Taishang Shuo Nandou Liusi Yanshou Duren Miaojing — Spoken by the Most High Lord Lao

This is the companion scripture to the well-known Scripture of the Northern Dipper (北斗經): where that text names the seven Star Lords of the Big Dipper, who govern human fate according to birth year, this shorter text names the six Star Lords of the Southern Dipper — the lunar lodge Dou, which Western astronomy places in Sagittarius — who govern the very span of a life. The two Dippers were paired from an early date into a devotional cluster sometimes called the Scriptures of the Five Dippers. This scripture presents itself as spoken by the deified Laozi, the Most High Lord Lao, to Zhang Daoling, founder of the Way of the Celestial Masters, at the Jade Bureau in Chengdu, on the fifteenth day of the first month of 155 CE — eight days, the text says, after Lord Lao had given him the Northern Dipper scripture at the same seat. Actual composition is harder to date than the legend it wears: the scripture is preserved in the Ming Daoist Canon of 1445 (the Zhengtong Daozang), and some modern catalogues place its compilation with an early Song-dynasty Daoist of Sichuan — which would put it, like its Northern Dipper companion, among the medieval texts that clothed a later devotional cult in the founding story of the Celestial Masters.

The scripture opens with a prose preface recounting Zhang Daoling's revelations at Mount Heming and Chengdu, then gives the text proper: a parallel-prose litany praising the Southern Dipper, a doctrinal exposition in Lord Lao's voice on how the two Dippers divide the government of the cosmos between them — the Northern Dipper ruling the moon, water, and the po-soul; the Southern Dipper ruling the sun, fire, and the hun-soul — a short verse hymn, the formal titles of the Six Star Lords, each followed in the source by a talisman that the transcription marks but cannot reproduce, and a closing exhortation on the offerings that call down their protection.

Its purpose is entirely practical. It teaches devotees to bow toward the Southern and Northern Dipper on sight, to keep the ritual calendar's lucky days, and — for those with the means — to set up a joint offering to both Dippers together, complete with a menu of vegetarian foods the text itself lists, for the prolonging of life, the erasing of old faults, and the protection of the household. One translation choice worth flagging: zhenjun (真君), the title given to each deified star, is rendered "Perfected Lord" throughout, kept distinct from zhenren (真人), "True Person," the title the preface gives to Zhang Daoling and his living disciples — the scripture uses both words, and the distinction between a realized human being and a stellar divinity is part of what it is saying.

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 scripture's first complete published English translation.

Translation

Preface

(Recorded together by the Great Ritual Master of the Three Heavens, True Person of Orthodox Unity, Zhang Daoling; his disciple True Person of the Left Mystery, Wang Chang; and True Person of the Right Mystery, Zhao Sheng.)

The Most High Lord Lao of the Realm of Great Clarity twice descended upon Linqiong in Shu, and going on to Dayi, arrived at Mount Heming, the Mountain of the Crane's Cry. There he first bestowed on the summoned scholar Zhang Daoling the Secret Registers of the Covenant of Orthodox Unity and Awesome Power, in twenty-four ranked grades; and next bestowed the true instructions for the audience with sun and moon — the High Flight to Yuyi and the Gathering of Jielin — together with the writ of the Three Eights, for confessing transgressions, effacing the black registers, and delivering long-departed ancestors from the shadows. Daoling had earlier, at the Central Peak, already obtained the Yellow Emperor's scriptures on the Nine-Tripod Elixir; only afterward did he withdraw into seclusion at Mount Heming, where he assembled his materia medica and, following their method, refined the elixir for three years. When the elixir was complete he did not dare to take it, and said to his disciple Wang Chang: now that the divine elixir is accomplished, if I swallow it I shall surely soar into the heavens and at once become a True Person. But I have not yet done great enough good in the world; I ought first to remove harm and raise up benefit for the state and for households, bringing relief to the people — as they say, exert the labor first, and only afterward may one take the elixir, so that when I do rise up lightly and ascend, and take my place in service of the Three Realms, I shall have nothing to be ashamed of. And so it was that he was granted the Most High Lord Lao's own descent, in his carriage of state, who bestowed on him the true writings; and after a thousand days of practice, in a single moment he was suddenly able to look inward and behold his own Five Viscera, and gather outwardly the ten thousand spirits.

