太上玄靈北斗本命延生真經 — attributed to Laozi, revealed to the Celestial Master

The Scripture of the Northern Dipper (Běidǒu Jīng, 北斗經) is one of the most important and widely recited scriptures in the Daoist liturgical tradition. Its full title is the True Scripture of the Supreme Mysterious Spirit of the Northern Dipper for Preserving One's Natal Destiny and Prolonging Life (太上玄靈北斗本命延生真經). It is DZ 622 in the Ming Daoist Canon (Zhengtong Daozang, 正統道藏, compiled 1445).

The scripture takes the form of a revelation: the Supreme Lord Lao (太上老君) — the deified Laozi — descends to the capital of ancient Shu (modern Sichuan) and reveals to the Celestial Master Zhang Daoling the secret names and powers of the seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper (北斗七星, the Big Dipper or Ursa Major). Each of the seven visible stars is personified as a celestial lord who governs the destiny of all persons born under a particular year of the Chinese zodiac. The text teaches that by recognising one's natal star, observing fasts on the appointed days, and reciting this scripture with sincerity, one may dissolve karmic offenses, avert calamity, prolong life, and ultimately transcend the cycle of rebirth.

The Northern Dipper holds a central place in Chinese cosmology. The pole star is the still point around which the heavens revolve — "the pivot of creation," as the text says, "the sovereign of the human spirit." In Chinese astrology and folk religion, the Dipper stars regulate fate, and the Bureau of the Northern Dipper (北斗司) maintains the celestial registers of life and death. This scripture is the liturgical key to that system. It is recited daily in Daoist temples across China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, and forms part of the standard ritual repertoire of both the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) and Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) schools.

The date of composition is uncertain but is generally placed in the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) or early Song dynasty (960–1279 CE). The text draws on both Daoist cosmology and Buddhist concepts of karma and rebirth, reflecting the syncretic religious environment of medieval China. Despite its enormous popularity in the Chinese-speaking world — where it remains a living, daily-recited text — no complete, freely available English translation has existed until now. This is a Good Works Translation from Classical Chinese, sourced from the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Zhengtong Daozang text, accessed via the MediaWiki API on March 25, 2026.

Opening Invocation

Silent, silent — reaching the Sourceless Origin.
Empty, towering through kalpas beyond measure.
Open and vast, the Scripture of the Mysterious Cavern —
who can fathom this hidden distance?
Once you enter the path of the Great Vehicle,
consider how many ages and kalpas it spans.
Neither born nor destroyed —
to be born again, rely on the lotus flower.
Transcending the road through the three realms,
with compassionate heart, unravel the net of the world.
The True Person of supreme virtue
shall be an immortal household, life after life.

At that time, the Supreme Lord Lao, on the seventh day of the first month of the first year of Eternal Life, in the realm of Supreme Purity above, in the Palace of the Great Ultimate, looked down and saw all living beings drifting and sinking through a hundred million kalpas.

Revolving through birth and death — some dwelling in the human realm, born in the Central Land; some born among distant peoples; some among far-off tribes. Some rich, some noble, some lowly, some poor. Through brief connections of cause and condition, they fall into the hells. Because nothing is fixed, their karmic offenses bind them. Their souls are chained in the Bureau of Shadow. When their suffering is fulfilled, the human path slips away. They are born among beasts and cattle, or among birds and insects. Straying further from the human way, the human body becomes hard to recover. Sinking like this, they do not know to awaken — for in past lives they were lost to the truth, and so they suffer this cycle of rebirth.

And so, with a heart of compassion and pity, he divided his body to teach and transform. His transformation body descended to the capital of Shu. The earth god surged from the ground, raising a jade pedestal to serve as a high seat. Thereupon the Lord ascended the jade pedestal and bestowed upon the Celestial Master the scripture and formulas of the Northern Dipper's natal destiny — broadly proclaiming the essential teaching, universally saving all beings.

The Teaching on Human Birth

At that time the Lord spoke to the Celestial Master:

The human body is hard to obtain.
Birth in the Central Land is hard to achieve.
Even if one obtains birth,
the true teaching is hard to encounter.
Many are lost to the true Dao.
Many enter crooked paths.
Many plant the roots of sin.
Many indulge in cunning and deceit.
Many revel in lust and killing.
Many love the crowd's approval.
Many give free rein to greed and anger.
Many sink into the hells.
Many lose the human body.

