《太上泰清拔罪升天宝忏》

At that time, the Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) was in the Heaven of Initial Azure (Shiqing Tian, one of the celestial realms in Daoist cosmology), seated on a high platform of jade and precious lotus. There he was expounding to countless sages the subtle method of stilling the mind and embracing the truth. He emitted a great radiance that shone upon the ten directions. Beings in innumerable worlds, whether or not they had an affinity with the Dao (the Way), were delivered by it.

The light revealed the many great hells of Mount Luoshan in Fengdu, in the north, where beings were suffering every kind of punishment for their sins.

First was the Cauldron-Broth Hell. Ox-headed jailers drove countless sinners into huge boiling cauldrons, and the moment they entered, their flesh and blood were cooked to pulp. After a kalpa had passed, the hell officials called out their names, and they came forth at the call, their bodies restored. The jailers then drove them into the Iron Bed Hell. The iron beds were studded with spikes and blazed with fierce fire beneath, and as soon as the sinners lay down, their bones and flesh were scorched to ruin in an instant. After another kalpa, the officials called out their names, and again their bodies were restored.

Next they were driven into the Fire City Hell. Iron walls surrounded it on every side, covered by an iron net, and inside, thick smoke and poisonous flames billowed; bronze dogs and iron serpents spewed fire from their mouths. The city gates suddenly opened, all the sinners were driven in, and the gates shut at once. In the raging fire their bones and flesh were charred, and as the flames tossed them up and down they struck against the iron net, their screams shaking heaven and earth, louder than thunder. After yet another kalpa, the prison gates opened, the officials summoned them, and they came out restored.

After that, the sinners were sent to the Sawing Hell. The jailers clamped them between iron boards and sawed them in two from head to foot, one by one, until their blood ran in rivers. After a kalpa, the officials called to them, and their bodies joined together again. Then they were driven beneath stone pestles to be pounded and chopped into ten thousand pieces, and iron forks pushed them into mills where they were ground into bloody mud. After another kalpa, they were again called back to life, their bodies restored as before.

Then they were driven into the Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords Hell. There stood a great steep mountain covered in blades, and on it great trees whose branches, leaves, roots, and trunks were all sharp swords. As the sinners entered, their feet were pierced by the knife edges and their bodies slashed by the blades, skin parted from flesh, and blood flowed in rivers. After suffering in this way for a kalpa, the officials called to them, and one by one they were restored.

Among the crowd was one sinner who, in life, had read Daoist scriptures (jing) and knew something of past destiny, causal conditions, and karmic retribution. Seeing this light, he understood: his suffering was all because of evil deeds done in former lives; in this long, dark hell there should have been no such light, so it must be the Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning sending forth radiance to deliver him. He said to the others, "Your evil karma from past lives is deep. You did not understand the Daoist scriptures or the true Way, you believed in heterodox teachings and held inverted views, and you deceived heaven, earth, and the spirits. That is why you suffer like this and cannot escape. Now that we are fortunate enough to see this light, follow me in reciting the sacred name of the Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning, and sincerely and earnestly pray to be freed from suffering."

Hearing this, the sinners looked up together and bowed to the light, reciting the name in unison. The officials of the underworld and the jailers could not stop them, and even the ox-headed jailers became good people. In an instant, the shackles of countless sinners fell away of themselves, and riding the light they departed, all to be reborn in the human world.

The Supreme One (Taishang, the honorific Daoism gives its highest venerated deity) said: When living beings create sinful karma, after death they enter Northern Fengdu (Beifeng, the Daoist realm of the underworld), where ghosts and spirits interrogate and examine the guilty souls, and the grievances they incurred in life can hardly be repaid.

In the hells there are iron cities and fierce flames, and punishments such as being torn apart by chariots and boiled in cauldrons of oil. There are also the branding pillar, mountains of knives, venomous snakes, stone mortars and stone mills, as well as bitter, piercing ice and towering forests of swords. These are sorrowful even to hear of, so how much more so to endure in person? In the dark and endless underworld, souls turn ceaselessly like ants in a circle, and the guilty remain trapped in the hells for long ages. If one does not understand the causes of suffering, and does not cultivate repentance and wash away one's sins while there is time, the stain of guilt will deepen day by day, and one will in the end suffer these torments. After ten thousand kalpas and a thousand lives, how could one ever be freed?

