《上清靈寶大法(一)》Vol. 24

Scripture of Shangqing Lingbao Great Method, Volume 24: Observing the Nine

Composed by Ning Quanzhen (Dongwei Gaoshi, Kaiguang Jiuku Zhenren), transmitted by Wang Qizhen, Lingbao Lingjiao Sishi, a disciple of the Three Caverns (Sandong) of Shangqing.

Section on Recitation Within the Rites of Fasting and Chanting

Regulations for Reciting the Scripture

The scripture states: "The Supreme Sages have already attained the rank of Perfected Immortals, have penetrated the profound principles, and have fully explored the subtle and obscure."

This passage does not refer to ordinary people who recite the scripture. It refers to those who have penetrated the profound principles, explored the subtle and obscure, and fully grasped the chapters of the text. When such a person recites the scripture, he obtains ten grades of merit.

"Scholars who have reached the highest level of study" refers to those whose cultivation has reached the summit. When such people recite, they obtain six grades of merit. Ordinary scholars who recite obtain three grades of merit.

"Making offerings and showing reverence" refers to all practitioners who cultivate in accordance with this text. They obtain five grades of good fruit.

Anyone who recites this scripture, including those who have already attained the rank of Perfected Immortal, will naturally receive merit and retribution. The scripture further explains that such a person can deliver the suffering souls of ancestors for ten thousand generations, causing them to ascend to the Vermilion Palace (Zhugong, the palaces of the immortals in Daoist belief). According to their rank in the Vermilion Hall (Zhuling, the Daoist place where wandering souls are delivered), they will be reborn after nine years and receive transformation, becoming persons of nobility. On the day the practitioner's own merit is complete, he may also ascend to the Golden Gate of Shangqing and roam in Yujing (the celestial capital of the immortals in Daoist belief).

As for ordinary students of the Dao, the merit they achieve is only sufficient to deliver themselves, enabling them to ascend to the Southern Palace (Nangong). They cannot extend this merit to benefit their great-grandparents.

Worldly people who accept and uphold this scripture can only prolong their lives, or attain shijie (Daoist release through the body's transformation, in which the spirit ascends as the corpse is left behind), so that the body and spirit return to outer space. They themselves cannot obtain the blessing of ascending to the Vermilion Hall, and their great-grandparents will find it difficult to be reborn and transformed.

The "Demon King's Song" states: recite it one hundred times and you may ascend to the Southern Palace; recite it one thousand times and the Demon King will escort and welcome you; recite it ten thousand times and you may ascend into outer space. This is the song of the Three Realms, not the verses of any other scripture.

Those who hear the sacred sound, whose hearts and bodies take refuge in it, and who listen and recite with concentrated attention, obtain nine grades of good fruit.

Those who cultivate this merit, who make the aspiration to hold fasts, burn incense, and recite the scripture, obtain three grades of good fruit.

The above distinguishes the different rankings of the Perfected Ones. Scholars who reach the highest level of study and cultivate this merit can become ministers within the Golden Gate of the Later Sage Emperor of Shangqing.

"Those who understand its sound" refers to those who grasp the contents of the middle section. In other words, those who comprehend the scripture within it, and whose skill is equal to that understanding, obtain eight grades of blessing.

The sound of the middle section possesses four kinds of immeasurable numinous power: warding off evil, averting calamity, delivering from suffering, and bringing accomplishment. Those who recite it obtain sixteen grades of auspicious response.

When transmitting the scripture, one should bring gold, silver, and precious treasures, make an oath to Heaven with sincere devotion, and follow the Xuanke (the regulations governing the transmission of Daoist scriptural methods). Transmission may take place only once every forty thousand kalpas. The one who transmits must bring gold, silver, and precious treasures, swear the oath with sincerity, and, following the established regulations, announce the covenant to the heavens of the ten directions.

Rules on Transmission and Reception

These three provisions govern the transmission and reception of the scriptures, and they are precepts established by Heaven. The so-called "forty thousand kalpas" belongs to the regulations of former times. From the time the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) received the diagrams and registers, Great Yu received the talismanic mandate, and Gaoxin Shi received the Heavenly Scripture, down to the descent of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji) to transmit the teaching, how could it have taken forty thousand kalpas? One should instead follow the new rules promulgated after the Divine Mother (Amu) descended into the world. A person qualified to transmit the teaching appears once every four hundred years, and after receiving the transmission, one must wait forty years before passing it on to another. Within any four-hundred-year span, the total number of transmissions must not exceed seven. If a perfected person (zhiren) appears within four years, one transmission is permitted. These three rules on transmission concern the Great Methods of the Two Chapters (Erzhang Dafa) and the ritual of scriptural recitation.

Rules for Long-Term Fasting and Recitation

The scripture states that long-term fasting and recitation of this text in the first month can relieve the spirits of the ancestors from the suffering of their labor duties in the underworld and enable them to ascend to the Southern Palace (Nangong).

The first month is the time when the Celestial Official (Tianguan), the Earth Official (Diguan), and the Water Official (Shuiguan) of the Upper Primordial Palace (Shangyuan Ziwei Gong) convene, assess the merits of all people, record their names in the registers, and bestow immortal rewards. The term "labor duties" refers to three kinds of service. Service on the Celestial Path is driving thunder and lightning, which falls under the Celestial Official. Service on the Earth Path is carrying sand and hauling stone, which falls under the Earth Official. Service on the Water Path is toiling in water and drawing from deep waters, which falls under the Water Official. There are also the servitudes imposed by the Ghost Officials, who compel spirits over long periods to sweep the Five Sacred Peaks, serve in Fengdu (the underworld realm of Daoist belief), or be detained among mountains and rivers to build works. The scripture is concerned that the spirits of the ancestors may be enduring these burdens, and so it prescribes long-term fasting and recitation in the first month to deliver these spirits and raise them to the Southern Palace.

In the seventh month, long-term fasting and recitation of this scripture can enable practitioners to attain the Way of the immortals and have their names entered in the registers of the heavens. They are recorded in the Yellow Register (Huanglu), removed from the White Tablet (Baijian), which records the dead, and transformed from death to life.

The seventh month is the time when the Earth Official, along with the Celestial and Water Officials, convenes at the Yangtai Palace of the Central Primordial (Zhongyuan) to examine merits and faults and to celebrate the living. The Yellow Register is the golden register of the heavens, recording the names of those who may ascend to life. The White Tablet is the register of death. The phrase "the golden tablet records the register of life, and the white tablet erases the mark of death" means that one's name is entered in the register of life and removed from the register of death. The registers of faults kept by the immortals are called the Cinnabar Tablets (Danjian), and the ledgers of sins kept by the mortal world are called the Black Ledgers (Heibu). All of these record the dead. Therefore, the seventh month is suited to long-term fasting and recitation of the scripture to deliver oneself, so that the heavens will register one's name in the Yellow Register, remove it from the death register of the Northern Capital (Beidu, the underworld), and enter it in the register of life, thereby attaining immortality.

In the tenth month, long-term fasting and recitation of this scripture can bring peace and stability to the sovereigns and rulers, and to the bonds between ruler and minister and between father and son, preserving the state so that it endures for a long time and continues from generation to generation, so that the ruler may always obtain…

In the tenth lunar month, the Lower Primordial Water Official (Xiayuan Shuiguan), the deity in charge of waterways, inspects the human world. Together with the Heavenly and Earthly Officials (Tiandi Erguan), the gods of the various heavens and various earths, and the True Sages, Immortal Spirits, Stellar Lodges, bureaucrats, and ghosts and spirits of the waters, he examines the merits, faults, and good and evil deeds of all living beings at the Tail Gate (Weilü) of the Eastern Ultimate Heaven (Dongji Tian), a place said to be where waters drain away. The source of water flows out from there and gathers in the Qingling Palace (Qingling Fu). The tenth month is called the "Month of Universal Examination and Generative Life, the Great Assembly," and is suitable for prolonged fasting and recitation of scriptures, offering blessings for kings, emperors, ministers, fathers and sons, and the rulers whose lineages are passed down through generations. When these merits are practiced, the heavens will protect and record the good deeds.

