《太上慈悲道場消災九幽懺》Vol. 4

This scripture is the fourth section of the fourth volume of the Daoist classic Taishang Cibei Daochang Xiaozai Jiuyou Chan (The Most High’s Compassionate Liturgy for Dispelling Calamities in the Nine Darknesses), compiled and edited by the Left Immortal Lord of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), Ge Xuan (a renowned Daoist master of the Three Kingdoms period). It primarily explains how to eradicate karmic obstacles arising from anger.

The text begins by pointing out that all anger among sentient beings stems from stubborn self-attachment. Anger is like fire meeting wind—the wind may fan the flames into a fierce blaze, but it will naturally extinguish itself soon enough. Yet people fail to grasp this truth, persistently giving rise to all kinds of anger due to ignorance and obstinacy.

The scripture enumerates twenty common manifestations of anger:

Some grow angry because they crave external things, deluded by the six senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) and the six dusts (forms, sounds, scents, flavors, touch, and mental objects). Others lack sincere faith in the Great Dao of the Celestial Worthy (Tianshi), indulging only in empty talk. Some resent heaven and earth, cursing the changes of seasons, ungrateful for the nurturing grace of the cosmos. Others rage at the sun, moon, and stars, exposing their bodies disrespectfully and complaining that their movements are too fast or too slow. Some slander scriptures as false words, refusing to study them yet presuming to criticize. Others show no filial piety to their parents, forgetting the debt of their upbringing. Some treat siblings with indifference, regarding them as strangers. Others lack kindness toward their families, neither revering elders nor showing benevolence to juniors. Some practice fasting and precepts without sincerity, repeatedly violating the rules. Others harbor resentment toward rulers, nurturing rebellious thoughts. Some reject good advice while spreading harmful words that distort truth. Others disrespect Daoist temples (gongguan), slandering them wantonly. Some neglect to honor ancestors or perform salvation rites for the deceased. Others reject true deities, instead clinging to superstitious sorcery. Some fail to respect the elderly, even calling it retribution. Others show no compassion for prisoners, imposing harsher punishments. Some oppress the poor and lowly, indifferent to their hunger and cold. Others abuse animals merely to satisfy their appetites. Some mistreat servants, devoid of empathy.

The scripture reminds us that whether or not we have already committed these sins of anger—regardless of kinship, gender, or status—we must remain vigilant against these easily arising flames of wrath.

When anger and resentment arise in one's heart—whether in a practitioner or an ordinary person—it is like fire sprouting from wood. Once this wrath ignites, sin accumulates endlessly, becoming the gravest of transgressions. Such offenses trap the souls of ancestors in the dark underworld, unable to find liberation.

The compassionate deities (Daoist revered beings), witnessing sentient beings act recklessly in anger, are moved by pity. Thus, they offer this admonition in verse: Listen carefully, all devotees—whether men or women—and reflect deeply. Before the Celestial Venerables (Tianshi), before kings and parents, within the sacred space of scripture recitation, or in the presence of Dharma-teaching masters, never give rise to anger. When encountering monastics, virtuous sages, those who give alms to the poor, prisoners, travelers, the destitute, the sick, or orphans, harboring rage against them is like fire from wood turning back to burn oneself. Only by relinquishing stubborn thoughts can one comprehend the Dao (the Way) that transcends ordinary understanding.

The deities further reveal: Those who commit sins in anger will suffer strange illnesses, strokes, or demonic afflictions in this life. After death, they will endure the Eight Cold and Eight Hot Hells (Daoist realms of extreme suffering), followed by torment in the Needle-Point Hell (a realm of piercing thorns) for countless eons. Then they will be reborn as frogs, pufferfish, or other aquatic creatures. Even if they regain human form, they will be dull-witted and ugly. Without repentance, they will remain forever lost.

For those still unawakened, the deities reiterate in verse: Those who live in constant anger, nursing malice, carry hearts weighed down by oppression. They seethe with resentment toward men and women, young and old, even livestock and servants. Such people spend their days clutching blades and clubs, eager to harm others, their minds consumed by fury, never knowing joy. After death, they will fall into the freezing and scorching hells, their bodies impaled by needles—piercing hearts, livers, gallbladders, and intestines—blood flowing ceaselessly. In their next life, they may become frogs, staring dumbly, unable to speak, or pufferfish floating on water, torn apart by eagles. Even if they somehow return as humans, they will be foolish, hideous, and foul-mouthed, despised by all.

