《上清靈寶大法(二)》Vol. 4

Scripture: Shangqing Lingbao Dafa (Great Method of the Lingbao Tradition), Part Two

Text:

Shangqing Lingbao Dafa, Scroll Four, Beast Five. (Compiled by the Dongxuan Lingbao Dharma Master, Southern Bureau Enforcer and Canon Keeper, and the Acting Jade Youth of the Right Assistant Governor of the Initial Chancery, Jin [illegible].)

Chapter on the Seven Warps and Eight Wefts

In the Primordial Beginning and Great Settling, the divine light is clear and still. For seven days and seven nights it perceives all the numinous beings and sees thoroughly the Jade Tablets of the ten directions, looking into their inner explanations. It refines the Ancestral Qi to generate the sacred embryo and the dharma body (the formula has not yet been transmitted). Inner refinement of the Five Phase Qi produces a pearl the size of a millet grain, and the spirit transformations accumulate until they form the elixir (the formula will be transmitted later). Within the body, the five qi merge and unite the hundred spirits (the formula has not yet been transmitted).

The above is called the Seven Warps.

The flowing essence and jade light form the Yin-Yang elixir (the formula has not yet been transmitted). Inwardly it embraces the Nine Cauldrons, and outwardly it joins the Nine Colors. The Great Opening Diagram of the Dongyang Talisman (the formula has not yet been transmitted) is opened, and the Brahma qi circulates, joins with the Great Yang, and flows through the ten directions (the formula has not yet been transmitted). Practice and recitation in the Three Palaces illuminate the subtle and the hidden. The five grades of hidden merit aid life, and the virtue of yang rises without interruption.

The above is called the Eight Wefts.

I, the compiler, privately hold that the Way of Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) and the categories of the Dongxuan tradition arose at the beginning of primordial chaos and unfolded across countless kalpas before that. When they responded to the appointed time, flowed into light, and established teachings through scripture, all of them proceeded from the Seven Warps and Eight Wefts. Yet among their liturgical methods, some have been recorded and entered into the canon, while others have not yet descended into the human world. For each matter I have set out the particulars in this section according to what is known, and I have never dared to force interpretations.

In the Taishan Lingbao tradition, these are called the "Wefts of Recitation Practice." The first is called Taiyi Hanhua Jade Dew Welcoming the Pearl. One visualizes and recites it, and without waiting for ten thousand repetitions, one attains perfection. It is named the Treasure Pearl Mysterious Transformation Weft. The second, Siming Transforming Birth, descends and then rises again. With ten thousand recitations of visualization, one rides the clouds and drives the dragons, ascending in broad daylight into the Great Void. It is named the Lion Majestic Spirit Weft. The third, Heavenly Palace Divided Bodies, is achieved when the Three Primes are complete and ten thousand recitations are sufficient. One lifts the body and ascends as an immortal. It is named the Upper Palace Wondrous Vehicle Weft. The fourth, Inner Seat of the Cinnabar Terrace, achieves perfection in the Central Forbidden Chamber. Six thousand accumulations of merit equal those of the Nine Perfected. It is named the Central Forbidden Witness of Perfection Weft. The fifth, the Hidden Old Man of the Cinnabar Valley, preserves both spirit and qi. After three thousand descents, one's name is registered in the Capital of Jade, and it is named the Lower Primal Beginner Weft. The sixth, Three Qi Give Birth to Three, unites above with the Three Heavens, and creates a multitude by dividing one body into ten heavenly forms.

Note: Passages marked "formula not yet transmitted" or "formula to be transmitted later" indicate that the corresponding oral instructions and secret methods were not yet publicly taught at the time. [Illegible] in the compiler's name refers to Jin [illegible], a volume-ordering designation within the Daoist canon's collection system. The whole text belongs to the Lingbao school's liturgical and recitation categories. The Seven Warps and Eight Wefts serve as the general framework, and the six "Wefts of Recitation Practice" that follow give the specific practices, names, and brief statements of their effects.

The practitioner's bearing should follow the comportment of a Celestial Master (Tianshi): sitting naturally upright, as if mounting a lion, and abiding in a state of emptiness, stillness, and mystery.

