《太上洞玄灵宝十师度人妙经》

Long ago, in the Longhan era, on an island continent in the sea six hundred thousand li west of Mount Kunlun, there was a kingdom called Jiuyeli. Its king, named Shengshouluo, ruled nineteen lesser states, and his territory extended two hundred thousand li. The people there were naturally intelligent and readily open to instruction.

The queen had long accumulated profound De (Virtue/Power). She understood the unsurpassed great Dao (the Way) and could comprehend every kind of principle. Wishing to guide the king in cultivating the Dao, she came to his side and became his wife. She served him with reverence, kept the fasts and observed the precepts, and led him by expounding the true teaching. Little by little the king grasped these principles and became ready to receive the teaching and put it into practice.

At that time there was a divine immortal, a Perfected One, whose fame spread far and wide. His learning was vast, and no class of scripture (Jing) lay beyond his mastery. The people of the nineteen states held him to be profoundly erudite, yet they had never heard principles so genuine and so important. This Perfected One then assisted the king in governing the realm by means of the true teaching.

The queen herself provided for the Perfected One, honoring him as one would serve one’s own parents, and built a residence for him. Each of its four sides measured a hundred zhang, and it was adorned with every kind of precious treasure: beams of gold, pillars of coral, walls of white jade, floors of lapis lazuli, a roof ornamented with agate, and curtains wrought of crystal. Bells of purple gold hung at the four corners, and moonlight mani jewels were set into the four walls, so that the house remained bright day and night. The queen also arranged the bedding with rare and exquisitely crafted treasures, and prepared sweet, tender foods with which to sustain the Perfected One.

The hearts of the king and queen opened in sudden clarity. They rejoiced greatly, feeling they had never before gained anything like this, and so they grew still more reverent. The king at once sent envoys to summon the ministers of the nineteen states and have them come together. He announced in person: “Do you know? I have a state preceptor without equal in the world. All of you should go and pay him homage, bow your heads and perform the rites, and together seek instruction in the methods of governing the realm.”

Obeying the king’s command, the ministers came to the immortal’s dwelling. Together they paid him homage, pressed their palms together before their chests, and knelt, saying: “We are benighted and ignorant, dull-witted to the extreme. By what merit is it that in this life we occupy positions of honor, receive the king’s regard, and enjoy such standing?”

The immortal replied, “Very good, very good. Listen carefully, listen carefully. I shall explain the essential meaning of this for you. In your previous lives you delighted in giving alms, revered the Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha—and cherished and cared for all living beings. You thereby accumulated merit and blessings, so that after rebirth you enjoyed exalted status and abundant family wealth, and were also beloved by the people. That is why you hold the positions you have today.”

At that time the nineteen ministers each reflected inwardly. Understanding arose in their hearts, and they were filled with joy. They then said to the immortal, “We earnestly beg you, great master, to teach us the methods of governing the state and setting administration aright, so that the country may be free of calamity, wind and rain come in due season, the five grains yield a rich harvest, and the people live in peace and contentment—ever under the protection of your clear discernment—and so that the state may also obtain relief.”

The immortal replied, “Governing the state and setting right the conduct of government is in fact quite easy. What does ‘easy’ mean? It means caring for orphans and the elderly and not wronging the common people; seeing that lawsuits are settled in good time and that prisoners are not left long in custody without a verdict; arranging labor service in its proper season so as not to disrupt the people’s work and livelihood; and cherishing the people as one’s own children.

When governance is well ordered, the state grows secure and the people live in peace and contentment, and all praise the king’s De (Virtue/Power). Baleful stars withdraw, wind and rain arrive in their due seasons, the ruler observes ritual propriety and the ministers remain loyal, the borders are tranquil, and the peoples of the four quarters come to offer allegiance. When the state is stable and the people at ease, what calamity could there still be?

The sovereign controls reward and punishment. Reward is meant to honor those who have merit; punishment is meant to chastise those who are guilty. If merit goes unrewarded and guilt goes unpunished, how can one still be called a ruler?

