The Supreme Jade Pendant and Golden Bell: Taiji Golden Scripture Upper Classic
Also known as The Jade Pendant and Golden Bell: Supreme Heaven Hidden Book, Profound Truth Grotto-Flying Radiance Precious Classic, it is commonly abbreviated as The Jade Pendant and Golden Bell Classic or The Taiji Golden Scripture Upper Classic. As one of the early classics of the Shangqing School, it was presumably compiled during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420 CE).

Volume 5 of Zhengao (The True Declarations) states: "In the Dao of immortality, there are jade pendants and golden bells for ascending to the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate)"; Catalogue of the Shangqing Great Grottoes True Scripture (Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing Mu) records the entry "One Scroll of the Shangqing Jade Pendant and Golden Bell: Taiji Golden Scripture"—both references refer to this classic.
The surviving version in the Daozang (Taoist Canon) consists of one scroll and is included in the "Original Texts" category of the Dongzhen (True Grotto) Section. Additionally, there is one fragmentary Dunhuang manuscript copy (P2109), and Taoist encyclopedias such as Wushang Miyao (The Supreme Secret Essentials) also extensively quote from this classic.
The classic falsely claims that a blue bird carried this text in its beak, descended, and presented it to the Primordial Heavenly Lord and the Supreme Emperor; the Supreme Emperor then transmitted it to deities including the Supreme Lord of the Dao and the Queen Mother of the West. It contains four Taoist classics and esoteric methods, namely: The Jade Pendant: Supreme Heaven Hidden Book, Grotto-Flying Precious Classic, The Golden Bell: Supreme Heaven Hidden Book, Grotto-Flying Precious Classic, The Upper Method of Worshiping the Nine Heavens’ Soul and Corporeal Soul Emperors to Seek Immortality, and The Profound Truth Grotto-Flying Two Radiances Precious Classic. Its main content revolves around cultivation methods of "preserving the spirit and absorbing vital energy" (cunshen fuqi) to ascend to the Taiji realm.
The method prescribes that on designated days, practitioners enter a chamber to contemplate the "Nine True Lords of the Unified Origin" guarding the Upper, Middle, and Lower Yuan Palaces (the Three Cinnabar Fields) within the human body; worship the two emperors of the sun’s soul and the moon’s corporeal soul; absorb the essence of the sun, the splendor of the moon, and the rosy qi; recite scriptures and ingest talismans; and tap their teeth and swallow saliva.
It is claimed that long-term practice of this Dao will enable one to ascend to the Taiji realm and achieve immortality through eternal life.
✨ Recommended Taoist Talismans
Discover powerful talismans for your spiritual journey