When reciting the chapter "Sunlight Jewel Pearl" (Riguang Baozhu), one follows the rules of the Five Wen and Zongyuan and recites it in cycles of ten, so as to sense its mysterious transformations. This chapter is called "Immediate Response Spirit Power" (Li Ying Shentong) and is the seventh of the Eight Latitudes (bawei). The method of practice is to hold the text inwardly and recite the thirty-two sounds outwardly. In the mind one visualizes the Jade Venerable (Yuqing Shenzun), the Jade Clarity divinity, dwelling in the Palace of Mud Pellet (Niwan Digong), the spirit chamber in the head. With the mouth one recites the jade verses, gazing upward and surveying downward toward the Lady Sovereign. After ten thousand recitations, nothing will fail to be accomplished. This chapter is called "Jade Sound" (Yu Yin) and is the eighth of the Eight Latitudes. To cultivate the methods of the Three Realms and Seven Origins, one recites them hundreds of thousands or millions of times, and then one can cross beyond the Three Realms and become an immortal elder who rides the clouds and ascends to heaven. This chapter is called "Opening the Spirit of the Three Realms" (Sanjie Tuoling). The above constitutes the Eight Latitudes.

Since the Lingbao Dafa (Great Method of the Numinous Treasure) began to circulate, many editions have been compiled by various hands. Though they differ in what they retain and what they omit, most take the "Seven Jing and Eight Wei" (Seven Scriptures and Eight Latitudes) as their foundation. The methods of refining practice, accumulating merit, attaining the Dao and perfection, and liberating the world from its dust, together with the wondrous principles behind them, are all contained within this framework. The Taishan lineage now divides the content of cultivation through visualization into Eight Latitudes, which differs somewhat from the version in circulation in the world. In its Jingwei Yifan (Model of the Scriptural Latitudes), it lists only the names of the Seven Scriptures and does not record their actual articles. Some people, having never seen the complete book, have relied on their own conjecture to establish this section anew. To recite and practice from it does not necessarily hinder cultivation, but it does depart from the ancient method. The names of the Seven Scriptures and Eight Latitudes all originally appear in the text of the scriptures. It is like discarding the guiding rope and then expecting a student of the Dao to know where to begin and how to take the first step, while still hoping to enter the hall and the inner chambers. Is this not very difficult?

Chapter on the Flow and Transformation of the Primal Cord (Yuan Gang Liu Yan Pin)

The Primal Cord (yuángāng), the fundamental network along which the primordial Qi of heaven and earth moves, is the road of primordial Qi and the root of the Nine Heavens. It lies in the northwest corner and connects with Jade Clarity (Yuqing). To the southeast it links with the Shining Mist of Yang and, above, with the gate of the Divine Tiger of the Clear Palace. To the northwest it joins the wilds of the Cold Cavern and, above, reaches the courts of the Immortals of the Golden Gate. To the south it extends directly to the homeland of the Great Elixir Floating Li (Dadan Fuli), where its Qi merges with the light of the Cavern Yang. To the north it corresponds to the place where the Gouchen constellation intersects and the Canopy stands. The primordial Qi passes through the center of Guangling and surges straight toward the Capital of Jade (Yujing). Where the eight directions connect and winds converge lies the Western Tortoise Mountain (Xigui Shan), which is the root of heaven. (For detailed content, see the separate chapter on its application.)

I have examined this and conclude that the Primal Cord is the root knot of heaven and the channel through which primordial Qi circulates. Before the origin of the great Dao divided into distinct forms, the Primal Cord already manifested. It is the foundation of the entire structure of heaven and earth and the spiritual pivot of the subtle Qi. It encircles and penetrates the Thirty-Two Heavens and connects them vertically within.

Vernacular Interpretation

The division and imagery of the Twenty-Eight Lodges (Ershiba Xiu; the twenty-eight star regions into which ancient astronomers divided the heavens, used in astronomy and numerological practice): the side that lies above and corresponds to celestial phenomena is called the "Stream of the Dao" (Daoliu), and the side that lies below and is realized in instruction and practice is called "teaching" (jiao).

In practice one turns inward, coordinating with one's own qi channels and internal organs. In application one turns outward, and it must move and circulate according to fixed principles, not at random. This is originally the natural pattern of the movement of Heaven and Earth, explained by analogy to the structure and function of the human body.

