《太上灵宝洪福灭罪像名经》

In former times, the crown prince of King Anren was named Taixu, and his courtesy name was Haikong. He single-mindedly vowed to leave the household and cultivate the Dao (the Way). His royal father, tenderly moved by the firmness of his resolve and the uprightness of his nature, knew that he would be hard to stop. He therefore summoned the Unsurpassed Perfected of the kingdom (an honorific in Daoism for a realized one who has attained the Dao) and had him come into the celestial palace.

The prince knelt and advanced, kowtowed in salute, and begged the Perfected to extend his grace: “Taixu is fortunate; only after passing through a thousand years have I been able to meet a true master. I look up to heaven and earth and to all the divinities, at once joyful and awestruck, and I do not know how to give thanks. This disciple has heard of the great method of Lingbao, the true Jing (scripture/classic) of the Three Primes, the Purple Writings of Shangqing, and the Golden Slips and Jade Registers (names symbolizing sacred scriptures and documents of transmission and ordination), whose characters are a full zhang square and whose patterned brilliance shines with light. With all my heart I revere these scriptures, and I earnestly beg the Perfected to bring forth what has been kept in secret store and bestow instruction, so as to comfort this heart that seeks the Dao.”

The Unsurpassed Perfected answered with delight: “Good, good! That you seek the Dao with a concentrated mind, prostrate yourself, and take refuge is rarely seen across successive ages. My true scriptures will be transmitted into the world, to deliver and transform the various heavens and all people. Within them the precepts are strict and clear, the numinous writings precious and hidden, and the mysteries of the ultimate Dao are not necessarily known even to the middle immortals. Although you are noble as heir apparent, and can cleanse your thoughts and revere the methods of the Dao, a mundane body is turbid and defiled, and they cannot be lightly transmitted to you.”

When the prince heard this, he cast himself to the ground with all five limbs, and kneeling he moved forward in the direction before the Perfected and presented his address: “The world is vain and insubstantial; nothing is real and unchanging. Birth, old age, sickness, and death never cease from generation to generation. Even one who occupies a high station—who can retain it for long? Human life is brief, like sparks struck from stone, flowing water, bubbles and shadows, and lightning, and is hard to liken to anything else. Even if the methods of the Dao are supremely profound and secret, I seek only to gaze upon the titles of the scripture chapters. I earnestly beg the Perfected to arouse great compassion and open the teaching for me.”

Taixu asked to resign his place as heir apparent and to live in seclusion amid deep mountains and forests. His royal father, out of fond concern, at last granted his sincere wish. The Perfected, knowing that Taixu sought the Dao in earnest and had an affinity with the true Dao, opened the Purple Yang jade casket (a jade case for storing scriptures) and the pouch of cloud brocade. Following the ritual of transmission, he swore a covenant toward Heaven and transmitted to him the Lingbao true writs, the Precepts of the Three Primes in Grades.

Taixu then kowtowed and struck his own face, thereby expressing reverent thanks for the Perfected’s great kindness. After receiving the true scripture, he firmly took leave of his royal father and entered Mount Renniao, where he kept himself pure, observed the fast and the precepts, and studied with a concentrated mind. Twelve years later, the Five Elder Thearchs (deities of Daoism) conferred writings upon Taixu, enabling him to become a Perfected.

When the day of the Middle Prime arrived (the Daoist day of fasting on the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month), Taixu, in the principal hall of the palace, set everything in solemn order and cleanliness. He arranged divine banners and jeweled canopies, numinous fruits and famed flowers, and displayed the precious vessels of the kingdom, renowned incense and treasures, and every kind of pure and exquisite food and drink. He set up mountain trays and distributed the offerings according to the directions. The renowned incense rose with the wind, shot straight into the Nine Heavens, and reached the celestial palace above.

At this time, the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, a revered deity of Daoism) saw that within the Great Void there were living beings who could be taught and delivered. He bestowed all kinds of beautiful colored offerings, precious incense and treasures, and pure, abundant, and splendid provisions such as food of a hundred flavors. They set out offering trays and presented offerings according to the rites of each direction. Renowned incense rose with the wind, soaring straight into the Nine Heavens and drifting up to the celestial palaces.

The Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning again saw living beings in the Great Void who were worthy of deliverance, and came together with the flying celestial immortals, the imperial lords of the various heavens, the jade lads and jade maidens, the vajra spirit-kings, and the celestial warriors and strongmen. Some led the way in front and others followed behind. Descending from the northwest of heaven, they passed through the void and arrived before the assembly. At that moment a host of supreme sages had gathered in the celestial palaces, yet there was no crowding or obstruction. In an instant the Celestial Worthy emitted from his mouth a subtle radiance of five colors, illuminating all the heavens and the three-thousand great-thousand worlds (the vast universe). Everything was clearly visible, with nothing standing in the way, as plain as looking at the palm of one’s own hand—a realm beyond conception.

The Celestial Worthy addressed the four assemblies present (the four kinds of listeners at a Daoist ritual gathering): “I have heard that the men and women of the world, through lifetime after lifetime, have never been able to purify their minds and natures. They are often arrogant and extravagant, indulgent and willful, and entangled by afflictions. For this reason their lives are short, and they can find no path of liberation. For the beings of the future I now set forth expedient methods, to help them remove every kind of suffering, so that all may widely obtain peace and joy, together turn toward the good Dao (the Way), and enter upon the profound path of cultivation.” Thereupon the four assemblies reverently received and upheld his words, and listened with full attention as the Celestial Worthy expounded the teaching.

The Celestial Worthy said: “The deeds that living beings perform, and the karmic causes of those deeds, do not arise from only one source. Conditions of good and evil, of suffering and emptiness, and every other such state extend throughout all the dharma-realms. The karmic fruits and entanglements brought by all kinds of evil karma are without bound or limit. For the sake of beings in later ages, I have briefly arranged the articles of the precepts and now expound the twenty-four classes of precepts, to guide and exhort those who have lost the true Dao, so that they may at last enter the sanctuary of cultivation and, according to what each attains through practice, receive the corresponding fruit. These precepts are like a precious sword that cuts off afflictions, and like a lamp of the Dharma that illuminates the four kinds of delusion. They quiet the mind within and remove worldly toil; they dissolve outer bonds, purify every sense, and lead one through the gate of right contemplation, until at last they guide living beings to the realm of liberation.” Thereupon the Unsurpassed Perfected and the immortals present all received the precepts, paid homage, and practiced as the teaching prescribed.

At this time there was in the assembly a Perfected named Xianwei. Seeing this solemn and supremely auspicious gathering, he was filled with boundless joy and addressed the Celestial Thearch Lord: “I had heard before of assemblies so grand, in which the teaching was proclaimed amid blazing majesty, yet I never expected to meet one in person today. The gods and sages of all the heavens proclaim together a single voice of the teaching, and the conditions of this realm and of other realms are as clear as the lines on the palm. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning shines with manifest brilliance, inspiring awe among gods and spirits. Immortal ministers attend on the left, and perfected elders guard on the right. The Vermilion Phoenix, the Dark Turtle, the Azure Dragon, and the White Tiger, together with celestial youths and maidens and countless hosts of spirits, circle about and gather in the void in splendor beyond compare, and the treasure store is thereby opened. Those in the assembly may rise into the ranks of the lofty Perfected, and even beginners enter the grades of the immortals. I have heard that beings of the lower world are stained by the Three Evils (in Buddhist and Daoist scriptures, the evil destinies or evil deeds)—without compassion, without filial piety, and without humaneness—and that their sinful karma binds them to the Three Officials (the divine offices governing Heaven, Earth, and Water), so that they cannot gain release. To what should they turn in order to obtain pardon and the washing away of their faults? And how should they cultivate in order to receive absolution?”

The Celestial Worthy said: “You should listen and receive this with a concentrated mind. I now disclose for you a teaching never before heard, explaining affliction and removing the obstructions of delusion. One should open the realm of Xuandu (the celestial capital of the immortals in Daoist lore) and proclaim the true writs on the jade slips together with the honored titles of the Celestial Worthies, so that those who come after may awaken thereby. One must sincerely take refuge, keep purity and ritual fasting, burn incense and light lamps, and with single-minded faith worship the mysterious titles of the Primordial Worthy and the precious secret texts, also revering the hosts of immortals, bowing in prayer, reciting, and holding them in mind. In this way one may eliminate deep and hidden sinful karma, be born in the human world or in the heavens, leave suffering and attain liberation, lessen offenses as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and accumulate countless good conditions. Therefore one should take refuge with a concentrated mind, believe, and pay reverence.”

With faith and reverence, honor the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, of Vacuity and Spontaneity.

With faith and reverence, honor the Celestial Worthy of Vacuity and Spontaneity of the Golden Portal and Jade Chamber in Heaven.

With faith and reverence, honor the Celestial Worthy who, within the Garden of the Fragrant Grove, radiates great light and rescues beings from suffering.

With faith and reverence, honor the Celestial Worthy, the Great Thearch of the Celestial Sovereign.

With a sincere heart we respectfully pay homage to the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of Wondrous Contemplation and Immortal Wisdom, the Celestial Worthy of the Wisdom of the Dao (the Way) and of True Emptiness, the Celestial Worthy of Enduring Joy and Empty Stillness, the Celestial Worthy of Saving Life and of Equality, the Celestial Worthy Who Bridges All, the Celestial Worthy of the One Vehicle and the Cloud Net, the Celestial Worthy of the Golden Name and Wondrous Stillness, the Celestial Worthy of Supreme De (Virtue/Power) and Universal Compassion, the Celestial Worthy of Luminous Wisdom and Empty Wisdom, the Celestial Worthy of Wuwei (non-action) and of No Favor, and the Celestial Worthy of True Emptiness and Wondrous Being.

