Scripture of the Nine Heavens' Stanzas of Life-Giving Spirit洞玄灵宝自然九天生神章经

Also known as

Shengshen Zhang jing (Scripture of the Stanzas of Life-Giving Spirit), Jiutian Shengshen Zhang (Stanzas of Life-Giving Spirit of the Nine Heavens), Lingbao Shengshen jing (Lingbao Scripture of Life-Giving Spirit)

Author / transmission

Anonymous

Period

Late Eastern Jin · One of the 'ancient scriptures of Yuanshi' among the ancient Lingbao scriptures, composed roughly at the end of the fourth or beginning of the fifth century, as seen in Lu Xiujing's Catalogue of Lingbao Scriptures.

Canon division

Dongxuan Section, Benwen Category

Collected in

Zhengtong Daozang, Dongxuan Section, Scriptural Texts category; commentaries are in the Dongxuan Section, Jade Instructions category

Category

Early Daoist Scriptures

Fascicles

One Fascicle (Juan)

Synopsis

The Jiutian Shengshen Zhang jing (Scripture of the Nine Heavens' Stanzas of Life-Giving Spirit) is an important scripture among the ancient Lingbao scriptures, describing the Lords Tianbao, Lingbao and Shenbao (the prototypes of the Three Pure Ones), who respectively govern the Three Caverns of Dongzhen, Dongxuan and Dongshen, making it one of the earliest scriptural bases for the correspondence between the 'Three Caverns' and the 'Three Pure Ones.' The text describes the opening of chaos and the transformation of the Three Pneumas into the Nine Heavens; the human embryo, over the nine months of gestation, has spirit generated month by month by the pneumas of the Nine Heavens, giving rise to the nine chapters of the 'Stanzas of the Nine Heavens' Life-Giving Spirit'; reciting them can refine the spirit and save the soul, and open salvation for the lost souls of the Nine Shades, making it the core scripture recited in Lingbao retreat and offering rites for the salvation of the dead. Its theology of the 'Three Lords of the Treasures' and its teaching of 'gestation and breath generating spirit' have had far-reaching influence; from the Song and Yuan onward it has been an indispensable scripture in rites for the salvation of the dead, with commentaries including the Song-dynasty Explication of the Jiutian Shengshen Zhang Jing, the Yuan-dynasty commentary by Wang Jie, and the Ming-dynasty collected commentary by Zhou Xuanzhen.

Key Ideas

• The Lords Tianbao, Lingbao and Shenbao govern the Three Caverns
• The Three Pneumas transform into the Nine Heavens, and spirit is generated over the nine months of gestation
• Recitation of the stanzas refines and saves the souls of the dead
• The origin of the theology of the Three Pure Ones and the Three Caverns system

Structure

One juan, containing a preface and nine chapters.

Editions

• Zhengtong Daozang edition
• Zhonghua Daozang, volume 3

Commentaries

• Hua Yangfu, Explication of the Dongxuan Lingbao Ziran Jiutian Shengshen Zhang Jing
• Wang Jie, Commentary on the Dongxuan Lingbao Ziran Jiutian Shengshen Zhang Jing

Full Text & Online Resources

• CTEXT search
• Wikipedia: Lingbao School

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