《太上洞玄灵宝五显观华光本行妙经》

The Wondrous Scripture of the Original Deeds of Huaguang of the Five Manifestations Abbey (Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuxian Guan Huaguang Benxing Miaojing), of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery (Dongxuan) of the Most High, is a Daoist scripture (Jing). It records the original deeds of Celestial Master Huaguang (Tianshi), a Daoist deity, and is used for recitation and for summoning Celestial Master Huaguang, so as to repent of sins and eliminate disasters.

The author of this scripture is unknown. It was composed around the Song dynasty and consists of one juan. The base text followed here comes from the Continued Daoist Canon (Xu Daozang). The title is also given as Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuxian Lingguan Huaguang Benxing Miaojing.

At that time, at the beginning of the Kalpa of Red Brilliance—a kalpa at the dawn of the cosmos—the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning dwelt in the Qingwei Heaven of the Jade Clarity Holy Realm, high in the Daluo Heaven. In the Hall of Ninefold Radiance and Primordial Yang, he sat in state together with the Most High Jade-Dawn Lord of the Dao (the Way), the Most High Mysterious Elder Lord, and the emperors of the many heavens, all upon nine-colored dragon-and-phoenix jeweled thrones. Ten peerless numinous banners and feathered canopies hung in the hall. Jade lads and jade maidens scattered celestial incense and precious flowers, until fragrance and blossoms filled the worlds of the ten directions.

At that moment the nine phoenixes sang as one and the eight luan birds cried out together, while the music of heaven sounded of itself. Numinous phoenixes gathered into mist and cloud; lions and white cranes sent up clear, ringing calls. The sky was free of dust and defilement, and cloud and fog wound among the mountains. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning manifested his divine powers and wondrous might, releasing a nine-colored auspicious light that set the celestial palaces and the Mysterious Capital aglow. The light spread through the boundless worlds of the ten directions and made every place appear the same: clear and pure as translucent liuli, open within and without, with nothing to screen it, distinct from surface to depth.

The flying spirit-kings and the most exalted great deities of the boundless worlds of the ten directions assembled at that very moment. The Azure Emperor, Heavenly Lord of the Nine Qi (vital energy) of the East, the Red Emperor, Heavenly Lord of the Three Qi of the South, the White Emperor, Heavenly Lord of the Seven Qi of the West, the Black Emperor, Heavenly Lord of the Five Qi of the North, and the Yellow Emperor, Heavenly Lord of the One Qi of the Center, each brought countless numinous officers who served the true Dao and came through the air to the assembly. When the immortals and deities had gathered, they paid homage to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and together listened as he expounded the supreme wondrous teaching of Mysterious Prime and True Unity.

The deities of the heavens paced the Buxu—the ritual steps of circling and chanting in the Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual)—and moved in procession. Attendants of the Three Realms likewise surrounded the Celestial Worthy’s carriage and joined in songs of praise. At that moment the joy was beyond all words: the dark passes opened once more, and all things received the light; the suffering Shuangling souls and the hidden shades were liberated at one and the same time.

At this moment, immortals and perfected ones in the ritual assembly—among them the Perfected of Longevity and World-Deliverance (Changsheng Dushi Zhenren), the Perfected of Myriad Blessings Who Cherishes Life (Wanfu Haosheng Zhenren), and the Perfected of Compassion and Universal Relief (Cibei Puji Zhenren)—stepped out of their ranks. They set their ornaments in order, held their audience tablets, bowed their heads before the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), and made this report:

“O greatly compassionate and supremely holy Celestial Worthy, you opened heaven and earth and set Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) in orderly motion. You are the teacher of the myriad spirits and the father of all living beings. Through the good affinities and blessings of former lives, we have been able to serve the Most Venerable and take our places among the immortals. Today we are again fortunate to attend this great assembly, respectfully hearing the Celestial Worthy expound the teaching and proclaim principles profound and mysterious. All have received instruction, and your grace is truly beyond measure.

