《太上洞淵神咒經》Vol. 1

(This scripture passage is from the first volume "Chapter of Oath to Subdue Demons" in the Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing [Scripture of the Divine Spells from the Abyss by the Most High], which records the dialogue between the Supreme Dao Lord [the highest deity in Daoism] and Perfected Beings from the lower world, along with divine miracles of subduing demons and delivering salvation.)

The Supreme Dao Lord spoke: "In the past, I expounded countless scriptures for all beings above the Three Heavens [in Daoism referring to the Qingwei Heaven, Yuqing Heaven, and Dachi Heaven]. At that time, Perfected Beings from the lower world, such as Wei Mingluo, led 490,000 celestial beings to the heavenly realm to listen. All were at peace in body and mind. After paying reverent homage, Wei Mingluo and others inquired: 'Is it difficult to teach and transform sentient beings? We disciples wish to understand the true conditions of the lower world.'"

The Supreme Dao Lord asked: "Have you come from Jambudvīpa [the human world]?" Receiving an affirmative reply, he continued: "Are there still people in the world who uphold the Dao's teachings and cultivate immortality?" Wei Mingluo answered: "Most people commit evil deeds and do not believe in the Dao. They only hear the wailing of funerals, not celestial music. The impurity of human hearts has obscured the Teachings of the Three Caverns [Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen scriptures]. Calamities arise frequently—wars, plagues, and demonic infestations run rampant. The virtuous suffer harm, every household faces continuous disasters, beings slaughter one another and create their own afflictions. Ignorant and suffering, they know not how to seek liberation."

Hearing this, the Supreme Dao Lord addressed the celestial beings: "Sentient beings, in their folly, fail to recognize the Dao's teachings. They commit evil against one another and slander the truth. Even though the Three Caverns' True Scriptures circulate in the world, none cultivate them. It is as if the blind stand before the sun and moon yet see no light." Thereupon, he led eight hundred trillion celestial beings and jade maidens to descend and deliver salvation.

Passing by Mount Yujing [a Daoist sacred mountain], they beheld a miraculous peach tree: three hundred and ninety billion miles tall, its branches and leaves covering lands in all directions. This tree blooms once every 4.9 billion years and bears fruit once every eight billion years. When ripe, the fruits are as large as cartwheels. Eating just one grants freedom from hunger for three thousand years, and demons perish at the mere sight of the tree. The celestial beings broke off peach branches to eradicate pestilential spirits.

Finally, the Supreme Dao Lord proclaimed: "From the years of Xinsi and Renwu onward, demonic soldiers will run wild, and demon kings will spread poisonous miasmas causing plagues. Now I have dispatched 4.9 billion celestial officials to guard the Thirty-Six Heavens [Daoism's division of celestial realms]. Heavenly troops and generals are mobilized to subdue demons and evil spirits."

The Demon Kings descended to the mortal realm and jointly made this solemn vow: From this day forward, if common people suffer wrongful deaths, sudden illnesses, or imprisonment, it shall be because we Demon Kings failed to restrain our subordinate spirits, allowing them to harm the virtuous. Henceforth, any violation of the golden decree of the Supreme Lord Lao (the highest deity in Daoism) that brings calamities—such as plagues, wars, or unjust imprisonment—upon the mortal world shall be the fault of the Demon Kings, who will bear the full weight of punishment without mercy.

Thereupon, the Supreme Lord Lao dispatched the Envoys of the Ten Directions, 490,000 celestial maidens, and 30 million Great Brahma Heaven Kings to summon all Demon Kings from the Thirty-Six Heavens, along with eight billion lesser ghost kings and their households. With the Mysterious Maiden (the warrior goddess), Magu (the immortal maiden), and the Queen Consort—along with 360 million perfected immortals—serving as witnesses, the Demon Kings submitted one after another. Each dispatched their demon princes and mighty guardians to patrol the mortal world and protect the people, fearing the wrath of the Supreme Lord Lao. The celestial host of the Nine Heavens, the great demon kings of the celestial realm, and their consorts and attendants all bowed three times before the Supreme Lord Lao, pledging obedience to his teachings.

The scripture records: From the era of Fuxi to the end of the Han dynasty, people lived in peace but mostly disregarded the Daoist teachings, knowing only to follow the course of nature. At that time, malevolent spirits were ignorant of the Daoist scriptures. Later, as fewer and fewer people revered these texts, by the chaotic twilight of the Jin dynasty, human hearts had grown corrupted, and the people suffered endless calamities. Only after the Eastern Jin established its capital south of the Yangtze (Jiangzuo) did the Way of Heaven and the Way of Humanity converge, allowing Daoist teachings to flourish. Though the era of tribulation approached, those with deep karmic merit still encountered the Three Treasures of True Scriptures—such as the Shangqing Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) and the Taisu Lingbao Jing (Numinous Treasure Scripture of Primal Simplicity). These fortunate ones, having accumulated virtue in past lives, were able to hear these sacred texts in their present existence and thus cross the floodwaters of the Three Rivers and other calamities.