The Master says that some people in the world are implicated in ancestral lawsuits because the dead are interrogated in the Yin Bureau (Yinsi, the officialdom of the netherworld), and the investigation reaches the living. If fate is unfavorable, the consequences may even extend to descendants. Having become disciples of the Dao, one should first deliver the Seven Ancestors and Nine Profound Kin (the ancestors and generations of kin) during the Upper Primordial festival, so that they are spared from detention. Then, at the Middle Primordial festival, one should cultivate for oneself, strike one's name from the death registers, enter it into the registers of the living, and have the heavens record one's name, so that one may ultimately attain the Dao and become an immortal. Only afterwards, at the Lower Primordial festival, should one pray for the nation's peace and invoke the emperor's blessings, and in accordance with the rules, pacify the places where calamities have occurred. What is called pacification (anzhen) means guarding the locality with the Jade Characters of the Thirty-Two Heavens, summoning the harmonious Qi of the heavens so that the people dwell in peace and all under heaven is tranquil.

If an aspiring immortal has not yet delivered his own ancestors, the ancestors will remain for a long time under the detention and examination of the Three Officials (the Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials), and the calamity will extend to the practitioner himself. If one's name remains on the black register after death, without an immortal register, how could one perform good deeds and accumulate merit for the nation and its people? Therefore, during the Three Primordial periods, one should cultivate and recite scriptures in order, from Upper to Middle to Lower Primordial, so as not to violate the rules of the Daoist school.

Reciting this scripture on the Eight Seasonal Days can make one a Perfected of the Nine Palaces (Jiugong Zhenren). The Eight Seasonal Days refer to the Four Beginnings (siji), the Two Solstices (erzhi), and the Two Equinoxes (erfen). On these days, one should face the corresponding directions to practice and recite, in order to dispel and avert the calamities that may occur in that season, and also to suppress floods, fires, warfare, droughts, and inundations across the Nine Provinces. By practicing this method, one may hope to attain the rank of Perfected of the Nine Palaces.

Reciting this scripture on one's Birth Day (benming ri), the day defined by the sexagenary stems and branches of one's birth year, month, and day, can keep the hun-spirit clear and upright, keep the original Qi enduring, free one from suffering, and make the body emit light. The gods of the Three Realms guard the practitioner, the Five Emperors welcome him, and myriad spirits come to pay court. One's name is entered into the register of Heaven, and once merit is complete, one may ascend to Upper Clarity (Shangqing).

The Birth Day is the day on which a person receives the transforming Qi of creation, and the heavens regard it with great importance. Yet people now live in the age of the Five Turbidities (wuzhuo, a Buddhist and Daoist term for the defiled world), where the Five Emotions (wuqing) assail one another, the Six Desires (liuyu) entangle the body, the Seven Corporeal Souls (qipo) hold sway, and the Three Ethereal Souls (sanhun) weep. Both Shen (spirit) and Qi have been dissipated, leaving only a hollow body still moving about…

Various evil spirits gather in great numbers. Moreover, the three hun souls (the three kinds of ethereal soul in Daoist belief) belong above to the Three Terraces (star officials of the Daoist heavens), governing the Supreme Mysterious Qi and arising within the palace of the body. The nature of human beings delights in wandering and pleasure, so the hun and po souls soar throughout the Three Realms. Yet once one encounters the root and origin of life, the life-decree returns to the bodily form.

If one recites scriptures on this day, gathering and settling the souls so that the shen (spirit) becomes clear and upright, tranquil and still, and the various primordial qi do not scatter, then life can be prolonged. Evil spirits cannot disturb one from outside, and the body will manifest radiance. In this way the deities of the Three Realms will come to guard one, and the Five Emperors and their Numinous Officials (spirit officers who serve the Celestial Emperors of the five directions) will come to welcome one. Yet recitation of scripture is not the only practice of this kind. The methods of the Great Cavern (Dadong), the supreme Way of Highest Clarity (Shangqing), and the arts of nourishing life are likewise suited to cultivation and recitation on this day. Such a day is auspicious, and there will surely be no calamity of demonic trials or disturbances. If one practices accordingly and accumulates merit, the myriad spirits will pay homage and one's name will be inscribed in the heavens. When merit is complete, the souls will ascend to Shangqing.

The so-called Three Pure Heavens (Sanqing Tian) refers to the heavens governed by the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji) above the Four Brahma Heavens. Taiqing (Great Clarity) has twelve heavens, where the Nine Immortals dwell and the Nine Elders gather, governed by the Latter Sage Golden Gate. Above it lie the twelve heavens of Shangqing (Highest Clarity), home of the Nine Perfected, governed by the Jade Dawn Lord (Yuchen Daojun). Above these are the twelve heavens of the Unsurpassed Great Luo and Jade Clarity (Yuqing), home of the Nine Sages, governed by the Primordial Heavenly Venerable (Yuanshi Tianzun). These three levels together are called the thirty-six heavens, the heaven among heavens. Shangqing lies above Taiqing and below Yuqing.

Recitation in the first month can obtain the "Taiwei Jade Talisman" (Taiwei Yufu), which grants long life and enduring vision. Its talisman text reads: "Jade table, mysterious pearl, flowing down to the three Dantian (dāntián, energy centers), the hundred spirits guard on every side, the myriad sages attend the hall, the flying Brahma cords and wheels pass through the hidden and reach the numinous." Wearing this talisman can summon the true fire of Donghua, its full and complete qi, to descend into the body, so that one may attain long life and enduring vision, with one's years extended without end.

Recitation in the seventh month can obtain the "Nine Immortals Mysterious Register" (Jiuxian Xuanlu), which grants long life and enduring vision. Its talisman text reads: "Golden tablet, dragon emblem, illuminating the Supreme Mystery, the myriad emperors establish their rites, the Five Phases revolve, in the Golden Cavern and Jade Chamber one receives the decree and prolongs life." Wearing this talisman can summon the qi of the Numinous Perfected, of the Wutang hue, to descend into the body and generate the qi of metal, wood, and earth, so that one attains long life and enduring vision. Through long practice, the body may ascend to Shangqing.

Recitation in the tenth month can obtain the "Jade Emperor's Precious Register" (Yudi Baolu). Its talisman text reads: "True primal scattered and spread, brightly shining through the nine crossroads, the spirit transforms at the emperor's terrace."

The talismans should be worn during the tenth month, by means of which one summons the Five Qi and Five Lords of the North and the Qi of the myriad worthies. This Qi descends into the body, giving rise to Water and Wood Qi within, so that one may enjoy long life and enduring vitality without limit.

On each of the eight solar nodes (the Beginning of Spring, the Spring Equinox, the Beginning of Summer, the Summer Solstice, the Beginning of Autumn, the Autumn Equinox, the Beginning of Winter, and the Winter Solstice), recite the Chapter on the Long Life and Enduring Vitality of the Great Emperor of Longevity.

(True Qi interweaves and encircles, and mysterious radiance appears in the empty sky above. The Three Passes (the passes of the body described in cultivation practice) open without obstruction, and the Eight Scenes (eight spirit-vistas within the body) appear in turn, merging with the sunlight and thereby earning a place among the Perfected.)

The talismans should be worn on the eight solar nodes, by means of which one summons the Yellow Emperor, Lord Wuyou, to receive his Qi into the body, giving rise to Earth and Fire Qi within, so that one may attain longevity. When reciting the Scripture of the Divine Empyrean Talisman Register of the Descent of the True Jade Immortal Kings, one's Life-Bound Spirit (benming zhi shen) will descend.

(The Embryonic Immortal appears in the vision above, refining the jing and shen. On the left, the life-Qi shines like jade blossoms; on the right, the whistling sound is like golden dawn. Commanding numinous powers and mobilizing the bodily spirits, one constantly maintains peace and good fortune.)

