《靈寶無量度人上品妙經》Vol. 57

The Dao says:

Long ago, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning preached the Wondrous Teaching on Deliverance from the Dark Prison in the Vast Fuli Land of Empty Song, within the Azure Beginning Heaven. Before teaching this scripture, he circumambulated the site ten times, summoning the spirits of the ten directions to attend. Then the great divine beings of Heavenly Truth, the exalted sages and high venerables, the perfected ones of wondrous practice, the Celestial Worthies who save the suffering in the ten directions, the Great Compassionate Celestial Worthy of the Jade Clarity Cloud Palace, the Greatly Compassionate True Emperor, the immortal officials of the Lords of the Ninefold Netherworld in Fengdu, and countless other beings all came through the air.

Clouds rose in the ten directions and blended into a cinnabar red. Jade terraces and jeweled palaces appeared and vanished in the vastness of space. Jade horses and golden dragons raced through the rosy clouds; phoenix-shaped canopies cast their shade, and pearl-adorned carriages gleamed with auspicious radiance. Heavenly light flowed and shone in every direction. The scene was profound and lucid, its brilliance reflected through the blue heavens. For seven days and seven nights, red clouds rippled and spread far over the lands where the spirits dwelt. The celestial palace of Purple Tenuity emerged in tier upon tier, while cinnabar halls, star palaces, jade chambers, and gates of the sun shone together. The stars revolved, the Jade Net spread across the sky, and purple mist curled around them. Mountains and seas gathered a deep green hue; auspicious gold formed their borders, and colored clouds converged. All around was serene and clear. The sacred Dao stood revealed, without a trace of flaw.

The perfected ones attended before the throne. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning sat upright in the void. Among the eight mountains and nine seas, dragons coiled and tigers soared. Seated calmly upon the ritual seat in the utmost reaches of the ten directions, within the Great Mystery, he began to preach the scripture.

At the first recitation, the Heavenly Emperor struck the beat in response, and the high perfected ones chanted in unison. A place of deep, pervasive darkness was suddenly filled with light. At the second, the thirty-six sovereigns, layered beneath the earth, bowed respectfully as they listened and examined the registers of the dead. At the third, a sweet, nourishing energy spread through the world, moistening what had withered and decayed. At the fourth, killing ghosts and vanquishing demons, it left the demonic host so terrified they could not speak. At the fifth, eighty-one kinds of sacred fungus sprang from the earth, each with a different color and unusual form; wondrous patterns resembling the embryos of swallows also appeared. At the sixth, Feng Mountain shook, and the Black Sea ceased to boil.

At the seventh, in the iron city of the Ninefold Netherworld, stretching ten thousand li in every direction, karmic fires had blazed fiercely, remaining red-hot through countless kalpas. As the scripture was preached, the venomous flames melted away like ice, and even the cruel prison was purified. At the eighth, numinous rosy clouds filled the sky and gathered into characters of nine colors. The true script appeared in full, and the guilty were pardoned. At the ninth, dark energy condensed into clouds and sent down rain like blood. On hearing the scripture, filth became clean, and a divine wind swept away the dust and grime. At the tenth, corpses suddenly rose again; their faces regained a clear and radiant beauty, and of their own accord they became human once more.

At that moment, the men and women in a place of darkness all understood the Great Dao and recognized the true Way. The bonds that constrained body and mind were undone, and they were delivered.

All names and traces recorded in registers and documents have been removed and struck out from the plain silk writings and the documents of refinement and deliverance; the charges have also been settled. All beings turn toward the Celestial Worthy, and so they are able to live and flourish.

The scripture says: At this time, the Celestial Worthy of Original Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), a revered Daoist deity, proclaimed the scripture once. The Celestial Lord of Great Compassion and Nine Qi, who saves those in distress in the boundless eastern regions, arrived from the sky with countless attendants. When the Celestial Worthy proclaimed it a second time, the Celestial Lord of Great Wisdom and Three Qi, who grants pardon for sins in the boundless southern regions, arrived from the sky with countless attendants. At the third proclamation, the Celestial Lord of Great Illumination and Seven Qi, who upholds the law in the boundless western regions, arrived with countless attendants. At the fourth, the Celestial Lord of Great Grace and One Qi, who ends suffering in the boundless northern regions, arrived with countless attendants.

At the fifth proclamation, the Celestial Lord of Great Compassion and Brahma Qi, who breaks open the prisons in the boundless northeastern regions, arrived. At the sixth, the Celestial Lord of Brahma Qi, who removes transgressions in the Nine Hells of the boundless southeastern regions, arrived. At the seventh, the Celestial Lord of Great Heart and Brahma Qi, who rescues the guilty in the boundless southwestern regions, arrived. At the eighth, the Celestial Lord of Great Benevolence and Brahma Qi, who presides over the Jade Repository in the boundless northwestern regions, arrived. All these Celestial Lords came down from the sky with countless attendants.

At the ninth proclamation, the Celestial Lord of Universal Deliverance and Twelve Qi, who brings myriad blessings in the boundless realms above, arrived with countless attendants. At the tenth, the Celestial Lord of Unmoving Five Qi, the Mysterious Mother of the boundless realms below, also arrived from the sky with countless attendants. When the scripture had been proclaimed ten times, the great divine beings of the Ten Directions and the countless Celestial Lords of the boundless realms descended all at once.

Men and women throughout the kingdom turned to the Celestial Worthy with sincere devotion and reverence, receiving the blessings of compassion. Even those who had already sunk into death shared in the holy grace. Their voices of gratitude and praise shook the dark realms; birds and beasts cried mournfully, and humans, ghosts, and spirits alike were moved with sorrow and regret. Those who came to turn toward the Celestial Worthy were as numerous as grains of sand and dust, arriving in an unbroken stream, as though swept along by the wind.

Then the Celestial Worthy of Original Beginning looked upon all beings and smiled with a snap of the fingers. Light poured from his mouth, bright as the clear moon. It shone upward to the highest heights and downward to the depths of the water wheel and the hidden bends of the springs, reaching even the ninefold abyss and the bottomless, shadowy ravines. There was nowhere it did not illuminate. In every ray of light appeared the good and evil of beings in the Three Realms—the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm—the roots of their destinies, and the karmic consequences of their past lives.

Newly formed bonds are repaid by both parties; the karmic results of what each has done also come to light of their own accord. People’s hearts and eyes bear witness together to this radiance. Its light swirls into five colors, spreading downward to envelop the human world and upward to join the heavens. As it moves, it resembles a swift, light carriage. The brilliant, radiant disk of light glides slowly along the nine celestial paths, shaped like the sun just rising in the east.

All ten directions—the worlds in every quarter—display the same colors of light. The radiance hangs five zhang above the ground, bright and dazzling in the air. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning leads the Great Gods of Heavenly Truth, the Highest Sages and Exalted Ones, the Perfected Ones of Wondrous Practice, the Heavenly Lords of the Ten Directions who ceaselessly rescue the afflicted, and countless other divine beings into the nine-colored disk of light. The heavenly beings and the assembled people look up and see them drift gently into the disk. Once inside, they can no longer tell where the beings have gone.

The people of the realm disperse, and heaven and earth return to their former state. Within the nine-colored disk of light, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning finishes expounding this scripture. The Perfected Ones oversee and direct the work of delivering beings, then transmit the scripture and its teachings to me. The joy and celebration of that moment are beyond words. When the ritual proceedings are mostly complete, the gods of the heavens each return to their appointed place, and in an instant all is silent.

At this time, the heavenly beings and the assembled people are fortunate to encounter the scripture and its teachings, and all receive salvation. The souls of the dead imprisoned in the underworld are also released, no longer suffering wrongful harm. People throughout the world turn to and revere this Dao. In both the underworld and the human world, hearts open: there is no resentment or hatred, no clinging or stagnation, no greed, harm, deceit, or grievance, and no strife. Words are reasonable and speech kind. All treat one another with equal compassion, and even those of different surnames or peoples become as close as family. The realm is at peace, the people are prosperous, and all gladly enjoy an age of peace.

When this scripture first began to circulate, the people of any country who took the Dao as their guide could be delivered from worldly suffering, provided they sincerely believed in it, honored it, and respectfully put it into practice.

