《靈寶無量度人上經大法》Vol. 51

The Master of Mystery says: "The Mengzhen Keyi (Mengzhen Liturgy) contains the liturgy of 'Returning Radiance and Descending Light' (Huiyao Jiangguang), which is used to repent and remove five kinds of sins accumulated over many lifetimes, to open the Gates of Bitterness (Kumen), and to break through the karmic obstacles of birth and death and the dark realms of sin."

In the rite, the ritual specialist makes a light-wheel in the shape of an axle from catalpa wood, arranged in three tiers. The upper tier holds twelve lamps, the middle tier sixteen, and the lower tier twenty-one, for a total of forty-nine lamps. At the center stand five placards representing the Gates of Bitterness, each inscribed with the name of a related hell. Following the method of the "Returning Radiance Lamp Rite" (Huiyao Deng Yi), forty-nine small silk banners are made in alternating yellow and white. At the top of each banner the honorific titles of the Heavenly Venerables are written, and the Talisman for Breaking Fengdu (Po Fengdu Fu) is drawn in cinnabar.

When the Grand Master performs the Lamp Liturgy of Repentance, he holds a staff in his left hand, forming the Jade Clarity seal (Yuqing jue), a Daoist hand gesture, and grasps the staff in his right. He stops before each hell in accordance with the liturgical text, raises the staff, and recites the Great Brahma Secret Words (Dafan yinyu), a mantra transmitted in esoteric Daoist tradition. He then sprinkles clean water with a willow branch to purify the area and burns the small silk banners by the lamp flame. In this way, the sinful souls in each hell may ride upon this yang warmth and bright light, be released from suffering in time, sever the five kinds of afflictions and evil obstacles accumulated over many lifetimes, and be freed from the karmic roots of worldly toil.

In addition, a long banner is set up on each of the east and west sides of the light-wheel, made of thirty-six feet of crimson silk. The top of each banner is adorned with gold leaf shaped to depict the Middle Dipper (Zhong Dou). The body of the banner bears the four characters "Returning Radiance Numinous Banner" (Huiyao Ling Fan) written in large seal script, with three spaces left open for the words "Wheel-Turning Sage King Heavenly Venerable" (Zhuanlun Shengwang Tianzun). On the left side is painted a sun, with the six characters "Lord Yuyi of the Sun" (Taiyang Yuyi Dijun) inscribed beside it. On the right side is painted a moon, with the six characters "August Sovereign Jielin of the Moon" (Taiyin Jielin Huangjun) inscribed beside it. At the base of each side is written the Hymn of Returning Radiance:

Returning radiance shines upon the Purple Palace (Zi Wei Gong),

its brilliance curving to illuminate the gates of the Nine Shadows;

light reaches every mound, every cold pool,

and icy waters are warmed once more.

Amid the roaring fires of hell,

the Dharma rain falls like sweet dew;

it ferries souls out of the long night

and lifts them up to the Palace of Vermilion Radiance (Zhuxian Fu).

This liturgy is one of the forbidden texts of the Dongxuan (Three Caverns) scriptural tradition. Were it not for adepts of profound cultivation who initiate the invocation and openly transmit it, how could those in the lower realms hear of it? This method can cause the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars to turn back and bend down through the gates of the netherworld, dispersing the sufferings of flood and fire, snapping blades and sharp edges, blunting venomous points, melting iron city walls, halting the inspections of ghostly officials, and extinguishing sins accumulated over countless kalpas.

Thousands of suffering spirits who see these three kinds of light can be reborn directly into the human realm or the heavens.

Zi Lun (Catalpa Wheel)

In the rituals of Cai Zhixu and Lu Shizhong, the wheel frame is not made of catalpa wood (zimu) but is built outside from sand. Its interior is square and its exterior round. It measures nine chi in diameter and has three tiers, shaped like a cartwheel.

