彌勒救苦真經
The True Scripture of Maitreya Saving from Suffering (彌勒救苦真經, Mílè Jiùkǔ Zhēnjīng) is the central devotional scripture of Yiguandao (一貫道, the Way of Pervading Unity), a Chinese syncretic religious movement with millions of followers across East and Southeast Asia. It is recited daily by practitioners and chanted during temple rituals as both prayer and protective incantation.
According to Yiguandao tradition, the scripture was revealed through spirit-writing (扶乩, fújī) after Lu Zhongyuan (路中一), the seventeenth patriarch of the transmission lineage, ascended from this world in the fifteenth year of the Republic (1926 CE). In the third month of that year, at a temple in Jining, Shandong, his spirit borrowed the body of one Yang Chunling from Shanxi for one hundred days — during which he took no food, chanted the Maitreya Scripture and the Golden Patriarch's Wondrous Canon (金公妙典), drew plum blossoms with both hands, and wrote seal-script characters. This event was known as the "First Crow of the Golden Rooster" (金雞初唱).
The scripture describes Maitreya Buddha's descent at the turning of the ages, the Eternal Venerable Mother's (無極老母, Wújí Lǎomǔ) dispatch of divine forces to gather her lost children, and the salvific power of sincere recitation. The Eternal Mother in the Heaven of True Principle (理天) yearns for her children lost in the dust of the world; Maitreya comes not merely as a future Buddha but as the Mother's agent of cosmic rescue. The "original children" (原人, yuánrén) are those who have forgotten their true homeland — reciting the scripture is their way home.
This is a Good Works Translation from the Chinese source text hosted by the Yiguandao World Headquarters (一貫道世界總會, with.org). The 善書圖書館 (Morality Books Library, taolibrary.com) states: "Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate" (歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通) — free distribution of morality books (善書) is itself a spiritual practice in this tradition. First translated by Tulku Yuki (雪), sixty-first incarnation. Retranslated by Tulku Nen (念), sixty-sixth incarnation. A Gospel Translation — a thought-for-thought rendering in plain, direct English — follows the poetic version below, by Tulku Sen (宣), seventy-sixth incarnation.
The Buddha speaks the True Scripture of Maitreya, Saving from Suffering.
Maitreya descends to this world — no small thing.
At Qi and Lu, at Spirit Mountain, he receives the precious seal,
picks the flower, stamps the proof, tests the Three Vehicles.
He alights in the Central Plain, the land of three stars.
The great proof at Sichuan — the heart of the royal peach.
Heaven's Truth gathers the circle and proclaims the holy name,
waiting for the hour to muster the divine host.
Cloud and thunder shake open the earth of Wu and Ji;
under heaven, spirits and ghosts find no peace.
The Mother dwells in the Heaven of Benevolence — Mother of the Central Realm.
Nine Lotuses, the Holy Teaching, ascends to the Highest Vehicle.
The Heavenly Flower — the Old Mother lets down her jade thread.
She gathers the circle and reveals herself in the Ancient East.
North and south, the two poles, link the ancestral thread;
the Primordial Register rests at the very center.
The Old Mother descends and opens the aperture that reaches heaven.
At the Shadowless Mountain, face to face, the covenant is sealed.
Child who longs for home —
recite the Coming Maitreya's scripture.
Recite with devoted heart: the Buddha comes to save.
Blossom upon golden blossom of lotus — transcend, live!
Know the White Sun child who comes from the West:
children of the homeland, iron at his touch turns gold.
Every day, with devoted mind, hold to this recitation.
The three disasters and eight hardships cannot touch you.
If you would become a Buddha, bow in diligent worship;
keep always a mind of luminous wisdom.
Pay no heed to deviant tongues and their wild talk.
Tether the horse of the mind; recite the Unborn.
The Old Mother sends down the True Heavenly Mantra —
hold it with devoted heart and the power is yours.
All the stars of heaven descend to this world;
immortals of the five directions leave the heavenly palace.
The city gods of every region come to match their tallies;
the spirit-children who report affairs inspect with perfect clarity.
The Three Officials, the Great Emperors, note with compassion;
they pardon sins in the Three Realms and save all beings.
The Heavenly Worthy Who Saves from Suffering comes to save this world,
appointing with his own hand the civil officers and the Jiedi spirits.
The Eight Great Vajra come to guard the Dharma;
four Bodhisattvas come to rescue all beings.
