Jiajing’s Preface to the Scripture of the Three Offices

Jiajing’s Preface to the Scripture of the Three Offices 三官經

Bony Schachter, “Daoism and Ming rulership: on the authenticity of Jiajing’s preface to the Scripture of the Three Offices,” Bulletin of SOAS 85, no. 2 (2022): 235-64.

Permission has been requested in vain.

Imperial Preface to the Wondrous Scripture of the Three Primes The Wondrous Scripture of the Three Primes [Revealed] by the Most High was authored by the Grand Thearchs of the Three Offices of Heaven, Earth, and Water. Now, the Path is the One Prime, which this Scripture arrays as Three Primes, the Superior, the Intermediary, and the Inferior Ones; they are called the Three Qualities; they belong to the Three Offices, so as to preside over the Three Realms. In addition, [this Scripture] describes the details about [the Three Offices’] incarnation and birth, and the precedents supporting their canonization and proclamations of honours; offering miraculous accounts about the numinous responses to its worship and reverence, [this Scripture] displays the wonders of the creation-transformation. Not proffering idle disquisitions [on these matters] for the time being, I consider it [i.e. the Scripture] merely for its words on the conferment of blessings, the pardoning of sins, and the dissipation of calamities. For when it comes to generating beings, nothing compares to Heaven; when it comes to nurturing beings, nothing compares to Earth; when it comes to nourishing beings, nothing compares to Water. These Three engender all things. In that, the merits of the Three Primes are great, and how much greater [are the merits of] the Celestial Path, which works according to the principle of blessing the good and punishing the wicked! The ancient Sage-Kings established the teachings according to the divine Path; indeed, their sole goal was driving people away from sin in order that they move towards what is good. The Book of Documents says: “Heaven helps the inferior people, making for them rulers, and making for them instructors, who are favoured throughout the four quarters. As for who has sins and who has no sins, I am the only one [who may decide it]”. It also says: “[The sovereign] concentrates the five blessings, extending and conferring them upon the multitudes of his people”. Therefore, our ancestors likewise created books for encouraging what is good, which were distributed inside and outside [the realm]. [These books] are the means through which blessings are created for the people, in order to replenish their lives. Similarly, this is precisely the purpose of Heaven, Earth, and Water when creating [the myriad of] beings. This Scripture is of great assistance! I then had it printed, so as to concede its favour all around the realm, and composed this preface. Composed on the first day of the tenth month of the fourth year of the Jiajing reign.

御製《三元妙經》序《太上三元妙經》者，

乃天地水府三官大帝所著也。夫道惟一元，且述降生之祥，封誥之典，與夫崇奉靈應之跡，以彰厥造化之妙。姑未暇論，朕惟以賜福赦罪解厄之言觀之。蓋生物者莫如天，養物者莫如地，潤物者莫如水。斯三者，物之所由成也。三元之功於是為大，況夫天道有福善禍淫之理。古昔聖王以神道設教亦惟使民遠罪以遷於善而已。《書》曰：天佑下民。作之君。作之師。寵之四方。有罪無罪惟我在。又曰：斂時五福用敷錫厥庶民。故我祖宗亦有勸善諸書，頒佈中外，所以爲民造福，以全其生者。類如此，是卽天地水成物之意也。是經其有助乎！爰用鋟梓以普厥惠，并為之序。嘉靖四年十月丙戌朔製。