Whether emperors, generals, commoners, or servants—all who revere these scriptures and receive Daoist registers (certificates of practice) shall have their names inscribed in the immortal rolls, spared from untimely death. This divine incantation scripture was spoken by the Supreme Lord Lao in the Palace of Mysterious Radiance, with the Great Demons of the Nine Heavens, the hordes of rakshasa ghosts, and their 800 million attendants in attendance.

The assembly gathered in reverence, kneeling with palms pressed together in devotion as they attentively prostrated before the Heavenly Venerable. He then expounded the sacred scriptures documenting the path to immortality, after which all present experienced wondrous transformations within their bodies.

The Heavenly Venerable admonished the assembly to listen carefully as he revealed the signs of the approaching kalpa's end: Three thousand years after the era of Fu Xi, great floods would submerge the land, claiming over half the population. After thirty-six more years, civil unrest would erupt, with people slaughtering one another until the Zhou and Qin dynasties' collapse left the populace nearly extinct. By the late Han-Wei period, displaced refugees would perish in droves. When the fifth-generation descendant of the Liu clan inherited the ancestral mandate, turmoil would engulf the four directions, rendering the people restless under persecution by the Six Barbarian Tribes, who would drive multitudes fleeing south of the Yangtze while Central Plains refugees sought shelter near the Huaihai region. Only by the jiawu year (the 31st of the 60-year cycle) could people return to the heartland, with Chang'an restored as the capital and prosperity returning to the Qin River valley as the Six Barbarians retreated to mountain forests in submission. Then the Dao's teachings would flourish again, and the prophesied savior "Li Hong" (cryptically referenced as "Wood-Child-Bow-Mouth") would manifest.

The Heavenly Venerable warned of the imminent great kalpa when rulers would govern without virtue, making people lament as wind and rain turned unseasonal and harvests failed. Malice would fill hearts, breeding rebellion where fathers and sons, brothers plotted against kin, destroying lineages. Amid rampant resentment and violence, innocents would perish miserably. Ninety pestilences would stalk this era, specifically targeting the wicked. Among them were red-headed demonic executioners—ghost kings ten thousand zhang tall commanding 3.6 billion killer spirits who roamed the human realm with crimson staves to claim lives. These specters released pestilential qi in five hues: cyan bringing sudden death, red causing swelling, yellow inducing flux, white summoning cholera, and black heralding legal calamities—all designed to slay the ignorant.

Only Dao cultivators and ritual masters chanting this divine incantation scripture would gain protection from nine billion guardian deities, divine warriors, and celestial troops. Sincere devotees practicing this text would find ailments vanishing and calamities averted. Even when enemy armies invaded neighboring states, reciting this scripture would make adversaries retreat spontaneously. Hearing the Most High Lord Dao expound this sutra, the assembly stood awestruck, performing triple prostrations as they vowed to uphold its teachings.

The Heavenly Venerable concluded: When the kalpa descends, though most commit evil, there will remain those who keep faith with the true Dao and recite the sacred texts.

These celestial beings descending to the mortal realm are all realized immortals from the heavenly realms, not ignorant worldly people. The Great Sage (referring to the supreme Daoist deities), observing the chaos and impurity of the human world, specifically dispatched these celestial beings to be reborn in the Central Plains to help enlighten humanity. Whether emperors, ministers, nobility, or common officials and soldiers—even those of humble status—if they wholeheartedly devote themselves to the Great Dao (Dadao) and sincerely practice the scriptures upon hearing them, will be guided by immortals.

Those who hear this scripture yet refuse to accept and recite it reveal their past lives as beings from the animal realm, having no karmic connection with the sacred texts. Such individuals will face calamities of great floods, devoured by fish and turtles, sinking into the mire with little chance of survival.

The Daoist Patriarch (referring to Lord Lao, Taishang Laojun) proclaims: Henceforth, any man or woman who hears this scripture and recites it with sincere devotion—regardless of social status—will receive blessings across lifetimes by copying and reverently preserving the text. They shall gain official success, recovery from illness, and fulfillment of wishes. For all who uphold this scripture, the Great Demons of the Three Heavens, the Great Demons of the Nine Heavens, the Thirty-Six Demon Lords, and the Ten Directional Ghost Kings who command 380,000 spectral troops will receive celestial decrees forbidding them to harm the scripture-bearers.