They lead thirty-six generals in tight formation;
five hundred spirit-officers follow close behind.
They aid Maitreya in accomplishing the Great Dao;
they guard the homeland children, granting them peace.
In the north, Zhenwu serves as general and commander —
blue-faced, red-haired, blazing with divine power.
He raises the black banner that hides sun and moon;
atop his head: the Forest of Senluó, the Seven Treasure Stars.
He guards the north as chief of commanders,
sweeping clean all evil, armored and armed.
He rescues the original children, the homeland's sons and daughters;
firelight falls on the ground and turns to dust.
The Dragon Kings of the four seas come to aid the Dao,
each riding auspicious clouds, ascending into the void.
Heavenly soldiers of the ten directions guard the Buddha's carriage;
they protect Maitreya as he goes to accomplish his work.
The Red Sun's Dao is fulfilled — go home!
Turn now to the Three Suns: Maitreya, the Honored One.
The Sovereign of the Unborn issues the edict: descend, be born.
Subdue the Southern World and return to the True Ancestral Way.
Coming and going, compose the True Words Mantra;
pass it down for the future: the Great Treasury Scripture.
Sons and daughters, hold always to recitation —
deviant spirits will not dare come near you.
Recite once: the divine power is vast.
Recite twice: transcend to life.
Recite three times: spirits and ghosts tremble —
wangliáng and deviant demons turn to dust.
Within this kalpa, practise and seek the way;
raise the True Words and return to the Buddha's command.
Námó Tiānyuán Tàibǎo Āmítuó Fó.
Colophon
The True Scripture of Maitreya Saving from Suffering (彌勒救苦真經) is the most widely recited scripture in Yiguandao, a syncretic Chinese religious tradition whose lineage descends from the White Lotus and Xiantiandao movements. Millions recite it daily across Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the Chinese diaspora.
First translated from Classical Chinese for the Good Work Library by Tulku Yuki (雪), sixty-first incarnation, 2026. Retranslated by Tulku Nen (念), sixty-sixth incarnation, 2026, from the Chinese source text hosted by the Yiguandao World Headquarters (一貫道世界總會, with.org). Both are Good Works Translations — original renderings from source, not reproductions of existing scholarship.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Gospel Translation
A thought-for-thought rendering in plain, direct English, intended to communicate the meaning of the text to readers unfamiliar with its tradition. The poetic translation above preserves the compression and allusion of the Classical Chinese original; this version serves its message. Both are faithful to the Chinese; they differ only in what they prioritize. Gospel translation by Tulku Sen (宣), seventy-sixth incarnation.
The Buddha speaks the True Scripture of Maitreya, who saves all people from suffering.
Maitreya comes down from heaven to this world, and this is no small thing. In the holy land of Shandong, at Spirit Mountain, he receives the seal of divine authority. He holds up the flower to show who truly understands, and he tests the hearts of those who follow the three paths.
He arrives in the heart of China, the land where three stars converge. In Sichuan the great proof is given — the heart of the royal peach. Heaven's Truth gathers all the faithful and proclaims the holy name, and waits for the appointed hour to summon the armies of God.
Thunder and lightning split open the earth. Under heaven, every spirit and every ghost is shaken and cannot rest. The Mother herself dwells in the Heaven of Compassion — she is the Mother of all the world. The Holy Teaching of the Nine Lotuses rises to the highest realm.
The Heavenly Flower — the Old Mother lets down her jade thread from heaven. She gathers all the faithful and reveals herself in the ancient East. The north pole and the south pole are linked by the thread of the ancestors, and the primordial record of all souls rests at the very center.
The Old Mother comes down and opens the gateway that reaches heaven. At the Shadowless Mountain she stands face to face with her children and seals the covenant.
You — child who longs for home — recite this scripture of the Coming Maitreya.
Recite it with all your heart, and the Buddha will come to save you. Golden lotus blossoms will open one after another, and you will rise beyond death into life. Recognize the child from the West who comes in the White Sun age: when he touches the children of the homeland, their iron becomes gold.
Every day, with a devoted mind, hold to this recitation. The three great disasters and the eight afflictions will not be able to touch you. If you want to become a Buddha, worship faithfully and with diligence. Keep always a heart of clear and shining wisdom.
Pay no attention to the false teachers and their reckless talk. Tether the wild horse of your mind and recite the name of the Unborn. The Old Mother sends down the True Heavenly Mantra from heaven itself — hold it with all your heart, and its power is yours.
