《太平经合校》Vol. 11

When you act benevolently toward others, you need not doubt that your lifespan will be secure; whether Heaven truly cares for you and whether you are trustworthy in its eyes is something you ought to know in your own heart. You must carefully and cautiously grasp the meaning of the divine scripture—do not use it to test yourself or act willfully against its intent.

Among all affairs under Heaven, filial piety, loyalty, trustworthiness, and sincerity are supreme; therefore you must not indulge yourself. If you further encroach upon others’ allotted span of life (their destined longevity), you yourself cannot endure for long. Be cautious, again and again, and do not slacken—for slackening is in effect disbelief in yourself and in the Dao. Once doubt arises, things tend to go awry. Do you understand? Do you understand?

Right column, opening Heavenly Scripture Exegesis: Great Collection on the Six Extremes among Heavenly Writings; celestial collation of scriptures in the eighth month; modeled on the law of Heaven and Earth for removing disasters and calamities End

(This is a title note: the piece belongs to the category of heavenly scripture; it relates to the great collection on the “Six Extremes,” to eighth-month celestial collation of texts, and to taking Heaven and Earth as the pattern for dispelling disaster and harm.)

Volume information

Taiping Jing Hejiao (Collated Scripture of Great Peace), juan 111, Geng Department, section 9; that is, Taiping Jing juan 111, Dasheng Shangzhang Jue (Great Sage Formula for Presenting Memorials to Heaven), number 180.

〈Beginning〉 Only those great sages who first inherited the virtue of the great Dao can respond to and receive the natural refined light of heaven-and-earth primordial Qi, and thereby become great sages. They fully know how they ought to act; every move accords with heaven’s intent and never strays from the root purpose of primordial Qi.

They often serve as assistants to great deities in the upper realm, just as on earth a state has ministers and high officials. In their hearts they know the calendar documents and writings that the great deities convey; what is above and below connects. Memorials and petitions submitted upward each recommend people; the right persons should be chosen so that the intent of primordial Qi is preserved.

They often serve as assistants to great deities in the upper realm, just as on earth a state has ministers and high officials. In their hearts they know the calendar documents and writings that the great deities indicate; what is above and below connects. Memorials and petitions submitted upward each recommend people; the right persons should be chosen so that business can be kept properly and orders of the Celestial Lord (Tianjun) carried out. When the Bright Hall receives the documents, it issues them without missing deadlines, so that one may attend upon heaven’s grace and receive leniency.

The Celestial Lord said: Do not disturb the court’s intent. Documents submitted by those who entrust their cases are all handled fairly on their own; there are no complaints or lawsuits. Each person personally receives reward or punishment; rewards and penalties differ—how could there be quarreling?

〈Beginning〉 How could the great sage fail to know in advance what the Celestial Lord ought to do? Ordinary people do not know this; they think it is like a local clerk among the people—how could such a one know that an imperial edict should be transmitted downward? In matters of heaven, voices are heard across the distance—how could anything be concealed? All of this is mutually checked within nature itself; how could there be omissions or delay?

Day and night the Celestial Lord knows in advance every great and small secret matter in heaven, on earth, and in the middle realm between them; he knows it all himself. How could the various spirits act willfully on their own? Therefore beginning and end, good and evil, are recorded, and the spirits are made to register it in summary.

The Celestial Lord personally follows the monthly establishment and the Dipper Handle (the month indicated by the handle of the Northern Dipper) in issuing governance, without losing the constant Way; all is corrected and none dare violate it. Hence it is said “sent by heaven’s mandate” (tianqian).

The spirit-mind (shen) in a person’s belly reflects heaven from afar; voices are mutually heard—how could the people’s good and evil be unknown? The Celestial Lord said: the good are recommended and employed; the wicked, lacking trust, are demoted. Not only in heaven must trustworthy good people be obtained—the middle realm and earth are the same.

People cannot truly know what will happen in the future, so those with resolve should long walk the same path as the “great spirit”—that is what Heaven draws close. It is like a state that has loyal ministers and good officials who never leave the ruler’s side. But if people themselves do not trust Heaven, when would Heaven trust someone with two hearts?

〈Stop〉 (section marker) If one’s heart does not plan for Heaven, is that not worse than ordinary folk? Even someone as lowly as insects and ants—on what grounds would they receive Heaven’s favor and cling to life? Such people cannot often be close to one another, and guilt arises among the people; afterward there is reckoning in cycles such as the “thirteen gatherings.” When Heaven sees that the resolute do not cling to worldly affairs but single-mindedly seek life, it lets the spirit inform their hearts and bring their true intent to light.

Those with resolve can talk and work with you in good faith; those without resolve think only that everyone must eat, seek profit, dress warmly and eat their fill, and follow one expense of ritual and custom after another, driving the poor and weak while deeming themselves clever—that too is not Heaven’s inner circle. Conduct that is not pure, thick, and sincere, yet still wanting to seek the Dao and long life—that is precisely seeking what cannot be obtained; guilt is heavy and broad, and the time for leniency is short—is that still aware? One should rouse a mind like that of “ascending in broad daylight.”

Those who “ascend in broad daylight” have a named place on the rolls of life: recorded in the inner register of the Northern Pole Heavenly Lord, with fixed numbers and passes for clearance. Without resolve, on what basis could one’s name be entered? Those who study against their nature—only if in studying they can win Heaven’s inner trust can they enjoy their full allotted years. Those who especially ponder deeply, exert themselves, and achieve merit can even rewrite the documents on the register of death and gain a small rebirth—yet when could they control refined Qi and act on Heaven’s behalf?

After reading the scripture, someone was deeply moved and wept as they examined themselves, saying: I have tried as hard as those who carry a child for ten months and live by the teaching, yet I do not win heaven’s approval and still belong among those who must die. Which requirement have I failed to meet so that I cannot align with heaven’s will? The fault is entirely mine.

Harmony under heaven and earth ought in every case to come from heaven’s grace, yet people for the most part do not believe—an offense of great weight—so what hope remains? If the gods in heaven hear that someone blames themselves day and night and does not change for years on end, that person may be granted leniency, and the spirits will report it to the Heavenly Lord (Tianjun). The Heavenly Lord said: Those who blame themselves and repent will have the spirit recorded on the register of the living reassigned to the Office of Longevity (the office that governs lifespan). Among the one hundred twenty envoys, those charged with continuing the line and linking generations will allow even the poor to have descendants. Yet the rich who have few or no descendants do so because, though they have offspring, they rely on power to hoard wealth, do not fear heaven and earth, lightly harm others and ruin the age, use money to block what is just, and destroy countless lives—so heaven does not grant them a continuing line. How could those who do evil without end receive long life like the good?

Do you understand this principle? Great spirits dispatch lesser spirits to transmit orders; each acts according to the mandate received, and the length of life is fixed thereby—there is no need to doubt it. Reflect again and again: every word of the scripture, large or small, should be grasped. When reciting, fear missing or dropping text; copy and record each passage clearly.

Only those in the realm of the Highest Clarity (Tai Shang) whose De (Virtue/Power) runs deep, each grasping the principle in their own way, can discern what has not yet occurred and illuminate above and below so that nothing escapes their understanding. What they hold in mind does not stray from the right path; exhausting what they know, they extend the great transformation and order the world—whatever ought to be declared and practiced stays within its proper measure. Sincerity reaches the four quarters; the heart stays in tune with the outer world; they straighten the bonds of rule, set the star lodges in place, and assign them to the positions of the four dimensions.

Each star lodge has its rule for how it is arrayed; each orbit has its fixed pattern. Length of life is tied to what is above and below, and each person has an allotted span. The day on which life begins is noted by the steward of the Fang lodge and entered on the name rolls—it must not be lost from record.

Those whose fate falls in zi and wu years tend toward a naturally longer life. Birth in chou or wei years does not cut one off from the qi of one’s native earth. If one’s allotted years are few, one should not turn to wicked ways; after death one returns to one’s native ground. If those years are not yet used up, the name remains on the register—even when wangxiang (prosperity-phase) qi or yuejian (month-establishment) qi appear, extension is not guaranteed. The reason lies in native earth qi: for those born in the Kun and Gen directions (chou and wei), the span often shortens instead; when the birthday falls at a time when the three earths face one another, the birth day is hard to lengthen—it is as if one’s days are reckoned and sent back to the native soil.

Year after year, there are few seasons when every factor works wholly in one’s favor. In chen and xu years, the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Door stand opposite; heavenly earth and earthly earth each generate and nourish—heavenly earth above grows the grasses and trees, earthly earth below rears them; from heavenly earth come sage wisdom, from earthly earth come the worthy. Though there is a balance (heng) in the scheme, balance and “wu” do not clash with each other. Ordinary people miss this and instead treat birth in chen or xu years, with the month pillar “broken,” as great misfortune.

In truth, when Heavenly Gate and Earthly Door oppose and yin and yang face each other, a birthday that sits exactly in that alignment is in its proper place; when a Heaven-wu day again matches the year of birth, such a person carries great De and meets no real obstruction—there is no need for alarm. Earthly earth brings forth the worthy; the “fu” earth is where they make their home.

Good and Evil and Lifespan

Those who do evil often do not realize it themselves. Clay figures of people all belong to the “Earth Bureau” (Tufu)—the divine offices that govern earth and soil. Each person’s lifespan has its allotted span; this is heaven’s constant way: those whose hearts are upright and who are sages receive the sage’s station, those whose hearts are upright and who are worthies receive the worthy’s station; salary and fate follow their proper arrangement; among them some can surpass ordinary people and become immortals (xian).

Yin and Shen Years and the “Tiger”

People born in Yin and Shen years are often said to be “in appearance like tigers”; Yin and Shen stand opposite each other in the calendar (Yin–Shen clash), and certain claims about the sun and moon moving straight are not easily compared in simple terms.

Yin belongs to Wood among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); it is also called “literary pattern” (wenzhang). In the direction ruled by Wood qi, the fierce beasts of mountain forests are hard to withstand in the first place. Heaven’s command favors cleanliness, and people are sent to hunt; one should not show oneself too often and make many people afraid—those feared by the crowd may be called “immortals” or “tigers.”

Those born in Yin years also tend toward longer life; when three Yin meet, birth occurs, and life can last even longer. Shen clashes with Yin, yet the two do not destroy each other; people of Shen often fear traveling at night, can climb trees up and down, and have many things they dread. Their fate lies within Metal qi; they harm and injure others in their conduct, so their lives are shortened—thus one can see one side of fate and destiny.

If service to the spirits and gods is neglected and slack, essence and evil, aversion and fear have no fixed pattern, and there are few times of benefit.

Mao, You, and East and West

Those fated in Mao and You each align with their month, and those months are the same in kind. Mao governs the east, is tied to the eastern star, and relates to much of daily life and the people’s food and drink. Mao means the east; the true Mao is the center of the east. Spring brings flourishing glory, summer ripens the fruit—nothing is left undone, nothing fails to receive virtue (de), so the eastern star is named “benevolence” (ren) and does not bear to harm in the middle. Heaven cherishes human years and grants long life again.

The true You in the west lies in the domain of Metal qi; it likes fighting and cannot last long; evil conduct comes naturally—how can one live long? Even when one gains “kingly phase” (wangxiang) and “month establishment” (yuejian), it is only as if in passing. Of six or seven evils, more than half perish by the day—this much can be known.

Si, Hai, and Yin-Yang

Those born in Si and Hai years each have their month set, and they are again named from those terms. Heavy yin without yang makes long life hard; even with wangxiang and yuejian, it is only as if in passing. Of six or seven evils, more than half perish by the day—this much can be known.

Note: The original belongs to a passage in the Taiping Jing that discusses lifespan and temperament through the stems and branches (Yin–Shen, Mao–You, Si–Hai, etc.), the Five Phases, yuejian, wangxiang, and related ideas; the wording repeats, and punctuation may vary because of manuscript transmission. The above follows common punctuation as continuous vernacular prose; specialized terms such as Tufu (Earth Bureau), the eastern star, wangxiang, and yuejian are glossed briefly in context.

Si (Snake) and hai (Pig) each govern a segment of the birth season in the cycle of annual fortune: people are assigned to the corresponding earthly branch by month of birth, and their allotted span is fixed by the names of the heavenly stems and earthly branches. When yin qi is excessive and yang qi is insufficient, life is naturally hard to prolong. At the junction of the three yin and the turn of the seasons, the scripture therefore singles out si and hai—Ju presides over “opening and closing, storing and receiving” (kai bi cang na); hai lies in the northwest, si in the southeast. The direction a person takes in life often fails to align fully with the timing of heaven, so making a living and advancing go poorly, and extending years is difficult. Hence it is said that the “ten texts” interlock: the Ten Heavenly Stems each record their merit, yet all must still accord with heaven’s reckoning—measuring length and short, inferring allotted spans; how could the motion of heaven allow people to decide for themselves?

Today, great virtue-holders receive such writs together; their names are tied to the constellations, and their allotted spans fall under the Celestial Registry (the bureau in heaven that keeps accounts of fate). Registers exist within and without, order runs through the eight directions above and below—how could anyone alone fix their own fate? When people do not receive the years they ought to receive, they instead blame heaven and feel wronged—yet know that doing good can let one use up the full span heaven grants, while doing evil shortens life and turns long into short; if evil does not stop, disaster reaches descendants not yet born. Inner and outer ledgers and the patterns of the eight directions are all in place—how could one speak only for oneself? Doing good can fill out the years; doing evil shortens life; if evil does not cease, harm reaches later generations—how could one wait in empty hope? Fortune and misfortune all follow one’s own conduct; one reaps what one sows.

Some have thin allotments in fate and cannot count out to the years heaven fixed; the remaining years are kept in heaven for the good. One may use this to warn descendants to be careful. If one turns from wrong and repents, one may still make up the rest of the years—each person’s cause and effect is clear. Count only what you yourself do; do not blame the gods of heaven. Strive in good deeds, and descendants may extend their spans; those who do not do good bear their own outcome—there is no need to blame heaven. Make small corrections again and recite this formula once more; if doubts remain later, settle the mind according to this principle.

