Instructions for Dissolving Transgression — Shangqing Dongzhen Jieguo Jue

Shangqing Dongzhen Jieguo Jue — A Cavern-Perfection Formula of the Shangqing Canon

This is a ritual-instruction text of the Shangqing ("Highest Clarity") tradition of Daoism, preserved in the Daoist Canon under the Cavern-Perfection (洞真) division reserved for Shangqing scriptures. Its date cannot be fixed with confidence. Its cast of named masters — Lord Pei, "the Perfected of Pure Numen"; Master Xu; the Great One; Master Liu — places it within the circle of confession-and-repentance methods that grew up around the early Shangqing revelations of the fourth and fifth centuries, though whether the "Xu" and "Liu" named here are the historical patriarchs of that lineage cannot be confirmed from the text alone.

The text is a manual, not a scripture meant for recitation: eight numbered sections, each transmitted in the voice of a different master, instructing the reader how and when to confess and dissolve accumulated transgression — one's own, and that inherited from seven generations of ancestors — through visualization, prostration, incantation, and the swallowing of saliva, timed to the ritual calendar of the Eight Nodes, the Five Penetrations, the Five Attainments, the Five Virtues, and the stem-and-branch day cycle. Deities and star lords are addressed by name, and several passages preserve incantations meant to be spoken exactly as given.

One translation note: the text repeatedly uses 兆 (zhào) as a first-person self-reference — the practitioner speaking of "the practitioner" rather than "I," a convention of early Shangqing revelation literature. This translation keeps that distance and renders it as "the practitioner" throughout, rather than smoothing it into "I."

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

Translation

First: Lord Pei, the Perfected of Pure Numen, on Repenting Sins on the Eight Nodal Days

Lord Pei, the Perfected of Pure Numen, said: The Perfected of the Great Ultimate, at midday on the day of the Beginning of Spring, always gathers the transcendents at the Palace of the Great Ultimate, engraves jade tablets, and records the names of the transcendents. And always, at midnight of that same evening, facing due north, he looks up toward the Northern Pole, bows twice, touches his head to the ground, and sets forth the full number of his own transgressions, seeking their release and resolution; when this is done he bows twice more, and stops.

On the day of the Spring Equinox, at midday, the Perfected of Grand Simplicity, at the Terrace of Jasper on Kunlun, gathers the transcendent officers and fixes the true scriptures.

On the day of the Beginning of Summer, at midday, the Five Thearchs of Highest Clarity gather the transcendents at the Palace of Purple Tenuity, receive the Four Perfected, and discuss the merits and faults of those who seek the Way.

On the day of the Summer Solstice, at midday, the Three Officials of Heaven meet with the Director of Allotted Life Spans and the Marquis of the River, to check and settle the sins and blessings of the ten thousand people, adding or subtracting years and life-counts.

On the day of the Beginning of Autumn, at midday, the Perfected of the Five Sacred Peaks go before the Yellow Lord Lao of the Center at Cloud Court Mountain of the Yellow Chamber, and gather the transcendent officers at midday, to fix the divine charts and numinous medicines of the world.

On the day of the Autumn Equinox, at midday, the Supreme August Great Thearch ascends to the Numinous Watchtower of Highest Clarity, the Hall of the Great Tenuity, and gathers the Three Elder Lords of the Most High, the Perfected Lords of the Northern Pole, the Great Spirits of the Eight Seas, and tens of thousands upon tens of thousands of the honored numinous transcendent officers of the Five Sacred Peaks. Together they assemble to deliberate the sins and blessings of the myriad millions under Heaven, to record the diligence or laxity of those who study the Way, listing each one by one, and hand the record to the Director of Allotted Life Spans.

On the day of the Beginning of Winter, at midday, the Perfected of the Terrace of Yang gathers the transcendent officers and jade maidens, and newly settles the register of those who have attained the Way and are entering the roll of transcendents for the first time.

On the day of the Winter Solstice, at midday, the celestial perfected and the host of transcendents all go to the Great Palace of Eastern Florescence at Fangzhu, before Lord Azure Lad of the Eastern Sea, to engrave and fix the characters within the golden writs of the transcendent registers.

Always, on the evenings, at midnight, and at midday of the Eight Nodes, one repents the sins of seven generations of ancestors and of one's parents, as well as the transgressions within one's own person, and the name of the transgression is thereby removed of itself. Practiced long, this brings the divine transcendence of deathlessness.

Now, on the days of the Autumn and Spring Equinoxes, the Most High's Assembly of Divine Perfected deliberates with the ten thousand transcendents; one who is not truly upright must not lightly make use of these days to repent sins. The host of perfected transcendent officers assembles together at midday on the Eight Node days, and altogether three days are needed before the release is complete. One who wishes to cultivate the Way should first fast and purify, and must not let the occasion slip.

Zhi Ziyuan received from Master Jiang the instructions of the fifth section, whereby on the days of the Eight Nodes one visualizes and sets forth the full number of one's own transgressions since taking up this body, offering up one's sincerity in a self-report, hoping for the aid recorded by the Celestial Sovereign and the assembled Perfected, disciplining the body and returning to goodness, so as to seek long life and divine transcendence.

Now the node of the Autumn Equinox is a day when the qi dwells in clarity and emptiness, the true day of the Great Harmony. On this day the host of Perfected and transcendents all hear pleas and judge cases. Moreover the transcendent officers of the earthly Inspectors of Treachery and Ministries of Boundaries examine and report the merits and faults of the Daoist priests within their jurisdictions, as well as those among the ten thousand people who bear guilt, whether living or dead.

The True Record of Transcendent Prohibitions says: "If you wish to ascend to Heaven, be careful of the Autumn Equinox; sins great or small are all reported above. To seek transcendence while bearing sin is exceedingly hard — this is why studying the Way chills the heart." These are the essential words of Master Zhongyang of Vermilion Fire and Cinnabar Mound.

At the Autumn Equinox the qi is harmonized at midday, in accordance with Heaven and Earth. The great fiery qi is broken by the force of withering and falling; the dark waters enfold their moisture, gestating in the treasury where metal is born; the light of the Great Yang turns to Lesser Yang, storing and nourishing Heaven and Earth. It is thus the point at which the hard and the soft are fixed, where the sequence of the two images is joined, where brightness is fused and made to flow — distinguishing yin and yang and the Three Luminaries. Truly it is the marker-day among the Eight Nodes, the essential rung on the ladder of seeking the Way.