The innermost tier has nine spokes. A banner called Huiyao Lingfan (Spirit Banner of Returning Radiance) stands at the center with one lamp lit, and each of the nine spokes also carries a lamp. Behind these lamps are placed placards for the Three Evil Gates (San'e Men), the Three Corpse Paths (Sanshi Dao), and the Three Disciple Realms (Santu Jie), which mark the various passes, roads, and realms.

The middle tier has fifteen spokes and fifteen lamps. Behind them are placards for the Five Burdens (Wulei), the Five Paths (Wu Dao), and the Five Gates of Suffering (Wu Ku Men). The outermost tier has twenty-four spokes and twenty-four lamps, with placards for the Fourteen Prisons (Shisi Yu).

Banners of the Innermost Tier

• Gate of Sensual Desire: Yuanling Yinyao Tianzun
• Upper Corpse Path: Weiguang Baoji Tianzun
• Heavenly Disciple Realm: Puzhao Youming Tianzun
• Gate of Love-Desire: Suiji Fugan Tianzun
• Middle Corpse Path: Xuhuang Puji Tianzun
• Human Disciple Realm: Daci Jiuku Tianzun
• Gate of Greed: Cibei Jiudu Tianzun
• Lower Corpse Path: Wubian Pudu Tianzun
• Earthly Disciple Realm: Fali Chaosheng Tianzun

Banners of the Middle Tier

• Human Path: Dongyu Chenchen Tianzun
• Gate of Mind Suffering from Sensual Burdens: Puguang Hongji Tianzun
• Path of Suffering of the Mount Tai Hell: Hongci Guangji Tianzun
• Spirit Path: Tongguang Puzhao Tianzun
• Gate of Spirit Suffering from Love Burdens: Falun Kaihua Tianzun
• Path of Suffering of the Wind-Blade Hell: Lingyuan Puren Tianzun
• Ghost Path: Cibei Huiai Tianzun
• Gate of Body Suffering from Greed Burdens: Shenguang Guangbei Tianzun
• Path of Suffering of Carrying Mountains and Stones: Xuanshang Yuhua Tianzun
• Hell Path: Baoguang Tongzhao Tianzun
• Gate of Essence Suffering from Vanity and Rivalry: Yuqing Xuanshang Tianzun
• Path of Suffering of Building Rivers: Ci'en Wanshan Tianzun
• Gate of Lower Births (Animals): Jinhua Cihui Tianzun
• Gate of Soul Suffering from Bodily Burdens: Xuanming Fanxing Tianzun
• Path of Suffering of Swallowing Fire and Eating Coal: Yuzhen Yinyun Tianzun

Banners of the Outermost Tier

• Prison of Heavenly Supervision: Guangchang Ci'ai Tianzun
• Dark Sand Hell: Puchui Miaoze Tianzun

Wushang Diyu Kaidu Wuliang Tianzun, the Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable Who Opens the Supreme Hell and Delivers Beings (a title meaning to open the hells and widely deliver all beings)

Venerable of the Great Truth Hell, Radiant Precious Flower

Venerable Who Rescues from Suffering According to the Kalpa, Void Hell

Venerable Who Answers the Cry and Rescues from Suffering, Fire Courtyard Hell

Venerable of Boundless Universal Salvation, Poison Blade Hell

Venerable Who Extracts Sins in the Nine Dark Realms, Cold Night Hell

Venerable of Boundless Wondrous Transformation, Statute Hell

Venerable Who Always Covers and Protects Widely, Wind Blade Hell

Venerable of the Golden Radiance in the Nine Dark Realms, Nine Dark Hell

Venerable of Boundless Sacred Power, Rectification Hell

Venerable of Great Compassion, Peace Hell

Venerable of Limitless Joy, Clear Marsh Hell

Venerable Who Turns Through Myriad Changes, Dark Yin Hell

Venerable Who Widely Delivers the Sinking, Heavenly Mystery Hell

Venerable of Jade Dawn of the Lofty Sovereign, Northern Prison of the Heavenly One