The physical body is an "illusory body" (huanshen), formed in a turbid environment and receiving its material substance from the embryo. Hair and skin are all dust destined to decay. Only this numinous awareness shares the same beginning and end as Heaven and Earth, and likewise receives the Primordial Qi (Zuqi; the original, pre-cosmic qi and root of life). Therefore it is said: the head is round like Heaven, the feet square like Earth, the eyes like sun and moon, and the body's form takes its image from Qian and Kun (the trigrams of Heaven and Earth). The breath circulates in close correspondence with the celestial measures.

If one cultivates accordingly, embodying Heaven through the body, one can endure alongside Heaven, transcending and not perishing.

Muddled people neither comprehend the true meaning nor investigate how to apply it, yet casually say, "The body already contains Heaven and Earth, so there is no need to seek outside." This is wrong. The methods of inner cultivation have spread, and heterodox sidepaths claim three thousand six hundred varieties, but the essential point lies in the orthodox oral instructions of the Golden Elixir (Jindan; the correct method of cultivating nature and life, forming the elixir to attain immortality). At first, one must gather the two qi along the "Yellow Path" (Huangdao; the central path along which yin and yang qi circulate in internal alchemy), and unite the "three natures" at the Yuan Palace (Yuangong; the place where the field of cinnabar, the consciousness-spirit, and the primal spirit converge). Once the work is complete, the traces of yin demons vanish, and the yang spirit accords with the Dao. Then, according to the weight of one's merit and the height of one's capacity, one takes office in the celestial bureaux or receives registers in grotto abodes.

Yet one must not say that since Heaven and Earth are within my body, there are no Heaven and Earth outside, or that since form and spirit are within me, there are no spirits and ghosts outside. To learn a little technique and conclude that "there is only inside, no outside" is absurd.

Recently, some people have also recognized that the above views are mistaken, but regrettably have not met an enlightened master and can only conjecture without grasping the essentials. Unable to concentrate solely on the inside, and unable to devote themselves to the outside, they have devised a doctrine of their own called "neither inside nor outside." This strays even further from the principle.

The vault of heaven above is Heaven itself, and the sun, moon, and stars are its celestial patterns. The earth is broad and thick, seemingly without root, and that is Earth, while mountains, rivers, and peaks are its earthly order. The human body, with its four limbs and five parts, is but one thing among Heaven and Earth, distinguished from other beings only by its spiritual nature. With head pressing Heaven and feet treading Earth, can one really claim there is no Heaven and Earth outside?

Here one must first explain the substance and function of the Yuangang (the primal principle of the Lingbao teachings, the governing law that holds together the bonds of Heaven and Earth), which is the constant Way of Heaven. Only afterward does one speak of the human body taking Heaven and Earth as its model and coordinating with yin and yang. That discussion concerns images and analogies.

Heaven endures long through vigorous, unceasing movement. If humans can merge with the Dao and purify their mind and spirit, they too can avoid perishing. This is neither to treat the inside of the body as a separate heaven, nor to speak only of the inside while ignoring the outside.

The meaning of this passage is that if the principles are not explained clearly, they may mislead later generations, so they must be analyzed and distinguished.

The "Yuan Gang" (Primal Thread) is the key path by which the Primal Spirit (yuanshen) ascends, the marvelous vista that leads to the Celestial Stages. Once the source of the Great Dao (dadao) divides, the Divine Heaven (shentian) lies above Kongtong, and it cannot be exhausted by words or fully reached through what is seen and heard. One who has comprehended the True Dao (zhendao), cultivating through the True, will naturally find corresponding true appearances in the external world. One who has recognized the Wondrous Dao (miaodao), attaining the Wondrous through the Wondrous, will naturally reach wondrous realms in the external world. By examining the form of the Divine Heaven, one can infer how near or far the position of the Yuan Gang is.

Humans possess Primal Qi (yuanqi), which opens the channels of the bones and the acupoints and rises to the crown of the head, like the path of the Yuan Gang in the heavens. The hunshen (ethereal soul-spirit) dwells within the body, just as qi dwells within the sky. Knowing the way of its coming and going, one attains longevity and ascent; not knowing it, one remains foolish and mediocre. One who does not examine the arts of his own craft, nor understands the connections of officialdom and the path of service, yet seeks an audience with the ruler, fails to grasp the essentials.