If governance goes astray, the ruler above practices tyranny and the ministers below stir up disorder, and the realm falls into turmoil. Comets then appear in the night, wind and rain come out of season, the people sink into hardship, locusts run rampant, and Yin-Yang falls out of balance. All this comes about because the king and his ministers act lawlessly and unjustly, wrong the innocent, levy labor service without restraint, and, relying on their power and station, grow arrogant and neglect the affairs of state. The people suffer bitterly and all long to escape the chaos. The celestial deities and terrestrial spirits—the gods of heaven and the spirits of earth spoken of in Daoism—no longer extend their protection, and calamities arrive one after another.

The principle of thus bringing disaster upon oneself may be shown in four ways. First, a tree laden with flowers and fruit has its branches broken by their own weight. Second, an iron implement, relying on the hardness of its form, instead destroys itself. Third, a venomous snake, holding poison in its mouth, ultimately harms itself. Fourth, a king without the Dao (the Way) ultimately ruins his own state. This is like a shadow following the body and an echo following a sound: it is simply the natural order of things.”

Hearing this, the ministers found their minds opened and grasped the principle. They rose, paid their respects, and took their leave. The nineteen ministers each returned to his own country and related in full to his king the teaching on governing by the correct Dao. The kings were overjoyed. Each then sent envoys bearing treasures to make offerings, held a Great Zhai (a form of purification ritual) for seven days and seven nights, and expounded the Mahayana scriptures.

At this time the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun, a revered deity of Daoism) sat upright in the Daluo Heaven (the celestial realm of which Daoism speaks). With the eye of the Dao (the Way) he saw from afar that all nineteen of these kings had given rise to the aspiration to seek the Dao. He then transformed into an immortal whose appearance was no different from that of the immortal they had seen. Entering the palace, he conversed warmly with everyone and expounded the unsurpassed, perfectly true principles, never growing weary. The Celestial Worthy employed his spiritual powers so that the assembly could not tell which one was the Celestial Worthy.

The kings, their consorts, and the nineteen ministers saw two immortals seated upright on the mats, and in their hearts they all wondered, “Of these two great beings, who is the teacher and who is the disciple?” Knowing their thoughts, the Celestial Worthy produced by transformation a crystal pearl, set it in the palm of his hand for all to see, and said to them, “Look at this pearl: inside and out it is thoroughly clear and bright, with nothing obstructing it.” He continued, “When I look at you, it is just as when I look at this pearl: there is no veiling within your hearts.”

The Celestial Worthy wished only to display the transformations of his spiritual powers, and so, by an expedient means, he said to them, “Manifest the power of your Dao.” Thereupon the Celestial Worthy rose up, his body surging, and said, “Look at this pearl: inside and out it is thoroughly clear and bright, with nothing obstructing it.” He said again, “When I look at you, it is just as when I look at this pearl: there is no veiling within your hearts.”

The Celestial Worthy merely wished to display miraculous transformations, and so he expediently told them, “Let me show you the power of my Dao (the Way).” Thereupon the Celestial Worthy rose into the air: above there was nowhere for him to rest, and below there was nothing on which he could rely. Then he suddenly descended to the ground, and his feet trod the earth as if treading the surface of water. Next he walked upon the water as if walking on level ground, and at last returned to his original seat.

Seeing this supernatural power, the king, his consort, and the ministers discussed it among themselves, saying, “This great master’s divine power is beyond compare. Never before have we witnessed so rare a thing.”

At this moment the Celestial Worthy knew what was in their minds, and so he manifested the “thirty-two marks and eighty excellent characteristics” (features used in Buddhist and Daoist scriptures to describe the majestic, perfect appearance of a sage). Light streamed from the crown of his head and illuminated the ten directions, so intense that the radiance of the sun and moon was obscured and vanished from sight. Mountains of earth and stone, and all grasses and trees, likewise turned entirely to gold. The Celestial Worthy’s light was like the kalpa-waters (the great flood that submerges the world at the end of a kalpa), spreading across heaven and earth; all things sank from view, leaving only a boundless expanse of water—such was precisely the scene.

