Scripture of the Supreme Wonderful Origin 太上妙始经

The author is unknown.

It seems to have been compiled during the Tang and Song dynasties.

It consists of one volume and is included in the Benwen (Original Text) category of the Dongshen (Mystery Revealing) Section of the Daozang (Taoist Canon).

Scripture of the Supreme Wonderful Origin

This scripture first expounds on the origin of the universe, heaven, earth and all things, which is referred to as the "Wonderful Origin". It states that the Taoism takes emptiness and non-being as its foundation and the qi of clarity, subtleness, profundity and primality as its root; when this qi converges, it becomes the primordial qi, and when it disperses, it forms heaven and earth. "When the qi of heaven and earth intermingles, then human beings, birds and beasts, plants and trees, crawling and wriggling creatures all come into existence in abundance". It further claims that there are immortals, sages, ghosts and gods between heaven and earth, urging people to practice good deeds and refrain from evil. It says that those who uphold the Dao and observe precepts during their lifetime will, after death, be reborn in peaceful and blessed abodes among the celestial realms, forever dwelling within the qi of the Dao, free from exile and punishment, with blessings flowing down to their descendants, and will be reborn into noble and prestigious families in future lives. If one only commits evil and does no good during their lifetime, they will be sent to hell to suffer torment after death, with their soul enduring extreme pain; "if they are reborn as humans, they are bound to be born into humble and foolish families".

At the end of the text, it narrates events such as Laozi’s transformation to enlighten the barbarians and his transmission of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) doctrine to Zhang Zhennan, indicating that this scripture was written by a Zhengyi Taoist priest. The cosmological theory of the scripture is closely related to the Taiji philosophy in the Taoist theoretical system, reflecting the integration of Taoist cosmology and moral concepts.