《太上洞玄灵宝三元玉京玄都大献经》

The subtle origin of the Perfected Person—the True Person who has attained the Dao (the Way)—exists prior to all things in the world, and the profound root of the Great Sage lies beyond heaven, earth, and the four directions. It neither arises nor perishes, and the human senses cannot reach it. It depends on no conditions and undertakes no deliberate action, so that neither form nor name can describe it. Though secluded, profound, and remote, it can appear as conditions arise and transform without fixed limit; though empty, still, and deep, it is truly able to deliver living beings.

Thus the Perfected Person sometimes manifests a majestic golden body in the Golden Portal (the palaces of the celestial realm), bringing forth countless dharma-bodies; at other times, in the Jade Capital (the heavenly metropolis of which Daoism speaks), he arrays jade slips and opens the important scriptures of the five directions. All such teaching opens a path for living beings, brings insight to the deluded, and, following their resonance and causal conditions, instructs them according to their capacities.

The wondrous foundation of Lingbao (one of the scriptural and religious systems of Daoism) is originally pure, even, and upright. Living beings, however, turn away from the true and cling to false thoughts and views. They indulge the six passions (the desires of the six senses) and become entangled in craving; they thereby create karma and sink into the Five Turbidities (the name used in Buddhist and Daoist texts for the defiled world), a boundless sea of suffering, and they cycle through the Three Paths (the three evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals), drifting without rest through birth and death. Without the guidance of one who has attained the Dao, they cannot escape suffering.

Our Great Sage, the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), has wisdom that pervades both emptiness and existence, a station that surpasses the furthest reach of the world, and a Dao that runs through the Daluo Heaven (the highest heaven of which Daoism speaks). He opens the gate of all wonders and penetrates layer upon layer of mystery. With compassion he saves living beings and is ever skilled at delivering the people of the world. He therefore lodged his traces in Xina, appeared at Shanyang, and proclaimed the teaching beneath the mulberry grove. He set out precious jade as solemn offerings, revealed rare auspicious signs amid the clouds and roseate mists, and caused numinous incense to fill the pure ground. Wondrous marks appeared over his whole body; smiling, he sent forth a five-colored light whose brilliance shone through all the heavens, so that sacred radiance clearly illumined the worlds of the ten directions.

The Celestial Worthy pitied the beings suffering in the evil destinies: trapped in the dark and perilous places of the Three Paths, they are further bound by the Eight Difficulties (eight kinds of hardship that hinder hearing the Dao and cultivating practice). In answer to the questions of the Lord of the Dao, he therefore explained the causes and conditions by which evil retribution takes form, described the signs that misfortune and blessing are about to arrive, and set forth the meritorious practices of uprooting sinful karma and redeeming living beings. To this end he proclaimed the method of the Great Offering of the Mysterious Capital (Xuandu Daxian), teaching the beings of the human world and of the heavens, with the universal wish that beings of the Five Paths eradicate the roots of sin and that those of the Four Modes of Birth (womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born) all have the registers of their lives preserved.

“Taishang” is the honorific title of the Celestial Worthy. “Tai” means vast to the utmost extreme, and is used to show that the fundamental substance of the Celestial Worthy is infinitely vast; “shang” means elevated to the highest point, and is used to show that the Celestial Worthy’s De (Virtue/Power) is supremely exalted. Both substance and De reach the ultimate, and so the title “Taishang” is given.

“Dongxuan Lingbao” explains the orthodox teaching set forth in this scripture. “Dong” carries the sense of thorough penetration and of being the same without barrier or obstruction; “xuan” refers to what is profound and hard to fathom. The marvelous principles of this scripture are deep and lucid, and the true Dao (the Way) to which it points is boundlessly vast—at once penetrating without obstruction and profound beyond exhaustion—and so it is called “Dongxuan.”

“Lingbao” means that the principles of this scripture are recondite and mysterious, their numinous transformations difficult to measure, and therefore worthy of being cherished and reverently upheld by practitioners. The Dejing says, “I have three treasures; I cherish and hold fast to them,” and this is borrowed here to explain the meaning of “Lingbao.”

The parts of the title are explained on two levels. The eight characters at its opening, from “Sanyuan” through “Daxian,” set forth the main purport of this scripture; the final character, “Jing” (scripture/classic), is the general name for the literature of the Daoist ritual teaching.

What is meant by “Sanyuan” (the Three Primordials) is that good and evil receive corresponding retribution, and that people are thereby encouraged to do good and deterred from evil. The scripture says that the registers of the life and death of all beings, together with the records of their good and evil, are all in the charge of the Nine Bureaus of the Three Primordials and of the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water. The Three Officials examine each person’s merits and faults, and their records are minutely detailed, with nothing omitted.

“Sanyuan” refers to three dates. The fifteenth day of the first month is Shangyuan (the Upper Prime), when the Official of Heaven inspects and verifies the registers of names. The fifteenth day of the seventh month is Zhongyuan (the Middle Prime), when the Official of Earth inspects and verifies them. The fifteenth day of the tenth month is Xiayuan (the Lower Prime), when the Official of Water inspects and verifies them. The Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water together govern all living beings.

The fifteenth day of the first month was fixed as the day on which the Official of Heaven collates the records, because the ancients explained the seasons through the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang. In the eleventh month Yang Qi (vital energy) first arises; by the first month Yang Qi has gradually grown strong, and the three lines of Yang combine to form the trigram Qian, which symbolizes the working of Heaven. The first month was regarded as the time when the numbers of the Dao (the Way) of Heaven are complete, and so the Official of Heaven presides over the collation of the records.

The fifteenth day of the seventh month was fixed as the day on which the Official of Earth collates the records, likewise explained through the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang. In the fifth month Yin Qi first arises; in the sixth month it increases to two Yin; and in the seventh month the three lines of Yin combine to form the trigram Kun, which symbolizes the working of Earth. In the seventh month the Qi of Kun is vigorous, and so the Official of Earth presides over the collation of the records.

The fifteenth day of the tenth month was fixed as the day on which the Official of Water collates the records. The tenth month belongs to Hai, and Hai corresponds to the north; the north corresponds to the trigram Kan, and Kan symbolizes Water. This was regarded as the season when the Office of Water holds authority, and therefore the Official of Water presides over the collation of the records. Another explanation is that “yuan” means “root”: the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water are the root of the operation of the myriad things, and so they are called the “Three Primordials.”

“Yujing” (the Jade Capital) is the name of a mountain in the wondrous realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing); “Xuandu” (the Mysterious Capital) is the name of a palace in the Daluo Heaven. “Daxian” (the Great Offering) means that this scripture universally examines and collates the human world and the celestial realm, modeling itself on the rite of the Great Offering held at Xuandu, in order to save, redeem, and deliver the souls of the dead. The vows and practices it encompasses are far-reaching, and so it is called the “Great Offering.”

The scripture further says that the Celestial Worthy, in compassionate pity for living beings, manifests a divine light, and that the Lord of the Dao, tenderly mindful of all beings, has transmitted the method of turning and reciting the scripture. It lists in detail the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, the Nine Bureaus of the Three Officials, and the One Hundred and Twenty Departments, together with the Four Offices, the Five Emperors, and the various officials charged with examining the registers of names. On each day of the Three Primordials, these divine officials proceed to the Palace of Xuandu, verify the good and evil of heaven and the human world, and distinguish the ledgers of life and death. The good deeds of living beings are all recorded. The punishments of the underworld administration cannot be redeemed by offerings, and how the souls of the dead are to be delivered has already been explained in the scripture.

Therefore, from the Son of Heaven down to ordinary people, if one can encounter this precious scripture and cultivate and practice according to its text, preparing every kind of flower and fruit, fragrant and flavorful food, and precious things of the human world, devoutly setting out the platters of the Great Offering and making solemn offerings, the sages of the ten directions will clearly discern one’s heart. The Celestial Worthies of the Three Ages will also graciously bestow their transmission. This is the part of the title that explains the purport of the scripture.

Finally, “Jing” is the general name for the literature of the Daoist ritual teaching. If one examines the titles of the true writs of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen) and of the mysterious teachings of the Seven Divisions, one finds that they are usually all called “Jing.” Jing is the collective name of the ritual teaching, and it is also the great rule transmitted by the Utmost Persons, like a boat that leads living beings across the sea of suffering.

There are many kinds of scriptures, which may be broadly divided into three categories.

The first category consists of classics titled with such names as the Five De (Virtue/Power) and the Three Primes. These are usually referred to collectively as Jing (scripture/classic). From this it can be seen that Jing is a general name for the teachings, and also the great law handed down by the utmost persons. Scriptures are exceedingly precious; they are the boats that guide living beings across the ways of delusion.

