Shangqing Danyuan Yuzhen Dihuang Feixian Shangjing — A Shangqing Revelation

This is a Shangqing (上清, "Supreme Clarity") revelation text preserved in the Daoist Canon. Its closing lines trace its transmission from Wang Jun, called the Comprehensive Perfected of the Western Citadel, to Mao Jun, the Perfected of Great Mystery, and to Cai Jun, the Perfected of the Wen River — names that place it within the Shangqing lineage's foundational circle, though the scripture does not give its own date and none could be confirmed for this translation.

The text teaches a sustained visualization practice centered on the sun and, in its closing movement, the moon. At dawn and at noon the adept faces the rising or the standing sun and calls down a deity called the Jade Consort of Rosy Blossom, who leads the adept's visualized form into the sun itself, where the Sovereign of Jade Perfection of the Cinnabar Origin sits crowned with nine rays of nine-coloured jade essences. The adept receives these essences into the mouth and swallows them down into the body's inner chambers and organs, then drinks a golden sweet paste from the Consort's jade vessel. At night the practice turns to the moon, where a Divine Mother gives a numinous pearl to be swallowed into the heart. The whole is a rite of ingestion — solar and lunar light taken as food — practiced daily for fifteen years toward transformation into a flying immortal.

The text is prose instruction throughout, broken at intervals by short invocations (祝曰) that the adept speaks aloud or in the heart; these invocations fall into lines of four characters and are set here as verse. One word worth flagging for the reader: the invocations and closing lines twice use 兆 (zhao), a technical Shangqing usage in which the revealing deity or the rite itself refers to the practitioner not by name but by this word — rendered throughout as "the adept."

Translated for the Good Works Library directly from the classical Chinese of the Daoist Canon, printed in full below the translation. To our knowledge, this is the scripture's first complete published English translation.

Translation

The Way of the Sovereign of Jade Perfection of the Cinnabar Origin of Supreme Clarity, and the method by which the Jade Consort of Rosy Blossom, Wondrous Numen of the Crimson Terrace, feeds the adept with sweet paste — these are kept secret in the Palace of the Sovereign Pole of the Crimson Terrace of Supreme Clarity, engraved in jade and written down, to be transmitted only to those who respond as true Perfected. To practice this Way, one must purify the body and withdraw to distant peaks, cleanse the heart-mind in far forests, let spirit and breath merge into one, and keep pure fast for thirty days before beginning; continuing thus for fifteen years, the Way is accomplished and one becomes a Perfected of Supreme Clarity. One must also cast gold and prepare crimson silk to present to the scripture-master, as a sign of the unspoken covenant. Only then, cultivating in accordance with this method, will the purple pneuma descend, the Jade Consort ascend to one's chamber, the five viscera become radiant and clear, the hundred bodily parts firm as gold, the form wrapped in crimson clouds; one will receive the writ from the Jade Sovereign and fly through Supreme Clarity.

In this Way, at every dawn, at the moment the sun rises, go out into the courtyard, burn incense, and spread a mat. Clack the teeth twenty-four times, then bow nine times and take your place. Press the hands upon the two knees, and wait until the breath is calm and the will is settled. Visualize with utmost concentration that within the sun there are flowing rays and flowing rose-clouds nine million zhang in length, descending from the sun to illuminate the body through and through. After a long while, draw in the essence of the rose-clouds and swallow it forty-nine times into the belly, until the five inner organs are seen fused with light, ablaze inside and out, the spirit beholding the purple rose-clouds joining with heaven without end. Then clack the teeth nine times, and silently invoke in the heart, saying:

Primal essence, great spirit,
purple rose-clouds richly born.
Golden light coils and turns,
pouring, refining my form.
Corpse-dust dissolves and falls away,
united with the Way, joined to spirit.
Let me penetrate and understand —
Great Canopy, Supreme Clarity.

Next, visualize that at the root of the purple rose-clouds' flowing light beneath the sun there is a woman shaped like an infant, her hair bound in a triple cloud-knot, wearing a crimson kerchief, her body clothed in brocade and flowered robes, girdled with pendants of grey-blue jade, holding in her hand the Talisman of Purple Rose-Clouds of the Sun Sovereign's Jade Perfection. She flies upon the rose-clouds and comes to stand before me. Concentrate the mind upon her utterly, and let nothing be lost or forgotten. Silently invoke, saying: "Jade Consort of Rosy Blossom, Wondrous Numen of the Crimson Terrace of the Cinnabar Origin of Supreme Clarity, whose taboo name is Yudongzhu and whose style is Jingmingying." Do this three times, then say: "Let my body ride the purple rose-clouds, ascend to the Palace of the Sun, eat and drink in Jade Clarity, and share years equal with the Way."

