《真武灵应护世消灾灭罪宝忏》

At this time, the Celestial Worthy said to Miaoxing Zhenren (Perfected One of Wondrous Practice, a title of a Daoist deity):

“I am always mindful of living beings. Living beings dwell in an age filled with greed, anger, and delusion (the Three Poisons) and all manner of evil deeds (the Ten Evils), and they suffer harm from gods and ghosts such as the Demon Kings of the Six Heavens and the pestilence officials of the Five Bureaus. Without distinction of high or low, there are often innocent victims. Some are old and some are young; there are men and there are women. Before their allotted lifespan has reached its end, they suddenly depart this life.

Therefore I expound the scriptures (Jing) and methods for subduing deviant demons, so as to rescue living beings everywhere. I also transmit talismanic diagrams and divine incantations to those who cultivate the methods of the Dao (the Way). I further command Zhenwu (the Perfected Warrior), the divine general of the North, to go in person and patrol the various heavens. Whenever he encounters malign Qi (vital energy), or discovers baleful stars moving retrograde or in abnormal courses, he is to destroy them at once. He also comes into the human world to record good deeds and punish evil ones, to uphold the orthodox Dao and eradicate malign spirits, to rescue the beings of the human realm and of the heavens, to drive out demons and gather in poisonous Qi, and to protect all living beings so that people do not suffer undeserved calamity.

Yet when the final age of the Lower Prime arrives—the age of decline and disorder spoken of in Daoism—worldly customs grow shallow, human hearts turn corrupt, emotions fall into disorder, people suspect one another, and their conduct is dishonest. They do nothing but practice the deviant and turn their backs on the true; they abandon the genuine and follow the false. They show neither righteous fellowship nor benevolent love, and they violate the principles of Heaven and the proper way of Earth. They injure what is fundamental, being neither loyal nor filial, and they lack love and compassion. They deceive the common people and cruelly harm the populace, killing living beings and injuring life, and thus they accumulate much karmic guilt and enmity.

Because of this, people constantly meet with disaster. Some are injured by bandits; some die from the assaults of evil ghosts; some are harmed by venomous snakes, tigers and wolves, or poisonous insects. Without cause they become entangled in lawsuits and disputes, are thrown into prison, and suffer flogging or penal servitude. In other households plague spreads; they themselves contract poisonous Qi; family members fall ill and die; kin are scattered; and wealth is exhausted.

All these sufferings are attributed by the scriptural text to the stale Qi of the Six Heavens, the Emperor Lord of Northern Fengdu (the chief deity of the northern underworld), the ghost commanders of the Eight Divisions, the dead generals of the human world, and the deities of the Five Marchmounts (Wuyue, the Five Sacred Peaks), who, taking advantage of people’s offenses, spread poisonous Qi and punish the wicked. Calamities continue year after year and month after month. Many people suffer because of them, and some even die through mutual implication. The common people of every region can scarcely escape, which is truly grievous.

I dispatch mighty deities (divine generals possessed of divine majesty) to be stationed throughout the world, to patrol and deliver living beings, though people may not know of it. Now I tell you once more: the methods by which the great divine general Zhenwu rescues living beings are inconceivable. So long as one responds with a sincere heart, spiritual efficacy can be obtained.”

Upon hearing this, Miaoxing Zhenren said: “This is truly great loving-kindness and great compassion, a wish to relieve the suffering of living beings. Please reveal the methods for rescuing living beings.”

The Celestial Worthy says: On the Three Prime days (the festivals of the Upper Prime, the Middle Prime, and the Lower Prime), the Eight Nodes (the four seasonal beginnings, the two equinoxes, and the two solstices), the jiazi days, the gengshen days, and on the third, seventh, thirteenth, seventeenth, twenty-third, and twenty-seventh of each month—days when the deities descend—one should not eat pungent foods, meat and fish, or other defiling things. One should restrain the six passions (the desires and thoughts aroused by the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind), give rise to no delusive thoughts, and make body and mind pure. After that, one burns incense and keeps the fast, recites the Daoist scriptures (Jing), returns the heart to the Dao (the Way), and reverently invokes the forty-nine Spiritually Responsive Celestial Worthies of the North.

