Yinyu Miaojing: Daoist Scripture to End Famine & Ghost Plagues

The Heavenly Master said: "Excellent! Excellent! I behold the heavens and earth rotating, the sun and moon shifting their courses, the stars straying from their paths—kalpa’s end draws near. Hungry ghosts emerge, and countless strange calamities abound. Suspended in the void, I grieve for all beings and resolve to reveal this Scripture. Yet I see the common people starving, subsisting on weeds and wild greens; most perish, with little hope of survival. Whether rich or poor, granaries lie empty; silkworms die and wheat fails, buckwheat and beans do not ripen. Trees bloom not, and those that bloom bear no fruit.

"Three kinds of ghosts wander the mortal world: they devour people’s grain, dooming them to die of hunger. Poverty ghosts spread plagues of all kinds to kill. First, those who go out to seek provisions are killed by others. Second, those who eat kudzu roots die of abdominal bloating. Third, those who eat meat succumb to severe illness. Fourth, travelers find no aid along their way. Fifth, those weakened by exhaustion die. Sixth, kingdoms fall into unrest, and people die in bandit raids and battles. Seventh, people are devoured by beasts and insects. Eighth, those who search for grain die of hunger on the road. Ninth, the emaciated die. Tenth, those who eat kudzu roots still perish from deprivation.

"When the kalpa’s calamity reaches its peak, wind and frost break trees; ghost soldiers emerge, plunging the world into chaos. Ghosts spread poisonous plagues to kill and seize lives. Grains are utterly destroyed; ghosts devour people’s food, ceaselessly depleting their stores, leaving them to starve. The wealthy fail even to grow seeds, and the dead lie unburied; their granaries are empty. The poor, stricken by this, eat weeds and wild greens, their faces turning dark yellow. Even kudzu roots vanish, and rice and beans are exhausted. People lose their strength, wasting away until they fade.

"Therefore, I declare to all people under heaven: if you wish to escape disaster, make copies of The Scripture of Nurturing All Beings. Every member of your household, great and small, shall copy one volume. Perform divine incantations, hold the Pure Retreat of the Numinous Treasure, and banish the ghosts of poisonous plagues. Invite ordained Three Grottoes Taoist Masters to cultivate good roots, hold retreats, and perform repentance rituals—this shall save all people. Even a single day and night of such practice shall suffice. Every household must create this Scripture, take it home, and venerate it. In doing so, you shall regain health, grow strong, have enough to eat and drink, harvest double the silkworms and crops, and see grains ripen. All your endeavors shall go as you wish. Those who disbelieve shall be invaded by demons and struck by calamity."

At that moment, the Heavenly Master spoke a verse:

All beings who do not cultivate goodness Starve to death, yet take no action. Kudzu roots cannot sustain them, Where shall rice and flour grow? Seeking provisions yields nothing— Why do you not fear? Seeing yourselves suffer such hardship, How can you remain idle?

This year, small calamities arise; Next year, great disasters shall come. Hungry ghosts walk the mortal world, Devouring all people’s grain. Ghosts urge people to "beg" for food— Full at dawn, By noon they starve again. Their voices grow faint, Their bodies waste away, no longer human.

If you wish to escape disaster, Every household must read this Scripture. When you see three hundred coins, Pass them among households to celebrate. I tell you this now: All who read it shall find peace. Whether rich or poor, All who hear shall come to listen. All who dwell in the world— Every household must read this Scripture.

Invite Taoist Masters, And let no strife arise in your home. Grains shall flourish and ripen abundantly; Ghostly calamities shall vanish on their own. Those who disobey the Heavenly Lord’s teachings— Their seven generations shall dwell in darkness. Suffering in this life, How can your endeavors succeed? Believing in heresy leads to hell; Reciting the Dao gains you the name of immortal. Transmit talismans and spread this Scripture, To save all living beings. Transcend the great hunger kalpa, And forever escape hunger and poverty.

The Heavenly Master said: "Not only households of Han and non-Han alike must practice repentance and xiangzai (ward off disasters) with devotion—they must be loyal to their sovereign, filial to their parents, refrain from killing and stealing, and accumulate great merit. When rebellious demons emerge, they shall drain the people, blight the grains so they do not ripen, and leave every household starving, surviving on weeds—a suffering beyond comprehension.

