Grind medicinal herbs into powder, take one fangcunbi (a small spoonful) and stir it into one dou of water—it instantly transforms into wine. Alternatively, mix it with honey to form pills, taken with warm water in winter. Immortals traveling long distances need never worry about lacking wine, as they rely on this very method.

Next is the tale of the "Immortal’s Pillow Formula to Cure All Ailments": Emperor Wu of Han, while touring eastward, encountered an old man at the foot of Mount Tai whose back emitted a white glow. The elder explained that at eighty-five, he had been nearing death when a Daoist priest taught him three practices: eating dates and drinking water, practicing bigu (abstaining from grains), and using a special medicinal pillow. This pillow contained thirty-two herbs, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms and the eight malignant winds. After following these instructions, the elder reversed aging—his hair grew black again, new teeth emerged, and he could walk three hundred li in a day. Now 180 years old, he had resumed eating grains out of affection for his descendants but maintained a middle-aged appearance thanks to the pillow. Emperor Wu obtained the formula but only made the pillow, neglecting to persist with bigu.

Detailed pillow-making method: On the fifth day of the fifth month or the seventh day of the seventh month, craft a cypress-wood pillow measuring one chi two cun in length and four cun in height, with a hollow center holding one dou two sheng. Fashion a four-fen-thick lid from red cypress heartwood, ensuring it fits snugly yet opens smoothly. Drill 120 small holes (arranged in three rows of forty each) in the lid, each just large enough to hold a grain of millet.

Herbal ingredients (24 primary herbs for the solar terms, plus 8 toxic herbs for the eight winds):

• Chuanxiong (Ligusticum), Danggui (Angelica), Baizhi (Angelica dahurica), Xinyi (Magnolia flower), Duheng (Asarum), Baizhu (Atractylodes), Gaoben (Ligusticum sinense), Mulan (Magnolia), Shujiao (Sichuan pepper), Guipi (Cinnamon), Ganjiang (Dried ginger), Fangfeng (Saposhnikovia), Renshen (Ginseng), Jiegeng (Platycodon), Feilian (Thistle), Baishi (Cypress seed), Baiheng (Patrinia), Qinjiao (Gentiana), Jingshi (Vitex or robust Vitex), Roucongruong (Cistanche), Yiyizi (Coix seed), Kuandonghua (Coltsfoot), Miwu (Ligusticum).
• Plus eight poisonous herbs including Wutou (Aconite) and Fuzi (Aconite lateral root)—though the full list is incomplete.

The Essential Scripture of the Pure Mirror of Supreme Clarity (Shangqing Mingjian Yao Jing)

This scripture primarily records two esoteric Daoist methods: the medicinal pillow formula and the nine-section staff technique.

Medicinal Pillow Formula:

The recipe requires thirty-two herbs, including black false hellebore (lilu), Chinese honeylocust pods (zaojia), aniseed tree bark (mangcao), alum (fanshi), pinellia rhizome (banxia), and Chinese wild ginger (xixin). Each herb is measured in equal portions (one liang each according to the scripture). After grinding the ingredients into powder, they are placed into a cloth pouch to form the medicinal pillow.

Effects of use: After one hundred days, the complexion becomes radiant. After one year, physical ailments and wind-related diseases are cured, and the body emits a fragrant aroma. After four years, white hair turns black, lost teeth regrow, and hearing and vision sharpen. The scripture emphasizes that this secret formula is extraordinarily efficacious and is only transmitted to those with karmic affinity.

The text traces the lineage of this formula: it was passed from Nü Lian to Yu Qing, then to Guangchengzi (a legendary Daoist immortal), who later transmitted it to the Yellow Emperor. It also records that the Daoist priest Chunyu Gong of Gucheng used this pillow and lived over a hundred years without his hair turning white. The explanation of its principle states that all illnesses originate from disturbances in the Yang meridians, and the medicinal pillow blocks the intrusion of pathogenic wind. When using it, the herbal pouch should be wrapped in cloth and then enclosed in a leather casing, only opened during sleep.