The Most High then sent the Jade Maiden of Clear Harmony to teach him the breathing method of expelling and drawing in the vital breath of clarity and harmony, and to walk the Three Steps that leave Nine Traces, crossing Heaven's trigram and treading the Dipper's stars, summoning the Nine Primes so as to align the Seven Governors, following wherever the Celestial Lance pointed, and so at once binding and subduing evil spirits. Then, having swallowed the Great Reverted Elixir, he went on to annihilate the lesser fiends. At this he fought the ghosts and demons of the Six Heavens and seized from them the Twenty-Four Parishes, transforming these into Courts of Blessing and naming them Dwellings of Transformation; he reduced their commanders to officers of the shadow-realm, and installed Daoist priests there to tend the incense and practice cultivation. Thus day and night were clearly divided, and the paths of the living and the dead were set apart. He also, at Renshou county in Lingzhou, brought down the Twelve Jade Maidens Who Wander the Heavens, who transformed the ground into brine springs; these were boiled down and refined into salt, and for this the place was named Ling Commandery.

When Daoling's practice of the Way was complete, on this third occasion he was again graced by the Most High's descent, who bestowed on him a thousand scrolls of scripture, every one of them the essential path of cultivation and practice, meant to be transmitted to those who possess the Way, that they might receive salvation in the living body and endure forever through the ages — and thereupon he wandered together with Daoling to Chengdu. The Most High rode a chariot of dragons, and Daoling rode a white crane; together they descended upon clouds of five colors, coming to the place where the Jade Maiden of Taihao had practiced the Great Elixir. The earth, moved by their presence, thrust up the Throne of the Jade Bureau, more than ten feet high; the Most High ascended and took his seat upon it, and Daoling bowed his head below the throne. At this time Lord Lao expounded for him the Scripture of the Northern Dipper's Seven Primes, the method for striking death from the register and extending life — this was on the seventh day of the first month, in the year yiwei, the first year of the Yongshou reign of Emperor Huan of the Han (155 CE). Then, on the fifteenth of that same month, the day of the Upper Prime, Lord Lao again, for Daoling's sake, expounded the Wondrous Scripture of the Southern Dipper's Six Offices for Prolonging Life and Delivering Humankind — that is all.

The Scripture

Litany of the Southern Dipper

The Dipper stands above Winnowing Basket and Tail, turning its six luminaries through the passage of Heaven;
its seat is set true in the Palace of the Ox, commanding seven stars, it rules the world.
Together with yang's virtue, its brilliant splendor lights the two poles;
circling with yin's essence, it shelters and nurtures the ranks of beings.
Towering, it divides its form as the Red Thearch;
blazing, it transforms its body as the Cinnabar Spirit.
Molding and casting the multitude of kinds, as the ten thousand things resonate together in the Palace of Li;
forging them into birth and form, sustaining Heaven's turning through a hundred million kalpas without end.
Great in compassion, great in vow; great in sagehood, great in mercy —
the Southern Dipper's Six Offices, Star Lords Who Prolong Life.

At that time, Lord Lao said to the Celestial Master: this scripture is the true text of the Nine Heavens' Eight Assemblies, the supreme Way of the Three Caverns and Three Purities.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, in ages past, passed through seven hundred million kalpas — the beginning and end of Heaven and Earth, the birth and death of human generations, the turning of the Five Cycles, the rise and decline of the ten thousand kinds.

Even now the Celestial Worthy dwells at ease above the Bright Clouds, in the realm of Highest Clarity, cultivating and refining the utmost real, spreading abroad the wondrous Way, pitying and remembering all beings, in great mercy never forsaking them.

I formerly received the transmission of this scripture; now I shall bestow it upon you. You should select those who honor the Way, and people diligent in practice.