These talismans should be written in vermilion on a plain white ground (that is, with cinnabar on a white base) and practiced in secret, without being revealed to others. Practitioners of cultivation should select an auspicious day of life, face southeast, burn the talisman, and take the ash with pure water. This method must be recited in secret within the Three Palaces.

The Master said: "The Scripture of Universal Salvation, Superior Grade, radiant and flourishing, can dispel celestial calamities above and avert earthly disasters below. Outwardly, it aids all beings; inwardly, it refines and nourishes the hundred spirits. In practicing this method, the foremost requirement is concentration, and in reciting it, one must first visualize. Therefore, one must regulate the breath so that the voice flows smoothly, and imagine the Three Qi gathering in lush clusters while the hundred spirits stand in solemn array. In this way, one can nourish oneself within and extend benefit to all beings without."

When reciting, one should enter a quiet chamber, burn incense, settle the mind, and regulate the breath, so that the numinous light gathers and turns inward and no stray thoughts intrude. Sit upright, with the body straight and neither slanted nor bent, so that the channels of breath remain unobstructed and the Dragon-Tiger Qi (the Qi of yin-yang union in internal cultivation) flows unbroken. Then recite the scripture. There are different modes of recitation: silent recitation with the spirit (shen song), recitation with the mind (xin song), and recitation with the Qi (qi song), as well as recitation through intention (yi song). For heaven, earth, the sovereign of the state, or celestial phenomena, one may use shen song; for calamities, or for praying for blessings and averting misfortune on behalf of others, one may use xin song; for delivering all wandering spirits, one uses qi song. Whenever a matter of urgency arises, one must silently recite the sacred text in a secret chamber before performing the zhangjiao (the Daoist liturgy of submitting memorials to the deities). From beginning to end, one should visualize according to the prescribed method. When first reciting the scripture, begin by reciting the preface...

When recitation reaches the second round, begin again from the opening of the scripture; ten full recitations make one cycle. When finished, put the scripture away, declare your sincerity to the authorities, and leave the residence while your spirit ascends.

The oral formula says that in the first month, which belongs to the Upper Origin (Shangyuan) period, one visualizes one's infant, the inner image of cultivation, during practice in the Upper Palace, rising from the Dantian along three-colored clouds to the Upper Palace. This continues through the sixth month. The seventh month belongs to the Middle Origin (Zhongyuan) period, and during practice one visualizes the infant in the Middle Palace, located in the Middle Field, through the ninth month. The tenth month belongs to the Lower Origin (Xiayuan) period, and during practice one visualizes the infant in the Lower Palace, located in the Lower Field, through the twelfth month. When praying or averting calamities, practice is generally carried out in the Upper Palace; when refining qi, generally in the Lower Palace; and when practicing on behalf of the dead, generally in the Middle Palace.

When performing the nine kinds of meritorious yin practice, averting calamities, and paying homage, or when resolving one's own misfortunes and accumulating merit, one should visualize oneself as the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), seated upright in the air, floating above a five-colored lion and bathed in sunlight. Each time one recites scripture on behalf of others, one should visualize the Yuanshi Tianzun descending from the Mud Pellet Palace (Niwan) into the Crimson Palace (the palace located in the heart region), and summon the yang souls of those who have come to seek relief, so that they may come and listen to the scripture. This is like the Yuanshi Tianzun transmitting scripture to the Daojun.

During recitation, one must follow the fixed method and listen wholeheartedly as the Celestial Worthy recites, whose voice is clear and resonant, like a bell. First recite three thousand times in the Lower Dantian, then three thousand times in the Middle Field, and finally four thousand times in the Upper Field, for a total of ten thousand recitations, at which point the merit is considered complete.

Practicing the Dao and Reciting Scripture

The scripture says: On days of practice, one should bathe with fragrant decoction and observe a fast before entering the room.

The Master explains that "days of practice" refers to the days on which scripture is to be recited, and on these days one should bathe in fragrant decoction. Fragrant decoction is a broth boiled from five kinds of aromatic substances.

Method of Bathing in the Five-Fragrance Decoction

Qingmuxiang (green wood fragrance), Baizhi (white angelica root), Chenxiang (agarwood), Baitanxiang (white sandalwood), and Gansong (spikenard).

Take twenty-four zhu of each of these five substances, prepare them, sift them fine, and simmer them several times in one shi of clear, flowing spring water. Regarding Qingmuxiang, the Ami Dayou Sanqi Jing describes it as "the clear fragrance of five joints," which can open up dust and filth. If one sincerely presents a memorial to the Supreme Heaven while burning it, it can sweep away impurities within a radius of five zhang and send its fragrance up to the heavens.

The oral formula says: First place the five-fragrance decoction in a vessel, undress, burn incense on the left side, and then sit down. Visualize the radiance of the sun and moon and the interweaving of five colors entering the decoction. Next, visualize five five-colored jade youths and five jade maidens arriving from the five directions, burning incense, scattering flowers, and standing on either side holding towels and water. Then stir with a ladle……

When bathing with thirty-two ladles of water, one recites:

"The mysterious water made from the Five Fragrances (five kinds of aromatic substances) receives the essence of sun and moon. It washes and refines my body, removes defilement, and lets clear qi circulate. Corpse-pollution and dust dissipate, the foul vapors are swept away, the knots of the embryo loosen, and my roots are pure. I ride the void and soar to Shangqing (Highest Clarity), one of the heavens in Daoist cosmology."

After reciting the incantation, one knocks the teeth and then recites:

"The Supreme Mystery True Fluid refines the primordial qi and nourishes life. Bathing in the sheen of the verdant radiance, I chant the Cavern Scriptures. My seven generations of ancestors ascend to immortality, and I too rise to Shangqing."

After reciting the incantation, one knocks the teeth thirty-two times. First one drinks a vessel of water, at a temperature suited to the mouth. Then one washes the head with another vessel of water, first reciting the incantation for loosening the hair: "The Divine Palace stirs and rises to Heaven, and the black clouds part. The flowing golden fire-bells flash and are cast into the boundless beyond. May I attain the true Dao and roam through the heavens, widely deliver countless beings, summon numinous qi, and so become an immortal."

While washing the head, one recites: "The essence of sun and moon flows into Niwan (Mud Pellet), the inner-elixir site in the head, bathing and nourishing the Nine Palaces, and the hundred spirits rejoice. Corpse-pollution dissipates. The Perfected descends to look upon me and bestows the power of the divine tiger, so that I may become a guest of the Lord Emperor."

Having finished washing the head, and as one prepares to enter the bath and remove one's clothing, one recites: "The Five Dippers (Wudou, the stellar deities) provide me with garments, and dragon and tiger attend the Perfected. The Three Radiances (the brightnesses of sun, moon, and stars in Daoist cosmology) open their light, and I ascend to Yuchen (the Jade Dais), the celestial palace. Once I have removed my clothes, I attain immortality and am granted long life."

After removing one's clothes and entering the bath, one recites: "Jade springs from the cloud pool pour over my body. Inwardly they refine the five viscera, and outwardly they open the nine orifices. The qi-mechanisms flow freely and corpse-pollution is swept away. Having received ten thousand rounds of recommendation, I ascend to the halls of the Lord Emperor."

After bathing and putting on the crown, one recites: "The azure mysterious clouds let me reach the true Dao. The crown and hair-knot summon the immortals, and the Five Qi hold and sustain the Perfected. A numinous radiance emanates from my body and lifts me to the halls of the Lord Emperor."

After donning the crown and putting on one's clothes, one recites: "Divine youths attend me as I dress, and jade maidens burn incense for me. I ascend to the scripture chamber to worship and hear the clear, resonant jade sounds. May my seven generations of ancestors be delivered and calamities washed away. May I live long and endure, and attain the precious cloud-root elixir."

When drinking the bathing water, one recites: "The Yellow Divinity guards the pass, and the Azure Emperor protects the hun-soul. The celestial riders roar, and the myriad demons lose their essence. Corpse-blood is entirely washed away, the green worms are destroyed, and the seven po-souls are refined, while purple clouds arise of their own accord. I ride in a carriage together with the Exalted Perfected and roam in the realm of the Mysterious Supreme."

