《太上金柜玉镜延生洞玄烛幽忏》

When the clear and turbid had not yet separated, there was no distinction between day and night. When the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) first divided, the two forms of Heaven and Earth came into being; all of this arose from the transformation of the single Qi of the Dao (the Way), the primordial original energy.

Before the eras of Longhan and Yankang, the Qi of the Dao was vast and boundless. Form and image had not yet been fixed, and there were no concrete objects, only a dense, thick breath blending and surging together. By the first year of Chiming, the essence of Yang began to emit radiance, and its movements and changes were beyond measure. This is what is meant by "changing without passing through change; following what is natural, it is simply so."

In the first year of Longhan, after three thousand billion nine hundred and fifty-one years, the cycles of Qi in Yuqing (Jade Purity, one of the Three Pure Ones, or Sanqing) alternated and re-established the primordial order, setting the myriad things to flow and transform, and the Qi of the Dao thereby intertwined and condensed. The transformations of Shangqing (Highest Purity) passed through seventy-nine billion thirty-nine years, and the Great Elixir (referring to the original source from which the Great Dao generates the myriad things) took form; only then did the sun, the moon, and the five stars begin to appear. The operating principles of the Dao lay submerged and accumulating, and the first hints of generation and transformation faintly emerged. The refining and entwining of Taiqing (Great Purity) passed through five billion twelve years; the heavens were arrayed like chess pieces, wondrous transformations appeared clearly, the power of creation began to unfold, and every manner of phenomenon became distinct in turn. Heaven and Earth were lofty and bright, and the Great Dao thereby proceeded in its course.

The Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), in the wondrous realm of the Divine Empyrean and Jade Purity within the Heaven of Pure Subtlety, transmitted the teachings to the Lord of the Dao (Dao, the Way). These included the True Scripture of Mysterious Unity, the Golden Proclamations of Lingbao, and countless wondrous formulae. From the beginning of the great transformation until now, the Lord of the Dao has descended to the human world a total of 11,520 times.

Now the cosmic cycle of Yang Nine is drawing to its close. Heaven and Earth are undergoing upheavals, and the people and all living things are suffering harm. Moved by compassion, the Lord of the Dao has proclaimed this scripture (Jing) in three scrolls, and sent the Perfected Man of the Left Mystery to carry it to the Palace of Penglai. There the Perfected Ones engraved the text on jade tablets, and each day they study, recite, and chant it.

Now the people endure all manner of suffering and sink into the evil destinies, where it is hard to regain a human body. The Jade Dawn has issued a decree commanding that the scripture be sent down to the human world and entrusted to the pure and faithful, that they may practice it to protect their bodies and preserve their lives. As for those who are heavily burdened with sin and harbor disbelief, do not let them glimpse or mock the scripture. Anyone who carelessly divulges it or treats the text with disrespect will bring calamity upon nine generations of ancestors and will long be made to serve the officials of the ghost realm. One should practice it diligently and guard it with care.

This scripture has three names: the first is the True Scripture of the Golden Casket and Jade Mirror, the second is the Mysterious Candle Illuminating the Darkness: A Rite of Repentance, and the third is the Secret Chapters of the Divine Treasure. The text sets forth subtle and refined principles so that those with the proper affinity may awaken. Through practice and steady progress, one can summon spiritual Qi (vital energy) to the Three Passes (the three critical junctures spoken of in cultivation) and fill the Nine Gates (the gates and passes within the body, as described in Daoist cultivation) with the Qi of precious radiance. When merit is fulfilled, one's name is registered in the Jade Court (the sacred dwelling place of the heavens).

The filial can use this scripture to repay their ancestors and resolve calamities at their root. By following the teachings, reverently practicing them, and reciting the text, even the souls of ancestors reaching back through countless generations, if they are still suffering in the realm of darkness, can be delivered through this merit and ascend to Zhuling (in Daoist belief, a realm of salvation for souls in the underworld).

Should the living encounter yearly misfortunes and monthly afflictions, or be long entangled in unexpected disasters, then by venerating, reciting, and practicing this scripture they can dissolve the calamities sent down from Heaven, banish harmful influences, and bring peace to their families and their country. Those who form bonds with good causes and cultivate the true Dao, if they study it deeply and gain insight, can have the sins on the paths of the underworld lifted. Through pure and generous virtue they will perfect their spiritual and authentic nature, penetrate the profound Great Dao, and in the end attain immortality.

