Jade Scripture of Inner Vision 太上黄庭内景玉经

Referred to as Huangting Neijing Jing (Scripture of the Internal Landscape of the Yellow Court) for short, it is an early classic of the Shangqing School, presumably compiled during the Wei and Jin dynasties.

According to Taoist legend, this scripture was descended and bestowed by celestial immortals from the upper realm upon Lady Wei of Nanyue. Originally in one volume, it is included in the Original Text Category of the The Dongxuan Section in The Daozang.

Composed in seven-character rhymed verses, the scripture is divided into thirty-six chapters. Integrating Taoist doctrines of contemplating spirits, upholding unity, cherishing essence, and valuing Qi with the zang-fu organ theories of ancient Chinese medicine, it elaborates on techniques for cultivation to attain longevity and immortality.

The scripture proclaims that within the human head, facial features, chest, abdomen, five zang-organs, six fu-organs, intestines, stomach, and other organs, there reside true immortals and celestial beings. If practitioners can constantly recite this scripture, silently chant the names of these spirits, and visualize their forms, robes, dwellings, and duties, they will be able to communicate with the divine, harmonize their zang-fu organs, unify their form and spirit, prolong life, reverse aging, and ascend to immortality.

The scripture particularly emphasizes visualizing the spirits of the three cinnabar fields (dantian): the Niwan Palace in the brain (upper dantian), the Jiangguan (Red Palace, corresponding to the heart) in the chest (middle dantian), and the Mingmen (Gate of Life) below the navel (lower dantian). It holds that the three cinnabar fields are crucial acupoints for accumulating essence and circulating Qi; constant contemplation of their resident spirits will naturally lead to eternal life.

In addition to reciting scriptures and contemplating spirits, the text also mentions practices such as rinsing and swallowing saliva, breathing in primal Qi, preserving essence in sexual activities, ingesting the "Five Teeth" (essences of plants), and absorbing the energies of the sun and moon—with special emphasis on techniques for accumulating essence and Qi.

Since the Jin Dynasty, this scripture has been widely circulated, with numerous annotations by Taoist priests throughout history. The early Taoism Shangqing School revered it as one of its core classics, and Internal Alchemy practitioners in the Tang and Song dynasties were also deeply influenced by it.