《太上上清禳災延壽寶懺》

Taishang Shangqing Rangzai Yanshou Baochan (The Supreme Shangqing Treasure Liturgy for Dispelling Calamities and Prolonging Life), Volume Two

The Supreme Lord Laozi (Taishang Laojun) said: If devoted male and female disciples who cultivate the Dao encounter yearly or monthly calamities, chronic illness, legal entanglements, false accusations they cannot refute, persistent misfortune, unfulfilled desires, or repeated failures in all endeavors, they should observe the following auspicious days: their benming day (the day corresponding to their birth year’s celestial stem and earthly branch), the Jiazi and Gengshen days, the Sanyuan days (the 15th day of the first, seventh, and tenth lunar months), the eight solar-term festivals (such as the Beginning of Spring), or the third and seventh days of each month, as well as the anniversaries of their ancestors’ or parents’ passing. On these days, they should make offerings before the sacred images of the Three Pure Ones (Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, and Taiqing Daode Tianzun) with seasonal fruits, incense, candles, flowers, ritual banners, and lamps. They may personally recite this liturgy of repentance or invite a Daoist priest to perform the rites on their behalf.

During repentance, one should say: “I, disciple [name], since birth, have received the nurturing grace of Heaven and Earth and dwell under the radiance of the sun and moon. Yet due to inauspicious astrological configurations and unfavorable fate, I may have encountered the following misfortunes: my destiny entangled with celestial snares (Tianluo Diwang, malignant stellar influences), afflicted by baleful stars in my life palace; constructing homes, burying the deceased, breaking ground, or traveling without avoiding forbidden directions, thus offending the spirits; hosting gatherings, altering plans, or acting on inauspicious days; deceiving kin and friends in business; obstructing virtuous deeds, distorting truth, and incurring resentment and curses; colluding with the powerful to harm the loyal; oppressing the weak with force; seizing others’ wealth without regard for righteousness. Such actions have bred resentment, allowing ghosts and deities to inflict calamities, diminishing my blessings and shortening my lifespan. These accumulated sins, recorded in the underworld, will bring retribution in this life, harming my ancestors for nine generations and descendants to come. Now, before the Sacred Ones, I sincerely repent.”

Then, devoutly bow and recite the sacred titles of the Shangqing realm’s Celestial Worthies:

“I bow to the Shangqing Celestial Worthies who universally deliver and protect the world.

I bow to the Celestial Worthy who reigns over the Shangqing Pure Realm.

I bow to the Celestial Worthy of boundless tolerance, humility, and simplicity.

I bow to the Celestial Worthy who prolongs life and augments blessings.

I bow to the Celestial Worthy who dispels calamities and alleviates suffering.

I bow to the Celestial Worthy of benevolence and compassion.

I bow to the Celestial Worthy who nourishes all beings and fosters creation.

I bow to the Celestial Worthy who harmonizes Qi and aligns with the Dao.

I bow to the Celestial Worthy of sublime virtue in the Purple Palace (abode of immortals).

I bow to the Celestial Worthy who assists the Dao and safeguards all life.”

(Note: This scripture belongs to a Daoist ritual for dispelling misfortunes, where devotees reflect on their transgressions and seek absolution from the Celestial Worthies to eliminate disasters. The mentioned taboos reflect Daoist emphasis on choosing auspicious times and avoiding inauspicious actions. “Nine generations” refers to ancestral lineage, embodying the Daoist concept of “inherited retribution” (chengfu).)

This passage is a confession text from the Daoist scripture Taishang Shangqing Rangzai Yanshou Baochan (Precious Repentance for Dispelling Calamities and Prolonging Life). It consists of two main sections:

First, it reverently honors sixteen Celestial Worthy deities and two Perfected Beings. Each divine title carries profound meaning—for instance, "Guangshi Daban Tianzun" (Celestial Worthy of Vast Benevolence and Great Discernment) symbolizes boundless grace and wise judgment, while "Xiaozai Yanshou Zhenren" (Perfected Being Who Dispels Calamities and Extends Life) represents immortals specifically devoted to relieving sentient beings' suffering. By chanting these sacred names, practitioners express their devotion to supreme truth.

The second section is the confession proper, where devotees refer to themselves as "disciple so-and-so" and reflect on karmic transgressions committed since "beginningless kalpas" (referring to cycles of rebirth). These include abuses of power and corruption as officials, or fraudulent practices as shamans, healers, and diviners—such as concocting poisons for profit. The text meticulously enumerates various acts violating cosmic principles and harming beings, recognizing these misdeeds will lead to rebirth in the three wretched realms: hells, hungry ghosts, or animal incarnations.