If one can also establish good deeds, accumulate merit, and rescue others and all living things, one can cause ancestors of countless generations to ascend, extend blessings to one's descendants, and make later generations prosper age after age, producing worthy and sagely people. This Great Dao is noble and profound, and its merit is vast and boundless. Those who revere and trust it, and who practice and uphold it, will be able to achieve every kind of accomplishment.

Before reciting this scripture (Jing), one must first bathe in fragrant, herb-infused water and observe a fast for seven days. Sit upright in a clean room facing east, and knock the teeth thirty-six times. Close the eyes, calm the mind, and visualize oneself seated amid clouds of qi in three colors: blue-green, yellow, and purple. The Northern Dipper (the constellation formed by the seven stars of the north) spreads over the crown of the head, with the handle of the Dipper pointing to the front of oneself.

Next, visualize the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise (the guardian spirits of the four directions) each appearing from their own respective organs, arranged to the left, right, front, and back of the body. Then visualize, within the two small acupoints behind the eyebrows, the sun rising from the left, emitting nine rays of purplish-red light, and the moon rising from the right, emitting ten rays of yellowish-white light. The sun and moon each stand nine feet from the body, and their radiant glow fills the entire room.

Then visualize the light of the sun and moon entering through the nose and reaching the Golden Flower Palace, four inches behind the brain. Let a circular image of light appear at the back of the neck, as large as a cartwheel, bright and distinct. Once the visualization is clear, silently recite the Mantra of the Opening of the Scripture and the Mysterious Store (Kaijing Xuanyun Zhou). When the recitation is finished, burn incense, unroll the scripture, and kneel and bow while reciting the sacred titles of the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun). The divine soldiers who protect the Dao will naturally guard the practitioner. If the practitioner's heart is sincere, the merit gained from reciting cannot be fully enumerated.

Mantra of the Opening of the Scripture and the Mysterious Store

In the Palace of Celestial Truth and Cinnabar Splendor, within the jade chamber of pure numinous light; in the emerald Mysterious Capital of the Six and the One, upon the Primordial Terrace stands the lord of the imperial gate. Keep the heart pure and still, and jing and qi will arise. Ride the lofty emptiness and soar in flight. Let the shen rest within the Three Lodges, and let fragrance permeate the abode of long life. The purple hall opens onto the crimson gate-tower, and within the Vermilion City lies a wondrous granary-field. Set the gate of the spirit upright and contemplate according to principle; pure and clear, it gives off the fragrance of the wisdom of the Dao. Guard nature and life, so that the shen returns to emptiness; embrace the numinous pearl and nourish the Jade Yang. Turn the shen around and return it to the realm of the original truth, and one will attain clarity and ascend to the region of purple longevity.

In the Heaven of Great Clarity, upon Mount Xuandu, the Most High Lord Lao sat on the Terrace of the Seven Treasures and met with the celestial immortals of the various heavens. He kindled naturally fragrant sandalwood incense and told the assembled immortals:

The beings of the lower realm all receive a body only because their parents conceive and give them birth. They receive the mandate of Heaven and take form upon the earth, taking the sun as their yang soul and the moon as their yin soul. Among the myriad things, only human beings possess a complete spiritual nature.

When people are first born, they all receive the pure, calm, and peaceful Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth. Their original nature is clear and still, and they may endure as long as Heaven. Later, this simple nature gradually disperses. Drawn by attachment and desire, people turn away from their true nature, chase after external things, and give free rein to their emotions. They give rise to evil thoughts such as falsehood, deceit, and greed, and commit offenses such as licentiousness, cruelty, killing, and theft. Their words are venomous and they stir up discord; their hearts harbor anger, ignorance, and jealousy. They are neither loyal nor filial, abandon moral duty, forget kindness, and slander the great Dao (the Way) and the truth. All these karmic offenses cause them to revolve without end through the “Three Paths” (the miserable destinies spoken of in Daoism), from which it is hard to escape.

Some offend the stars and constellations or violate Heaven and Earth, and thereby bring on warfare, floods and droughts, and the spread of pestilence. They also encounter insects, snakes, tigers, and wolves, spectral essences and evil spirits, as well as illness, lawsuits, and punishment. Calamities follow one after another, even bringing decline and ruin upon whole families, so that people drift upon the sea of suffering.

