歸原寶筏

The Precious Raft to Return to the Origin (歸原寶筏, Guīyuán Bǎofá) is a Yiguandao (一貫道) morality book composed of twenty-three letters written by Confucian Youth Elder Suyi (儒童素一老人), a senior patriarch of the tradition. Each letter is addressed to practitioners — leaders, elders, men and women of the Dao — and written in ten-character verse (十字句), the rhythmic form traditional to precious scrolls (寶卷) and morality books (善書).

The text is an urgent pastoral work. Elder Suyi writes from the Guangye Hall (廣野堂) to scattered communities of believers, warning them of the tests that Heaven sends to distinguish the true from the false, recounting the sufferings of the patriarchs who carried the Dao before them, and exhorting practitioners to hold fast through tribulation. The cosmic framework is Yiguandao eschatology: the sixty-thousand-year cycle nears its end, the Third Period has arrived, the Mother of the Limitless (無極老母) has decreed universal salvation, and the Dragon-Flower Assembly (龍華會) approaches where all souls will be judged. The raft of the title is the Dao itself — the vessel that carries the original spirits (原靈) home across the sea of suffering to the Mother's side.

The Chinese source text is from the Morality Books Library (善書圖書館, taolibrary.com), Category 52, c52052.htm, which states: "Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate" (歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通). This is the first English translation.

One

A letter of earnest counsel to all who walk the twofold path of heaven and earth —
the opening of universal salvation has cost immeasurable toil.

The sages of the Three Teachings — Confucian, Buddhist, Daoist — have spared no effort;
for the original souls they wrote the scriptures, exhausting themselves across the ages.

Yet the people of the world are lost in the red dust, defying every teaching;
greedy for wine, lust, wealth, and pride — cunning and perverse.

They have darkened their innate knowing, darkened their innate ability, and freely heap up sin;
alive without awareness, dead without understanding — tormented in the wheel of rebirth.

Now, after sixty thousand years, the Third Period calamity arrives;
mountain demons and water goblins reign supreme upon the earth.

This breed, though human in form, have hearts like tigers and leopards;
they defy heaven's principle, destroy the Buddha-dharma, and demolish the celestial bridge.

The Mother at the Jasper Pool could no longer bear to watch and issued her compassionate decree,
commanding the saints, Buddhas, and immortals of all Three Teachings to descend together to the Eastern Land.

When the Honored Buddhas heard of the universal salvation, their souls trembled with dread —
they feared that once they descended to the red dust, they could never return to the Heavenly Court.

The Golden Mother spoke: "All you immortals and Buddhas, do not be troubled;
this calamity was decreed before heaven — it cannot be postponed or annulled."

One by one they obeyed the Mother's command, not daring to resist;
they relinquished their spirit-light and surrendered the Eight Treasures, weeping and wailing.

They came to the Eastern Land, the Nine Provinces, borrowing mortal apertures through the Mother's grace;
this was the Buddhas' own tribulation — a great destiny none could escape.

And so this Great Dao has been proclaimed throughout the world:
so long as you observe the Buddha's precepts and swear your vow, it shall be transmitted.

Though the Dao is transmitted in this manner, the Lord above watches from the void;
tests and trials are established to distinguish hell from the Heavenly Court.

The original souls who recognize true principle do not fear the demonic tests;
through a thousand reversals and ten thousand refinements, they hold fast to this single line.

If the ninety-nine tests were not sent down in this gathering,
how could the ten thousand spirits be sorted from among the four hundred million?

The Three Vehicles and Nine Grades of the Lotus each have their rank;
without testing to determine high, middle, and low, how could anyone attend the Peach Banquet?

Those without root enter the testing ground and lose their sovereign nature;
they break their vows, give rise to venom in their hearts, and bring calamity upon themselves.

At this hour the Dragon-Flower Assembly convenes and the Golden Rooster crows the dawn;
heaven, earth, and humanity breathe as one, and the Three Tribunals hold court together.

Yin and yang are fixed, the Five Phases sorted, and the Ten Directions find their anchor;
those who receive the Crown, the Guarantor, and the Grace of Introduction are inscribed in the Palace of the Northern Dipper.

Yet there are those who covet and deceive — the Heavenly Demon enters their apertures;
they issue false commissions, false authority, and throw the patriarch's rules into chaos.

These demonic obstructions have long been foretold in the Palace of the Limitless;
those who receive commissions are warned again and again — never confuse the true with the false.

The competitive and reckless who do not examine principle stir up confusion;
yet their own vows and pledges cannot be escaped.

Banners of swords, orchids of flags, the dragon and tiger battle — these are the Demon King's secret signs;
those who gain the True Dao yet join the demon's party have abandoned the laws of heaven.

Before long the Three Disasters will stir and the Eight Calamities will arrive together;
let us see how their false display will withstand the reckoning.

They do not understand that the Pre-Heaven Dao is the supreme treasure for entering sagehood;
when they entered the Dao they received the Heavenly Mandate and their names were inscribed in the Nine Palaces.

Diligently preach and turn the Dharma Wheel, let the Buddha-light shine everywhere;
exhaust principle, fulfill your nature, and your light will pierce the Nine Heavens.

The ignorant who follow the demon kind have their spirit-light stripped away;
willingly they sink into the sea of suffering, unable to rise above.

I urge you, kindred spirits and leaders all — accumulating merit is the essential task;
to deliver your nine generations of ancestors and seven lines of descendants — this is the hour.

In motion, save others; in stillness, save yourself — the spirits protect you in secret;
when the ten thousand spirits are gathered whole, they shall ascend to the Heavenly Court in their true bodies.

The Celestial Origin Buddha will open his pouch and the primal spirits will shine;
one by one they shall reveal their golden bodies, renowned across the four seas.

To rescue the remnant and subdue the demons, only then will the Dharma Treasure appear;
by the decree of the Limitless, by the edict of the Jade Emperor, the demons will vanish at the sight.

After ten million years, this rare karmic bond has come — do not let it pass;
sacrifice body and life to accomplish merit, and your name shall stand high in the Northern Dipper.

The gathering of the circle is the great celestial secret — it is not empty or vain;
observe how the people of the world are changing — how many strange turns have come to pass.

There is a volume, the Mirror of Immortals, which is the license for attaining the Dao;
from the opening of heaven and earth, every sage, immortal, and Buddha is contained in this one book.

Journey to the West speaks of the ninety-nine tests;
Investiture of the Gods recounts the true immortals and the demon spirits.

The Three True Ones wrote their Precious Scrolls, all fulfilling this same Dao;
ponder it carefully — one cannot help but tremble with awe.

The Great Calamity will sweep across the Nine Provinces and reach every corner under heaven;
before long, heaven and earth will go dark, and ghosts will wail while spirits howl.

At that hour, those who follow the Dharma will find their own wondrous protection;
know your patriarch's lineage, act without recklessness, and you shall be free and at ease.

Today I transmit these words, though they lack literary polish;
every sentence is true, every character real — examine them carefully.

If any word of mine is false, let all the spirits bear witness:
heaven will not tolerate me, earth will not carry me — I shall never rise again.

I too have wept before the Buddha in the hours of dawn and dusk,
praying that the ten thousand spirits may be gathered and together ascend to the Nine Heavens.

Two

From the Guangye Hall I send you glad tidings, with ten thousand bows —
I earnestly urge you, pilgrims on the Western Journey: do not let your hearts waver.

The bearing of tests and trials is arranged and sent down by Heaven above;
a mortal body could never bring about such calamity on its own.

Fortune and misfortune are secretly governed by the Buddhas and patriarchs;
when the tests descend, spirits great and small are all shaken with alarm.

In this gathering, the testing ground of the Buddhas resounds across the world;
how many true sons of the Buddha have fallen through testing into the realm of delusion?

The deluded masses say that keeping a vegetarian diet makes you a member of an evil sect;
they suffer slander and false accusation — it is hard to bear.

The tests examine wisdom, patience, and the measure of the heart;
they test whether you can sacrifice your body, endure suffering — they try the stuff of your soul.

True and false — in this one test, each reveals their original form;
the pure are separated from the turbid, and all is known in detail.

An original soul, though they may have broken their vows, still turns their heart toward the Dao;
those who are not true sons of the Buddha break their vows with hearts as vicious as tigers. Alas!

The scriptures of the Three Teachings speak of this Dao in such hidden terms;
"Hear the Dao in the morning, die content at evening" — you may ascend to heaven at once.

All the Buddhas and patriarchs are trapped in the net of dust for the sake of this calamity;
only because of this is the Great Dao proclaimed to all under heaven.

Sitting at home, you may receive it without going to search;
trust and receive this single aperture, and you can escape impermanence.

Enter the Great Dao, receive the True Transmission, and your name is inscribed on heaven's roster;
by Buddha's decree, even from the depths of hell, souls are drawn out and freed.

Understand the Mysterious Pass, receive the True Mantra, join hands in the Buddha's Seal;
know your original nature, restore the beginning — heaven's principle flows freely.

The primal spirit clear, the Dao-mind still, the spirit-light shines bright;
banish desire, clarify the heart, and forge the diamond body.

Going out, practice brotherly respect; coming in, practice filial piety — the bonds of human ethics;
investigate things and extend knowledge — the wondrous method for becoming a sage.

The Pre-Heaven Dao is transmitted together through the shared altar;
yet few who receive the Dao truly examine it in depth.

Their minds think only of keeping the stinking skin-bag hale and strong;
they wish the false skull could last forever.

When they see those who attained the Dao suffer tests and trials, doubt fills their hearts;
they say: "Those who cultivate the Dao and become leaders end up like this?"

They reject principle, break their vows, and slander the Dao in confusion;
they blame those who came before, curse their teachers and friends, and act with reckless vanity.

They do not understand the sixty-thousand-year passage of the Heavenly Dao;
if I did not break through this for you, the masses would be lost in sorrow.

The body of form attracts the dust of defilement — so many demonic obstacles;
eyes, ears, nose, tongue, mind, and will — each one a gateway to sin.

This is the Third Period calamity — the lines are being redrawn, the symbols exchanged;
through the Great Dao, the heart-method is transmitted and the spirit-light refined.

When the Three Disasters stir and the Eight Calamities descend, they fall in an instant;
the sevens and nines in primordial chaos sweep away all evil.

This calamity is still the lesser one — do not take it to heart;
what you should fear is the Astral Wind — from it there is no hiding.

Even earthbound immortals cannot resist it;
when this wind blows, the spirit-light is lost.

In the autumn of the Guimao year, heaven's secret was revealed and the pattern set;
the Five Phases were sorted, the Ten Lands chosen, and all was arranged and deployed.

The Fifty Flowers serve as protection for the ninety-six myriad spirits;
by the command of the Three Heavens, the Dharma is proclaimed in all Ten Directions.

For the original souls, the Buddha's precepts were established and all prepared;
when each person's merit is full, they shall escape suffering and return home.

Shed the mortal body, attain the golden body — in the sky, the Dao is mastered;
if the millet-pearl does not break its shell, how can it release its radiance?

The great fruit-position cannot be reached without passing through the ninety-nine tests;
how else could you be counted a pillar of the Pure Land?

Those who can give up the mortal become the sacred — the Nine Lotuses await;
deliver your nine generations of ancestors, free your seven lines of descendants — fragrant through ten thousand ages.

Dwelling in the Cloud City, in the Palace of the Ox and Dipper, the radiance shines bright;
the ninety-six thousand children find refuge from the Astral Wind within.

The wise understand the fullness and emptiness of heaven and earth, their waxing and waning;
"The higher the Dao, the greater the slander; the higher the virtue, the greater the defamation" — the old saying is clear.

All beings of every kind have gathered for this assembly, all born upon the earth;
Buddhas and patriarchs, together with alien spirits, are mixed in one hall.

Grudge repays grudge, affinity repays affinity — here the accounts are settled;
and so those who have attained the Dao are met with misfortune instead.

What can be done? The original souls left the west and descended to the east;
in sixty thousand years they have accumulated so much sin.

Now, with universal salvation calling them back to the west, how can their karmic debts let them go?
Their debts are unpaid — how could the creditors consent to let them return home?

Consider the mysterious principle within this for yourselves;
grudge and affinity must each be understood — let every person take heed.

The Three Heavens have resolved to borrow the King's law to dissolve the karmic ledger;
the Three Vehicles and Nine Grades are fixed, that all may see their dear Mother.

Good and bad alike are entered one by one in the book of the Three Officials;
at the Dragon-Flower Assembly there will be a reckoning — nothing can be concealed.

Those who cultivate the Great Dao and suffer demonic trials have ancient precedent;
which one who attained true awakening was not met with calamity?

Patriarch Bodhidharma came to the Eastern Land to transmit the Dao;
in three attempts to open the Way, he twice lost his life.

Patriarch Changchun cultivated alone, and he too faced demonic obstacles;
he died seven times but never changed his resolve, and so he ascended to heaven.

Guanyin, the Mother — what bitter trials she endured in her cultivation!
She was burned in fire and put to the blade before she reached the Lotus Kingdom.

Shi Xinglin was exiled to the frontier for practicing the Dao;
Shakyamuni Buddha, in lives before, gave up his head to return home.

Duke Zhou and Confucius, for governing the world, endured endless slander;
at Chen and Cai they were besieged and went hungry, cut off from all provisions.

Emperor Wu of Liang loved the Buddha and built temples throughout the land;
at his death he starved in Tai City — yet he returned to the West.

The sufferings of the ancient sages and worthies can hardly be told in full;
how much more so in this age of the Final Gathering, when the Three Tribunals labor together?

Now I have received the Heavenly Mandate to hold the helm;
from patriarch to patriarch, from master to master, the old order has been transmitted.

I do not seek to display talent or speak empty boasts;
nor do I pursue fame or profit or leave my homeland for selfish ends.

It is only because my own flesh-and-blood kin are adrift in the wheel of rebirth
that I obey the rescue-mission of the Three Heavens and guide the worthy forward.

We are like the monk Tripitaka now, on the Western Journey;
along the road we meet with disasters — how desolate it is.

The demon horde wants to destroy me and will not relent;
each one wants to devour me and spit out the bones.

If not to save the original souls, why would I leave my own country?
I fear only that the original souls will lose their footing.

I fear the Five Demons will stir and rampage across the world;
I fear the Heavenly Demon will emerge and ravage the Ten Directions.

There is no help for it — I rely on heaven's protection, cultivating in secret;
that I cannot meet you face to face is truly a bitter sorrow.

Between heaven and earth, the principle of yin and yang is never false;
when yin reaches its extreme, yang is born again — peace will come of its own.

Before long this Great Dao will shine in the open;
when the calamity strikes, it will be known who among us are the truly worthy.

How pitiful are the rootless weeds who run with the dog-pack in confusion;
they break their vows, poison their hearts, and ravage the Dharma-hall.

They never think of the vows they swore before the Buddha — how will they settle that account?
They never think of their departed ancestors, grieving in the hells.

They never think that cause and effect in the Six Paths never fail to answer;
they never think of the sixty-thousand-year ocean of suffering, vast beyond measure.

They never think that the Pre-Heaven Dao is found once in ten thousand kalpas;
they never think that in a hundred years of life, no one escapes impermanence.

They never think of the Five Demons of wind, water, and fire that will show their face;
they never think that this Great Dao can deliver their departed dead.

They never think of the ten thousand forms of suffering in the courts of the underworld;
they never think of the boundless ease in the Pure Land.

Those who meet tests and trials without retreating — the Buddhas themselves admire them;
the Three Vehicles and Nine Grades of the Lotus must not be treated lightly.

Your departed ancestors in the underworld will also share in the blessing;
when your merit is complete, together you will ascend to the Lotus Kingdom.

If you have broken your vows, restore them quickly — merit is merit just the same;
never abandon yourself in despair or willingly sink into the realm of delusion.

If your worldly position is high and social pressure hard to resist,
become a Dharma-protector who guides the worthy forward.

Though you may not attain the fruit-position, you will avoid the hells;
when the Buddhas' merit is complete, you shall be carried home alongside them.

Let those with ears hear true principle and fix their resolve;
let those who hold commissions weigh carefully and steer the raft of compassion.

This letter on the Western Journey — read it often, reflect on it deeply;
may all my friends join hands and go before the Sovereign of the Limitless.

At that hour you will tell of your suffering and be rewarded according to your merit;
you will receive heaven's rank, never again descend to the east, and abide forever in the West.

Three

A letter in plain words, with bows to all worthy friends —
having received the Great Dao, you must be bold and diligent, cultivating both within and without.

Do not be deluded, clinging to worldly attachments and drifting through the days;
when disaster comes, even wealth and rank must all be cast aside.

Only merit and virtue can be kept and enjoyed;
when the Three Disasters stir and the Five Demons rise, ghosts weep and spirits grieve.

Previously there was transmitted the Jade Emperor's decree — the saving mantra against calamity;
memorize it quickly, engrave it on your heart, but do not leave written copies.

I fear it may fall into the hands of those who have joined the demons;
heaven will be angered, the Buddhas enraged — the sin is beyond reckoning.

When great danger comes, recite it silently with a sincere heart, as though a spirit stood behind you;
when person and spirit breathe as one, the spirits themselves will set things right.

Demons will perish at the sight, and the spirit-light will shine forth;
the foolish who do not trust the Dao will not escape the calamity's harvest.

In this great disaster there is no other rescue;
apart from the Great Dao and the protection of the Sovereign of the Limitless, nothing can see you through.

At this hour the Imperial Wind has subsided, but further tests remain;
I urge you, leaders all — hold the helm steady.

Now the Three Heavens have decreed universal salvation, and the demonic foes are howling;
one by one they seek to settle the grudges of countless kalpas.

The Dao nears completion, karmic debts press close, tests come ninety-nine times;
"Break your vows in the morning, attain the Dao at noon" — remember this well.

Yet the original souls have lived in the Eastern Land for so long
that alive they feel nothing, dead they know nothing — their sins pile up without end.

Now, in the Third Period calamity, the Old Mother's compassion endures;
she commands the Buddhas to descend and bring universal salvation to its completion.

The accomplishment of the Dao will not take much longer — a brief while yet;
when the eighty-one disasters are fulfilled and the tests are done, the Buddha-light will descend.

At that hour the golden bodies will appear, walking the ends of the earth;
the Great Dao complete, the remnant rescued — joy and ease at last.

I urge all the worthy to build merit early and wash away the stains of sin;
heavy karma and grudges cloud the mind — entangled, cultivation is hard.

In your leisure, study the scriptures of the Three Teachings — reflect on them deeply;
outwardly save others, inwardly save yourself — understand the Dao's true nature.

To cultivate the Dao, you must first eliminate all stray thoughts;
the mind must be empty, the breath must be level — rein in the restless monkey-mind.

When there are faults, examine yourself constantly — neither leaning nor tilting;
in stillness and calm, recite the prayer of repentance and beseech the spirits with sincerity.

When the prayer is done, return to the same practice without the slightest error;
the seamless tower guards the true nature — the diamond body that cannot be broken.

The True Heavenly Mandate is conferred by the Enlightened Master, who opens the Mysterious Pass;
this priceless treasure is right before your eyes — observe it and understand.

Clarify the true mind, see the true nature — vast and luminous beyond measure;
at the utmost of emptiness, in the depth of stillness, the original nature is restored.

The body dwells in dust yet is not stained by dust — supremely pure, supremely still;
sweep away the three scattered minds and the four false appearances, and nourish the spirit-light early.

When you have forged the millet-pearl into perfection — without sound, without scent —
you shall ascend to the West, attain the highest grade, and know joy without sorrow.

Today I send these words to urge the old and young alike;
may all my friends walk with me and together ascend to Yingzhou.

Four

A letter to the honored realm, to men and women old and young —
the Third Period calamity has opened universal salvation; ghosts weep and spirits tremble.

The sages of the Three Teachings wrote the scriptures; the Heavenly Dao has prepared its instructions;
for the final age they set the hook for the ninety-two thousand, a firm anchor for the soul.

In the autumn of the Guimao year the Buddha's decree was issued — the Ten Directions shall receive;
heaven's grace descends, the wronged ghosts wail — the karmic ledger must be cleared.

The Lord of Heaven is without favoritism; retribution follows its fixed law;
grudge repays grudge, affinity repays affinity — here all is made plain.

All the Buddhas and patriarchs cannot bear the suffering of the original souls;
for the sake of all beings they sacrifice their bodies and take on the burden of disaster.

This Great Dao can be received by anyone you meet;
so long as you observe the precepts, take refuge, and swear your vow, the way is clear.

The aperture of the Spirit Terrace is the gateway between life and death — the direct path to sagehood;
it transmits your original nature and points to the restoration of the beginning — the truth of the Limitless.

Investigate the desires of things, extend innate knowing, and know when to stop in stillness;
when the heart-method is gained and principle is clear, there is one road upward.

Dwell in peace, draw deeply on its source — left and right you meet the spring;
attain the Mean and Harmony, and all things are nourished, threading through heaven and earth.

The three poisons extinguished, the six desires purified, the primal spirit shines clear;
the four false appearances swept away, all human craving gone — the nine-bend pearl gleams bright.

Only wait for the bitter practice to be fulfilled, then shed the mortal and become a sage;
the Lord on High will send down a crimson letter, and the immortal crane will come to welcome you.

How could the outer sects and false paths know the merit of the Great Dao?
Even ghosts and spirits cannot see through this exquisite mystery.

All fellow original souls who have received the Dao — investigate it with sincerity;
know and awaken to the fact that the Pre-Heaven Dao is not easily heard.

A true son of the Buddha whose nature is not yet lost will awaken at a single pointing;
the scriptures of the Three Teachings will open wide, and he will offer his merit with devotion.

Even if tests and demons come, his heart has an anchor;
the benevolent do not worry, the wise do not doubt — they guard the Yellow Court unto death.

Those with heavy karma receive the Great Dao with half-belief and half-suspicion;
they value wealth above the Dao and fear tests more than death.

They do not consider that a hundred years of life pass like the blink of a dream;
wealth and rank are flowers before the eyes — all must wither in the end.

They never consider how the ancient sages and worthies ended up;
they honored the Dao and virtue, valued nature and life, and cultivated their way out of the red dust.

Shakyamuni Buddha was born in a royal palace — what great fortune!
He visited the four gates, awakened, and received the prophecy of the Lamp-Lighting Buddha.

He understood that birth, old age, sickness, and death are the calamity of retribution;
he abandoned his kingdom as a worn-out shoe and would not ascend the great throne.

Zhang Liang of the Han — the Old Man of the Yellow Stone urged him to go into retreat;
Su Dongpo met the monk Foyin, who exhorted him to cultivate truth.

Patriarch Lü of the Tang bowed to Zhengyang and endured ten tests without complaint;
only afterward did he receive the Wordless True Scripture.

Patriarch Changchun, born in poverty, set his will on cultivation;
he bowed to Chongyang, received the Great Dao, and ascended to the Jade Capital.

All these patriarchs were mortals who became sages through their practice;
how much more so now, in the End-Kalpa, when Buddha's decree has come to the Eastern Grove.

In the final age, all the demons and monsters must show themselves;
the Dao and the demonic stand side by side, and together they test the cultivator.

On the Western Road there are many monsters — this has long been inscribed;
Journey to the West and its ninety-nine trials are the measuring rod for the Final Gathering.

I fear that the worthy may fall into the demon's ranks;
so I send these words to keep your hearts from trembling.

False Mothers, false Maitreyas — their sorcery is formidable too;
false Guandis, false Wenchang — false Guanyin in false name.

False Patriarch Lü, false Buddhas — each displaying their powers;
demons cultivated for sixty thousand years, now showing their full force.

Some conjure a celestial bridge with wondrous otherworldly vistas,
calling men and women to cross their bridge and ascend to heaven.

Some call thunder that echoes through the empty sky;
some fly through the air with clouds rising beneath their feet.

Some blow from their mouths and conjure scenes of beautiful lotuses;
some chant mantras and the sky goes dark between heaven and earth.

Some unleash flying blades to sever people's necks;
some radiate light from their bodies and summon generals and troops.

Some make silver coins appear, turning stone to gold;
some catch objects in mid-air and hold pills in their palms.

Should you encounter any of these, do not believe them for a moment;
let them turn heaven and earth upside down — guard your spirit in the valley.

If you do not follow them, they dare not take your life;
but once you join them, your spirit-light is lost for ten thousand kalpas.

The Thunder Mantra is the saving decree of the Three Heavens;
guard the Mysterious Pass, circulate the breath, and lean upon the Mother above.

When a practitioner suffers disaster, do not let resentment rise;
when the eighty-one trials are fulfilled and the bitter practice is done, peace will come of itself.

You must understand how the patriarchs of the Three Teachings became sages:
they accumulated merit without and cultivated the fruit within, and so they entered the Heavenly Capital.

They wrote the scriptures and left them for later generations — a license for transcending the mortal;
apart from this one Mantra, all else produces only a shadow-spirit.

Confucianism nurtures the nature; Buddhism reveals the nature; Daoism refines the nature;
the sages of the Three Teachings all awakened to the one nature — there is no other gate.

There is a kind who receives the Great Dao yet talks and argues in confusion;
they speak of the Dao as though it were real enough, but call the calamity unbelievable.

They do not understand that the Pre-Heaven Dao has been hidden since ancient times;
until the time arrived and the Heavenly Mandate was given, who dared transmit it?

They do not know the scriptures that the various outer sects have guarded;
they do not know what the people of the world are doing and becoming.

All because for sixty thousand years the Buddha-nature has been lost;
even with the Great Dao, lacking merit and burdened with karmic debt, the heart is clouded.

I urge you who can hear — discern the times; the human heart is changing;
from the extreme of order comes chaos, from the extreme of chaos comes order — the old pattern holds.

If you have wealth, build merit early — do not drift in confusion;
embody heaven's rescue-mission — your deeds are recorded in the book of the Three Officials.

When the Great Dao is accomplished, the Nine Grades of the Lotus will be assigned by merit;
this rare bond of sixty thousand years — who would lightly cast it away?

A thousand rooms, yet at night you sleep on eight feet of ground — peacefully, at ease;
ten thousand acres, yet each day you eat three meals — you cannot swallow more than two pints.

And yet the Five Demons are secretly deploying, about to emerge with full force;
one sound, and all things are reduced to ash and dust.

A hall full of wives and children — yet in life and death, each walks alone;
discern good from evil, see clearly — the Great Dao is the true blessing.

These words are written in tears and blood, spoken plainly;
all for the sake of my own flesh and blood, calling the assembly home.

Though unpolished, these true words of feeling — read them often, let the spirit grasp them;
walk this path, and the Nine Grades of the Lotus shall naturally open high.

Five

A letter to the worthy, sent with respects —
read these words and you will know the truth.

The Pre-Heaven Dao of the Limitless —
how could it be easily gained, easily accomplished?

Good and ill — ponder each for yourself;
the Heavenly Mandate is no light thing to bear.

In this Third Period Assembly of Universal Salvation,
the ten thousand kinds each display their spirit.

And so the Great Dao is poured out universally —
true and false alike hear the mandate.

The true face tests and demons without end;
the false wander in confusion like mountain hermits.

The ancients said: where there is Dao, there is the demon;
Dao and demon follow each other like shadow follows form.

Heaven's grace decreed universal salvation;
in the underworld, ghosts weep and spirits tremble.

The moment the root of the Dao is planted,
demons spring up in that very place.

And since the Dao nears completion with such urgency,
the tests and trials are terrifying indeed.

The Nine Provinces and Ten Lands were fixed by Heaven;
to sacrifice the body and turn the great Dharma Wheel.

The Ten Lands each bear their appointed share,
and everywhere the root of the Dao is planted.

Heaven borrowed Zhang Qi to act as the demon;
only then did these tests and trials arise.

This Imperial Wind blew from the four quarters —
all under heaven came to know of it.

Not only were the alien spirits tested out;
even immortals and Buddhas trembled for their souls.

In your honored realm, so many sons of the Buddha
faced the tests without the slightest wavering.

The Old One's crimson letter was shown long ago;
at the appointed times, each received its message.

A single heart of crimson loyalty, bright as the sun —
they would die for the Dao and thereby become true.

Through this test, the leaders are chosen
and the ten thousand spirits of the Ten Directions are fixed.

A true Buddha, tested, does not retreat;
one who is not a Buddha turns to ash and dust.

Now the testing wind has subsided;
conduct your affairs with care and discretion.

When adjusting people, consider who you are adjusting;
when choosing people, seek out the truly sincere.

The forty-eight false patriarchs were sent down by Heaven
to harvest the alien-natured karmic roots.

True sons of the Buddha seek the root and hold fast;
the evil-natured covet and deceive, their natures fixed.

Those who blow hot and cold, shifting allegiance —
how could they attain Buddhahood or become true?

Let them act in chaos as they will —
do not argue or contend with them.

I save my own sons of the Buddha;
they draw in their own beasts and birds.

Even if original souls enter their fold,
it was all arranged by the karma of former kalpas.

The Three Heavens examine with utmost strictness;
spirits patrol and inspect at every moment.

Merit is reported daily —
I urge you all to be careful.

This is no ordinary affair:
this is the work of changing heaven and renewing the earth.

At the Three Assemblies, the Dragon-Sand positions are fixed;
all the Buddhas descend together.

Each fulfills their own vow;
each manages their own journey forward.

When the Dao is clear, beginning and end are clean —
in the mirror of the Lotus Flower, all is made plain.

Though I am hidden far away in a secret place,
my thoughts are always with you.

I obey the Heavenly Mandate to rescue the world;
not for a moment do I dare to pause.

To save the ninety-two thousand original seeds,
the Buddhas are trapped in the red dust.

The matters behind me are grave;
I dare not act or move recklessly.

The wise are cautious in their speech;
never let the secret slip to others.

Today I inform you all,
so that each of you has something to rely on.

If you do not know the hidden workings,
you will bring trouble upon yourselves.

I came with a compassionate heart to save the world,
but instead I bear the world's blame.

This is the number of heaven and earth;
when yin reaches its extreme, yang will be born.

Let those who hold commissions fulfill their duty;
when the Dao is complete, you shall see the Sovereign of the Birthless.

Be bold in heart and careful in action;
in fortune and misfortune, I will send you word.

Build your merit early —
do not waste the hour.

In the Final Gathering, do not act falsely;
do not treat the Great Dao as theater.

If you abandon yourself in despair,
you will lose the journey of the Three Assemblies.

Follow conditions, follow your lot, live each day —
blend with the world, be at peace with your neighbors.

Be lively, complete, and greatly wise;
in sitting and walking, stand in awe of ghosts and spirits.

Watch your seeing, hearing, speaking, and acting;
let the three fears and nine reflections always dwell in you.

Practice long without weariness,
and your nature will settle, your breath will be gentle and at peace.

Your vast qi will fill heaven and earth,
and heaven's principle will flow naturally.

Let life and death be entrusted to Heaven —
walk this way, and your merit will overflow.

Let heaven and earth shatter as they may —
my nature, empty and luminous, endures forever.

The light of sun and moon may be eclipsed,
but my light pierces the whole of heaven and earth.

Before long, disasters will descend together;
before long, the Five Demons will run wild.

Before long, bandits and thieves will plunder;
before long, monsters and spirits will show their forms.

The Three and Five will manifest in the sky,
leading the Five Divisions of thunder.

In the Ten Directions, responding to every need,
the Dao will be proclaimed and the remnant saved.

At that hour, each will be rewarded by their merit;
at that hour, the fruit and the lotus will rise.

At that hour, bodies six feet tall will stand;
at that hour, all will reveal their Dharma-body.

One letter in plain and common words —
may all ascend to the highest grade, the highest vehicle.

Six

From the Guangye Hall I send glad tidings to all my companions;
hear me tell how this Great Dao and its patriarchal lineage came to be.

Because Emperor Wu of Liang loved goodness and his virtue moved heaven and earth,
Patriarch Bodhidharma received the Buddha's decree and descended to the Eastern Land.

Emperor Wu of Liang did not understand the meaning of the coming from the West;
the spirit-light was transmitted, and Puam, Caodong, and four other masters received it.

The Fifth Patriarch Hongren passed on the robe, though the years are lost to record;
the Sixth Patriarch, called Huineng, hid in secret within the burning house.

It was transmitted to the White Horse — the Seventh Patriarch — when the Confucian Dao first arose;
the Eighth Patriarch Luo practiced the Great Dao and sacrificed his own body.

In the Tang dynasty the robe was reclaimed by the Old Mother;
afterward, three thousand sects and alien branches sprang up.

The Pre-Heaven Dao kept its case sealed, never committed to paper,
so that all beings might build merit and await the Three Assemblies.

When the time arrived, the Old Mother commanded the Ninth Patriarch to begin;
for the original souls she revealed the Great Dao — their return to the Limitless was bitter and grievous.