Today, all devotees gathered for this disaster-dispelling ritual (Zhaijiao) should contemplate these teachings. The karmic retribution for such sins is profound. Now, with sincere repentance, may we all attain liberation together. The presiding confessor (the ritual master) bows reverently, prostrating fully to this liturgy (Keyi), humbly listening and paying homage to the compassionate deities.

This scripture is a Daoist repentance liturgy (Zhaijiao) for dispelling misfortunes and seeking blessings. Its core content involves reverent prostrations to various Celestial Worthies (Tianshi) and Perfected Ones (Zhenren) while praying for the elimination of karmic transgressions. It begins by enumerating over twenty honorific titles of these divine beings—each governing specific domains—such as the "Celestial Worthy Who Hears Cries and Relieves Suffering" dedicated to listening to mortal afflictions, the "Celestial Worthy of Longevity and Life Preservation" overseeing health and longevity, and the supremely important "Great Unity Celestial Worthy of Salvation" specializing in redeeming departed souls.

The text then transitions to supplications, entreating all Celestial Worthies, Perfected Ones, immortal assemblies, and divine attendants of the southwest direction—along with all sacred beings throughout the ten directions—to radiate their compassionate light upon the penitent. The confessor acknowledges the immeasurable karmic burdens accumulated through ages of ignorance, particularly those born from anger, and seeks purification through ritual prostration and repentance to avert retribution and attain spiritual clarity.

The liturgy concludes with dual benedictions for both the living and ancestors: may the practitioner henceforth transcend anger and awaken to truth; may departed kin and future reincarnations of relatives permanently escape karmic entanglements—spared from the Nine Dark Hells (the Daoist cosmological underworld), the Four Births (embryonic, oviparous, moisture-born, and metamorphic lifeforms), and the Six Realms (heavenly, human, asura, animal, hungry ghost, and hellish rebirths)—that all may share in virtuous fruition. This repentance text embodies the essential Daoist teachings of karmic purification through contrition and the salvation of ancestral souls.

This scripture describes the various transgressions committed by people due to ignorance and delusion, along with their karmic consequences.

First, the text explains that all sentient beings have carried deluded habits since the dawn of primordial chaos, clinging to worldly desires. Though they strive in spiritual practice, these obstacles prove difficult to overcome. The purpose of cultivating virtuous fruits is to attain liberation. Yet many beings fail to understand the principles of practice—their accumulation of virtuous De (Virtue/Power) remains insufficient, allowing the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion to flourish, leading to foolish actions.

These deluded behaviors include: blaspheming heaven and earth, cursing spirits and deities, betraying rulers and parents, lacking loyalty and filial piety, violating moral principles, sowing discord among relatives, flattering others, disbelieving in karmic retribution, stubbornly clinging to the notion of personal immortality, failing to distinguish good from evil, and disregarding proper hierarchies. Such ignorance may manifest in various settings: before sacred images, near scriptures, in the presence of Dharma masters, beside rulers and parents, among teachers and peers, before family members and children, under the heavens and celestial bodies, within temple halls, at sacred sites, or even toward animals and insects.

The scripture particularly emphasizes that mocking others' charitable acts or virtuous deeds, or slandering their merits, all constitute sins of delusion. All such transgressions stem from inner ignorance. When someone commits such offenses in any context, they not only bring misfortune upon their ancestors but also harm living relatives—a regret that comes too late. In this life, they will suffer chronic illness; after death, they will fall into the freezing night hells, enduring countless kalpas before being reborn as venomous serpents. Without repentance, they will remain eternally trapped in wretched realms.

Finally, the Compassionate Honored One (a merciful deity), moved by pity for these unawakened beings, spoke this verse: "Deluded people in the human realm disbelieve in karma and mock others' virtuous cultivation. They claim there is no predestination from past lives, show no reverence to the sun, moon, heavenly bodies, or deities, constantly disparage sages, commit all manner of evil deeds, and stubbornly cling to their views. After death, they will descend into the eighteen layers of hell, suffering endless torments. After ten thousand kalpas, they will be reborn as venomous serpents—filled with resentment, their bellies eternally empty, tormented by hunger and thirst, despised by all who see them."