Nine-Section Staff Method:

This section details the names of the nine sections of the Daoist ritual staff, each corresponding to a celestial body:

1. First section: Great Yin Star (Taiyin)

2. Second section: Mars (Yinghuo)

3. Third section: Horn Star (Jiao)

4. Fourth section: Balance Star (Heng)

5. Fifth section: Net Star (Zhang)

6. Sixth section: Encampment Star (Yingshi)

7. Seventh section: Saturn (Zhenxing)

8. Eighth section: Well Star (Dongjing)

9. Ninth section: Restraining Star (Ju)

Laozi’s Pillow Talisman and Medicinal Prescriptions:

The text mentions that if a household is unsettled or family members frequently fall ill, the head of the family should wear this talisman to ensure safety. It also records emergency applications: for someone who has just died (with the body still warm), swallowing two pill-sized doses (each the size of a soybean) can revive them. If the person cannot swallow, the mouth should be pried open with a stick to administer the medicine. During epidemics or when traveling to unfamiliar regions (where one may suffer from environmental imbalances), one should take one pill at dawn on the first day of each month while wearing the talisman. Before preparing or wearing the medicine, one must first bathe and observe purification rituals (zhai).

This scripture primarily discusses two Daoist cultivation methods: wearing medicinal talismans and ingesting elixirs.

The medicinal talisman section explains that wearing this talisman can expel all diseases, ward off malevolent spirits, and neutralize weapon injuries. It is particularly suitable for officials seeking protection for their descendants. After wearing, the garments that have come into contact with the talisman must not be lent to others. This prescription and its accompanying incantations are highly secret and should not be casually transmitted.

The formula contains thirteen medicinal ingredients:

Walnut, Aconite (a Chinese herb), peach resin, realgar, croton seed, Sichuan pepper, genuine pearl, dog gallbladder, tiger palm herb, tiger teeth, nüqing plant, white quartz, and capillary wormwood. Each ingredient is measured at one and a half liang, totaling fourteen components when combined with the talisman. These are to be pounded and sifted, then mixed with two jin of ginger juice and pounded six hundred times. If insufficient ginger juice is available, honey may be added, ultimately forming three sparrow-egg-sized pills. A three-cun red cloth pouch lined with white silk should be prepared, with the first talisman drawn on the silk using cinnabar before inserting it into the red pouch. Men wear it on their left side, women on their right. During preparation, face northwest while reciting: "The Five Phases (Wuxing) generate and restrain each other, as heaven and earth unfold..." If nightmares occur, place three pills beneath the pillow.

The elixir-ingestion section records Laozi's teaching: "Though all people know life brings joy and death brings fear, none understand the path to longevity. Various techniques and medicines may extend life for centuries at most, but cannot achieve celestial ascension. Among woody plants, pine resin is supreme (as pines produce poria cocos and abundant resin) - both leaves and fruits are consumable. Among herbs, the finest are gloryflower, Solomon's seal, asparagus root, and mountain thistle, which must be taken continuously without interruption to live approximately five hundred years. Yet none can grant cosmic longevity." The text laments how later practitioners exaggerated claims and misled students, mentioning incomplete references to Eight Minerals Pills, Mica Elixir, and Jade Nectar among other preparations.

Notes:

1. The mentioned herbs and talismans belong to traditional Daoist practices - modern readers should not attempt them without proper guidance

2. Concepts like "Five Phases (Wuxing)", "Literary Star (Wenchang)", and "Great Clarity (Taiqing)" represent fundamental Daoist cosmological principles

3. The scripture reflects core Daoist cultivation goals of longevity and celestial transcendence

This scripture passage discusses methods for obtaining immortal mushrooms (xianzhi, a miraculous plant) to achieve transcendence. Here's a plain explanation:

Practitioners must withdraw from worldly life, abstain from sexual activity and meat consumption, and seclude themselves in mountain stone chambers for one year. Only then can they commune with spirits and attain immortality—though not yet the ability to fly or ascend to heaven. When questioned about the authenticity of immortals consuming these mushrooms, the text explains:

While mushrooms do grow where yin and yang converge in sacred mountains, near spiritual springs, and beneath ancient trees, these merely absorb the essence of landscape and vegetation. Though superior to ordinary herbs, they cannot directly confer immortality. True transcendent mushrooms grow upon four precious minerals (cinnabar, gold, azurite, and realgar), appearing only to virtuous individuals whose moral character moves the deities.

These miraculous mushrooms derive their power by absorbing the essence of these four minerals, fusing with the qi of heaven-earth and yin-yang through vaporization and condensation—their efficacy far surpassing the minerals themselves. The scripture details the collection method:

On the day of Spring Begins (Lichun), dig a three-foot square pit in the yin position (northeast) east of one's dwelling. Place one jin of powdered azurite mixed with sheep fat, pour in one sheng of celosia juice, then cover and compact the earth. After seven days, azure clouds will gather; in seventy days, blue spiritual energy forms; after one hundred days, uniquely shaped immortal mushrooms emerge.

