Taishang Xuanmen Zhengyi Risong Wanke — the Most High Mysterious Gate's Daily Evening Recitation
This is a working service book, not a single scripture: it is the evening half of the daily liturgy recited in temples of the Correct Unity (Zhengyi) branch of Daoism, the "Mysterious Gate" tradition that traces its ordination back to the Celestial Masters. Its components are older than their compilation into one evening office — a hymn of "Pacing the Void," an incense praise, several Lingbao and Taiyi salvation sutras of the kind that circulated from the Song dynasty onward, and some two dozen "precious litanies" (寶誥, bǎogào) of formal praise addressed to particular gods, each opening with the same formula: "with a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life." The whole compilation, in something close to its present form, is the liturgy still chanted aloud every evening in Zhengyi and many Quanzhen temples across the Chinese-speaking world. No Daozang catalogue number attaches to it — it is not part of the 1445 Zhengtong Daozang, but a living service text transmitted independently and preserved here in the Chinese Wikisource transcription used for this translation.
In form the text keeps switching registers: five- and seven-character verse hymns, narrative sutra-prose in which a Celestial Worthy answers a disciple's question about the torments of hell, and litany-prose that piles up a deity's titles, deeds, and epithets into a single unbroken sentence before closing on the divine name. This translation keeps that same shape — verse as verse, prose as prose, litanies as one long sentence of praise — reproducing the text's own section headings.
A note on one recurring formula: 志心皈命禮, opening each litany, literally means "with mind wholly sincere/single-minded, I take refuge, and submit my life [to]." It is rendered throughout as "with a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life," matching the fixed liturgical function it has in the Chinese: not a sentence to be read once, but a formula recited before each deity in turn.
Translated for the Good Works Library directly from the classical Chinese, printed in full below. Published English translations exist of the closely overlapping morning-and-evening liturgy books that share most of this text's component sutras and litanies — this Good Works Translation was made independently from the Chinese and did not consult them; see the colophon for what was checked.
Translation
Hymn of Pacing the Void
The Supreme Ultimate parted the high from the deep;
clear and pure, it rose to belong to Heaven.
When a person can cultivate the utmost Way,
the body itself becomes a true immortal.
Practice overflows, three thousand in number;
the age arrives, forty thousand years on.
The Cinnabar Terrace opens its treasured scroll-case;
the golden mouth hands it down in transmission.
Incense Praise
Jade sandalwood incense from the censer
rises at dawn to the Maple Hall of court.
On the Jasper Terrace the Law is proclaimed, delivering the multitude of beings,
carrying them beyond the ford of suffering and delusion.
The hidden spirits of the myriad kinds
refine their substance and are transformed into human form.
Great Sage Who Broadly Delivers Those Sunk and Drowned, Great Celestial Worthy (chanted three times)
Supreme Great Celestial Worthy of the Ten Directions Who Saves from Suffering (chanted three times)
Scripture-Opening Spell
Silent, silent, reaching to the root of nothingness,
standing empty through cliffs eons high.
Wide open, the cavern-mystery text falls forth —
who can fathom its hidden distance?
Once entered on the road of the Great Vehicle,
who counts the years and kalpas any more?
Not born, and never extinguished,
desiring birth, one takes the lotus for cause.
Crossing beyond the paths of the Three Realms,
a compassionate heart unravels the net of the world.
The Perfected possess virtue beyond compare —
life after life, they belong to the house of immortals.
The Wondrous Scripture of the Ten Directions' Salvation from Suffering
(of the Most High Cavern-Mystery Numinous Treasure Canon)
At that time, the Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering filled the ten directions entirely, and constantly, by the power of his awesome numinous might, rescued and delivered all living beings, that they might be freed from the paths of delusion. Living beings, unaware, are like the blind before sun and moon. From within the Great Nothing I myself arose, drawing them forth without limit or boundary. Auspicious clouds open the gate of birth; propitious mists seal the door of death. First I set forth from the mysterious primordial beginning, to open a channel for auspicious response. I save from every sin, I deliver from every hardship. Vast and distant, I transcend the source of the immortals; broad and free, I am naturally pure. All is upheld by the power of the great Dao, by which I subdue every demon spirit.
What is that brilliance in the void? It is called the Mud-Ball Immortal. Purple clouds cover the Yellow Elder; this is called the Lord of the Three Treasures. I take also the pneuma of highest Heaven, to govern the souls of the Nine Heavens. All the wondrous spirits who save from suffering rightly perceive the hour of salvation. In Heaven above, undivided in the Undifferentiated, the pneuma of Heaven returns to a single body, and all become natural, self-so persons. What is self-so has a separate substance, rooted originally in the Cavern of Emptiness. The traces of that Cavern of Emptiness are no traces; the whole body is entirely void.
First, the entrusted pneuma stands established; second, the compliant pneuma is born; third, the myriad dharmas are perfected; fourth, radiant light is born. Above Heaven there are thirty-six; below the earth there are thirty-six. The Great Mystery is without bound or limit — how wondrous is the Great Cavern Scripture! I take refuge in and submit my life to the Most High Honored One, who can dissolve every sin.
Celestial Worthy of the August Jade Treasure of the East. Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Truth and Myriad Blessings of the South. Celestial Worthy of Great Wonder and Utmost Ultimate of the West. Celestial Worthy of the Mysterious High Jade Asterism of the North. Celestial Worthy of Delivering Immortals, Most Holy, of the Northeast. Celestial Worthy Who Loves Life and Delivers Fate, of the Southeast. Celestial Worthy of Great Numen, the Emperor of Emptiness, of the Southwest. Celestial Worthy of Measureless Great Splendor of the Northwest. Celestial Worthy of the Jade Void, the Bright Emperor, of the Upper Direction. Celestial Worthy of the Perfected Emperor, Cavern-Spirit, of the Lower Direction.
The Dao says: the Celestial Worthies of the ten directions, numerous as grains of sand and dust, transform their forms throughout the ten directions, universally saving and delivering gods and men. They gather their entrusted pneuma into merit and virtue, and with one voice save sinners. Sinners are truly pitiable — the Celestial Worthies proclaim this wondrous scripture, chanting it without cease, turning their bodies toward it without pause, so that Heaven's halls enjoy great blessing and the hells are emptied of cries of pain. Fire's shade becomes cool and clear; sword-trees turn into fragrant kalavinka groves. Above, souls ascend to the Palace of Vermilion Mounds; below, they enter the Gate of Opened Light. They are delivered beyond the sufferings of the Three Realms, straight up to the Heaven of Primordial Beginning.
Thereupon the Flying Heavenly Spirit-Kings, in numbers beyond counting, gazed up in reverence at the Worthy's countenance, and made this hymn:
The Celestial Worthy proclaims the scripture's teaching,
drawing forth the drifting lives of men.
Diligently cultivating and learning non-action,
awakening to the truth, the Way completes itself.
Neither deluded nor dissolute,
without self and without name —
recite aloud these verses of sin and blessing
ten thousand times, and the heart's defilement clears.
At that time, when the Flying Heavenly Spirit-Kings and all the host of heavenly immortals had finished speaking this recitation, they bowed their heads to the Celestial Worthy, took their leave with reverence, and withdrew.
The True Scripture of Ascending to Heaven and Attaining the Way
(Spoken by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning)
At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, in the Heaven of Great Canopy, on Mount Jade Capital, spoke this True Scripture of Ascending to Heaven and Attaining the Way for the host of heavenly immortals. He told the immortals: I shall now briefly open for you body and mind, and clearly proclaim the essentials of the Dao. The divine immortals of the ten directions all cultivate by means of this scripture, and thereby penetrate its subtle depths.