"You must carefully prepare sesame oil, incense, rice, and flour, and in a pure place, establish an altar. Follow the Natural Retreat Rituals to perform repentance. Each household shall contribute money according to the number of its members—amount matters not, so give as your heart dictates. Taoist Masters must act with harmony and goodwill, without strife. Those who ignore the Scripture’s teachings waste sesame oil and ritual offerings; they shall never align with the sages’ will, nor gain karmic merit. Trapped in suffering, poverty, and hunger—how better to act than to dedicate yourselves to merit?

"When the Heavenly Lord’s Scripture is transmitted to your home, you must believe and accept it, without doubt. If you ransom it with gold and silver, you shall receive karmic rewards of gold and silver. If you ransom it with silk, you shall receive rewards of silk. If you ransom it with money, you shall receive rewards of money. If you ransom it with vile things, you shall receive rewards of vile things."

The Heavenly Master said: "Good rewards and good karma shine forth because of good deeds. Evil causes and evil fruits entangle beings precisely because of accumulated evil. I look down at the beings of the lower realm: they do not venerate the correct Dao, nor uphold the Supreme Truth. They toil blindly to cling to life, craving profit and desire; they plant no good roots, yet rush to commit evil deeds. They worship ghosts and spirits in excessive rituals, indulging in heretical teachings. Though they face this era of calamity, how can they escape wrongful death?

"Now, in the year of Gengxu, the eleventh month, I bestow The Supreme Divine Talisman Scripture of Nurturing All Beings upon my Three Grottoes disciples who venerate the Dao, in Yuntai Mountain. Urge all people to spread it throughout the world. All must hasten to perform meritorious deeds—delay, and you shall not escape floods, fires, plagues, and great disasters that claim lives. I make this clear: you must act.

"Tell the faithful men and women in counties, towns, and villages to encourage others to create and propagate this Scripture. I shall always protect those who do so: granting them long life, dispelling calamities, harmonizing their fortunes, opening paths in all four directions, increasing their wealth and treasures, and ensuring unending prosperity."

It is said that in Fengrao Village of Yuntai Mountain, there lived a Taoist hermit, sixty years old, surnamed Cheng, given name Fadao. On the first day of the eleventh month in the year of Gengxu, at dawn, he went into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs. By chance, he saw a True Person clad in five-colored golden robes, with a halo around his head, attended by immortals on his left and right, descending into Yuntai Mountain.

Fadao stepped forward, knelt, and bowed thirty-two times, pressing his forehead to the ground—for he had seen the Heavenly Master. The Heavenly Master said to Fadao: "Do not fear. I am the Orthodox One Heavenly Master. I have descended personally to send you forth and transmit my secret words.

"Recently, in the eighth and ninth months, a new Ghost Master has emerged, leading countless hungry ghosts to wander the world. Taking the form of rats, they enter homes, devouring people’s grains and gnawing at their provisions with a chirping sound. Then they take human form, lingering at people’s doorways. When food is cooked, they sneak in to eat, drinking people’s vital essence and blood. This leaves people perpetually emaciated and weak, their hands and feet paralyzed, struck down by sudden convulsions or devoured by beasts and insects.

"Suspended in the void, I cannot bear to watch. Thus, I bestow this Scripture upon you—spread it widely to all people. If they wish to escape disaster, ensure household peace, have abundant food and drink, and grow strong, then in the coming spring, summer, autumn, and winter, each household that harvests double silkworms and crops and enjoys good health must hold the Pure Retreat of the Numinous Treasure for one day and one night. Every household shall set up an altar in its courtyard and perform rituals to ward off calamity according to the rules.

"When I hear the sound of bells and chimes, I shall descend, and send my attendant True Persons Wang Chang and Zhao Sheng, among others, to wield the Supreme Divine Talismans. They shall behead all ghostly evils, granting peace to all people. If you disbelieve my secret words, harbor doubt, let your mind wander in anger, and fail to understand the karma of sin and blessing—how pitiful you shall be!

"I earnestly tell you: each of you must awaken faith in the Dao, hasten to copy this sacred Scripture, and hold the Pure Retreat of the Numinous Treasure. Only then shall you be safe. Fearing some may lack faith, I urge you to spread this Scripture in detail, so that all people may never suffer untimely death from plague. I declare to you: when the talisman arrives, act upon it."

The Supreme Heavenly Master’s Divine Talisman, written in cinnabar. May disciples be protected, and all household members safe and sound. May silkworms and crops yield double, grains ripen fully, and livestock grow strong. Subdue demons and behead ghosts— Hasten, in accordance with the law!