“We see that in the lower realm demons run rampant and harm the people; calamities arise one after another, the Qi (vital energy) of the five poisons flourishes, and floods, fires, warfare, years of disaster, and famine follow in succession. The dead and the wounded are many, and the sight is truly grievous. We still do not know by what causes and conditions people have come to suffer these hardships. We respectfully beg the compassionate Celestial Worthy to give instruction, to open wide the gate of salvation for all beings, and to carry out teaching in compassion.”

Before this, the Perfected of Longevity and World-Deliverance, the Perfected of Myriad Blessings Who Cherishes Life, and the Perfected of Compassion and Universal Relief were present in the assembly. After hearing, they stepped beyond their stations, their hearts filled with a joy beyond words. The dark passes were opened once more; all beings together received the light, and the suffering souls of the dead were liberated in that very moment.

The Celestial Worthy replied: “You should gather in your thoughts and hold sincerity and reverence. I will explain to you the causes and conditions of good and evil.”

After a short while, the Celestial Worthy spoke again: “Tracing matters back to the beginning of high antiquity, people were for the most part sincere and simple, at one with heaven and earth. They cultivated only the Great Dao (Dao), and by the way of compassion they instructed all living beings.”

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) said, “You must collect your thoughts and listen with a sincere and quiet mind. I will explain to you the causes and consequences of good and evil.” After a short while, the Celestial Worthy spoke again:

People of the Upper Prime (Shangyuan) age were for the most part honest and plain, at one with Heaven and Earth. They devoted themselves to cultivating the Dao (the Way) and to teaching and transforming living beings so that they returned to the correct Way. Untempted by external things, open-hearted and at ease in body and mind, they suffered no harm and were able to enjoy their natural span of years in peace.

People of the Middle Prime (Zhongyuan) age were by nature modest and gentle, generous and kind. They often bestowed kindness, cared for orphans and widows, relieved the hungry and the poor, considered others first in every matter, and did their utmost to do good and help others.

People of the Lower Prime (Xiayuan) age, though living in the world, continually did evil, refused to repent, and did not cultivate good deeds. For a long time they cast aside the Dao and De (Virtue/Power), paid no regard to humaneness and righteousness, did not revere Heaven and Earth, did not honor the sun, moon, and stars—the Three Luminaries (Sanguang)—and did not stand in awe of the gods and spirits. They were not filial to their parents, not loyal to their rulers, and did not hold their teachers in respectful remembrance. They heeded deviant teachings and forgot the root; they damaged property and harmed others, deceived their own conscience and turned against the correct Way, were greedy without limit, heaped up evil, and indulged the six passions (Liuqing)—the six kinds of emotional desire, such as joy, anger, sorrow, and delight—not knowing when to stop.

The Youths of Good and Evil (Shan’e tongzi), the Four Duty Merit Officers (Sizhi gongcao)—divine clerks who record affairs according to such offices as the duty of the day and the duty of the hour—and the Inspecting Envoys (Jiucha shizhe) record each person’s offenses item by item and report them day and night to the celestial court. Therefore the Three Officials (Sanguan), the deities who preside over Heaven, Earth, and Water, take up the brush and record faults, while the Five Emperors (Wudi), the sovereigns who govern the heavenly realms, examine and register them: records of good deeds are struck from the Azure Register (Qingce), and names of evil are entered in the Black Register (Heibu). Thereupon such divine offices as the Director of Destiny (Siming), the Director of Records (Silu), the Director of Merit (Sigong), and the Director of Execution (Sisha) reduce the years of a person’s blessings and lifespan.

While alive, such people may meet with one unexpected calamity after another; their affairs repeatedly go awry, their plans are hard to fulfill, and hardship and frustration never cease. They may also encounter the spread of pestilence, causing many people to die before their time. After death they may sink into the hells of the Ninefold Darkness (Jiuyou); if no good thought arises, they cannot escape those dark barriers. The root of all these karmic offenses is brought about by one’s own thoughts and actions.

