《慈尊昇度寶懺》

The Compassionate Lord's Rite of Ascension and Salvation: A Vernacular Interpretation

This is a Daoist ritual liturgy for the salvation of departed souls. The presiding priest (referring to himself as "your servant") offers incense and addresses the divine:

First, reverence is paid to the Three Supreme Treasures of Daoism:

1. The Treasure of the Dao—the highest "Three Pure Ones" (Sanqing, namely Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, and Celestial Worthy of Dao and Virtue).

2. The Treasure of the Scriptures—the thirty-six revered sacred texts.

3. The Treasure of the Masters—the Great Master of Mysterious Centrality (referring to the founding patriarchs of Daoism) and the Celestial Worthy of Supreme Oneness Who Saves from Suffering (a deity specifically devoted to alleviating suffering) from the Palace of the Eastern Extremity.

Next, multiple savior deities are invoked:

The Divine Emperor of Azure Mystery, the Celestial Worthy Who Extracts from the Nine Darknesses, the Celestial Worthy of Salvation from the Ten Directions, and other perfected beings, as well as the messenger officials responsible for delivering petitions and the local earth gods—all are invited to receive the incense offerings.

The priest clarifies the purpose of the ritual:

It is said that the Three Pure Ones extend boundless compassion throughout the Three Realms (the Three Caverns), and the Celestial Worthies of the Ten Directions universally relieve suffering. Today, on behalf of the deceased (name), this ritual follows the liturgy of the Nine Grades of Rebirth (a Daoist hierarchy of salvation), offering repentance before the Ten Celestial Worthies to absolve the accumulated sins of countless lifetimes.

Preparations for the Ritual:

Within the properly arranged ritual space, precious incense is lit, and the ceremony of repentance is conducted with reverence toward the divine. First, there is the taking of refuge in the Limitless Great Dao (the supreme truth of Daoism), followed by praises for the Three Refuges (refuge in the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters).

On the Offering of Incense:

The incense originates from rare trees of immortal mountains, capable of illuminating the radiance of Dao and Virtue (De) and gathering the auspicious energies of heaven and earth. As the incense burner is opened, may this single petal of heartfelt fragrance reach the celestial realms of the Ten Directions, inviting the Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering to descend and liberate the departed soul.

On the Offering of Flowers:

These celestial blossoms come from the paradisiacal gardens of Langyuan (a legendary abode of immortals). They form buds upon the spiritual altar, blooming into five divine branches (symbolizing the completeness of the Five Phases). With these pure flowers, utmost sincerity is expressed.

This passage from the Daoist ritual text Compassionate Lord's Ascension and Salvation Precious Repentance (Cizun Shengdu Baochan) describes a ceremony for guiding deceased souls. Here's a modern interpretation:

[Scene Setting]

Ten-zhang tall osmanthus flowers bloom with fragrance, their petals drifting around the altar, lightly swirling in the air. Solemn ritual implements fill the Ten Directions (representing the entire cosmos), as devotees reverently gather to make offerings.

[Objects of Veneration]

"Most Exalted Lord of Precious Blossoms and Pure Adornment" (Baohua Yanjing Tianzun): This celestial honored one (a highest-ranking Daoist deity) uses jewel-like flowers to solemnly purify the ritual space. The celestial fragrances and wondrous scenes remain eternally present, while resplendent offerings express utmost sincerity, beseeching the Three Pure Ones (Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing—the supreme triad of deities) to witness the salvation of departed souls.

[Water Purification Ritual]

The water-drawing carries profound symbolism: clear water is drawn from the Eastern Well (referring to the Well constellation among the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, representing the source of water) and sprinkled throughout the Ten Directions. Though the ritual appears simple, its value lies in sincere devotion. The assembly gathers to devoutly offer to the "Most Exalted Lord of Flowing Sweet Dew" (Ganlu Liutong Tianzun), who governs ritual waters. From the tranquil Jade Sea (a sacred water vessel), numinous waves pour forth—vast, crystalline holy water moistening all things. They beseech the celestial honored ones of the Ten Directions to witness this grace, that departed souls may escape the underworld ("freeing them from the Net" signifies liberation from hell).

[Praise of the Savior from Suffering]

The Savior from Suffering (Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, a deity specializing in saving departed souls) spreads his majestic virtue throughout the cosmos, constantly using his great awe-inspiring divine power to deliver beings from confusion. Just as the blind cannot see the sun and moon, sentient beings often remain unaware they are being saved. From the realm of Supreme Non-Being (the origin of the Dao), this celestial honored one guides immeasurable multitudes. Auspicious clouds open the gate of life, while propitious smoke seals the door of death (symbolizing the salvation ritual). Through the resonance of Primordial Beginning Qi (the primal energy of creation), he responds to karmic connections—delivering all from sin, transcending all calamities—so departed souls may return pure and natural to the immortal source.

[Repentance Section]

Now, facing the Precious Radiance (the sacred light of the celestial honored ones) and contemplating the Jade Countenance (the divine image), we repent on behalf of the departed souls—cleansing their sins in life and dissolving their karmic obstructions after death. With utmost sincerity, the assembly pays homage to fifteen celestial honored ones, including:

1. The Most Exalted Primordial Beginning of the Great Canopy (head of the Three Pure Ones)

2. The Numinous Treasure of the Jade Capital (one of the Three Pure Ones)

3. The Most Exalted Lord of Chaotic Origin and Virtue (i.e., Laozi)

4. The Savior from Suffering of Supreme Unity

5. The Most Exalted Deliverer from Crimes in the Nine Darknesses (savior deity of hell)

...concluding with special veneration for the "Greatly Compassionate and Merciful Savior from Suffering True One" (an incarnation of Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun).