The text concludes by emphasizing this secret method comes only to predestined individuals. Those with ancestral sins or insufficient virtue cannot achieve longevity even with this knowledge. The scripture must be carefully guarded, never casually transmitted.

(Note: Mentioned substances like "azurite" (zengqing) and "realgar" (xionghuang) were common alchemical minerals; "yin position" refers to the northeast in fengshui terminology.)

This scripture records the collection and consumption methods for three miraculous lingzhi mushrooms, each corresponding to the solar terms of Beginning of Summer, Beginning of Autumn, and Beginning of Winter:

[Red Lingzhi Chapter]

On the day of Beginning of Summer, dig an eight-foot square pit on the southern side of South Mountain. Place two jin of cinnabar powder (zhusha) inside, wrap it with realgar, add two sheng of scrophularia root (xuanshen, a medicinal herb), then cover and compact the soil. After eight days, red clouds will gather above the pit; in eighty days, crimson mist will rise; and after one hundred days, the red lingzhi shown in the illustration will grow. Between si and wu hours (9 AM to 1 PM), wrap a wooden knife with an eight-foot red silk cloth and harvest the mushroom while facing the sun, using Yu Steps (a Daoist ritual walking pattern). After picking, kneel in reverence before leaving and do not look back. Dry it in shade for one hundred days, then grind and consume it at sunrise each day with well water. Completing the regimen cures all ailments, expels impurities from the blood, and grants abilities to walk on water, avoid fire, and practice bigu (grain avoidance). Ultimately, an immortal carriage will arrive to escort the practitioner to ascension.

[Yellow Lingzhi Chapter]

At Beginning of Autumn, dig a six-foot square pit on the northern side of West Mountain. Melt one jin of gold and pour it into the pit, then add one hu each of crane’s knee grass, clear wine, and duckweed (ancient measurement units), before covering and compacting the soil. White clouds will appear in six days, yellow qi will rise in sixty days, and the yellow lingzhi will mature in one hundred days. During shen and you hours (3 PM to 7 PM), wrap a golden knife with six feet of white silk and harvest it while facing the sun with Yu Steps. After drying in shade for one hundred days, consumption restores black hair, regrows lost teeth, and reverses aging.

[Black Lingzhi Chapter]

At Beginning of Winter, on... The text emphasizes that harvesting must follow strict timings, directions, and ritual movements. Consumption brings healing, longevity, and eventual Daoist transcendence. However, it sternly warns against cultivating these mushrooms among mortals, hinting at their supernatural nature.

This scripture describes a method for cultivating a special type of luminous mushroom (purple zhi-lingzhi) and its miraculous properties:

Prepare a five-foot square pit and bury three jin of realgar (a mineral medicine) inside, contained within a boiled copper vessel. Pour in two liters of sesame oil, then cover with one jin of powdered realgar before filling and compacting the earth. After five days, dark clouds will gather above the site; in fifty days, purple vapor will rise to connect with these clouds; and in one hundred days, the purple lingzhi will grow in the shape shown in the illustration, emitting light visible for one li at night and revealing fine details even on cloudy days.

Harvesting method: At high noon on a Ren-Gui day (days marked by these Heavenly Stems), use a ritual horn knife while performing the Yu Steps (Daoist ceremonial footwork), spreading a five-foot black silk cloth beneath. Bow in reverence when picking, and depart without looking back. Dry the lingzhi in shade for one hundred days, then grind it into powder on a Zi-Hai day (days marked by these Earthly Branches). Take five fenbi (an ancient medicinal measure) per dose, ingested while facing north at midnight.

Effects described:

• Complete consumption reverses aging, effective for both genders
• The Life-Sovereign Taiyi (deity governing longevity) dispatches immortal officials to guide the practitioner
• Grants divine abilities including celestial lifespan, invulnerability to weapons, and immunity to fire/water
• Neutralizes all poisons, repels evil spirits, and eliminates hunger/thirst
• All four zhi varieties confer immortality and can summon celestial officials bearing meals

The text concludes with analogies illustrating how cosmic Yin-Yang generates all phenomena: just as a yang-sui (ancient fire-mirror) draws flame and yin-sui (moonlit dew-collector) gathers water, or bamboo friction creates fire, so too can cinnabar crucibles transmute mercury—demonstrating universal transformability. It emphasizes this method must be stored in golden cabinets, accessible only to predestined individuals who cultivate virtue diligently, until the Life-Sovereign erases their mortal records, enabling ascension to the Nine Heavens with unimpeded supernatural powers.

Note: The "verdant illustration" refers to the lingzhi’s unique property of maintaining emerald-green coloration unchanged for one hundred days.