《元始天尊说梓潼帝君应验经》

At that time, the Primordial Celestial Worthy (Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the highest deities revered in Daoism) was residing on Mount Yujing in the Yuming Celestial Palace. Forming a canopy of five-colored auspicious clouds, he led the immortal hosts of the various heavens and descended.

Then the Emperor Lord of Zitong (Zitong Dijun, a deity worshipped in Daoism) calmly stepped forward, bowed twice before the Celestial Worthy, and, kneeling upright, said: “This disciple has passed through countless kalpas, lost his original station, and been banished to the land of Shu. I think of the many calamities living beings meet after descending into the world: some are reborn as birds and beasts, and some live in remote and barbarous regions; some are rich and noble, others poor and lowly. They must also endure disasters of water and fire, blades and warfare, and suffer the pain of the cycle of birth and death. They know nothing of Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, and the stars; they slander the teachings and show no reverence for the Three Treasures (the Dao, the Jing, or scriptures, and the masters revered in Daoism), their teachers and elders, or their parents. Thus, even if they enjoy a moment of happiness in this life, they cannot avoid falling into the Five Destinies and Three Paths (the various destinations and realms of suffering within the cycle of rebirth), revolving lifetime after lifetime without awakening. Seeing these people suffer all manner of retribution, and now fortunate to meet the Celestial Worthy’s descent, I earnestly beg you to proclaim the teaching for them and enlighten their ignorance.”

The Primordial Celestial Worthy then manifested a fine ray of light, its radiance illuminating ten thousand li. The immortal hosts of the various heavens, together with the deities who administer affairs in heaven, on earth, in the waters, and in the bureaus of the underworld prisons, each sat at ease within five-colored radiance like lapis lazuli, quietly listening as the Celestial Worthy expounded the teaching.

Yuanshi Tianzun (a revered deity of Daoism) said: “How wondrous! The Imperial Son (referring to Zitong Dijun, the Emperor Lord of Zitong) takes pity on all living beings and expounds these karmic conditions, so that awakening arises within the human heart. Yin-Yang alternates and the sun and moon pursue their courses; the deities of heaven above, of the earth below, of the waters, and those who preside over prisons all dwell at ease amid five-colored glass, awaiting the proclamation of the Great Dao (the Way).”

Yuanshi Tianzun spoke again: “How wondrous! The Imperial Son takes pity on all living beings and expounds these karmic conditions, so that awakening arises within the human heart. The alternation of Yin-Yang, the movement of the sun and moon, the appearing and vanishing of the stars, and the splitting of the earth—all these are brought about by the transformations of Heaven. The common people are born through the nurture of Heaven and Earth. They receive the Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang and are fashioned by the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water); the two Qi of Yin and Yang congeal to form a human being. Yet people do not understand how difficult it is to obtain a human body, nor how difficult it is to be born in the Central Land (China). They are jealous and greedy toward one another and do not know repentance. Therefore they suffer such afflictions as war, pestilence, flood, and fire, and all these calamities arise from this.”

I, your subject, previously bowed in homage to the Celestial Worthy and reported: “The common people suffer calamity, yet Heaven seems to show neither pity nor response. How, then, may disasters be dispelled and faults atoned for?”

Leaning upon a pingji (a low table used for support), the Celestial Worthy said: “You assist Haotian (the celestial realm). Your exalted rank stands equal with Taiyi (the Grand Unity); your fame is manifest at the Southern Pole; the beneficence of your De (Virtue/Power) reaches the four quarters; and you preside over the turning of Hunyuan (Primordial Chaos) and over official posts and emoluments. The celestial registers have all been examined, and the deities of the Five Sacred Mountains all know of this matter. Mindful of these common people, one ought to come to their rescue.” The Celestial Worthy then chanted a verse of praise:

“Yuanshi Tianzun sits upright amid five-colored glass, pitying the evil karma created by living beings. Because of this, living beings transmigrate through the Three Paths (the three evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals) and the Five Destinies (five destinations of life), bewildered and unaware, constantly as though they dwelt in a time when the sun and moon were darkened.”

Thereupon the Primordial Heavenly Worthy sat upright in the glazed hall, pitying living beings who had created evil karma and thus fallen into the Three Paths (the three evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals), revolving through the Five Destinies (the five destinations of rebirth). Living beings were bewildered and unaware, as if they had long remained in a darkness where sun and moon gave no light. They did not understand that they were endowed with the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), nor did they know that the movements of the stars would bring changes in destiny.

At this time Lord Zitong—that is, the Imperial Lord of Zitong—rose from his seat and proclaimed loving-kindness. He brought forth many transformation bodies and manifested numinous powers by means of the brush. The Primordial Heavenly Worthy released him from calamity, opened for him the gate of immortality, and summoned him many times at the Jade Capital (the palaces of the heavenly realm).