When the Primal Qi coalesces and gathers, and the hunshen is nourished, True Jing (zhenjing) comes into being. The root of True Jing lies in the right kidney, which is the Gate of Life (mingmen), located at the end of the spinal column. Beneath it is the Great Bone (taigu), and the marrow within this bone pierces through the coccyx; its acupoint is named Guiwei (Tail of the Tortoise). This body is the Royal Mother (wangmu), who governs affairs while facing south. Speaking from the perspective of where the sovereign faces, it is called the Western Tortoise Mountain, a name that Daoists borrowed as a metaphor. It is also called the Golden Gate (jinque), because it dwells in the west. The left side is the Jade Chamber (yufang), meaning that jade lies within the mountain and the wood is moist, and it dwells in the east. Moreover, it is the source of the Jade Water, where the Yang Essence and the transformed Essence accumulate, named Jingxia (Pure Mist). This is the root from which the Qi of the Primal Thread originates and emerges.

With the arrangement of the Treasure Diagram (baotu), the high altar (gaotan) is raised at this time. The Yuluo Xiao Terrace (yuluo xiaotai) is established in the middle of the North Terrace, its upright center aligned with the heart, and this is called the Numinous Terrace (lingtai). The realm of Shangqing and the upper bounds of Taiqing lie beneath the heart. The heart hangs down, and below it is the liver. Two divisions below the liver is where the seven stars of the Northern Dipper reside. Its qi reaches the heart, and its source rises to the root of the tongue, named the Gushing Spring (yongquan). Its qi descends to the qi of the right kidney. Those who leak it, allowing the qi of the Gushing Spring to go unchecked, are said to be "crossing the blades" (jiaofeng). Crossing the blades refers to the place illuminated by the Dipper's stern stars and the great demonic star. Its nature is austere and killing, and its spirit belongs to the Desire Realm. Those who know this Way place the tongue against the upper palate and directly circulate their qi along the course of……

This passage elucidates the cultivation principle of how the body's internal Qi channels correspond with celestial phenomena. The spine ascends to the head, where the Jade Capital (the Daoist term for the crown of the head) serves as a vital passageway, adjacent to the Western Tortoise Mountain. Modern practitioners often mistakenly locate this mountain within the brain, when in fact it remains separated from the Jade Clarity Qi (the highest primordial Qi) by forty million layers.

The text notes that Mars occupies the lowest celestial position, its Qi being the first to reach the human body. The heart corresponds to the Fire phase and resonates with Mars. When the sun and moon align with Mars in their orbits, this manifests in the body as the eyes aligning level with the breasts—the breasts being crucial for storing Jing (essence) and nourishing vision. This explains why elderly people experience blurred vision and dried milk when their vital essence declines.

The Jianjing acupoint on the right shoulder corresponds to the Celestial Winnower and Dipper (the handle of the Big Dipper constellation), positioned in the northeast Gen (mountain) trigram of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). The body's Qi channels initiate circulation from the right side, mirroring how the celestial Dao begins its movement from the northwest, completing a full cycle through the Ox constellation (one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions). However, true creation (life activity) must recommence from Mars.

Qi circulation follows the celestial sequence of Fire, Wood, Water, and Metal, corresponding to the heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs acupoint distribution. Observing spinal acupoints reveals their vertical and horizontal connections, with the most profound being the passage linking the throat to the crown. The Formless Realm (the highest cultivation state) resides in the empty space below the heart, to the left of the Dipper's bowl. By pressing the tongue against the palate to construct the "Celestial Bridge," one can ascend from the Crimson Palace (middle Dantian, heart region) to the Jade Clarity realm (crown).

The essence of cultivation lies in: guarding the Spiritual Terrace of the heart (seat of consciousness) while venerating the deities at the crown. When the inner deities Wuying and Baiyuan unite with the celestial deities above, natural enlightenment occurs. At this stage of practicing the Numinous Treasure method, the attainment becomes ineffable—transcending all verbal description.

