Scripture of Karma Retribution: Laozi’s Moral Law
Author unknown.
It is believed to have been composed during the Northern and Southern Dynasties or the Sui-Tang period. The original number of volumes and chapters remains unknown. This text wasnot includedin theZhengtong Daozang(the Zhengtong-era Daoist Canon).
Currently, there exists one Dunhuang manuscript copy (catalog number P2818), which is intact from beginning to end and contains 138 lines of the scripture. The title inscribed on it reads"The Seventh Chapter of Lao Zi Shuo Zui Fu Da Bao Ying Jing". The text purports to record a discourse delivered by Lord Laozi to the True Person Huitong, expounding on the karmic retribution for sins and merits. It asserts that those who commit the ten kinds of immoral acts shall suffer ten corresponding forms of evil retribution, while those who perform the ten kinds of virtuous deeds shall obtain ten corresponding forms of blessed rewards.
The core theme of the text isexhorting virtue and admonishing vice.
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