The Ling Bao Ben Xing Yin Yuan Jing 太上洞玄灵宝本行因缘经

Formerly known as The Supreme Cave Mysterious Numinous Treasure Scripture of the Immortals' Inquiries about Original Deeds, Karmic Causes, and the Trials of the Saints, it is one of the ancient Numinous Treasure Scriptures of Taoism, probably compiled in the late Eastern Jin Dynasty and early Southern Dynasties. It was already recorded in Lu Xiujing’s Catalogue of Numinous Treasure Scriptures.

Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Taiping Section of the Daoist Canon.

In addition, there is a Tang-dynasty manuscript copy from Dunhuang (No. P2454), titled The Fifteenth Chapter of the Supreme Cave Mysterious Numinous Treasure Wonderful Scripture: The Trials of the Saints.

The scripture records that in the third year of the Chìwū reign period of the Wu state (240 CE), thirty-three earthly immortals and Taoist priests ascended Mount Laosheng to pay homage to Ge Xuan. They asked why, despite having cultivated the Dao for six hundred years, they remained only earthly immortals, while their master (Ge Xuan) had just begun to practice the Dao and was already conferred the title of the Left Immortal Lord of the Supreme Ultimate, and they wondered what merits he had achieved to obtain this celestial position.

Ge Xuan replied that in their past lives, they had cultivated the Dao with a Hinayana aspiration: they only sought to save themselves, not to deliver others, and had accumulated few merits, hence remaining as earthly immortals. In contrast, Ge Xuan had resolved to pursue the Dao in his past lives, practiced and cultivated over many lifetimes, revered the Dharma and recited scriptures, upheld the Mahayana aspiration, performed great meritorious deeds, and delivered all beings from hardship and distress—thus he was granted the title of the Left Immortal Lord of the Supreme Ultimate in this life.

The core tenet of the scripture is to urge practitioners to cultivate the Mahayana path of the Dao: not only to attain liberation for themselves, but also to universally deliver all other beings.