Taishang Laojun Zhenzhong Jing — Spoken by the Most High Lord Lao

This is a short scripture of the Daoist Canon (the Zhengtong Daozang, printed in 1445), spoken throughout in the voice of the deified Laozi, the Most High Lord Lao. Its own date and authorship are not established. Its vocabulary — "sentient beings," the "three karmas," a disciple who must "receive and uphold" the teaching — carries the Buddhist-influenced idiom common to medieval Chinese religious writing, but beyond that this scripture has, to our knowledge, drawn little scholarly attention and cannot be dated more closely.

Its title names a recognized genre in Chinese book culture: a "pillow" text (枕中) is a manual of essential private teachings, kept close at hand for the night's own use — traditionally, sometimes literally, inside a hollow pillow. This one delivers six short teachings, in prose throughout, each opening "Lord Lao said." The first promises that reciting the scripture heals illness and turns away harm; the second numbers the spirits resident in the body, down to the three hun-souls on the left and the seven po-souls on the right; two incantations follow, to be spoken in the practitioner's own voice — one invoking a retinue of sun, moon, thunder, wind, star, and the four guardian creatures to carry the reciter safely through danger, the other calling those same four creatures out of the liver, lungs, heart, and kidneys to stand watch over the sleeper's bed; a fifth teaching calls them home again; and the last adds a short practice of teeth-clicking, saliva-swallowing, breath-holding, and visualized light, closing in the stock promise of health, heirs, and office.

A note on one recurring phrase: each incantation here closes with the standard command of Chinese talismans and spells, "quickly, quickly, as the statutes and ordinances command" (急急如律令) — the language of an official's decree, addressed to spirits and demons as if they too answered to registers and law. It is translated in full every time it occurs, since each closing is the seal on its own working.

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

Lord Lao said: The Great Way has no form; it dwells forever in dim obscurity. According to the occasion, it transforms all beings, answering their utmost sincerity. If you can still your thoughts, you may receive my true scripture. Whoever receives and upholds it grows pure in mouth and clear in body. Chant it, and the ten thousand evils will not arise. It can cure sickness; it can extend your years. The hundred evils will not trespass against you; the hosts of demons will be bound in their shapes. The reason is this: all sentient beings, receiving my true qi, thereby attain long life. Now, further within this teaching, solidify and refine your body and form. Constantly purify the three karmas; clarify and still the six passions. Naturally the Five Spirits will guard and protect you; the Three Ones (sanyi) will long abide within you; you will sit and lie at ease; your hun and po souls will be healthy and calm. Morning and evening, twice each day, recite the scripture three times, and your ears will grow keen, your eyes bright, your body strong and light. This is just as the text below shows — listen closely.

Lord Lao said: Within the body there are thirty-six thousand spirits. On the left, three hun-souls; on the right, seven po-souls. The body holds twelve hundred forms and shadows; it holds twelve thousand points of essence-light. The five viscera and six bowels have twenty-four spirits. Hold them constantly in mind, and do not let them leave the body. When illness comes, call them three times, and their true presence will descend.

Lord Lao said: If you wish to pass safely through the Three Disasters and Nine Perils, you should speak these words: I take Heaven as my father and Earth as my mother; I dwell between them, forever like a newborn child. The sun is my Merit Officer, the moon my Registrar. The messengers of the Duke of Thunder stand at my left and right; the Earl of Wind and the Master of Rain stand before me and behind. The duty spirits of the Six Jia ring me round on every side. The Azure Dragon upholds my left, the White Tiger upholds my right; the Vermilion Bird leads before me, the Dark Warrior follows behind. The Northern Dipper covers my head, the Celestial Lance points at my feet; the Soaring Serpent is in my hand, destroying calamity and blame on my behalf. I dwell within the Elixir Chamber; the Great One (Taiyi) is my companion. Three at my left, seven at my right; nine crowning my head, one beneath my tread; two and four are my shoulders, six and eight are my feet. I dwell in the Central Palace, which is the fullness of my belly. I command and decree: a thousand ghosts, ten thousand spirits, each return to your own homeland. Whoever stands against me dies; whoever turns against me perishes. Go out at once and scatter in flight; hide yourselves, conceal yourselves deep. Let the Celestial Troops and Mighty Warriors cut down and slay all that is inauspicious. Quickly, quickly, as the statutes and ordinances command!

Lord Lao said: When about to lie down to sleep, you should send forth the guardian beasts to defend your body. The Azure Dragon comes forth from my liver and stands at my left; the White Tiger comes forth from my lungs and stands at my right; the Vermilion Bird comes forth from my heart and stands before me; the Dark Warrior comes forth from my kidneys and stands behind me. You four beasts — grind your fangs, sharpen your teeth, and take your places at my left, my right, before me, and behind. Drive off the host of evil demons; send them a thousand miles away, that they dare not come near to trouble my jade chamber. Let my sleep be peaceful and secure, free of evil dreams. Quickly, quickly, as the statutes and ordinances command!

Lord Lao said: When all the recitation is done, you should call the spirits home again. The liver governs the storing of the hun; the lungs govern the storing of the po; the heart governs the storing of the spirit; the spleen governs the storing of the intent; the kidneys govern the storing of the essence. The Azure Dragon returns to my liver, the White Tiger returns to my lungs, the Vermilion Bird returns to my heart, the Dark Warrior returns to my kidneys. The Yellow Dragon garrisons my spleen, as the fullness of my belly. Let the host of evil demons find no place to dwell within. Quickly, quickly, as the statutes and ordinances command!