Heaven is yang, Earth is yin; united as one, they give birth to the two luminaries.

The two luminaries move through their stations, and the five planets circle Heaven — these are called the Seven Governors: that is, the seven stars and Nine Primes of the Northern Dipper. Each month its Handle follows the month's Establishment, pointing out in turn the solar terms — the twenty-four qi and the twenty-eight lodges.

All this corresponds, below on earth, to the seventy-two pentads and the thirty-six creatures. Among the lodges is the Dipper Lodge of six stars.

This, then, is called the Southern Dipper's Six Offices. Together with the Northern Dipper's Seven Governors, duties are divided between them; together they govern the Three Powers, the Six Directions, the Eight Trigrams, and the Nine Palaces. They oversee in chief all the hundred lords and ranks of office, within and without — being indeed the twin pivots and sovereign bureaus of Purple Tenuity and the Supreme Ultimate.

Above they are bound to the twelve celestial stations, the perfected and numinous spirits of Heaven; below they govern the twelve earthly sectors, the earthly lords who preside there. The Four Rivers and Five Sacred Peaks, the Nine Provinces and Eight Bounds, the famous mountains and great streams, the city gods and village shrines, and in their midst the people, all their kinds, and the ten thousand beings — none are left uncounted in their registers; they hold in their grasp the good and evil of all people in the world.

The Northern Dipper's seat lies in the Palace of Kan; its name matches the Moon's radiance. When it sends its spirit down into a person, that spirit is called the po-soul. It governs the Bureau of Shadow, and rules the wellsprings of water, so that living beings are sustained and gathered — no merit is greater than this.

The Southern Dipper's seat lies in the Palace of Li; its name matches the Sun's radiance. When it sends its spirit down into a person, that spirit is called the hun-soul. It governs the Bureau of Light, and rules the Thearch of Fire, so that motion and action are made possible — no virtue is greater than this.

From the very beginning of Heaven and Earth until now, these Two Offices, the Two Poles, have together molded and cast the myriad kinds, and given birth to and formed the ten thousand things. They record and assign the ranks and offices of gods and men, increase or reduce the stipends of gentry and commoner alike, extend and preserve the span of years, and govern the coming and going of calamity and blessing — there is nothing not subject to their power to grant or to take away.

Why is this so? Know that the Sun is yang and the Moon is yin; the Southern and Northern Offices, the Dipper's Bowl and its Handle, receive their nature from water and fire, and their substance from yin and yang. They assist Heaven and Earth in nurturing all things, and embody the Dao and its Power in letting down their light. Things obtain abundance through them — without this, what could accomplish it? People obtain life through them — without this, what could bring it about?

For this reason the Celestial Worthy, with earnest care and compassion, looks upon you sentient beings as upon newborn children, and opens wide his teaching to save and protect you, that you may keep and preserve your inborn nature. As for the method of this salvation and protection: let all good men and good women, high or low alike, set their minds upon it in sincerity, and hold it always in reverence.

Whenever at any time you catch sight of the Sun's radiance or the Moon's radiance, the Southern Dipper or the Northern Dipper, bow your head solemnly, again and again, beseeching their protection, praying that grace and blessing be granted. In addressing them, invoke them as Most Sacred and Most Honored, True Sovereigns and Perfected Lords, who pity the foolish and lowly and pardon their faults and transgressions. Having bowed twice, one must not harbor any thought of contempt or carelessness — or else invite calamity and trouble upon oneself.

Lord Lao said: if you men and women can follow what I have transmitted, honoring the teaching and putting it into practice, then whenever you have a petition to make — whether to dispel calamity and pass safely through crisis, to increase blessing and extend your years, to keep your household together in reunion, to pray for peace within your borders, or to be freed from disputes and litigation over graves, to strike death from the register and inscribe life in its place — in every case you should submit petitions and offer statements, setting up an offering rite to make your request: there is nothing that will not be granted as you wish.