The Daoist scriptures say that the words and phrases in the teachings of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning are the inner names and hidden sounds of the gods of the heavens. They also include the secret designations of demon kings and the hidden names of the myriad spirits; they are not the ordinary words used in the world. The Highest Sages have become Perfected Ones, understand the mysterious, and investigate the subtle; they are able to comprehend these scriptures fully.

If one recites the text ten times, the heavens answer from afar, the gates of the Nine Hells open, the underworld sea grows calm, the mountains of karmic obstruction collapse, and light shines through the long darkness. The souls of the dead who have been imprisoned for generations in the Ghost Capital and entered in the registers of the Three Officials, along with decayed remains and souls held captive and tortured, are no longer subjected to endless torments: the foul, putrid black qi, the cracking of their gallbladders and splitting of their brains, and the burning and boiling of volcanic mountains and icy pools.

When these souls hear this jade text, this numinous scripture, Taiyi, the spirit who governs souls, records and gathers in their souls. Nandan, the spirit who refines the Shen, refines their spirit, restoring their souls and clearing their awareness. They abandon the illusory and return to the real; accumulated grievances and burdens dissolve, and body and mind become pure in due time. Harmonious, upright true Qi enters their bodies. Lotus blossoms raise their feet, while the auspicious power of dragons protects their faces, enabling them to share in the joys of the heavenly beings. The Great Demon waits nearby. Those who practice this Dao recite this scripture ten…

If someone has committed transgressions in life, after death they will be sent to Mount Dai (Mount Tai, which the ancients believed governed life and death) for judgment. Officials dispatched to the netherworld will erase the deceased’s name from the register in the Mud Pill Palace (the Daoist divine residence in the head). The old Qi of the seven generations of ancestors still lingers and has not dispersed; the deceased’s inner structure still retains traces of fetal blood.

Between the hundred joints are insect officials, and within the bones are clerks of the dead. Earth tigers and wind beasts gnaw at the corpse and drain its vital essence, while ghosts keep watch nearby. In the Spring Palace (the underworld) are divine creatures such as bronze dogs and fire serpents, and foul smoke billows everywhere. The suffering souls are dazed and confused, while the underworld’s divine officials grit their teeth in anger. The dead must endure an oil cauldron a hundred li across and iron walls a thousand xun high. They cannot see the sun, moon, or stars, and know nothing of the true realm of the Dao.

The dead sink into suffering, with layers of sin piling up, and their living relatives are drawn into it as well. The underworld pursues and summons their kin, even accusing them over disputes involving ancestral graves and homes. The underworld is boundless and dark; those who are punished die ten thousand deaths in an instant, and their pain lasts forever.

On hearing this scripture, the Demon Marshal halted his procession, and the Black Emperor stopped his carriage. Souls who have suffered in ages past and in recent times can all be refined through the power of the Dao, and their cruel punishments and enmities can thereby be dissolved. Through the liturgical rites adjudicated by the Jade Register, purple clouds spread over the seats and the divine wind blows gently. Lost souls can then ascend.

The dead escape the confinement of the netherworld’s prisons and roam freely among the Three Realms. If one recites this scripture carelessly, one will instead bring calamity upon oneself. But if one venerates and honors it, one’s household will prosper and flourish for generations, accord with benevolent affinities, remain untouched by all calamities, and have its gates guarded by the divine. This scripture is noble and mysterious. It brings benefit and peace to the many spirits of the netherworld and delivers countless beings from suffering. It is the root of the myriad Dao and a lofty, expansive teaching whose beneficence cannot be fully described.

The Dao says: Whoever recites this scripture ten times will cause all the heavens to descend together. The ancestral spirits of tens of millions of generations and the suffering souls will all be delivered at once and ascend to the Vermilion Palace (a Daoist celestial palace). They must all undergo nine years of instruction; afterward, they will be reborn as people of noble rank. As for souls who have accumulated across countless kalpas and remained detained for a thousand years, the Highest One will not simply leave them untended; nor will the Supreme Emperor exempt them from scrutiny merely out of mercy.

In the prisons where they are held, divine officials such as the Queen of the Azure Woman, Pingnüsha, and the Great Commissioner of the Ninefold Yin Prohibition are charged with examining their bodies; the Five Elders check and correct the registers. In the dark, deep caverns, poisonous winds and hideous ghosts gather, and souls fall into the four great rivers and the sea…

Reciting this Cavern Chapter (Dongzhen scripture) can deliver withered, cold bones and remains, granting them light and freeing them from mortal form so they may ascend to heaven alongside the spirits. It can also wash away offenses and have names entered in the Azure Register, the Daoist record of immortal status and merits and faults. Deeds of treachery and evil will also be brought to light. Otherwise, the guilty may face severe punishment from divine officials who administer the laws of the underworld. This scripture can dissolve such offenses and penalties, making them vanish. Those eager to learn who recite the scripture and practice the Dao, bringing their merit to completion, can all become immortals, ascend to the Golden Palaces of heaven, and feast in the Jade Capital, the dwelling of the Celestial Emperor.

Those who practice the Dao and recite this scripture can open the body’s gates and passages, bring the true Qi within the womb into clear and proper circulation, and perceive the underworld. They can also travel between the underworld and the Six Peaks, transform with the Qi, and come and go in accordance with the seasons. Even when harmed by another’s breath, by poison or food, or when plants and trees obstruct the body and the spirit lies hidden in the underworld, the officials of the Nine Courts may come to hunt them down, while the Three Officials record their offenses. Once the divine way contained in the scripture is put into practice, the spirits immediately come to guide the person, delivering them and raising them to the Southern Palace.

If people in the world receive and recite this scripture, their sincere devotion will reach the heavens in all ten directions. Then suffering souls in the prisons of the underworld, along with the spirits of their ancestors and relatives, can all be refined and delivered. Even if their offenses have been recorded at Mount Tai and their names inscribed in the Northern Capital, seat of the underworld authorities, they can still be delivered: their forms are refined at Cinnabar Mound, and their souls cleansed in the Sea of Flame. The sound of recitation becomes clouds that carry souls from the underworld, allowing them to roam freely in the Great Void, transcend the cycle of rebirth, and escape the passage through life and death.

Those who uphold this scripture can prolong their lives and ultimately cultivate the Dao of corpse liberation, the Daoist method of shedding the body and raising the spirit. Even if their spirit temporarily disperses, it will not remain in hell; before long, they will regain their form and roam through the heavens. This scripture is wondrous beyond measure and delivers all beings universally. All heavenly beings and humans can thereby receive immeasurable blessings.

The living and the dead alike receive its benefits. Heaven treasures this scripture, so it must not be casually passed on to people of later generations. A true practitioner of the Dao must offer gold and silk, sincerely swear an oath before Heaven, and only then transmit it. Anyone who carelessly reveals or neglects this scripture will bring disaster upon nine generations of ancestors and will also be sent for a long time to serve the ghost officials. Each of the Five Emperors dispatches twenty-four Jade Youths and Jade Maidens to guard the scripture and protect those who receive it.

The Dao says: If one observes a long fast and recites this scripture in the first month of the year, one can relieve the souls of the dead from earlier generations of the suffering caused by the underworld’s laborers. They will ascend to the Southern Palace and proceed to the Cavern Palace of the Three Origins, associated with the Three Officials and the celestial courts, where they will become Solar Fire Officials who govern life. The scripture can also burn away registers of offenses and pardon the dead from the many punishments they suffer: swallowing fire, eating charcoal, being boiled in cauldrons of molten copper, or being bound to copper pillars and iron beds for burning and scorching. The scripture’s divine power can transform these instruments of torture and harsh places into pure pools of water.

When performing rites for ancestors and deceased relatives, one may observe a continuous fast throughout the seventh lunar month and recite this Jing. This can deliver and refine the souls of the dead from past generations, ancestors, and the wider kin group, dispelling their karmic offenses. Its blessings will also pass down to descendants in generations to come.

For the souls sunk in the palaces of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen)—the administrative domains of the Three Origins of Heaven, Earth, and Water—and under the authority of the Water Official, reciting the Jing can free them from the torment of punishment by drowning. Whether they have been cast into water and made to drift as punishment, struck by thunderbolts on freezing nights or in icy pools, or assigned to labor in the Springs of Darkness, the power of the Jing and the Dao can wash away their offenses. The instruments of torture and other cruel devices in prison will also be transformed into things of comfort and ease.