With a sincere heart we respectfully pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Golden Name and Wondrous Stillness, the Celestial Worthy of Supreme De and Universal Compassion, the Celestial Worthy of Luminous Wisdom and Empty Wisdom, the Celestial Worthy of Wuwei and of No Favor, the Celestial Worthy of True Emptiness and Wondrous Being, the Celestial Worthy who is the Dharma King of Undifferentiated Unity, the Celestial Worthy of Twofold Mystery and Wondrous Supremacy, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Sameness without Obstruction, the Celestial Worthy of Brahma Qi (vital energy) and Primordial Merit, the Celestial Worthy Crystallized as Jasper, the Celestial Worthy of Golden Efflorescence Congealed at the Origin, the Celestial Worthy of the Ocean of the Dao and the Treasure Mountain, the Celestial Worthy of the Upper Cavern and the Three Heavens, the Celestial Worthy of Carefree Wandering in the Three Realms, the Celestial Worthy of Precious Truth and the Dharma Treasure, the Celestial Worthy of the Hundred Treasures of Taiqing (Great Clarity), the Celestial Worthy of Broad Instruction and Skillful Means, the Celestial Worthy of Great Mystery and Primordial Truth, the Celestial Worthy of the Central Mountain in Constant Stillness, the Celestial Worthy, Lofty Sovereign of the Three Heavens, the Celestial Worthy of Great Subtlety and Twofold Mystery, the Celestial Worthy of Immortal Simplicity, the Supreme Perfected, the Celestial Worthy of Fragrant Light in Undifferentiated Completion, the Celestial Worthy of Pure Emptiness and the Cloud Palace, the Celestial Worthy of Governing Wisdom and the Mysterious Origin, the Celestial Worthy of Pure Conduct and the Dharma Treasure, the Celestial Worthy of Cause and Effect Forever One, the Celestial Worthy of Causal Conditions and the Flow of Blessings, the Celestial Worthy of Lofty Supremacy and Radiant Marks, the Celestial Worthy Most Supreme Who Saves from Suffering, the Celestial Worthy of the Turning of the Dao and Lofty Wisdom, the Celestial Worthy of the Dharma Governance of the Three Heavens, the Celestial Worthy, Holy King of Great Perfection, the Celestial Worthy of the Mysterious Records Who Gives Rise to the Precepts, and the Venerable of the Mysterious Assembly.

Here, “xinli” means to hold in faith and to worship with reverent respect. This scriptural passage lists in sequence the titles of the various Celestial Worthies for recitation and homage; in these titles, “Celestial Worthy” is the Daoist honorific for exalted deities.

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of the Prosperous Course of the Dao (the Way) and of Lofty Wisdom (the Celestial Worthy whose Dao proceeds in smooth prosperity and whose wisdom is lofty and wondrous).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Law, Governance, and the Three Heavens (the Celestial Worthy who administers laws and statutes and rules the Three Heavens).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy, Holy King of Supreme Truth (the Celestial Worthy who is the most true and exalted of holy kings).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Order and Life-Giving Precepts (the Celestial Worthy who governs the profound norms of order and, through precepts, awakens the vitality of life).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Comprehension and the Wheel of the Law (the Celestial Worthy who fully grasps the profound and wondrous principle and turns the Wheel of the Law).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Constant Motion and Saving Deliverance (the Celestial Worthy who moves without cease and saves all living beings).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Sea of the Law, Holy and True (the Celestial Worthy whose gate of the Law is vast as the sea, holy, pure, and genuine).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Divine Dao and Wise Transformation (the Celestial Worthy who understands the wondrous Dao and is skilled in working its transformations).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Jade Truth Who Ascends in Flight (the Celestial Worthy who rises in flight within the realm of Jade Truth).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Empty and Pure Cloud Palace (the Celestial Worthy who dwells in the pure Cloud Palace).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Nine Sages of Purple Clarity (the nine sages of the celestial realm of Purple Clarity).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Formed in the Azure Empyrean (the Celestial Worthy who takes form in the celestial realm of the Azure Empyrean).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Who Rightly Opens Emptiness and Stillness (the Celestial Worthy who opens the orthodox Dao and reveals the principle of emptiness and quiescence).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Carefree Ease and Golden Light (the Celestial Worthy who is free and untrammeled, and whose body radiates golden light).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Condensed Golden Form (the Celestial Worthy whose golden, majestic appearance gathers into a venerable presence).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Silver Tablets and Wondrous Bliss (the Celestial Worthy associated with silver tablets and exquisite bliss).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Dao’s Course and Divine Transformation (the Celestial Worthy who causes the movement of the Dao to manifest wondrous transformations).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Silent Stillness and Jade Light (the Celestial Worthy who is pure, still, and silent, and whose body bears a jade light).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Life-Giving Precepts and Spontaneity (the Celestial Worthy who sustains the vitality of life through precepts and accords with what is natural).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Firm and Constant De (Virtue/Power) (the Celestial Worthy who brings to completion a solid and unchanging constant Virtue).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Light and Wondrous Treasure (the Celestial Worthy who possesses a profound numinous light and wondrous treasures).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Concentrated Stillness in the Golden Heaven (the Celestial Worthy who gathers Shen (spirit) into stillness and dwells in the Golden Heaven).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Lofty Supremacy and the Lamp of the Law (the Celestial Worthy who is lofty, wondrous, and surpassing, and who illuminates like a lamp of the Law).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Supreme Numinosity Who Opens Radiance (the Celestial Worthy who is supremely numinous and wondrous and who opens forth brilliance).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Who Responds to Causes and Opens Guidance (the Celestial Worthy who resonates with causes and conditions and who instructs and guides).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Who Spreads Light in a Hundred Transformations (the Celestial Worthy whose light spreads far and wide and who manifests many kinds of transformation).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Whose De Pervades the Empty Void (the Celestial Worthy whose Virtue fills the mysterious realm of cavernous emptiness).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Who Arrives in Response, Manifests Numinously amid Incense, and Opens Radiance (the Celestial Worthy who comes through sympathetic response, reveals a numinous presence in the incense offering, and emits brilliance).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Who Responds to Causes and Opens Guidance.

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Who Spreads Light in a Hundred Transformations.

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Whose De Pervades the Empty Void.

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Who Arrives in Response to the Incense Grove (the Celestial Worthy who comes through sympathetic response and is associated with the grove of incense).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Who Saves the World and Grants Lasting Joy (the Celestial Worthy who delivers the people of the world and bestows enduring peace and happiness).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Western Radiance and Wondrous Transformation (the Celestial Worthy who is radiant in the West and works wondrous transformation).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Pure Origin and Wondrous Bliss (the Celestial Worthy of the pure and simple primordial origin who brings wondrous bliss).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy Who Illumines the Myriad Ways (the Celestial Worthy who causes every way to shine with light).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Broadly Moving Source of the Dao (the Celestial Worthy in whom the primordial source of the Dao moves far and wide).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Myriad Purities and the True Origin (the Celestial Worthy through whom the myriad things are pure and return to the true origin).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Western Radiance and Wondrous Transformation.

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of Western Radiance in the Bright Capital (the Celestial Worthy who presides over Western Radiance within the Bright Capital).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy, King of the Law of the Southern Extremity (the Celestial Worthy who is the King of the Law in the celestial realm of the Southern Extremity).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Wheel of the Law of Eastern Florescence (the Celestial Worthy who turns the Wheel of the Law in the celestial realm of Eastern Florescence).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Golden Terrace, Noble and Wondrous (the Celestial Worthy who dwells upon the Golden Terrace, venerable and exquisitely fine).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Golden Law Condensed in Emptiness (the Celestial Worthy whose golden manifestation of the Law condenses and appears in the realm of emptiness).

In faith and reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of the Subtle and Infinitesimal, Unobstructed (the Celestial Worthy who abides in the profound, minute, and wondrous realm and penetrates freely, without hindrance).

Here the words of faithful worship are repeated to express belief and ritual homage, as the holy titles of the Celestial Worthies are invoked one by one. This is the manner of praise and veneration in Daoist rites of repentance.

We believe in and reverently honor the peerless Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) who widely bestows loving-kindness; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy skilled in employing all manner of expedient methods and in accomplishing numerous wondrous teachings; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who cultivates the Six Perfections (six methods of practice) and fully comprehends the Three Vehicles (the Great Vehicle, the Middle Vehicle, and the Small Vehicle).

We believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy of the “Mysterious.” We believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy, Wondrous Worthy of the Golden Terrace; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who condenses the void by means of the golden method; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who is subtle, profound, and far-reaching, and who penetrates without obstruction.

We believe in and reverently honor the peerless Celestial Worthy who widely bestows loving-kindness; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy skilled in employing all manner of expedient methods and in accomplishing numerous wondrous teachings; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who cultivates the Six Perfections and fully comprehends the Three Vehicles; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who is mysteriously wondrous and radiant, and truly penetrating; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who circulates radiance and widely practices the good Dao (the Way); we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who is lucid in wisdom and in accord with the ultimate Dao; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who accords with the timely moment and leads people to ascend the ranks of the immortals; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who, through Wuwei (non-action), abides in the highest grade; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who, by numinous and wondrous power, responds to circumstances and bestows the teaching; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who opens the realm of the Vermilion Ultimate and saves all beings; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy, Wondrous Worthy of the Golden Sage; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy of the Three Floresences of the Western Numen; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who often proclaims the wondrous teaching; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who constantly dispels afflictions; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who, like a lofty and supreme boat, ferries all beings across; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who elevates the mysterious realm and, by the teaching, delivers all beings; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who upholds the precepts in cultivation and helps all beings pass through calamity; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who forms a wondrous realm within the Purple Empyrean; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy of the Highest Grade of Eastern Florescence; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who saves and delivers life.

We believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who constantly dispels afflictions; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who, like a lofty and supreme boat, ferries all beings across; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who elevates the mysterious realm and, by the teaching, delivers all beings; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who upholds the precepts in cultivation and helps all beings pass through calamity; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who forms a wondrous realm within the Purple Empyrean; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy of the Highest Grade of Eastern Florescence; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who saves and delivers life and transcends attachment to form and appearance; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who concentrates Shen (spirit) in stillness and is firm as a golden citadel; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy of wondrous florescence throughout the ten directions, penetrating without obstruction; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who accords with the Great Dao and returns to true emptiness; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who uproots suffering and truly relieves all beings; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy whose precious light shines bright and who dwells in the realm of the Purple Void; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy of pure countenance who brings wondrous joy; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who is beyond conception and universally compassionate; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy whose wisdom accords with the Dao and whose transformations reach high and far; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy of Jade Perfection of the Upper Capital; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who peacefully unfolds transformation within the cloud palaces; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy who, by mysterious power, rescues all beings and brings them to liberation; we believe in and reverently honor the Celestial Worthy of the empty luminosity of the Great Dao.

With utmost sincerity one pays homage to the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of Empty Brightness and Lofty Excellence, with utmost sincerity to the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Brightness and the True Dao (the Way), with utmost sincerity to the Celestial Worthy of Illuminating Brightness and Supreme Destiny, with utmost sincerity to the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Stillness and Skillful Means, with utmost sincerity to the Celestial Worthy of the True Dao Whose Work Is Accomplished, with utmost sincerity to the Celestial Worthy of Profound Serenity and Everlasting Joy, and with utmost sincerity to the Celestial Worthy, the Dharma King Who Saves from Suffering. One then further pays homage to the Celestial Worthies of Mysterious Brightness and the True Dao, of Illuminating Brightness and Supreme Destiny, of Wondrous Stillness and Skillful Means, of the True Dao Whose Work Is Accomplished, of Profound Serenity and Everlasting Joy, and the Dharma King Who Saves from Suffering, and the others.

At that time, the one hundred and twenty Celestial Worthies who answer when their titles are invoked, the thirty-six divisions of honored Jing (scriptures), and all the worthy and sagely Celestial Worthies were present in the True Realm of Wondrous Joy. By spiritual powers they transformed and delivered the beings of the Three Realms, so that beings everywhere entered a state of peace and joy, in accord with the Great Dao and united with the True Dao.

If men and women among the people can, with hearts of utmost sincerity, pay homage throughout to these compassionate Celestial Worthies who save and deliver, they will receive the protection of the spiritual power recorded in the jade caskets and precious cases within the Bureau of Numinous Officials of the Limitless World. The scripture says that people in the various evil prisons of Fengdu pass through calamities and hardships across the ages, long unable to gain release, enduring every kind of evil retribution, and not knowing when they may return. All such karmic offenses are prayed to the Celestial Worthies to remove, so that the Three Paths—the places of suffering such as the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals—may be liberated, and the Five Paths—the five destinations through which beings cycle in rebirth—may be clear, tranquil, and secure. Beings may forever leave the dark realms of suffering, be reborn in the heavens, and roam free and at ease, unconstrained, with clothing and food naturally sufficient.

This both depends upon the Celestial Worthies’ compassion in broadly bestowing grace and answers the wish of male and female devotees who turn their hearts to revere the Dao and pay homage with sincerity.

One then, with utmost sincerity, pays homage to the saving Celestial Worthies of the various directions: the Celestial Worthy of Universal Compassion and Salvation of the East, the Celestial Worthy of Great Compassion Who Saves from Suffering of the South, the Celestial Worthy of Compassionate Reverence Who Protects Souls of the West, the Celestial Worthy Who Prolongs Life and Averts Death of the North, the Celestial Worthy Who Protects Souls and Preserves Life of the Northeast, the Celestial Worthy of Myriad Virtues and Compassionate Salvation of the Southeast, the Celestial Worthy Who Extends Longevity and Delivers People of the Southwest, the Celestial Worthy of Broad and Universal Salvation of the Northwest, the Celestial Worthy of Great Compassion and Universal Salvation Above, and the Celestial Worthy Who Upholds the Failing and Prolongs Life Below.

Next, homage is paid to the twelve divisions of honored scriptures of Dongzhen.

Reverently bow and worship the Shangqing Jing (scripture/classic), the Scripture of Supreme Clarity. Reverently bow and worship the Miaozhen Jing, the Scripture of Wondrous Truth. Reverently bow and worship the Taiyi Xian Jing, the Immortal Scripture of the Great Unity. Reverently bow and worship the Miaolin Xianji Jing, the Scripture of the Immortal Records of the Wondrous Grove. Reverently bow and worship the Kaihua Jing, the Scripture of Opening Transformation. Reverently bow and worship the Xianren Pin Jing, the Scripture of the Ranks of Immortals. Reverently bow and worship the Huanglin Xiansheng Jing, the Scripture of Master Huanglin, the Yellow Grove. Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Zhen Jing, the True Scripture of the Most High. Reverently bow and worship the Daojiao Jing, the Scripture of the Teaching of Dao (the Way). Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Lianjing Jing, the Scripture of the Most High on Refining Jing (essence). Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Gongde Jing, the Scripture of the Merit and Virtue of the Most High. Reverently bow and worship the Daode Jing, the Scripture of the Dao and of De (Virtue/Power).

The above are the twelve scriptures. Tianbao Jun, the Celestial Treasure Lord—Yuanshi Tianzun, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, among the Daoist Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)—serves as the master of the teaching. They are enshrined in the Yuqing Palace of the Yuqing Realm, the Qingwei Heaven of Clear Tenuity, and number 235,440 scrolls in all.

One next worships the scriptures of the Dongxuan division of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen).

Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Gongde Jing, the Scripture of the Merit and Virtue of the Most High. Reverently bow and worship the Daode Jing, the Scripture of the Dao and De.

The above are the twelve scriptures. Tianbao Jun serves as the master of the teaching. They are enshrined in the Yuqing Palace of the Yuqing Realm, the Qingwei Heaven, and number 235,440 scrolls in all.

One next worships the twelve venerable scriptures of Dongxuan.

Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Jing, the Numinous Treasure Scripture of the Most High Dongxuan. Reverently bow and worship the Yuanyang Jing, the Scripture of Primordial Yang. Reverently bow and worship the Yuanchen Jing, the Scripture of the Primordial Chronograms. Reverently bow and worship the Taijie Jing, the Scripture of the Great Kalpa. Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Kai Shanhai Jing, the Scripture of the Most High on Opening Mountains and Seas. Reverently bow and worship the Zhutian Neiyin Jing, the Scripture of the Inner Sounds of the Many Heavens. Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Balian Shengshi Jing, the Scripture of the Most High on Generating the Corpse through Eight Refinements. Reverently bow and worship the Linghe Jing, the Scripture of Numinous Harmony. Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Xiaomo Jing, the Scripture of the Most High on Dispelling Demons. Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Wuliangshou Jing, the Scripture of the Most High on Immeasurable Longevity. Reverently bow and worship the Laojun Anmo Jing, the Scripture of Lord Lao on Massage. Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Tongshen Jing, the Scripture of the Most High on Pervading the Body.

These twelve scriptures have Lingbao Jun, the Numinous Treasure Lord—Lingbao Tianzun, the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, among the Daoist Three Pure Ones—as the master of the teaching. They are enshrined in the Xuandu Yuanyang Qibao Ziwei Palace, the Purple Tenuity Palace of the Seven Treasures of Primordial Yang in the Mysterious Capital, within the Shangqing Realm and the Yuyu Heaven, and number 858,120 scrolls in all.

One next worships the twelve venerable scriptures of Dongshen.

Reverently bow and worship the Taiqing Jing, the Scripture of Great Clarity. Reverently bow and worship the Laojun Cheshi Jing, the Scripture of Lord Lao on Penetrating Vision. Reverently bow and worship the Taishang Jixian Pin Jing, the Scripture of the Most High on the Assembled Ranks of Immortals. Reverently bow and worship the Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing, the Scripture of the Divine Spells of the Cavern Abyss.

We pay reverence to such Jing (scripture/classic) as the Unsurpassed Inner Secret Scripture (Wushang Neimi Jing), the Scripture of the Record of True Unity (Zhenyi Zhi Jing), the Most High Scripture of the Assembled Numina (Taishang Jiling Jing), the Most High Scripture of the Lesser and Middle Essence (Taishang Xiaozhong Jing Jing), the Scripture of the Ranks of Primordial Establishment (Yuanzhi Pin Jing), the Huang-Lao Scripture of the Assembled Numina (Huanglao Jiling Jing), Lord Lao’s Yellow Court Scripture (Laojun Huangting Jing), and the Scripture of the Greater and Lesser Kalpas (Daxiao Jie Jing).

These twelve Jing were transmitted for the salvation of all living beings by Shenbao Jun, the exalted deity who presides over the Divine Treasure and transmits the Jing and its teachings. They are held in the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) Palace of Taiqing, in the Great Scarlet Heaven of the Taiqing realm, and amount in all to 702,080 scrolls.

We further pay reverence to the thirty-six venerable Jing and their talismanic diagrams. Written in golden script and jade characters, they gather the flying mysterious Qi (vital energy) of the Three Caverns (Sandong) and, condensed into writing through five factors, shine with brilliant light that illumines the eight directions. In the first year of Yankang, during the Yankang kalpa, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, in the Lodge of Bright Rosy Clouds of the Jade Palace of Golden Radiance in the Daluo Heaven, transmitted these Jing to the Most High Lord of the Great Dao (the Way) and the Lords of the Three Primes of Great Simplicity, charging them to use the Jing to teach and transform the thirty-six heavens. Each heaven compiled one Jing, making thirty-six in all, which then circulated in the limitless worlds within the Great Brahma Heaven. Exalted Perfected and great beings honor, uphold, and pay reverence to these Jing, regarding them as the wondrous gate to the Dao of immortality.

We next pay reverence to all Most High Lords of the Great Dao and Lords of the Three Primes of Great Simplicity throughout the ten directions who have attained the Dao. The Jing states that they teach and transform the thirty-six heavens, each heaven compiling one Jing, together forming thirty-six, which circulate in the limitless worlds within the Great Brahma Heaven; exalted Perfected and great beings uphold and revere these Jing, taking them as the wondrous gate to the Dao of immortality.