Those dark places, which even the bright rays of the sun and moon could not reach, now all became luminous. The beings there saw one another and said in astonishment, “How is it that you have suddenly appeared here?”

At this moment the Tianzun (Celestial Worthy, the honorific title Daoism gives its supreme deity) once more displayed an immense body, vast and boundless, filling the whole of empty space so that not a gap remained; then, all at once, he reduced that body until it was as fine as a mote of dust. After manifesting these transformations, the Tianzun, still in the void, breathed forth five-colored light from his mouth. The light became a jeweled canopy and then took shape as a precious throne adorned with lions and lotuses.

The throne had silver for its brow ornaments, agate for its roots, lapis lazuli for its main body, purple gold for its pillars, crystal for its branches, and giant-clam shell for its leaves. Its platform was set with precious and beautiful treasures, bright-moon jewels served as its floral ornaments, and exquisite rarities decorated the ritual implements. The Tianzun appeared and took his seat upon the throne. Nineteen great kings, together with all the people of the lands in the ten directions, saw the Tianzun seated in the void upon a lotus throne of the seven treasures. Gathering all kinds of rare and costly flowers in the folds of their robes, they followed the light into his presence, scattered the flowers toward him, walked around him three times, paid their respects, and sat down.

The Tianzun then further brought forth, in the void, hundreds and thousands of jeweled canopies, and beneath them hundreds and thousands of lion thrones. Upon each throne were hundreds and thousands of Tianzun, and beside each Tianzun hundreds and thousands of immortal lads and jade maidens waited in attendance. Countless beings also rose up from the ground, each scattering wondrous flowers of the heavenly realms toward the Tianzun. The blossoms flew in from every side and fell in showers, like a great snow descending from the sky. At the same time, the instruments of heaven and the music of song and dance sounded in the air.

Many kings of the celestial demons also arrived with their hosts of troops. Some had human bodies and the heads of beasts; others had taken the strange forms of dragons, serpents, and the like. Following the light, they came before the Tianzun, first paid homage, then withdrew to one side and sat down. After them, great ghost kings, yakshas, rakshasas, and every kind of ghostly multitude—beings beyond number—gathered as well. Birds of unusual form and beautiful voice circled the Tianzun, giving forth eight kinds of pleasing sound.

The dragon kings of the four seas all came too. The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea wore blue-green robes and a blue-green crown, held a blue-green banner, and spread a blue-green canopy, leading countless attendants dressed in blue-green. The Dragon King of the Southern Sea wore red robes and a red crown, held a red banner, and spread a red canopy, leading countless attendants dressed in red. The Dragon King of the Western Sea wore white robes and a white crown, held a white banner, and spread a white canopy, leading countless attendants dressed in white. The Dragon King of the Northern Sea wore black robes and a black crown, held a black banner, and spread a black canopy, leading countless attendants dressed in black. Following the light, they came before the Tianzun, walked around him three times, paid their respects, and sat down.

In the scripture, the phrase “circumambulating three turns” means walking around three times, a ritual gesture of reverence. Blue-green, red, white, and black are matched respectively with the four directions and the four seas. The original contains a number of repeated sentences; the rendering above follows their main content in sequence.

At this time, the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), seeing that countless beings had already gathered, manifested tens of thousands of Celestial Worthies. These Celestial Worthies entered through the crown of his head and suddenly vanished. With one and the same voice, the Celestial Worthy proclaimed the Mahayana scriptures (a Mahayana Buddhist term, here referring to profound and vast teachings) to the assembly present, the various heavens, the beings of the human world, and ghosts and spirits. The eight classes of devas and nagas present (devas, dragons, and other hosts of dharma-protecting deities), each according to the understanding proper to their own kind, grasped what that single voice expressed, and said to one another: “Today the Celestial Worthy expounds the profound principles of the True Dharma, and his revelation is exceedingly broad.”