Good men and good women, relying upon fasting and precepts, make of this a ford and a bridge. All that is conditioned reveals the paths of the real. Embody this dharma-form, and only then may you receive and uphold it. If you can shut out the many conditions, you forever remove defilement and attachment. Outer forms do not enter, inner forms do not go forth; abiding in right mindfulness, the five viscera become cool and clear, and the six bowels are regulated and at peace. Among the three hundred and sixty bone-joints, whatever obstruction and hindrance there is — the karma of the ten evils, the karma of the hundred and eighty afflictions, the root of every suffering and sin — all of it is swept entirely away.
Then one draws in the true pneuma of Great Harmony, letting it flow and moisten the field of the body. The five viscera and six bowels, the heart and the eye turned within to observe — wherever the true pneuma reaches becomes pure, clear, and bright, an empty whiteness shining forth. Deep, deep, dark, dark — within and without, nothing stirs. Dim, dim, silent, silent — one arrives truly at non-action, ever-abiding from ancient times to now. Wholly upholding still contemplation, from this one attains understanding; the power of the Dao sustains and supports, the medicine of the Law assists — thus one moderates food and drink, drives away the corpse-demons, quiets and stills the six senses, silently illuminates the eight consciousnesses, and empties the five aggregates. One realizes the wondrous Three Origins, attains the Dao and becomes a Perfected, and rises in salvation, naturally so.
At that time, the host of heavenly immortals addressed the Celestial Worthy, saying: from beginningless time until this very day, we have never heard such a Great Vehicle scripture as this. By this fortunate meeting, may it extend broadly to all, that the fruit of the Dao be perfect and bright. And they spoke this verse:
Deep, deep, dark, dark — the pure and still Way;
dim, dim, silent, silent — the traces of Great Emptiness.
The substance of nature, calm and clear, abides nowhere;
form and mind both stilled, a single true emptiness.
The Wondrous Scripture of Resolving Grievances and Uprooting Sin
(Spoken by the Most High Lord of the Dao)
At that time, the Most High Lord of the Dao, together with the assembly of sages, was beneath the Eight Kalavinka Groves, within the Seven-Jeweled Terrace, arrayed in awesome dignity, setting forth the essentials of the Dao. Serene in spirit, he sat in silence, and like Mount Jade Capital he released a sevenfold jeweled radiance, illuminating both the Hall of Blessing and the hells. He saw that within the Hall of Blessing, good men and women were joyful and at ease, wandering free and unconstrained. He saw also that within the hells, hungry ghosts and destitute souls, day following night, endured every kind of torment. None kept human form; their five limbs were rotted and decayed. Hungry, they fed on raging fire; thirsty, they drank molten bronze. Their feet trod mountains of blades; their bodies bore rods of iron. Blood flowed over their whole bodies, and their cries of grief pierced Heaven.
At that time, within the assembly there was a Perfected named Guangxin, who rose from his seat, bowed his head, came forward, and addressed the Lord of the Dao: I do not know what fault these destitute souls committed in life, that they should suffer this.
The Lord of the Dao said: those who suffer these punishments, while in the world, did not revere the Three Lights; they betrayed the principle of the spirits; they committed the ten evils and the five rebellions; they were disloyal and unfilial, unkind and inhumane; they injured and destroyed living things and slew living beings. When their blessing was exhausted and their span of years ended, they came to suffer this.
At that time, the Perfected Guangxin, his heart moved to pity, wished for their rescue and deliverance, and hoped that by wondrous power and awesome light, they might be granted release. He humbly begged that the Lord of the Dao bestow his golden words, broadly establish the essentials of the Law, and proclaim this scripture for the sake of all living beings. It is named Resolving Grievances and Uprooting Sin. Let it be spread through the world, to benefit both the living and the dead. If there are good men and good women who, single-minded and wholly intent, enter stillness, keep the fast, burn incense, and practice the Way, reciting this scripture at the six watches of the day, I shall accordingly, in answer to their vow, protect and bless them, so that grievances and enmities from past lives, borne up by merit, are delivered beyond, and hidden souls and suffering spirits each attain release and ascent.
The Perfected Guangxin, joyful, bowed twice, and having thus perceived the thread of this surpassing cause, made this hymn:
Great indeed is the Lord of the great Dao,
ever broad, of measureless merit!
A boat and oar upon the sea of birth and death,
he ferries souls across, beyond Mount Luofeng.
Sin's requital is met no more;
blessing's reward reaches even the shades.
How can his working of spirit be fathomed?
How could praise of him ever be exhausted?
At that time, when the Perfected Guangxin and the assembly of sages had finished hearing the Law, each bowed his head in refuge, believed, received, and reverently practiced it.
The Scripture of Meritorious Dharma-Food for Rebirth
(Spoken by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning)
At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, together with the host of heavenly sages, the immortals of Heaven and the immortals of Earth, the officials of the Three Realms, the earthly bureaus of the Five Peaks, the water-offices of the Five Emperors, and the Two Lads of Good and Evil of the Northern Capital of Luofeng, roamed through the world of the Jade-Treasure Tower of the East. Beneath the Azure Tree, upon a blue-green lotus, he spoke of the ten kinds of causes and conditions and the thousand karmic retributions, causing the whole assembly of the Law to give rise to a mind of liberation.
At that time, the Celestial Worthy manifested a great radiance, filling that world entirely. All beheld the hells, the hungry ghosts, and the beasts: their heads and faces scorched and rotten, their bodies aflame; wheels of blades and edges of swords; bitter suffering piercing Heaven; pain wounding to the very marrow; fierce fire blazing to the sky; thirst quenched only with molten bronze; crying out over debts of enmity without any rest. At that time the whole assembly beheld this together.
At that time, there was a Perfected named Great Compassion and Great Wisdom, who, weeping and sighing in grief, rose from his seat, bowed his head, composed his countenance, made obeisance, and addressed the Celestial Worthy: I humbly beg that your sacred compassion give ear and attend. I, together with this assembly of the Law and the flying immortals and divine immortals, grieve for the beings of the world below. I humbly beg the Celestial Worthy's impartial great compassion — how may they be saved and delivered?
At that time, the Celestial Worthy remained silent for a long while; then he opened his compassionate countenance, raised the Five-Bright Fan, and sent forth a great resounding voice, answering the Perfected: excellent, excellent! You have broadly, for the sake of living beings, opened a compassionate mind of pity. Now that you ask of this matter, you have caused me to give my response. Let this whole assembly now listen closely.
The Celestial Worthy said: within the Three Officials' nine bureaus, and the hundred and twenty hells of Fengdu, there are living beings who did not cultivate the true Way; at death they entered the long night, their souls becoming lowly ghosts, sunk down into evil destinies. Grieving, he sighed and made this hymn:
Cool, cool, the sweet dew nourishes —
the flavor of the Law is beyond all thought.
Kalavinka fragrance flows to the Seven Perfected;
in the darkness, dark, what doubt could still arise?
Those who receive this dharma-food
are born in Heaven and ascend to the Purple Tenuity.
The field of blessing rises towering high;
the offering makes all pure and clear.
Every conditioned matter
becomes entirely a substitute for life.
It draws you out from the suffering of the Three Paths,
and grants you the joy of the Nine Mysteries.
When the moment comes to receive the food,
all the heavens together give praise and song.
The cold courtyards hold much grief and pain —
turn your heart back and bow to the Primordial Sovereign.
The Nüqing Lingbao talisman,
the register of the True Emperor of Mount Zhongshan:
think of it once, and you rise to the Great Clarity;
think of it twice, and you return to the Great Void.