The second category consists of classics written with the azure grove and the purple brush, made into golden slips and jade characters, and adorned with phoenix patterns. Classics of this kind are kept on the Mysterious Terrace of the Seven Treasures; sometimes they are hidden in mountain caverns, and sometimes they abide above the various heavens.

The third category consists of classics written on bamboo slips, silk, and paper, set down according to the age in scripts such as seal script and clerical script, and transmitted and circulated in the world. Although the classics appear in these three forms, and differ in outward shape as well as in refinement and coarseness, depth and shallowness, all are teachings by which the Great Sage, the Celestial Worthy, elucidates the ultimate Dao (the Way). All can cure illness and save people, and therefore all are called good medicine.

The word Jing has many meanings. Summarizing the essentials, they may be divided into four interpretations: you (the means), jing (the path), fa (the law), and chang (the constant).

First, you means that the Celestial Worthies of successive ages and the sages of the ten directions all attained the Dao by relying on the scriptures and the precepts, and so it is called you.

Second, jing (the path) means that the scriptures can open the myriad things and guide the four kinds of birth (womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born), building for learners a bridge toward the truth; they are also an indispensable path for cultivating the true, and so are called jing.

Third, fa means that the purport of the scriptures is mysterious and wondrous, and the realm they reach is subtle and refined; they can serve as a standard for teaching and transforming living beings, and also as a model for the sages, and so are called fa.

Fourth, chang means that the wondrous principle elucidated by the scriptures is profound and far-reaching, pure and still, settled and unchanging, and is also the teaching of the Dharma Kings of successive ages, which cannot be altered and is transmitted from generation to generation. Because it possesses these four layers of meaning, it is called Jing.

This fascicle of the scripture is further divided into four parts.

The first part, from the opening to “thoroughly illuminating the various heavens,” is called the introductory section.

The second part, from “At that time the assembled sages” to “difficult to rescue and redeem,” is called the section of the principal exposition.

The third part, beginning with “At that time the Supreme Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun) received the mandate” and continuing through the end of the hymn, is called the “transmission section”; the fourth part, beginning with “At that time the holy assembly,” is called the “conclusion.”

The first part, the “prefatory section,” is further divided into five segments. The first segment recounts the gathering of the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) and the immortals in attendance. The second segment, beginning with “All were in the Jade Kingdom of Xina,” explains the direction in which the pure land lies. The third segment, beginning with “Golden mats were spread upon the ground, and white jade edged the steps,” describes the majestic arrangement of the land. The fourth segment, beginning with “Yellow clouds wound about it fourfold, and purple auroras circled it three times,” presents all manner of auspicious signs. The fifth segment, beginning with “At this time the Celestial Worthy smiled,” explains how the Celestial Worthy manifested his majestic radiance.

The Primordial Celestial Worthy (Yuanshi Tianzun), together with the Supreme Lord of the Dao, the Great Saints of the Ten Directions (holy ones come from the worlds of the ten directions), the Divine Kings of the Flying Heavens, and seven thousand two hundred and forty youths, arrived together in the grove of tall mulberries on Mount Yucha and the Peak of Fuluo in the Jade Kingdom of Xina.

This is the opening section of the entire scripture (Jing), which sets forth its purpose and introduces the figures present and the place where the teaching is delivered. The text first lists the sages and worthies in attendance and notes that the site of the discourse is a pure and tranquil land.

“Yuanshi Tianzun” is the honorific title of the supreme holy one, and also the name of the root from which the myriad things are generated. If one traces matters back to remote antiquity, when Heaven and Earth had not yet separated and primordial chaos had not yet opened, it is difficult to put into words; only by seeking grounds in the teachings and scriptures that survive can a name be established for this figure. “Yuanshi” means the very beginning, and “Tianzun” means exalted nobility, and so the title is “Yuanshi Tianzun,” the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning.

“Taishang Daojun,” the Most High Lord of the Dao (the Way), is a sage who has attained the Dao; the “Feitian Shenwang,” Divine Kings Who Fly through Heaven, are spirits possessed of free and spontaneous spiritual intelligence. The “Tongzi,” or youths, are those who harbor no cravings within and seek no schemes without, whose inborn nature is whole and who rest in purity and stillness. All of them are gathered about Mount Yucha and the Fuluo peaks in the Jade Kingdom of Xina.

Here lies the Pure Land; it is also the wondrous realm of the Jade Capital and the immortal domain above the azure void. The people of the kingdom are pure and undefiled, their complexions like white jade or like hard frost, and so it is called the “Jade Kingdom.” The mountain is named Yucha, the peaks are named Fuluo, and tall mulberry trees stand in the groves, so these names too are used to mark the place of the teaching. Having made clear both who preaches and where the teaching is given, the scripture goes on to describe the extraordinary sights of the place in which they dwell.

Golden sitting mats are spread over the ground, the steps are inlaid with white jade, and the seven treasures interweave, their brilliance shining like the sun. Yellow clouds encircle the place on every side, and purple vapors wind about it three times; fragrance and light spread in all directions and fill the void.

The scripture first describes the place where the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) dwells, stating that it is the third tier of the heavenly realms, and portrays the solemn majesty of its lands together with auspicious omens. The word fu means “to spread or lay out”: the ground of the place of teaching is paved entirely with gold, while the edges of the steps are adorned with white jade. The “seven treasures” include gold, silver, colored glaze, coral, amber, giant clam, agate, and other precious things; linlang is another name for fine jade. The Celestial Worthy’s abode is filled throughout with treasures, solemn, splendid, and brilliantly radiant, illuminating the heavens of the ten directions. Its light surpasses that of the sun and moon, and it is therefore called “radiance outshining the sun.”

Yellow clouds winding about on all four sides, and purple mists circling three times, are auspicious omens. Yellow represents the central direction. Auspicious clouds of every color appear together, gathering from the four quarters, dense and luxuriant, filling the surrounding sky to the horizon. The purple clouds and mists gently spiral three times; a numinous wind stirs them, and fragrance spreads until it fills the void, becoming an offering.

The commentary explains that the purple mist is formed by the intermingling of red and black: red belongs to Yang and symbolizes the Dao (the Way); black belongs to Yin and symbolizes De (Virtue/Power). This means that the Celestial Worthy’s Dao and De shelter all beings like a compassionate cloud, with grace as deep as that of parents. The treasures, ornaments, and magnificent scenes of the heavenly palaces in the upper realm are all the natural fruits of cultivation, unlike those of the secular world; the music and arts found there must likewise be extraordinary.

When the great music of the central heaven is performed above, its tones are wondrous, refined, and proper, and the various musical sounds sound in turn.

Tianjun is the wondrous sound spontaneously given forth by nature; Dale is transcendent and beautiful music, and so it is called wondrous, elegant, and proper music. The various musical tones rise interwoven with one another, meaning that the sounds performed seem to appear of themselves. A thousand kinds of instruments and ten thousand arts play all together, in order to delight the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun). The heavens present treasures and again strike up elegant music; the Celestial Worthy rejoices and manifests numinous, auspicious signs.

The Celestial Worthy smiles, and five-colored radiance streams from his mouth, shining through all the heavens.

This means that when the Celestial Worthy is joyful he manifests a numinous appearance—namely, the fifth item, “displaying majestic light.” From the text above down to this point, taken together, belongs to the introductory section. The Celestial Worthy ever abides in ease and delight; thus when he smiles, the scene is like a day in spring. Wherever the light reaches, that place receives grace, and none fails to be illuminated through and through. The Dao-eyes (Dao) of the assembled sages are pure; all being together in the dharma assembly, they ought in principle all to be able to see this spectacle.

At that time the assembled sages were at ease and joyful; the Celestial Worthy smiled, shining like a spring scene. Wherever the light reached, none failed to receive grace. The sages’ Dao-eyes were pure; together in the dharma assembly, they should all have been able to see.

At that time the assembled sages gathered in one place and everywhere beheld, within the hells of the boundless worlds of the ten directions…

This says that the assembled sages, availing themselves of the Celestial Worthy’s majestic light, saw the scenes within the hells, with not a single place unseen. “At that time” refers to the time when the Celestial Worthy was expounding the teaching; “the assembled sages” is a collective designation for the many holy perfected ones. Since the sages were present together, they could all see. What follows explains what punishments there are in the hells.

Prisoners suffer censure and forced labor; hungry ghosts and dead souls go naked, without clothing, with chains and instruments of punishment upon their necks and feet.

