《太上慈悲道場消災九幽懺》Vol. 7

This passage comes from the seventh volume of the Daoist scripture Taishang Cibei Daochang Xiaozai Jiuyou Chan (The Supreme Compassionate Liturgy for Dispelling Disasters in the Nine Darknesses), compiled by Ge Xuan, the Left Immortal Lord of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji). It primarily discusses the importance of filial piety toward parents and the dire consequences of disobedience and unfilial behavior.

The text first emphasizes that all life depends on the radiance of the sun and moon and the nurturing care of parents. Our bodies, hair, and skin all come from our parents, yet we often overlook their profound kindness. Just as an object must be upright for its shadow to be straight, or a sound must be clear for its echo to be pure, whether one practices filial piety directly determines the fate of both family and individual.

Families that uphold filial piety receive divine protection, enjoy peace and happiness across generations, earn respect from others, and see their descendants continue the tradition of filial devotion. Conversely, unfilial families become entangled in generational grudges, where parents and children treat each other as enemies. The text lists specific manifestations of unfilial behavior: brothers dividing the household and eating separately, planting vegetables in the same garden yet refusing to share, or hoarding food like thieves—such people are deemed worse than beasts.

Those who are unfilial will be despised by the gods, suffer misfortune in life, and after death, fall into hell to endure endless torment. The scripture uses the mythical Bailiao bird as a metaphor: before its fledglings can fly, they must first devour their mother. When reborn as humans, these unfilial beings become fathers and sons who harm one another—the greatest suffering in the world.

The passage particularly describes the hardships of a mother’s ten-month pregnancy: the fusion of Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) energies burdens her body, making it difficult to sit or rest. During childbirth, she endures excruciating pain inside and out, trembling in fear. After the child is born, the mother must lie protectively beside them for three months, guarding against evil spirits, nursing them when hungry, and warming them when cold. These vivid details illustrate the profound depth of maternal love.

Through contrasts and concrete examples, the scripture admonishes people to recognize and repay kindness by honoring their parents—or else face severe retribution in both this life and the next.

This scripture depicts a cruel scene of an unfilial son mistreating his elderly parents, revealing the profound depth of parental love and sacrifice. Speaking through the mother's voice, the text recounts in detail the arduous journey from pregnancy to raising a child to adulthood.

An aged and frail mother says to her unfilial son: "Had I not fed you when you were young, you would have died of hunger and thirst. Every day I carried you, washed your soiled clothes, gave you the dry places to sleep while I lay on the damp ground. Even in the Kaihuang kalpa (a Daoist term referring to the world’s formative era), there were such cases—parents growing old and weak, their children neglecting them day after day, letting them suffer hunger and cold like strangers, their hands and feet cracked, their ears deaf and eyes dim, lying on thin mats as the days dragged on like years."

When the parents lean on their canes, hoping to speak a few words with their child, the child instead glares in anger and hurls cruel words. The parents can only cling to the wall as they return home, beating their chests and weeping bitterly, even wishing for an early death. The mother tearfully recalls: "The ten months of pregnancy were like carrying a heavy burden, struggling to breathe, unable to sit or lie in peace. Giving birth was like a flickering candle in the wind, my whole body in pain as if cut by knives. For three years after your birth, I cared for you day and night; when you fell ill, I could neither eat nor drink. To keep you safe, I spared no expense, buying even the most precious gold and silver toys."

The mother laments: "When you were little, you followed me everywhere—without me, you wouldn’t eat or sleep. How is it that, now grown, you’ve become my enemy? I’d rather die early than have a son like you." The scripture concludes by stating that such an unfilial and rebellious person will, after death, fall into the Fengdu Hell (a Daoist realm of punishment in the north) to suffer torment.

In the depths of hell, beings endure all manner of excruciating torments, tasting the bitterest sufferings, undergoing countless cycles of life and death—these agonies defy complete description in words.

The compassionate deities (referring to Daoist divinities of great mercy) speak this admonition for those still unawakened: Good deeds naturally bear virtuous fruit; evil acts inevitably lead to the paths of woe. Those who in life fail to honor their parents shall forever sink into hell after death. There, they suffer endlessly, cycling through the eighteen layers of hell (Daoist cosmology describes hell as having eighteen tiers). Unless they encounter the Three Days of Amnesty (specific Daoist holy days for absolution and salvation), the chance for liberation and eternal life will never arise. Reborn as the hundred-toil bird (a symbol of ceaseless labor), their flesh and bones are torn apart by their own offspring. Only when their karmic debts are fully repaid may they be reborn human again, reunited with descendants.