Merit returns down into the Nine Darknesses,
and swiftly, swiftly, life is born in the Purple Emptiness.
The Celestial Worthy said: the bestowing of food upon the dead is beyond all thought. All these departed souls, whether male or female, upon being thus filled and satisfied, each attain release from suffering and liberation; they are granted a cool and clear lotus seat, and forever attain release.
At that time, the Celestial Worthy again proclaimed this verse:
Merit and virtue are beyond all thought;
the practitioner receives the reward of blessing.
To one who bestows this dharma-feast,
eternal life on the road of peace and joy is given.
At that time, when the Celestial Worthy had finished speaking this verse, all the hells that had been seen dissolved and scattered at the sound of his voice. All the hidden souls, following the vow, were reborn according to their wish. The Perfected Great Compassion and Great Wisdom, and the whole assembly of the Law, all rejoiced and leapt for joy; they cast their five limbs to the ground, made obeisance, and withdrew, believing, receiving, and reverently practicing it.
The Wondrous Scripture of Uprooting Sin from the Blood Lake of Fengdu
(Spoken by the Great Unity, Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering)
At that time, the Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering, filling the ten directions entirely, gathered together the Celestial Worthies and the host of immortals of the ten directions, and spoke of the various causes and conditions. At that time, the Perfected Wondrous Conduct stepped forward from the ranks and addressed him: your servant now looks down upon the Realm of Desire, upon Mount Luo of Fengdu — the twenty-four hells of the Blood Lake, the eighteen hells of blades and edges, the Hell of No Interval at the Great Enclosing Iron Mountain, the hells of the Three Rivers, Four Seas, and the Nine Rivers' winding springs, the hells of fierce fords, vast waves, and flowing sands. In some, molten bronze is poured down the throat; in others, sharp saws cut apart the body; some embrace pillars of bronze until their skin is scorched, or lie on beds of iron until their flesh rots. Their whole bodies are cut with blades, every joint burns with fire; rods of iron and hammers of bronze strike them on every side without end. Such is their pain and torment, without any rest.
At that time, the Perfected Wondrous Conduct and the host of immortals of the ten directions having spoken, the Celestial Worthy said: excellent, excellent. All this arises from causes made deliberately or in error, in this life and the last — rebellion against constant principle, debts of life and money unpaid, miscarriage and harm done to children, death in the Blood Lake through childbirth, sudden and violent death by misfortune, grievances and enmities left unresolved, sins piled up like hills and mountains. Sunk within the hells — the Blood Lake, the Blood Well, the Blood Pool, the Blood Gorge — they suffer every torment, and through ten thousand kalpas find no escape.
Now, fortunate enough to meet the Celestial Worthy, who raises great compassion and opens the great gate of the Law, gathering together all the divine immortals of the ten directions, proclaiming the wondrous Law, universally saving all beings, saving from every sin, delivering from every hardship — they go forth from the long night and come to see the light. Every sin is swept away, every grievance and enmity is reconciled and released. Cauldrons of boiling liquid and beds of fire are transformed into lotus pools; mountains of blades and forests of swords are turned into flower gardens. Every kind of sin and transgression is pardoned, and from this they are set free; the long night of darkness is forgiven, and all attain rebirth beyond. And he made this hymn:
The Celestial Worthy, in great compassion,
universally saves all in the hidden dark.
In the ten directions he proclaims the subtle and wondrous;
by talisman and mandate he pardons the sealed springs below.
He raises up souls from the suffering of the Three Paths,
delivering them forth from the courts of the Blood Lake.
Sunken souls and lingering spirits,
men and women all together, rise beyond.
Scripture Praise
A hundred thousand saved from suffering
attain the Way and ascend as immortals.
The hungry and empty are filled and satisfied, all return;
the dharma-food is vast, without limit or bound.
The gorge of stone gives birth to lotus;
debts of enmity are wholly without further sin.
Great Sage Who Grants Rebirth According to the Vow, Great Celestial Worthy (chanted three times)
The Litany of the Bushel Mother
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
In the land of Western India, within great wisdom's light, the Dharma-King's Teacher of true emptiness and wondrous form, the peerless mother-sovereign of the mysterious primordial heavens. Where her golden light flashes forth, sun and moon hide their brightness; when her jeweled pestle turns, ghosts and spirits lose their color. She manifests her numinous traces in the dusty world, and guards the sacred carriage in Jambudvipa. When living beings are in trouble and call her name, the Great One seeks out the sound and comes to save from suffering. Of great compassion, of great vow, of great sagehood, of great mercy — the Great Brahma, Primordial Bushel Mother; the Purple Radiance, Golden Honored One; the Sacred Virtue, Great Light, Empress of Heaven; the Great Sage of Marīci; the Perfect and Bright Mother-Sovereign of the Dao, Celestial Worthy.
The Litany of the Three Officials
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
The three sages are but a single Supreme Ultimate. Together they receive the mandate over vast kalpas of households, and together bear the praise of measureless ranks. Purple Tenuity, Pure Emptiness, and the Caverns of Shade — they govern together all merit and fault. They bestow blessing, pardon sin, and dissolve calamity, broadly aiding both the living and the dead. Their Way crowns all the heavens; their kindness extends through the Three Realms. Of great compassion, of great vow, of great sagehood, of great mercy — the Three Origins, of Three Ranks, the Great Emperors of the Three Officials, of the Three Palaces and Nine Bureaus, the Responsive and Perceiving Celestial Worthy.
The Litany of the Dark Emperor of Heaven
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
Lord of the Six Heavens of Undifferentiated Origin, Transmitter of the Law and Founder of the Teaching. He cultivated the truth and awakened to the Way, ferrying across and delivering the multitude of the deluded. Universally, for the sake of living beings, he dispels calamity and obstruction. Of eighty-two transformations, Patriarch of the Three Teachings. Of great mercy, great compassion, saving from suffering and rescuing from calamity. Overall Steward of the Three Origins, Roving Envoy of the Nine Heavens, Assistant of the Heavenly Net and the Northern Culmen, Great General of the Right Enclosure. Who guards Heaven and aids what is right — the Perfected Warrior of numinous response, of blessing and virtue that spreads celebration, of humaneness and mercy, upright and fierce, the Perfected Lord of Harmonized Fortune. Tutelary Spirit Who Governs the World, Master-Minister of the Jade Void, the Dark Emperor of Heaven, Golden-Portal Incarnation, Celestial Worthy Who Sweeps Away Demons.
The Litany of the Founding Celestial Master
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
Supreme Minister of Great Mystery, Sustainer of the Teaching of the Three Heavens. On Mount Crane's Cry he received the true transmission; at the Mysterious Altar of Dragon and Tiger he left behind his wondrous secrets. The registers of the Law of the Three Caverns, the numinous texts of every rank; twelve hundred officers and troops uphold and sustain the orthodox teaching. The twenty-four ranks of secret registers universally save later generations. With the jade seal of overall merit, in official robe and skirt and shoes, he dwells in the Overall Bureau and constantly attends the Sovereign of Men, governing the Three Realms and delivering the people below. With his paired swords, male and female, he cuts down demons and goblins, brings rain or makes it clear, rolls out thunder and flashes lightning. Thus he establishes altars and spreads transformation, aiding the nation and its rise, bringing peace to the people; his merit accomplished and his practice fulfilled, in broad daylight he ascended to Heaven. Patriarch, Sustainer of the Teaching of the Three Heavens, Assistant of Mystery and Embodiment of the Dao, Celestial Master of the Great Law, Perfected Lord of Correct Unity, Cavern-Mystery, Manifest Protection; Sovereign of the High and Bright, Boundless through the Six Directions; Great Sage Who Subdues Demons and Protects the Dao, Celestial Worthy.
