《太上泰清拔罪昇天寶懺》

At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, the supreme deity in Daoism) sat upon a lotus throne of jasper in the Heaven of Beginning Blue, surrounded by countless saints and perfected beings. He was expounding an exquisite method called "condensing stillness to embrace the origin," his entire body radiating great light that illuminated infinite worlds in all directions. This radiance not only enlightened predestined beings but also delivered salvation to those without such karmic connections.

When this light reached Mount Luo of Fengdu in the north (the Daoist conception of hell), it revealed the various torments of the underworld realms:

First was the "Cauldron of Boiling Water Hell": Ox-headed jailers drove countless sinners into seething cauldrons where their flesh immediately split open. After one kalpa (an immeasurably long cosmic cycle), when the jailers called their names, both men and women would miraculously regenerate, their bodies restored whole. Then they were herded into the "Iron Bed Hell": beds studded with spikes above raging flames where sinners' bones and flesh charred instantly upon lying down. After another kalpa's calling, they would regenerate again.

Next came the "City of Flames Hell": surrounded by iron walls with metal nets overhead, filled with poisonous smoke and fire. Bronze dogs and iron snakes spewed flames as the city gates suddenly opened, belching fire that engulfed sinners before the gates slammed shut. Their bones and flesh roasted in the flames, bodies tossed against the scorching nets with screams shaking heaven and earth. When the kalpa ended and the gates reopened, their bodies restored at the jailers' call.

Then the "Sawing Hell": sinners clamped between iron plates were sawn vertically in half from head to toe, blood flowing like rivers. After a kalpa's regeneration, they entered the "Pounding Hell" to be pounded into ten thousand fragments, then scooped with iron forks into millstones grinding them to bloody pulp—only to regenerate again after another kalpa.

Finally came the "Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords Hell": towering peaks bristling with blades, every tree branch a sharpened sword. As sinners entered...

This scripture depicts the torments of hell and the process of salvation through religious devotion:

Sinners in hell endure excruciating pains—their bodies pierced by swords, flesh torn open, with rivers of blood flowing. After suffering through countless kalpas (cosmic time cycles), one among them who had studied Daoist scriptures in life realizes these torments are the karmic retribution for past misdeeds. He perceives a radiant light, recognizing it as the divine radiance emitted by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, the supreme deity in Daoism) to deliver sentient beings.

This fortunate individual tells fellow sufferers: "You fell into hell because you rejected the true Dao and committed evil in life. Now that we're blessed to witness the holy light of the Celestial Worthy, we must sincerely chant his sacred name." As the assembly joins in chanting, the jailers transform into benevolent figures, prisoners' shackles spontaneously unlock, and all ascend to rebirth in the human realm riding beams of light.

The Supreme Dao Ancestor (Taishang Daoju) warns: After committing sins, beings suffer dismemberment, burning, and mountain-of-knives tortures in the Fengdu hell (the Daoist underworld). Without timely repentance, they remain trapped in endless hellish rebirths. Only through sincere refuge in Daoist deities can one avoid future hell rebirths and gain opportunities to hear the Dao's teachings and receive deliverance.

The scripture concludes by listing five Salvation Celestial Worthies for devotees to venerate:

1. Celestial Worthy of the Great Pure Realm

2. Celestial Worthy Who Untangles Karmic Bonds (specialized in resolving karmic entanglements)

3. Celestial Worthy of Accumulated Blessings

4. Celestial Worthy of Marvelous Joy in Wuwei (non-action)

5. Celestial Worthy of Unobstructed Manifestation

(Note: Daoism teaches that through repentance and devotion to the Celestial Worthies, one can purify karmic obstacles and attain deliverance. "Kalpa" refers to immense cosmic time cycles; "Fengdu" designates the Daoist hell realm; and Yuanshi Tianzun is one of the Three Pure Ones, the highest Daoist trinity.)

This passage is a penitential text from the Daoist scripture Taishang Taiqing Ba Zui Sheng Tian Bao Chan (Precious Liturgy of the Supreme Clarity for Extinguishing Sins and Ascending to Heaven), expressing devotees' sincere worship and repentance before various Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) and Perfected Persons (Zhenren).

It begins by enumerating fifteen Celestial Worthies and two Perfected Persons for veneration, including:

1. Zhenyou Zizai Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of True Wandering in Perfect Freedom)

2. Tai Ming Yuanji Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Great Brightness and Ultimate Perfection)

3. Zhiju Heyi Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Blazing Wisdom Torch)

4. Taiji Wuliang Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Supreme Ultimate Boundlessness) and others

The text then presents the devotees' confession:

Human life is as fleeting as an illusion. People often become mired in material desires—like ants coveting rice grains or moths drawn to flames—chasing transient pleasures while forgetting fundamental truth. Through covetous attachments, they accumulate various sinful karma, suffering within the cycle of birth and death (samsara).

