《元始天王欢乐经》

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (the supreme deity venerated in Daoism) brought the worlds of the ten directions to completion and delivered all living beings. After the worlds had been transformed into being, he would return to the profound stillness of Daluo Heaven and take up residence in the Jade Palace of Myriad Lights and the Jasper Terrace of the Seven Treasures on Mount Tianshou. The Perfected stood in attendance to guard him, and the divinities of the various heavens arrived together. Joining the Most High Jade Emperor, the Supreme Lord of the Dao (the Way), and other supremely holy deities, together with the celestial emperors and the hosts of immortals, Perfected, and sages, they collated and arranged the Jing (scripture/classic) of the Dao and its methods.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning entrusted the thirty-six divisions of true Jing to the three thousand worlds and the five hundred million heavens, so that the Jing might circulate, teach and transform living beings, and open the gate of deliverance for heaven and humanity, enabling the men and women of future ages to give rise to faith.

When the entrustment was complete, the Heavenly Lord of the Nine Qi (vital energy)—the celestial deity who governs the nine kinds of primordial Qi—rose from his seat, knelt at full length and bowed his head to the ground, clasped his hands, and addressed the Celestial Worthy: “Through countless kalpas, your servant has turned about in the cycle of birth and death, subject to the arrangements of causes and conditions. I have often been fortunate enough to meet Perfected of the Great Dao and to read the Jing of instruction. This is truly owing to the Celestial Worthy’s vast grace of deliverance.

“I have often seen that, in the worldly kingdoms within Wanli Heaven of the lower realm, many among kings and rulers do evil. Some are lost in sensual desire and abandon themselves to wine and license, caring nothing whether the common people live or die, so that they suffer every hardship. Some are addicted to hunting and fishing and indulge without restraint. Some undertake great works of construction, raising palaces, towers, and walled cities. Some are immersed in music, song, and dance and roam about in pleasure. Some build tombs and shrines on a vast scale and campaign against the four quarters. Some are cruel of heart and kill the worthy and good. Some heed slander and will not accept loyal and upright counsel. Some levy heavy taxes and corvée solely for their own enjoyment.

“There are also those who do not believe in destiny, in the recompense of wrongdoing and blessing, or in causes and conditions, and who, lacking reverence, destroy Daoist sacred images, altars, and monasteries. Some kill Daoist priests, burn the Jing, and revile the holy and the Perfected. Some fathers and sons harm one another; brothers form enmities and fight; flesh and blood attack one another. The Qi of resentment rises to the hearing of Heaven. Cruelty knows no limit, and the wailing pleas of the people and the spirits truly cannot all be told.

“Your servant does not know how to teach and transform such people. I earnestly beg the Celestial Worthy to open wide his compassion, proclaim the teaching, and deliver all beings, so that they may turn toward the good Dao.”

The Celestial Worthy replied: “All of this is called forth by the karmic causes and the conditions of living beings themselves. Living beings do not believe in the retribution of sin and blessing, nor in the causes and conditions linking past lives and the present life. Only after passing through measureless kalpas (an extremely long span of time) do they encounter these dire calamities of the present. Floods overflow; disasters of water, fire, and armed conflict follow one upon another. The seas surge and the mountains overturn. People die of catastrophe, famine, and pestilence. Fathers and sons are scattered, and men and women are parted. Sufferings of every kind spread in all directions. The common people are grievously afflicted. Strange sounds arise in the mountains, and ghosts and spirits weep in sorrow. Baleful stars and comets fill the sky. The earth quakes and mountains collapse. Rivers churn and the sea boils. Calamities of every kind assail one another in turn, and even wild beasts take on human form.

Evil Qi (vital energy) arises through sympathetic response, and various stellar omens appear, so as to warn the people of the world and enable them to discern fortune and misfortune. Who can say that the foolish will not awaken? I now proclaim this Jing (scripture/classic) for you, so that the rulers of every land may find joy and the world may be at peace.”

The Heavenly Lord of the Nine Qi (a Daoist deity) bowed his head and petitioned: “We only wish that the compassionate Honored One would especially grant us leniency and tell us the principles we have never heard.”