Opening Those who are virtuous at the level of the Supreme (Taishang) can, in their conduct, anticipate the inner and outer aspects of Heaven and Earth and understand the comings and goings of Yin and Yang; they uphold the discipline of the great Dao (the Way). From within they give rise to upright intent and never forget its principle. They follow Heaven and dare not doubt, and so can accomplish merit and, in accord with Heaven’s will, broadly practice giving. Upright intent stays present in the person; conduct is without fault or shortfall; in subtle ways they receive natural principle, again and again seeing warnings before and after, clear to know. If people bring guilt upon themselves, they do not blame others. Since ancient times, now and then some who call themselves believers in goodness have wanted to deceive one another and not think of consequences; therefore Heaven and Earth have been ceaselessly stirred to anger. The wise and sages who know will repent; Heaven knows and admonishes them. Closing

Do not rely only on what people say. If in return you meet them with ill intent and will not heed admonition, seeking only your own satisfaction, such a person is more foolish than livestock. Therefore one should blame oneself for faults: from where did the guilt begin? Reflect day and night yet still not understand what one is accountable for, and again blame whom and fault whom? It is only that the self is in a bad state, not counting its guilt, and recklessly doing what ought not be done. Not receiving the teaching of the great Dao, yet instead indulging will and ease, oneself shortening one’s allotted span, and again blaming whom and faulting whom?

Opening How did the people of high antiquity who became immortals and crossed the world first set their intent? Seeing that the scriptures all speak of loyalty and filial piety—respectfully serving parents, harmony among brothers, no distinction inside and outside, above and below of one mind, knowing and keeping the heavenly prohibitions—the spirits and gods preside over law and principle, making clear their faults without cease. Only by cultivating the self and examining the self can one obtain life. Receiving mandate has its term—how can one act arbitrarily? Thinking of this, the heart aches and tears fall, soaking the clothes, with no way to release it. Day by day they cherish their years and fate, fearing they will not attain longevity. Asking long-lived persons, all said one must preserve loyalty and filial piety, not lose Heaven and Earth’s original heart, assist the four seasons in nurturing life, assist the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) in completion, and not dare harm what is due to live. Closing

This passage teaches: do good without harming others, without deceit or denial, with integrity and without failing others; when acting among people, one dares not let down kin and friends or feel ashamed before one’s neighbors; when going out on business one returns on time, and never lies drunk in the street. One keeps company with the wise and does not indulge the foolish; one is grateful for Heaven and Earth and does not expect repayment, only blaming oneself. If faults remain, they arise from chengfu (bearing the consequences of wrongdoing); one reproaches oneself for years before Heaven may be moved. Ordinary people accumulate too many faults and chengfu, yet know nothing of resolving them. Already burdened with sorrow, they keep erring and do not know when to stop. Whenever they see another’s fault, they turn and blame themselves, yet do not know where they went wrong; they wish to read texts of righteousness and good precepts. By chance they receive lu and ming (fortune and allotted life), and meet the precept documents sent down by the great spirits of Heaven; they ponder them again and again, recite them too often, and still find no release. They beat their heads and breasts, weep and wail; they have a body yet cannot set themselves right, and instead heap blame on others. The precept texts are most solemn, yet they violate them themselves, cutting short life; morning and night they regret. They hope that in time they can change, dare not do evil again, and turn to thinking they should practice en and de (kindness and virtue) and give generously; if they grasp that principle, they no longer speak harshly, only weep, and the heart is moved. The spirits of Heaven hear and come down, saying: Who is this person, and why such grief? They see a person of great de whose life is long. Asked why, the answer is: this person simply acts in accord with the heart of Heaven and the intent of Earth, and so lives long. Returning home to sit quietly and reflect on this, like the words of the Taishang person of de, one thus examines oneself. One lets the shen (spirit) witness and reproaches and repents; the person again speaks to the Way of Heaven: there is a repentant person weeping as they walk, never stopping, fearing they will not survive, and so blaming themselves. The great spirit hears and says the Tianjun (Heavenly Lord) often commands the spirits: those with meritorious goodness and loyal filial conduct—what they report advances this person alone. Therefore one reports to the Tianjun by day.

Plain-Language Explanation

The Heavenly Sovereign said: I have heard that this person has long practiced self-reproach and repentance—already for many years. He was an ordinary man, yet because he never ceased to repent and to explain and release himself inwardly, he gradually became one of superior virtue (a person of higher moral standing). The Great Spirit (the deity who oversees lifespan and merit accounts) went many times to observe whether he truly wished to turn toward goodness and to advance further; if so, his name would first be entered in the Office of Longevity (the bureau that records life spans), his words and deeds would be watched, and his previously shortfall in years or merit would be made up as appropriate.

The Great Spirit said: This person has repented for a long time; his Chenfu (the burden of ancestral or personal fault and its resulting calamity) has been lifted. He asks that the shortfall be registered upward by quota, and that he be titled Supreme Good Person (Tai Shang Shan Ren), so that this may repay and fill in what is lacking below (in others or in himself).

The Heavenly Sovereign said: The conduct of a Supreme Good Person must match word and deed. The Great Spirit has repeatedly been commanded to protect and inspect, to help him ascend as a spirit—all according to the allotted years; nothing may be done ahead of time or out of order.

The Great Spirit said: This person originally had no registry record (name in the celestial rolls, the archive of life and death). By command his name is now placed in the Office of Longevity; he asks that the shortfall be registered upward by quota, year by year in sequence, without skipping ranks.

The Heavenly Sovereign said: On the day when the turn comes to fill the gap in order, the name must be reported on time; the deadline must not be missed. The Great Spirit assented to each point.

The work of the Supreme Benevolent Person (Tai Shang Ren Ren) is to accumulate merit and practice in heaven. Heaven therefore trusts them and sends them to assist Donghuang (the god who governs the east and spring birth) in arranging what is due to be born, so that flowers and fruit ripen and supply the people’s food, and people may be fed and clothed. Bodies grow and mutually sustain one another; yin and yang meet and male and female take form; old and young follow one another, each receiving an allotted fate according to heaven’s number. They correspond and complete one another with the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (ershiba xiu); the sun and moon look down, and none can escape; they take turns in direct oversight and mutual generation, without cease.

Only the world does not know this and thinks each thing has its own master. Though names each have a lord, in truth they mutually inspect and hand over (oversight and transfer between offices). The reason is: human life is long or short; spring, summer, autumn, and winter bring change, and birth and death are never fixed. Therefore those who hold authority shift and question one another (life span and duty pass between divine offices for verification); shou suan (allotments of lifespan) increase or decrease; zhuan xiang fu shou (accounts are passed on and assigned in turn).

Thus it is said: the four seasons, the Five Phases (Wu Xing), the sun and moon, and the star lodges all hold life in their charge; the good gain, the evil withdraw of themselves; faults are weighed large or small, and there is a fixed law (fa chang). Act according to the law—what can escape it? Shift and question one another; lifespan allotments increase or decrease; pass and assign in turn.

Therefore it is said: the four seasons, the Five Phases, and the sun, moon, and stars all govern human lifespan and destiny—doing good lengthens life, doing evil lets karmic retribution fade on its own; the scale of offenses follows fixed laws. Act according to those laws—what could escape them? Heaven above and earth below connect with each other like inner and outer layers matching; spirits are also arranged to cooperate and dispatch one another. Hence: the celestial lord issues orders to the various department officers, who hand off official business to one another and reassign direct talismans without favoritism; investigation runs from above to below—how could there be error?

Only those whose nature still tends toward goodness originally harbor no ill intent; even if they slip into minor wrongs, they turn back in repentance and their offenses can be cleared. There are written registers: evil deeds are reported to the lower departments, good deeds to the departments of merit, and spirits of fortune and misfortune each follow what is recorded. If one repents, one’s name may be transferred to the merit register; if one turns from good to evil and is moved again to the evil register, how could release still be possible?

On earth among humans, spirits of fortune and misfortune likewise follow each person. Those who can repent see their names moved to the merit register; those who turn from good to evil are shifted again to the evil register, with no way out in the same manner.

Among people born on earth, some are entered in the Register of Immortality before they are even born in the womb. When years are complete and the Way is achieved, the living are enrolled—but someone must stand as guarantor before they can be formally registered. This is because life is hard to preserve and therefore treated as precious, so the guarantor is held jointly responsible. Thus the disloyal, unfilial, and those without merit have no guarantor; they can only rely on ancestors’ accumulated merit so that descendants may still receive offerings. If evil conduct never stops, how could later generations survive?

How could one who eats filth and excrement long share duties with the great spirits of heaven? If within such filth there are those who match the number ordained in the heavenly books for salvation, heaven will send a spirit to instruct them. When the years are fulfilled, an edict goes to the keeper of the Great Heavenly Granary to cut off solid food; they take in only the qi of the Great Heavenly Granary to sustain themselves, until the body grows light and transforms into spirit, moving in and out of the hidden realm—then their name is reported upward and they are no longer on ordinary mortal registers. Would such a person still cling to ordinary survival? How could ordinary people know this?

If a person keeps to good conduct and does not lose the heart of heaven, the great spirits will be moved and make them willing to seek life; yet followers of the Way and laypeople often cling to the world on their own. The reason is this: when one does evil oneself and has not a single good act, one only craves fine clothes, food, horses, and carriages—and for a time those cravings may be satisfied. But when lifespan is not complete, heaven and earth do not seize what the heart desires (meaning a short life is self-invited, not forcibly stripped by heaven).

This passage mainly explains the heavenly registers of good and evil, the system of guarantors, the Register of Immortality, and cultivation views such as “feeding on qi” and bodily lightening, linking repentance and turning from evil with having a guarantor and formal enrollment to show how lifespan corresponds to conduct, written records, and the spirits who administer them.

Evil people likewise cannot long look up at the sun, moon, and stars in heaven; they ought to return to the long night—how could they linger long in the world? Those who will not learn to become good on their own: Heaven knows who does good, and lets them have fine clothes and splendid carriages following them; what they desire, even when not fully satisfied, Heaven does not strip away their wishes.

Evil people likewise cannot long gaze at the sun, moon, and stars; they should return to the long night. Heaven knows that the wicked cannot long remain in the open, so it lets people eat solid grain, bury them in the earth, and places them under the charge of earth gods (spirits who govern the underworld and restrain the souls of the dead), so that they cannot be reborn. For this reason written words are used to make the matter known—that is all people need to understand.

There is also corpse liberation with divided form (shi jie): flesh and bone part company; the corpse stays in one place while the spirit takes on another human shape, so that all who see it believe the person is dead. Later, those who know the truth see that the person is still alive—these are practitioners of corpse liberation. When years of practice are many and merit is ample, they may in due order ascend in broad daylight: reborn and radiating light, they assist the heavenly gods in their rounds; they may also halt again within the clouds. In every domain under their jurisdiction there are corpse-liberation immortals who oversee affairs of the living and the dead. In Daoist households, those who pass on may receive enfeoffment and become honored among ghosts, titled earth spirit nobility (dilingqi); they may also wear insignia such as purple mugwort and green-yellow badges. Their offices have higher and lower ranks, and they rotate step by step through the posts they reach. Even to hear a scrap of an evil name is to be demoted to the ranks of ghosts—do you understand?

Thus birth and death are two roads—how can they be spoken of in the same breath? The text pauses here; the meaning is somewhat thin, so for now set the thought aside. If later transmission leaves gaps or the teaching falls short, it should still be supplemented.

Those who are virtuous at the level of the Supreme (Tai Shang) conduct themselves in this way: they understand that what heaven and earth ought to do has its own master, its own texts, and its own duties; each person cultivates their practice, completes their spirit, establishes merit, serves with full loyalty, sets texts in order, and also bestows benefit on others and advances in accordance with the Dao. Thus they gain the trust of heaven and earth at the core, and do not disrupt the order by which the four seasons and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) nourish life.

Such persons are trusted by heaven and protected by earth; their innermost heart aligns with the path of centrality and harmony. They know human affairs and what moves inward and outward, carry out commands as given, and dare not go against the intent of the great sage. Below, they dare not violate the prohibitions of the various spirits. They constantly think of helping others mature and delight in being good people; they gain the mind and intent of heaven and earth, from the outer to the inner, until body and merit are both complete. They attain longevity and are entered on the register of the undying, serving alongside the great spirits in appointed roles. They distinguish clearly right from wrong and are loyal to heaven; sun, moon, and stars witness them plainly, and they do not stray from law or resolve. They always crave life and cherish fate, reflect on receiving heaven’s transforming influence, and also understand earthly configurations; their hearts rejoice as they penetrate the records of fortune and misfortune, survival and perishing, and they wish to walk the same path as Ziran (spontaneous nature). They seldom act with wicked greed; when they see the admonitions of the great spirits, they pity those who do not yet know, shine light where others fall short, and help them enter the record of longevity. When they see the Celestial Sovereign (Tianjun) grant them life, they remain long on the register of the undying. They perform the affairs of heaven, yet reach through to earthly geography; what they see and hear makes their eyes clear and ears keen, and from afar they know the comings and goings of the boundless. They master documents and phrasing and also grasp essentials and subtleties—this is the aspiration of the virtuous at the Supreme level. Only the great spirits of heaven illuminate their aims and wishes; they yearn for Ziran, and their outward conduct and inner record accord with generating Qi (vital energy) as they act, without end.

Scripture often says: Heaven does not strip away a person’s rightful aspirations, and Earth does not strip away the peace that person ought to have. So one dares not carry the slightest entanglement, lest the deities be troubled and the matter be deeply inscribed in the written record. By day and by night one examines faults and shortfalls, fearing anything that might fall short of the Supreme Sovereign’s intent. Having received grace, how could one be stingy or careless, and fail to give full loyalty and filial devotion?

One should understand for oneself: though one has received favor and enjoys honor and ease, one does not seek repayment—yet the heart of Heaven shows extra kindness; one should blame oneself and ask little for leniency. Only when the great deity forgives and admonishes does one dare not cling long to worldly ties or stray from the right path on one’s own. One often thinks alone: favor unrequited, guilt still on one’s own head—fearing that in the end release may be hard to win, and feeling only grief. Though pardon is granted, one must still reckon the debt one bears.

The great deity said: Those whom the Supreme Sovereign favors examine their faults and blame themselves; their words rise to Heaven’s hearing, and their meaning can extend to others—they only fear not knowing how to put it into words. Heaven’s trust especially honors the good, so that life may reach limitless years; one should often hold in mind, and not forget, the great grace of birth and sustenance from Heaven and Earth. The Lord of the Supreme favors them and says: From birth they carry the virtue of cherishing life; they do not covet wealth or sensual pleasure; when they see those who live, they often wish to share long life with them—when would they act without the Way in reckless ways, or with a heedless heart fail to repay deep kindness?