Such are the conditions. Living beings do not awaken. They do not know the true path. Those who are lost and confused are many.

Now I look down in sorrow upon these beings, and so I let fall this teaching. I speak of this good connection so that they may know the Dao — know that their bodies, their natures, and their lives all depend upon the Dao for their existence. When they understand this cause, they will long abide in the human realm, their seed unbroken, human life after life. They will not be born in lands without the Dao, nor will the root of their humanity be severed.

Moreover, if they can cultivate the true path in their hearts, they will gradually enter the way of the immortals, forever leave the cycle of rebirth, and ascend to accomplish the Dao.

Therefore I reveal to you this wondrous teaching, that you may ferry heaven's people back to truth and knowledge of their destiny.

The Rite of the Northern Dipper

On the day of one's natal destiny, one may observe the fast and establish the offering. Invoke the Northern Dipper, the Three Officials, the Five Emperors, the Nine Bureaus, and the Four Offices. Commend blessings and dispel calamity. Submit memorials and earnest petitions. With sincere devotion, present offerings — fragrant flowers of every kind, fresh fruits of the five types. Follow the proper ritual forms. Purify the altar space — patterned after heaven, modelled on earth. Whether in a Daoist temple or in the household, according to one's means, build merit and perform the rites. The merit and virtue of this are deep and vast, beyond all telling.

Recite the names of the Great Sage Northern Dipper Seven Primordial True Lords. You shall gain the removal of karmic offenses, the cleansing of calamity and transgression, the nourishment of blessing and longevity upon your life, and the arrival of good fruits upon your person. Whenever there is urgent difficulty, burn incense and recite this scripture, and peace will come at the appointed time.

The Twenty-Four Deliverances

Then the Great Sage Northern Dipper's Proven Deliverances were spoken:

The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of the Three Disasters.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of the Four Killings.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of the Five Phases.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of the Six Harms.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of the Seven Injuries.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of the Eight Difficulties.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of the Nine Stars.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Husband and Wife.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Sons and Daughters.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Childbirth.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Recurring Hauntings.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Plague and Pestilence.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Illness and Disease.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Spectral Possession.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Tigers and Wolves.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Insects and Serpents.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Bandits and Thieves.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of the Cangue and Cudgel.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Untimely Death.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Curses and Oaths.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Heaven's Net.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Earth's Snare.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Blades and Warfare.
The Great Sage Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can resolve the calamity of Flood and Fire.

Hymn to the Seven Star Lords

Thus the Seven Primordial Lords —
great sages, skilled in touching the spirit —
ferry all beings through adversity
and raise the suffering beyond their pain.

Those who cry out in urgency
and recite with devotion find safety and peace.
All depends on the hundred blessings of life;
all accords with the Five Phases.

The three souls find health and ease;
evil spirits cannot remain.
From the five directions, true breath descends;
ten thousand blessings arrive together.

Long life, transcending the Eight Difficulties —
all from honouring the Seven Stars.
Life after life, the body is free;
age after age, the spirit stays clear.

Good deeds follow like shadows in light;
responses come like echoes in valleys.
The Three Prime spirits guard together;
ten thousand saints see with one bright eye.

No disaster, no obstruction —
forever keeping the Dao-heart at peace.

The Nature of the Northern Dipper

The Lord said:

The Northern Pole Star hangs its sign in heaven, and all the stars bow before it. It is the pivot of creation, the sovereign of the human spirit. It proclaims its authority across the three realms and commands ten thousand spirits. It judges the measure of good and evil among humankind and oversees the records of right and wrong in the Bureau of Shadow. The Five Phases receive its governance together; the Seven Luminaries share its jurisdiction.

It has the power to reverse death and inscribe life. It has the force to dissolve calamity and ferry beings through adversity. From emperors above to common people below — though noble and lowly walk different roads, the allotment of destiny makes no distinction.

Ordinary people in the world are often lost and confused. They do not know that their bodies belong to the Northern Dipper, that their destinies are held in Heaven's Bureau. When calamity and affliction come, they do not know the gate of resolution and thanksgiving. When they pray for blessings and long life, they have no idea of the path of refuge.