Ritual of Entering the Chamber for Cultivation and Recitation

The scripture says that upon entering the quiet chamber one should face east and knock the teeth thirty-two times, so that the sound reaches the thirty-two heavens, and then bow thirty-two times toward the heart. Close the eyes and quietly contemplate, imagining oneself seated amid clouds of blue, yellow, and white, with mist filling the dim air both inside and outside the chamber. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu (Black Tortoise), lion, and white crane are arrayed on the left and right. The sun and moon shine, and the chamber is brilliantly clear.

Radiant light arises from the crown of the head, its brilliance shining in all ten directions, clear and distinct.

According to the imperial commentary written by the Daojun Huangdi (Emperor of the Dao Lords) on the Duren Jing (Scripture on the Salvation of Humanity), one faces east because the human world looks up to Xuandu (the Mysterious Capital), the celestial city of the immortals in Daoist cosmology, and Yuchen (Jade Dawn) also lies in the east. Shiqing (Azure Origin), the vital energy of the eastern azure, is found in the northeast. The east governs birth, so when a practitioner enters the quiet chamber, they bow toward the east in order to draw in spiritual qi.

The method of tooth-knocking is as follows. Knocking the teeth on the left side is called the "Heavenly Bell," used to drive away ghosts and spirits. Knocking on the right side is called the "Heavenly Chime," used to summon the hundred spirits. Closing the upper and lower teeth together is called the "Heavenly Drum," used to pay homage to the perfected sages. Upon entering the quiet chamber, while reciting scripture, one should visualize the true realm and hold the Dao in mind, knocking the teeth thirty-two times and performing thirty-two mental prostrations. Inwardly, this expresses the practitioner's full sincerity; outwardly, it conforms to the prescribed number of repetitions. In this way, spirits gather, malign influences are dispelled, the teaching reaches every place, and it ascends to the high perfected beings (the exalted divine immortals who have attained the Dao).

When practicing the supreme methods, the contents of one's visualization must be complete. In performing the "mental bow," one should visualize the Lord Emperor in the heavenly palace sending down the true qi filling the sky, its radiance like jade-colored clouds and mist, entering one's body. One then swallows and gathers this true qi, letting it circulate throughout the whole body. When one bows in the mind, the spirits respond; when sincere recitation reaches its utmost, this is why the mental bow surpasses the bow of the body. Another view holds that in the supreme Dao one need only bow mentally and does not need to bend and raise the body. The phrase "the Brain Palace is upright" refers to this idea.

The main purpose of the mental bow is to summon the spirits of the body, such as the Merit Officials and the Envoys. These spirits are transformed from one's own Dao qi and are connected to the Great Dao. The practitioner should use the most perfect qi to invite them to manifest their wondrous responsiveness, and report to the heavens so that the practitioner's aspirations reach the celestial realm and unite with the Dao.

The Inner Method of Chanting Scripture

The Master says: whenever one practices chanting scripture, first bathe and change clothes as described earlier. Once prepared, concentrate the mind on the Dao and enter the quiet chamber. Before entering, knock the teeth and recite the "Entry Incantation":

The Fourfold Clarity Merit Officials, the Dragon-Tiger Envoys, the Zhengyi vital qi, and the Attendant Maidens of Pure White: may the Enlightened Youths and the Celestial Maidens of the Upper Mystery together enter the Yellow Chamber, so that the matters I report may reach their destination and ascend fully to the ears of Heaven. Swiftly, as the statute commands.

Then enter first with the right foot, walk to the scripture table, and arrange the scriptures facing east. After burning incense, knock the teeth nine times, and then recite the "Incense Incantation":

The Dao joins with the heart, and sincere intent is conveyed through incense. Holding the jade censer, visualize the Lord Emperor standing before you. The True Sovereign lowers his gaze to observe, and the immortals with jade pendants arrive at the balcony, so that the matters I report may go straight up to the Chongxuan (Doubly Mysterious) heavenly realm.

Next, sit upright and first recite the "Mouth-Cleansing Incantation":

Spirit of the Vermilion Mouth, expel the filth and clear away the dust; spirit of the tongue, keep speech proper and in accord with principle, so that words flow freely and the spirit is nourished; spirits of the thousand teeth, drive away evil and guard the true; the throat-spirit is like a fierce tiger guard, and the qi-spirit guides the fluids……

Concentrating the mind on the Cinnabar Origin of the Heart-Spirit (xīn shén dān yuán), I open myself to the true Dao. Through focused visualization of the spirit (níng sī cún shén), I refine and nourish the jinye fluids so that my upright qi (zhèng qì) endures constantly.

Next, I recite the Incantation for Purifying the Body (Jìng Shēn Zhòu): Heavenly Venerable Lingbao (Língbǎo Tiānzūn), steady and protect my bodily form. May the hun and po souls of this disciple and the five viscera (wǔ zàng) be still and at peace. Let the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger stand in ordered array, and let the Vermilion Bird and the Dark Warrior guard my body.

I recite again: I cleanse my body with the qi of the sun and refine my form with the qi of the moonlight. Immortals assist me, and Jade Maidens guard my person. The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions align with me, and a thousand evils and ten thousand harms withdraw at the sound of the incantation, leaving body and mind pure and clear.

Then I close my eyes, quiet my mind, and visualize the Azure Dragon of the East spitting rain from its mouth. The rain joins with the moonlight, the white qi, and the kidney water, bathing my whole body as if in the great sea and washing away the filth within the five viscera. After a while, I visualize the True Fire descending from the South, uniting with the essence of the sun (jīng) and the red qi, and burning my body in the fire of the heart. At the same time, all impurity inside and outside the jìngshì (the quiet chamber used for ritual practice) is burned away, without a trace of smoke or dust. Then a great wind rises and sweeps away every speck of dirt.

Next, I visualize an infant within the Dantian (dāntián). The infant steps along the Pacing of the Big Dipper (bùgāng) from the Earth Gate (dìhù, the gate at the lower part of the body), ascends the altar, and comes forward to merge into one with me. I silently recite the Incantation for Purifying Heaven and Earth: Within the cavern-heaven all is profound, mysterious, still, and empty, radiant and luminous, the Great Origin at the beginning. May the majestic spirits of the eight directions purify me naturally. The Lingbao sacred decree is announced to the Nine Heavens: let the celestial net and the earthly web, together with the Dong Gang and the Great Mystery, cut down demons, bind evil spirits, and drive back ten thousand ghosts. The Zhongshan Divine Incantation and the Jade Text of the Primordial Beginning, recited once, can expel ghosts and prolong life. As I patrol the Five Sacred Peaks and the Eight Seas, the spirits all know of it. Demon kings bow their heads and submit to binding, guarding my chariot. Foul qi dissipates and is swept clean, and Dao qi endures constantly.

I gently draw in the true qi of the four directions, then exhale slightly outward so that the qi reaches the whole body, and immediately visualize heaven and earth made pure. I then visualize the infant transforming into my own likeness and becoming the Perfected of Primal Destiny (Yuánmìng Zhēnrén), wearing crown and robes, holding the register tablet, and wearing shoes. The color of the robes follows my birth-hour star (yuánchén), my life-destiny (běnmìng), and the Five Phases (wǔxíng) of the sound of my nayin (nàyīn). Once the visualization is steady, I settle into a seated posture with a focused mind, dignified and solemn in bearing, and pay homage in my heart to the ten directions, beginning in the east and bowing once toward each direction. After the bows, I sit calmly facing east and silently recite the Incantation for Opening the Profound Storehouse of Scripture: Cloud seal script (yún zhuàn, the cloud-shaped seal characters of Daoist tradition) appears in the Great Void, beginning at the start of the great calamity. It drifts far and near, sinks and floats, and wanders among the five directions, about a zhàng in size. The True Emperor (tiānzhēn huángrén) writes according to its form, composing the Dong Zhang with it, and afterward writes down talismanic charts. The Primordial Heavenly Venerable descends into the human world and proclaims the true script. It is clear yet subtle, with form yet seemingly formless. Heavy illness is thereby healed, and those sunk in the toils of the mortal world can be rescued. In the dark netherworld, too, there will be something to rely on, and through it people ascend into the realm of the immortals.

