《玄天上帝說報父母恩重經》

Plain Language Interpretation of The Scripture on Repaying the Profound Kindness of Parents as Expounded by the Mysterious Heavenly Sovereign:

The Mysterious Heavenly Sovereign (a revered Daoist deity, also known as the Perfect Warrior Emperor) reveals this scripture on repaying parental kindness. The text explains that true cultivation does not lie in forced effort, but arises naturally from one's inner being. Every thought and action of sentient beings creates karmic consequences, yet due to our obscured true nature, we often fail to recognize this truth.

Consider how parents give birth to children—originally there exists no concrete form, yet through the convergence of conditions, a physical body comes into being. This very embodiment brings countless afflictions: parents toil day and night, their vitality gradually declining—all because of nurturing this "form" that is us. Parents and children continuously transform through rebirth, each suffering due to attachment to physical forms.

Therefore, we must begin with ourselves: eliminate greed and anger, maintain equanimity—this is how we repay our parents' primordial gift of life. May parents attain true joy, liberated from distress. Through generations of cultivation, we ultimately reach the formless state—neither clinging to physical form nor forcibly rejecting it, thereby naturally transcending the suffering of rebirth and escaping the sea of sorrow.

The scripture concludes by praising the sacred name of the Mysterious Heavenly Sovereign: this supremely compassionate deity who has manifested eighty-two times in the human realm serves as both the Patriarch of Filial Piety and the Guardian of Worldly Blessings. Devotees should devoutly recite daily, praying for longevity of living parents and liberation for deceased ancestors.

(Note: The scripture's term "form" refers to the physical body or phenomenal appearances, while "non-attachment" denotes liberation from clinging to any manifestation.)

This scripture recounts the origins of the Dark Heaven Emperor (Xuantian Shangdi, a revered Daoist deity also known as Zhenwu the Perfect Warrior) and his discourse on repaying parental kindness through this sacred text.

Originally the eighty-second incarnation of the Great Emperor of Supreme Clarity (Taiqing Dadi), the Dark Heaven Emperor was born as the son of the King of Pure Joy Kingdom and the Holy Mother of Marvelous Auspices. At the age of seven, he left his parents to cultivate the Dao in the Taihe Mountains (present-day Wudang Mountain). After forty-two years of rigorous practice, he attained enlightenment and ascended to become the Dark Heaven Emperor, guardian of the northern realm.

Moved by gratitude for his parents' nurturing, he delivered this Scripture on Repaying the Profound Kindness of Parents. The text teaches that any virtuous man or woman who sincerely follows the Dark Heaven Emperor's guidance, maintains filial devotion, and observes a vegetarian diet for three years while reciting his sacred name eighteen thousand times (equivalent to the length of a Daoist scripture) can repay the kindness received during three years of parental care.

Furthermore, the scripture states that dedicated practitioners who deeply comprehend its teachings and diligently cultivate may not only repay their parents' kindness but also elevate nine generations of ancestors (referred to as "Nine Patriarchs") to the celestial realms. This embodies the Daoist principle that "among ten thousand volumes of immortal scriptures, loyalty and filial piety come first," as well as the teaching that "when one attains the Dao, nine generations ascend to heaven."

The text concludes by noting that this scripture was compiled and transmitted by Zhao Yizhen, a renowned Yuan dynasty Daoist master and inheritor of the Mystic Gate (Xuammen) lineage.