Venerable of Most Wondrous Lofty Spirit, Prison of the Thirty-Six Heavens

Venerable Who Widely Delivers by Compassionate Teaching, Yuan Zheng Hell

Venerable Who Bestows Grace Universally, Hebo Hell

Venerable of Boundless Vastness, Prohibition and Punishment Hell

Venerable Who Widely Proclaims and Delivers, Yellow Heaven Hell

Venerable Who Brings Rebirth as the Thought Arises, Accumulated Calamity Hell

Venerable Who Opens and Delivers from Past Obstructions, Nü Qing Hell

Dispersing the Form of the Celestial Initiates (petitioning for the liberation of the celestial initiates and dispersing their forms)

(Radiance of the Three Qi) (illuminating with the three primordial qi and sunlight)

(Crowning and Belting the Weary Souls) (enabling the exhausted souls to be crowned and belted, restoring their dignity)

(The Spiritual Pivot of Concentration and Wisdom, Virtue Accords with the Mysterious Void) (taking concentration and wisdom as the subtle pivot, and uniting virtue with the profound emptiness)

(Attaining Renewal in Mingled Transformation) (receiving new life within the blended process of change)

(Dwelling in Goodness and Stillness, Concentrating in the Void) (abiding in pure tranquility, and gathering the spirit into emptiness)

(The Dharma Wheel Turns, Forever Free from the Celestial Path) (the Dharma Wheel turns so that they are forever spared the sufferings of the celestial path)

The Yuqing (Jade Clarity) Opening Light Precious Talisman, a fulu (talismanic mandate of Daoist registers), is delivered to the celestial initiates and to the officials who drive thunder and command lightning.

The mandate of this precious register is now proclaimed, ordering the relevant Spirit Officials to receive the command and, on behalf of the deceased, eliminate the Upper Corpses and sever the Upper Corpses and the gates of desire within the realm of the celestial initiates, so that they are spared the labor assigned by the celestial officials who drive thunder and chase lightning. Everything shall be carried out in accordance with the command.

Transmitted for proclamation by the Wind-and-Fire Courier.

Issued on the day, month, year, and hour of the proclamation.

Official rank, surname, and assigned duties: [to be filled in here].

Dispersing the Form of the Earthly Initiates (petitioning for the liberation of the earthly initiates and dispersing their forms)

(The Three Yang Meet, Omens Appear; the Nine Earths Begin to Take Form; Light Appears and Salvation Opens)

(The Nine Qi Unfold Like Blossoms; the Six Characters Are Clear as Rippling Waves; Freeing Them from the Sufferings of the Earthly Path)

The Yuqing Opening Light Precious Talisman is delivered to the officials who carry sand and bear stones, for the earthly initiates.

Dispersing the Form of the Water Disciples

(The secret scenery of eternal life penetrates the Truth and dissolves the blockages at the Gate of Shadows. The inner scenery holds harmony and is skilled at breaking the Four Demons. Clear and penetrating.)

(Gaze into the profound and mysterious; when the Water Disciples open to peace, they will forever leave the River of Desire.)

The Imperial Treasure Talisman of Yuqing is to be delivered to the official in charge of the Water Disciples, who draws from the dark waves.

This Treasure Register Talisman Decree is a document sent to the netherworld, commanding the numinous officers who govern the evil paths to cut away the Lower Corpse of a certain deceased person. It frees them from the greed that the Lower Corpse represents within the realm of the Water Disciples, and releases them from the labor of drawing water from the dark waves under the Water Officials. All these commands are to be transmitted through the wind-and-fire relay stations, with the year, month, day, and hour recorded, along with the names and identities of those who carry them out.

For all three of the above talismans, use yellow paper and write the talisman script in cinnabar; write the written notice on white silk. Form the Three Disciples seal, visualize the Three Officials standing at left and right, and summon true qi to enter the talismans. When complete, stamp them with the seal of the Lingbao Great Dharma Office, then burn them before the prison lamp.