This cultivator (who calls himself “Sheng” in the scripture) said: I only regret that, since I was born, I have not yet understood the differentiated principles of the Great Dao. Through your teachings and precepts, I have come to understand these principles: one should know one’s destiny and not resent Heaven, nor dare to blame and torment oneself in a way that obstructs life. Reflecting repeatedly in my heart, how could I still harbor greedy desires? I only fear that my allotted years are nearly exhausted and that I still may not see the vast grace of Heaven and the principles by which it orders things. I earnestly beg you once more to instruct me with precepts, so that I may give rise to knowledge, insight, and reflection; this is a great grace that words cannot repay. I can only restrain my thoughts and keep them constantly within, never forgetting, as if hungry and thirsty, to seek and receive the precepts so as to preserve my life. I hope you will understand.

The Great Deity (a high-ranking divine official of the celestial court) said: I originally accompanied the various deities into audience with the Heavenly Lord (the ruler of the celestial court); I had no minor faults and had a record of merit in assisting Heaven and Earth. My name and register were submitted to the Heavenly Lord—when would the Heavenly Lord forget me? Please permit me to report: this cultivator has reproached himself in words and for many years has yearned toward the teaching of the Heavenly Dao. Is this person among the registers (ledgers recording lives, merits, and faults)? The Heavenly Lord said: Those who can reproach themselves all accord with what is natural, and this is also a goodness praised by the deities. You may order the one in charge of the celestial registers to inspect; if he has indeed reproached himself, then tell the divine official in charge of the register of life to examine the documents; this person is indeed present in the registers and name lists. The Heavenly Lord also said: If a person performs good deeds of his own accord throughout life and does not violate what is prohibited, this is brought about by his conduct. Great Deity, examine carefully again, and when there is a vacancy in the awarding of rewards and promotions, report his name. The Great Deity said: Since Taichu (the Great Beginning, the initial state of the cosmos), all deities who have merit and have won the favor of the heavenly deities have been promoted, and there are often vacancies. What this person has done should be fully itemized and his name reported. The Heavenly Lord said: Your duties are many; you must calculate merit and remove faults, and make him all the more not to go against what he himself has said. The Great Deity said: This person of the Highest (that is, one of higher cultivation who follows the true Dao) naturally follows the true Dao, and his faults and burdens are especially few. In the end, the Heavenly Lord will adjudicate the matter.

The Heavenly Lord said: The duties under one’s charge are many and varied; merit must be recorded according to merit, and faults removed according to faults, so that people may reform and no longer go against what was said before.

The Great Deity said: This person of the Supreme originally acted of their own accord in accord with the correct Way; sins and shortcomings were already few.

The Heavenly Lord said: Think it through again—if there are still cases not truthfully recommended or not recorded for merit, the responsibility of those who vouched for them must be pursued, and the guarantors must report upward to fill the gaps.

The Heavenly Lord also said: Matters of this kind cannot fail to be investigated clearly and thoroughly.

The Great Deity said: Please act according to what you have just said. In less than a hundred days, the gods of Heaven will compete to stand surety for him; the Great Deity reported this intention to the Heavenly Lord.

The Heavenly Lord said: If it is so, send whomever should be sent to go down and inspect the actual situation; review again and weigh again; those who keep faith and are trustworthy are to be used to complete what is true (recording merit and recommendations).

The Great Deity said: Please dispatch a divine messenger to summon him to Heaven, and first transform his form and appearance. When the divine messenger goes, the transformed essence-light and glory will increase.

When the Great Deity had finished reporting, the Heavenly Lord said: This person has already been transformed into a spirit, ascended to Heaven, yet still remains outside the gate and has not yet entered within.

The Heavenly Lord ordered him to go to the office in charge of affairs to pay his respects. The Great Deity again explained according to what had been reported.

The Heavenly Lord said: Carry it out as the Great Deity has reported.

On How the Knowing Person Longs to Meet the Great Deity (Section 183)

Only a person of the Supreme who possesses true wisdom can know in advance what Heaven requires to be done and what laws are to be upheld; what they practice and guard arises naturally, and is also what the Great Deity understands and what has been reported as the divine intent.

Only someone with the wisdom of the Supreme Elder (Taishang) can know in advance what happens in heaven, what ought to be done, and what must be kept. The myriad affairs arise from nature; only when primordial qi merges and ripens do things become clear and knowable. One must transform the heart into true nature and follow what is originally so, so that in every act achievement comes naturally: inner and outer, surface and depth, going out and coming in, stillness and activity—all have outcomes, each finds its proper place, and change occurs at the right time. By revering the awe-inspiring numinous powers to complete one’s merit and establish one’s name and virtue, constantly upholding loyalty and faith without slackening, anxious day and night yet never turning inward away from duty, leaning and yearning and eagerly seeking fulfillment, one can meet the great numinous spirit, converse in shared words, walk the path it walks, and advance the knowledge it knows.

One always thinks of success, feels gratitude for divine favor, and hopes to extend life and prolong vision; hence there is wisdom: viewing the outer from within, knowing nothing unknown and seeing nothing unseen, with a bright mind and clear intent, craving only the way of long life and sustained vision, longing to mount and drive and serve as envoy to the great numinous spirit. Wherever one is sent one dares not disobey the command and arrives exactly when due, hoping the heart opens and intentions connect, receiving the spirit’s words, acting as the spirit acts, and knowing what the spirit does—only with such self-trust does one dare step forward and speak, seeking only to receive grace and live, not daring to ask for high office, asking only for pity and compassion.

Though one sees matters of life and death, the heart still trembles with fear; having received the great teaching, one must then fully practice and carry it out, bestowing favor and spreading kindness, beneficial above and beneficial to people, with one’s name entered in the registers and constantly in the place of non-death. The heart then rejoices, exhausting effort in service to the Celestial Lord, year upon year—only then does one step forward to speak.

Having received the great numinous passage, one must then fully practice and carry it out, bestowing favor and spreading kindness, beneficial above and beneficial to people, with one’s name entered in the registers and constantly in the place of non-death. The heart then rejoices, exhausting effort in service to the Celestial Lord, year upon year—only then does one step forward to speak.

I have received only the passage granted by the deities of the Great Dao, yet I still feel my strength falls short. Knowing how weighty my words are, I pressed forward urgently to receive those hidden instructions. I sought and hurried as though a door had opened, not daring to slacken for a moment, longing for teaching to fill what I had not yet attained. I ask that this be examined without contradicting what I say, and that I may strictly obey the commandments of the great deity.

Those whom Heaven recognizes as persons of insight are by nature widely perceptive, yet they still cannot fully know all the domains and boundaries of Heaven—which precepts must be kept. The gods of Heaven see everything. What such persons say is simply meant to show whether their words, the path they walk, and their conduct match; what is there to doubt?

The Celestial Lord said: “I regularly command the gods: whoever wishes to be wholly loyal, filial, trustworthy, and to establish merit—submit their names upward. These are the ones Heaven recognizes as persons of insight, favored by the allotments of fortune and the arts of fate-reading, so their hearts understand of themselves. I only fear that writing with brush and ink might be empty self-talk—why then be stingy with heavenly teaching? It is often said that the hardship is having no matching document, for fear that inner and outer do not agree. If one wishes to deepen wisdom and inquire broadly and deeply, that too should be made known.”

“Go, and heed what the great deity says: Heaven has weighty precepts; one cannot but be careful, reverent, and fearful before acting. Though the precepts are many, know their essentials, and open your ears and eyes and apply your heart.”

“Yes, yes.”

From this one knows the great precepts of Heaven: all who wish to advance themselves and seek long life should offer up what they know. To know and not speak is like hearing and not advancing—there is no will to come forward of one’s own accord. If the heart has knowledge and thought, in thinking one should come forward; if there is resolve, show that resolve; if there is sincerity, show that sincerity; if there is filial piety, show that filial piety. Only then can one be called Heaven’s trusted inner attendants, and one must not fail to report everything. The Celestial Lord knows human hearts beforehand; one cannot but come forward, yet coming forward without speaking in accord with the Dao will not do either. To hide what one knows and bury one’s talent is what Heaven hates, causing one not to appear on the register of longevity—is that not precisely because one knew yet did not come forward?

Not only can one fail to see one’s own longevity register—one may first lose essence and qi and leave the body, and lose the tally of years allotted to life as well. How can one not be careful?

The truly wise among those who follow the Supreme Lord understand this because the Heavenly Lord can tell apart “thinking one knows” and “truly knowing”; a person should also be clear about how much they really understand—what is there to doubt? One need only carefully take in the words of the spirits and not betray those words.

What the Supreme Lord’s wise ones say, dull people below insist on pressing for answers they cannot reach; they want to bluff and pretend they do not know—how dare they hide what they know and tuck away their ability, so that the Heavenly Lord and all the gods hear of it? That only invites greater harm to life and shortens years; one will not live long. This is the root of disaster; even offering one’s body would not suffice to atone—how could one dare step forward again or speak further?

We ask all great gods to observe: those who cannot catch up, who cannot reach.

The great god said: “Those who wish to live and fear death still have resolve and intention in their hearts—they are not wholly beyond reason; they only fear momentary confusion.”

The one who seeks life said: “I know myself that I do not understand the precept texts. By the great gods’ grace and forbearance, having been taught to this point, how dare I stop on my own and not present everything I know and can say? I respectfully comply.”

He also said: “I know myself that I do not understand the precept texts. By the great gods’ grace and leniency, having been taught thus, how dare I halt and not offer all I know and say? I respectfully ask the great gods to record what I said before in the register as well.”

The great god said: “Do as stated before; it cannot be changed. Only when someone vouches and there is trustworthy proof does it accord with the Heavenly Lord’s intent—then one may hope for long life; one must be sincere and solid.”

(The Heavenly Lord or a narrator:) The one who seeks life truly clings to life, so he exhausts loyalty, dares not slacken, repeatedly reflects and blames himself—how dare he be lax day or night?

When the Heavenly Lord heard this, he said: “These are words of the Supreme Lord’s wise ones. From this it is known: in the case rolls and registers this person’s name is indeed entered, but entries are still incomplete and not yet fully in order; the command goes to the god who keeps the register of life—search the registers: this person is there; though the name appears, because he relies on his own cleverness and knows much, he must wait until the year-term is fulfilled—do not err as to his years, months, and the corresponding gods.”

(The assembly) answered in unison: “Yes, yes.”

Opening

Only those sincere devotees favored by the Supreme Venerable (Taishang) each understand their own allotted role. Everyone has a Dao to cultivate, a path to walk, offerings to maintain, petitions to present, statements to make, words to speak, aims to pursue, and deeds to perform.

They do not bind the heart to private desire; they constantly strive to fulfill loyalty, trustworthiness, and filial piety. With sincere heart they accumulate merit before Heaven, year after year without slackening. They dare not forget the grace Heaven has bestowed; they always cherish life and, protected by the host of spirits above, dare not claim even the slightest thing for themselves. They live in reverent awe and never rest easy, reflecting on the Supreme Venerable’s precepts to preserve life—how could they forget such great kindness?

They only hope the great spirits will extend a little care—though their strength may fall short—and that in their hearts they may always hold to matters of the Supreme Venerable: the rules and measure that must be followed, trust in the natural order, looking to the four directions and reaching the four corners. Accepting what Heaven knows, they report what has not yet come to pass. In mind they hold the scriptures the great spirits have opened and clarified, the offerings and petitions they present—daring not to judge by private whim alone, but often assembling with the spirits to consult what may be adopted and what may not, ever fearing they cannot match the spirits’ inner intent.

Closing

Reflecting that they were originally people without fault, as desire and longing arise from within, they always seek neither to harm Heaven’s mandate nor to endanger themselves. Earlier they yearned for that radiance, reaching up to formless, essence-free sounds and voices, penetrating the advances of the Supreme Venerable’s emissaries, daring not to slacken and obstruct the great transformation. They only ask the spirits to understand their hunger for life and dare not leave the great spirits’ side.

After receiving the precepts, heart opens and eyes brighten; they wish for the teaching of long life, to extend years and prolong life, to think of advancing in merit and personally practice—daring not to trust themselves alone and argue right and wrong or contend over what is lacking. Looking up to those above, they are constantly earnest, seeking only pity, care, and guidance.

When can affection and clinging finally be released?

Day and night the heart longs for reunion and will not let go; though one knows the precepts one ought to keep, one cannot master oneself—and when the heart is unsettled, one sees all the more clearly how far one still falls short. Judgments of right and wrong, polished phrases, and answers given in speech can only be offered up in hope that Heaven will understand; such thoughts lodge stubbornly in the xinge (the region below the heart and above the diaphragm, where fixations settle and refuse to disperse).

The Great Spirit said:

“Those who set their hearts on Taishang (the supreme Heaven, the abode of the Celestial Lord, or the highest Dao) should act in just this way. To seek Heaven’s weighty precepts and guard against transgression—those who already have innate insight can tell principle apart in the heart; why must precepts be preached again and again? Let the heart hold the heart, let the heart aim at the heart—do not mix in private designs; from high to low, what ought to be known, one knows how to govern.

Those who now turn toward Taishang are whom Heaven draws near and whom the celestial spirits trust: they need only guard with one mind, always keep reverence and awe, and not lose their hold. The rest lies in what the heart already grasps; one must strive to spread the teaching and inquire widely, and not betray what has been said.”

“People of discernment can usually tell things apart; the fear is only that at the moment one cannot live up to what the mouth declares—why refuse to speak plainly face to face? Those with sincere intent will examine their own shortcomings.

(Taiping) simply thinks matters through from beginning to end; longevity grows from within the heart, in accord with the Celestial Lord’s mind.

I seldom preach many precepts to the sincere, because most are people of the wilds: they see someone long-lived, aged yet not failing, returning to a child’s glow, essence and Qi flowing in and out without loss—yet they cannot see where that person still errs. Many study; few attain; such cases are almost none.

The reason is that the heart is not held with enough fineness, while words are spoken too lightly; luce ( allotted lifespan and fortune) and ceshe (Heaven’s tallies and reckonings) do not match, so such people are rare.

What one sees in this life is the road one has already walked; one must reform all the more and change one’s conduct, using an open heart to hold one another fast. I would speak, yet I fear you will grasp at long life and cling to your years, so I dare not rest—I only ask the Great Spirit to see where we still fall short.”

(Passages such as “When one sees… greedily knowing failures in guarding prohibitions…” and “The heart is not held densely yet one speaks lightly…” repeat the same sense in the manuscript; in interpretation they may be read as one layer of meaning.)

Brief notes on terms:

• Taishang: here, the supreme Heaven, the Celestial Lord’s dwelling, or the highest Dao.
• Great Spirit: in the scripture, the spirit who answers seekers and conveys Heaven’s will.
• Xinge: in Daoist body–mind lore, the zone below the heart and above the diaphragm; a image for thoughts that sink in and will not scatter.
• Luce: alignment with allotted lifespan and fortune—whether words and deeds fit what Heaven has assigned.