The Litany of the Immortal Elder Ge
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
He attained the Dao at Mount Tiantai, and became Perfected at Mount Ge'zao. Long ago he received transmission from the Lord of the Eastern Flower, then journeyed on to Western Shu. Summoned by decree to the Golden Portal of the Jade Capital, he rose in rank to the immortal ranks of the Supreme Ultimate. His compassion rescues those sunk and drowned; his mindful kindness broadly sustains the suffering and the departed. The legacy of Ge Tianshi shines forth still; as magistrate of Goulou he preserved his cinnabar, wandering still at Kuocang, and coming at last to rest at Mount Luofu; he cultivated leisure at the Jade Bamboo-Case, and put in order the Golden Book. Of great compassion, of great vow, of great sagehood, of great mercy — Elder Immortal of the Left Palace of the Most High Jade Capital and Great Ultimate of Eastern Wu; Inner Minister of Heaven's Workings in the Mysterious Bureau of Thunder; the Jade Void's Purple Numen, Universal Transformer of Mystery and Stillness; Perfected Lord of Constant Dao and Pervading Response, Who Bestows Blessing and Aid; the Bestower of Grace and Broad Salvation, the Great Sovereign of Mercy and Compassion, the Celestial Worthy Who Delivers Beings Without Measure.
The Litany of the Perfected Lord Xu
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
Founding Patriarch of Undifferentiated Origin, whose single pneuma divides into the Perfected. Many kalpas ago he accumulated the practice of the utmost Way. Diligent and painstaking in every respect, his mastery of warp and weft grew ever deeper. Of the myriad methods and thousand gates, there is none he has not passed through. He saves from calamity and rescues from hardship, removes harm and sweeps away demons; his merit aids all living beings, and his name stands high in the Jade Registers. The assembly of the Perfected honor and look up to him, and it is fitting that he be raised and exalted. Of great compassion, great vow, great filial piety, great humaneness — Grand Immortal Historian, Overseer of the Nine Provinces; Envoy of the High and Bright; of the Great Bureau of Thunder, Chief Minister of Heaven's Pivot Who Subdues Demons; of the utmost Dao and mysterious response, of divine merit and wondrous aid; who governs the Registers of the Nine Heavens; the Perfected Lord Who Fixes Life-Spans and Records Births Through the Great Unity; Chief Inspector of the Three Heavens; Grand Master Who Memorializes Throughout Heaven; Great Sovereign of Heavenly Healing; Patriarch Who Delivers Beings Through the Kalpas; Celestial Worthy of Pure Brightness and Universal Transformation.
The Litany of Patriarch Sa
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
His lineage flows from the western lands; his traces manifest at Longxing. He gave out money and compounded medicines to aid the multitude, accumulating conduct and heaping up merit to cultivate the utmost Way. He received the teaching-decree of Master Tie, and holds the thunder-registers of the Jade Bureau. His body is clad in a patchwork robe that subdues demons; his hand grips the Five-Bright Fan that vanquishes ghosts. On Heaven's behalf he spreads transformation, chanting spells over jujubes and inscribing talismans. He moves wind and thunder within the span of an inch, and cuts down demons and goblins beneath the Dipper's handle. His Dao partakes of the Supreme Ultimate; his rank stands among the primordial heavens. Like pine and bamboo, like a wild crane, he ranges freely at will; near and far, like a lone cloud, he is forever at ease. Everywhere he proclaims the teaching, as the Patriarch-Master of the myriad methods. Everywhere he opens altars, as a model for later generations. Overall Lord of Heaven, Peerless Perfected Lord of the Primal Unity.
The Litany of the Three Mao Perfected Lords
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
Of the virtue of Heaven and man, Patriarch-Master of sages and immortals. His filial devotion and brotherly love reached through to the spirits; his kindness and grace covered both family and nation. He withdrew to Mount Heng to awaken to the Dao, and dwelt at Gouqu to rise to Heaven. He presides over the mountains of Daizong, Heng, and Huo, and holds office over the caverns of Red City and Huayang. He governs the turning of yin and yang through the fortunes of the kalpas, and oversees together thunder and the waters of marsh and lake. He received his two younger brothers of fine bearing, and gave them the secret instructions for ascending to the Perfected. All three together hold registers among the divine immortals, and together bear the glory of the Jade Tablets. His virtue spreads through the hidden and the visible; his humaneness touches all beneath Heaven. Responding according to occasion, his vows are vast and deep.
Of the Great Origin and Wondrous Dao, the Perfected Lord of Pervading Emptiness, Sacred Aid, and True Response. Earthly Immortal, Highest Perfected, Fixer of Registers of the Right Restraint, the Perfected Lord of Pervading Stillness, Virtuous Aid, and Wondrous Response. Earthly Immortal of Utmost Perfection, Guardian of Life through the Three Officials, the Perfected Lord of Pervading Kindness, Humane Aid, and Divine Response. Upper Ministers Who Govern Life Through the Nine Heavens, the Celestial Worthies of the Three Mao Who Respond in Transformation.
The Sacred Titles of the Three Mao Perfected Lords
Of the Undifferentiated Origin and the Nine Heavens, Founders of the Teaching Who Transmit the Dao. Attendants-in-Waiting of the Jade Emperor, Loyal Earls of the Eastern Palace. They govern the Envoys of Left and Right, ruling over the myriad numina. Over the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, over Fengdu and the sacred peaks and rivers, over the Four Seas and Nine Rivers, over the Earth-Lords of the Nine Provinces, they hold office over thunder, driving dragons and bringing down rain. They judge the seasons of good and evil among men, and govern the days of right and wrong in the shadowed bureau. Perfect and pervading, calm and still, their vows are vast and deep. Of great compassion, great vow, great sagehood, great mercy, they turn back bones and raise the dead, delivering beings without measure. Sacred Master, Upper Minister of the Eastern Peak, Governor of Life at Mount Huolin; of the Great Origin and Wondrous Dao, the Perfected Lord of Pervading Emptiness, Sacred Aid, and True Response. Earthly Immortal, Highest Perfected, Fixer of Emoluments of the Right Restraint, the Perfected Lord of Pervading Stillness, Virtuous Aid, and Wondrous Response. Earthly Immortal of Utmost Perfection, Guardian of Life through the Three Officials, the Perfected Lord of Pervading Wisdom, Humane Aid, and Divine Response. Upper Ministers Who Govern Life Through the Nine Heavens, the Celestial Worthies of the Three Mao Who Respond in Transformation.
The Litany of the Celestial Master Xujing
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
White snow in the cinnabar sky, yellow sprout long accumulated, his brilliance patterned among the stars. Lord Lao bestowed on him the mystery of the Three-and-Five Flying Paces, the talismans and registers of the Jade Bureau. The Han founder passed down the secret purport of Correct Unity's beheading of evil. In unity he ascended in name to the Purple Bureau; in unity he holds thunder within his grasp. He drives out plague and pestilence from Mount Qingcheng, and extinguishes the miasma of demons from the world below. Towering, towering; vast, vast; wondrous, wondrous; mysterious, mysterious. He departs the Supreme Ultimate and ascends to the Purple Tenuity, gathering the Three Flowers to attend upon the Five Pneumas. Responding to occasion, he investigates all things; he wards off evil and preserves the spirit. Patriarch, Thirtieth-Generation Celestial Master, the Perfected Lord Xujing of Pervading Vastness Who Awakened to the Dao; Celestial Worthy of the Mysterious Wind Who Proclaims Transformation.