Lord Zitong looked down upon the people of the world and saw them suffering. Whether old or young, all were unaware and unawakened. The Heavenly Worthy then said, “Now I make repentance on your behalf. Living beings, follow this guidance and come out of delusion, and you will not be obstructed by the Five Marchmounts (the powers of the divine realm symbolized by the famous mountains of the five directions). Within the round of rebirth there are those charged with relieving suffering, and the hells will not shut you out. Fortune and misfortune will both be conveyed, and good and ill omen will be made known beforehand. Cherish life and practice the Great Dao; with a heart of compassion, remove harm. The gate of the immortal teaching will stand open forever. Only by acting according to this instruction is there a lasting right path.”

He further offered a hymn:

The charge of cassia emolument—examination honors and official salary—rests with you, and writings too are under your protection. Whoever would enter official service must rely on you to preside over the weighing and the decision.

Good and evil determine fortune and misfortune; smooth success depends on causes and conditions. Take up the brush and record with impartiality: how could a person’s flourishing or decline be mere chance?

Where there is blessing there is sure recompense, and the doing of good is never set aside. All the heavens praise good deeds; if one does not do good, by what means is one to be advanced?

When the Primordial Heavenly Worthy had finished expounding this scripture (jing), he said to the Imperial Lord of Zitong, “You dwell on Phoenix Mountain in Western Shu, manifesting your numinous presence in the mortal world, and your images are found in every place. You observe the doings of the ninety-four kinds of transformation bodies, display the changes across hundreds of millions of kalpas, bear the duty of relieving suffering, and govern fortune and misfortune in the four directions. Heed these few words of my instruction and add one measure of good deeds; still remain cautious and reverent, so as to answer the heart of compassion.”

The Imperial Lord of Zitong at once knelt to give thanks, and bowing again to the Heavenly Worthy said, “Your servant now receives this compassionate pity and vows to relieve the people of the world. Beneath my brush there is no affair left unrecorded, and among my transformation bodies there is no common person left unaided. I wish, together with all, to practice the Great Dao, and thereby to come into resonance with Heaven’s intent to cherish life. I still hope the Heavenly Worthy will grant an expedient means.”

Thereupon the immortal hosts of all the heavens praised him one after another, and once more addressed the Heavenly Worthy, hoping that this scripture would be entrusted to the people of the world to recite, so as to dissolve calamity.

The Celestial Worthy said: “Excellent, excellent! Recite this Jing (scripture/classic), and a hundred kinds of blessings will arrive; one’s descendants will flourish and be honored, and one’s whole life will be illustrious and unimpeded. Slander this scripture, and calamity will fall upon nine generations of ancestors and will also extend to oneself.” At this, the celestial immortals together offered praise, saying:

“Pure stillness and hidden depth, mysterious and impossible to fathom—this is the correct path that people ought to follow. Dimness and confusion are the condition of ordinary, ignorant people. Today we have been able to receive the Celestial Worthy’s teaching, and from now on ordinary people may be freed from anger and delusion.”

The celestial immortals repeated this verse of praise. When the praise was finished, the hosts of celestial immortals and the Emperor Lord of Zitong once more paid homage to the Celestial Worthy and then withdrew, declaring that they accepted the teaching in faith and would put it into practice.

The Scripture Spoken by the Primordial Celestial Worthy on the Verified Responses of the Emperor Lord of Zitong (Yuanshi Tianzun shuo Zitong dijun yingyan jing) ends here.

Sacred Titles of the Emperor Lord

“Inner Assistant of Primordial Chaos, Inner Steward of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), of the Office of the Grand Commander-in-Chief” means that the Emperor Lord assists Primordial Chaos, presides over the affairs of the Three Pure Ones, and holds office in the Grand Commandery; he commands the yin troops of the Three Realms and acts according to circumstances; he administers the judicial affairs of the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Water; he holds the tiger tally and dragon warrant representing the true forms of the spirits of the Five Marchmounts and the Four Great Rivers (the famed mountains of the Five Peaks and the great rivers of the four directions); he governs the stellar luminaries of the heavens and determines the cassia register and the emolument register (the rolls concerned with examination honors and official rank, and with salary and blessings). His honorific titles are “Supreme Immortal, Brilliantly Manifest Primordial Sovereign Perfected” and “Perfected Lord in Charge of Emoluments and Examination Recruitment.” He also takes part in compiling the registers of flying immortals, oversees the creative transformations of Primordial Heaven and the turning of rebirth, and saves beings from suffering without obstruction, under the title “Celestial Worthy of Precious Radiance and Pure Unity”; he is also called “Sovereign of the Nine Heavens Who Fixes the Origin, Preserves Life, Upholds the Teaching, and Opens Transformation” and “Great Emperor of Lasting Joy, Eternal Protection, and Numinous Response.”