The Great Spirit (a celestial official) said: For those who have the intention to seek the Dao (the Way), one should bestow a register in the Heavenly Administration (a roster recorded in the Heavenly Administration). Please examine the ledgers of the various bureaus and report to the Heavenly Lord those whose names are found; the Great Spirit cannot decide this on his own authority. The student (Sheng, the seeker and recipient of instruction in the text) said: I will only defer to the Great Spirit’s assessment according to the regulations; I do not dare to keep myself at a distance and merely watch from the sidelines; I will certainly serve in person. The Great Spirit said: Please report those who have such intention; for anyone whose name has already been entered in the register, why worry that name and reality will not correspond? The student said: I only ask the Great Spirit to report it on my behalf; on the day the matter is accomplished, I will exert myself unto death, so why should I expect any reward?

The Great Spirit then reported this to the Heavenly Lord (ruler of the heavens), saying: The aspirants of Tai Shang (the Supreme Dao deity) all hold their minds firm and meticulous; their aspirations constantly tend upward and they are sincere and trustworthy. You should order the presiding deities to examine them; when such a person is found, report him to the Great Spirit and order those in charge to verify and state this person’s name-document (a document recording the name), [showing] that this person’s name was already registered before he was born. Again order the presiding deity to recheck and confirm that the one with a name-document did indeed have a register before birth. The Great Spirit returned and reported: That this person had a register before birth is simply the grace of Tai Shang. The Heavenly Lord said: A person with a register should be promoted; he must himself bear Chengfu (the Daoist entanglement of inherited good and evil retribution and one’s own guilt). The Great Spirit may dispatch divine officials to remove the ledger entries of his Chengfu, educate and transform his mind, cause him to transform and become a spirit, and after his allotted years are fulfilled, promote him upward. The Great Spirit said: This person’s allotted years are already complete; by calculation he has exceeded the term by nearly one hundred days. Previously no final decision had been made, so he was temporarily held back. The Heavenly Lord said: Order the Great Spirit to report him for the time being and place him in an interim post (a provisional or non-formal position); when there is a formal vacancy (a true post), let him fill it. If he is especially able to exhaust his sincerity and resolve, and understands how to remove Chengfu while also cultivating practice and conduct. The Great Spirit said: Please report according to what the Heavenly Lord has said, and then precisely verify his lifespan calculation (suan: lifespan and allotted fate), making clear that the qualified person should be included among those who ascend to heaven in broad daylight (ascend alive and become immortals). The Heavenly Lord then spoke and gave instructions on this matter.

This is what people who sincerely turn toward the Dao and truly seek goodness should understand and follow, so that they have something to rely on and a guiding principle and do not lose their way.

The great deity assented repeatedly. Then he requested: “Please issue the formal decree and handle this document according to established precedent.” The great deity said: “Report upward and inform the office (Cao).”

Those who had come to audience reported again to the great deity: “Please order the chief managing office.” After the chief reported, he said: “Arrange acting appointments to fill vacant posts; where there are genuine vacancies in the establishment, send someone to fill them.” The Heavenly Sovereign (Tianjun) said: “Act as the office has reported.”

(The passage above—“report upward to the office, request decree to the chief office, acting appointments to fill genuine vacancies, the Heavenly Sovereign acts as the office reported”—appears twice in the original text with the same meaning: business in heaven is reported level by level, the chief office assigns acting posts and fills gaps, and the Heavenly Sovereign approves.)

Right column (beginning): When heaven sees good deeds among humans, should they be concealed and left unrecorded, and what fortune or misfortune follows from that? (end)

Text information

Taiping Jing Hejiao, juan 112, Geng bu zhi shi; this juan is Taiping Jing juan 112.

The title is “Disaster from Greed for Wealth and Sex, and Precepts Regarding the Womb/Within the Body, No. 185”—on the calamities invited by clinging to wealth and sexual desire, and on the admonitions concerning the “within the womb” (foetal/bodily interior).

Section marked “Qi” (opening)

In antiquity there were formless spirit-people (adepts who did not show themselves in the world) who devoted themselves to learning the way of long life. They aligned their hearts and wills with wei qi (the vital breath entrusted by heaven and earth to sustain life), always longing for longevity and never daring to go against what that entrusted breath intended. Morning and evening they attended to duty and examined themselves at dawn and dusk, holding fast to life and never forgetting it. They often looked inward and surveyed within and without, serving with utmost loyalty and acting in accord with the wish of the entrusted breath, so as to attain great longevity.

Likewise they did not dare oppose the entrusted breath; they kept morning and evening observances, cherished life, and kept it always in mind. Constantly they examined themselves, showed the utmost fidelity, and followed the wish of the entrusted breath, so that their own upward path was open and clear, unobstructed, able to illumine what ordinary people in the four directions could not see and to hear the faintest sounds. Whether they went out or in, up or down, all was within the bounds of the law. Hosts of spirits and refined breath all came to serve and defer to their bearing. They feared above all to fail the entrusted breath to which they belonged, and reverence always lived in their hearts. Garments and shoes appeared at a thought, suited to the body; they spread kindness widely, and report of their grace reached above and below, extending to the four quarters, the liu ji (the far reaches in the six directions), the ba biao (lands beyond the eight directions), and still more distant elders, each receiving retribution according to the weight of good or evil. Where great grace covered the land, the people reverently accepted command, and the stars themselves were moved.

Section marked “Zhi” (closing)

Wuji zi (stores of blessing without limit) and virtue without limit are for choosing the upright and good, who hide and conceal themselves rather than display their worth. When the heart’s wish is fulfilled, the inner self is guarded and flows freely; one receives unending life from birth, plain and sparing in ornament, the body mindful of its own preservation—how could one dare to slacken? Others cannot know such a person, and he or she does not meddle in outer affairs; without rank or merit, on what basis could one stand with the entrusted breath in joint petition? Therefore self-cherishing, self-love, and self-nurture, together with thorough care spread even to the young and weak—what person would not be covered?

Section marked “Qi” (continued)

Moving in and out among the harmonies between heaven and earth, their light matched sun, moon, and stars and took brightness from what lay before them. The twenty-eight lunar mansions took turns on duty; they discerned how the people used the stem-branch reckoning (tiangan dizhi) and how fortune and misfortune were recorded in written signs. Yet few in the world knew this; they thought themselves capable, and every move neither helped heaven nor avoided taboos that brought punishment—up to extinguishing the clan, cutting off heirs so ancestors had no sacrifice. That was not merely failing to preserve life—what could be done with such people?

Note: In the original, the markers “qi” and “zhi” are structural section boundaries in Taiping Jing style; the repeated lines about wuji zi and choosing the upright overlap with the earlier “zhi” section, likely from copying or conflated editions. The vernacular rendering follows the wording in sequence without altering the original structure.

Plain-Language Reading of the Scriptures of Great Peace

Section 1

Some people outwardly follow the teachings yet do not truly take up the scriptures of the ancient sages; they consider themselves right and see no problem. Because those who understand the Way are so few, they style themselves as worthy persons. In every act and word they do nothing to help the Dao of Heaven; instead they break taboos and invite punishment—at its worst, the clan is wiped out and ancestors go without sacrifice. Is that merely a failure to preserve life for long? What can the Dao of Heaven do with people like this?

Section 2

Some follow the teachings but do not inherit the classical texts, assuming they will not offend ghosts and spirits. In truth this comes from disharmony among the three qi (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity); there is also the matter of thick or thin allotted fate, so not everyone deeply feels calamity. Therefore Heaven sends the spirits of the three qi to admonish them. Those who listen are good people; those who do not—disaster falls upon them below: harm reaches descendants, the mandate of Heaven goes awry, they abandon good and do evil—how can they last?

Section 3

What the Sovereign Above (Heaven) does not wish to see, He swiftly cuts short in years. People do not know this and blame the blue sky instead. When has Heaven ever wronged anyone? They bring it on themselves. Truly without insight, short-lived like dogs and sheep—how can they endure? Caught in the same net as birds and beasts, they violate Heaven’s net and gorge themselves to harm their bodies. They flock together in crowds and do not cherish life. If among them there is one with wisdom, he leaves the four borders and goes where no one will harm him—why can he do so? It is also what fate decrees. Though he dwells where no human is, it is fate that preserves him; few visible retributions appear in the world because the times and allotted numbers are such.

Section 4

Alas! They still say: What have I owed Heaven? Among people of old, not one in ten thousand truly matched one another; they grasped for wealth and lust and ignored later ruin—calamity reached even the unborn in the womb, and they could not see sun, moon, or stars—how pitiful! They invited incomplete fates upon themselves; fate tied to earth—how destitute such a person! Similar cases exist; grass, trees, and beasts are the same.

Section 5

Unwilling to straighten the mind, they speak evil at random. Divine beings above keep records; nothing is missed below; nothing can be hidden on high—the presiding spirit sits there and watches. Each person should strive to obtain precepts and the intent of the spirits. Meetings of fortune and misfortune—what goes unanswered? Therefore it is decreed that divine persons set prohibitions for the people, so they may know the taboos of life and death.

For those who are alive, nothing under the domain of yang vital force can stay hidden; the one who holds authority sits there in charge. Everyone should do their best to grasp the true meaning of the spirits’ precepts—when good and ill fortune match the retribution one deserves, how could anything fail to come true?

So Heaven sends spirit beings among the people to enforce prohibitions, so that people may see clearly the taboos that govern life and death. Those whom yang force protects have their names entered on the Register of Immortals; if they slip, they are struck from the roll and demoted. Those caught in yin force are at once handed over to the Department of Death.

Think it over again and again and stay alert at all times—do not leak through the Heavenly Net; what lies beneath it includes even the earthly realm. You should understand human affairs, know when to advance or withdraw, tell inner from outer, and not draw others’ blame—only then can each person lengthen life and pass blessing to descendants.

After receiving precepts, you must be all the more careful in speech. When evil is done below, protection from above is withdrawn. Ordinary people are short on filial piety and loyalty; they cling only to what they love, sunk in desire without looking inward—yang spirit rises to Heaven, yin breath sinks to earth; yang spirit does not shield the wicked, who are worse than birds and beasts.

Those who do what they ought not, harbor harmful intent, and speak foully cannot expect a good life—misfortune will catch up with them sooner or later. Heaven and the spirits keep a ledger of every deed: stake your life on evil, and evil will take your life; turn sincerely toward good, and good will guard your path to life—when the hour of death comes, the account cannot be evaded. That is why the scripture repeatedly warns: do not casually share these words with those who lack understanding, nor with those who know a little but love to twist and embellish.

The key to long life lies in the “three spirits”—when the three kinds of qi unite as one, a whole person is formed; if the qi disperses and the person fails to cohere, the body returns to earth and stone, scattered in places unseen, never again restored to the intact life of before. The spirits of the three fates of life dwell near the human heart: one should cherish life and spirit, yet people cling to this corruptible body, even breaking the law and suffering punishment in the marketplace—when will there be “return to life”? Parents grieve, wife and children suffer; distant kin may even feel relief, neighbors wish only that you die sooner—when you die, the corpse is cast aside, and later generations inherit a bad name. If you turn from wrongdoing and do much good, you may still lengthen your days; when sincerity reaches its depth, the ten thousand things respond in kind. Therefore treat with care the principles of inner and outer, yin and yang, and nurturing life through the four seasons—do not destroy them lightly. In heaven, on earth, and in the realm of Central Harmony (Zhonghe), each has its overseer; the discerning should reflect through methods such as zuoxiang (contemplative visualization): those who do good share heaven’s wish; those who do evil shorten their own lives—how can one not be cautious? What the divine beings say receives heaven’s response; do not invite resentment against yourself. The term of extended life: the upper realm looks at whether you do good and whether you may enjoy your full span; when evil is exhausted, one falls into the yellow springs. Ponder these words deeply; do not transmit them rashly. Give them to the wicked, and the wicked invite disaster too—life and death each have their place, and none dare speak carelessly. If you yourself act badly, do not blame only others—ledgers recording you already exist on their side; further blame is useless. In reading, grasp the true meaning; toward divine scriptures be all the more restrained. Spirits, demons, and ghostly agents each have their own karmic ties—do not treat them lightly.

Those who are fated to encounter this text must be careful: do not harm your own body, and do not deceive or bully good people. Heaven reduces a person’s allotted years; once illness comes, it is not always something that endless visits to doctors or constant trouble for shamans and diviners can reverse—when the registers of life and death have already fixed that the thread should break, what is left to hesitate or doubt?

You should read it earnestly, turn it over in your mind, and reflect on it deeply; in that way you may perhaps avoid disaster. Once disaster truly arrives, it is often too late to make amends.

A True Person should show this book to the ignorant and benighted, urging them to turn from evil toward good, and not to treat the warnings lightly or go against what the book says. What is said at the beginning and end is repeated again and again precisely to stress how important it is.

Why is this so? Life and death are bound up with destiny; unless prohibitions and precepts are made clear, people find it hard to preserve themselves. (There is a lacuna in the middle.) Only those who sincerely delight in this text, understand what it says, and guard this single body can live out their full span of years; by guarding the One and examining their faults, they may even extend their lives.

The Dao of Heaven is vast and inexhaustible, yet few receive its authentic transmission; ancient meanings such as the Hetu and Luoshu have been abandoned or disbelieved by many—the reason lies precisely in not trusting these words, so that the opportunity for immortal attainment is rarely gained and one ends as an ordinary person.

Therefore the text now relies on the power of the Three Divine Teachers of Humanity to stir people’s hearts once more: spirits attach to the human body and do not wish to see people summoned away by earthly qi (meaning premature death and return to the earth). You should weigh the meaning carefully and think it through repeatedly, and not doubt this text.

(The text also restates:) The Divine Teachers of Humanity received Heaven’s teaching, and so there are those who keep the registers; whoever can penetrate the book’s meaning should know the use of this text.

Brief notes on terms

• You ming jia / you ming zhi ren: People linked by fate to the scripture and the Dao of Heaven—those able to see this text.
• Lu ji: Heaven’s ledgers recording lifespan and merit and fault.
• Zhenren: A cultivated person who has attained the Dao, a transmitter of the teaching.
• Shou yi: A core Daoist practice—single-mindedly guarding spirit and body.
• Hetu and Luoshu: In tradition, charts and writings sent down from Heaven, often linked to the Dao of Heaven, numerology, and pursuit of transcendence.
• Xian du: The chance to become immortal and attain transcendence.
• San shen ren zhi shi: Figures who frequently appear in the Taiping Jing as transmitters of Heaven’s Dao.
• Di qi zhao zhi: Earthly or underworld qi calling one away—death and burial.

