《靈寶文檢》Vol. 1

Preface to Lingbao Wenjian (Volume One): A Plain-Language Interpretation

It is said that Yu the Great cast images onto ritual tripods to ward off evil spirits and wicked influences. The rites of the Zhou established official posts for every aspect of sacrifice and prayer, leaving none unprovided for. If people hope to avoid calamity, they would do well to understand that “requests receive responses, and grievances bring retribution.” Thus the secret resolution of resentment and the art of persuasive argument are specially recorded in the Zuo Commentary. When faced with illnesses that were difficult to cure, even Confucius’s disciples once prayed with devotion.

Today there is a certain Chen, a man who esteems simplicity. He has long reverently upheld the Quiet and Pure Lord Lao, studied profound Daoist texts and secret canons on spiritual cultivation, and refined elixirs through nine cycles in the great furnace, practicing methods of both internal and external alchemy. His spirit is clear and his eyes bright; he has rid himself of the Three Corpses, the three “corpse worms” believed in Daoism to dwell within the body and stir up desire. He drives off evil with talismans, directs the sword with his hand, and is adept at wielding the Six Jia, a method used in Daoist talismans and calendrical arts. To aid the world and benefit others, he often sets up an altar for a Zhaijiao purification ritual and presents his petitions. Knowing that the spirits hear and see clearly, he dares to root out witchcraft and evil arts.

It is a joy to see the teachings so clearly displayed; they truly deserve to be passed down to later generations. His sincere devotion in offering incense is like holding fast to the method of the mind seal. The teachings are profound and expansive, repeatedly deepening one’s insight into their wondrous truths. Each written character shines like a luminous pearl; every sound rings clear as a jade chime. Since spiritual responses may arise in countless ways, he did not wish to keep his learning hidden away as a treasured book beneath his pillow. Instead, he undertook to prepare a separate edition and carefully collate the text. There was no need, as in the old story, to “swindle” the Lanting manuscript from the rafters: this work could be published openly and honorably, without resorting to improper means.

Dated on the day before the Duanwu Festival, in the twelfth lunar month of the Gengzi year of the Daoguang reign (1840). Chunxishi wrote this preface and corrected the text at Zhikun Studio.

Background: This preface was written when Volume One of Lingbao Wenjian was reprinted as part of the Qing dynasty’s Daozang Jiyao. It is a typical preface to a printed book: it first invokes stories of Yu the Great casting ritual tripods, the Zhou ritual system, and Confucian prayers for the sick to describe the tradition of seeking blessings, averting calamities, and having orthodox teachings oppose sorcery. It then praises the Daoist cultivation and virtue of the publisher, “Master Chen,” and explains the value of printing and collating this old edition of the ritual texts associated with the Lingbao school. If the original continues with further reasons for publication, such as the claim that the old scripture collection did not include this book, those passages would need to be translated against a complete edition.