Specific transgressions are enumerated:

• Sensory indulgence: Craving beautiful sights,沉迷于 decadent music
• Improper conduct: Reading improper texts, keeping harmful company
• Reckless behavior: Obsessive hunting and frivolous amusements
• Disrespect: Offending deities,轻视 scriptures, disregarding teachers and parents
• Avarice: Seizing others' possessions
• Cruelty: Killing living beings without compassion
• Selfishness: Prioritizing personal gain while ignoring others' suffering
• Three Karmic Defilements: Killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct
• Negative emotions: Stinginess, anger, ignorance, envy, false speech

Through confessing these common faults, the scripture reminds practitioners to renounce temptations and return to their original pure heart-mind. The liturgical structure follows classic Daoist repentance formats while incorporating vivid metaphors about spiritual pitfalls.

This passage is a crucial component of Daoist repentance rituals, describing the process where devotees sincerely confess their transgressions before the deities. Here is the vernacular interpretation:

The scripture begins by enumerating common human transgressions such as deceitful speech, gossip-mongering, and malicious words—offenses that would normally condemn one to hell. Now, the devotees stand before the Celestial Worthies (the highest deities in Daoism) to make sincere confession, concealing no past misdeeds while vowing to commit no new evils.

The text then lists the sacred titles of over twenty Celestial Worthies and Perfected Beings, including:

• The Universally Compassionate World-Protecting Celestial Worthy (Puci Hushi Tianzun)
• The Truth-Honoring All-Encompassing Celestial Worthy (Chongzhen Pufu Tianzun)
• The Sin-Obstruction Removing Celestial Worthy (Xiaozui Zhang Tianzun)
• The Worldly Suffering Relieving Celestial Worthy (Bashi Ku Tianzun)

Devotees refer to themselves as "disciple so-and-so," demonstrating their devout adherence to the true scripture's teachings as they earnestly pray for absolution before the sacred deities. The text employs vivid metaphors: a single unextinguished spark may burn down an entire mountain forest; an unchecked trickle may swell into a flood capable of capsizing great ships. All human transgressions originate from momentary lapses—if not severed at their source, they ultimately become uncontrollable.

People often overlook minor evils due to habituation. Committing one or two small faults daily accumulates into grave sins over time. What begins as slight inner confusion eventually brews into overwhelming transgressions. Some believe they can deceive Heaven and hoodwink others, dismissing the doctrine of karmic retribution as mere superstition. Unbeknownst to them, spirits and deities maintain daily records in the unseen realms. When one's wickedness reaches its fullness, it provokes both human resentment and divine wrath. The celestial register of good deeds gets erased, while the infernal ledger of sins acquires fresh entries.

This scripture explains how people fall into wretched rebirths due to accumulated karmic offenses and the path to salvation through sincere repentance:

When humans commit grave transgressions, they become trapped in endless cycles of rebirth across ten thousand kalpas, potentially descending into hungry ghost or animal realms where they suffer ceaseless hunger, thirst, and torment. Without the salvation of exalted sages, these sufferings know no end. Even those with virtuous roots cannot escape karmic retribution without genuine contrition.

I, the disciple [name], though fortunate to attain human birth and encounter sacred teachings through the nurturing grace of Heaven and Earth, remain apprehensive. Despite daily vigilance, the corrupting influence of unwholesome company may have subtly led me to accumulate offenses unknowingly. Lacking methods to dissolve these karmic burdens, I fear inevitable descent into suffering.

Therefore, before the sacred Daoist dignitaries, I now offer heartfelt repentance: May all past transgressions be purified through reverent prostration, and worldly afflictions dissolved through chanting sacred mantras and scriptures. While blessings flow from celestial bestowal, virtuous deeds require human effort. Humbly I pray:

• For the living: purity of body and mind, household harmony, and enduring blessings
• For the departed: luminous spiritual awareness and ascension to immortality
• For the erasure of misdeeds from the Black Registers and recording of merits in the Cinnabar Platform (Dan台)

May this sincere invocation receive the protection of ten thousand divine beings. With utmost devotion, your disciple [name] earnestly supplicates.

(Note: This represents a "Precious Repentance" (Baochàn) text used in Daoist purification rituals. "Black Registers" refer to underworld records of misdeeds, while the "Cinnabar Platform" denotes celestial archives of virtuous deeds.)