We further pay reverence to all immortals and holy hosts throughout the ten directions who have attained the Dao. We pay reverence to the Perfected (Zhenren) Yuluoqiao, the Perfected Guang Miaoyin, the Perfected Zhen Dingguang, the Perfected Pude Miaoxing, the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Perfected, the Perfected Guangchengzi, the Perfected Ruoshi, the Perfected Shen Wentai, the Perfected Daodang, the Perfected Baishi, the Perfected Huangshan Jun, the Perfected Huang Chuping, the Perfected Hua Ziqi, the Perfected Le Zichang, the Perfected Wei Shuqing, the Perfected Wei Boyang, and the Perfected Chen Anshi.

With the utmost sincerity one pays homage to Zhenren (Perfected Person) Li Babai and Zhenren Ziqi, and pays homage to Zhenren Le Zichang, Zhenren Wei Shuqing, Zhenren Wei Boyang, Zhenren Chen Anshi, Zhenren Li Babai, Nanjizi Liu Rong, Tianmenzi Wang Gang, Jiulingzi Huang Hua, and Juedongzi Li Xiu. After paying homage to the Three Treasures—Dao (the Way), Jing (scripture/classic), and the Teacher—one then repents with focused, wholehearted sincerity.

We disciples, from measureless kalpas past down to this very day, have created through body, speech, and mind evil karma and faults as countless as dust and sand, beyond all reckoning.

Some, in their youth, gave free rein to their impulses and committed all manner of evil: illicit and wicked acts, theft, and harm to others, doing whatever the heart desired; they drew close to fierce, vicious, and rebellious persons, heedless of danger; in serving their elders and treating their parents, they were neither loyal nor filial; their conduct was cruel, their hearts harbored plots to injure others, they encroached upon the livelihood of ordinary people, and they envied others without cause, so that the common folk came to fear them and both high and low grew to loathe them. If one has such faults, let one repent them from the very beginning.

Some, in the days of spring, set fires that burned and killed insects and snakes; they also hunted and laid nets to surround and capture, injuring every kind of life. Whether beings born from the womb, from the egg, from moisture, or by transformation, or creatures of the water, of the land, in flight, or in the depths—nowhere could they hide, and all met with slaughter. This was done only for a moment’s pleasure and to gratify the eyes, yet with no heart of remorse whatever. If one has such faults, let one repent them from the very beginning.

Some spoke extravagant, pleasing words, slandered good people, stirred relatives and friends to quarrel, and incited discord among neighbors, so that those within the household and those outside it bore hatred toward one another; between the close and the distant, the near and the far, they gradually grew estranged, forming rifts and enmities, each giving rise to thoughts of plotting harm against the other. If one has such faults, let one repent them from the very beginning.

Some greedily sought to amass household wealth and never knew contentment, using every means to exploit harshly and to deceive face to face, seizing others’ gains to line their own pockets, intent only on harming others for their own benefit, unwilling to relieve the poor and the suffering, and given wholly to stinginess and greed. If one has such faults, let one repent them from the very beginning.

Some accepted the admonitions of the precepts yet did not cultivate them in earnest or practice them with diligence; with a single mind they chased after profit in order to provide for themselves, and held no thought of kindness or generosity toward others; under various pretexts they further deceived the beings of the world and of the heavens, collected money offered as merit and squandered it in private, without the least shame and without fear of retribution to come. If one has such faults, today one should, with a heart of utmost sincerity, humbly beg forgiveness and repent one’s offenses, and thereafter take refuge and pay reverence to the Three Treasures (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha). In the repentance rite implied here, bowing to the Three Treasures signifies taking refuge and offering them reverent worship.

With utmost sincerity, one opens the vow: that is, one sets forth one’s prayer with a true and earnest heart.

May the disciples, from this day forward, repent with sincere hearts. May the meritorious virtue (De) we cultivate keep us, life after life, far from stinginess and greedy craving, so that thoughts of deceit and plunder never arise; may we constantly practice giving and help others, arouse hearts of compassion, widely build bridges, and rescue living beings, so that the people have sufficient clothing and food and those above and below live in harmony. May the good fruits brought by blessed virtue appear in every lifetime, and may life be long and complete. May we form wholesome affinities with the four kinds of living beings—those born from the womb, from eggs, from moisture, and by transformation—and with the beings of the six paths of rebirth, together accord with the wondrous Dao (the Way), together realize the profound and subtle dharma-gate, and accomplish the unsurpassed Great Dao. The vow being completed, we take refuge and bow in worship to the Three Treasures—the Dao, the Jing (scripture/classic), and the Masters.

With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of Supreme Salvation, the honored deity who delivers living beings.

We offer the same veneration. May the good fruits of blessed virtue appear in every lifetime, and may life be long and complete; may we form wholesome affinities with the beings of the four modes of birth and the six destinies, together realize the wondrous gate, and accomplish the unsurpassed Great Dao. The vow being completed, we take refuge and bow in worship to the Three Treasures.

With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Supreme Salvation.

With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Cinnabar Heaven of the Myriad Numina. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Northern Prime Who Mysteriously Responds. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy, Dharma King of Golden Light. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Golden Treasure and Wondrous Light. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Jade Clarity of the Dongzhen (Cavern of Perfection). With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Jade Treasure and Golden Countenance. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Discernment of the Upper Palace. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Higher Numina Who Universally Save. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Luminous Transformation through the Myriad Cycles. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy Whose Spiritual Powers Penetrate All. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Purple Void and Quiescent Brightness. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Western Brightness and the Wondrous Dao. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Higher Numina and Good Wisdom. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Jade Clarity of the Dongzhen. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Heavenly Sovereign of True Unity. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Earthly Sovereign and the Five Lords. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Undifferentiated Completion Who Responds and Transforms. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Higher Cycle Who Universally Illumines. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Eastern Florescence and Wisdom. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Western Brightness and Wondrous Transformation. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the True Ranks of All the Perfected. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Dharma Treasure of Precious Compassion. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Great Clarity and the Five Emperors. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy Who Flies through the Nine Voids. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Divine Way Who Moves the Cycles. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Worthy.

With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of Western Brightness and Wondrous Transformation. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the True Ranks of All the Perfected. With sincere hearts we reverently venerate the Celestial Worthy of the Dharma Treasure of Precious Compassion.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of the Five Emperors of Great Clarity (Taiqing)—the imperial worthies of the five directions in the heaven of Great Clarity.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Flies through the Nine Voids—the Celestial Worthy who rides in flight through the nine heavens.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Sets the Divine Way in Motion—the Celestial Worthy who puts the divine way into operation.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Transforms and Perfects True Emptiness—the Celestial Worthy who manifests and brings to completion the realm of true emptiness.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Whose Wisdom of the Dao (the Way) Penetrates the Void—the Celestial Worthy who, by the wisdom of the Dao, discerns emptiness and nonbeing.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Renewed Awakening in Purple Clarity—the Celestial Worthy who awakens anew in the realm of Purple Clarity (Ziqing).

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Expedient Means and Broad Instruction—the Celestial Worthy who skillfully uses expedient methods to teach far and wide.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Settles Transformation and Is the Source of Wisdom—the Celestial Worthy who stabilizes teaching and transformation and is the original source of wisdom.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Light at the Cinnabar Gates—the Celestial Worthy whose wondrous light shines upon the cinnabar palace gates (Danque).

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Sunlight and the Great Origin—the Celestial Worthy of all-pervading sunlight and of the primordial Great Origin.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Universal Radiance Who Saves from Calamity—the Celestial Worthy whose light shines everywhere and who rescues those in suffering.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of the Great Dao, Profound and Luminous—the Celestial Worthy in whom the Great Dao is deep and hidden, yet bright.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of All Rain and Dew—the Celestial Worthy who, like rain and dew, moistens and nourishes all things.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Expedient Means and the Sun of Wisdom—the Celestial Worthy who illumines all by expedient methods and the light of wisdom.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Pearl-like Wonder and Pure Light—the Celestial Worthy who is wondrous as a pearl and shines with pure radiance.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Wisdom-Contemplation in the Upper Palace—the Celestial Worthy who dwells in the Upper Palace and contemplates by wisdom.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Spreads Transformation at the Purple Pole—the Celestial Worthy who widely bestows teaching in the heaven of the Purple Pole (Ziji).

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Wields Myriad Wisdom and Brings Forth Light—the Celestial Worthy who employs every kind of wisdom and radiates brightness.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Universal Deliverance through Wuwei (non-action)—the Celestial Worthy who universally saves all beings by the Dao of non-action.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of the Orthodox Dao, All-Pervading, Lofty, and Supreme—the Celestial Worthy whose orthodox Dao extends everywhere, exalted and especially excellent.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of the Wondrous Fruit of Cinnabar Clouds—the Celestial Worthy who perfects the wondrous fruit of cinnabar-red radiance (Danxia).