When performing rites for deceased aunts, grandmothers, sisters, sisters-in-law, wives, concubines, and others, one may observe a continuous fast throughout the tenth lunar month and recite this Jing. This can free them from the offices in the palaces of the Three Caverns that administer registers of life, death, and offenses, releasing them from interrogation and questioning. Grudges, debts, remorse, and the many sufferings of being summoned for punishment can all be dispelled through the power of the Jing and the Dao. The instruments of torture and other cruel devices in prison will also be transformed into virtuous companions and precious treasures.

Reciting this Jing on the Eight Seasonal Nodes—the Daoist festivals of Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—and presenting it to divine offices such as the Nine Palace Duty Talismans and the Nine Bureau Attendants can open the eight gates of the great prisons in the eight directions and the prisons of the Nine Depths. This allows the dead, hungry ghosts, and animals in the heavens, among the gods and spirits, and in the underworld, as well as demon commanders and monstrous spirits, to leave their confinement, each be reborn, and receive deliverance.

For those who give generously, reciting this Jing on their birth day can invoke the protection of the Northern Dipper deities, including the Lords of Destiny and the Record Keepers. These deities administer the registers of life. If someone’s allotted lifespan has been entered among the restrictions of the Northern Dipper Palace, one may ask the gods to summon back the living soul and send it to the palace, where its offenses and blessings can be assessed. In this way, the person may be freed from the calamities known as the Three Disasters, Four Killings, Five Sufferings, Six Harms, Seven Injuries, Eight Hardships, Nine Afflictions, and Ten Extremities. These matters are examined and settled by the officials of the Three Origins and the Underworld Court. The power of the Jing and the Dao can keep the soul and spirit from harm, preserve clear and upright awareness, and sustain primordial Qi over time, so that suffering need not be endured again. The person’s body itself shines with light and is protected by the gods of the Three Realms, welcomed by the Five Emperors, and honored by the assembled gods. When their merit is complete, their name is entered in the registers of Heaven, and they may ascend to Shangqing, the higher celestial realm in Daoism.

On days when Daoist rites are performed, one should bathe with fragrant water, observe fasting and precepts, then enter a quiet room and face east. Click the teeth thirty-two times while making a report to the thirty-two heavens above; then bow thirty-two times and meditate with eyes closed. Envision yourself seated amid clouds of blue, yellow, and white Qi, with clouds filling the space within and around your body, and with the four directional sacred creatures—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise…

Lions and white cranes stand on either side. The radiance of the sun and moon illuminates the room. A circular halo appears above the head, its light shining in all ten directions—the four quarters, above, and below—so that everything is clearly visible.

Esoteric Incantation:

Supreme Lord of the Dao, the Most High of the Mysterious Origin, summon the Three-Five Merit Officers within my body—the divine clerks who carry documents—the left and right official envoys, the Jade Youths who attend to incense, the Jade Maidens who convey messages, the Five Emperors’ Talisman Bearers who serve the Heavenly Emperors of the five directions, the divine clerks on duty today, and the incense officials, thirty-two of each.

Please present the matters I wish to report today. This is an auspicious day. I cultivate in a pure and quiet ritual hall and recite the scripture The Wuliang Duren Jing (Scripture of Infinite Salvation). May my prayers and petitions ascend to the supreme Thirty-Two Heavens—the thirty-two celestial tiers described in Daoism—and be presented before the exalted throne of the Supreme Emperor Yuanshi. (The ritual is complete.)

Draw in Qi while facing east thirty-two times, then recite the scripture.

The Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing

(The Supreme-Grade Marvelous Scripture of Infinite Salvation)

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Origin, Yuanshi Tianzun, fathoms the mysteries of the numinous Lingbao scriptures. He explains the conditions in the shadowy prisons below and opens the way to light, delivering living beings. The hidden sounds of the heavens naturally mingle and interweave.

At the beginning of the Great Beginning, there were no written characters. The true primordial Qi took shape in the depths of darkness, giving rise to purple mists. Wind and fire fused and forged it; its essence flowed and congealed. Its forms curved and turned, as though jade were being carved and gold cast. Light streamed down, borne on clouds and rosy mists, spreading far and wide through all ten directions. Amid the undivided chaos, the Red Writings—the sacred script of Daoism—took form in accordance with Heaven’s design.

The Red Writings divided to become the myriad forms and joined to become a precious scripture. Like beads strung together and blossoms threaded on a cord, they stirred and dispersed turbid Qi and raised pure Qi. The Five Elders, divine beings of the celestial realms associated with the five directions, breathed forth numinous talismans; the Divine Emperor, the legendary spirit who oversees the heavenly books, wrote sacred characters. Thus the transformations of creation took shape, and the Three Realms came into view.

Heaven thereby became clear, Earth settled into peace, humanity came into being, the spirits manifested their powers, and the myriad things took form. Brahma Qi, the pure primordial energy of the time before Heaven, rose to the left, beginning spring and summer. The light of Heaven moved to the right, bringing autumn and winter to their flourishing.

The Supreme Emperor Yuanshi proclaimed: Above the Jade Real there is no higher ancestral lord; only the Dao is the foundation. The five celestial scripts unfolded from it, nourishing the spirits everywhere. The sun, moon, and stars shone with radiance; the Jade Clarity Heaven, a high celestial realm in Daoism, flourished in majesty. The nine levels of the underworld took root in remote depths, reaching as far as Fengcheng, the land of the dead.

Below, great demons arose alongside the Dao and ran rampant without restraint in places such as Luoshan, Longyuan, and Choudu. In deep cavern palaces, evil forces flickered. There, myriad ghosts beat drums, and savage troops gathered in great numbers to inflict punishment on the souls of the dead in the dark underworld.

Amid the great calamity, fire and iron piled up like mountains, and it seemed there was no way out beneath heaven and earth. The Great Compassionate Dao King was the most exalted deity in the celestial realm. Divine light streamed from his mouth, illuminating the jade writing. Auspicious rosy clouds encircled its blue-green radiance, while phoenix energy gathered into clouds. The sealed prisons were opened, and light reached even the dark regions. Nine dragons held talismanic decrees in their mouths and refined and delivered living beings. This was a wondrous scene in the celestial realm of Great Brahma Heaven.

Living beings flourished and multiplied. Gradually, they gained perception and consciousness, then began plotting and building their own enterprises in their hearts, all the while contending with the divine way without a sound. Human nature originally came from the Celestial Origin, yet became entangled in evil thoughts, suffering hardship and affliction. Their souls grew dim and lost, plunging into the depths of the Yellow Springs. Ghost marshals held tallies, while tiger soldiers carried whips, calling out names according to the registers. Black-armored divine generals breathed forth raging flames, and the Lightning Mother came to seize the souls; all manner of harm then appeared. The prison of the netherworld closed the Gate of Heaven, leaving people unable to see or hear.

The distant, silent Cinnabar Heaven of the South heard the cries of the living, who longed for jade talismans and prayed to be released from this profound suffering. The azure sky stretched without bounds, while the nine layers of calamity stood like mountains in the way. The Yellow Banner of the Great One and the chariot of the Deity of Fate sped forth to transmit the celestial command. The officials of the Nine Yin, the Primordial Youth in Charge of Slaying, the Great Lord of All Prohibitions, the Great Deity of the Northern Yin, the Registrar and Keeper of the Reckoning, and others each carried out their duties in the netherworld: some governed punishments and executions, some recorded the span of life, some seized souls, and others oversaw their transformation and rebirth. The Deities of the Four Luminaries and Five Sacred Peaks, along with the Elder of Mount Tai, opened the prisons of the netherworld and delivered living beings far and wide. Today, the registers of names are being examined, and the deities of the heavens have come before the hall.

The Eastern King of Divine Transformation through the Boundless Dao, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The Southern King of Deliverance and Life through the Boundless, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The Western King of Firm Virtue through the Boundless, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The Northern King of Mysterious Radiance through the Boundless, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The Northeastern King of Deliverance from Suffering through the Boundless, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The Southeastern King of Deliverance from Sin through the Boundless, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The Southwestern King of Relief from Suffering through the Boundless, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The Northwestern King of Absolution from Sin through the Boundless, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The Upper King of Ascension and Deliverance through the Boundless, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The Lower King of Universal Beneficence through the Boundless, the Great Sage of Long Life, delivers living beings far and wide.

