Yuanshi Tianzun’s Scripture of Embodied Attainment 元始天尊说得道了身经

Also known as The Scripture of Ascending to Heaven, Attaining the Dao, Perfecting the Truth and Fulfilling the Body.

The author is unknown. Judging from its content and wording, it was presumably written by a Taoist priest during the late Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties period.

Consisting of one volume, it is included in the Ben Wen (Original Text) category of The Dongzhen Section in The Daozang.

Yuanshi Tianzun’s Scripture of Embodied Attainment

Falsely attributed to being preached by Yuanshi Tianzun (Primeval Heavenly Lord) to all celestial immortals and beings, the scripture mainly expounds the theory and method of "attaining the Dao and perfecting the body". The so-called "perfecting the body" refers to achieving unity with the Dao and becoming an immortal to ascend to heaven through internal cultivation. The scripture holds that practitioners must first purify their minds and eliminate distracting thoughts, disregard external circumstances when encountering them, prevent external thoughts from entering, and refrain from letting internal thoughts escape. They should not arouse a single thought and forget all matters. Then they should regulate their nasal breathing, concentrate their spirit and stabilize their will, maintain wholehearted inner focus, and breathe gently and continuously. In this way, they can achieve stability of nature and permanence of life, attain dual cultivation of nature and life, reach the state where form and spirit are both subtle and wonderful, and unite with the true the Dao. The book also explains some Internal Alchemy terms such as five elements, movement and stillness, spirit and Qi. For example, it states: "The condensation of the five elements is called the Nine Returns; the exhaustion of yin and perfection of yang is called the Seven Reversions; the subjugation of internal demons is called the Field Battle; the completeness of spirit without deficiency is called Perfect Truth."