At this moment, among the assembly there was a Perfected named Pujiu. He rose from his seat, bowed and paid homage, looked up toward the Most High Lord Lao, and, kneeling for a long while, asked: “Beings such as these suffer all manner of evil retribution. By what causes and conditions can their suffering be removed? I earnestly beg you to extend your mysterious compassionate grace and broadly deliver those who have sunk into suffering.”

The Supreme One (Taishang, an honorific for the highest deity in Daoism) said: "Sit down again, calm your mind, and reflect, and I will expound this for you. When men and women who hold to the true Way encounter calamities, misfortunes, and entangling accidents and can find no means of resolving them, they should fast and bathe according to the rites. Reverently, before the images of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three revered deities of Daoism), they should purify body and mind. They should present fresh flowers, choice fruits, clean water, fine incense, lamps and candles, and sweet wine, look up and bow with sincere reverence, and offer words of repentance.

"This disciple, so-and-so (the penitent's self-designation), has encountered calamities, misfortunes, and entangling accidents and can find no means of resolving them. Therefore, having fasted and bathed according to the rites, I reverently purify body and mind before the images of the Three Pure Ones. I present fresh flowers, choice fruits, clean water, fine incense, lamps and candles, and sweet wine, look up and bow with sincere reverence, and make the following repentance:

"From distant kalpas until this very day, this disciple has not honored the teachings of the scriptures and has only created transgressions. I have committed the Ten Evils (the ten wicked deeds named in Buddhist and Daoist teaching), and my heart has been clouded by the Five Poisons (greed, anger, delusion, and other afflictions that confuse the mind). The offenses I have wrought through the Three Karmas of body, speech, and thought (bodily conduct, words, and mental intentions) are boundless. One sin has led to another, and so I have brought upon myself many disasters. Today I am fortunate to hear the true teaching. I reflect upon and repent my former faults, praying earnestly and sincerely, wholeheartedly repenting. I humbly beseech the Holy Ones, in their compassion, to wholly erase my past transgressions. I bow in sincere reverence."

What follows are the salutations and petitions offered to the venerable deities and perfected ones:

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Celestial Venerable of Original Beginning, Void and Self-So.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Lord of the Jade Dawn, the Supreme Great Dao.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to Laojun, the Supreme Mysterious Origin and Holy Ancestor.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Celestial Venerable who grants long life and protects the body.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Lord of the Jade Dawn, the Supreme Great Dao.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to Laojun, the Supreme Mysterious Origin and Holy Ancestor.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Celestial Venerable who grants long life and protects the body.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Supreme Celestial Venerable who grants long life and preserves life.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Supreme Celestial Venerable who dispels calamity and heals illness.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Celestial Venerable who oversees life, records emoluments, and extends longevity (the deity in charge of human life, fortune, and lifespan).

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Celestial Venerable of the Lingbao who fixes destiny and inspects the registers (the Lingbao Celestial Venerable who keeps the registers of lifespans).

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Perfected Ones who, by heavenly mandate, descend to the lower realm to expound the teachings.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Perfected Ones who descend to the human world and save the suffering with great compassion.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Perfected Ones who compassionately deliver beings from calamity.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Perfected Ones who come to rescue all who call out for help.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Perfected Ones who aid the living and deliver the dead.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Perfected Ones who bestow blessings and protect the body.

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Penglai Master who supports the teaching.

The fasting and bathing, offerings, prostrations, and repentance in the scripture (Jing) are ways, within the Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual), of expressing reverence for the deities, reflecting on one's faults, and praying for the removal of calamity and misfortune. In the original text, the two characters "志尊" appear alone, and the sense seems to be missing something, so their meaning cannot be determined from it.

With sincere reverence I bow to the Penglai Ritual Master Who Communicates with Heaven.

These sacred titles should be worshipped with respect. Recite them forty-nine times each day, or more.

With sincere reverence I bow to the Perfected One Who Saves the Living and Delivers the Dead.

With sincere reverence I bow to the Perfected One of Myriad Blessings Who Protects the Body.

With sincere reverence I bow to the Penglai Ritual Master Who Upholds the Teaching.

With sincere reverence I bow to the Penglai Ritual Master Who Communicates with Heaven.