The Principle of the Unity of Body and Dao

All the methods for uniting with the human body are recorded in this scripture. Those who study the Dao should understand deeply that the human body is precious because it can be cultivated into a True Immortal (zhenxian), matched with Heaven and Earth, refined in form and spirit (xing shen), and made to comprehend the subtle wonders of the Dao (Dao miao). Daoists use images from the natural world to make comparisons, and they establish names modeled on Heaven and Earth. Relying on the self, they set up methods of purposive action (youwei), advancing from purposive action to non-action (Wuwei) and from the visible to the invisible. Only then can one's lifespan equal that of Heaven and Earth, and one can unite with the Dao in truth. All of this begins within the body, yet it does not stop there.

Diagram of the Flowing Evolution of the Primal Guideline (Yuangang Liuyan Tu)

In this diagram, following the various discourses of the Zhen Gao (Declarations of the Perfected), the arrangement of the Five Planets is regularly set with the orientation "facing south": Venus (Taibai) in the west and Jupiter (Suixing) in the east, and the rite is carried out accordingly. The reason is that the Five Planets lie hidden, move across and back, and have no constancy, so they are not as dependable as the constellation of the Northern Dipper, whose figure always remains in place. For this reason a single quarter is taken as the fixed orientation, and it cannot change with the position of the Five Planets. Examining astronomy, one knows that the Five Planets have no fixed positions. At times they appear like a string of pearls, at times they gather at the Eastern Well (Dongjing), and they retrograde, stop, advance, and recede, with their paths irregular. To act according to the diagram is merely to fix orientations according to the Five Phases (Wu Xing) to which each planet belongs, and the discussions in the Zhen Gao are likewise. One should know that this diagram was established to guide the performance of the rite.

Furthermore, the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (ershiba xiu), which above connect to the qi of the Thirty-Two Heavens, each correspond to different heavens. Here the Thirty-Two Heavens are simply arranged in a ring around the four quarters, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions likewise have their directions fixed according to astronomy in order to set the quadrants correctly. This is done only to facilitate the audience rites, and it does not mean that one mansion corresponds to the qi of one heaven. If the qi of a certain heaven were drawn downward to a certain mansion, the quadrants would fall into disorder and the method would be difficult to use. For this reason the arrangement is made as it is.

Audiences with the Thirty-Two Heavens and the Twenty-Eight Mansions

One pays audience to the Thirty-Two Heavens, beginning with the Heaven of Huangzeng of the Great Sovereign Huang (Taihuang Huangzeng Tian) and ending with the Heaven of Jia Yi of Pingyu (Pingyu Jiayi Tian). Then one turns back to pay audience to the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, taking twelve steps for each mansion, from the Winnowing Basket (Ji) to the Dipper (Dou) at the end. Having turned the body at the Dipper mansion, one returns to Ji and then, facing the Dipper, proceeds according to the method to pay audience to the Five Planets (for details, see the Jingming Jingfa).

When the ascending spirit reaches the higher realm, it enters the midst of the Northern Dipper. Proceeding under the canopy of the Three Terraces (santai), which are six stars, one first takes one step on the Dipper, then six steps corresponding to the emergence of the Three Terraces. Circling to the left for forty-nine steps, one encounters the planet Fire (Mars), and then proceeding eastward for eleven steps, one enters the Sun.

Audience with the Filial Dao Luminous King: Proceed rightward again for sixty-four steps, moving from north into west.

On reaching the Great Yin position, one pays respects to the Filial Dao Luminous King, then circles out leftward. Moving left and then right again, one returns seven times in a ring. This is the visualization of the Formless Realm Samadhi (wúsè jiè dìng), a meditative contemplation of the heavens of the Formless Realm, in which one envisions the perfected immortals of that realm coming and going here. One then makes a circuit of the ten directions, paying respects to the thirty-two Emperors and the twenty-eight Lunar Mansions (xiùsù). At each mansion, one takes the Ding Gang (dīng gāng) pace, twelve steps drawing on the gang qi aligned with the Dipper's position, and then returns, for a total of 336 steps. On reaching the Dipper Mansion, one proceeds by borrowing the gang power of the Winnowing Basket star (Ji). Moving directly in a circle, one gazes toward the station of the Great Dipper's Dawei and the Mountain of Crossing Winds. Turning rightward and facing south, one takes forty-nine steps, re-enters Mars, and passes through the Great Yin for thirty-six steps to pay respects to Mercury. From Mercury, one proceeds east to the side of the Sun and moves rightward sixty-four steps to form Wood, facing east to pay respects to Jupiter. Turning back and borrowing the gang of Mercury, one emerges beside the Great Yin eighty-one steps to form Metal, facing west to pay respects to Venus. Proceeding east thirty-five steps to reach the mouth of the Dipper, one enters the center and pays respects to Saturn. Retracing the path, one re-enters the lodges of Metal, Water, and Wood, gazes straight toward the Jade Capital and Golden Gate of the north, then advances eight steps and bows twice, kneeling long.

