Shangqing Jade Commentary on the Profound Truth Scripture of the Mingtang (Shangqing Mingtang Yuanzhen Jingjue), author unknown.
Judging from its content and wording, it should have been written by Taoist priests of the Shangqing School during the Southern Dynasties.
Liu Shipei, in his Notes on Reading the Daozang (Du Daozang Ji), suspected that this text is a missing scroll of Secret Instructions for Ascending to Immortality (Dengzhen Yinjue) compiled by Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty.
The original text consists of one scroll and is included in the Yujue Lei (Jade Commentaries Category) of the Dongxuan Bu (Mysterious Grotto Section) of the Daozang (Taoist Canon).
The entire text includes two essential Dao-cultivation instructions from the early Shangqing School:
- The Profound Truth Scripture of the Mingtang (Mingtang Xuanzhen Jing), which falsely claims to be a transmission from the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) to Maoying, the True Lord of Life Control (Siming Zhenjun). It contains a four-character poem that discusses the Dao of contemplating the sun and moon, and ingesting the essence of sunlight and lunar radiance.
- The Supreme Method of Immortality by Ingesting the Cloud Teeth of the Four Poles (Fu Siji Yunya Shenxian Shangfang), which falsely claims to be an oral teaching from True Person Wang of Qingxu (Qingxu Zhenren Wangjun) to Lady Wei of Nanyue (Nanyue Wei Furen).
It describes the technique of contemplating the Elders of the Four Poles (east, south, west, north) and ingesting the "cloud teeth" (vital essence) from the five directions (east, west, south, north, and center). It is stated that contemplating deities and inhaling vital energy (qi) allows one to ascend to become a true immortal.
The wording and structure of this text are also similar to those of Taoist works such as True Declarations (Zhengao) and Secret Instructions for Ascending to Immortality (Dengzhen Yinjue).
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