All gathered at today’s ritual assembly, hearing this scripture, should awaken profoundly. Whether in past lives or this one, if you have committed sins like disobedience and filial neglect, such retribution may await. Strive diligently in practice, and resolve to repent. May all suffering beings attain deliverance. The penitent [name] (may be invoked for the living seeking peace or the deceased seeking liberation) prostrates wholeheartedly (the full-body bow of reverence), sincerely vowing, and reverently pays homage to the compassionate deities and all true sages.

Here follow the names of the honored Celestial Worthies (titles for exalted Daoist divinities) to whom devotion is offered:

Devout homage to the Celestial Worthy of Jade Purity Bestowing Blessings (divinity granting prosperity)

Devout homage to the Celestial Worthy Who Hears Cries and Saves the Suffering (divinity answering pleas of distress)

Devout homage to the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Radiance in the Jade Heavens (divinity dwelling in celestial palaces)

(The text continues listing numerous Celestial Worthies, each embodying distinct salvific functions—liberating beings, teaching wondrous dharma, nurturing all creation, etc.)

Finally, homage to the Celestial Worthy of Great Awe and Virtue (divinity of mighty power) and the Celestial Worthy of Universal Light and Sublime Wisdom (divinity of radiant insight).

This scripture chiefly exhorts virtue, particularly emphasizing filial piety. It depicts the hellish torment awaiting the unfilial after death and teaches how repentance and reverence to the Celestial Worthies may dissolve such karmic burdens.

This passage is part of the repentance ritual from the Daoist scripture Taishang Cibei Daochang Xiaozai Jiuyou Chan (The Supreme Compassionate Liturgy for Dispelling Calamities in the Nine Netherworlds). It begins by enumerating the sacred names of ten Celestial Worthy deities and Perfected Ones, including Chang Ganying Tianzun (Ever-Responsive Celestial Worthy) and Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun (Supreme One Who Rescues from Suffering Celestial Worthy)—divine beings in Daoist belief who specialize in delivering sentient beings from suffering.

During the repentance segment, devotees supplicate to the Northern Wushang Lingbao Tianzun (Supreme Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy) and other sacred immortals, seeking purification through the Holy Water of Cinnabar Blossom to cleanse sins accumulated by themselves and their ancestors across three lifetimes. Particular emphasis is placed on confessing transgressions such as disobedience and filial impiety—karmic burdens accumulated over countless kalpas. Through this repentance, practitioners aspire to dissolve karmic retribution while vowing that henceforth, through all rebirths, they will revere parents with the awe reserved for heaven, earth, and emperors, and honor them with the devotion accorded to stars, sun, and moon. They pledge loyalty to the nation and filial piety to family.

The second section, "The Chapter on Repaying Kindness," emphasizes that parental grace surpasses the height of heavens and depth of oceans—impossible to repay even with bodily sacrifice. The scripture expands filial duty beyond one's present-life parents, advocating viewing all beings as parents, siblings, and kin. This reflects the Daoist cultivation principle of "universal compassionate love" (qi tong ci ai), elevating filial piety into bodhisattva-like compassion for all sentient beings.

The ritual requires devotees to kneel with sincere reverence while receiving the Celestial Worthy's teachings. It particularly warns that those who defy parents cannot easily escape samsaric suffering, underscoring filial piety's crucial role in spiritual liberation. Through prostration, vow-making, and receiving sacred instructions, the entire repentance ceremony helps practitioners purify their hearts and return to the righteous path.

This scripture expounds the Daoist method of dispelling calamities and resolving misfortunes through repentance and virtuous deeds. The main content is divided into three parts:

First, it emphasizes cherishing life and refraining from harming living beings, including abstaining from meat consumption. One should regard all creatures of past, present, and future as family members, repaying their kindness through various means. Specifically, five great kindnesses should be repaid: the benevolence of Heaven and Earth, the grace of rulers, the teachings of masters, the nurturing of parents, and the mutual support among all sentient beings.