And so their soul-spirits are bound; misfortune and affliction entangle them. Some fall gravely ill and never recover. Some are attacked by evil spirits. Year after year they are exhausted; season after season they are hemmed in. Lawsuits from the grave-mounds summon them; the recently dead come back to haunt them. Some are rebuked by heaven above; some are falsely accused by ghosts below.

In such dire straits, how can one find relief? One must petition the Northern Dipper, offer thanksgiving to the True Lords, turn the True Scripture, and recognise one's own natal destiny True Lord. Then peace and ease are obtained, and health and prosperity are reached. There are still deeper mysteries that cannot be fully told.

The Names of the Star Lords

Whoever beholds the true form of the Northern Dipper — bow your head and pay reverence:

The First of the Northern Dipper: Bright Radiance, the Greedy Wolf — Great Star Lord.
He governs those born in Rat years.

The Second of the Northern Dipper: Dark Essence, the Giant Gate — Primordial Star Lord.
He governs those born in Ox and Pig years.

The Third of the Northern Dipper: True Person, the Revenue Keeper — Truth Star Lord.
He governs those born in Tiger and Dog years.

The Fourth of the Northern Dipper: Mysterious Darkness, the Literary Curve — Pivot Star Lord.
He governs those born in Rabbit and Rooster years.

The Fifth of the Northern Dipper: Cinnabar Origin, the Pure Integrity — Net Star Lord.
He governs those born in Dragon and Monkey years.

The Sixth of the Northern Dipper: North Pole, the Martial Curve — Recorder Star Lord.
He governs those born in Snake and Goat years.

The Seventh of the Northern Dipper: Heaven's Pass, the Army Breaker — Barrier Star Lord.
He governs those born in Horse years.

The Eighth of the Northern Dipper: Penetrating Brightness — Outer Assistant Star Lord.

The Ninth of the Northern Dipper: Hidden Light — Inner Helper Star Lord.

Upper Platform: Empty Essence, the Opener of Virtue — True Lord.

Middle Platform: Six Purities, the Minister of Works — Star Lord.

Lower Platform: Curving Life, the Minister of Revenue — Star Lord.

Such are the names of these True Lords — rarely heard in the world.

The Merit of Hearing

Whoever has seen and heard these names and can hold them in recitation — their Dao-heart must be deep, their good karma from past lives profound.

To hear and recite this scripture — the merit and virtue of it cannot be measured. If men and women of true faith encounter this True Scripture, their wisdom-nature will become complete, their Dao-heart will open and flourish. They will leave the paths of confusion behind and enter the gate of the Subtle and Imperceptible. They will return to the true teaching and arrive at the realm of flourishing life.

On the Three Primes and Eight Nodes, on one's natal birthday, and on the days the Northern Dipper descends — solemnly establish the altar, turn the scripture, observe the fast, make the offering, and perform the rites according to the proper form. The blessings of this are without limit. Life after life, generation after generation, one will not stray from the true nature or fall into wrong views.

Those who hold this scripture should constantly recite the honoured names of the Seven Primordial True Lords to whom they belong. When their good merit is complete, auspicious signs will also descend.

The Mantra of the Northern Dipper

Then the mantra was spoken:

Nine stars of the Northern Dipper,
great spirits at the centre of heaven —
above, you attend the Golden Gate;
below, you shelter Mount Kunlun.

You regulate the web of order;
you govern heaven and earth.
Great Kuí, the Greedy Wolf —
Giant Gate — Revenue Keeper —

Literary Curve — Pure Integrity —
Martial Curve — Army Breaker.
The High and Supreme Jade Emperor,
the Purple Tenuity Emperor Lord —

vast enough to encompass the realm of heaven,
fine enough to enter a mote of dust.
What calamity would not be quenched?
What blessing would not arrive?

The primal sovereign's upright breath —
come, merge with my body.
Where the Celestial Lance points,
day and night it turns unceasingly.

I, a humble person of the common world,
love the Dao and seek the spirit.
I wish to behold your honoured form
and forever preserve long life.

Three Platforms — Empty Essence.
Six Purities — Curving Life.
You gave me birth, you nurture me —
you guard my body and form.