This says that living beings, having formerly created evil karma, without cultivating and accumulating roots of goodness, and having done every kind of evil deed, after death fall into the hells or the path of hungry ghosts—naked, hungry, and emaciated, necks and feet alike bound by chains and instruments of punishment. Hungry ghosts and dead souls have no clothing; locks encircle their necks and instruments of punishment are fastened to their feet, and they endure the greatest suffering.

Beneath their feet stand trees of swords; above their heads tower mountains of fire.

All these punishments are what living beings undergo according to their own causes and conditions and karmic retribution. The scripture (Jing) again speaks of hungry ghosts and dead souls, naked and emaciated, with locks and fetters on neck and feet, enduring suffering.

They tread upon trees of swords, with mountains of fire above their heads. All these bitter retributions come according to each one’s own causes, conditions, and karmic acts. Speaking of suffering, it is not merely going hungry or going naked: some are forever pressed down by iron staves, treading trees of swords with mountains of fire overhead, burned and pierced in pain beyond endurance; others bear burning charcoal upon their heads and tread mountains of knives, driven and herded along, beaten as well with iron staves, their four limbs bound in chains so that they cannot move, receiving this punishment through long kalpas. Beings of this kind have already endured these sufferings, and one cannot tell what further differing forms there may yet be among them.

They drag at one another; their five limbs fester and rot, their heads and faces are scorched, and they are steeped and boiled in seething cauldrons, every kind of pain heaped upon them at once.

The commentary says that these conditions of retribution can be seen from the scripture itself: all because in former lives they shot flying birds and harmed living beings, spread nets to hunt and loosed hawks and set dogs, cut open fetuses and took birds’ eggs, and cooked living creatures in tripods and cauldrons, broadly creating sinful karma, and so they meet with corresponding retribution.

They are beaten without cease by metal hammers, without even a moment’s respite to draw breath or take food; when hungry they can only eat charcoal, and when thirsty they can only drink liquid turned from flame.

This is the retribution in the path of hungry ghosts received by beings who have created many kinds of sinful karma and who have been especially stingy with food: when hungry they look for something to eat, yet the food becomes charcoal; when thirsty they wish for water, yet the water becomes flame. This is because miserliness and greedy craving have obstructed merit. Many scriptures have spoken of retribution of this kind; it is not said only here.

They will suffer for ten thousand kalpas in the path of hungry ghosts. The assembly ought to give rise to compassion, together intone immeasurable good, raise their hands and snap their fingers, and reverently worship the Celestial Worthy Who Seeks the Sound and Saves from Suffering (the honored deity who, hearing the sound of suffering, delivers sentient beings). May sentient beings, life after life and age after age, no longer be miserly and greedily craving so as to obstruct merit, and thus avoid suffering such retribution. The suffering they receive is not confined to the path of hungry ghosts; they may also transmigrate elsewhere and undergo the Three Paths and Five Sufferings (the various sufferings within the evil destinies).

This passage of the scripture says that the retribution these sinners suffer is not confined to a single place. They cycle again and again through the three paths and the eight hardships, which are found everywhere. The “three paths” (santu) are the three destinies of hell, animals, and hungry ghosts. The “five sufferings” (wuku) are embracing the copper pillar, walking the mountain of knives, climbing the tree of swords, entering the scalding cauldron of broth, and swallowing fire and eating charcoal. The three paths together with the five sufferings are called the “eight hardships” (banan).

The host of sages, filled with compassion, constantly pity those who suffer. Seeing them endure such grievous torment, one naturally ought to ask the reason. The Lord of the Dao (Daojun) therefore bows before the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) and seeks instruction: What evil karma did these sinners commit in the human world, and what causal conditions did they form, that they should undergo such pain? He earnestly begs the Celestial Worthy to explain, so that people may understand principles they have never before heard.

This section explains that the Lord of the Dao raises the question so that those who have not yet understood may all grasp it. He is himself a sage and has long comprehended karmic retribution; he asks nonetheless in order to teach and transform living beings. The Celestial Worthy then replies that all these sinners, in former lives, failed to hear the instruction of the orthodox Dao and the sound of the Dharma. Boundlessly greedy and stingy, they killed the innocent, said one thing while thinking another, imprisoned the worthy and good, and drank wine and ate meat, thereby disturbing the five Shen (spirits)—the divine spirits of the five viscera within the human body.

This is the substance of the inquiry that the Lord of the Dao (Daojun) addressed to the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), meant to make known to all beings the causes and conditions involved. Everything set forth in the scripture (Jing) consists of the evil karma that living beings have created. Yet the Celestial Worthy of the Great Dao (Dao, the Way), in compassion, saves and delivers living beings, and his divine light shines throughout the ten directions. Receiving the Celestial Worthy’s majestic virtue, the Lord of the Dao therefore asks on their behalf; once he has understood, he respectfully requests the Celestial Worthy to expound these causes and conditions in full.

Those entangled in karmic obstacles and undergoing punishment committed faults in the past, yet they had never seen the articles of the precepts or the teachings of sages and worthies, nor had they heard the transformative instruction of the orthodox Dao. They knew only stinginess and greedy craving, and were unwilling to cultivate and accumulate merit. They cut off the road leading to heaven and planted the causes of falling into hell; sunk in craving and attachment, they drift with the cycle of birth and death. The so-called “five spirits” are the spirits of the five viscera: hun, po, Shen (spirit), Jing (essence), and zhi (will). Intent only on drinking wine and eating meat, their sinful karma grows heavier day by day. This not only muddies the five spirits, but also causes them to pass in turn through the “eight difficulties” (the eight obstacles to cultivating the Dao and to hearing the orthodox teaching). They then give free rein to the six faculties (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) and the three karmas (body, speech, and mind), creating offenses on a wide scale. They conceal evil in secret and harbor resentment; their bodies and minds are not upright; they kill living beings at will and are greedy and stingy without cause. They turn away from the Great Dao and from true nature, and do not know to turn their hearts back toward the good. Once such people fall into hell, they have no further chance of release.

They also revile and curse others, shout at and offend the gods, deceive their teachers and elders and violate the methods of the Dao, and profane the sun, moon, and stars; they usurp the ruler’s throne and kill their fathers, and they harm and bully their clan and kin.

The general sense of this passage of scripture (Jing) is already quite clear. When some people curse and call down harm, hoping that others will quickly meet with disaster, they invoke spirits and command ghosts and demons, and there is no vicious word they will not utter. Words and deeds of this kind are hard to recount one by one. The scripture holds that such evil conduct often arises from foolish ignorance, deceit and arrogance, and a complete lack of reverence in past lives: some deceive and slight Dharma masters, slander the true sages, and profane the sun, moon, and stars; some are disloyal as ministers and unfilial as children, even seizing the throne and killing their ruler or their father. The sages regard these crimes as truly dreadful, yet they often develop little by little from slight faults, and so they are called “usurpation and the killing of a superior.” The Classic of Changes (Yijing) says: “A minister’s killing of his ruler, or a child’s killing of his or her father, is not the work of a single morning or evening; the cause is that it accumulates gradually.” “Usurpation” means seizing, and “killing a superior” means slaying. The sages loathe these acts, and therefore refer to them by more veiled names.

Some people are fawning and crooked at heart. They give no thought to living beings, steal in secret, stir up trouble without cause, and even seize the merit of others so as to profit themselves. Unwilling to give of their wealth to relieve the poor, they now undergo the corresponding bitter retribution, in order to repay the karmic grievances formed in the past.

All that the scripture lists here are evil deeds that people in the world may commit, and the meaning is not hard to understand. “Fawning” means falling in with another’s wishes and bending one’s intent so as to curry favor.

“Almsgiving” means using one’s own possessions to help those in urgent need, and bestowing relief impartially upon everyone. The Zhuangzi says: “Green wheat grows on the hillsides and beside the waters. If in life one is unwilling to give, why after death hold pearls and jade in the mouth?” The scripture borrows these words to urge people to relieve others while they are alive: in life one may encounter robbery, and after death there may also be the calamity of the grave being plundered and the coffin dug open. Evil karma in the ordinary world takes many forms; here it can only be listed in outline and cannot all be told. The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) then goes on to proclaim the verses in turn.

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), following the order of the preceding questions and answers, once again sets forth the meaning and explains it in detail; this is called a ji (gatha). A ji is another name for a verse of praise; because the sense of the scripture is to be made clear a second time, the text turns to verse in order to express it.

To usurp a ruler or to kill one’s father, and to slay the innocent, means that after death one will be struck with a golden hammer, and an iron staff will be laid upon the body without cease.