Next, it details the concrete practices of repentance: throughout one's lifespan from birth to 120 years, regular repentance rituals should be performed. Primary methods include crafting divine statues, transcribing scriptures, making 49-foot-long prayer banners, establishing purification ritual (Zhaijiao) feasts for forty-nine participants, inviting Daoist priests to chant scriptures, and lighting forty-nine lamps. The lamps may be as large as cartwheels, maintained continuously for three days and nights, seven days and nights, or forty-nine days and nights. These merits should be dedicated successively to the ruler, teachers, parents, siblings, and all relatives.

Finally, it outlines behavioral guidelines after repentance: one must sincerely reform, persist in spiritual practice, maintain vegetarian fasts and precepts, and nurture benevolent thoughts. Special assistance should be given to five types of suffering beings: the impoverished, disabled, ill, elderly without family, and prisoners. The unkind should be persuaded toward virtue, while travelers seeking help should receive food and clothing. One should also vow to create portraits of revered elders and copy scriptures to help liberate souls in hell. Even those who committed grave offenses like slandering the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) or being unfilial can eliminate karmic obstacles through sincere repentance for rulers, teachers, and parents, by transcribing repentance texts and worshiping deities.

This scripture embodies the core Daoist principle of "delivering the world and saving humanity," achieving disaster relief and merit accumulation through specific ritual protocols and personal cultivation.

This scripture expounds methods for dispelling calamities and delivering deceased souls through repentance and virtuous conduct. It explains that whether man or woman, if one sincerely worships the sacred names and repents transgressions during the Three Origins (Shangyuan on 15th day of first lunar month, Zhongyuan on 15th of seventh month, and Xiayuan on 15th of tenth month) and Eight Solar Terms (including Beginning of Spring and Spring Equinox), whether at home or in Daoist temples, preparing incense, flowers, and fruits as offerings while devoutly praying throughout the night—this practice not only safeguards household and nation, but also delivers all suffering beings from torment.

It particularly emphasizes that such practice eradicates karmic obstacles arising from the Ten Evils (including killing and theft) and disobedience, even absolving the sins of nine generations of ancestors. When one further expounds scriptural meanings during these sacred days, exhorting people to cultivate loyalty and filial piety while vowing to save others, such merit becomes most sublime.

The Merciful Lord (namely Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, the Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering) proclaims verses to awaken sentient beings: All worldly beings should cultivate themselves through filial devotion, revering Heaven and Earth as parents, thereby attaining Dao-fruits. The Celestial Worthy expounds these Dharma-gates specifically to rescue beings drowning in the sea of suffering, liberating them from cyclic rebirth.

The text concludes with specific repentance rituals: practitioners perform full-body prostrations (wuti toudi) while sincerely reciting the sacred names of twelve Celestial Worthies, including Yuqing Jiangfu Tianzun (Jade-Purity Blessing-Bestowing Worthy) and Xunsheng Jiuku Tianzun (Sound-Hearing Suffering-Relieving Worthy). Each Worthy possesses distinct virtues—such as delivering from suffering, expounding Dharma, or manifesting miracles—through whose worship corresponding blessings are obtained.

Note: This passage originates from Daoist deliverance liturgy (keyi), emphasizing how repentance rituals, offerings, and scripture recitation can both avert present misfortunes and deliver ancestors. "Nine Darknesses" (jiuyou) denotes the deepest hell realms, while "River of Craving" (aihe) metaphorically represents the suffering of worldly desires.

This passage is from the Taishang Cibei Daochang Xiaozai Jiuyou Chan (Supreme Compassionate Liturgy for Dispelling Calamities in the Nine Darknesses), a Daoist repentance scripture. It consists of two main sections:

The first section involves paying homage to twenty celestial venerables and perfected beings, including the "Heavenly Venerable Who Transforms Across the Three Realms," the "Heavenly Venerable Who Responds to All Names in the Myriad Worlds," and the "Heavenly Venerable Taiyi Who Saves from Suffering." Each deity holds specific responsibilities—some oversee salvation from suffering, others govern longevity and life preservation, while some specialize in universal deliverance. The phrase "zhixin jingli" (with utmost sincerity and reverence) signifies wholehearted prostration before these sacred beings.