The supremely perfected Kings of Compassionate Transformation of the Ten Directions, the immeasurable Great Deities who deliver the world through long life, all ride together in cloud-borne chariots adorned with purple canopies.

A crimson carriage bears the immortal procession, drawn by green elephants, white beasts, and a mottled dragon. The company raises banners and staffs to summon the gods, while spirit pennants that restore life lead the way. The Nine Truths are played at the front, and the music of the Eight Assemblies sounds behind. Heavenly horses and qilin bound forward to drive away ill omens. The Six Ding spirits clear the road, and the Seven Luminaries—the sun, moon, and five planets—support and guard the carriage pole. Millions of carriages and thousands of mounted attendants descend through the air, gathering radiance as they turn the immortal procession around to inspect the True Immortals and save living beings.

The Right Minister of the Northern Yin, the spirits of the Dongyuan Transformation Palace, and the Most High Spirit Lords who assist the Three Origins all carry registers of names and Fulu (talismans and registers). Together they come to the court of the Celestial Emperor. In accordance with the method of salvation opened by the scripture, they solemnly swear their oaths, and all the hundred gods obey. The gods proclaim the command throughout the Yellow Tower, the heavenly palace, so that even the dead in the passes of the netherworld may be saved.

Living beings suffer and groan in the netherworld, and must therefore undergo the trials of great demons. In the prisons governed by the Six Heavens, countless ghosts gather. The scripture describes the punishments of the underworld: pools of ice, boiling cauldrons, bronze pillars, volcanoes, flying spears, drifting halberds, huge stones, and knife wheels. The Three Paths—the netherworld realms where living beings suffer—hold the dead in servitude for a long time; the Five Sufferings and the River of Night bring them unending pain. When the Void Emperor issues his command, all these souls can ascend beyond their former state.

The spirits of the Northern Capital guard the cold pools, protect bodies and souls, subdue demonic obstacles, and recommend the dead for salvation. The dead souls in the Southern Palace undergo refinement and deliverance, ultimately transforming into immortals. The living, too, can receive salvation and endure through one kalpa after another; as the kalpas turn, they live as long as Heaven. In this way, they can forever escape sinking into the netherworld and suffering, ascend beyond the Three Realms, and go to Dongyang Heaven to undergo refinement.

Dongyang Heaven is the realm where the Celestial Emperor’s Dao-origin resides, beyond color and form. It is also a place of Brahma practice, or pure cultivation.

Eight Heavens of the East

• Heaven of Jade Surplus and Manifest Reward: Emperor Wei Lan Zhen
• Heaven of Azure Spirit and the Cavernous Registers: Emperor Ye Shu Jue Fen
• Heaven of the Wondrous Ultimate and Divine Boundaries: Emperor Lu Duo Qing Yi
• Heaven of Far-Reaching Wisdom and Unusual Insight: Emperor Yuan Tai Bao Zhen
• Heaven of Rescuing Stillness and Harmonizing Qian: Emperor Yuan Xu Zi Ming
• Heaven of Jade Returning and Rosy Clouds: Emperor Zhao Ling Kuan Shen
• Heaven of Red Jade and Pure Treasure: Emperor Jia Fu Long Chen
• Heaven of the Dao’s Brightness and Cloudy Prospects: Emperor Qing Xuan Zuo Sheng

Eight Heavens of the South

These scriptures list the heavens of the East, West, and North, along with the names of the Celestial Emperors who rule over them. “Heaven” refers to a heavenly realm in the Daoist cosmology, while “Emperor” denotes the ruler of each realm. The names here are mostly proper names from the Daoist divine realm. They chiefly identify the heavens and their divine emperors and are generally not interpreted literally.

The scriptures first list the eight heavens of the East and their Celestial Emperors, then give some of the heavens and emperors among the eight heavens of the West, followed by some among the eight heavens of the North. Some characters are rare or may have variant forms, so the specific names should be identified by consulting the version of the original scripture.

The Heavenly Realm of Bilu, which parts the banners: its emperor is Qiyao Zong. The Heavenly Realm of Qiangming, which aids the workings of creation: its emperor is Lu Pingxian. The Heavenly Realm of Taiji, bright with assurance: its emperor is Weijing Zuoqiu. The Heavenly Realm of Zhuochu, radiant and harmonious: its emperor is Yaotong Chinan. The Heavenly Realm of Jinwei, where liquid essence blooms: its emperor is Zhuling Wannning. The Heavenly Realm of Hedu, with its winding springs: its emperor is Jiang Dingying.

The names of these six heavenly realms and their emperors, together with the secret names of the Thirty-Two Heavens and the Thirty-Two Emperors, and the numinous registers that arise naturally in the emptiness of the heavens, all possess mysterious spiritual power. The hidden resonances of the heavens can deliver departed souls from the netherworld. The revered deities and spirits there are stirred to respond, the dark prisons are released, and multitudes of beings are saved. The transformations of the Ninefold Darkness and the ten directions of the netherworld are endlessly subtle, their depths impossible to describe fully. The Great Dao manifests divine perfection and saves souls in distress everywhere.

Today, all beings rejoice and celebrate as the departed receive ritual refinement and deliverance, passing through each of the realms’ barriers. We beseech the heavens to eliminate the three evils—evil paths or evil deeds—and sever the roots that lead to falling into hell, so that the departed may fly across the pool of blazing fire and have their names inscribed among the Great Mystery.

The Demon Kings are charged with inspection and reporting, and the gates of Heaven are no longer barred. The Eastern Dipper governs lawsuits; the Western Dipper administers punishments; the Northern Dipper issues registers of life; the Southern Dipper oversees the changes of life and death; and the Central Dipper sends down divine spirits. The Azure Emperor bestows the nature of life, the White Emperor forms the body, the Red Emperor grants consciousness, the Black Emperor sets Jing and Qi in motion, and the Yellow Emperor nourishes the spleen and stomach. Each carries out a distinct duty.

The King of the Wood Prison tortures and interrogates; the King of the Fire Prison burns and brands; the King of the Metal Prison slays and destroys with axes and weapons; the King of the Water Prison freezes with bitter cold; and the King of the Earth Prison makes people sink and buries them. The Great Demons of the Five Prisons lead the forbidden jails, violently commanding armies of ghosts. Wielding blades and axes, they whip up evil Qi like a storm and cruelly butcher departed souls in the netherworld, leaving them nowhere to turn.

To deliver all beings, Heaven issues an edict commanding the ghost officials of Northern Feng, the divine bureau of the northern netherworld, to carry out their duties and reveal an auspicious, radiant light. The iron city collapses, and the nets of fire are no longer spread. The fearsome power of the prison guards—those who brace halberds on their shoulders or bear spears beneath tiger helmets—subsides, and the evil Qi disperses. Hell is transformed into an immortal garden, and the departed are free to soar through the human realm.

If anyone dares obstruct or resist the perfected beings above, golden axes will strike from the front, while dark banners hold the rear. Even corpse spirits can be delivered, and all suffering will thereby cease. Thousands upon thousands of departed souls leave prison, regaining bodies in tens of thousands. The Demon Kings are examined and made to answer; the conditions of ghosts and spirits are investigated. The Three Officials and Northern Feng inspect the ranks of the ghost realm, leaving nowhere for the facts of a crime to hide. Golden horses carry the documents, proclaiming them throughout the boundless worlds and to all the myriad gods.

Note: This passage names the divine offices of the heavens, the stars, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), and the prisons of the netherworld. Through edicts that lift the bans of hell and deliver departed souls, it expresses the Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and Keyi (liturgy) practice of inviting deities and saving wandering spirits. Some divine names and words are rare; the names above have been retained as they appear in the original.

Hear the proclamation of the Five Emperors of the Three Realms: the Jade Register of Primordial Yang of the Upper Clarity (the jade records of the heavenly realm of Upper Clarity) separately records the fates of the departed souls in the netherworld.