This is the verse. The prose that comes before first treats other offenses and only afterward speaks of usurpation and killing; the verse, however, places usurpation and killing at the beginning, because the bond with ruler and father is of great weight and has from ancient times been regarded as foremost. Among the three thousand precepts, killing is a grave offense, and so the verse ranks it first. This further explains the offense of usurping and harming ruler and father already spoken of in the preceding text.

To break into another’s house under cover of night and seize their property means that after death the soul will be imprisoned in a dark hell and, through ten thousand kalpas, will be unable to escape.

The meaning of this kind of offense is easy to grasp. The Zhuang lun says: if one does evil in full public view, people will punish him; if one does evil in secret, ghosts and spirits will punish him. Only one who understands that both the human world and ghosts and spirits are watching can act alone and yet refrain from evil. From this it may be known that the offices of the underworld (the bureaus that administer punishment in the netherworld) cannot be deceived, and that the gods are hard to fool. Every offense, however slight, is recorded; retribution for good and evil follows as a shadow follows the form. Once one falls into the three paths (the three evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals), even through ten thousand kalpas it is hard to break free. This further explains the offense of theft already spoken of in the preceding text.

To live in luxury and give way to desire, to sink into sexual pleasure, to crave soft and fine sensations of touch, and to treat with irreverence the three luminaries—the sun, the moon, and the stars—means that after death the soul will be held in confinement, and in a future life one will also suffer the retribution of dullness and madness.

What is spoken of here is bodily karma (karmic offense produced by bodily conduct). Those who practice deviant ways sink into lust without restraint, seeking only sexual desire and sensory enjoyment, and do not even avoid the three luminaries. After they have finished the punishments that follow death and are reborn as human beings, although they obtain a human body, they suffer the retribution of madness and stupidity. This explains the offense of bodily karma; what follows will treat verbal karma, and the later text continues to set forth the remaining offenses.

Those who stir up conflict through fierce and overbearing speech, causing clan members, kin, and friends to quarrel and fall out of harmony, suffer after death the punishment of molten copper poured into the mouth. When this retribution ends, residual karma still causes them to be reborn as dogs that bark at everyone they see.

This passage explains the karma of speech—the offenses created through words. Those who specialize in clever but empty talk, sow discord, provoke disputes among relatives, turn black into white, destroy harmony, speak recklessly of fortune and misfortune, and entrap others fall into hell after death and suffer the punishment of molten copper poured into the mouth. When the punishment is over, residual karma again causes them to be reborn as dogs that bark as soon as they see people.

Those who greedily consume the flesh and blood of living beings, and who drink alcohol so as to disturb the Shen (spirits) of the five viscera—divinities that Daoism holds to correspond to the five internal organs—are cooked after death in a boiling cauldron, and the punishment of the iron staff never leaves their bodies.

This means that meat-eaters cruelly harm the lives of sentient beings. Drinking alcohol and eating meat without regard for other beings leaves the spirits of the five viscera clouded and disordered. They seek only to eat their fill and eat well, and do not understand that karmic retribution will follow them. When their lifespan comes to an end, they sink into hell and are seared and boiled amid scalding broth and charcoal fire, in unending pain, with punishment always upon them. This restates the offense of drinking alcohol and eating meat discussed earlier.

Those who present what is false as true, deceiving and luring the foolish in order to gain advantage for themselves, suffer after death the retribution of having the tongue pulled out, and after rebirth are unable to speak.

This means that liars deceive openly, using every kind of fraud, trickery, and enticement to pursue private gain, and in all they do they fail to keep to the proper path. After death their souls sink into hell and undergo the punishment of tongue extraction; when the retribution ends and they are reborn, they remain mute and speechless. This passage explains the offense of false speech and continues the earlier account of baseless deception.

Those who deceive their teachers and elders, do not revere the Dao (the Way), and shout loudly at the gods cycle after death through the three paths—the three evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—and in the next life are reborn among the six domestic animals.

Deceiving one’s revered teacher, slandering the true sages, slighting the Three Treasures—Dao (the Way), Jing (scripture/classic), and the master—defiling sacred writings, making arbitrary distinctions within the Daoist tradition, uttering coarse and disrespectful words, taking curses and maledictions as one’s speech, and even calling the gods to witness while shouting aloud and boasting recklessly: all this entangles one in evil karma and casts one into the Three Paths (the three evil destinies of the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals). One then revolves through the cycle of rebirth, enduring bitter toil through life after life and death after death. After the retribution for these sins has been exhausted, one is still reborn as various kinds of livestock, long sunk in that condition and deprived of the chance to be human. This explains the offense of deceiving Heaven, which also includes deceiving one’s teacher and perverting the Dao, as well as invoking the gods and similar acts.

Slandering worthy people, secretly entrapping others, flattering and currying favor, and using cunning means to bring false charges against others lead, after death, to rebirth as poisonous bees, venomous insects, snakes, scorpions, and the like. One then passes in turn through filthy and wretched forms of life, with no knowing when joy may be regained. From the violent fabrication of gossip and verbal strife up to this point, what is discussed is the retribution brought about by karma of speech; what follows begins to treat karma of mind (the karma created by thoughts arising in the heart).

Skimming off and appropriating goods and wealth dedicated to merit, and giving free rein to greed, cause the soul after death to become a hungry ghost: when hungry it swallows charcoal and fire, and when thirsty it drinks the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of flame.

Here karma of mind is set out in concrete terms. One ought to esteem good deeds, practice frugality in one’s own person, and give wealth in charity so as to produce Jing (scriptures), fashion sacred images, pray for blessings, or accumulate merit for the deceased. Yet some skim these meritorious goods and funds, seizing a momentary advantage to satisfy themselves. The retribution of sin nevertheless follows as a shadow follows the body: after death one falls and becomes a hungry ghost, swallowing fire and eating charcoal when hungry and drinking the Jing (essence) of fire when thirsty. Such is the retribution that greed calls forth. Through countless kalpas and countless lives, one does not even hear the name of broth or water, still less can one quench one’s thirst.

To slight elders who possess virtue, and to withhold respect from those accomplished in the Dao (the Way), means that in a future life one will be reborn as a person of low station, or receive the body of one of the six domestic animals. What is described here is karmic retribution: if one fails to honor teachers and superiors and treats elders with contempt, one suffers a humble rebirth in the next life; if in this life one does not revere the Three Treasures—the Dao, the Jing (scripture/classic), and the teacher—after death one may be reborn among the six domestic animals. Karmic retribution follows the person and does not err by so much as a hair.

One may also be reborn in a remote borderland, of humble status and far removed from civilized moral instruction. Even if one obtains a human body, one will not hear the names of the Three Treasures. The true scriptures and the orthodox teaching are hard to encounter across ten thousand kalpas, and the sacred teachings and numinous writings are still less to be seen. When the scripture speaks of “cutting and diminishing the goods of merit,” it is also explaining karma of intention—karma produced by the thoughts and intentions of the mind.

When the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) had finished the verse, the Lord of the Dao (Daojun) stepped forward, paid his respects, and addressed the Celestial Worthy: “Today I have the good fortune of this meeting, and my joy is beyond words. I am grateful that the Celestial Worthy has deigned to look upon me and instruct me in the roots of sinful karma. Yet I still do not understand: these sinners all have families, and in the present world they also have kin. Will their line of descendants thereby be cut off?”

The Lord of the Dao reflected that if living beings are not taught how to uproot sinful karma and redeem the dead, they will have no path by which to escape suffering; he therefore sought instruction earnestly, hoping the Celestial Worthy would bestow a method of deliverance. He also considered that living beings have sons and daughters and descendants, and that later generations continue without end, and so he wished to ask the Celestial Worthy to teach them how, by means of those later generations, to rescue and deliver those who had died before them. Thus he raised this question.

The Celestial Worthy replied: “Even if they have sons and daughters and grandchildren, should those descendants bear the karmic roots left by their ancestors yet fail to cultivate merit and form good affinities, how can they be spared the retribution of sin? In this way sinful karma only grows heavier from generation to generation. Sunk in sinful karma, they pass through the hardship of hundreds of millions of kalpas and still have no hope of returning to liberation. Every kind of evil retribution must be borne in one’s own person; one may wish to turn back, yet that turning remains endlessly remote.”

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) said: The sons and daughters, grandchildren, and other kin descended from those sinners have accumulated no merit; they possess only karmic conditions bound to the hells. These conditions multiply from generation to generation and grow ever deeper. Thus their hun and po souls are filled with sorrow, their spiritual consciousness sinks into stagnation, and they tumble again and again amid sinful karma, while in their hearts they continually plant the evil karma left from former lives.