The second section contains the repentance text. Devotees beseech the "Supreme Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable of the North" and other deities to purify body and mind with sacred water from the Jade Pool (Yaochi), aiding repentant individuals in cultivating virtuous intentions. The text expresses hopes for eradicating karmic transgressions accumulated over lifetimes, liberating deceased ancestors, and protecting living family members. Special emphasis is placed on repaying debts of gratitude to parents and teachers, resolving karmic conflicts with adversaries, and praying for all beings to take refuge in the Dao (the Way). The section concludes with the ritual gesture of "one prostration."

The segment titled "Third Section on Releasing Lingering Karmic Burdens" invites all participants in the ritual assembly to collectively awaken their resolve. Kneeling upright with dignified posture before the Compassionate Heavenly Venerables, practitioners confess their transgressions as an expression of determination for moral renewal.

This scripture exemplifies the Daoist practice of dispelling misfortunes through reverent worship and sincere repentance. It emphasizes core values including cultivating virtuous intentions, repaying kindness, and universal salvation—all central to Daoist spiritual cultivation.

This scripture describes how sentient beings become entangled in various transgressions from the moment of birth. Humans are conceived through their parents' affection, nurtured as they grow, yet before even learning to distinguish right from wrong, they become ensnared in desires—planting the seeds of sin that steadily take root. Without timely repentance and guidance from scriptural precepts, one remains forever bound by ignorance and emotional attachments. While earthly parents give us physical form, only the scriptures and precepts transmitted by Daoist masters (shifu) can liberate us from suffering—making the master's grace even more profound than parental kindness.

The text enumerates common transgressions: some fail to recognize their master's profound kindness, instead insulting teachers and withholding support; others outwardly observe fasting and precepts (zhai jie) while bullying the weak; officials abuse power to exploit commoners; some seize temple property (changzhu) or steal from donors; merchants cheat with false measures and inferior goods; others practice usury or default on debts; still worse are sins like animal sacrifice, sexual misconduct, grave robbery, or slaughtering aquatic creatures. These karmic seeds, left unrepented, accumulate bitter consequences.

(Note: The "Three Treasures" (sanbao) refer to Dao, scriptures, and masters; "changzhu" denotes permanent temple assets; "zhaijiao" are Daoist purification rituals.)

Every sinful karma created by sentient beings will bring corresponding retribution. Grave misdeeds not only implicate one's ancestors and living relatives, but even affect departed kin across nine generations. Such karmic burdens may condemn deceased souls to hell realms, where they endure excruciating torments through countless kalpas before rebirth. Even if reborn human, they face misfortunes like premature death or lonely old age—all predetermined by past-life karma.

To all participants in this Daoist ritual, the scriptures clearly state: The wheel of merit and misdeed turns ceaselessly, with retribution following like a shadow or echoing like sound. You must focus your spirit and cultivate according to the teachings. Wasting time until old age, sickness and death arrive will make karmic escape impossible. Today's solemn repentance ceremony (chanhui) seeks the Dao's grace for liberation—whether for living beings suffering karmic consequences or departed souls still bearing burdens.

The Repentance Master (chanhui zhu) prostrates full-body (wuti toudi) before the Celestial Worthies, praying for either worldly peace or soul salvation (depending on ritual purpose). With utmost sincerity, he venerates twenty Celestial Worthies in sequence: the Jade Clarity Blessing-Bestowing Celestial Worthy who grants fortune and dispels calamity; the Sound-Answering Suffering-Relieving Celestial Worthy who responds to cries of distress; the Mystic Jade Palace Celestial Worthy who governs immortal beings; the Boundless Marvelous Dharma Celestial Worthy who expounds sublime teachings—each embodying distinct salvific powers. These include the Dark Night Illuminating Celestial Worthy who lights the underworld, the Suffering-Saving Numinous Truth Celestial Worthy who delivers from torment, and the Wisdom-Perceiving Celestial Worthy who embodies luminous insight.

(Note: This repentance text reflects the Daoist concept of "inherited karmic burden" (chengfu), where personal karma affects entire lineages. The repentance ritual (lichan) serves as crucial practice for dissolving misfortune through contrition and veneration. The twenty Celestial Worthy titles demonstrate Daoism's salvific philosophy of "teaching through infinite manifestations according to circumstance.")