Finally, I begin reciting the scripture preface from the beginning, up to the line "those who receive the scripture have the Five Directions and Five Emperors within their bodies," and visualize the Five Directions and Five Emperors.

Jade youths and jade maidens, twenty-four from each of the four directions, one hundred and twenty in all, descend and attend beside the scripture table. Then the Feisheng Shangqing Jue (Formula for Ascending to Upper Clarity) is recited.

Close the eyes, quiet the mind, and visualize the Thirty-Two Heavens, beginning in the north. The Taihuang Huangzeng Tian (Heaven of Taihuang Huangzeng; the variant in the original reads Taihuang Huanglu Tian, one of the thirty-two heavens) moves from east toward south, circling the four quarters in order. Each direction contains eight heavens, situated within blue clouds of the sky and within purple vapors.

Visualize the eight eastern heavens coiling above the left ear, the eight western heavens above the right ear, the eight southern heavens lying before the forehead, and the eight northern heavens behind the head. In each heaven, layers of cloud-qi of different colors overlap, and in the halls and towers of every celestial palace a lord sits in dignified composure.

The lords of the eastern heavens wear blue crowns with blue fringes and blue upper and lower garments, arranged from north to south. The lords of the southern heavens wear blue crowns with red fringes, vermilion upper garments, and yellow lower garments, arranged from west to east. The lords of the western heavens wear blue crowns with gold fringes, white garments edged in crimson, arranged from south to west. The lords of the northern heavens wear blue crowns with white fringes, vermilion lower garments and black upper garments, arranged from west to east. The attendants of each lord are likewise arranged in order.

Next, visualize the deities themselves. Beginning with the Taihuang Heaven, at each heaven first tap the teeth together once silently, letting the sound echo in the mind. Then recite the name of that heaven's lord in silence, reporting upward with focus and sincerity. Finally, make a bow in the mind. The body need not actually move; one need only imagine bending in courtesy. Circle the ten directions in this way, paying homage to the thirty-two heavens one by one.

When the salutations are complete, regulate the breath. From the upper dantian (the upper qifu, the energy palace in the head), a dark blue xuanqi (mysterious qi) rises from the yintang (the point between the eyebrows). From the middle dantian (the middle qifu, the energy palace in the chest), a yellow yuanqi (primordial qi) emerges. From the lower dantian (the qifu below the navel), a white shiqi (initial qi) appears. At first the three breaths are as fine as silk threads, but they gradually thicken. They then merge with the green qi of the east, the red qi of the south, the white qi of the west, and the black qi of the north, descending from the four quarters, and blend into the three mysterious qi of xuan, yuan, and shi.

The three colors of cloud then interweave and wrap the body, and then fill the whole room with light, covering the seat and the mats. Visualize yourself sitting amid a light of a hundred treasures, with cloud-qi passing through the entire body and billowing densely within and without the five viscera, swirling through the chamber. Then extend the cloud outward to encircle an entire quarter.

The practitioner, called zhao (the "candidate" in ritual terminology), swallows the saliva three times and then exhales once, so that these breaths enter the dangong (elixir palace) together and form a golden beam of light, interwoven in three colors, that pierces straight up to the niwan (the point within the crown of the head). The light then divides and circulates. One stream of true qi rises to Yuanshi Shangdi (the August Lord of Primordial Beginning), who sits enthroned at the center. One stream transforms into Yuchen (Jade Dawn), positioned on the left, and another transforms into Laojun (Lord Lao), positioned on the right. Once this visualization is clear, wait quietly for a moment.

The left hand then forms the Yuqing Jue (Jade Clarity Seal), carrying the movement through to the Chenwen Jue (Seal of the Hidden Pattern), so that one's body is brought into harmony with the movements of Heaven and Earth.

Visualize the liver Qi (vital energy) issuing from the left eye (another account says the left ear), transforming into the Azure Dragon (Qinglong), which stands attending at the left. Another text holds that the Qi rises and appears blue, and that the Perfected (zhenren) mounts a carriage and ascends into the sky to audience with the Three Heavens.

Next, circulate the white Qi of the lungs so that it issues from the nose (another account says the right ear), transforming into the White Tiger (Baihu), which guards the right. Another text holds that the Qi rises and appears white, and that a Perfected clothed in white rides a floating cloud, ascends, and audiences with the Three Heavens.

Next, circulate the red Qi of the heart so that it issues from the mouth (another account says from the crown of the head, the fontanelle), transforming into the Vermilion Bird (Zhuque), which leads the way in front. Another text holds that within the Qi appear a sovereign and his assistant, robed in ceremonial vestments and holding jade tablets (gui), who audience with the Three Heavens.

Next, circulate the black Qi of the kidneys so that it issues from the ears (another account says from the feet), transforming into the Black Tortoise (Xuanwu), which follows behind. Another text holds that the Qi rises and appears black, and that a Perfected clothed in black ascends into the sky to audience with the Three Heavens.

Next, circulate the yellow Qi of the spleen so that it issues from the lower Dantian (the site of internal alchemy (neidan) practice below the navel), transforming into a lion that stands above the lower Dantian. The Perfected rides the lion, head raised, and rises up to audience with the Three Heavens. Another account holds that the Qi issues from the root of the tongue and transforms into twelve birds arrayed on the left and right. Yet another holds that the green Qi of the gallbladder issues from the right eye and becomes……

Next, circulate the white Qi of the Yuanxuan Palace (Palace of the Profound Abyss), so that it issues from the navel. With the left hand, form the mudras of the Twelve Qi in sequence, then return to the noon position. Visualize the Qi transforming into auspicious cranes, arranged in rows of six and dispersed in the four directions. Another account holds that the auspicious cranes fly out from the Niwan Palace (the "Mud Pellet Palace" in the head, a site of inner cultivation) and line up outside the lion.

Next, form mudras with both hands and pass in sequence through the palaces of Heaven, Court, Noon, and Wei, rising swiftly above the Heavenly Court. Visualize light of the sun and moon issuing from the eyes, together with golden and white Qi. The radiance flashes and transforms into six cranes, which take up positions above the Heavenly Court before the brows, riding the Qi and drifting.

Next, visualize the sun and moon rising within the Liuhe Fu (Palace of the Six Harmonies), the small points behind the brows on either side. The sun emits nine rays of purplish-red light, and the moon emits ten rays of yellowish-white light. The sun and moon hang nine cun from the face and illuminate the entire room, their colors dazzling, like gold and blue-green jade.

Next, visualize the light of the sun and moon pouring into the nose and entering the Jinhua Palace (the Palace of Golden Flowering), four cun behind the head. Then the light gathers from the Ziwei Yuzhen Palace (the Palace of the Purple Subtlety and Jade Pillow) into a circular image. From above the neck issues a halo of nine colors, its light like a rainbow and its size like a cartwheel, illuminating the ten directions. Once all of these visualizations have been held clearly, one silently recites the secret mantra.

Tānluómò refers to reciting without sound: the words are not spoken aloud, and the reciter cannot hear them with their own ears. Then the lips are lightly moved so that a faint sound emerges. Beginning with the phrase "Wushang Xuan" (variant: "Wushang Yuan") and continuing through to the words "guanqi" (opening), one states the matter to be presented. After the master of the rite has announced his own identity, he silently memorializes the Throne, presenting in full whatever he wishes to say.