Each time this day comes, at midday, His Jade Majesty the Supreme August Great Thearch Lord ascends to the Numinous Dwelling of Highest Clarity in the Vast Cold, the Cinnabar City and Purple Terrace of the Empty Vault, the Long-Brocade Jade Tower; the host of Perfected assemble at the Hall of the Great Tenuity. Above, he opens the gates of the Nine Heavens and summons the Perfected Sovereigns of the Nine Heavens; in the middle he invites the Three Elder Lords of the Most High and the Perfected of the Northern Pole, together with the Great Spirits of the Eight Seas; below, he commands those who have attained transcendence among the famous mountains of the Five Sacred Peaks. Numinous honored ones by the tens of thousands together assemble at the Hall of Vast Yang, jointly deliberating and settling the sins and blessings of the ten thousand people under Heaven, recording the diligence or laxness of those who study the Way and seek transcendence, itemizing the months and days of transgressions committed, the categories of punishment for good and evil conduct, and the manner of life and death — each according to the department and jurisdiction to which it belongs, listed by root and source, and handed to the Director of Allotted Life Spans, to be written into the imperial register. Sins and blessings down to the smallest particle are engraved in the registers of the Cinnabar City; hidden and concealed evil deeds, and the small merits of secret virtue — there is none that is not distinguished thread by thread and known.

On the evening of that day, at midnight, one should go out into the central courtyard, face north and look up toward the Northern Pole, remove one's headcloth, bow twice, touch the forehead to the ground in a long kneeling posture, and report above to the Great Thearch Lord, the Celestial Worthy of the Most High at the Northern Pole. Thereby one secretly repents the sins of seven generations of ancestors and of one's parents, and sets forth in full the number and manner of one's own transgressions since taking up this body, begging for pardon and remission. From this day forward, one vows to reform the past and cultivate the future; the vow must be made trustworthy, sworn upon the cinnabar heart, pledged before Heaven and Earth, never again daring to commit an evil act. Let the words be set forth as the intention truly is; practiced long, this brings the divine transcendence of deathlessness. When finished, say: "May the Supreme August Thearch strike out the name of [So-and-so]'s transgressions, transmit the writ to the Three Officials, and let the register of the transcendents include [So-and-so] among the jade tablets, granting long life and lasting sight, penetrating to the Perfected and reaching the numinous." When this is done, knock the head to the ground four more times, bow twice, and return to the quiet chamber, holding oneself deeply to strict account, while also visualizing the spirits of the Three Primes within, so that they report above to the Most High. Doing this three times, one's name is registered on the transcendent roll, and one's faults and guilt are dissolved and destroyed.

The Three Primes are the three spirits of the Muddy Pellet, the Crimson Palace, and the Cinnabar Field. Visualizing the Three Primes' three spirits, one reports above to the Celestial Worthy, begging for the grace of pardon, so that they aid what one has set forth and see that it is surely reported above. Reporting three times at the Autumn Equinox, one's register of the living is thereby fixed, and one's name is removed from the roll of the dead. This one method comes from the Scripture Governing the Blue-Green Chart; it is the secret method of long life.

Though common people may love the Way, they have not left the human world, and in the human world there are very many faults and guilt, committed not just once; it may not yet be fitting for them to apply the method of repenting sins at the Autumn Equinox. One should enter the mountain forests, go far from human affairs, dwell alone in stillness, and not offend against the ten thousand things — only then may this be done. Once one has spoken the vow of returning to good and the words of reforming conduct, and these words have already been heard by the exalted listening above, one must take care never again to commit evil deeds that violate life. To repeat a transgression ten times over is something Heaven and Earth will not pardon; the death of the body is the proof, and it cannot again be corrected or repaired. To seek the Way in this way leaves nothing further to be sought. The nurturing of life is like the intercourse of water and fire: gain its benefit and one ascends to Heaven in broad daylight; violate its precepts and one's body sinks into the Three Springs. This day, moreover, weighs even more heavily than the ordinary Seven Nodes — it is what Zhao Boxuan called "the gate of life and death."

The Simple Words of the Three-Nine says: "On the Day of Autumn Judgment, high and low all assemble — it is the day of life and death." The ancients took the day of the Autumn Equinox to be the Day of Autumn Judgment. The reason is this: on the day of the Autumn Equinox, the Perfected, transcendents, and spirits of the Nine Heavens and Eight Earths, together with the Supreme August Ultimate Honored One, assemble for three days and three nights, jointly fixing the destinies of the ten thousand people. Those who gather to deliberate are very many, because the honored spirits all convene together. On all the Eight Node days, the Perfected officers of Heaven and Earth assemble — before and after each node, for three days and three nights in all — and then each returns to his charge. This is the instruction of Zhi Gong Ziyuan, distinct from this one matter, and not to be mixed with the regulations for the ordinary Seven Nodes.

The Divine Lad of the Night-Watch, in the Scripture of the Golden Root, says: "On the days of the Eight Nodes, the ultimate assembly of those who seek transcendence takes place; Heaven commands the host of Perfected, all of whom must gather to attend. One day before the node, the ten thousand numinous ones report to the palace gate; at midday of the node day itself, high and low enter for audience; one day after the node, sins and blessings are distinguished and separated. Three days and three nights, and the business of Heaven is thereby complete. Be careful of your transgressions, my child, and strive to do meritorious deeds, so that your name may rise among the Perfected and be entered upon the rolls of the Great Ultimate. I do not speak falsely; those who know keep it deeply secret. Hasten to repent your faults, and guard this in secrecy, taking care not to let it leak out." This too was spoken by Zhi Gong from his own mouth, and transmitted to be shown to Lord Pei.

Second: Master Xu on Repenting Sins on the Eight Nodal Days

Master Xu's oral instruction says: Always, after midnight on the days of the Eight Nodes, sit level facing north, visualize the form and contemplate the scene, making it as if you see the body of the practitioner directly. When this is done, cross both hands above the head and knock the forehead to the ground eighteen times; then one's faults and guilt are removed, and the form and its scene become distinct.

Third: Master Xu on Repenting, on the Days of the Five Penetrations, the Sins of One's Forebears

Always on the days of the Five Penetrations, face north and repent, beseeching release from the banishments borne by the practitioner's three great-grandfathers and five generations of ancestors; then the sins and guilt of the practitioner's forebears are dissolved. The days of the Five Penetrations are: the first morning of the tenth month, and the first day of the second month. If one does not dissolve the banishment-debts borne by one's forebears, then though one wishes to seek transcendence, transcendence remains far away.

Fourth: Master Xu on Repenting, on the Days of the Five Attainments, the Sins of One's Forebears and One's Own Body

On the days of the Five Attainments, face north, bow twice five times, and in the heart call out three times the names of the Supreme August Lords and their Consorts:

The Perfected Sovereign of the Year Star: Yucan, Yucan, Yucan. His Consort: Feiyun, Feiyun, Feiyun.

The Perfected Sovereign of the Sparkling Deluder: Weiting, Weiting, Weiting. His Consort: Huaping, Huaping, Huaping.

The Perfected Sovereign of the Quelling Star: Danyan, Danyan, Danyan. His Consort: Feixian, Feixian, Feixian.

The Perfected Sovereign of the Great White: Debiao, Debiao, Debiao. His Consort: Ling'en, Ling'en, Ling'en.

The Perfected Sovereign of the Chronogram Star: Jingyuan, Jingyuan, Jingyuan. His Consort: Long'e, Long'e, Long'e.

The above are the personal names of the Five Sovereigns and their Consorts; they do not appear in earlier texts — this is a separate oral instruction of Lady Zhaoling.