When burning the talismans, form the Seal of the Supreme Emperor and recite the incantation:

"Talisman of Yuqing, carried out by the edict of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. Let the multitudes of the netherworld receive their commands: may the Three Officials dissolve the burdens of form, pardon their detention, remove their labors, cancel their crimes, and transform each according to its kind. Let all the spirits obey and carry out these orders."

After reciting, release the seals that were formed and burn the pardon edict of the Dao Lord. When burning the edict, hold both hands in the Yuqing Seal, cradle the talisman before the chest, and recite:

"By the decree of the Jade Pure Emperor, pardon! By the decree of the Upper Pure Great Emperor, pardon! By the decree of the Grand Pure Emperor, pardon! I command the Ten Directions' Lingbao Ferrying-Through-Suffering Heavenly Venerable, the Vermilion Hill Emperor, the Lord of the Vermilion Hill Office, the Eternal Life Great Emperor of the Southern Pole, and the great spirit who oversees the Nine Heavens, to receive the spirit of the deceased certain person and bring it to deliverance. The Jade Emperor has decreed, and by the edict of the Supreme Dao Lord, the souls of the guilty throughout the Ten Directions and Three Realms are pardoned, so that their light may spread through the Nine Shadows and their fragrance fill the courtyards. Om hum, yin lu lu ou, svaha. Swiftly, swiftly, as the Supreme Dao Lord has commanded, carry it out at once."

Three Corpses Talisman

Within secular liturgy, to deliver the dead, there are rites for eradicating the Three Corpses (sanshi) and passing beyond the Five Sufferings. The origin of this rite is roughly based on...

The Taizhen Yujue (Jade Instructions of the Great Perfected), from the Qingdong Zhenbu Yuanshi Pulu (Register of the Origin Lord's Cavern of Realization), states: Those who cultivate the supreme Dharma gate should dispel all desires and eliminate the roots of evil. In this way, the Dao will naturally descend and immortality will naturally be achieved. By writing the seal-script characters and the Jade Talismans of Changing Scenes and Flowing Light according to the scripture, and by using them as the text prescribes, one can deliver the spirits of the dead from the Three Paths and the Five Sufferings.

Talismans for Slaying the Three Corpses (sanshi) are as follows. The Upper Corpse Talisman is written in blue characters on black silk. The Middle Corpse Talisman is written in yellow characters on white silk. The Lower Corpse Talisman is written in white characters on white silk. The Talisman of the Gate of Accumulated Color is written in black ink on white silk. The Talisman of the Gate of Accumulated Love is written in white characters on white silk. The Talisman of the Gate of Accumulated Greed is written in red characters on white silk. The Talisman of the Gate of Competitive Flourishing is written in blue characters on white silk. The Talisman of the Gate of Accumulated Body is written in yellow characters on white silk.

The Upper Corpse Talisman is affixed to the head of the deceased, the Middle Corpse Talisman to the heart, and the Lower Corpse Talisman and the Five Sufferings Talismans to both feet. The practitioner faces the three evil gates, knocks the teeth nine times, and then recites the incantation. An older tradition holds that the Upper Corpse is named Peng Ju, the Middle Corpse is named Peng Zhi, and the Lower Corpse is named Peng Jiao, and that the incantation recited is directed against these three corpses.

This scripture does not record the incantation. Today, when the ancestral altars (places where Daoists conduct registration of registers and the performance of rites) transmit the Supreme Clarity Registers, they use incantations of this kind. Although the Taishang talisman methods are said to be marvelously transformative and without fixed form, and can likewise save the dead and deliver the living, applying the incantation for slaying the Three Corpses to the dead is, in actual practice, bound to be somewhat inappropriate. For this reason, the relevant incantation text has been omitted here.

As for eliminating the three evils and enabling the spirits of the dead to fly across the Five Households (the checkpoints for delivering the dead, corresponding to the "Households of Accumulated Color" and others mentioned below), this is the responsibility of the Numinous Officials, and belongs to the content of the Yuqing Lingbao Great Method. Summoning the Numinous Officials to descend according to the method's formulas, to proclaim the talismanic commands and open the path of deliverance for the dead, is the only way this makes sense in principle.

