《太上说九幽拔罪心印妙经》

At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, a revered deity of Daoism) sat upright in the Hall of the Seven Treasures and sent forth a great radiance that shone throughout the three-thousand great-thousand worlds. He saw sentient beings enduring every kind of suffering, sinking in birth and death, and bearing retribution without end.

Thereupon the Perfected One Who Saves from Suffering (Jiuku Zhenren, an immortal perfected who delivers beings in distress) rose from his seat, looked up toward the Celestial Worthy, knelt in prolonged reverence, and asked: “For what reason do these beings drift on the sea of suffering and sink into it, as if there were no end?”

The Celestial Worthy replied: “The fruits these beings suffer for every kind of evil karma are all produced by their own minds: deluded thoughts turned upside down, and a failure to understand the principle of Wuwei (non-action). The root of all sinful karma arises from the mind; the joys of heaven are likewise born of the mind; and sinking within the Three Realms is caused by the mind as well.

When the mind gives rise to wrong views, anger arises without cause; when the mind and Shen (spirit) fall into confusion, one clings to thoughts that are not real; when the mind harbors killing, one is reborn in bodies of every kind; when the mind holds flattery and crookedness, one has no affinity with the Dao (the Way). If the mind is empty, still, and serene, one can draw near to the Dao.”

The Celestial Worthy set forth this principle once more and spoke in verse:

The Great Dao is clear, pure, and vast, and its fundamental principle is profound and subtle. It is born before Heaven and Earth, and its movement and transformation run through past and present. The Dao has no form, yet it can purify body and mind. Be without greed, without seeking, without anger, and without lust; do not cling to right and wrong, nor probe again and again into outer and inner. When body and mind are pure, afflictions cannot intrude. There is no arising and no perishing; it is deep, mysterious, and hard to fathom. When the mind is calm, empty, and still, one can clearly know the original mind. One naturally accords with the Dao, and the host of sages will hold one in esteem. In this way one may ascend to the Golden Portal (Jinque, the palace towers of the heavens) and roam in enjoyment of the Qianlin (the groves and gardens of the immortal realm). Ancestors of seven generations attain liberation and forever leave the dark realms. All can accord with the mind-seal (Xinyin, the mind-method of union with the Dao), awaken to the Dao, and return to the True. Thought after thought continues without break; do not again give rise to the scattered thoughts of the dusty world.

At this time, the beings who were suffering, upon hearing this wondrous scripture (Jing), all attained liberation. They were then able to roam in enjoyment of the Qianlin; their ancestors of seven generations likewise attained liberation and forever left the dark realms. All accorded with the mind-seal, awakened to the Dao, and returned to the True; thought after thought continued without break, and the scattered thoughts of the dusty world arose no more.

At this time, the beings who were suffering heard this wondrous scripture (Jing) and all attained liberation. The perfected ones paid homage to the Most High; each was filled with boundless joy, offering praise and acclaim, and they practiced according to the teachings set forth in the scripture.

The Scripture of the Most High Expounding the Marvelous Heart-Seal for Deliverance from Sin in the Nine Darknesses concludes here.