The Ci Wen Shen Zhou Miao Jing 太上洞渊辞瘟神咒妙经

The author of this scripture is unknown, but it was presumably written by Taoist priests of the Dongyuan School during the Tang Dynasty. It is included in the Original Texts of the Cave True Section of the Daozang (Taoist Canon).

The scripture is pseudonymously attributed to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable expounding teachings to the Dongyuan Heavenly Venerable, intended for the purpose of eliminating plagues. It states that the suffering of mortals in the mortal realm from plagues is all due to their disrespect for the Three Treasures (the Dao, the scriptures, and the Taoist priests), their reviling of heaven and earth, their crooked and deceitful thoughts and deeds, and their commission of evils and sins.

It further claims that the envoys of the Five Emperors, bearing celestial talismans and documents, are the ones who bring various epidemics. The afflicted should humble themselves, offer rituals to apologize and send the epidemics away, establish a Taoist altar at home, burn incense and recite scriptures, and then the disasters can be dispelled.