Next, visualize the Jade Consort taking my left hand in her right hand, raising up my form, and flying with me upon the flowing light of the purple rose-clouds, racing into the sun. After a long while, feel the body grow slightly warm, and see my form within the gathered light of the sun. Then behold the Sovereign of Jade Perfection of the Cinnabar Origin of Supreme Clarity seated upon purple clouds within the sun, shaped like an infant, clothed in red brocade and jade robes, girdled at the waist with five bright moon-pearls, holding a crimson sun in the mouth. From the sun issue nine rays, the rays being purple in colour; upon each purple ray is strung a jade essence, shaped like a hen's egg, the size of a pellet, its light hanging down some nine inches. The jade essences are of nine colours — purple, crimson, cyan, white, yellow, jade-green, verdant green, indigo, and grey-blue — round and turning, their light and pneuma revolving.

Next, again visualize the Jade Consort standing at the Sovereign's right, my form kneeling before them; in the heart, bow nine times, and invoke, saying: "Sovereign of Jade Perfection of the Cinnabar Origin of Supreme Clarity, Lord of the Way and Perfected on High, whose taboo name is Longjingteng and whose style is Jiangxilu." Do this three times. Then visualize the mouth turned upward to receive the jade essences, beginning first with the grey-blue jade: raise the mouth to receive the jade essence into it, feel a slight warmth, then visualize swallowing it down into the lower cinnabar field.

Next visualize the essence of the indigo jade entering the cinnabar field; next visualize the essence of the verdant-green jade settling in the Hall of Light; next visualize the essence of the jade-green jade entering the Cavern Chamber. Visualize these four jade essences suspended, each fixed in its place, glowing bright as suns. Next the purple enters the left kidney, its female counterpart enters the right kidney, the crimson enters the heart, the cyan enters the liver, the white enters the lungs, the yellow enters the spleen — so let all enter the five viscera, the jade lights mingling and shining together, form and spirit becoming one. Clack the teeth nine times, and, visualizing the form standing before the Sovereign, invoke, saying:

Numinous rays, mysteriously transformed,
nine jades, spirit-essences.
The Sun's Perfected Sovereign,
king of the utmost Way.
Purple rose-clouds surge and pour
through the Hall of Light and the Cavern Chamber.
Refine my five viscera,
spontaneously bearing jade pendants.
Precious marrow, cinnabar fluid,
clouds soaring, flying high.

Suddenly forget the body, becoming one substance within the sun. After a long while the rite is complete; unaware, find oneself again upon the mat, still as if within the sun's radiance.

At noon, sit gravely facing south within the chamber, the hands pressed upon the two knees. Contemplate that within the sun there is a crimson rose-cloud nine hundred chi in length, flowing down from the edge of the sun to join with my body, its brightness blazing and brilliant. Visualize the Jade Consort of Rosy Blossom holding a purple jade vessel, flying upon the rose-clouds, descending before me. Then visualize and invoke her taboo name and style as in the former method, three times as before. Next see the Consort set the jade vessel to my mouth; visualize within the vessel a yellow-jade sweet paste, and drink of it, taking nine mouthfuls and stopping. In the heart, visualize the jade paste billowing like clouds, dispersing and penetrating the five viscera, the whole body becoming a red light. Then invoke, saying:

Rosy Blossom, High Perfected,
numen of the Sun Sovereign.
Holding and turning wondrous transformation,
driving and mastering the sun's spirits.
Jade vessel, yellow sweet paste,
feeding on the sun's numen.
Blossoming, spreading through the five viscera,
distant years, a refilled vessel.
The form dwells in the Crimson Terrace,
forever joined with the pneuma.

Next visualize the Jade Consort bowing and taking my form by the hand; together we rise and walk upon the crimson rose-clouds, arriving within the sun. Look closely and see within the sun a terrace of crimson jade, high and broad a thousand tiers, within which is a golden bed. Lie down upon it, the Jade Consort with her head aligned southward, my form facing north; thus forgetting the body, dwell within the Crimson Terrace. At midnight, rise upon the bed in solemn awe, turn toward where the moon stands, and in the heart bow five times. Visualize within the moon a rose-cloud of white light seven million zhang in length, descending to join with my body; within the cloud is a woman, her head crowned with a hibiscus-diadem of kingfisher-blue blossoms, clothed in yellow brocade, holding in her hand a golden tray, upon which is a numinous pearl like the bright moon, slowly descending to stand before me. Clack the teeth six times, and invoke, saying:

"Golden Perfected of the Moon, Divine Mother of Supreme Clarity, whose taboo name is Yuewuting and whose style is Weiniyan." Do this three times, then take the pearl and swallow it into the heart, letting its light and pneuma penetrate the four directions, and invoke, saying:

Golden essence, Great Simplicity,
spirit pearl, utmost real.
Its essence-light secretly shines,
sweeping clean the heart's dust.
The hundred spirits transform and refine,
my pneuma joins with brightness.
May I, with the Most High,
dwell in form within Supreme Clarity.