At that time, Lord Lao, for the Celestial Master's sake, spoke again, proclaiming:

The Southern Dipper's Lord of Fire dispels poison and harm;
the Northern Dipper's Spirit of Water destroys ill fortune and calamity.
Everything you ask for will be granted as you wish;
ten thousand forms of trouble and gloom will all be opened through.
If you can, by the scripture's rite, still your mind in offering,
your wish is bound to be answered, touching the altar of the spirit.
Let all who have feeling ever bow their heads in reverence,
and disaster will have no cause ever to dare draw near.

Lord Lao said: the wonder of the gods and the perfected is hard to put into words in the common world. Ordinary people, in their ignorance, prize what is distant and despise what is near. What is near is the body itself: the eyes see sun, moon, and stars; the ears hear wind, thunder, and stately music; the nose smells orchid and musk, or the reek of rot and rankness; the tongue discerns sweet, pungent, sour, and bitter; the mouth utters speech and sound; and even the hands that grasp and the feet that walk, from birth to old age — none of this can ever be apart from water and fire.

Yet ordinary people see this and act as though they saw nothing; they hear these words as though they were quite deaf. Little do they know that the forming and establishing of their own life and nature is entirely given to them by Heaven and Earth, sun, moon, and stars. Borrowing the Four Great Elements, set right by this single vital breath — the very life that engenders life is entirely bound up with water and fire. Water and fire are, in truth, the substance of the Dao itself; therefore one cannot be apart from them even for a moment. Whatever could be apart from them and still survive is neither a thing nor a person.

I now earnestly charge the men and women living in this world, speaking this essential Way, that all may bring forth their resolve, seek and make offering, know that there are gods and perfected beings, and trust in my teaching. And further, at the new moon of each of the four seasons, at the eight nodes and twelve solar terms, at the Three Primes and Three Assemblies, at the Five La-Days and one's natal-star day — on all these excellent times and lucky days — one may submit petitions and present memorials with bows, offer statements and tender one's sincerity, petition to open the way for grace and blessing, repent of sin and dispel calamity, light lamps and offer fruit, make offerings and bow in worship: the blessing from this is beyond measure.

Now let us bow our heads in reverent worship to:

The First of the Southern Dipper: Palace of Heaven, Controller of Life-Spans, Chief Minister — Perfected Lord Who Guards the Realm.
(A talisman appears here in the source text.)

The Second of the Southern Dipper: Minister of Heaven, Controller of Records, Chief Minister — Perfected Lord Who Guards the Sacred Peaks.
(A talisman appears here in the source text.)

The Third of the Southern Dipper: Beam of Heaven — Perfected Lord Who Prolongs Life and Preserves Destiny.
(A talisman appears here in the source text.)

The Fourth of the Southern Dipper: Concord of Heaven — Perfected Lord Who Increases the Count of Years and Preserves Life.
(A talisman appears here in the source text.)

The Fifth of the Southern Dipper: Pivot of Heaven, Wenchang — Perfected Lord Who Delivers from Calamity and Refines the Soul.
(A talisman appears here in the source text.)

The Sixth of the Southern Dipper: Mechanism of Heaven, Overseer of the Ledgers, Grand Judge — Perfected Lord Who Bestows Life.
(A talisman appears here in the source text.)

Such are the Perfected Lords of the Six Stars, the Boy Attendants of the Six Stars, and the Generals of the Fire Bell. Whenever a person recites this scripture, they must be utterly sincere, praying with a reverent heart — and there is nothing that will not be answered. It depends only on diligence and devotion: present your memorials, submit your petitions, and the true sages will of themselves descend; you will surely obtain the prolonging of your years, long life, and the nature of the Way.

Lord Lao said: these Perfected Lords of the Six Offices are swift and urgent in their divine nature. If you can pour out your heart in seeking and requesting, there is no wish that will not be granted. The gods and the perfected respond to the human heart, and in every matter all comes into harmony. Now, the root of the ten thousand practices, the foundation of a single body, lies in the vital breath of the Dao; the preservation and stability of form and life-destiny lie in the teaching and its methods; and the teaching and its methods reside in the minute detail of ritual protocol.