The Celestial Worthy said: If the ruler of a state, together with the queen, the consorts, the ministers, the officials who assist in government, and devout men and women, constantly cherish sincere hearts and take refuge in the orthodox Dao (the Way); if they make offerings to the Three Treasures of the Dao, the Jing (scripture), and the Master; if they widely practice good deeds, build Daoist abbeys and receive many people, copy scriptures and fashion sacred images, perform the Dao and worship, receive the precepts and keep the fasts, give alms and release living beings, repent and make vows, relieve the poor and those in distress, free prisoners and pardon offenders, lighten taxes and labor service, stay far from wine and sensual indulgence, practice frugality and self-restraint, care for the people, and toil on behalf of all; if they often establish seats of the teaching and invite ritual masters to expound the Mahayana scriptures and instruct the multitude; if at night they light lamps, scatter flowers and burn incense, recite scriptures day and night, and pray to the spirits of mountains and rivers, the grotto-abodes of the immortals, the deities of Heaven and Earth, and the famous mountains and great streams; and if they build Daoist abbeys, widely receive men and women into the Dao, protect the abbeys, and continue their transmission without ever slackening—then all the heavens will rejoice, the state will be at peace, the sun, moon, and stars will move in due measure, the rivers and seas will be calm, wind and rain will be harmonious, the myriad things will flourish, and all under Heaven will be content.

At that time, King Shanren gave away his palace gardens and city towers, together with the scenic places, mountain forests, and celebrated peaks within the realm, and built numinous abbeys, mysterious altars, and retreat halls, so that Daoist abbeys spread throughout the land. He selected men and women of the realm who were of proper appearance, intelligent and wise, and kind in heart, and had them leave the household life. Among the princes, royal consorts and princesses, dukes and marquises, local officials, and ministers, all who wished to leave the household were likewise permitted to enter the Dao, so that the orthodox teaching might flourish, the government of the state be assisted, and the people be transformed. The queen, the consorts, the princesses, the princes, the ministers, and the wealthy elder men and women of the realm all followed the king in arousing this resolve. They donated residences, gardens, ponds and terraces, and courtyards, built Daoist abbeys, installed scriptures and sacred images, received men and women who left the household, and together guarded the abbeys and made offerings to the Dao and its teaching, praying for the peace of the state.

The king also often fashioned images of the Celestial Worthy’s unsurpassed Dharma body, images of the transformation bodies of the Perfected, and sacred images of immortals and Perfected beings, as well as images of vajra spirit-kings, apotropaic divine beasts, incense officials and envoys, immortal lads and jade maidens, the Dragon and Tiger Lords, and others. He worshipped and made offerings to them, contemplated them with a concentrated mind, and prayed to attain the Dao and to live long without dying. He constantly copied the scriptural teachings of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen), bound them into scrolls, and circulated, recited, and expounded them, praying to become an immortal. He also constantly established a hundred seats of the teaching and widely invited ritual masters to expound, day and night, the profound and subtle principles of the Mahayana of the Three Caverns, teaching living beings and protecting the people.

He constantly kept the fasts and worshipped, scattered flowers and burned incense, observed the precepts, and made vows to cultivate, so as to liberate himself. He also constantly released living beings, redeemed men and women who had been sold into servitude and persons of low station, gave alms to the poor, dug wells beside the roads, planted fruit trees, and built houses and bridges, thereby aiding the many and widely practicing compassion. He constantly established charitable fields, distributed clothing and food, and relieved those who suffered hunger and cold. He also constantly lit lamps to illuminate the night, helping people dispel calamity and misfortune and using the lamplight to scatter darkness. He frequently offered ritual robes, ritual implements, everyday utensils, food and drink, flowers and fruit, incense, and medicines to those in every region who had left the household to cultivate the Dao, and he likewise offered silks, gold and silver, pearls and jade, carriages, horses and servants, fields, gardens and residences, rice, wheat, and other goods to the Three Treasures and to the permanently maintained Daoist abbeys.

He also constantly made bells and stone chimes, flowered banners, pennants and canopies, incense burners, curtains, sitting mats, towels, cushions, mysterious altars, railings, ruyi scepters, bathing vessels, fly-whisks, sitting cloths, and similar articles, and offered them to the scriptures and images and to cultivators of the Dao. He built Daoist abbeys, halls, towers and lofts, residences for ritual masters, covered corridors, terraces and pavilions, and ponds, accumulating the merit of solemn adornment. He constantly recited the scriptures and invoked the Dao, repenting and praying for blessings so as to remove offenses. He cultivated methods of practicing the Dao such as Shangqing, the Golden Chamber, Tianbao, Dongzhen, and the Three Primes, praying to refine and transform the bodily form, attain the Dao, and become a Perfected being. Each rite of practicing the Dao had its own prayer. The Golden Register rite was used to regulate the celestial signs, set right the seasons and the degrees of the calendar, and pray that the destiny of the state might flourish. The Yellow Register rite was used to deliver ancestors and the souls of the dead in the hells. The Mingzhen, Ziran, and related rites were used to harmonize Heaven and Earth, protect the state and pacify the people, and pray for blessings for both the living and the dead. The Lingbao rite of the Three Primes was used to repent and give thanks before Heaven, Earth, water, and fire, to deliver those who had died before, and also to seek liberation for oneself.