If the rite is held on an auspicious day and the officiant is observing the long fast that day, the date given is the current day; if he is not fasting, the date originally set is used. At the phrase "qingtang xiuxing" (Pure Hall cultivation), if the practice is the Way of the Sandong Zhongmeng (Covenant of the Three Caverns), say "xiuxing" (cultivation); if it is ordinary scripture recitation, say "qingtang songjing" (Pure Hall scripture recitation). At the phrase "Wuliang Duren" (Boundless Salvation of Humanity), if the rite universally delivers the beings of the netherworld, one may say "wuliang" (boundless); if it is done for a particular purpose, state that purpose.

When reciting "chen ji jia yi" (your servant and so-and-so), if the rite is performed for oneself, one should not say "ji jia yi" but only "chen" (your servant). If one is turning the scriptures on behalf of another, or praying for another's rebirth or for the averting of calamity, say "for so-and-so" (wei mou ren); if one prays together with others, follow the original text and say "zhuanjing" (turning the scriptures). The "ten circuits" (zhou hui shi guo) here means reciting the complete scripture ten times.

At the phrase "yuan suo qi" (the wish that has been presented), hold the intention that the memorial reaches the Heaven above, all the way to the presence of Yuanshi Shangdi, the Primordial Lord of the thirty-two highest heavens. With this, the rite is complete. (Another view holds that at this point one may also pay homage to the three or nine heavens, beginning the upward bows from here.)

When drawing in qi (vital energy) thirty-two times, follow the earlier order, beginning with the Taihuang Huangzeng Heaven. At each heaven, visualize true qi descending like jade-colored radiance, pouring into the body, and draw it in through the nose and swallow it. Visualize the true qi of the eight eastern heavens entering the liver, gallbladder, and sinews, its essence transforming into the Lord Wuying, who dwells in the liver. The true qi of the eight southern heavens enters the pericardium and the spirit palace, its essence transforming into Siming Jun, who dwells in the heart. The true qi of the western heavens enters the lungs, spleen, and stomach, its essence becoming Baiyuan Zunshen, who dwells in the lungs. The true qi of the eight northern heavens enters the kidneys and bones, its essence becoming Taokang Jun, who dwells below the navel.

After the drawing in of qi, visualize the perfected beings of the ten directions dwelling within the dantian (energy center), and then recite the scripture in a faint voice. The first recitation begins with "Dao yan xi yu shiqing tian zhong qi" and continues to the end of the preface. When this visualization is complete, recite again from "Yuanshi Dongxuan" through to the end of the scripture. Visualize once for every ten recitations; ten recitations make one "pass" (guo), and ten passes make one "turn" (zhuan). When the ten passes are complete, follow the ritual to visualize the shen (spirit) and gather the shenqi.

The master says that the methods of recitation each have their primary and secondary aspects: some require silent prayer in the heart, while others call for a soft or secret intonation.

Each recitation may follow a different manner. "Mental recitation" (xin zhu) means visualizing the divine within the mind and reciting silently to oneself. "Faint recitation" (wei zhu) is a low murmur that one can still hear oneself. "Secret recitation" (mi zhu) involves reciting with the mouth alone, so that others cannot make out the words. There are also "spirit recitation," "mind recitation," and "qi recitation" (shen song, xin song, qi song), which correspond to the Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantian (dantian), the regions of the body regarded as places for refining and nourishing the practice. In addition, there is "intent recitation" (yi song). Which manner to use depends on the weight of the matter at hand and on the inner or outer level of the text being recited.

"Ear recitation" (er song) is done with the voice lowered, while "chanting" (yong) is done aloud. After reciting ten characters, one swallows the saliva once, which nourishes the qi (vital breath) and moistens the inner palace. After reciting one hundred characters, one taps the teeth once, which gathers the true qi (zhen qi), harmonizes the spirit-breath (shen qi), and protects the body, keeping the spirit-breath from dispersing. If one character is misspoken, one begins again from the preceding thirty characters. If one character is omitted, one recites the preceding fifty characters again. One must complete at least two chapters before rising to move about, and one visualizes once for every ten recitations. Only after the entire text has been recited may one rest or eat.

Whenever a period of rest or eating has passed before one resumes recitation, the earlier rules of visualization must be observed again. During recitation, the mind must not be scattered or wander elsewhere, and one must never lack reverence for the Dao. In reciting these scriptures, the mind should honor the Three Treasures, the sovereign, one's teacher, and one's parents. The intent should respect the precious chapters such as the Cuiyu and Huazhen. The body should pay reverence to the incense and the altar, and perform the bowing and kneeling of the court-cultivation ritual. One must not rely on sound alone while the heart holds no reverence, nor should one seek speed or quantity and recite the text carelessly and indistinctly.

If one recites sacred scripture with disrespect, then even after ten thousand recitations one cannot hope to ride the clouds and ascend to heaven, and even after a hundred million, one may instead sink into the gloomy netherworld. Such empty recitation cannot be blamed on the Dao for being false. One must understand that the method of recitation must be received from a teacher and recited strictly according to heavenly regulations. If one completes ten thousand recitations according to the rules and still cannot rise into the great void, then the Dao itself bears the fault of having misled the person; yet the practitioner will ultimately still fail to attain the rank of a immortal perfected. Those who receive the method and recite the scripture should be focused and diligent, and should not commit the faults of careless recitation or the rash disclosure of the scripture's methods. Acting against the right Way and harboring no compassion will be bound by the clear laws of heaven, and the gods will not show favoritism.

Essentials of Recitation

When reciting the Shangpin Miaojing (Wondrous Scripture of the Supreme Grade), press the middle finger on the upper joint of the middle finger (a mudra, or hand seal, pressing position), visualize within the mind, and perform three bows. When reciting the words "dao yan" (the Dao speaks), press the middle finger on the upper joint, bow inwardly in the heart, and offer incense. When reciting "xi yu" (long ago), pause this section of the ritual arrangement; when reciting "xian de chang sheng" (all obtain long life), rise and hold the bamboo slips. For the content following "dao yan," follow the ritual procedure by offering incense and bowing inwardly in the heart; perform one bow and offer incense and bow toward the ten directions (the four cardinal and intermediate directions, and above and below). For the content following "shi fang" (the ten directions), offer incense and bow inwardly in the heart again.

Silently recite, “Purification and abstention.” Hold incense and a tablet, stand upright, and enter the chamber. Bow in the prescribed ritual order, visualizing yourself bowing three times to each of the twelve heavens.

Silently recite the secret mantra, “Supreme, mysterious origin.” Then report to the deities and state your prayers. Bow three times to the Primordial Heavenly Lord, the supreme deity revered in Daoism. Guide the Qi thirty-two times, then bow thirty-two more times in your heart.

The scripture next describes the Primordial One’s Mysterious Cavern realm and divine light spreading throughout the ten directions: east, south, west, north, northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest, above, and below. At each direction, offer incense toward the corresponding quarter, bow once inwardly, and pay respect to that quarter’s divine king.

As you bow, visualize the divine king wearing a crown and vermilion robes, adorned with jade pendants and carrying a jade tablet. Confide your thoughts to the king, read aloud your prayers, and burn a talisman in the incense burner. Visualize the divine king bowing deeply upward.

The true deities of the ten directions descend, accompanied by the harmony of immortal music. The Five Elders lead the way, followed by the assembled immortals. Divine light revolves, bearing witness to sincerity and delivering living beings from suffering. Then petition the heavens, state your name and the names of your ancestors, explain what you seek, and pray for protection.

Cultivate pure practice in the realm beyond color. Visualize the east as blue-green, the west as white, the south as vermilion, and the north as dark; the four intermediate directions are adorned with clouds of mixed colors, while above and below are decorated in yellow and dark hues. The Supreme One’s feathered talismans, along with a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen, appear in the colors of each direction. Recite the prayer, envision the mysterious spirits and their images, bow three times, recite the mantra, and bow again, imagining yourself attending court in the heavens.

Next, visualize the eight heavens of the east and their emperor-lords. Picture them according to the colors of their garments, bow inwardly, offer incense, and silently recite the names of the heavens. The first is the Emperor of Great Yellow, Heaven of the Exalted Beginning.