As sound is uttered, an echo answers; as form moves, a shadow follows; as form shifts, it moves with the mind; as the foot sets out, motion begins — the spirits are subtle beyond telling in all of this. The Southern Dipper and the Northern Dipper mold the hun-soul and cast the po-soul; and once the hun-soul has undergone this refining, it is transferred and turned into a living person.

If you can follow my teaching and its methods, confessing the faults of the past and amending the shortcomings of the future, washing away every calamity, and bowing to welcome a hundred blessings — this depends only on solemn purity and reverent honor, on emptying out your whole resolve in offered sincerity.

You will surely obtain the immortal Way that carries one beyond the world, sharing the same years as the sun and moon. If there is a person of deep faith who is able to prepare and set up a joint offering to the Two Poles, the two Dippers together, on a single altar — with images made for each of the Dipper stars, altar-posts erected, incense and lamps arranged in rows, tea laid out in reverence, fruits presented in tribute, incense, flowers, and pure water, sugar cakes and oil cakes, lotus-steamed and milk-steamed offerings, dates stewed in broth and fine tea, with no need for wine or meat — this is the most essential of ways. By these means one welcomes and invites the true and the perfected; the true sages, in joy, will descend, and swiftly grant their blessing and protection.

When Lord Lao had finished expounding this true and wondrous scripture, the Celestial Master of Orthodox Unity, together with his disciple Wang Chang, bowed twice before the seat in ceremonial thanks.

Reverently upholding the decree of the Dao, they spread it abroad, to be transmitted and practiced far and wide.

Here ends the Wondrous Scripture of the Southern Dipper's Six Offices for Prolonging Life and Delivering Humankind, Spoken by the Most High.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Daoist shelf of the Good Works Library. The English was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The prose preface and the doctrinal exposition that follows are rendered as prose, in the paragraph divisions of the source; the opening litany (寶誥) and the scripture's one hymn of eight seven-character lines are kept as verse, with the Chinese line breaks preserved; and the six Star Lords' formal titles are set out as a list, each followed by a bracketed note marking where the source text places a talisman.

Before the claim below was written, a genuine translation-status check was performed. The two standard bibliographies of Daoist texts in Western-language translation — Komjathy's Daoist Texts in Translation and the 2023 Purple Cloud Press update — were searched for this scripture's Chinese title, its pinyin, and its DZ number. Both record English translations of the companion Northern Dipper scripture (北斗經) — a partial translation by Eva Wong and a complete one by Jonathan Paynter and Jesse Schaefer (2021) — but neither records any translation, partial or complete, of the Southern Dipper's own scripture. Three further web searches, under the scripture's Chinese title, its pinyin title, and its genre, turned up only Chinese-language sources — the Wikisource and Kanripo transcriptions, a temple blog, a Qing-dynasty printed edition held by the National Palace Museum, and a modern digital catalogue entry — and no published English translation of this text in any form, complete or partial. To our knowledge, this is the first complete published English translation of the Nandou Liusi Yanshou Duren Miaojing. We state this as the limit of our search, not as a certainty.

A note on terms and gaps. 真君 (zhenjun) is rendered "Perfected Lord" throughout, for the deified stars, kept distinct from 真人 (zhenren), "True Person," the title of Zhang Daoling and his disciples in the preface. The six markers in the source reading "（符）" indicate a talisman drawn in the original, not reproducible as text; each is kept as "(A talisman appears here in the source text.)" in the translation and as "（符）" in the source text below. We also found the scripture's Daozang catalogue number cited inconsistently across the sources we could check — one Chinese digital reference gives it as no. 618 in the Daozang Tiyao index, a numbering system distinct from the Harvard-Yenching concordance used by Komjathy and Purple Cloud Press, and we could not reconcile it against that concordance — so no DZ number is claimed here.