This passage is an excerpt from the Daoist scripture Taishang Cibei Daochang Xiaozai Jiuyou Chan (The Most High Compassionate Liturgy for Dispelling Calamities in the Nine Darknesses), consisting primarily of two parts: paying homage to celestial venerables and immortals, and confessing karmic transgressions.

The text first enumerates the sacred names of ten celestial venerables and perfected beings for devout worship, including the Life-Prolonging Guardian Venerable (Changsheng Baoming Tianzun) and the Supreme Oneness Savior from Suffering (Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun), each possessing distinct divine functions. These deities respectively govern life extension, salvation from suffering, and national protection. The phrase "with utmost sincerity we reverently bow" (zhixin jingli) signifies wholehearted prostration in worship.

Following this is the core content of the repentance ritual. Devotees petition the Unsurpassed Numinous Treasure Venerable (Wushang Lingbao Tianzun) of the northern direction and other sacred beings of the ten directions, seeking purification of physical and mental transgressions through the Sacred Water of Cinnabar Blossoms (danhua shengshui). The scope of repentance encompasses: ancestral karma accumulated over lifetimes, transgressions committed by living relatives, personal misdeeds, and the suffering souls in hell. The prayer seeks liberation from evil paths, rebirth through virtuous connections, and ultimate attainment of carefree eternal joy.

The section on "manifestations of karmic retribution" details the present and future consequences of various transgressions: destroying sacred images or scriptures results in malignant diseases and hellish rebirth; slandering monastics leads to animal rebirth; damaging Daoist temples causes bodily corruption; disrespecting celestial venerables brings mental dullness; and rejecting scriptures results in deafness and blindness. These karmic warnings urge reverence for the sacred and respect for scriptures.

The "Cinnabar Blossom Water" represents sanctified water with purifying functions in Daoist rituals, while the "Five Paths" (wudao) refer to the five rebirth destinations (celestial, human, animal, hungry ghost, and hell realms). Through rituals of worship, introspection, and vow-making, the repentance ceremony assists devotees in eliminating karmic obstacles and transforming their destiny.

This scripture expounds the principle of karmic retribution, teaching that misdeeds committed in past lives manifest as corresponding suffering in one's present existence.

Those who were beasts in past lives yet failed to understand cause and effect will be reborn as servants or slaves. Those who, as barbarians in past lives, disrespected monastics will be reborn lame. Those who, as pigs or dogs, defiled temples will be reborn with ugly features. Those who engaged in licentious acts with monastics in impure places will be reborn to die alone. Those who stole temple property in latrines will be reborn in poverty. Those who, as servants, stole temple offerings will be reborn afflicted with wind diseases. Those who, as animals, stole devotees' offerings will be reborn insane. Those who, foolishly, stole temple fruits and vegetables will be reborn with wasting diseases. Those who, as ravenous tigers or venomous snakes, stole sacrificial offerings will be reborn to be struck dead by lightning. Those who, as serpents, stole ritual robes and implements will be reborn naked. Those who, as hungry ghosts, stole scriptures or clothing will be reborn plagued by illness. Those who broke fasts or violated precepts will be reborn with throat ailments. Those who, deaf and mute in past lives, killed living beings will be reborn short-lived and sickly. Those who, as beasts, consumed meat and pungent foods will be reborn poor and diseased. Those who indulged in alcohol and debauchery will be reborn mad. Those who mocked monastics will be reborn with limbs as crippled as a monkey’s. Those who disrespected the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) will be reborn with eye diseases. Those who rejected the Dharma will be reborn with tongue afflictions. Those who destroyed scriptures will be reborn mute. Those who slandered monastics will be reborn unable to smell. Those who indulged in meat, alcohol, and pungent foods will be reborn with festering bodies. Those who damaged sacred images will be reborn losing eyebrows and beards. Those who disrespected Buddha statues will be reborn with twisted lips, protruding teeth, and collapsed noses. Those who disrupted sacred spaces will be reborn hunchbacked and short-legged. Those who scorned the Dharma will be reborn insane. Those who denied cause and effect will be reborn ugly. Those who cursed others without reason will be reborn with reddened eyes and twisted mouths.

