《灵宝炼度五仙安灵镇神黄缯章法》

I, So-and-so, Great Ritual Master of Perfect Truth and Master of the Red Emperor of the Cavern Mystery Numinous Treasure (Dongxuan Lingbao), bow my head and submit this memorial. I respectfully set forth this address before the jade steps of the supremely exalted, unsurpassed One Qi (vital energy)—boundless and without summit, colorless and without light, vast and profound—the Perfect and True Great Dao (the Way), the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, together with the Thirty-two Emperors and the Most High Lord of the Great Dao.

Your servant has received and carries out the transformative teaching of the Primordial Great Dao. The heavens open the confinement of the dark-prison hells, the Three Evil Paths and the Five Sufferings, and the hungry ghosts and souls of the dead, so that they may leave the long darkness and obtain light. Once the teaching of the Great Dao has been put into effect, the bones of the dead may recover human form; the Three Realms are pure and at peace, and the Earth Bureau (the office that governs the souls of the dead underground) likewise enjoys great peace. We now perform the work of deliverance for the deceased, so that they may lodge themselves in Great Yin and entrust their forms to the Earth Officials. As for the souls of the dead whose merit is slight and who have not yet been delivered, all are, in accordance with the talismanic mandate of Nüqing (a Daoist talisman used to convey the commands of the celestial realm), handed over to the divine officers of their respective jurisdictions to be settled, comforted and cared for, provided for and guarded, and not alarmed or disturbed, so that they may be born again as human beings.

At this time the Limitless Most High Lord of the Great Dao, the Five Elder Thearchs, the Divine Kings Who Fly Through Heaven, the Upper Palace of Nanchang, the Director of Long Life, the Perfected Lord Who Cherishes Life, together with the various Primordial Ladies and Numinous Consorts, the Jade Maidens of Mysterious Harmony, the Perfected, and the seven thousand two hundred and forty youths, all snap their fingers at once and universally make known the matter to all the heavens, all the earths, and all the waters; to the sun, moon, and stars; to the Xuanji and Yuheng (ancient instruments for observing celestial phenomena); to the Five Emperors and the Five Marchmounts; to the numinous mountains and earth-prisons in every place; to the Three Officials and Nine Bureaus and the Twelve River Sources; and to every spirit, whether high or low, deep or shallow, far or near, great or small, bounded or unbounded, so that all of them may know.

The golden-seal jade writs (sacred documents that take their name from gold and jade) are entrusted to the Jade Maidens of Mysterious Harmony. It is covenanted that, from this day forward, they shall be renewed, and that the Great Law shall be reverently observed without partiality. Even though the cycles of Heaven and Earth may change, the wording of the orthodox law remains perfectly clear. Now, in accordance with the ancient statutes of the Upper Palace of Nüqing, we set forth the holy Dao and present this petition on behalf of the disciple of pure faith So-and-so, male or female, of such-and-such commandery, county, township, and village, of such-and-such years of age, born in a bingwu year and entered in the registers under the charge of the Red Emperor. This person received Qi in the seventh month and was endowed with the Yang Qi of the Cinnabar Heaven. The merit of former lives is not yet complete. In life this person dwelt in a defiled age and was stained by worldly dust, and now ought to pass into extinction. The soul and allotted life are entrusted to Great Yin, and the bodily form is lodged with the Officers of Earth.

Now, in the Central Heaven, in such-and-such township and village, a palace of repose is established as a place where the deceased may stay. This person’s merit is shallow, so that he or she cannot return unaided, yet is pressed by the Earth Bureau and cannot find a secure resting place, with the result that the hun and po drift and scatter and the corpse-form has nothing on which to rely. We now, in strict accordance with what is recorded in the golden-seal jade writs of the Great Law of the Luminous Perfected, petition upward for the Nüqing talismanic mandates in the natural jade characters of the various heavens, and announce downward to the Numinous Officers of the Nine Earths of the heaven concerned, that they secure the body, bones, and dwelling of So-and-so. We further invite the Perfected of the Azure Numen Who Gives Birth to Spirit, of the Nine-Qi Green Heaven, to come from the immortals of the Eastern Marchmount, riding ninety million azure dragons and bearing the Nüqing talismanic mandate of the Green Emperor in the celestial script of the Nine Qi, to proceed to the Numinous Officers of the Nine Earths of the East, open the Bureau of the Long Night and the Ninefold Dark Hells, rescue the hun-soul and Shen (spirit) of So-and-so, and cause them to return to their original dwelling. Let those who ought to be reborn be reborn; let those who ought to be delivered be delivered; let those who ought to come to birth come to birth; let those who ought to be restored be restored. Those not yet able to be reborn shall have their corpse-forms properly settled, be comforted, cared for, and guarded, and not be disturbed. As stated in the documents of Nüqing, we offer ninety feet of green patterned silk (silk fabric woven with patterns), or else nine feet, as a pledge presented to the Heavenly Lord of the Nine Qi in request of deliverance.