This passage fully demonstrates the Daoist salvation ritual's process: creating sacred space, fetching water to purify the altar, praising divine majesty, repenting sins, and venerating multiple deities. At its core, through sacred liturgy and the power of the celestial honored ones, it helps departed souls transcend suffering.

This passage forms the core content of the Daoist scripture The Precious Repentance Ritual of the Merciful Lord's Salvation, used for guiding departed souls. It consists of three main sections:

First, Daoist priests devoutly prostrate before the "Greatly Merciful and Compassionate Sage of Boundless Grace," repenting on behalf of the deceased to the Three Pure Ones (Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun) and the Ten Directions' Saviors of Suffering. They seek divine forgiveness for the deceased's worldly transgressions committed through the Six Roots (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) contaminated by earthly desires, hoping the celestial golden edicts will deliver the departed soul.

The "Pacing the Void" section follows, where priests express concern that while the deceased's physical form has perished, their karmic burdens remain. They again pay homage to sixteen celestial deities (including the Savior of Suffering, Redeemer from Sin, and others), repenting the deceased's transgressions through sacred covenants to plant seeds of liberation. Each deity represents distinct salvific functions—relieving suffering, absolving sins, guiding transcendence, etc.

The ritual concludes by repeating the initial repentance ceremony, with priests in profound spiritual devotion surrendering to Daoism's supreme deities, beseeching their boundless grace. Through cyclical prostrations and repentance, the ritual constructs a complete salvation framework embodying the Daoist concept of "eradicating sins to dispel calamities." Here, the "Three Pure Ones" represent Daoism's highest deities, the "Ten Directions" symbolize cosmic totality, while the "Six Roots" reflect Buddhist concepts assimilated into Daoist practice.

This scripture contains the content of a Daoist ritual for the salvation of deceased souls, primarily divided into three sections:

The first section is the repentance text, where Daoist priests burn incense and offer worship to confess the deceased's transgressions during their lifetime. The text describes how the deceased, from birth to death, accumulated greed and delusions through emotions like joy, anger, love, and hatred, as well as unintentional wrongdoings, beseeching the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) for forgiveness. It prays for divine mercy to pervade the ten directions of the universe, eradicating the roots of sin so the departed soul may swiftly escape the Nine Nether Hells (the nine-layered subterranean realm where Daoism believes souls may fall after death) and attain a blissful paradise.

The second section is the "Pacing the Void" (Buxu) segment, where priests further supplicate for the elimination of the deceased's "Three Karmas" (shenye—physical misdeeds; kouye—verbal transgressions; yiyie—mental offenses). They pray for the departed soul to recognize the illusory nature of these karmic burdens, purifying sins like melting snow while nurturing virtuous roots. This portion includes reverent homage to fifteen Celestial Worthies (such as Yuanshi Tianzun and Lingbao Tianzun, the highest deities in Daoism).

The conclusion is the repentance through refuge, where priests kneel to invoke the blessings of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing: Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing—Daoism's supreme triad) and the Ten Directions' Saviors of Suffering. They seek the salvation of the deceased through today's penitential rites. The entire ceremony embodies the Daoist religious principle of redeeming souls through repentance and divine veneration.

This scripture is a ritual text from Daoism's Compassionate Lord's Ascension and Salvation Precious Repentance (Cizun Shengdu Baochan), used for guiding departed souls. It describes how paying homage to the Savior from Suffering Celestial Worthy (Jiuku Tianzun) can eliminate karmic obstacles and liberate the deceased:

From birth to death, human souls often deceive with words, harm living beings, and create endless verbal karma through sweet but false speech. Now we sincerely beseech the Three Treasures (the Dao, the Scriptures, and the Master) to absolve these transgressions, purify the karmic defilements of body, speech, and mind, and through the divine power of the Ten Directions' Celestial Worthies, eternally escape the darkness of the Nine Nether Hells.

The Ten Directions Savior from Suffering Celestial Worthy manifests throughout all realms to universally deliver beings. We particularly supplicate the Great Compassionate Benevolent One (Taiji Jiuku Tianzun) dwelling in the Eastern Extremity's Wondrous Strict Palace, who vowed to save beings throughout measureless kalpas. Merely by invoking his sacred name, visualizing his compassionate countenance, and continuously reciting, one can transcend suffering, ascend to celestial bliss, transform hell's seas of fire into cooling grounds, and turn mountains of swords into auspicious forests.

All chant together the Qinghua Sacred Name (Taiji Jiuku Tianzun's honorific title), using the scripture's miraculous power to guide departed souls. Now these precious scriptural sounds pervade the ten directions—may the Golden Lad and Jade Maiden (attendant deities in Daoism) carry these fragrant offerings and sacred texts to the celestial courts, enabling the deceased to have karmic obstructions removed and blessings bestowed. May all departed souls and living beings receive this grace, escape the Three Paths of suffering (hell realms, hungry ghosts, and animal rebirth), board the ferry of salvation, and reach the sacred realms of the Three Pure Ones (Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing).

Finally, we again pay homage to the supreme Three Treasures, dedicating these merits for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Note: This represents a typical repentance text in Daoist salvation rituals. By extolling Taiji Jiuku Tianzun's majestic spiritual power and confessing transgressions, it assists departed souls in ascending to celestial realms. References to "Nine Darknesses" and "Three Paths" denote hell realms, while the "ferry of six crossings" metaphorically represents the vessel of salvation.