When this is done, clack the teeth together five times; when finished, remove the headcloth, kneel at length, and reverently report before the High Perfected Lords of the Way of the Five Stars, Sun, and Moon, the August Sovereigns, and their Consorts, the Lords of the Way; before the Jade Clarity, the Most High, the Highest Clarity, the August Sovereign Thearch, and the Sagely Lords of the Great Way. Thereby one sets forth one's transgressions, from the seven generations of ancestors and one's parents down to the thousand sins and ten thousand faults of one's own single body, begging that from all past generations one may obtain release, that the Three Officials report down to the Celestial Thearch, causing the names of one's sins to be separated and released, and dissolved and struck from the cinnabar tablets; begging that, together with the Perfected of the Five Stars, one may hasten to the flowery dawn, ascend to Highest Clarity above, and pass freely through the jade watchtowers.

First month, sixth day, midday; second month, first day, the hour of bu (mid-afternoon); third month, seventh day, midnight; fourth month, ninth day, the meal-hour (morning); fifth month, fifteenth day, midnight; sixth month, third day, midday; seventh month, seventh day, midnight; eighth month, fourth day, midday; ninth month, second day, dawn; tenth month, first day, dawn; eleventh month, sixth day, midnight; twelfth month, twelfth day, midnight.

The above records the auspicious days of the Five Attainments.

The Most High hides the days of the Five Penetrations, sealed in the jade bamboo-shoots of the Five Sacred Peaks; the Way of the Return to the Origin is hidden, concealed in the Palace of the Nine Dawns. Once one has cultivated the Five Penetrations, one should also practice the Return to the Origin. The Five Penetrations open at the Thearch's Beginning; the Return to the Origin opens at the Mystic's End. Therefore those who cultivate the Five Penetrations and practice the Return of the Seven Origins do not eat blood or rank food, and do not look upon corpses or filth; one who transgresses receives examination under the Great Mystery. The Five Penetrations are the Most High's days of auspicious assembly; the Return to the Origin is the Most High's day of renewal. One who does not know the Five Penetrations cannot dissolve sin and remove fault; one who does not know the hidden Way of the Return to the Origin cannot have his name engraved among the Perfected above. Always on these days, contemplate and hold auspicious matters in mind, and first repent the transgressions within your own body — this is what is called being released from seven generations, and freed from the register of punishment. Do not show this to the transcendents within the Nine Palaces.

Fifth: The Great One on Repenting and Dissolving Sin at Midnight and at Midday

The Great One said: If the practitioner has transgressions and wishes to confess them and seek their removal, then at midnight and at midday, enter the chamber, close the door, sit upright, face north, and visualize the Thearch Lord within the practitioner's Purple Chamber, contemplating as described above; then further visualize the practitioner's own body within the Purple Chamber, prostrate before the Thearch Lord, inwardly setting forth one's own faults. Hold the breath for a long while, until sweat covers the whole body and the clothing is soaked through with its steam. Doing this three times, the sins so released will of themselves disperse. When the sweat has covered the whole body, then incant, saying:

"[So-and-so] has committed sin, reported above to the hundred spirits; I beg to be delivered from the sixty-three calamities of water and fire. Guardian of my allotted life, the Great One — I beseech aid from the Thearch Lord. Sweat streams over my whole body; dread lodges in my Three Cloud-Souls. Let the grace of the Most High forever remove this affliction."

When finished, call out the Thearch Lord's name three times.

The Thearch Lord's taboo-name is Lingfan, his style is Lüchangling; he is also called Qiling, and also the Divine Elder. He always governs within the Purple Chamber of the Great Ultimate, sitting upright and level, his countenance in the form of an infant. A purple vapor always covers his divine body; he is clothed in garments of five colors, and wears a headcloth capped with the sun and moon; above his left ear is a sun nine inches across, above his right ear a moon one foot across. When the visualization is complete, then open the eyes. This is called the Thearch Lord's Way of Dissolving Transgression: inwardly one repents to the Five Spirits, and the flowing sweat is the sign of response.

When ordinary people repent their faults, they knock their heads and slap their cheeks — this is an outward method. But if one cultivates the Guarding of the Cavern Chamber by the Three Ones, serving the Thearch Lord and revering the Great One, one must take great care never to knock the head or slap the cheeks. For when a person knocks the head, it startles the Three Cloud-Souls, disturbs the Muddy Pellet, and vexes the Purple Chamber, troubling the Thearch Lord. And when a person slaps the cheeks, it hardens the knots of the placenta-bonds and binds the sinews of the White-Souls; the Great One grieves, and the Five Spirits are displaced — this is a great taboo. If, in one's practice and contemplation, one merely holds in the heart the image of knocking the head and slapping the cheeks, this too effects the release inwardly, within the heart. The transcendent holds this only in the heart and bows; the body does not bend. I hold this to be the proper way.

Sixth: Master Liu on Repenting, for One's Forebears and the Whole Household, on the Chen and Si Days of the Five Virtues

Master Liu's record says: People commit many transgressions; the net of Heaven is wide-meshed but lets nothing slip through — it secretly subtracts from a person's allotted count, and so one does not live long. Though the way of life may be present within the body, if one does not repent one's faults, then illness and sorrow will be many. This text comes from the twenty-third chapter of the Inner Chapters of the River Chart of Wenchang of the Great Tenuity.

When a household founders and declines, or its undertakings fail to succeed, or its sons and grandsons do not flourish, or an official does not advance, or its six kinds of livestock die, or sudden calamities gather upon it — all this comes from the cause of many transgressions. If one can wash away defilement and purify the mind, not indulge in lust nor envy, not act contrary to right principle, be compassionate, kind, and sympathetic, grieve at others' grief and rejoice at others' joy, see another's loss as one's own loss and another's gain as one's own gain, not act as a slanderer or a thief, not speak with a forked tongue, but give charitably and relieve distress — then one's life-span will daily increase, and one will constantly obtain what one wishes.

Then, on Chen and Si days at dusk, sweep clean a place of Heaven's Virtue — that is, ground of the jia, geng, bing, xin, or ren stem-days. Burn incense; let the whole household face north, remove their headcloths, and knock their heads to the ground several tens of times, without speaking aloud but only speaking within the heart, wishing to have dissolved the transgressions committed within the bodies of the whole household. Doing this, one may obtain peace and long life. But if one's wrongdoing does not cease, then even repeated repentance will bring no benefit. If one is free of fault and can constantly cultivate this way of repentance, then one will forever be without sorrow or affliction.

Jiachen, Bingchen, Wuchen, Gengchen, Renchen; Jisi, Xinsi, Guisi, Yisi, Dingsi.

The above are the days of the Five Virtues.

