Taishang Dadao Sanyuan Pinjie Xiezui Shangfa — Spoken by a Celestial Worthy

This is a liturgical rite of the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao) tradition, preserved in the Daoist Canon and transmitted anonymously; we have not been able to establish its date with confidence, though its vocabulary and ritual structure — the Three Officials, the Nine Bureaus, the black and azure registers of the dead and the living, the language of kalpas and karmic debt — place it within the broad Six Dynasties–Tang current of Lingbao penitential scripture, alongside kindred works such as the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Sanyuan Pinjie Jing. We have not been able to confirm a Zhengtong Daozang number for this text with certainty.

It is a rite for the three "Prime" days of the ritual year — the fifteenth of the first, seventh, and tenth lunar months — on which the celestial bureaucracy is said to review the register of human merit and fault. A Celestial Worthy first teaches the practitioner how to purify the body through bathing and incantation, then gives the full text of a confession to be spoken kneeling and prostrating in turn toward the eight directions, the zenith, the sun, the moon, the stars, the Five Peaks, the Water Officials, and the sacred scriptures themselves — each address closing with a set number of prostrations and penitential self-strikings. A closing "Report of Merit," spoken by the assembled officiants, and a final teaching from the Celestial Worthy on the purpose and power of the rite, complete the text.

The text is built from formula and repetition — vast processions of divine titles, most of them paired as "Lord" (君) and "Elder" (丈人), whose precise theological distinctions the text itself does not explain — and the translation preserves this repetitive, cumulative form rather than compressing it, since the piling-up of names is part of how the rite works. Where the source uses 某 as a ritual placeholder for the officiant's own name (and, once, for a date or a number of days), the translation renders it "N.," in keeping with the way such blanks are conventionally marked in liturgical texts.

Translated for the Good Works Library directly from the classical Chinese of the Daoist Canon, which is printed in full below the translation. To our knowledge, this is the text's first complete published English translation.

Translation

The Celestial Worthy said: Whoever cultivates this superior method should always, on the fifteenth day of the first month, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and the fifteenth day of the tenth month, at the three watches of dawn, high noon, and midnight, bathe the body, washing with the five fragrances. When about to bathe, face southwest; with a golden ladle turn the fragrant water, stirring leftward through the southeast thirty-two times. Close the eyes and visualize the light of the sun resting upon the left eye, the light of the moon upon the right eye, the five planets strung like a garland above the head, and clouds of five colors encircling the whole body. The Azure Dragon and White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird and Dark Warrior, the lion and the white crane, ranged to left and right; immortal boys holding cloths, jade maidens scattering flowers, flying immortals riding their mounts — all attending and guarding the body. Then clack the teeth twenty-one times, and recite this incantation:

Heaven grows clear, the breath turns pure;
the five colors shine on high.
Sun and moon pour forth their radiance,
bathing my body and form.
The spirit-fluid washes within;
fragrance rises, refining the essence.
Light and shadow open, blazing bright,
gleaming forth upon Highest Clarity.
The breath receives no dust;
the five bureaus take in numen.
Sin is destroyed in the three paths;
calamity dissolves in the nine darknesses.
The root of evil is cut off;
blessing and joy arise of themselves.
Today with a great vow
I declare and pledge all this.
My body receives release and crossing,
and rises to enter the Emperor's court.

When finished, tilt the head back and swallow thirty-two times, then stop. Then wash and bathe the five spirits. When the bathing is complete, put on cap, belt, and robes. Clack the teeth again twelve times, and recite this incantation:

The five turbidities are now clear;
the eight effulgences are now bright.
Today I receive the refining;
sin is destroyed, blessing is born.
Forever with the Five Emperors
I fast among the perfected and the high numina.

Then go out and enter the chamber, and according to the rite, practice the Way. Upon entering the chamber, face east, burn incense, clack the teeth thirty-two times, and pray, saying:

Supreme Three Heavens, Mysterious Prime, Beginning of the Three Pneumas, Most High Lord Lao: I summon forth from within my body the Officers of Merit of the Three and the Five, the Left and Right Officer-Messengers, the Left and Right Riders on Dragons Who Bear the Incense in Relay, the Jade Boys Who Attend the Incense, the Jade Maidens Who Transmit Words, the Talisman-Bearers on Direct Charge of the Five Emperors, and the Incense Officers on Duty for the Day — thirty-two of each — that they come forth. Let those who come forth be solemnly arrayed, and let them open communication with the true officers and upright spirits of the soil and the bounded region here present. I now, just so, burn incense and practice the Way, setting forth and petitioning what I wish: that the true and correct pneumas of the ten directions enter into the bodies of myself and my company, that what is set forth here be swiftly conveyed, and heard on high before the throne of the Limitless Celestial Worthy, the Most High Great Way, the Utterly Perfected, Highest Emperor.

Disciple of the Limitless Grotto-Mystery, Numinous Treasure, Master of Mount N., your servant N.: through karmic connections carried over from past ages, I have come to be born and transformed by the Way. I have been received and drawn forth by Master N., a teacher of the Three Caverns' law, who has opened and delivered these decaying bones and given me a share in scripture and rite — a grace of crossing-over too great to be measured. Yet I was born and raised amid vulgar custom; my five spirits contend and compete; sunk deep in dust, in sin and defilement, I have never of myself perceived it. My sin has grown together with my life, piled up like mountains and seas. From lives before this one down to today I do not know from what karmic cause it came, nor through how many kalpas; and now, reaching this day, my sin is bound fast between Heaven and Earth — in what ledger it stands I do not know — seized upon and cited by the Three Officials, arrested and pressed into earthly servitude. Though I have striven to cultivate myself, no response has broken through; the true numina have not descended; I am struck down by the host of demons; my thoughts are scattered and not single; my five spirits fly and scatter. I constantly fear that in one morning I shall be delivered to the dark abyss, bound through ten thousand kalpas, with no deliverance to the end of Heaven. I therefore, on this auspicious day of the Great Celebration of the Three Primes, reverently fast and burn incense, and first confess the sins committed in my former bodies and in this life's accumulated deeds — sins that Heaven does not pardon, Earth does not forgive, the spirits do not pity, the ghosts do not release; a hundred million offenses and a myriad transgressions, violations of the hundred and eighty precepts of the Three Primes, of the Three Officials and Nine Bureaus and the Hundred and Twenty Departments, of yin and yang, water and fire, and the examining clerks of the left, right, and central palaces. Now therefore I burn incense, and give over my body, give over my spirit, give over my life to the Limitless Celestial Worthy, the Most High Lord of the Way, the Emperors on High of the Thirty-two Heavens, the Great Sages of the Ten Directions, the Lords and Elders of Utmost Perfection, the Divine Kings Who Fly through Heaven, the celestial immortals, the flying immortals, the divine immortals, the earthly immortals, the perfected men and jade maidens of the Five Peaks, the sun, moon, and star-lodges of all the heavens, the Turning Pearl and Jade Crosspiece, and, on earth, the Limitless spirit-officers of the ten directions, the Five Emperors of the Three Realms, the Three Officials and Nine Bureaus and the Hundred and Twenty Departments, and all the spirit-numina and officers who preside over the Three Rivers, Four Seas, Nine Rivers, and Eight Bounds — begging that they grant great grace, and pardon and remove entirely the sins committed in former and present bodies. By the merit of this incense burned today, may the root of sin be uprooted and delivered; may the tally of the earth be struck out, the black-register record of the right bureau utterly erased, and may I be transferred and entered into the Long-Life Azure Register of the left bureau of the Southern Palace, that as an immortal I may cross the world over and enjoy without end forever. After attaining the Way, may I rise into formlessness, united and joined with the perfected.