For those who accumulate evil, sinful karma keeps growing, like a barren field overgrown with thorns. Even if good seeds of the five grains fall into it, they are shaded and buried by weeds, unable to grow into seedlings or bear grain. For this reason it is called a “field of sin.” The Celestial Worthy speaks of how grave these people’s sinful karma is, and how hard it is for them to escape the hells, in order to show that they have sunk beyond easy rescue and to lead into the question that follows.

The Lord of the Dao (Daojun, a revered deity of Daoism), after bowing to the Celestial Worthy, asked once more: “By what karmic conditions can one be freed from every kind of suffering? What meritorious deeds must one cultivate in order to be reborn as a human being?”

The commentary explains: The Lord of the Dao pities the beings sunk in the hells and so asks again, thereby opening a path for the accumulation of blessings. He hopes that filial sons and grandsons will keep in mind the suffering of their deceased forebears, and that brothers and relatives will remember the flesh and blood trapped in hardship and set aside a portion of the family wealth to save them. The Lord of the Dao asks repeatedly in this way in order to promote the accumulation of blessings. Next, the Celestial Worthy will explain that the categories of the sinners’ offenses differ, and will set forth the method of rescuing the dead through the Great Offering (Daxian, a large-scale rite of offering, prayer for blessings, and deliverance). This passage falls into three parts. First it explains that the kinds of sinners are not the same and that relief is not easy; then it speaks of the Yuanxiao (the divine office in the Daoist celestial administration charged with examining, verifying, and recording sinful karma), so that people may understand where they should turn; finally it explains the manner in which everyone is to perform the ritual and urges people to follow that example.

The Celestial Worthy replied: “The offenses these sinners have committed are many, and their kinds are not the same. To rescue them, one cannot use a single method, nor can the strength of one person alone free them from suffering.”

Question. First, this passage explains that the karmic offenses of sentient beings differ from one to another, and so they are difficult to deliver at once. The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) holds that the root of karma—the karmic causes accumulated over successive lives—follows sentient beings, and that the root of sin is not easily uprooted. Only by establishing merit, doing good, widely sowing fields of blessing (futian), and making vows sufficiently vast can one’s circumstances be changed; if merit is not abundant enough, it is hard to eliminate offenses and relieve calamities. The strength of one person alone cannot rescue the many who have sinned. Thus those who do evil are difficult to save immediately; one must broadly cultivate good conditions and widely establish fields of blessing. Without the assisting conditions of others, how, in a moment of haste, could they be delivered? Since merit is required, what merits ought one to perform? The concrete methods are set out below.

One should follow the Great Offering Rite of the Mysterious Capital (Xuandu Daxian fa, the Daoist rite of offering and the distribution of food held on set days). The fifteenth day of the seventh month is the occasion of the Middle Prime (Zhongyuan). On this day the Earth Official (Diguan, one of the Three Officials of Daoism, who oversees examination and verification in the underworld) examines sentient beings, determines their ranking, and distinguishes good from evil. The great sages of the heavens proceed together to the palace, fix the reckoning of the kalpas, and inspect the recorded name registers of the human world and the ghost path; hungry ghosts and prisoners also gather at this time.

Question. Second, this passage is meant to let people know that they should turn their hearts to faith and reverence. It says that, on the day of the great assembly of the Three Primes (Sanyuan), the Celestial Worthy at the same time explains the reason for the inspection and checking of the Nine Bureaus (Jiufu jiangou, the various offices of the underworld that examine and record sin and blessing): the sages proceed together to the palace, fix the reckoning of the kalpas, and inspect the registers of humans and ghosts, and hungry ghosts and prisoners likewise all gather there.

This section is the second part, and its purpose is to make clear what one ought to take refuge in and revere. It says that the Celestial Worthies (Tianzun) assemble on the day of the Great Assembly of the Three Primordials (Sanyuan), and it explains why the Nine Bureaus (Jiufu)—the divine bureaus charged with inspection and registration—examine the registers, as well as how they search out and adjudicate good and evil. In this way, beings of later generations may follow the rites of the days of the Three Primordials and model themselves on the ritual system of the Great Offering of the Jade Capital and the Mysterious Metropolis (Yujing Xuandu Daxian), making offerings to the Celestial Worthies of the Three Ages (Sandai Tianzun), the holy assemblies of the ten directions, the Nine Mysterious Ones and Seven Ancestors (Jiuxuan Qizu, the ancestors of successive generations), and all beings of the dharma realm, so that all of them may receive deliverance and salvation and attain liberation.

The fifteenth day of the seventh month is the day of the Middle Prime (Zhongyuan), when the Earth Official (Diguan) examines conduct against the precepts. The holy assemblies of the ten directions come universally to gather. The Heavenly Official (Tianguan), the Water Official (Shuiguan), and the divine officers of the various bureaus—in all, five hundred million, fifty thousand, five thousand, five hundred, and five thousand five hundred million worthies and sages—assemble here to determine the reckoning of kalpas and to examine the gravity of sinners’ offenses and their grades. If one wishes on this day to set out offerings and pray for the deliverance of the departed spirits of one’s parents, how should one proceed?

On this day, incense is burned and lamps are lit day and night, so that the light shines upon the various heavens, the long night of the Ninefold Darkness (Jiuyou), and within the Eight Gates (Bamen). One performs the Great Offering of the Mysterious Metropolis, modeling it on the offering rites of Jade Capital Mountain, gathering every kind of flower and fruit and arranging them according to the five colors. All manner of rare and extraordinary treasures of the world, Daoist ritual implements and precious vessels, patterned damasks, gauzes, and brocades, objects of enjoyment and articles of dress, the Banners of the Ten Absolutes (Shijue fanchuang, banners used to adorn the ritual space), precious canopies, and other solemn furnishings, together with the various offering vessels and fragrant, fine, and abundant food and drink, are presented to the holy assemblies and to the Daoist priests and others.

The commentary explains that this is the third item, setting out the rites for cultivating and reverently observing this scripture (Jing) and urging people to study and follow them. The five colors named in the scripture are azure, yellow, red, white, and black. Silks of the five colors are interwoven into banners and canopies, used to adorn the offerings with solemn dignity. Seeing that sinners in hell, after passing through hundreds of millions of kalpas, still cannot gain liberation, the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) teaches people to support their parents with filial care and, on behalf of their deceased forebears, to gather every kind of precious and rare object in the human world. Following the ritual forms of the Jade Capital of the Mysterious Metropolis (Xuandu Yujing, the dwelling of the Celestial Worthy in Daoist legend), these are made into offerings and presented to the host of sages of the ten directions (the holy perfected ones of every quarter), to Daoist priests, and to others, so as to rescue the souls of the dead from the sufferings of hell. May the ancestors of nine generations and of seven generations (the Nine Mysteries and the Seven Forebears), together with all beings of the Dharma realm, through the good causes accumulated by these offerings, receive protection and enjoy the reward of rebirth in heaven. If one wishes to invite the host of sages of the ten directions, Daoist priests, and others to descend, what merit should one cultivate?

On this day the scripture is expounded throughout the day and night, and the great sages of the ten directions together recite the numinous texts (sacred scriptures). Prisoners and hungry ghosts can then gain liberation, all receive their fill, be spared every suffering, and return once more to the human world. If one does not do this, it is very difficult to save and redeem them.

The commentary explains that the Celestial Worthy sets forth these many methods at length in the hope of leading people to understand the causes and conditions involved. Fearing also that those who truly believe and practice will be few, he exhorts them again and again. Whenever a Great Offering is held (a rite of presenting offerings to the host of sages and praying for the deliverance of the dead), a ritual master must be invited to observe the purification retreat and expound the scripture during the six periods of day and night. The “day and night” spoken of here means the day and the night of the fifteenth day of the seventh month. On that day one should perform the purification rite, open the altar and lecture on the scripture, burn incense, and light lamps, so that the light shines throughout the heavens, the Ninefold Darkness (Jiuyou, the nine layers of the dark underworld), and the Eight Gates (the places where living beings undergo suffering). When the festivals of the Three Primordials arrive (Sanyuan: the Upper Prime, the Middle Prime, and the Lower Prime), one should, imitating the rites of the Jade Capital of the Mysterious Metropolis, hold a Great Offering, assemble all the rare and wondrous fruits of the human world and every kind of fragrant delicacy, and offer them to the Three Treasures (the Dao, the Way; the Jing; and the Master).

All beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions, together with those who cultivate the Dao (the Way), upon hearing these words of ultimate truth, were each stirred to insight, and so they recited and chanted this scripture. The merit of reciting the scripture ascended to the nine hundred million heavens above and reached the Six Heavens below; the sinners in the hells were thereby liberated at the same time. The Celestial Worthy said: “After I depart from the world, the good deeds of the East will not reach their utmost extreme, nor will the evil deeds of the West sink to bottomless depths; the gentleman of Ku County will go to Daqin.” Thirty-six thousand years after the Supreme Sovereign, the term of this kalpa will come to an end, heaven and earth will be destroyed, and all people will suffer calamity.

The explanatory commentary says: When the Celestial Worthy expounded this scripture, he was speaking of how, after his own departure from the world, there would still continually be people transmitting the Dao and teaching it, generation succeeding generation; and there would also often be sagely and enlightened rulers whose line endured for a thousand years. When the term of this kalpa comes to an end, heaven and earth will be destroyed, and everyone will suffer calamity.

The explanation states that when the Celestial Worthy expounded this scripture, he said that after his departure those who instruct and transform the people of the world would appear one after another, succeeding from generation to generation, and that sagely and enlightened rulers would often arise to inherit and promote the Three Treasures.

“The good of the East is not without limit, nor is the evil of the West unfathomably deep” means that the East is not necessarily wholly good and entirely free of evil deeds, nor is the West necessarily wholly evil and entirely without good deeds.

The “gentleman of Ku County” refers to the responsive transformation body of Lord Lao (the incarnate form that manifests in accordance with the world). According to legend, the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden gave birth to him from her left side in Ku County of Chen Commandery, which is why the place is called “Ku County.” At his birth, between the jade steps of the hall, he took nine steps toward each of the four directions—east, west, south, and north—then at once opened his mouth and spoke. Pointing to a plum tree, he took Li as his surname, and declared, “In the heavens above and the world below, I alone am supreme.” Nine dragons then surged up from the ground and spouted water to bathe him. Where the dragons appeared, nine wells were formed, said to remain to this day. Another account says that Lord Lao’s response-body took nine steps amid the “fire-passage of the Three Realms,” then immediately spoke, pointed to the plum tree as the source of his surname, and said, “In the heavens above and the world below, I alone am supreme.” Afterward nine dragons surged forth from underground and bathed him with water, and the places where the dragons appeared likewise became nine wells.

Yet another view holds that Lord Lao’s response-body abides amid the burning house and the sea of suffering of the Three Realms, and that this too may be called a “Ku County.” “Daqin” is another name for Tianzhu in the west (the ancient designation for the region of India), and zhi means “to go to.” Lord Lao traveled west as far as the Flowing Sands and proceeded to Yanbin, where he spread the teaching of Futu (a form of instruction spoken of in the scripture) in order to transform the customs of the Rong peoples. The Book of the Later Han likewise says that Lord Lao expounded the Futu scripture so as to transform the customs of the Rong, and that the teaching of Futu esteems purity and stillness. According to this account, the Futu scriptures now circulating in Buddhism were expounded by Lord Lao. The monks, however, did not understand their meaning; they added interpretations at will and introduced errors, leaving earlier sages in doubt. Later people then took false doctrines for the true meaning and cited them to one another. The originally plain and simple teaching therefore gradually declined and grew thin.

Ornate writings and discourses arose in competition, and treachery and error grew ever more abundant. The plain and simple Dao (the Way) was lost, instruction became daily more superficial, and heterodox and spurious teachings appeared in profusion. Men and women of the Wuji world are by nature given to stinginess and craving; after death they become hungry ghosts, their souls and Shen (spirit) enduring hunger, and they lure one another and pass on these habits among themselves. The plain and simple teaching therefore also gradually declines.

All manner of ornate and elegant phrasing arose in rivalry, and customs of treachery, wickedness, and hypocrisy grew ever more prevalent. The manner of plain simplicity had already been lost; the ways of the age grew daily more frivolous, and deeds of evil and falsehood appeared one after another. Men and women in the world of Wuji (the human world, also called the realm of Yanfu) are greedy and miserly by nature; after death they become hungry ghosts, and their hun and Shen (spirit) suffer hunger and thirst beyond endurance. Even if someone gives them food, the food turns to dust: they see it before their eyes yet cannot take it into their mouths.

For a long time they undergo harsh and bitter kalpas, sink into suffering, and are reborn in turn among the Five Paths, so as to repay the resentful karma they formed in the past. Therefore I now admonish you that you ought to follow these teachings. Men and women who are born human in a future life should diligently spur themselves on, strive to correct themselves, and not create sinful karma.

A vast kalpa means a calamity that is long and immense. The Jing (scripture) says that sentient beings long endure the suffering of hungry ghosts; even when the retribution for their sins has been fully exhausted, upon rebirth they may still fall into humble households, remaining in transmigration among the Five Paths, and in the end find it hard to attain sagehood. The Five Paths are the path of heaven, the path of human beings, the path of animals, the path of hell, and the path of hungry ghosts. The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) once more exhorts men and women who will be human in a future life to restrain themselves, to be diligent and firm in their resolve, and not to create sinful karma. A person’s good and evil conduct each brings a corresponding karmic result, just as in sowing and reaping one obtains fruit according to what was planted; hence it is called the “field of sin.”

At this time, the Supreme Lord of the Dao (the Way; Taishang Daojun), having heard the Celestial Worthy’s instruction, bowed his head in salute and then said: “……”

This is the “Dao section” (Dao, the Way; the part of a Daoist scripture, or jing, that sets forth the content of the methods of the Dao). What is meant here by “at that time” is the moment when the Celestial Worthy is about to finish his teaching and entrust the scripture and methods to the Lord of the Dao mentioned earlier.

The Supreme Lord of the Dao, having heard the Celestial Worthy expound this Scripture of the Great Offering for Deliverance (a scripture that tells of saving the souls of the dead through offerings and other ritual services), and having also heard admonitions concerning this life and the life to come, received earnest instruction and heard the Celestial Worthy announce that the scripture and methods would be transmitted onward. He bowed before the Worthy, praised the excellence of the scripture and methods, received their profound meaning, and felt a joy beyond words. The Lord of the Dao then spoke this verse:

A destined meeting from a former life;

in this life I am able to pay homage to the Celestial Worthy.

The Celestial Worthy first made clear the kalpic course of the present age,

and then admonished the faults that later generations ought to avoid.

The commentary says: The Lord of the Dao rejoiced that in both his former life and this life he had an affinity with the Dao, so that he could draw near the supreme Dao, pay homage to the Celestial Worthy, and receive the Worthy’s teaching. He was further favored when the Celestial Worthy indicated the causes and conditions and the deliverance of living beings, and entrusted him with transmitting and proclaiming the scripture and methods. He therefore vowed to cultivate diligently and without slack, so that both former lives and later generations would receive the grace of the Dao.

“The faults of a later kalpa” may also be understood in this way: by this the Lord of the Dao admonishes living beings not to commit the sins of greed, anger, and delusion. Those given to greed love to amass property, seeking wealth and goods on every side, concerned only with extravagant pleasure and a display of riches. They do not cultivate merit, lack compassion, and give no thought to living beings. In this life they accumulate no good deeds and plant no blessings; after death they sink into the evil paths. Such retribution has its causes and effects and is hard to avoid. These bitter fruits are all the manifestation of failing to cultivate goodness in a former life and of bearing misfortune in a later life—that is, the grave faults of later generations.

One should diligently cultivate the supreme Dao, and not become bound in resentment to the contrived affairs of the world. Greed breeds great calamity, while anger and delusion are the roots of misfortune.

The verse here urges people to renounce greed, anger, and delusion. The Lord of the Dao (Daojun) wishes to awaken those who are confused, and so he explains the roots of these afflictions and how misfortune and good fortune arise from them: greed becomes a burden on body and mind, while anger and delusion are the root causes that invite calamity. Through this the scripture makes the causes clear and exhorts people to cut off these harmful habits.

The Lord of the Dao proclaims the teaching of the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) and leaves it as an admonition for later generations. Wealth, sexual allure, fame, and profit are all sources from which misfortune grows. Greed, anger, and delusion injure oneself, obstruct cultivation of the Dao, and cause one to lose the chance to accumulate merit and blessings. If one does not give rise to these three poisons and keeps pure the six faculties (liugen)—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—that is the path of cultivating body and mind. Undisturbed by external things and the senses, one gains a support by which to leave suffering, and calamities become few.

When the obstructions of affliction are cut away, conduct of body, speech, and mind naturally becomes pure and tranquil. If deviant spirits cannot disturb one, how could one suffer the pains of hell?