Recitation of the Formal Address: (Your servant), surnamed Mou, having by the accumulated merit of past lives been granted a share of the True Wind on this occasion, enters stillness (rù jìng), concentrates the spirit, and respectfully attends the Heavenly Gate. The body beyond the body presumes to approach the Jade Capital (Yùjīng). (Your servant) is utterly overwhelmed in gazing toward heaven and longing for the Sage, fearful and trembling, and bows twice.

Again one addresses the court: (Your servant), a mortal of stubborn nature, finds it difficult by principle to rise above the ordinary. Fortunate to have received instruction from the master, which allows the flying spirit to be realized, and not avoiding punishment or destruction, I dare to unfold my cinnabar sincerity. (Entering the matter / the servant's intent) is utterly devoted to beseeching grace and awaiting the decree; I respectfully bow twice. Retreating to return by the original path, the spirit enters the crown of the head. The incantation says:

Serpent-cicada, serpent-cicada, shed your shell and leave the dust behind. I now take the True as my audience and ascend to pay respects in the Azure Clouds. Desiring to make the spirit-person, close the debts and seal the form, raise your step and depart. The secret formula is numinous, numinous. Swiftly, swiftly, as the statute decrees.

The diagram above, the Flow of the Yuan-Gang (Yuán Gāng, Essential Outline), is the route through the heavens of pure practice. It begins with the flying spirit treading the Dipper and ends with paying respects to the Emperor and attending the Origin. If one can contemplate closely, walk the pattern with precision, and remain composed in entering, exiting, and responding, one may submit memorials, report matters, and command ghosts and spirits. This supports the merit of shedding the shell, ascending to perfection, and refining the form by blending pure Qi.

Note: The above records, following the ritual sequence, the number of steps, the directions, and the stars and celestial sovereigns paid respects to. The parenthetical notes are brief explanations of common Daoist liturgical terms. Proper names such as Jade Capital, Golden Gate, entering stillness, and gang-steps have been retained where possible, with brief explanations.

An Explanation of the Shangqing Lingbao Great Rites (II)

Introductory Method for Chaoyuan

The essentials of chaoyuan (paying homage to the source of the Dao and uniting with the place where the Primal Spirit dwells) are nowhere more fundamental than in the following practice.

On each sanyuan (the Three Primes: the Upper, Middle, and Lower Primes, along with other seasonal festivals), on each ruji (entry into a solar term), and on days such as jiazi and gengshen (sexagenary days), enter a jingshi (quiet chamber used for cultivation), burn incense, and sit level, facing north. Close the eyes, reflect quietly, gather the mind, and settle the intention. Let the breath be fine and even, as though a clear breeze rises naturally within the body without any need to force it. The spirit-intention issues from the crown of the head and lifts lightly, like a cicada shedding its shell, moving through buxu (pacing the void). Practiced in this way, the results grow gradually from subtle to manifest, and from visualization toward reality. Everything depends on whether the practitioner is sincere and whether the practice is single-minded.

Editorial Note: Niwan and the Question of Activity Within the Body

The editor observes that this passage contains the essential method of the rite and is the root of the memorial-writing that accompanies it. Like the achievement of the Golden Elixir and the "body beyond the body," the matter is weighty and should not be taken lightly.