He further cultivated the Mud and Soot rite, praying to be released from flood and fire, weapons and warfare, imprisonment, sickness, and calamity. He cultivated the Dongshen rite of the Three Primes, praying for blessings for all living beings between Heaven and Earth. He cultivated the Dongyuan Divine Spells rite, driving off deviant demons, ghosts and spirits, mountain sprites and bewitching beings, and epidemic illness. He cultivated the Zhijiao rite, so as to guide those in danger, hardship, and distress and to dispel calamity and misfortune. He cultivated the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) rite, praying to lengthen life and preserve it. He cultivated the Taiping Dongji rite, praying that warfare might cease and the five grains be abundant. He cultivated the Five Refinements rite, praying to settle the tombs and shrines of the ancestors and to deliver the dead. He also made offerings to Daoist priests who cultivated in the mountains, praying that they might soon become Perfected. He prayed to the spirits of mountains and rivers and established fasts, praying for peace throughout the land. He used Zhengyi Fulu (talismans and registers) to expel deviance and control ghosts, and thus aided male and female devotees.

He constantly recited the Daodejing, the classic of the Dao and of De (Virtue/Power), and followed its teaching of clarity and stillness, Wuwei (non-action), and the lessening of selfish desire. By the scriptural methods of Dongshen he subdued deviant essences and commanded spirits and ghosts. By the scriptural methods of Dongxuan he cleansed body and mind and purified the six sense-faculties, so that his thoughts became still, he forgot the self, and he entered the mysterious realm. He observed the scriptural precepts of Dongzhen, quieted the mind and reduced thought, and united with the Dao in perfection. He cultivated the great methods of the Three Caverns, practiced visualization and wisdom, and in silent concentration returned to emptiness.

On every one of the Six Fast Days and the Ten Upright Days, he went to a Daoist abbey to burn incense, practice the Dao and recite, and hear expositions of the Mahayana. He scattered flowers, lit lamps, gave alms, and made vows, praying for blessings both for living beings and for himself. He constantly repaired old sacred images and old scriptures, cultivating so as to accumulate merit and blessings and extend them to the living and the dead. In the middle of each month he also invited virtuous ritual masters to preside over repentance and the receiving of the precepts, cleansing body and mind. He himself expounded and recited the scriptures, teaching the people of the realm and causing them to give rise to the thought of turning toward the Dao. He constantly praised the Celestial Worthy’s measureless sacred virtue and prayed that the Celestial Worthy would shelter living beings.

In governing the state, he lived in plain palace rooms and kept himself pure and disciplined. He stayed far from wine and sensual indulgence and nourished his bodily form and his Shen (spirit). He treated other states with humaneness and virtue and, with a compassionate heart, brought peace and happiness to the people. He stopped hunting and fishing, released living beings, and redeemed them. He reduced extravagance in food and drink and observed the fasts with restraint. He levied few taxes and relieved the poor. He did not conscript the people at will, and he pacified the frontiers. His government was even-handed and generous, and he did not resort lightly to punishment.

If King Shanren, the queen, the ministers, the officials who assist in government, the princes, and the men and women of the whole realm can constantly practice these good deeds, advance with vigorous diligence, maintain pure wisdom, endure insult and keep the precepts, give alms and observe the fasts, and never retreat from one thought to the next, then their renown will reach all the heavens. The Heavenly Kings will rejoice and descend in person to protect them. The troops and horses of the immortals, the immortal lads and jade maidens, the Three Realms and the Five Emperors, and all the spirits will also come constantly to guard them. Then Heaven and Earth will be at peace, the sun and moon bright, the stars moving in due measure, wind and rain timely, the hundred grains abundant, and men and women flourishing. The Qi (vital energy) stored in the earth will spread forth, and even withered bones will be able to live again. People’s lives will be long, and they will not suffer untimely death or violent harm. The king, the queen, the ministers, and the princes will all be able to lighten their bodies and ascend in flight, rising to Heaven in broad daylight.

From that time on, the kingdom of Shanren, land of the Perfected of the Four Brahma-heavens, became a realm of ultimate bliss. Men and women of later generations should each cultivate with diligence as well.