(Bow.) Yu Lian Yu Ming. (Visualize the nine Qi of the azure heaven. Begin in the north and recite in sequence toward the south. After finishing, make three prostrations. Proceed in the same way for the remaining seven heavens.) The Eight Heavens of the South.

(Visualize the attire and appearance of the Lord Emperor. Bow, offer incense, and recite the name of the heaven.) Lord Emperor of the Red Radiance and Harmonious Yang Heaven. (Recite silently. After completing the Eight Heavens of the South, recite the preceding invocation for the Eight Heavens of the South, then offer incense, make a declaration, and so on, before making nine prostrations.)

Supreme Perfected One who Governs and Restrains. (Visualize the three Qi of the red heaven. Begin in the east and recite in sequence toward the south. After finishing, make three prostrations. Proceed in the same way for all eight heavens.) The Eight Heavens of the West.

(Visualize the attire and appearance of the Lord Emperor. Bow, offer incense, and recite the name of the heaven.) Lord Emperor of the Primordial Beginning and Great Ascent Heaven. (Recite silently. After completing the Eight Heavens of the West, recite the preceding invocation for the Eight Heavens of the West, then offer incense, make a declaration, and so on, before making nine prostrations.)

(Visualize.) Opening Truth, Settled Light. (Visualize the seven Qi of the pure heaven. Begin in the south and recite in sequence toward the north. After finishing, make three prostrations. Proceed in the same way for all eight heavens.) The Eight Heavens of the North.

(Visualize the attire and appearance of the Lord Emperor. Bow, offer incense, and recite the name of the heaven.) Lord Emperor of the Vast Court and Lofty Firmament Heaven. (Recite silently. After completing the Eight Heavens of the North, recite the preceding invocation for the Eight Heavens of the North, then offer incense, make a declaration, and so on, before making nine prostrations.)

(Visualize.) Beneficent Awakening of the Dark. (Visualize the five Qi of the mysterious heaven. Begin in the west and recite in sequence toward the east. After finishing, make three prostrations. Proceed in the same way for all eight heavens.) The Thirty-Two Heavens. (The following is a prayer.) Rejoice in receiving deliverance.

(Hand mudra at the Chen position.) Pass through the barriers. (The following is a petition.) Please eliminate the three kinds of evil karma of [name]. (I, your servant, perform this rite to pursue merit for [matter].) To the Eastern Dipper, which governs the allotment of life (hand mudra at the Mao position); the Western Dipper, which records names (hand mudra at the You position); the Northern Dipper, which consigns to death (hand mudra at the Zi position); the Southern Dipper, which grants rebirth (hand mudra at the Wu position); and the Central Dipper, the Great Chief (at the center of the middle finger).

The Azure Emperor protects the Hun (hand mudra at the Mao position); the White Emperor attends the Po (hand mudra at the You position); the Red Emperor nurtures Qi (hand mudra at the Wu position); the Black Emperor circulates the blood (hand mudra at the Zi position); the Yellow Emperor presides at the center (at the center of the middle finger).

Demon King of the Azure Heaven (hand mudra at the Mao position), of the Red Heaven (hand mudra at the Wu position), of the White Heaven (hand mudra at the You position), of the Black Heaven (hand mudra at the Zi position), and of the Yellow Heaven (at the center of the middle finger). The Great Demons of the Five Emperors (visualize the Demon Kings wearing crowns and ceremonial robes, with the appearance of the Five Emperors).

By stern command, the spirit lords of Beifeng, the northern underworld, were ordered to wield the Purple Talisman, a seal symbolizing heavenly authority, to sweep away every ill omen. They roared out poisonous breath with fierce force, while savage heavenly steeds surged in all directions. The Heavenly Guards opened the way. The Great Marshal carried a ritual banner and hurled flames, whose light spread for ten thousand miles; the demon-subduing bells rang out across the eight directions. Golden axes struck down their foes at the front, while the mighty heavenly beings punished them from behind. The force reached the vast, undifferentiated Brahma Heaven, then the place where the Primordial Beginning is enthroned and all is pacified. From there it rose to the high heavens of the Great Qi of the Thirty-Five Divisions.

When reciting “I take leave and attend upon the High Perfected,” burn the talisman of the Demon Kings and visualize the Demon Kings of the Three Realms as you would the Five Emperors, wearing crowns and ceremonial robes. Visualize the first, the Realm of Desire, at the upper joint of the index finger; the second, the Realm of Form, at the upper joint of the middle finger; and the third, the Formless Realm, at the upper joint of the ring finger.

After reciting the entire scripture ten times, click the teeth thirty-six times and swallow the saliva in the mouth thirty-six times. Make a reverent bow in the heart toward the Ten Directions, then rise and leave the seat facing south. Turn to face east and bow three times in the heart. With eyes closed, silently recite:

“Your servant, So-and-so, has carefully recited the Golden Books and Jade Scriptures, and has now completed ten recitations. I respectfully ask that the dragon carriage be set in motion, that the heavenly spirits descend, and that the Six Ding, the six guardian spirits, and the Nine Ancestors be conveyed to heaven, so that I too may ascend to Shangqing, the highest clear heaven.”

Then, with eyes closed, click the teeth nine times and swallow saliva ten times. Face north and bow three times in the heart, silently reciting:

“Supreme Sovereign, Great Perfected One, please raise me into the True Clarity. Through purification, bathing, cultivation, and practice, and by reciting the Golden Books, may the Seven Generations—the ancestors and their descendants—be delivered and ascend to the Great Void. May I also enjoy long life and be entered in the registers of the immortals.”

With eyes closed, click the teeth nine times and swallow saliva ten times. Then face east and silently recite:

“Your servant has completed the recitation of the scripture. The Three-Five Merit Officers, who were dispatched from within my body, the messengers on my left and right, the incense-attending golden youths, the message-bearing jade maidens, the Five Emperors’ tally officers, and the incense officials on duty today, thirty-two of each, are all requested to return within me and take up their places in their respective palaces. Do not fall into disorder. When summoned again in the future, come as before.”

Concentrate on visualizing them returning within the body. Then click the teeth three times, swallow saliva three times, and offer incense. With eyes closed, silently recite:

“May the sacred assembly who came to hear the scripture and protect it now disperse from the altar and conclude the assembly, each returning to the place under their charge. May the divine winds subside and the four directions grow still. May the mountains and seas be solemn and clear; may every kind of evil spirit lie hidden and not emerge, and may the hundred numinous beings protect my body.”

Visualize the perfected celestial beings and exalted sages of the ten directions, each riding clouds up to Heaven, beginning in the east. At each direction, click your teeth three times and bow inwardly three times. Then inhale through your nose the three-colored cloud qi, imagining it entering the Five Viscera. Next, gather in the divine energies: first the Vermilion Bird, then the Azure Dragon, third the White Tiger, fourth the Black Tortoise, fifth the lion, and sixth the white crane. Inhale all these divine energies together, imagining the true qi being gathered into the Mudball Palace (the upper Dantian in the head), then returning to its original position. Click your teeth three times, swallow saliva three times, and the ritual is complete.

Incantation for Holding the Breath

The Celestial Spirit has nine palaces. Taiyi guards the palace chambers; the hundred spirits are in harmony, and the hun and po souls are at peace. May life be long and vision clear, and may one’s lifespan endure as long as the sun and moon.

(Pinch the middle finger and perform the hand signs for Zi, Wu, and the Dipper.)

Paying Homage, Chanting, and Ascending and Descending Through the Precious Realms

The oral instruction says: The vision of nine-colored circles is the method the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning uses for inner contemplation. (The original text includes the note “powerful/color diagram,” which may refer to an illustration.) Visualize five-colored lions transforming the Five Viscera, with their five-colored radiance gathering into a jade-green hue. After swallowing saliva once, auspicious qi congeals into five-colored lions standing in the lower Dantian. Inwardly envision a lotus flower, with the Perfected One of the Crimson Palace (the Perfected One dwelling in the Crimson Palace of the heart) seated upon it. The Perfected One sits suspended in the air, and the lotus seems to float as well. The lion symbolizes the Dao.