Kuí — sacred names of the Seven Stars — Honoured Emperor.
Swiftly, swiftly — in accordance with the statutes and commands!

The Descent of the Star Lords

The Lord said:

Every person's nature and destiny, body and form, are governed by the Star Official of their natal destiny. The spirit-generals of one's natal destiny and the star officials of one's natal lodging constantly bestow their sheltering protection. They sustain and preserve one's life, ensuring that the span of heaven's years is kept. Common people in their ignorance never awaken to this in their whole lives.

Now, the True Lord of one's natal destiny descends to the human world six times each year. The days of descent are the natal destiny's limit-periods.

Three thousand envoys of the Southern Mound attend, and seven thousand spirit-generals of the Northern Dipper True Lords follow. When the True Official of one's natal destiny descends, all the host of the Perfected come to guard and protect.

This is when calamity can be dissolved and sins forgiven, blessings sought and life prolonged. According to one's means, submit memorials and make offerings. Blessings and virtue will increase.

But if the limit-period of one's natal destiny arrives and one does not know it — does not observe the fast, does not make the offering, does not tend the incense and fire — this is to scorn life and forget one's origin.

To dishonour the human body — heaven's offices will seize one's salary, reduce one's allotted years, and strike years from one's life. Many die young. Those who are lost and deluded — though they encounter the scripture and its formulas, they harbour faithless hearts and slander the True Text. After such persons die, they sink into the three evil paths, drift among the realms of rebirth, and forever lose the human body.

Deeply pitiable. They bring this suffering upon themselves.

But if on the day of one's natal destiny one can observe the fast and make the offering — presenting it well to Heaven's Offices — and during the natal destiny's limit-period turn the True Scripture and abundantly set forth offerings, one will gain the constant blessing of being born as a man in three successive lifetimes, rich and noble and keen of mind, supreme among all people.

If one's merit from past lives is thin and one dwells among the lowly and poor, even if one knows one's natal destiny but lacks the means for elaborate rites, one may simply offer a cup of water and present flowers, turn one's heart in silence toward the North Pole, bow one's head in worship, and recite the name of one's natal destiny Star Lord. Even this will not be in vain during the natal destiny's limit-period. One will gain the prolonging of life and the inscription of blessings, the preservation of the human body, the removal of calamity, and immeasurable blessing.

The Celestial Master rejoiced, leapt up, and made obeisance. He praised the teaching: how rare, how hard to encounter — this supreme bridge of the Dharma!

The Final Admonition

The Lord spoke again to the Celestial Master:

The sins and blessings, the good and evil deeds of all people in the world — all belong to Heaven's Offices. For dissolving sins and dispelling calamity, nothing surpasses cultivation and devotion. When you encounter your natal birthday, announce it to the Inaugural Chariot within your body. Strike away the Three Disasters and Nine Adversities. Protect the peace of your present family.

Whoever among the superior persons, on the day of their natal birthday, holds this True Text — outwardly, the demon-essences submit; inwardly, the true nature is settled. Merit extends to the waters and lands; good reaches both the living and the dead. Repent your faults with sincerity and reverence. Gradually ascend to wondrous fruition. Establish again the mysterious merit. Realise the Dao of Emptiness. Then you shall attain the penetrating completeness of sagely wisdom — hidden and manifest, unfathomable — passing in and out of existence, wandering at ease among the clouds, ascending through the Golden Gate.

United with the saints in truth, the body transcends the three realms, forever free from the turning wheel, with boundless life, joyful and at ease.

All men and women, on the day of their natal birthday and on all days of fasting — purify body and heart, burn incense, and hold this True Text. Recognise the Star Lord of the Northern Pole to whom your natal destiny belongs. Follow your heart in prayer. No good thing will fail to be answered. Calamity and sin dissolve. You will move ten thousand saints and a thousand Perfected to come and guard you. Wherever this text resides, a thousand Perfected bow in reverence and ten thousand saints extend their protection. Demon-ghosts retreat into hiding; spectral essences crouch and conceal themselves. Whatever disasters the world may hold — all shall be extinguished.