At that time, the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) often dispatched the Zhenren of Wisdom-Sun, the Zhenren of Precious Moon, the Zhenren of Far-reaching Brightness, the Zhenren of Pure Light, the Zhenren of Opening Heaven, the Zhenren of Penetrating Life, the Zhenren of Cultured De (Virtue/Power), the Zhenren of Equal Compassion, the Zhenren of Blessing Power, the Zhenren of Peace and Harmony, the Zhenren of Empty Stillness, the Zhenren of Empty Mystery, the Zhenren of Formlessness, the Zhenren of Beneficent Kindness, the Zhenren of All-pervading Emptiness, the Zhenren of Universal Brightness, the Zhenren of Far-reaching Kindness, the Zhenren of Clear Purity, the Zhenren of Limpid Illumination, and other Zhenren, the Zhenren of Empty Mystery, the Zhenren of Formlessness, the Zhenren of Beneficent Kindness, the Zhenren of All-pervading Emptiness, the Zhenren of Universal Brightness, the Zhenren of Far-reaching Kindness, the Zhenren of Clear Purity, the Zhenren of Limpid Illumination, the Zhenren of Impartial Inspection, the Zhenren of Mysterious Contemplation, the Zhenren of Great Awakening, the Zhenren of the Power of Wisdom, the Zhenren of the Precious Treasury, the Zhenren of Golden Brightness, the Zhenren of Far-reaching Thought, the Zhenren of the Treasury of the Law, the Zhenren of Mysterious Penetration, the Zhenren of Streaming Illumination, the Zhenren of Contemplative Wisdom, the Zhenren of Great Wisdom, the Zhenren of Bright Marks, the Zhenren of Utmost Sincerity, the Zhenren of Shared Brightness, the Zhenren of Purple Light, the Zhenren of Golden Effulgence, the Zhenren of Jade Blossoms, the Zhenren of Numinous Perfection, the Zhenren of True Emptiness, the Zhenren of the Cavernous Void, the Zhenren of the Subtle and Wondrous, the Zhenren of Concentrated Mystery, the Zhenren Who Preserves Resolve, the Zhenren Who Guards Concentration, the Zhenren of Calm Forbearance, the Zhenren Who Embraces the Mystery, the Zhenren of Spontaneity, the Zhenren of the Nameless, the Zhenren Awakened to Emptiness, the Zhenren of Great Brightness, the Zhenren Who Ascends into Mystery, the Zhenren of Utmost Clarity, the Zhenren of the Perfected Dao (the Way), the Zhenren of Mysterious Unity, the Zhenren of the Original Juncture, the Zhenren of True Unity, the Zhenren of Jasper Light, the Zhenren of Still Wisdom, the Zhenren of Long Life, the Zhenren of Pure Emptiness, the Zhenren Who Illumines the Dao, the Zhenren of the Precious Crown, the Zhenren of Solitary Awakening, the Zhenren of the Ocean of the Law, the Zhenren of Clear Brightness, the Zhenren of Precious Marks, the Zhenren Who Beholds Emptiness, the Zhenren of Fourfold Penetration, the Zhenren of Eightfold Brightness, the Zhenren of the Nine Transmutations, the Zhenren of the Three Wheels, the Zhenren of the Six Penetrations, the Zhenren of the Seven Awakenings, the Zhenren of the Single Mark, the Zhenren of the Two Instruments, the Zhenren of the Five Kindnesses, the Zhenren of the Ten Wheels, Constant Purity, the Zhenren of Eightfold Brightness, the Zhenren of the Nine Transmutations, the Zhenren of the Three Wheels, the Zhenren of the Six Penetrations, the Zhenren of the Seven Awakenings, the Zhenren of the Single Mark, the Zhenren of the Two Instruments, the Zhenren of the Five Kindnesses, the Zhenren of the Ten Wheels, the Zhenren of Constant Purity, the Zhenren of Faithful Virtue, the Zhenren of Settled Resolve, the Zhenren of Precious Truth, the Zhenren of Peaceful Will, the Zhenren of Penetrating Subtlety, the Zhenren Who Enters Non-being, the Zhenren of Longhan, the Zhenren of Yankang, the Zhenren of Chiming, the Zhenren of Kaihuang, the Zhenren of the Supreme Sovereign, the Zhenren of the Precious Sea, the Zhenren of Precious Fragrance, the Zhenren of Fragrant Water, the Zhenren of the Jade Mirror, the Zhenren of the Water of Virtue, the Zhenren of the Water of the Law, the Zhenren of Celestial Unity, the Zhenren of Great Unity, the Zhenren of Bright Heaven, the Zhenren of the Vast Dao, the Zhenren of Universal Illumination, and others—one hundred Zhenren in all (an honorific in Daoism for those who cultivate perfection and attain the Dao).