First, facing east, make nine prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Limitless Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy of the East, the Great Sages who have already attained the Way, the Utterly Perfected Honored Spirits, the Limitless Great Way of the Three Heavens Supreme, Mysterious and Primal, of Highest Clarity, the Mysterious Elder of Heaven Above, the Most High Lord Lao, the Most High Elder, the August Lord Lao, the August Elder, the Azure Numinous Highest Perfected, the Constant Lords of All the Heavens, the Elders of the Emperors of All the Heavens, the Lord of the Great Emperor, the Elder of the Great Emperor, the Lords of the Nine Elders' Immortal Capital, the Elders of the Nine Pneumas, and others — the hundred thousand myriad-fold pneumas of the Way, the twelve hundred Lord-Officers; the Old Man of the Eastern Culmen beneath the Jade Steps of Highest Clarity, the Great Spirit of the Blue Flower, the Assistant Minister Sima Qingtong, the Later Sage Emperor-Lord of the Golden Palace, the Divine Man of True Yang and Primal Azure, the Nine Immortal Lords of Numinous Treasure and others, the Jade Maiden of Azure Harmony, the Jade Gentleman Who Governs the Immortals, and all the spirit-numina of the Limitless World of the East. I beg that they let fall directly the grace of their great compassion and forgiveness, and pardon the sins that I, your servant, have committed from my former lives down to this present birth: above, failing to revere all the heavens' great sages and honored spirits, all the spirit-numina of the Limitless World of the East, the sun, moon, and star-lodges, the four seasons and five phases, wind and rain, thunder and lightning, cloud and mist in their seasons; below, failing to revere teachers, fathers, and elders, the perfected men of the Five Peaks, the Four Watercourses, the Three Rivers, the Four Seas, the Nine Rivers and Eight Bounds, the divine immortals and jade maidens, the spirit-officers of the eastern quarter, the earth-spirits of the Three Realms, and all the spirit-lights of the Three Officials and Nine Departments; deceiving my teachers and denying the Way; defiling and demeaning the celestial scriptures; stealing the sacred writings; altering the numinous sounds; proclaiming the ultimate rites for profit and letting greed enter my body; privately transmitting and converting others without authorization, without the covenant of the Five Emperors; scheming rebellion and treachery; acting without loyalty, without kindness, without filial piety, without love, without benevolence; rebelling above against ruler and father, killing living beings below; plundering the goods of others; committing lechery against another's wife; doing violence to flesh and bone; consorting improperly among clans and households; envying those who surpass me; contending for merit and fame; being false in mouth though different in heart; attacking worthy men; drinking wine and eating meat; polluting and befouling the five spirits within; cursing, reviling, and invoking maledictions; acting wantonly of my own accord; on the auspicious days of the fast, being inconstant in joy and anger; slighting the orphaned and despising widows; abandoning and treating the aged with contempt; oppressing and despising the poor; chasing after the favor of the rich and powerful. Sins such as these cannot be fully recorded; accumulated through generations, bound fast, tangled and unresolved. By this incense burned today, I give my life over to the East, and beg that in great compassion they let fall directly their pity and pardon, remitting the sins that I, your servant, have committed from a hundred million kalpas of former lives down to my present body, as listed above. I beg to be granted a new beginning; from this day I reform myself, submit to the prohibitions and precepts, and dare not offend again. I beg that the earthly tally be struck out, the sin-record of the Three Officials and the black register of the right palace, the roots weighing against me, be erased, and that my name be transferred into the Azure Register of the left bureau. Today, at this great celebration, ten thousand vows are set forth; reverently I confess and give thanks, giving my life to the Celestial Worthy, begging spirits and immortals to join with the perfected as one household, to raise up fortunate and good karmic bonds, that life after life to come, without limit, I may enjoy what is naturally so, forever.