When priests bearing this scripture come to heal men or women suffering from illness or calamity, all ghost kings must restrain their subordinates from causing disturbances. They must reconcile grievances and jealousies between the patient's household deities and ancestral spirits, ensuring recovery and resolution of legal troubles, with 360,000 divine beings guarding the afflicted. Should any ghost king disobey, they will suffer the punitive curses of the Daoist Patriarch.

The Daoist Patriarch sternly declares: If henceforth anyone recites this scripture during illness, litigation, imprisonment, or other sufferings yet receives no protection, it must be due to dereliction by the ghost kings. For lesser demons, lacking faith in the orthodox teachings, indulge their malicious hearts. Each cardinal direction—east, west, south, and north—has 300 million guardian deities. Should any ghost king permit their underlings to harm scripture-bearers, priests, or their families, bringing calamity upon them, those ghost kings shall be torn asunder without mercy. This decree is to be executed immediately—as urgent as the law commands (a standard Daoist command phrase indicating immediate enforcement).

The Daoist Patriarch's final warning: The Great Evil Kings of the Three Heavens command 480,000 evil minions specializing in spreading plagues (the "crimson seed" signifies bloodshed disasters), but those who recite this scripture shall be exempt.

This scripture describes six Great Evil Kings (malevolent ghost rulers) and their ghostly armies wreaking havoc in the human realm. These demonic kings bring forth swollen afflictions of different colors—white swellings, black swellings, yellow swellings, green swellings—causing people's bodies to exhibit unnatural hues of blue, red, yellow, white, and black. Victims suffer from alternating chills and fever, swollen limbs, loss of appetite, and mental confusion. These ailments result from karmic retribution due to past misdeeds and disbelief in the Great Dao (the Way), and may also trigger legal troubles or imprisonment.

The text explains that these Evil Kings lacked virtuous rewards in their past lives and accumulated sins by rejecting the true path. Now they specialize in spreading malaria-like diseases, driving people to madness with delirious speech, wailing, and violent fights—even disturbing minds to cause wrongful imprisonments. However, those who faithfully uphold and wear this scripture shall receive protection from these entities, who must cease their harmful acts. Wherever this scripture circulates, ghostly soldiers must retreat, while benevolent spirits will offer guardianship. Should any Evil King dare harm a scripture-bearer, they will be cast into abysses, subjected to fire and water, or torn limb from limb.

The scripture concludes with a grave warning: the Great Calamity approaches, with plagues spreading rampantly. Daoist priests must diligently enlighten the ignorant, helping them hear and embrace this sacred text. When catastrophic floods arrive, those who uphold this scripture will be met by Nine Dragons (jiulong, water-governing deities in Daoism) and spared from disaster. The so-called "Three Catastrophes" refer to floods, conflagrations, and warfare—all destined to befall those who remain unrepentant and reject the scripture.

(Note: "Evil Kings" refers to plague-governing ghost rulers in Daoist belief; "scripture covenant" denotes sacred textual contracts; "Nine Dragons" are Daoist water deities.)

The Scripture of the Divine Spells from the Most High Dongyuan (Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing) possesses formidable power to exorcise evil, capable of annihilating all malevolent spirits and demons so they dare not approach those who venerate this scripture. When enshrined in a household, no other protective talismans (fulu) are needed—the scripture itself contains the boundless presence of immortals, jade maidens (yunü), celestial deities, and dragon spirits who stand guard day and night.

Those suffering from chronic illness, misfortune, or persistent difficulties need only uphold this scripture with sincere devotion to dispel all calamities. The text records that even demon kings and wicked rulers, leaders of the ghostly realms, repented upon hearing the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) recite the divine spells. They lamented their past deeds of opposing the righteous Dao and vowed to reform, pledging to protect practitioners. They swore: if any evil spirit dares harass a Daoist who holds this scripture, it will be utterly destroyed; whenever ordinary people recite the scripture due to illness or legal troubles, these former demons will assist and bless them. But should they break their oath and harm a devotee, they will be torn apart and meet a wretched end.

The scripture prophesies that when the great calamity arrives, floods will sweep across the Central Plains, wiping out nearly all people—only Daoists who uphold this text will be escorted by nine dragons and guarded by celestial soldiers. In this age of the Five Turbidities (wuzhuo, a Buddhist term denoting moral decline), officials will be tyrannical, the people destitute, celestial phenomena erratic, and famine rampant. The wise should swiftly transcribe the scripture, storing it carefully in bamboo cases or five-colored silk pouches. Even the illiterate may commission a copy to enshrine in a purified chamber, ensuring evil spirits submit and stay far away.