At this time, an immortal beheld this inconceivable display of spiritual powers. Tens of thousands more Celestial Worthies, all seated upon lion thrones of the seven treasures, then likewise entered through the crown of the Celestial Worthy’s head and entirely disappeared. The immortal addressed the Celestial Worthy: “The countless Celestial Worthies and their attendants whom I saw just now have now all vanished. Will this not give rise to doubt? Hosts of demons may come to disturb me.”

At this time, the Celestial Worthy said to the immortal and the assembly present: “It is like a still and silent night…” [The original text breaks off here; what follows is incomplete in meaning.]

At that time, the Celestial Worthy said to the immortals and the assembly present: “Suppose that on a still night one sets out a hundred basins of water, and a moon is reflected in each, so that there are a hundred basins of water and a hundred moons. Are there truly a hundred moons in the sky?” The immortals answered, “No.” The Celestial Worthy said, “The bodily form I now manifest is just the same, like the moon in the sky reflected in a hundred basins of water. What is there to find strange in that?”

When the Celestial Worthy had finished these words, three hundred and sixty people all became lower immortals, thirty thousand celestial beings all became higher immortals, and the nineteen great kings all became divine immortals.

At that time the great kings thought to themselves, “So great an assembly is gathered here; we ought to bathe in fragrant water.” The Celestial Worthy knew their thoughts and at once brought forth a pure pool: its floor was paved with gold, and white silver lay within it like sand. The water was clear and fragrant, neither cold nor hot but exactly temperate, so that everyone felt comfortable.

When the assembly entered the pool to bathe, the water changed according to their wishes. If they wished it to cover their feet, it covered their feet; if they wished it to reach their knees or waists, it rose to their knees or waists accordingly; if they wished it to wash over the whole body, it immersed the whole body. All who entered aroused the resolve to pursue the unsurpassed, true and correct Great Dao (the Way), and every illness of the body was healed. Across the floor of the pool grew all manner of wondrous flowers—jewel flowers, thousand-petaled lotuses, and every kind of flower of the celestial realms—their fragrance rich and drifting out in the eight directions. People of the world who smelled it could become celestial immortals and realize the unsurpassed Dao.

What is called the unsurpassed Dao is unborn and undying, unextinguished and undestroyed, unchanging and unaltered, neither coming nor going; it is neither substantial existence nor empty nonexistence. The “One” is not apart from “emptiness”; the realm is still, clear, and lucid, plain and at ease. This is called the unsurpassed Great Dao. When the Celestial Worthy had finished these words, the celestial beings of the ten directions all realized the unsurpassed Dao, and thirty-seven immortals all attained the six supernatural powers and realized the fruit of the Dao.

At that time the great kings thought to themselves, “It is already the hour of the midday meal. A countless assembly is here, and the food may not be enough to go around.” The Celestial Worthy knew their thoughts and said to the great kings, “A single basin of rice will suffice.” Exercising divine power, the Celestial Worthy turned one basin of rice into food enough for the countless assembly, so that everyone ate their fill, and the rice that remained was piled as high as Mount Kunlun.

The Celestial Worthy again exercised divine power, taking Mount Kunlun up in the palm and soaring through the air to Daluo Tian (the highest heaven spoken of in Daoism). Everyone present saw it with their own eyes: supporting Mount Kunlun with his right hand, he himself still sat upright in his original place, and he also displayed the mountain for the ten directions to behold. The movement was as easy as a strong man bending and extending his arm. He then set the mountain back in its original place, without causing any damage at all.

For the assembly present who were listening to the teaching, the Celestial Worthy further exercised supernatural powers. To those who were slack and to those who delighted in hearing the teaching, he expounded the teaching separately, each according to their capacity. He also stretched seven days into one kalpa (an extremely long span of time), yet made those who listened feel that only the length of a meal had passed.

Seeing these supernatural powers and merits, and knowing that the Celestial Worthy had accomplished the most supreme ritual of giving and had delivered innumerable beings, the nineteen great kings asked, “Under which teacher did this Celestial Worthy study? Which teaching-gate of the Great Vehicle did he learn? Please indicate to us where our original teacher dwells.”