The Tenth Patriarch Wu received the Dharma-ship and governed from the Red Capital;
by the Heavenly Mandate he opened the Great Dao — not even a rooster or dog made a sound.

The tests were so severe there was nowhere to set one's foot;
the Eleventh Patriarch, He Ruo, transmitted the method in full.

Through trials by wind, banished to the Dragon-Li garrison more than once;
the Twelfth Patriarch, Old Man Yuan — his Dao-title was "No Deceit."

With great compassion he bore the Heavenly Mandate, unafraid of suffering;
he opened Yunnan and Guizhou, crossed to western Sichuan — enduring every loneliness.

When he first arrived, the Dao would not take root and no opportunity appeared;
his travel money was gone, his clothes were pawned — sweet potatoes were all he ate.

How pitiful — for three months he ate nothing else, yet his will never faltered;
through bitter practice he moved heaven and earth, and the Great Dao spread wide.

And so the patriarchal lineage, twelve generations, completed one full cycle of heaven;
in the sixth year of Daoguang, the Mother sent down a crimson letter.

She appointed Xu and Yang as the Pre-Heaven yin and yang — the wondrous essence;
together they formed the number of the Three and Five — the River Diagram and the Luo Writing.

When the Two Compassionate Ones opened universal salvation, the testing wind rose with them;
the frightened men and women cried out in suffering and sorrow.

The Five Phases were tested to steady the root of the Dao, awaiting the Ten Lands;
those who followed the demon, seeing the tests, slandered without ceasing.

Those demon-followers grew covetous and lawless, abandoning all propriety;
they issued false commissions, seized leadership, destroyed the patriarch, and deceived the master.

How many men and women, eager for an easy advantage,
joined the demon's ranks and had their names entered in the black register?

If the Buddha does not test, those who joined the demon sit in comfort;
"The higher the Dao, the greater the slander" — the old saying is not false.

At the Assembly of the Five Elders, the Ten Lands united, and the Three Heavens conferred;
the Cloud City was built, the Ten Directions were arrayed, and the Eight Treasures were refined.

Wood and Fire in brightness revealed the Great Dao — the Old Mother showed this long ago;
six persons must return to the Heavenly Palace to deliver the Three Periods.

Metal and Water together — the Nine Provinces guide the sons of the Buddha;
hidden in form, they fish for the worthy and urge the assembly to be discreet.

From the hour of Fire and Ram onward, there will be strange marvels;
I urge you all — hold to the true constant and do not stray into the crooked.

The Imperial Wind tests to separate the pure from the turbid and to settle karmic debts;
the Black Wind tests the cultivator, and the master maintains control.

The demon-heads of the alien spirits will all be made to show themselves;
their mouths produce lotuses, their feet ride clouds — they display every wonder.

Every kind of strange phenomenon is beyond full telling;
the ignorant who greedily follow them lose the celestial ladder.

Awaken to the true merit and practice of the ancient sages;
three thousand acts of merit, eight hundred fruits of virtue — only these attain bodhi.

Without virtue, the Utmost Dao cannot coalesce;
those who believe in the perverse and follow the demonic will in the end be struck by thunder.

There exists right now a kind of demon that ravages every region;
they issue false commissions, seize leadership, and speak confused nonsense about heaven's secrets.

They only deceive the ignorant men and women;
but the wise, hearing what they do, can only laugh.

"All that has form is illusion" — the Buddha's scripture states it plainly;
"Be cautious in what you do not see, be fearful of what you do not hear" — so it is written in the Confucian texts.

The opening of salvation and the final gathering proceed in order;
from patriarch to patriarch, with heaven and humanity joined, only then may it be practiced.

I am commanded by the Three Heavens to seek out the worthy in secret;
according to merit I assign the compassion-boat — I dare not act from private interest.

I urge my friends: walk the human Dao, choose the worthy, and guide them;
if you save people carelessly, seeking only numbers, you will not survive the testing period.

Save one person and hope that they will stand between heaven and earth;
follow the Dharma and naturally you will turn misfortune into blessing.

This is nothing like what the false demon-heads practice;
they use commissions, guarantors, and introductions to hoodwink the foolish.

Today I transmit these words — plain language, true evidence;
I urge all to consider them, savor them, and reflect.

Seven

A letter to the leaders who manage the Dao —
hear me tell you this glad news.

A hundred years of life pass like a dream;
wealth and rank must wither in the end.

Since ancient times the Great Dao has been hard to find;
the heart-method of nature and principle is hard to hear.

How fortunate that you have met the age of universal salvation —
to refine the world and thereby refine yourself.

If through all your kalpas you had no karmic debts,
hearing the Dao in the morning, you could die content by evening and become true.

I urge all — old and young, men and women —
do not treat the Great Dao lightly.

See through the bitter taste of the red dust;
learn the virtue and benevolence of the ancient sages.

Nowadays, teach each person according to their nature;
the Dao is transmitted to those who have reached the utmost goodness.

Without the utmost virtue and the sage's words,
the Utmost Dao cannot coalesce — this is the abiding truth.

Look at the founders of the Three Teachings —
humble, yielding, gentle with others.

In motion and stillness they followed rules and propriety;
they walked in the three fears and nine reflections.

Through a thousand trials and ten thousand sufferings they did not retreat;
their vast qi filled the whole of heaven and earth.

When their outer merit and inner fruit were perfected,
the crimson letter summoned them to the Heavenly Capital.

Suffering carried to its extreme — then the joy of the Pure Land;
their hearts and wills as pure as ice, benevolent and merciful.

You who have received this Great Dao
are also weighed in the Buddha's balance.

If you do not keep a daily record of merit and fault,
over time your heart may drift to bias.

When the heart is biased, the spirits will not protect you;
karmic forces will cloud your aperture and disorder your spirit.

This is why some who receive the Dao fall away —
they abandon themselves and lose their journey.

I urge you all: self-examination is the essential task;
the Great Dao's trials and upheavals are hard to describe.

Heaven and earth are nothing but principle;
the scriptures of the Three Teachings can be studied and argued.

Again and again I send letters of warning —
read them often, reflect deeply on the words.

Do not dismiss them as empty sayings or old clichés;
every sentence is a tear, every word is heart's blood.

I received the Heavenly Mandate and practice the Dao,
unafraid of hardship, tirelessly urging others.

Do not let your fortunate encounter with our Dao be in vain;
understand goodness, restore the beginning, and return to the root.

This single aperture breaks open the celestial secret
and threads together all the scriptures of antiquity.

Be patient, build merit, cultivate virtue —
the Nine Lotuses, the highest grade, shall be yours to ascend.

Eight

A letter to the leaders who manage the Dao —
men and women, each observe the proper rules.

This work is entrusted by both heaven and humanity;
it is nothing like the lesser sects and outer paths.

The redrawing of the lines and exchange of symbols —
yin and yang turn the great Dharma Wheel.

Since ancient times, every sage who attained the Dao
will have their position fixed at this assembly.

The regulations number forty-eight;
the record of merit and fault has long been kept.

The Three Tribunals govern by this law;
for now, the Ten Directions find it hard to practice.

Today I send a few words in plain language,
urging the old and young, men and women alike.

The circle of the Final Gathering holds every kind;
merit determines rank in the Three Vehicles.

In managing affairs, harmony is the most precious virtue;
only the humble and reverent may be called a true person.

Each region has its own appointed leader;
always deliberate together before you act.

Do not insist on your own opinion
or compete for merit and obstruct the Buddha's gate.

Small-mindedness breeds jealousy,
which inevitably gives rise to resentment and anger.

Those who come later will see this and scorn you,
saying your cultivation was not genuine.

Confucianism teaches loyalty and forgiveness;
Buddhism holds compassion as the heart.

Daoism teaches sympathetic response and skillful means;
all of them require abandoning the self to follow others.

The merit of saving souls is no small thing,
but you must discern the good from the bad, the false from the true.

If you bring people in without discernment,
you are treating the Great Dao lightly.

Should you introduce an evil seed who ruins the Dao,
you harm the assembly and drag them down with you.

This is the fault of the three recommenders —
do you think there will be no punishment?

The ancients said: better to bring in thousands and ten thousands
than to train ten into the true.

Let me teach you the method for saving souls —
do not speak of heaven's secrets when urging others.

First you must discuss everyday reason;
gradually reveal the true nature of worldly affairs.

When you see that a person has some sincerity and reverence,
only then give them the scriptures of the ancient sages.

If they are truly a Buddha-child, they will awaken at the sight;
they will surely come to ask and seek the message.

If they are not a Buddha-child, you may call but they will not awaken;
the common saying is that a book is just old writing.

Use this to distinguish the true from the false;
right and wrong will reveal their original form.

Even if a true seeker asks for the Dao,
you must still warn them again and again.

In all things, first be strict, then be easy;
examine a person's history and character.

In these times, people's hearts are not all the same;
what brings no benefit may harm the Buddha's gate.

In the early days, when the ground was first broken and the seed planted,
the worthy and the foolish were both admitted without distinction.

In your honored land, the root of the Dao is established,
and moreover you have already seen the tests.

Let those who hold commissions steer the compassion-boat steadily,
secretly seeking out wise and worthy scholars.

In the matter of recommending others for commissions,
never let it become a matter of personal favor.

The commission-hall is the assembly of the Buddha's leaders;
they must have an exemplary standard of conduct.

Those with wealth should be willing to give, to save the many;
those without wealth can still guide others to the Dao.

After guiding ten or more men and women,
you must also observe the rules and regulations.

You must also examine your own conduct;
you must also eliminate greed and anger.

You must also be willing to endure toil and hardship;
you must also be lively and adept in the world.

You must also humble your heart and dissolve your temper;
you must also not fear life or death.

You must also know people's true character;
you must also be neither arrogant nor boastful.

You must also hold fast to the Great Dao;
know that wealth and rank are but floating clouds.

You must also build some talent and virtue —
only then may you rely on the Buddha to receive a commission.

When the commission is granted, study the ritual text until it is mastered;
do not hold the text while invoking the spirits.

If the ritual text is not memorized,
you shall not be permitted to perform the ceremony for others.

The Heavenly Commission — what manner of affair is this?
It carries the weight and measure of the ninety-six thousand souls.

It governs the authority over the wheel of rebirth;
never treat it as something ordinary.

I urge all to follow the Heavenly Mandate;
when your merit is full, the Nine Grades shall rise high.

All the fine details of the regulations —
visitors shall hear them explained in person.

Nine

A word to the worthy —
cultivate the Dao with sincerity.

See through the sea of suffering —
fame and profit are empty things.

A hundred years pass like a dream —
impermanence will come.

If birth and death are not resolved —
the Six Paths turn, round and round.

The bones you have shed would form a mountain —
yet you do not understand nature and principle.

How fortunate to meet the age of universal salvation —
the Buddhas and patriarchs descend to the Eastern Grove.

The One Thread is made clear —
pointing to the empty spirit within.

The outer paths are swept away —
ten thousand methods return to the root.

Build merit and dissolve your karmic debt —
the ledger of grudges must be cleared.

The Great Dao has its tests —
the eighty-one disaster-stars.

The true son of the Buddha endures —
guarding the Yellow Court unto death.

Those who are not Buddha-children retreat from the tests —
they blame heaven and resent humanity.

Those who do good yet suffer disaster —
it truly terrifies the heart.

When the righteous are imprisoned and punished —
the rootless are frightened into retreat.

All the demons ravage the Dao —
displaying their awesome power.

Those with shallow roots see and believe them —
they mistake the false for true and abandon the real.

They break their vows —
drinking wine and eating meat.

They foolishly compare themselves to the ancients —
but they do not understand the principle.

Heaven and earth love life —
yet these ones will not consider it.

The scriptures of the Three Teachings —
what do they say of the Heavenly Dao?

The earth is yin, heaven is yang —
two roads, two paths.

Humanity receives both yin and yang —
the pure and the turbid are not yet sorted.

Without receiving the Great Dao —
how can you nourish the empty spirit?

Even with merit and virtue,
at death you become only a shadow-spirit.

You cannot transcend the Three Realms;
when your blessings are spent, you are reborn.

Awaken and plant virtue —
blessings may yet increase.

But if you remain deluded —
the sins you create are beyond telling.

Lord Yama judges by the law —
he does not yield to personal feelings.

If you have received the Dao —
return to the root, go home.

Follow your nature, preserve your heart —
and keep the Dao-friends forever close.

Cultivation is the most urgent task —
banish desire and clarify the mind.

When private desire is purified completely —
heaven's principle flows freely.

The ten thousand differences return to the one —
in wondrous union, all condenses.

United with the Dao, become true —
the true nature communicates with the spirit.

Cut the thread of form —
empty the body of color.

The Dharma Wheel turns of itself —
the great work is accomplished.

Clarify the mind, see the nature —
the spirit-light blazes forth.

When merit is full and the fruit is ripe —
the crimson letter comes to welcome you.

Shed the mortal body —
ride the crane and ascend.

In the lotus flower, make your home —
you shall attend the audience of the Three Pure Ones.

According to merit, the fruit is fixed —
the Nine Grades and Three Vehicles.

Your departed ancestors are delivered —
together you shall dwell in the Lotus Capital.

Forever enjoying the utmost bliss —
neither perishing nor being born.

Again I urge the leaders —
manage affairs according to each person.

Know how to use the long and the short —
deliberate three times before you act.

Above, be compassionate; below, be filial —
let each person examine themselves.

Among your own kind, be harmonious —
you reverence me, I reverence you.

Teach the rules and regulations often —
only then will there be a true standard.

Those who defy and transgress —
harm no one but themselves.

In every movement and action —
stand in awe of ghosts and spirits.

If treachery and greed are not removed —
how can you ascend to the Heavenly Court?

Consider the ancient sages —
what manner of heart did they have?

They gave their merit to others —
their virtue threaded heaven and earth.

Only thus could they be models for all ages —
their names remembered for ten thousand generations.

How much more so in this Final Gathering —
returning to the root and becoming true.

Heaven and hell —
each person walks their own way.

In these times of breaking new ground —
you must observe the proper order.

Those who guide and those who open the Dao —
each masters one skill.

The merit of guiding is hard and bitter —
its virtue runs very deep.

The merit of opening the Dao requires clear principle —
the Three Teachings must be mastered.

Robes and cap must be dignified —
only then will seekers follow.

Teach until people believe —
only then is the Dao truly honored.

Proclaim the Dao in this way —
and the alien kinds cannot enter.

Everywhere the Dao will flourish —
merit and fruit will overflow.

If you do not follow this way —
you cannot transform the wise.

If you open the Dao carelessly to all —
you will not survive the testing period.

Your effort will be wasted —
your good time squandered.

I urge the assembly to live frugally —
let cherishing blessings be your heart.

When you take on the work of opening the Dao —
you must first establish your own character.

Humble your heart, gentle your manner —
neither arrogant nor boastful.

Embody the ancient sages —
neither greedy nor wrathful.

A heart wholly devoted to compassion —
merit and fruit will grow of their own accord.

Stand as an example —
and both humans and spirits will admire you.

When at last your merit is complete —
the Nine Lotuses, the highest grade, shall be yours.

One letter written in blood —
may all take heed and listen.

Ten

From the Guangye Hall I send glad tidings, in plain words —
those with karmic affinity who receive the Great Dao must understand the principle clearly.

Carrying the Buddha's decree, steering the compassion-boat, obeying the Heavenly Mandate —
following the regulations, proclaim the wondrous Dao and bring back the remnant souls.

The patriarchs of former generations have set the standard for this work;
fortune and misfortune, success and failure, good and ill — all must be discerned.

At this hour the root of the Dao is established, and order must be maintained;
whether building merit or cultivating the fruit, you must embody the regulations.

When granting the Heavenly Commission and choosing the worthy, first you must inquire;
to lead others, the patriarch must have virtue — the merit will follow naturally.

First, one must have integrity and be willing to correct one's faults;
every action, every deed of merit and fruit, must be wholly sincere.

Second, one's mouth and heart must match — in all affairs, be loyal and trustworthy;
understand the Great Dao, know the tests, and not grow angry even at the sacrifice of one's life.

Third, one must be willing to cultivate the mind — this is the root of the Dao;
restore the original nature, transform the temperament, and virtue will be unshakable.

Fourth, one must not be competitive, and guard one's speech carefully;
without the self, without arrogance — conquer the self in dealing with others.

Fifth, one must have a firm center and examine oneself three times daily;
observe the three fears, embody the nine reflections, and deliver all beings.

Sixth, one must be able to yield and endure, living in harmony with all;
respect those above, love those below — without any pride or conceit.

Seventh, one must be willing to give when one has wealth, untrapped by possessions;
embody heaven's rescue-mission — only this deserves the name of a true person.

Eighth, the Buddha-hall and spirit-altar must be kept clean and pure;
end the wheel of rebirth, abstain from slaughter — do not raise the four kinds of livestock.

Ninth, read the scriptures and let the spirit comprehend and the heart receive;
recite with the mouth and contemplate with the mind — study the ancient sages.

Tenth, in practicing the Great Dao, teach each person according to their nature;
never tire of learning, never tire of teaching — do not shrink from toil and hardship.

If you uphold these ten requirements, then you may bear this responsibility;
if you recommend and commission carelessly, tests and trials will inevitably come.

To receive the Heavenly Commission and become a teacher — you must purge every flaw;
your speech must have order, your conduct must have integrity.

When fellow practitioners discuss the Dao, never argue or contend;
the Pre-Heaven Dao's principle is inexhaustible — each person has their depth.

Among humans, loyalty and forgiveness are endowments of the Pre-Heaven;
literary talent is of the Post-Heaven — acquired through study.

One may lack learning yet possess virtue — the gates of heaven will open;
but without virtue, even with great learning, the Heavenly Court is closed.

Old and young, worthy and foolish — treat each with respect;
have you not considered that the sages of the Three Teachings held humility as their highest honor?

King Yu, hearing a good word, bowed — what deep humility;
Zilu, hearing that he had erred, rejoiced and did not grow angry.

A person of talent without arrogance is a vessel for sagehood;
one who gossips about right and wrong is a sinner within the Buddha's gate.

"They say good things here, bad things there" — the Buddha despises this most;
if you do not change quickly, your own nature will drag you back into the wheel.

In the Heavenly Palace, there is no disordered Buddha or sage;
no treacherous, greedy person has ever entered the Jasper Capital.

No one who defied heaven has prospered to the end;
no one who created evil has become an immortal or sage.

If you were deluded before but awaken now, heaven will still show compassion;
quickly establish virtue, seek repentance — then you may yet ascend.

Do not imitate those who work for the demon and deceive the Heavenly Mandate;
they deceive others, they deceive themselves — it is like covering one's ears to steal a bell.

They practice things with visible form and talk nonsense;
they never speak of cultivating nature and principle — they only dream of attaining the Dao.

They take the Pre-Heaven Dao and transmit it in confusion;
they do not teach the Buddha's precepts and throw the patriarch's rules into disorder.

Do they not know that to learn the way of the sages, the desires of the heart must first be rectified?
Rectify the heart, make the will sincere — only then can you speak of self-cultivation.

The sages of the Three Teachings wrote the scriptures as a measuring rod for the lost;
they feared the original souls would follow the demon kind and lose their way home.

They feared the original souls would believe in sorcery and become blind to their endowed nature;
the principles for governing the world and the Dao for transcending the mortal — all are set forth clearly.

Consider, everyone: this Great Dao has been secret since ancient times;
until the appointed hour, without the Heavenly Mandate, who dared reveal it?

I urge you leaders: hold your ground steady in every direction;
keep the original souls from joining the demon's domain and falling into the depths.

When guiding and training people, look at their moral character and teach accordingly;
observe what they do, observe their motives — distinguish the truth of the situation.

If someone offers a contribution of merit, do not accept it carelessly;
examine the origin of their offering — what prompted it, and why.

If they are truly someone who understands moral principle and has long been sincere,
then they may bow before the Buddha and their petition may be sent to the Heavenly Capital.

A leader who uses these contributions must always be frugal;
at the Dragon-Flower Assembly, when the accounts are audited, every fraction is recorded.

Those who contributed will be assigned to the Three Vehicles and Nine Grades according to their merit;
but those who misused the funds will face a terrifying reckoning.

All the Buddhas and patriarchs have no peace because of this;
it has worried the Old Mother of the Limitless — her heart is never at rest.

I hope you all will embody heaven's intention and rescue souls from this calamity;
proclaim the Great Dao, speak of nature and principle, and illuminate the past and present.

Follow the method and practice the Great Dao — the Buddhas will bless you with good fortune;
build merit without and cultivate virtue within — each day brighter than the last.

Only then will your descent to the Eastern Land to bear the Mother's command be worthwhile;
only then will your departure from the Heavenly Palace to hold the helm have meaning.

Endure the suffering, then return to the Pure Land — what immeasurable blessing;
the Mother of the Limitless will rejoice, the Buddhas will love you, and heaven and humanity will honor you.

This great karmic bond cannot be received in ten thousand kalpas;
in motion save others, in stillness save yourself — do not pause for a moment.

Know that a hundred years of life pass like the blink of a dream;
wealth, rank, fame, and profit are all comparable to floating clouds.

Learn from Fuxi, who bowed to Yuhua and fixed the Pre-Heaven trigrams;
learn from the Yellow Emperor, who sought the Dao and visited Guangcheng three times.

Learn from Han Xiangzi, who cultivated heavenly rank and attained the fruit of the Eight Immortals;
learn from Shakyamuni, who abandoned his throne and searched bitterly for the Lamp-Lighting Buddha.

Learn from Patriarch Lü, who met Zhengyang and endured ten tests without harm;
learn from Cihang, whose heart of world-salvation won her the eternal title of Guanyin.

Learn from Patriarch Qiu, who established bitter practice and endured hunger and humiliation;
learn from Master Zeng, who penetrated the one thread and resolved life and death.

Learn from Ma and Sun, the married couple who cultivated together and ascended to the Lotus Grade;
learn from the monk Tripitaka, who feared no suffering on the journey to fetch the scriptures from the West.

The ancient sages who received the Great Dao were first tested and examined;
only after ten thousand tests without retreat was the Dao shared with them.

Now, in the Third Period calamity, the positions of heaven and earth are fixed;
and so the Great Dao has been universally transmitted throughout the Eastern Grove.

Immortals and Buddhas, beasts and birds are mixed together in the dust;
some as brothers, some as parent and child, some as husband and wife.

Look: those who do evil are respected by family and friends;
yet the moment this Dao is transmitted, tests and demons arrive together.

Fathers block, husbands and wives quarrel, friends and family all turn hostile;
the whole crowd rages, as though the practitioner were a thorn in their eye.

No matter how you explain the principle of the Three Teachings, they refuse to believe;
they insist that this is a heretical cult and demand you eat meat.

Consider: what is the root of their bitter opposition?
It is because they are not of the immortal-Buddha kind — they are of the beast-bird kind.

Those with great roots gather the four appearances and hold fast to the Buddha's path;
no matter how many tens of thousands of tests come, they are neither afraid nor startled.

But a petty earthbound immortal — how could they survive this trial?
One glimpse of a demon's roar and their courage shatters, their soul scatters.

I urge you, pilgrims on the Western Journey — hold your staffs steady;
do not imitate the monk Xuanzang, who showed compassion to all without distinction.

Again and again he was trapped by demons, bound and chained;
you should instead learn from Sun Wukong, whose transformations mastered every spirit.

That fine book, Journey to the West, tells of tests and demons in full;
it was all written as an inscription of truth for those who practice the Dao.

At this hour, when guiding people, choose the worthy and lead them;
if a person truly seeks the Dao with sincerity, then lay out the precepts clearly.

Above all, tobacco and alcohol must be given up first — they must not be consumed;
alcohol disorders the nature, tobacco harms the spirit — they are the root cause of the Dao's ruin.

Alcohol and tobacco damage the organs — the Three Treasures are diminished;
I fear that at the hour of death, the gates of heaven will not open for you.

You must observe the Buddha's precepts before you can point to the nature and its restoration;
once the vow is made, the Mysterious Pass is transmitted — pointing directly to the seeing of the nature.

Preserve the heart, nourish the nature, align with heaven's destiny;
transform the temperament, purify principle — return to the root and restore your life.

The great spirit-source, the true sovereign — the original body of the Limitless;
it pervades the sand-worlds and fills the void — there is nowhere it is not.

It enters water and fire without burning or drowning; it passes through metal and stone unobstructed;
neither born nor perishing, neither defiled nor pure.

The true root-source threads the Three Realms and communicates in all Ten Directions;
when the four false appearances are swept away and all human craving is gone, the Great Dao is accomplished.

Transmit it this way, and the student will advance with bold and fierce effort;
if you transmit it as a package deal, they will treat it as something ordinary.

There are many who receive the Great Dao and believe in their hearts,
yet they only memorize the mantra by rote and never cultivate themselves.

They say: "I have the mantra — why should I be in a hurry?
Let me settle my worldly affairs first, and then I'll build my merit."

Even if they understand the scriptures and can speak until others awaken,
it is like holding a melon and knowing only the fragrance but not the taste.

Should the Three Heavens send down a test, their hearts will have no anchor;
after a few reversals, their minds and natures grow confused, and they are ready to eat meat again.

"The Dao cannot be departed from for a single moment" — so the Confucian scripture teaches;
it instructs those who come later: receive the heart-transmission and awaken fully to the empty spirit.

When you receive the Great Dao, you must awaken to the one principle behind the three articles;
you must awaken to the truth that the Dao is not two — ten thousand methods return to one.

You must awaken to the fact that the four limbs and the nature all obey the one command;
released, it fills the six directions; withdrawn, it hides within the smallest seed.

You must awaken to the Buddha's heart-seal and learn to distinguish true from false;
advance diligently, open the wisdom — wash away the dullness and confusion.

You must awaken to what it is like when the Great Dao is accomplished —
only then will you be worthy of having encountered the heart-method in its fullness.

Nourish the outer merit, cultivate the inner virtue — let each day bring progress;
nurture the nine-bend pearl until the spirit-light blazes forth.

When merit and practice are full, the crimson letter calls, and you shed the shell and become a sage;
golden boys receive you, jade maidens welcome you, and you ride the crane to the clouds.

You attend the Duke of Wood and pay respects to the Golden Mother — in landscapes of transcendent joy;
immortal robes are bestowed, sashes of rank are given — each according to their merit.

A body six feet tall, shining bright — eternal joy, the true self, purity;
delivering your ancestors and being called a person of great filial piety — your name marked for ten thousand ages.

Let disasters stir and heaven and earth be remade —
only the Dao is at peace, and the Dharma is at ease, without worry or alarm.

Today I send this letter — do not call it shallow;
I hope each of you will take it to heart, as though I spoke to you in person.

On that day at the Dragon-Flower Assembly, when the Peach Banquet is shared and all rejoice,
you shall receive heaven's rank, neither born nor perishing — in joy eternal as the spring.

Eleven

From the Guangye Hall I send glad tidings, with bows to the old and young;
hear me tell you how the Dao is being managed in the present day.

When you see these rough-written words, take them as though I stood before you;
I urge you all to embody the Heavenly Mandate and cultivate diligently, both within and without.

Since ancient times this Great Dao has been revealed only at the appointed time;
without great merit, without great virtue, it can neither be heard nor sought.

First you must have merit with the world before you may receive it;
once gained, a thousand and ten thousand tests — learn endurance and humility.

Which of the sages of the Three Teachings did not suffer?
"The higher the Dao, the greater the slander; the higher the virtue, the greater the defamation" — the name is not falsely won.

By the Heavenly Mandate, the scriptures were written and prepared long in advance;
all for the sake of universal salvation in the final age.

The law of the Three Tribunals — the reports of suffering and joy — are all set forth in detail;
they instruct the human heart: observe these faithfully and avoid the Three Paths of woe.

Over long ages, turbid qi has arisen and ruined the cosmos;
defying heaven's principle, killing, stealing, lusting — cunning, deceitful, treacherous.

They respect the wicked and bully the good — there is no innate goodness left;
their sins have created boundless grudges, and calamity flows like a flood.

Heaven is not at peace, earth is not at rest — and so the calamity was ordained;
every five hundred years a great disaster comes, and the sages descend.

All the Buddhas and patriarchs have suffered enough bitterness to save the world;
how many have lost their heads to tyrants and villains?

Now the human heart has grown as vicious as wolves and dogs;
face to face they speak of benevolence and righteousness, but their hearts hide scorpion venom.

They have made the sacred scriptures into tools for grasping fame and profit;
the true sages of the Three Teachings weep tears of blood, their throats choked with sorrow.

At the assembly before the Lord on High, the calamity was reviewed, and the time for universal salvation declared;
the Buddhas and patriarchs descended together to steer the boat through the sea of suffering.

They broke open the scriptures of the Three Teachings, explaining beginning and end;
they spoke of nature and principle, of the Heavenly Dao, urging diligent cultivation.

All the sages are trapped in the Eastern Land for the sake of this calamity;
in the Guimao year, the Five Phases were commanded to deploy across the Ten Lands.

The assembly of heaven and humanity — now present, now hidden — the Cloud City was forged;
in the courts of the underworld, the wronged ghosts heard and wept, overturning hell itself.

The ten Kings of the Courts conferred together and submitted their petition;
the Lord on High, impartial in justice, approved the decree.

The hells were opened wide, and together they came to obstruct the Dao;
they caused Zhou Wan and Zhang Qi to stir up disaster.

In an instant, the righteous were shackled hand and foot;
they suffered punishment like criminals, seated in prison.

Those who cultivated suffered injustice — tested ninety-nine times;
the Buddhas and patriarchs bore the disasters — the Ten Directions shook with alarm.

The alien spirits were rooted out and the true seedlings revealed through silent, hidden salvation;
but now, when fishing for original souls, do not follow the methods of the past.

There are the regulations of the Three Periods — proclaiming the Dao without error;
you must learn from the Grand Duke Jiang, who fished with a straight hook at the Wei River.

Study the scriptures that have been transmitted — reflect on each one deeply;
use them as the precious raft for proclaiming the Dao — explain the orthodox and the deviant thoroughly.

An original soul who sees this book will ask for the path of awakening;
then, slowly, following the method, point them toward the Cinnabar Hill.

Teach the student step by step, so that each level is penetrated;
when you transmit to one person, hope that they will bring their merit to completion.

When someone first enters the Dao, only teach them to build virtue and save themselves;
do not send them out to open the Dao and steer the boat.

Think: they have just entered the gate, confused and muddled;
they do not yet know when to advance or retreat — the principles are not yet ripe in them.

At this time there are many outer sects with false, self-proclaimed leaders;
they memorize a few old alchemical texts and boast of their own mastery.

There are others with false spirit-altars that use strange wonders as bait;
they wear the names of false immortals, enjoy the incense offerings, and feast on wine and meat.

The Heavenly Demon, seeing our Dao, is filled with great fury;
every kind of slander rises in a torrent that reaches the stars.

If you encounter these demons who come to obstruct the Dao,
do not let a few reversals send you tumbling back into the pit.

They claim to be true immortals and bow before the Buddha;
they eat meat and drink wine and say they will become Buddhas — their hearts are content and easy.

A truly wise person takes the Three Teachings and debates them at their own altar;
pursue them to the root of the Heavenly Dao, the principle of nature and life.

The blood-and-corpse spirits may know worldly matters and wield the brush with skill;
but ask them about the Heavenly Dao, and their hearts tremble and their faces flush with shame.

Those who do not understand principle — honest, simple folk — should hold to the Dao they have received;
there is no need to go out and preach — at home, cultivate with devotion.

Fulfill your human duty and follow the Heavenly Dao — be both mortal and sage;
according to your means, contribute what you can to support the Dao.

Practice long without weariness, and merit will overflow and the fruit will be attained;
labor devotedly, and heaven's heart will be moved — your sins will naturally be redeemed.

Without virtue, how can karma be dissolved? The Dao is hard to preserve;
I fear the Three Heavens will send their tests, and you will not survive the furnace.

Now, those who hold great leadership must sweep away the dust and filth;
without attachments, without fear — so the wind cannot entangle you.

If you want to teach others, first teach yourself — examine your own mouth and heart;
embody the conduct of the ancient sages, and purge all vanity.

Those whose conduct is not upright ruin the Buddha's precepts — the spirits will not protect them;
they boast of their ability, they cannot cooperate — they stand isolated like a tower.

If they are treacherous and greedy, no one will associate with them — they stink by their own hand;
if they will not reform, they are not of my lineage — not bone and blood of the Spirit Mountain.

Look at Fu, Jiang, and Zhou, who defied heaven and acted falsely;
they relied on their great power — yet now they are ruined. Whose fault is it?

The demon-followers' names are left to posterity — a lasting shame;
they harmed original souls and dragged them into the wheel of rebirth — when will those grudges end?

I urge you all: embody the three fears, and let humility lead;
never follow your own temperament and refuse to shed your flaws.