Reciting the Inner Sounds

The Jing of the Jade Characters of Lingbao says: Whenever one recites the middle section of the Book of Numinous Writings, each direction has its corresponding prayers and visualization method.

When reciting the sixty-four characters of the east, beginning “Danlou Ahui…” (the original text omits the passage here), click your teeth nine times and visualize nine-colored divine dragons guiding you from before and behind, while nine layers of azure clouds cover your body. Then recite.

Eastern Esoteric Incantation

The chart of the opening of the Crimson Light: May the nine qi return to the true Dao, and may the gates and apertures of Primordial Beginning be gathered into one. The Great Spirit of the Azure Emperor spreads its teaching beyond the nine regions, encircling and protecting my body. The numinous sounds, together with the Eight Scripts and sixty-four chapters, make Heaven and Earth utterly clear. I unite with the immortal Dao. Riding a dragon chariot, I ascend to the imperial carriage.

When the incantation is complete, draw in true qi and swallow nine times, then stop. If one practices in this way for nine years, the eight heavens will each send eight jade maidens dressed in blue and eight youths of jade radiance to guard the practitioner. They will grant the essence of the nine qi of the Azure Sprouts, bring forth divine radiance, and make one’s vision clear enough to perceive the emptiness. After reciting ten thousand times and completing the Daoist practice, one will be able to fly. Seven generations of ancestors will also share in the blessing and ascend to the Southern Palace.

Whenever reciting the southern passage, beginning “Nan Yan Dong Fu…” (the original text omits the passage here), click your teeth three times and visualize the Vermilion Bird and phoenix flying before and behind you, while three layers of crimson clouds cover your body. Then recite.

The Southern Esoteric Incantation says:

The three primordial Qis (the three original vital energies in Daoist teaching) circle and converge, while the numinous phoenix and vermilion bird take flight. The eight-character numinous inscription shines brilliantly, illuminating the Purple Tenuity (the residence of the Celestial Emperor, and also a revered region of the heavens).

On an auspicious day, as the great assembly gathers, the gate of our Daoist practice stands wide open. Nourish body and mind with cinnabar, and raise your head to absorb the radiance of numinous energy. Water and Fire arise together within the body. Clad in crimson sashes and feathered robes, ascend through the air and tread upon the phoenix ladder. Roam throughout the eight directions of heaven, accompanied by your ancestors of seven generations.

After reciting the incantation, draw Qi into the body and swallow it in three portions, then end the practice. After cultivating in this way for three years, eight Great Cinnabar Jade Maidens and Solar Jade Youths from each of the eight celestial directions will guard the body. They will cause the essence of the vermilion cinnabar and the three Qis to descend within, preserving the face from age. Your ancestors of seven generations will ascend beyond the world and enter the Hall of Blessings. The practitioner will cast off the mortal body, enter the ranks of the immortals, and attain long life.

When reciting “Dali Chanyou” of the West (a divine name or invocation associated with the West; the original omits what follows with “and so on”), first knock the teeth together seven times. Visualize a White Tiger and a lion guiding you on either side, with seven layers of plain clouds surrounding your body. Then recite:

Secret Incantation of the West:

Golden numinous spirits of the seven Qis, divine lords of the eight heavens; the White Tiger rides a chariot, and the lion steadies its shafts. The seven Qis flow without end, refining me into an immortal. My body rises into golden light, reflected in the plain clouds; within and without, I transform and ascend through the Golden Gate. My ancestors of seven generations leave the darkness and return their souls from the depths of the Ninefold Abyss. Through countless kalpas, all attain deliverance, enduring in accord with the course of Heaven.

After reciting the incantation, draw Qi into the body and swallow it in seven portions, then end the practice. After cultivating in this way for seven years, eight Plain Numinous Jade Youths from each of the eight celestial directions will guard the body. They will cause the Supreme Plain Seven Qis (the subtle energies evoked through Western cultivation) to descend within and nourish the body, granting long life in this world and a youthful appearance. The blessings will extend to your ancestors of seven generations, enabling them to ascend to the Southern Palace (the celestial bureau governing life, death, and the registers of immortals). The practitioner will cast off the mortal body and be reborn anew, entering the ranks of the immortals in every life.

When reciting “Juewu Ziyu” of the North (a divine name or invocation associated with the North; the original omits what follows with “and so on”), first knock the teeth together five times. Visualize a flying dragon, the Dark Warrior (the divine beast of the North), and a dense feather canopy encircling your body from both sides. Divine youths and Jade Maidens, clad in feathered robes with their garments flowing, guard you at your sides. Then recite:

Secret Incantation of the North:

The Dark Heaven revolves, its flowing light illuminating the Highest Clarity. Great Existence opens and sets transformation in motion; the eight-character numinous inscription shines high and bright. The flying, mysterious Qi purifies the empty expanse; the Qi of the Cavernous Yin arises of itself. The five Qis flow without end, pouring into my body. I wear a cap and girdle, receiving the Northern refinement and the Qi of Cavernous Numinousness. The kidneys’ palace (the part of the body corresponding to the kidneys) opens toward the North, filled with light within and without. I fly through the Three Realms and roam in festivity in the Purple Court. My ancestors of seven generations share in the joy and pass long years in happiness. Reborn in the Seven-Treasure Grove, they leave the endless night and have their names entered in the Southern Palace. Their names are written in the Yellow Registers and White Tablets (Daoist registers of immortals), and in every life they are reborn among the immortals.

After reciting the incantation, draw Qi into the body and swallow it in five portions, then end the practice. After cultivating in this way for five years, eight Great Primordial Jade Youths from each of the eight celestial directions will guard the body, allowing numinous energy to nourish it and the five Qis to…

Essence and Qi are restored, lifespan is extended, one’s spirit and vitality are preserved, and life is brought to peace. Blessings reach the Three Pure Ones (the three pure realms described in Daoism) and extend to the nine generations of ancestors, enabling them to become immortals in every generation.

The passage on the right is the “Inner Sounds of the Four Directions,” a secret recitation associated with the four directions. If one recites it according to the instructions, there is no evil influence that cannot be driven away, no calamity that cannot be averted, no departed soul that cannot be delivered, and no undertaking that cannot be accomplished. The reciter seems to ascend to the heavens and look down upon the human world. The Supreme God sings in response from afar, all the gods come to pay homage, and divine beings from the Three Realms attend the carriage on either side. All spirits are awed into submission, and the ten directions become solemn and pure. Once the Daoist methods are complete and the work accomplished, one may take up office in the Three Heavens—the immortal realms of Shangqing, Yuqing, and Taiqing.

Inner Recitation

The master said: For all incantations used in cultivation and scripture recitation, to dispel adversity and calamity, subdue evil influences, heal illness, destroy all vicious demons and spirits, avert and suppress ill omens, drive away strange phenomena, summon dragons and bring rain, pray for clear skies, consecrate images, stop floods, extinguish fires, eliminate epidemics and misfortune, issue talismans and recite incantations, work through incantation-infused water, subdue poisonous beasts, or seek immortality and cultivate the Seven Longitudes and Eight Latitudes (related meridians or Qi systems in Daoist cultivation), one should invite the Perfected and summon the gods. In all such undertakings, the numinous book must be recited in secret. After ten thousand recitations, the desired result will appear swiftly. One’s spiritual powers will gradually grow; after one hundred thousand recitations, one can sit in stillness and let things come about of themselves, with the wondrous workings of creation remaining inexhaustible.

For important matters, one may write the concealed talismanic words, burn them, and scatter the ashes; or write them on rocks in mountain crags or valleys, bury them in the earth, or sink them in water. The numinous book should also be recited when gathering immortal medicines or treating illness. During recitation, follow these instructions:

White Origin, Venerable God: recite one thousand times;

Taiyi: recite one thousand times;

Siming: recite one thousand times;

Taokang: recite one thousand times;

Lord Wuying: recite one thousand times.