This passage primarily warns people to abandon ignorance, believe in cause and effect, revere the divine, and accumulate merit through good deeds—lest they incur severe karmic retribution.

This scripture explains the karmic retribution one may face for committing transgressions in the mortal world. Even if reborn as human, one will suffer due to the karmic consequences of ignorance. Upon hearing these verses during the ritual assembly, all practitioners present felt profound awe. The scripture warns that those who commit such offenses will inevitably receive corresponding retribution. We cultivators should awaken promptly—do not wait until the karmic punishment descends and our physical forms degenerate before seeking repentance, for by then it may be too late.

The text describes the sufferings of the three wretched paths: hell realms, hungry ghosts, and animal rebirths, where countless wandering souls remain trapped in torment. Thus, all assembly participants must jointly vow to seek liberation. The presiding ritual master (known as the "Repentance Leader") will pray on behalf of devotees—either for worldly blessings or the salvation of departed souls—prostrating fully with utmost devotion as they concentrate their vow.

The following section involves paying homage to various Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) and Perfected Persons (Zhenren), a crucial element in Daoist repentance rituals for dispelling calamities. Through devout veneration of these deities with distinct divine functions—such as the "Jade-Purity Blessing-Bestowing Celestial Worthy" who governs grace, the "Sound-Seeking Suffering-Relieving Celestial Worthy" specialized in delivering beings from anguish, and the "Great-One Suffering-Relieving Celestial Worthy" responsible for salvation—practitioners seek compassionate protection to eliminate karmic obstacles and transcend suffering. Each Celestial Worthy's name is preceded by the phrase "With wholehearted reverence we bow," indicating supreme devotion. The ritual concludes with homage to two Perfected Persons (immortals who attained the Dao), beings endowed with wisdom to observe and manifest according to worldly needs.

Collectively, this passage demonstrates the Daoist practice of dispelling misfortunes through repentance rituals, emphasizing timely awakening and sincere remorse while relying on the compassionate power of Celestial Worthies for deliverance.

This passage is a confession text from the Taoist scripture Taishang Cibei Daochang Xiaozai Jiuyou Chan (The Most High Compassionate Liturgy for Dispersing Calamities in the Nine Darknesses), expressing repentance for sins of greed and the aspiration to deliver all sentient beings.

First, devotees reverently bow to the Great Compassionate Savior from Suffering Zhenren (Perfected Being) and the Great Merciful Absolver of Sins Zhenren, beseeching the Supreme Lingbao Tianzun (one of the highest Taoist deities) of the southwest direction and other sacred beings to manifest their divine power. With compassionate hearts, they pray for the universal salvation of all beings. The penitent seeks deliverance for their ancestors, parents, teachers, relatives, friends, and all karmically connected individuals—whether deceased or living—hoping to dissolve their sins committed through ignorance, whether these transgressions were already committed or not yet committed, whether already realized or still unrecognized. Through today's repentance liturgy, they pray for all sins to be eradicated and vow never to repeat them. May all beings escape the Three Wretched Paths of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals, attain liberation together, and ultimately realize the Great Dao of Wuwei (non-action).

The second section specifically confesses the sin of greed. The scripture observes that human life lasts barely a century, as fleeting as a moth darting into flame, yet people remain entangled in greed due to spiritual blindness. They hoard wealth insatiably, never satisfied even when their accumulations tower like mountains. In life, they bring not a single coin with them; in death, they take not a single coin away. At life's end, all vanishes into emptiness—yet these greedy thoughts ultimately crystallize into karmic burdens.

The text enumerates various scenarios where greed arises: before the Heavenly Venerables' Great Dao, when facing Taoist scriptures, toward monastics, during fasting offerings, while burning incense and lighting lamps, when constructing temple halls, while performing virtuous deeds, in the presence of rulers, before parents and children, or when encountering sages. All such instances of covetousness require repentance.

This scripture describes the karmic retribution suffered by those who were miserly and greedy in past lives. It enumerates various sins arising from avarice: coveting others' possessions, food, carriages, clothing, mansions, servants, Daoist temples (gongguan), mountain forests, or beautiful flowers and fruits; refusing to help the poor, sick, prisoners, stranded travelers, or those suffering hunger and cold; even begrudging to give away the slightest thing—whether one's own belongings, others' property, or public goods, down to a single blade of grass, a twig, or a grain of rice or wheat.