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

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Source Text: 太上說南斗六司延壽度人妙經

Classical Chinese text of the Daoist Canon, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above. 〔 〕 marks a small-type interlinear note as formatted in the transcription.

太上說南斗六司延壽度人妙經序

〔三天大法師正一真人張道陵、弟子左玄真人王長、右玄真人趙昇同記述〕

太清境太上老君兩度降蜀之臨邛，往大邑至于鶴鳴山，初授與徵士張道陵正一盟威祕籙二十四階品，次授朝拜日月高奔鬱儀結璘之真訣，并三八謝罪滅除黑簿超度玄祖之文。道陵先於中嶽已獲得黃帝九鼎丹書，後始在鶴鳴山隱居，遂備藥物，乃依其方法，修鍊三年，丹成，未敢服之，乃謂弟子王長曰：神丹成就，若服餌之，當必冲天，便為真人矣。然吾未有大德，宜須為國為家除害興利，利濟民庶，所謂先施勤勞，後可服丹，即輕舉上昇，臣事三境，則吾無愧焉。由是果蒙太上老君親降法駕，荐授真文，修行千日，忽於一時能內顧五藏，外集萬神。

太上復遣清和玉女，教以吐納清和之炁，行三步九跡，交乾履斗，呼召九元，以齊七政，隨罡之所指，立攝伏精邪，因吞餌大還，尋滅除小醜，至是乃與六天鬼魔，戰奪二十四治，改為福庭，名之化宇，降其帥為陰官，置道者令焚修，於是明分晝夜，人鬼殊途。又於陵州仁壽縣，降摯十二天游玉女，化地作鹹泉煎鍊為鹽，因名其地曰陵郡。

道陵道之成也，至第三度，又蒙太上降臨，授以經籍千軸，皆修行之要道，將傳付有道者，令生身受度，使永劫長存，即與道陵同遊成都。太上駕龍車，道陵乘白鶴，頓下五雲，至太昊玉女修大丹之所，感地踴玉局座，高丈餘，太上登于座中，道陵稽首座下，老君此時為說北斗七元經，削死延生之法，即漢桓帝永壽元年太歲乙未正月七日也，至其月十五日上元之辰，老君又復為道陵說《南斗六司延壽度人妙經》耳。

太上說南斗六司延壽度人妙經

南斗寶誥：
斗臨箕尾 旋六曜以經天。位正丑宮 總七星而御世。　同陽德輝華於兩極。運陰精覆育於群倫。巍巍赤帝以分形。赫赫丹靈而變體。陶鎔品匯。當萬物相應於離宮　鼓鑄生成。保億劫無窮之天運。大悲大願。大聖大慈。南斗六司 延壽星君。