This is called the Northern Dipper Natal Destiny Life-Prolonging Scripture and Formulas. It is the direct path of cultivating truth. To attain the Dao and wander in freedom — all comes through this scripture. To realise sainthood and accomplish truth — all comes through this scripture. To depart the cycle of birth and death — all comes through this scripture. To protect men and women — all comes through this scripture. To preserve life and prolong one's years — all attain freedom through it. It is forever a treasure upon the body. Blessings and longevity beyond measure.

Guard it and revere it. Do not show it to the unworthy.

The Departure

When the Lord had finished speaking this scripture, dragon-cranes and celestial immortals came to welcome him, and he returned to the Jade Capital.

At that time, the Celestial Master received the wondrous teaching and made this vow: "I swear to spread it abroad and transmit it to those of good heart. Wherever there are men and women who receive, hold, read, and recite this scripture, I shall summon the immortal officials of the Ten Precepts to guard and protect them in all places."

Thereupon he bowed again to the Lord and spoke this praise:

Hymn of Praise

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
the natal destiny's true spirit descends.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
the dwelling finds peace and tranquillity.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
father and mother are preserved in long life.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
all curses turn to dust.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
ten thousand evils correct themselves.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
one's livelihood accords with one's wishes.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
every member of the family finds health.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
sons and daughters are preserved in flourishing glory.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
all five roads open wide.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
every evil is extinguished forever.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
the six livestock thrive and multiply.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
illness and disease are healed.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
wealth and goods are not squandered.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
misfortune never arises.

In the household that keeps the Northern Dipper Scripture,
one forever preserves good fortune, benefit, and constancy.

Closing

The Lord said: Good indeed! Good indeed! You may proclaim and spread this true teaching. Blessings without limit, reaching all beings everywhere, forever bathed in supreme goodness.

The Celestial Master bowed his head in thanks. He believed, he received, he honoured, and he practised.

The True Scripture of the Supreme Mysterious Spirit of the Northern Dipper for Preserving One's Natal Destiny and Prolonging Life — concluded.

Notes

Northern Dipper (北斗, Běidǒu) — The seven brightest stars of Ursa Major, known in the West as the Big Dipper or the Plough. In Chinese cosmology, the Northern Dipper is far more than a constellation — it is the cosmic pivot, the mechanism that turns the heavens. The Dipper's handle sweeps through the four directions across the seasons, and its orientation was used to tell time and determine the calendar. The celestial bureaucracy of the Northern Dipper keeps the registers of life and death for every human being. This scripture's central claim is that by knowing which star governs your birth year and appealing to that star's lord by name, you can alter your own entry in those registers.

The Seven Stars and Their Correspondences — Each of the seven visible stars of the Big Dipper has a traditional Chinese name, a cosmic epithet, and governs specific birth years of the twelve-year zodiac cycle. The correspondences are:

The eighth star (Outer Assistant) corresponds to Alcor, the faint companion visible next to Mizar with the naked eye. The ninth star (Inner Helper) is sometimes identified with a dim star near Alcor, or understood as invisible and purely spiritual. The three "Platform" stars (三臺, Sāntái) are three pairs of stars near the Big Dipper used in Chinese astrology to judge the fortunes of the state.

Natal destiny (本命, běnmìng) — The star that governs your life, determined by your birth year in the twelve-year cycle. The concept is central to Chinese folk religion and Daoist ritual. One's 本命 star lord is a personal patron deity, and knowing their name is the first step in the practice this scripture teaches.

Celestial Master (天師, Tiānshī) — Zhang Daoling (張道陵, fl. 142 CE), the founder of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) school of Daoism. In this scripture, he receives the revelation from the deified Laozi at the Jade Pedestal in Shu (Sichuan), establishing the Northern Dipper liturgy as part of the Zhengyi ritual tradition.

Capital of Shu (蜀都) — The region of modern Sichuan, where Zhang Daoling is said to have founded the Way of the Celestial Masters. The Jade Pedestal (玉局) is a famous site in Chengdu associated with this revelation.

Bureau of Shadow (陰司, Yīnsī) — The underworld bureaucracy that keeps records of human deeds and administers punishment after death. A key concept in Chinese folk religion, it parallels the celestial bureaucracy of the Northern Dipper.

Three Primes and Eight Nodes (三元八節, Sānyuán Bājié) — Specific days in the Daoist ritual calendar. The Three Primes are the fifteenth days of the first, seventh, and tenth months (Upper, Middle, and Lower Prime). The Eight Nodes are the solstices, equinoxes, and the four cross-quarter days. These are the times when the celestial bureaucracy conducts its inspections of the human world.

