Dongxuan Lingbao Taishang Zhenren Wenji Jing (The Scripture of the Supreme True Person of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavernous Mystery Inquiring about Illnesses), the author of which is unknown.
Judging from its content and wording, it was presumably composed by Taoist priests during the Southern and Northern Dynasties or the Sui and Tang dynasties. It consists of one scroll and is included in the Taiping Section of the Daozang (Taoist Canon).
Divided into twelve chapters, the scripture is pseudonymously attributed to the Heavenly Worthy expounding teachings to his disciple, the Primordial True Person, explaining the causes of all sentient beings’ illnesses and afflictions. It states that all sentient beings’ wealth, nobility, poverty, and lowliness in this life are the karmic retributions for their good and evil deeds in past lives. It lists seventy-two major spiritual "ailments" that those who later seek immortality may harbor, such as concealing inner malice, failing to care for all sentient beings, being miserly, greedy, and murderous, and lacking benevolence and filial piety.
Observing fasts and practicing the Dao can eliminate the karmic roots of sins tied to the six senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind), enabling one to attain unobstructed sixfold wisdom. Reciting and cultivating this scripture allows one to fulfill all wishes, ascend to heaven as an immortal, and deliver nine generations of ancestors together.
The core purpose of the entire text is to clarify the karmic causes and retributions of good and evil, and to exhort people to reverence the Heavenly Worthy, cultivate the Dao, and perform good deeds.
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