Seventh: The Most High's Hidden Way of the Return to the Origin, Used to Remove the Sin-Register, on the Days of the Return to the Origin and the Five Penetrations

The Inner Chapters of the Most High's Hidden Way of the Return to the Origin, Used to Remove the Sin-Register says: The Most High's Jade Perfected Hidden Origin Inner Contemplation is practiced on the days of the Six Ding. At this time the celestial origin unfolds and sets forth its report; the knots of the placenta-bond are doubly fastened; the Seven White-Souls report upward, and the Three Cloud-Souls record one's faults, implicating seven generations of ancestors in the transgression and accumulating punishment in the Three Yin. Therefore there is a method of dissolution, by which one is released from the entanglement of fault. One who applies this Way is among the great ones who seek transcendence.

In all contemplating the Seven Origins and holding the Way of the Nine Dawns, one's sleeping mat and bedding should not be shared with another person, and likewise one's clothing. Should man and woman rest together on the same mat, this is entered as a sin in the register of the Northern Mystery; if one transgresses into defilement, the calamity reaches even to being registered in the underworld. To lie mingled together with one's teacher or with those of the same practice-kinship is likewise a transgression.

The Five Penetrations are the Most High's days of auspicious assembly. The Return to the Origin is the Most High's day of renewal. One who does not know the Five Penetrations cannot dissolve sin and remove fault. One who does not know the hidden Way of the Return to the Origin cannot have his name engraved among the Perfected above. Always on these days contemplate and hold auspicious matters in mind, and first repent the transgressions within your own body — this is what is called being released from seven generations, and freed from the register of punishment. Do not show this to the transcendents within the Nine Palaces.

All those who cultivate the affairs of the Cavern Chamber and Purple Chamber, and who hold in mind the Seven Origins of the Nine Dawns, at the moment of first sleeping, first rising, and the hexagram hour, and when approaching a meal and when the meal is finished, should first softly incant, saying:

"The Five Sovereigns, the Five Penetrations, the Six Harmonies, the Purple Chamber; the Return to the Origin, the Hidden Way, the Vast Fall of the Seven Perfected. He who begets the cloud-soul is the Mystic Father — the Father transforms the One into a completed spirit. She who begets the white-soul is the Mystic Mother — the Mother transmutes the Two into a begotten body. He who governs my sinews and bones is the Lord Son; he who is my seminal essence and breath is the White Origin. Long life and lasting sight; flying transcendence to the Ten Heavens."

When finished, do not let the ear hear the sound of the incantation. This is the Most High's hidden incantation, by which one removes deviant qi and summons essence and spirit, causing a person never through life to be beset by darkness.

Eighth: Eight Articles for Dissolving Examination, on Behalf of Seven Generations of Ancestors and One's Parents, on the Six Jia Decades, the Six Ding Days, the Eve of the Month's Dark Moon, and the Six Jia Days

Always, in the decade beginning with Jiazi, on the day Dingmao, at midnight, sit level upon the sleeping mat, face north, clasp the hands together, and clack the teeth seven times; then look upward and visualize the Seven Stars, making them shine brilliantly in the north. After a long while, softly incant, saying:

"The First, the Great Star: Mystic Pivot, Yang-Brightness, Celestial Pivot, Cloud-Soul Spirit, Lord of the Nine Mysteries Above."

Call this out seven times; when finished, then further incant, saying:

"May it be granted to remove all the yang sins and yang faults of [So-and-so], from seven generations down to [So-and-so]'s own body; let them all be dissolved and removed, so that wherever I turn it is as I wish, and the ten thousand affairs match my heart. Let me fly and pace the Seven Origins, pouring myself out toward Heaven; let my name be engraved among the Dipper's Dawn-stars, and my years extended by the hundred million."

When finished, then visualize the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper coming down from Heaven, flying into my mouth, and passing straight into my heart; visualize the heart's light, causing inside and outside to be utterly penetrated and clear, contemplating this to the utmost. When finished, hold this in mind facing north and bow twice; when the bowing is done, swallow the saliva eighteen times; one may also rise and bow. This is called the Inner-Reflecting Higher Way of Dissolving the Dawn's Bound Net.

In the decade beginning with Jiaxu, on the day Dingchou, at midnight, sit level upon the sleeping mat, face north, clasp the hands together; first clack the teeth seven times, and when finished, look upward and visualize the Seven Stars, making them shine brilliantly in the north. After a long while, softly incant, saying:

"The Second, the Prime Star: Northern Terrace, Yin Essence, Celestial Unfettered, Cloud-Soul Spirit, Sovereign Lord of the Nine Above."

Call this out seven times; when finished, then further incant, saying:

"May it be granted to remove all the yin sins and yin faults of [So-and-so], from seven generations down to [So-and-so]'s own body; let them all be dissolved and removed, so that the Six Qi are full and abundant, and the Four Spirits are numinous together. Let me fly through the Seven Origins, my name engraved in the jade writs; let me ascend above to Purple Clarity, riding the Mystery and driving the Void, my going out and coming in beneficial and upright, in accord with Heaven."

When finished, then visualize the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper coming from within Heaven, flying into my mouth, and passing straight into my spleen, causing the inside and outside to be thoroughly illuminated and the five organs made distinct. As one visualizes the stars coming into the mouth, one should feel the eyes perceive a radiance scattering in all directions and filling the mouth; a slight heat in the mouth is the sign that the stars' essence has come in. When finished, hold this in mind facing north and bow twice; when the bowing is done, swallow the saliva eighteen times; one may also rise and bow.

In the decade beginning with Jiashen, on the day Dinghai, at midnight, sit level upon the sleeping mat, face north, clasp the hands together, clack the teeth seven times, and when finished, look upward and visualize the Seven Stars, making them shine brilliantly toward the north. After a long while, softly incant, saying:

"The Third, the Perfected Star: Nine Ultimates, Highest Perfected, Lady of the Upper Prime, Celestial Mechanism, White-Soul Essence, Lord of the Nine Above in Whiteness."

Call this out seven times; when finished, then incant, saying:

"May it be granted to remove all the death-sins and death-faults of [So-and-so], from seven generations down to [So-and-so]'s own body — accumulated evil and secretly hidden wrongs, transgressions against the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water — let them all be dissolved and removed, my eyes clear and my sight penetrating, my perception reaching through the hidden and the void. Let me fly through the Seven Origins, my name written in Highest Clarity, commanding the ten thousand spirits; let me ascend above to the Jade Court, riding the light and mounting the void, pouring myself out toward Heaven."

When finished, then visualize the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper coming from Heaven, flying down into my mouth, and passing straight into my liver, causing their light to illuminate the five organs, inside and outside thoroughly bright. When finished, hold this in mind facing north and bow twice; when the bowing is done, swallow the saliva eighteen times; one may also rise and bow.

In the decade beginning with Jiawu, on the day Dingyou, at midnight, sit level upon the sleeping mat, face north, clasp the hands together, clack the teeth seven times, and when finished, look upward and visualize the Seven Stars, making them shine brilliantly in the north. After a long while, softly incant, saying:

"The Fourth, the Knotting Star: Whirling Root, Mystic Obscurity, Celestial Propulsion, White-Soul Essence, Lord of the Nine Above in Emptiness."