In recent times, many practitioners of the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) rites in the Tiantai lineage teach people to direct their attention only within the body. They do not rise to higher attainment. Instead, they stop at Niwan (the Mud Pellet, the upper dantian in the brain) and visualize the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, the Thirty-Two Heavens, and the countless realms of the Three Realms and Ten Directions gathered within Niwan. Feibu (the flying pace, the spirit's journey through the void) is taken to mean withdrawing the spirit into the brain, a kind of gathering of the body's spirit to pay homage to the Origin. Other techniques include bunao huanjing ("repairing the brain and returning essence"), and even submitting memorials and sending the spirit forth to make reports. All of these are treated as secret transmissions not to be shared.

These teachers have seen that similar effects appear in side-path (pangmen) methods, and so they have adopted them as the key secrets. Having not grasped the essential meaning of Lingbao, they borrow these teachings to carry out their practice. Fearing criticism from knowledgeable people, they let each disciple imagine marvelous effects privately and do not speak of them openly.

They fail to recognize, however, that the yuangang (the cosmic guiding threads and master principle) flows through the Thirty-Two Heavens and passes through the divisions of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions. It is the pivot of the heavens, and the human body is a microcosm of heaven. One should settle the baishen (the hundred spirits) within the body, fix a single thought in the spirit, and sincerely rise to join the Great Dao and see the true realm face to face. It is not enough to exert effort only on Niwan. When the inner true spirit is established, the outer true spirit responds naturally. Knowing the measure of the body, one can glimpse the measure of heaven. If the thought is concentrated and sustained over time, the spirit is refined and its quality transformed. There is no reason for doubt.

But if one only gathers the spirit inside the body and attends only to the brain, that is a deviation. Students should investigate this principle thoroughly, observe with an even mind, and not cling to one extreme. In this way they can perceive the true and constant principle and together move toward the realm of purity and stillness.

Catalogue of the Mysterious Heavenly Sovereign (Summary)

The gaozhen shangsheng (the high perfected and supreme sages) summarized the mysterious heavenly vault. Wondrous existence and wondrous non-existence cannot be fully fathomed. Once the scriptures appeared, their outlines slowly became visible, and the proper rites of the Sandong (Three Caverns) carry profound meaning. After the Datang (Great Tang dynasty), scriptures and records were lost, and later generations patched them to suit their own times, so that authentic and spurious texts became mixed together. Discerning readers should distinguish between them.

Note on the text: The phrase rendered "inside the body" appears in the original in an unusual character form, and it is here read as an editorial annotation. The phrase "sitting level, facing north" may also appear as "sitting upright, facing north." The phrase "repair the brain" is read as bunao. Technical terms such as Niwan, Chaoyuan, Sanyuan, Lingbao, and Sandong are retained, with brief explanations given at their first appearance.

The Great Methods of Shangqing Lingbao: A Plain-Language Interpretation

Only one who truly penetrates the origin and understands its principles can grasp even a fraction of it.

Yuanshi Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning) is the source of all transformations, and the mysterious qi of the Dao cannot be fathomed. It disperses into qi and gathers into form, and within it there is spirit. It is called Tianzun only by necessity, and it dwells in the sacred realm of Yuqing (Jade Clarity). Lingbao Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of Numinous Treasure) is the primordial qi of the Dao. In terms of teaching, what was Dongzhen (Cavern of True Perfection) in Yuanshi becomes Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery) here, and it dwells in the true realm of Shangqing (Highest Clarity). Daode Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of Dao and De) is the initial qi of the Dao. In terms of teaching, everything from Yuanshi to this point belongs to Dongshen (Cavern of Spirit), and it dwells in the immortal realm of Taiqing (Great Clarity). Haotian Shangdi (the August Heaven Lord) arises from the three qi, rises above Qian and Kun, gives birth to the myriad things, and claims no credit for them. When the Three Powers first took shape, the qi became clear, lofty, and limpid, and yang qi gathered to form Heaven. Since the source of the myriad things cannot be without a lord, he is called Heaven when described by his form and Emperor when described by his sovereignty. He governs beneath the mysterious qi yet is honored above the Three Realms (sanjie), and he is therefore the Heavenly Lord.