At this hour, sins and faults can still be redeemed through repentance;
if you do not awaken now, when the Dao is made plain, you will weep until your throat breaks.

Confucian loyalty and forgiveness, Buddhist compassion, the Daoist way of sympathetic response —
which treacherous, greedy person ever ascended to the Isle of the Blessed?

Between heaven and earth, good and evil deeds — the net is loose but nothing escapes;
how much more so in cultivating heaven's rank — could there be no spirits watching?

In this assembly the Dharma Wheel turns, the stars shift, the Dipper moves;
heaven and humanity labor together, the Three Tribunals are busy — do not treat this as ordinary.

In practicing the Dao, befriend those of good virtue;
when there are mistakes, they can point them out — so you do not become commonplace.

You advise them, they advise you — the two of you grow close;
"Virtue is not alone; it must have neighbors" — the ancient sage's clear instruction.

Follow my method in guiding and training people, and the path will not lead to failure;
proclaim the Great Dao, learn from the sages — conquer the self and endure humiliation.

The wise understand heaven's principle — do not let go;
one lifetime of suffering, ten thousand kalpas of joy — enjoy heaven's bounty forever.

Know that the blessings of the red dust — fame and profit — do not last;
live a hundred years and it is like a spring dream — before you know it, your hair is white.

Do not say that cultivating the Great Dao means tests and demons are savage;
without the test, the true and the false, the pure and the turbid, would all be mixed together.

Consider: the ninety-six thousand souls have been in the wheel of rebirth for so long;
their temperaments are fixed, their sins piled up like mountains.

Now, with universal salvation proclaimed across the world and the Dao being transmitted everywhere,
if no tests were sent down, how could the karma of the original souls be dissolved?

Demons and monsters have rushed to this assembly, hoping to glimpse the Peach Banquet;
without the test, how could they be kept from sneaking into the Heavenly Capital?

Consider even the examinations for worldly offices and ranks —
first the spirits and ghosts must be invited to seek out old debts to settle.

Decades of worldly glory are secretly twisted by ghosts and spirits;
how much more so in cultivating the Heavenly Dao, whose name endures for ten thousand ages?

This Final Gathering is governed by the same principle and law for both heaven and humanity;
I have explained it clearly — when you encounter a test, do not shrink back.

In times of peace, guard against lustful thoughts — save yourself from within;
observe the four restraints, sweep away the four false appearances — let purity and stillness come first.

Hold to this until mind and will are clear, and you have returned to the origin, restored the root;
when you have recognized your original nature, it will penetrate heaven and earth.

The wise awaken easily; the dull find practice hard — the deluded are mortal, the awakened are sage;
investigate things, be still, make the will sincere — the nature is restored to the beginning.

Honor virtue and pursue inquiry — the sovereign nature, body complete;
eliminate the seven emotions, extinguish the three poisons — the primal spirit first grows clear.

Understand the substance, comprehend the function — from the subtle to the manifest;
attain the Mean and Harmony, and heaven and earth take their places, and all things are nourished.

Filling the six directions, hidden in a mustard seed — without inside, without outside;
the four continents and beyond the eight extremes — one principle threads through all.

The nature returns to its root, heart and will are resolved — do not forget, do not force;
desires are removed, the original nature returns — the four limbs grow soft and open.

Observe the self-existent — it is your own nature, never apart from your own body;
the Buddha increases in radiance, the Dharma Wheel turns — only then can the circle be completed.

Silently, the great work is accomplished — without sound, without scent;
you must wait for merit and fruit to be complete before you shed the shell.

To accomplish the circle within your own body is no easy thing;
how much less the work of heaven and earth — is there any easy plan?

How many receive the Dao and immediately expect to witness the Assembly?
Without merit, without fruit — when the Dao is revealed, on what grounds would you seek joy?

Do they know the depth of heaven's compassion?
If a single lotus is lacking, the Dragon-Flower Assembly cannot be convened.

At this time, open new ground, and let business accompany the work;
use the livelihood to shelter the body, and build extraordinary merit blended with the world.

In these days, when hearts are corrupt and karmic foes are howling,
a business shields the body, and makes it easier to search.

The ninety-six thousand children are in every place of suffering;
if you are too hasty and transmit to the wrong person, you will block the path for the worthy.

Settle in one place, find a guiding thread, patiently endure and hold your ground;
with sincerity, move and awaken the spirits — naturally the worthy disciples will come.

Follow my method and the merit and fruit will be attained;
at the Dragon-Flower Assembly, attain the highest grade — joy without end.

Twelve

A letter to all friends —
read these words as though I stood before you.

To cultivate the Dao you must follow the rules;
when humanity and spirits are one body, the Dao flourishes.

This is nothing like the outer sects and lesser paths,
where people act and speak in confusion as they please.

This Dao is the meeting of heaven and humanity;
the Three Tribunals turn the great Dharma Wheel.

The scriptures of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism
set forth the way of governing the world and transcending the world.

The Three Tribunals record suffering and joy in full;
the difference lies only in awakening or delusion.

Fuxi first drew the Eight Trigrams,
teaching humanity to shun evil and draw near to good.

Heaven and earth cannot escape the workings of creation;
how much less a person, when spirits watch from above?

The Three Terraces and the Northern Dipper are above your head;
good and evil are recorded to the finest thread.

The Three Corpse-Spirits dwell within your body;
on the Gengshen day they report what you have done.

"Blessings for the good, disaster for the wicked" — never failing;
retribution, sooner or later, is never dim.

How much more so in cultivating this Great Dao —
I urge you all: embody the three fears and follow them.

First, cherish your blessings above all else;
mortal and sage alike must practice frugality.

In this assembly we attain the Dao within the burning house;
it is not like renouncing the world to become a monk.

To live on others' offerings exclusively —
do you know that even offerings carry the expectation of merit?

I urge the assembly: be half mortal, half sage;
do not let the precious hours of light pass in vain.

At home, teach your children with propriety;
do not let them associate with wicked companions.

The sacred scriptures must not go unread;
read them and you will understand past and present.

The Treatise on Response and Retribution is the law of heaven;
read it often, embody it — and the spirits will honor you.

The Record of Merit and Fault is a useful practice;
it governs the heart, purges falsehood, and makes you true.

In these times, dragons and snakes are mixed together;
to practice the Dao you must weigh and consider carefully.

We are mortals in bodies of flesh —
how can we distinguish the turbid from the pure?

In choosing leaders to manage the Dao —
hear my instructions on how to find them.

When entering the Dao, value virtue above wealth;
humble the heart, receive instruction with true sincerity.

When at fault, acknowledge it at once and repent;
when others correct you, be willing to change and listen gladly.

Spend money with the fear of spending too much;
in every action, be loyal, trustworthy, genuine, and reverent.

Manage affairs without a trace of negligence;
be able to bend and be able to stand.

Examine yourself daily in your conduct;
when difficulty comes, neither fear nor flinch.

When you have merit, do not boast of it yourself;
when you have faults, do not push them onto others.

Through a thousand demons and ten thousand trials,
hold the Dao and guard your benevolence unto death.

Such a one may be the Buddha's model
and may hold the helm of the compassion-boat.

But those of corrupted temperament — hear me list the flaws of the student:

Some, in building merit, are competitive —
they care only for empty fame and hollow reputation.

Some see wealth and greedily seize it —
they do not fear heaven, earth, ghosts, or spirits.

Some conceal their mistakes —
and when others speak of it, they will die before admitting it.

Some love flattering words —
but let anyone correct them, and anger fills their heart.

When others are agreeable with them, all is well;
but ask them to be agreeable with others, and they cannot.

Some spend money without restraint —
never thinking of where it came from or how hard it was earned.

Despicable are those who show one face and hide another —
they turn with every wind, steering the boat wherever it blows.

They manage affairs without thinking of consequences —
they treat the regulations as idle reading.

Some are arrogant, conceited, and deceitful —
they boast only of their own ability.

They always say that others are not good enough —
yet they never examine themselves.

Some rely on their own learning and talent —
lofty and proud, swollen with conceit.

They do not know how precious the Heavenly Mandate is;
they speak recklessly about the patriarch's rules and order.

Their inner virtue goes uncultivated;
they have polished only one pair of lips.

When there is profit, they scramble to do the work;
when there is none, their heads retract like a turtle.

Some who have received students below them
only think of being fed by them for life.

All of it is scheming for clothing and food,
hiding the merit of leading others toward the good.

In peaceful times they are bold and stir up trouble;
when trouble comes, they have no skills to manage it.

Any leader who has these flaws —
if they will not correct them, how can they ascend to heaven?

It matters not how eloquent or talented they are —
never recommend them for a major responsibility.

Tell them to cultivate virtue at home;
pray to the Buddha and lighten their karma.

When merit is high, karmic debts dissolve;
study the true, abandon the false, and the heart grows clear.

If they are willing to listen and reform, they can still be saved;
heaven loves those who correct their faults.

But those who have long been demon-followers —
few within the Dao dare to discipline them.

Indulged in their temperament and stubborn will,
over time they naturally grow arrogant and conceited.

They squander others' merit and offerings —
what virtue or merit can they present?

The karma of past kalpas is hard to erase;
now they owe the Buddha's account, and the debt grows.

Do they know that the Great Dao carries the Heavenly Mandate,
which opens the underworld and draws out the condemned?

Were it not for the protection of the Buddhas and patriarchs,
their own karmic creditors would already have found them.

That is why I urge again and again —
be careful, everyone, be watchful.

And with the Heavenly Demon now fully loosed,
wandering heaven and earth without restraint —

if you act wrongly and defy principle,
your heart will darken and your spirit-light will turn black.

When humanity and spirit no longer match,
the Buddhas will not protect you — the demon will enter.

It enters your aperture and you are no longer yourself;
in a daze, you call yourself a patriarch.

Do you think the authorities above will not investigate?
This is used as a test for the Dao.

It tests the greedy who seek easy advantage;
it tests those who covet high position.

The sins pile higher and higher;
ghost-envoys lead them to break their vows and eat meat.

Examine everything the demon-followers do —
they never speak of the wondrous Dao or self-cultivation.

Their words do not match the scriptures;
they only use the coming calamity to frighten people.

First they use these things to hoodwink the crowd;
second, they use them to collect money.

They do not farm or work;
they have no business or trade of any kind.

The old saying goes: sit idle and even a mountain crumbles;
the lazy glutton will surely become poor.

In a few years their family fortune is spent;
they do not care what becomes of them later.

I follow the Three Heavens in practicing the Dao —
I teach people to manage their homes with diligence and thrift.

"Great wealth comes from heaven" — so the sages say;
"Small wealth comes from hard work" — so the proverb goes.

Only a rare few with a gentleman's aspiration
worry about the Dao and not about poverty.

Too much money brings harm;
too little makes things difficult.

Take money only through righteous means;
in buying and selling, be fair and honest.

Our Dao rescues the multitude from suffering;
the demon-followers drag people down into the pit.

Everything they say is the speech of ghosts;
they covet the moment when the Dao is revealed and the glory shines.

They never consider the founders of the Three Teachings —
who all gave up profit and fame for the sake of the Dao.

Confucius abandoned his official post
and wandered the kingdoms, teaching the people.

Shakyamuni was a crown prince of the Brahma Kings;
having attained the Dao, he would not ascend the great throne.

Hai Chan was originally a prime minister;
meeting the Dao, he retired from the world to cultivate the true.

The Yellow Emperor, for the sake of the Dao,
visited Guangcheng, the Great True One, three times.

Having attained the Dao, he would not sit on his throne;
at Dinghu, he shed his shell and rode the dragon.

Since ancient times, every patriarch who attained the Dao
viewed wealth and rank as floating clouds.

How pitiful, then — a certain kind of men and women
who love to listen to the demon-followers' ghost-talk.

Because of greed and delusion, they lose sight of principle;
they kill, they cheat, they steal, they commit every wrong.

Black qi chokes the cosmos;
heaven, earth, and the spirits have no peace.

And so the Three Disasters and Eight Calamities come;
the karmic creditors seek repayment without ceasing.

The Buddhas cannot bear to watch it
and descend by decree to transform the red dust.

They urge people to do good and reform;
eat vegetarian, abstain from killing, release living beings.

They explain the scriptures of the Three Teachings clearly;
they point to the one thread of the Pre-Heaven emptiness and spirit.

Outwardly build hidden merit to dissolve karma;
inwardly cultivate the nature, life, and primal spirit.

Morning and evening, burn incense and pray —
repay the debt to heaven, earth, sovereign, and parents.

This is the method for transcending the calamity;
when merit and practice are complete, you become true.

The scriptures and holy words of the Three Teachings
are the sacred text for cultivating the self.

Those who recite them dissolve disasters and resolve calamity;
with sincerity, they can even deliver the souls of the departed.

How much more so when the teachings are lived in the body —
how could you not ascend to the Heavenly Court?

Yet how sad — the demon-followers
have harmed countless men and women.

Using others' money is a small matter;
but to ruin someone's cultivation — that is the great crime.

They issue false commissions, guiding men and women astray —
how could their names ever be inscribed on heaven's roster?

This is the gravest sin of all;
for ten thousand kalpas they will never be delivered.

Their own fall is of their own making;
but they have dragged nine generations of ancestors into the darkness.

This too is because the ancestors lacked virtue;
when heaven opens the Yellow Path, it is rarely heard.

I instruct the leaders of our Dao:
when accepting someone, examine their background.

For three generations of ancestors, there must be no grave offense;
only then may you point them to the One Thread and the Majestic Sound.

Follow the regulations in conduct and practice;
avoid the Lord on High's rebuke and punishment.

Furthermore, when the worthy wish to contribute,
never accept a single coin carelessly.

Let the person receive the Dao and taste its value —
let them know how precious and rare it truly is.

If they have surplus, let them buy this field of Buddha's merit;
nine generations of ancestors and seven lines of descendants will share the blessing.

But do not let them borrow money to make an offering;
the interest grows day and night.

If their grandfather or father was a butcher or dealer in flesh,
not a single coin from them may be accepted.

Tell them there is other merit they can build;
this particular merit is not easy to bear.

In these days, young and old who cultivate the self
should do good without proclaiming it.

Because of the rebellion in Guangxi,
so many soldiers and officers have been harmed.

The real cause was the poison of the foreign opium;
the soldiers had the craving in their bodies.

On the field of battle, facing the enemy line,
when the craving struck, their bodies went soft and their heads spun.

The other side's troops were fierce and vigorous;
knowing victory was certain before the battle was joined.

They did not say it was the opium that ruined them —
they claimed the other side had powerful magic.

They called it "vegetarians staging a rebellion" —
and so the innocent who kept their vows suffered a plague.

How pitiful — those who ate vegetarian and kept the precepts,
who would not step on an ant for fear of harming it.

The rebels killed people as their purpose;
they ate human flesh like snacks.

Against this slander there is no defense;
I urge the assembly to hold the Dao and guard their benevolence.

At home, farm and cultivate in secret;
do good and blend your light with the common dust.

Those who know our Dao — heaven knows them;
the wise steer the compassion-boat through the bitterness.

If you are not a son of the Western Buddha,
you will not survive this test.

This too was arranged by heaven above —
using it to test and choose the ten thousand spirits.

What Patriarch Qiu wrote in Journey to the West:
the preface to the patriarch's ninety-nine disaster-stars.

Tripitaka with his disciples and the horse —
they are the heart, the will, the spirit, and the essence.

Under borrowed names, the Great Dao was proclaimed —
this was the measure for universal salvation.

On the Western Road the demons were many,
blocking and obstructing the monk Tripitaka at every turn.

He endured every kind of suffering from the alien spirits;
he relied entirely on Sun Wukong.

Nearing the Spirit Mountain, not far to go —
the Kingdom of the Dharma-Destroyers stood to block the way.

Arriving at the very ground of Spirit Mountain —
quiet, empty, still — the World-Honored One was nowhere to be seen.

Cold and silent they sat in stillness;
then suddenly the Buddha smiled and appeared.

All the Buddhas and patriarchs revealed their glorious names
and brought forth every sacred scripture.

This passage — its hidden meaning and wondrous truth —
has long been the measuring rod for those who practice the Dao.

Only after passing through the ninety-nine disasters
may you set foot upon the Spirit Mountain.

"The higher the Dao, the more the slander" — this is no lie;
"When virtue is cultivated," the ancients say, "defamation follows."

When the Dao shines, the palace wall stands ten thousand feet high;
mountain demons and water spirits cannot enter.

Through the collective merit of our Dao's Buddhas,
to this day it has spread to the Ten Directions.

If your root is shallow,
even upon encountering it, you will not dare to receive it.

Those with karmic affinity who receive it — guard it faithfully;
in fortune and in misfortune, lean upon the Jasper Capital.

Endure one lifetime of suffering;
when the Dao is achieved, nine generations of ancestors share the blessing.

One letter in the plain words of the Western Journey —
do not laugh at the rough and unpolished language.

Read it often, embody it, do not grow weary —
the Nine Lotuses, the highest grade, shall grow ever higher.

Thirteen

Now I instruct the good and worthy —
listen to this ordered warning and awaken to truth.

In these days of war and chaos everywhere,
build virtue, pray to the spirits, and be delivered.

The Dao of the refined one, holding the center —
not revealed until the time has come, hard to hear.

How fortunate that you have received it; labor with earnest devotion —
investigate things, extend knowledge, and fulfill your nature.

Long practice and the Spirit Terrace is penetrated clear;
sun and moon illuminate the Golden Court.

Going out from the Mysterious and entering the Female, the Three and Five condense;
naturally the bright pearl crystallizes and is fixed.

If you are not a Pre-Heaven child of the Buddha,
even receiving the Dao, you will not pass the tests.

Ninety-nine demonic trials are not easily borne;
those with shallow roots, meeting the test, will surely be damaged.

Those with karmic affinity who receive this Great Dao
must cherish their blessings in every movement and action.

But things exist because the Three Powers bring them forth;
wasteful spending always diminishes virtue.

When people ask the cultivator,
"Why do you eat vegetarian and abstain from meat?"

Answer each person according to principle and argue clearly —
break through the great battle-line of their confusion.

Consider: when an animal is slaughtered,
it screams in pain and grief.

It leaps and thrashes, trying to escape;
its mouth cries out: "Spare me! Mercy!"

Animals differ in body but share the same nature;
it is merely the shell that differs in form.

Once dead, the spirit goes before Lord Yama —
there it can speak its grievance and make its case.

The Ten Kings judge by the law;
the hidden merit of the person determines rebirth.

Otherwise, when that person's life ends and they enter the shades,
grudge repays grudge with utmost strictness.

The ancients said: do not kill without cause;
reckless killing depletes blessing and shortens life.

Heaven's law of retribution never errs —
know that cherishing life is the foundation.

If they are a true child of the Buddha from the West,
they will listen with humble reverence.

They will treasure the text and investigate it to its root;
following the rules, guide them forward step by step.

When beginners seek the Dao,
teach them to fast, keep the precepts, and recite the scriptures.

Build virtue, burn incense, and report to the Heavenly Capital;
only when karma is dissolved may the Dao commission be received.

First point them to the place of the Utmost Good —
the primal spirit, which neither is born nor perishes.

When one aperture opens, every aperture is illuminated;
that is the wondrous realm of the immortals.

Entering the gate, follow the Buddha's precepts;
rid yourself of all worldly arrogance and pride.

Give wealth, build virtue, with sincere heart and will —
the immortals and Buddhas will respond of their own accord.

Enter the Dao in this way, and there is real merit;
bow before the Buddha, and the heart-method is transmitted clearly.

Build the foundation, refine the self, set the compass —
advance on the Dao and drive out the perverse, awakening the confused.

Those who do not follow the Heavenly Mandate in cultivating,
who steal the mantra and act recklessly —

if they do not repent, heaven will strike their name from the rolls;
when the Dao is revealed, the Five Thunders will answer.

Because the hearts of the world are treacherous and deceitful —
harming others, profiting themselves, killing living things —

the grudge-qi pierces heaven and becomes a disaster-star;
hence the terrible retribution and the calamity.

The Three Heavens could not bear to watch;
the Great Dao was decreed to descend to the Eastern Grove.

The scriptures of the Three Teachings are explained in full —
teaching humanity to study the way of returning to the root.

Therefore, eat vegetarian and abstain from killing —
embody heaven and earth's love of life.

When you enter the Dao, your name is drawn from the underworld's rolls;
in the Heavenly Palace, your name is inscribed.

We were born in the Eastern Land in the Age of Yin;
birth and death turn the wheel without ceasing.

If now you wish to escape this red dust,
build virtue and give wealth without stinting.

But if your mouth says one thing and your heart means another —
if you do not observe the three fears and nine reflections —

if you hide your heart and darken your conscience, angering the spirits above,
your name will be entered in the Black Register — how pitiful.

To cultivate the Dao you must understand how to govern the household;
teach your children with propriety from a young age.

Know the Three Bonds and the Five Relationships —
then filial sons and worthy grandsons will endure through the generations.

If young children are not taught,
if you spoil them and let them follow their temperament —

they will not know propriety or righteousness, and the household falls into chaos;
how then will you distinguish the human from the animal?

No matter how wealthy the family —
children must learn frugality and diligence.

Those who eat well and do nothing will end in poverty;
the blame falls on the parents' teaching.

Boys and girls should each learn a craft;
when the family is poor, a skill will sustain the body.

Otherwise, hunger and cold will breed a thief's heart —
and the family's honor is beyond repair.

Teach the children of poor families strictly;
through hard work, the household naturally prospers.

Morning and evening, burn incense and honor the spirits —
"Those who do good will surely have blessings to spare."

Even if you work for others to earn your daily bread,
consider their interests as though they were your own.

Receive your wages and give them diligent labor —
the household will naturally know your worth and treat you with respect.

If you do business and trade,
be fair and honest with old and young alike.

Price your goods on time and never cheat your conscience;
a hundred may profit from a fair name, a thousand from an honest one.

Rely on heaven for your food and heaven will protect you;
cherish blessings, cultivate virtue — the spirits will admire you.

"Virtue is the root, wealth is the branch" — so the ancient sages said;
yet the people of today will not heed it.

If you have wealth but do not build virtue,
your descendants will soon see decline.

Wealth follows virtue and does not lie —
I urge the assembly: awaken quickly, awaken soon.

The joys and sorrows of this life, and the different kinds of people —
all are shaped by what was done in former lives.

Heaven and earth reward and punish with perfect fairness —
blessings for the good, disaster for the wicked — never disordered.

Some who lack benevolence still prosper —
that is the merit of their former kalpas.

Secretly their rank is reduced, though people do not see;
does heaven's retribution ever make a mistake?

How many simple folk enjoy blessings
while the clever are used as tools?

If through treachery a household prospers,
or through thievery a fortune is made — it has no end.

Learn from the Dou family of Yanshan:
they gave their wealth to build virtue for their children.

Five sons all passed the imperial examinations, bringing glory to the house —
their name is the standard for a thousand ages.

If you own farmland, pay the state's levy early;
spare yourself the later burden and worry.

How many in the government service can preserve their conscience
without ruining their innate goodness completely?

You and I who cultivate this Great Dao
should always pray for the peace of the world.

We eat the sovereign's water and walk the sovereign's soil — repay the sovereign's grace;
pray for favorable winds and timely rains.

Those with the aspiration to transform the world on heaven's behalf
must have a lively and resourceful mind.

Follow the regulations without reckless action —
only then will the alien kinds be kept from entering.

This Dao is managed jointly by heaven and humanity;
with a sincere heart, even the foolish can become wise.

When heaven above is moved, the Dao opens and flourishes —
men and women, old and young, all treat it with reverence.

Look at those who manage the Dao wrongly —
arrogant, greedy, flaunting their ability.

They use the Dao as a pretext to make money;
they never prosper in the end.

This is because karmic forces have clouded their apertures,
making them act in confusion.

The rare bond of ten thousand kalpas is not easily received —
I urge the assembly: remind them of this.

When accepting new people, consider the consequences;
explain the rules clearly, good and ill.

If they do not follow, tests and punishment will come —
and the guilt extends to the assembly, no light burden.

If a student was betrothed in childhood,
let the marriage proceed without violating the regulations.

So long as they keep the Dao and do not eat meat —
you may encourage husband and wife to cultivate together and attain the fruit.

The Nine Grades of the Lotus are not all the same —
each ascends according to merit and fruit.

Those without merit in this world settle their own account;
even when the Dao is accomplished, they have no lotus grade.

Consider Yao and Shun, the Four Graybeards, and the Seven Friends:
the two emperors sent their ministers to search for them,
but all of them scorned the emperor's throne and clung to the red dust —
how could they compare with those who discuss transcending the world?

And there were Chao Fu and Xu You,
who abandoned the world and hid in the mountain forests.

He washed his ears rather than hear the sound of abdication —
they may indeed be called high-minded and famous.

Yet Yao, Shun, and Yu attained the fruit;
they were ennobled as the Three Officials.

The Four Graybeards, Seven Friends, Chao, and Xu — they too attained something,
but when asked about their merit and rank, they were filled with regret.

Since ancient times, the founding masters of the Three Teachings
all had merit given to others.

How much more so now, when the Three Tribunals turn the Dharma Wheel —
the lines are redrawn, the symbols exchanged, the positions fixed.

In cultivating the Dao, you must understand the tests;
look at Tripitaka in Journey to the West.

His mortal body was already shed when he met the World-Honored One —
yet the eighty-one disasters were not yet complete.

He had only seventy-nine;
two more trials remained.

Wind and water ruined the scriptures — what a shock;
only when the ninety-nine trials were full did he become a sage.

When a cultivator encounters tests and demons,
the Three Heavens' record-books note it clearly.

"As if cutting, as if filing" — the Book has its maxim;
"As if carving, as if polishing" — you must take heed.

Two stanzas in the Western River Moon tune —
do not laugh that they lack proper tonal patterns.

The study of lines and verses has turned against the ancient texts;
even the simple man and woman can be awakened by them.

In the world there are scholars with false knowledge
who speak only of the written word.

They do not understand the sage's heart-method —
do not argue or compete with them.

The ancient sages wrote books to proclaim the Dao,
teaching people to practice in body and in deed.

But later students all chase after fame and rank;
once they gain power, they harm others without restraint.

In studying the Dao, read the books and take them to heart;
merit and fruit will grow with each passing day.

When at last your merit is full, the crimson letter comes to welcome you;
shed the body and transcend the mortal — enter the ranks of the sacred.

The Nine Lotuses are assigned by merit;
without merit, you remain among the remnant.

Afterward, when the Buddhas' merit and fruit are full,
they will carry those wandering souls along — the humble grass-lives.

But if your merit and practice are truly vast,
the Buddhas will clasp their hands in admiration.

You shall go before the Old Mother and tell of your suffering;
the Nine Grades of the Lotus shall be your throne of majesty.

Clad in the five-baht immortal robe,
standing upon the Eight-Treasure Lotus,

golden boys and jade maidens attend your carriage;
dragons and phoenixes lead the way with song and dance.

Nine generations of ancestors and seven lines of descendants are all delivered,
freed from the sea of suffering and the wheel of rebirth.

Together they enjoy heaven's rank, eternal as the spring —
never again entering the Six Paths of suffering.

Now the disasters are just beginning;
strange and alien wonders are on the rise.

A thousand demons and ten thousand monsters display their power;
the rootless and the karmic seeds believe them.

Years ago my letters told of all this;
every illusion was described clearly.

You must memorize them and engrave them on your heart,
lest the assembly fall into the trap of delusion.

When you meet the demon, hold fast to the Mysterious Pass;
sincerely recite the Thunder Mantra and the Om Sutra.

In your mind, visualize the Buddhas' golden faces;
guard the Dao, breathe through the Mysterious Female.

No matter how fierce the demon's sorcery —
if you have the Dao, it cannot harm your body.

Set the True Scripture in motion, turn the Dharma Wheel;
the spirit-light will pierce through the crown of your head.

The primal spirit shines in the empty sky;
the spirit-light illuminates all of heaven and earth.

The crooked cannot overcome the straight — the original form is exposed;
without being driven out, it will naturally withdraw.

I look upon this calamity,
and when I think carefully, my courage fails and my heart trembles.

The Three Disasters and Eight Calamities descend together;
ghosts weep, spirits howl — how can one bear it?

The True Ones of heaven above are overwhelmed with labor;
watching the disasters that never cease.

They fear that good cultivators will be harmed;
day and night they patrol and investigate.

This calamity was long ago revealed by Emperor Wenchang;
the Saving Chapter explains it clearly.

But the people of the world treat it as empty words;
the human heart is beyond rescue.

Because people commit evil in every different way,
the disasters take on every different form.

Karmic creditors settle accounts at this very hour;
now at last the good and evil are distinguished.

If you wish for the world to find peace,
out of ten people, nine must perish.

The black rat will become the blue rat;
then shall come the scene of Yao's heaven and Shun's sun.

At that time, within and beyond the Three Realms,
only the Dao and virtue will be honored.

The Son of Heaven himself will seek the Dao and visit the Great True One;
ministers civil and martial will all discuss cultivating their nature.

When the human heart has reached the Utmost Good at last,
evil ones extinguished, the earth at peace —

wind and rain in harmony, the five grains overflowing;
the nation secure, the people at ease — auspicious and blessed.

I urge the assembly: delight in goodness without weariness;
from beginning to end, never betray virtue and benevolence.

Guard the good Dao unto death and transcend the wheel of rebirth;
you shall behold the beautiful scene of the Lotus Flower.

Principle runs longer than bamboo or silk can record;
I hope the assembly will read often and awaken to the truth.

If men and women, old and young, can follow and obey —
do good, and heaven's protection and smooth fortune shall be near.

Fourteen

A letter addressed to all worthy leaders — see these words as my very self.
Too often I cannot meet you in person; so I send these rough words of counsel.

How fortunate that you have encountered the Great Prior-Heaven Dao,
having affinity and cause with the Buddhas.

Know that since the Yin Assembly began, the wheel of birth and death has never stopped;
shed bones pile up like mountains, face after face exchanged through countless lifetimes.

Because the Third Period calamity has arrived, all the Buddhas received the decree to descend to the Eastern Land,
revealing and expounding the Essence-of-Unity Dao, searching the Ten Directions for original souls.

Pitifully they have walked their feet raw, their shoulders and necks worn through;
every moment they guard against evil seeds, every hour they dread karmic creditors.

Enduring storm and hardship beyond measure —
when I speak of this, my tears cannot help but fall.

Greatly aided by the True Ones' influence, the Dao's root has been widely planted;
yet some do not understand the difference between success and failure, treating this work as routine.

This is because their vital breath is constrained and their vision is veiled by the material;
they know the mundane but cannot recognize the sacred.

I see that the leaders are many, but the wise and the foolish are not equal — this troubles my heart.
Year after year my letters have warned and instructed, pointing out the crossing from salvation to perdition.

Those who obey are not few, and both themselves and others are honored by the spirits.
But there are leaders whose mind-aperture is darkened by karmic debts.

Now I shall point out the faults — those who have committed them, reform without hesitation:

Some are proud and arrogant of heart, speaking heedlessly from the mouth;
they fear neither making enemies nor arousing grudges, ruining their own virtue of speech without reflection.

Some are careless and restless, speaking only false words to deceive;
they give no thought to the harm that follows or the damage it will bring — heedless of the roots of corruption.

Some seize credit and snatch merit, fearing neither human censure nor divine punishment;
they set a wretched example and disrupt the Buddha-patriarchs' order.

Some say one thing and mean another — beneath a public face, private schemes darken the heart;
they fear no one's contempt, though truly they stand in shame before the Buddha's gate.

Some crave praise and cannot bear the slightest correction;
at one word against their wishes, they flush with rage and roll their eyes.

Some refuse to cherish their blessings, performing empty displays of generosity;
their violent temper remains unreformed, and in the end they meet hardship and poverty.

Some do not cultivate inner virtue — how do they differ from the worldly?
Without transforming one's temperament, how can the original nature shine?

Some are slaves to the palate, abusing their organs without reflection;
they do not understand that cultivating the body means nurturing it — sour, salty, bitter, spicy, all swallowed without care.

Some look down on superiors and bully inferiors, flaunting talent, power, and ability;
their hearts brim with greed, devoid of any trace of the sages' learning.

These alien temperaments do not meet the standard of sagehood;
however much they labor outwardly in following the rules, they remain sinners at the Buddha's gate.

They have betrayed my letters — what a waste of my face-to-face admonitions!
Those who have not met me I will not speak of, but those who have met me and still do not heed — it wounds my heart.

Success and failure — how plainly I have laid them out! Day and night my lips have labored.
Why will you not change your heart-nature? Why must you insist on perverse action?

Why do you willingly break the Buddha's law — eyes open, leaping into the fire-pit?
Why will you not examine yourselves, letting karmic debts blind your mind?