Upper Corpse Middle Corpse Lower Corpse Five Sufferings

First: Talisman of the Gate of Accumulated Color

Wondrous! The Origin Lord's primordial light shines upon the Purple Subtlety, its rays winding through and illuminating the Nine Gloomy Depths, so that the original nature awakens and the spirit ascends. The Dharma rain is abundant and bestows grace everywhere. (Another version reads "universally bestowing grace, with turbidity universally opened," though the meaning of this wording is not very clear.)

Jade Clarity Flowing Fire Talisman

The talismanic command of the Jade Clarity Registers informs the Numinous Official of the Household of Accumulated Color: by order, cut off the Gate of the Accumulated Color Heart on behalf of the deceased, so that he is spared the calamities of the bitter path of the Mount Tai hells. All matters are to be carried out in accordance with the talismanic command, and transmitted by the Wind and Fire Couriers.

Second: Talisman of the Gate of Accumulated Love

When yang qi rises, the deceased is freed from death and receives blessings and joy; when yin and yang unite, the deceased enters a realm of stillness that nonetheless holds life. Refining the spirits of the dead with fire, the Two Sovereigns' Numinous Seals (the sacred talismanic seals of the two sovereigns) enable them to attain the substance of immortals and to ascend in brilliant distinction.

Divine Birth Self-Transcendence

Jade Clarity Flowing Essence Talisman

Third: Talisman of the Gate of Bitter Form and Greed-Burden

The talisman text reads: Ala's light shines bright, Gautama mingles in the void; the Mysterious Scenery governs the gathering, illuminating the roads of Fengshan; in Longhan's Mysterious Heaven, the Brahmic breath is empty and still; do not wade into the ford of suffering, and let the malevolent cruelty be extinguished.

This is the Jade Clarity (Yuqing) Liujing Talisman. The Jade Clarity Numinous Treasure Talisman Decree has been transmitted downward, ordering the Numinous Officer to fly swiftly to the "Household of Greed-Burden." For the deceased person, it severs the distress that greed brings, sparing them the suffering of the hell of carrying sand and bearing stones and the hardships of the road. All is carried out according to the talisman decree and conveyed by the Wind-and-Fire Courier.

Fourth: Talisman of the Gate of Bitter Essence of Vainglory

The talisman text reads: Dispel the darkness and light the hidden gloom; the numinous radiance cuts off and drives along the scenery; the bitterness of vainglory in the nine hills turns into empty drift.

This is the Jade Clarity Liuxia Treasure Talisman.

The Jade Clarity Numinous Treasure Talisman Decree has been transmitted downward, ordering the Numinous Officer to fly swiftly to the "Household of Vainglory." For the deceased person, it severs the distress that vainglory brings, sparing them the suffering of the hell of filling rivers and draining channels and the hardships of the road. All is carried out according to the talisman decree and conveyed by the Wind-and-Fire Courier.

Fifth: Gate of the Bitter Soul of Bodily Burden

The talisman text reads: Blades from the eight directions no longer touch the body; the burden of the body is forever released from suffering. Glory and splendor are broken and perish; the pain of the three paths is cut off and extinguished.

This is the Jade Clarity Liuhui Treasure Talisman.

The Jade Clarity Treasure Talisman Decree has been transmitted downward, ordering the Numinous Officer to fly swiftly to the "Household of Bodily Burden." For the deceased person, it removes the distress that bodily burden brings, sparing them the suffering of the hells of swallowing fire, eating charcoal, and the punishment of the boiling cauldron, as well as the hardships of the road. All is carried out according to the talisman decree and conveyed by the Wind-and-Fire Courier.