Some of them rode immortal carriages such as flying clouds, the cinnabar empyrean, and jade chariots of the Eight Effulgences, with wheels of fine jade and canopies adorned with feathers, moving through the sky and traveling aloft. The divine troops and horses in their company numbered in the hundreds of millions. Within the procession, some advanced to the measure of the rhythm, bearing banners and pennants, and the attendants were so numerous they could not be counted. They came into the human world to teach and transform the people, expounding the Jing (scripture/classic) and its methods, proclaiming teachings subtle and numinous, urging people to do good and bringing chastisement upon those who did evil, and reporting these matters upward to the various heavens.

Whether man or woman, all should devote themselves wholeheartedly to purification and fasting and to cultivating the Dao, and should widely practice good deeds. When the Zhenren descend, they observe and inspect the human world together. Of everything people do in burning incense and scattering flowers, there is nothing they do not know and set down on record. Here “zhai” means purification and fasting in purity, and “practicing the Dao” means cultivating oneself according to the methods of the Dao; burning incense and scattering flowers are rites of reverence offered to the deities.

The Celestial King of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianwang) further dispatched one hundred youths, among them the Youth of the Revolving Heaven (Luntian Tongzi), the Youth Who Receives Incense (Chengxiang Tongzi), and the Youth of Luminous Jade (Mingyu Tongzi). Each held a different office: some transmitted documents and upheld the scriptural teachings, some tended the incense fires and chanted the Brahma-sounds, some recorded good deeds and inspected heaven and earth, and others protected life and increased blessings and longevity. In the scripture (Jing), some of the youths’ titles appear more than once.

These one hundred youths constantly dwell in the human world, exhorting male and female devotees to observe the fasts and precepts, recite the scriptures and cultivate the Dao (the Way), worship and repent, give rise to all manner of good thoughts, and purify the six faculties—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Every affliction and calamity that people encounter, and every sin and merit they create, however extremely slight, is known to them. Wherever there are acts or places connected with the accumulation of merit, they come to inspect and to shine upon them.

They further dispatch one hundred Jade Maidens in all: the Jade Maiden of Dragon Blossoms, the Jade Maiden of Phoenix Circlets, the Jade Maiden of the Golden Casket, the Jade Maiden of Jade Ear-Pendants, the Jade Maiden of the Precious Case, the Jade Maiden of Silver Blossoms, the Jade Maiden Who Scatters Flowers, the Jade Maiden Who Upholds the Incense, the Jade Maiden Who Presents Talismans, the Jade Maiden Who Conveys Messages, the Jade Maiden Who Opens the Scriptures (Jing), the Jade Maiden Who Kindles the Incense, the Jade Maiden Who Bears the Robes, the Jade Maiden Who Supports the Crown, the Jade Maiden Who Greets the Wind, the Jade Maiden of Dragon Radiance, the Jade Maiden of the Phoenix Skirt, the Jade Maiden of the Golden Topknot, the Jade Maiden of Precious Radiance, the Jade Maiden Who Increases the Allotted Count of Years, the Jade Maiden Who Prolongs the Span of Life, the Jade Maiden of Myriad Longevity, the Jade Maiden of a Thousand Blessings, the Jade Maiden of the Jade Wheel, the Jade Maiden of the Golden Canopy, the Jade Maiden of Prosperous Joy, the Jade Maiden of Long Life, the Jade Maiden Who Secures the Realm, the Jade Maiden of Opening Light, the Jade Maiden of Fourfold Radiance, the Jade Maiden of the Six Crossings, the Jade Maiden of the Seven Beneficences, the Jade Maiden of Luminous Numinosity, the Jade Maiden of Luminous Perfection, the Jade Maiden Who Registers Blessings, the Jade Maiden Who Removes Baleful Affliction, the Jade Maiden Who Dispels Disaster, the Jade Maiden Who Delivers from Adversity, the Jade Maiden Who Extends the Years, the Jade Maiden Who Guards the Countenance, the Jade Maiden of Joy and Delight, the Jade Maiden Who Guards the Body, the Jade Maiden Who Preserves Life, the Jade Maiden Who Returns Blessings, the Jade Maiden Who Brings Auspicious Portents, the Jade Maiden Who Draws Down the Numinous, the Jade Maiden Who Prays to the Perfected, the Jade Maiden of Perfect Purity, the Jade Maiden of Harmony and Joy, the Jade Maiden of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity), the Jade Maiden of Numinous Blossoms, the Jade Maiden Who Upholds the Incense Smoke, the Jade Maiden Who Fixes the Allotment of Life, the Jade Maiden of the Great Mystery, the Jade Maiden of the Azure Bureau, the Jade Maiden of the Cinnabar Terrace, the Jade Maiden of the Crimson Palace, the Jade Maiden of the Purple Chamber, the Jade Maiden of the Yellow Silk, the Jade Maiden Who Bows to the Perfected, the Jade Maiden Who Rides the Clouds, the Jade Maiden of Flying Fragrance, the Jade Maiden Who Holds Fragrance, the Jade Maiden of the Jade Orchid, the Jade Maiden of Jade Blossoms, the Jade Maiden of the Golden Palm, the Jade Maiden of Flowing Circlets, the Jade Maiden Who Expounds the Teaching, the Jade Maiden Who Expounds the Scriptures, the Jade Maiden Who Upholds the Precepts, the Jade Maiden Who Observes the Purification Fast, the Jade Maiden Who Processes with Incense, the Jade Maiden Who Performs Ritual Homage, the Jade Maiden Who Scatters Fragrance, the Jade Maiden Who Paces the Mystery, the Jade Maiden of Sunlit Perfection, the Jade Maiden of Recitation, the Jade Maiden of Clear Water, the Jade Maiden of White Clouds, the Jade Maiden of the Eight Wheels, the Jade Maiden of the Golden Zhi, the Jade Maiden of Jasper Blossoms, the Jade Maiden of Jade Countenance, the Jade Maiden of Golden Form, the Jade Maiden of Constant Compassion, the Jade Maiden of Luminous Marks, the Jade Maiden of Luminous Emptiness, the Jade Maiden of the Six Emptinesses, the Jade Maiden of the Four Blossoms, the Jade Maiden of the Three Heavens, the Jade Maiden of the Four Brahma Heavens, the Jade Maiden of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the Jade Maiden of the Grand Veil Heaven, the Jade Maiden of Eastern Florescence, the Jade Maiden of Northern Perfection, the Jade Maiden of Western Numinosity, the Jade Maiden of the Southern Pole, the Jade Maiden of the Central Yellow, the Jade Maiden of the Ten Heavens, and the Jade Maiden of the Five Colors. They constantly verify and fix the allotted lifespans and destinies of men and women; they survey calamity, danger, and hardship, protect life, and support the weak and failing; and they examine guilt and blessing, good and evil, the auspicious and the inauspicious. Whenever any thought stirs in the minds of living beings, they report each one upward.