The assembled Perfected Ones, having heard these words, felt deep compassion in their hearts. They bowed once more and respectfully addressed the Celestial Worthy: “We wish to rely upon your compassionate and majestic virtue and to manifest divided bodies in the human world, so as to rescue all living beings. May men and women live in safety in the world, far from evil and calamity, and obtain wealth, honor, and long life, untroubled by disaster. May demons disperse unseen, and the transformative teaching of the Dao (the Way) grow more manifest day by day. May the ruler be wise and the ministers loyal, the state long secure, warfare brought to an end, and all under heaven at peace. May the climate be harmonious and the harvests abundant, and the people live in peace and take joy in their work. We earnestly beg the Supreme Honored One to look upon us and fulfill our wish.”

The Celestial Worthy said: “You wish the living beings of the final age to receive benefit, so that disasters do not arise, demons disperse, and the transformative teaching of the Dao is made manifest; so that the ruler is wise and the ministers loyal, the state long secure, warfare brought to an end, and all under heaven at peace; so that the climate is harmonious and the harvests abundant, and the people live in peace and take joy in their work. You earnestly beg the Supreme Honored One to look upon you and fulfill this wish.”

The Celestial Worthy said: “You wish to benefit the living beings of the final age, and so you have presented your request in a fitting manner and formed such a vow. Excellent, excellent. The myriad things are brought forth through transformation by me, and the myriad spirits change because of me. To rescue living beings is indeed as it ought to be. There is no need, however, to trouble you Perfected Ones to go about in person. You need only still your minds and contemplate in silence, and I shall explain to you the methods for benefiting living beings and delivering them.”

The Celestial Worthy said: “Within the realm of the Three Heavens there are the Numinous Official and Great Sage Huaguang, the Five Great Celestial Marshals. They have made a vast vow to rescue living beings, subdue every kind of demon, and propagate the transformative teaching of the Dao. Their divine might is glorious and their merit exalted. In perfect union with the Dao, they are able to deliver the people of the world without measure. Whenever people call upon them in sympathetic prayer, they come at the sound of the call, protecting those in danger and supporting the weak. Every request is answered, and they can also prolong life and bestow blessings.

At times they manifest as a single body, and at times they appear in five forms. They also transform into the celestial emperors of the various heavens, the imperial body of the Brahma King, the Auspicious Tathagata, the Heavenly Lord of Sun and Dew, the Bodhisattva Huaguang, celestial soldiers and mighty warriors, or Perfected Ones of wondrous practice. Drawing on every kind of spiritual power, they respond according to differing circumstances in order to teach and transform living beings and to rescue the people of the world.”

The Perfected One asked further, “By what causes and conditions has this Great Sage of Spiritual Observation come to be ranked among the Celestial Marshals, manifesting all manner of numinous powers and wondrous forms that extend throughout the ten directions?”

The Celestial Worthy said, “The Five Great Celestial Marshals of Spiritual Observation are endowed with the essence of the Five Stars and the Five Qi (vital energy), and are nurtured amid the spiritual excellence of the Five Directions and the Five Numina. They take form throughout the Three Realms and appear in the ten directions. They govern fortune and misfortune in the Three Realms and hold authority over the life and death of the myriad beings. All that is auspicious or inauspicious in the world, together with regret and sorrow, is shaped and adjudicated by them. If anyone recites their title—‘Great Sage of Spiritual Observation, Celestial Lord of Radiant Light and Vast Transformation’—one should know that their numinous powers will appear at once and answer human wishes, as a shadow follows form and as an echo answers sound. Their response is clear and unmistakable, and beyond all measure.”