Each of the above talismans is written on blue paper in cinnabar, the corners sealed, and burned one by one according to its category. Form the "Supreme Emperor Seal" (a Daoist hand seal), visualize oneself becoming the Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy, and then blow the breath upon the talisman.

While burning the talismans, recite the incantation, and after reciting, form the "Ti Seal" (a Daoist hand seal).

The incantation says: The Jade Clarity Treasure Talisman is the subtle chapter of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. It contains profound and mysterious images, is able to reach all the yang energies and turn yin into daylight, dispel obstructions, halt calamities, remove the five kinds of burdens, and carry the deceased in flight to the Southern Palace.

Huangren says: If a cultivator of the Real writes the talisman on yellow silk on a Gengshen day or a Jiazi day and wears it on the body, they can remove the Three Corpses and drive away the Five Sufferings. Later students should practice it with care, and in time they will have the chance to encounter the true Dao.

Eighth Difficulty: Iron Bed Talisman

The fu-ming (talismanic decrees) are talismanic documents that Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) masters use to deliver the dead. When they are recited, each decree petitions in turn for the deceased to be released from the corresponding hell, to be reborn in the human realm, and to receive the corresponding blessings. The closing phrase, "Zhun Lingbao Da Fa Lü Ling" (in accordance with the Great Lingbao Law), is the ritual formula used when issuing commands under the Lingbao teachings.

Iron Bed Talisman: The Lingbao talismanic decree delivers the deceased person so-and-so from the Iron Bed Hell, so that by this means they may be reborn in the human realm and often possess keen intelligence and wisdom. All is carried out in accordance with the commands of the Great Lingbao Law.

Knife Mountain Talisman: The Lingbao talismanic decree delivers the deceased person so-and-so from the Knife Mountain Hell, so that by this means they may be reborn in the human realm with a male body and forever stay far from the "five turbidities" (a summary term in the Buddhist and Daoist traditions for the defiled world). All is carried out in accordance with the commands of the Great Lingbao Law.

Copper Pillar Talisman: The Lingbao talismanic decree delivers the deceased person so-and-so from the Copper Pillar Hell, so that by this means they may be reborn in the human realm with a sound body, complete with the "ten marks" (the perfect physical features of a buddha). All is carried out in accordance with the commands of the Great Lingbao Law.

Cauldron of Boiling Water Talisman: The Lingbao talismanic decree delivers the deceased person so-and-so from the Cauldron of Boiling Water Hell, so that by this means they may be reborn in China as an elder of wealth and prosperity. All is carried out in accordance with the commands of the Great Lingbao Law.

Furnace of Charcoal Talisman: The Lingbao talismanic decree delivers the deceased person so-and-so from the Furnace of Charcoal Hell, so that by this means they may be reborn in the human realm in an age when a ruler of the Way governs the world. All is carried out in accordance with the commands of the Great Lingbao Law.

Iron Wheel Talisman: The Lingbao talismanic decree delivers the deceased person so-and-so from the Iron Wheel Hell, so that by this means they may be reborn in the human realm with a nature of loving kindness and benevolence. All is carried out in accordance with the commands of the Great Lingbao Law.

Sawing Talisman: The Lingbao talismanic decree delivers the deceased person so-and-so from the Sawing Hell, so that by this means they may be reborn in the human realm and live for a long time in an age of peace across all under heaven. All is carried out in accordance with the commands of the Great Lingbao Law.

Frozen Ice Talisman: The Lingbao talismanic decree delivers the deceased person so-and-so from the Frozen Ice Hell, so that by this means they may often encounter the "Three Treasures" (the Way, the scriptures, and the teachers, which Daoism honors) and ultimately attain the rank of an immortal. All is carried out in accordance with the commands of the Great Lingbao Law.

When writing the Talisman of the Eight Difficulties, the incantation recited is:

The Heavenly Venerable saves the lost multitudes of beings, releasing them from the Eight Difficulties (conditions that obstruct cultivation and make it hard to hear the true Dharma), and they rejoice in being reborn in the human realm. The five sufferings vanish all at once, and the cycle of birth and death in the Three Paths (the hells, the realm of hungry ghosts, and the realm of animals) is cut off forever. The Dharma's law shines everywhere, and its principles are profound and subtle. Nurture the infants through the pure and quiet Way. Through countless kalpas, it is never exhausted.