These sacred titles should be worshipped with respect. Recite them daily from forty-nine times up to one hundred times. In this way, spirit soldiers who protect the teaching and the Perfected One Who Relieves Suffering will constantly accompany and guard a person, so that one may avoid calamity and peril. All manner of misfortune will quietly disperse, while blessings and prosperity increase and life is prolonged. If any living beings, upon hearing these sacred titles, hold them in reverence and bow in worship, they too may obtain the same merit as described above. When the worship is finished, one should also repent with sincere devotion.

I, your disciple and subject So-and-so, from time without beginning down to this day, have been disloyal to the sovereign, have failed to honor my parents and elders, have not respected my teachers, and have not shown affection toward my brothers. I have flattered those above and oppressed those below, kept my kin at a distance while drawing close to outsiders, heeded the words of wife and concubines, and gone against the instruction of my parents.

If one is a woman, she may have been of improper conduct, disobedient to her parents, unfilial toward her parents-in-law, disruptive of relations among kin, and disdainful of her husband; she may have wasted grain and cut clothing at will, stolen, been lazy, stirred up gossip, and quarreled with neighbors, constantly harbored jealousy, and let her mind stray toward others. To commit such faults is surely to invite bitter retribution: while alive one is despised by others, and after death one falls into hell. Now, before the holy perfected, this disciple repents of all these offenses together.

Your disciple, your subject, so-and-so, from beginningless time until today, has committed many acts contrary to righteousness and common sense. When wealthy and honored, I used my power to bully others; when poor and destitute, I gave free rein to violence. I treated wrongdoing as a talent. When I saw others being killed, I not only failed to stop it but grew angrier still. I killed people to seize their wealth and pushed others aside to take their positions. I slew those who had already surrendered and submitted. I oppressed orphans and pressed hard upon widows. I disrupted the affairs of the state and held the common people in contempt. I envied the worthy and capable, concealed good deeds while spreading evil ones, incited others to do wrong, and shifted my own guilt onto them.

I have also shot birds in flight and hunted beasts, startled hibernating insects and roosting creatures, blocked up burrows and destroyed nests, harmed unborn young and broken eggs. I have stolen, engaged in lewdness, spoken falsely, and uttered flowery, untruthful words. I have drunk wine and eaten meat, spoken cruel words and abuse, and sowed discord through gossip. I have been miserly and greedy, angry and resentful, fierce and violent, foolish and ignorant. I have deceived and misled others with glib words and deceitful arts, secretly harmed people, and destroyed lives. Knowing I was wrong, I did not correct myself; knowing what was good, I did not do it. Of all the causes and conditions of wrongdoing, I have committed nearly every one. Now I openly declare these offenses and dare conceal them no longer. Reverently, I face the Sages and Perfected (the sacred and true deities) and beseech them to forgive me for all of them together.

Your disciple, your subject, so-and-so, from beginningless time, has harmed living beings. Knowing I was wrong, I did not correct myself; knowing what was good, I did not do it. Of all the causes and conditions of wrongdoing, I have committed nearly every one. Now I openly declare them and dare conceal nothing. Reverently, I face the Sages and Perfected and beseech them to forgive me for all of them together.

Your disciple, your subject, so-and-so, from beginningless time until today, has not known the true Way and has committed many faults. I resented Heaven and Earth, scolded the wind and rain, loathed cold and heat, and hated the sun, moon, and stars (the Three Radiances). I mocked and slandered the sages and worthies, offended against the Dao and De (Virtue), and rashly disparaged the sacred scriptures. I obstructed good karmic connections and turned away the Supreme Perfected (the revered deities of Daoism). I defiled and damaged temples and divine images. I stared at the sun and moon for long periods and carelessly pointed at the sun, moon, and stars. I pointed at rainbows and spat at the stars. I fouled wells and stoves. I swore oaths and curses and called upon the spirits. I broke vows and violated precepts. I arbitrarily interpreted the words of the sages and carelessly divulged heavenly secrets. Now I confess my offenses and vow never to do these things again. Reverently, I face the Sages and Perfected and beseech them to forgive me for all of them together. With a sincere heart I repent, and with undivided devotion I bow in worship.

With undivided devotion and reverence, I bow to the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning, of Emptiness and Naturalness (a Daoist deity symbolizing the source of all dao).

With undivided devotion and reverence, I bow to the Most High Jade Dawn Lord of the Great Dao (a Daoist deity).