〈Opening〉

Heaven has its “four dimensions,” and earth has its “four dimensions,” so sun and moon can shift and turn in their cycles. Stars each have their allotted degrees, by which right and wrong are discerned; people are ranked high or low, lives long or short, each receiving the fate allotted by the Six Jia. Birth comes early or late; emolument and office should match; good and evil each keep their place, without the slightest error.

Ordinary people do not understand this and say instead that “there is no true Dao.” Only one who harmonizes with the spirits counts as a true human being; one trusted by the spirits like an inner confidant is fit to be a ruler.

The hours of sun and moon each have their signs; offices and domains belong to their respective departments. Those who receive heaven’s response are recommended by heavenly spirits; those who receive earth’s response are protected by earth spirits; those who receive the response of central harmony are blessed by human ghosts. Doing good, good responds to good and they recommend one another; doing evil, evil responds to evil and they follow one another. Everything has its root; it extends above and below throughout.

The connecting waters of mountains and seas each have their boundaries; the spirits of each water domain all wish to have as registered household members people whose nature is good and who do not rebel. Land spirits likewise hope for good people. Every quarter sets taboos that reach up to heaven; if one does evil and violates them, one brings on oneself the inability to remain.

〈Closing〉

Households of great evil, large or small, are detested by ghosts and spirits. One can only reform oneself—never slander the spirits. The way of heaven and earth and the way of humanity—prohibitions are not empty; good is repaid with good. Spirit, Jing (essence), and Qi can still act through people; the wrongdoing of evildoers is not lost from the written record—it is promptly reported upward. When offenses accumulate too heavily, Taiyin (the lunar power) manages the petitions.

Households of great evil, large or small, are detested by ghosts and spirits. One can only reform oneself—never slander the spirits. The way of heaven and earth and the way of humanity—prohibitions are not empty; good is repaid with good. Spirit, Jing, and Qi can still act through people; the wrongdoing of evildoers is not lost from the written record—it is promptly reported upward. When offenses accumulate too heavily, Taiyin manages the petitions; according to the law, light or heavy, all are entered in the registers—people themselves do not know, yet think there are no other consequences.

The Taiyang “bright hall” (the register system of yang, clear scrutiny) keeps several ledgers, which are again passed to department heads; the spirits too keep several copies. Officers of the heavenly department report death and the like upward, shortening years and cutting off generations—people cannot fail to think this through carefully: value doing good and good returns to your person; evil returns to yourself.

Heaven knows that human wisdom is limited, and therefore sent down this scripture on good and evil to save people’s lives, to warn every generation—past and future—not to treat evil words lightly or use them as idle opening chatter. Every move, every advance or retreat, can bring disaster. That is why this text was sent down for later generations to read, so they may grasp its meaning and not bring resentment upon themselves.

When the court and officials at every level set laws and regulations, it is because people themselves transgress them—do not blame those in charge. If you harbor resentment, it will be hard for the ledger of life to record a long span of years. If you intend to harm others, the registers will serve as evidence. Once you enter the earth, you will face examination and verification; documents will be cross-checked, and none can escape. Strive to keep far from wrongdoing and do not keep company with the wicked—then you may perhaps live out the years allotted to you. If you are disloyal and show no compassion for suffering, though seized by wild perversity, you may sometimes survive by chance.

Heaven’s prohibitions, spirits, and laws apply on earth under Central Harmony (Zhonghe) in the same way—they circulate in the four directions, all in accord with the patterns of law; what is there to doubt? While alive, if one has merit before Heaven but descendants act wickedly, their allotted lifespan (suanshu) will be reduced. They may not die at once; when that allotment is used up, do not expect to live on.

In governing the state and nurturing the people, one should use the way of teaching and transformation, guiding them to know good from evil, and must get at the truth of the matter. Without a lifespan granted by Heaven and humankind, the line of descent is cut off; punishments fit the crime, wisdom and virtue are shown again and again as beginning and end. Awesome spirits protect the ruler; the numinous do not add cruelty—earlier texts have already explained this, and it should be taken all the more seriously. Ruler and father can thereby extend blessing to later generations, with long life and stable good fortune—by all means do not indulge in killing. At the time it may seem harmless; afterward you will surely suffer the harm.

(Start) Officials, high and low, and conscripted runners and corvée labor—all arise from various causes and duties. Each should understand his own responsibility and not become a scourge to the people. Above all, one should respect and cherish moral kindness and humane grace, align virtue with Heaven, keep the same heart as Earth, add to Central Harmony, think of meeting good spirits and numinous powers, each keep faith, and not deceive the foolish and weak.

〈Stop〉 If you wish to seek long life and to keep living, do not let yourself sink into grief and resentment. Set your heart on doing what heaven requires; then the spirits will lift you up, and you can be released, become an immortal, and live long—constantly in the company of the sun, moon, and stars. That is heaven’s great kindness. Even a small evil must not be done; if you do it, punishment will still fall.

When wrongdoing does not stop, in time it can wipe out a household—so the warning is given again: those who originally kept the prohibitions, once they break them, each turn into the ill-fated and short-lived. When someone is about to do wrong, one should explain his folly and confusion so he does not meet disaster. Those who will not listen at first and only regret later show that fortune belongs to those who can accept guidance. The stars watch over people; do not act against the norm. Each person’s good and evil will be judged for what it is; for those who do good, a long life need not be doubted. Teach and warn those who come after: then ancestors may be honored and provided for; those who refuse to do good ruin their own names.

〈Begin〉 Do not violate heaven’s prohibitions or earth’s punishments; follow the four seasons in due order and leave no evil name behind. What the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) form, each should keep to its proper place—〈stop〉 and do not acquire an evil name. Do not slight those above or below you; look after one another so that sudden, violent death does not occur, and a good name can remain. Keep your thoughts in the heart; be careful not to stray from your true form, or the spirit will scatter and evil ghosts will come to frighten you. Often hold these words in mind to protect yourself, and do not forget your proper station. Each person has his own good tidings; you must seek the Dao and turn toward goodness, add years to life, and you may also attain long life. Be cautious again and again: do not abuse punishments. At first this costs effort; later it brings honor. A master may be good or flawed; if a disciple fixes on the root but forgets the branches and does not follow the teacher’s instruction, he too will lose his name and cannot attain immortal transcendence. If you offend the spirits of earth’s punishments, evil retribution increases and you cannot receive new life. Be cautious again and again. Within this single body, divine light will arise of itself; inner and outer unite, action and speech stay fitting, and sincerity is not lost—then you can attain immortal transcendence. If you offend the spirits of earth’s punishments, evil retribution increases and you cannot receive new life. Be cautious again and again. Within this single body, divine light will arise of itself; inner and outer unite, action and speech stay fitting, and sincerity is not lost.

Plain-Language Reading of Taiping Jing (Collated Edition)

Title in brief: Writing need not be empty self-torment—Admonition 187

Within the human body there are the Five Shen (spirits presiding over the five viscera). They can discern right and wrong, gain and loss in word and deed. They must not be lightly offended, or written records (archival registers in the netherworld) will be made.

Even a small fault will be reported to the Mingtang (the place in heaven where good and evil are examined); body and spirit will be seized for questioning. Unpardonable crimes are not forgiven; lesser ones still shorten one’s lifespan.

If a spirit fails to report, the person is still held jointly responsible and subject to the same legal penalties. This applies not only to the living—spirits and ghostly beings are bound by the same rules.

The ancients knew they dared not transgress. The numbers of human and divine agents were sent down from heaven and registered in the three domains of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Without merit, one should not expect reward.

Those greedy for life are protected by Heaven; those greedy for nourishment (seeking health and longevity) are aided by Earth; those greedy for benevolence are loved by others. Step beyond these and do evil, and retribution will surely come. The mind of the sage and worthy should mirror the scripture; the scroll contains admonitions and prophecies—evildoers go against them.

(Repeated lines in the text repeat the same idea: greed for life, nourishment, and benevolence wins support from Heaven, Earth, and people; straying into evil brings inevitable punishment.)

When Heaven knows of evil, it sends malignant spirits and demonic ghosts to wait; they enter the person and spread through the limbs, head and face, belly and back, chest and flanks, and the seven orifices, then report upward to the Mingtang. When seventy-two signs appear, that is the form of one about to die.

When the five viscera are ill, whether they stay or go follows a fixed term. Be careful in food and drink, avoid wind and cold, come and go according to virtue (live by moral conduct in daily life), and only then can one complete one’s years (live out the full span of life).

Heaven wishes people to live; Earth wishes them to be nourished; people wish to give to one another. Do evil and disaster cannot be remedied.

Therefore a heavenly book announces this, commanding the people not to break the prohibitions.

Heaven’s qi speaks through human mouths; everyone should cleanse impure conduct. Be careful and do not forget—joy will follow later. Those who do not obey… (the original text is defective here)… should act as the scripture says.

Brief glossary: Mingtang—in this text, the place in heaven where faults are recorded and body and spirit are examined; Five Shen—spirits corresponding to the five viscera that oversee body and mind; report upward (shang bai)—to submit a report on high; seven orifices / seven regulators—the seven openings of the head and face, or key parts of the body; complete one’s years (jing nian)—to live out the full allotted lifespan.

In ancient times, the words of sacred persons never violated the fundamental order; there were always rules and standards to follow.

The ignorant must each take warning for themselves—this admonition is especially deep and thorough. Life and death, fault and blame, and the weight of punishment all arise from the person themselves; these are not empty words, and one inevitably bears what one has brought upon oneself. Heaven’s nature is what it is and cannot be deceived; one must keep this firmly in mind.

When change comes at its proper time, the order is not lost; the qi of the four seasons must not be violated. One must keep spirit and vigor and must not be negligent or slack. If one treats this as unimportant, Heaven sends the spirit of divination and inspection to deal with it, so that one does not speak or report falsely—then one may live above. Otherwise one is punished and demoted to sell vegetables in the marketplace, unable to show one’s true face, despised by ugly folk and scorned by the multitude. If the offense is grave, demotion goes deep and only after forty years may one again ascend to serve the various spirits; for a medium offense, thirty years; for a light one, ten years. What one was master of is taken away, each according to fixed principle. If one can truly change the heart and blame oneself, restoration may last long. Do not alter or go against Heaven’s words and bring calamity on yourself—can you not keep this well in mind?

For those who will become immortal adepts later: how deeply you reckon guilt rests in yourself; do not resent the spirits’ words. In going out and coming in, inner and outer, be careful not to err; examine closely what you receive. When sent on Heaven’s mission, one cannot act as one pleases; one must promptly accept the command and must not linger long. Questioning and accountability come quickly. If the offense is heavy one is sent down; the earthly record notes what was received, name and rank as on a register—one may not stay or halt. Where there is a vacancy, someone below fills it. The reason is this: at heart, even immortals step back when required—how much more so foolish people? After this, one may avoid violation.

Heaven holds people accountable for faults; spirits and ghosts serve as agents. Those who do not follow Heaven’s teaching soon meet disaster and blame—no need for whipping; the consequences come of themselves.

If you believe otherwise and harbor doubt, you cannot endure for long—hence this is explained again as something to guard against. Do not imitate worldly people who treat everything as a round of wine and meat and then let the matter drop. The Way of immortals is supremely precious; that is why these things are spoken to people.

Those who have allotted lifespan should preserve it. Spirit commands spirit; riding clouds and dragons, they travel the world before they stop. Heaven has its commands, and one should follow them again. If there is no fault yet one rashly drafts petitions and makes credentials for oneself, one should not rely on self-belief alone. Heaven too will cease pursuit; each person bears their own penalty—there is no need for resentment. As reported by the spirits: do not rashly offend those who guard the mean in the world above and below; if each person does not respect themselves, they will also invite resentment. Do not resent Heaven or blame Earth. Above and below restrain one another, just as human law—if words are not sincere, those below will resent, and one cannot remain long; the gods in Heaven will also contend for the Way. How much more for ordinary people—they should all uphold Heaven’s law and accord with Heaven’s harmony. Without grain for sustenance, without clothing for sustenance, merit leads to further advancement.

One may preside over shared affairs and make reports; yearly affairs have fixed allotments—carry them out according to the documents and do not give rise to doubt. Each has their own report; if two parties are unequal and bind each other in resentment, those who accuse together will be punished and their status will be more base. Even if not dispatched on schedule, if sent by a great spirit and not in accord with the spirit’s intent, the matter is handed to the earth lord for disposition and one may not ascend to Heaven again. Hence there are vacant posts the body does not occupy—upper, middle, and lower interwoven as one. Carefully follow these words; otherwise one loses body and lifespan and is bound to earth.

The “earth” here is not ordinary soil. Fierce spirits guard karmic retribution as emissaries of the heavenly earth spirits; if an emissary does not report truthfully, suffering follows at once. Even immortals have faults—how can common people act as they please? Therefore the Director of Fate (Siming, the spirit who governs lifespan) is close in the human breast, neither leaving the person nor seeming distant—a dwelling for the spirit. Auspice and misfortune depend on oneself; why flee far away? Fleeing far only invites calamity and disorder.

Plain-Language Reading of the Taiping Jing

Life Cannot Be Rushed; Fate and the Spirits Have Not Run Out

While your allotted years are not yet finished and your lifespan’s tally is not yet used up, your spirit dwells near the chest—not far from you. That is where the soul resides; fortune and misfortune are decided there. Why flee far away? That only stirs up trouble for yourself. Before fate is exhausted, rushing to cling to life is useless; once the tally is spent, hiding however far away will not help.

The Huishén (Spirit of Convocation) and Survival

Under heaven there is a huishén—a spirit of convocation—that governs whether people live or die. If such a spirit neglects its duty and “leaks” from its post, it too suffers calamity. That is why human life cannot be extended without limit. For this reason heaven sends a shenren (spirit-person) down to put these teachings into writing so people may observe them.

Ceasing Evil and Protecting Life

When you receive the precepts and stop doing evil, the spirits will not report your wrongdoing upward; you may gain a little more time, sustained by the five grains. Do not burn mountains or smash rocks in ways that harm grass and trees; do not break flowers or damage branches. If in the market you cut plants root and stem until none remain, their “mother” (earth qi, the mother of vegetation) grows angry and reports upward to the “father” (Heaven, the supreme parent). Heaven will not spare your years of life.

People also depend on plants for their needs, but you should take only what has already withered and will not sprout again—that accords with the constant Dao. Heaven and Earth want the myriad things to grow, just as people want to live—why willfully extend harm to later generations?