Why do you refuse the road to heaven, choosing instead the bitterness of hell?
Why will you not transform your temperament, with no hope of transcending the red dust?

Why do you not heed the Jade Emperor, who sends forth the seventeen rays of light?
When calamity strikes, with the mind darkened — how will the spirit-light ascend?

Soon the Three-Eight will arrive together, throwing heaven and earth into darkness.
If you do not cultivate the virtue of the heart, you will scarcely escape plague and disaster.

If you do not follow my counsel and repent, when the calamity comes, chanting sutras will be useless;
when the karmic ledgers of many lifetimes turn against you — how will you escape?

They will overturn your mind and heart — you may even break your vows and return to meat.
The Ten Directions have models for how demons work — surely the assembly knows of them.

Now the Lower Cycle nears its end; mountain goblins and water-demons are being born.
The Three Heavens have set no restraints, using this to test and select all spirits.

See how false teachings spread across the world — they seek to borrow bodies and display power.
These strange things I warned of long ago; those with greedy hearts flock to their gates.

The upheaval-test of the Three Assemblies differs from age to age — I urge the assembly to discern the truth clearly.
If this rare affinity is missed, for ten thousand aeons you will not return to the Jasper Capital.

It is hard to find one such as me descending to expound the Dao — do not squander this extraordinary chance.
The letters I send each year are submitted to the Three Heavens before they are issued.

Do not take them for common words or old sayings, nor speak only of their literary depth;
though my words may be plain, those who follow them may ascend the Nine Lotuses.

These are the Precious Staff of the Western Journey, the inscribed admonition of the eighty-one tests;
read and recite them often — in times of trouble, your heart will have something to hold.

They illuminate inner and outer demonic obstacles — a great lamp shining in the darkness, shattering the crooked.
Again I say to the younger brothers and sisters: having received the Dao, you must honor the lineage of your teachers.

Three Teachers guided you onto the path and opened the road to heaven.
Yet they are human beings in mortal bodies — errors in conduct are inevitable.

If a teacher acts wrongly, do not simply let them fall;
remember how, at the beginning, they exhausted their breath to bring you the Dao.

At first their hearts were clear and their natures bright; they followed the Buddha's rules and taught others.
They labored without slackening; many recommended them for their merit.

But because of initiating you, their names were submitted to the Underworld to withdraw the records;
the karmic creditors of all those people, hearing it, were enraged at the one who had initiated them.

Because the teacher took the matter lightly and did not guard against the karmic spirits,
relying on having many students, pride and arrogance grew in the heart.

Handling affairs by personal whim, showing contempt for the Patriarch's house and Heaven's decree —
the Dharma Protectors, seeing the violations, will surely report back to the Heavenly Court.

This year the Three Heavens issued their placard: across the Ten Directions, many names have been struck.
More than fifteen hundred — their primal spirits cast into the netherworld.

Now I instruct the assembly: students must repay the teacher's grace.
When a student errs, the teacher should correct; the student should accept the teaching and reform with full effort.

When a teacher errs, the student should counsel; counseled, the teacher must listen.
If teacher and student benefit each other in this way, how can demonic forces penetrate?

Do not waste this rare encounter with the universal salvation — hand in hand, garment to garment, endure the bitter journey.
Though the Western Heaven is far, it can be reached; though the Nine Lotuses are high, they can be climbed.

Fear not demons and monsters — so long as teacher and student are of one mind.
Whenever a fellow traveler breaks the rules, those who know must remind them.

If you stand by and do nothing, you are not true kin to the bone.
When there is fault, repent at once — swear an oath and wash the heart anew each day.

From this point forward, walk the Dao according to the law, and pray that your name be inscribed on the Buddha-roll.
Alas, at this very moment, disaster burns — temples and Buddha-statues consumed by fire.

I have printed books for all of you and released all living creatures far and wide;
it is for your sake that I dissolve your sins — only then will you know peace.

Heaven's mercy is beyond measure, lightening the disasters of the cosmos.
Were it not for the temples and statues bearing the brunt of calamity, the karmic ledger of the ninety-two thousand could never be cleared.

Bitter indeed is this calamity — all Three Realms tremble.
If you wish to escape the disaster, embody the principles of the Scripture of Breaking Delusion.

Then the sacred and the mundane will naturally benefit each other — why fear that merit will not overflow?
I urge the assembly: prepare a place of shelter, far from the roads of war and the riverbanks.

Dwell in deep mountains and remote valleys; farm the soil and sustain your bodies.
Harmony with your neighbors is essential — lest someone grow hostile without cause.

Plant your local crops abundantly, guarding against famine in lean years.
Consider: when grain is at its cheapest, that is not a good sign.

Each person should treasure your daily bread and save it to cultivate merit.
Should the calamity of war reach your door, recite the sutras and silently invoke the Buddha's golden body.

Visualize the spirit-light protecting your frame, and your body will naturally take on a different form.
In ordinary times, practice according to the law — the virtue of the heart grows purer and the light increases.

When person and spirit unite as one, the demonic nature, seeing this, transforms into goodness.
Men and women who are not fated for the calamity — the Dharma Protectors and spirits will follow close behind.

If even one Buddha-child is killed by mistake, the Dharma Protectors will demand an accounting.
From this point the disasters will break out on all sides, until they yield to the peace of the Upper Cycle.

I urge the assembly: to follow the rules is most precious. Where the Dao is, the raft comes to rest.
But I fear the alien kind will infiltrate, stirring up trouble to disturb the Buddha's gate.

Even Buddha-children from the West, if they carry unresolved karma, cannot bear the burden.
All who seek the Dao, men and women alike — teach them to eat vegetarian, chant the sutras.

Let them practice hidden merit and good works; when their merit is great, let them enter the Buddha's gate through the rite of prostration.
When they have passed through death, they may receive the Great Dao — for at this time the Three Realms are open to initiates.

Make the Buddha-petition for protecting the Dao; when merit is sufficient, present the petition before the Empty Throne.
The Three Heavens will command a Buddha to initiate them, pointing to the original nature and primal spirit.

So long as merit and virtue are vast, what need to worry that the One Thread will not be heard?
This one letter of blood-words and plain speech — I hope the assembly will ponder it and awaken to the truth.

The fragrance of the Peaches of Immortality already reaches your nostrils — weigh them with sincerity.
To follow the rules is to be the Mother's filial child; to support the Dragon-Sand gathering is the highest celebration.

To break the rules is to ruin the Dao; the Old Mother gazes on it and weeps.
I fear the temple-ground will be destroyed — how then will the ninety-two thousand return to the Jasper Capital?

At that time the sins to bear will not be few — I urge the assembly to watch with utmost care.
If you truly heed my teaching and guidance, I guarantee you the Nine Lotuses, high rank.

Fifteen

A letter to the leaders who open new ground — hear my command and counsel.
The calamity now draws near; you must recruit the worthy strictly by the rules.

The line between success and failure, danger and subtlety, is razor-thin —
today I make it plain.

The world's morality is no longer what it was in ancient times; people crave power, love competition, flaunt their ability.
You who have received the Dao through fortunate affinity and would return to the origin — you must learn the heart of the ancient sages.

Whoever goes forth determined to open new ground and recruit the worthy —
do not make a large spectacle; avoid giving others cause for suspicion or hostility.

First, take a vow before the Buddhas: root out greed, delusion, and the craving for fame.
When you arrive at that place to guide and recruit the worthy, travel a hundred li and get to know the roads.

This cannot be done in less than half a year — it takes time for original souls to reveal themselves.
Learn the good and bad thoroughly; use my books to awaken the people.

Do not reveal yourself as knowing the Dao — to leak it is to cheapen it.
As for receiving people and initiating them, maintain the appearance of a layperson for caution's sake.

Do not say "It was I who brought them in and opened the gate" — let others enjoy the blessing.
If even one slip betrays you, doubts will surely grow among the people.

The Dao will not be able to spread widely; the learned and worthy will refuse to enter.
They will suspect the Great Dao is false — and one falsehood becomes a hundred, as the ancients said.

The original souls of that region will fall; the sin rests on the one who recruited.
Some bring in a few people and immediately summon a senior teacher for initiation — this is the road to ruin.

You do not understand the harm: worldly eyes value power and rank.
It is hard at first to understand the Dao's truth — the books say the teacher is precious, truly hard to encounter.

But when people see the character of the one who opens the Dao and find nothing extraordinary,
their resolve to seek the Dao collapses — and private gossip follows.

This is the path of rushing and ruining — the sin is not light.
The neighbors have not yet seen my books — how can they know the profound depth within?

Therefore you must work in that place for a long time, letting the books circulate and reach everyone's ears.
When truly a hundred li of territory has been covered, the good among the original souls will all reveal themselves.

When everyone urgently seeks the Dao and knows the subtle truths in the books —
but only lacks the heart-method — then summon the senior teacher for initiation.

In a single hall of several dozen people, there will always be the exceptionally talented.
When the Dao is transmitted with a single pointing and explained thoroughly, people will honor the Dao and respect its bearer.

Even if some fools do not believe, their own companions will correct them.
In this way the Great Dao naturally flourishes — what slanderous talk will there be?

The one who opened the way may come and go freely; if trouble arises, they can slip away.
But if you do not follow my words, the consequences sworn in your vow will come upon you.

In time, capable leaders will emerge from among them, able to steer the raft.
When they understand the beginning and end of the truth, your reputation will naturally appear.

Follow the law and success is assured; disobey, and do not step out the door.
If I discover disobedience, do not blame me for being unsparing.

Moreover, the merit of recruiting the worthy must be reported upward in full.
If anyone diverts the contributions for private use, they will be caught and their heavenly grace revoked.

If they have recklessly believed in false arts, speaking false words to deceive,
or stirred up quarrels to secretly undermine the leadership —

should they commit any of these three offenses, their rank shall be revoked and never restored.
I hereby make this known to all leaders — let men and women, old and young, take heed.

Sixteen

Plain words for my friends — listen to the rules for opening the vessel.
The Great Prior-Heaven Dao of the Limitless has from ancient times never been lightly transmitted.

Because the Third Period calamity has arrived, the One-Thread heart-method has been revealed.
This work was entrusted jointly by Heaven and humanity; it must follow the Buddha's regulations in practice.

Since humanity descended to the world in the Yin Assembly, the wheel of birth and death has never ceased.
Those who killed and created evil of every kind — their wronged ghosts wait in the netherworld.

If you do not first resolve these debts, when you enter the Dao, all those karmic spirits will come seeking.
Therefore you must chant the sutras often and deliver the wronged ghosts of many lifetimes.

Print the books to expound the Dao on behalf of Heaven, and dissolve all the burden of sin.
To release captive creatures is to dissolve killing-karma; to build merit is to report your case to the Heavenly Court.

Implore the Three Heavens for deliverance; let the accumulated sins of many lifetimes be washed away.
Only then, having received the Dao, will you face no demonic tests — the Western Heaven lies open before you.

Without establishing this merit, one who enters the Dao can scarcely avoid demonic interference.
Once a demon enters a person's aperture, the Buddha-gate is thrown into disorder.

This brings no benefit and only harm — would you not be pushing them into the pit?
All those who act as demons' agents do so because evil spirits have entered their bodies.

Now there is the Yu father-and-son together with the Gong-surnamed Dao-person —
they received the Dao, but their karmic debts were not resolved, and to this day demonic spirits rule their hearts.

They issue false mandates and spread disorder — heedless of Heaven's law, they act perversely.
Any man or woman who follows them commits a sin deeper than breaking the vegetarian vow.

Their names are struck from the Heavenly Roll; their primal spirits are cast into the netherworld.
They should urgently seek a true teacher for re-initiation and have their names changed on the petition.

When one has followed a demon, the Mother is angered — this was explained long ago at the entrance to the Dao.
For those whose Three Teachers break the vow, the lineage is not changed; but for those who followed the demon, the teacher-lineage must be changed.

I now instruct all my friends: at this time, deliberate carefully before initiating anyone.
If you bring in men and women burdened with unresolved karma, they will not survive the tests to come.

Before long, sorcery and false teachings will spread — those blinded by karma will believe every demon they see.
From now on, any who have followed the demon are not permitted to re-enter the Buddha's gate.

Wait until the Dao has clarified and rendered its judgment — at this time the Buddha's law is strictly enforced.
I urge the assembly: when you open leadership, choose those who can suppress sorcery and subdue demons.

First: verify three generations — their conduct and character must have been upright from the start.
Second: they must chant the sutras and print the books, keep the vegetarian vow for a long time, and release captive creatures.

Third: they must embody the Three Teachings, practicing with sincerity and substance.
Fourth: they must have no arrogance and no craving for worldly fame.

Fifth: they must not believe in strange signs, excelling rather in building merit and practicing virtue.
Sixth: their words and hearts must be as one, following the two words "loyalty and empathy" at all times.

Seventh: they must not fear demonic tests, holding the Dao and guarding benevolence from beginning to end.
Eighth: they must have courage and magnanimity, with the two words "discretion and secrecy" always at hand.

Ninth: the Three Awes and Nine Reflections — each clearly distinguishing the false from the true.
Tenth: they must read the books with comprehension, honoring those above and being courteous to those below.

With these ten qualifications, they have a share in the Ten Thousand Jade Lotuses.
What need to fear the demons of Heaven and earth? What worry about sorcery revealing its power?

They shall command the dharma-ground of their region; the original souls will have someone to rely on and need not be afraid.
Friends, if you follow my instructions in practice, I guarantee you the Nine Lotuses, high rank.

Seventeen

A letter to the leaders of heaven and earth — see these words as my presence.
The Great Prior-Heaven Dao is not an easy road; success and failure each have their reckoning.

Since humanity entered the Yin Assembly, the cycle of birth and death has never stopped;
blessings for the good, calamity for the wicked — heaven's law is never in error by a hair.

How fortunate that now, in the Third Period, universal salvation is open —
all the Buddhas received the decree to descend to the Eastern Land.

The One-Thread Great Dao has come into the world,
the true transmission of nature and principle fully revealed.

In the early days of opening new ground and planting the seed, the only requirement was faith and acceptance of the pointing.
By stirring ordinary people and provoking tests, the Heavenly Dao first became known in the mortal world.

This caused the alien kind to be unable to infiltrate, making way to open the Buddha's gate widely.
The ninety-nine demonic tests distinguish the false from the true — Heaven's design no spirit can predict.

When the time of the Black Rabbit of the Moon's Cavern arrives, the new cycle begins and the truth appears.
The Five Elders manifest their signs at Meijiang City, separating the way of illumination from the way of destruction.

Because the karmic ledgers of the original souls all wait in the netherworld,
when they hear that universal salvation is being offered to the mortal world, every wronged ghost refuses to consent.

Their grievance-petitions flood the Ten Courts of Hell; the Yama Kings report directly to the Heavenly Court.
The Three Officials collect the petitions until the courtyard is full — there is no choice but to request an order from the Jasper Pool.

Heaven's statutes are never mistaken; karmic debts must be repaid in full.
The Mother commands all Buddhas to bear the burden of the disaster-star; according to merit shall each be assigned a lotus grade.

Pitiful — when the tests descend, they overwhelm all Buddhas and spirits great and small.
Any who has practiced goodness is terrified to the soul; to speak of it brings tears streaming in pairs.

The tests scatter them in fragments — scarcely anyone holds faith.
They say the Three Heavens show no power — who dares open a new path of the Buddha?

By good fortune, the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra appeared — the One True Xuanzang, peerless —
toiling under the Limitless decree, to repair the shattered vessel once more.

He expounded the Dao in the Heavenly Cavern of the Southern Peak and established the Three-Origin regulations.
In this filthy evil world he sought the Buddha-root, and heaven displayed the Jade Lotus.

Following Heaven's decree, the Dao was opened; Buddhas and spirits aided from the sky.
Outer merit and inner fruit both overflowed; the dharma-grounds grew greater with each passing month.

The labors of opening new ground were not small; the Three Heavens recorded every merit.
Disseminating principle and nature, wisdom increased — both human and divine were moved to reverence.

Nine generations of ancestors and seven lines of descendants shared the glory,
gaining the Dao in the shadow-realm and ascending in honor — all because adhering to the rules moved Heaven's heart.

The sacred and mundane both prospered, auspicious and blessed.
But there were those of thin fortune who, having built only small merit, grew arrogant —

acting without discipline, thrown into disorder by karmic forces, producing the symptoms of ruin.
There were also those of false learning, relying on their scrap of book-knowledge,

parading talent in defiance of virtue, their arrogance wasting the sages' teachings.
Not embodying the ancient sages' way of virtue, not following the two words "loyalty and empathy" —

coveting power and empty fame, their Dao-vessel could never hold steady.
At this point, success and failure are both plain — I urge the assembly to be cautious when recruiting.

Year after year my letters have earnestly instructed — read them often, receive them with the heart.
Last year I stopped the vessel and halted all initiations — do you know why?

Because foolish leaders were recklessly initiating people, not following the Buddha's regulations.
Do you not know that since birth, who among you has never killed a living creature?

If you do not release captive animals and dissolve the karmic burden, how will you survive this calamity?
All who seek the Dao, men and women alike — they must first chant the sutras widely

and deliver all wronged ghosts. Only then, having received the Dao, will they be free from demonic accusations.
Print the books to aid Heaven in expounding the Dao, and awaken the world from its slumber.

These three merits move Heaven's heart and dissolve all karmic debt.
Instruct them not to speak of Dao-matters — tell them it is only for their parents' sake.

In time, as they practice and their heart-virtue grows pure, lay out the symptoms of the Dao and the demonic clearly.
Soon the demons will manifest in the world, displaying powers to tempt true cultivators —

urgently entreating you to join their gate, borrowing people to block the Buddha's path.
Those who are greedy for status and believe in easy gains, pursuing profit into their labyrinth —

their names will be inscribed in the Black Register, their primal spirits cast down — for ten thousand aeons unable to flourish.
When the Dao and demonic, success and failure, are explained thoroughly, their hearts will have something to hold.

Let them enter the Dao's Buddha-gate and unfurl the scriptures — then point to the One-Thread original nature.
If you do not transmit the Dao according to my words, violating the rules and greedily recruiting —

with karmic debts unresolved, the Dao cannot be borne; those who leave will stir trouble and there will be no peace.
Even an ancient Buddha's foundation is not enough — with karma, the demons will come seeking once the Dao is received.

When the karmic spirits enter the aperture and cloud the mind, they cause the person to lose faith in the Dao.
Once the Dao is abandoned, the spirits compel slander too foul to hear.

The Buddha-children there can no longer hear the Dao — reckless initiation enrages heaven.
At this time the Dao is being spread across the world, while the demon's children disturb all under heaven.

Leaders in every region must deliberate carefully — the Buddha's regulations must always be strictly maintained.
In my tradition, those who have followed demons are not permitted to re-enter the Buddha's gate.

Even the Three Teachers must be questioned and disciplined — it was your carelessness in initiation that caused this.
If a teacher has followed a demon and urgently seeks to change his teacher-lineage —

this sin is deeper than breaking the vegetarian vow; the Old Mother and all Buddhas despise it most.
For those who merely broke the vow but supported the Dao, the Three Heavens recorded their merit;

when the Dao is complete, all Buddhas shall protect their persons — according to merit they still have their fruit and rank.
But contemptible are those foolish leaders who hold the mandate and do not know its worth —

openly violating the rules to initiate, heedless of the damage to their accumulated merit.
Defying Heaven's decree in the Buddha's rite — their names of grace are struck from the Heavenly Roll.

Who then shall withdraw the records for those beings from the Underworld? You endanger their very lives.
Bringing harm, not benefit — deceiving and beguiling, the sin runs deep.

You drag nine generations of ancestors into the punishment of the netherworld — can your heart bear this?
Those who have committed these offenses: seek repentance early. Call yourself a sinner who bears the guilt.

Cry out to the Golden Mother of the Jasper Pool for mercy — and from this day forward, strictly obey the Buddha's commands.
Do not think the Great Dao is easy — the upheaval-tests are not on a single level.

Above all, root out greed and delusion completely — do not be lured by the world's illusions.
Now the spirit-writing planchettes are overrun with false kinds — the few who are genuine are outnumbered by the wicked.

How many can distinguish the false from the true? Most do not even recognize principle and nature.
But when a High True One descends to the altar, the participants must fast and be devoutly sincere.

The words spoken will be the subtle Dao, becoming sacred admonitions — shattering the great labyrinth of delusion.
Otherwise, the foolish and bewitched — men who have never had a shred of conscience —

they too will summon spirits, and demons will descend, falsely claiming the names of exalted beings.
When crooked people invite crooked power, demons answer —

always demanding multiple meat offerings and several large jars of fine wine, judging everything by worldly standards.
They will surely slander the Heavenly Dao, teaching people never to abstain from meat.

Ask them about nature and principle and they babble incoherently — their roots are shallow and their hearts easily swayed.
Because the Lower Cycle nears its end, mountain goblins and water-demons are being born.

The evil breath of the alien kind fills the cosmos — they seek to harm original souls with utmost urgency.
Those who have faults but do not seek repentance early — their names vanish from the Heavenly Roll and the demons invade.

I fear the heavenly demons will borrow your body and drive out your spirit-light — how pitiable!
Your lifetime of bitter resolve, wasted — your deceased kin unable to share the grace.

You lose the Third Period's Buddha-path and your nature plunges into the prison of the Black Void.
They borrow your physical form to commit evil, harming the Dao — the sin is not light.

People curse your stinking name; your ancestors in the shade-world hate you bitterly.
At that hour your liver and bowels will break with weeping — the foul air of impurity fills the darkness.

One hundred and twenty thousand years of suffering with no ascent — tell me: are the heavenly demons cruel or not?
When at last heaven and earth are created anew, according to the oath, the karmic retribution takes birth.

Transformed into alien creatures, the human form is lost — the bitterness: when will you be free?
I serve the Three Heavens to save all beings — I have exhausted my heart's blood and my breath.

Reward and punishment cannot follow personal feeling — painfully I labor to set the Buddha's gate in order.
The matter of revoking rank is not because I lack compassion —

to correct men and women so that virtue and conduct are pure is the Three Heavens' way of distributing principle and nature.
Those who study the Dao and covet merit are many; those who cultivate virtue are few.

If you would become the great standard-bearer of the Buddha's gate, practice the Three Awes and Nine Reflections daily.
Now, with the Dao's root established everywhere, the regulations must be tightened for the Dao to flourish.

The moment you relax, the demonic tests descend — see then how the leaders hide!
All humans are mortal flesh — who has no faults?

When someone reminds you, acknowledge it and accept the correction — that is the standard of the Buddha's gate.
Again I counsel the middle-aged leaders: men and women must avoid giving cause for suspicion.

Do not ignore worldly gossip that provokes tests — it could mean death by violence.
Such sin is not light — ruining the Great Dao's reputation.

Even in death you will fall into the netherworld — I urge each of you to be cautious.
Wherever the Dao exists, there must be a leader who mediates.

If outsiders try to infiltrate and initiate, they shall be caught and stripped of their commission.
As for the guarantors, sponsors, and witnesses — they are not permitted to initiate the public.

Lest jealousy arise over Heaven's grace — anyone there who violates this will have their grace revoked.
From now on, each opening and each mediation is to manage one region's recruitment.

No mixing, no disorder — lest there be rivalry and contention.
If a region's leader handles the Dao without following the rules —

after being counseled three times without reform, the assembly shall vote to expel them from the Buddha's realm.
Appoint another of proven virtue to set matters right and steer the vessel.

Only then will alien infiltrators be kept out and the dharma-ground be at peace.
If anyone recklessly believes in demonic arts and leads people from the true into the false —

they have cast themselves into their own net and cannot ascend, willingly crafting the prison of hell.
Even if the Three Buddhas themselves descended to the world, they would have to take refuge in our gate.

Otherwise, this calamity cannot be escaped — I urge the assembly: never believe one-sidedly.
If you wish to be a filial child of the Jasper Pool, be of one virtue and one heart with me.

Those who break the rules and disorder the Dao, losing original souls — all the Buddhas see it and burn with wrath.
They will send great disaster upon you and drag your own primal spirit down.

Cast out from the Heavenly Palace into the clouds of suffering — I urge each of you to reflect always.
Consider: the Great Dao is hard to obtain — from ancient times it has never been lightly heard.

The saints of the Three Teachings composed the sutra-treasuries but dared not openly point to nature and principle.
Without the Jasper Pool's decree, any who recklessly reveal it will be struck dead by the Five Thunders.

Though at this time the spirits are not visibly manifest, the Dao is clear — the oath and vow will answer of themselves.
Now I reveal the mysterious and subtle — only now do you understand the exquisite refinement.

The life-pulse of the Three Powers is hidden in the Book of Changes — this is the evidence of the Great Dao.
"The Yellow Center penetrates principle and occupies the correct position" —

the One Thread follows the original nature and primal spirit.
"Knowing where to stop," "investigating things," "illuminating illuminated virtue" —

one by one, human desires are overcome.
When desires are purified and principle is clear, the nature appears —

the spirit-light fills the great thousand worlds.
Pervading all, with no coming and no going — everywhere is the Buddha-realm.

With the heart unmoving, sincerely rectify the mind and cultivate the self.
Honor virtue, prize the Dao, study the sages and worthies — only then are you a pillar of the Dao.

Now, if you would become a Buddha-leader, first understand the One-Thread mystery of mysteries:
"Illuminate virtue, renew the people, rest in the utmost good" — "when things are investigated, then comes settling and stillness."

"Settled, reflective, and then able to attain" — the Buddha speaks of the Great Turning of the Dharma Wheel.
Looking ahead and behind, wonderfully merged and condensed — the nature returns to its original sacred state.

This is the original face — immediately behold the Great Person's primal spirit.
Perfectly bright, utterly clear, impossible to hide — the spirit-light pierces through the crown.

Full, radiant, luminous, and pure — when the Three Flowers gather at the crown,
the spirit merges with the Limitless and the Great Dao is complete — the ten thousand differences all return to the One Root.

I urge the assembly: be cautious and reverent in the smallest things.
When merit is full, shed the shell and ascend — according to merit the lotus rank is assigned, and nine generations of ancestors become saints.

To transcend the mundane requires no great trick — the ability is in transforming one's temperament.
Root out the love of winning and the will to dominate — then human and divine will naturally hold you in reverence.

Cultivate the weather of centrality and harmony, and the heart will transcend the red dust.
Let heaven and earth undergo their great changes — only the Dao and virtue shall be undiminished.

To enjoy the Land of Ultimate Bliss forever, receiving blessings surpassing the Eastern Land —
clad in the five-baht immortal robe, at will resplendent; eating the immortal delicacies and fruits.

Walking amid celestial birds that make music; golden boys and jade maidens following close.
Dharma-protectors and spirits arrayed in ranks, attendants in majestic order.

Seated upon the Eight-Treasure Lotus Throne, canopies and banners draped about you —
rare fragrance and exquisite flavors reaching the nose — the joy of that realm cannot be fully described.

All this is attained through merit and practice — the Jasper Pool bestows its reward and blessing.
Never again descending to the world to turn in the wheel — the Great Hero's Hall stands forever, towering and firm.

Eighteen

A letter to the leaders of the Western Journey — men and women, listen with care.
The Great Prior-Heaven Dao is not an easy road; I fear that karmic debts will cause harm.

The Dao is an extraordinary matter, borne by extraordinary people.
First: the heart's virtue must be wholly pure — all cunning, greed, deceit, and fraud must be rooted out.

Because people defied principle and created karma, unafraid of Heaven's law and the spirits,
following their blood-impulses in reckless action — the calamity arose, and there is no peace.

The Three Disasters and Eight Calamities circle in retribution, destroying all the wicked.
Heaven above watches with aching heart and issues the decree of the Limitless.

The Great Dao has descended to the Eastern Land, revealing the marrow-deep True Scripture.
Those with affinity awaken and build merit, embodying the Buddha's regulations and guiding others.

Steadfast from first to last without faltering — when merit is complete, the spirits stand in awe.
The bitter journey fulfilled, the crimson letter comes to welcome — shed the mortal shell and enter the ranks of the sacred.

Nine generations of ancestors and seven lines of descendants are all delivered,
never again to descend to the East and be reborn.

The dust and grime of the mind, polished clean — the spirit-light white as a clear mirror.
But those who, despite receiving the Great Dao, do not follow the Buddha's regulations in service —

harboring selfishness and private scheming in the heart — in time they produce the great illness of ruining the Dao.
For when the heart darkens, the spirit dims;

defying the rules, the spirits are angered and the Buddhas grow wrathful.
Karmic spirits enter the aperture and cloud the mind — the symptoms of ruin appear of their own accord.

The primal spirit can no longer hold command; the karma compels wild and incoherent speech.
Alien, demonic words disrupt the Buddha's gate, blocking the road of the Western Journey.

Though your merits should cover the world, a single failure reduces them to ashes —
all because in ordinary times you violated the regulations; the Three Heavens cannot confirm your rank.

I urge all leaders great and small — every one of you has merit in the Buddha's gate.
Yet those who truly cultivate heart-virtue are few; do not fail the great mission of Heaven's decree.

As for the matter of contributions: do not recklessly collect even a single coin.
Even if there is surplus wealth and the Dao is not yet pure, suspicion and doubt will inevitably arise.

This merit is not easily borne — an extraordinary occasion once in sixty thousand years.
Whenever a karmic spirit manifests, they will accuse the Dao of being corrupt and money-grubbing.

The lessons of success and failure have been long demonstrated — do not treat them as old words.
Follow and embody them, steer the raft of mercy — both human and divine shall prosper, blessed.

First rule: it is forbidden to initiate young unmarried women.
If a woman receives the Dao and her in-laws' family refuses to let her practice — trouble is certain.

Harming the many for the sake of one — I ask you all to consider this well.
Violators will be publicly punished and their grace revoked; this rule must never be relaxed.

In the early days of opening new ground, people were recruited without discrimination — just "receive the Dao and you are saved."
But who knew the karmic creditors would not consent?

Before long, such people abandon the Dao, their hearts confused, heedless of their deep vow.
They bring evil karma into the Buddha's gate — I urge the assembly to examine themselves.

Now, with the Dao's root broadly established, the burden each of you carries is not light.
One wrong step provokes catastrophe — and all your past merit is in danger.

Worse, you drag others down — all Three Realms tremble.
Bitterly I urge my dear companions: be vigilant. Correct your own kind.

I myself bear the disaster by Heaven's command — illness and suffering, day and night unceasing.
Speak of it, and tears drench my garments — the Three Heavens' tests are truly severe.

I endure this suffering for your sake, sparing you the Imperial Wind's test.
Know that this is Heaven's grace — do not say it is your own good fortune.

Who among the living has no karma? Have you never deceived?
When you enter the Dao, your name is withdrawn from the Underworld — and the wronged ghosts, hearing of it, demand your life.

Some have served for many years, following the rules and never meeting the baleful stars —
but that is because I printed the books and released all captive creatures; without that, there would be no such peace.

The assembly has escaped the Imperial Wind, but beware: strange tests will come to try each person.
The test questions emerge from the city of Langjiang, fixing each one's Jade Lotus rank.

Whenever tests descend from Heaven, the true and the false each reveal their form.
Whether burdened with karma or free — the test will make it plain; the Three Heavens' Buddha-roll is settled.

It is the Buddha who tests in order to save the Dao — laboring day and night to mediate.
A thousand subtle words to steady the Buddha's vessel — for the Dao's sake, even the spirits stand in awe.

Those burdened with karma, meeting the test, fall into confusion —
greed and wicked thoughts spill from their mouths, weaving their own net of suffering.

This is why universal salvation requires it: to forge ten thousand spirits into Buddhas.
Now the Great Dao flourishes in all Ten Directions, and I fear the alien kind will infiltrate.

Many men and women have heard of the Dao, but most entered the gate because of the calamity.
Their mouths speak of fasting and precepts, but their hearts are not sincere — everything hollow and muddled.

I say to my friend Xiang and sigh — worrying that the Imperial Wind will be too hard to endure.
I devised the upheaval-test to separate the clear from the turbid, sparing you the Imperial Wind.

But unexpectedly, friend Xiang's heart was cruel — testing others heedless of the destruction it caused.
Ruinous words poured from his mouth to disorder the Buddha's gate — forgetting the seal of compassion.

His years of bitter merit were not small, yet the sin of this is grave.
He has been expelled from the gate of universal salvation — let him reflect in seclusion.

I urge the assembly: hold fast to the true principle. Do not waver with two minds or three hearts.
Violations of the Buddha's regulations will be dealt with without sentiment — beware of having your great commission revoked.

Feeling runs deep and the pen cannot capture it all — I urge the assembly: do not transgress.
Be cautious in the smallest things; as merit grows, the lotus rank will naturally be first-class.