爾時。老君告天師曰：此經乃九天八會之真文。三洞三清之上道。

元始天尊。昔經歷於七億萬劫。天地始終。人倫生死。五運變遷。萬彙興衰。

天尊於今。猶宴居景雲之上、上清之境。修鍊至真。敷揚妙道。憫念群生。大慈不捨。

吾昔得傳付是經。今當授之於汝。汝宜選奉道之士。謹修行之人。

天陽地陰。一合而生成兩曜。

兩曜行度，五緯周天。是謂七政。則七星九元北斗也。每以杓隨月建。分指節氣。二十四氣二十八舍。

應下土七十二候、三十六禽。舍中有斗宿六星。

是則號南斗六司。與北斗七政分職。共理三才、六合、八卦、九宮。總轄中外百辟官品。乃紫微太極兩樞都曹也。

上係十二分次。天真靈神。下統十二分野。地祇主者。四瀆五嶽、九州八紘。名山大川、城隍社廟。中及人民群類萬物。無不計係其簿籍。掌握世人善惡矣。

北斗位處坎宮。名同月曜。降神於人。名之為魄也。主司陰府。宰御水源。將濟生聚。功莫大焉。

南斗位處離宮。名同日曜。降神於人。名之為魂也。主司陽官。宰御火帝。將濟動用。德莫大焉。

自有天地迄至於今。二司兩極。同共陶鑄萬品。生成萬物。注擬天人之爵秩。增減士庶之奉祿。延保年齡去留災福。莫不尤其與奪也。

所以然者。乃知陽日陰月。南北二司。魁斗魒罡。受性水火。稟質陰陽。助天地而育物。體道德而垂光。物得而豐也。非此而孰能乎。人得而生也。非此而孰為乎。

是故天尊殷勤嗟憫。觀爾含靈。一如赤子。闡教救護。令保生性。其救護法。使一切善男善女。不以高卑。皆應志心。常當恭敬。

若或時睹日曜月曜。南斗北斗。則鎮重叩頭。請乞佑護。願賜恩福 。上言呼稱。至聖至尊、真宰真君。矜哀凡愚。宥赦過咎。既再拜。不得懷於輕慢。反招殃累。

老君曰：爾等男女。能依吾所授。奉教而行者。若有所告請。欲消災度厄。增福延年。保家屬之團圓。祝封疆之寧謐。或欲免息塚訟。削死注生。皆當上章投詞。設醮求請。無不如意也。

爾時。

老君為天師重宣言曰：

南斗火官除毒害。北斗水神滅凶災。一切所求皆稱遂。萬般滯悶悉通開。能依經法冥心醮。必當隨願契靈臺。凡在有情常頂禮。禍厄無因輒敢來。

老君曰：神真之妙。凡世難言。凡夫愚昧。貴遠賤近。近者身也。目見日月星斗。耳聞風雷韶雅。鼻嗅蘭麝腥臊。舌了甘辛酸苦。口宣言語音響。至於手執足行。自生及老。皆不可離水火。

今凡夫見之若不見。聞其言如甚聵。殊不知成立生性。皆是天地日月星斗與之。假於四大正茲一氣。生生之生全繫水火。水火比於道之真體。故不可暫離。可離而獲存者。非物非人。

吾今叮嚀與在世男女。說此要道。普令發心。求請醮獻。知有神真。信吾教示。更能於四時月旦。八節十二氣。三元三會。五臘本命。是諸良時吉日。皆可上章拜表。投詞獻款。請啟恩福。懺罪消災。燃燈獻果。供養禮拜。其福無量也。

今當頂禮恭敬

南斗第一天府司命上相鎮國真君。

（符）

南斗第二天相司錄上相鎮嶽真君。

（符）

南斗第三天梁延壽保命真君。

（符）

南斗第四天同益算保生真君。

（符）

南斗第五天樞度厄文昌鍊魂真君。

（符）

南斗第六天機上生監簿大理真君。

（符）

如是六星真君。六星童子。火鈴將軍。凡人轉誦此經。切須至誠。虔心禱祝。無不應驗。唯在精勤。拜表上章。真聖自降。必獲延年。長生道性。

老君曰：此六司真君。神性急速。能傾心求請。無願不從。神真感應人心。隨事皆諧偶也。夫萬行之本。一身之根。在乎道氣。保固形命。形命保固。在乎教法。教法存乎科儀之細密。

聲發響應、形動影隨、形從心移、發足動步。神靈微妙也。南斗北斗。陶魂鑄魄。魂既受鍊。乃遷轉生人。

能依吾教法。謝以往之非。補將來之短。洗滌眾災。拜迎百福。唯在嚴潔崇敬。罄志投誠。

必獲度世之仙道。共日月之同年。若有深信之士。能修設兩極二斗。同醮一壇。各像斗星。立壇柱、列香燈。鋪排敬茶。貢獻果實。香花淨水。糖餅油餅。荷蒸乳蒸。棗湯細茶。不須酒脯。此最為要道。以斯迎請神真。真聖歡喜降臨。速得賜其福佑。

老君演此真妙經竟。正一天師與弟子王長座前再拜禮謝。

謹奉道旨。廣為傳行。

太上說南斗六司延壽度人妙經竟

Source Colophon

The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Daoist Canon edition of this text (article 太上說南斗六司延壽度人妙經, revision of 10 November 2025), 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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