《太上玉清謝罪登真寶懺》

Interpretation of the First Section of The Supreme Jade Purity Treasure Repentance for Atonement and Ascension to Perfection

The Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning (one of the highest deities among the Three Pure Ones [Sanqing]) states: Whether ordained male priests (nanguan fashen) or female priests (nüguan fashen), if they sincerely devote themselves to the Dao and diligently cultivate, accumulating merit in the mortal world, yet fail to repent and absolve the transgressions of past and present lives, they will ultimately be unable to ascend to the ranks of immortals or have their names recorded in the celestial registers. How, then, could they hope to liberate the souls of the departed or save sentient beings?

All devout men and women (qingxin nanzi, qingxin nüren) who revere the Great Dao, if they follow my teachings and diligently practice repentance, will not only deliver their ancestors from nine generations past but also accumulate blessings for their descendants. Through persistent and unrelenting cultivation, they will ultimately attain the Dao and achieve perfection. The specific method is as follows: Before the sacred image of the Celestial Venerable, offer incense, candles, fresh flowers, seasonal fruits, ritual banners, and lamps, then reverently perform the repentance ceremony. When confessing, one must declare with utmost sincerity:

"Your disciple [name], with utmost devotion, takes refuge in the Three Pure Ones (the supreme deities of Jade Purity, Upper Purity, and Great Purity) and the exalted perfected beings of the ten directions. Since time without beginning, due to ignorance of the true path, I have mistakenly embraced false views, indulged in desires, and committed countless transgressions: failing to honor my parents, disrespecting the Three Treasures (Dao, scriptures, and teachers); lacking reverence toward superiors and compassion toward inferiors; abusing power to oppress the weak, befriending the wicked while alienating the virtuous; envying the worthy, concealing good deeds while spreading evil; misusing authority to distort right and wrong, misapplying medicine to harm lives; accepting bribes, committing abortion and killing; worshiping malevolent spirits, feasting lavishly and slaughtering livestock to satisfy gluttony, devoid of mercy; slandering sages and worthies... Today, I openly confess these sins without concealment, sincerely repenting before the sacred presence."

Following this, one must sequentially bow and recite the sacred titles of fifteen Celestial Venerables:

1. Celestial Venerable of the Sacred Realm of Jade Purity

2. Celestial Venerable of Universal Compassion and Guardian of the Nation

3. Celestial Venerable of the Jade Void and Imperial Majesty

4. Celestial Venerable of Supreme Oneness Who Saves from Suffering (a deity specifically dedicated to liberating souls)

5. Celestial Venerable of Penetrating Mystery and Ultimate Virtue

6. Celestial Venerable of Wondrous Model and Responsive Grace

7. Celestial Venerable of Radiant Spiritual Light

8. Celestial Venerable of Illuminating the Dark with Righteous Principle

9. Celestial Venerable of Great Brahma’s Profound Serenity

10. Celestial Venerable of Virtuous Fragrance and Exalted Blessings

11. Celestial Venerable of Mysterious Transformation Benefiting Life

12. Celestial Venerable of the Jade Annals of the Sovereign Teacher

13. Celestial Venerable of Vast Merit and Supreme Dao

14. Celestial Venerable of Responsive Stillness and Embracing Emptiness

15. Celestial Venerable of Great Subtlety and Pure Essence

(Note: This scripture is a vital Daoist repentance ritual text. Through introspection of transgressions and veneration of the deities, one seeks absolution, ultimately achieving the goal of cultivation and perfection. The listed offenses reflect common moral issues in ancient society, embodying the Daoist principle that to cultivate immortality, one must first cultivate human virtue.)

This passage is a penitential text from the Daoist scripture Supreme Jade Purity Confession for Attaining Truth, wherein devotees confess their transgressions before various Celestial Venerables (Tianzun) and Perfected Beings (Zhenren). Here is a modern interpretation:

The text begins by enumerating ten Celestial Venerables and two Perfected Beings for devotional homage, including: the Celestial Venerable of Nurturing Virtue and Pure Transformation, the Celestial Venerable of Pure Essence Illuminating Virtue, the Celestial Venerable of Majestic Wisdom-Torch, along with the Perfected Being of Great Compassionate Wondrous Practice and the Perfected Being of Great Merciful Universal Salvation.

The confession proper follows. Addressing themselves as "disciples," devotees earnestly confess before the Sagely Perfected Ones the ten categories of unwholesome karma accumulated since beginningless time through actions of body, speech, and mind:

1. Killing: In this life, offenders suffer premature death and loneliness; after death they descend into hell for prolonged torment; subsequent rebirths involve being slain by others in endless cycles of retribution.

2. Theft: Present-life consequences include frequent punishments, torture, and destitution; postmortem hellish suffering; rebirth as beasts of burden repaying karmic debts through arduous labor with little hope of liberation.

3. Lust: Current existence brings social rejection and chronic illness; postmortem hell-realms; rebirth as lust-driven animals (sparrows, doves, swine, or dogs) with slim chances of transcendence.

4. False Speech: Manifesting as distrust from others and foul breath in this life; infernal torment after death; subsequent rebirths as ugly, impoverished humans or hungry ghosts and animals before returning to hell.

