《上清瓊宮靈飛六甲籙》

This passage discusses the cultivation methods related to the Six Jia Divine Maidens from the Shangqing Qionggong Lingfei Liujia Lu (Highest Clarity Jade Palace Numinous Flight Six Jia Register). The main contents include:

1. This set of Fulu (talismans and registers, Daoist ritual documents) originates from the Most High Jade Dawn Exalted Sage Dao Lord, who transmitted it to the Supreme Perfection Nine Metropolises August Emperor and the Four Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate. It has several alternative names such as "Jade Essence True Formula" and "The Way Within Radiance," belonging to the divine methods of the Numinous Flight Six Jia system.

2. The Six Jia Divine Maidens (sixty celestial maidens) can harness six dragons to roam the cloud-filled skies. On specific festival days, they tour the eight sacred mountains in white phoenix chariots and black phoenix carriages. Practitioners who employ these talismans may:

• Harmonize body and mind, attaining spiritual communion
• Gain supernatural abilities including invisibility, shape-shifting, and weather control
• Become invulnerable to weapons and unharmed by water or fire
• Receive protection from mountain spirits and be welcomed by jade maidens

3. Cultivation requirements:

• Practice in pure solitude, abstaining from sensual desires
• Maintain a clear and tranquil mental state
• After six years of practice, the Six Jia Maidens manifest visibly
• After nine years, gain protection from ten thousand spirits
• After fourteen years, receive ascension assistance from the Grand Simplicity Three Primordial Ladies (high-ranking goddesses)

4. Specific methods:

• At dawn on each Jia Day (first of the sixty-day cycle), face eastward
• Close eyes for inner observation, visualizing the Six Jia Maidens through focused meditation
• Coordinate with breath regulation ("Three Qi Blending Fragrance" refers to harmonizing three vital energies)

Note: The Six Jia refers to the six cyclical "Jia" days within the sixty-day Jiazi calendar cycle, corresponding to specific spatiotemporal energy nodes in Daoism. This cultivation method belongs to the advanced esoteric practices of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) tradition, an important Daoist school from the Eastern Jin dynasty, emphasizing the attainment of supernatural powers and longevity through talismans, visualization, and cultivation of virtue.

The Shangqing Qionggong Lingfei Liujia Lu (Shangqing Jade Palace's Numinous Flight of the Six Jia Talismans) describes a Daoist ritual practice primarily involving visualization of the Six Jia Jade Maidens (six celestial goddesses) and the ingestion of talismans:

First, the practitioner visualizes the Six Jia Jade Maidens appearing before them in resplendent attire. The specific method involves: knocking the teeth six times, swallowing saliva sixty times, then softly reciting an incantation. The incantation essentially petitions divine protection and supernatural powers—to harness the essences of the eight directions, harmonize Yin-Yang Qi, be clothed in rainbow-hued silken robes, girded with a jade belt adorned with tiger patterns, and wield divine talismans and golden bells to exorcise malevolent forces.

Next, one must close the eyes in meditation while maintaining an upright seated posture (hands resting on knees, ensuring the practice remains unseen by others). During meditation, unwavering focus is essential—distraction must be avoided. Before ingesting the talismans, the practitioner first invokes the name of the presiding Jade Maiden for that day, then recites another incantation to summon the celestial and earthly Qi, seeking the power of bodily transformation and command over spirits.

The scripture concludes by listing the formal titles of the Six Jia Jade Maidens (each possessing both a name and an honorific), for example:

• Jiazi Day: Great Mysterious Jade Maiden, named Lingzhu (Numinous Pearl), styled Chengyi (Bearer of Wings)
• Yichou Day: Great Mysterious Jade Maiden, named Lanxiu (Orchid Cultivation), styled Qingmeng (Azure Sprout)

(Subsequent days like Bingyin, Dingmao, etc., each have corresponding Jade Maiden designations)

This text belongs to the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) tradition, transmitting methods to attain supernatural abilities through visualizing Jade Maidens and ingesting talismans—embodying the Daoist cultivation principle of "deities residing within the body." Practitioners must follow precise ritual protocols while maintaining strict secrecy.

This scripture records the detailed register of the "Six Jia Jade Maidens" from the Shangqing Qionggong Lingfei Liujia Lu (Shangqing Scripture of the Numinous Flight of the Six Jia from the Jade Palace) of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) Daoist tradition. These Jade Maidens are divine beings in the Daoist cultivation system who assist practitioners, each possessing specific names, attire, and corresponding talismans (fulu, ritual documents used for magical practices).