When finished, loosen the head-cloth, strike the head to the ground and beat the breast, ninety times each, then stop. When the confession to the East is complete, next rise and proceed leftward, and facing the southeast, make one prostration, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Limitless Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy of the Southeast, the Great Sages who have already attained the Way, the Utterly Perfected Honored Spirits, the Lord Lao of the Southern Height, the Elder Cinnabar-Numen Laozi, the Perfected Man of Long Life of the Upper Prime of the Southern Culmen, the Assistant Minister Who Crosses the World Over, the Director of Destinies, the Director of Records, Lord Han Who Loves Life, the Great Sage Divine King Who Raises the Dead to Life Anew and Refines the Bones to Restore the Spirit, the Lord of Ten Thousand Blessings, the Elder of Ten Thousand Blessings, the Jade Maiden of Great Harmony, and all the spirit-numina of the Limitless World of the Southeast. I beg for grace and confess as in the rite for the East.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, twelve times each, then stop. When the confession to the Southeast is complete, next rise and proceed leftward, and facing the south, make three prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Limitless Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy of the South, the Great Sages who have already attained the Way, the Utterly Perfected Honored Spirits, the Red Emperor of the Southern Height of the Limitless Great Way, the Elder Cinnabar-Numen Laozi, the Jade Maiden of Great Harmony, the Assistant Minister of Long Life, the Lord Who Loves Life, the Director of Destinies, the Director of Records, the Lord Who Crosses the World Over at the Southern Culmen, the Perfected Man Who Flies through Heaven, the Divine King Who Opens Deliverance and Receives Life, the Lord of the Jade Calendar Who Records Life, the Immortal Who Crosses the World Over, the Lord of Ten Thousand Blessings, Ten Thousand Crossings, Ten Thousand Lives, and Ten Thousand Pneumas, and all the spirit-numina of the Limitless World of the South. I confess as in the rite above.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, thirty times each, then stop. When the confession to the South is complete, next rise and proceed leftward, and facing the southwest, make one prostration, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Limitless Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy of the Southwest, the Great Sages who have already attained the Way, the Utterly Perfected Honored Spirits, the Old Man, Sovereign of Heaven, the Lord of Primal Perfection at the Southern Culmen, the Great Spirit-Host of Grotto-Yang, the Divine King Who Flies as the Perfected of Living Breath, the divine immortals and jade maidens, and all the spirit-numina of the Limitless World of the Southwest. I beg for grace and confess as in the rite above.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, twelve times each, then stop. When the confession to the Southwest is complete, next rise and proceed leftward, and facing the west, make seven prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Limitless Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy of the West, the Great Sages who have already attained the Way, the Utterly Perfected Honored Spirits, the Utmost High Emperor of Western Flowering, Great Wonder, and Utmost Culmen, of the Limitless Great Way, the True Mother, Jade Immortal of the Golden Hall, the Later Sage, Upper Assistant Emperor-Lord of the Golden Palace, the Celestial Master of Mysterious Antiquity, the Lord of the Way of Ten Thousand Sages, the Perfected Man of the Four Culmens, the divine immortals and jade maidens, and all the spirit-numina of the Limitless World of the West. I beg for grace and confess as in the rite above.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, seventy times each, then stop. When the confession to the West is complete, next proceed leftward, and facing the northwest, make one prostration, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Limitless Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy of the Upper Direction, the Great Sages who have already attained the Way, the Utterly Perfected Honored Spirits, the Emperors on High of the Thirty-two Heavens of the Limitless Great Way, above and below, center, the four faces and eight directions; the Lords and Elders of the Most High Non-Active Great Way; the Greatest and Utmost Honored One, without superior, without summit, without limit, without end, universally illumining, universally discerning, of measureless penetrating brightness, the Highest, Correct, and True; the numberless host of pneumas of the Way; the Primordial Beginning before which there is nothing prior, the vast and boundless, without beginning, chaos formless, empty non-being, spontaneously so, the Most High rootless one, dark and still, mysteriously pervading, source of great wisdom; the Most High Non-Active Great Way of Correct Unity and Covenanted Authority; the Divine and Luminous Lord, the Way within the Way; the Lords and Elders of the Way and Its Power, supreme, without beginning, numbering ten thousand times ten thousand times a hundred million times a hundred million, past all reckoning; the Lord of the Way and Its Power, the Elder of the Way and Its Power; the Supreme Lord of the Ten Thousand Births, the Elder of the Ten Thousand Births; the Supreme Lord of the Ten Thousand Pneumas, the Elder of the Ten Thousand Pneumas; the Supreme Lord of the Ten Thousand Primes, the Elder of the Ten Thousand Primes; the Supreme Lord of the Ten Thousand Blessings, the Elder of the Ten Thousand Blessings; the Lords and Elders, Celestial Spirits of the Dim Primal Mist; the Newly Manifest Lord Lao; the Limitless Great Way of the Three Heavens Supreme, Mysterious, of Highest Clarity; the Supreme Elder; the Lord of the Most High Three Pneumas; the Most High Lord Lao, the Most High Elder; the Lord of Highest Clarity, the Elder of Highest Clarity; the Lord of Great Mystery, Upper Unity, the Elder of Great Mystery; the Lord of Central Yellow, Correct Unity, the Elder of Central Yellow; the Lord of Great Prime, the Elder of Great Prime; the Lord of Great Inception, the Elder of Great Inception; the Lord of Great Origin, the Elder of Great Origin; the Lord of Great Simplicity, the Elder of Great Simplicity; the Lord of Great Emptiness, the Elder of Great Emptiness; the Lord of Great Unity, the Elder of Great Unity; the Lord of the Great Norm, the Elder of the Great Norm; the Lord of Great Peace, the Elder of Great Peace; the Lord of the Great Abyss, the Elder of the Great Abyss; the Lord Emperor of Heaven, the Elder Emperor of Heaven; the Lord of the Nine Elders' Immortal Capital, the Elder of the Nine Elders; the Lord of the Jade Calendar, the Elder of the Jade Calendar; the Lord of the Nine Pneumas, the Elder of the Nine Pneumas, and so on; the Elders of the myriad-layered pneumas of the Way, numbering hundreds, thousands, myriads, hundred millions upon hundred millions upon myriads upon myriads, past all reckoning; the Lord of the Twelve Hundred Officers, the Elder of the Twelve Hundred Officers; His Highness of the Jade Steps of Highest Clarity; the Most High Lord of Jade Perfection, the Elder of Jade Perfection; the Lord of the Five Immortals, the Elder of the Five Immortals; the Lord of the Nine Numina, the Elder of the Nine Numina; the Twelve Perfected Lords of Highest Clarity, the Elder of the Twelve Perfected Lords; the Twenty-four Divine Lords, the Elder of the Twenty-four Divine Lords; the Thirty-six Perfected Lords of Highest Clarity, the Elder of the Thirty-six Perfected Lords; the Lord of the Five Pneumas, the Elder of the Five Pneumas; the Lord of the Living Breath of Yin and Yang, the Elder of the Living Breath; the Highest of the High Lord of Great Unity, the Elder of Great Unity; the Most High Emperor of August Heaven, the Most High Elder of August Heaven; the Limitless Most High Lord of the Prime, the Elder of the Most High Prime; the Lord of Great Unity, the Elder of Great Unity; the Lord of the Divine Treasure, the Elder of the Divine Treasure; the Lord of the True Treasure, the Elder of the True Treasure; the Lord of the Celestial Treasure, the Elder of the Celestial Treasure; the Lord of Numinous Treasure, the Elder of Numinous Treasure; the Lord of the Primal Spirit, the Elder of the Primal Spirit; the Lord of Primal Perfection, the Elder of Primal Perfection; the Lord of Primal Numen, the Elder of Primal Numen; the August Elder Lord, the August Elder; the Lord of the Southern Culmen, the Elder of the Southern Culmen; the Yellow Divine Elder Lord, the Elder of the Yellow Divinity; the Yellow Elder Lord, the Yellow Elder; the Lord of Great Harmony, the Elder of Great Harmony; the Most High August Perfected Lord of the Way, and all their Lords and Elders; the Celestial Master Lord of High Antiquity, the Elder Celestial Master; the Lord of the Three Masters, the Elder of the Three Masters; the Father and Mother of the Ten Thousand Ways; the Father and Mother of the Ten Thousand Virtues; the Father and Mother of Heaven and Earth, from whom the divine immortals come forth, in whom the divine immortals gather; the Royal Father of the East; the Queen Mother of the West; the Lord of the Sun; the Lady of the Moon; the Lords of the Five Planets; the August Consorts of the Five Planets; the Perfected Lords of the Nine Stars of the Turning Pearl and Jade Crosspiece; the host of immortals and perfected men; the Sacred Father and Sacred Mother; the divine immortals and jade maidens; and all the spirit-numina of this all-encompassing Heaven of the Upper Direction's Limitless World. I beg for grace and confess as in the rite above.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, three hundred and twenty times each, then stop. When the confession to the Upper Direction is complete, next proceed leftward, and facing the northeast, before the Office of the Sun, make three prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Lord of the Sun and his Lady, the Boy of August Flowering, Grotto-Brightness, and Great Light within the Sun, the Jade Maiden of Rosy Dawn, and all the divine immortals within the Sun. I entreat that the sin-debts I have incurred through actions since my birth, offenses committed against the light of Heaven above, and the calamities and retributions of life and death, all be pardoned and removed, that my body attain brightness, share its radiance with the sun, and enjoy the Limitless forever, receiving blessing that is spontaneously so.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, thirty times each, then stop. When the confession to the Palace of the Sun is complete, next rise and proceed leftward, and facing the southwest, before the Palace of the Moon, make seven prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Lord of the Moon and his Lady, the Water Mother of Stone Effulgence, the Boy of the Round Light, the Jade Maiden Who Scatters Radiance, and all the divine immortals of the Palace of the Moon. I entreat that the sin-debts I have incurred through actions since my birth, offenses committed against the light of Heaven above, and the calamities and retributions of life and death, all be pardoned and removed, that my body attain brightness, share its radiance with the moon, and enjoy the Limitless forever, receiving blessing that is spontaneously so.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, seventy times each, then stop. When the confession to the Palace of the Moon is complete, next proceed leftward, and facing north, make nine prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the star-lodges of all the heavens, the Turning Pearl and Jade Crosspiece, the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, the Nine Stars of the Three Terraces, the Ladies of the Five Planets, the Twenty-Eight Lodges, the great spirits among the stars of the three hundred and sixty-five degrees that circle Heaven, the Perfected Sovereign among the stars, its Lady and Numinous Consort, its divine immortals and jade maidens. I entreat that the sin-debts I have incurred through actions since my birth, offenses committed against the light of Heaven above, and the calamities and retributions of life and death, all be pardoned and removed, that my body attain brightness, share its radiance with the star-lodges, and enjoy the Limitless forever, receiving blessing that is spontaneously so.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, three hundred and sixty times each, then stop. When the confession to the Star Palace is complete, next proceed leftward, and facing the Eastern Peak, make two prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Great Spirit, the Azure Emperor of Mount Tai, the Eastern Peak, the flying immortals and perfected men, its divine immortals, all its spirit-officers, and all the spirit-numina of the famous mountains and great marshes. I entreat that the sin-debts I have incurred through actions since my birth, offenses committed against the Great Spirit of the famous Eastern Peak, and my chief and grievous sins, all be pardoned and forgiven, that the record of sin be struck out, my name entered upon the immortal register, and that I attain friendship with the Great Spirit, spontaneously so.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, twenty times each, then stop. Next, facing the south, make two prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Great Spirit, the Red Emperor of Mount Heng, the Southern Peak, the flying immortals and perfected men, the divine immortals and all its spirit-officers, and all the spirit-numina of the famous mountains and great marshes. I entreat and confess as in the rite for the Eastern Peak.