With undivided devotion and reverence, I bow to the Most High Sage Ancestor Laojun of Mysterious Origin (that is, Taishang Laojun, a Daoist deity).

With undivided devotion and reverence, I bow to the Jade Emperor, Supreme Sovereign of Vast Heaven (the deity who governs the heavenly realm).

With undivided devotion and reverence, I bow to the Great Emperor of Ziwei, Celestial Sovereign (a Daoist deity).

With undivided devotion and reverence, I bow to the Great Emperor of Ziwei, the Northern Pole (a Daoist deity).

With undivided devotion and reverence, I bow to the Great Emperor of the Southern Pole, Bestower of Life (the Daoist deity who oversees the granting of life).

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Sun Emperor (Taiyang Dijun, the Sun deity) in the Palace of the Sun.

I pay homage to the Jade Emperor, August Sovereign of Heaven (Haotian Yuhuang Shangdi, the supreme deity of the celestial realm).

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Great Emperor of Ziwei, Celestial Sovereign (Ziwei Tianhuang Dadi), the Great Emperor of the Ziwei North Pole (Ziwei Beiji Dadi), and the Great Emperor of the South Pole, Bestower of Life (Nanji Zhusheng Dadi, the revered deity who governs the South Pole and records the registers of life).

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Sun Emperor of the Palace of the Sun (Taiyang Dijun) and the Moon Sovereign of the Palace of the Moon (Taiyin Huangjun, the Moon deity).

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Star Lords of the Five Luminaries (Five Phases): the Year Star Lord of Wood Virtue (Suixing Jun, Jupiter), the Sparkling Deluder Star Lord of Fire Virtue (Yinghuo Xingjun, Mars), the Great White Star Lord of Metal Virtue (Taibai Xingjun, Venus), the Hour Star Lord of Water Virtue (Chenxing Jun, Mercury), and the Suppressing Star Lord of Earth Virtue (Zhenxing Jun, Saturn).

With sincere heart, I pay homage to the Star Lord Luohou, the Divine Head (Shenshou Luohou Xingjun); the Star Lord Jidu, the Divine Tail (Shenwei Jidu Xingjun); the Star Lord Ziqi of Celestial Unity (Tianyi Ziqi Xingjun); and the Star Lord Yuebei of Supreme Unity (Taiyi Yuebei Xingjun), star deities of Daoist astral destiny belief.

When the prostrations are complete, one should next repent with reverence. Your disciple, the subject so-and-so, declares: From beginningless time until this very day, I have remained lost to the true Way (Dao) and have sown sins and karmic offenses of every kind. I live between Heaven and Earth, yet how could I have understood the kindness of Heaven that covers and Earth that bears all things? I gaze up at the sun and moon, yet when have I ever been grateful for their illumination and protection? As for the Five Constants (benevolence, righteousness, ritual propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness), I have never understood them...

After the prostrations are complete, the disciple should go on to repent with sincere heart. I, your disciple and subject, so-and-so (a placeholder for the speaker's own name), have since the remote past and up to this very day often lost sight of the true principle and sown many transgressions. Walking between Heaven and Earth, I have not appreciated the kindness with which they shelter and bear the myriad things; gazing up at the sun and moon, I have never felt gratitude for the grace with which they shine upon the world.

I have never known how to cultivate the Five Constants within my heart (the Confucian virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness), and I have found it hard to avoid the consequences of the Six Defilements (the various desires that stain a person with affliction). Perhaps in this life or in former lives I have accumulated many unresolved misdeeds, among them the faults of killing intentionally or harming life by accident, as well as crimes of injuring living beings and wronging others.

At times I have broken the fasts and violated the precepts, betrayed my vows and deceived my own conscience. Love and hatred have arisen in my heart, and in secret I have harbored thoughts of deceit and flattery. I have sworn oaths before the stars, yet spoken irreverently to the spirits. I have also fallen into debt and failed to repay kindness; greedy and never satisfied, I have bustled about all day managing my affairs, concerned only with making a living, neither discerning the standards of good and evil nor understanding the boundary between life and death.

Now I turn back and examine myself, willing to correct my faults, setting them out one by one and confessing them in repentance. With reverence and devotion I beg for pardon, sincerely pouring out the foolishness of my heart, and from afar I petition the lofty spirits to hear me. May the spirits bestow a measure of grace and look down upon my humble intent, erasing my faults from the Black Register (the ledger in which transgressions are recorded) and entering my good deeds into the Cinnabar Terrace (a place symbolizing where the merits of the divine are recorded).