We further invite the Perfected of the Red Numen Who Gives Birth to Spirit, of the Three-Qi Cinnabar Heaven, to come from the immortals of the Southern Marchmount, riding thirty million red dragons and bearing the Nüqing talismanic mandate of the Red Emperor in the celestial script of the Three Qi, to proceed to the Numinous Officers of the Nine Earths of the South, open the Bureau of the Long Night and the Ninefold Dark Hells, rescue the hun-soul and Shen of So-and-so, and cause them to return to their original dwelling. Those to be reborn, those to be delivered, those to come to birth, and those to be restored shall each follow what is ordained. Those not yet able to be reborn shall have their corpse-forms settled, be comforted, cared for, and guarded, and not be disturbed. As stated in the documents of Nüqing, we offer thirty feet of red patterned silk, or else three feet, as a pledge presented to the Heavenly Lord of the Three Qi in request of deliverance.

We further invite the Perfected Who Presides over All Birth, the Yellow Numen and Master of the Kui and the Divine Knob, of the One-Qi Yellow Heaven, to come from the immortals of the Central Marchmount, riding twelve thousand yellow dragons and bearing the Nüqing talismanic mandate of the Yellow Emperor in the celestial script of the One Qi, to proceed to the Earth Bureau of the Center—boundless and without limit, neither high nor low, neither deep nor distant—inform all the Numinous Officers within it, open the Bureau of the Long Night and the Ninefold Dark Hells, rescue the hun-soul and Shen of So-and-so, and cause them to return to their original dwelling. Those to be reborn, those to be delivered, those to come to birth, and those to be restored shall each follow what is ordained. Those not yet able to be reborn shall have their corpse-forms settled, be comforted, cared for, and guarded, and not be disturbed. As stated in the documents of Nüqing, we offer one hundred and twenty feet of yellow patterned silk, or else twelve feet, as a pledge presented to the Heavenly Lord of the One Qi in request of deliverance.

We further invite the Perfected of the White Numen Who Gives Birth to Spirit, of the Seven-Qi White Heaven, to come from the immortals of the Western Marchmount, riding seventy million white dragons and bearing the Nüqing talismanic mandate of the White Emperor in the celestial script of the Seven Qi, to proceed to the Numinous Officers of the Nine Earths of the West, open the Bureau of the Long Night and the Ninefold Dark Hells, rescue the hun-soul and Shen of So-and-so, and cause them to return to their original dwelling. Those to be reborn, those to be delivered, those to come to birth, and those to be restored shall each follow what is ordained. Those not yet able to be reborn shall have their corpse-forms settled, be comforted, cared for, and guarded, and not be disturbed. As stated in the documents of Nüqing, we offer seventy feet of white patterned silk, or else seven feet, as a pledge presented to the Heavenly Lord of the Seven Qi in request of deliverance.

We further invite the Perfected of the Mysterious Numen Who Gives Birth to Spirit, of the Five-Qi Mysterious Heaven, to come from the immortals of the Northern Marchmount, riding fifty million black dragons and bearing the Nüqing talismanic mandate of the Black Emperor in the celestial script of the Five Qi, to proceed to the Numinous Officers of the Nine Earths of the North, open the Bureau of the Long Night and the Ninefold Dark Hells, rescue the hun-soul and Shen of So-and-so, and cause them to return to their original dwelling. Those to be reborn, those to be delivered, those to come to birth, and those to be restored shall each follow what is ordained. Those not yet able to be reborn shall have their corpse-forms settled, be comforted, cared for, and guarded, and not be disturbed. As stated in the documents of Nüqing, we offer fifty feet of black patterned silk, or else five feet, as a pledge presented to the Heavenly Lord of the Five Qi in request of deliverance.

In addition, we further offer five taels of gold, or else fifty jin of iron, presented to the Five Emperors in order to secure and stabilize the five directions. So-and-so now belongs among those who ought to be released and delivered. We ask the Earth Officials of each quarter of the Nine Earths, each according to the bounds under his charge, to arrange care and protection and to supply what is needed, so that the bodily form may be secure, the hun-soul and Shen may have that to which they hold, and the po may not drift and scatter. When merit is complete, So-and-so ought to return to the former dwelling, receive the vital fluids, and be born anew.