The great calamity reaches its limit in “Yang Nine,” and the minor calamity in “Yin Six.” At such times, floods surge and flames soar; the cycles of calamity marked by nine and six come into view. Weapons and punishments arise everywhere, mountains tremble and thunder, Heaven and Earth overturn and shift, and winds and smoke churn in confusion. The Court of Great Mystery at the Jade Capital of the Divine Land endures through countless kalpas, existing between darkness and light. Above, it reaches the firm, unmoving realm of the eight directions; below, it extends to the unchanging homeland of the people. Places such as Kunlun, Dragon Abyss, Jade Province, and the Yellow Court are untouched by the Three Calamities. There dwell many pure, bright, and radiant souls, sheltered by the Dao’s Qi. They do not flee or wander, nor do they struggle amid turmoil to pursue their wants.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning extends boundless compassion and sends down the Red Writ (a Daoist talismanic text), causing light to appear and jade pages to shine brilliantly. Clouds and Qi spread across the Violet-Clear Heaven. Phoenixes carry and dragon beasts bear the edicts of pardon, releasing souls from suffering. Though souls dwell among the Three Offices (divine bureaus that govern Heaven, Earth, and Water) and pass through the cycles of life and death over countless kalpas, those entangled by karmic obstructions and unable to escape are imprisoned in the nether jail, detained for a long time and cast into the City of Darkness. There is no boundary above or below. Winds shake the void of the nine Heavens, yet no one knows where Heaven is; there is no light, only profound darkness. Body and shadow are trapped in utter distress, moving between life and death. Their souls are confused, as if sunk in a turbid sea, bound by murky Qi and fastened with shackles, hooks, and clamps. Those who share the same karma draw one another in, accumulating burdens across lifetimes.

The Jade Chapters (scriptures of the heavenly realm) open the way to light, and deliverance unfolds according to the natural course of the Dao. The Mysterious Elder (a revered Daoist deity) brandishes spear and halberd; dragons bear the Five Red Writs, the Purple Chart, and the Azure-Hua Tiger Script in their mouths. Radiance circles back, clouds and mists part, and the Golden Dipper shines brightly. These powers protect and restrain the course of calamity, preserving the Dao of Heaven through all time. The Yin souls of the underworld gather like a net, and the power of the Dao is set in motion: from Primordial Ravine on Northern Mountain to the slopes in the east, the roots of evil karma flow and spread through thirty-six offices, circling within well-prisons and ranging back and forth through the Ninefold Darkness. The stars Dou and Ji pass through five calendrical stations, governing eighteen thousand prisons. The palaces and offices of the Three Origins and Six Caverns are arranged among them, their Qi reaching into Great Mystery.

Within Great Mystery, demons and karmic forces abound like exalted perfected beings, stirring up clouds and smoke. They receive the Jade Chapters, and the Golden Horse carries their documents, informing the offices of the dead to carry out deliverance and grant pardon. Pure songs rise in the ghost camps. Music fragrant as orchids aids the True Dao, clearing the blockages of the netherworld; all beings are reborn in response to their affinities. The sages and perfected beings spread their transformative influence, and there is no dark place that does not hear it.

On the left, the Violet Youth cries out; on the right, divine spirits support the august sovereign. Yang Qi moves with vigor, Yin Qi opens and expands, and primordial essence takes form. Through a thousand transformations and myriad combinations, life comes into being naturally. Beings cycle through the Five Destinies (the five realms of existence), receiving birth and thereby acquiring form. Within each form dwells a spirit, known as the Great Lord of Long Life, the Young Lord Wuying, the Venerable Spirit Baiyuan, the Great One in charge of destiny, Taokang, and Heyan. They administer talismanic decrees and registers of names, guarding the root of life. The Three Offices grant talismanic decrees, and the Mountain Emperors record names. In accordance with the causes and conditions of their destined lot, beings take birth within the Three Realms.

Ascending, one reaches the Heaven of Imperial Longevity (one of the heavens of the realm of form), where there are laurel pavilions and flower-decked chambers; within the netherworld of the eight directions…

In the hidden depths, extending down to Fengluo (the underworld) and the Dark Palace of the Cavern Yin, are nine classes and twenty-four kinds of beings, along with the spirits and deities of the underworld’s springs, waterways, mountains, and sandy wastes. The barriers of the netherworld stretch deep and far, and each being suffers in a different way. The immortal way prizes the preservation of life and bestows boundless salvation. The upper realm opens gateways in the eight directions, and the celestial wheel of the Dharma turns. Sin and merit, prohibitions and precepts, and the karmic causes and conditions of past lives are all examined, while beings everywhere receive guidance and salvation. Souls of the dead and bodies newly born into life can both regain life anew. Their cries reach the heavens; above the heavens, each realm has a gate of life. Among these are the verses of the Hollow Song, the numinous writings for relieving suffering, whose words may be compared with those of the High Perfected (immortals who have attained the Dao and hold exalted rank).

First: The Celestial Worthy of the Spring-Bend Court, Who Extinguishes Sin and Relieves Suffering, explains “The Sound of the Dark Prison Flying Through the Void”

The great river surges on and on;

its torrents rise from nine sources.

Its waves rage, fierce and venomous,

sinking and drowning those caught in them.

Karmic sins knot together without release,

binding people and dragging them along.

The great abyss is deep and bottomless;

in its darkness lie countless dangers.

In the shadowy depths, multitudes of suffering ghosts

endure retribution in the Northern Luofeng (the underworld in the north).

Beneath Spring Mountain they tremble in fear,

subject to interrogation and punishment. When will their unjust suffering end?

Ghost officials (underworld officers who investigate people’s sins) examine their karmic retribution;

their wails shake the cold sky.

Their offenses are recorded with the Three Officials (the divine offices governing Heaven, Earth, and Water);

suffering weaves a net from which escape seems almost impossible.

The Flying Immortals ascend to the Great Origin,

opening paths in the eight directions and clearing the barriers of the netherworld.

Cavern Writings (Daoist scriptures) illuminate the long, dark night,

delivering the dead so they may be born again.

After ten thousand kalpas, they will be free and at ease forever.

I bow low in reverence, grateful for this wondrous grace.

Second: The Celestial Worthy of the Ninefold Netherworld Court, Who Opens the Light and Removes Sin, explains “The Verses of the Dark Prison”

Mount Kunlun rises high and majestic;

I look up and pray to the lofty heavens in the eight directions.

I gaze into the celestial realms of the ten directions

and survey the regions on every side.

The great deity of the Ninefold Netherworld (the depths of the underworld)

can transform into billions upon billions of manifestations.

Good deeds and merit are inscribed in the registers;

even decayed bones may thereby become immortals.

Taiyi (the supreme deity revered in Daoism) dwells above,

its radiance linked to the Green Palace.

In the dark earth below,

foul vapors drift and spread.

The Black Mountain lies in the east,

where the ghost prisons endure through the ages;

in the south, the iron prisons stand in rows…

After countless kalpas, the fire of calamity blazes. High above, in the distant Ninth Heaven, the grace of the Dao spreads in every direction. Hell is cleansed and purged; the High Perfected descend to refine and deliver the ghosts, enabling them to rise into the Mysterious Realm. By virtue of the names recorded in the Golden Register—a document used in Daoist purification rites to record merit and pray for the deliverance of the dead—the departed may rest within lotus wombs and receive wondrous spiritual bodies. They will no longer pass through the Three Paths of suffering, such as hell, the hungry ghosts, and the animals; in life after life, they will be reborn as human beings. Auspicious clouds drift, and jade-toned music rings clear and pure.

Third, the Celestial Worthy of the Five Spirits of the Cavern of Yin in the Fengdu Office, the Daoist realm of the underworld where ghosts are governed, chants:

The northern abyss is deep and bottomless; its breath reaches through to the realm of Yuluo. Four gates stand at the Ghost Gate, and Mount Feng rises high. The Six Heavens and Nine Offices are all places where ghosts and spirits dwell. The Sea of Gui stretches without limit, and beasts abound among its rocky caverns. The light of Cavern Yin shines forth, reaching in secret to the Great Void. The Primordial Beginning True King, a revered Daoist deity, subdues and commands the myriad demons.

Sweet rain pours down, and celestial flowers flutter through the air. Auspicious signs appear, bringing blessings, and many souls are delivered. Merit is brought to completion, and false and wicked deeds are checked. Only the Dao is the fundamental course; no other path can lead to understanding. Inner true nature is fulfilled, and the spirit ascends to the Three Blossoms, the Daoist realms of the immortals. From then on, one leaves Luofeng, the Daoist underworld, forever and makes one’s way to the immortal realm; rising above the purple clouds, one enters peacefully the Realm of Nonbeing, the Daoist realm of emptiness and Wuwei (non-action).