May the spirits dissolve calamity and transform hardship and obstruction, so that the misfortunes accumulated in the past sink away and disperse, and blessings descend upon the present day. May I, while in this world, receive the protection of the Dao at all times. In utmost trepidation, I reverently pray, and bow my head to the Three Treasures of the Supreme and True (the Dao, the Scriptures, and the Master).

The Lord Lao (Laojun) said: All who venerate and recite this scripture (Jing) should first bathe in fragrant hot water and observe a fast to purify the body. Only then can they commune with the spirits, gain immeasurable merit, and universally deliver all beings.

Someone asked: "What is the method of fasting and bathing? Please instruct us."

The Lord Lao said: The "fragrant hot water" is bathwater made with five kinds of incense. Take costus root (qingmu xiang), white sandalwood, thatch fragrance, agarwood, and frankincense, in quantities to be decided as circumstances allow. Prepare one shi of clean water, first add peach bark and bamboo leaves, and boil them. After it has boiled several times, strain out the dregs and add the five incenses, again adjusting the amounts as appropriate. If one lives in a secluded dwelling in the mountains and forests, and is too poor to gather all the incenses, peach bark and bamboo leaves alone will do.

First wash the hair. Take a wooden ladle and point its handle toward the moon. Visualize (cunxiang) five-colored clouds of qi (Qi) filling the room, and the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars shining upon the bathing basin. With the ladle, stir the fragrant water thirty-six times to the left. Then gaze at the water and recite this incantation:

"True fluid of the Great Mystery, refine qi and bring forth clouds. Bathing in its grace, the verdant blossoms flourish, as I chant the Cavern Scripture. May my seven generations of ancestors ascend as immortals, and may I soar to Shangqing (Supreme Clarity)."

Recite this incantation seven times. Then sit on the couch, loosen your garments, and recite:

"The Five Dippers adorn my robes, the Dragon and Tiger attend the Perfected. The Three Radiances open and shine, and I ascend to the Jade Dawn. Loosening my sash, I become immortal, and grant me long life."

Next, undo the hair knot in preparation for washing the hair, and recite:

"The divine palace shakes the heavens, and the black clouds part. The gold-flowing fire bell hurls its blaze without limit. Let me commune with the Perfected and roam through all the heavens. May I deliver countless beings, summon the spirits, and call the immortals."

When the hair is washed, bind it up, put on the crown, and recite:

"Layers of cloud, emerald and dark; towering peaks, the jade capital. Crowned and coiffed, I summon the immortals; the five qi gather the Perfected. Divine splendor sheds its light as I rise to the imperial court."

Then enter the bath. Holding the wooden ladle, draw the qi and colors of the five directions into the water and stir thirty-six times. When you have finished stirring, turn the ladle toward the direction then in ascendance and recite:

"Jade spring of the Misty Pool, pour over my body and form. Within, refine the five organs; without..."

The original breaks off here. The phrases that follow, "draw the qi and colors of the five directions into the water and stir thirty-six times," appear again, but the incantation is not copied out in full.

Here, "visualization" (cunxiang) means concentrating on a specific image during the ritual, and the "qi and colors of the five directions" are the qi and colors corresponding to the east, south, west, north, and center. Bathing, reciting incantations, and visualization together make up the practice of this rite.

I wash my body with the waters of the "Jade Spring of the Hongchi Pool" (the numinous spring spoken of in the scriptures). Within, it refines and tempers the five viscera; without, it opens the nine orifices, so that the Qi (vital energy) within the body flows freely and all impurities are washed away. Having recited this again and again, I pray for protection and for ascent to the celestial court. Next I visualize the sun, moon, and stars entering the bathwater, and bathe for a while. When I have finished, I take a separate cup of clean five-fragrance decoction and drink it, then settle my spirit in quiet contemplation until body and mind, inside and out, are pure and upright. Then I recite the incantation:

"The Yellow Deity guards the gates and apertures; the Azure Emperor protects the hun and po souls. Tianzou (a celestial beast) lets out a roar, and the myriad demons lose their light. Corpse-filth and blood-defilement are all washed away, and the green worms (worm-shaped images of the foul Qi within the body) vanish without a trace. The seven po souls are refined and transformed, and purple clouds appear of their own accord. I shall roam and feast in Taiwu (the Daoist realm of emptiness and non-being), meeting side by side with the High Perfected (exalted immortals who have attained the Dao)."