Next, facing the southwest, make two prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Great Spirit, the Yellow Emperor of Mount Song, the Central Peak, the flying immortals and perfected men, its divine immortals, all its spirit-officers, and all the spirit-numina of the famous mountains and great marshes. I entreat and confess as in the rite for the Eastern Peak.

Next, facing the west, make two prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Great Spirit, the White Emperor of Mount Hua, the Western Peak, the flying immortals and perfected men, its divine immortals, all its spirit-officers, and all the spirit-numina of the famous mountains and great marshes. I entreat and confess as in the rite for the Eastern Peak.

Next, facing the north, make two prostrations, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Great Spirit, the Black Emperor of Mount Heng of the north, the Northern Peak, the flying immortals and perfected men, the divine immortals and all its spirit-officers, and all the spirit-numina of the famous mountains and great marshes. I entreat and confess as in the rite for the Eastern Peak.

When the confession to the Five Peaks is complete, next proceed leftward, and facing north, make twelve prostrations, confessing to the Water Officials, saying:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Great Emperor of Fusang, the Divine King of the Valley of Sunrise, the Great Spirits of the Grotto-Source and Grotto-Abyss of Clear Coolness, the Emperors of the Waters of the Three Rivers, Four Seas, and Nine Rivers, the twelve Earls and Marquises of the Yellow and Huai Rivers, the Two-Thousand-Bushel Officials within the rivers, the Lady of the Clear River, the divine immortals of the Water Bureau, and all their spirit-officers. I entreat that the sins I have committed from my former lives down to this day — countless faults and offenses, violations against the Water Officials' chief and grievous sins — be forgiven and pardoned; today I burn incense and first confess to the Great Spirits, giving my life and body over to them, begging to be granted life; that all roots of sin be remitted, the tally and karmic bonds of the Water Officials struck out, and my name entered above in the register of life among the ledgers of the divine immortals, that I may enjoy the Limitless forever, and be joined with the perfected in the Way.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, two hundred and eighty times each, then stop. When the confession to the Water Officials is complete, next facing north, make three prostrations, confessing to the Divine Scriptures of the Three Treasures, kneel upright, and say:

Your servant N. now gives over life to the Most High Limitless Great Way, the Utterly Perfected and Supreme Honored Scriptures in Thirty-Six Divisions, the Numinous Writings of the Three Treasures, the charts, registers, and talismans of the divine immortals, the spontaneous celestial writs, the golden books and jade characters, the jade boys and jade maidens who attend the scriptures, and the awesome spirits of the Three Divisions. I entreat and confess as in the rite for the Eastern Peak.

When finished, strike the head and beat the breast, three hundred and sixty times each, then stop.

When the fast is complete, the rite of Reporting Merit is performed: all the officiants together face east and kneel upright, clack the teeth twenty-four times, each announcing the office they have received in full, bow the head to the ground, prostrate twice, and address on high, saying:

Most High Limitless Great Way, Most High Lord of the Great Way, Most High Lord Lao, Most High Elder, Supreme Mysterious Elder, Limitless Great Way of the Ten Directions, Sagely Host of the Way and Its Power, Celestial Worthies, Utterly Perfected Great Emperor, Emperor of Heaven, Lord Celestial Master, Great Ritual Master Who Oversees the Fast of Numinous Treasure: we, your servants, are by nature common and foolish, yet, not accounting ourselves too base and defiled, we love the Way and delight in immortality, and have wrongly been entrusted with the charge of this rite, that we might rise in radiance to the Nine Mysteries. Though our will exhausts itself and our capacity is slight, we offer ourselves down to the last hair, leading one another on together. On this month, on such-and-such a day, at such-and-such an hour, in such-and-such a commandery, county, township, and village, we established this fast and vigil, burned incense and recited the scriptures, contemplated the spirits and held the perfected in mind, for so many days and nights; at such-and-such an hour we practiced the Way and performed this rite of confession and thanksgiving. Now that the matter is complete, we announce it to the flying immortals of the Three Caverns of Highest Clarity, the celestial immortals, the earthly immortals, the celestial troops and their mounts of the five directions, and the jade boys and jade maidens who attend the scriptures and the incense, the officials and clerks of Numinous Treasure, the host of perfected who oversee the fast, and the true officers and numinous immortals who inspect the Five Peaks, the Four Watercourses, and the four directions: may they present our report and return to the palace of the perfected, advancing our rank among the immortals on high, adding to our titles the ranks of the Emperor, assigning us as perfected according to our grade, in accordance with the rites of the Great Perfected. Let us, your servants, seek the Way and attain the Way; seek immortality and attain immortality. Let us, your servants, divide our forms and transform, into seventy-four directions; let the Three Primes descend, sending down the green carriage, that we may fly to Highest Clarity, rise in radiance to the Nine Heavens, share our brightness with sun and moon, and turn together with the Three Treasures on a single wheel. We rely wholly on the Utmost Sage to look down and illuminate our sincere hearts. We, your servants, have not yet completed our study of the rites; the forms of bowing and rising in the fast are difficult to perfect, and where we have failed to match the proper form, where our advancing and halting have offended against the code, we have been cited by the Four Bureaus and seized upon by the Five Emperors — a thousand faults and ten thousand sins. We beg to be granted pardon and remission; have pity and forgive what we have not understood, and let no punishment for sin be visited upon us. Let the true officers of the five parts of the bodies of us, your servants, in accordance with their merit, go up to the Mysterious Metropolis and receive their charge; when the matter is done, let them return to our bodies, and rise together with us, flying through the great emptiness. Reverently we address this report on high, and humbly await the answer declared. We, your servants, are truly awed and truly fearful; we bow our heads to the ground and prostrate ourselves twice.

When the confession is complete, proceed leftward and return to the west, then facing east, offer incense three times, and recite this incantation:

Incense Officer Messengers, Lords of the Dragon and Tiger to left and right, Riders on Dragons Who Bear the Incense in Relay: let it be that in my quiet chamber and fasting hall, the spontaneous golden liquor, the cinnabar essence of the hundred numina, and the efflorescence of the fungus of immortality all meet and gather before this incense fire. Let me attain the Way, and thereby gain immortality; let my whole household receive blessing, and all, high and low, receive grace. Jade boys and jade maidens of the ten directions, attend and guard the incense smoke, convey what I have set forth, and bear it directly to the presence of the Limitless Most High Great Way.

The Celestial Worthy said: As for this Superior Method of the Three Primes' Graded Precepts for Confessing and Atoning for Sin — within the Palaces of the Three Primes one hides and preserves one's form and spirit, refines one's thought on the root of sin, and cultivates the superior Way of immortality; the student should practice it three times in a year. In practicing it one must bring the heart to utmost sincerity and exhaust the mind's intent, so that spirit and form together bear the labor, without rest or weariness, until the response reaches through all the heavens: the Three Primes strike the sin from the black register, the Northern Emperor drops the name from the roll of the dead and enters it among the living, the Three Officials sponsor and recommend the student's merit, and the Great Mystery records the name among the immortals on high. Now, one who seeks the Way — without hardship there is no penetration; without sincerity there is no response; without diligence, nothing is gained; without merit, nothing is attained; without resolve, one cannot overcome; without true heart, nothing is accomplished. One should let the body labor at the beginning, and the spirit rejoice at the end; only at the end does one attain non-action, and succeed in entering the spontaneous and the natural. Those sunk in the dregs of sin covet and delight in rare treasures, and see only the joys of this world, the glory of a single moment — how could they know that all this has an end, and that in the end one returns to suffering, mired in the mud and coals of the Three Palaces, sunk forever through ten thousand kalpas, with no time of return? Thus the worthy and the foolish each hold to what they prize, and their intentions and pursuits differ. The foolish prize the beginning; the worthy value the end. Foolishness and wisdom differ so — how could this be spoken lightly?

The Celestial Worthy said: Now, for the student, when the body passes through the most auspicious days of the Three Primes, refining itself with fragrant water, bathing the five spirits, then the breath is made clear and the form correct, the spirit is refreshed and knots into the perfected; the body receives no defilement, the breath receives no dust; the Three Passes are cleared and made empty, the myriad evils cannot intrude, and the Three Parts and Eight Effulgences shine forth clearly within the body. Through the practice of ingestion and guiding exercises, the Five Bureaus give forth their fragrance, and within and without are made full; all thereby attain immortality. The superior adept flies aloft, riding the light and mounting the clouds; the middling adept transforms in hiding, sitting or standing and passing away; the lower adept attains extinction and crossing-over, turning the wheel as a sage-king, extinguished yet not cut off, in the end attaining immortality. This method is high and subtle, so fine that it is hard to surpass; now I proclaim it to you — apply your heart to it diligently. The Lord of the Way bowed his head to the ground, and reverently received these essential words.

The Celestial Worthy said: Now, as for those who accumulate learning but have not attained the Way, it is entirely because their own bodies carry the debts of former retribution: cited by the Three Officials, seized by the Nine Bureaus, examined and pursued through the documents and clerks of the Hundred and Twenty Departments, left and right; the roots of evil are not extinguished, and evil demons invade and assail them, causing the five spirits to contend and compete, so that they offend without knowing it, and sin and defilement grow daily; the true spirits fly away and scatter. Though they encounter the various rites, the root of sin is not released, and they only labor their minds in vain, gaining nothing even unto death. Now, at the Great Celebration of the Three Primes, on the auspicious day that opens life, all the heavens turn their carriages, and the host of sages gather together, weighing and examining the registers and records of life, death, merit, and fault. The Way and its rites are universally compassionate, loving the people and nurturing all beings; but those whose sins are seen have their names entered on the roll of the dead, dragged along kalpa after kalpa with no release forever — to study and yet gain no benefit is a thing deeply to be lamented. Now, therefore, I open the jade satchel of Purple Yang and bring forth the Superior Method of the Three Primes' Graded Precepts for Confessing and Repenting of Faults, to deliver the students, to perfect their merit and virtue, and to proclaim each article of the celestial statutes. For students who have not yet attained the Way — whatever the measure of their merit and fault — let all take this to heart, receive and uphold this great rite, strike out and erase the register of sin, and enter their names upon the immortal roll. From this time, begin anew. This is proclaimed universally to all the heavens: without high or low, without deep or far, without great or small, without end or limit, without darkness or concealment, without sound or echo — dark and still, mysteriously pervading, source of great wisdom; the Three Palaces, the Nine Bureaus, the Hundred and Twenty Departments, and all the spirit-numina, none fail to receive and uphold it. Thereupon the Great Sages of all the heavens, the Limitless Honored Spirits, and the Most High Lord of the Way, all at once stood up at full height, raised their hands to address the assembly, and snapped their fingers, proclaiming it good. At that time the Celestial Worthy opened the grace of great forgiveness, and among the men and women of all the heavens who were beginning students, none failed to reverently uphold and practice this great rite; all at once received deliverance, their bodies attained immortality, and in broad daylight they ascended into the void, rising up to the palace of the Emperor. And as for those of good heart who turn to it in faith, revering and upholding it, all attain deliverance; they turn the wheel of life and death without passing through earthly servitude; when their merit is complete and their virtue full, they too attain the way of immortality, their rank equal to those who fly through Heaven, and they wander freely through the ten directions.

