《無上三天法師說廕育眾生妙經》

The Wondrous Scripture of Nurturing All Beings, as Expounded by the Celestial Master of the Three Heavens:

The Celestial Master (Tianshi) proclaimed: How pitiful! I observe the anomalies in heaven and earth - the sun and moon altering their courses, stars straying from their paths, as the great kalpa disaster approaches. Hungry ghosts manifest in the world, and calamities arise without end. From the void, I take compassion on all beings and resolve to transmit this sacred scripture.

I witness people starving, reduced to eating wild grasses, many perishing by the roadside. Rich and poor alike face empty granaries; silkworms and wheat fail, buckwheat and beans yield no harvest. Trees bear no blossoms, and blossoms no fruit. Three-colored malignant ghosts roam the human realm, stealing people's grain and causing starvation deaths.

Ten tragic deaths are enumerated:

1. Murdered while seeking food

2. Perishing from bloating after eating kudzu roots

3. Poisoned by spoiled meat

4. Starving en route to find sustenance

5. Succumbing to exhaustion

6. Slain by bandits during civil unrest

7. Devoured by insects or beasts

8. Starving while wandering for food

9. Wasting away from extreme emaciation

10. Dying from eating inedible vines

As this calamity descends, gales uproot trees while ghostly soldiers wreak havoc. Evil spirits spread poison, seize provisions, and perpetuate starvation. The wealthy find their crops barren; the poor subsist on wild greens, their faces sallow. When even vine roots become scarce and rice-beans vanish, people waste away daily.

Now I declare to all under heaven: To avert disaster, transcribe and venerate this Scripture of Nurturing All Beings. Every household should copy one volume, recite its divine incantations, and observe Lingbao purification rituals (Zhaijiao) to expel poison-spreading ghosts. Invite masters versed in the Three Caverns (Sanqing Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) scriptures to conduct rites with repentance feasts, thereby delivering myriad souls. With sincere practice for just one night and household veneration of this scripture, health will return, vitality restore, nourishment be secured, crops flourish, the five grains abound, and prayers be answered. Those who disbelieve shall suffer demonic afflictions and calamitous fates.

The Master concluded with an admonitory gatha:

Beings who neglect virtue (De) and goodness

Shall starve without recourse -

Not even kudzu roots for sustenance.

(Note: This scripture reflects Daoist eschatology, emphasizing scripture transcription, mantra recitation, and purification rituals (Keyi) as means to transcend apocalyptic calamities.)

This scripture passage from Daoist classics concerns disaster relief and blessings, focusing on how sincere cultivation can alleviate famine calamities. Here is the modern interpretation:

Where does food come from? When it cannot be found anywhere, how can you not panic? Seeing yourselves suffering hardships, how can you not seek solutions? This year brings minor disasters, next year may bring greater calamities. Those "hunger demons" (malevolent spirits causing disasters) wreak havoc among humans, devouring people's grain reserves. These ghosts, once summoned, eat their fill by morning yet soon grow hungry again, emitting feeble cries, emaciated beyond human semblance.

To avert disaster, every household must recite this scripture. When encountering three hundred coins (ancient currency), pass them around in celebration. What we reveal to you now—simply reciting these words brings peace, regardless of wealth or status. All who hear should come listen.

People of this world, every family must study this text. You should invite Daoist practitioners to perform rituals, and avoid quarrels within households. When the five grains flourish abundantly, the disasters brought by demons will naturally vanish. Those who disregard the teachings of the Celestial Venerables (supreme Daoist deities) will see seven generations of ancestors suffer in the underworld, while the living endure hardships, accomplishing nothing. Believing in heretical paths leads to hell, while sincere cultivation leads to immortality.

These talismanic incantations and scriptures exist to save all beings, helping them survive famine calamities and escape perpetual hunger and poverty.

The Celestial Master (Zhang Daoling, founder of Daoism) says: Whether in central plains or remote regions, all households must cultivate with devotion and repent sincerely. Be loyal to rulers, filial to parents; abstain from killing and theft while accumulating good deeds. Otherwise, when demonic paths prevail, they will harm the people, causing crop failures where every family starves, reduced to eating wild herbs—such suffering defies imagination.

Prepare fragrant oil, rice, and flour properly. Establish a ritual space in clean locations, practicing purification rites (Daoist methods of pure cultivation) with reverent repentance. Each household should contribute money according to their means, giving freely with sincere hearts. Practitioners must unite in virtue, avoiding disputes. Those who disregard the scripture's instructions waste offerings in vain, failing to please the deities. Without merit, they remain trapped in poverty and hunger.