The Litany of the Eastern Peak
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
Ancestor blazing through the dark heavens, Patriarch whose golden wheel gathered the seas; born when his mother Mi dreamed of the sun's light, younger brother of the Sage of the Purple Bureau, the Lord of the Eastern Flower. Long ago he established merit at Changbai, and first received investiture from Fuxi; his first title was Perfected of Great Splendor, his Han-dynasty name Marshal of Mount Tai. In the Tang he was styled the Sagely Sovereign of Kindness and Great Grace; the sacred dynasty decreed for him the name of Great Life-Giver. His seat governs the direction of Earth; his merit shares in the making of Heaven. All the ranks and kinds of things owe to him their birth and completion. His humaneness, through virtue and kindness, turns spring's warmth within his own palm; his sacred heart, ever more sacred, is bright as sun and moon within the heavens. Among the Five Peaks he is praised as lord of the East; among the Three Realms he alone is honored, lord of the Central Realm. Above he reverently carries out Heaven's command; below he inspects and corrects the shadowed bureau. He holds the power over good and evil among men, and governs alone the handle of life and death throughout the world. He punishes wickedness, and the hells are divided into thirty-six wardens; he governs fortune and misfortune, and judgment is parceled among seventy-two bureaus. Those who do good are registered for birth in Heaven's halls; those sunk in delusion, he seeks out by the sound of their voice and delivers. He shows forth the form of the great and merciful Sovereign of Mercy, and opens the gate of birth upon birth, transformation upon transformation. His blessing equals Heaven's; his merit rises beyond measure. Of great compassion, great vow, great sagehood, great mercy — Utmost Sovereign of the Central Realm, Sagely Sovereign of the Eastern Peak, of Merciful Light Who Saves from Suffering, Celestial Worthy of Awesome Authority and Sovereign Freedom.
The Litany of the Great Unity
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
Of the Realm of Eternal Joy in Green Splendor, of the Palace of Wondrous Solemnity at the Eastern Culmen. Amid the fragrant kalavinka forest of the seven jewels, upon a lotus throne of nine colors. Encircled within by the myriad Perfected, amid a hundred million rays of auspicious light. The Lord of Numinous Treasure of Jade Clarity, responsive transformation of the mysterious primordial beginning. Through vast kalpas he bestows compassionate salvation, opening the gate of sweet dew to the great chiliocosm. His wondrous body of the Dao, of purple-gold auspicious form, responds according to occasion, his vows without limit or bound. Of great sagehood, great mercy, great compassion, great vow — transforming his name throughout the ten directions, universally delivering all living beings; through a hundred million kalpas, saving beings without measure; seeking out the sound and responding to it: the Great Unity, Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering, the Azure Mystery Sovereign. (Turn to face the Celestial Worthy, or bow to the Celestial Worthy.)
The Great Unity, Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering (chanted three times)
Hymn of Praise
Founder of the Teaching of Green Splendor, the merciful Sovereign of the Great Unity;
responsive transformation of Jade Clarity, manifest in golden form;
the gate of sweet dew to the great chiliocosm —
drawing forth all living beings,
that they forever leave the ford of the river of love. (Repeat this line.)
The Great Sage, the Great Unity, Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering. (chanted three times)
The Litany of Marshal Wang
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
Chief General of the Primordial Heavens, Divine Lord of Single Pneuma. Great Numinous Officer Who Inspects and Corrects All Under Heaven. Fierce and Impartial General of the Three Realms. Golden-eyed, red-haired, styled the Thunder Lord of the Three-and-Five Fire Chariots. Phoenix-beaked, silver-fanged, commander of a million spirit-warriors like leopards and bears. He soars through clouds and mist, and issues command over thunder. He brings down rain and clears the sky, drives out evil and cures sickness. He observes faults and transgressions across twelve years; he received his mandate from the Jade Emperor. His accumulated merit and achievement number in the hundreds of thousands and millions; he has vowed to assist the Patriarch. Of utmost firmness and utmost courage, he aids both the dead and the living. Everywhere he proclaims the teaching, everywhere he opens altars — the swift and fierce officer. Great Numinous Officer of the Three-and-Five Fire Chariots, Marshal Wang, Celestial Lord; the Great Unity's Thunder-Voiced Celestial Worthy of Responsive Transformation.
General Litany of the Thunder Department
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
Generals of the Overall Bureau of Thunder; the many officer-lords of talisman-charts and registers of the Law. Marshal Deng of the Flashing-Fire Statutes; the fierce silver-fanged officer, Celestial Lord Xin; the swift-reporting messenger, Envoy Zhang; the iron-faced, blue-fanged Celestial Lord Liu. Great Generals Ma, Guo, Fang, Deng, and Tian; Jiang and Bi, of Thunder and Rain, of the Bureau of Thunder. Pang, Liu, Gou, and Bi, of great spirit-power; Wen, Kang, Yue, and Meng, of manifest and awesome numen. The two Marshals Wang and Ma, Numinous Officers; General Yin, Overseer of the Year-Star in the Earthly Bureau. Marshal Zhu, of the Fire Rhinoceros in the Bureau of Thunder; the two Thunder Spirits, Zhuan and Ba, within the Dipper. The generals of Heavenly Healing who attack pathogens and cure illness; the assembled numina of the courts and offices of Fengdu. The City God, the Earth-Lord, and the Officer of Merit; the two Perfected of the Divine Tiger, He and Qiao. Their ranks and standards stand dense to left and right; their banners and pennants flash and shine across Heaven and Earth. Swords and halberds, spears and lances are ever in their hands; pikes, blades, axes, and battle-axes are always at their sides. If there is any evil that cuts across the Great Way, they seize it and dispatch it to the Prison of Thunder without delay. They sweep away the winds of the Dipper's handle and welcome the Emperor's carriage; they support and sustain the Law of the Dao and rescue the good people. I now make my petition, hoping for your arrival: bestow greatly your thunderous awe, and add to us your protection.
The Litany of Repaying Kindness
With a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life:
Responsive transformation of the Mysterious Origin, the divided Perfected of the Military Bushel Star, mindful of us living beings, granting form and delivering birth. Our parents carried us ten months in the womb, and nursed us three years. Their hardship a hundredfold, a thousandfold, their earnest and constant thought for us — pity our parents, day by day growing old and frail. I now hold in mind impartial thought, wholly extinguishing perilous greed and anger; I bow to the Sovereign as my teacher, and pray to repay kindness at its root. May my present parents' blessing and years of life be increased and extended; may my ancestors of ages past soon attain rebirth beyond. Of great sagehood, great mercy, great humaneness, great filial piety. Of eighty-two transformations, Founder of the Teaching of Repaying Kindness, the Sacred Guardian, the Perfected Warrior, Tutelary Spirit Who Governs the World, Master-Minister of the Jade Void, the Dark Emperor of Heaven, Golden-Portal Incarnation, the Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering Through the Final Kalpa.
The Earth-God Spell
The Earth-God of this place, most numinous of spirits,
who rises to Heaven and reaches to Earth, who goes out from the hidden and enters the dark —
present my petition on my behalf; let there be no delay.
On the day your merit is complete, your name shall be written in Highest Clarity.
The merit and virtue of this evening hall's recitation of the scripture, we offer up above to the Compassionate Sovereign, and bring down aid to the hidden dark, that they may be delivered and transformed into the land of immortals. May all together rely upon this good fruit, and realize the peerless Way. Let all believe and bow.
With a wholly sincere heart, we invoke: the Great Unity, Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering, of inconceivable merit and virtue.
The Three Refuges
To the peerless Treasure of the Dao — may all living beings ever attend the Celestial Worthies, and forever escape the wheel of rebirth.