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Fruit and the Orthodox Teaching—the Celestial Worthy who perfects wondrous fruit and upholds the true teaching.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Flowing Bells and Natural Spontaneity—the Celestial Worthy who accords with the wondrous realm of flowing bells and spontaneous naturalness.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of the True Dao, All-Pervading, Who Sets Light in Motion—the Celestial Worthy whose true Dao extends everywhere and who transforms and radiates light.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Unites the Profound and Wondrous Teaching—the Celestial Worthy who comprehends and brings together the mysterious and wondrous teaching.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Western Radiance Who Transforms All—the Celestial Worthy who universally teaches by the bright light of the West.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of All Manifold Wisdom—the Celestial Worthy who gathers together the many forms of wisdom.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Compassionate Majesty Who Uproots Suffering—the Celestial Worthy who, by the power of compassion, removes suffering.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Whose Brightness Illumines the Mysterious Dao—the Celestial Worthy who, with light, beholds the profound and wondrous Great Dao.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Vermilion Splendor and Wondrous Joy—the Celestial Worthy who manifests vermilion brightness in resplendent color and the realm of wondrous bliss.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy, True Immortal Who Uproots Suffering—the true immortal Celestial Worthy who removes suffering.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Turns the Seasons, Lofty in Manifold Wisdom—the Celestial Worthy who sets the sequence of time in motion and whose wisdom surpasses all others.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Compassionate Majesty Who Uproots Suffering—the Celestial Worthy who, by the power of compassion, removes suffering.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Whose Brightness Illumines the Mysterious Dao—the Celestial Worthy who, with light, beholds the profound and wondrous Great Dao.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Vermilion Splendor and Wondrous Joy—the Celestial Worthy who manifests vermilion brightness in resplendent color and the realm of wondrous bliss.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy, True Immortal Who Uproots Suffering—the true immortal Celestial Worthy who removes suffering.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Turns the Seasons, Lofty and All-Pervading—the Celestial Worthy who sets the sequence of time in motion, whose merit is exalted and extends everywhere.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Concentrated Dignity in the Golden Realm—the Celestial Worthy who gathers dignity and dwells in the golden domain.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of the Higher Dao Who Transforms Widely—the Celestial Worthy who carries out the higher Dao and broadly sets transformation in motion.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of True Understanding Who Ascends into the Mysterious—the Celestial Worthy who truly penetrates wondrous principle and rises into the profound and subtle realm.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Opens Instruction and Preserves Life—the Celestial Worthy who initiates teaching and admonition and protects life.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of the Mysterious Origin and a Thousand Years—the Celestial Worthy of the profound primordial origin who endures for a thousand ages.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of Divine Motion and Illuminating Light—the Celestial Worthy whose divine transformation moves and whose brightness shines.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy of the True Origin and Myriad Wonders—the Celestial Worthy whose true origin is deep and who holds within the many wondrous principles.

With a sincere heart I respectfully salute the Celestial Worthy Who Perfects the Great Mystery—the Celestial Worthy who brings to completion the wondrous realm of the Great Mystery (Taixuan).

“Xinli” means to salute and make obeisance with faith. This passage of the scripture (Jing) praises and venerates, in sequence, the titles of the various Celestial Worthies, expressing reverence for their divine virtue (De, Virtue/Power) and for their power to save.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of the Mysterious Stillness of the Three Vehicles (the Three Vehicles refer to the different methods that guide living beings in cultivation toward liberation).

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Jade Dawn Who Saves the Living.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Most Supreme among All Realms of Existence.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Jade Countenance of the Sea of the Dharma.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Treasure of the Highest Grade.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Cinnabar-Purple Emptiness of the Dao (the Way).

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Dharma Treasure of Wuwei (non-action).

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Spiritual Powers and Luminous Wisdom.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Floating Clouds and Purple Simplicity.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Vermilion Radiance and the Great Origin.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Supreme Dao of Bright Wisdom.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Well Purifies the Three Karmas (the three karmas refer to actions of body, speech, and mind).

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Response Who Sends Down Light.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Heavenly Perfection and Purple Simplicity.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Vermilion Radiance and the Great Origin.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Supreme Dao of Bright Wisdom.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Well Purifies the Three Karmas.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Response Who Sends Down Light.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Heavenly Perfection and Moonlight.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Condensed Light of the Golden Cavern.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Great Origin and Jade Tones.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Jade Dharma Sea of Emptiness.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Six Perfections and the One Vehicle (the Six Perfections refer to six methods of cultivation; the One Vehicle refers to the method that leads to ultimate liberation).

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the True Origin of the Myriad Kingdoms.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the True Dao and the Vehicle of the Dharma.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Precious Numina and the Sea of the Dharma.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Wondrous Countenance Brought to Completion.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Whose Majesty Overthrows the Outer Paths (the outer paths refer to ways of cultivation regarded as having departed from the correct Dao).

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Conditional Resonance and the Great Origin.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Seven Treasures and the Redoubled Mystery.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Ten Turnings and Majestic Adornment.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Emerges from Existence into Stillness.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Transformative Fruition and Universal Compassion.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Assembled Treasures and the Western Numina.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Eight Distant Reaches and the Northern Origin.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Precious Fortune within the Thousand.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Great Clarity Who Illumines All.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Skillfully Establishes the Bridge of the Dharma.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Immortal Ranks and the Upper Origin.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Former Causes and Jade Light.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Divine Perfection without Obstruction.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Equality in the Cloud Palace.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Responds to Conditions in Cavern Yang.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Wuwei Who Delivers and Liberates.

With devout reverence we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Empty Song of the Blue-Green Empyrean.

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) of the Empty Boat of Broad Salvation (the Heavenly Worthy who takes the empty boat as a metaphor and widely delivers living beings), as well as the Heavenly Worthy of the Cloud Palace of Equality.

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Responsive Conditions and Penetrating Yang (the Heavenly Worthy who transforms in response to conditions and clearly illumines the Dao (the Way) of harmonious Yang).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Wuwei (non-action) and Deliverance (the Heavenly Worthy who saves living beings by the Dao of non-action).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Void Hymns in the Azure Empyrean (the Heavenly Worthy who proclaims the wondrous Dao amid the blue heavens of the Azure Empyrean).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Empty Boat of Broad Salvation.

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Penetrating Emptiness and the Mysterious Dao (the Heavenly Worthy who sees fully through the void and comprehends the subtle and mysterious Dao).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Majestic Light throughout the Nine Nights (the Heavenly Worthy whose awesome virtue and radiance shine over all nine nights).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Conditions Arising in the Four Directions (the Heavenly Worthy who manifests in the four directions according to conditions).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Who Ever Expounds the Depths of the Dao (the Heavenly Worthy who constantly proclaims the profound principles of the Great Dao).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Who Revolves within the Cinnabar Heaven (the Heavenly Worthy who moves and operates in the Cinnabar Heaven).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Compassionate Boat on the Sea of Suffering (the Heavenly Worthy who, with a boat of compassion, ferries living beings across the sea of suffering).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Coalesced Qi and Undifferentiated Completion (the Heavenly Worthy who gathers primordial Qi (vital energy) and is formed in undifferentiated wholeness).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the One Vehicle of Quiet Stability (the Heavenly Worthy who, by the Dao of the One Vehicle, brings people to clarity, stillness, and settled calm).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Wondrous Fruition and Pure Spirit (the Heavenly Worthy who perfects wondrous fruits and whose spiritual light is pure and undefiled).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Abiding Joy beyond Birth and Death (the Heavenly Worthy who transcends birth and death and ever dwells in peace and happiness).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Ever-Bright True Appearance (the Heavenly Worthy who keeps true nature ever luminous and undimmed).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Golden Garden of Wondrous Treasures (the Heavenly Worthy who dwells in the Golden Garden and is fully endowed with wondrous treasures).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy, Dharma King of Jade Clarity (the Heavenly Worthy who is the Dharma King in the realm of Jade Clarity).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Dao’s Movement and Mysterious Enactment (the Heavenly Worthy who sets the Great Dao in motion and carries it out with mysterious subtlety).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Vast Radiance among the Lords of the Dao (the Heavenly Worthy of broad and great light among the Lords of the Dao).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Who Spreads the Exquisite Way of the Highest Grade (the Heavenly Worthy who diffuses the subtle and wondrous Dao of the supreme rank).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Who Subdues Demons in the Three Heavens (the Heavenly Worthy who vanquishes evil demons in the realm of the Three Heavens).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Whose Transforming Grace Reaches Without Bound (the Heavenly Worthy whose teaching and beneficence extend to every limitless place).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Universal Equality throughout the Six Paths (the Heavenly Worthy who impartially saves living beings in all six paths).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Who Opens the Dao and Clarifies the Subtle (the Heavenly Worthy who opens the Great Dao and reveals its hidden and minute principles).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Who Inscribes the Registers of the Immortals (the Heavenly Worthy who has charge of the rolls and records of the immortals).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Twofold Mystery and Silent Stillness (the Heavenly Worthy who embodies the wondrous principle of the Twofold Mystery (Chongxuan) and the realm of stillness without words).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy, Holy King Who Arrays the Mysterious (the Heavenly Worthy who sets forth the mysterious and wondrous and is honored as a holy king).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Nine Sages of Spontaneity (the Heavenly Worthy of the nine sages who manifest of themselves, spontaneously).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Wondrous Light and the Ten Titles (the Heavenly Worthy who is endowed with ten honored titles and sends forth wondrous light).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Carefree Roaming and Wondrous Being (the Heavenly Worthy who wanders in unfettered ease and embodies the Dao of wondrous existence).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Who Roams at Ease in the Grand Aurora (the Heavenly Worthy who wanders freely in the immortal realm of the Grand Aurora).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Coalesced from the Three Mysteries (the Heavenly Worthy formed by the gathering of the threefold mysterious principle).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Seven Treasures and the Great Mystery (the Heavenly Worthy who is fully endowed with the seven treasures and abides in the realm of the Great Mystery).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Empty, Receptive Dao and the Myriad Wonders (the Heavenly Worthy who embodies the vacant receptivity of the Great Dao and contains every kind of wondrous principle).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Nine Sages of Spontaneity, the Heavenly Worthy of Wondrous Light and the Ten Titles, the Heavenly Worthy of Carefree Roaming and Wondrous Being, the Heavenly Worthy Who Roams at Ease in the Grand Aurora, the Heavenly Worthy Coalesced from the Three Mysteries, the Heavenly Worthy of the Seven Treasures and the Great Mystery, and the Heavenly Worthy of the Empty, Receptive Dao and the Myriad Wonders.

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of the Floriate Canopy of Twofold Mystery (the Heavenly Worthy who takes the wondrous principle of the Twofold Mystery as a floriate canopy).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy Who Generates All Things by the Four Qi (the Heavenly Worthy who brings the myriad things into being through the Qi of the four seasons).

The faithful reverently worship the Heavenly Worthy of Quiet Stability and Great Peace (the Heavenly Worthy who brings people to clarity, stillness, and settled calm, and peace to the world).