The Wise and the Taboos

Someone with insight can avoid breaking these prohibitions. If someone harms others on purpose, seeking success only for themselves, and uses young living beings as food for people, their life may lengthen only a little. In the end their name will still be entered on the registers. One must not raise weapons, act as a bandit or oppressor, or seize others’ lives by force—those whom Heaven’s mandate marks out this way cannot long survive.

Evil Requital and Childbearing

Evil links to evil, troubling the spirits; jingqi (essential qi) and ghostly beings cannot rest—are these not evils people create themselves? Wrongs done earlier bring disaster on oneself and drag down descendants. That is why childbirth often falls on inauspicious days, or pregnancy coincides with thunder and lightning, with xianwang and shuowang (waxing and waning moon phases), xueji (blood-taboo days), fanzhi (branch-opposition taboo days)—when yin and yang clash, birth goes badly and calamity is sure to follow.

Earth Qi and Extinction of the Line

Is this also summoned by earth qi? Likewise, prior evil makes retribution fall from above. Choosing the wrong day for birth, or meeting the above ill omens while pregnant, means the child will not come right and harm is inevitable. When earth qi is startled, people instead blame the earth as if it were a canglang (a name for disaster and ruin). Doing evil and receiving evil requital—what else did they expect? Not knowing how to repent, they deserve to have the household cut off and the line extinguished; after death they cannot be treated like ordinary people.

Officials, soldiers, or comrades-in-arms who die in wild wastes or foul places may receive only a hasty covering of earth. Their bodies are torn by foxes and dogs; their remains cannot be properly gathered and are abandoned beside the road. Soul and spirit (Hun and Shen) suffer torment without end, and bitter retribution follows one upon another.

Some souls attach to plants and trees and are then swallowed by livestock—who knows when they may obtain a human body again? Punishing evil and rewarding good is a truth everyone knows—why not turn from evil and do good yourself? Heaven repays only those who have merit and virtue (gongde); it does not favor the unworthy. Think it over again and again: the law of reward and punishment becomes clear. To die alone is to bear extreme suffering alone; the lifespan earned by good and evil ought to rise and fall accordingly. Examine closely and act with care, and you may avoid guilt and blame. Hence the solemn warning once more: rewarding good and punishing evil is known to all—why not repent and change yourself? Heaven rewards the meritorious and gives nothing to the unworthy. Think, think—the rule of reward and punishment can be understood. Dying alone, suffering alone in the extreme; the years granted by good and evil should wax and wane. Look closely, be cautious, and you may escape fault. Therefore the admonition is repeated so that people may repent on their own.

Fortune and misfortune can be separated by ten thousand miles—that is why this text was sent down, each part instructing and warning the other: do not blame Heaven and Earth; distinguish good from evil clearly. The lines link together: know evil and turn to good conduct, or else soul and spirit will know exhaustion and pain beyond measure. The foolish do not understand, so the wording repeats its counsel and passes the message along—do not bequeath calamity to later generations. Hold this text up against yourself: what remains to resent, to blame, to hate, or to regret? Each receives what is due. This text should circulate and must not be stilled. Those who understand may have sins reduced and years extended; fools who copy the book but do not follow its words only torment themselves!

"Admonition on River Beam Punishment for the Dead Who Had Faults," Section 188 (Plain-Language Commentary)

Opening In antiquity, holy seers came to the human realm on divine business and governed the world together with Heaven. They set the four directions, above and below, and the center each in its place, ranked high and low in order, and matched upper and lower so they supported one another. Without harsh pressure, things were accomplished and all turned toward goodness. Lest anyone fail in duty, all were of one mind. Heaven had envoys who carried its commands and ran to execute them; they rode cloud-chariots and drove flying dragons. Immortals who followed had their ranks and all held registers and documents—they lined up without being forced. Lest doubt arise, every move had its rule and every action was fitting. In spring they spread generating qi; in summer they fostered growth; in autumn they gathered the harvest so the people could offer sacrifice; in winter they stored surplus so supply continued without break. Where spirits bestowed, none went without honor; grace reached even crawling insects and plants—is this not Heaven’s kindness? Each received what was due.

Closing In eating and drinking, there should always be surplus; new grain should follow old in succession—how could one forget? Once you have the people’s help, you must keep the spirits from resentment. The good receive return; giving and receiving in full is how it should be. The angels arrange it so—do not hoard and leave people cold and hungry.

Opening Therefore the wealthy are charged to lend and relieve the poor, to exchange old grain for new and keep life going for descendants, with spirits aiding them—is this not kindness spread wide?

Closing The foolish, not knowing, refuse thanks. They think their role is simply what they owe, yet feel wronged inside, seize others’ goods to glorify themselves, and have no heart to repay or care for others in hardship—they imagine they can live out their full span. So shared rules were set down again.

Spirits and perfected ones seek the good—those who can transmit scriptures and know their use may extend life and add years, gain more harmony with Heaven and Earth, and transform together into spirit beings. They may also receive a chariot to ride through above, below, the center, and the six directions—is that not good? Why not think it through and keep it in the heart? In the dwelling where spirits abide, when you act they watch what people do. Do not insist you alone are right; know where you fall short. You should carry on the work in succession, leave misfortune and choose blessing, and not let small things fail to match Heaven’s heart.

Brief background: This section belongs to the “admonition” (jie) genre of the Taiping Jing. It describes ancient co-rule of Heaven and humans, seasonal bestowal, and stresses the rich aiding the poor and turning old grain into new (surplus helping lack, grain in circulation), together with gratitude and transmitting texts as paths to extended life and union with the spirits. The title “River Beam Admonition” ties to posthumous demotion and the image of the river beam; the focus here is virtue in this life and serving in accord with Heaven’s heart.

Heaven and earth, the four seasons, and the Five Phases each have their host of spirit officers who keep records of human lifespan and destiny. You should treat them with respect, hold their kindness in mind, and repay them with many good deeds. If you refuse to do good and instead go against the will of the heavenly gods, those gods will throw wind and rain out of order and turn fortune upside down—cold when it should be hot, hot when it should be cold.

People ought to support one another and serve one another, keep away from disaster and move toward blessing, and not allow the slightest private thought or small act that goes against the heart of Heaven.

(Continued from above) When farming is out of season, farmers grow resentful and refuse to tend the fields properly for others. When the five grains are scorned and debased while dogs and pigs are used for food, farmers leave one after another.

In a kingdom that lacks virtue, grain fields yield little and trees wither; the people have no surplus food. People kill and plunder one another merely to prevail, heedless of the True Dao and of posterity, and grow ever poorer. They harvest nothing and flee together in exile. Before they even reach lands that despise the five grains, they starve by the roadside—dizzy, unsteady on their feet, days without food until they die with no one to bury them. Old and young alike in the household suffer disaster, yet they blame Heaven. The state is hollow, granaries empty, meat scarce, no reserves stored; year by year the crisis deepens until the court cannot be supplied. More and more people are exempted from tax and corvée, the treasuries take in nothing, and the Minister of Agriculture holds only blank documents and cannot open the stores for relief. Stipends are cut and posts abolished; what the central realm can use dwindles daily. The people depend on the state, yet none will give of themselves; when hardship comes and they cannot survive, all of this is what Heaven detests. The land cannot long sustain people—do the wicked know this?

O Realized One, you should quickly deliver this text to kingdoms that possess virtue, so that each may reflect and know themselves and still may live out their full span of years; those without virtue are no different from birds and beasts. Length of life cannot be forced; virtue is accumulated of its own—there is no need to blame Heaven. Read the scripture in detail and often ponder filial piety, loyalty, trustworthiness, benevolence, and giving; when you err, blame yourself, and you may still leave descendants—the scripture is not empty words.

In a kingdom without virtue, Heaven does not rescue it. The celestial mechanism and balance wheel turn urgently; sun and moon press people onward, and their light grows less. In a kingdom with virtue, the mechanism turns more slowly and sun and moon retain their brightness. Such is Heaven’s operation: the mechanism, sun, moon, and stars should all shine for the sake of good. If instead they dim and fail, it is because of conduct—what is there to resent in Heaven? Human beings share one realm with Heaven, earth, sun, moon, and stars; those who can see Heaven’s responsive signs will see its clarity.

When the five planets stray from their proper courses, weapons roam the land, barbarians invade from within, and people capture and rebel against one another.

When the state sends out military strategists on campaign, those with an allotted span of fate return alive, while those without it do not come back—this often ties to the failings of those in authority: unfilial children, a lack of loyal ministers in the realm, and impure conduct, so people harm one another until the year runs out.

For this reason the scriptural teaching called Dongji (Penetrating the Ultimate), collectively known as Taiping (Great Peace), is transmitted: those who can follow it gain blessing; those who cannot only bring extreme suffering on themselves and scatter their families. Retribution is constant and does not wrong the innocent; those who do not cultivate goodness yet do evil to others will surely receive their due.

The scripture often says: whether high or low in rank, all people are born of Heaven—it is only whether the registers hold a record of extended life. Therefore one must cherish life, be cautious, and keep it in mind; never do what ought not be done, wrong others, or seize what one ought not to take—for then Heaven will not respond, Earth will not sustain you, inauspicious spirits follow, and you cannot live long in peace and joy. Those who are careless and indulgent should not expect a long life; the register simply has no name for longevity.

Some force their way into households devoted to cultivating immortality and keeping abstinence, spending all their property on sacrifices to spirits, begging immortals to deliver them—yet when immortals and spirits inspect the registers, you have no “name for life,” and the spirits you pray to will not accept your offerings. Others wander begging from place to place and then appeal to various gods, and the gods grow angry too. The outcome may be being devoured by wild beasts until flesh and bone are gone, or being gnawed by foxes, unable to return to one’s homeland.

Neighbors in the same county may instead say such a person “became an immortal”—yet when there is no credible sign, what use is self-praise? If one truly became an immortal, there should be verifiable news that everyone could see, and only then could one say one had ascended; otherwise one must suffer heavy punishment. Those who speak of “attaining the Way” too lightly are mostly wildly heterodox and deserve reproach; yet others take them at their word, and in the end all are entered together on the death register and descend to the Yellow Springs, no longer able to follow their own will.

Those who have virtue and breadth of character are named in the register from birth; when their allotted years are full and the time to ascend comes, someone naturally comes to welcome them. How could ignorant young people possibly ascend? They only waste wealth in vain, leave home and cast away their bodies to die in the wild. The Way accords with nature: each person receives their allotted fortune—it cannot be forced.

If people bring trouble on themselves—neglecting livelihood and failing to support their parents, yet treating nothing more than occasional visits to wife and children as “virtuous conduct”—they are likely still unfilial, disloyal, and untrustworthy, and at best will merely scrape through one lifetime. After death, there is no question of reward or punishment in the nether world.

When a household has surplus wealth to pass on to descendants, it should also be used for offerings and support; do not make yourself endure hardship alone. Whether descendants are capable or not, each should earn a living on their own, without dragging one another down or bequeathing disaster—that is true good conduct. This passage is therefore written for those who understand. Fools disregard it, indulging reckless joy and anger, imagining that whoever stays clear of punishment and misfortune counts as a worthy person. If repeated admonition still fails, you may stop. Heaven assists the good and does not share blessings with wicked sons. Each person should be all the more careful and refrain from mutual blame and recrimination. Look after your own affairs; let your conduct be known to all, and do not fall short before Heaven. As for what should or should not be entered in the name registers, do not seize by force—forcing gains nothing. Those who rebel and do evil receive no protection from Heaven.

Do not leave your dwelling and its walls. (In the metaphor of the human body:) the joints of the bones connect like field paths; the sinews govern desire and make the walls firm; the vessels govern circulation like the network of the bones; the flesh within the skin wraps the vessels as a garment. The spirit guards within and governs a person’s good and evil. Why worry from afar? The Seven Regulators (the sun, moon, and five planets and related celestial signs) keep watch—they are the gates of the spirit. To seek the Dao and gain life, do not leave the home-dwelling; in transformation one merges with the spirit’s De (Virtue/Power)—what more need one seek from the Dao? Therefore place this good text in Heaven’s register.

The name registers of immortals are not the same as those kept in the mundane world. When the time comes to ascend, the god who keeps the chief register and the guarantor will arrive; only then does one know how the lord of one’s department receives and carries out instruction. Each has an order of precedence; when it is time to advance, there is a destination to go to—one must not decide on one’s own. The gods govern jointly; one must choose those who accord with Heaven’s intent. The master (the one who awakens first) has a clear mind and open eyes, free of partial fixation; what he does and what he engenders ordinary people may not understand. All precede Heaven and Earth, transforming above and below without straying from the Way; the spirits need not be complete in every respect.

Heaven establishes regulations and laws, assigning the years and months to the left and right quarters. The stars each take their stations, with presiding deities in charge of every one, who must serve faithfully in office and administer their respective domains.

At the outset, advance when you see what is good and withdraw when you see what is evil; do not hesitate, each doing their part, and do not let the spirits lead you astray. Only then can you succeed and be worthy of the title Heavenly Lord. Those who preside over heaven keep the registers and likewise do not overstep their measure; the presiding deities of the departments thus rule the four directions.

Each of the four directions has its early, middle, and late phases (the “Meng, Zhong, Ji” of spring, summer, autumn, and winter), taking turns overseeing what is above and below—this is called Tai Sui (Grand Year Star). Great Yin stands behind, presiding over the geography of the earth. The four seasons are also set in place to govern the birth and growth of all things, spread across the land so that grain and grass may ripen early or late. People nearby tend to shorter lives and those far away to longer ones, yet even they can endure for a long time; trees at village shrines, though small, can also sustain themselves.

When the age turns, punishment may strike and extend to one’s descendants. The reason is that, at the beginning, one’s dwelling is unsettled; by leaving the old and taking up the new, the spirits can return.

Each person has a fate tree, growing on the soil of heaven according to the season of birth. Those born in the third month of spring take the mulberry as their fate tree; in summer, jujube or plum; in autumn, catalpa or dogwood; in winter, locust or cypress—such is what ordinary people belong to. All have officers who oversee these fate trees. When fate is nearly spent, the tree is half alive; when fate is exhausted, it withers and falls, and the presiding officer fells it. How then can that person go on living?

If you wish to live long and not die, you must change your heart and intent and transfer your tree close to the Heavenly Gate—a state called “long life.” Spirit officers preside over it; all is pure, quiet, and lustrous, self-generated in heaven’s domain, guarding the honor of the spirits. Simply keep your good name from being ruined: heaven has a constant mandate, and generation after generation you may receive honor; even without protection from below, in time you will come to know the essence (jing) for yourself.