The Perfected One asked further, “I revere the Celestial Worthy’s De (Virtue/Power) of cherishing life. His grace reaches throughout the Three Paths (the three realms of suffering: the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals); his kindness moistens the myriad beings; and he broadly bestows blessings upon celestial beings and the people of the world. He is the bridge that guides all beings to deliverance and opens the road of return to the true Dao (the Way). I earnestly beg the Celestial Worthy to issue a special decree, dispatching the Spirit Officials into the human world to protect the nation, bring peace to the people, and proclaim the profound teaching.”

Thereupon the Celestial Worthy, by means of a golden tablet and jade talisman (a golden writ and jade talisman symbolizing a decree of the celestial realm), sent the Golden Lads and Jade Maidens to convey the command and summon the Five Great Celestial Marshals of Spiritual Observation. In an instant they respectfully arrived at the ritual assembly. Kneeling long before the Celestial Worthy, they said, “We, your subjects, have received the Celestial Worthy’s grace of bringing us into being and nurturing us, and have thus been ranked among the immortals and perfected. Today is a day of great celebration. Specially favored by this summons, we have come to the immortal palace, gaze upon the Celestial Worthy’s sacred countenance, and listen to the proclamation of the wondrous teaching.”

The Celestial Worthy said, “The men and women of the world do not revere the teaching of the orthodox Dao. They commit evil and still do not repent. They take deceit as their original mind and greed as the rule of their conduct; they indulge desire, turn away from the correct path, and incline toward the deviant way…”

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) said: Men and women in the world do not revere the teachings of the orthodox Way. After doing evil they refuse to repent, taking deceit and fraud as their true mind and insatiable greed as the rule of their conduct. They indulge their desires, turn away from the correct path toward deviant ways, accumulate every kind of sinful karma, and yet do not know how to repent. Therefore the earth spirits report their crimes, and the celestial court punishes them according to the statutes. Evil deeds bring disaster; wrongs and enmities cling without end. Karmic retribution is perfectly clear, and not the slightest thing is overlooked.

There are, moreover, ghost-soldiers who perished in battle and demonic evils of the lower realms. They watch for openings in the human world, seize people’s allotted lifespans, pursue and capture their hun and po souls, deplete their Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), and collude with wicked beings to harm innocent commoners. Some die suddenly before their lifespan is exhausted; others have their entire families stricken by plague. Looking down upon these circumstances, the Celestial Worthy truly pities them. You should descend into the human world, divide your body and manifest throughout the ten directions, subdue the host of demons and return them to the correct path, so that people of the lower realm may remain far from every kind of calamity, living kin may all enjoy peace, and ancestors and relatives who have already passed away may all receive deliverance.

At this, the Celestial Worthy then uttered the Lingguan Incantation:

At the beginning of the Mysterious Primordial Ancestor (the primordial deity revered in Daoism), the Three Qi (the three kinds of primordial vital energy that constitute heaven, earth, and the myriad things) intermingled and spread throughout, opening and illuminating the three luminaries—the sun, the moon, and the stars—and establishing heaven and earth. He upholds and governs the cycles of the kalpas, so that Heaven may long endure.

The Celestial Emperors of the Three Heavens and the lofty Perfected of the Supreme Thearch cultivate the true Dao (the Way) and propagate the teaching, benefiting the myriad things and saving all living beings; they harmonize the creative transformations of heaven and earth, praying that the state receive blessings and the people enjoy peace. The Lord of Huaguang, Great Sage of the Numinous Officials, whose spiritual powers are vast and boundless, assists at the side of the Celestial Emperor. He can divide his body and transform into Qi, make his rounds through the Three Realms (the different worlds, such as those of heaven, earth, and humanity), rescue the living and deliver the dead, bestow blessings upon the good and punish the wicked, dispel calamities and resolve adversities, and drive away poisonous Qi and plague.

Huaguang widely issues his commands and presses the thunder gods into service: a golden spear in hand and fire-wheels beneath his feet; he drives the fire-ladle and the fire-crows, flames racing like meteors; golden bricks pile up layer upon layer, and thunder-fire blazes. He surveys with his celestial eye, and none throughout the Three Realms fails to revere and submit; borne on the wind for a thousand li, he hears every matter of good and evil.