To the peerless Treasure of the Scriptures — may all living beings, life after life, generation after generation, come to hear the true Law.
To the peerless Treasure of the Teacher — may all living beings study the highest vehicle, and never fall into false views.
Verse for the Completion of the Scripture
The merit and virtue of this evening service are beyond all thought.
May all the spirits of every heaven and every earth
grant the nation a life-span equal to Heaven's.
The great Dao, in its mercy and compassion,
brings the myriad transformations to joyful and harmonious peace.
Spell for the Bestowal of Food
(Abbreviated — disciples newly entered into the Dao need not perform the food-bestowal)
To all flying birds and running beasts, to all ants, mole-crickets, snakes, and insects, to all enemies and creditors from grievances past, to all lonely souls, male and female — of the four modes of birth and the six paths of rebirth, in every cold forest: hearing the scripture and listening to the Law, may you swiftly attain deliverance and ascent. (Recited three times)
(Here ends the Evening Liturgy of Correct Unity of the Mysterious Gate of the Most High.)
Colophon
This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Ritual, Repentance, and Liturgy shelf of the Good Works Library. The English was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The text switches registers throughout — four-character verse hymns, sutra narrative in which a Celestial Worthy answers a disciple's plea on behalf of suffering souls, and the litany (寶誥) form, in which a deity's epithets, deeds, and titles accumulate into a single long sentence of praise before closing on the divine name — and this translation preserves those shifts: verse kept as verse, narrative kept as prose, and each litany kept as one unbroken sentence, opening on the fixed formula "with a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life."
A genuine translation-status check was performed before the claim below was written. The two local bibliographies of Daoist texts in Western-language translation (Komjathy's Daoist Texts in Translation and the 2023 Purple Cloud survey) were grepped for this text's title, its pinyin, and its component parts; neither records a translation of this particular Wikisource witness text under its own title. Both bibliographies do, however, record published English (and German) translations of the closely overlapping Zhengyi and Quanzhen morning-and-evening liturgy books that share most of this text's component sutras and litanies word for word: Barea, C. and Fan, F. (2009) Scriptures for the Morning and Evening Rites of the Orthodox Oneness, a translation of the Longhushan Zhengyi Risong Zaowan Ke 龍虎山正一日誦早晚課, the direct Zhengyi companion text to this one; and several translations of the parallel Xuanmen Zaowan Tan Gongke Jing 玄門早晚壇功課經 — Paynter, J. and Schaefer, J. (2019) Daoist Morning and Evening Altar Recitations; Olson, S. (2015) Taoist Chanting & Recitation; and Liu, P. (2019) Daoistische Morgen Liturgie (German). A bounded web search additionally turned up a bilingual Chinese–English posting of the very similar 太上玄门晚坛功课经 on the Dao World website. None of these were fetched or consulted in preparing this translation; every rendering below was derived independently from the Chinese source characters. Given how directly this evening service's content overlaps with these known, published translations of its sibling liturgy books, no claim of firstness is made for this text or any part of it.