The one hundred Jade Maidens, including the Five-Colored Jade Maidens, constantly calculate the lifespans and years of men and women, helping them avoid calamity, danger, and hardship, preserve their lives, and support the frail. They also examine people’s offenses and karmic rewards, good and evil, and fortune and misfortune. Every thought that arises in the minds of living beings is reported by them in full.

The scripture further dispatches one hundred Vajras (guardian deities). Each has a name and a duty, such as warding off evil, slaying evil, summoning ghosts, subduing demons, dispelling disasters, driving away malevolence, protecting life, and prolonging years. The text lists many names of these Vajras and describes their vast power: they can expel baleful influences, subdue ghosts and monsters, guard the orthodox Dao (the Way), and undertake such duties as protecting the scriptures, protecting the precepts, and upholding the purification rites.

These Vajras constantly patrol the human world, leading numerous attendants who fill the void. If good men and good women observe the fast (keeping the precepts in purity and restraining their diet), worship, recite scriptures and cultivate the Dao, light lamps and scatter flowers, make offerings to the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha), and widely practice good deeds, these Vajras will promptly descend with their retinues, protect their dwellings, stand guard beside them, drive off the fierce and wicked, and cut down evil spirits, so that ghosts, monsters, and thieves can never disturb them. The Five Emperors of the Three Realms (deities who govern the various realms of heaven and earth) will also come regularly to protect them, causing their renown to be proclaimed throughout the heavenly realms.