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Lofty Numen and Drifting Fragrance.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Mysterious Assembly of Everlasting Joy.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Void of the Directions and the Great Revolution.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of True Clarity, Peer of the Perfected.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Grateful Remembrance and the Bridge of the Law.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Immortal Cliffs and the Cavern Prime.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Transforms and Penetrates the Three Palaces.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Precious Radiance of the Four Heavens.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Jasper Depths of the Sea of the Law.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy, the Holy King Who Lets His Light Descend.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Pure Brahma-Conduct and Cloud Brocade.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Brahma Who Ascends the Lofty Carriage.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Eight Directions United as One.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Penetration of the Three Realms of Existence.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Without Obstruction and Without Form.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Being and True Emptiness.

We next pay homage to the thirty-six exalted scriptures (Jing) of the Dao (the Way):

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Jade Scripture of the Great Cavern.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of Highest Clarity.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of the Unsurpassed Secret Essentials.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to Lord Lao’s Yellow Court Scripture.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of the Transmitted Immortal Records of the Wondrous Grove.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of the Assembled Immortals.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of Opening Heaven and Transformation.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of the Eight Historians.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Yellow Grove.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of the Transmitted Immortal Records of the Wondrous Grove.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of the Assembled Immortals.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of Opening Heaven and Transformation.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of the Eight Historians.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of Master Yellow Grove.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to Lord Lao’s Scripture on Refining Jing (essence) and Nourishing Life.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to Lord Lao’s Yellow Writ Scripture.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of the Teaching of the Dao.

The scriptures above belong to the Dongzhen (Cavern of Perfection) division, one of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) in the classification of Daoist scriptures.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of the Numinous Treasure.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of Merit and Virtue.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of Primordial Yang.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of the Greater and Lesser Kalpas.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of Opening Mountains and Seas.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of the Inner Sounds of the Many Heavens.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of the Resonant Treasure.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of the Assembled Numina.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of Measureless Longevity.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of Numinous Secrets.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Most High’s Scripture of Saving the Multitude.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of Great Peace.

The scriptures above belong to the Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery) division, one of the classifications of Daoist scriptures.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of the Lofty and Supreme Jade Emperor.

With sincere faith, we revere and pay homage to the Scripture of Great Clarity.

Reverently bow in worship to such Jing (scriptures/classics) as the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Scripture of Petitions and Liturgy for Dispelling Demons, the Scripture of Laozi, the True Scripture of the Mysterious and Wondrous, the Most High Scripture of the Divine Spells of the Cavern Abyss, the Scripture of Lord Lao on the Jing (essence) within the Mystery, the Illustrated Scripture of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi on Assembling the Palaces and Warding Off Calamity, the Unsurpassed Golden Perfected Scripture of the Supreme Laozi, the Unsurpassed Golden Perfected Scripture of the Supreme Wondrous Mystery, the Most High Scripture of the True One, the Most High Scripture of the One Vehicle and the Sea of Emptiness, and the Scripture of the Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue/Power) of the Mysterious Gate. All of the above scriptures belong to the Dongshen division, one of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen).

These precious scriptures of the Three Caverns were originally an undifferentiated whole, holding within them a profound and mysterious radiance. Later they divided into two classes and were further brought into being, unseen, by the Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang. From this, Heaven and Earth took form, covering and bearing the myriad things. The numbers three and five opened their first beginnings, and the writings of the Eight Assemblies condensed into finished texts. Some were written as golden seal characters in the form of phoenixes; others were fashioned as dragon-shaped characters in jade. The scriptures are bright, pure, and vivid, like brocade amid purple forests. At times they appear as the octagonal radiance of the realm of Fuli (an immortal realm); at times, within the Great Void, they manifest as five texts of dazzling splendor. Their light shines upon the Three Realms and also illuminates the lands of the Ninefold Darkness.

These scriptures are transmitted according to rank and portion, and they teach and transform the various heavens. Each heavenly realm possesses one collection, thirty-six in all, placed on jade terraces and mysterious thrones and within the Seven Treasure Storehouses. Clouds of nine-colored brocade cover the scrolls; Golden Lads on the left hold up incense, and Jade Maidens on the right scatter flowers in offering. Some scriptures appear only once after the passage of forty thousand kalpas; others are transmitted only once every three thousand years. Thus the celestial perfected uphold these scriptures in order to ascend in purity; earth immortals receive them in order to find peace; the sun and moon grow brighter because of them; and the Five Marchmounts use them to guard the numinous realms. The Son of Heaven reveres the scriptures and instructs the world through sagely transformation; dukes, marquises, princes, and lords honor the scriptures in order to pray for great peace; the common people respectfully practice them and may receive blessing and protection; and those who cultivate the Dao study them and may obtain long life.

If one can praise and worship these scriptures, the blessings will be vast and without bound. Therefore one ought, with a heart of utmost sincerity, to take refuge in them, to believe and revere them, and to bow in worship.

Next, reverent homage is paid to all immortals and sages who have attained the Dao (the Way) throughout the worlds of the ten directions.

With a devout heart, I pay reverent homage to Zhenren (Perfected) Ma Mingsheng, Zhenren Zhang Daoling, Zhenren Li Shaojun, Zhenren Wang Zhen, Zhenren Hu Gong, Zhenren Ji Zixun, Zhenren Dong Junyi, Zhenren Li Changzai, Zhenren Chen Yongbo, Zhenren Ge Xiaoxian, Zhenren the Elder beneath Mount Tai, Zhenren Heshang Gong, Zhenren Chirong Gong, and all Zhenren.

Thereafter, reverent homage is paid once more to Zhenren Dong Junyi, Zhenren Li Changzai, Zhenren Chen Yongbo, Zhenren Ge Xiaoxian, Zhenren the Elder beneath Mount Tai, Zhenren Heshang Gong, Zhenren Chirong Gong, Zhenren Qingwu Gong, Zhenren Xiumei Gong, Zhenren Lilou Gong, Zhenren Wu Guang, Zhenren Gaoqiu Gong, Zhenren Xianmenzi, Zhenren Rongcheng Gong, Zhenren Ling Shouguang, and Zhenren Bukenlai Zi.

After worship of the Three Treasures—the Dao, the Jing (scripture/classic), and the masters revered in Daoism—one must next repent once again with a sincere heart.

From countless distant kalpas down to this very day, we disciples have often been muddled in body and mind and have failed to understand causes and conditions. We have accumulated a great deal of evil karma, yet remained wholly unaware of it. Lost and ignorant of the true Dao (the Way), we have turned right and wrong upside down; these faults can hardly be recounted one by one. Today, before the Three Treasures of the ritual sanctuary—the Dao, the Jing (scripture/classic), and the Master—we earnestly beg forgiveness and repent. We respectfully implore the Celestial Worthies of the ten directions to descend in compassion upon this sanctuary; the Mysterious-Center Dharma Masters of the Thirty-Six Sections of Honored Scriptures (the venerable ones who transmit the subtle methods of the Dao), all True Immortals and the holy assembly in the void, together with the spirits possessed of celestial hearing and celestial sight, to hear and witness our repentance, so that every root of transgression may be eliminated.

We disciples repent that, from countless lifetimes until today, we have defied the gods and forsaken the Great Dao, held the spirits in no awe, spoken and acted with coarseness and malice, and slandered the true Dao. When we saw images of the deities or heard the scriptures, we had no heart of reverence. Seeing others cultivate merit and accumulate virtue, we found fault and blamed them; seeing others do good, we mocked them instead. We never mended our ways, nor did we know shame. Today, with hearts of utmost sincerity, we repent of all of this.

We next repent that we have failed to understand cause and effect, and have not known how to remember with gratitude the kindness of our parents, committing all manner of improper deeds. Relying on the standing of our birth, we have been rebellious and discourteous, rough in our conduct, and ignorant of how to respect those senior and junior to us. While our parents lived, we never supported them with a whole heart, so that to the end of their lives they never enjoyed sweet and fine fare. After they died, we buried them in the wilderness and for a long time offered them no sacrifices, causing their departed spirits to suffer the calamity of examination and prosecution in the underworld, and causing later ages in the human world to receive no recompense of good fortune. Such offenses are without end; all of them we repent with utmost sincerity.

We continue, next, to repent of the sinful karma of the past. We disciples were negligent in sacrifice and memorial offering, so that the departed spirits long went without hearing the rites offered for them and suffered the calamity of examination and prosecution in the underworld; and the human world, because of this, likewise saw no fulfillment of good fortune. Such offenses are without end; all of them we repent with utmost sincerity.

Subsequently, one further repents of the offenses of robbery and theft. The scripture says: Anything that belongs to another person, even if the other guards it with nothing more than a single thread or a tiny trifle, must not be taken without permission, much less stolen. Yet sentient beings often fail to awaken to this. They conceive the intention to seize what is not theirs and act recklessly as they please, and therefore in the future they will suffer all manner of calamities and punishments. If one has committed such a fault, one ought, from beginning to end, to confess it with a sincere heart.

The scripture further says that the karmic offenses created by ordinary people are especially grave, and that after death they fall into Avici Hell in the dark netherworld (the hell in which the most grievous sinners suffer). Avici Hell measures eighty thousand yojanas (an ancient unit of length) both in length and in breadth. Around it stand seven layers of iron walls, and the ground is laid with seven layers of iron nets. The city is divided into eighteen levels, and all around are spread seven forests of knives. Within the seven layers of iron walls there are also forests of swords, and below these the space is again divided into eighteen levels, each level comprising eighty-four thousand tiers.

At the four corners of the hell are four great copper dogs, each four thousand yojanas in length. Their eyes are like lightning, their teeth like trees of swords, their sharp fangs like mountains of knives, their tongues like iron hooks, their claws like iron forks, and their tails like iron pythons. Fierce light blazes from their bodies, and the stench they give off is vicious beyond compare. Beside each of the four gates of the hell stand eighteen wardens, their forms like those of rakshasas (fierce ghosts and spirits). Eighteen horns grow upon their heads. They hold iron forks, seize the sinners with them, drive the forks into their chests, and thrust them out through their backs.