The sacred voices of the High Perfected above these three offices, soaring through the heavens, are scriptures that accord with the Cavern Chapters. Recite them a hundred times, and your name of deliverance will be entered in the Southern Palace. Recite them a thousand times, and you will be able to deliver demons’ souls far and wide. Recite them ten thousand times, and your Daoist work will be complete: cares and resentments will be resolved, beings throughout the Three Realms will be delivered, and your name will be engraved in the Great Mystery. Hearing these sacred voices, even the Demon King fears their majesty. The earth spirits obey their commands and guard the way, escorting the departed away from the gates of hell. The Five Sufferings and Eight Hardships are dispelled; the Seven Ancestors ascend and leave the offices of the ghosts forever. The souls are delivered to Zhuling, where the dead are refined, to undergo transformation and be reborn. This is called limitless universal deliverance, without end. This scripture is a heavenly document kept in secret and honored by all the heavens. Whoever divulges or treats it lightly will fall into hell, and calamity will extend to the Seven Ancestors and the forebears.

The Dao says: These two chapters of the Jing are voices secretly transmitted by the Lords of Heaven and the most numinous, revered spirits. They are words of the Great Brahma—the sublime sounds of the heavenly realms as understood in Daoism—not ordinary speech from the human world. They teach truths of profound secrecy and praise methods of penetrating spiritual subtlety. They are therefore called mysterious and abstruse, and cannot be fully explored. Heaven keeps these scriptures hidden in the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity in the Mysterious Capital. According to the rules of the Mysterious Register, they are transmitted only once every forty thousand kalpas. If someone who has attained the Dao is willing to descend into the underworld to aid the dead and free those in distress, enabling the deceased to cross over and their lives to continue anew, that person must prepare gold and precious treasures, follow the established rites with sincerity, and make a ten-day oath before Heaven. Only then may the scripture be transmitted.

The Dao says: People are born in accordance with their karma, and Shen (spirit) appears through consciousness—the capacity to distinguish and perceive. Shen is the master that moves and circulates; consciousness is the root of birth, death, and rebirth. Shen, consciousness, and karmic causes are entangled together, leaving living beings deluded through countless kalpas and unable to escape the passes of the underworld. Shen itself does not change or move, yet under the influence of karma it appears in different forms, circulating through the Six Realms—heavenly beings, humans, asuras, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings—and the Four Kinds of Birth—womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and spontaneously born. The heavenly demons hold the registers that record the karmic consequences of living beings, from which it is difficult to escape. When karma comes into alignment, Qi (vital energy) and Jing (essence) are transmitted and transformed, and in an instant one is born as a human. A person’s blessings and lifespan, poverty or wealth, and low or high status are all recorded in their original causal conditions.

When life and death hang in the balance, all beings of the same kind should join together in fasting and purification, burning incense six times each day and reciting the scripture ten times. In this way, blessings and virtue will descend, dispelling every kind of misfortune. The scriptures are boundless, saving without distinction countless living beings.

The Dao says: Those who have made only shallow progress in cultivation, or whose rank among the immortals is not yet complete, may reach the end of their lifespan and face the body’s passage into Great Yin, the underworld realm described in Daoism. Those among their fellow cultivators who have attained the Dao should burn incense and recite the scripture ten times on their behalf, thereby transforming the deceased person’s remains. If the deceased cultivated the Dao according to its precepts and upheld pure vows, their soul may take its place among the attendants and immortal officials beside the Bureau of the Three Officials for Preserving Life. After their profound achievements have been examined, they can ride a flying dragon, attend the Yellow Emperor, continue cultivating the Real and refining the Dao, and keep their Shen focused and undivided.

If their soul remains focused and undivided, it may dwell in the eastern realm of clear emptiness. If it continues to cultivate merit, it may ride in a plain-colored carriage to the Northern Origin, pay court to the Supreme Ultimate in the Upper Palace, rank among the high immortals, take part in administering the affairs of Heaven, and hold authority over instruction and governance. The spirits Qingming and Kushuang guide worldly cultivators toward becoming immortals in accordance with their aspirations. The souls belonging to the Three Vehicles are entrusted to the stewards of blessed mountains and rivers, who lead their Shen directly upward to the Southern Palace. There, the days required are calculated according to their achievements in cultivation, enabling them to be reborn without confusion and ultimately to attain immortal status.

The Dao says: The Dao has neither beginning nor end, but people have birth and death. Only the one true Great Shen is one with the Dao and will never change or perish.

The winds driven by karmic force sweep up a person’s consciousness, causing spiritual awareness to gradually fade and the original nature of life to be obscured. People exist for a time by relying on the physical body, which, like all things in the world, must eventually come to an end. “Coming to an end” means that the body’s Qi has limits and will weaken once those limits are reached; Shen (spirit), however, does not thereby end.

People in the world are confused by delusions. They cling to life and death as fixed, real things, and remain attached to karmic consciousness. Thus they fall into hell, where delusion blinds them and they do not even know it. The ghost officials—underworld clerks who keep records—arrest and register them, confining them forever in dark prisons layered in gloom, where they cannot see the light.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, moved by compassion, wields divine power and causes sacred writings to shine. The Jade Books—Daoist scriptures or holy documents—radiate light. Thus the dead souls of hideous appearance may be delivered and rise to higher stations at their appointed time. Pure, harmonious Qi nourishes and blends within them, and their wondrous spiritual eyes shine brightly. All who are about to undergo refinement and transformation should undertake purification, offer incense, and recite the scriptures.

The merit of purification and scripture recitation is immense: above, it reaches the Nine Heavens, protecting and bringing peace to the emperor; below, it aids the underworld and delivers guilty souls. The living and the dead alike benefit from it. This blessing and virtue are beyond measure, and so it is called “the boundless deliverance of Heaven and humanity.”

The scripture also says: Whoever obtains this scripture and cultivates merit for the suffering souls of past calamities and the countless beings of the underworld should, on the day of deliverance, sincerely undertake purification, burn incense, and recite the scripture ten times. All the heavens will record that person’s name and send ten thousand spirits to guard them. Those who reach this state will ultimately become attendants of the Sage Lord in the Golden Palace—the palace of the Heavenly Emperor. The heavens record people’s good and evil deeds and their merits and faults, omitting nothing, however small. The demon kings of the heavens will also recommend and protect you. Only those who have truly attained the Dao can fully understand this profound truth.

This is the secret language of Great Brahma among the heavens, a boundless sound composed by the Dao Lord and titled Explanation of the Primordial Beginning’s Numinous Writ: The Cavernous Chapter on the Dark Prison.

The Eight Heavens of the East

Li Fu Yu Heng, Mo Min Yue Lin, Ze Chi Wan Fu, Guo Ji Ju Lan, Cui Bo Yun Tuo, Mo Yi Lu Bin, Di Wu Yan Jia, Ming Wei Nu Xian, Zhi Chen Yao Lu, Xian Qi A Tan, Jian Dao Yu Ti, Mo Qi Luo Dun, Gui Xing Gao Fang, Jue Ti Yun Yuan, Shan Min Lü Hua, Di Si Pi Nan. (The eight characters “Dai Zong Forbidden Office” are separately marked in the inner text.)

Note: The names listed in the final section are celestial titles or esoteric expressions from the scripture and are retained as they appear in the original. The available text does not establish their precise meanings character by character.

The Eight Heavens of the South

“Xiao Xu Chang Chi, Yuan Shi Jie Bin, Xu Chu Gang Ning, Yan Nan Zu Cheng, Yue Dou Luo Ji, Meng Hun Zhi Rong, Liao Hu Jing Gui, Zi Wei Hu Ling, Bo Tuo Tai A, Zhao Cu Qu Zheng, Ming Yan Zuo Wu, Lu Bai Ci Lun, Dao Ding Yu Zhu, Li Zheng Fu Qiong, Zhao Yao Bai Luan, Dong Qing Cou Ying.”

The Eight Heavens of the West

“Zou Du Qiu Yi, Chong Peng Lian Qi, Mi Lu Su Zhi, Ji Ji Qu Shi, Wen Mo Xie Jue, Shen Dou Yu Yi, Guan Mou He Ji, Xu Chi Mi Li, Xuan Fang Bi Luo, Yang Zhi Huang Shi, Qi Jue Yao Zu, Juan Bu Suo Kui, Xia Fu Guan Ji, Jing Yu Du Yuan, Hun Ji Yang Bei, Gu Long Ze Ge, Ta Chi Ban Fei, Long Xiao You Mei.”