There are further dispatched the Divine King Who Wards Off Malevolence, the Divine King of the Majestic Sword, the Divine King Who Breathes Out Clouds, the Divine King Who Raises Rain, the Divine King Who Subdues Demons, the Divine King Who Campaigns Against Spirits, the Divine King Who Summons Ghosts, the Divine King Who Flies Through Heaven, the Divine King Who Floats in the Void, the Divine King of the Azure Heaven, the Divine King Who Attends the Scriptures (Jing), the Divine King Who Circuits the Heavens, the Nine-Headed Divine King, the Six-Eyed Divine King, the Ten-Handed Divine King, the Divine King of Victorious Strength, the Divine King of Great Majesty, the Divine King Who Illumines Heaven, the Divine King Who Inspects the Earth, the Divine King Who Restrains Evil, the Divine King Who Seizes Jing (essence), the Divine King Who Drives the Foremost, the Divine King Who Drives the Sun, the Divine King Who Rectifies Treachery, the Divine King Who Brandishes Radiance, the Divine King Who Wields the Sword, the Divine King Who Waves the Banner, the Divine King Who Swallows Mountains, the Divine King Who Drinks the Seas, the Divine King Who Blows the Wind, the Divine King of Flame, the Divine King Who Dispels Calamity, the Divine King Who Wards Off Adversity, the Divine King Who Prolongs Years, the Divine King Who Protects Life, the Divine King Who Delivers from Adversity, the Divine King Who Increases the Tally of Years, the Divine King Who Proclaims Mandates, the Divine King Who Removes Hardship, the Divine King Who Sweeps Away Evil, the Divine King Who Protects the Realm, the Divine King Who Spans the Seas, the Divine King of the Cinnabar Heaven, the Divine King Who Turns Back Malevolence, the Divine King Who Leads Back to Good, the Divine King Who Keeps Faith, the Divine King Who Determines Wrong, the Divine King of Transformation, the Divine King of Primordial Fearlessness, the Divine King Who Devours Evil, the Divine King Who Swallows Smoke, the Divine King Who Campaigns with Thunder, the Divine King Who Stirs Lightning, the Divine King Who Extinguishes Shadows, the Iron-Eyed Divine King, the Six-Footed Divine King, the Flying-Dragon Divine King, the Divine King Who Overturns Heaven, the Divine King Who Topples the Earth, the Divine King Who Subdues Bandits, the Divine King Who Stops Treachery, the Divine King Who Severs Evil, the Divine King Who Subdues Malevolence, the Divine King Who Wheels Through the Void, the Divine King Who Turns Heaven, the Divine King of the Eight Extremities, the Divine King Who Ascends to Heaven, the Divine King of Hidden Transformation, the Divine King of Latent Numinosity, the Divine King Who Slays Ghosts, the Divine King Who Gazes at the Clouds, the Thousand-Handed Divine King, the Hundred-Eyed Divine King, the Four-Mouthed Divine King, the Azure-Tongued Divine King, the Green-Toothed Divine King, the Black-Eared Divine King, the Purple-Haired Divine King, the Heavenly Divine King Who Opens the Chest, the Great-Faced Divine King, the Long-Armed Divine King, the Single-Footed Divine King, the One-Eyed Divine King, the Divine King of the Asymmetric Hand, the Divine King of the Shared Head, the Golden-Eyed Divine King, the Broad-Foreheaded Divine King, the Wide-Mouthed Divine King, the High-Nosed Divine King, the Divine King of the Jade Headdress Ornament, the Divine King of Precious Blossoms, the Divine King Who Travels on Clouds, the Divine King with Hand upon Sword, the Divine King Who Soars on the Wind, the Divine King of Resounding Might, the Divine King of Myriad Strengths, the Divine King Who Turns to Victory, the Divine King of the White Heaven, the Divine King Who Sways the True, the Divine King Who Comforts the Immortals, and the Divine King Who Illuminates the Dao (the Way)—one hundred Divine Kings in all.

These Divine Kings constantly abide in the human world, protecting kings who possess a heart set upon the Dao. They raise clouds and spread rain, suppress enemy raiders and root out the vicious, scatter calamities, and do not allow disasters to encroach upon the human realm. If men and women sincerely expound and recite the scriptural teachings, and accumulate vast good merit, these Divine Kings will all come to inspect and protect them, augment the power of their blessings, subdue demons and monsters, and eliminate disasters and anomalies. If a king possesses moral virtue, the Divine Kings will protect him at all times, so that the land remains at peace.

In the scripture, the “Divine Kings” are for the most part named according to their functions or their physical forms—for example, those of the kind “raising clouds to bring rain” or “subduing demons and eliminating malevolence”—thereby expressing their respective duties of protecting the realm, driving off evil, and dispelling calamity. In the original text a number of divine names and sentences are repeated, and the wording at the end also appears disordered; the reading given here follows those passages in which the sense runs coherently.