Next visualize the Golden Perfected Divine Mother concealing her form, becoming one substance with the light and the rose-clouds; I too forget my form, vast and empty, nothing to be grasped.

The Talisman of Purple Rose-Clouds of the Sun Sovereign's Jade Perfection is written in vermilion on plain blue silk, kept in a crimson pouch and worn upon the body. One also makes small talismans, written upon blue foil; on the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, thirteenth, fifteenth, seventeenth, nineteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twenty-seventh, and twenty-ninth days of the month, take one each day, facing east, bowing twice, and swallow it, sending it down with dark spring water.

The Daoist priest who practises this Way must above all guard against defilement and impurity. Practising it diligently for fifteen years, one receives the writ and becomes a Perfected of Supreme Clarity, gains command of flying dragons, and goes in and out of the Great Ultimate attended by a thousand jade lads. This is the Way of the Sovereign of Jade Perfection whereby the adept ingests the jade essences within the sun, and the Consort drinks the yellow sweet paste and golden perfection within the sun.

The method of feeding upon the numinous pearl: when the Way is accomplished, the nine jade essences of the sun transform into nine cinnabars, generating spirit-pneuma within the adept; after fifteen years the nine jade essences transform into nine-coloured spirit dragons, and the essence of the numinous pearl transforms into a chariot of spirit light, lifting up the adept's body to ascend to Supreme Clarity. Wang Jun, the Comprehensive Perfected of the Western Citadel, transmitted this to Mao Jun, the Perfected of Great Mystery, and to Cai Jun, the Perfected of the Wen River, who kept it secret in the Palace of the Sovereign Pole of the Crimson Terrace of Supreme Clarity — the regulated method by which the Sovereign and the Jade Consort refine immortals.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Shangqing Scriptures shelf of the Good Works Library. The English was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The text is continuous prose instruction for a visualization rite, interrupted at intervals by short invocations (祝曰) that the practitioner speaks; these invocations, in the original four-character lines, are set here as verse, and the surrounding instruction as prose.

Before the claim below was written, a genuine translation-status check was performed. Both local bibliographies of Daoist texts in Western translation — Komjathy's Daoist Texts in Translation and the 2023 Purple Cloud survey — were grepped for this scripture's Chinese title, its pinyin, and its title's component terms (丹元, 帝皇, 飛仙, 上清); neither lists this text or a translation of it. Two web searches were then run, for the Chinese title with "English translation" and for a romanized rendering of the title with "translation." These surfaced the bare Chinese text at the Taoist Library and Chinese Text Project sites, catalogue listings in bibliographies of the Shangqing corpus, and no English translation of any portion of the text. To our knowledge, this is the first complete published English translation of the Shangqing Danyuan Yuzhen Dihuang Feixian Shangjing. We state this as the limit of our knowledge, not as a certainty.

A note on two points. First, 兆 (zhao), the term by which the rite and its invocations refer to the practitioner, is rendered "the adept" throughout rather than "I," since the word is a technical Shangqing usage distinct from ordinary first-person pronouns. Second, one passage assigning the nine jade essences to the body's organs reads 女右腎 (the verb 入, "enters," elliptically carried over from the clause before it) — literally "the female [essence, enters] the right kidney" — where the surrounding list otherwise names colours; the character 女 does not match any colour named earlier in the text, and its meaning here could not be confirmed. It has been translated as literally as English allows ("its female counterpart"), flagged here as an honest gap rather than smoothed over.

Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation and editorial work.

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Source Text: 上清丹元玉真帝皇飛仙上經

Classical Chinese text of the Daoist Canon, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

上清丹元玉真帝皇之道，絳臺妙靈瓊華玉妃哺飴之法，祕於上清絳臺皇極之宮，刻玉書之，以授諸應真人者。行其道，當潔身遠岫，洗心遐林，神炁冥一，清齋三十日，然乃為之，如是十五年，道成為上清真人。又當陶金製絳，以奉經師，示不宣之約，然後依按修鍊，以致紫炁下降，玉妃登房，五臟煥徹，百體金固，擁形絳雲，受書玉皇，飛行上清。

