《雷霆玉枢宥罪法忏》

With reverent attention we have heard: the lofty Supreme Divine Empyrean Heaven (the Shenxiao realm) is the seat of the Bureau of Response to the Primordial of the Nine Heavens. Remote and vast, it rises far beyond a mere ten thousand ren; the key to resonating and communicating with it lies in wholehearted sincerity and reverence. Now we respectfully kindle the true incense of the Dao and of De (Virtue/Power), look upward and bow toward the holy realm of the Void, and with a single stick of incense convey our sincere intent to the myriad spirits.

Now we reverently take refuge and offer our sincere hearts, announcing to and making offerings before the unsurpassed and utterly true Three Treasures of the Dao, the Jing (scripture/classic), and the Master, together with the exalted worthies of the Three Realms, the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation by the Sound of Thunder Who Responds to the Primordial of the Nine Heavens, the imperial lords, Perfected Ones, ministers, and emissaries of the thunder of the Nine Empyreans, the celestial imperial lords of the ten directions, the upper sages of the Thirty-Six Heavens, Perfected Lord Haoweng, the Thunder Master who opened the teaching of the Jade Pivot, the assembled deities of the Thunder Department, and the myriad spirits of the Three Worlds. We respectfully invite them all, in their vast compassion, to descend and look down upon us; may every deity, by means of this stick of true incense, together receive the offering.

I have heard that the Red Writ and Jade Characters (sacred talismanic script) were, in ages past, used by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning to open the Azure Void and to deliver all living beings, while the Phoenix Casket and Dragon Chapters (precious scriptures) were transmitted from the Divine Empyrean by the Thunder Master in order to spread and exalt the teaching. With reverence we call to mind the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation by the Sound of Thunder Who Responds to the Primordial of the Nine Heavens: among Daoist honorific titles he is the Great Saint of Constant Clarity who responds to the Nine Heavens, and he is also a transformation body of the Perfected King of Jade Clarity. His grace extends throughout the ten directions, and his virtuous bounty nourishes the myriad things; he presides over the Thirty-Six Heavens, and each heaven is under his charge. Across one thousand five hundred kalpas, in every kalpa he has cherished compassionate intent. If one recites his name with even a measure of sincere heart, the wishes one prays for are brought to fulfillment; whatever is sought can be moved and answered.

Now, for this matter, we sincerely pray and announce. The wishes we have set forth have been respectfully reported, and we trust that the exalted perfected ones (revered deities of the Dao) will look down, examine, and hear them. We humbly pray that the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation by the Sound of Thunder Who Responds to the Primordial of the Nine Heavens—greatly sagely and greatly compassionate, supreme sovereign and supreme Dao—may be a father to all living beings and a teacher to the myriad spirits, and that all who recite his name may have their wishes granted and their affairs proceed smoothly.

Now I, your servant, together with the ritual assembly and a certain person, have come reverently before the Venerable of the Dao (the Way), sincerely taking refuge and devoutly worshipping the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation, of Responsive Origin and Thunderous Sound of the Nine Heavens (Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun). In due order we proclaim his sacred titles from the first heaven through the thirty-sixth, bowing from the first prostration to the thirty-sixth, our chanting unbroken and our worship without pause. We respectfully beg the Celestial Worthy to look down in compassion, to behold the sincerity that rises from our hearts, and to bestow the grace for which we pray. We, your servants, look up toward his gracious light, our hearts urgent and filled with reverent fear. We hereby respectfully announce this.

We then offer praise:

The Ancestral Qi (vital energy), the primordial vital energy at the origin of heaven and earth, suffuses and fills the whole Great Void; the Nine Heavens are themselves the dwelling of the nine celestial worthies.

Commanding thunder and directing wind and rain, he wields the golden registers (Fulu, talismans and registers); restoring the myriad things to life and protecting all beings, he holds the Jade Pivot, the scripture and authority of the thunder rites.

Within the Three Realms, all sentient beings may be delivered; across the worlds of the ten directions, there is no path that cannot be reached.

The great Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation makes clear the Primordial Great Dao; his radiance equals the brightness of the sun and moon, truly real and not vain.

All proclaim together in worship: We take refuge and pay homage to the great Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation.

I, your servant, have heard that the single Qi of the origin of heaven and earth divides and manifests true wonder, and that the Nine Heavens widely spread their teaching. The supreme and unsurpassed Great Dao is the father of all beings and the teacher of the myriad spirits. From ancient times until now, the Celestial Worthy has set in motion the inner workings of the Three Realms, held overall command of the orders of the Five Thunders, harmonized Yin-Yang and nurtured the myriad things, ordered the movement of heaven and earth, and brought the four seasons to succeed one another. Seated upon the layered terrace of Jade Brahma and holding a ruyi scepter of golden light, he proclaims the mysterious purport of the Jade Pivot and transmits it to Thunder Master Haoweng, so that it may benefit all beings everywhere; later it was passed on to cultivators in the lower world. Whether those who know and awaken first or those who awaken afterward, all know to honor this true Dao; whether beings who possess knowledge or who do not, all may thereby rise above delusion and realize the Great Dao.