May all resolve to accumulate virtue through good deeds. When the Celestial Venerables' scriptures reach your home, believe and accept them without doubt. Those who atone with gold and silver gain corresponding blessings; those using silk receive silk's reward; money brings monetary fortune. But poor offerings yield poor retribution.

The Celestial Master concludes: Good begets good, manifest through virtuous deeds; evil causes inevitably bear bitter fruit.

The Wushang Santian Fashi Shuo Yinyu Zhongsheng Miaojing (Scripture of the Supreme Three Heavens' Master on the Marvelous Nourishment of Living Beings) recounts how the Celestial Master (Tianshi, a high-ranking Daoist deity), moved by compassion for human suffering, descended to transmit this sacred text.

Seeing mortals lost in greed and misguided paths, neglecting virtuous deeds while indulging in reckless worship of ghosts and spirits, the Celestial Master chose the eleventh month of the Gengxu year to bestow this Taishang Shenfu Yinyu Miaojing (Supreme Divine Talisman Scripture of Nourishing Grace) upon devoted disciples of the Three Caverns (Sanqing practitioners) at Mount Yuntai. He charged them to spread it widely, urging people to swiftly cultivate merit. Delay, he warned, would invite calamities—floods, fires, plagues, and diseases.

The Celestial Master made a solemn declaration: any virtuous man or woman in cities, counties, or villages who sincerely encouraged others to practice this scripture would receive his protection—longevity, disaster relief, prosperous endeavors, and abundant wealth.

The scripture continues: in Fengrao Village at Mount Yuntai of Langzhou, there lived a sixty-year-old Daoist named Cheng Fadao. On the first day of the eleventh month in the Gengxu year, at dawn while gathering herbs in the mountains, he encountered a radiant immortal clad in five-colored golden robes, his head haloed in light—the Celestial Master himself—descending with attendants. Assuring Cheng not to fear, the Master revealed himself as the Orthodox Unity (Zhengyi) Celestial Master (an honorific title for Zhang Daoling, founder of Daoism) and proclaimed his purpose: to transmit esoteric methods.

The Celestial Master issued a grave warning: in the coming eighth and ninth months, new "ghost masters" would arise, leading hordes of hungry specters to wreak havoc. These demons might take the form of rats stealing grain or lurk as human shapes at doorways, draining people’s food, essence (Jing), and blood. Victims would waste away, limbs weakening, some dying suddenly or falling prey to insects and beasts.

Unable to bear such suffering, the Celestial Master bestowed this scripture to shield the people. Sincere practice would ensure household peace, plentiful food, robust health, and bountiful harvests through the seasons. Families with means were especially urged to establish Lingbao purification rituals (Zhaijiao)—setting up an altar in their courtyards according to the rites and observing a day-long fast with night vigil.

When I hear the chime of temple bells, I descend to the mortal realm, dispatching my two perfected attendants Wang Chang and Zhao Sheng to wield the divine talismans (fulu) of the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) to sever all demonic influences and protect the common people. If you disregard these secret teachings, harboring doubts while indulging in greed, anger, and ignorance—failing to comprehend the principle of karmic retribution for good and evil—this would indeed be pitiable. With earnest admonition I declare: All must nurture sincere devotion to the Dao. Hasten to transcribe this wondrous scripture (jing) and establish Lingbao purification rituals (zhaijiao) to obtain protection. Fearing some may lack faith, I repeatedly exhort you to widely propagate this classic, that the people may forever escape calamity, untimely death, and pestilence. Know this: When the divine talisman arrives, act without delay.

The supreme Celestial Master’s (Tianshi) talisman, inscribed in cinnabar, safeguards disciples and their households—ensuring health, abundant harvests of crops and silkworms, thriving livestock, and the subjugation of demons with immediate effect, "swift as the law commands" (a standard Daoist incantation closing).

This is the miraculous scripture proclaimed by the Supreme Three Heavens Master (referring to Celestial Master Zhang Daoling) to protect all beings.

(Historical note: This early Daoist text emphasizes divine protection through scripture transcription and ritual purification. Wang Chang and Zhao Sheng were renowned disciples of Celestial Master Zhang. The phrase "swift as the law commands" commonly concludes Daoist invocations, signifying instant efficacy.)