Why it is so: Those who have already distanced themselves from the secular world must attend to affairs of heaven; not a single step may go wrong. The various deities watch one another, as strict as measuring with plumb line and ink cord—they may not act on private whim, so they do not lightly descend. There is no cause for surprise. Merit will be seen in the end; unlike ordinary people—outsiders may think the household gains nothing, yet within there is honor—is that not good? Therefore this is revealed to later generations, so that people’s hearts may awaken.

Publishing scriptures and transmitting the teaching: Scriptures should be made public and not kept secret; year by year there are penalties and precepts. Do not associate with flattery and sycophancy; do not set your heart on unfilial conduct. Whatever does not accord with the words of the scriptures will be questioned again—how can one not be careful? Transmission is passed only to those who can uphold and bear responsibility.

Carefully keeping the divine precepts: Do not violate the divine writings; do not test the divine words; treat the divine pronouncements with caution—all have heavenly retribution. Do not lightly transgress, lest later there be calamity—minor faults receive demotion and punishment; major faults are not spared. Therefore the various deities supervise one another in rotation and report according to what is fitting; what is untrue will be corrected again. Matters must be connected to the facts; partiality is not allowed. The deities take turns inspecting one another; if one later repents, the truth must still be clarified; if one stops halfway, one still faces examination. Those who do not first speak the truth and only confess after interrogation receive punishment in the lower realm; advance and retreat are both within the scope of examination and review. “Those who do not comply remain as before”—that is the meaning. Do not lightly transgress; there is no need for doubt. Divine law is weighty in the extreme—be cautious again and again, mindful again and again—can the way of long life and enduring vitality be treated as anything but weighty?

The revealed text and doing good: Therefore this text is sent down to show people: where there are vacancies to be filled, good deeds should be established, passed on without break and without loss. Doing good has merit; the years of life increase—there is no need to doubt again. When would the way of ziran (spontaneous nature) ever be exhausted? Once there is awakening, the various deities govern in turn; error even by the weight of a grain of millet will at once draw suspicion and examination. Heaven has music and song; the various deities listen as well.

(The closing passage repeats the “revealed text” theme in the original: establish good deeds, pass them on without loss, merit in doing good lengthens the years, the way of ziran, upon awakening the deities govern in turn, the slightest deviation draws examination; heaven has music and song, and the various deities listen.)

Those who do good receive reward; even when music and communication are imperfect, they must still be brought under governance. Each person has his own lineage of transmission—there must be neither rootless teaching nor branch without trunk, nor a system that fails to cohere. All are supplied food and clothing from the Heavenly Granary (Tiancang), administered by the Director of Agriculture (Sinong). When cold and warmth change with the seasons, clothing is changed accordingly, following also the principle that Yang is honored and Yin is subordinate. All grades of goods—gold, silver, colored silks, pearls, and jade treasures—are to be distributed equally by category; there must be no arbitrary bestowal, only upon those who have merit. None may receive Heaven’s food and clothing without merit. This has been stated before and is now repeated so that there be no resentment and no ground for suspicion—this is Heaven’s weight upon the mandate of the spirits.

When the year is complete, ledgers are checked and reported upward: mountains, seas, and dry land; all shrines and community altars—each reports what it has received; nothing may go unused and nothing may be lost or omitted. Guardians of dwellings investigate the people’s offenses; monthly and yearly registers are transferred among the Sinong ritual officers by written document. The Yin-Month Legal Office (Taiyin Facao) calculates what is owed; years and reckonings are reduced. When reckonings are exhausted, the earth-yin spirits are summoned together with the earth offices (Tufu) to take the physical form and examine the soul-spirit (hun-shen). The full ledger must be submitted—whether responses match or fail to match; where officials have acted with private deceit, demotion and punishment follow the severity of the examination. Each ledger text is not sent by Heaven’s dispatch—ghosts, spirits, and numinous beings must not harm people. If they do, mutual inspection and mutual reporting are permitted. Offenses may rise as high as death; upper and lower ranks are demoted to labor on river bridges and in mountains and seas, each according to the law’s weight and each according to the case—nothing must be lost or wrong.

Each place has its prefecture, county, postal station chiefs, and chief clerks—they investigate by the law and must not wrongly cut short the lives of ghosts, spirits, and numinous beings. Thus from above and below, documents circulate in concert, each as in the former ordinances.

On Clothing, Footwear, and Admonitions on Good and Evil

Since ancient times, each social rank has had its proper place, and above and below, left and right, each has had its rules. When people act according to these rules, it is like cutting cloth with a plumb line—they do not go wrong. How then could they fail to see through the crux of life and death? Everyone must guard himself carefully and not offend the spirits; each must keep to his role and must not treat life lightly. Good and evil can be recorded separately: those who do good deserve to rise, those who do evil deserve to fall—fortune and misfortune each have their fixed measure.

Yet some have crooked hearts and instead blame the divine messengers. In truth, blessing and disaster are self-invited—whom else is there to blame? Some are hard to teach: though they know their own faults, they still draw calamity upon themselves. They force themselves to do what is beyond their strength and boast about it. They lack wisdom in handling affairs, seeing only what is before their eyes and not what follows, inviting disaster and straying from virtue, and they slander the good. They are disrespectful toward Heaven and insincere toward Earth, unaware that ghosts and spirits watch over all. There are those who record good and evil and can settle grievances; yet others lavish meat and wine, indulging the mouth and belly. They feel pleasure at the time, but when people talk about them later, they utter evil words, curse what is not right, practice fraud and slander, and even steal others’ wives and daughters, spying day and night for a chance.

Some target only those they find “convenient,” showing off how they make a living. They want fine clothes and shoes, quarrel to win arguments, ignore reason, and seek only comfort—how can that last? Such people may be called “evil sons.” When superiors learn of them, subordinate officers seize them; harsh punishment falls on their bodies, and harm reaches kin near and far—they are punished together. In poverty one should support oneself by honest work and must not idle about. Such a person’s fate-register is thin; what he received at birth is limited, and evil ghosts follow him—how can he stay long? There are many such people; retribution comes sooner or later, and they drag one another on without end.

This is said because evil ghosts seize people of this kind. The slightest slip demands caution; carelessness brings disaster on oneself. One must not impose evil conduct on others, or one will invite resentment and guilt. At the time it seems acceptable, without thought for what follows; even when one sees these admonitions, one does not stop. If one can still reform in small matters, perhaps one may preserve the years that remain. Good and evil are recorded; lifespan is fixed accordingly, and the extension of years depends entirely on doing good. Not to see the sages and worthies is because one’s wisdom and deliberation fall short. Though we think of life as bitter and death as sweet, even immortals above seek long life—why throw away the world and invite calamity? Disaster continues from the womb; the child in the womb even says, “I was born together with my parents.” All of this is blaming Heaven and Earth. Good and evil should be kept apart and not mixed; the clear and the turbid must be distinguished, like lord and servant.

Therefore those who walk the Great Way (Dao) gain life; those who do not return to the dust—as it has been from ancient times to the present. There is good and there is evil, passed down generation after generation, never ceasing—only in greater or lesser degree. Heaven knows that people are mostly rebellious, and so issued this text to warn again and again. Once you know these admonitions, you need not doubt further; when ten out of ten and a hundred out of a hundred correspond, when is there escape?

From the time Heaven and Earth first took form, spirit was generated; following nature, the myriad things came into being and each received its flourishing. Thus there was arrangement: the sun, moon, and stars revolved, and the celestial officers of the mechanism and seasons (jīhéng sīhòu, those who oversee auspicious and inauspicious times) were appointed; the Five Planets (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth) were each assigned their positions and duties. When clouds and rain fell, the people worried over the crops; when primordial Qi was preserved, the five grains, grasses and trees, and all crawling, breathing, and wriggling life contained within them this Qi; birds and beasts and creatures of the water were the same, so that people could offer sacrifice and support themselves.

Stop. Yet what may be taken as harm (what is harmful or ought not be kept) may be used for one’s own supply; oxen, horses, mules, and donkeys that cannot serve may be supplied for use throughout the realm. If the earth spirits (dìqí) have surplus, it may be gathered and shared. Do not kill those still in service or whose teeth and strength are still young—that is what Heaven has retained and what the spirits rely upon.

Begin. The myriad people are dull and crude; they kill at will, sometimes even slaying those still in the womb before birth, as if cutting off life to fill mouths. When death approaches none are without fear; only when it is near do they know they cannot live. Therefore Heaven truly pities them and sets prohibitions and bans; violators should be punished. Even the six domestic animals understand reason, cherish life, and shrink from harm—yet people do not spare themselves and act like bandits and invaders. What they take is not of one kind alone; they rashly wield blades and weapons to kill others and treat it as no crime. Though they cannot be executed at once, Heaven accumulates their offenses; if slaughter and ruin do not cease, even the unborn are destroyed—such persons can hardly meet with good fortune. Ghosts and spirits detest them; the officers of oversight (sīhòu, those who watch auspicious and inauspicious signs) are ahead—when is there escape? Thus good and evil are recorded and heavy penalties applied, so that people dare not offend.

Spirit persons and perfected ones (shénrén, zhēnrén) showed this text to the multitude; its meaning is not hidden, so that people would know they must not blame themselves wrongly—hence the characters were made plain according to custom.

Stop. Thus one may know that sages and worthies do not transgress; yet there is fear that foolish folk will not cease. Masters have predecessors and successors—do not forget the root; when you think of the root it is ever fresh, cherish it as at the first—this is the Way of sustaining life (long blessing, preserving life).

Vernacular Explanation

Merit may be great or small, and the recompense received differs accordingly. One should clarify, one by one, every knack not yet understood, every meaning not yet penetrated, every thought not yet clear, every word not yet fully spoken, and every resolve not yet fixed—distinguishing each on both sides. Only then is this the intent of Heaven. The principle by which the ten thousand things are generated, nourished, and brought to completion arises from this.

〈Begin〉 To seek trust from Heaven, from Earth, from Central Harmony (Zhonghe), from the four seasons, and from the Five Phases (Wuxing)—these are all forms of “trust” that Heaven responds to and repays. Not a single hair’s breadth (zhu or fen) is lost or in error. Do you understand? This is entrusting qi to the formless and yielding to nature, thereby being transformed and nurtured by nature and brought into submission to it. Hence the stars of the Three Terraces (Santai) and the Seven Stars assist in upholding the majesty of Heaven; sun and moon illuminate and verify the Five Phases, and also discern right from wrong, so that the ten thousand things each return to their natural state—then no one will regret midway. Therefore the decree is reiterated to the lords of each department: each keeps to their own role with boundaries clear; even when punished they do not resent—this is what is meant.〈End〉

Do not wrangle with others over right and wrong; others will straighten themselves on their own. Precepts, whether large or small, may all serve as norms. Only by not forgetting these words can one long enjoy blessing; one should carefully observe and practice them without losing measure. Hence it is also called a test “using death to try the heart.” The scripture cannot yet be put to use because the sovereign has not yet believed; when flatterers and sycophants stand at his side, the scripture cannot be carried out.

When disasters break out together, where can the people find refuge? The Scripture of Great Peace (Taiping Jing) will only be put into practice again at the third jiazi cycle; better to admonish many times—ten times over—so that people may know this principle. While thinking of preserving life, one also seeks insight; the wisdom of sages and worthies can be learned and attained. The sage should first promote the worthy, then seek long life, and does not consider it shameful to stand second again.

The register of immortals lies at the North Pole, connected with Kunlun. Within the Kunlun fastness dwell Perfected Persons (Zhenren); above and below each has its fixed rule. The Perfected Person presides over those on the register, names listed in order: those of lofty attainment rank high, the middling in the middle, the lower below—never those who blush in shame, slap their faces, or sink to beggars. Taking the teacher as master, honoring the teacher-lord, calling him father—the teacher-lord also presides over those on the register, names in order, high, middle, and low each in place, likewise without that sort of fallen, begging destitution.

Teacher, ruler, and father—these three layers of relationship must not be confused. Ministers must not fail in loyalty; disciples must not fail in obedience. Reverence flows upward from below, level by level. Thus Heaven does not forget the kindness of the teacher (the master who instructs and nurtures); Earth does not forget the teacher’s fostering care; people do not forget the teacher’s gifts.

Hence loyalty, filial piety, and faithfulness: a single mind turned toward goodness, cherishing life, harboring no evil intent, relying on closeness to others and self-examination to clarify principle. Heaven’s illumination reaches to the Yellow Springs below; Earth’s illumination reaches between Heaven and Earth; the illumination of harmonizing center connects above and below. When these three kinds of clarity work together, harmony and union can be achieved.

Heaven takes its three clarities as names: the sun, the moon, and the stars. They shine downward upon the harmonizing center and the world beneath, never resting. In a state without virtue, yin qi veils the sun and sunlight does not show clearly; the people live in fear, the five grains struggle to grow, flood and drought come unpredictably, and the people drift toward places where grain can be found. Heaven truly pities them and allows them to reach land where they can live. Where there is an enlightened ruler, the state flourishes; displaced people return home to farm abandoned fields, the various grains grow and ripen, the people again have grain, again offer to their ancestors, and ghosts and spirits find peace.

Among them are persons of sage wisdom who seek the way of the immortals. Their names are recorded in ledgers and registers, so that in time they may rise again to become officers of Heaven, going among the people to inspect, harmonizing wind and rain, and stabilizing government and law. They leave this book for those who come after. Therefore one must do good that benefits Heaven. Afterward one may instruct descendants: the term of extended life must not be left unclaimed (one must not fail to strive for it). Though the book repeats itself, Heaven greatly loves humanity and wishes people to enjoy their full span of years, urging again and again until it rests with the spirits. Good deeds are reported upward; evil deeds erase one’s name. Do not go against this book—constantly think good thoughts, constantly hold good intentions, do not abandon this resolve, and seek the will to achieve long life, always remembering fulfillment.

This is so because all of it bears on what the human heart ought to take as its aim. One should strive with diligence, each following his or her own resolve; Heaven does not forcibly override what people are unwilling to do. Things on earth travel along the ground; east, west, south, and north are the same. Boundless Heaven, boundless Earth, and the boundless realm are all without end; boundless clarity and boundless light are likewise without end. Yet the “small limit” (xiao jing) is also part of Heaven’s great allotment—if you wish to grasp affairs of Heaven, you must first seek central harmony (zhonghe) within the idea of Heaven; with central harmony comes peace. If you set your heart on rank, the spirit of nobility will add honor; if you set your heart on wealth, the spirit of wealth will make you rich. Between suffering and joy, reflect often and weigh carefully every word you speak.