Call this out seven times; when finished, then further incant, saying:

"May it be granted to remove the sins of [So-and-so], from seven generations down to [So-and-so]'s own body, numbering in the many thousands and ten-thousands — being without kindness and without virtue, without benevolence and without filial piety, the hidden and evil sins — let them all be dissolved and destroyed; let me take in food and ingest essence, daily advancing and gaining, flying up to the Seven Origins, my name recorded and engraved in the Great Mystery, listed above among the Jade Sovereigns, riding swiftly through the Nine Heavens, commanding spirits and driving the numinous, renewed together with the sun and moon."

When finished, then visualize the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper coming from Heaven, flying down into my mouth, and passing straight into my spleen, causing their brightness to penetrate through and shine upon the five organs. When finished, hold this in mind facing north and bow twice; when the bowing is done, swallow the saliva eighteen times; one may also rise and bow.

In the decade beginning with Jiachen, on the day Dingwei, at midnight, sit level upon the sleeping mat, face north, clasp the hands together, clack the teeth seven times, and when finished, look upward and visualize the Seven Stars, making them shine brilliantly in the north. After a long while, softly incant, saying:

"The Fifth, the Guiding Star: Celestial Balance, Cinnabar Origin, Jade Beam, White-Soul Numen, Lord Above, Lord of the Nine of the Upper Prime."

Call this out seven times; when finished, then further incant, saying:

"May it be granted to remove the inner and outer defiling sins of [So-and-so], from seven generations down to [So-and-so]'s own body — the surface and hidden sunken faults, numbering in the many thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of millions, recorded in the hidden passes — let them all be dissolved and removed; let my body be filled and my qi made abundant, the Yellow Court stabilizing the stomach, engraved above and below at the center, Grand Simplicity letting fall its radiance, my name marked in the Purple Palace, attended on the right by jade maidens and on the left by jade lads, shining together with the sun and moon, my rank that of a Perfected King."

When finished, then visualize the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper coming down from Heaven, flying down into my mouth, and passing straight into my stomach, causing their bright light to illuminate through and the five organs to be made distinct. When finished, hold this in mind facing north and bow twice; when the bowing is done, swallow the saliva eighteen times; one may also rise and bow.

In the decade beginning with Jiayin, on the day Dingsi, at midnight, sit level upon the sleeping mat, face north, clasp the hands together; first clack the teeth seven times, then look upward and visualize the Seven Stars, making them shine brilliantly in the north. After a long while, softly incant, saying:

"The Sixth, the Recording Star: Life's Mechanism, Northern Pole, Opening Yang, White-Soul Numen, Lord Above, Empty Sovereign of the Nine in Cinnabar."

Call this out seven times; when finished, then further incant, saying:

"May it be granted to remove all the sins and transgressions of [So-and-so]'s own violent and evil deeds, from seven generations down to [So-and-so]'s own body — treachery, rebellion, disorder, and delusion, listed and recorded in the Thearch's Palace — let them all be dissolved and destroyed; let the hundred illnesses be healed, my body and qi beneficial and upright, my name written on the Terrace of Transcendents, engraved in gold in Highest Clarity, commanding the ten thousand spirits, flying through the Nine Brightnesses."

When finished, visualize the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper coming down from Heaven, flying down into my mouth, and passing straight into my kidneys, causing their bright light to illuminate through and the five organs to be made distinct. When finished, hold this in mind facing north and bow twice; when the bowing is done, swallow the saliva eighteen times; one may also rise and bow. On a yang day, visualize this in the left kidney; on a yin day, visualize it in the right kidney — the first day being yang, the second day being yin. This Way especially forbids looking upon blood, filth, foulness, or negligence, and forbids the mixed eating of meat and pungent foods; to violate this flows its harm upward to reach seven generations of ancestors, and flows its calamity downward upon one's own body — at death one becomes a lesser ghost, one's name struck from the Thearch's gate.

On the evening of the month's dark moon — the next day being the new moon — before the cock crows, one should, on the bed within the sleeping chamber, face east, clasp the hands together, and sit level; clack the teeth seven times, then look upward and visualize the Seven Stars of the North, making them shine brilliantly at my left side. After a long while, softly incant, saying:

"The Seventh, the Pass Star: Mystic Yang, Celestial Pass, Shaking Light, Great Brightness, Lord of the Way, the Most High Jade Sovereign."

Call this out seven times; when finished, then incant, saying:

"May it be granted to remove the sins of [So-and-so]'s dark and hidden concealments, from seven generations down to [So-and-so]'s own body — the many thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of millions of transgressions against the Five Punishments committed by the spirits within the body, recorded among the ghost-officers of the Northern Thearch — let them all be dissolved and destroyed; let [So-and-so]'s spirit and essence reach through the Eight Directions, present in sitting and absent in standing, the ear so keen it hears beyond sound, the eyes producing a purple light, engraved in jade in Grand Simplicity, perceiving through the forms of ghosts, my name written with the Thearch Lord, my allotted span made equal with the Two Luminaries. Let me fly through the Seven Origins, resting and feasting in the Purple Court."

When finished, visualize the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper coming from Heaven, descending straight into the pupils of my eyes, shining through both eyes, causing the inside and outside to illuminate themselves, perceiving and beholding the five organs, making them distinct. On a yang day visualize the star entering the left eye's pupil; on a yin day, the right eye's pupil. When finished, hold this in mind facing north and bow twice; when the bowing is done, swallow the saliva eighteen times; one may also rise and bow.

On the Six Jia days, at midnight, at the hour when the living qi arises, on the bed within the sleeping chamber, lie down or sit with the head facing whichever way one wishes. Hold the hands in the grasping-firm posture, close the breath, and settle the spirit; after a long while, clack the teeth nine times, and when finished, visualize the Nine Stars of the Northern Dipper, making them shine brilliantly above the crown of the head. When the radiance of the nine stars shines and reflects upon this point, then softly incant, saying:

"The Eighth, the Thearch Star: High Above, Jade Sovereign Divine, Lord of the Eight Radiances. The Ninth, the Honored Star: Great Tenuity, Jade Thearch Lord, and the Lord of the Seven Dawns of Grand Simplicity."

Call this out nine times; when finished, then incant, saying:

"May it be granted to remove all the great and small sins and transgressions of [So-and-so], from nine generations of ancestors and parents down to [So-and-so]'s own body, whether committed upon hills and mountains or at sources of water, whose names are entered in the register of death — the hidden and concealed treachery and evil, the crouching wickedness and buried deceit, matters numbering in the hundred millions, listed above on Mount Feng among the ghost-thearchs; the faults itemized under the statutes of capital sin, recorded in the black registers of the Perfected of the Great Ultimate above the Nine Origins of the North — I beg the Lord of the Most High Thearch Honored, Jade and Mystic, of the Nine Origins, that all matters, one by one, be dissolved and removed; let me fly through the Seven Paths, ascend above to Jade Clarity, roam together in the Great Void, ride the radiant dawn's birth, rest at ease in the Eight Simplicities of the North, pouring myself out toward the sun, presiding at court together with the Sovereign Consorts, governing and commanding the ten thousand numinous ones."