One first confesses one’s own offenses, stating one’s faults frankly and repenting of them, so as to remove every kind of transgression and avoid suffering calamity. Water and fire, blades and weapons, tigers, wolves, and venomous beasts, as well as evil Jing (essence) and strange spirits, will no longer come to trouble one. Today one concentrates in inward visualization and reverently receives the profound teachings, and should sincerely worship the honorific titles of the various transformation-body Celestial Worthies. May this merit broadly rescue living beings and universally deliver all sentient beings.

I, So-and-so (the self-designation of the one who performs the rite of worship and confession), since coming into this life, have from measureless kalpas (an extremely remote span of time) sunk in the suffering of sin, and to this day have not attained liberation. Today, for such-and-such a matter, I worship this confession text, prostrating with my five limbs to the ground, and with a single heart make this vow. I, So-and-so, since coming into this life, have from measureless kalpas sunk in the suffering of sin, and to this day have not attained liberation. Today, for such-and-such a matter, I worship this confession text, prostrating with my five limbs to the ground, and with a single heart make this vow. I reverently bow before the sacred countenance of the Celestial Worthies and sincerely pay homage to each honorific title.

With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Supreme Numen of Ren and Gui (the numinous worthy corresponding to the water Qi, vital energy, of Ren and Gui in the North). With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Transformation Body of the Golden Portal (the Celestial Worthy manifested from the Golden Portal). With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Auspicious Response of Sunlight. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Divine Transformation of Taiyin (the Celestial Worthy manifested by the power of the lunar deity). With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Manifest Numen of Wuqu (the Celestial Worthy corresponding to the Wuqu star and displaying spiritual majesty). With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Nurtures Excellence in Xu and Wei (the Celestial Worthy corresponding to the Xu and Wei lodges). With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Complete in True Form. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Upright Dignity and Awesome Power. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Vows to Cut Off Demons. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Assists the Jade Emperor. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Gentle Harmony, Purity, and Joy. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Accumulates Merit and Attains Sagehood. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Wondrous Vision of Divine Spirits. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Kind Benevolence Who Aids What Is Auspicious. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Majestic Bearing and Resonant Response. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Most Holy Wondrous Practice Who Accumulates Merit and Attains Sagehood. With a sincere heart I pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Wondrous Vision of Divine Spirits.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of compassion, kindness, and loving care, who aids beings and accords with them.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of solemn and majestic bearing, whose sympathetic resonance brings a manifest response.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of supreme holiness and luminous wisdom, whose wondrous practice is without bounds.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of lofty and far-reaching merit, who has passed through the kalpic vicissitudes of the Longhan age.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who manifests numinous efficacy in the Upper Kingdom.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy whose awesome might extends throughout the Nine Earths.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy whose virtue and majesty suffice to overawe the Five Sacred Peaks.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who, without waiting upon words, is adept at bringing fulfillment.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy whose divine power reaches everywhere without obstruction.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy whose majesty shakes the Six Grotto-Heavens.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who purifies heaven and earth and settles the whole cosmos in peace.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who assists and brings about renewal.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who instructs, transforms, and nurtures all living beings.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who spreads the wondrous divine teaching.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who ever abides in the world and protects the world.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy whose teaching extends throughout the Six Directions (heaven, earth, and the four quarters).

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy whose grace reaches all things.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of majestic authority and untrammeled freedom.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who manifests awesome divine power.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who renders the land pure, peaceful, and secure.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who subdues evil demons and admonishes living beings.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who, on Heaven’s behalf, proclaims the Great Dao (the Way).

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy of majestic authority and untrammeled freedom.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who manifests awesome divine power.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who renders the land pure, peaceful, and secure.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who subdues evil demons and admonishes living beings.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who, on Heaven’s behalf, proclaims the Great Dao.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who prolongs life and guards body and mind.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who drives away ghosts and specters and destroys baleful spirits.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy whose rain of sacred teaching flows forth to nourish all living beings.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who universally bestows compassion and protects the realm.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who increases blessings and preserves the primordial spirit (yuanshen).