This talisman on the right is written in white characters on green paper, and the Supreme Deity Mudra (Shangdi Jue, one of the Daoist hand seals) is formed. Once it is written, it is sent in turn to each of the prison gates.

When the talisman is burned, the following incantation is recited:

"The Lingbao Jade Talisman (a talisman of the Lingbao Fa Men, or Lingbao Method) transcends the Eight Calamities (eight obstacles encountered on the path of cultivation), so that the suffering spirits in the dark netherworld may be released and reach the other shore. The Dao is profound and subtle, and the sunlight is radiant. May they be reborn among the living and utter sincere praise. All is carried out in accordance with the decrees of the Great Lingbao Method."

The Xuanshi (Mysterious Master) said: "As recorded in the Qingwei Baoge (Precious Standards of Qingwei), when one accumulates hidden merit and virtuous conduct, one can deliver one's ancestors; when yang virtue is manifest, blessings extend to oneself. Why not establish merit and rescue the beings in the Avici Hell (Wujian Diyu, the Uninterrupted Hell)? In this way, one will naturally receive the true Dao bestowed by the Heavenly Thearch. Rebellious ministers and unfilial sons will sink into perdition forever, but if they can rely on special grace, they may still be reborn as insects. After nine years, when all the heavens rejoice and celebrate, they may ride the clouds in broad daylight and audience with Yuqing (Jade Clarity), the immortal realm where the revered Daoist deities dwell.

What is meant by 'Wujian' refers to the spirits who suffer in the dim and obscure netherworld. The methods of examination and judgment in the netherworld each have their own rules, and they must be applied according to the particular circumstances. The four modes of birth in the world (womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born) and the six destinies of sentient beings revolve through life and death without rest. If one cannot transcend the three realms of life and death and enter the natural Dao, how can one dissolve the suffering of cyclic existence?

Even those who dwell in the remote lands of the Rong, Man, Yi, and Di peoples, where teaching cannot reach and the sun and moon do not shine, are all human beings, so long as they possess the three karmic activities of body, speech, and mind (body conduct, speech, and thought) and the six sense organs of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. They likewise fall under the jurisdiction of the North Heaven. The North Heaven has three palaces that govern the chief officials of the spirit bureaucracy. These are not the Three Officials of Qingling, Qinghua, and Ziqu. The three officials mentioned here are in charge of three kinds of examination and retribution: those whose bodily karma is heavy are examined by the Fire Official; those whose mental karma is heavy are examined by the Record Official; and those whose verbal karma is heavy are examined by the Water Official. If the six sense organs and three karmas are all grave, the case is handled by the Wind Blade.

At birth, the essential qi of the father and the blood of the mother condense into bone, nurture flesh and blood, and form the body. The fetus is nourished in the womb for ten months until the form is complete. Taiwei (the Supreme Tenuity, the celestial realm) sends down breath, and the person receives life. Innate disposition then takes shape, and the soul and consciousness begin to arise. Men hold the station of the Heavenly Honored One, and women are called Yuanjun (Primordial Lady). Yet because people create karma through their three karmic activities and are entangled by the six sense organs, when their allotted years are spent, the body returns to emptiness and they receive retribution according to their karma. The flesh sinks into the earth, and the spirit-soul is detained in the realm of ghosts. Unless the person died a violent death in a previous life, the Local Office Deity (Shelling) and the Lord of the Earth Officials (Dutu Zhu), who govern affairs of the local underworld, will detain the dead soul, keeping it imprisoned through the long night without any hope of release.