We, your servants, reverently receive the Celestial Worthy’s precious teaching, and have been fortunate enough to read this scripture (Jing).

We respectfully receive the teachings of the deities and are thus able to read the precious Daoist scriptures (Jing). The great Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation (Puhua Tianzun, a venerable deity of the Thunder Department) and the Great Emperor of Longevity (Changsheng Dadi) preside over the Palace of Responding to the Primordial in the Nine Heavens, command the Bureau of Execution and Investigation of the Five Thunders, oversee the various heavens, and patrol the Three Realms. They keep the registers of the ghosts and spirits of the Thunder Department and also administer rewards and punishments for good and evil in the human world. Their rewards and punishments are impartial, without the slightest error: those who accumulate merit and cultivate good deeds are selected and appointed, while those who harbor evil thoughts and are unfilial and disrespectful are punished.

Therefore we entrust our lives to Shenxiao (the celestial realm spoken of in Daoism) and pray to the deities with sincere hearts. Reflecting on us ordinary mortals, who have passed through many kalpas down to the present day, our offenses have already piled up like mountains. The three evil karmas of the mind are greed, anger, and delusion; the three evil karmas of the body are killing, theft, and sexual misconduct; the four evil karmas of the mouth are sowing discord, abusive insult, frivolous and improper speech, and lying. We have also given rise to thoughts and intentions at will and acted recklessly; we have profaned the holy perfected ones and offended Heaven and Earth, rebuked and slandered wind and rain, and bared our bodies while facing the stars; we have gone against rulers and teachers, defied our parents, oppressed orphans and the weak, and slighted relatives and friends; we have killed living beings and squandered the five grains; we have taken in with large scales and paid out with small measures, so that what we gained was a hundred times that of others; we have applied the law with severity and inflicted punishments without restraint, forcibly seizing the property of others; and we have committed such offenses as treachery and licentiousness, impersonating spirits and ghosts, and rebellion and disorder.

These faults, from the small to the great, have accumulated day by day until at last they have drawn the hatred of ghosts and spirits, the wrath of Heaven above, and the refusal of Earth to tolerate us. The various crimes are so many that they are hard to recount. Now, before the Venerable of the Dao, we beg for compassion and sincerely repent.

We earnestly ask the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation of the Thunder Voice (Leisheng Puhua Tianzun) to extend teaching and transformation widely, and the Great Emperor of Longevity to protect life with benevolence and virtue. May the faults of our former lives and this life all be pardoned, melting away as ice melts when it meets warmth; may the three declines and nine calamities (the various forms of decline and unexpected disaster spoken of in Daoism) all be dispelled, dissolving as snow dissolves when it meets the sun. May we ourselves be at peace and our households pure and secure; may living relatives all receive protection and enjoy health and favorable fortune; and may ancestors who have already passed away also receive deliverance, leaving the realm of suffering and attaining peace and joy.

We praise the honored titles of the deities, visualize their august forms in our hearts, gaze afar toward the Thirty-Six Heavens, and devote ourselves single-mindedly to reverence. We beg that the hundred thousand kinds of offenses be confessed and removed, so that they dissolve one by one with this single thought of sincerity. Each of us, holding a heart of reverence and devotion, first chants the words of praise.

One thousand five hundred kalpas ago, the Celestial Worthy, with a pure and tranquil heart, made a vast vow:

He prayed for all future beings everywhere, and for the beings of the many heavens, the many earths, and the worlds of the ten directions: if anyone should hear his name, and even merely recite it once and take refuge in him, that person would attain deliverance and liberation.

Today we, the faithful, reverently take refuge and bow in worship. We come to the inner chamber deep within the Hall of Nine Lights and, upon the tiered terrace of jade, Brahma, and the seven treasures, pay homage to the Great Holy Worthy of Steadfast Radiance of the Nine Heavens. We only ask that you not abandon the vow you made in the past, but manifest your numinous presence, send down your light, and shine upon this defiled ritual space.

Dragon banners and carriages drawn by luan birds suddenly arrive, drifting in the air, and the deities of the Thirty-Six Heavens descend together to look down. We insignificant mortals have been fortunate, across many lifetimes, to meet this affinity, and we wish with one heart to turn in refuge to the Lord of Universal Transformation (the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation).