The Celestial Worthy said: “Excellent, excellent! Listen carefully, listen carefully. I have ten teachers, and they are not far from you.”

The nineteen kings rose and stepped forward. After paying their respects, they knelt and said to the Celestial Worthy: “We pray that you will instruct us: where is the fundamental master?”

The Celestial Worthy said:

“I have seen that people of the world cling to the desires of the mouth and belly, kill living beings, and make their living by fishing and hunting—releasing hawks, loosing hounds, and shooting birds in flight—cutting short the lives of all creatures. After death they fall into hell, and only after vast ages do they emerge, to be reborn thereafter as mayflies, born at dawn and dead by dusk. This is because in former lives they killed other beings. I therefore renounced killing and obtained a long-lived, undecaying body. This is my first teacher.

“I have seen that people of the world steal, leave debts unpaid, and break agreements in order to evade them. After death they fall into hell, and only after vast ages do they emerge, to be reborn thereafter as donkeys and other beasts of burden, carrying heavy loads and suffering the lash; after death they are also flayed, in pain beyond bearing. I therefore renounced theft and naturally obtained treasures. This is my second teacher.

“I have seen that people of the world constantly harbor anger, nurse venomous resentment in their hearts, knot bitter hatred, and remain forever sorrowful and in pain. After death they fall into hell and enter evil paths again, and only after vast ages do they emerge, to be reborn thereafter as vipers. I therefore renounced anger and obtained firm, unshakable strength. This is my third teacher.

“I have seen that people of the world cling to desire and commit licentious disorder, violating the wives of others. After death they fall into hell: men embrace pillars of copper, and women lie upon beds of iron, their whole bodies scorched and rotting, in pain beyond endurance. Only after vast ages do they emerge, to be reborn thereafter as men or women without the power to reproduce, through five hundred lifetimes. I therefore renounced licentiousness, so that body and mind remain ever pure. This is my fourth teacher.

“I have seen that people of the world spread gossip and stir up strife, speaking of others’ strengths and shortcomings, uttering false and showy words, and slandering one another, so that the bonds of kindness among rulers and ministers, parents, friends, and close kin are severed and they no longer trust one another. After death they fall into hell and suffer the punishments of having the tongue pulled out and molten copper poured in. Only after vast ages do they emerge, to be reborn thereafter as oxen, knowing only how to seek water and grass and understanding nothing else. Even if later reborn as human beings, they are born deaf and mute, with foul breath, unloved by others, and the words they speak are believed by no one. I therefore renounced the spreading of gossip. Now my voice possesses eight excellent qualities, and the words I speak accord with proper measure; gods and humans alike delight to hear them. This is my fifth teacher.

“I have seen that people of the world envy those superior to themselves, contend for fame and merit, boast and compete for supremacy, and have not the least heart of humility or yielding. After death they fall into hell, and only after vast ages do they emerge, to be reborn thereafter in remote barbarian lands, deaf, blind, and mute—possessing human form yet lacking human feeling and reason. I therefore renounced envy. Now my wisdom is like the sea. I skillfully employ every kind of method; my mind does not cling to what is false and empty; and I expound the true Dharma without end, most honored and supreme amid the great assembly—like one who raises a torch in a dark room and disperses every darkness. This is my sixth teacher.

“I have seen that people of the world crave wine and rich flavors. Once drunk, they grow confused and curse others, lose the true Dharma and the pure nature of the Dao (the Way), and create evil karma. After death they fall into the hell of boiling excrement and suffer the torment of stench and filth day and night; only after vast ages do they emerge. Even if reborn as human beings, they become mad, deaf, and deranged in mind, and never again hear the wondrous sound of the true Dharma. I therefore abstained from wine. Now my mind is like the sun and moon, illuminating all things, so that even dark and hidden places grow bright. This is my seventh teacher.