The penitent earnestly beseeches the Celestial Worthies and Perfected Beings for absolution, seeking relief from misfortunes and longevity. This embodies the Daoist cultivation principle of "repenting sins to dispel calamities," where sincere remorse establishes resonance with the divine to obtain deliverance. The phrase "since beginningless time" reflects Daoism's assimilation of Buddhist cyclical cosmology into its worldview.

This scripture expounds the principle of karmic retribution for evil deeds within the cycle of rebirth (samsara), and how repentance can avert calamities and prolong life.

The text first enumerates common transgressions: using false measures in trade, passing inferior goods as quality wares, and fraudulent profiteering; greed for wealth and lust, scorning the poor while flattering the rich, and scrambling for fame and gain; showing disrespect toward heaven and earth, vilifying sages, and defiling deities. Such misdeeds condemn one to hell after death, where after enduring torment, the soul may be reborn as a hungry ghost or beast, suffering repeatedly through countless rebirths. Even upon regaining human form, residual karmic effects from past misdeeds persist.

The scripture then adopts the voice of repentants ("we disciples"), collectively confessing sins accumulated since beginningless time: failing to recognize the true Dao, confusing good with evil, indulging in pleasures, abandoning righteousness for profit, disrespecting cosmic forces, and blaspheming divine beings. These transgressions likewise invite infernal retribution and cyclical suffering.

The concluding section presents repentance and spiritual refuge. Before the assembled Celestial Worthy (Tianshi, the highest Daoist deities), devotees sincerely confess past wrongdoings while paying homage to thirteen differently titled Celestial Worthies such as "Universal Compassion Guardian of Worlds Worthy" and "Marvelous Liberation Realm Worthy." Each embodies distinct divine attributes—compassion, luminous wisdom, salvific power—through which devotees seek karmic purification and divine protection.

(Note: This passage originates from Daoist "Precious Repentance" scriptures used in rituals for atonement. "Beginningless time" denotes the immeasurable past; "hungry ghosts" and "beasts" belong to Buddhism's six rebirth paths; "Celestial Worthy" is Daoism's honorific for supreme deities.)

This passage is a penitential prayer from the Daoist scripture Taishang Shangqing Rangzai Yanshou Baochan (Precious Liturgy of the Supreme Purity for Dispelling Calamities and Prolonging Life). It expresses devotees' reverent worship toward various Celestial Worthies (Tianzun) and Perfected Beings (Zhenren), confessing transgressions while seeking absolution and blessings.

The text first enumerates twelve sacred beings for veneration:

1. Celestial Worthy of the Sublime Purple Purity Abode (residing in the sacred celestial realm of Ziqing)

2. Celestial Worthy Who Delights in Nurturing Virtue (teaching beings through moral power)

3. Celestial Worthy of Upholding Righteous Conduct

4. Celestial Worthy Who Transforms All Things

5. Celestial Worthy Who Benefits All Beings

6. Celestial Worthy of Eternal Virtuous Radiance

7. Celestial Worthy Whose Vessel Contains All Phenomena

8. Celestial Worthy Who Protects and Supports the Ethereal Realm

9. Celestial Worthy of Universal Salvation for All Sentience

10. Great Compassionate and Benevolent Perfected Being (an enlightened one embodying supreme mercy)

11. Perfected Being Who Extracts Suffering and Delivers from Calamity

The devotional confession follows:

"Your disciple [name] approaches with utmost sincerity to worship all Celestial Worthies and Perfected Beings, offering heartfelt repentance. Though fortunate to encounter the Orthodox Path (Zhengdao), my dull nature and lax practice have accumulated transgressions as towering mountains. Now laying bare my heart before the Sacred Ones, I openly acknowledge these faults, seeking divine pardon. May the Sacred Ones perceive this sincerity—absolving past wrongs while bestowing future blessings. I pray for family well-being, ancestral deliverance, and the fulfillment of all righteous wishes. Whether in action or stillness, I wholly rely upon the Sacred Ones' protection. With absolute devotion, your disciple offers this prayer."

This scripture exemplifies the Daoist practice of calamity-dispelling through sincere repentance and sacred veneration. By confessing faults with genuine contrition, devotees seek divine forgiveness and protection—demonstrating how ritual purification (Zhaijiao) and ethical refinement intertwine in Daoist cultivation.