The Scripture of Primal Yang 太上灵宝元阳妙经

The author is unknown. It was probably compiled during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

The original number of volumes and chapters is unknown.

The surviving version in the Daozang consists of ten incomplete volumes, divided into seven sections, and is included in the Benwen (Scripture Text) category of the Dongxuan Section.

In addition, according to the catalog Dunhuang Daojing Mulu Bian (Compilation of Catalogues of Taoist Scriptures from Dunhuang) by Onoda Shunji, there are four incomplete Tang Dynasty manuscripts of the Yuanyang Jing among the Dunhuang relics. Among them, manuscripts P2366, Taipei 4717, and S3016 are not found in the Daozang, while P2450 corresponds to Volume 4 of the Daozang version. Falsely attributed to an assembly held in the Yuanyang World by the Perfected One of Wondrous Yang of Primordial Yang, along with various celestial beings, immortals, perfected ones, and boys, this scripture recounts that the Primordial Lord, moved by great compassion at the assembly, preached the scripture to enlighten all sentient beings. It proclaims itself a supreme Mahayana classic, the "supreme, true, and great Dao." Its content is quite diverse, mainly elaborating on the origin of the world, the merits and ranks of immortals and perfected ones, and the essentials of Taoist scriptures, precepts, and magical arts. The scripture states: "All scriptures, all methods, all skills, and all regulations—such teachings that have never been heard before are now comprehended through this scripture. Furthermore, the secret essentials of the Three Pure Ones and the divine diagrams of the Seven Sections—such profound meanings are now known through this scripture." However, overall, most of the text plagiarizes Buddhist scriptures without integrating them with Taoism doctrines. Hence, Shi Dao'an of the Northern Zhou Dynasty wrote in Er Jiao Lun (Treatise on Two Religions): "The Huangting Jing and Yuanyang Jing excerpt from the Lotus Sutra, replacing 'Buddha' with 'Dao'—a modification that is particularly clumsy." Shi Falin of the Tang Dynasty also criticized Taoist scriptures such as the Huangting Jing and Yuanyang Jing in Bian Zheng Lun (Treatise on Distinguishing the Correct) for plagiarizing Buddhist scriptures, stating that they "were compiled by altering the Lotus Sutra, Amitabha Sutra, and other Buddhist texts." These criticisms are indeed well-founded.