You should pray with single-minded sincerity and take refuge in the Highest Perfected (Shangzhen, the Daoist honorific for exalted immortals of high rank), wishing that in future lives you will never again fall into the hells, that you may always hear the Daoist scriptures (Jing) and grasp the teachings of the Dao (the Way), that you may behold the light of compassion, and that you may swiftly receive salvation. With a reverent heart, bow your head to the ground in worship, and entrust your life in faith to the sacred names of the Honored Ones of Great Purity (Taiqing) who universally protect the world with compassion:

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy of the Immortal Realm of Great Purity.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy Who Dissolves Grievances and Releases Bonds.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy of Gathered Blessings and Adorned Splendor.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Joy and Wuwei (Non-action).

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy Who Hides and Appears Without Hindrance.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy of True Wandering and Perfect Freedom.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy of Great Radiance and Complete Culmination.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy of the Blazing Torch of Wisdom.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) and Immeasurability.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy Who Opens Heaven and Reveals De (Virtue).

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy of the Imperial Pole Reaching the Farthest Realms.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy Who Reveals the Great Design.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy of Perfect Mirroring and Penetrating Illumination.

I take refuge in, and pay faithful homage to, the Celestial Worthy Who Expands and Glorifies the Precious Lineage.

The disciple so-and-so, relying on the Zhen'gao (the scriptures or admonitions transmitted by Daoist deities), reverently bows before the Shangzhen (the Highest Perfected, a title Daoism gives to exalted divine beings). With utmost sincerity the disciple prays earnestly and repents with a single mind.

Tracing matters back to their fundamental principle: the clear and profound "One Truth" (Yizhen, the original and true Dao) is not changed by the vicissitudes of the world, such as hills becoming valleys and valleys becoming hills. The boundless sun and moon...

Relying on the principles recorded in the Zhengao (Zhen Gao, "Declarations of the Perfected"; a Daoist scripture), this disciple sincerely bows before the Perfected Ones (Shangzhen, the true immortals of the upper realms), prays with earnest devotion, and repents with single-minded focus. The pure and unchanging Truth does not alter even when mountains and valleys shift; even the sun, moon, and stars in the vast expanse of heaven and earth can hardly withstand the destruction and transformation of the long cosmic kalpas. Human life is like a phantom image. Who can avoid sinking into suffering?

Alas, people of the world chase after the branches and forget the root. They crave external things and indulge their desires, like ants trapped at the rim of a cooking pot, bustling about and clinging only to life, or like moths flying into a flame, drifting calmly toward their deaths. The root of suffering lies in craving and desire: without craving and desire, there would be no suffering of reincarnation; to commit all manner of offenses is to create the conditions for falling into hell.

Most of the sins people commit come from this. The three karmas of body, speech, and mind, together with the six faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, turn away from what is real and chase after what is illusory. The mind and consciousness are inverted, forever ignorant and deluded, drifting through birth and death and rising and sinking in realms of suffering. Thus some gaze upon seductive beauty and listen to sounds of laughter and revelry; they discuss books that do not accord with the right Way, keep company with wicked people, and indulge in pleasure outings and hunting. They offend against the Perfected Ones, treat the sacred scriptures with contempt and slander, insult their rulers and teachers, and show no reverence for their parents and elders. They covet the property of others with desires that are never satisfied, and they kill sentient beings without a trace of compassion. They act without principle, blind their own conscience, think only of themselves without regard for the suffering of others, and seize others' belongings without sympathy for their hardships. Whether at rest or in motion, they violate proper norms, giving free rein to the three karmas of body, speech, and mind, and commit such sins as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, miserliness, anger, ignorance, cruelty, jealousy, lying, flowery and deceptive speech, sowing discord, and abusive language. Having committed these sins, one is bound to fall into hell.

Now, before the sacred Perfected Ones, this disciple sincerely lays bare and repents of their faults: the sins already committed I dare not conceal, and the evil karma I might create in the future I will never commit again. This disciple takes refuge in and pays reverence to the following compassionate and protective deities who watch over the world:

I take refuge in and pay reverence to the Celestial Venerable of Exalted Truth and Universal Protection,

I take refuge in and pay reverence to the Celestial Venerable of Distant Reach and Wondrous Virtue,

I take refuge in and pay reverence to the Celestial Venerable of Good Deeds Pervading the World,

I take refuge in and pay reverence to the Celestial Venerable of Immeasurable Virtue.

I take refuge with utmost sincerity in the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) who skillfully teaches and guides, and I pay homage to the Heavenly Worthy who radiates light everywhere and illuminates all beings; to the Heavenly Worthy who removes the sufferings of the world; to the Heavenly Worthy who dispels the obstacles of sin and karma; to the Heavenly Worthy who brings blessings to fulfillment; to the Heavenly Worthy who shines upon all things with brilliance; and to the Heavenly Worthy who cherishes all beings.