“I have seen that people of the world hoard wealth yet will not give it to help others—not even to their own brothers, wives, and children—clinging to their possessions until they die. Later they are reborn as hungry ghosts: the water they drink turns to pus, and the food they eat turns to charcoal. I therefore renounced stinginess and greedy craving. Now I enjoy what the heavenly kitchen provides, a hundred flavors naturally complete. This is my eighth teacher.

“I have seen that people of the world rely on wealth and high station to look down on lonely, suffering elders, making sport of them and mocking them. Later they are reborn in low and humble estate, short of stature, slighted and mocked by the crowd, bearing the evil retribution they themselves created. Whenever I see those who are poor, ugly, maimed in limb, or incomplete in the senses, I grieve for them. Now I have obtained a pure and wondrous body, foremost in radiance, beyond compare among all gods and humans and among all dharmas. This is my ninth teacher.

“I have seen that people of the world do not honor their parents, do not respect their uncles, and do not cherish their children and grandchildren; when their parents instruct them, they will not listen. Sons are unfilial and fathers unkind; elder brothers are disrespectful and younger brothers disobedient; husbands are untrustworthy and wives unfaithful. After death they fall into hell and cycle without rest through the five paths, with no day of release. Thereafter they are reborn as grubs—larvae that live in decaying matter—coming into being by spontaneous transformation, without parents, wives, children, or kin. Only after one kalpa of this can they be reborn again as human beings, and then they are born in remote lands lacking ritual and righteousness. I therefore devoted myself single-mindedly to cultivating the Dao, so that the ancestors of seven generations, together with my parents, all ascended to heaven. This is my tenth teacher.

“I practiced every kind of good deed, obtained the six supernatural powers, beheld measureless wisdom, gained the power of unimpeded spiritual mastery, and in the end arrived directly at the Dao-field, the place where cultivation culminates in attainment of the Way.”

When these words were spoken, the mother goddesses of the ten directions were all thereby able to ascend to heaven; they are my ten venerable teachers. I cultivated every kind of good deed and thus obtained the six supernatural powers (six kinds of extraordinary cognition and ability), beheld immeasurable wisdom, and gained the power to employ supernatural abilities freely, until I reached the field of the Dao (the Way; Daochang, the place where cultivation is accomplished).

When these words were spoken, the celestial beings of the ten directions all realized the true Dao. Demon kings, ghosts, and spirits of every kind also saw the signs of attaining the Dao, and the scene was beyond conception. At that moment the orthodox teaching was proclaimed, and the immortals thereby attained the rank of exalted Perfected (the higher realm of the Perfected).

The immortals rose from their seats, bowed with their heads to the ground, and then knelt upright to ask the Celestial Worthy: “How should this great scripture (Jing) of today be upheld?”

The Celestial Worthy said: “This scripture is called the Marvelous Scripture of the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure on the Transformations of Supernatural Power, the Ten Teachers, and the Salvation of Beings. You should uphold it. If someone carrying dry grass on his back walks into a great fire and the fire does not burn him, that still does not count as difficult; if someone hurls Mount Kunlun far away to another place, that too does not count as difficult. What is truly difficult is to recite this scripture and explain it for others.

One who wishes to seek the Dao of the immortals should read this scripture; one who wishes to seek a good reputation and honored status should also read this scripture; one who wishes to seek wealth, nobility, and long life should also read this scripture; one who wishes, life after life, to meet an enlightened teacher should also read this scripture.

This scripture is exceedingly exalted, and its power surpasses my supernatural abilities. Anyone who can uphold, copy, and recite this scripture will be able to meet me. Even if I do not appear before you, I will cause such a person to sit securely in the field of the Dao. The Celestial Worthies of the ten directions will stroke the crown of his head with their own hands and, by the power of their majestic spirits, protect him, so that he may be spared decline and calamity.”

When the scripture had been fully expounded, the heavenly dragons, the divine spirits, and the whole assembly present all heard this orthodox canon and rejoiced without end. Together they rose, came forward to pay homage, took their leave, and departed.