The Dong Zhen Tai Shang San Jiu Su Yu Yu Jing Zhen Jue 洞真太上三九素语玉精真诀

The True Grotto: The Supreme Scripture of the Three-Nine Pure Words and the Jade Essence True Formula

1. The Jade Essence True Formula and the Three-Nine Pure Words

   
   

   This practice requires practitioners to enter a chamber on their “birth destiny day” (the day corresponding to one’s birth in the traditional Chinese calendar), then practice cunsi (visualization meditation) to imagine the Five Directional Emperors descending to reside in their five internal organs (liver, heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys). While doing so, they recite incantations and formulas, and rub their palms to warm them before patting their faces. It is claimed that after five years of practicing this method, one’s face will radiate a golden glow, the five internal organs will generate “splendor” (a sign of spiritual refinement), the organs will retain vital energy (qi), and one will attain the Dao of immortality.
2. The Method of Submitting Tallies and Burying Slips on the Eight Festivals

   
   

   On the days of the Eight Festivals (the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice), practitioners submit “tallies” (ritual tokens) and bury “bamboo slips” (inscribed with prayers or vows) in sacred mountains—specifically the “birth destiny mountain” (a mountain associated with one’s birth destiny). Through this act, they present a petition to the Jade Clarity (Yuqing) realm (one of the highest celestial realms in Taoist cosmology). It is said that practicing this method for three years can summon divine beings and attract spiritual forces, enabling one to become an immortal.
3. The Supreme Method of the Emperor’s Jade Text for Stabilizing the Spirit

   
   

   On days corresponding to the Heavenly Stems of Qian-Gui (a paired designation in the ten Heavenly Stems), Jia-Yi, Wu-Ji, Geng-Xin, and Bing-Ding, practitioners carve talismans on stones of five colors—green, red, yellow, white, and black. These colored talismans are then buried respectively in the five directions (east, south, center, west, north) of the mountain where they reside. After burying the talismans, practitioners tap their teeth (a ritual gesture in Taoism) and recite incantations. This practice is believed to summon divine beings, subdue demons, and allow one to ascend to heaven in broad daylight.