We pray that the Five Emperors nurture So-and-so with the primal essence (Jing) of Great Harmony, guide the vital breath, and nourish spirit and soul; that they give the Three Luminaries as drink and pour in the mysterious and wondrous spring water, so that the jade mushrooms may of themselves grow full, the radiance may soon shine bright, blessings may be abundant, and the body may bear a fragrance. We pray that the hun-soul and Shen may roam freely in Supreme Clarity (Shangqing), that clothing and food may of themselves be complete, that they may return and attach themselves to their palaces and dwellings, unite with the realm of light, never again be separated, and together receive birth through transformation.

Today is the day of great celebration for the universal deliverance of the dead, saving and delivering measureless multitudes of beings, so that every soul of the deceased may comply with the statutes and commands. We pray that all the spirits honor and uphold the ancient law and register these merits in the various heavens. Should any violate the statutes and commands of Nüqing, their offices shall be stripped away and their bodily forms punished. The oath follows the ancient regulations, and the documents are transmitted by means of a golden dragon. I respectfully submit this memorial to be heard above, and respectfully await the reply of the celestial realm.

Your servant So-and-so, in sincere fear and trembling, guilty of offenses deserving ten thousand deaths, bows the head, bows once more, and submits this memorial.

Your servant, surnamed so-and-so, is registered as a native of such-and-such commandery, such-and-such county, such-and-such township, and such-and-such village.

I respectfully report to the supreme and highest Primordial Qi (vital energy), and to the honored ones of the Great Dao (the Way)—boundless and limitless, without form or color, vast, profound, and perfectly true: the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Thirty-two Emperors, the Most High Lord of the Great Dao, and the Jade Majesty of Great Clarity.

In such-and-such year, month, day, and hour, at such-and-such place, one petition on plain yellow silk is prepared and sent upward by means of a golden dragon.

According to the old canon of Nüqing, the ritual master writes this document in vermilion upon yellow silk, goes to the place where the deceased lies, faces north at the hour of zi, burns five kinds of incense, sets the five stabilizers in place, and then submits the petition. The golden dragon symbolizes the envoy who transmits the petition.

In accordance with the old canon of Nüqing, the ritual master writes the document in vermilion upon yellow silk and, at the hour of zi, facing north, burns the five incenses, sets the five stabilizers, and presents the yellow-silk petition. The yellow silk bearing the text of the petition is left exposed in the open for one night. At dawn the next morning, the documents are buried separately according to the directions, so as to settle the spirit and soul (Shen) of the deceased and give rest to the remains.

When the rite is performed in this manner, the Nüqing documents say: the secluded souls of the deceased’s ancestors through nine generations can all leave the long darkness and enter the realm of light. After examination by the Three Officials—the divine offices that investigate and judge the merits and faults of the dead—their names are entered in the registers of the celestial court, and they receive sustaining food and drink. After thirty-two years, they all recover their original forms and return to life. For those who have not yet recovered their forms, the remains and former dwellings are still watched over by attendants sent by the Five Emperors and by the earth deities (spirits of the earth), who comfort and care for them so that they suffer no further disturbance. In less than one hundred years, the secluded souls are all transformed and reborn, returning once more to human existence.

In the name registers and record books of the Three Realms, these matters are clearly recorded. The wise can understand the principle within them, examine good and evil together with the retribution of causes and conditions, and know that these words are not empty. The foolish resign themselves to the sway of fate and hold that matters are not so. That there are still those who suffer within the Three Officials is truly lamentable.

The Celestial Perfected Sovereign said: In former times, in the heaven of Red Brilliance, there was a Daoist surnamed Zheng, styled Ren'an. His merit was not yet complete when he died in a hollow on the north side of Mount Chang. His son Zhongming took Master Xuanhe as his teacher and obtained this text, which he used to guard and protect his father's remains and tomb dwelling. Thirty years later, Ren'an attained deliverance. He should have returned to the human world, but hunters burned him, and his remains at once rose up in dense profusion. He has now become the Venerable Lord, Southern Emperor of the Upper Palace. The course of his attainment of the Dao (the Way) is presently inscribed in the southern pavilion of the Upper Palace of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), and the record is perfectly clear.

The Celestial Perfected Sovereign said: In former times, in the kingdom of Good Forbearance, there was a Daoist named Wang Huang, styled Xinran. He took the Youth of Impermanence as his teacher and received the Lingbao Transmission of Deliverance and Ascent to Heaven. His merit was not yet complete when he died in the mountains of Azure Primordial, and his corpse was buried on the Continent of Flowing Life. The Youth of Impermanence used this text to guard and protect his remains. After a hundred years, floodwaters carried the corpse away, and through this he was born by transformation. He has now been enfeoffed as the Venerable Lord of Primordial Numen. The deeds of his cultivation and attainment of the Dao are recorded in the Southern Palace and preserved in the Lodge of Purple Tenuity.