The merits of upholding this scripture are vast: a single devotee safeguards an entire household, while recitation disperses spectral soldiers and resolves legal disputes. Whether afflicted by unexplained illness, lawsuits, slander, or persistent misfortune, sincere faith in this scripture transforms danger into safety. Not even demon kings and malevolent forces dare harm those who hold it.

The Scripture of the Divine Incantations of the Most High Cavern Abyss (Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing) primarily describes how Daoist deities punish the malevolent ghosts and evil spirits of this world, as well as the merits gained from devotion to this scripture.

The text first warns unruly ghosts and demons: if any spirits disobey the scripture’s admonitions, arrogantly exalting themselves, or if mountain and forest demons, vengeful ghosts of war, and other malign entities assist evil forces in causing harm—bringing illness to people and leading them away from the true Dharma—then the Ten Directions’ Execution Deities will capture and annihilate them. Should these ghosts persist in harming humanity, the Ghost Kings and Demon Kings will tear them to pieces without mercy.

The scripture then explains: because human morality has decayed and fewer people uphold the true Dharma, a great flood is imminent, and many will perish. The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun, the supreme deity of Daoism), moved by compassion, has opened a path for future beings in the Mystic Radiance Palace (Xuanjing Gong) and the Ninefold Chamber (Jiuhe Shi), transmitting the Dao’s teachings to help them escape the Three Calamities and Nine Disasters (Sanjiu Jiu’e), transcend the Eight Perils (Banàn), and attain the opportunity for ascension to immortality. The Celestial Worthy commands the Demon Kings to protect the people, using incantations to suppress evil spirits. Wherever this scripture is recited, blessings will manifest; those in later generations who revere this scripture and honor their masters will also ascend to immortality.

The scripture further prophesies: five generations later, Liu Zizuo will govern the world, preserving the foundation of the immortal Dao. In this era, many will encounter the Three Treasures (Sanbao: the Dao, the scriptures, and the master), for each generation will have virtuous individuals who awaken to the Dao-mind. Countless recluses will dwell in the mountains and forests, and when the great kalpa nears its end, seven or eight out of ten will receive this scripture. As the Three Calamities approach, only those Daoist priests with karmic affinity will devote themselves to the Most High (Taishang, i.e., the Celestial Worthy), weeping for sentient beings. Believers will be welcomed by a chariot drawn by nine dragons, while nonbelievers will face the calamities of the Mengjin Three Rivers. At that time, three hundred million people will come to receive this scripture.

Finally, the scripture states: those who uphold and cultivate these twenty volumes will find all illnesses cured, their official careers prosperous, their wishes fulfilled, and they will even behold the future True Lord (Zhenjun, a perfected sage). The True Lord’s arrival is not far off—after the disasters of the Jiashen year bring chaos to the world, heaven and earth will be renewed, and the True Lord will descend. Then, sages, immortals, and devotees of this scripture will gather to assist the True Lord in delivering salvation to all directions.

This scripture depicts an ideal world ruled by the "True Lord" (Zhenjun), a divine sovereign who governs the world under the symbolic title "Mu Zi Gong Kou Wang" (possibly representing esoteric insignia). During his reign, crops would yield nine harvests annually, human lifespans would extend to three thousand years, and perfect harmony would prevail between heaven and earth, with the sun and moon shining brighter than usual.

The text emphasizes that those who received this scripture in past or present lives will come to assist the True Lord. Wise Daoist priests should guide ordinary people to embrace this scripture, which can eliminate plagues, dispel malevolent spirits, and fulfill all aspirations. Merely by faithfully upholding this scripture, even demon kings would assist in educating sentient beings, preventing any calamities from befalling devotees.

It specifically mentions that ordained male and female Daoists destined for immortality who encounter this scripture, along with those possessing corresponding blessings and longevity, may behold the True Lord. The scripture possesses divine power to awaken consciousness. During the True Lord's governance, he rules through Wuwei (non-action), eliminating wars and prisons. Under sagely rule, people enjoy prosperity and contentment without greed for wealth, while domestic animals transform into auspicious creatures like phoenixes, white cranes, qilin, and lions.

In this era, Daoist priests serve as ministers, with both men and women maintaining perfect chastity, free from lustful thoughts. People attain magnificent stature (ordinary citizens reaching thirteen feet tall, the True Lord sixteen feet), dignified appearances, radiant complexions, with no ugliness to be found—their beauty becoming endlessly captivating.

When the assembled crowd heard the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) describe this blissful vision of the True Lord's reign, they were filled with joy. Rising together, they performed the triple obeisance, pledging to devoutly uphold this sacred scripture.