The eight characters “Zou Du Qiu Yi, Chong Peng Lian Qi” are the name of the Great One of the Nine Hells. The eight characters “Long Xiao You Mei” are the taboo name of an official of Fengcheng.

The Eight Heavens of the North

“Yu Xi Luan Ji, Ri Yuan Meng Chi, Pu Zai Yuan Lie, Po Huang Yuan Ci, Jiang Dong Miao Bi, Qiu Mu Yun Fei, Ding Mang Hun Zhu, Kun Qi Jian Meng, Ji Guo Gui Bi, Yan Ying Fang Chou, Mao Chu Ji Ming, Pu Lang Han Tou.”

These phrases mainly list the names of heavenly realms and divine beings, along with esoteric names found in Daoist scriptures; they are not narrative passages that can be translated line by line in the ordinary sense. “The Great One of the Nine Hells” is the name of a deity associated with the underworld. “Official of Fengcheng” refers to a divine office associated with Fengdu.

“Melodious Song,” “Chilling Croak,” “Fierce Burning,” “Dream Wandering,” “Halberd Dawn,” “Joyful Branch,” “Immortal Capital,” and “Rosy Clouds Encircle”—these eight characters are the secret names used by the Mysterious Elder.

The Dao says: These sounds are the hidden language of Great Brahma in the heavens above, and contain boundless meanings in sound. In ancient times, they were inscribed on the Five-Spirit Tower above the Northern Gate of Great Mystery. They were used to open the gate of salvation and help suffering souls escape imprisonment at the underworld passes of Mount Tai’s Nine Hells, Luofeng, Quanqu, and other realms. Bound beneath the Three Offices—the divine authorities governing Heaven, Earth, and Water—the souls could neither plead their case nor free themselves. So these words were circulated in cinnabar script to rescue those who had sunk into suffering.

Long ago, the Celestial Perfected Emperor once paid a visit to the Primordial Queen of Nightlight and modeled written characters on these hidden words. Each character was one zhang tall and eight-sided, with light streaming from its edges. Its strokes curved and twisted like a seal talisman. The characters corresponded to the conjunctions of nine and six; when separated, they became sounds aligned with the righteous Way. If someone understood these sounds, observed purification, and recited them, the heavens would send a Flying Celestial Spirit King to inspect their person and record their merits, then report them to the heavens. The myriad spirits would come to pay homage, the earth deities would stand at the gate, and the Great Merit Demon King would recommend them as well, giving them hope of ascending to a true rank. Once their cultivation of the Way was complete, they could travel through the Three Realms and ascend to the Golden Gate.

These sounds can ward off evil, avert calamities, save people, and bring things to completion wherever they are spoken. They are the natural sounds of the Celestial Perfected. Reciting them can free the souls of the dead from the bonds of hell and turn the long night into light. The suffering of dark prisons and the netherworld subsides, and the souls can be reborn. The human world, too, becomes peaceful, and ghosts are released. The Jade Palace, abode of immortals, is veiled in rosy light; the Cinnabar Mound, a realm of immortals, shines brightly. Seas and mountains grow calm, blessings reach all beings, colored light descends from Heaven, and jade blossoms spring up from the Earth. The netherworld and wisdom alike become clear and vast. This power is mysterious and profound.

Section on Reviving the Dead and Raising the Slain

The Dao says: Long ago, in the Heaven of Purple Void and Shining Radiance, amid the singing of the Mysterious Wind and the wondrous soil of the Great Spirit, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning proclaimed the Supreme Scripture of Deliverance, Reviving the Dead and Raising the Slain in Boundless Measure. Whenever the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning preached a scripture, he circled through the ten directions ten times to summon the gods of the ten directions. Only afterward did he approach the ritual seat. The Great Celestial Perfected, the High Sages and Exalted Worthies, the Perfected Ones of Wondrous Practice, and countless beings arrived riding through the air. Their numinous radiance illuminated the void; immortal carriages and jade chariots followed, canopies and cloud banners spread in every direction, and auspicious clouds intertwined and billowed across the eight quarters.

For five days and five nights, the Yin-Yang cycles of the heavens and earth came to a temporary halt. The mysterious heavenly order was solemnly set in motion, seas and mountains grew clear and still, all things came into harmony, and all beings found peace. The land, mountains, rivers, and forests of an entire kingdom became clean and bright, presenting a uniform scene without ruin or damage. The land itself was transformed into treasures of every kind, radiant with splendor.

All the Perfected stood in attendance beside the ritual seat. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning sat upright in the void upon a jeweled throne of cloud-blossoms and myriad Qi. After the scripture had been proclaimed once, the Great Sages of all the heavens praised it in unison. At that time, the men and women of a kingdom were suffering calamities and harm…

If the scripture is recited according to these stages, one can receive blessings in turn. Reciting it twice can dispel calamities and illness. Reciting it three times makes the elderly seem to grow young again. Reciting it four times can bring the dying back to life and prolong their years. Reciting it five times allows the dead, even if they enter the cycle of rebirth, to rise quickly to a higher state. Reciting it six times causes a submerged corpse, after nine rounds of refinement, to regain its form in the underworld and return to life. Reciting it seven times leads those who have received its teaching into Great Mystery, the profound and unfathomable realm, and even dry bones can recover their form. Reciting it eight times brings people throughout the world to understand and awaken to the nature of the Dao; they return to simplicity, honor De and the righteous way, and cut off treachery and evil. Reciting it nine times enables those who study the Dao to attain it, and those who seek immortality to become immortals. Reciting it ten times brings wondrous Qi to completeness, uniting it with the divine spirits.

At that time, all the men and women in the kingdom wholeheartedly believed and revered the Dao. Everyone received protection and deliverance, and attained long life.

The scripture says: At that time, each time the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the highest deity revered in Daoism, recited the scripture, countless Great Gods of one direction and their attendants descended from the sky. At the first recitation, the Great God of Dao Transformation, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from the east. At the second, the Great God of Illuminated Nature, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from the south. At the third, the Great God of Coalescing Qi, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from the west. At the fourth, the Great God of Opening Wisdom, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from the north. At the fifth, the Great God of Generating Hun-Soul, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from the northeast. At the sixth, the Great God of Nurturing Form, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from the southeast. At the seventh, the Great God of Preserving Life, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from the southwest. At the eighth, the Great God of Extending Years, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from the northwest. At the ninth, the Great God of Returning to Life, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from above. At the tenth, the Great God of Raising the Dead, of the Limitless and Immeasurable Grade, came from below.

When the scripture had been recited ten times, the true Great Gods of the ten directions, limitless in number, all arrived together. The men and women of the kingdom wholeheartedly turned to them in reverence. All who had sunk into delusion and darkness, all who dwelt in the netherworld, and all the corpses of those who had passed away received the grace of the Dao. Vital energy entered their bodies, and even the dead regained their form. Those who arrived were as numerous as mountains, surging forth like clouds and mist and spreading in every direction. Countless beings filled the kingdom, nearly occupying half its land; the ground sank under their weight, and nothing could stop them.

Then the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning opened the Seven-Treasure Mountain, opened his boundless eyes of wisdom, straightened his robes, gathered his seat, and gazed into the distance with concentrated attention. He said to the assembled perfected ones, “All…”

All beings fall into delusion without realizing it, having already departed from the wondrous, true Dao. After birth, their desires shift and change with external things. Circumstances and affinities draw them along, and they thereby create all manner of karmic causes. These causes accumulate layer upon layer, damaging their innate nature. Governed by their perceptions and desires, people grow foolish, repeatedly troubled by gain and loss, while desire stirs and unsettles the mind.

People grow from childhood into adulthood, then in the blink of an eye enter old age. Their bodies gradually wither and grow weak, their vital energy steadily runs out, and they eventually approach death. Yet they do not know that the Dao is the grace that sustains life, and life is the foundation of the Dao. When the Dao is constantly held in the heart, it remains with life at all times. All things are born and die, but the Dao has neither birth nor death. When the Dao is kept within body and mind, life’s Qi can endure. Even when the body’s allotted lifespan reaches its end, the Dao can still bring life forth again. When the root of the Dao is firm, it is not shifted by changes in external things; when the body is preserved and unharmed by change, life continues without end. To pass from death into life and circulate without ceasing: this is the state revered by the Highest Perfect Ones, those who have attained the Dao. Now I will explain this wondrous foundation to all, and broadly save the countless beings.