Nineteen

A letter to the honored realm, to men and women who cultivate the truth —
see these rough words as face-to-face counsel.

Today's letter has no other charge for the worthy —
nothing but to explain the path of cultivation, clarifying failure and success.

Humanity was born in the Eastern Land in the Yin Assembly, turning through the Six Paths.
Do good and receive blessing; do evil and receive calamity — Heaven's law is not confused.

Human turns to beast, beast turns to human — the cycle of retribution is pitiable.
Born and dying, dying and born — shed bones pile up in the forests.

In high antiquity, when the human heart was pure, what disasters were there?
But since the time of Fuxi, once every five hundred years a calamity descends.

Slowly the human heart grew worse, committing greater and greater evil —
without filial piety or fraternity, without loyalty or trust, the human bonds are darkened.

By the time of the Zhou, the Three Teachings were established and the sages authored the canon.
Daoism with Laozi, Buddhism with Shakyamuni, Confucianism with Confucius as its honored one —

the scriptures lay out the Three Realms, the bitterness and the joy, the instructions clear.
The worldly principle and the path of transcendence — beginning and end told in full.

By the Tang dynasty, the talent exam opened — selecting scholars through literary composition.
Nature and principle were forgotten, the meaning of the scriptures lost — the root abandoned for the branch.

Yang Zhu and Mo Di of old, and Cao Cao — these count as those with deviant natures.
But how many people today surpass even them?

They read the sages' books and steal their fame — never reflecting on what they read.
They worship power, extinguish virtue, covet wealth with darkened hearts.

For their bellies' sake they slaughter creatures — their heaven-given conscience utterly destroyed.
The evil that modern people create as alien karma cannot even be named.

All the killing-wrath rises to the heights and cannot be contained.
Heaven and earth grow dark, yin and yang are blocked — the Three Realms have no peace.

The Jade Emperor pushes the wheel of calamity and requests an order from the Jasper Pool.
The Mother of the Limitless grieves for the ninety-two thousand, fallen into the red dust.

She examines the register: the Third Period is full and the original souls must return to their root.
She reads the calamity-ledger — the disasters are manifold — and the Old Mother weeps.

She commands all the Buddhas to descend together, their Raft of Mercy guiding the way.
This is why the Great Dao was issued to the Eastern Land.

Pitifully, the Buddha-patriarchs, for the sake of this calamity,
cannot persuade the original souls to turn — they struggle to submit their mission reports.

Helplessly, the ninety-two thousand children's karma is piled like mountains.
When Heaven's grace transmits the Dao, the ghosts weep and spirits tremble.

Therefore, the moment the Dao is opened, the wind rises and demonic tests invade.
Family obstructs, neighbors slander — everywhere angry voices.

However you explain the Three Teachings' truth, they stubbornly refuse to believe.
They call the practice of goodness "cult activity" — their angry curses are unbearable.

All this is the work of karmic forces that forbid the righteous to succeed.
When the Dao-practice is shallow, a few upheaval-tests, and the vow is broken and the vegetarian fast abandoned.

At this season the Dao's root has been planted — I urge the assembly to be cautious.
The Raft of Mercy is launched; I have explained the principles of success and failure in full.

There are those of shallow wisdom who follow their own nature,
treating the Buddha's regulations and the Dhyana Staff's words as idle text.

They do not understand what is at stake, drifting through the world in confusion.
When a heaven-sized disaster strikes, they deny responsibility even unto death.

There are those who see wealth and covet it, fattening their own households in secret.
The duty-god records every penny of their debt and reports it to the Heavenly Court.

There are those who initiate a few people and then seek comfort,
hoping the junior students will support them for the rest of their lives.

They care nothing for how their aeons of karma will be settled,
tossing their great vow before the Buddhas into the empty sky.

There are those whose hearts are arrogant and who love to show off —
speaking without considering beginning or end.

There are those who treat junior students without compassion,
not teaching them with genuine virtue and principle.

There are those who frighten people into joining by invoking the calamity,
not following the rules, not choosing wisely, dragging anyone in without discrimination.

Do they know that at the moment the incense is lit and the Buddha's decree is invoked,
the Three Officials cannot rest a single instant?

Together with the True Ones they obey the Buddha's decree and withdraw the person's name from the ledger.
Instantly the Ten Kings hang their placard in the netherworld.

If the initiate is an original soul, all the Buddhas rejoice.
But if it is a serpent-or-scorpion kind, the Buddhas are angered.

They report to the Three Heavens: "So-and-so does not obey Heaven's decree —
initiating criminals and leaking the Great Dao." The sin is recorded.

If you do not follow the rules, however much you labor, bringing in worthless people —
even if you initiate a thousand or ten thousand, they are all sinners of the Buddha's gate.

When the alien kind receives the Dao, their heart-nature is unstable.
They gossip and quarrel — disaster is sure to follow.

Those with deep Buddha-roots do not fear the tests, guarding righteousness unto death.
Those of shallow virtue, at the first sign of trouble, leap into the fire-pit.

When the day of reckoning comes and merit determines rank —
I ask you: having ruined the Dao, what will you say?

I urge my friends: if you have committed these faults, awaken immediately.
Reform your errors, embody the regulations.

If you cling to delusion, beware — Heaven's wrath will punish your original nature.
Defying Heaven's decree, the spirits withdraw their protection, and karmic debts descend upon you.

Once the spirits enter your aperture, your heart-nature is confused and you lose faith in the Dao.
The karma compels you to do evil, to break the vow and eat meat.

Now the Three Heavens are stricter than before — the Buddha's law is tightened.
I urge all my friends: examine yourselves constantly and watch your every act.

Dear companions, know this: human life in the dusty world —
the sixty thousand years of karmic debt — this is the reckoning, settled once and for all.

The Great Dao is in motion, the karmic demons released, and heaven and earth are without restraint.
In the courts of the Underworld, the Buddha-roll is hung; all ghosts have heard.

The original souls who enter the Dao find that the karmic spirits refuse to consent.
They petition the Yama King, demanding retribution — ceaseless unrest.

Today I come to instruct the leaders who open the Dao:
you must follow the law strictly, to avoid the tests and punishments.

You bear the Dao-root of your region — you must adhere to the governing principles.
Visit the heterodox sects and use the books to dispel their confusion.

Do not initiate one or two people at a time — it breeds suspicion.
One turn against the Dao, and they babble slander.

If the Prior-Heaven Dao is not explained thoroughly, people cannot believe.
You must have at least seven or eight people before pointing to the spiritual.

If the multitude seeks the Dao, do not agree immediately.
Just teach them to read the books and recognize the true from the false.

When their faith is sincere and they know the shortcut of the Dao,
then explain the principles of transmission, step by step.

When they enter the Buddha's gate, first transmit only the One-Thread Original Nature.
Receive "Amitabha Buddha" — the spirit of the Six Harmonies joined in spring.

Beyond words and apart from writing, the self-nature comprehends in full.
This is called the Immortal Dao, the Scripture of the Heart Without Words.

They must practice diligently and awaken deeply to its effects.
All the mundane feelings of the after-heaven realm are swept clean.

Then naturally the heart opens and wisdom blazes forth, vigorous and advancing.
Awakening to true emptiness that contains all things — the mystery without limit.

Following heaven's timing, matching heaven's heart, transmit the commission according to the rules.
First discuss principle, then explain the Dao, and only last reveal the depths.

Before they enter, let them know and understand the Dao and Heaven's decree.
Then submit the petition, receive the Buddha's instruction, and withdraw the records from the Underworld.

Once the Dao is pointed, explain the heart-method thoroughly — nature and principle laid clear.
Then explain the upheaval-tests — their truth and falsehood — in plain terms.

When a region's Dao-root is planted, faithful and sincere,
teach them to understand success and failure, the sacred and mundane, diligence and economy.

If there is someone of great wisdom, give them a few books.
Let them command their region, sweep away the heterodox sects, and guide original souls.

A true Buddha-child, seeing these books, will surely ask about them.
Simply answer: "These are the practices and merits I have cultivated."

If they plead desperately — do not be hasty.
Tell them: "This Dao is not easily obtained — one must keep the vegetarian vow for a long time."

First have them chant the sutras and repent, delivering all karmic spirits.
When that work is done, submit the petition and report to the Heavenly Court.

First resolve karma, then receive the Dao — this prevents the demonic sickness.
Done in this way, there are few demonic obstacles — the Three Realms are at peace.

When opening the Dao in a region, the Three Teachers must be upright and the way must flourish.
Follow the regulations, steer the raft — without arrogance, without pride.

Let your words match your deeds and your deeds match your words — examine yourself three times daily.
Ask yourself: can my own conduct serve as the standard?

Follow the commands from above, teach the juniors, and make yourself the model.
Let later generations learn your example and embody the heart of Heaven.

If the one who opens the Dao has a crooked temper and is frivolous and unstable,
the people will look down on you and the Buddha's gate will be brought to ruin.

Those of deep root only recognize the Dao and seek the origin.
But the lesser spirits — harmed by your conduct — will be unable to ascend.

Year after year the Three Heavens and Buddhas have sent down their precious instructions.
For the original souls they revealed Heaven's secrets — a grace impossible to repay.

Now the Patriarch Lu has descended the Heavenly Code — I urge the assembly to take it to heart.
Embody every line, follow every word, and do not violate Heaven's punishment.

The principles of breaking delusion and dissolving calamity — the Three Realms have told all.
Ascending to Heaven or falling to Hell — choose your road and walk it.

If your temperament truly cannot be reformed, hear my prescription:
I transmit a formula — the Elixir of Transforming Temperament, which dissolves demons and calms the spirit.

When someone criticizes you and your heart is displeased, the anger nearly unbearable —
read the books, recall the ancient sages, and let the anger subside.

Go to the Buddha Hall, kneel before the incense burner, and speak plainly.
Burn the precious incense, but do not treat it lightly — administer your own punishment.

Examine your faults one by one, turning the light inward:
"Why did I violate the rules? Why did the fire of ignorance blaze?"

"When someone corrects me, they hope for my transcendence and sagehood —
but you, karma, you come to make mischief and turn my heart to spite.

"Generating resentment and fury, offending everyone —
bringing disgrace upon the six teachers' reputations, and teaching my body evil.

"Why did I not follow the law, defying Heaven's decree?
Why was my body lazy, my merit and practice neglected?

"Why did I love flattery and breathe the stench of it without reflection?
Why did I harbor partiality, profiting myself at others' expense?"

Think: now we have descended to the Eastern Land — life and death are uncertain.
Through the six paths, shed bones pile up like mountains — how shall we return to the Jasper Capital?

How fortunate that today we have encountered this Great Dao, the Golden Mother's compassion!
With one aperture opened and the investigation of things complete, innate knowing is clear.

Knowing paramita, the nature returns to its root — the mind is illuminated and the nature is seen.
Inwardly refine the nature, outwardly practice merit — fulfill the vow and achieve the truth.

"To practice merit must match the ancient sages —
and you, karma, come to overturn me and drive me to confusion!

"Today I am awake to the road of life and death.
To be dragged down by you is something I will never again permit.

"I petition the Three Heavens for the decree and discipline myself.
I shall strike you, recognition-spirit, until you are formless, until not even your shadow remains."

When the demonic karma exits, the heart and breath are calm, the spirit and intention are at peace.
Practice this and in the end you shall attain the rank of Great Awakened One.

When that karmic demon sees you thus,
from that day forward it will not dare enter — it will seek another house.

Fear not, even if the karmic demons fill the mortal world —
what worry or dread is there, when Heaven's hall, however high, can be climbed?

The ancient King Yu heard of goodness and bowed — that is the standard of the sage.
In former times, Zilu heard his faults and rejoiced, listening with reverence.

But alas, the junior students of today are foolish and their hearts are dull.
They love flattery and praise and cannot face the truth.

They have faults but fear correction — this is their great disease.
What is not said to their face is whispered behind their backs — and these whispers push them into the pit.

Over time the sins pile up and the heart-spirit is darkened.
Karma enters the aperture, the vow is broken, meat is eaten — they are cast into the realm of beasts.

Reborn as livestock, suffering human abuse — see then if you still hold your resentment.
No peace in life; in death your bones are food for others' mouths.

How is it that one who cultivates the Way does not follow Heaven's decree?
Reform your temper, root out your flaws — make the establishment of virtue your highest good.

Give thanks to Heaven for releasing you from the mortal body, to roam the superior realm.
Confirmed in the Heavenly Palace, enjoying Heaven's rank — joy and springtime without end.

Nine generations of ancestors delivered, seven lines of descendants rescued — eternal joy in the stillness of the self.
Never again descending to the East, never again reborn — abiding forever with the Birthless Mother.

This passage on the Elixir of Transforming Temperament, the Dhyana Staff that dissolves demons —
surpasses even Sun Wukong's Needle that Calms the Sea.

It protects Tripitaka all the way to the Western Heaven, with fearsome majesty.
Learn to somersault and subdue the demons as he did!

Learn his ability to grow large or small, never trapped by demons.
Learn the Fire-Eyes and Golden-Gaze!

Do not be like Zhu Bajie, who loved food and craved flattery.
When a demon praised him, he clapped his ears and drew close.

When Wukong said "It is a demon," he refused to believe —
and poor Tripitaka Xuanzang nearly lost his life.

I urge all my friends: when you meet someone, do not reveal your true form.
Beware of demons who would obstruct the pilgrimage and devour the Tang Monk.

This one chapter on the Scripture of Returning to the Root — embody every word.
When the recognition-spirit rises to make trouble, apply this scripture to subdue it.

Follow this method all the way to the Western Heaven, undefeated by the demonic array.
When merit is built and fruit is achieved — the Nine Lotuses, high rank.

Twenty

A letter to all companions of goodness, men and women who cultivate the Dao —
I urge all of you: follow the Buddha's regulations and do not transgress Heaven's law.

Know the reason why this calamity is so vicious and cruel:
it is because the people of the world have defied heavenly principle and accumulated evil across many lifetimes.

The scriptures of the Three Teachings lay out the consequences of good and evil, beginning to end.
But helplessly, the people pay no heed.

There are those who read the books well but love to litigate, making it their art —
turning the sages' books into weapons that harm others.

There are those who conduct business using every devious trick —
cheating and deceiving, their crimes beyond count.

There are those who, though monks and priests, merely adopt the appearance and practice sorcery —
they do not keep the vegetarian vow, they do not observe the precepts, soliciting virtue but consuming evil.

The people of the Three Teachings love luxury and waste without limit.
For their bellies' sake they take life — the slaughter reaches its extreme.

They honor the wicked and bully the good, extinguishing heavenly principle.
Every kind of wronged death-breath fills the cosmos to the brim.

Heaven is not at peace, earth is not at rest, yin and yang are sealed shut.
The sun and moon are dim, the stars lose their courses, the handle of the Dipper cannot be held.

The Jade Emperor petitions the Jasper Pool and awaits the decree.
The Old Golden Mother commands all Buddhas to descend the Heavenly Staircase.

Pitifully, the saints of the Three Teachings weep without cease.
They abandon the Heavenly Palace and the Land of Bliss to cross the Bitter Sea and rescue the lost.

Borrowing parents and entering the womb, they persuade people to filial piety and fraternity.
Receiving the Patriarch's order, they transmit the Great Dao and point the way to merit and practice.

Yet the karmic evil of all beings piles up like mountains.
When told to do good, they refuse — and jealousy rises instead.

Speak of the Three Teachings and the way of self-cultivation, and they dismiss it as old talk.
But speak of obscenity, opium, and gambling, and they smile and laugh.

Speak of loyalty, filial piety, fidelity, and righteousness — they comply to the face and betray behind the back.
Speak of the Three Awes and Nine Reflections — not a single one is followed.

Alas — at this point the human heart has decayed to the uttermost.
The Lord of Heaven is enraged; the Demon King is unleashed.

You say you rely on your power? He will destroy you.
You say you are wealthy? Money will strangle you.

Grand mansions and fine possessions — he sees them and smashes them.
Cursing you until you dare not speak, your head bowed in terror.

The rich and noble now dress as beggars, all fame and wealth stripped away.
This is heaven and earth's retribution — I urge the assembly to reflect.

These are only the lesser calamities and have not yet destroyed the great order.
Before long the great demons will move — spirits and ghosts will weep and wail.

The hungry will eat human flesh, the thirsty will drink human blood — the suffering is real.
And there will be demons and monsters, strange beyond reckoning.

Pitifully, the world will be thrown into darkness.
Only those who have the Dao, relying on the Three Heavens and guarding their breath, will survive.

First: establish merit by resolving karmic debts.
Follow the principles of the Scripture of Breaking Delusion — steadfast from beginning to end.

Those who have the Dao and virtue, their spirit-light shining — the Buddhas shall protect them.
Those whose hearts are dark, their spirit-light extinguished — they cannot escape the Third Period.

At this season, the regulations of every region must be tightened.
I fear that disorder in the Buddha's regulations will inscribe names in the Black Register.

Now the Three Heavens' Buddhas are busier than ever —
great and small spirits dare not rest a single moment for the sake of this calamity.

The principles of success and failure in walking the Dao have long been demonstrated in the letters.
Those who follow, ascend; those who defy, fall — let the assembly take note.

You bear the Dao and whatever comes with it, fortune or misfortune — each has its origin.
Having received the Dao, establish merit — the higher powers preside.

Know that sixty thousand years' worth of accounts are being settled here.
Though you walk the Great Dao now, the karmic debts still demand their due.

The Lord of Heaven secretly lightens one calamity to give relief.
But the foolish and deluded say, "Doing good has no benefit."

There are also those of great Buddha-root who received the decree from the Heavenly Palace —
to save the ninety-two thousand, they pledge their own bodies to bear the disaster.

In this assembly, the ways of dissolving calamity are a thousand wonders — beyond imagining.
I urge the leaders: examine yourselves, and rely upon the Jasper Pool above.

Merit and fault, down to the slenderest thread, are recorded by the Three Officials.
Good and bad — govern yourselves, wash your hearts and purify your thoughts.

Do not let arrogance swell your temper.
Do not love flattery or crave the stench of praise.

Do not harbor partiality that profits yourself at others' cost.
Do not let the heart darken with crooked thoughts.

Do not seize others' merit for easy gain.
Do not bully others into submission.

Do not speak as though you could cover heaven and hide the earth.
Do not crave ease and idle comfort.

Do not display the cunning of Cao Cao.
Do not flaunt your learning to overthrow the patriarchs and insult the teachers.

Do not believe in false arts and lose the right principle.
Do not speak false words to beguile the foolish.

If you can follow these words and discipline yourselves —
fear not the karmic spirits; with a bright heart they cannot deceive you.

Walk this way and steer the raft of mercy to the end without failure.
Teach your region by your own conduct, and the Great Dao will flourish far and wide.

Know: this rare affinity is met only once in ten thousand aeons.
Know: the work of nature and destiny is gained from beginning to end.

Know: without merit, karmic creditors cannot be held at bay.
Know: how fortunate that you have met me to reveal what is auspicious and what is dire.

Know: the Three-Eight calamity will arise across all nine provinces.
Know: wealth and rank, in the calamity, will turn to mud.

From now on, if you want peace when the Lower Cycle passes —
when the impure breath is exhausted and the righteous breath unfurls, the phoenix shall come to rest.

At this time, when teaching others, measure your own strength.
Watch whether they can truly practice what they profess — genuine and solid.

First command them to chant the sutras and repent, resolving all karmic debts.
Only when they clearly understand the Dao and its virtue should you point to the Mysterious Pass.

Pitiful are those who show false compassion —
the moment someone believes them, they initiate with the One Thread.

Openly deceiving people, not fearing the spirits — the stupidity is contemptible.
From now on, anyone who commits this offense shall be uprooted entirely.

Moreover, this year at the mid-autumn full moon, the Three Heavens convened —
in fourteen counties where the Dao is present, all vessels are to be stopped.

The Heavenly Ledger has been decided — anyone who recklessly initiates shall have their name inscribed in the Black Register.
I announce to all leaders below: do not transgress the Buddha's regulations.

Those who disobey, provoking tests and punishment, will drag the Dao down.
They will cause the ninety-two thousand to fall into hell — the suffering beyond measure.

Now the Heavenly Net is spread and the Earth Net is laid.
The test of ten thousand Jade Lotuses — the subtlety of mediating the Dao is known above.

This is why these regulations have been issued — I inform all gentlemen.
Each person must instruct the juniors: success and failure must be understood.

In every region, a man or woman of great wisdom who stands as pillar of heaven —
whose years of devoted service and extraordinary merit are well known —

shall be publicly nominated by the upright of that place before the Buddhas.
They shall receive Heaven's decree to mediate the Dao, preventing private corruption.

Even if one feels unworthy of the great commission, one may not privately refuse.
Those who defy the order shall also be demoted — do not blame me for being strict.

It is not that I am not generous — consider what is at stake.
The Dragon-Sand gathering, the Peaches of Immortality — beware of mischief.

At this season, the appointment of Buddha-leaders is meant to avert disaster.
The lesser spirits shall be reserved for later stages; when the Dao is clarified, they too shall take refuge.

I fear that when the tests come, they will babble in confusion —
falling even further, beyond all recovery of the West.

Consider: to steer the raft of mercy in these times is no easy thing.
You need wisdom, you need agility, you need adaptive understanding.

You need endurance, you need courage, and your actions must be meticulous.
You need the ability to bend and the ability to extend — awakening the deluded multitude.

You need magnanimity and harmony, the knowledge of human feeling.
Outwardly save others, inwardly save yourself — only then do you become a great vessel.

As a Buddha-leader, having received the Dao, you must follow the regulations.
With heart and nature bright, build bitter merit — your conduct straight and true.

But I fear that, having lived long in the red dust and turned through many lifetimes,
the karma you carry will obstruct you, overturning your mind.

The letters of regulation and the Dhyana Staff have been sent for years.
Read the principles often, embody them constantly — then the karmic veil cannot blind you.

All the ruin is caused by arrogance and carelessness.
They glance through the letters once and think them unremarkable.

But they do not know: the truth of attaining sagehood is in bodily practice.
It is not like worldly sentiment — songs, odes, and poems.

The saints of the Three Teachings wrote the way of self-cultivation on paper —
teaching the world to follow them and together ascend the Heavenly Staircase.

I urge all the worthy: the learning that goes beneath the surface must be washed clean as with water.
Within the nature's portion, plant genuine realization and cultivate from the inside out.

Nurture the vast and righteous breath — supremely great, supremely strong.
When things are investigated and selfish desire is exhausted, the good is restored to its beginning.

Look up: it is higher. Bore in: it is harder. The mystery is without end.
Human desire extinguished, heavenly principle prevails — the ten thousand return to one.

Practice long and suddenly comprehension breaks through — the fruit is the Millet Pearl.
Great without exterior, small without interior — its light penetrates the Jasper Pool.

When merit is full, the crimson letter summons — shed the mortal and depart for the West.
Clad in the five-baht immortal robe — how magnificent the bearing!

Look at the tale of the Western Journey — the joy of those who completed the path.
There is the example for all to see — follow my words and they shall not prove false.

I hope my friends will embody the Dao and virtue — in the end there will be good.
May we celebrate the Dragon-Sand gathering, feast on the Peaches of Immortality, and rest upon the Nine Lotuses, high.

Twenty-One

I urge my brothers and sisters, men and women alike —
you must understand the true cause of ascent and descent.

You fast the mouth but not the heart — rebirth in the wheel is unavoidable.
The heart is the master of the whole body; what it holds must be goodness and light.

If arrogance, jealousy, and the need to show off are allowed to remain,
you willingly darken the spirit-light until nothing is left.

From ancient times, treacherous ministers created evil by putting private interest above the public good.
Comrades turned on each other, throwing the court into chaos — and never was there lasting prosperity.

But whenever there were loyal ministers and righteous generals,
they endured humiliation and hardship for the nation without resentment —

practicing virtue and benevolence through a thousand trials of patience.
At death, they ascended to the sacred realm of Heaven.

There is no shortage of loyal and treacherous examples in history — I tell them so you will hear.
Blessing for the good, calamity for the wicked — the retribution is divided clearly. I urge you: fix your standard.

Our companions are of different surnames — not all born of the same mother.
It is affinity that brings us together to support the Buddha's vessel; merit and fruit are proven by each person's own effort.

Contemptible are those of foolish views who do not embody the Buddha's regulations.
With a little cleverness they show off their ability — provoking resentment among their fellows.

There are those with narrow capacity, whose speech pains the heart;
the anger rising at the tip of their nose — pulling and quarreling is their main occupation.

There are those of stubborn will who follow only their own way, refusing counsel.
Though they work hard, their virtue is unclear — and they damage their own heavenly rank.

Do not say "I eat vegetarian, therefore I will become a Buddha" —
if the heart and mind are not set in order, it is meaningless.

Selfish scheming, love of winning — the Buddhas record these as faults.
Look at the ox and horse: they eat grass — not a trace of meat.

They labor bitterly through their days,
and at life's end the knife falls on their necks.

This is because in their former lives they were violent and defied heavenly principle.
When the measure of evil was full, they lost the human form — the bitterness of the three lower paths is pitiable.

Now I urge you all: seize your fortune and work diligently at the road ahead.
The principle of transcendence is in the Scripture of Breaking Delusion — read it until you have learned it by heart.

To get along with others requires no great trick: lower yourself and exalt all others.
Watch each person's temperament, speak what is fitting — and the heart's virtue will naturally become pure and still.

If they are of immortal root and Buddha seed, in time they will certainly turn around.
Even if they do not change, your own virtue remains pure — the spirit-light is polished to a precious mirror.

If you do not follow my counsel and reform,
if each simply follows their own temperament —

then you are not of the same kind as I.
How could you ever transcend the mundane and enter the sacred?

When this work of merit is complete,
I shall return forever to the Jasper Capital.

Only those of one virtue with me shall ascend together —
otherwise, entering my realm will be difficult.

Those with faults shall be cast into the wheel of rebirth — suffering according to the gravity of the offense.
Having lost your foundation, you sink into the abyss — weeping, and no one to pity you.

Because I bear the disaster for the assembly, enduring illness to guide and teach you all —
bitterly I hope everyone will reform their nature; do not lose your lotus rank of the Third Period.

I urge the assembly: let your words be gentle. It is forbidden to wound others with cold speech.
At the slightest displeasure, eyes roll and tempers flare — for nothing, you create suffering and damage your virtue.

In cultivating the Dao, let each person know contentment. Do not say "this is my own good fortune."
To overstep your station provokes Heaven's wrath — I urge the assembly to reflect upon yourselves.

In idle hours, read the books and study the letters — explain them to set yourself right and to guide others.
The books lay out heaven and hell plainly — embody them and root out every fault.

Whenever there is discord in the same hall, it is tantamount to cheating me and cheating the spirits.
Knowing the grace but failing to repay it — you are unworthy of the name "human." I fear you will have no share in the Peaches.

Treat others with generous grace and honor me — do not give me cause for worry.
Let each person's merit grow by their own effort — I urge the assembly: do not argue.

After death, the Three Officials match the records — good and bad are clearly written.
At the gate of the Nine Yang Pass, sentiment counts for nothing — I tell you this so each may awaken.

Even the mightiest root — with faults and no merit, ascent is impossible.
If you do not discipline yourself, the spirit-light dims — how will you attain the joyous realm of the Three Heavens?

When the karmic wind blows, you follow wherever it leads, falling of your own accord into the wheel of four births.
The sight of filth fills you with delight — you regard the stinking as your very life.

This is because in your past life you committed evil, your temperament reeking and bent beyond description.
You wove the net of karma yourself and you suffer in it — at that moment there is no turning back.

At this time, if you reform and practice virtue, a few years of hardship will bring you to the truth.
Follow the rules and I guarantee you the Heavenly Capital — abiding with me in eternal joy and stillness.

Your parents and ancestors shall share the glory — in one stroke, all ascend to heaven's hall.
Bitterly reform your flaws and purify the heart's virtue — the joy of that state cannot be told in full.

This letter is like a mirror that reveals your karmic self — examining your faults with trembling heart.
If you do not reform and learn compassion, how will you pass the judgment of the Purple Terrace?

For the time being, go on arguing — when the Dao is made clear, there will be a reckoning of form.
At one word against principle, punishment descends — and tears stream down in pairs.

If even one word of mine is false, the Five Thunders will strike my body.
Follow and ascend; defy and fall — the future will make it plain. I urge the assembly: examine your own conduct.

One Western River Moon tune — this is the sacred script of transcendence.
Follow it, reform, build your lotus rank — when merit is full, the Buddha-realm is forever sealed.

Twenty-Two

A letter to the leaders of heaven and earth — hear the true nature of the Western Journey.
In the cultivation of the Dao there are demonic tests — do heaven and earth have no eyes?

The human heart has dwelt in the world for so long that cunning, greed, deceit, and fraud cloud the mind.
Alien sins of every kind have been created — their wronged death-breath gathers in the netherworld.

All the Buddhas, because of this calamity, wrote their testaments long ago —
hoping only to turn the human heart to righteousness, away from evil, toward goodness and self-cultivation.

But helplessly, the human heart is lost in delusion, unafraid of rebirth in the cycle of retribution.
They have created drought, flood, and famine — they have forged the calamities of water, fire, and the sword.

The Jasper Pool could not bear to watch and decreed that all Buddhas descend to be born.
Exhorting people to practice goodness and build merit, that the karmic debts of many lifetimes might be washed clean.

I too have borne the debts for the assembly, printing books and releasing all captive creatures.
Yet the original souls' karma is heavy — many who receive the Dao still walk blindly.

Those who initiate men and women without merit provoke the wronged ghosts to weep and petition.
The grievance-petitions are beyond counting, piled high in the court of the Three Officials.

There is no choice but to petition the Jasper Pool — the Old Mother approves the retribution.
By unleashing the Imperial Wind as a test, the Jade Lotuses of all ten thousand spirits will be decided.

I read this and my heart aches bitterly — the Imperial Wind across the Ten Directions will be hard to bear.
I wrote a blood-petition and submitted it to the heavens, appealing to the Old Mother and all the True Ones.

I begged that the Imperial Wind be altered — replaced with a different kind of test.
Perhaps thieves, fire, or flood; perhaps famine or plague.

These will test the heart's virtue and resolve, and settle the vow made before the golden censer.
Through ten demons and nine trials that overturn the mind, the burden of disaster may be dissolved.

By giving the mortal body over to repay the debt, the nine grades and three vehicles are established.
The Old Mother, with compassion, approved the petition and commanded me to bear the disaster-star.

My body endures sickness and suffering — pitifully, day and night, no peace.
The Great Dao is not easily obtained — I urge each of you to be attentive.

Practice good works early, and pray that the Buddhas will secretly dissolve the tests.
When you encounter disaster or misfortune, know: each has its own cause.

Do not waver between two minds or three hearts. Do not doubt that the spirits do not protect you.
The karmic ledger of more than sixty thousand years is being cleared in this one calamity.

The heavenly rank of one hundred and twenty thousand years is also proven in this calamity.
But alas — there are foolish leaders who do not follow the Buddha's regulations when initiating.

Though they bring in a thousand or ten thousand, they cannot survive this test.
At the first test, vows are broken and precepts abandoned — they blame heaven, earth, and everyone else.

If they ruin the Dao and create evil in this way, for ten thousand aeons they cannot be reborn.
This is the sin of the one who initiated — when the Dao is made clear, what will they say?

They have harmed original souls and brought sin upon themselves — the punishment that awaits them cannot be endured.
Know: disaster is breaking out on all sides — nowhere in the Ten Directions is at peace.

Those who do good and still suffer calamity are merely paying off the karmic root of past lives.
Those who do evil and meet this suffering will have their natures cast into the prison of the Black Void.

Do not say that life and death are all the same — good ascends, evil falls, the division is clear.
Year after year, my letters: embody them. Fortune, ruin, success, failure — all are made plain.

For all who seek the Dao, men and women alike — teach them to chant the sutras and release captive creatures.
Wait until this year's test is past — in the coming autumn there will be glad tidings.

I urge the assembly: practice according to the law.
Follow the rules, and the Nine Lotuses — high rank — shall be yours.

Twenty-Three

A special notice to those who transmit commissions — this is no ordinary exchange of grace.
In the early days, when new ground was opened and the Dao-root planted, all that was needed was someone capable of leading.

At that time the tests were designed to make the Dao seem disreputable in the Eastern Land.
But now the Great Dao has spread everywhere, and the demonic tests have appeared in every direction.

The Buddha's regulations must be strictly upheld; those who study must grasp the principle clearly.
If the law is followed, the Dao will open and flourish — the assembly of ten thousand Buddhas is within reach.

But if you handle affairs as before, do not blame the Dao for being obscure.
All the Buddha-children in the red dust are lost in the poison of craving.