The text explains that such people hoard wealth only for themselves, wishing to prosper while desiring others to remain poor. After death, they become like boats without oars or carts without wheels—burdened with evil karma yet devoid of virtuous deeds to their name—ultimately falling into the wretched realms (such as hells) of suffering.

The compassionate Lord Lao (Taishang Daojun), pitying sentient beings, admonishes with a gatha (a poetic form common in Buddhist and Daoist texts): Those who were stingy and greedy in past lives amass riches towering like mountains, yet their desires remain as unfillable as rivers and seas. Refusing to part with even a sliver of their wealth, they will fall after death into the freezing-ice hell, their bodies shattered by the cold. In future rebirths, they may be born in remote barbaric lands or reborn as guard dogs that know no rest. Even after ten thousand kalpas, if they regain human form, they will be born crippled in limbs, blind and deaf, or hideously deformed—despised by all.

Finally, the scripture exhorts devotees attending this ritual assembly: Hearing these teachings should awaken reverence and fear. Those who have committed such sins will inevitably face retribution. Now is the time to cultivate diligently and repent for past transgressions.

This scripture is part of the Daoist Jiuyou Chan (Nine Netherworlds Repentance) ritual, expressing compassionate salvation for suffering beings. It first invokes that all sentient beings enduring karmic retribution in hell realms, hungry ghost paths, or animal realms may attain liberation through the ritual's spiritual power, merit, and salvational force.

The penitent (name) confesses that since beginningless kalpas until this present life—including spiritual teachers, parents, oneself, and all relatives whether deceased or living—has accumulated boundless sins arising from greed and stinginess. Some transgressions remain uncleansed, while others remain unrecognized even by oneself. Today with utmost sincerity, one prostrates wholeheartedly to hear this repentance text, seeking either worldly peace or liberation for the deceased.

The ritual then proceeds to reverent prostrations before various Celestial Venerables (Tianzun) and Perfected Ones (Zhenren). In Daoism, Celestial Venerables represent the highest deities, and "zhixin jingli" (wholehearted reverent homage) signifies supreme devotional worship. Over thirty functionally distinct Celestial Venerables are enumerated, each with specific divine offices:

For instance, the "Sound-Answering Savior of Suffering Tianzun" specializes in rescuing afflicted beings, while "Great Unity Savior of Suffering Tianzun" serves as hell's deliverer. "Longevity-Preserving Tianzun" governs life extension, and "Rebirth-According-to-Vow Tianzun" assists rebirth in pure realms. The concluding four Perfected Ones—such as "Great Compassion Savior of Suffering Zhenren" and "Great Mercy Absolver of Sins Zhenren"—embody salvific powers through their perfected attainments.

This repentance ritual employs the sacred titles of deities to eliminate karmic obstructions through divine power. The references to "Jade Purity" (Yuqing, highest heaven) and "Nine Netherworlds" (deepest hells) establish cosmological correspondence between celestial and infernal realms, manifesting the Daoist cosmic vision of "penetrating the nine heavens above and the nine netherworlds below."

Today in the Daoist sacred space (the ritual venue for Taoist ceremonies), the presiding confessor and all participants sincerely pray: May the Supreme Lingbao Tianzun (one of the highest deities in Daoism) of the southwest direction, along with all perfected beings, sages, the Salvation Children (divine beings specializing in relieving suffering), the Wisdom Children, the Medicine Children, and other sacred beings pervading the ten directions manifest their compassionate vows to universally deliver all beings. May the presiding confessor, their ancestors across three generations, relatives spanning nine generations, current family members, and all karmic obstacles created through greed and stinginess be absolved through this sincere repentance. May all sentient beings still trapped in suffering and departed souls already liberated together realize the supreme Dao through this repentance. (All bow in reverence)

Now follows the repentance from the fourth section of "The Chapter on Generosity": All present must sincerely face the compassionate deities and repent for the sin of refusing generosity. The presiding confessor should awaken to their original heart, kneel reverently, and attentively listen to the scripture’s teachings. Worldly beings are often insatiably greedy, constantly chasing wealth. Even with overflowing riches and thriving descendants, they remain discontent, clinging to miserly hearts unwilling to aid others.