Arranged according to the celestial stems and earthly branches, these maidens are divided into four palace divisions:

1. Jade Maidens of the Taiyuan Palace (Jiazi Division):

• The first is named "Huanghuang," with the courtesy name "Fengwen" (Phoenix Script). She wears a black cape, red gauze robe, and blue-green skirt, holding a red gauze talisman.
• The second is named "Longying," with the courtesy name "Huansheng."

2. Jade Maidens of the Huangsu Palace (Jiaxu Division):

• Includes ten maidens such as "Shenguang" (courtesy name Feilian) and "Zichun" (courtesy name Feizhi).
• They uniformly wear blue-green capes, red gauze robes, and purple skirts, holding white talismans.

3. Jade Maidens of the Taisu Palace (Jiashen Division):

• Includes ten maidens such as "Zhenyuan" (courtesy name Qiongshi) and "Lanxiao" (courtesy name Yuying).
• They uniformly wear white capes, red gauze robes, and red skirts, holding light-red talismans.

4. Jade Maidens of the Jiangyun Palace (Jiawu Division):

• Includes maidens such as "Danchun" (courtesy name Yunling) and "Sanyang" (courtesy name Linghua).
• This section is incomplete in the records.

The names of these Jade Maidens carry distinct Daoist characteristics, such as "Fengwen" (Phoenix Script) and "Feizhi" (Flying Mushroom), which are closely associated with immortal and mystical imagery. The colors of their attire—red, white, blue-green, etc.—each hold special significance in Daoism, often corresponding to the Five Phases (Wuxing), directional symbolism, and cultivation theory. The different colors of the talismans they wield may represent different ritual functions or magical properties.

This scripture records the names and attire of three groups of Jade Maidens (玉女) from the Lingfei Liujia Lu (灵飞六甲箓) register of the Shangqing (上清) tradition. Each group corresponds to different Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches combinations, originating respectively from the Crimson Cloud Palace (绛云宫), Worship Essence Palace (拜精宫), and Azure Essence Palace (青要宫).

The first group comprises six "Crimson Cloud Jade Maidens" (绛云玉女) from Wuxu to Guimao:

• Fangbin (style name Shixiang)
• Qingying (Nanling)
• Lingqun (Qucheng)
• Sujiang (Qiqing)
• Fenhua (Weizhi)
• Yaoying (Xi'an)

They wear crimson capes, sheer red upper garments, and blue-green long skirts, adorned with yellow sheer talismanic silk (符箓).

The second group consists of ten "Worship Essence Jade Maidens" (拜精玉女) from Jiachen to Guichou:

• Longyuan (Lingsu)
• Huanting (Yitai)
• Yingsheng (Yusheng)
• Zhaofeng (Eshi)
• Yehua (Yunying)
• Miming (Shengfei)
• Zixu (Ronghuan)
• Fenghua (Lü'an)
• Yifang (Shangjin)
• Baohua (Taizhao)

These maidens don purple capes, blue-green long skirts with black trim, and yellow sheer garments, wearing light red talismans.

The third group features ten "Azure Essence Jade Maidens" (青要玉女) from Jiayin to Guihai:

• Qiyuan (Huijing)
• Qingxiang (Esheng)
• Youchang (Chenhui)
• Fuhua (Guangfu)
• Lüyun (Anchang)
• Jinsheng (Qutai)
• Biaoyou (Yunfei)
• Qinxian (Gaoying)
• Shenzhu (Guanzhong)
• Yunhuai (Baosheng)

In Daoist cultivation systems, these Jade Maidens are considered protective deities who assist practitioners in attaining spiritual realization. Each maiden possesses specific names and functions. By meticulously documenting their sartorial details, the scripture provides concrete visual references for practitioners engaged in the meditation practice of "visualizing and preserving the spirits" (观想存神).

This passage explains the ingestion methods and related taboos concerning the Six Jade Maidens Talismans from the Shangqing Qionggong Lingfei Liujia Lu (Upper Clarity Jade Palace's Numinous Flight Six Jia Registers). The core teachings can be understood as follows:

These talismans (ritual graphic symbols used in Daoist practice) form the foundation of the Numinous Flight Six Jia system. Before ingestion, one must observe six days of purification. Continuous ingestion for sixty days grants the protection of sixty Jade Maidens (female immortals in Daoism). Ingestion times differ by gender: men take them at dawn and noon on Jiazi days, while women ingest them at dawn and midnight on Yichou days.