5. Frivolous Speech (honeyed words): Present-life outcomes include contempt from others and perpetual misfortune; postmortem hell-suffering; rebirth as lowly humans or despised creatures (like mangy beasts).

For each transgression, devotees declare their comprehensive repentance before the Sagely Perfected Ones. By detailing the karmic consequences across multiple lifetimes—both immediate and future—the scripture urges sincere confession and moral reformation.

This scripture describes the karmic retribution one faces after death for various transgressions committed during life, along with the practice of repentance before the divine.

It first enumerates five categories of transgressions and their corresponding consequences:

Those who engage in duplicitous speech (sowing discord) will in their present life become servants subject to others' commands; after death they descend into hell to suffer, then are reborn as two-headed snakes or earthworms. Only after completing this karmic retribution do they return to hell.

People who spew malicious curses will in this life frequently endure humiliation; after death they suffer in hell, then are reborn with repulsive appearances and foul breath. After completing this retribution, they return to hell.

Those consumed by greed and attachment experience constant mental afflictions in this life; after death they fall into hell to suffer, then are reborn as hungry ghosts enduring perpetual starvation and thirst. When this retribution ends, they return to hell.

Individuals filled with hatred and malice harbor constant resentment in this life; after death they descend into hell to suffer, then are reborn as venomous snakes or scorpions that everyone loathes and pursues. After completing this retribution, they return to hell.

The foolish and deluded, unable to discern good from evil in this life and thus shunned by others, fall into hell after death to suffer, then are reborn as beasts of burden—starving, thirsty, and helpless—eventually sold to slaughterhouses. Only after completing this retribution do they return to hell.

The concluding section presents repentance verses for devout worship before various Celestial Worthy deities (high-ranking Daoist divinities), including:

• Celestial Worthy of Hidden Talismans and Transforming Nurturance (divinity who secretly protects beings' growth)
• Celestial Worthy Who Guides the Lost and Resolves Stagnation (divinity who directs those who have lost their way)
• Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Joy Realm (ruler of paradise)
• Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Serenity Realm (ruler of pure states)
• Celestial Worthy Who Extricates from Peril (savior from dangers)
• Celestial Worthy Who Relieves Suffering (deliverer from hardships)

This scripture primarily admonishes people to abstain from such harmful conduct and to sincerely repent before the divine, thereby avoiding the cycle of suffering through rebirth.

This passage is a liturgical repentance text from the Daoist scripture Taishang Yuqing Xie Zui Deng Zhen Bao Chan (Precious Penance of Ascending to Truth through Apology to the Supreme Jade Purity). It expresses devotees' reverence toward the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun, the highest deities in Daoism) and Perfected Ones (Zhenren, realized immortals), seeking absolution for transgressions.

The text begins with successive prostrations to eighteen Celestial Worthies and Perfected Ones, each title representing distinct divine attributes:

1. Celestial Worthy of Boundless Salvation (savior of countless beings)

2. Celestial Worthy of Unhindered Freedom (omnipresent divine power)

3. Celestial Worthy of Truth-Responsive Virtue (embodiment of cosmic teachings)

4. Celestial Worthy of Universal Resonance (communion with all existence)

5. Celestial Worthy of Dragon-Virtue Illumination (radiating virtue like celestial dragons)

6. Celestial Worthy of Hidden Blessings (bestower of myriad fortunes)

7. Celestial Worthy of Dao-Realized Serenity (manifestation of ultimate stillness)

8. Celestial Worthy of Perfected Practice (complete spiritual accomplishment)

9. Celestial Worthy of Manifest Splendor (revealer of sacred forms)

10. Celestial Worthy of Supreme Purity (embodiment of absolute clarity)

11. Celestial Worthy of Stainless Being (transcending all defilements)

12. Celestial Worthy of Embracing Emptiness (containing infinite potential)

13. Celestial Worthy of Awakened Realization (attainment of enlightenment)

14. Celestial Worthy of Universal Adornment (cosmic sacred beauty)

15. Celestial Worthy of Fearless Wisdom (beyond all terrors)

16. Celestial Worthy of Subtle Radiance (pure numinous essence)

17-18. The Great Compassionate Perfected One and the Suffering-Dispelling Perfected One (embodiments of mercy and deliverance)

The devotee then declares sincere repentance: "This disciple [name], guided by the true scriptures, approaches all Celestial Worthies with utmost sincerity." The text extols the ineffable divine workings of the Celestial Worthies—their greatness encompassing Heaven, Earth, and humanity, their mysterious yet omniscient capacity to observe virtuous deeds and bestow blessings. When the devotee's sincere heart opens during this auspicious era, divine resonance occurs. The practitioner vows eternal reverence, praying to accumulate pure blessings while anticipating the Celestial Worthies' descent in immortal chariots (zhigai, mushroom-canopied vehicles) to sanctify the sacred space.

The liturgy concludes by imploring celestial compassion: may this sincerity reach the divine court, bringing household prosperity, longevity, and peace. In this sacred moment, the devotee wholly relies upon the Celestial Worthies' authentic spiritual protection. Through the Precious Penance of Ascending to Truth, the practitioner offers this profound prayer of contrition.