In truth, generosity brings immeasurable merit, primarily through three methods: Dharma generosity, physical generosity, and material generosity. Dharma generosity is the most sublime—using the wisdom of the Three Caverns Scriptures (core Daoist classics) to skillfully guide beings toward the Dao, eternally freeing them from afflictions and granting lasting peace. This merit transcends time and space, truly inconceivable.

Physical generosity involves using one’s body and life to save others. Examples include aiding those suffering from illness, floods, fires, or war; feeling others’ hunger as one’s own and their cold as one’s own; laboring tirelessly to resolve others’ hardships; or supporting cultivators, gathering herbs to build temples (Daoist shrines), repairing bridges and roads, digging wells, cleaning halls, and planting orchards. Perform these deeds wholeheartedly without吝惜 (stinginess), and their merit becomes immeasurable.

Material generosity divides into two types : First... (context suggests material and spiritual giving, though the exact content remains unclear due to the truncated original).

This passage discusses two types of giving (Dāna, the act of charity in Buddhist and Daoist traditions): internal wealth giving and external wealth giving. Internal wealth refers to selflessly offering one's own body, limbs, bones, nine orifices (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, etc.), skin, nails, and other physical aspects to help others. External wealth includes material possessions such as money, land, cities, wives, servants, livestock, gold, silver, jewels, fine silks, decorative objects, and clothing—given away without attachment.

There are also nine distinct forms of giving, all capable of generating blessings when performed with sincerity:

1. Creating or venerating statues of enlightened beings or their manifestations.

2. Offering support for the teachings of the Great Vehicle (Mahayana).

3. Honoring images of immortals, sages, and divine beings.

4. Building or maintaining Daoist temples, halls, pavilions, and sacred spaces.

5. Providing robes, ritual implements, and necessities for monastics.

6. Supplying daily temple needs such as oil, lamps, candles, farmland, and attendants.

7. Offering ritual instruments like bells, chimes, banners, and ceremonial seating.

8. Donating vegetarian meals, grains, oil, and other sustenance to cultivators and disciplined practitioners.

9. Relieving the suffering of the poor, orphans, widows, the starving, the cold, the sick, and prisoners. Such acts generate immeasurable merit.

The Compassionate Sage (a revered Daoist deity) teaches: In ancient times, people's hearts were simple and pure, upholding Dao and De (Virtue), free from greed and excess. Later generations became restless, coveting wealth without regard for karma, valuing possessions over life—leading to ruined families and fallen kingdoms. Their minds filled with malice, their exteriors grew violent, breeding mutual resentment unknowingly. Thus, the practice of giving was established to guide humanity.

Today, people cling to wealth as if it were more precious than life itself. Yet relinquishing material goods through charity achieves two purposes:

1. It eradicates internal thieves (greed and attachment).

2. It averts external calamities (misfortunes). With both inner and outer peace secured, suffering naturally dissolves. By breaking miserliness through generosity, one gains unseen divine protection, receiving blessings in accordance with their merit.

If beings refuse to give according to the Dharma, withhold their bodies from service, hoard internal or external wealth, neglect the nine forms of charity, withhold offerings during rituals, refuse support to disciplined cultivators, withhold donations for scripture lectures, turn away from venerating sacred images, or ignore the hardships of monastics... (The text here is incomplete but criticizes such refusal to practice generosity.)

This scripture enumerates various forms of refusal to practice charity (giving material aid or virtuous deeds to others in Buddhist and Daoist contexts) along with their karmic consequences, urging people to give with sincerity.

The text details over twenty scenarios of withholding charity: neglecting to replenish oil for lamps before Buddhist altars, refusing to donate when ritual banners in Daoist ceremonial spaces (sites for religious rites) are damaged, failing to repair ancient temples or sacred sites, withholding support for dilapidated Daoist halls, or declining to replenish incomplete scriptures and texts. Even ignoring the dissonant tones of ritual bells and chimes or refusing aid to prisoners, the impoverished, or the sick are considered acts of uncharitableness.

The scripture emphasizes that charity performed with cunning, bias, or a lack of compassion is not true giving. For instance, donating out of a sense of superiority or to flaunt one’s power is deemed unvirtuous.