其道每旦視日出時，出庭中焚香施席，叩齒二十四通，次九拜以就位。按手兩膝，待氣平志定，極念日中有流光流霞九百萬丈，自日下來，洞照我身，良久，引取霞精作四十九咽入腹，見五內融映，表裹光燭，神觀紫霞，接天無窮，即叩齒九通，心祝曰：
元精大神，紫霞鬱生，金光纏旋，灌鍊我形，尸塵解落，與道合神，使我洞曉，大羅上清。
次存日下紫霞流光之根有女子形如嬰兒，頭作三角雲髻，戴絳巾，身上著錦華衣，蒼玉之珮，手執日帝玉真紫霞之符，飛身步霞，來對我前，令極心想，不得遺却，密祝曰：上清丹元絳臺妙靈瓊華玉妃，諱鬱洞珠，字璟明瑛。如是三過，曰：使我身御紫霞，上造日宮，飲食玉清，與道齊齡。
次存玉妃以右手援我左手，携我形起，飛步紫霞流光之上，奔飛日中。良久，覺形少熱，見我形在日聚光之內，即見上清丹元玉真帝皇坐日中紫雲之上，形如嬰兒，著紅錦玉衣，腰五明月珠，口銜赤日，日出九芒，芒作紫色，紫芒上各綴一玉精，形如鷄子，大如彈丸，光芒垂下，長九寸許，玉精作紫絳青白黃碧綠紺蒼九色，玉精圓動，光炁回旋。
次又存玉妃在帝皇之右，我形跪前，心九拜，祝曰：上清丹元玉真帝皇上真道君，諱龍晶騰，字絳曦僇。 如是三過 。即存我以口仰承玉精，先自蒼玉始，仰承玉精入口中，覺少熱，即存咽入下丹田。
次存紺玉之精入丹田中，次存綠玉之精安明堂中，次存碧玉之精入洞房中，存此四玉精懸著定位，炯炯如日。次紫入左腎，女右腎，絳入心，青入肝，白入肺，黃入脾，令入我五臟，玉光交映，形神合一。叩齒九通，存形居帝皇前，祝曰：
靈芒玄化，九玉神精，日真帝皇，至道之王，紫霞激注，明堂洞房，鍊我五臟，自生瓊璫，寶髓丹液，雲翥高翔。
忽然忘形，在日中合為一體，良久事竟，令不覺在席上，依然如日之狀。至日中時，室中南向大坐，按手兩膝，思日中有絳霞長九百尺，日際流注，下接我身，光明煥爛。存瓊華玉妃手執紫玉之甖，飛步霞上，來降我前，即存祝諱字依前法，如是三過。次見玉妃以玉甖著我口，存視甖中有黃玉之飴，因飲之，得九口止，心存玉飴勃勃如雲，散徹五臟，舉身作赤光。因祝曰：
　　瓊華高真，日帝之靈，持運妙化，策御日神，玉甖黃飴，啖日之靈，華敷五臟，遐齡復甖，形棲絳臺，長與炁并。
　　次存玉妃揖携我形，共起登行絳霞之上，造日中，審見日中有絳玉之臺，高廣千壘，中有金床，因寢其上，玉妃並首南向，我形北向，因忘形住絳臺中。夜半起憚床上，向月所在，心五拜，存月中有白光之霞七百萬丈，下接我身，霞中有女子，頭戴碧英芙蓉冠，黃錦衣，手執金盤，中有神珠如明月，冉冉下立我前。叩齒六通，祝曰：
　　月中金真，上清神母，諱玥鋈停，字偉霓焰。如是三過，取珠咽之入心中，令光炁四徹，祝曰：

　　金精太素，神珠至真，精光密照，蕩清心塵，百神化鍊，我炁合明，願與太上，棲形上清。次存金真神母隱形，與光與霞一體，我亦忘形，廓然莫得。

　　日帝玉真紫霞之符，朱書青素，盛絳囊中，佩之。又作小符，書青箔上，月一、三、五、七、九、十三、十五、十七、十九、二十三、二十五、二十七、二十九日，各服一，東向再拜服，送以玄泉。

　　道士行此道，至忌穢敗不精。盛勤行之十五年，受書為上清真人，得御飛龍，從千玉童以出入太極。行玉真帝皇服日中玉精之道，玉妃飲日中黃飴金真。
　　餌服神珠之法，道成，九玉日精化為九丹，生兆神炁，十五年九玉精化為九色之神龍，神珠之精化為神光之輿，舉兆身以登上清也。西城總真王君傳太玄真人茅君，汶水真人蔡君祕於上清絳臺皇極之宮，帝皇玉妃鍊仙之節度也。

Source Colophon

The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Daoist Canon edition of this text (article 上清丹元玉真帝皇飛仙上經, revision of 19 May 2023), inspected from a witness copy captured on 8 August 2026. Chinese Wikisource transcriptions are published under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL; the text itself is ancient and in the public domain. The wiki header and license templates have been removed; the text is otherwise complete and unaltered.

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