If one is repaying an unjust karmic debt, one is taken directly to the capital of ghosts. Even after passing through myriad kalpas, one may still fail to escape the cycle of rebirth. If sins are many and merits few, one must undergo the Five Sufferings before gradually gaining the opportunity to be reborn and enter a womb. If merits are many and sins few, after a period of trial one may receive the blessings of rebirth within the cycle. As for those whose sins and merits are both few……

Those who, at birth, are without merit and burdened with heavy karmic sins sink into ten thousand kalpas of suffering. If they are examined by the Officer of Fire, they endure such punishments as bronze pillars, iron beds, molten gold, furnace coals, fire moats, ash rivers, fiery carts, and cauldrons of boiling broth. If they are examined by the Officer of Water, they endure ice pools, frigid ponds, and poisonous filth and stench. If they are examined by the Registrar Officer, they endure golden hammers and iron staves. If they are examined by the Wind-Blade, they endure being butchered, sawn apart, struck by flying spears and halberds, having their tongues pulled out, being plowed under, lashed by thunder and fierce winds, cut by blades from all eight directions, having body and mind sliced apart, climbing mountains of knives and forests of swords, having their limbs dismembered, being bitten through flesh and bone by fire-hounds and poisonous snakes, and having their bones burned, their skin scorched, and their divine bodies reduced to ash and powder.

These retributions continue day and night, causing a person to die ten thousand deaths and be born ten thousand times. When the winds of karmic force scatter the one being punished, he or she is restored to the original form at the proper time. Those whose sins are lighter may be reborn once their suffering ends, but they often lose the chance to be human again. Some are reborn many times as lowly people or are born with deformed appearances. Others are born in the distant lands of the Rong, Di, Yi, and Man peoples. Those whose sins are heavy but whose karma is light may be reborn as one of the six domestic animals, and only after ten or five generations of such existence do they re-enter the human realm.

When sins are grave, the spirit and soul, after enduring the punishment of the Wind-Blade, scatter and drift apart. They then take on the forms of living things born from wombs, eggs, moisture, or transformation, and are reborn as tiny insects, permanently losing the chance to regain a human body.

Some people have few sins but commit offenses of great severity. After enduring the Three Paths and Five Sufferings, they enter the realm of hungry ghosts. During the calamities of that realm, they are confined and become ghosts who suffer through the long night. They carry sand, bear stone, draw water from the deep sea, and are driven to serve as thunder and lightning. Although they may later be reborn into the ghost realm, they must bear ugly retributions and remain in dim obscurity for a hundred million kalpas. For this reason, the Records of Fengdu by Master Xinxuan speaks of a kind of ghost born from the womb, referring to exactly this condition.

Even while living among people, if one's every movement and action creates sin, then one's will, desires, and attachments all become roots of karma. Those who cultivate good and create good karma attract corresponding rewards through that good karma. Those who do evil and create evil karma attract corresponding retributions through that evil karma. Once a person loses the human body, he or she may fall into the conditions described above. As for the situation described by the Northern Emperor of Fengdu, who says that his own prior fate was unfortunate and that he holds an office in the netherworld where he must endure a hundred million kalpas without ever seeing the light, how much more so must it be for the ghosts and sinful souls in the lower ranks?

Therefore, to follow the compassionate teachings of Taishang (the supreme deity, a Daoist honorific for the highest divine being) and to explain these causes and conditions is meant to let Daoist adepts see the workings of karmic retribution, understand Taishang's compassionate heart, give rise to the wisdom of compassion, practice the gate of compassion, attain the wondrous Way of compassion, and enable the suffering spirits of the dead to receive the grace of compassion. Is this not a cause for rejoicing? Therefore, the Patriarch arose to rescue from suffering and deliver...

There are countless methods of spiritual cultivation. All are boats and oars that help people cross the sea of suffering, and paths leading to the realization of the true Dao (the Way). Everyone who studies the Dao and gives rise to such compassion should approach it with care and reverence, never becoming lax or disrespectful.

The Great Method of the Upper Scripture of the Limitless Salvation of People, of the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao), juan 51