In ancient times, there was a small village called Wuhui nestled between lush mountains. The villagers lived peaceful and prosperous lives, waking with the sun and resting with the moon, leading simple but happy lives. However, there was one young man in the village, named Li Yao, whose fate always seemed to be full of setbacks.

Li Yao had lost his parents at a young age, leaving him orphaned and alone. His life was always filled with difficulties and challenges. Whether it was studying, finding work, or forming relationships, he worked hard but could never find true success. Despite his efforts, he found himself trapped in poverty and poor health. After many failed attempts and being on the brink of giving up, an elderly Taoist priest named Qingyun appeared before him.

Qingyun was a well-known practitioner in Wuhui Village, respected for his deep understanding of the spiritual world. When he saw the suffering Li Yao was enduring, he asked, “Have you ever heard of the concept of the ‘Debt of Rebirth’?”

Li Yao was puzzled and confused, having never heard of such a thing. So, he asked the priest to explain.

Qingyun replied gently, “Before each person is born, they must go to the underworld to borrow spiritual resources—‘merit and wisdom’—from the official of the underworld, Cao Guan. These resources determine what a person will have in their life: food, clothing, money, and health. However, in borrowing these resources, we incur a debt of rebirth—a spiritual debt. If this debt is not repaid, your fate will be bound by it, and no matter how hard you try, your destiny cannot be changed.”

Qingyun continued, “Your difficulties stem from this unpaid debt of rebirth. Repaying this debt is the key to changing your destiny.”

Qingyun then guided Li Yao on how to repay his debt of rebirth. The first step was to accumulate merit and wisdom through good deeds. “The more merit and wisdom you accumulate through kindness and helping others, the more you can repay your debt,” the priest explained.

Li Yao followed the priest’s guidance and began performing acts of kindness. Every day, he helped the elderly in the village and assisted impoverished families. Although these acts seemed small, they helped cultivate goodwill and merit in his heart.

The second step was to perform a debt repayment ritual. Qingyun told Li Yao that this ritual was a formal process in which he would offer prayers and sacrifices to the official Cao Guan in the underworld, expressing his sincere intention to repay his debt. During the ritual, Li Yao needed to prepare incense and offerings, as well as a heartfelt prayer asking for release from his spiritual debt and for his destiny to be transformed.

One evening, Qingyun led Li Yao to a hidden cave deep in the mountains. This sacred place was where Taoists performed the ritual to repay their karmic debts. As the ritual began, Qingyun recited verses from the “Da Yuan Da Yi Jing”, a Taoist scripture, and transmitted Li Yao’s prayers to Cao Guan, the official in charge of the underworld.

After the ritual, Li Yao felt a profound sense of lightness in his heart, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Over the following days, his life began to change.

Opportunities started to appear in his business, and the obstacles that had once held back his career slowly disappeared. Most surprising of all, his health began to improve. The long-standing sickness that had plagued him for years seemed to vanish. No longer was Li Yao the unfortunate young man plagued by bad luck—he began to thrive and became a successful individual, respected by the villagers.

Li Yao understood that these changes were the result of repaying his debt of rebirth and accumulating enough merit and wisdom. He continued to follow the Taoist path, helping more people, and he began to teach the younger generation in the village, encouraging them to also repay their debt of rebirth.

This story teaches us that every person carries a debt of rebirth, a debt originating from past lives and karmic connections. Repaying this debt and accumulating merit and wisdom is key to changing one’s fate. Taoist teachings emphasize cultivation, kindness, and sincere prayer as means to repay this debt and transform one’s destiny, leading to a more abundant and smooth life.Ritual for Repaying the Debt of Rebirth。I recommend https://mall.taoismtop.com/%E5%A1%AB%E9%82%84%E5%8F%97%E7%94%9F%E6%B3%95%E4%BA%8B