Limit-period (限期, xiànqī) — The six annual occasions when one's natal destiny Star Lord descends to the human world to inspect and judge. Missing these periods without ritual observance is, according to the text, what causes heaven to reduce one's allotted lifespan.

Three souls (三魂, sānhún) — In Chinese religious anthropology, humans possess three hún souls (associated with heaven, the spiritual, and consciousness) and seven pò souls (associated with earth, the bodily, and emotion). The three hún souls are what the Northern Dipper's protection stabilises.

Five Phases (五行, wǔxíng) — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The fundamental system of correspondences governing Chinese cosmology, medicine, divination, and ritual. The Northern Dipper's jurisdiction over the Five Phases means it governs the entire system of natural change.

Seven Luminaries (七政, qīzhèng) — The sun, moon, and five visible planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn). Together with the Northern Dipper, they form the visible machinery of fate in Chinese astrology.

Celestial Lance (天罡, Tiāngāng) — The handle of the Big Dipper, which sweeps around the pole star like the hand of a clock. Its direction at dusk determines the season and is used in both astrology and Daoist ritual to orient the practitioner.

Cangue (枷, jiā) — A large wooden collar worn around the neck as a form of punishment in imperial China. "Cangue and cudgel" together represent the calamity of criminal punishment and imprisonment.

Talismanic names (魁𩲃𩵄䰢魓𩳐魒) — The seven rare characters at the climax of the mantra are the secret names of the seven stars, written using the ghost radical (鬼). These are intentionally obscure or specially created characters used as talismanic symbols in Daoist ritual. Their power is understood to reside in the act of pronouncing them, not in their semantic meaning. They are preserved in the source text but not translated.

Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands (急急如律令) — The standard closing formula of Daoist mantras and talismans, invoking the full authority of the celestial bureaucracy. The phrase originally derives from Han dynasty legal language and was adopted into Daoist ritual as a seal of divine command.

Colophon

The Scripture of the Northern Dipper (北斗經) is one of the most popular and widely recited scriptures in the living Daoist tradition, yet it has never had a complete, freely available English translation — until now. Despite being recited daily in temples across China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, this text has been locked in Classical Chinese, accessible only to those who can read the original or afford paywalled academic references.

The scripture belongs to the vast ocean of the Daoist Canon (道藏, Dàozàng), which contains approximately 1,500 texts — the largest single collection of religious scripture in the world. The overwhelming majority of these texts have never been translated into English. This translation is a small door opened in that wall.

Source text: 太上玄靈北斗本命延生真經, from the Zhengtong Daozang (正統道藏, Ming Daoist Canon, compiled 1445), DZ 622. Transcription from Chinese Wikisource (zh.wikisource.org), accessed via the MediaWiki API on March 25, 2026. Verified character-by-character against the Wikisource transcription during this session.

Good Works Translation from Classical Chinese by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: 太上玄靈北斗本命延生真經

Chinese source text from the Zhengtong Daozang (正統道藏, Ming Daoist Canon, 1445), DZ 622. Transcription from Chinese Wikisource (zh.wikisource.org), accessed via the MediaWiki API on March 25, 2026. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

開經玄蘊咒

寂寂至無宗。虛峙劫仞阿。豁落洞玄文。誰測此幽遐。一入大乘路。熟計年劫多。不生亦不滅。欲生因蓮花。超凌三界途。慈心解世羅。真人無上德。世世為仙家。

本文

爾時太上老君以永壽元年正月七日。在太清境上。太極宮中。觀見眾生億劫漂沉。週迴生死。或居人道。生在中華。或生夷狄之中。或生蠻戎之內。或富或貴。或賤或貧。暫假因緣。墮於地獄。為無定故。罪業牽纏。魂繫陰司。受苦滿足。人道將違。生居畜獸之中。或生禽蟲之屬。轉乖人道。難復人身。如此沉淪。不知自覺。為先世迷真之故。受此輪迴。