Afflictions arise from deeds of body, speech, and mind, while the disturbance of deviant spirits is bound up with the six faculties being drawn by external objects. So long as one holds fast to the mind of the Dao and guards one’s original truth, worldly temptations and contact with mundane dust can hardly stain one. A disordered mind often begins in craving for sensual desire, and the cause of evil retribution in hell has sexual misconduct at its root. To cut off afflictions, one should make body and mind pure and at peace; the key to lasting ease and joy lies in not letting the six faculties become defiled by external objects. If one can practice the teaching of the Celestial Worthy and regularly, on the day of the “Great Offering of the Mysterious Capital” (Xuandu daxian, the offering-rite day spoken of in the scripture), make offerings to the Celestial Worthies of the ten directions, one may wander freely before the Golden Portal and long remain free from the sufferings of hell.

Roaming the Linlang Garden (a garden in the immortal realm) and striding high through the Garden of the Seven Treasures, one is free and at ease, unburdened by desire, and respectfully pays homage to the Celestial Worthy.

The Lord of the Dao (Daojun) explains: If in later generations someone, on the Three Prime Days—the fast days of the Upper Prime, Middle Prime, and Lower Prime—observes the fast, sets up an altar, and expounds the scripture (Jing), and, following the offering rite of the Mysterious Capital, makes offerings to the great sages of the ten directions and to Daoist priests, that person’s merit will be fulfilled and they will become a Celestial Worthy (Tianzun). They will roam freely through the Xina Jade Realm, the immortal land of Daoist legend in the upper world, and enjoy inexhaustible treasures. The spirits of the dead will likewise all be freed from suffering and will not fall into the Three Paths—the three realms of suffering: the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals. What follows tells how the assembled sages, on hearing this, joyfully circled about and paid reverence.

At that time the assembled sages of the ten directions heard the Celestial Worthy set forth the wondrous teaching and the causes and conditions by which all beings are saved. They also heard that cultivating this method allows one to roam the Xina Jade Realm in the upper world and enjoy inexhaustible treasures, and enables the spirits of the dead to leave suffering and not fall into the Three Paths. They heard principles they had never heard before and grasped what they had never grasped before. With one voice they praised it and joyfully undertook to practice it.

The assembly chanted the scripture and paced the ritual walk—the steps performed in Daoist ritual together with the recitation—circling about, bowing in grateful homage, and praising the Celestial Worthy. After the Supreme Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun) and the assembled sages of the ten directions had finished their verses, what further instruction would the Celestial Worthy give?

After the Supreme Lord of the Dao and the great sages of the ten directions had finished their verses, the Celestial Worthy said: On every fast day of the Three Primes this scripture should be expounded. One should be diligent in cultivation and worship, and six times each day perform the rite of practicing the Dao, holding the cultivation ritual at the appointed times; cleanse the body with fragrant water; and take no food after noon. Both inwardly and outwardly one should remain peaceful and calm, plain and tranquil, following the natural course of things, and have no dealings with worldly affairs. First the Ten Precepts are transmitted; then one quiets the mind and gathers one’s thoughts, visualizes the divine perfected ones, and contemplates and holds the methods of the Dao in the heart. At that time the assembled sages accepted these instructions, bowed together, and asked to receive the text of the precepts.

The commentary says: What is written here is that the Celestial Worthy, out of compassion, once again solemnly bestows instruction.

The scripture begins by stating that the precepts, and the rites for observing them, are to be proclaimed. Sages constantly cultivate pure conduct; their minds are clear and luminous, free of desire, and unstained by the filth of the mundane world. They bestow their teaching in order to rescue ordinary people and awaken the ignorant. Therefore, on the Three Primordial Days—Shangyuan, Zhongyuan, Xiayuan, and the other important days of purification in Daoism—one should earnestly guide the assembly and proclaim the texts of the precepts, so that people may receive protection. People should keep a pure fast and cleanse themselves, hold the divine perfected ones in mind, uphold the precepts day and night, and cherish the Three Treasures: the Dao (the Way), the Jing (scripture/classic), and the master. In time they may attain the Dao, behold the Celestial Worthy, roam freely through Yujing, the celestial capital of the immortals, and wander at ease among the golden palaces of heaven. Lecturing on the scriptures, holding a purification rite, and delivering the departed on the Three Primordial Days can bring blessings of this kind. The Celestial Worthy then bestows the precepts, which are as follows.

The first precept is that one must not kill living beings, nor offer sacrifice to the gods and ghosts of the Six Heavens. What is called “illicit sacrifice” here means sacrifice that does not accord with the orthodox Dao.

The second precept is that one must not steal or do what is improper, nor take the property of others.

The third precept is that one must not crave physical beauty, nor, out of jealousy, do what is contrary to the Dao and to right conduct.

The fourth precept is that one must not speak falsehoods or frivolous, unfounded words, lest one incur the karma of speech.

The fifth precept is that one must not indulge in drinking or become drunk beyond measure, giving oneself over to unrestrained excess.

The sixth precept is that one must not regard oneself as always right or boast of oneself, nor deceive or slander others.

The seventh precept is that one must not deceive teachers and elders or go against the methods of the Dao, nor destroy or discard the classics of the sages and worthies.

The eighth precept is that one must not harbor hatred or anger toward the four classes of those who have left the household to cultivate the Dao—the various communities of practitioners in Daoism—nor mock or slander Daoist priests.

The ninth precept is that one must not be greedy without limit, harming other people or things so as to gain benefit for oneself.

The tenth precept is that one must not revile one’s clan and kin, nor fail to respect one’s elders.

These ten precepts concern grave calamities for human beings. Those who violate them will pass through sufferings like the cutting of the body by wind-knives, and will long encounter evil conditions. Those who believe in and revere these precepts should expound them to later generations, study them earnestly, and keep them firmly in mind without forgetting. If one can observe them according to the proper method, one will commit no faults while alive, and after death will not be held in confinement. At that time a cloud-carriage will descend from heaven to receive and guide one, and one will naturally attain the Dao.

These are the ten precepts, and they are also the standards that practitioners ought to observe. You must listen and receive them with care, and keep them firmly in mind. If one acts according to the precepts, one will commit no faults while alive and will not be held in confinement after death; cloud chariots will descend from heaven, and one will naturally attain the Dao (the Way).

These are the ten precepts, and they are also the ritual norms to be cultivated and upheld. Those who maintain the precepts can obtain blessings both in the human world and in the heavenly realms; those who violate the precepts will surely sink into hell. If good men and good women are able to keep these ten precepts, pressing forward with courageous diligence and never letting the mind grow slack, so that their conduct accords with the Dao, they will not fall into transgression. While alive they will be protected by the teachings; after death they will ascend to Shangqing (the higher heavenly realm spoken of in Daoism), ride cloud chariots, come and go freely, transcend the Three Realms, and achieve a body as firm as vajra.

Those who violate the precepts will sink into the Five Sufferings and pass through the Three Paths (the evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, and the like). They will suffer amid sword-trees and knife-mountains; ox-headed jailers will drive and press them; their bodies will shatter like scattered stars, and their bones will dissolve like rain. Through ten thousand kalpas they will not have a moment of peace, and they will continually meet with evil conditions, standing face to face with their enemies. To violate the Jing (scriptures/classics) and break the precepts brings the calamities of hell; only by cultivating in accordance with the proper regulations can one enjoy peace and happiness in the heavenly realms.

From this point on, the Lord of the Dao again inquires into the rites of the Sanyuan Zhai (Purification Rites of the Three Primordials); what follows will further explain how the invocation ought to be made.

The Most High Lord of the Dao (a revered deity of Daoism) performed the rite of prostration and said: “Within the rites of the Sanyuan Zhai, the purport of the Zhongyuan Zhai (Middle Prime Purification) has already been heard in full detail. It is still not clear according to what rituals the Shangyuan Zhai (Upper Prime Purification) and the Xiayuan Zhai (Lower Prime Purification) are respectively performed.”

The methods of the Sanyuan Zhai are all recorded in the many scriptures. The Lord of the Dao feared that people of later ages would still have doubts and would fail to grasp many points, and so he inquired once more with solemn earnestness, hoping to hear what had not yet been understood. The reply that the Tianzun (Celestial Worthy) then gives is precisely an explanation of how they ought to be carried out.

The Celestial Worthy said: “The rites of the Sanyuan Zhai are recorded in the registers administered by the Sanguan (Three Officials); they are important scriptures of Lingbao (Numinous Treasure). The fifteenth day of the first month is the day on which the Heavenly Official of the Upper Prime inspects and verifies good and evil; the fifteenth day of the tenth month is the day on which the Water Official of the Lower Prime inspects and verifies good and evil. The affairs over which the two preside are not the same.”