When finished, again visualize the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper coming from Heaven, descending straight into the Muddy Pellet and Purple Chamber within my head, causing them to illuminate through the Muddy Pellet, and their brightness to reach through and penetrate the five organs of the whole body, causing inside and outside to generate together a purple radiance and cloud-vapor, made to gather thick and dense; contemplate this as vividly as if seen. When finished, hold this in mind and bow twice; when finished, swallow the saliva twenty-seven times.

If the Six Jia days coincide with, or lie close to, the month's dark moon or the Six Ding days, the visualization-contemplations resemble and approach one another; one may accordingly adjust their sequence, weighing and measuring how to practice them, and need not make them follow one another in too close succession. Let every matter follow this model, only taking care that the true method be kept whole and complete. And with this, the Most High's Way of the Return to the Origin and Repentance of Sins comes to its end.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Shangqing Scriptures shelf of the Good Works Library. The English was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The text is prose ritual instruction throughout, punctuated by short incantations meant to be spoken exactly as given; these are kept as quoted direct speech, and the calendrical lists of dates and stem-branch days are kept as lists rather than folded into prose.

Before the claim below was written, a genuine translation-status check was performed: the two standard local bibliographies of Daoist texts in Western-language translation (Komjathy's Daoist Texts in Translation, and the 2023 Purple Cloud update of the same) were searched for the Chinese title, its pinyin, and its title components, and returned no entry for this text or for any translation of it. Two further web searches were run — the Chinese title together with "English translation," and the pinyin title together with "translation Daozang" — and turned up no evidence of a published translation, only general reference material on the Shangqing tradition and the Daoist Canon. To our knowledge, this is the first complete published English translation of the Shangqing Dongzhen Jieguo Jue. We state this as the limit of our knowledge, not as a certainty.

A few notes on the text as transmitted. The days given for the "Five Penetrations" (五通) in the third section name only two dates, though the name implies five; this may reflect a gap or corruption already present in the transmitted text, and it is translated literally rather than supplemented. The passage on the Five Penetrations and the Return to the Origin (太上藏五通之日...) appears twice in the source, in the fourth and seventh sections, in near-identical wording; both occurrences are kept, as the source has them, rather than merged. Two isolated stray marks in the transcription (一．身, 衣．五色) appear to be transcription artifacts rather than meaningful punctuation, and are read straightforwardly as 一身 and 衣, 五色 in the translation. The personal names of deities and star lords (Yucan, Weiting, Danyan, and the rest) are untranslatable proper names and are kept as transliterations.

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

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Source Text: 上清洞真解過訣

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

上清洞真解過訣

清靈真人裴君八節日謝罪第一

清靈真人裴君曰：太極真人常以立春日日中時，會仙人於太極宮，刻玉簡，記仙名。常以其夕夜半時，正北向，仰視北極，再拜頓首，陳己罪多少之數，求解釋之意畢，復再拜，乃止。
至春分之日，日中之時，崑崙瑤臺太素真人會諸仙官，定真經。
至立夏之日，日中之時，上清五帝會諸仙人於紫微宮，見四真人，論求道之功罪。
至夏至之日，日中，天上三官會於司命、河侯，校定萬民罪福，增年减算。

至立秋之日，日中，五嶽諸真人詣中央黃老君於黃房雲庭山，會仙官於日中，定天下神圖靈藥。

至秋分之日，日中之時，上皇太帝乃登上清靈闕太微之館，會太上三老君、北極諸真公、八海大神、五嶽尊靈仙官萬萬，共集議天下萬兆之罪福，記學道之懃懈，一一條列，付之司命。
至立冬之日，日中，陽臺真人會諸仙官玉女，新定得道始入仙名錄籍。
至冬至之日，日中，天真衆仙皆詣方諸東華太宮，詣東海青童君，刻定衆仙籍金書內字。
常以八節夕、夜半、日中，謝七世祖、父母罪，及自身中罪過，過名自除也。久行之，神仙不死。
夫秋分、春分日，太上神真觀議萬仙，自非真正者，不可輕用其日謝罪也。衆真仙官，以八節日日中共會集，凡三日乃解。欲脩道者，當先齋戒，勿失之也。
支子元受蔣先生第五首之訣，以八節之日存思，陳己立身以來罪過多少之數，輸誠自狀以上，希天皇諸真關寫之祐，剋身歸善，以求長生神仙者也。

蓋秋分之節者，氣處清虛，太和之正日也。衆真諸仙，是其日皆聽訟焉。又地上刺姦吏部境諸仙官，並糾奏所在道士之功過，及萬民有罪死生者也。
《仙忌真記》曰：子欲昇天慎秋分，罪無大小皆上聞，以罪求仙仙甚難，是故學道為心寒。此是朱火丹陵仲陽先生之要言矣。秋分氣調日中，以順天地者也。夫大炎之氣，摧於凋落之勢，玄水包津，胎於金生之府，乃太陽光轉少陽，藏養天地，於是所以定剛柔之際，合二象之序，煥成流明，乃別陰陽三光，實八節之標日，求道之要梯矣。每至其日日中之時，上皇太帝君玉尊陛下，乃登廣寒上清靈宅，太空之闕丹城紫臺長錦玉樓，群真集于太微之觀，上關九天之門，請九天之真皇，中邀太上三老君、北極諸真，及八海大神，下命五嶽名山諸得仙者。靈

尊萬萬，並會於寥陽之殿，共集議定天下萬民之罪福，紀錄學道求仙者之懃懈，疏識犯過日月，修行善惡刑罰之科，生死之狀，各隨其所屬部境，根源條列，付之司命，書于皇錄，罪福纖芥，刻于丹城之籍，伏匿之犯惡，陰德之細功者，無不一一縷別而知之者也。
其夕夜半，當出中庭，北向仰視北極，脫巾再拜，頓首長跪，上啟太上北極天尊大帝君，因密謝七世祖、父母罪，及自陳己立身以來罪過多少之狀，乞得赦貸，從今自去，改往修來之言，言必使信，誓于丹心，盟於天地，不敢犯惡之行也。其中言在意陳之，久行之，神仙不死。畢云：願太上皇帝削某罪名，移書三官，使神仙之錄某厠玉札，長生久視，通真達靈。畢，又叩頭四下，再拜而還靜室，深自剋責，並存念三元中神，令上啟太上。如此者三，名上仙籍，罪咎除滅也。
三元，泥丸、絳宮、丹田三神也。存念三元三神，上啟天尊，求乞恩赦，助己所陳，令必上聞者也。三啟秋分，生籍乃定，死名乃除。此一法出經命青圖，是長生祕法矣。俗人雖好道，未離人間，人間甚多罪咎，犯之者非一，恐未便可施用秋分首過之法也。入山林中，遠去人事，蕭然獨處，不犯萬物，乃可為之。既有反善之辭誓，有改行之言，言已聞於高上之聽，慎不可復使犯惡違生之事也。重犯罪十過，天地弗赦，身死為驗，非可復改補者矣。以此求道，無所復索也。養生有如水火之交耳，得其益則白日昇天，犯戒法則身沒三泉也。又其日尤重於七節，趙伯玄所謂生死門戶者也。
《三九素語》曰：秋判之日，尊卑盡會，生死之日也。古人以秋分日，為秋判日也。所以爾者，秋分之日，乃會九天八地衆真仙神上皇至尊，三日三夕，共定萬民之命。所聚議者咸多，而神尊並集故也。諸八節日，會天地諸真官，先後及節，凡三日三夕，而各還所司。此是支公子元訣，別此一事，不雜七節之條例也。
候夜神童《金根經》曰：八節之日，求仙極會，天命衆真，皆當集對。未節一日，萬靈詣闕，節日日中，尊卑入謁，節後一日，罪福分別，三日三夕，天事乃畢。子其慎罪，務為功德，名可上真，列編太極。吾不詭言，知者深密，急宜謝過，祕而慎泄。此亦支公口所告出，以傳示裴君。
許先生八節日謝罪第二
許先生口訣曰：常以八節日夜半之後，平坐北向，存形念景，令如見兆身。畢，以兩手交頭上，以叩地二九過，則罪咎除，形景得分。
許先生五通日為先人謝罪第三
常以五通日，北向謝請兆三曾五祖先人之謫，則兆先世罪咎解也。五通日者，十月朝，二月日一是也。不解先人負謫，欲求仙，去仙遠矣。
許先生五達日為先人及己身謝罪第四
以五達之日，北向五再拜，心呼上皇君及夫人名字三過：
歲星真皇鬱粲鬱粲鬱粲，夫人飛雲飛雲飛雲。