Lord Lao said: When the return of the spirits is complete, sound the Heavenly Drum thirty-six times, and swallow the fluid thirty-six times. Then hold the breath, counting silently in the mind from one to ten; when it is full at nine, stop. Visualize a red vapor coming forth from your mouth, shaped like the light of fire. Let it wheel and spread through the four directions, filling the whole room. Once it is settled, turn your thoughts inward, and you will naturally rest at peace within it. Do this always, and you will be forever free of illness; a thousand goblins, ten thousand specters — none will dare to trouble you. You will unite with the Dao and merge with the real; you will live long and see for many years. Your sons and grandsons will flourish and rejoice; wealth and honor will grow with each day. A golden carriage will enter your gate; in office you will rise high, your rank and stipend reaching the Three Dukes. With a loyal heart and a filial will, you will aid and uphold the Sovereign. Quickly, quickly, as commanded by the edict and statutes of the Most High Lady Nüqing!

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Talismans, Registers, and Star Lords room of the Good Works Library's Daoist shelf. The English was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The scripture is prose throughout: six short teachings, each introduced "Lord Lao said," two of them formal incantations meant to be spoken aloud by the practitioner. The translation keeps this repeating discourse-and-spell structure exactly as the source presents it, without added headings.

Before the claim below was written, a genuine translation-status check was performed: Komjathy's Daoist Texts in Translation and the 2023 Purple Cloud update to it were searched under the scripture's Chinese title, its romanization, and "pillow scripture" / "pillow book," and returned no entry for it. Web searches under the same terms surfaced discussion of the scripture's contents and a separate, longer Daozang text bearing a similar title — 太上老君玄妙枕中內德神呪經, catalogued independently — but no published English translation of this scripture itself. To our knowledge, this is the first complete published English translation of the Taishang Laojun Zhenzhong Jing. We state this as the limit of our search, not as a certainty.

A note on the text. The Wikisource transcription marks several single-character variant readings with 另作 ("alternatively written"). Most are followed here in their primary form; in one place (百邪不忏／干, "the hundred evils will not trespass") the alternate reading was adopted because it gives the passage its plain sense. All variants remain visible in the source text below. The four guardian creatures — Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Dark Warrior — and the ranking spirits of the two incantations are given consistent English names throughout; 女青, the authority named in the final closing formula, is kept as the proper name Nüqing.

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

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Source Text: 太上老君枕中經

Classical Chinese text of the Daoist Canon, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above. 〔 〕 marks small-type notes as formatted in the transcription.

老君曰：大道無形，常居杳冥。隨機化物〔另作：應化〕，以應精誠。子能寂念，受吾真經。能受持者，口净〔另作：靜〕身清。然後誦之，萬惡不生。可以治病，可以延齡。百邪不忏〔另作：干〕，羣魔束形。所以然者。一切有情，受吾真炁，乃〔另作：及〕得長生。今更於中，固鍊身形。恒淨三業，澄止六情。自然五神守護，三一長存，坐臥安穩，魂魄康寧。旦夕兩時三遍誦經，耳聰目明，身強體輕。一如後文，子當諦聽。

老君曰：身中有三萬六千神。左三魂，右七魄，身有千二百形影。體有萬二千精光。五臟六腑，二十四神。子常念之，勿令離身。有病三呼，即降其真。

老君曰：子欲過度三災九厄，應作是言。我以天為父，地為母，吾居其中，常如赤子。日為功曹，月為主簿。雷公使者，在吾左右。風伯雨師，在吾前後。六甲直符，周匝圍繞。青龍扶吾左，白虎扶吾右。朱雀導吾前，玄武從吾後。北斗覆吾頭，天罡指吾足。騰蛇在吾手，為吾滅殃咎。吾居丹房中，太一為吾偶。左三右七，戴九履一。二四為吾肩，六八為吾足。吾居中宮，以為腹實。令敕千鬼萬神，各還本鄉。當吾者死，背吾者亡。速出奔迸，隱匿深藏。天丁力士，斬殺不祥。急急如律令。

老君曰：臨臥之時，當出獸自衛其身。青龍出吾肝，在吾左。白虎出吾肺，在吾右。朱雀出吾心，在吾前。玄武出吾腎，在吾後。汝等四獸，磨牙厲〔另作：利〕齒，在吾左右前後。辟卻衆邪惡鬼，遠去千里，不得妄來干吾玉房。令吾寢臥安穩，無惡夢寐。急急如律令。

老君曰：都念即畢，即當還神。肝主藏魂，肺主藏魄，心主藏神，脾主藏志，腎主藏精。青龍還吾肝，白虎還吾肺，朱雀還吾心，玄武還吾腎。黃龍鎮吾脾，以為腹實。衆邪惡鬼，不得下居。急急如律令。

老君曰：還神既畢，即鳴天鼓三十六通，咽液三十六過。即閉氣從一至十，心闇數之，滿九便止。當存赤氣從口中出。狀如火光。輪行〔另作：形〕四布，周遍室中。定即內想，自然安寢其中。常能如是，永無疾病。千妖萬魅，莫之敢干。與道合真，長生久視。子孫昌樂。富貴日興。金車入門，仕宦高遷，祿位三公。心忠志孝，輔弼帝君。急急如太上女青詔書律令。

Source Colophon

The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Zhengtong Daozang edition of this text (article 太上老君枕中經, revision of 22 December 2016), 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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