Those who refuse to give will face retribution in this life: household discord, marital separation, and severe illness. After death, they will fall into the Ninefold Nether Hell (the deepest hell in Daoist cosmology), suffering for countless kalpas before being reborn as lowly creatures like snakes or dogs. Even if they regain human form in future lives, they will be dull-witted, perpetually impoverished, and forever subservient to others.

Finally, the Compassionate Lord (an honorific for a deity of mercy) laments human folly, offering a cautionary verse: the wealthy and virtuous, who believe their present comfort ensures eternal blessings, dismiss the truth of rebirth. They fail to realize that today’s poor may have been yesterday’s rich. After death, such individuals descend into hell, enduring torment by iron shackles (instruments of infernal punishment), only to be reborn as serpents or hounds. Even if they regain human form, they will remain ignorant and base, bound to servitude across lifetimes.

The scripture concludes by urging devotees attending Daoist rituals: upon hearing these karmic truths, they should tremble with awe. Unknowingly, we may already have committed such transgressions; without timely repentance, future suffering is inevitable. Only through diligent practice and sincere remorse can we dissolve these sins and transcend the Six Paths of Rebirth (the cyclical existence of beings in six realms, as per Buddhist teaching).

This passage is part of the liturgical worship section from the Daoist scripture Supreme Compassion Ritual for Dispelling Calamities in the Nine Netherworlds. It expresses the repentant practitioner's devout veneration of various Celestial Worthies (Tianzun) and Perfected Ones (Zhenren), seeking salvation for departed souls and deliverance from misfortunes.

The penitent (called the "repentance master") performs full-body prostrations (with all five limbs touching the ground) while making solemn vows and paying reverent homage to each Celestial Worthy and Perfected One. The text enumerates over thirty such divine beings, each preceded by the phrase "with utmost sincerity we reverently bow," indicating profound devotional worship. These include: the Jade Purity Bestowing Blessings Celestial Worthy, the Sound-Answering Savior of Suffering Celestial Worthy, and the Great Numinous Void Sovereign Celestial Worthy—each embodying distinct aspects of compassionate power and salvific functions. Special mention is made of the Great Unity Savior of Suffering Celestial Worthy (a Daoist deity specifically responsible for delivering beings from torment) and the Longevity-Preserving Life Celestial Worthy (who governs the extension of lifespan).

The objects of veneration also include numerous Perfected Ones—immortals who have attained the Dao—such as the Supreme Ultimate Perfected One, the Marvelous Light Perfected One, and the Great Compassion Savior of Suffering Perfected One. These beings all possess transcendental powers to relieve suffering and absolve transgressions.

Finally, the penitent collectively represents all ritual participants in beseeching the Supreme Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy (one of the Three Pure Ones/Sanqing) in the southwest direction, along with all sacred beings throughout the ten directions. They pray that through these deities' power, the souls of their deceased parents, teachers, relatives, and friends across three lifetimes may be liberated, cleansing karmic obstructions created through miserliness and failure to practice charitable giving.

This passage exemplifies Daoist ritual practices where veneration of multiple deities and repentance of transgressions serve to redeem departed spirits and seek protection. Each Celestial Worthy and Perfected One represents different salvific functions, and through sincere worship, devotees hope to obtain divine blessings and liberation.

This passage comes from the Daoist scripture Taishang Cibei Daochang Xiaozai Jiuyou Chan (Great Compassion Liturgy for Dispelling Calamities in the Nine Netherworlds), which explains how sincere repentance can eliminate karmic obstructions. It teaches that whether dealing with karmic retribution already manifest or latent karma yet to surface, all can be resolved through devoted ritual prostration and repentance. Practitioners pray that their family members across generations may attain prosperity and wisdom, while cultivating the capacity to generously benefit others.

The text further expresses the aspiration that all suffering beings may together attain peace and joy, swiftly realizing the true meaning of Wuwei (non-action, Daoism's highest spiritual state of natural spontaneity) and attaining sacred realization (spiritual accomplishment). The passage concludes with "one prostration," marking the completion of this repentance ritual.

Drawn from the scripture's fourth volume, this represents a confessional text within Daoist calamity-dispelling liturgies, embodying the tradition's compassionate ethos of universal salvation. Through such repentance ceremonies, practitioners simultaneously dissolve their own misfortunes while generating blessings for all sentient beings.