Strict taboos accompany the practice: avoid visiting households with impurity or mourning rites, refrain from sharing beds, never lend out clothing, abstain from consuming the "five pungents" (garlic, onions, etc.) and meat from domestic animals, and most crucially—avoid sexual activity, as this damages the spirit (Shen) and invites calamity. Incense should burn constantly at the head of one's bed.

The scripture details six Jade Maidens (from Taixuan Jiazi Palace, Huangsu Jiaxu Palace, Taisu Jiashen Palace, Jiawu Jiangyun Palace, Jiachen Baijing Palace, and Jiayin Qingyao Palace) with distinct attire: each wears a specific colored cape and gauze skirt (e.g., purple cape with blue feihua skirt), holding either the Jade Essence Spirit Tiger Talisman or Jade Essence Golden Tiger Talisman, with hair styled in triangular topknots and loose tresses flowing to the waist.

The complete set comprises sixty-two talismans, originally received by four Perfected Ones of the Supreme Ultimate Upper Palace from the Supreme Great Dao Lord (a high Daoist deity). Recipients must maintain physical and mental purity, practice with devotion, and eliminate the "five defilements" (referring to negative mental and physical states).

This scripture discusses the cultivation methods and transmission history of the Shangqing Qionggong Lingfei Liujia Lu (Upper Clarity Jade Palace's Numinous Flight Six Jia Registers). The main content explains:

During cultivation, one must eliminate distracting thoughts, sever desires, and concentrate the spirit (Shen). Practicing daily with a tranquil mind while maintaining purity will cause the Six Jia deities (Daoist guardian generals) to manifest within a year. Persistent practice leads to immortality, while nonbelievers will fall into ghostly realms after death. These Numinous Flight Six Jia techniques can only be transmitted to truly destined individuals.

The text cites several successful practitioners: Xu Weiyuan from Jiuyi Mountain learned this method from Song Dexuan of Zhongyue. Song Dexuan, a Zhou dynasty figure who cultivated the Six Jia talismans, could travel three thousand li daily and transform into birds or beasts. Others like Guo Shaoyao (son of a Han dynasty general), Zhao Ai'er (relative of a Youzhou governor), and Wang Lulian (daughter of a Wei dynasty official) all achieved Dao through this practice—some ascending to immortal realms like Mysterious Continent (Xuanzhou) or Eastern Flower Square Terrace (Donghua Fangzhu Tai).

Lady Wei (a Daoist female immortal) emphasized strict transmission rules for this Shangqing school secret method: seven days of purification rituals (Zhaijiao) and ceremonial gifts to the master are required. According to the Four Extremes Clarifying Statutes (Siji Mingke), only six people may receive it within seven centuries—never to be casually disclosed.

(Note: The term "corpse liberation" [Shijie] refers to the Daoist practice of shedding the mortal form to become immortal; "traveling kitchen" [Xingchu] denotes the celestial ability to conjure fine food at will.)

This passage discusses the vows and regulations concerning the transmission of registers (an important Daoist ritual akin to ordination) as described in the Shangqing Qionggong Lingfei Liujia Lu (The Six Jia Registers of the Numinous Flight from the Jade Palace of Highest Clarity).

The ritual requires sixty feet of white silk, six golden rings, and six taels of black silk to substitute for the initiate’s cut hair as tokens of commitment. The ceremony involves ascending the altar and performing the ancient blood-oath ritual (where participants drink or smear blood as a pledge), breaking old vows and establishing new ones. The initiate swears to strictly adhere to the sacred talismans (fulu) and never disclose their secrets. Should they break this oath or betray their pledge, they willingly accept the punishment of "wind-blade torture" (a celestial penalty in Daoist cosmology), being cast into the Night River (a hellish underworld river), and condemned to carry stones from Mount Meng to fill the Meng Ford—a metaphor for endless, crushing labor as divine retribution.

The master transmitting the scripture must distribute the ritual offerings (faxin) to the poor, lonely, elderly, weak, and sick, never keeping them for personal gain. Failure to observe these liturgical precepts (keyi) will invoke the scrutiny of the Three Officials (the Daoist deities of Heaven, Earth, and Water who monitor human conduct), and the offender will descend into the ranks of lower ghosts after death. These rules must be treated with utmost reverence and caution.

The text particularly emphasizes that cultivators must honor their commitments and benefit others—or face severe consequences. This reflects the Daoist cosmological principle of "heaven-human resonance" (tianren ganying), where moral actions inevitably invoke corresponding cosmic responses.