The Celestial Worthy said: Now, on the most auspicious days of the Three Primes, if one practices and performs the Method of the Three Primes' Graded Precepts for Confessing and Atoning for Sin, then the Three Officials and Nine Bureaus set aside a separate record in the register; the Five Emperors sponsor and recommend, entering the name among all the heavens; the host of the perfected rejoice, and the myriad spirits open their forgiveness; the debts of former retribution are scattered and dispersed, and the root of sin is universally released; the Three Assemblies feel the response penetrate through, and the examinations and pursuits of the Three Palaces, Nine Bureaus, and Hundred and Twenty Departments are struck out and erased from the black tally; the roots of former sin are cut off and severed, and the name is inscribed upon the Azure Register of the left contract; the myriad numina attend and protect, the Three Realms' offices come out to welcome, demons and goblins are subdued, a thousand calamities cannot intrude, the truth of the Way arises of itself, and one succeeds in attaining immortality.

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 rite's stage directions (facing a direction, the number of prostrations, the count of self-strikings) are kept as continuous prose, following the source; the two short verse incantations near the opening are set as verse, following their four-character lines. Where the source uses 某 as a ritual blank for the officiant's own name, or for a date or count of days, the translation renders it "N.," a conventional placeholder rather than an omission.

Before the claim below was written, a genuine translation-status check was performed: the two local bibliographies of Daoist texts in Western translation (Komjathy's Daoist Texts in Translation and the 2023 Purple Cloud survey) were searched by this text's Chinese title, its pinyin, and by nearby DZ numbers, and turned up no entry for this text; a related but textually distinct scripture, the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Sanyuan Pinjie Jing, appears in the Purple Cloud survey, but not this one. Two web searches were then run under the Chinese title and the pinyin title. They turned up the Chinese Text Project's transcription of this scripture (not a translation) and recent scholarship on the related Sanyuan pinjie jing — an academic article on "Two Theories of Retribution in the Sanyuan pinjie jing" and a conference paper on "The Lingbao Fast of the Three Primes," both concerning that cognate text rather than this one. No published English translation of this specific text, in whole or in part, was found. To our knowledge, this is its first complete published English translation. We state this as the limit of our knowledge, not as a certainty.

A note on terms. Throughout the great processions of divine titles the text pairs most names as "Lord" (君) and "Elder" (丈人); the translation keeps both, though the text nowhere explains the precise distinction between the two, and we do not claim to know it. "The Celestial Worthy" translates 天尊 without further specification, since the text itself never names which Celestial Worthy is speaking. No ▢ (illegible character) occurred anywhere in this text.

Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation and editorial work.

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Source Text: 太上大道三元品戒謝罪上法

Classical Chinese text of the Daoist Canon, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

太上大道三元品戒謝罪上法

　　天尊言：凡修上法，常以 正月十五日 、 七月十五日 、 十月十五日 ，平旦、正中、夜半三時，沐浴身形，五香自洗。臨沬浴時，向西南，以金杓迴香湯，東南左轉三十二過。閉眼思日光在左目上，月光在右目上，五星纓絡頭上，五色之雲，匝繞一身，青龍白虎，朱雀玄武，獅子白鶴，羅列左右，仙童執巾，玉女散華，飛仙乘騎，侍衛身形。便叩齒二十一通，呪曰：

　　天澄氣清，五色高明。日月吐暉，灌我身形。神津內盥，香揚鍊精。光景洞曜，煥映上清。氣不受塵，五府納靈。罪滅三塗，禍消九冥。惡根斷絕，福慶自生。今日大願，一切告盟。身受開度，升入帝庭。

　　畢，仰嚥三十二過止。便洗沐五神也。沐浴畢，冠帶衣服。又叩齒十二通，呪曰：

　　五濁已清，八景已明。今日受鍊，罪滅福生。長與五帝，齋真上靈。

　　便出而入室，依法行道也。入室東向燒香，叩齒三十二通，祝曰：

　　无上三天玄元始三炁太上老君，召出臣身中三五功曹、左右官使者、左右捧香驛龍騎吏、侍香玉童、傳言玉女、五帝直符、直日香官，各三十二人出。出者嚴裝，開啟此間土地里域真官正神，臣今正爾燒香行道，陳乞所願，願得十方正真之氣，入臣等身中，令所啟速達，上聞无極天尊太上大道至真上帝几前。

　　无上洞玄靈寶弟子某嶽先生臣某，宿世緣會，得生道化，蒙三洞法 師 先生某所見啟拔，開度腐骸，參以經法，過泰之恩，實在罔極。而臣生長流俗，五神爭競，塵深罪穢，永不自覺，與罪同長，山海彌積，前生至今，不知緣來，凡以幾劫，逮及今日，罪結天地，在何簿目，為三官執舉，拘逮地役，雖自修勵，而无感徹，真靈不降，眾魔所伐，致思念不專，五神飛越。常恐一旦歸命幽壑，彌綸萬劫，終天无拔。謹以三元大慶吉日，清齋燒香，首謝前身及乎今日積行所犯、天所不原、地所不赦、神所不哀、鬼所不放億罪兆過，觸犯三元百八十條、三官九府百二十曹、陰陽水火、左右中宮考吏之罪。今故燒香，歸身歸神歸命无極天尊太上道君、三十二天上帝、十方大聖眾，至真 諸 君丈人、飛天神王、天仙飛仙神仙地仙、五嶽諸真人玉女、諸天日月星宿、璇璣玉衡，及地上十方无極諸靈官、三界五帝、三官九府百二十曹、三河四海九江八極眾神靈司諸官，乞賜大恩，一切原除宿身今生所犯之罪。以今燒香功德，拔度罪根，願削除地簡，絕滅右府黑簿罪錄，度上南宮左府長生青錄之中，神仙度世，永享无窮。得道之後，升入無形，與真合同。