Once more I pay sincere homage to the Heavenly Worthy who radiates light everywhere and illuminates all beings; to the Heavenly Worthy who removes the sufferings of the world; to the Heavenly Worthy who dispels the obstacles of sin and karma; to the Heavenly Worthy who brings blessings to fulfillment; and to the Heavenly Worthy who shines upon all things with brilliance. I pay homage to the Heavenly Worthy who cherishes all things and rescues humankind; to the Heavenly Worthy whose body and mind embrace all phenomena; to the Heavenly Worthy who, like heaven and earth, encompasses, covers, and bears all things; to the Heavenly Worthy who opens up the light and brings suffering to rest; to the Heavenly Worthy who spreads the light and uproots hardship; to the Heavenly Worthy who is vast and boundless, inexhaustible; to the Heavenly Worthy who nurtures primordial Qi (vital energy) and nourishes the clear and harmonious Qi; to the Heavenly Worthy who removes calamity and dissolves resentment; to the Heavenly Worthy who bestows blessings in answer to the prayers of beings; to the Heavenly Worthy who bestows kindness widely; and to the Heavenly Worthy whose foundation of merit is profound and who transforms and nurtures all things in accordance with nature. I pay homage to the Perfected Ones (Zhenren) of great compassion and great generosity, and to the Perfected Ones who pull out pain and deliver those in distress.

"Zhenren" (Perfected Person) is the Daoist honorific for one who has attained the Dao (the Way). By repeatedly paying homage to the names and titles of these divine figures, this passage expresses refuge, along with the wish for sins to be dispelled, suffering to be removed, calamities to be averted, and blessings to be granted.

I, a disciple, following the Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected, a Daoist text recording the teachings and admonitions of the Perfected Ones), reverently bow before the Highest Perfected Ones (the exalted deities of Daoism), pray with utmost sincerity, and repent with a single mind.

A faint spark, if left unextinguished and allowed to spread, can burn an entire mountain forest; a slender stream, if left unchecked and dammed, can in time bear a great ship afloat. When ordinary people commit transgressions, the root lies in a single thought of the mind; if it is not cut off at the source, it will in the end be hard to restrain. Human natures are alike, but habits form gradually: each day one or two offenses are committed, and as days and months accumulate, they grow into thousands and tens of thousands. At first it is only a momentary confusion of the heart, but later it piles up into grave and heavy karma. People believe they can deceive Heaven and fool the world, and dismiss the retribution of good and evil as empty talk.

As days and months pass, ghosts and spirits secretly record these offenses in their registers. When the wrongdoing is grave, it provokes the resentment of the multitude and the wrath of the divine: the name is struck from the ledger of good deeds in the Celestial Bureau (Tiancao, the heavenly office in charge of registers), and a charge is added to the register of offenses in the underworld. The sins a person commits in the world are not easily pardoned by the Yin administration of the dead; even after a thousand kalpas and ten thousand lives, if the penalty for the sins has not been fully paid, one must still go on receiving retribution. Some fall into the realm of hungry ghosts, others are reborn as animals, enduring hunger, thirst, toil, and the pain of the lash. Unless one meets the saving power of the Highest Perfected Ones, one sinks for a long time into suffering and never finds release. Even if one has planted good causes in the past, how could that excuse one from repentance?

I, a disciple, am fortunate to have been born into the human world and to have encountered this sacred affinity, so that I may dwell in peace between Heaven and Earth, receiving the grace of their nurturing. I conduct myself with care and remain vigilant each day, not daring to be lax; yet I still fear that I may draw near to bad neighbors and absorb evil habits, and that what I hear and see, what I think in my heart, and what my body does may form offenses without my being aware of it. If I do not know the method of washing away transgressions, I will find it hard to escape the calamity of falling into retribution.

Therefore, today, before the Venerable Dao, I solemnly set forth my repentance. I humbly beg that my past faults and accumulated defilements be cleansed away by this one act of obeisance; and that, through the recitation of the sacred names and the Jade Writings (Yushu, Daoist scriptures or talismanic decrees), the vexations of the mundane world be dispelled at once. Blessings are bestowed by Heaven, yet they must also be fulfilled through human good deeds; may my own circumstances be pure and peaceful, and my heart at ease. May the living flourish in long life like bamboo, with their blessings and emoluments growing day by day; may the departed keep their spirit-consciousness clear and wander freely along the paths of the clouds. May the names of their offenses be struck from the Black Register (the ledger recording transgressions), and their good deeds be inscribed in the Cinnabar Terrace (Dantai, the celestial roll recording merit and virtue). May all that I, a disciple, pray for be protected by the myriad spirits. I, a disciple, offer this prayer with the utmost sincerity and reverence.