Beside the gate of each level there are also eighty-four thousand great iron pythons, spewing poisonous fire and filling the city, their roars like thunder, rain, and raging wind. The city is likewise filled with great iron pellets, and the suffering is extreme. Outside the gates on all four sides fierce fires burn; the flames of east, west, south, and north cross and interpenetrate. All around are iron walls, with iron nets covering above and below. The raging fires above and below communicate with one another, and the torments of every direction, above and below, arise all at once.

The scriptural text says that those who break the precepts, those who commit the five heinous offenses (killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, shedding the blood of a Buddha, and disrupting the harmonious Sangha), and those who slander merit—even if they repent according to the scripture—if they have no sense of shame, will still certainly undergo these sufferings after death. Those who slight the Three Jewels, steal the pure permanent property of monasteries and the like, or defile the pure cultivation of others likewise cannot escape this hell. When the sinners are punished, fierce fire burns into their hearts and they faint and die. Within a single day and night they die and come to life again, repeating this ten thousand times, and they endure every kind of anguish.

After emerging from Avici Hell, if one has again created offenses by breaking the precepts or by falsely reporting the donations of the faithful, one will further enter eighteen kinds of lesser hells and continue to suffer. The hells listed in the scripture include Cold Ice, Darkness, Scorching, the Knife Wheel, the Sword Wheel, the Fire Chariot, the Boiling Cauldron, the Sword Forest, the Iron Bed, the Copper Pillar, the Iron Machine, the Iron Wheel, the Iron Pellet, Sharp Stones, Drinking Molten Copper, and others. In each of these hells the sinners suffer for eight million years before they are able to emerge, yet they are often reborn in lowly and base conditions. For five hundred kalpas they are unable to hear of the Three Jewels. Only if they meet a good spiritual friend (one who can guide people toward the right path) do they have the chance to arouse the aspiration to seek the unsurpassed right path. If they do not meet such a good friend, there is no appointed term for their release from suffering.

Therefore the disciple, fortunate through good conditions of the past and now once again hearing the scriptural teaching, rejoices in body and mind, attends with single-minded devotion, repents so as to wash away past faults, and is willing to mend those faults, begin anew, and cultivate wholesome deeds. The disciple further prays that, from the nine generations of ancestors (reaching back through nine generations of forebears) to the kin of the present life, none will encounter such evil conditions, and that they may forever remain far from these sufferings. When the repentance is complete, the disciple takes refuge in and pays reverence to the Three Jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha).

The disciples sincerely make this vow: May we, by the merit cultivated through this repentance, never fall in life after life into the three evil destinies—the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals—and may we constantly practice the ten good deeds, the ten kinds of wholesome conduct, so that the blessings of cause and effect are complete and majestic, and merit and virtue are brought to perfection. From this time on, may a thousand calamities be removed and ten thousand auspicious joys received; may wondrous wisdom nourish body and mind, and may the merit of cultivating the Dao (the Way) add to the span of life. May the ancestors of nine generations all receive the grace of the Great Dao, their blessings majestic and their merit and virtue complete; may calamities be removed and auspicious joy received; may wisdom nourish body and mind, and may sacred merit prolong their years. May they cleanse their hearts and resolve, advance across the numinous and wondrous crossing, let their spirits roam to the other shore of the Dao, and, free and at ease, enter the realm of the real, resting peacefully in Wuwei (non-action). May all who have a connection with this be far from suffering and attain liberation. The vow completed, the disciples entrust their lives and offer worship.

The disciples sincerely pay reverent homage to the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of Azure Blossom and Prolonged Life, the Celestial Worthy Who Skillfully Expounds the Wondrous Dharma, the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Penetration and Quiet Practice, the Celestial Worthy Who Brightly Illumines the Emptiness of the Dao, the Celestial Worthy of the True Rank Floating in the Void, the Celestial Worthy of Compassionate Majesty Who Uproots Suffering, the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Cinnabar Heaven, the Celestial Worthy of the Dao’s Radiance and Wondrous Operation, the Celestial Worthy of the Myriad Lights and the Origin of the Dao, the Celestial Worthy Who Opens Wisdom and Protects Life, the Celestial Worthy of Universal Awakening to the True Scriptures, the Celestial Worthy of the Five Elders and the Great Origin, the Celestial Worthy Who Saves Life and Protects Destiny, the Celestial Worthy of Lofty Excellence among Heavenly Beings, the Celestial Worthy of the True Origin of the Higher Immortals, the Celestial Worthy of the Cloud Palace, Empty and Pure, the Celestial Worthy of Exalted Fortune and Transformative Passage, the Celestial Worthy of Far-Reaching Operation and Great Wisdom, the Celestial Worthy of the Cinnabar Elder and the Origin of the Dao, the Celestial Worthy Who Sets in Motion and Illumines the Essentials of the Dao, the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Light and the Ten Epithets, the Celestial Worthy of the Mysterious Capital and the Three Primes, the Celestial Worthy of the Empty Realm, Undifferentiated and Complete, the Celestial Worthy of the True Rank and the Mysterious Void, and the Celestial Worthy of Lasting Joy and Myriad Transformations.

Here, “xinli” means to offer salutation with utmost sincerity and reverence.

With faith one reveres and pays homage to the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of the Jade Chamber of Sagely Perfection, the Celestial Worthy of the Profound Awakening of True Intent, the Celestial Worthy of the August Sovereign Who Preserves Brightness, the Celestial Worthy Who Opens the Path and Delivers Lives, the Celestial Worthy of the Void Who Contemplates Emptiness, the Celestial Worthy of the True Dao (the Way) Who Delivers and Illumines, the Celestial Worthy of Universal Radiance of the Mysterious Assembly, the Celestial Worthy of Luminous Form and Mysterious Penetration, the Celestial Worthy of Pearl-like Form and Wondrous Light, the Celestial Worthy of Heavenly Perfection and Auspicious Joy, the Celestial Worthy Whose Light Shines upon the Perfected, the Celestial Worthy of the Highest Rank of the Yankang Era, the Celestial Worthy Who Subdues the Demons of the Three Heavens, the Celestial Worthy Who Saves the Living in the Realm of Truth, the Celestial Worthy of the Yellow Strata Who Courses through the Void, the Celestial Worthy of the Holy King Who Saves Humanity, the Celestial Worthy of the Plain Elder, the Celestial Sovereign, and the Venerable Celestial Worthy.

One likewise reveres and pays homage, with faith, to the Celestial Worthy Who Saves the Living in the Realm of Truth, the Celestial Worthy of the Yellow Strata Who Courses through the Void, the Celestial Worthy of the Holy King Who Saves Humanity, the Celestial Worthy of the Plain Elder, the Celestial Sovereign, the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Truth and Hidden Light, the Celestial Worthy of Divine Transformation across the Great Thousand Worlds, the Celestial Worthy of the Cinnabar Elder, the Earthly Sovereign, the Celestial Worthy of Still Emptiness Who Drives the Sun, the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Light and Reflected Radiance, the Celestial Worthy of Phoenix Script and Immortal Purity, the Celestial Worthy of Increasing the Allotted Years, King of the Law, the Celestial Worthy of the Wheel of the Law and Wuwei (non-action), the Celestial Worthy of the Golden Numen and Profound Unity, the Celestial Worthy of the Phoenix Terrace of the Upper Cavern, the Celestial Worthy of the Mysterious Assembly of Reverent Cultivation, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Origin and Longevity, the Celestial Worthy Whose Mysterious Wind Fans Far and Wide, the Celestial Worthy of Stillness, Concentration, and Great Peace, the Celestial Worthy of the One Vehicle on High, the Celestial Worthy of Ultimate Destiny, Luminous and Compassionate, the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Origin and True Unity, the Celestial Worthy Who Awakens the Mind of the Dao, the Celestial Worthy of Spiritual Power and Unobstructed Freedom, the Celestial Worthy Who Ever Illumines the Long Night, the Celestial Worthy Laozi of the Mysterious Titles of All the Heavens, the Celestial Worthy Collectively Called Laozi of the Great Mystery, and the Compassionate Celestial Worthy.

Finally, one once again reveres and pays homage, with faith, to the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Origin and True Unity.

The expression xinli, which recurs here, means to offer reverent worship while holding faith; Tianzun is an honorific for the exalted deities of Daoism. The scripture (Jing) lists the sacred titles of the various Celestial Worthies in sequence, to be recited and honored in worship.

I reverently honor and take refuge in the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) who inspires and opens the mind of the Dao (the Way).

I reverently honor and take refuge in the Celestial Worthy of vast spiritual powers, free and unobstructed.

I reverently honor and take refuge in the Celestial Worthy who shines constantly through the long night.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy among the mysterious titles of all the heavens.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who comprehensively holds the Dao of Great Mystery.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy fully endowed with the eight kinds of light.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within the Mysterious Chariot, encircled by flowing roseate clouds.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy of the realm of the Great Elixir, fully endowed with the three true forms of De (Virtue/Power).

I reverently honor and take refuge in Taiyi Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within the Yellow Court.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Taihuang Laozi, the Celestial Worthy venerated by the Northern Emperor.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy whose majesty shakes the heavens, filled with vast and righteous Qi (vital energy).

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who dwells at the Purple Pole and returns to the true Dao.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within Turtle Mountain, fully endowed with the five Qi.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy of integrated and harmonious cultivation, who protects and sustains practice.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who penetrates the great Dao and serves the Dao of De.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who comprehends a thousand paths and returns to the great Dao.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who dwells in the four seats and protects in accordance with life.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within Tanqing, illuminated by the light of clouds.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy of the realm of Youyan, who manifests the upper scenes.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy of inexhaustible precious measure, venerable and ancient.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within Taiwei, who has passed through three transformations.

I reverently honor and take refuge in the Celestial Worthy of Venerable Light above the Nine Extremes.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy of the realm of Youyan, who manifests the upper scenes.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy of inexhaustible precious measure, venerable and ancient.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within Taiwei, who has passed through three transformations.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy of the Hundred Chants, above the Nine Extremes.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within Taihuang, whose De is the celebration of life.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within Ziyang, who nourishes the primordial Shen (spirit).