乃以哀憫之心。分身教化。化身下降。至於蜀都。地神湧出。扶一玉局。而作高座。於是老君昇玉局坐。授與天師北斗本命經訣。廣宣要法。普濟眾生。

是時老君告天師曰。人身難得。中土難生。假使得生。正法難遇。多迷真道。多入邪宗。多種罪根。多肆巧詐。多恣淫殺。多好群情。多縱貪嗔。多沉地獄。多失人身。

如此等緣。眾生不悟。不知正道。迷惑者多。我今哀見此等眾生。故垂法教。為說良緣。令使知道。知身性命。皆憑道生。了悟此因。長生人道。種子不絕。世世為人。不生無道之鄉。不斷人之根本。更能心修正道。漸入仙宗。永離輪迴。超升成道。我故示汝妙法。令度天民歸真知命。可以本命之日修齋設醮。

啟祝北斗。三官五帝。九府四司。薦福消災。奏章懇願。虔誠獻禮。種種香花。時新五果。隨世威儀。清淨壇宇。法天象地。或於觀宇。或在家庭。隨力建功。請行法事。功德深重。不可具陳。

念此大聖北斗七元真君名號。當得罪業消除。災愆洗蕩。福壽資命。善果臻身。凡有急難。可以焚香誦經。剋期安泰。

於是大聖北斗解厄應驗曰。大聖北斗七元君。能解三災厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解四殺厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解五行厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解六害厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解七傷厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解八難厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解九星厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解夫妻厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解男女厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解產生厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解復連厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解疫癘厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解疾病厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解精邪厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解虎狼厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解蟲蛇厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解劫賊厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解枷棒厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解橫死厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解咒誓厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解天羅厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解地網厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解刀兵厄。大聖北斗七元君。能解水火厄。

於是七元君。大聖善通靈。濟度諸厄難。超出苦眾生。若有急告者。持誦保安平。盡憑生百幅。咸契於五行。三魂得安健。邪魅不能停。五方降真氣。萬福自來駢。長生超八難。皆由奉七星。生生身自在。世世保神清。善似光中影。應如谷裏聲。三元神共護。萬聖眼同明。無災亦無障。永保道心寧。

老君曰。北辰垂象。而眾星拱之。為造化之樞機。作人神之主宰。宣威三界。統御萬靈。判人間善惡之期。司陰府是非之目。五行共稟。七政同科。有迴死注生之功。有消災度厄之力。上至帝王。下及庶人。尊卑雖則殊途。命分俱無差別。

凡夫在世迷謬者多。不知身屬北斗。命由天府。有災有患。不知解謝之門。祈福祈生。莫曉歸依之路。致使魂神被繫。禍患來纏。或重病不痊。或邪妖剋害。連年困篤。累歲迍邅。塚訟徵呼。先亡復連。或上天譴責。或下鬼訴誣。若以此危厄。如何救解。須投告北斗。醮謝真君。及轉真經。認本命真君。方獲安泰。已至康榮。更有深妙。不可盡述。

凡見北斗真形。頂禮恭敬。

北斗第一陽明貪狼太星君。子生人屬之。北斗第二陰精巨門元星君。丑亥生人屬之。北斗第三真人祿存眞星君。寅戌生人屬之。北斗第四玄冥文曲紐星君。卯酉生人屬之。北斗第五丹元簾貞網星君。辰申生人屬之。北斗第六北極武曲紀星君。巳未生人屬之。北斗第七天關破軍關星君。午生人屬之。北斗第八洞明外輔星君。北斗第九隱光內弼星君。上臺虛精開德真君。中臺六淳司空星君。下臺曲生司祿星君。

如是真君名號不可得聞。凡有見聞。能持念者。皆道心深重。宿有善緣。得聞持誦。其功德力莫可稱量。若正信男女值此真經。智慧性圓。道心開發。出群迷逕。入希夷門。歸奉真宗。達生榮界。於三元八節。本命生辰。北斗下日。嚴置壇場。轉經齋醮。依儀行道。其福無邊。世世生生。不違真性。不入邪見。持經之人。常持誦七元真君所屬尊號。善功圓滿。亦降吉祥。