Though they have received the Great Dao, greed, hatred, and delusion remain.
If the true and the false are not clearly pointed out, how will they reach the Lotus Realm?

At this time the demons run wild — evil people are everywhere.
If you walk the Dao without guarding against the rise of demonic forces, disaster will surely follow.

The responsibility of transmitting commissions is not small — you walk as if on thin ice.
When the time comes to hand over the commission, you must exercise spiritual discernment — observe words and examine conduct to the end.

Investigate the background of those recommended for the commission — what has their conduct and practice been?
When the recommender's testimony agrees with the facts, then and only then may the commission be received.

If the recommender is lying, counsel them: do not accept Heaven's grace.
The consequences of failure are severe — let them study and wait for Heaven's timing.

The stakes of success and failure must be laid out plainly — root out greed and anger from their hearts.
If the truth is not spoken clearly, resentment will fester and a whole region will turn hostile.

Among those who are worthy, bestow the commission and teach them to guide others.
The subtleties of success and failure on the Dao are deep — teach according to each person's capacity.

First, explain the wonderful way of self-cultivation.
Then, lay out the nature of demonic tests.

Then, how to dissolve karmic retribution and transcend the wheel of rebirth.
Then, the distinction between the Dao and the demonic, the true and the crooked.

Then, the proper management of the household and the treasure of frugality —
saving and cultivating merit, point by point, explained until clear, and have them repeat what they have understood.

How to recruit: how to recruit. How to distinguish the true from the false.
"Watch what they do, observe what motivates them, examine what gives them ease" — investigate each person's root and foundation.

You must teach them for at least half a month.
Only when the principle is mature should the commission be received.

When they understand success and failure and do not act recklessly — what worry that the Dao will not flourish?
In teaching the multitude, you yourself must also embody the practice.

Not merely teaching with the mouth —
make your whole body the Buddha's standard.

When commissions are given in this way, there is genuine benefit — worthy of the title "transmitter of grace."
The one who receives the commission has something to hold — and the alien kind cannot infiltrate.

They will spread the Dao's truth to the multitude, and those they recruit will be people of insight.
Each one knows discretion and works diligently on the road ahead — the demonic tests will naturally be dissolved.

But if commissions are given carelessly, without examining the person's character —
if the Dao is explained without adapting to the listener — treating the wise and foolish with one uniform lesson —

the principles without order —
how can the student take them to heart?

A blind man chanting sutras for a deaf man's ears —
both sides lost in confusion.

After gathering for a day or two, they are told to prostrate and receive the commission.
Each is sent home — and no one cares about the harm that follows.

The student takes up the raft of mercy but knows nothing of steering.
In muddled ignorance they recruit anyone — good and bad dragged in together.

They call it "compassion" to recruit; they say "good heart" to bring people to the Buddha.
But serpents and scorpions are let in the door — and then comes the ruin.

Putting the snake in the dragon's den, inviting the chicken to roost with the phoenix —
the Three Heavens will certainly send tests to separate the clear from the turbid.

Buddha-children and the alien kind are refined together in one furnace —
the serpent-and-scorpion venom issues from their mouths, and the shallow in virtue are harmed.

All this is the sin of the one who transmitted the commission —
Heaven's grace was handed over carelessly, the Heavenly Bridge destroyed, the Dao's gate thrown into disorder.

The original souls are dragged down into suffering —
consider: how great is this sin?

It was not Heaven that taught you to act this way.
To defy the regulations and grieve the Mother — I fear the punishment will be more than you can bear.

At this time, all leaders great and small: stay home and master the principle.
Only when you go forth to walk the Dao will you avoid confusion — then you may serve as the Buddha-gate's guide.

I urge the assembly: follow the regulations.
With the spirits' aid, when merit is complete and fruit is full, the Dao will succeed.

Without peril, without danger, the Great Dao is accomplished — the ninety-two thousand share the grace without end.
Let the demons rage and the world shake — they cannot enter the palace walls and the court of law.

What is needed is the pure virtue of all spirits — then you shall surely see the beautiful scene of the Lotus Flower.
Year after year the letters I have sent are the journey-road of the Western Pilgrimage.

Cultivating self and saving the world, all laid out plainly — above and below, the standard can be set right.
If you do not follow the principle, rank will be revoked — punishing one as a warning to the hundred.

So long as you acknowledge your fault and reform your nature — build merit to redeem the offense, and your commission shall be restored.
If you refuse to acknowledge the wrong, punishment will fall — you shall be expelled, lest you disrupt the order.

Let them go their reckless way — do not argue with them. Use the regulations to awaken the rest.
Treat those below with courtesy; use kind words to break through their confusion.

When each person knows righteousness and benevolence — what worry is there about transcending the mundane?
My dear companions, embody my true words; always guard the Jasper Pool's decree.

The ninety-two thousand rest upon my shoulders — I have no choice but to speak in full.
Since the test of the Blue Serpent, the Five Flowers and Ten Leaves vanished without a trace.

The Imperial Wind, the Fear-Wind, and the Rain could not penetrate — yet they threw the Ten Directions into pitiable turmoil.
With every stratagem exhausted, only a few stood with one heart —

unfearing of bodily hardship, laboring to mediate, eating cabbage as their rice.
By the grace of the Buddhas at Tian Zhu, the Friend Who Completed the Dao manifested divine power.

One thread connecting to Cloud City — the Seven Saints of the Ten Directions responded.
Gold and Water in mutual generation, the Dao shines.

I still hope all of you, my friends, will labor bitterly on.
When the Dao is complete, you and I alike shall stand by the plumb-line.

The Three Realms shall be fixed in their places.
You and I, each in our own region, spreading the Dao with the regulations as our standard.

I pray sincerely to the Heavenly Court in all four seasons — may the assembly attain the Nine Lotuses, highest rank.

Colophon

Precious Raft to Return to the Origin (歸原寶筏, Guīyuán Bǎofá). Twenty-three letters in verse by Confucian Youth Elder Suyi (儒童素一老人), addressed to Yiguandao practitioners. This is the first English translation.

Good Works Translation from vernacular Chinese by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Sections One through Thirteen translated by Chéng (誠), Yiguandao Translator. Sections Fourteen through Twenty-Three translated by Míngdēng (明燈), Yiguandao Translator, with Megumi walking beside. Gospel register. The translation was produced independently from the Chinese; no prior English translation is known to exist. The Morality Books Library (善書圖書館, taolibrary.com) states: "Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate" (歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通).

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

🌲

Source Text: 歸原寶筏

Chinese source text from the Morality Books Library (善書圖書館, taolibrary.com), Category 52, c52052.htm. UTF-16 encoded. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

儒童　素一老人　著

其　一

一封書叮嚀拜乾坤二道　開普渡這場事大費心勞
儒釋道三教聖費心不少　為原人著經典　滿累朝
奈世人迷紅塵違悖訓教　貪酒色與財氣名利乖刁
昧良知昧良能甘把罪造　生不覺死不知輪迴煎熬
至於今六萬年三期劫到　山妖精水妖怪住世雄豪
此一種雖人形心似虎豹　逆天理滅佛法折毀天橋
瑤池母見不忍慈悲下詔　命三教佛聖仙齊下東郊
諸佛尊聞普度魂皆諕吊　怕的是下紅塵難回天曹
金母言眾仙佛休得煩惱　此劫運先天定不能推消
一個個遵母命不敢違拗　摘性光收八寶盡都悲嚎
來東土九州地借母投竅　此乃是諸佛劫大數難逃
因此上這大道普天傳報　只要你遵佛規立誓就交
雖則是如此傳空中主照　設考懲纔分出地獄天曹
原來人認真理不畏魔考　千顛倒萬磨鍊守死一爻
這一會若不降九九魔考　四億中選萬靈怎分低高
三乘位九品蓮卻有大小　不考定上中下怎赴蟠桃
無根子入考場性王顛倒　開齋戒起毒心自把罪招
此時節龍華會金雞報曉　天地人一氣通對案三曹
定陰陽分五行十方有靠　取頂保引證恩斗宮名標
有一等貪妄生天魔入竅　發假恩發假執亂祖規條
這魔障無極宮久有明兆　領恩執就叮嚀切勿混淆
好勝生不查理依糊鬧　他人自己誓愿難逃
劍旗蘭龍虎斗魔王暗號　得正道歸魔黨不顧天條
不久間三災動八難齊到　看他這假排場怎樣支消
全不明先天道入聖至寶　進道時受天命九闕名標
勤宣講法輪轉佛光普照　窮其理盡其性光透九霄
無知人投魔類性光摘吊　甘白白墮苦海不能高超
勸知音眾領袖立功為要　超九玄拔七祖就在這朝
動度人靜度己諸神暗保　選齊了一萬靈體證天曹
天元佛開口袋元神顯耀　一個個見金身四海名標
救殘零收魔妖纔顯法寶　無極令玉皇敕魔見魂消
千萬年遇奇緣切莫錯了　捨身命辦功果北斗名高
收圓事大天機並非虛渺　觀世人大改變幾多蹊蹺
有一冊神仙鑑成道執照　開天地聖仙佛一書盡包
西遊記言的是九九魔考　封神卷敘的是仙真魔妖
三真人著寶卷皆應此道　細思量不由人膽戰心毛
大劫災分九州普天齊到　不久間天地昏鬼哭神嚎
那時節依法行自有玄妙　認祖派不妄為快樂逍遙
今傳來這篇言雖無文調　句句真字字實仔細推瞧
余若是有假言諸神鑒照　天不容地不載永不高超
我亦曾早晚間佛前哀告　願萬靈早齊備同步九霄

其　二

廣野堂寄佳音千萬拜上　叮嚀囑西遊客心莫徬徨
擔考懲乃上天安排設降　凡夫體焉能夠起此禍殃
吉與凶諸佛祖暗暗執掌　考懲下大小神都要驚慌
這一會選佛場天下齊響　有幾多真佛子考墮迷疆
迷眾生說食齋是為邪黨　遭誹謗受冤屈令人難當
考智慧考耐忍考人度量　考捨身受得苦試人心腸
真與假這一考各現原像　分清濁在此定即知端詳
是原人雖破戒心還道向　非佛子把齋開心毒虎狼　噯
三教經將此道何等隱講　朝聞道夕死可即超天堂
諸佛祖為此劫盡困塵網　這大道纔如此普天宣揚
在家中坐守得不要尋訪　信授這一竅兒能躲無常
入大道授真傳名登天榜　頒佛旨地獄裏抽丁拔黃
明玄關得口訣合同佛印　知厥性致復初天理流行
元神清道心靜毫光朗朗　遣其慾澄其心煆鍊金剛
出則悌入則孝倫理綱常　格其物致其知成聖妙方
先天道合盤傳為的那樣　得道者無幾個參考細詳
心只想臭皮囊健健旺旺　恨不得假骷髏永遠留長
見考懲成道者心生疑想　言修道當頭領如此下場
不認理破齋戒把道糊謗　怨前人罵師友妄作虛狂
不明白六萬年天道一往　余若是不指破眾遭悽惶
有色身惹塵垢許多魔障　眼耳鼻舌心意招罪腔腔
此乃是三期劫抽爻換象　指大道傳心法修煉靈光
三災動八難臨頃刻施降　七七九混混沌掃盡惡殃
此災劫還算小不在心上　怕只怕罡風動難躲難藏
就是那地神仙不能抵攩　見此風一吹時失落靈光
癸卯秋解天機定就爻象　分五行選十地設排舖張
五十花為九六萬靈保障　奉三天法令行十方闡揚
為原人設佛規安排停當　各人的功果滿脫苦還鄉
捨凡體證金身空中道掌　黍米珠不脫殼怎放威光
大果位不歷過九九魔障　怎算得極樂國奇物棟樑
捨得凡成得聖九蓮受享　超九玄拔七祖萬古馨香
居雲城斗牛宮光輝朗朗　九六子避罡風進此躲藏
是智人明天地盈虛消長　道高謗德高誹古言明彰
萬物類趕此會俱生世上　諸佛祖同異種混雜一堂
冤報冤緣酬緣在此給償　因此上得道人反遭不祥
怎奈是原來人別西東降　六萬年造結下許多罪殃
今普度要回西冤孽怎放　冤未報他豈肯准爾還鄉
其中的玄妙理你們推想　冤與緣要自明各人謹防
三天議借王章消解冤賬　定三乘分九品好見親娘
好和歹三官簿一一掛上　龍華會有交代不得瞞藏
修大道遭魔難古有榜樣　那一個成正覺不遭禍殃
達摩
祖下東土把道傳講　三開道有兩次曾把命喪
長春
祖一人修亦有魔障　死七次志不改方登天堂
觀音
母他修行何等苦況　遭火焚受斬絞纔登蓮邦
石杏林
為行道充軍邊曠　釋迦佛數世前割頭還鄉
周孔聖為治世受盡誹謗　在陳蔡遭圍困受飢絕糧
梁武帝
心好佛寺廟廣建　臨終時餓臺城得回西方
古聖賢受磨考難以盡講　何況這做收圓三曹同忙
余今時奉天命把舵執掌　祖祖傳師師授古定舊章
我並非逞才能妄談虛誑　又不是圖名利別井離鄉
都只為貼骨親輪迴漂蕩　遵三天救世心接引賢良
咱如今好一比唐僧和尚　在西路遭災難好不淒涼
眾妖怪要害我立心不放　一個個想食吞不吐骨腸
咱不為救原人別國去往　怕的是原來人有失主張
怕的是五魔動天下橫闖　怕的是天魔出擾害十方
無奈何靠天佑暗隱修養　與契等難面敘真乃慘傷
天地間陰陽理決不虛謊　陰之極陽復生自有寧昌
這大道不久間就要光亮　劫難動知我等纔是賢良
可嘆的無根種糊行狗黨　開齋戒起毒心擾害道場
全不思佛前愿如何了賬　全不思先亡祖地獄悲傷
全不思六道輪報應不爽　全不思六萬年苦海汪洋
全不思先天道萬劫難訪　全不思人百歲難免無常
全不思水火風五魔見相　全不思這大道超度先亡
全不思陰曹府苦楚萬狀　全不思極樂國受用無疆
遇考懲志不退諸佛欽仰　三乘位九品蓮不得荒唐
先亡祖在陰中亦有福享　候你等功成時同登蓮邦
若開齋早復戒立功一樣　切不可自暴棄甘墜迷疆
倘若是門勢高俗情難攩　做一個護法神接引賢良
雖不能證果位免墮苦況　候諸佛功成滿捎帶回鄉
知音人認真理立定志向　領恩者須斟酌駕度慈航
此一篇西遊文常閱細想　願眾友同挽手朝見無皇
那時節訴苦情依功陞賞　受天爵不投東永證西方

其　三

一封書俚言拜諸賢契友　得大道宜猛勇內外勤修
莫迷昧貪凡情混過時候　災難臨即富貴亦要盡丟
只有這功與果可能享受　三災動五魔起鬼哭神愁
前傳來玉皇敕救劫靈咒　速讀熟記入心字勿存留
亦恐怕遺泄於投魔人手　天地惱諸佛怒罪過難
遇大難虔默誦如神身後　人神合一氣通自有神糾
妖見亡魔喪膽神光透露　愚迷人不信道難免劫收
這一場大災難別無所救　非大道靠無皇難得全周
此時節皇風息顛考還有　叮嚀汝眾領袖掌穩舵舟
今三天頒普度魔孽盡吼　一個個總要報累劫冤仇
道成急孽債忙魔考九九　辰開齋午成道要記心頭
奈原人生東土年深日久　生不覺死不知造孽無休
到如今三期劫老母慈厚　命諸佛來下世普度圓收
論道成不多久一二時候　八一災考滿了佛光下投
那時節現金身天涯走　 大道成救殘零快樂優遊
勸眾賢立功行早消孽垢　孽冤重迷心性纏擾難修
閑無事三教書體貼窮究　外度人內度己明道情由
要修道先須除雜念無有　心要空氣要平鎖定猿猴
有過錯時檢點不偏不倚　於定靜誦愿懺把神哀求
念畢了又照前一毫不謬　無縫塔藏真性不壞金剛
真天命明師授指開玄竅　無價寶在眼前須觀明詳
明真心見真性至大至光　虛之極靜之篤本性復初
身在塵不染塵至清至靜　掃三心飛四相早養性光
煉成顆黍米珠無聲無臭　證西方登上品快樂無憂
余今日一篇言催度老幼　願眾友體我行同上瀛洲

其　四

一封書寄貴境老少乾坤 三期劫開普度鬼哭神驚
三教聖著經典天道備訓 預末後釣九二好作定憑
癸卯秋頒佛旨十方接引 天恩下冤鬼嚎孽賬要清
上天爺無私弊循報律定 冤報冤緣酬緣在此給明
諸佛祖為原人慈悲不忍 替眾生捨身形代解災星
這大道方能得逢人就進 只要人遵皈戒立誓指明
靈臺穴生死竅成聖切徑 傳厥性指復初無極之真
格物慾致良知知止定靜 心法得性理通向上一路
居之安資之深左右逢源 致中和萬物育彌綸天地
三毒滅六慾淨元神朗徹 四相飛人欲盡九曲珠明
只等候苦行滿脫凡成聖 上帝爺丹書下仙鶴來迎
外旁門他怎知大道功行 即神鬼覷不破這段妙音
凡同類得道人誠意究竟 須知覺先天道輕不易聞
是佛子性未迷一指就醒 三教經豁然通苦把功呈
縱然是遇考魔心有把柄 仁不憂知不惑守死黃庭
孽重人得大道半疑半信 重於財輕於道死怕考懲
他不想人百歲如同夢瞬 富與貴眼前花終有凋零
全不想古聖賢是何究竟 尊道德重性命修出紅塵
釋迦佛
生皇宮何等慶幸 遊四門醒悟受記燃燈
知生老病死苦循報劫運 棄江山如敝蹤洪基不登
漢張良黃石公勸他歸隱 蘇東坡遇佛印勉勵修真
唐呂祖拜正陽十考不吝 後方纔授領得無字真經
長春
祖家貧窮立志修行 拜重陽傳大道修上玉京
這些祖都皆是由凡成聖 何況這延康劫佛旨東林
末劫時眾妖怪俱要顯應 道與魔並立行而考修人
西方路多妖怪久有銘箴 西遊記九九難收圓準繩
余怕的眾賢良墮入魔陣 特寄來這篇言免眾心驚
假老母假彌陀妖法亦很 假關帝假文昌假名觀音
假呂祖假諸佛各顯道行 六萬年修成妖此會顯靈
也有的現天橋異種妙景 叫男女上他橋而登天庭
又還有呼的雷虛空響應 又還有飛身形腳底生雲
又還有口一吹蓮華美景 又還有唸咒語天地黑昏
又還有放飛刀要割人頸 又還有身現光遣將遣兵
又還有見銀錢點石成金 又還有手稱接掌中丹存
但遇著勸爾等切莫輕信 憑著他天地翻各守谷神
你不從他不敢傷你性命 一投他失靈光萬劫難昇
雷唵經是三天救劫號令 守玄關運呼吸上靠娘親
修行人遭災殃不要怨恨 八一難苦行滿自然康寧
務須明三教祖怎麼成聖 外積功內修果方證天京
著經典遺後人了凡執照 除卻了這口訣乃成陰神
儒養性釋見性道名煉性 三教聖悟一性別無法門
有一等得大道糊談議論 他言講道卻真劫運難聽
他不明先天道自古秘隱 非時至無天命誰敢傳人
又不知各傍門所藏典經 又不知天下人所為所行
皆因是六萬年迷失佛性 得大道缺功德孽冤朦心
勸知音識時世人心改更 治極亂亂極治古有章程
有錢財早積德切勿糊混 體上天救世心三官簿存
大道成九品蓮依功而定 六萬年這奇緣豈肯棄輕
屋千間夜八尺睡安樂靜 田萬頃日三餐難食二升
況五魔暗鋪張要出至緊 一聲動萬般有盡化灰塵
滿堂的妻兒女生死各 分善惡見好歹大道福臻
此一篇血淚語直言告稟 都只為貼骨親約眾回程
雖無文真情話常閱神領 依此行九品蓮自然高登

其 五

字寄賢良閣下　見字始知真情　無極先天大道　豈是易得易成
好歹各自推想　天命實不輕承　三期普度大會　萬類各顯各靈
大道因此普泄　真假聽命得聞　真者考魔不一　假者山人亂行
古云有道有魔　道魔如影隨形　天恩頒行普渡　地府鬼哭神驚
故爾道根一下　彼地就有魔生　又況道成之急　所以考懲諕人
九洲十地天定　捨身大轉法輪　十地承任分佈　方方立下道根
天借張七作魔　方纔出此考懲　這場皇風四起　天下盡皆知聞
不但異種考出　仙佛亦要弔魂　貴境諸多佛子　見考毫不昏沉
老丹書久示　 三五各有來音　一片丹心貫日　殺身了道成仁
借此考選頭領　以定十方萬靈　是佛考之不退　非佛化為灰塵
時下考風平息　辦事檢密隨行　調人看人而調　取人要取真誠
四八假祖天降　乃收異類孽根　佛子尋根抱本 孽種貪妄性存
朝秦暮楚之輩　怎麼證佛成真　任他亂作糊為　切莫與他爭論
我度我的佛子　他引他的獸禽　縱有原人入內　都是前劫造成
三天考察嚴緊　刻刻有神鑒巡　功果一日一奏　勸眾各宜小心
此事何等之事　改天換地事情　三會龍砂定位　諸佛盡皆降臨
各了各的誓願　自辦自己前程　道明始末清白　蓮花鏡裏分明
余雖隱秘他地　心意常掛你們　余遵天命救世　時刻不敢留停
為度九二原種　諸佛困在紅塵　余的身後事重　不敢亂動亂行
知者言語謹慎　切勿輕泄與人　今番通知汝等　使眾各有把憑
如若不知隱密　惹禍自害自身　余本慈心濟世　反為天下罪名
乃是天地氣數　陰極自有陽生　領恩各盡其職　道成好見無生
膽大心細行持　吉凶余有佳音　功果須當早辦　不要自誤時辰
收圓莫作假事　大道勿當戲文　如若自暴自棄　自失三會前程
隨緣隨分度日　混俗和睦鄉鄰　活潑圓通大智　行坐須畏鬼神
視聽言動檢點　三畏九思常存　久久行持不怠　性定氣養和平
浩氣塞乎天地　自然天理流行　生死聽天安排　如此行道功盈
任他天地有壞　我性虛靈常存　日月之光有韜　我光透澈乾坤
不久災難齊下　不久五魔縱橫　不久盜賊劫殺　不久妖怪現形
三五空中顯化　率領五部雷霆　十方隨感隨應　闡道救度殘零
那時依功陞賞　那時有果蓮登　那時丈六之體　那時盡現法身
一篇草字俗語　願眾上品上乘

其　六

廣野堂寄佳音奉告同契　聽余講這大道祖派來歷
因梁武心好善德感天地　達摩祖領佛旨纔下東岐
梁武帝
不識這西來之意　傳神光度普庵曹洞四師
黃五祖
接衣卻無年紀　 授六祖號慧能火宅隱秘
傳白馬第七祖儒道初起　羅八祖行大道捨卻身軀
這衣在唐朝老母收矣　 後發出三千門異種旁枝
先天道隱公案筆發於紙　使眾生行功德待候三期
因時至老母命九祖元始　為原人顯大道回無慘悽
吳十祖
接法船洪都調理　奉天命開大道雞犬不啼
只考得無有那插身之地　傳十一何若祖工夫傳齊
遭風考有數次充軍龍里　傳十二袁老祖道號無欺
大慈悲領天命不畏苦趣　開雲貴過西蜀受盡孤悽
初到彼道不行機緣不遇　盤程完衣當盡紅薯充飢
可憐的食三月不灰心志　立苦行感天地大道宏施
然祖派十二代周天圓已　至道光有六年母下丹書
定徐楊為先天陰陽妙蒂　共成了三五數河圖洛書
二慈尊開普度考風隨起　諕得個眾男女叫苦悲啼
考五行穩道根待候十地　傳魔子見考懲誹謗無虛
那魔子起貪妄不以規矩　發假恩取頭領滅祖欺師
有多少眾男女貪圖便宜　投了魔子類名入黑籍
佛不考投魔人安泰得意　道高謗德高誹古言不虛
五老會十地齊三天共議　立雲城排十方八寶鍊齊
木火明顯大道老母久示　要六人回天宮救度三期
金水生九州接引佛子　 隱身形釣高賢勸眾檢密
火羊時從今後有些異術　囑眾等守真常莫犯蹺蹊
皇風考分清濁冤孽解釋　嚇黑風考修人主宰把持
異種的天魔頭皆當出示　口吐蓮腳騰雲大顯稀奇
各種的古怪事難以明敘　無知者貪投他自失天梯
要明覺古聖真功行實際　三千功八百果位證菩提
苟無德於至道難以凝聚　見邪信遇魔從終遭雷誅
現存有一種魔擾害各處　發假恩取頭領糊講天機
不過哄一切的無知男女　但智人聞所行只好笑嘻
凡有相皆虛妄佛經明著　戒慎乎不睹聞所載儒書
開普渡做收圓有條有序　祖祖傳天人交方可行施
余是奉三天命暗把賢取　依功定給慈舟不敢行私
勸友等行人道擇賢指示　亂度人圖其多難過考期
度一個就望他頂天立地　依法行自然的逢凶化吉
非比那假魔頭所行之事　將恩執頂保引蒙哄愚癡
今傳來這篇言俚語實據　勸同人各體會索玩推思

其　七

字示辦道領袖　聽余敘其佳音　人生百歲如夢　富貴終有凋零
古今大道難得　性理心法難聞　今幸得逢普度　淑世可能淑身
若是歷劫無冤　朝聞夕死成真　勸眾老幼男女　莫將大道看輕
識破紅塵苦味　學習古聖德仁　時下因人而訓　道傳至善之人
苟無至德聖語　至道不凝銘箴　試看三教之祖　謙卑遜順和人
動靜循規蹈矩　三畏九思而行　千難萬苦不退　浩氣沖塞乾坤
外功內果圓就　丹書召上天京　受苦至極樂享　心志慈仁冰清
汝等領此大道　又受佛家權衡　若不功過日記　久行恐生偏心
心偏神不護佑　冤業迷竅亂神　所以得道有退　暴棄自失前程
囑眾檢點為要　大道顛考難云　天地不外於理　三教經典推論
屢寄書字誥誡　常閱細思其文　勿當浮詞故語　句句淚語血心
余奉天命行道　不畏苦心勸人　不枉幸遇吾道　明善復初歸根
一竅天機抉破　貫通萬典古經　耐煩積功行德　九蓮上品上登

其　八

字寄辦道領袖　男女各遵章程　此事天人交給　非比小道旁門
抽爻換象之事　陰陽轉大法輪　自古成道諸聖　此會定位成真
規模四十八條　功過格律久存　三曹依律調理　暫時十方難行
今寄俚言數語　叮囑老幼乾坤　收圓品類不一　功分位列三乘
辦事和氣為貴　謙恭方算至人　一方皆有掌領　總要商議而行
不可由己執見 搶功阻塞佛門　小量生出嫉妒　必起人我恨瞋
後學見之鄙笑　道你修煉不真　儒講忠恕之義　佛以慈悲為心
道以感應方便　無非捨己從人　度人功雖非小　要分好歹假真
若不擇人亂引　是把大道看輕　倘度孽種敗道　害眾墮落他身
此是三師之過　難道就無責懲　古言度千度萬　不如調十成真
指爾度人法則　莫將天機勸人　先必談敘俗理　慢慢講破世情
看伊有些誠敬　方給古聖經文　是佛見之醒覺　必定求問來音
非佛喚之不醒　俗言書是故文　借此分人真偽　是非即見原形
是者縱然求道　還要再三叮嚀　凡事先難後易　察人來歷品行
時下人心不一　無益有害佛門　從前開荒下種　不辨賢愚泄明
貴境道根已立　又況見過考懲　領恩慈航掌穩　暗釣賢士高明
所有薦恩之事　切莫圖做人情　恩堂為佛領袖　要有榜樣節行
有財能捨救眾　無財能可度人　引度十餘男女　又要遵行規程
又要行持檢點　又要除卻貪嗔　又要不辭勞苦　又要活潑經綸
又要低心化氣　又要不畏死生　又要識人好歹　又要不驕不矜
又要認真大道　富貴知是浮雲　又要積些才德　方可憑佛領恩
恩準禮本讀熟　不可拿本請神　禮本如若不熟　不許頂代開人
天恩何等之事　乃載九六權衡　掌超輪迴之執　切勿視為常行
勸眾各依天命　功圓九品高登　一切規程細事　來人面告敘清

其　九

字囑賢良兮　修道要誠　看破苦海兮　名利虛情
百歲如夢兮　無常來臨　生死不了兮　六道輪迴
脫骨如山兮　性理不明　幸遇普度兮　佛祖東林
一貫顯明兮　指出虛靈　掃除旁門兮　萬法歸根
立功消孽兮　冤賬要清　大道有考兮　八一災星
佛子能受兮　守死黃庭　非佛考退兮　怨天尤人
行善遭難兮　實實駭人　刑拘善人兮　諕退無根
諸魔擾道兮　大顯威靈　根淺見信兮　認假棄真
開齋破戒兮　飲酒食葷　妄比古人兮　道理不明
天地好生兮　他不推論　三教經典兮　天道怎云
地陰天陽兮　兩條路徑　人稟陰陽兮　清濁不分
不得大道兮　怎育虛靈　縱有功德兮　死為陰神
難超三界兮　福盡投生　醒悟種德兮　還可福增
若是迷昧兮　造孽難云　閻君依律兮　不順人情
若有得道兮　返本歸根　率性存心兮　永把道親
修道要緊兮　遣慾澄心　私慾淨盡兮　天理流行
萬殊歸一兮　妙合而凝　與道合真兮　真性通靈
不絕兮　 空卻色身　法輪自轉兮　大功告成
明心見性兮　毫光騰騰　功滿果熟兮　丹書來迎
脫卻凡體兮　跨鶴上升　蓮花棲身兮　朝見三清
依功定果兮　九品三乘　先亡超度兮　同居蓮京
永享極樂兮　不滅不生　再囑領袖兮　辦事因人
長短知用兮　三思酌斟　上慈下孝兮　各人自省
同類要和兮　你恭他敬　條規常講兮　方有準繩
違悖逆行兮　自害自身　與動行為兮　須畏鬼神
奸貪不除兮　怎上天庭　請思古聖兮　是何心性
有功與人兮　德貫乾坤　方為師表兮　萬古垂名
何況收圓兮　返本成真　天堂地獄兮 任人而行
時下開荒兮　務分次層　引道開道兮　各執一能
引道功苦兮　其德甚深　開道理明兮　三教要精
衣冠嚴肅兮　求道方遵　教導人信兮　道纔至尊
如此闡道兮　異類難進　方方道興兮　功果滿盈
不依此行兮　難化智人　好歹亂開兮　難過考懲
枉勞心力兮　自良辰 　勸眾儉用兮　惜福為心
擔當開道兮　須立品行　低心和氣兮　無驕無矜
體貼古聖兮　不貪不瞋　一片婆心兮　功果自勤
立為榜樣兮　人神始欽　一朝功滿兮　九蓮高登
一篇血言兮 願眾領聞

