The True Grotto: The Profound Scripture of the Supreme Elixir Hidden Text by the Taiyi Emperor Lord
As one of the early classic texts of the Shangqing School (Supreme Clarity School), it was probably compiled during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420 CE).
In Volume Five of The True Declarations (Zhengao), it is stated: “The Immortal Dao includes the Supreme Elixir Hidden Text with Eight Receipts and Ten Formulas”; The Catalogue of the Supreme Clarity Great Cavern True Scripture (Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing Mu) records “One scroll of the Supreme Clarity’s Great Existence: Supreme Elixir Hidden Text with Eight Receipts”—both references refer to this very text.
The present version is included in the Zhengyi Bu (Orthodox Unity Section) of the Daozang (Taoist Canon). The entire text contains several Taoist practices, including:
- The Dao of the Great Transformation of the Birth Destiny Emperor Lord through the Integration of a Hundred Deities;
- The Method of Generating Five Deities through the Integration of the Three and Five (a cosmological concept combining the “Three Primordial Forces” and “Five Elements”);
- The Dao of Integration where the Five Deities of Taiyi (the Great Unity) Present the Five Talismans and Five Registers to Petition the Shangqing Emperor Lord;
- The Dao of Soul-Spirit Integration when the Five Deities Present the Talismans.
All the above Taoist practices take “contemplating divine lords (cunsi shenjun)” and “swallowing talismans while reciting true names (tunfu nianzhen)” as the core keys to practice.
The main deities contemplated are:
- The Five Deities of Taiyi: Taiyi (the Great Unity), Gongzi (the Young Lord), Baiyuan (the White Primordial), Siming (the Controller of Destinies), and Taojun (the Peach Lord);
- The Three True Entities of the Emperor Lord: the Heavenly Emperor Lord, the Supreme Primeval Lord, and the Supreme Harmony Lord.
The scripture explicitly states: The deity of Taiyi is the essence of the human embryo. A person’s soul and spirit are born from the embryo deity, and the life-giving qi (vital energy) emanates from the embryo chamber—all of which are transformed and integrated by the Emperor Lord to form a human being. Therefore, Taiyi and the Emperor Lord are like the “parental rulers” of human life: “The Emperor Lord governs transformation, and Taiyi governs birth.”
The scripture further notes: A person possesses five registers and five talismans, which are held in charge by Taiyi. Taiyi petitions the Emperor Lord to bestow the talismans and registers for the salvation of humans; after the Emperor Lord integrates and finalizes the registration, that person can live permanently in the world and become an immortal.
The Taoist practices recorded in this text are precisely the “Dao of Transformation and Integration by the Taiyi Emperor Lord.”
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