　　第一東向九拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命東方无極太上靈寶天尊、已得道大聖眾、至真尊神、太清玄元无上三天无極大道、天上玄老、太上老君、太上丈人、皇上老君、皇上丈人、青靈上真、 諸天常 君、諸天帝丈人、太帝君、太帝丈人、九老仙 都 君、九氣丈人等，百千萬重道氣、千二百官君，太清玉陛下東極老人青華大神、上相 司馬青童 君、金闕 後聖帝 君、真陽始青神人、靈寶九仙君等、青和玉女、主仙玉郎，東方无極世界一切神靈。乞願直垂大慈開宥之恩，原臣身前生以來、逮及今日受生所犯，上不敬諸天大聖尊神、東方无極世界一切神靈，日月星宿、四時五行、風雨雷電、雲霧時節，下不敬師父尊長、五嶽四讀三河四海九江八極諸真人、神仙玉女、東鄉諸靈官、三界地祇、三官九署一切神明，欺師罔道，穢賤天經，竊盜聖文，改易靈音，宣傳至法，貪利入身，私相化授，五帝无盟，謀圖叛逆，行不忠不慈不孝不愛不仁，上逆君父，下殺眾生，掠奪人物，淫犯他妻，骨肉相加，門族交通，嫉妬勝己，爭競功名，口是心非，攻擊賢人，飲酒食肉，濁注五神，罵詈呪詛，自作无端，入齋吉日喜怒无常，輕孤賤寡，棄薄老人，凌賤貧窮，逐寵豪強。諸如此罪，不可勝紀，積世結固，纏綿不解。以今燒香，歸命東方，乞願大慈直垂哀原，赦除臣身前生億劫以來，至今身所犯諸如上之罪，乞賜更始，於今自改，伏從禁戒，不敢又犯。乞削地簡三官罪錄、右宮黑簿，惡對重根，度名左府青錄之中。今日大慶，萬願開陳，謹自首謝，歸命天尊，乞神乞仙與真合同門戶，興泰善緣，來生世世罔極，長享自然。

　　畢，便解巾，叩頭自搏，各九十過止。謝東方畢，次起左行，向東南一拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命東南无極太上靈寶天尊、已得道大聖眾、至真尊神、南上老君、丹靈老子、南極上元長生真人、度世司馬、司命、司錄、好生 韓 君、起死更生鍊骨還神大聖神王、 萬福 君、萬福丈人、太和玉女、東南无極世界一切神靈。乞恩謝如東方法。

　　畢，叩頭自搏，各一十二過止。謝東南畢，次起左行，向南方三拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命南方无極太上靈寶天尊、已得道大聖眾、至真尊神、无極大道南上赤帝、丹靈老子、太和玉女、長生司馬、好生君、司命、司錄、南極度世君、飛天真人、開度受生神王、玉曆注生神仙度世君、萬福萬度萬生 萬氣 君、南方无極世界一切神靈。謝如上法。

　　畢，叩頭自搏各三十過止。謝南方畢，次起左行，向西南方一拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命西南无極太上靈寶天尊、已得道大聖眾、至真尊神、天皇老人、南極 元真 君、洞陽大靈眾神、生氣飛真神王、神仙玉女、西南无極世界一切神靈。乞恩謝如上法。

　　畢，叩頭自搏，各一十二過止。謝西南畢，次起左行，向西方七拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命西方无極太上靈寶天尊、已得道大聖眾、至真尊神、无極大道西華太妙至極上帝、金堂玉仙真母、金闕後聖上 相帝 君、玄古天師、萬聖道主、四極真人、神仙玉女、西方无極世界一切神靈。乞恩謝如上法。

　　畢，叩頭自搏，各七十過止。謝西方畢，次左行，向西北一拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命上方无極太上靈寶天尊、已得道大聖眾、至真尊神、无極大道上下中央四面八方三十二天上帝、太上无為大道 諸 君丈人、最大至尊无上无巔无極无窮普照普察无量洞明最上正真，无鞅數眾道氣、元始无先寥廓无端混沌无形虛无自然太上无根冥寂玄通大智慧原、正一盟威太上无為大道、道中之道神 明 君、无上无初萬萬億億數无鞅數道德 諸 君丈人、太上道德君、道德丈人、无上 萬生 君、萬生丈人、无上 萬氣 君、萬氣丈人、无上 萬元 君、萬元丈人、无上 萬福 君、萬福丈人、瞑涬天神 諸 君丈人、新出老君、太清玄无上三天无極大道、无上丈人、太上三氣君、太上老君、太上丈人、太清君、太清丈人、太玄上一．君、太玄丈人、中 黃正一 君、中黃丈人、太 元 君、太元丈人、太始君、太始丈人、太初君、太初丈人、太素君、太素丈人、太虛君、太虛丈人、太一君、太一丈人、太儀君、太儀丈人、太 平 君、太平丈人、太淵君、太淵丈人、天帝君、天帝丈人、九老仙 都 君、九老丈人、玉 曆 君、玉曆丈人、九氣君、九氣丈人等，百千萬億億萬萬數无鞅數萬重道氣丈人、千二百官君、千二百官丈人、太清玉陛下、太上玉真君、玉真丈人、五仙君、五仙丈人、九靈君、九靈丈人、太清十二真君、十二真君丈人、二十四神君、二十四神君丈人、太清三十六真君、三十六真君丈人、五氣君、五氣丈人、陰 陽生氣 君、生氣丈人、上上太一君、太一丈人、皇天太上帝、皇天太上丈人、无極太上 元 君、太上 元 君丈人、太一君、太一丈人、神寶君、神寶丈人、真寶君、真寶丈人、天寶君、天寶丈人、靈寶君、靈寶丈人、 元神 君、元神丈人， 元真 君、元真丈人、 元靈 君、元靈丈人、皇老君、皇老丈人、南極君、南極丈人、 黃神老 君、黃神丈人、 黃老 君、黃老丈人、太 和 君、太和丈人、太上皇真道君、 諸 君丈人、上 古天師 君、天師丈人、三 師 君、三師丈人、萬道父母、萬德父母、天地父母、神仙所出，神仙所聚，東王公、西王母、日君、月夫人、五星君、五星皇妃、璇璣玉衡九星真君、眾仙真人、聖父聖母、神仙玉女、上方彌羅此天无極世界一切神靈。乞恩謝如上法。

　　畢，叩頭自搏，各三百二十過止。謝上方畢，次左行，向東北日官三拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命日君夫人、日中皇華洞明太光童子、丹霞玉女、日中諸神仙，乞丐原臣受生所行罪負，上觸天光，生死殃對，並蒙赦除，身得光明，與日同景，長享无極，受福自然。

　　畢，叩頭自搏，各三十過止。謝日宮畢，次起左行，向西南月宮七拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命月君夫人、石景水母、圓光童子、散輝玉女、月宮諸神仙，乞丐原臣受生所行罪負，上觸天光，生死殃對，並蒙原除，身得光明，與月同景，長享元極，受福自然。

　　畢，叩頭自搏，各七十過止。謝月宮畢，次左行，向北九拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命諸天星宿、璇璣玉衡、七星北斗、九星三台、五星夫人、二十八宿、周天三百六十五度星中大神、星中真皇、夫人靈妃、神仙玉女，乞丐原臣受生所行罪負，上觸天光，生死殃對，並蒙原除，身得光明，與星宿同景，長享元極，受福自然。

　　畢，叩頭自搏，各三百六十過止。謝星宮畢，次左行，向東嶽再拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命東嶽泰山青帝大神、飛仙真人神仙、諸靈官、名山大澤一切神靈，乞丐原臣受生以來所行罪負，上觸東嶽名山大神，元惡之罪，並蒙赦宥，削除罪簡，名上仙錄，得與大神交友自然。