Beiji Dadi (the Great Emperor of the North Pole) is the imperial throne within Ziwei Yuan (the Purple Forbidden Enclosure). According to the Treatise on Astronomy, the South Pole sinks thirty-six degrees into the earth while the North Pole rises thirty-six degrees above it. The heavens resemble a tilted canopy, half above the ground and half beneath it, and the myriad stars and their qi all turn leftward. Only the north and south poles serve as the pivot and remain still, and this is why the heavens can revolve. People look to it in the north and call it the North Pole, but it in fact sits at the center of heaven. It is the lord of the myriad stars and the sub-sovereign of the Three Realms, second only to Haotian, and it responds above to primordial qi. This is Beiji Ziwei Dadi. The Lingbao rites of Taishan (Taishan Lingbao Fa), however, claim that Ziwei Beiji Dadi is the emperor of all the spirits and demons of the Three Realms. This deceives the mortal world and profanes the Supreme Mystery, which is deeply alarming, and students must take firm care to guard against it.

Tianhuang Dadi (the Great Emperor of Heavenly Sovereignty) lies to the left of the North Pole's throne. Four stars there link together in a slightly curved shape like a hook, named Gouchen (the Hook Array), and beneath them a single great star sits at the center. This is Tianhuang Dadi. It governs the myriad stars and holds the same rank as the North Pole, yet it serves as their pivot. Tianhuang too turns with the heavens and responds above to the initial qi. Beneath the three qi, above the myriad heavens, and within the Three Realms, none is more honored than these three emperors.

Scripture: Shangqing Lingbao Dafa (The Great Methods of the Numinous Treasure of Highest Clarity), Part Two

Scripture:

Who does not know that the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the Three Realms, and the Heavenly Venerables are bound up with Xuan, Yuanshi, and the "Three Qi"? Yet when qi gathers it takes form, and when it disperses it returns to qi. This is the source of all transformations, the ancestor of the Three Powers, and the root of heaven and earth, and it cannot be fully explained through names and concepts. When the Chimi era opened, the great Dao began to show its flowing light. Some say it was refined in the fires of outer space, others that the Huangren (Perfected Persons) held the brush, and the true writings descended into the world. The Three Caverns were then proclaimed, giving rise to the Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen divisions and to the designations Tianbao, Lingbao, and Shenbao. From the middle antiquity onward, liturgical rules were established, and each of the Three Caverns acquired its own scriptures and registers, hence the names Three Vehicles and Nine Grades. Where the Dao is subtle and hidden, one must not presume to measure it. Where the Dao operates, teaching must be established to reveal it.

Editor's note: The Numinous Treasure methods transmitted by the Taishan lineage state that Yuanshi Tianzun is the lord within the Dao, Taishang Daojun is the lord within the methods, and Taishang Laojun is the lord within the teaching. Alas! The sources of the Three Caverns, the Four Assistants, and the registers of methods, along with the Nine Grades and Three Vehicles, can in fact be connected with one another. Yet they have been described as though each of the Three Pure Ones governed a separate domain, and the resulting falsehood and misguidance cannot be fully enumerated. It seems the authors did not know what "Three Pure Ones" actually refers to, and yet they set out to guide the way before the blind, having the blind follow behind. If the teaching is this confused, how can one expect that methods based on it will release the departed from darkness or aid the living, or that they will bring any response or efficacy?

The Taishan methods also say that the Heavenly Emperor of the Purple Tenuity Upper Palace is the figure beneath the Gouchen astral officials within the Ziwei enclosure. One may speak of the Ziwei enclosure, or of the Gouchen palace, but to call it the "Purple Tenuity Upper Palace" refers to the Jade Capital Mountain of the Xuandu, not to the Ziwei enclosure. A single character makes a serious difference. In the Tang dynasty, Laojun was venerated as the Sacred Ancestor, and the title "Heavenly Emperor" used then was a ceremonial honor for the ancestor of the Tang house. It was not the Heavenly Emperor of the Ziwei enclosure. To invent titles while ignorant of past and present is an offense that cannot be pardoned. The text contains a discussion of the title "Sacred Ancestor Heavenly Venerable." Since that rank is no longer established in the present age, I have not carried it into this edition, and this is not an oversight. The sacred rank in fact refers to the founding ancestor of the Song dynasty, paired with the Empress of Yuantian Dasheng. This is what is today called the Perfected Lord of Siming of the Nine Heavens.

Shangqing Lingbao Dafa, Scroll Four