The Six Ding and the Six Jia (guardian divine generals of Daoism), the Three-Five Generals, and deities such as the Duke of Thunder, the Mother of Lightning, the Earl of Wind, and the Master of Rain all obey his dispatch, releasing thunder and discharging lightning, sending down rain and raising clouds. Heavenly troops and mighty warriors form ranks in great numbers, sealing the mountain ridges and breaking open the caverns, slaying ghosts and monsters, so that demons and specters fear and submit and hide themselves along the seashore. Should any demon or evil dare to resist the command, its hun and po souls are seized; its head is split with a golden hammer, its heart pierced through with an iron halberd, and its body then cut asunder with a great axe. One sweep of the black wind reduces it to fine dust.

The Community Commanders of the Nine Provinces (deities of the various regions who oversee the altars of the soil and the land) and the presiding City Gods (deities who govern the Yin-Yang affairs of a city) must all obey my command, assist the Mysterious Teaching, and accumulate merit. The jade characters of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (sacred talismanic script) and the Dragon Script of the Eight Powers (powerful Daoist talismanic writing) are proclaimed universally to the Three Realms, and the myriad spirits must all comply. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances (the closing formula in Daoist decrees that urges the divine generals to carry them out at once).

The Celestial Worthy again said to the Perfected (Zhenren):

Men and women in the world sometimes encounter demonic and ghostly beings—mountain goblins, wood spirits, corpse-monsters lurking in ancient vessels, earth monsters and stone sprites, water sprites, and other illicit deities. They change their forms, hurl bricks and set fires, seize people’s souls, occupy their dwellings, and disturb living beings in every kind of shape.

When such afflictions arise, men and women who revere the Dao (the Way) should promptly fast, observe abstinence, and bathe. Then, at the numinous altar of an ancient abbey or in a clean room of their own home, they should set up the precious thrones of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) and the numinous altar of the Five Emperors; burn incense, light lamps, offer flowers, and present water; state their case with sincerity; submit memorials and written petitions; take refuge in the exalted Perfected, the Numinous Officials, and the Great Sages of the Three Realms; recite the true scriptures (Jing) and chant divine incantations; examine their faults, repent, and acknowledge their offenses; and pray to be granted blessings and a longer life.

The Great Sage Lingguan (the deity charged with subduing demons and granting protection) will respond at once, leading five hundred Great Sages Lingguan, together with the Golden Brick and Golden Spear, the Fire Ladle and Fire Chariot, General Fire Crow, the Faceless Great General, Great General White Snake, the Envoy Who Rides the Wind a Thousand Li, the celestial generals of the Thunder Gods of the Five Directions, and the officers and troops of the Six Heavens, bronze-headed and iron-faced, all descending together. The host of the Fire Division leads its multitudes and puts forth its might: molten metal and hurled fire, lightning and crashing thunder sweep away demonic evils, drive out the inauspicious, and purify the realm, so that humans and ghosts each return to their proper place and the people may live in peace. The power of Marshal Lingguan and his awe-inspiring divine officers cannot be fully told; all who see or hear of them should treat them with reverence.

If the world suffers prolonged drought that becomes disaster, accumulated Yin Qi (vital energy) that breeds epidemics, calamities stirred by Zhurong (the fire god), rivers, seas, and tides falling out of order, warfare breaking out on every side, the people fleeing and wandering, locusts and insects doing harm, or pests gnawing the seedlings, one should in every case announce the matter to Heaven and Earth according to ritual, repent of transgressions and acknowledge offenses, recite the true scriptures, take refuge in the Supreme Mystery (Shangxuan—the highest celestial realm revered in Daoism), and pray for grace and protection. The land may then be made secure, wind and rain come in their proper seasons, the myriad things grow fresh and moist, and rivers and seas grow calm.