A note on terms. 寶誥 (bǎogào) is rendered "litany" throughout, matching its liturgical function as a formal, cumulative praise-address rather than a narrative scripture. 志心皈命禮, which opens every litany, is kept as the single fixed phrase "with a heart wholly sincere, I take refuge and submit my life." Deity titles follow the house glossary and the exemplar's practice where an established English rendering exists (太乙救苦天尊 as "the Great Unity, Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering"); titles without an established English equivalent — the many litanies to regional and lineage figures such as the Founding Celestial Master, the Immortal Elder Ge, the Perfected Lord Xu, Patriarch Sa, and the thunder-marshals of the Thunder Department litany — are translated as literally and consistently as the source allows.
Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation and editorial work.
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Source Text: 太上玄门正一日诵晚课
Classical Chinese text of the Daoist Canon, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
太上玄门正一日诵晚课
步虚韵
太极分高厚, 清清上属天。人能修至道, 身乃作真仙。行溢三千数, 时丁四万年。丹台开宝笈, 金口为流传。
香赞
玉檀香炉 朝能枫宸 琼台演法度群生 超出苦迷津 万类幽灵 炼质化成人
大圣广度沉沦大天尊（三称） 十方救苦无上大天尊（三称）
开经咒
寂寂至无宗 虚峙劫仞阿 豁落洞玄文 谁测此幽遐 一入大乘路 孰计年劫多 不生亦不灭 欲生因莲花 超陵三界途 慈心解世罗 真人无上德 世世为仙家
太上洞玄灵宝十方救苦妙经
尔时。救苦天尊，遍满十方界，常以威神力，救拔诸众生，得离于迷途。众生不知觉，如盲见日月，我本太无中，拔领无边际，庆云开生门，祥烟塞死户，初发玄元始，以通祥感机。救一切罪，度一切厄。渺渺超仙源，荡荡自然清。皆承大道力，以伏诸魔精。空中何灼灼，名曰泥丸仙。紫云覆黄老，是名三宝君。还将上天炁，以制九天魂。救苦诸妙神，善见救苦时。天上混无分，天炁归一身，皆成自然人。自然有别体，本在空洞中。空洞迹非迹，遍体皆虚空。第一委炁立，第二顺炁生，第三成万法，第四生光明。天上三十六，地下三十六。太玄无边际，妙哉大洞经。皈命太上尊，能消一切罪。
东方玉宝皇上天尊 南方玄真万福天尊 西方太妙至极天尊 北方玄上玉辰天尊 东北方度仙上圣天尊 东南方好生度命天尊 西南方太灵虚皇天尊 西北方无量太华天尊上方玉虚明皇天尊 下方真皇洞神天尊
道言：十方诸天尊，其数如沙尘，化形十方界，普济度天人。委炁聚功德，同声救罪人。罪人实可哀，天尊说妙经，念诵无休息 ，归身不暂停，天堂享大福，地狱无苦声。火翳成清署，剑树化为骞。上登朱陵府，下入开光门，超度三界难，迳上元始天。于是飞天神王，无鞅数众，瞻仰尊颜 而作颂曰：天尊说经教 接引于浮生 勤修学无为 悟真道自成 不迷亦不荒 无我亦无名 朗诵罪福句 万遍心垢清
尔时。飞天神王及诸天仙众，说是诵毕，稽首天尊，奉辞而退。
元始天尊说升天得道真经
尔时。元始天尊在大罗天上，玉京山中为诸天仙众说此升天得道真经。告诸仙曰：吾今为汝略启身心，明宣道要。十方得道神仙，皆从此经修行，而通微奥。善男子、善女人，依凭斋戒，作是津梁。一切有为，显诸真路。体此法相，乃可受持。能屏众缘，永除染著。外相不入，内相不出，于正念中，乃得五脏清凉，六腑调泰。三百六十骨节之间，有诸滞碍，十恶之业，百八十烦恼之业，众苦罪源，悉皆除荡。即引太和真炁，注润身田，五脏六腑，心目内观，真炁所有。清净光明，虚白朗耀。杳杳冥冥，内外无事。昏昏默默，正达无为，古今常存。总持静念，从兹解悟，道力资扶，法药相助，乃节饮食，驱遣鬼尸，安寂六根，静照八识，空其五蕴。证妙三元，得道成真，自然升度。尔时，诸天仙众，上白天尊言，自从无始以来，至于今日，未闻如是大乘经典，我等缘兹幸会，广及一切，道果圆明，而说偈曰：
杳杳冥冥清静道 昏昏默默太虚踪 体性湛然无所住 色心都寂一真空
太上道君说解冤拔罪妙经
尔时。太上道君，与诸圣众，在八骞林下，七宝台中，罗列威仪，敷陈道要。怡神默坐，如玉京山放七宝光明，照福堂地狱。见福堂之内，男女善人，快乐无为，逍遥自在。复见诸地狱之中，饿鬼穷魂，以日继夜，受种种苦恼。悉无人形，五体坏烂，饥餐猛火，渴饮熔铜，足履刀山，身负铁杖，遍体流血，悲号彻天。是时，会中有一真人，名曰广信，从座而起，稽首前进，上白道君曰：不审此辈穷魂，生有何咎，而受兹苦。道君曰：受诸罪者，在世之时，不敬三光，欺负神理，十恶五逆，不忠不孝，不慈不仁，毁伤物命，杀害众生，福尽寿终，当受斯苦。是时，广信真人，心生哀悯，欲其济拔，幸望妙力威光，许令开度。伏蒙道君，垂赐金言，广设法要，为诸众生，演说是经。名曰解冤拔罪，流布于世，利益存亡。若有善男子善女人，一心专志，入静持斋，焚香行道，六时转念是经，吾当随愿保佑其人，使宿世冤仇，乘福超度，幽魂苦爽，各获超升。真人广信，欢喜再拜，尔见缕胜因，而作颂曰：
伟哉大道君 常普无量功 舟楫生死海 济度超罗酆 罪对不复遇 福报与冥通 用神安可测 赞之焉能穷
是时，广信真人与诸圣众，闻法将毕，各各稽首皈依，信受奉行。
元始天尊说功德法食往生经
尔时。元始天尊与诸天圣众，天仙地仙，三界官属，五岳地司，五帝水府，北都罗酆、善恶二童子，游东方玉宝楼阁世界。空青树下，碧莲华上，说十种因缘，一千业报，令诸法会，生解脱心。
尔时。天尊现大光明，满彼世界。见诸地狱饿鬼畜生，头面焦烂，身体火然，刀轮剑锋，苦毒彻天，痛伤骨髓，猛火焰天，渴饮镕铜，号叫冤债，无有休息，是时众中普皆观见。
尔时。有一真人，名曰大慈大慧，悲泣伤叹，从座而起。稽首敛容礼拜，上白天尊。伏愿圣慈，特垂听览，臣与法会诸众及飞仙神仙等，憫恤下界众生，伏愿天尊平等大慈，如何救度。
尔时。天尊默然良久，方启慈颜，举五明扇，发大弘音。乃答真人曰：善哉善哉，汝等广为众生憫启慈念。今问此事，令我应见。汝等一会，当须谛听。
天尊言：三官九府、一百二十酆都地狱，有诸众生，不修真道，死入长夜，魂为下鬼，沉沦恶趣。愍叹而作颂曰：
冷冷甘露滋 法味难思议 骞香流七真 冥冥何生疑
受此法食者 生天登紫微 福田高巍巍 供施令清浄
一切有为事 普皆成代命 拔汝三涂苦 施汝九玄庆
临当受食时 诸天皆赞咏 寒庭多悲苦 回心礼元皇
女青灵宝符 中山真帝书 一念升太清 再念归太无
功归九幽下 旋旋生紫虚
天尊曰：施食与亡者不可思议。是诸亡魂，是男是女，当此饱满，各得离苦解脱，授清凉莲华座，永得脱离。
是时，天尊重宣偈曰：
功德不思议 行者膺福报 施与法食餮 永生安乐道
尔时。天尊说是偈已，應诸所见地狱，寻声消散。是诸幽魂，隨願往生。大慈大慧真人及诸法会等众，咸皆歡喜踊躍，五体投地，作禮而退，信受奉行。
太乙救苦天尊说拔罪酆都血湖妙经
尔时。救苦天尊，遍满十方界，会集十方天尊仙众，说诸因缘，时有妙行真人出班奏白：臣今下观欲界，酆都罗山，血湖二十四狱，锋刀十八地狱，大铁围山无间地狱，三河四海九江泉曲地狱，猛津洪波流沙地狱，或则熔铜灌口，或则利锯解形，抱铜柱以皮焦，卧铁床而肌烂，遍体刀割，百节火燃，铁杖铜捶，纵横拷掠，如斯苦痛，无有休息。
尔时。妙行真人，十方仙众告。天尊曰：善哉善哉。皆缘前世今生，故作误为，悖逆叛常，负命欠财，堕胎损子，血湖产亡，妖横殒灭，冤仇不解，罪积丘山。沉于地狱之中，血湖 血井 血池 血硖，受诸痛苦，万劫难逃。今幸遇天尊，发大慈悲，开大法门，普集十方一切神仙，宣演妙法，普救群生，救一切罪，度一切厄，出离长夜，得见光明。万罪荡除，冤仇和释。镬汤火医，变作莲池，剑树刀山，翻成花圃。赦种种之罪愆，从兹解脱，宥冥冥之长夜，俱获超生。而作颂曰：