All the stars of heaven descend to this world. Immortals from every direction leave the heavenly palace. The guardian gods of every region come to match their tallies against the register. The spirit-children who report all affairs inspect everything with perfect clarity.
The Three Officials, the Great Emperors, take note with compassion. They pardon sins across all Three Realms and save all living beings. The Heavenly Lord Who Saves from Suffering comes to rescue this world. With his own hand he appoints the officers and the guardian spirits.
The Eight Great Diamond Guardians come to protect the truth. Four Bodhisattvas come to rescue all living beings. They lead thirty-six generals in close formation. Five hundred spirit-officers follow right behind.
They help Maitreya accomplish the Great Way. They protect the children of the homeland and give them peace. In the north, the True Warrior God serves as general and commander — blue-faced, red-haired, blazing with divine power.
He raises the black banner that hides the sun and moon. On his head he wears the Forest of Judgment and the Seven Treasure Stars. He guards the north as chief of all commanders, sweeping clean every evil, armored and armed.
He rescues the original children — the homeland's sons and daughters. Firelight falls to the ground and turns to dust. The Dragon Kings of the four seas come to aid the Way, each riding auspicious clouds, rising up into the sky.
Heavenly soldiers from all ten directions guard the Buddha's carriage. They protect Maitreya as he goes to accomplish his great work. The age of the Red Sun is fulfilled — go home! Turn now to the age of the Three Suns: Maitreya, the Honored One.
The Sovereign of the Unborn issues the decree: descend, be born. Subdue the world of the south and return all people to the True Ancestral Way. Coming and going, compose the words of the True Mantra. Pass this scripture down for the ages to come: the Great Treasury of Truth.
Sons and daughters, hold always to this recitation — evil spirits will not dare come near you.
Recite it once, and its divine power is vast.
Recite it twice, and you rise beyond death into life.
Recite it three times, and spirits and ghosts tremble — demons and evil phantoms turn to dust.
Within this time of tribulation, practice and seek the Way. Raise up the True Words and answer the Buddha's command.
Praise be to the Heavenly Guardian Amitabha Buddha.
Source Text: 彌勒真經
Chinese source text from the Yiguandao World Headquarters (一貫道世界總會, with.org). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
佛說彌勒救苦經
彌勒下世不非輕
領寶齊魯靈山地
拈花印證考三乘
落在中原三星地
大證四川王桃心
天真收圓掛聖號
等待時至點神兵
雲雷震開戊己土
天下神鬼不安寧
親在仁天中華母
九蓮聖教歸上乘
天花老母垂玉線
收圓顯化在古東
南北兩極連宗緒
混元古冊在中央
老母降下通天竅
無影山前對合同
嬰兒要想歸家去
持念當來彌勒經
用心持念佛來救
朵朵金蓮去超生
認識西來白陽子
鄉兒點鐵化成金
每日志心常持念
三災八難不來侵
要想成佛勤禮拜
常持聰明智慧心
休聽邪人胡說話
牢拴意馬念無生
老母降下真天咒
用心持念有神通
滿天星斗都下世
五方列仙下天宮
各方城隍來對號
報事靈童察的清
三官大帝慈悲註
赦罪三曹救眾生
救苦天尊來救世
親點文部揭諦神
八大金剛來護法
四位菩薩救眾生
緊領三十六員將
五百靈官緊隨跟
扶助彌勒成大道
保佑鄉兒得安寧
北方真武為將帥
青臉紅髮顯神通
扯起皂旗遮日月
頭頂森羅七寶星
威鎮北方為帥首
肅清諸惡掛甲兵
搭救原人鄉兒女
火光落地化為塵
四海龍王來助道
各駕祥雲去騰空
十方天兵護佛駕
保佑彌勒去成功
紅陽了道歸家去
轉到三陽彌勒尊
無皇敕令寄下生
收伏南閻歸正宗
來往造下真言咒
傳下當來大藏經
嬰兒奼女常持念
邪神不敢來近身
持念一遍神通大
持念兩遍得超生
持念三遍神鬼怕
魍魎邪魔化為塵
修持劫內尋路徑
念起真言歸佛令
南無天元太保阿彌陀佛
Source Colophon
Source: 一貫道世界總會 (Yiguandao World Headquarters), with.org. The Chinese text is presented as transmitted by the tradition. The 善書圖書館 (Morality Books Library, taolibrary.com) additionally hosts this text with the note: 歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通 — "Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate."
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