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who dissolves knots of grievance and relieves suffering.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who ever holds in heart the will to rescue and protect all things.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who lessens and eradicates the karma of transgression.

With devout reverence we worship the Celestial Worthy who saves living beings and restores the dying to life.

With a sincere heart one pays homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Protects the Soul and Compassionately Saves (the honored deity who safeguards the hun and po souls and who, with compassion, delivers and rescues). With a sincere heart one pays homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Protects the Family and Secures the Nation (the honored deity who blesses the household with peace and the country with safety). With a sincere heart one pays homage to the Celestial Worthy of Boundless Majesty and De (Virtue/Power) (the honored deity whose awe-inspiring dignity and virtuous conduct are vast without limit). With a sincere heart one pays homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Natural True Ultimate (the honored deity who symbolizes the supreme realm of the natural Great Dao (the Way)). With a sincere heart one pays homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Dispels Calamity and Bestows Blessings (the honored deity who removes disasters and sends down good fortune). With a sincere heart one pays homage to all the holy assembly of the Mysterious Heaven (the Mysterious Heaven, that is, the sacred community revered in the northern faith of Xuanwu).

Disciple So-and-so, with a sincere heart, takes refuge in the deities, takes refuge in the self, and takes refuge in life, and reverently honors the Great Dao of the North.

With a sincere heart one pays homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Natural True Ultimate, with a sincere heart one pays homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Dispels Calamity and Bestows Blessings, and with a sincere heart one pays homage to all the holy assembly of the Mysterious Heaven.

We devoutly take refuge, with body, mind, nature, and life, in the forty-nine Celestial Worthies of Numinous Response of the Great Dao (the Way) of the North, and in all the holy assembly.

A human life is hard to obtain, and to encounter the true teaching is rarer still. The Dao of Heaven values life, yet few people can preserve peace and safety through an entire lifetime. When we consider that our six faculties have not yet awakened, we often find ourselves lacking the five blessings. All living beings in the world exist beneath the cover of heaven and earth, shaped and cast by creative transformation. Some are poor yet have many children; some are wealthy and honored yet have no descendants. Some are in the midst of enjoying life when they suddenly die young; some have not yet found time to cultivate when their span of years and allotted fortune come to an end. Some die amid warfare, their bones left exposed; some are injured in childbirth; some are harassed and deceived by evil spirits; and some suffer punishment from Heaven.

Every kind of karmic recompense has its own causes and conditions. People know only how to chase profit and crave reputation; they scarcely pause to consider that they are deceiving Heaven and Earth. In ordinary times they do not keep the precepts, nor do they possess the merit of secretly doing good and accumulating virtue. Only when disaster is upon them do they sigh, and by then it is already in vain. When trouble comes, even if they seek help from others, they may have nowhere to appeal.

I am deeply anxious that, in this life and through many lives past, I have been unfilial and disloyal, have committed sexual misconduct and theft, have been heavy with greed and anger, and have committed many offenses of killing and harming living beings. My speech has been insincere; I have been ignorant and stubborn, entangled in bad habits. I may already have committed the five grave sins of rebellion, and I have also sown discord and slandered others. I fear that after death I will fall in succession into the hells, and I worry that the Celestial Bureaus—the divine offices of the heavenly court—have already registered each offense one by one. In the passage between death and life one must still undergo punishment and interrogation, and the ledgers of sin in the underworld are hard to erase.

Therefore, relying on the grace of the supreme sages, I earnestly beg pardon for the karmic obstructions of many lifetimes. I also pray that wronged souls may dissolve the knots of their resentment, that humans and ghosts may each return to their proper place, that the dead may attain a higher rebirth, and that the living may receive blessing and joy. May the Ninefold Darkness—the depths of the underworld—cease its grievances and retaliation, and may the world be at peace. May all beings endowed with spirit receive salvation, together ascend the shore of the Dao, and realize the realm of Wuwei (non-action).

We devoutly bow our heads, offer worship, and give thanks to the supreme Void Sovereign and the orthodox true Three Treasures.