天尊大慈悲 普济诸幽冥 十方宣微妙 符命赦泉扃 拯拔三途苦 出离血湖庭 沉魂滞魄众 男女总超升
经赞
十万救苦 得道升仙 饥虚饱满尽皆归 法食广无边 硖石生莲 冤债皆无孽
大圣随愿往生大天尊（三称）
斗姥宝诰
志心皈命礼
西天竺国，大智光中，真空妙相法王师，无上玄元天母主。金光烁处，日月潜辉。宝杵旋时，鬼神失色。显灵踪于尘世，卫圣驾于阎浮。众生有难若称名，大士寻声来救苦。大悲大愿，大圣大慈，大梵先天斗姥，紫光金尊，圣德巨光天后，摩利攴天大圣，圆明道姥天尊。
三官宝诰
志心皈命礼
唯三圣人，乃一太极，普受浩劫家之命，鼎膺无量品之褒，紫微清虚洞阴，总领功过。赐福赦罪解厄，溥济存亡。道冠诸天，恩覃三界。大悲大愿，大圣大慈，三元三品，三官大帝，三宫九府，应感天尊。
玄天宝诰
志心皈命礼
混元六天，传法教主。修真悟道，济度群迷。普为众生，消除灾障。八十二化，三教祖师。大慈大悲，救苦救难，三元都总管，九天游奕使。佐天罡北极，右垣大将军。镇天助顺， 真武灵应，福德衍庆，仁慈正烈，协运真君。治世福神，玉虚师相，玄天上帝，金阙化身，荡魔天尊。
祖天师宝诰
志心皈命礼
泰玄上相， 扶教三天。鹤鸣山上得真传，龙虎玄坛留妙诀。三洞法录，诸品灵文。一千二百之官军，匡扶正教。二十四品秘录，普度后人。都功玉印，官服裙履。居都省而常侍人帝，掌三界而度下民。雌雄二剑，诛斩妖精，致雨作晴，轰雷掣电。如是立坛而布化，助国兴邦以安民，功成行满，白日飞升。祖师三天扶教，辅玄体道，大法天师，正一洞玄显佑真君，六合无穷高明上帝，大圣降魔护道天尊。
葛仙翁宝诰
志心皈命礼
天台得道，阁皂成真。昔受东华，复转西蜀。诏命玉京金阙，位登太极仙班。慈怜拯拔于沉沦，恩念普资于苦爽。葛天氏遗风显著，勾漏令丹砂俱存，括苍仍游，罗浮乃止，修閒玉笥，修理金书。大悲大愿，大圣大慈，太上玉京，东吴太极，左宫仙翁，雷霆玄省，天机内相，玉虚紫灵，普化玄静，常道冲应，孚佑真君，垂恩广救，慈悲大帝，度人无量天尊。
许真君宝诰
志心皈命礼
混元始祖，一炁分真。多劫之前，积修至道。勤苦备悉，经纬逾深。万法千门，罔不斯历。救灾拔难，除害荡妖，功济生灵，名高玉藉，众真推仰，宜有甄昇，大悲大愿，大孝大仁，九州都仙太史，高明大使，雷霆泰省，天枢伏魔上相，至道玄应，神功妙济，掌九天司籍，太乙定命，注生真君，三天按察都检校，普天奏议大夫，天医大帝，历劫度人祖师，净明普化天尊。
萨祖宝诰
志心皈命礼
派流西地，跡显龙兴。施财合药济群生，积行累功修至道。授鐵师之教旨，掌玉府之雷书。身披百衲伏魔衣，手执五明降鬼扇。代天宣化，咒枣书符。运风雷於咫尺之间，剪妖魔於斗罡之下。道参太极，位列先天。松筠野鹤任纵横，遐迩孤云长自在。方方阐教，为万法之宗师。处处开坛，作后人之模范。都天宗主，一元无上真君。
三茅真君宝诰
志心皈命礼
天人道德，仙圣宗师。孝悌通于神明，恩泽被于家国。隐恒山而悟道，栖句曲以升天。主岱宗衡霍之山，职赤城华阳之洞。劫运阴阳而统斡，雷霆水泽以兼司。接二弟之英姿，授登真之秘诀。咸领神仙之籍，共膺玉册之荣。德溥幽明，仁沾普率。随机赴感，誓愿宏深。太元妙道，冲虚圣佑真应真君。地仙上真，定录右禁，冲静德佑妙应真君。地仙至真，三官保命，冲惠仁佑神应真君，九天司命上卿，三茅应化天尊。
三茅真君圣号
混元九天，传道教主。玉皇侍宸，东宫贞伯。主管左右御使，治御万灵。洞天福地，酆都岳渎，四海九江，九州社令，职掌雷霆，驱龙降雨。判人间善恶之期，司阴府是非之日。圆通湛寂，誓愿弘深。大悲大愿，大圣大慈，回骸起死，无量度人。圣师东岳上卿，霍林司命，太元妙道，冲虚圣佑真应真君。地仙上真，定禄右禁，冲静德佑妙应真君。地仙至真，三官保命，冲慧仁佑神应真君。九天司命上卿，三茅应化天尊。
虚靖天师宝诰
志心皈命礼
白雪丹霄，黄芽旧积，文章星斗。老君授三五飞步之玄，玉局箓符。汉祖传正一斩邪之秘旨。于一登名于紫府，于一掌握于雷霆。伐疵疠于青城，灭妖氛于下界。巍巍荡荡，妙妙玄玄。去太极登紫微，聚三华朝五炁。随机格物，闲邪存神。祖师三十代天师，虚靖冲弘悟道真君。玄风演化天尊。
东岳宝诰
志心皈命礼
赫天玄英之祖, 金轮绍海之宗，弥仙母梦日光生, 紫府圣人东华弟。昔建功于长白, 始受封于羲皇，初号太华真人, 汉名泰山元帅。 唐惠崇恩圣帝, 圣朝敕字大生。位镇坤维, 功参乾造。凡诸品汇，悉棣生成。仁以德仁，回阳春于掌上。圣心益圣，丽日月与天中。五岳称赞与东方，三界独尊与中界，仰奉行与天令，俯纠察与阴司，掌人间善恶之权，专天下死生之柄，惩奸恶而狱分三十六主，司吉凶而判七十二曹。行善者注生天堂，沉迷者寻声救度。示大慈慈尊之相，开生生化生之門。福与天齐，功高无量。大悲大愿，大聖大慈，中界至尊，东岳圣帝，慈光救苦，威权自在天尊。
太乙宝诰
志心皈命礼
青华长乐界,东极妙严宫。七宝芳骞林,九色莲花座。万真环拱内，百亿瑞光中。玉清灵宝君,应化玄元始。浩劫垂慈济,大千甘露门。妙道真身,紫金瑞相,随机赴感,誓愿无边。大圣大慈，大悲大愿，十方化号，普度众生，亿亿劫中，度人无量，寻声赴感，太乙救苦天尊，青玄上帝。（转天尊或礼天尊）
太乙救苦天尊（三称）
颂赞
青华教主 太乙慈尊 玉清应化显金身 大千甘露门 接引群生 永出爱河津 （重一句）太圣太乙救苦天尊。（三称）
王帅诰
志心皈命礼
先天主将。一炁神君。都天纠察大灵官。三界无私猛烈将。金睛朱发。号三五火车雷公。凤嘴银牙。统百万貔貅神将。飞腾云雾。号令雷霆。降雨开晴。驱邪治病。观过错于一十二年。受命玉帝。积功勋于百千万种。誓佐祖师。至刚至勇。济死济生。方方阐教。处处开坛。豁落猛吏。三五火车大灵官王天君。太乙雷声应化天尊。
雷霆总诰
志心皈命礼。
雷霆都司将。符图法箓众官君。歘火律令邓元帅。银牙猛吏辛天君。飞捷报应张使者。苍牙铁面刘天君。马郭方邓田大将。雷府蒋毕华雷霆。庞刘苟毕神通大。温康岳孟显威灵。灵官王马二元帅。地司太岁殷将军。火犀雷府朱元帅。斗中颛霸二雷神。天医攻气治病将。酆都府院众祇灵。城隍社令功曹使。神虎何乔二道神。队仗森森列左右。旌旗闪闪耀乾坤。剑戟戈矛常在手。枪刀斧钺尽随身。若有下邪截大道。摄赴雷狱便施行。扫荡罡风迎帝驾。扶持道法救良民。我今有请望来临。大赐雷威加拥护。
报恩宝诰
志心皈命礼
玄元应化，武曲分真，垂念我等众生，有相脱生。父母怀胎十月，乳哺三年。辛苦百千， 殷勤寸念，怜我父母，日渐衰朽。我今持念平等，悉灭险峻贪嗔，礼帝为师，祈恩报本。 愿我现在父母，福寿增延，过去宗祖，早得超生，大圣大慈，大仁大孝。八十二化， 报恩教主，佑圣真武 治世福神，玉虚师相，玄天上帝。金阙化身，终劫济苦天尊。
土地咒
此间土地，神之最灵. 升天达地，出幽入冥. 为吾关奏，不得留停. 有功之日，名书上清。
向來晚堂。誦經功德。上奉慈尊。
下濟幽冥。脫化仙鄉。同賴善果。證無上道。一切信禮。
志心称念。太乙救苦天尊。不可思议功德。
三皈依
无上道宝，当愿众生，常侍天尊，永脫轮回。
无上经宝，当愿众生，生生世世，得闻正法。
无上师宝，当愿众生，学最上乘，不落邪见。
完经偈
晚課功德。不可思議。諸天諸地眾神祇。國家壽天齊。大道慈悲。萬化樂雍熙。
施食经咒（略，刚入道门弟子不用施食）
一切飞禽走兽，一切蝼蚁蛇虫，一切冤家债主，一切男女孤魂。四生六道，一切寒林，闻经听法，早得超升。（三遍）
（太上玄门正一晚课终）
Source Colophon
The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of this evening liturgy (article 太上玄门正一日诵晚课, revision of 29 March 2024), inspected from a witness copy captured on 8 August 2026. Chinese Wikisource transcriptions are published under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL; the text itself belongs to a living, publicly transmitted liturgical tradition and carries no separate copyright of its own. The wiki header and license templates have been removed; the text is otherwise complete and unaltered.
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