With utmost sincerity we offer court homage, bowing to each in turn and reciting the holy titles.

The Lofty Supreme Heaven of the Stillness of the Dao; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Yangqi.

With utmost sincerity we pay court homage to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation, of the Responsive Origin and Thunderous Voice of the Nine Heavens.

The Lofty Supreme Heaven of Cavern Light; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Purple Surge; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Jade Numen; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Pure Vacuity.

With utmost sincerity we pay court homage to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation, of the Responsive Origin and Thunderous Voice of the Nine Heavens.

The Lofty Supreme Heaven of Subtle Fruition, and the Celestial Worthy of the Responsive Origin, Thunderous Voice, and Universal Transformation; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Cavern Light; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Purple Surge; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Jade Numen; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Pure Vacuity.

With utmost sincerity we pay court homage to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation, of the Responsive Origin and Thunderous Voice of the Nine Heavens.

The Lofty Supreme Heaven of Subtle Fruition; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of the Rectified Heart; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of the Origin of the Dao; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of the Grand Sovereign.

With utmost sincerity we pay court homage to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation, of the Responsive Origin and Thunderous Voice of the Nine Heavens.

The Lofty Supreme Heaven of Mysterious Surge; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Ultimate Perfection; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Brahma Qi (vital energy); the Lofty Supreme Heaven that Assists the Thearch.

With utmost sincerity we pay court homage to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation, of the Responsive Origin and Thunderous Voice of the Nine Heavens.

The Lofty Supreme Heaven of the Mysterious Ancestry; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Lipian; the Lofty Supreme Heaven of the Left Gang; the Lofty Supreme Heaven that Presides over Transformation.

With utmost sincerity we pay court homage to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation, of the Responsive Origin and Thunderous Voice of the Nine Heavens.

The Lofty Supreme Heaven of the Approaching Talisman; the Lofty Supreme Heaven that Preserves Florescence; the Lofty Supreme Heaven that Settles Jing (essence); the Lofty Supreme Heaven of Azure Florescence.

Here, “court homage with a devoted heart” means worshipping the deities with concentrated sincerity and reverence; “reciting the holy title and bowing once” means intoning the holy title while performing the bow. The names of the various heavens listed in the text are the successive titles of court homage in Daoist rites of liturgical repentance.

We pay homage with hearts of utmost sincerity to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation Whose Thunder Voice Responds to the Origin of the Nine Heavens (Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun), together with the Exalted Radiant-Jade Heaven, the Exalted Cinnabar-Essence Heaven, the Exalted Peaceful-Altar Heaven, and the Exalted Vast Ancestral Heaven; we pay homage again to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation Whose Thunder Voice Responds to the Origin of the Nine Heavens, together with the Exalted Vast-Emperor Heaven, the Exalted Subtle-Mystery Heaven, the Exalted Felicitous-Abode Heaven, and the Exalted Celestial Lou Heaven; we pay homage yet again to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation Whose Thunder Voice Responds to the Origin of the Nine Heavens, together with the Exalted Heaven of Transforming Immortals, the Exalted Heaven of Ascending Mystery, the Exalted Reverent-Sovereign Heaven, and the Exalted Heaven of Shifting the Spirit; and finally we pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation Whose Thunder Voice Responds to the Origin of the Nine Heavens, together with the Exalted Jade-Numen Heaven and the Exalted Heaven of Ascent to the Ultimate.

The hymn of praise says: The unsurpassed King of Jade Clarity (Yuqing Wang), a venerated deity of the Daoist tradition, presides over the thirty-six heavens of the celestial realm. The Lord of Universal Transformation of the Nine Heavens—that is, the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation Whose Thunder Voice Responds to the Origin of the Nine Heavens—manifests in every form throughout the worlds of the ten directions.

The Celestial Worthy wears his hair unbound, rides a qilin, and with bare feet treads across layer upon layer of cold ice. In his hand he holds the Qi (vital energy) of the Nine Heavens; the wind that rises with a roar is made into a whip, and with it he drives the thunder.

By the power of wisdom the Celestial Worthy subdues demons and monsters of every kind, delivers the souls of the dead amid the long darkness, and brings benefit to all living beings.

The compassion of the Celestial Worthy is vast, like the waters of the Milky Way, and like a thousand eyes reflecting a thousand wheels of bright moon. He vows that in future ages he will forever propagate the methods of thunder and forever proclaim the transformative teaching of the Celestial Worthy.

After the worshippers have bowed low in homage, each kneels at length in repentance.