The myriad ways of the Dao of Heaven all depend on human conduct; Heaven does not snatch away people’s resolves. The way of nurturing life—look closely and you will see it clearly; the way of death is what ghosts dread. Inauspicious spirits cannot rest easy; to bear this way is to find it hard to bring the text to completion.

(Begin) In Heaven there is a text, set forth to establish the root of seeking life. Because it is what people desire, this text is specially promulgated so that people may reflect upon it. (End) When you have faults, you should repent and act according to this text; if you do not, that is also permitted, but you must not speak rashly. The spirits are before you and behind you; there is no moment when you may slacken.

(Begin) The text of Heaven concerning the Way of the Former Masters and Sages who Descend to Reverse and Illuminate in the Changxing State of Heaven, so that people may reflect; when you have faults, you should repent and act according to this text; if you do not, that is also permitted, but you must not speak rashly. The spirits are before you and behind you; there is no moment when you may slacken. (End)

(Begin) The Way of the Former Masters and Sages who Descend to Reverse and Illuminate in the Changxing State of Heaven—Earth and Heaven’s spirits of joy go forth to help people in governance, grant long life, and drive back the Four Barbarians. (End)

The disciples put every question to the Celestial Master. Still afraid that something might be left unasked, they went back and forth in their inquiries and did not dare to slacken, for fear of provoking Heaven’s anger.

Heaven (or the Celestial Master) said: Excellent! In inquiring on behalf of the Heavenly Dao, you grow more familiar day by day and can align with Heaven’s intent. A true person (zhenren) will surely extend life and enjoy inexhaustible longevity—this is Heaven’s protection. Good—please sit at ease. I will explain the meaning further for all the disciples so that it may be seen clearly and understood.

Joy that accords with the Dao has three levels. A slight grasp of its meaning is enough to bring people ease and well-being; a middling understanding is enough to bring peace to the world; complete accord with the Heavenly Dao is enough for Heaven and Earth themselves to share in that joy. Whoever accords with the method of “bringing joy to people” will see people rejoice; whoever accords with the method of “bringing joy to governance” will see the polity secure; whoever accords with the method of “bringing joy to Heaven and Earth” will see Heaven and Earth harmonious. When Heaven and Earth are harmonious, the myriad things do not fall ill, the myriad spirits are often pleased, and there is no season of wrath.

A supplementary sense of the attached passage: those who can accord with the intent of Heaven and Earth find Heaven and Earth harmonious, and people who take this as their model are likewise joyful. When Heaven, Earth, and humanity are all harmonious, the myriad things are free from disease, and lord and minister are often joyful.

Opening passage: this is precisely the time when the qi of Great Peace arrives and all are fully suffused with joy. Therefore, when music attains the tones of dagou and shanggou—the “great horn” and “upper horn” modes, correlated with the Virtue of Wood and the East—the Green Emperor (Qingdi) is greatly delighted, the way of benevolent Virtue (rende) is manifest, the myriad things rejoice in growth, and lord and minister are often joyful.

This passage explains that when the qi of Great Peace (Taiping) truly arrives, all things feel secure and joyful.

Therefore, when one can sound greater jue and upper jue—tones that correspond to the east—Qing Di (the Green Emperor, deity of the east) is greatly pleased. The qi of benevolence appears; all things delight in growth; Qing Di moves abroad; liver qi is harmonized and illness does not arise; the essence-spirit of the liver god manifests in the east. Every malign influence is removed, and every beneficent qi comes to assist transformation. Qingyi yunu (green-robed jade maidens of the east) arrive bearing wondrous formulas to bestow upon people—this is a clear sign of efficacy. The perfected person should ponder this meaning carefully.

Thus, when upper jue is obtained, it is used to guide and transform what is above; when middle jue is obtained, what is in the middle; when lower jue is obtained, what is below—transformation through sound.

When zhi tones of the south are moderate and harmonious, all things gladly grow. The moral qi of the south is universally pleasing; the harmful is cast off and the good takes the lead. Red qi rejoices; Chi Shen (the red spirit) comes and roams; the heart is not troubled by disease; mind-spirit manifests; one awaits chiyi yunu (red-robed jade maidens) who bring wondrous formulas—this is a great sign of efficacy.

When the harmony of yellow qi and the gong note is obtained, the good within the gong tones also all come, and the harmful all vanish. When the harmony of shang is obtained, the good within shang also all come, and the harmful all vanish. When the harmony of yu is obtained, the good within yu also all come, and the harmful all vanish. The perfected person should reflect on the core meaning for themselves, and on the root conduct that brings such effects.

The reason the five directions are not fully spelled out is that the principle runs very deep. A superior person who sees this will grasp the intent on their own and use one thread to understand ten thousand. A middling person who receives it may become excessively elated; a petty person who receives it may talk recklessly. Therefore it is not fully disclosed, so each may think for themselves. A superior person, taking one to carry ten thousand and penetrating the meaning, need not have everything explained; a middling person can gradually grasp something of it and likewise need not have everything explained.

Even lower-grade learners of the Dao sometimes gain a fragment of the method, yet they often talk nonsense, so one need not expound the full teaching to them.

Hence the approach of “grasping the main thread and showing only the essentials”: raise only the great points, set out the principle of the matter, and show this to ordinary people so each may ponder the meaning for himself—thus upper and lower can connect without grave error. Does the Perfected One understand?—“Yes, yes.”

Therefore: superior learners of the Dao govern through “music” (yue—the way of teaching and harmonious joy) and take Wuwei (non-action) as the measure for saving the world; middling learners who govern through music use “cai cheng lu”—briefly stating the outline and making the rationale visible, showing it to common people so each thinks out the meaning, enabling upper and lower to communicate without fault. Does the Perfected One understand?—“Yes, yes.”

(It continues:) Superior adepts govern “music” to practice Wuwei and deliver the world; middling adepts govern “music” to harmonize the vulgar and regulate the human heart; inferior adepts govern “music” merely by using music to gather people for meals and crowds—that is all. These three kinds each speak their own intent. When the qi of Great Peace arrives, one must listen to what each does and allow them to play qin and se (ancient stringed instruments—here, folk music in general); by no means forbid it rashly. If forbidden, the “qi of music” cannot emerge and the realm will be hard to pacify. When hard to pacify, qi clashes with qi, lawsuits multiply, and punishments grow heavy.

Music brings harmony and joy; punishments bring penalty and suffering—like shadow following form and echo following sound, without the slightest deviation. Music is meant to stop anger; anger in turn is meant to stop music—the two mutually restrain each other, so when music flourishes anger subsides, and when anger flourishes music stops. Anger is the root of punishment and strife; joy and harmony are the gateway of Dao and De (Virtue/Power). One should follow it and let people put down roots in Dao and De, not block it; if blocked, one instead opens the gate of penal disaster. Auspice and misfortune arise from this; safety and danger issue from here.

Music belongs to Yang; punishment belongs to Yin. Yin and Yang oppose and replace each other: when Yang rises Yin declines, when Yin rises Yang declines. Yang symbolizes the ruler, Yin the minister. When the ruler is strong, ministers submit and the people are easy to govern; when ministers are strong, the ruler is insulted and the realm is chaotic. This is heaven’s natural law.

(In the text, “cai cheng lu” means briefly stating the outline so people reflect on the meaning themselves; “qi of Great Peace” denotes the harmonious, joyful qi proper to an age of Great Peace; “Wuwei” means not acting rashly or by force, but governing in accord with heaven’s transformation.)

This passage explains how true filial piety should be practiced and how Heaven responds to a filial child’s sincere heart.

When parents are ill and in pain, the child’s heart fills with compassion. They may go before a physician and kowtow to make their request, even supplementing their plea with vows about filial conduct. They serve with reverence and may offer everything in the household to the physician. When the healer sees such sincerity, they respect the person, search earnestly for remedies that truly work, analyze the illness carefully, arrange treatment, and help relieve the suffering.

The child may weep and confess fault before Heaven, strike their own body in grief, and kowtow on the ground without shunning mud or stones. Often in this way the parents recover. They also teach daughters-in-law to stay close to the parents, prepare fine food, and let the parents eat as they wish. If the parents are merchants and not well off, the child should not let the younger generation suffer for it; they exhaust the family’s means and show selfless devotion before the parents.

Relatives and neighbors who see such filial goodness know the household has little left, yet they may still bring food, help summon the physician, prepare mats and bedding, and share the round-the-clock care. They ask after the parents’ safety and recovery; at the slightest good news their hearts lift—all of this is the ripple effect of filial sincerity. When Heaven sees that sincerity, the sick person may be restored to ordinary health, and only then does the child’s heart find peace.

After the parents can eat normally again, the child observes purification and abstinence, sells goods at the market, and dedicates the proceeds to Heaven, gives thanks to the ancestors, and clears various afflictions and malign influences contracted along the way—always keeping purity and reverence and not breaking their vows. That is what a filfil child ought to do. Many people know these acts are good yet cannot perform them; those who can do so by innate disposition. Heaven assigns such a lot, making them filial and kind so that descendants may carry it on. Their livelihood may improve without harming others; kin benefit; in weddings, funerals, hosting, and dealings with neighbors, the filial person is rewarded and does not forget kindness received—that is what counts as a genuine good deed.

No one can know in advance how long parents will live, so filial duty must be fulfilled while they are still here.

Those who wish to serve their parents well in old age and at the end of life should set aside resources in advance. Save on small daily expenses year by year so that surplus remains, and store that surplus where local officials and petty clerks will not find it. If they learn of it, they will find pretexts to levy and requisition until the household is stripped bare—while the parents are still alive, filial duty is not yet complete, and already there is nothing left. When the parents’ years are exhausted, there may not even be funds for burial and offerings, so filial piety never reaches its proper conclusion.

Those who practice filial piety single-mindedly seek to fulfill it, to establish a name before the Supreme Lord (Taishang), and to have their reputation reach the imperial court. When recommended by their prefecture and district, honor comes in a single morning—is this not what filial piety draws to itself? When descendants inherit this virtue, blessings can extend without end. Keeping the parents’ kindness always in mind without forgetting pleases Heaven; Heaven assigns benevolent spirits to follow and protect such a person— all of this flows from filial piety.

In such a household, someone will attain longevity and transcendence in this world. Later generations honor their ancestors’ virtue, avoid calamity, each completes their natural lifespan without dying prematurely—is this not the greatest good? Among goods, filial piety is supreme; what then cannot be accomplished, obtained, or achieved? Strive without slackening; this is the reward of the virtuous person.

One who is filial and good is not bullied by others; if anyone oppresses such a person, Heaven punishes it—more plainly than what meets the eye, known to all. Understand that goodness is goodness and filial piety is filial piety; it is a pity that people cannot all take one another as models—this is the way innate nature works. Heaven registers the names of good people in its rolls; goodness and filial piety naturally pass down and recommend one another—how could there be an end? In families of goodness and filial piety, people are naturally respected and do not harm others.

Fame spreads in all directions; when vacancies appear among prefectural and county officials, appointments follow. Knowing in advance that the household is one of goodness and filial piety, the county will recommend them; the chief official, moved by human feeling, wishes to hear of their filial piety and virtue and may send clerks to visit and comfort them; some go further and inquire in person, learning their conduct before recommending them. Year after year they receive honor and favor, high virtue and imperial grace; descendants succeed one another in what is called a “family that transmits filial piety”—among them there are no evil persons.

Such filial piety is not limited to one household alone; it extends to kin, neighbors, and those within and without the community.

Plain-Language Reading of the Taiping Jing

Officials who practice full filial devotion toward the ruler increase their blessed reward: they attend in person, observe his intentions, and recommend worthy people for appointment. Year after year they receive honor; their virtue is esteemed and they enjoy royal favor, with sons and grandsons succeeding one another. Such households are called “families of transmitted filial piety,” and under their roofs no one turns to wrongdoing. This kind of filial piety is not confined to the home—it extends to kin and to outsiders alike.

Officials who are filial toward the ruler also increase loyalty. Holding high office, they fulfill filial duty at court. When commanderies and counties produce strange or spurious objects, they purchase them with their own wealth, choosing what is good without troubling the people or conscripting them for labor. When every commandery and county is benevolent and filial, the five grains ripen fully and no subjects die before their time. Heaven harmonizes wind and rain for them so the seasons stay right. These are the filial and good people under Heaven, kept safe from disaster; the people are transformed by teaching, all have food and clothing in due order and hearts at peace, and Heaven does not go against their intent. Goodness piled on goodness, filial piety piled on filial piety—thus the work is completed. All unfilial people under Heaven are made to imitate one another and to set up filial purpose.

When a great mandate pardons the realm, every offense that ought not to be held against them is cleared away, and sons of filial piety, fraternal duty, and diligent farming are given colored silks, wine, and meat. The chief officials show respect and make their filial conduct visible for all to see. Those who witness it imitate it in turn and likewise establish filial purpose. (This passage repeats in the original with the same meaning.)

Those with sincere hearts may offer friendship; those with good intent cherish one another—all of this belongs to the shared grace under Heaven that keeps the people in accord. From original goodness comes further goodness; from original filial piety comes further filial piety. Those originally unfilial end in unfilial piety; those originally evil end in evil. Good people wish that all may attain long life, white-haired to the end—up to one hundred twenty years on the high side, and over a hundred on the low—effects of good and filial conduct, not empty words.

Not only does Heaven cherish them: the four seasons, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the sun, moon, and stars also treat them well and shine on them more clearly, so they do not meet evil spirits or malign influences. Goodness can indeed reach this far—how could it not be weighty? Heaven gives birth to the people, yet few can be good and filial; those who can, alone gain long life. They also receive honored office—all because they practice filial piety. This is not mere talk; therefore this book is issued to show the living people.

Those who abide by the laws of the Dao of Heaven receive extended life from above, and such blessing can pass to posterity so that descendants may protect and preserve one another. When the scripture appears in the world, people must practice it with filial piety as the root; the “filial piety that saves and transcends the world,” pursued to escape birth and death and leave the dust of the world, ranks above the rank and emolument that people ordinarily seek.

Among all affairs under Heaven, filial piety comes first; nothing surpasses it. Accumulating merit and doing good act by act, generation after generation in succession, blessings do not break off or fail. Those whose names are recorded as “restored to life” likewise receive from Heaven a longevity that can be handed down, with descendants safeguarding one another. When the scripture emerges, it necessarily demands the practice of filial piety; those who use filial piety to save the world are what the scripture values most.