即說北斗咒曰。北斗九辰。中天大神。上朝金闕。下覆崑崙。調理綱紀。統制乾坤。大魁貪狼。巨門祿存。文曲簾貞。武曲破軍。高上玉皇。紫微帝君。大周天界。細入微塵。何災不滅。何福不臻。元皇正氣。來合我身。天罡所指。晝夜常輪。俗居小人。好道求靈。願見尊儀。永保長生。三臺虛精。六淳曲生。生我養我。護我身形。魁𩲃𩵄䰢魓𩳐魒尊帝。急急如律令。

老君曰。凡人性命五體。悉屬本命星官之所主掌。本命神將。本宿星官。常垂蔭佑。主持人命。使保天年。凡俗無知。終身不悟。夫本命真君。每歲六度降在人間。降日為本命限期。有南陵使者三千人。北斗真君七千神將。本命真官降駕。眾真悉來擁護。可以消災懺罪。請福延生。隨力章醮。福德增崇。其有本命限期將至。自身不知。不設齋醮。不修香火。此為輕生迷本。不貴人身。天司奪祿減算除年。多致夭喪。迷誤之者。雖遇經訣。懷不信心。毀謗真文。如此之人。身謝之後。淪沒三塗。漂沉諸趣。永失人身。深可悲哀。自致斯苦。若本命之日。能修齋醮。善達天司。一時於本命限期間。開轉真經。廣陳供養。使三生常為男子身。富貴聰明。人中殊勝。其有生身果薄。雖在人中。貧窮下賤。縱知本命無力修崇。能酌水獻花。冥心望北極。稽首禮拜。念本命星君名號者。亦不虛過本命限期。皆得延生注福。繫係人身。災厄蠲除。獲福無量。天師歡喜。踴躍作禮。讚嘆難可得遇無上法橋。

老君重告天師曰。世人罪福善惡皆屬天司。懺罪消災莫越修奉。遇本命生辰。告身中元辰驛馬。削落三災九厄。保現今眷屬安寧。凡有上士於本命生辰。持此真文者。外伏魔精。內安真性。功霑水陸。善及存亡。悔過虔恭。漸登妙果。重立玄功。證虛無道。乃得聖智圓通。隱顯莫測。出有入無。逍遙雲際。昇入金門。與聖合真。身超三界。永不輪轉。壽量無窮。快樂自在。凡有男女。於本命生辰。及諸齋日。清靜身心。焚香持此真文。自認北極本命所屬星君。隨心禱祝。善無不應。災罪消除。致感萬聖千真。俱來衛護。此文所在之處。千真敬禮。萬聖護持。魔鬼潛消。精靈伏匿。世有災殃。悉皆消滅。是名北斗本命延生經訣。乃修真之逕路。得道逍遙皆因此經。證聖成真皆因此經。出離生死皆因此經。保護男女皆因此經。保命延生皆得自在。永為身寶。福壽可稱。保而敬之。非人勿示。

老君說經將畢。龍鶴天仙來迎。還於玉京。是時天師受得妙法。而作是言。誓願流行。以傳善士。若有男女受持讀誦。我當與十戒仙官所在擁護。於是再拜老君而說讚曰。

家有北斗經。本命降真靈。家有北斗經。宅舍得安寧。家有北斗經。父母保長生。家有北斗經。諸厭化為塵。家有北斗經。萬邪自歸正。家有北斗經。營業得稱情。家有北斗經。闔門自康健。家有北斗經。子孫保榮盛。家有北斗經。五路自通達。家有北斗經。眾惡永消滅。家有北斗經。六畜保興生。家有北斗經。疾病得痊癒。家有北斗經。財物不虛耗。家有北斗經。橫事永不起。家有北斗經。長保亨利貞。

老君曰。善哉善哉。汝可宣揚正教。福利無邊。普及眾生。永霑勝善。天師稽首禮謝。信受奉行。

太上玄靈北斗本命延生真經終

Source Colophon

Chinese source text from the Zhengtong Daozang (正統道藏, Ming Daoist Canon, compiled 1445), fascicle 622 (DZ 622). Transcription from Chinese Wikisource (zh.wikisource.org), accessed via the MediaWiki API on March 25, 2026. The text was extracted from the API response in wikitext format and verified character-by-character during this session. The Wikisource transcription preserves the standard recension used in Daoist liturgical practice. Template annotations indicating birth-year correspondences (e.g., 子生人屬之) were extracted from wiki markup and included in the translation.

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