Then I put on my robes and recite the incantation:

"Divine youths attend upon my garments, and jade maidens burn incense. I ascend the altar to pay homage to the scriptures and sacred treasures, and the sound of chanting rings clear as jade. May my ancestors of seven generations be delivered and their calamities dispelled; may I gain long life and be granted the precious food of the immortals."

Zhai (斋, purification) means fasting within the heart while keeping the outer body clean; Jie (戒, precepts) means holding firm to one's resolve within while observing proper rules in one's conduct. The setting up of a Jiao (醮, offering rite) and the submission of memorials should likewise follow these principles. Through such practice, calamities are dispelled and wishes are fulfilled. Those who cultivate perfection should observe this with care.

The Daoist scriptures say: "There is no greater virtue than cherishing life, and no greater merit than cultivating the Dao." Among all living beings in the mortal world, whether tiny creatures or other forms of life, what each has received may differ, yet each life is equally precious. If you see someone who is ill, suffering legal punishment, or caught in hunger, poverty, and hardship, or if you see creatures of the water, the land, or the air in peril, and you find a way to help them and feel compassion for them, this is called the virtue of cherishing life.

If believers, men and women alike, are willing to donate wealth to build halls and temples, to paint or sculpt images of the deities, to print scriptures, to recite the scriptures and teach others to study them, to make banners and floral offerings, to set out lamps and candles, or to hold ceremonies of almsgiving and offering; or even to repair roads, build bridges, plant trees, and mend embankments and canals, all of these are called good deeds of cultivation that accumulate merit.

But if beings give free rein to ignorance, treat the scriptures with contempt and slander them, harm living creatures, and destroy good deeds, then know that the karmic offenses of such people are hard to erase. They will sink into the Six Realms of rebirth (the six destinations of the cycle of reincarnation), long losing the chance to regain a human body, and for life after life they will find it hard to be freed. Faithful men and virtuous women should take this as a warning and conduct themselves with care.

The Lord Lao said: "This scripture (Jing) was spoken by the Dao Lord in person. Now I bestow it upon you, so that you may transmit it to the world. When it is recited, the sound rises to the Purple Empyrean (Ziji, the celestial realm) and spreads throughout the heavens. The Supreme One (Taishang) rejoices and offers praise, and all the Perfected Ones (Zhenren) bow in reverence. For this reason, the scripture can rescue the dead from the Three Paths (the places of suffering: hell, the realm of hungry ghosts, and the realm of animals), allowing their forms and spirits (Shen) to ascend to Highest Purity (Shangqing, the pure realm of immortals as described in Daoism). Ancestors through hundreds of millions of generations may likewise attain deliverance through it.

"Those still living also benefit: their blessings and emoluments grow and continue, and they further advance the virtue (De) of cherishing life. The merit gained through cultivation includes caring for parents and elders with filial devotion, honoring teachers and friends, relieving the poor, and clearing away wrongful accusations. Such merit grows ever deeper. By honoring and upholding this scripture, one may attain accomplishment in both life and cultivation.

"I will send the Registrar-Inspector of Destinies (Chaming Luzi, a divine official who records and examines people's conduct and fate) to observe your actions, report them to Jade Purity (Yuqing, the celestial realm where the revered Daoist deities dwell), and enter your name in the Golden Register (Jinge, the registry of immortals). According to the depth of your cultivation, you will be enabled to become a Perfected One. Having encountered this scripture, you should strive all the more in your practice."

Thereupon the assembly, all of whom had been universally delivered and had received this true scripture, were filled with joy and said:

"How profound and wondrous, Primordial Lord Lao! You are the compassionate parent of all beings. You proclaim an inconceivable teaching and universally relieve boundless suffering. If one can recite it with a single mind, both the living and the dead may be delivered. By cultivating goodness, accumulating virtue, and treasuring life, each may set out upon the path to immortality according to their own practice."

When Puji (Universal Salvation) finished speaking this gatha (a verse praising the meaning of the scripture), the immortals of the many heavens exclaimed in unison their approval. They bowed their heads to the ground twice before the Most Venerable One, paid their respects with reverence, and withdrew.