The Primordial Heavenly King, a revered deity of Daoism, further dispatched one hundred generals: the Evil-Slaying General, the Heaven-Pillar General, the Earth-Commanding General, the Banner-Bearing General, the Firm-Wind General, the Evil-Warding General, the Demon-Subduing General, the Ensnaring-Net General, the Evil-Shattering General, the Ghost-Capturing General, the Heaven-Spanning General, the Ghost-Seizing General, the Merit-Officer General, the Great-Surge General, the Heavenly-Firmness General, the Great-Unity General, the Victory-Leading General, the Lesser-Auspice General, the Conveying General, the Following-Chief General, the River-Chief General, the Ascending-Brightness General, the Divine-Rear General, the Great-Auspice General, the Six-Records General, the Wind-Riding General, the Heaven-Traversing General, the Void-Roaming General, the Firmness-Pacing General, the Records-Treading General, the Golden-Crown General, the Dragon-Head General, the Phoenix-Majesty General, the Treachery-Subduing General, the Eight-Majesties General, the Six-Harms General, the Nine-Offices General, the Demon-Devouring General, the Blazing-Heaven General, the General Who Commands Qi (vital energy), the Mountain-Seizing General, the Sea-Summoning General, the Bandit-Slaying General, the Golden-Hand General, the Evil-Seizing General, the Talisman-Slaying General, the Treachery-Quelling General, the Mountain-Opening General, the Spirit-Subduing General, the Ferocity-Sweeping General, the Victorious-Wheel General, the Divine-Tiger General, the Golden-Tiger General, the Troop-Ruling General, the Immortal-Official General, the Adversity-Resisting General, the Decline-Supporting General, the Adversity-Delivering General, the Life-Preserving General, the Body-Protecting General, the Disaster-Dispelling General, the Saving-and-Delivering General, the Life-Cherishing General, the Mountain-Holding General, the Venom-Spewing General, the Heterodoxy-Subduing General, the Evil-Sweeping General, the General Who Guards the Jing (scripture/classic), the Wrong-Subduing General, the Evil-Severing General, the Qiongqi General, the Yulü General, the Jade-Dipper General, the Execution-Overseeing General, the Constant-Watch General, the General Who Proclaims the Dao (the Way), the Shooting-Star General, the Realm-Pacifying General, the People-Protecting General, the Truth-Guarding General, the Heaven-Pacifying General, the Nine-Earths General, the Three-Heavens General, the Qi-Balancing General, the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) General, the Dongshen General of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen), the Most High General, the Numinous Treasure General, the Divine-Incantation General, the Dongzhen General, the Precept-Guarding General, the Spirit-Summoning General, the Tiger-Brandishing General, the Evil-Repelling General, the Heaven-Ascending General, the Heavenly Ding General, the Chief Official General, the Courier-Cavalry General, the Left-Heaven General, and the Right-Yin General.

These generals constantly patrol and stand guard in the human world, preventing disasters and stopping evil deeds, protecting the common people, so that the state remains secure, the people prosper, and all under heaven is at peace.

The Celestial Worthy said: If the sovereign of a kingdom, the queen and the royal consorts, the ministers who assist in government, and the men and women of the whole land can all give rise to a heart of goodness—building mysterious altars and numinous abbeys (places of sacrifice and cultivation in the Dao, the Way), fashioning sacred images, copying the scriptures (Jing), instituting purification fasts and practicing the Dao, receiving and upholding the precepts, repenting of faults, giving alms and making vows, burning incense and scattering flowers, redeeming living beings and setting them free, erecting a hundred lofty platforms, expounding the teachings of the Great Vehicle, cultivating diligently day and night and broadly accumulating merit; and if they further establish charitable fields on a wide scale (lands set aside for relief), bestow clothing and food, universally aid the many, and relieve the poor—then I shall constantly send Perfected Ones, attendant youths, jade maidens, vajra guardians, spirit-kings, and generals to protect the king and bless the people.

If there are good men and faithful women who take names for themselves (the sense of the original passage is unclear here), fashion sacred images, bestow clothing and food, aid the many, and relieve the poor, then I shall constantly send Perfected Ones, attendant youths, jade maidens, vajra guardians, spirit-kings, and generals to protect the king and bless the people. If anyone fashions sacred images, worships morning and evening, burns incense, and contemplates with sincere devotion, then every kind of calamity will be dispelled according to that person’s wish. Those who seek a son will obtain a son; those who seek a daughter will obtain a daughter; those who seek long life will obtain long life. The household will be peaceful and joyful, and their station noble and illustrious. The Celestial King will rejoice and enter their names in Shangqing (the celestial realm where the exalted deities of the Dao dwell). Men and women of later generations should all encourage themselves to practice these good deeds!

At this, the sagely hosts of the various heavens and the Celestial Lords of the Nine Qi (Qi, vital energy; divine hosts of the Daoist heavens), each leading their own retinue, together voiced their approval, paid homage to the Celestial Worthy, and then withdrew as one.

Here ends the Scripture of the Joy of the Primordial Celestial King.