The commentary explains that here the Celestial Worthy sets forth the origin of the method of the Three Origins (Sanyuan). The method of the Three Origins rests on three name registers, is drawn from the essential writings of the Lingbao, and the matters that each administers are different.

The Upper Origin is placed under the Left Bureau, which oversees the birth and life of all beings and is subject to the examination of the Fire Officers of the Great Yang. The Lower Origin is placed under the Right Bureau, which oversees death and is subject to the examination of the Water Officers of the Great Yin. The Middle Origin oversees the registers of life and death and also governs the sins and blessings of prisoners in the hells, subject to the examination of the Wind-Blade. The three bureaus each command ninety thousand hosts and correspond respectively to the twelve months. The three bureaus spoken of in connection with the Middle Origin and the Lower Origin bear the same names. The coiling of incense smoke symbolizes the Upper Origin’s charge over the destination of life and the Lower Origin’s charge over the destination of death. The Three Origins each preside over different affairs; hence it is said that what each administers is different.

The text now turns to the holding of the “Great Offering of the Mysterious Capital” (Xuandu Daxian, a large-scale offering rite held in the Mysterious Capital) on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. This is because on that day the affairs of the Upper Origin and the Lower Origin are gathered under a single authority, and people are therefore expressly told that they ought to observe it.

The commentary further states that the Middle Origin presides over the Upper and Lower Origins, examining and verifying all affairs, including those of hungry ghosts and prisoners of the hells. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the Dao (the Way) of the Middle Origin concurrently governs the Upper and Lower Origins, and its merit is the greatest. The Great Offering of the Mysterious Capital is therefore able to save and deliver the dead. Here the text does not speak of the Heavenly Officers or the Water Officers, but only of the Middle Origin, because the Earthly Officers occupy the center. “Middle” signifies the proper central position, so the Middle Origin is cited in order to encompass what lies above and below. When autumn comes, the myriad things ripen and are gathered in; the sense is therefore also taken that autumn belongs to Metal and that the season is one of maturity. The fifteenth day of the seventh month, the day of the Middle Origin, is accordingly chosen for the offering, and at that time all hungry ghosts and guilty souls of the dead are able to obtain release.

This day of the Middle Origin is a day of teaching and precepts, and it is also the morning on which the Great Offering of the Mysterious Capital is held. People ought to establish meritorious works, arrange purification retreats and cultivate practice, practice the Dao and expound the Jing (scripture), make offerings to the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha), and save and deliver the souls of the dead. The scripture says that in this season the prisoners of the hells can all receive blessings; those who observe these teachings obtain good fortune, while those who divulge the related contents incur misfortune.

When the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) receives the offerings of the Great Offering (Daxian), he is able to enjoy inexhaustible blessings. If one rashly divulges the method of the Great Offering, or slights and neglects the ritual of making offerings to the Three Treasures (Sanbao) and delivering the souls of the dead, then the prisoners in hell at that time will be unable to share in the blessings. Those who act according to the rules obtain blessing; those who leak or violate the rules bring calamity upon themselves.

When the Celestial Worthy receives the offerings of the Great Offering, he is able to enjoy inexhaustible blessings; if one rashly divulges the method of the Great Offering, disaster will continue for ten thousand kalpas.

After the Supreme Lord of the Dao (the Way; Taishang Daojun), the Great Sages of the Ten Directions, the Flying Celestial Divine Kings, and the seven thousand two hundred forty youths had heard these words, they were all filled with joy and together paid their respects and withdrew.

The exalted sages (holy perfected beings of high rank), with compassionate hearts, constantly think of saving all beings. Now that the profound methods of the Dao are being proclaimed and the transformative teaching of Daoism made manifest, the assembled sages hope that these words of ultimate truth will spread—how could they not rejoice? Thereupon they departed in devout and joyful reverence, each going to his own place, earnestly teaching and transforming all living beings.

The complete text of the Most High Dongxuan (Cavern Mystery) Lingbao Scripture of the Great Offering of the Three Primordials at the Jade Capital and the Mysterious Metropolis (Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Sanyuan Yujing Xuandu Daxian Jing) ends here.

Note: The scripture text of the Dunhuang manuscript and that of the Daozang differ in many places. Only those variants that would affect the meaning are corrected here; differences that do not affect the meaning are left uncollated.

The several dozen characters following “myriad kalpas” were originally set out as commentary. Judging from the sense of what comes before and after, they should belong to the scripture itself, and they have therefore been reclassified as scripture.

The character zi (兹, “this”) was originally written ci (慈, “compassion”) and has been corrected according to the meaning.

For the phrase jinxi (禁系, “confinement under restraint”), the Dunhuang manuscript reads gongji (攻击, “attack”). Where the text has “The Celestial Worthy then in turn spoke in verse,” the Dunhuang manuscript reads “The causes being thus, I now briefly explain this for you.”

“In death one suffers beating with a golden hammer” reads in the Dunhuang manuscript “the soul of the dead suffers inquisition by the mallet”; “for myriad kalpas one cannot get out” reads “through successive kalpas it is hard to get out”; “and madness as well” reads “derangement and madness”; “the later body” reads “the later birth”; “the iron staff does not leave the body” reads “acute pain constantly remains in the body.”

“Deceiving and enticing the obstinate so as to benefit oneself” reads in the Dunhuang manuscript “deceiving and enticing, and taking gain for oneself.” The original text lacks the character chang (长), which has been supplied according to the pattern of the surrounding passages. “In death one falls to the sting of venomous beasts” reads in the Dunhuang manuscript “without transformation, one becomes a small insect upon the body.”

“Hungry and thirsty, one drinks the essence of fire” reads in the Dunhuang manuscript “when hungry, one eats the essence of fire”; “the form of the six domestic animals” reads “the body of a border barbarian”; “descendants” reads “later root”; “field of sin” reads “cause of sin,” the latter being closer to the original sense. The character tong (同, “same”) was originally written zhou (周) and has been corrected on the basis of the Dunhuang manuscript.

On the passage concerning the days of the Three Primordials, the Dunhuang manuscript records that, in accordance with the old rule of the Mysterious Metropolis, at dawn on the fifteenth of the first month, the fifteenth of the seventh month, and the fifteenth of the tenth month—these Three Primordial days—the Earth Official examines sins and blessings, confers the precepts, and distinguishes good from evil. The immortals and sages of the various heavens proceed together to the Palace of Numinous Blossoms to verify the registers of kalpa-numbers and the prisoners among the evil ghosts.

On the passage concerning offerings on the Three Primordial days, the Dunhuang manuscript records that people of the world should on these days cleanse their dwellings, burn incense and light lamps at night, and vow that the light shine upon all the heavens and within the eight gates of the long night of the Ninefold Darkness. Those who cultivate the Numinous Perfection of the Upper Sages should, modeling themselves on the Great Offering of the Mysterious Metropolis held on Jade Capital Mountain, gather all manner of fine flowers and fruits together with the precious, rare, and sweet foods of the world, set out offerings such as banners, streamers, and jeweled canopies, make solemn offerings, and with utmost sincerity present offerings from afar to the sages and to Daoist priests.

The Dunhuang manuscript further says that on the nights of the Three Primordial days one should expound and recite this scripture, praying for blessings for the nine mysterious ancestors and seven generations of forebears, for one’s parents, and for all the household’s dependents, and also repenting of sins on behalf of others. So long as the heart is sincere and earnest, prisoners and hungry ghosts can obtain release, have food to relieve their hunger, and be spared every suffering; after returning to the human world they receive fruits according to their respective karmic recompense. If one does not do this, it is very difficult to extricate them from their sufferings.

“Tangyu” (堂玉), judging from the sense of the surrounding text, should be emended to danjiang (诞降, “descent in birth”). Several passages of the scripture are absent from the Dunhuang manuscript. “And spoke in verse” reads in the Dunhuang manuscript “and uttered a hymn, saying.” The two lines “The present kalpa has first been told; the faults of the later kalpa are next announced” are not in the Dunhuang manuscript. “Eryun” (二云, “a second version says”) should, according to the context, be “yiyun” (一云, “one version says”).

From “At that time” to the end of the scroll, the Daozang text is far more detailed than the Dunhuang manuscript. The Dunhuang manuscript only writes: “At that time, the sagely hosts of the ten directions all alike awakened; joyfully they bowed their heads and received the charge, and then withdrew.” The original amounts to twenty characters in all.

“Shiwen” (释文, “explanatory text”) should, following the pattern of the surrounding text, be “Shiyue” (释曰, “the explanation says”). In the end-title, “Sanyuan” (Three Primordials) reads “Zhongyuan” (Middle Primordial) in the Dunhuang manuscript, the latter being closer to the original title.