Lingbao Canon: Perfect Script in Five Tablets 五篇真文 and Jade Instruction Written in Red 赤書玉訣

The Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) scriptures arose around the early fifth century CE, immediately after the prevalence of the Shangqing (Upper Clarity) scriptures. We are able to get a general picture of the early Lingbao scriptures because of the work of Lu Xiujing 陸修靜 (406-477) who collected and promulgated the scriptures. The catalogue of early Lingbao scriptures written by Lu Xiujing is the earliest reliable source for modern scholars to get a glimpse of the landscape of the Lingbao movement. However, Lu's original catalogue was lost, and the restored copy based on a discovered Tang copy of Dunhuang manuscripts caused many academic issues. Basically, Lu Xiujing's catalogue divided the Lingbao canon into two sections: the Old Lingbao scriptures (jiu jing 舊經) instructed by the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Commencement (Yuanshi Tianzun元始天尊) and the newly revealed scriptures (xin jing 新經) instructed by Xu Laile, the Perfected of Most Utmost (Taiji Zhenren Xu Laile 太極真人徐來勒). The Old Lingbao scriptures start with two essential scriptures: the first one is Scripture of Celestial Writing, Perfect Script in Jade (or Five) Tablets, Written in Red by Five Elders of Primordial Commencement元始五老赤書玉(五)篇真文天書經 that introduce the emergence of celestial scripts; the second one is Wondrous Scripture of Jade Instruction Written in Red by Numinous Treasure, Cavern Mystery of Most High 太上洞玄靈寶赤書玉訣妙經 that is read as commentary for the celestial scripts. Therefore, these two scriptures which are preserved in the in the Daoist Canon of Zhengtong (Zhengtong daozang 正统道藏) of the Ming are closely related to each other. The first scripture demonstrates the Daoist concept of genesis and celestial provenance starting from the emergence of the Perfect Scripts which symbolizes the openness of the new Kalpa cycle. The Perfected Scripts were regarded as the supreme and most powerful force in the Daoist cosmogeny, but they were invisible and intangible to humans. Then the Perfected Scripts were materialized by the highest deity Celestial Worthy of Primordial Commencement (Yuanshi Tianzun 元始天尊). Then he transmitted them to other celestial beings. The materialized Perfected Scripts were still unintelligible to humans. So, the celestial beings took the responsibility to translate the Perfected Scripts into the form of the human language which are in total thirty-six juan scriptures and two juan oral instructions These scriptures were called Old Lingbao Scriptures that were categorized into ten sections. The scripture contains the images of Cloudy seals of the Perfect Script and the Five Directional Talismans, followed by the instructions for use of the talismans. The second scripture Jade Instructions is regarded, to some degree, as the commentary of the first one. It introduces how the Lingbao scriptures, which are translation and interpretation of the Perfected Scripts done by the Most High Lord of Great Dao 太上大道君 (abbr. the Lord Dao 道君 or the Dao 道) and other celestial beings, were transmitted to the human world at the end of the Five Kalpa Cycles. The two humans who received the Lingbao scriptures from the Lord Dao were Wang Longci 王龍賜 and A Qiuzeng 阿丘曾. This scripture also provides the methods and rituals on how to use the Instruction of Five Directions to eliminate crimes and disasters. Scholars have noticed a great number of terms and concepts in the Lingbao scriptures that were adapted from Buddhist scriptures. However, the meanings and the connotations of these terms were changed and became distinct from those in the Buddhist context in order to serve the Daoist purposes, or to solve the newly emerged challenges that Daoist were encountering.