其　十

廣野堂寄佳音俚言告稟　有緣者得大道將理認清
領佛旨駕慈航遵依天命　照規條闡道妙度回殘零
前輩祖為此事做有標準　吉與凶成與敗好歹辨呈
此時節道根立規矩要整　或辦功或辦果務體章程
發天恩擇賢交先須察問　要領人祖有德自有功因
第一要有節義改過不吝　所行為功與果件件真誠
第二要口與心作事忠信　明大道知考魔捨命不瞋
第三要肯修心道之根本　性復初氣質變德能不瞋
第四要不好勝言語欲謹　無人我無高傲克己待人
第五要有主宰行事三省　遵三畏體九思超拔群生
第六要能忍讓和睦眾姓　敬上人愛後學無有驕矜
第七要有財捨不為所困　體上天救世心纔算至人
第八要佛神堂打掃潔淨　斷輪迴戒宰殺莫養四牲
第九要閱經典神會心領　口而誦心而維學習古真
第十要行大道因人教訓　學不厭教不倦不辭苦辛
依得這十件事方當此任　如亂薦又亂發終惹考懲
領天恩為人師戒除毛病　出言辭有章程須有品行
凡同修談道時切莫爭論　先天道理無窮各有淺深
惟人有忠恕義先天稟　論文才乃後天學習而成
即無文而有德天堂可進　如無德縱文高難登天庭
老與少賢與愚各存恭敬　豈不思三教聖謙和為尊
昔禹王聞善拜何等卑遜　有子路聞過責喜而不瞋
但有才無高傲成聖器具　講是非論人我佛門罪人
東說好西說歹佛最惱恨　不早改由自性終墮迴輪
天宮裏那有個亂事佛聖　並無有奸貪輩證了瑤京
並無有逆天行始終昌盛　並無有作孽子成了仙真
迷於前惺於後天亦念憫　急立德求懺悔方可超昇
莫學那作魔人欺哄天命　哄別人哄自己掩耳盜鈴
行一切有象物妄談糊論　全不講修性理只想道成
把一先天道亂傳糊混　 又不講佛規戒亂祖章程
豈知道學聖賢先欲心正　正其心誠其意纔講修身
三教聖著經典指迷準繩　怕原人入魔類失卻歸程
怕原人信妖術昧迷賦性　治世理超凡道一一敘清
請眾思這大道自古秘隱　非時示無天命誰敢洩明
勸眾等當領袖各方掌穩　免原人投魔鄉墮落沉淪
調度人將道德看人而訓 視所以觀所由辨白情形
若有人捐功德切莫糊領 要察其功來義所為何因
果然是明道德素來誠敬　這方可拜佛交申奏天京
當領袖用此功總宜儉省　龍華會對案時分毫簿存
出功的依功定三乘九品　用此費要功交甚是駭人
諸佛祖為此事那有安靜　憂壞了老無皇二六不寧
望眾等體天意救度劫運　闡大道說性理剖明古今
依法則行大道佛佑吉慶　辦外功修內德日盛月興
方不枉下東土承領母命　方不枉離天宮持掌權衡
受得苦還極樂何等萬幸　無皇喜諸佛愛天人敬欽
這一場大機緣萬劫難領　動度人靜度己切勿留停
要知道人百歲如同夢瞬　富與貴名與利可比浮雲
學伏羲拜鬱華先天卦定　學軒轅為求道三訪廣成
學湘子修天爵八仙果證　學釋迦棄王位苦尋燃燈
學呂祖遇正陽十考不損　學慈航濟世心永證潮音
學邱祖立苦行受飢辱忍　學曾子窮一貫了脫死生
學馬孫夫婦修同登蓮品　學唐僧不畏苦西天取經
古聖真授大道先就考審　千萬計考不退道方與聞
至如今三期劫天地位定　因此上把大道普傳東林
仙與佛禽與獸同混塵阱　或兄弟或父子夫妻等稱
試請看作惡事親朋皆敬　惟此道一傳示考魔齊臨
父子阻夫婦鬧親朋俱恨　眾惱怒好似他眼中毒疔
任你講三教理他偏不信　總說這是異端定要開葷
你想他苦阻隔是何根恨　非是我仙佛種乃是獸禽
根基大收四相認定佛徑　任隨他千萬考不畏不驚
小小的陸地仙怎過此陣　一見那妖魔吼膽戰散魂
叮嚀爾西遊客禪杖拿穩　莫學那唐玄奘一概慈仁
每每的受妖害將他鎖綑　要學那孫悟空變化通神
好一簿西遊記考魔說盡　皆是為辦道人成聖銘箴
此時節開示人擇賢指引　果然是求道誠戒律敘清
惟煙酒先要戒不可食飲　酒亂性煙傷神敗道總根
酒與煙壞臟腸三寶虧損　只怕的壽終時難進天門
要依得佛規戒方指率性　立了愿傳玄關直指見性
存其心養其性至命合天　氣稟化性理純歸根復命
大靈源真主宰無極本體　周沙界遍虛空無在不在
入水火不焚溺金石暢通　亦無生亦無滅不垢不淨
真本源貫三界十方兼通　四相飛人欲盡大道有成
如此傳使學人猛勇精進　若合盤傳與他視為常行
有許多領大道雖然心信　只記著口訣熟全未修身
他只說口訣得何必急性　將外事辦清白纔把功興
縱然是明經典說得人惺　如抱瓜只知香其味不明
倘三天降考校心無把柄　幾顛考心性迷就要開葷
道不可須臾離儒書明訓　示後人得心傳悟透虛靈
得大道要悟透三品一理　要悟透道無二萬法歸一
要悟透四肢性聽從號令　放之則彌六合卷退藏密
要悟透佛心印認得真假　勤精進智慧開洗滌昏沉
要悟透大道成是何妙境　方不愧幸遇著心法全聞
培外功修內德時日並進　養成顆九曲珠毫光騰騰
功行滿丹書詔脫殼成聖　金童接玉女迎雲鶴足登
朝木公謁金母逍遙勝境　賜仙衣賞綬帶依功而承
丈六體光朗朗常樂我淨　超先祖稱大孝萬古標名
那怕他災難動天地改更　惟道安法象樂無憂無驚
今寄來此篇書休言淺近　願各位細體貼如我面云
有一日龍華會蟠桃共慶　受天爵不生滅快樂長春

其　十一

廣野堂寄佳音奉拜老幼　聽余講時下的辦道情由
見草字如同我親身面觀　勸諸位體天命內外勤修
這大道自古來應時略漏　非大功非大德難聞難求
先要有功與世方可承受　一得之千萬考學習忍辱
三教聖那一個不遭苦楚　道高謗德高誹名不虛浮
奉天命著經典預備日久　皆因為末後普度圓收
三曹律苦樂報一一明露　訓人心謹遵守免墮三途
久久的雜氣生擾壞宇宙　悖天理殺盜淫奸詭詐謀
見惡敬遇善欺天良無有 造成了無邊冤劫災橫流
天不安地不寧纔有劫數 五百年一大難聖真下投
諸佛祖為救世苦情受夠 有幾多遭奸雄割去老頭
至此時人心壞竟如狼狗 當面的講仁義心藏蝎毒
將聖經盡作了名利扒手 三教真視悲淚哭疼咽喉
會上帝推劫運時至普渡 諸佛祖齊下世苦海駕舟
把三教諸經典始末解透 講性理說天道勸人勤修
眾聖真為此劫困陷東土 癸卯歲命五行十地佈週
天人會有還無雲城鍊就 陰曹府冤鬼聞哭翻地獄
十殿王共商議把本申奏 上帝爺無私義准旨報
將地獄來打開齊把道阻 使周晚與張七生出禍尤
一霎時行善人腳繚手扣 受刑法同罪犯坐於禁囚
修行人遭冤屈魔考九九 諸佛祖頂災劫十方驚愁
革異種顯真苗暗暗普渡 但此時釣原人莫學前途
有三元之條規闡道無謬 須學那姜太公渭水直釣
所傳來之經典各體窮究 作闡道之寶筏正邪說週
是原人見此書必問覺路 慢慢的依法則指點丹邱
依次序教學人層層悟透 傳一個就望他功成到頭
初進道只教他培德自度 切不可使他去開道駕舟
你想他將入門糊糊塗塗 又不知進退理道理未熟
此時節旁門多假知領袖 記幾篇古丹經自誇自足
又還有假仙壇古怪顯誘 假仙名享香煙貪食酒肉
是天魔見吾道即生大怒 一切的毀謗語氣沖斗牛
倘遇著這些魔把道來阻 幾顛考就惶惛反下深溝
他只說是真仙跪拜佛首 吃酒葷成仙佛心喜悠悠
大智人執三教對壇辨讀 將天道性命理追他根由
血屍神知俗理筆法雖有 講天道問得他心驚面羞
理不明老實人得道守舊 亦不必出外辦在家苦修
盡人事遵天道凡聖兼做 積銀錢量力為把道扶搊
久行持無懈怠功盈果就 勤苦辦感天心自然罪贖
苟無德孽怎消道難保守 怕三天設考懲難過紅鑪
這於今當大領掃脫塵垢 無罣礙無恐怖免風纏揉
想教人先教己自問心口 體古聖之行持戒除虛浮
行不正敗佛規諸神不佑 自誇能不和眾孤高浮屠
如奸貪人不逢自把自臭 勸不改非是我靈山骨肉
試請看傅蔣周違天行謬 仗他的勢力大今敗何尤
魔子名遺後世實是可醜 害原人墮輪迴罪冤怎休
勸諸位體三畏謙和為首 切不可由自性毛病憾丟
此時節有罪過懺悔可救 如不醒道一明哭斷咽喉
儒忠恕釋慈悲感應道祖 那一個奸貪輩上了瀛洲
天地間善惡事疏而不漏 何況這修天爵豈無神糾
這一會法輪轉移星換斗 天人交三曹忙莫當庸碌
但辦道要結交善德良友 有差錯好指示免成凡流
你勸他他勸你兩相親厚 德不孤必有鄰古聖明囑
依吾行調度人方無敗路 闡大道學聖賢克己忍辱
是智人明天理勿莫鬆手 一世苦萬劫樂永享天祿
要知道紅塵福名利不久 活百歲如春夢不覺白頭
莫說是修大道考魔凶陡 道不考真與假清濁混儔
你想想九六人輪迴許久 氣稟拘造下孽積如山丘
今普渡於天下訪傳授 不降考原人孽怎麼消勾
妖與怪趕此會蟠桃想睹 不降考豈容他混上天都
請看那凡功名科場時候 先要招諸神鬼尋報仇
數十年之榮耀鬼神暗扭 何況是修天道萬古名留
這收圓天與人理法同屬 余解明但遇考切勿縮頭
無事時戒淫念自身普渡 遵四勿飛四相清靜當先
守之到心意明還原返本 識得了本然性徹地通天
智易悟昧難行迷凡覺聖 物格止意自誠性復原初
尊德性道問學性王體圓 革七情滅三毒元神始清
明其體達其用自微至顯 致中和天地位萬物並育
彌六合藏芥子無內無外 四部洲八極外一理貫通
性歸根心意了勿忘勿助 情慾除原性歸四體通酥
觀自在即自性不離本身 佛增輝法輪轉方能收圓
暗暗的大功成無聲無臭 要等候功果圓方把殼丟
自身中辦收圓不易而湊 何況這天地事豈有易謀
有幾多一得道就望會睹 無功果道即明憑何樂圖
他豈求知上天的慈悲深 萬朵蓮差一個龍華莫求
於此時想開荒生意帶做 借養身立奇功和光混俗
況時下人心壞魔冤轟吼 作生意遮身體方好尋搜
九六子於塵苦處處皆有 倘性急傳匪人攩塞賢流
住一方找提綱耐煩苦守 人誠意感格神自得高徒
依得吾法則行功成果就 龍華會證上品快樂悠遊

其 十二

字寄諸友閣下 見字即吾身臨 修道要遵規矩 人神同體道興
不比旁門小道 由人亂作糊行　此道天人交接 三曹轉大法輪
儒釋道之經典 治世出世敘明 三曹苦樂備載 只在覺迷之分
伏羲
始畫八卦　指人遠惡善親　天地難逃造化 人況有神鑒臨
三臺北斗頭上　善惡絲毫錄存　三尸神在身中 庚申奏人所行
福善禍淫不爽　報應遲早不昏　何況修此大道　勸眾三畏體遵
第一惜福為上 凡聖務宜儉勤　這會火宅成道　不比為道為僧
專望人之供養　豈知人欲功分　勸眾半凡半聖　切勿虛過光陰
居家教子以禮　戒勿歹人同群　聖經不可不讀　讀之方明古今
感應篇是天律　常閱體之神欽　功過格行有益　治心除偽成真
時下龍蛇混雜　行道須要酌斟　人乃凡夫肉體　怎分是非濁清
擇選頭領辦道　聽吾指示找尋　入道輕財重德　低心受教真誠
有錯即認悔過　人責願改敬聽　銀錢用之怕過 舉動忠信篤敬
辦事毫無苟且　可以能屈能伸　平日行持檢點　見難不畏不驚
有功不誇自己　有過不推他人 任隨千魔萬難　至死抱道守仁
如此為佛榜樣　可掌慈舟權衡　否則稟壞氣質　聽敘學道毛病
或辦功果好勝　只講虛浮名聲　或見財貪妄得　不畏天地鬼神
或有錯事瞞隱　人說死不認承　或愛奉敬之話　倘責心生怒瞋
人和他就可矣　教他和人不能　或用銀錢不惜　不思來義苦辛
可恨面是背非　隨風倒舵舟撐　辦事不慮後患　規條當作閒文
或心高傲狂詐　自誇自己所能　總是說人不好　再不自責己身
或是仗己才學　自高自大驕矜　不知天命貴重　妄談祖家章程
內德又不勤修　只習一張嘴脣　如有利息爭幹　無利如龜首形
或是開有後學　只想養他一生　皆是苟圖衣食　隱瞞人善因
無事膽大惹禍　有事毫無經綸　但有犯此病者　不改怎超天庭
不怕會說才大　切勿薦當重任　教他在家培德　求佛可把孽輕
功高冤孽消滅　習真戒偽心明　若能聽勸可救　天愛改過之人
素來作魔之子　進道少人克懲　由他心性皮氣　久久自生驕矜
將人功果亂用　憑何功德交人　歷劫孽罪難消　今欠佛賬罪增
豈知大道天命　開示地府抽丁　不是諸佛護持　即有冤孽找尋
故余常常叮囑　勸眾小心留神　又況天魔盡出　遊蕩天地無禁
如是謬行違理　心昧神光黑昏　人神兩不相合　諸佛不佑魔侵
入竅不由自己　糊糊塗塗祖稱 上方如何不究　借此作道考懲
考人貪圖便宜　考人貪高愛陞　罪過越造越重　鬼使開齋喫葷
請察作魔一切　不講道妙修身　所言不合經典 一味劫災唬人
一是將這哄眾　二是用那誘銀　不以耕種為事　生意一概不尋
古言坐吃山崩　好吃懶做必貧　幾年家財用盡　不管後來死生
吾奉三天行道　教人治家勤儉　大富由天聖語　小富由勤銘箴
幾個君子志向　憂道而不憂貧　銀錢太多有害　十分欠缺難行
錢將義取為務　買賣無欺公平　吾道救眾出苦　魔子拖人下坑
說的皆是鬼話　貪望道明華榮　不思三教聖祖　為道捨卻利名
孔子
棄官不做　周遊列國教人　釋迦梵王太子　得道洪基不登
海蟾
本是宰相　遇道歸隱修真　軒轅黃帝為道　三訪廣成大真
得道江山不坐　鼎湖脫殼龍乘　自古道成諸祖　富貴視如浮雲
可嘆一等男女　魔子鬼話愛聽　人因貪妄昧理　好殺奸盜邪淫
黑氣沖塞宇宙　天地人神不寧　纔有三災八難　冤孽尋報無停
諸佛視之不忍　領旨化度紅塵　勸人行善改過　食齋戒殺放生
講明三教經典　指示一貫虛靈　外積陰功消孽　內修性命元神
早晚焚香祝告　報答天地君親　此是超劫法則　功行圓滿成真
三教經書法語　乃是修身靈文　誦者消災解厄　誠可超度亡魂
何況身體力行　如何不超天庭　可憾作魔一黨　害了無數乾坤
用人銀錢是小　害人修道不成　假恩開示男女　怎能天榜標名
惟此罪過最大　萬劫不能超生　自己墮落自造　連累九祖幽刑
亦是祖人無德　天開黃道難聞　囑咐我道領袖　開人要察來因
三代祖上無過　方指一貫威音　照依條規行持　免遭上帝責懲
再者賢良捐助　切勿亂收分文　要人得道知味　曉得貴重至珍
有餘買此佛田　九玄七祖沾恩　借錢捐功不可　利息日夜發生
若是祖父殺賣　分文不可收呈　令他別功可做　此功不是易承
時下修身老幼　行善不可彰明　祗因廣西作亂　傷壞許多官兵
卻是洋煙之毒　兵將有癮在身　臨場兩邊對陣　癮發身軟頭昏
那邊兵將氣勇　知來交戰必贏　不說洋煙所害　總講那邊法靈
說是吃齋造反　皆因行善遭瘟　可憐吃齋守戒　舉步蟲蟻怕損
造反殺人為要　人肉當作點心　此是有口難辯　勸眾抱道守仁
在家耕種暗修　行善和光同塵　知我道者天乎　智士慈航苦撐
若非西方佛子　難過這場考懲　也是上天安排　借此考選萬靈
邱祖
所著西遊　序祖九九災星　唐僧師徒與馬　乃心意神精
借名闡發大道　是為普度定憑　西方路上妖廣　阻攩取經唐僧
受過異種苦難　全靠悟空老孫　行至靈山不遠　滅法國阻駭人
即至靈山寶地　清淨不見世尊　冷冷淡淡靜坐　忽然佛笑現身
諸位佛祖名顯　陳出一切寶經　這段機關妙義　久豫作道準繩
過得九九災劫　方可靈山得登　道高毀來不假　德修古云謗興
道顯宮牆萬仞　山妖水怪難進　吾道諸佛感格　至今十方通行
若是根基淺薄　即遇不敢領聞　有緣得之謹守　吉凶靠定瑤京
受得一世之苦　道成九祖沾恩　一篇西遊俚語　休笑言粗無文
常閱體之無怠　九蓮上品上增

其　十三

今囑修善賢良　聽序誥誡悟真　時下刀兵亂紛紛　積德求神救應
精一執中之道　非時不泄難聞　幸遇得受苦慇勤　格物致知率性
久行靈臺洞徹　日月照耀金庭　出玄入牝三五凝　自然明珠結定
若非先天佛子　即得難過考懲　九九魔難不易承　根薄見考必損
有緣得此大道　舉動惜福為心　但物三才運生成　妄費皆損德行
修道人必問汝　如何食齋戒葷？因人而答理辯清　破他迷魂大陣
請思畜物殺時　斬之叫苦悲傷　亂跳亂蹦想逃生　口叫噯喲饒命
畜物體異性同　不過軀殼異形　一死靈魂見閻君　他能訴苦冤稟
十王依律判斷　將人陰德超生　不然等人命歸陰　冤冤相報嚴謹
古云無故不殺　妄殺折福減齡　天律循報毫不混 令知好生為本
若是西來佛子　卑躬切敬而聽　見書如寶窮究根　依規慢慢言進
但凡後學求道　教他齋戒誦經　立德焚香告天京　孽消方可道領
初指至善之地　不生不滅元神　七竅一通竅竅明　即成神仙妙境
入門遵依佛規　除盡世俗驕矜　捨財培德心意誠　仙佛自有感應
如此入道有功　拜佛心法傳明　築基煉己定方針　進道退邪指醒
不依天命修道　竊盜口訣妄行　如不懺悔天除名　道明五雷顯應
世因人心奸詐　損人利己殺生　冤氣沖天成災星 故有凶報劫運
三天視之不忍　大道頒下東林　講明三教古經文　教人學習返本
故要食齋戒殺　體乎天地好生　進道地府即抽丁　天宮標著姓名
人生於寅東土　生死輪迴不停　今想超出這紅塵　培德捨財不吝
倘若口是心非　三畏九思不遵　瞞心昧己惱上神　名入黑籍可憫
修道要明齊家　子女幼教禮行　知得三綱與五倫　孝子賢孫遠永
如是小兒不教　溺愛由他性情　不曉禮義亂家庭　人畜何以分徑
不怕富貴之家　子女務要儉勤　好食懶做終遭貧　罪歸父母教訓
男女各習藝業 家貧有藝養身　不然飢寒起盜心　敗壞門風何整
貧寒兒女嚴教　勤苦自然家興　早晚焚香敬神靈　為善必有餘慶
即或幫人營日　亦要替人思論　得人貲俸與人勤　主家自知愛敬
或做生意買賣　老少無欺公平　依時作價莫虧心　百可利千名分
憑天吃飯天佑　惜福修德神欽　德本財末古聖云　奈何時人不省
有財若不積德 子孫即見凋零　財隨德行不虛情　勸眾急早速醒
人生苦樂異種　皆因前世作成　天地賞罰最公平　福善禍淫不紊
亦有不仁發達　乃他前劫功因　暗中減級人不明　天報豈有矇混
幾多癡人享福　伶俐為他用人　若是奸謀家道榮　作盜發財無盡
須學燕山竇氏　捨財修積兒孫　五子登科光門庭　名為千古標準
有田國課早完　免其後累勞神　幾個公門能存心　不把天良傷盡
你我修此大道　時願天下安寧　食王水土報王恩　求祈風調雨順
有志代天行化　要有活潑經綸　遵體規條無妄行　方免異類混進
此道天人同辦　誠心愚可慧生　上方感格道開興　男女老幼恭敬
試看謬行辦道　愩高貪財逞能　借道為名弄錢銀　皆無結果昌盛
此事冤孽迷竅　使他顛倒糊行　萬劫奇緣豈易承　囑眾把他提醒
開人要慮後患　好歹規條敘清　如不遵行惹考懲　連眾戴罪不輕
後學童婚前定　娶嫁不犯規程　只要守道不開葷　勸得雙修果證
九品蓮台不一　依功依果而登　無功與世自了身　道成亦無品蓮
堯舜四皓七友
二帝令臣找尋　諸皆鄙帝貪紅塵　怎與出世面論
外有巢父許由　棄世隱修山林　洗耳不聽襌讓音　可算清高名震
堯舜禹
王證果　封為三官爵榮　四皓七友巢許成　問功定位悔恨
自古三教師祖　都是有功與人　何況三曹轉法輪　抽爻換象位定
修道要明考校　試看西遊唐僧　凡體已脫見世尊　八一災難未盡
只有七十九難　還有二難完成　風水壞經大受驚　九九難滿為聖
修人但遭考魔　三天簿記分明　如切如磋書有箴　如琢如磨要省
二篇西江月調　休笑無有仄平　章句之學反古文　愚夫愚婦見醒
世有讀書假知　只講筆下之文　聖人心法他不明　切勿與他爭勝
先聖著書闡道　教人身體力行　後學盡是弄功名　得勢害人無整
學道閱書體貼　功果日時並增　一朝功滿丹書迎　脫體超凡入聖
九蓮依功定位　無功還是殘零　待後諸佛功果盈　稍帶靈魂草命
若是功行浩大　諸佛拱手敬欽　朝見老母訴苦情　九品蓮臺威鎮
五銖仙衣遮體　八寶蓮花足登　金童玉女侍駕行　龍鳳歌舞導引
九玄七祖超度　脫離苦海迴輪　同享天爵永長春　不入六道苦
時下災難初起　異種古怪當興　千妖萬魔顯威靈　無根孽種見信
早年書帖說過　一切幻術敘清　務要讀熟記於心　免眾墮入迷陣
遇魔守定玄竅　誠誦雷唵二經　默想諸佛金容存　守道呼吸玄牝
任他邪法利害　有道不能傷身　運動真經轉法輪　神光透出頭頂
元神虛空顯耀　毫光照徹乾坤　邪不勝正露原形　不驅自然退隱
余視這場劫難　細思膽戰心驚　三災八難齊降臨　鬼哭神嚎何忍
上天諸真忙壞　鑒此劫災不停　怕的傷了修善人　二六巡察究竟
此劫文帝久泄　救劫寶章說清　世人視之當虛文　人心無可救拯
因人作惡不一　故成異種災星　冤緣相報此時辰　始知善惡攸分
欲想天下安靜　十人要損九丁　黑鼠變成青鼠身　堯天舜日光景
那時三界內外　惟有道德貴尊　天子求道訪大真　文武講修性命
至彼人心至善　惡人滅盡地寧　風調雨順五榖盈　國泰民安吉慶
囑眾樂善不倦　始終不違德仁　守死善道超迴輪　得見蓮花美景
理長難書竹帛　望眾常閱覺真　乾坤老少能依遵　行善天佑近順

其 十四

字寄諸位賢良 見字即吾親身　多有不能面會　時付草字叮嚀
幸遇先天大道　與佛有緣有因　欲知寅會以來　生死輪化不停
脫骨如山纍纍　改頭換面層層　時因三期劫至　諸佛領旨東林
洩闡精一大道　十方尋度原人　可憐腳跟走破　磨穿兩肩臂頸
時防孽種來害　刻懼冤孽找尋　受盡風波勞苦 提之令吾淚傾
多賴諸真感化　普遍種下道根　一等不知成敗　此事當作常行
皆是氣拘物蔽　知凡不能知聖　吾看領袖不少　賢愚不齊憂心
屢年書帖告誡　指示超墮迷津　遵依卻也不少　人己兩成神欽
還有一切領袖　心竅冤孽迷昏　今將毛病指出　犯者改過莫吝
有等心高氣傲　說話由口亂云　不怕結冤結仇　自壞口德不省
有等粗心浮氣　專言鬼話哄人　不慮後患敗路　那管異種病根
有等搶功奪果　不怕人神責懲　自己做壞榜樣　有亂佛祖章程
有等口是心非　假公為私昧心　不怕人知鄙辱　真是愧站佛門
有等喜愛褒獎　難受分毫克懲　一言不順他意　氣怒便翻眼睛
有等不肯惜福　好做虛浮人情　暴殄皮氣不改　終遭困苦家貧
有等內德不修　與俗有何別分　不將氣質改變　本性怎能光明
有等貪食口味　剝削臟腑不省　修身不明養體　酸鹹辛辣亂吞
有等慢上欺下　逞才逞勢逞能　滿腔貪利心意　全無聖賢經綸
這些異種皮氣　不合成聖準繩　外規縱然勞苦　還是佛門罪人
辜負吾的書帖　可惜面囑諄諄　未會吾面不講　會吾不體傷情
成敗何等剖白　日夜辛苦口唇　為甚心性不改　定要違悖謬行
為甚甘犯佛律　睜眼跳入火坑　為甚不把自責　由那冤孽矇心
為甚天堂不走　要往地獄苦　為甚不化氣質　不望超出紅塵
為甚不體玉帝　放那十七光明　看看劫難臨頭　心昧毫光怎昇
不久三八齊到　鬧得天地黑昏　若是不習心德　怕的難逃災瘟
不依吾勸懺悔　劫臨誦經不靈　歷劫冤賬作對　看你怎麼脫身？
使你心意顛倒　還怕破口吃葷　十方作魔有樣　眾位量必知聞
迄今下元末終　山妖水怪當生　三天無有拘束　借此考選萬靈
看看邪法遍世　他要借體顯神　古怪吾曾久示　貪心盡投他門
三會顛考不一　囑眾將理認清　這會奇緣錯過　萬劫難回瑤京
難遇吾降闡道　自失奇緣奇因　每歲所行書帖　呈奏三天方行
休作凡詞故語　只講文墨深蘊　豈知吾言雖淺　遵依九蓮可登
是為西遊寶杖　八一魔考銘箴　常常讀誦有益　遇難心有把憑
辨白內外魔障　照暗破邪巨燈　復叮後學男女　得道要重師承
三師引你入道　幸明天堂路徑　俱是凡夫肉體　難免錯處事情
如師謬行違悖　切莫任他墮坑　思他當初度你　費盡許多口唇
他先心明性朗　遵依佛規化人　苦功無有懈怠　眾人保薦他恩
時因開示爾等　名往地府抽丁　眾人冤孽聞怒　惱恨開示先生
因他將事看易　不防冤孽找尋　恃仗開有後學　心高生出驕矜
辦事由他性格　藐視祖家天命　護法見他違規　必要回奏天京
今歲三天牌示　十方革去多名　一千五百餘位　元神打入幽冥
吾今為眾指點　後學當報師恩　徒有錯處師講　受教痛改為能
師有錯處徒勸　勸師師務納聽　如是師徒有益　看他魔孽怎侵
不枉遇此普渡　把袂牽衣苦行　西天雖遠可到　九蓮雖高可登
那怕妖魔古怪　只要師徒同心　凡我同人違規　知者都要提醒
倘若坐視不理　非是貼骨真親　有過即早懺悔　立誓洗心日新
從此依法行道　求乞佛榜名登　可憐目下劫災　廟宇佛像火焚
吾替眾等印書　廣放一切生靈　與眾消解罪孽　眾等方纔清平
上天慈悲無量　撥輕乾坤災星　非廟佛像頂劫　九六冤賬難清
苦哉這場劫運　三曹都是膽驚　欲想逃出劫難　破迷宗旨體遵
聖凡自然兩利　何愁功果不盈　囑眾預隱地所　遠離兵路河津
務居深山窮谷　耕種田土營身 和睦鄉鄰為要 免人橫起害心
土產勤多種些　以防年荒饑饉　推思谷米賤極　究竟不是好音
各人存惜口祿　省出修培功因　倘遇兵劫臨室　誦經默佛金身
想像神光護體　自然身化異形　平日依法行持　心德純良光增
人神相合一　魔性見化善性　不在劫中男女　護法諸神隨跟
錯殺一個佛子　護法要問責懲　從此災劫四起　要交上元安寧
勸眾遵規為貴　有道之地舟停　怕的混進異類　生風擾害佛門
就是西來佛子　有孽不解難承　但凡求道男女　教他食齋誦經
廣行陰功善事　功大拜佛入門　沒後可領大道　此時三曹開人
做有護道佛表　有功歸空表伸　三天命佛開示　指明率性元神
只要功德浩大　何愁一貫不聞　一篇血言俚語　望眾體會覺真
蟠桃香味現鼻　各當誠意酌斟　依規是母孝子　扶助龍砂早慶
違規就是敗道　老母視之悲淋　怕的道場攪壞　九六怎回瑤京
那時戴罪不少　勸眾仔細留神　果然聽吾化度　包你九蓮高登

其　十五

字囑開荒領袖　聽吾誥誡叮嚀　時因劫災臨頭　釣賢務依規程
成敗危微之別　吾今指示分明　世道人心不古　貪高好勝逞能
有緣得道返本　要學古聖之心　但凡立志出外　開荒打引接人
生意不可做大　免人而起害心　先要佛前立誓　除卻貪妄圖名
到彼引度賢良　周通百里路徑　若非半載不可　弄得原人現形
好歹一概明白　用書調醒眾人　不許自露曉道　洩之即把道輕
至於接人開示　還裝外行為慎　莫說是我引開　他人享此福榮
如是一露有敗　令眾疑心必生　使道不能大展　高賢不肯進門
反疑大道有假　一假百假古云　此方原人墮落　罪歸打引之身
或者些引幾個　就接開示先生　如此乃是敗道　你們不解弊情
俗眼所重勢力　一時難明道真　書上言師尊貴　實實難遇難聞
開道人品一見　毫無稀奇異形　反墜求道志向　未免私談議論
此是急開敗路　其罪戴之不輕　鄰里未見吾書　怎知其中妙蘊
故爾在彼久辦　使書疏通眾聞　果然一方百里　善人盡現原形
眾人求道至極　書中玄妙知情　不過不明心法　方接開示先生
一堂數十餘位　內中總有高明　把道一指講透　知人以道敬尊
縱有愚人不信　被他同類勸正　如此大道自宏　有何謗言名聲
引道來往行走　有風即可脫身　倘若不依吾語　照誓果報臨身
久後調出頭領　能掌慈舟權衡　將理始末剖透　自然現爾聲名
依法功成有望　不依休帶出門　若吾查出違悖　休怪不順面情
再者收賢功德　務要報上奏呈　如有收回私用　查出摘降天恩
或者輕信邪術　言語鬼話哄人　或者說是弄非　暗使頭領支分
倘若犯此三等　摘降永不復陞　特此曉諭領袖　乾坤老少知聞

其　十六

俚言寄於諸友　聽示開舟規程　無極先天大道　自古輕不傳人
時因三期劫至　一貫心法洩明　此事天人交給　須依佛條施行
人自寅會下世　生死輪迴不停　殺生造孽異種　冤魂等候幽冥
若不先自解釋　進道眾孽找尋　故要多誦經卷　超度歷劫冤魂
印書替天闡道　消解一切罪情　放生是解殺孽　立功申奏天京
求乞三天拔濟　累世罪孽消清　得道方無魔考　西天任你坦行
不立這些功德　入道難免魔侵　一旦魔投他竅　那時擾壞佛門
與他無益有害　豈不將他墮坑　一切作魔之子　乃是孽魔入身
今有余氏父子　合同姓龔道人　得道冤孽未解　至今孽魔橫心
妄發假恩亂道　不顧天律謬行　但凡投他男女　罪比開齋更深
削去天榜名字　元神打入幽冥　急早求師開示　改換名字表申
投魔名字母怒　進道久已說清　三師開齋不換　投魔要換師承
吾今囑咐諸友　此時開人酌斟　開進有孽男女　將來難過考懲
不久妖術邪法　孽迷見魔必信　自後有投魔者　不準復進佛門
且待道明定奪　此時佛律嚴森　勸眾須開領袖　鎮壓邪術妖精
第一查其三代　素來品行端正　第二誦經印書　久齋廣放生靈
第三體乎三教　履踐篤實功誠　第四愩高無有 不貪世俗虛名
第五不信怪端　立功行德為能　第六心口如一　忠恕二字時遵
第七不畏魔考　始終抱道守仁　第八有膽有量　檢密二字隨行
第九三畏九思　件件明乎偽真　第十閱書能體　遵上和下禮純
有此十條能幹　萬朵玉蓮有分　那怕天魔世　何愁妖術顯靈
威鎮一方道場　原人有靠無驚　諸友依吾行持　九蓮包爾高登