Then the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) waved his splendid horsetail whisk. Radiant mists rose from every direction, spreading through the sky like clouds and smoke, nine zhang above the ground. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning led the divine spirits of Heaven, the Highest Sages and Venerable Ones, the Perfected Ones of wondrous practice, and the countless supreme divine beings and assembled immortals from the ten directions into the radiant mist. The ground at once became level again, no longer slanting or sinking. There, above the radiant mist, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning finished preaching this scripture. The gathered Perfected Ones jointly witnessed and protected the transmission of its teachings, and so I too was able to receive the scripture. The joy and celebration of that moment are beyond words.

When the rites were mostly complete, the gods of the heavens each returned to their appointed place. In an instant, all around fell silent, without a sound. At that time, the heavenly beings and all living creatures were fortunate to encounter this scripture and its teachings. They were saved far and wide, planted the root of life for all time, and would no longer sink into ruin. The whole country turned its heart toward reverence and worship, and cultivated the Dao-minded heart together: they did not compete, cause turmoil, act recklessly, or grow lax; nor did they cling, covet, grow angry, scheme, or indulge in delusive thoughts. They did not seek elegance in speech, and spoke no words of resentment. They shared compassion with one another, and even those of different surnames were as close as one family. The country was at peace, the people prosperous, and all gladly enjoyed a time of peace.

Once this scripture began to be transmitted, a country took the Dao as its guiding principle. All who were utterly sincere, revered the teachings, and paid them homage could receive salvation and be delivered from the world.

The scripture says that the words spoken by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning are all the inner names and hidden sounds of the heavenly emperors. They are also the secret taboo names used by the true kings when they turn life around and bring the dead back to life, as well as the hidden names of the myriad spirits. These are not words used in everyday worldly speech. The Highest Sages have attained the state of the Perfected Ones, penetrated the mysterious, and explored the finest subtleties; they can fully understand the scripture’s passages and phrases. When the scripture is recited ten times, the heavens gather in the vital essence, bringing the myriad paths back to the realm of truth, causing spirits to transform, arise, and appear, and bringing all beings the mysterious grace. The Qi of life is thereby opened; souls are summoned back and gathered in. Even those sunk in ruin can once again be formed and nurtured into life, so that corpses are revived, the dead return to life, and white bones become human again. When those who have successfully cultivated and studied recite the scripture ten times, the Five Emperors will command the spirits…

The “True” that truly descends—the descent of the Qi of the True Dao—can reconcile and dispel the calamities of death, bringing people salvation. Even at the point of death, a person may find a way out and return to life. This is because, if a practitioner’s Dao Qi is not yet pure and abundant, body and mind have not yet united with the True Dao, the ability to protect and command the spirits is insufficient, and merit is not yet complete, then even the use of scriptures and rites can only turn back a life-threatening crisis, reopening the vital spark and restoring life. In other words, it can bring someone who is near death back to life, but cannot free them from the cycle of reincarnation.

To recite this chapter carelessly may instead invite calamity. Those who make offerings to this scripture, honor it, and bow before it will bring prosperity to their household, flourishing through the generations and continuing in auspicious ties. Every kind of disaster will be unable to intrude, and the divine spirits will guard the home. This scripture is exalted and wondrous, without equal in the Jade Capital, the celestial palace of Daoist belief. It can save beings without number and is the foundation that guides them into the path of life. Its vast teaching is lofty and boundless, and its merit cannot be measured.

The Dao says: Whoever recites this scripture ten times will cause all the heavens to descend together, making the road to the path of life clear and enabling the body to return to its source and be reborn. The departed souls of countless ancestors and the suffering dead can also be delivered and raised to the Vermilion Palace, a celestial palace. After nine years of instruction, each will regain life and become a True Immortal. Those who delight in learning and diligently study this scripture, once their merit is complete, will ascend bodily to the Golden Gate, a celestial palace, and roam in the Jade Capital.

Those who practice the highest Daoist teachings, cultivate and recite this scripture, will at once receive deliverance and ascend to the Southern Palace, a celestial palace. People in this world who receive and recite it can prolong their years and live long. Even when their allotted years have run out, they can all cultivate the Dao of freeing the body and transforming the spirit, never to perish, always dwelling in peace and flourishing as they roam freely through the heavens in all ten directions. This scripture is supremely wondrous and can save beings without number. All the heavenly and human beings thereby receive blessings; the living and the dead alike are granted its grace.

This scripture is treasured by Heaven and must not be passed casually to ordinary people. Sincere practitioners of the Dao should prepare gold, silk, and other precious gifts, then make a solemn pledge before the gods of the Divine Empyrean, a celestial realm in Daoist belief, before transmitting it. If the scripture is carelessly disclosed or treated with disrespect, calamity will extend to nine generations of ancestors, condemning them to long service under the ghost officials. The Five Emperors’ Jade Boys and Jade Maidens who attend this scripture number twenty-four each. They guard the text and protect those who receive and uphold it.

The Dao says: By observing a strict fast and reciting this scripture in the first month, one can deliver the great calamity brought by decline and death and preserve life. By observing a strict fast and reciting it in the seventh month, one can keep the spirit and Qi intact, dispel misfortune, and have one’s name entered in the Azure Register, the Daoist register of the names of immortals and perfected beings, ultimately attaining long life. By observing a strict fast and reciting it in the tenth month, one can pray for the protection of people and all things throughout the world, so that both people and all things attain benevolence and longevity and endure as long as Heaven and Earth. It can also bring prosperity through the generations, inspire reverence for the ruler, and ensure lasting peace and stability in the state.

Reciting this scripture on the Eight Seasonal Festivals, the eight important days in the yearly cycle, can keep the workings of nature within their proper course, bring the Qi of Metal and Wood into harmony, and harmonize the spirit and Qi. It can also nurture the numinous power of emperors, make what has withered grow again, and enable people, through refining and deliverance—a Daoist rite of purification and salvation—to attain the state of immortals and perfected beings. Reciting this scripture on one’s personal birth-cycle day, determined by the cycle of the birth year, month, day, and hour, can keep body and mind upright and pure, renew their powers day by day, and avert calamities…

Those who faithfully practice this Way can dispel calamities forever and enjoy blessings, prosperity, and good fortune for a long time. The Celestial Office, which records merit and fault in the heavenly realm, notes their good deeds; the Terrestrial Bureau, which administers affairs in the earthly realm, erases their sins. Their blessings extend to their ancestors for seven generations. When their merit and virtue are complete, they can ascend to Shangqing, the Daoist higher heavens.

The scripture says: On every day devoted to practicing this Way, first bathe with fragrant water and observe purification and abstinence. Then enter a quiet room, face east, and click the teeth thirty-two times, so that the mind reaches the thirty-two heavens. Bow thirty-two times, then close the eyes and meditate in silence. Visualize yourself seated upright amid blue, yellow, and white clouds, with everything within and around you dim and indistinct. Divine beasts—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—stand in ranks on either side, alongside lions and white cranes. The radiance of the sun and moon illuminates the room. The Great God of Mysterious Transformation, who restores the living and revives the dead, stands before and behind you. A round halo appears at the god’s neck, shining in all ten directions. Visualize each of these scenes clearly, then silently recite the secret incantation:

“Supreme Lord of the Dao, Great Lord of the Mysterious Origin, summon from within my body the Three and Five Meritorious Officers, who convey documents; the attendants and messengers on my left and right; the Jade Youth who attends the incense; the Jade Maiden who transmits words; the Direct Talismans of the Five Emperors, messengers of the five directional emperors; and the incense officials on duty today, thirty-two of each. Let them convey and submit the words I speak. Today is an auspicious day. In this pure hall of purification, I observe the fast and cultivate the Way, reciting the Scripture on Deliverance from Infinite Suffering. May the matter I report ascend to the heavenly realm and be presented directly before the supreme throne of the Primordial Lord, Sovereign of the thirty-two heavens.”

When the ritual is complete, draw in Qi facing east thirty-two times, then face east and recite the scripture.