Forty-Nine Chapter Classic of the Supreme Void 太上虚皇天尊四十九章经
Paul PengForty-Nine Chapter Classic of the Supreme Void
The author is unknown.
Judging from its content and wording, it was probably compiled during the Sui and Tang dynasties.
Consisting of one volume, it is included in the Benwen (Scripture Text) category of The Dongzhen Section in The Daozang.
Forty-Nine Chapter Classic of the Supreme Void
Falsely attributed to the Void Sovereign Heavenly Lord preaching to the Perfected Miaoxing (Wonderful Practice), the scripture is divided into forty-nine chapters. Based on the Taoist doctrine of purity and non-action, it absorbs Buddhist ideas and discusses the realms and methods of cultivating the The Dao.
The text classifies those who study the Dao into three vehicles:
- "Beginner practitioners do not look randomly, do not listen randomly, do not know randomly, restrain all desires, eliminate all forms, and thus attain the Dao"—this is the Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle).
- "Advanced practitioners see nothing, hear nothing, know nothing, pursue nothing in action, and thus observe the subtlety of all things"—this is the Mahayana (Middle Vehicle).
- "Great Vehicle practitioners see without not seeing, hear without not hearing, know without not knowing; their inner and outer selves are completely enlightened, penetrating the imperceptible, thus able to participate in the universe and wander in the boundless realm"—this is the Mahayana (Great Vehicle).
Those who enter the Dao through the Great Vehicle "transform one body into ten thousand realms, are unconstrained by existence and non-existence, and forever transcend birth and extinction—they are called Perfected Ones".
The method of cultivating the true self begins with fasting, purity, purifying the mind, and eliminating defilements, focusing on almsgiving, accumulating good deeds, creating karmic blessings, and establishing merits. The scripture holds that all sentient beings are equal, and anyone with goodness and Dao-nature can enter the Taoist path.