All these illustrate the principle that evil deeds in past lives yield corresponding suffering in this life, admonishing people to revere karmic law, cultivate virtue, and accumulate merit.

This scripture expounds the principle of karmic retribution, revealing that all suffering in one's present life stems from sinful deeds committed in past existences. For example:

Those who lack propriety and remain ignorant in this life were habitual liars and deceivers in previous incarnations. Those trapped in poverty and hardship failed to repay debts in past lives. Those who drown to death once caught aquatic creatures with fishing nets. Victims of venomous snakes were themselves killers of living beings. Those perishing in fires had previously set mountains ablaze for hunting. People devoured by tigers harbored malice and cruelty before. The starving and freezing who lack proper clothing were thieves who stole temple offerings. Families torn apart result from past-life jealousy, debauchery, and destroying others' relationships. Those born with grotesque appearances were hunters who took lives.

All such suffering constitutes the fruits of past transgressions, leading not only to postmortem torment in hell realms but also to continuous karmic repercussions across rebirths without cessation.

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun, the supreme Daoist divinity) instructed the Universal Savior Perfected Being (Puji Zhenren, a Daoist immortal) to sincerely uphold these truths and enlighten humanity about the laws of cause and effect. Participants in the ritual assembly (Daoist ceremonies) should awaken to these principles, contemplating them earnestly rather than dismissing hells and paradises as mere fictions. With devout aspiration, they must cultivate according to the Celestial Worthy's teachings—just as crossing treacherous paths requires ladders and boats, liberation from suffering demands spiritual practice.

The text then details a repentance ritual where devotees (likely seeking blessings or ancestral salvation) perform the full prostration (worship with entire body touching the ground), making heartfelt vows while paying homage to thirteen Celestial Worthies. These include the Jade Purity Blessing-Bestowing Celestial Worthy (Yuqing Jiangfu Tianzun) and the Sound-Seeking Suffering-Relieving Celestial Worthy (Xunsheng Jiuku Tianzun), each embodying distinct salvific functions, whom practitioners venerate with utmost devotion.

This passage is the liturgical repentance text from the Daoist scripture Taishang Cibei Daochang Xiaozai Jiuyou Chan (The Supreme Compassionate Daoist Rite for Dispelling Calamities in the Nine Netherworlds). Its core content involves reverent prostrations to various Celestial Venerables (Tianzun) and Perfected Beings (Zhenren), beseeching their salvation to deliver sentient beings from suffering.

First, it enumerates the sacred titles of eighteen Celestial Venerables and four Perfected Beings, including the Most True King Celestial Venerable (Taizhen Wang Tianzun), the Dharma-Supreme Celestial Venerable (Fa Shang Tianzun), and the Supreme Oneness Savior from Suffering Celestial Venerable (Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun). These are revered deities in Daoism, each with distinct divine functions. Among them, the Supreme Oneness Savior from Suffering Celestial Venerable specializes in redeeming departed souls, while the Central Yellow Perfected Being (Zhonghuang Zhenren) represents an immortal who has attained perfection through cultivation.

The text then expresses the penitent’s aspirations: beseeching the Supreme Numinous Treasure Celestial Venerable of the North (Beifang Wushang Lingbao Tianzun) and all holy beings across the ten directions to illuminate sentient beings with compassionate light. The penitent acknowledges that they, along with ancestors and relatives from countless kalpas, may have committed evil deeds leading to rebirth in woeful realms. Even living relatives suffer karmic retribution through illness and hardship. Through repentance, they seek to dissolve these karmic obstructions so all beings may attain peace and joy.

The penitent further vows: from this moment onward, to regard all beings as oneself; to repent immediately upon witnessing wrongdoing and to diligently cultivate virtuous opportunities; to comprehend the law of cause and effect and practice in accordance with the teachings. They pray never to lose their innate humanity across lifetimes and that all beings may ultimately ascend together to the blissful realms, bathed in the Dao’s grace. Finally, they bow in profound reverence to the Supreme True Dao (Wushang Zhen Dao).

This scripture exemplifies the Daoist practice of repentance to dissolve karmic obstacles and invoke divine salvation, emphasizing the cultivation of compassion and the transformation from evil to good. The Jiuyou Chan is a specialized repentance rite for redeeming the deceased and alleviating suffering in the netherworld, often performed in funerary rites.