Scripture of the Mystical Armor and Body 黄庭通甲缘身经

The author is unknown.

It was presumably compiled between the Tang and Song Dynasty. In one volume, it is included in the Taixuan Section of The Daozang.

Volume 14 of Yunji Qiqian (Seven Slips of the Cloud Satchel) also contains excerpts from this scripture.

Scripture of the Mystical Armor and Body

The scripture first discusses methods of invoking spirits to cure illnesses and writing talismans to ward off evil. It states that when one is ill, they can hold their breath and recite the names of the six Jia cycle guardian spirits according to the prescribed method, and all diseases will be cured. Additionally, writing talismans associated with the six Jia, six Bing, six Ren, six Wu, and six Geng celestial stems can be used to ward off ghosts, gods, soldiers, bandits, fire, water, and other disasters, relieve pain, expel evil, and protect against tigers and wolves when entering mountains and forests.

Next, it explains the terminology of Huangting Waijing Jing (Scripture of the External Landscape of the Yellow Court), and indicates the locations, shapes, injuries, and treatment methods of the five zang-organs and six fu-organs. It claims that internal visualization and contemplation can cure diseases—for example, grief harms the liver, and one can contemplate the heart to nourish it; lewdness harms the kidneys, and one can contemplate the liver to nourish it, and so on. This is the so-called method of internal visualization to inspect the zang-organs.

Finally, it records Ode of Lady Wei and Instructions for Reciting the Huangting Scripture. The former elaborates on the technique of swallowing cloud essence, while the latter describes the magic of reciting the Huangting Scripture and contemplating the seven spirits of the face and six spirits of the zang-fu organs.

The Taoist methods discussed in this book are all cultivation practices of the Shangqing School Taoists during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.