The Celestial Perfected Sovereign said: In former times, in the world of Abandoning the Worthy, there was a Daoist surnamed Hao, styled Fuming. In his youth he loved mountains and waters and left home to travel far. His merit was not yet complete when he died at the foot of Mount Earth-Mirror. His son Shaoxin went to Master Beiguo, obtained this text, and used it to guard and protect Fuming's remains for seven hundred years. Thereafter Fuming underwent refinement and deliverance by water and fire and was able to return to the human world. Later he took Master Heiwenzi as his teacher, received the transmission of ascent to heaven, and has now become the Emperor of the Mysterious Elder. The deeds of his cultivation are presently recorded in the Southern Palace and preserved at the Mysterious Window of the Northern Primordial.

The Celestial Perfected Sovereign said: In the world of Southern Fuli, within the heaven of the Middle Primordial, there was a Daoist surnamed Wang, styled Duming. In his youth he went away to study and followed Lord Tuzhen in learning the Five Texts of ascent to immortality. His merit was not yet complete when he died in a hollow at Guangling in the Eastern Mountains. His son Jingxiu went to Lord Dai Zhong, obtained this text, and used it to guard and protect his father's remains for ninety years. Later a great famine struck the Eastern Mountains. People dug into the earth in search of food and unearthed Duming's corpse, and he was at once born by transformation. Thereafter his cultivation of the Dao succeeded, and he ascended to heaven to become the Perfected of the Luminous Empyrean.

Here, "guarding the corpse-form" means using the methods and arts of the Jing (scripture/classic) to protect and sustain the remains of the dead; "refinement and deliverance," in turn, is the ritual cultivation in Daoism by which the deceased are delivered and transformed.

The Celestial Perfected Sovereign said: These people had all undergone long cultivation and study and had completed the work of deliverance; they were therefore able to receive this scripture (Jing) and be reborn into the human world. All of them can pass beyond the void, enter the celestial realms, ascend to the Golden Towers (the palaces of heaven), and receive the honorific title of “Ziran” (the Self-so). Such things are not remote or unattainable; it is only that people of the world find them hard to understand. If one looks at cases closer at hand, Yanmenzi’s teacher was Yeguang, Gaoqiuzi’s teacher was Shigong, and Master Hongya’s teacher was the Golden Mother. All of them received the Lingbao method of extinction-deliverance and the Five Refinements—that is, the transmission concerning deliverance, refinement, and ascent to heaven.

Yanmenzi died on Mount Changqiu in Luo County, Yuyang; Gaoqiuzi died on Mount Gaofu in Wenxi County, Zhongshan; and Master Hongya died on Mount Lang in Gusu County, Wuwei. All of them received this scripture and used it to guard and protect their tombs. Forty years after Yanmenzi’s death, the burial chamber collapsed and his remains were transformed away; later he entered the Golden Court of the Great Cavern of Mount Meng, received the immortal writs, and became an Immortal Minister. Seventy-two years after Gaoqiuzi’s death, the tomb was dug open; the coffin had already decayed, yet his remains had ascended in flight, and he is now the Perfected Person (Zhenren) of the Central Marchmount. One hundred and twenty years after Master Hongya’s death, the tomb gate opened, his remains rose into the air and ascended, and, having received the immortal writs, he became the Perfected Person of Qingcheng.

All these worthies received the method of extinction-deliverance, the transmission of ascent to heaven, and the Daoist methods for guarding the spirits; they were therefore able to rise into the clear void, ride the empty air and mount the roseate clouds, feast and roam in the Palace of Purple Tenuity (a palace of the celestial realm), and obtain the honorific title of Perfected Person. These are all cases from relatively recent times, not distant hearsay difficult to verify.

The Celestial King of Primordial Commencement ordered that the Treasury of Primordial Commencement be opened and its contents transmitted to the supreme immortals of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji). Those who encounter this scripture will, in the future, pass through myriads of kalpas, have their names entered in the immortal registers of Highest Clarity, and may hope to cultivate and attain the way of immortality. How could the male and female immortals of the various heavens fail to heed the admonition transmitted by Nüqing (a deity in Daoism), secretly treasure this scripture, and regard it as a precious jewel?

Here ends the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) Liandu (Refinement and Salvation) Method of the Yellow Silk Petition for Settling the Numina and Stabilizing the Spirits of the Five Immortals.

The character jing 敬 was missing from the base text and has been restored from the Dunhuang manuscript P.2865. The character yang 阳 has been supplied from the Dunhuang manuscript. The character ji 赍 has been supplied on the basis of the Dunhuang manuscript and of the wording habits of the surrounding context; ji means to carry or to present. The character zi 子 was missing from the base text and has been restored from the Dunhuang manuscript. The Dunhuang manuscript does not contain the character fei 非, and the collator judges it more appropriate not to add fei. The character zhe 者 has been supplied from the Dunhuang manuscript, as has the character zhi 之.