《太上真一报父母恩重经》

In the City of the Seven Treasures in the Jade Kingdom of Xina, within the Lapis Lazuli Palace, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning was, as usual, expounding the teachings of the Dao (the Way) to the host of celestial immortals. Countless listeners surrounded him. At that time, among the immortals there was one named Shangzhi. After paying his respects, he stepped forward and addressed the Celestial Worthy: “Since past lives, I have repeatedly heard the orthodox Dao, and I have especially often heard that repaying the kindness of one’s parents is of the utmost importance, yet I still do not understand the causes and conditions involved. I earnestly beg you to reveal the wondrous teaching and expound it for everyone, so that people of later generations may have something to follow and to cultivate.”

The Celestial Worthy replied, “You should quiet your mind and listen, and I will explain it for you. All people under heaven come to possess a body only because their parents conceive and give birth. In the mother’s womb the fetus receives Qi (vital energy) and takes form, while the mother bears endless hardship. Through ten months of pregnancy the fetus grows without cease; when the time of delivery arrives, the mother’s sinews, bones, and vessels must all loosen, and not a few lose their lives because of it.

When the child is young, the parents carry and lead the child about, wash away what is foul, and shrink from no toil. They would rather suffer harm themselves, wishing only that the child be safe and settled. The kindness of parents is profound and weighty, hard to repay and hard to measure.

If someone can establish many Zhai offerings for their parents—observing the fast and performing rites of offering—widely print and produce Daoist scriptures (Jing), recite and uphold them, reading them with reverence and practicing according to the teaching, and also instruct others to revere and follow them, then one should know that both this person and their parents can receive the blessings that arise from this: they may attain long life, clothing and food will naturally be sufficient, and body and mind will be at ease.

If the aim is to deliver deceased parents, one may, within the forty-nine days—seven times seven—after the deceased has passed away, establish a Zhai rite and recite numinous texts, scriptures whose purpose is deliverance, so as to aid the soul-consciousness of the dead. They will then no longer pass through realms of suffering and peril, but may ascend to heaven, go in person to the Jade Capital (Yujing, the celestial capital spoken of in Daoism), and let their spirits roam the Golden Portals (Jinque, the heavenly palaces).

If the parents have long been ill, one may establish a ritual sanctuary and cultivate the methods of the Dao, praying that the illness be cured and the body restored as before. If the parents meet with danger, are imprisoned, or suffer harm from evil ghosts or the mischief of insects and beasts, and are often seized with terror in dreams, then simply by reciting the Dao with reverence and purity and establishing a Zhai rite, one can drive off calamity and dispel nightmares and baleful influences. On the day of one’s own birth, one should silently call to mind the kindness of one’s parents in giving birth and raising one, diligently observe the fast, and do many good deeds, so as to repay their toil.

Those who cultivate in this way can avoid falling into the dark and bitter realms and can enter the correct Dao (the Way). You should revere and follow this scripture (Jing), proclaim it and teach the multitudes, and protect and uphold the scripture. Do not allow people to slander or mock it, so that disbelief arises in their minds; otherwise the guilt incurred will be measureless.”

At that time, Shangzhi and the heavenly assemblies present, having heard these words, all leapt with joy and said, “If we encounter such people, we will surely protect and bless them, so that they obtain peace and joy.” The assembly gazed up at the Celestial Worthy and for a long time were unwilling to turn their eyes away. Afterward they chanted a hymn of praise:

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), supremely compassionate and supremely exalted, is the true parent of all living beings. The Celestial Worthy expounded this scripture (Jing) on repaying kindness, and all who hear it can awaken. Those who receive it with single-minded devotion and recite it will before long set out on the path to immortality. I have only briefly praised the profound meaning of this scripture, and then I bow to the Celestial Worthy and take my leave.

The Scripture of the Supreme True One on the Profound Kindness of Parents (Taishang Zhenyi Bao Fumu Enzhong Jing) ends here.