We disciples and the ritual assembly, with hearts of utmost sincerity, take refuge in our own persons, in mind and spirit, and in nature and life:

Respectfully we pray and petition the supreme Three Treasures—the Three Treasures of the Dao (the Way), the Jing (scripture/classic), and the Master, which Daoism venerates—together with the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation by the Sound of Thunder Who Responds to the Origin of the Nine Heavens, the sages of thunder, and all the Perfected Ones present. Humbly we beg you, in your compassion, to bestow grace widely and to pour down vast blessings upon all.

Now we take refuge in the tradition of the Dao, sincerely submit our petition, and repent with a single heart. Reflecting carefully, so-and-so, from distant kalpas past down to this present life, has intentionally or unintentionally committed many faults. Transgressions of every kind have accumulated day by day, yet have never been declared one by one: the taking of life, theft, and sexual misconduct; greed, anger, ignorance, and clinging attachment. Disputes of right and wrong among people are without bound, and the knots of hearts set against one another are as heavy as high mountains.

At times this person has harmed living beings and injured sentient creatures; at times lost the true Dao and turned away from the correct Way, violating precepts and regulations, and has thereby incurred offenses before the offices of the underworld, the name being entered in the registers of the netherworld. Some faults are recorded in the Bureaus of the Seven Primordials (the celestial offices that govern stellar destiny); some are recorded in the offices of the Three Officials (the bureaus of the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water). Some have drawn accusations from ghosts and spirits; some have drawn censure from Heaven above. If pardon is not obtained, it is feared that calamity will cling and not depart.

We further worry that the courses of the Nine Luminaries (the nine stars) may be unfavorable and the fortunes of the Five Phases (Wuxing; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) obstructed; that when Yin and Yang (Yinyang) alternate and the sexagenary cycle shifts, one may meet inauspicious stellar influences such as the Six Harms and Seven Injuries, the Lonely Chronogram and the Widow Lodging; that the year in progress may clash with the natal destiny, fate grow weak, and there be further baleful influences such as Robbery-Killer, the Death Spirit, and the Net of Heaven and the Web of Earth. One may also, through breaking ground or construction, offend directional taboos, or encounter disasters of water and fire or of imprisonment; one may suffer harm from curses, or retribution arising from grievance and enmity. Calamities of every kind are hard to foresee, and obstructions are many. If we do not rely on confession and a full statement, how can these transgressions and hardships be dispelled?

We earnestly beg the supreme sages to look down and examine us, and to discern the sincerity of our hearts. We pray that the days to come may receive grace, and that the many faults of the past may be pardoned. May calamities scatter as swiftly as thunder and lightning, and may blessings arise one after another like clouds. Whether in taking office or in retirement, may one be spared unexpected disaster, and may all that one does and wherever one goes be peaceful and harmonious. May the stars move in favorable course and fortune flow freely; at every moment may we long rely on the protection of the Great Dao. With utmost sincerity we bow our heads to the ground and respectfully thank the supreme and perfectly true Three Treasures.

Three times the petition is offered with hymns of praise; three times we bow in worship and give thanks.

The scripture is recited, and the merit is dedicated (turning the merit of reciting the scripture toward all beings and toward the matters prayed for).

The merit of the scriptural text of the ritual of worship and repentance just performed—the ceremony of making prostrations and confessing transgressions—has now been brought to full completion. We reverently dedicate this merit before the Dao (the Way), transferring the merit cultivated through the practice as a prayer offered to all beings or directed toward a particular good wish. We earnestly pray that the lofty worthies of the Three Treasures, the supreme sages of the Nine Heavens, the assembled deities of the Thunder Department, and the myriad spirits of the Three Realms together look down in witness and universally bestow blessings and protection; that they send down the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Thunders of the Nine Empyreans to confer good fortune upon this person; and that they pardon the faults of life after life and kalpa after kalpa, and remove every obstruction.

We respectfully invite the Celestial Worthies, with great compassion and great sacred virtue, to accept this prayer in accordance with the wishes of the heart, so that what is sought may be accomplished as desired. May this person’s body, mind, and life long remain peaceful and secure, and may the whole household, high and low, share together in auspicious joy; may what is sought be realized, what is sensed meet with a penetrating response, what is wished proceed smoothly, and the calamities one prays to dispel withdraw. In this life and in lives to come, may one constantly encounter the favorable conditions of the orthodox Dao; and may all sentient beings together ascend the shore of the Dao and reach the realm of liberation.

To bring this wondrous causal condition to fulfillment, we reverently bow and recite:

Celestial Worthies of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) of the Three Realms (exalted deities of the Daoist tradition);

Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation through the Sound of Thunder (the Celestial Worthy who governs thunder and carries out transformation and teaching);

Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Grace Who Pardons Transgressions (the Celestial Worthy who pardons faults and bestows grace);

Celestial Worthy of Immeasurable Blessings Arising (the honorific title that invokes blessings without limit).

The merit is inconceivable.