　　畢，叩自搏，各二十過止。次向南方再拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命南嶽衡山赤帝大神、飛仙真人、神仙諸靈官、名山大澤一切神靈。乞丐謝如東嶽法。

　　次向西南再拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命中嶽嵩山黃帝大神、飛仙真人神仙、諸靈官、名山大澤一切神靈。乞丐謝如東嶽法。

　　次向西再拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命西嶽華山白帝大神、飛仙真人神仙、諸靈官、名山大澤一切神靈。乞丐謝如東嶽法。

　　次向北再拜，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命北嶽恒山黑帝大神，飛仙真人、神仙諸靈官、名山大澤一切神靈。乞丐謝如東嶽法。

　　謝五嶽畢，次左行，向北方十二拜，謝水官言：

　　臣某今歸命扶桑大帝暘谷神王、洞源洞淵清泠大神、三河四海九江水帝、十二淮濟河伯河侯、河中二千石、清河夫人、水府神仙、一切諸靈官，乞丐原臣前生以來，至于今日所行罪負，无數愆目，觸犯水官元惡之罪，乞見原赦，今日燒香首謝大神，歸命歸身，乞得生活，免諸罪根，削除水簡緣對，上名生錄神仙簿中，長享无極，與道合真。

　　畢，叩頭自搏，各二百八十過止。謝水官畢，次向北三拜，謝三寶神經，長跪言：

　　臣某今歸命太上无極大道至真无上三十六部尊經、三寶靈文、神仙圖籙符章、自然天書、金書玉字，侍經玉童玉女、三部威神，乞丐謝如東嶽法。

　　畢，叩自搏，各三百六十過止。

　　齋竟言功法，眾官一時東向長跪，叩齒二十四通，稱所受官如具，稽首再拜，上啟：

　　太上无極大道、太上大道君、太上老君、太上丈人、无上玄老、十方无極
大道、道德眾聖天尊、至真太帝、天帝、天 師 君、靈寶監齋大法師。臣等素自凡愚，不以穢賤，好道樂仙，謬受法任，得騰景九玄，志竭愚短，自效毛髮，共相携率。以今月如干日某時，於某郡縣鄉里中，建立齋直，燒香誦經，思神念真，如干日夜，某時行道，請謝修行。事竟，所啟上清三洞飛仙、天仙、地仙、五方天兵騎乘，及侍經侍香玉童玉女、靈寶官屬、監齋眾真、五嶽四瀆四方監察真官靈仙，謁還真宮，進品上仙，加爵帝秩，隨品署真，當如太真之儀。令臣等求道得道，求仙得仙。令臣等分形變化，七十四方，三元下降，降致綠軿，飛行上清，騰景九天，日月同暉，三寶齊輪。惟蒙至聖，監映丹情，臣等學法未備，俯仰之格齋法難精，不合儀式，進止犯科，為四司所糾，五帝所執，千愆萬罪，乞蒙赦貰。哀原未悟，不見罪罰。臣等身中五體真官，隨功上詣玄都，受秩事竟，還臣等身，與臣同升，飛行太空，謹上啟聞，伏須告報，臣等誠惶誠恐，稽首再拜。

　　謝畢，左行還西，向東三上香，呪曰：

　　香官使者、左右 龍虎 君、捧香驛龍騎吏，當令臣靜室齋堂，生自然金液，丹精百靈，芝英交會，在此香火前。令臣得道，遂獲神仙，舉家蒙福，上下受恩，十方玉童玉女，侍衛香煙，傳臣所啟，徑御无極太上大道前。

　　天尊言：其三元品誠謝罪上法，三元宮中隱存形神，精思罪根，修仙上道，學士一歲三過行之。行之當令心丹意盡，神形同苦，无有息倦，感徹諸天，三元削罪於黑簿，北帝落死而上生，三官保舉於學功，太玄記錄於上仙。夫求道者，非苦不徹，非丹不感，非勤不獲，非功不得，非志不克，非心不成也。當使形勞於始，神懽於終，終得无為，克入自然。罪滓之人，貪翫珍寶，見世之懽，一時之榮，豈知有終，終歸於苦，塗炭三宮，長淪萬劫，何時得還。故賢愚各尚，志業不同。愚者貴始，賢者重終。愚智相殊，豈可言哉。

　　天尊言：夫為學者，身經三元上吉之日，香湯自鍊，沐浴五神，則氣澄形正，神爽結真，體不受穢，氣不受塵，三關清虛，萬邪不干，三部八景，洞明身中。服御導引，五府生薰，內外充溢，悉得成仙。上士飛騰，駕景乘雲，中士隱化，坐在立亡，下士滅度，轉輪聖王，滅而不絕，終得神仙。其法高妙，微難可勝，今以相告，勤為用心。道君稽首，伏受要言。

　　天尊言：夫為積學未得道者，皆由己身負其宿對，三官所舉，九府所執，百二十曹左右考官文書考逮，惡根不滅，邪魔侵伐，致五神爭競，身犯不覺，罪穢日生，神真飛越，雖見眾法，而罪根不釋，徒為勞心，至死无獲。今三元大慶，開生吉日，諸天迴駕，眾聖同集，推校生死功過錄籍，道法普慈，愛民育物，見其罪者名入死目，終劫相牽，永无解脫，學而无益，甚可痛焉。今開紫陽玉笈，出三元品誠謝過上法，以度學者，成其功德，宣告天科各條。學士未得道者，功過多少，咸使有心，承受大法，落滅罪簿，上名仙錄。於今更始，普告諸天，无高无下，无深无遠，无大无小，无窮无極，无幽无隱，无音无響，冥寂玄通，大智慧原，三宮九府，百二十曹，一切神靈，莫不承奉。於是諸天大聖眾、无極尊神、太上道君，一時長立，舉手告眾，彈指稱善。是時天尊開大宥之恩，諸天男女始學者，莫不恭奉修行大法，皆即受度，身得神仙，白日登虛，上升帝宮。其有善心信向之人，敬而奉之，皆得開度，轉輪生死，不經地役，功成德滿，並得仙道，位齊飛天，遊乎十方也。

　　天尊言：夫以三元上吉之日，修行三元品誠謝罪之法，則三官九府右別錄籍，五帝保舉，列名諸天，眾真懽喜，萬神開宥，宿對披散，罪根普解，三會感徹，三宮九府百二十曹考逮，削落黑簡，斷絕宿根，勒名左契青錄之中，萬靈侍護，三界司迎，妖魔降伏，千灾不干，道真自生，克得神仙。

Source Colophon

The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Daoist Canon edition of this text (article 太上大道三元品戒謝罪上法, revision of 28 April 2017), 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 is ancient and in the public domain. The wiki header and license templates have been removed; the text is otherwise complete and unaltered.

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