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who abides in a settled form and flies in perfect freedom.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy of lofty and far-reaching merit, who contemplates the heavenly realms.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within Feihuang, who manifests the light of the nine paths.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who wields the great law and dwells in the ultimate realm of mystery.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within Yuansun, who manifests the pale-yellow Qi.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who returns to the original source and has passed through three transformations.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who governs the six directions and is complete in the eight chronograms.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within the Purple Measure, who spreads the light of the infant.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy within Yuxiang, who manifests true Qi.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy who contemplates the transformations of all things and reveals the countenance of ultimate truth.

I reverently honor and take refuge in Laozi, the Celestial Worthy revered by the hundred immortals, who continues the true Dao.

Devoutly pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Five Qi (vital energy), Laozi of Jieren, the Celestial Worthy who presides over the Five Qi. Devoutly pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Clear Heaven, Laozi of the Nine Transformations, the Celestial Worthy who governs the Qi of clarity and brightness. Then pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Ultimate Countenance, Laozi Who Contemplates Transformation. Devoutly pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Prolongs the True, Laozi of the Hundred Immortals, the Celestial Worthy who upholds the true Dao (the Way) and perpetuates the immortal perfected. Devoutly pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Five Qi, Laozi of Jieren, and devoutly pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Clear Heaven, Laozi of the Nine Transformations.

Then pay homage to the profound treasury of the teachings within the Thirty-Six Venerable Scriptures, the precious Daoist classics and secretly transmitted methods. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs stored at the Cloud Tortoise, the Western Chamber, Mount Wangwu, and the Southern Mountains. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs of the cloud seal-script, Daoist talismanic writing like cloud vapor, condensed in the air, eight-cornered and trailing rays of light. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs written with the purple brush of the Fragrant Grove and borne on jade slips in golden script. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs of phoenix script and purple aura, kept within the Terrace of the Seven Treasures. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs on Mount Renniao, the Mountain of Humans and Birds, in the immortal realm of Grand Clarity (Taiqing). Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs on Mount Xuandu in the sacred realm of Jade Clarity (Yuqing). Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs in the secret documents of the Three Heavens and the jade chapters of the Five Elders. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs in the jade formulae of the August Person and the golden writings of the Mysterious Elder. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs in the jasper stanzas of the nine radiances of the True Unity of Great Mystery. Devoutly pay homage to this profound treasury of the teachings, the secretly transmitted True Writs. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs in the jade formulae of the August Person and the golden writings of the Mysterious Elder. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs in the jasper stanzas of the nine radiances of the True Unity of Great Mystery. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs in the divine talismans and precious registers of the covenanted powers of Orthodox Unity (Zhengyi). Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs in the secret formulae of long life and the numinous charts for summoning and controlling. Devoutly pay homage to the precious secretly transmitted True Writs of transformation opened in the realm of stillness and of the nine-colored cloud net.

Then pay homage to all the immortals and holy assemblies of the ten directions who have attained the Dao. Devoutly pay homage to the Perfected Ziming of the yellow-brown mysterious kerchief on Mount Penglai, Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center. Devoutly pay homage to the Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center on Mount Tiantai, who bears a round halo upon the head and oversees the deliverance of the Three Perfected. Devoutly pay homage to the teaching lords of the human world and the heavenly realm, the Perfected who have already attained the Dao, Ritual Masters of the Mysterious Center. Devoutly pay homage to the Perfected of Orthodox Unity, Ritual Master of the Three Heavens, the Perfected Daoling, Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center.

We reverently venerate the Zhenren (Perfected) of good affinity, the Xuanzhong Fashi (Master of the Mysterious Center), who dwells upon the Terrace of the Seven Treasures in the Land of Wondrous Joy.

We reverently venerate the Zhenren who attend the Jing (scriptures/classics) and the Zhenren who have accomplished wondrous practice, the Xuanzhong Fashi.

We reverently venerate the Zhenren of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) who transmit the classics, expound the teachings, and rescue deluded beings, the Xuanzhong Fashi.

We reverently venerate the Most High Laozi, the Zhenren of the River, and the scholar-gentleman Wenru, the Xuanzhong Fashi.

We reverently venerate the Xuanzhong Fashi of past, present, and future, who ever abide in the world and deliver beings from suffering and distress.

We reverently venerate the Zhenren of Taiji, numerous as dust and sand, who transmit the scriptures and expound the teachings in accord with the age and rescue deluded beings, the Xuanzhong Fashi.

We reverently venerate the Most High Laozi, the Zhenren of the River, and the scholar-gentleman Wenru, the Xuanzhong Fashi.

We reverently venerate the Xuanzhong Fashi of past, present, and future, who ever abide in the world and deliver beings from suffering and distress.

We reverently venerate those who have attained the Dao (the Way), numerous as dust and sand, who accord with worldly conditions and benefit living beings, the Xuanzhong Fashi.

We reverently venerate the Xuanzhong Fashi who enable beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions, numerous as the sands of the Ganges, to attain realization and awaken to their true nature.

We take refuge in and reverently venerate all the Three Treasures—the Dao, the Jing, and the masters—that fill the void and pervade the Dharma-realm, and we repent with sincere hearts. We disciples, from innumerable kalpas past down to this day, in former lives and in this life alike, have often failed to understand the principle of causes and conditions. When matters arose we acted against what is right and reasonable; our conduct was inverted; we mingled with the common world and lacked a mind of equal regard. Though ordinary people, we did what is crooked and perverse: we grew distant from and ill-treated our own kin while favoring outsiders; we assumed the identities and titles of others and falsely claimed to be heroes; we indulged in lust and coveted goods that were not ours; we intimidated and plundered the ignorant and harmed the good and the upright; we slighted and bullied the aged and the sick and oppressed orphans and widows.

Some, day and night within the household, abused and drove servants and concubines, whipping them at will. When riding horses or driving oxen, they paid no heed to the animals’ hunger and exhaustion. Harboring evil thoughts and speaking wild words, they offended the gods and spirits and railed against wind and rain. Without cause they cursed others and fabricated offenses out of nothing, so that others suffered harm. Such deeds bring entanglement in calamities of every kind, in this life and in lives to come. These offenses are measureless and boundless. We disciples, with the utmost sincerity this day, repent of them all together.

The disciples bear all manner of karmic obstructions and afflictions, and in their conduct they often fall into error. At times they become drunk and confused, offending both those above them and those below; they speak absurd and outlandish words, and their deceitful, reckless talk knows no restraint; they single out the faults of others, flattering and fawning and bending themselves to please; they betray the twofold kindness of parents and teachers, and often deceive and mislead.

Sometimes they set out scriptures (Jing) and sacred images, yet let the incense and offerings cease; with unclean hands they turn the pages of numinous texts, and they come to the ritual seat (the place where rites are performed) while defilement still clings to their bodies. They accept the food offerings of the purification rite (zhai), yet are unwilling to give alms; having received offerings, they feel no shame in their hearts. They borrow and then break their word, failing to repay, and when they lend they exact double interest. Offenses such as these are measureless and boundless; today the disciples, with wholehearted sincerity, repent of each of them in turn.

Whether in life or after death, the disciples are ordinary persons, obstructed by ignorance (the foolishness that clouds the mind), knowing neither compassion nor forbearance, and by nature fond of harming living beings. At times they sacrifice to deviant spirits and curry favor with guests; when weddings of men and women, communal festival days, and the seasonal sacrifices of the year come around, they lay out great banquets, slaughter livestock at will, take blood and flesh for their dishes, and go on consuming oil to keep lamps burning through the night. The sinful karma and enmities thus created are endless and beyond counting.

Those to whom they are bound by grievance and debt pursue their claims without cease in the unseen world, entangling living beings in the cycle of birth and death. Souls are therefore imprisoned in the Nine Nights and confined in the Three Paths (realms of suffering such as the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals); there is nowhere to wash their offenses clean, and no path by which to seek pity. The disciples carefully establish a purification rite and fashion sacred images, laying bare their sincere hearts, and they dedicate the merit and good conditions thus obtained to the beings with whom they formerly formed enmities and to whom they owe debts from past lives.

May those beings, by the power of this blessing, receive the shelter of the human world or the heavenly realms, forever abandon evil conditions, and no longer pursue and retaliate against one another. The disciples also vow to extend compassion broadly to the four modes of birth and the six destinations (the various forms in which living beings are born and the places to which they go in the round of rebirth); if they see beings meeting danger, hardship, and distress, they will seek ways to rescue them so that they may be liberated. They will then expound for them the subtle true Dharma, opening the conditions for deliverance, so that whether those beings see a form or hear a name, fear may be dispelled and afflictions scattered. If this can be so, peace and ease may at last be attained.

When the repentance is complete, the disciples take refuge in and pay reverence to the Three Treasures (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha).

With utmost sincerity they make this vow:

May we disciples, together with our relatives of two generations, both the living and the deceased, by virtue of the merit established through this repentance, remain in life after life far from the Three Paths (the three evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals), forever take leave of the Eight Sufferings (the eight kinds of suffering in human life), be free from entanglement by enemies and foes, and not encounter evil appearances.

We disciples sincerely make this vow: may we, by virtue of the merit established through this repentance, remain in life after life far from the Three Paths, forever take leave of the Eight Sufferings, be free from entanglement by enemies and foes, and not allow evil appearances to manifest before our eyes; may we freely enter the realm of liberation, roam in the realm of Wuwei (non-action), gladly receive the offerings of the human world and the heavens, and often hear wondrous music. While living in this world, may we be peaceful and harmonious, untroubled by afflictions; may auspicious signs often appear at our gates, our households be abundant and prosperous, blessings and joy be continually renewed, and calamities disperse. The vow completed, we disciples take refuge in and pay homage to the Three Treasures (the three precious objects of faith revered in Daoism).