熒惑真皇維停維停維停，夫人華瓶華瓶華瓶。

鎮星真皇耽延耽延耽延，夫人非賢非賢非賢。

太白真皇德標德標德標，夫人靈恩靈恩靈恩。
辰星真皇精原精原精原，夫人龍娥龍娥龍娥。
右五皇夫人專字，先文無出，此乃昭靈夫人別口訣。
畢，叩齒五通畢，解巾長跪，謹啟五星日月上皇高真道君、道君夫人、玉清太上上清上皇上帝、大道聖君几前，因陳七祖父母以下，下及一．身千罪萬過，上世以來乞得解脫，三官告下天帝，使罪名離釋，消除丹簡。乞得與五星之真，俱奔華晨，上登上清，交行玉闕。
正月六日中時，
二月一日哺時，
三月七日夜半，
四月九日食時，
五月十五日夜半，

六月三日中時，

七月七日夜半，

八月四日中時，

九月二日平旦，

十月一日平旦，
十一月六日夜半，
十二月十二日夜半。
右記五達吉日。
太上藏五通之日，封於五嶽之玉筍，隱迴元之道，隱於九晨之宮。既修五通，當行迴元，五通開於帝始，迴元開於玄終。故修五通，行七元迴道者，不食血腥物，見諸屍穢，犯者受太玄考。五通者，太上之吉會日。迴元者，太上之更新日也。不知五通，不得解罪除過，不知迴元隱道，不得刻名上真。常以其日，思存吉事，首謝身中罪過，所謂解免七世，離脫刑名者也。不以示九宮中仙矣。
太一首謝除罪夜半日中謝罪第五
太一曰：兆若有罪過，欲首謝求除罪者，夜半及日中，入室閉戶端坐，北向存帝君在兆紫房中，存思如上，因又存兆身在紫房中，伏帝君前，內自陳愆，屏氣良久，匝令一身汗出，衣服沾蒸。如此者三過，所解罪自散也。汗匝一體，乃祝曰：

某甲有罪，上聞百神，乞度七九，水火之患，守命太一，丐濟帝君，汗流一體，怖在三魂，恩惟太上，永令除患。畢，因三呼帝君名字。帝君諱陵梵，字履昌靈，一名七靈，一名神丈人，常治太極紫房中，端坐平正，貌如嬰兒之狀。常有紫氣覆其神形，衣．五色華衣，巾日月之冠，左耳上有日徑九寸，右耳上有月徑一尺。存畢，乃開目。名曰帝君解過之道，內謝五神，流汗為應矣。
世人謝過，乃叩頭搏頰，此外法也。若修三一守洞房，事帝君奉太一者，慎不可以叩頭搏頰也。人叩頭者，驚三魂，擾泥丸，懆紫房，煩帝君也。夫人搏頰者，堅胞結，東魄筋，太一悲，五神遷，乃大忌也。若所行所念，但心存叩頭搏頰，亦內解於心中矣。仙人存心拜而已，形不屈也，吾謂為宜。

劉先生辰巳五德日為先人舉家謝過第六

劉先生記曰：人多罪過，天網疏而不漏，陰奪人算，故不壽。雖有生道在於身中，而不謝過，則多疾病憂患也。此文出《太微文昌河圖內篇》第二十三。
其人家轗軻衰耗，或所為不成，或子孫不昌，或為吏不遷，或六畜死亡，或飛禍橫集，皆由多過之故也。能洗垢清心，不淫不嫉，不行非理，慈仁惻隱，憂人之憂，樂人之樂，見人所失如己之失，見人有得如己有得，不為讒賊，不行兩舌，布施救患，日益壽命，常得所願。乃以辰巳之日黃昏時，掃除天德之地，謂甲庚丙辛壬地是也。燒香，舉家北向，解巾叩頭數十下，口勿言，但心中言，願解舉家身中所犯罪過，如此則可得平安長生。其作過不止，雖數謝亦無所益矣。既不有過，能常修此謝過之道，則永無憂患。
甲辰、丙辰、戊辰、庚辰、壬辰、
己巳、辛巳、癸巳、乙巳、丁巳。

右五德日。

太上迴元隱道用除罪籍迴元五通之日謝過第七

太上迴元隱道用除罪籍內篇曰：太上玉真隱元內觀，用六丁之日。是時天元敷陳，胞結重固，七魄上言，三魂記過，連愆七祖，積罰三陰，故有消除之法，以解脫愆罹。施此道者，乃為求仙之大者矣。諸思七元，存九晨之道，所寢林席不與他人同止，衣服亦然。男女同席而息，乃列罪北玄之籍，若犯乎汙穢者，逮殃注於地獄也。師及同氣相雜而止，亦為犯也。五通者，太上之吉會日。迴元者，太上之更新日也。不知五通，不得解罪除過。不知迴元隱道，不得刻名上真。常以其日思存吉事，首謝身中罪過，所謂解脫七世，離脫刑名者也。不以示九宮中仙矣。
太上藏五通之日，封于五嶽之玉筍，隱迴元之道，隱於九晨之宮。既修五通，當行迴元。五通關於帝始，迴元開於玄終。故修五通，行七元迴道者，不食血腥，勿見諸屍穢。犯者受太玄考。