其　十七

字寄乾坤領袖　見字即吾親臨　先天大道不易行 成敗各當究竟
人自寅會以來　生死輪迴不停　福善惡殃報應分　天律絲毫不紊
幸今三期普度　諸佛領旨東林　一貫大道降世陳　性理真傳洩盡
從前開荒下種　只要信受指明　借動凡人惹考懲　天道方聞塵境
致令異類難參　方好大開佛門　九九魔考分偽真　天機神莫測影
月窟黑兔時至　一元復始現真　五老顯像梅江城　分別闡截邪正
因為原人冤賬　俱在等候幽冥　聞聽普度世間人　一切冤魂不肯
冤狀訴告十殿　閻君直奏天京　三官收紙集滿庭　無奈瑤池請令
天定律條不爽　冤緣相報給清　母命諸佛頂災星　依功而證蓮品
可憐考懲一下　忙壞大小佛神　但凡行善諕吊魂　提之雙滾滾
考得七零八落　無有幾個道信　議論三天不顯靈　誰敢開設佛徑
幸遇普賢大士　不二玄奘一真　無極律令苦辛勤　復把破舟重整
南嶽洞天闡道　始立三元規程　五濁惡世找佛根　天顯玉蓮
遵依天命開道　佛神空中佑成　外功內果兩相盈　道場日新月盛
開荒苦功不少　三天功記冊存　散下理性智慧增　人神俱皆欽敬
九玄七祖沾光　陰中得道榮陞　皆因依規感天心　凡聖兩利吉慶
亦有福薄之輩　立有微功驕矜　不依規矩亂糊行　孽使做出敗病
還有一等假知　仗他一點記文　愩高違德逞才能　枉讀聖賢經綸
不體古聖德義　忠恕二字未遵　貪圖勢力虛名聲　終久道難載穩
至此成敗俱見　囑眾度人留神　屢年書帖誨諄諄　常閱神會心領
上年停舟止度　你們可知其情　因為愚領亂開人　不依佛規引進
不知人生以來　那個未傷生禽　若不放生劫消清　怎麼解此劫運
但有求道男女　先須廣誦佛經　超度一切諸冤魂　得道免魔告稟
印書助天闡道　化醒大地迷津　三件功德感天心　將功把孽消盡
囑伊莫言道事　只說為的雙親　久久行持心德純　剖白道魔等症
不久妖怪出世　顯法引惑修真　苦苦勸爾入他門　借人要阻佛徑
貪高信那便宜　圖利入他迷陣　名註黑籍墮元神　萬劫不能昌盛
道魔成敗敘透　令伊心有把柄　進道佛門展經綸　方指一貫率性
不依吾言傳道　違規貪開乾坤　冤孽未解道難承　退道生風無整
不怕古佛根基　有孽得道魔尋　冤孽入竅心矇昏　玫使把道不信
如是將道一退　孽使誹謗難聽　彼處佛子道難聞　妄開天忿不忿
此時道傳天下　魔子干擾乾坤　各方領袖須酌斟　佛規總宜嚴緊
吾道有投魔類　不準復進佛門　三師亦要問責懲　係爾開示不謹
如有投魔師輩　急欲換去師名　比乎開齋最更深　老母諸佛最恨
開齋只要扶道　三天功記冊文　道成諸佛保他身　依功還有果證
可鄙一等愚領　掌恩不知貴珍　明明犯規開示人　不顧前功有損
違悖天命拜佛　天榜削下恩名　眾生地府誰抽丁　誤人生死性命
與人無益有害　欺人哄人罪深　連累九祖受幽刑　看你心中何忍
犯者早求懺悔　自稱戴罪眾生　哀告瑤池金母恩　以後謹遵佛令
休將大道看易　顛考不是一層　總要貪妄除乾淨　不被世幻誘引
現今鸞筆異種　正少邪多世陳　幾個能分假與真　多有不認理性
但有高真臨壇　必要齋戒虔誠　所言道妙成聖箴　破人迷魂大陣
否則愚癡迷漢　素來毫無良心　他也請仙降妖精　假稱上尊名姓
人邪感邪魔降　總教多辦三牲　好酒是要幾大瓶　所判世俗現論
他必誹謗天道　教人切勿戒葷　問他性理亂糊云　根基淺薄心信
時因下元將終　山妖水怪當生　異種邪氣宇宙橫　要害原人至緊
有過不早求懺　天榜無名魔侵　恐怕天魔借爾身　驅爾性光可憫
自負一片苦志　先亡不能沾恩　失卻三期佛前程　性墮黑空獄禁
借爾形骸作孽　害道戴罪不輕　令人咒罵臭名聲　爾祖陰中痛恨
那時哭斷肝腸　陰濁穢氣難聞　十二萬年苦無昇　天魔狠是不狠
待等開闢天地　照誓果報投生　變為異類失人形　苦楚何日脫身
吾奉三天救眾　費盡心血口唇　賞罰不敢順人情　苦將佛門整頓
所有摘降一事　非是我不慈仁　劻正男女德行純　三天好散理性
學道貪功者多　習德無有多名　欲為佛門大準繩　三畏九思日省
時下道根普立　規矩務緊道興　一行鬆考魔臨　看他領袖怎隱
人本凡身肉體　誰無錯處事情　遇人提醒認責懲　是為佛門標準
再囑中年領袖　男女須避疑論　不畏俗談惹考懲　必要死於非命
惟此戴罪不淺　敗壞大道名聲　縱死還要墮幽冥　勸爾各人謹慎
但是那方有道　必有領袖調停　如是混進想開人　查出摘降大任
至於頂保引證　不準開示眾生　以免天恩起妒心　在彼犯者摘恩
如今開道調道　各辦一方接引　不準混雜亂糊行　免其爭強論勝
如是那方領袖　辦道不依章程　再三勸他不從正　公議革出佛境
另議有德之士　整正佛掌權衡　始免異類混進門　道場包爾清靜
如有輕信妖法　引人入邪棄正　自投羅網難超昇　甘造地獄陷
就是三佛下世　都要皈依吾門　不然難逃這劫運　囑眾切勿偏信
想作瑤池孝子　與吾同德同心　違規亂道失原人　諸佛視之怒嗔
降爾大災大難　拖累自己元神　打下天宮苦難云　勸爾各人時省
要思大道難得　自古輕不易聞　三教聖人演經藏　不敢明指理性
瑤池若無法旨　妄洩五雷霹身　此時雖不見神靈　道明誓願自應
吾將玄妙今洩　你們方知精微　三才命脈隱易經　是為大道憑證
黃中通理正位　一貫率性元神　知止格物明明德　人欲一一克盡
欲淨理純性現　靈光遍滿大千　充塞周無去來　到處盡是佛天
如是心勿妄動　誠意正心修身　尊德重道學聖賢　纔是道中棟樑
今番欲作佛領　先知一貫玄玄　明德新民止至善　物格而后定靜
安慮而后能得　佛曰大轉法輪　瞻前忽後妙合凝　性復原初聖境
即是本來面目　立見大人元神　圓明朗徹難隱藏　毫光透出頭頂
充實光輝瑩徹　三華聚頂時節　神合無極大道成　萬殊終歸一本
勸眾謹小慎敬　功滿脫殼飛昇　依功定果蓮高登　九玄七祖成聖
超凡無有大巧　變化氣質為能　好勝站強除得清　人神自必親敬
養成中和氣象　心得超出紅塵　任他天地大改更　惟有道德無損
永享極樂世界　受福不比東林　五銖仙衣隨心榮　口食仙餚果品
行有仙鳥作樂　金童玉女隨跟　護法諸神擺成群　執事威儀齊整
駕坐八寶蓮臺　幢幡罩於身形　異香奇味現鼻聞　樂境敘之不盡
皆是功行修至　瑤池旌賞福榮　再不下世轉迴輪　大雄寶殿巍鎮

其　十八

字寄西遊領袖　乾坤仔細聽聞　先天大道不易行　怕的冤孽擾損
道本非常之事　承辦非常之人　第一心德要全純　奸貪詭詐除盡
人因違理造孽　不畏天律鬼神　由他血心亂胡行　始成劫運無整
三災八難循報　收滅一切惡人　上天視之痛傷心　頒請無極佛令
大道方下東土　洩此骨髓真經　有緣知覺辦功因　遵體佛規接引
始終如一不怠　功成實跡神欽　苦行圓滿丹書迎　脫殼超凡入聖
九玄七祖超度　永不投東下生　心地塵垢磨乾淨　性光白如明鏡
否則雖得大道　辦事佛規不遵　人我私弊心地存　久成敗道大病
豈知心昧神暗　違規神怒佛嗔　孽冤投竅心性昏　自現無端敗症
元神不能作主　孽使糊說亂云　異種魔話亂佛門　截阻西遊路徑
任爾蓋世功勞 一敗化為灰塵　皆因平日違規程　三天果位難證
吾勸大小領袖　俱有功勞佛門　所講心德不多人　莫負天命大任
至於捐功一事　切勿妄收分文　縱有餘利道未純　難免不生疑病
此功不是易載　六萬餘年奇音　凡有冤孽現身形　疑道要錢不正
多少成敗久示　切莫視為故文　遵依體貼慈舟撐　人神兩助吉慶
第一禁開閨女　得道騙人婚姻　婆家豈肯容伊行　生風敗道有準
為一害眾不淺　請教諸位思論　違者公罰摘降恩　此條切勿鬆勁
從前開荒下種　不分好歹度人　只說得道就成真　誰知孽冤不肯
不久還是退道　心迷不顧願深　害他佛門造孽根　囑眾各人自省
目下道根普立　諸位擔子不輕　一著行偏惹禍生　前功難以保穩
還怕連累大眾 三曹都要受驚　苦勸諸契當留神　同類時要劻正
吾因奉命頂災　病苦日夜難經　提之雙洒衣襟　三天考懲真狠
我為眾人受難　免卻皇風考懲　諸位須知上天恩　休言是己福命
人生那個無孽　難道騙了不曾　進道地府去抽丁　冤魂聞之索命
有等辦事年久　遵規未遭凶星　非吾印書廣放生　未必有此清靜
大眾皇風雖免　謹防古怪考人　題目出於朗江城　定乎玉蓮佛品
但凡考懲天降　真偽各現原形　有孽無孽考分明　三天佛榜冊定
是佛考之救道　日夜辛苦調停　千萬曲語扶佛艇　為道鬼神欽敬
如是有孽之輩　見考心地昏沉　貪心惡念口亂云　自造羅網苦
此是普渡何故　欲成萬靈佛尊　現今十方大道興　怕的異種混進
聞道男女不少　多有因劫進門　口說齋戒心不誠　一切虛浮糊混
吾對向友自嘆　憂慮皇風難經　設一顛考分濁清　免卻皇風考懲
不料向友心毒　考人不顧禍深　口出敗言亂佛門　忘卻慈悲心印
素年苦功不少　此事戴罪非輕　將伊革出普度門　閉門思過歸隱
勸眾認定真理　休要二意三心　佛規違者不順情　謹防摘降大任
情長筆下難敘　囑眾勿犯規程　謹小慎微功果增　自然蓮登上品

其　十九

一封書寄貴境修真乾坤　見草字即如吾面授談情
今書帖無別囑諸賢契等 不過是將修道指明敗成
人生寅於東土六道轉輪 行善福作惡殃天律不昏
人轉畜畜轉人循報可憫　生而死死而生脫骨山林
上古時人心純有何劫運　伏羲後五百載劫災一臨
久久的人心壞作孽情甚　無孝悌少忠信昧了人倫
至周時議三教著經理定　道老子佛釋迦儒孔為尊
著經典剖三曹苦樂明訓　治世理超凡道始末敘清
到唐朝考才學開科選文　昧性理失經義棄本末尋
古楊墨與曹操就算偏性　時下人有幾多甚過他們
讀聖經竊功名書未體論　講勢力滅道德貪財黑心
為口腹殺生靈天良喪盡　今人作異種孽難敘其名
一切的殺冤氣上方難整　天地昏陰陽塞三曹不寧
玉皇爺推劫運瑤池請令　無極母悲九二墮於紅塵
觀簡冊三期滿原人返本　見劫簿災不一老母悲淋
命諸佛齊下世慈航接引 因此上這大道頒行東林
可憐的諸佛祖為此劫運 把原人化不轉難繳牒文
無奈何九二子孽如山嶺　天恩行把道傳鬼哭神驚
故道開即生風魔考就侵　家族阻鄰里謗齊發怒聲
任你說三教理他偏不信　言行善是教匪怒罵難聽
這都是冤孽使不許成正　道行淺幾顛考開齋不贏
此時節道根立勸眾謹慎　駕慈航成敗理吾盡指明
有一等智淺人由他自性　把佛規禪杖語當作閑文
他不知成敗事在世糊混　撞出了天大禍死不認承
又有者見財貪肥家瞞隱　值日神分文錄過奏上呈
又有者開幾人就想安靜　心只想後學們養他一生
也不管歷劫孽成何究竟　佛前的洪誓願丟在天雲
又有者心愩高逞才好勝　說話時全不顧頭尾腳根
又有者待後學無有慈憫 全不以道德理教人真誠
又有者將劫災把人嚇進　不依規擇賢交亂扯入門
他豈知焚香時佛旨一請　忙得箇三官爺不敢留停
同諸真奉佛旨抽人名姓　登時間十殿王牌懸幽冥
是原人開示他諸佛喜慶　若是那蛇蝎種佛見惱恨
奏三天言某人不遵天命　開匪人泄大道罪過冊存
不依規縱勞苦歹人引進　任隨你開千萬佛門罪人
異類種得此道心性不穩　說是非論長短必有禍生
佛根大不畏考死生守正　道德淺見風波即下火坑
有一日了道時問功品定　我看你敗了道怎麼言云
勸諸友若犯了這些毛病　急早醒改前非體行規程
如執迷怕天怒責罰原性 違天命神不佑冤孽臨身
一入竅心性迷把道不信　孽使你做壞事犯戒食葷
今三天不比前佛律嚴緊　囑眾友時檢點舉動留神
眾契友要知道人生塵境　六萬年冤與緣這回結清
大道行冤魔放天地無禁　陰曹府懸佛榜眾鬼知聞
原來人把道進冤孽不肯　告閻君要尋報時鬧不寧
余今日來指示開道契等　務必要依法則免卻考懲
擔一方之道根要照綱領　訪傍門將書調破他迷津
一二人切莫開恐生疑病　把道德他一反糊說亂云
先天道不講透令人難信　是必要七八人方指虛靈
如若是眾求道暫莫應允　只教他把書看明覺偽真
如果是信心誠知道切徑　你即將傳道理講明次層
入佛門初只傳一貫率性　收阿彌陀佛神六合同春
超言語離文字自心體全　此名為神仙道無字心經
須要他行持好悟透效應　後天的凡情念一概掃盡
他自然心開慧猛勇精進　悟真空容萬有奧妙無邊
順天時合天心依規授領　先論理再講道後示深蘊
未進時使他知明道天命　方申表領佛旨地府抽丁
道一指將心法講透理性　又將那顛倒考剖白來音
如一方道根立信實誠敬　教訓他明成敗聖凡儉勤
果然有大智慧書付幾本　鎮一方掃旁門接引原人
是佛子見此書他必求問　就答應俺修的這些功成
伊若是苦哀求推莫急性　言此道非易得久齋可承
先教他誦經懺冤孽超盡　功德畢申表文奏明天庭
先解孽後得道免生魔症　如此行少魔障三曹安寧
開一方道要宏三師方正　依規條撐慈航無驕無矜
言顧行行顧言日自三省　自問自所行持可作規程
遵上命教後學身為標準　使後人學你樣德體天心
開道人皮氣歪輕薄不穩　令眾生看輕你敗壞佛門
大根人只認道歸根尋本　如殘靈被你害不能超昇
屢年的三天佛所降寶訓　為原人洩天機難報聖恩
今呂祖降天律勸眾究竟　句句體言言遵勿犯天刑
破迷旨解劫法三曹言盡　超天堂墮地獄認定路行
如皮氣實難改聽吾指醒　傳一訣化氣丹消魔安神
遇人責心不喜氣實難忍　閱書調思古聖而把氣平
到佛堂跪爐前直言告稟　焚寶香休輕放自用嚴刑
將錯事一件件迴光自問　為甚麼不依規無明氣嗔
人責我是望我超凡入聖　你這孽來作崇使吾心橫
生嗔憾發怒氣得罪眾等　出六師之大醜來教我身
為甚麼不遵法違悖天命　為甚麼身懶惰功果不勤
為甚麼愛奉承食屁不省 為甚麼起偏心利己損人
想俺時下東土生死無定　六道輪脫骨山難回瑤京
今幸遇這大道金母慈憫　得一竅明格物致其良知
知波羅性返本明心見性 內煉性外行功了愿成真
行功德要合那古之前聖　你這孽來使我顛倒惶惛
咱今日明覺了生死路徑　還受你來拖累萬萬不能
稟三天請法令自把自整　打得那識神鬼無影無形
魔孽出心氣平神意安靜　如此治終成得大覺高尊
那冤魔他見你如此光景　從今後不敢入另把房尋
那怕他冤魔鬼塞滿塵境　何懼愁天堂高攀援可登
古禹王聞善拜成聖標準　昔子路聞過責喜而敬聽
可嘆的後學輩愚迷心蠢　受奉承喜褒獎不省實情
自有錯怕人責終是大病　面不言背後談使你墮坑
久久的罪造重心神黑盡　孽入竅把齋開打入畜禽
變六畜受人責看你嗔恨　生不安死骸骨任人食吞
那有這修善道不遵天命　改皮氣除毛病立德為尊
感上天脫凡體逍遙勝境　證天宮享天爵快樂長春
超九玄拔七祖常樂我靜　不投東不下生永伴無生
此一段化氣丹消魔禪棍　勝過那孫悟空定海神針
保唐僧到西天威風凜凜　要學那打觔斗降伏妖精
要學他能大小不受魔困　要學他那一雙火眼金睛
莫學那豬八戒好食喜敬　遇魔誇獎他抓耳相親
悟空說是妖魔他便不信　害得那唐玄奘險把命傾
囑眾友見了人勿露真影　怕遇妖阻取經要吃唐僧
此一篇返本經字字體論　但識神來作祟降用此經
依此法到西天不受魔陣　辦功成修果就九蓮高登

其　二十

一封書寄同善修道賢契　囑乾坤遵佛規莫犯天律
要知道這劫運凶惡之理　皆世人迷天理歷劫惡積
三教經善惡報始末明敘　無奈何眾生們全不體惜
亦有者書讀明好訟為藝　將聖經變成了害人利器
亦有者做生意用盡奸計　失公道朦哄人造罪不一
亦有者為僧道裝模行術　不食齋不受戒善化惡喫
三教人愛奢華暴殄無忌　貪口腹傷生命殺戮至極
遇惡敬見善欺傷滅天理　各種的冤煞氣宇宙遮彌
天不安地不寧陰陽塞閉　日月昏星度錯斗柄難持
玉皇爺疏瑤池盼諸佛旨 老金母命諸佛齊下天梯
可憐的三教聖悲哭不止　捨天宮極樂地苦海度迷
借父母來投竅勸人孝悌　領祖命傳大道指明修積
怎奈乎眾生孽惡簿山集　勸行善他不為反生妒嫉
講三教修身道鄙為故語　談淫詞洋煙賭聞之笑嘻
說忠孝與節義面奉背棄　論三畏和九思一概未依
嘆人心至此時壞到極底 惱怒了上天爺魔王發施
你說你仗勢力他就滅你　你說你是富豪錢錢勒逼
但華屋美物件見之毀棄　罵得你不敢言低頭恐懼
富與貴見裝貧除盡名利　這纔是天地報勸眾推思
此乃是小災煞未壞大事　不久間大魔動神鬼悲啼
飢食人渴飲血真實苦趣　又還有妖魔怪異眾稀奇
可憐的鬧得過昏天黑地　惟有道靠三天守定呼吸
第一立功德冤孽解釋　遵破迷宗旨行始終無移
有道德神光亮諸佛護庇　人心昧神光黑難逃三期
此時節各方的規矩要整　怕的是亂佛規名入黑籍
這如今三天佛忙之無比　為此劫大小神不敢停息
行道的成敗理書帖久示　遵者超違者墮囑眾當知
擔此道吉與凶各有來意　既得道立功德上方主持
要明白六萬年結賬至此　今雖然向大道孽冤報施
上天爺暗撥輕一劫了釋　愚迷人反疑說行善無益
亦還有大佛根天宮領旨　救九六頂劫災願捨身軀
此一會了災劫千萬奇異　囑領袖各檢點上靠瑤池
功與過一絲毫三官簿記　好和歹自管自洗心滌慮
不許他生愩高傲眾皮氣　不許他愛奉承貪食臭屁
不許他存偏心損人利己　不許他心地昧糊想邪思
不許他搶人功貪圖便宜　不許他好佔強令人背義
不許他說話時蓋天遮地 不許他貪安樂苟圖衣食
不許他逞奸刁曹操見識 不許他仗才學滅祖欺師
不許他信邪法迷失正理　不許他說鬼話矇哄愚癡
依得吾自克自這些言語　那怕他冤孽來心明難欺
如此行掌慈航終無敗理　教一方身作規大道宏施
那知道這奇緣萬劫難遇　要知道性命功始末得之
要知道冤與緣非功難抵　要知道幸遇吾指破凶吉
要知道三八劫九州齊起　要知道富與貴劫化污泥
自今後想安寧下元過去　雜氣盡正氣展鳳凰來儀
囑此時教化人量乎身體　要看他做得到履踐篤實
先命他誦經懺冤孽解釋　如果是明道德方指玄機
可憾的一等人慈悲假意　遇人信他言就指貫一
明瞞人不怕神呆蠢可鄙　今以後再犯者連根拔職
況今歲菊月望三天共議　有道地盡停舟十四縣邑
天冊定如妄開名入黑籍　示下方眾領袖莫犯佛規
不遵者惹考懲把道拖累　害九六墮地獄受苦慘悽
時下的天羅設地網布矣　考萬朵玉蓮登調道知密
故今時出此規奉告眾士　須各人謹後學成敗須知
凡一方有大智頂天男女　素來時為道苦功德出奇
要伊方公正人佛前保舉　領天命調大道免生私弊
不怕是當大任不敢私取　違命者亦摘降休怪不慈
非是吾不恩寬所為何事　這龍砂蟠桃香謹防蹺蹊
此時節調佛領劫災免抵　殘零種存後度道明皈依
怕的是遇考懲糊言亂語　反遭過墮落他終難回西
想目下駕慈航非當容易　要智慧要活潑圓通知機
要受苦要膽量行為心細　要能屈要能伸化醒群迷
要量大要和氣知情達理　外度人內度己方成大器
是佛領把道得必遵規矩　心性明立苦功行事端的
總怕是生塵久轉過多世　造有孽來阻他顛倒心思
屢年的規條書禪杖寶杵　常閱理時體貼孽障難蔽
所壞事皆是他好勝大意　將書帖一看過不足為奇
他豈知成聖真身體實際　不比那俗情理歌賦詩詞
三教聖修身道筆發於紙　教世人學他行同上天梯
勸諸賢皮外學戒如水洗　性分中下實覺格外修持
養浩然之正氣至大至剛　物格止私慾盡明善復初
仰彌高鑽彌堅奧妙無邊　人欲盡天理行萬歸一
久久行豁然通結果黍米　大無外小無內光透瑤池
功果圓丹書詔脫凡西去　身披著五銖衣好不威儀
請看他西遊文成道樂趣　前有樣盡都知依吾不虛
望諸友體道德終有好處　慶龍砂赴蟠桃九蓮高棲

其　二十一

吾勸同類男女　須明超墮原因　只知齋口不齋心　難免迴輪苦
心為一身之主　存念存善光明　愩高嫉妒自逞能　甘把性光黑盡
自古奸臣作孽　因私廢公害人　同類參商亂朝廷　終無結果昌盛
但凡忠臣良將　為國屈苦不嗔　千般忍辱行德仁　死超天堂聖境
古來忠奸不少　談敘你們知聞　福善禍殃報應分 勸你認定標準
同伴皆是異姓 非是一娘所生　有緣相聚扶佛艇　功果由人而證
可鄙一等愚見　不體佛規施行　略有聰明自逞能　惹得同類生憾
亦有氣量窄小　說話最惱人心　鼻子尖上氣忿忿　撥動扯皮要緊
或者強性由己　不聽人勸橫行　雖然勤功德不明　自把天爵虧損
休言食齋成佛 不把心意整頓　人我私心講強勝　諸佛冊記過定
請看牛馬吃草　未食甚麼葷腥　勞勞苦苦過光陰　壽終刀割身頸
是他前劫橫暴　違悖天理傷人　惡貫滿盈失人形 三塗苦況可憫
今勸爾等無別　遇緣苦辦前程　超凡宗旨破迷經　熟讀心會神領
和人無有大巧　我卑諸人皆尊　看人性格言相親　心德自造純靜
如是仙根佛種　久和他必回心　縱然不改自德純　性光鍊成寶鏡
如不依吾勸改　各由自己性情　不是與吾同類人　何能超凡入聖
這回功成圓滿　吾要永證瑤京　與吾同德方同昇　不然難入我境
有過打入輪迴　苦楚照過重輕　自失根基墮沉淪　哭死無人悲憫
吾因替眾頂災　帶病勸化你們　苦望諸位改性情　莫失三期蓮品
勸眾出言和氣　切禁冷語傷人　稍不如意翻眼睜　無事煩惱德損
修道各人知足　休言自己福命　不守本分惹天瞋　勸眾自思自省
閒時閱書觀帖　講之正己化人　天堂地獄書剖明　體會毛病除盡
但凡同堂不和　就是欺吾欺神　知恩不報枉為人　蟠桃怕的無分
待人恩寬敬我　令吾不生憂心　各人功果各修增　望眾切莫爭論
死後三官對號　好歹簿上記清　九陽關口不順情　指示各人覺醒
不怕根基浩大　有過無功難昇　克己不立神光昏　怎證三天樂景
孽風一吹隨往　自入輪迴四生　見了臭物喜相親　大番當作性命
時因生前行惡　皮氣臭拐難云　自造孽網苦自尋　那時回頭無整
此時改過行德　辛苦幾載成真　遵規吾保上天京　與吾常樂常靜
父母祖先沾光　一著超享天堂　苦改毛病心德純　其樂敘之不盡
此帖如同孽鏡　照驗犯過心驚　若不改悔學慈仁　怎過紫齡評定
時下強辯由你 道明乃有法形　一言違理動責懲　打之雙滾滾
吾若一言有假　五雷即霹余身　遵超違墮後分明　望眾行為自省
一篇西江月調　是謂超凡靈文　遵依改過辦蓮登　功圓永證佛境

其　二十二

字寄乾坤領袖　聽指西遊原情　修道而有魔考　天地豈無眼睛
人心下世已久　奸貪詭詐迷心　造下異種罪孽　冤氣結於幽冥
諸佛為此劫運　早已著下遺文　只想人心挽正　遠惡近善修身
無奈人心迷昧　不畏轉報迴輪　造成旱澇饑饉　結成水火刀兵
瑤池視之不忍　敕令諸佛下生　勸人行善積德　歷劫孽冤消清
吾亦替眾解釋　印書廣放生靈　怎奈原人孽重　多有得道糊行
開進無功男女　惹動冤鬼哭呈　冤狀敘之無數　堆滿三官佛庭
只得瑤池請令　老母準旨報尋　借動皇風考究　始定玉蓮萬靈
吾閱心悲痛切 十方皇風難經　特寫血表申奏　哀告老母諸真
求祈皇風改更　另降別樣考懲　或是盜賊水火　或是饑饉災瘟
考定心德志向　了他金爐願心　十魔九難顛倒　消解頂災劫運
借此色身還報　定他九品三乘　老母慈悲準旨　令吾頂解災星
身受疾病苦惱　可憐日夜不寧　大道不是易得　勸眾各人留神
早早苦行善事　求佛暗消考懲　但凡遇災遭難　皆是各有來音
休要三心二意　莫疑神不護身　六萬餘年冤賬　在此一劫了清
十二萬年天爵　亦在此劫而證　可嘆一等愚領　不依佛規開人
任他開進千萬　難過這場考懲　一考開齋破戒　怨天怨地怨人
如是敗道作孽　萬劫不能超生　乃是開人之過　道成看他怎云
害了原人招罪　那時刑罰難經　須知劫難四起　十方盡不安寧
行善縱然遭難　了脫歷劫孽根　作惡遇此災苦　性墮黑空獄禁
勿謂生死一樣　善超惡墮攸分　屢年書帖體會　吉凶成敗敘明
所有求道男女　教他誦經放生　待候今歲考過　來秋自有佳音
勸眾依法行持　遵規九蓮高登

其　二十三

特告代發無別　不比從前交恩　當初開荒立道根　只要學人可領
那時預考題目　使道臭東林　 至今大道普通行　考魔十方有影
佛規嚴緊為上　學人把理撥清　依得法則道開興　萬佛集齊有準
若是照前辦事　休怪大道不明　一切佛子在紅塵　迷於嗜欲毒症
雖然得受大道　貪嗔癡愛存性　如不指破真假情　怎到蓮花聖境
此時妖魔野　 處處皆是惡人　辦道若不防魔生　終有災難染侵
發恩責任不小　做事如履薄冰　至彼交恩須神 聽言觀行究竟
察領恩人來歷　素行是何功因　與薦恩人話同情　即可領此大任
如保薦人扯謊　勸他莫領天恩　辦之不下有責懲　學習待候天命
成敗利害剖白　除他心中貪嗔　話不講明氣難平　反惹一方怨恨
其中當有領者　授恩教化別人　開道成敗理幽深　因才而教細訓
先講修身妙道　後把考魔敘明　如何消解超迴輪　接言道魔邪正
又將治家惜福　儉省修培功因　一段一條撥透清　令他復講心領
度人如何而度　真假如何而分　視其所以觀所行　察其學人根本
務要教之半月　理熟方領天恩　知得成敗無妄行　何愁道不宏盛
如是訓誡大眾　自己亦要體行　不但以口教他們　將身作佛標準
依此交恩有益　不愧代發身分　領恩之人有把憑 免得異種混進
他將道理化眾　度的必是高明　各知檢密辦前程　自然考魔消盡
否則亂把恩給　至彼不察人情　講道又不因人云　賢愚一理而論
言理無有次序　學人怎入其心　瞽目誦經聾子聽　兩下都是糊混
聚首一二日時　令伊拜佛領恩　交給各人轉回程　不管後來患病
學人領此慈航　那曉掌舟度人　糊糊塗塗度眾生　不分好歹勸進
他以度人慈悲　勸人成佛好心　蛇蝎異種弄進門　不知後來敗陣
把蛇與龍共穴　邀雞合鳳同群　三天必定降考懲　分別清濁降昇
佛子與那異類　同爐辨別偽真　蛇蝎毒氣口內陳　德行淺簿傷損
此皆發恩之過　天恩交之不清　拆毀天橋亂道門　原人拖下苦
請思罪過如何？非天教爾這行　不依規條惱娘親　怕的降罪難承
時下大小領袖　在家把理學精　出外辦道免黃昏　方做佛門接引
望眾依法規矩　神佑功就果盈　無凶無險大道成　九二沾恩不盡
任他妖怪地 難入宮牆法庭　要取萬靈德行純　準見蓮花美景
屢年所來書帖　是為西遊路程　淑身淑世敘得明　上下可以匡正
如不遵理摘降　懲一戒百眾人　只要認過改性情　立功贖過復任
若不認錯降罰　革出免亂章程　隨他妄行莫與論　將規把眾調醒
上使下人以禮　好言指破迷津　個個知覺學義仁　何愁超凡入聖
知契體我真語　時守瑤池牒文　九六要余一肩承　不得不細告稟
自從青蛇一考　五花十葉無形　皇風嚇風雨不侵　攪得十方可憫
用盡千萬佈擺　幸得幾人同心　不畏身軀苦調停　菜葉作食當飯
天竺蒙佛慈悲　了道師友顯神　通之一線接雲城　七聖十方感應
金水相生道顯　還望諸公苦勤　道成你我依準繩　三曹在此位定
你我各居一方　鋪張以規化人　余誠四時祈天庭　願眾九蓮上品

Source Colophon

Chinese source text from taolibrary.com (善書圖書館), Category 52 (一貫道經典二), text c52052.htm. Accessed April 4, 2026. Site license: "歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通" (Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate). UTF-16LE encoded with BOM. Total: 25,579 Chinese characters across 23 sections.

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