Men and women of the world may also meet with every kind of hardship: stars in adverse clash, and the influences of emolument and the horse in decline; lingering illness, with no way to find peace; offending the Earth Sovereign when building tombs or houses; lawsuits and imprisonment, and injustice that cannot be redressed; epidemics spreading and the people in distress; boats meeting dangerous wind and waves; fierce beasts encountered in the wilds and mountain forests; discord or separation between husband and wife, and offspring failing to flourish; wicked people met when going out to trade or travel; curses laid by others, and kin suffering bullying; mother and child not yet safe after conception; loneliness and poverty in this life, with every undertaking blocked; the household shut in, and livestock failing to multiply; wealth and goods dissipated when moving or building; and entanglements arising from tombs, litigation, and deceased kin.

All these disasters are what the scripture describes as the deep accumulation of evil by people of the world, so that misfortunes gather and auspicious blessings hardly come. If one can cultivate the Dao according to ritual, devote oneself to faith with wholehearted sincerity, frankly set forth what is in one’s heart, take refuge, and repent, peace can be obtained. Divine spirits will protect the household, the Qi of the Dao will support body and mind, and the various disasters will thereupon disperse.

If someone, in order to deliver deceased ancestors, clan kin, or parents, gives rise to the intention to do good, that person can express filial remembrance, enabling the dead to pass the barriers of the dark underworld, gain peace and joy, sink no longer into sorrow and suffering, and be reborn in heaven. The merit of this scripture is inconceivable: both the living and the dead receive blessing and protection, and the benefits of goodness are without limit.

When the Perfected One (zhenren) heard this, he made a vow to spread the scripture far and wide. He praised the Great Sage of Spiritual Contemplation (Lingguan Dasheng), saying that the Great Sage had forever escaped sinking into suffering and affliction and had ascended to the heavens. The merit of this Jing (scripture) is beyond comprehension: the living and the dead alike receive its blessings, and its benefits are boundless.

Having listened, the Perfected One again vowed to circulate the scripture, praised the Great Sage of Spiritual Contemplation, and offered a hymn:

Within the supreme heaven of Taiwei dwells the Dao of profound mystery and subtle emptiness. The five forms are each complete in wondrous function, and the myriad arts and methods of the Dao can scarcely be fully told. The Sage manifests in incarnations across the Three Realms and appears in transformations throughout the ten directions. The Way he walks accords with nature itself, bringing peace to the state and well-being to the people.

When the hymn had ended, the assembled Perfected Ones and countless immortals and sages in the gathering praised it with a single voice. The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) then admonished the Perfected One once more: any man or woman in the world who can practice according to the teachings I have conveyed is a person of deep devotion to the Dao and of good karmic affinities from past lives. To revere and make offerings to this Jing will keep all calamities from intruding, bring auspicious fortune and good will, gather every kind of good, and prevent evil from arising.

If one can practice according to the proper methods on the auspicious days of the four seasons and eight festivals, the Three Origins and Three Assemblies, the Five La and Ten Zhi, the jiazi and gengshen days, the first day of each month, and one's own birth-star day, one will naturally move the many heavenly perfected ones, immortals, and sages. Blessings and longevity will be extended, and one's ancestors of seven generations past and descendants of nine generations to come will likewise be delivered. If one further transmits this Jing to others, so that they come to revere it, believe in it, and recite it, the benefits received will be boundless. The merit and karmic reward of this Jing are clear and manifest, beyond all comprehension.

When the Celestial Worthy had finished speaking this Jing, the Great Sage of Spiritual Contemplation reverently accepted the instruction, descended into the human world, and widely proclaimed the profound teaching. The heavenly perfected and great sages of the ten directions, together with countless immortals, all extolled and praised it, rejoicing and leaping with delight. They bowed in homage and gratitude to the Three Treasures of the Supreme Void August One, True and Orthodox (the highest Three Treasures revered in Daoism), then bowed and withdrew, reverently keeping the Daoist decree and respectfully spreading this Jing abroad.