諸修洞房紫房中事，及存九晨七元者，眠初起初卦時，臨食食畢，先微祝曰：
五皇五通，六合紫房，迴元隱道，豁落七真，生魂者玄父，父變一成神，生魄者玄母，母化二生身，攝吾筋骨者公子，為吾精氣者白元，長生久視，飛仙十天。畢，勿令耳聞祝音。此太上隱祝，以除邪氣，致精神，使人終身不厭昧。
六甲之旬六丁之日月晦之夕六甲之日為七世父母解考八條第八
常以甲子之旬，丁卯之日，夜半之時，於寢狀平坐，北向接手，叩齒七通，乃仰存七星，使煥明於北方，良久，微祝曰：
第一太星玄樞陽明天樞魂神上玄九君。作七呼之，畢，乃又祝曰：
願得除某七世以來，下逮某身陽罪陽過，皆令消除，所向如願，萬事合心，飛步七元，與天相傾，名刊斗晨，延紀

億千。畢，乃存北斗七星從天上而來，飛入我口，逕在心中，存心光，令內外洞徹，極思念之。畢，心存北向再拜，拜畢，嚥液二九過，亦可起拜。此謂解晨結羅內映上道。
甲戌之旬，丁丑之日，夜半之時，於寢牀平坐，北向接手，先叩齒七過畢，乃仰存七星，使煥明於北方，良久，微祝曰：
第二元星北台陰精天縱魂神上王九君。作七呼之，畢，乃又祝曰：
願得除某七世以來，下逮某身陰罪陰過，皆令消除，六氣盈滿，四神同靈，飛行七元，名刊玉書，上登紫清，乘玄駕無，出入利貞，與天同符。畢，乃存北斗七星從天中而來，飛入我口，逕在脾中，使洞鑒內外，五臟分明。存星來入口，當令目覺光芒四散滿口，口中小熱，即星精來入之驗也。畢，心存北向再拜，拜畢，嚥液二九過，亦可起拜。
甲申之旬，丁亥之日，夜半之時，於寢狀平坐，北向接手，叩齒七過畢，乃仰存七星，使煥明於北向，良久，微祝曰：

第三真星九極上真上元夫人天機魄精上素九君。作七呼之，畢，乃祝曰：

願得除某七世以來，下逮某身死罪死過，積惡私匿，違犯天地水三官者，皆令消除，目明徹視，鑒洞幽無，飛行七元，名書上清，役使萬神，上登玉庭，駕景乘空，與天相傾。畢，乃存北斗七星從天而來，下飛入我口，逕在肝中，使光照五臟，內外洞明。畢，心存北向再拜，拜畢，嚥液二九過，亦可起拜。
甲午之旬，丁酉之日，夜半之時，於寢牀平坐，北向接手，叩齒七過畢，乃仰存七星，使煥明於北方，良久，微祝曰：
第四紐星旋根玄冥天推魄精上虛九君。作七呼之，畢，乃又祝曰：
願得除某七世以來，下逮某身無恩無德，不仁不孝，陰惡之罪，數千萬計，皆令消滅，服食納精，日以進益，飛登七元，錄刊太玄，上列玉皇，乘欻九天，役神御靈，日月同新。畢，乃存北斗七星從天而來，下飛入我口，逕在脾中，使光明洞徹，映著五臟。畢，心存北向再拜，拜畢，嚥液二九過，亦可起拜。

甲辰之旬，丁未之日，夜半之時，於寢牀平坐，北向接手，叩齒七過畢，乃仰存七星，使煥明於北方，良久，微祝曰：
第五綱星天平丹元玉衡魄靈上君上元九君。作七呼之，畢，乃又祝曰：
願得除某七世以來，下逮某身內外穢罪，表裹沈過，數千億萬，紀在幽關者，皆令消除，當令體充氣盈，黃庭鎮胃，中上刻下，太素垂景，標名紫宮，右侍玉女，左侍玉童，日月同暉，位為真王。畢，乃存北斗七星從天上而來，下飛入我口，逕在胃中，使光朗洞照，五臟分別。畢，心存北向再拜，拜畢，嚥液二九過，亦可起拜。
甲寅之旬，丁巳之日，夜半之時，於寢牀平坐，北向接手，先叩齒七過，乃仰存七星，使煥明北方，良久，微祝曰：
第六紀星命機北極闓陽魄靈上丹

虛皇九君。作七呼之，畢，乃又祝曰：

願得除某七世以來，下逮某身所犯所行賊惡罪過，姦逆亂妄，列紀帝宮者，皆令消滅，百病康愈，體氣利貞，名書仙臺，刻金上清，役使萬神，飛行九明。畢，存北斗七星從天上而來，下飛入我口，逕在腎中，使光明洞徹，五臟分別。畢，心存向北再拜，拜畢，嚥液二九過，亦可起拜。陽日存在左腎，陰日存在右腎，一日為陽，二日為陰。此道尤禁見血穢臭慢，雜食葷辛，則上注延於七祖，以下注禍其身，死為下鬼，名除帝門。
月晦之夕明日，月朔也。未雞嗚之前，當於寢室牀上，東向接手平坐，叩齒七過，乃仰存北方七星，使煥明於我之左面也。良久，微祝曰：
第七關星玄陽天關搖光大明太上玉皇道君。七呼之，畢，乃祝曰：
願得除某七世以來，下逮某身暗昧私匿，犯罪五刑身中之神數千萬億，紀在北帝鬼官者，皆令消滅，當令某神精八達，坐在立亡，耳聰絕音，目生紫光，刊玉太素，洞鑒鬼形，名書帝君，命均二明，飛行七元，寢宴紫庭。畢，存北斗七星從天而來，下逕入我目瞳中，通映兩眼，使內外自照，存見五臟，使分明。陽日存星入左目瞳，陰日存星入右目瞳。畢，心存北向再拜，拜畢，嚥液二九過，亦可起拜。
六甲日夜半生氣之時，於寢室牀，卧坐首向隨意也。握固而閉氣定神，良久，叩齒九過畢，存北斗九星，使煥明於頂上也。九星光芒以相映及於是，乃微祝曰：
第八帝星高上玉皇神八景元君第九尊星太微玉帝君、太素七晨元君。九過呼之，畢，乃祝曰：
願得除某九世祖父母以來，下逮某身諸丘山水源大小罪過，名上死籍者，陰匿賊惡伏姦藏欺，事有億萬，列在鬼帝酆山上者，死罪條例之愆，紀于北上九元太極真人黑薄者，乞九元太上帝尊玉玄君，皆令事事消除，飛行七道，上登玉清，同遊太無，乘景晨生，北晏八素，與日相傾，總朝皇妃，攝御萬靈。畢，又存北斗七星從天而來，下逕入我泥丸紫房中，使洞照泥丸，及光明接徹一身五臟，使內外通生紫光雲氣，極令鬱鬱，髣髴念之。畢，心存再拜畢，嚥液三九過。
若六甲日與月晦，及六丁日，存思相倣近者，自可以次調適，疇量修之，不必使頻仍相切近也。每事效此，唯令全備於真法也。於是太上迴元謝罪之道畢矣。

Source Colophon

The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Daoist Canon edition of this text (article 上清洞真解過訣, revision of 12 July 2009), 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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