《无上三元镇宅灵箓》

The Unsurpassed Primordial Most High Jade Emperor, Lord of the Limitless Great Dao (the Way), a venerated deity of Daoism, descended at the yin hour on the fifteenth day of the tenth month in the ren-shen year to the Upper Palace of the Layered City on Mount Kunlun. At that time, the many Perfected who had attained the Dao were arrayed in the void, their bodies emitting brilliant light that shone high into the clouds and sky. The Lord of the Great Dao solemnly admonished the Seven Perfected of Jinming, seven perfected immortals, saying: “You shall become the teachers of the celestial beings and humans of the ten directions in ages to come as they cultivate the orthodox teaching. Whoever wishes to attain the status of a Perfected must first take the salvation of the people of the world as the most urgent task, widely practice merit and De (Virtue/Power), and guide and deliver celestial beings and humans. Such merit and De are unsurpassed; when merit and De are complete and grace extends to all, one naturally attains the Dao.”

At that time, the Seven Perfected concentrated their contemplation on the Great Dao and manifested ten complete forms. Jin Yuan Feijing, a related venerated deity among the Seven Perfected, entered a realm of stillness and mystery, bowed in homage to the Celestial Worthy of the Mysterious Court, a venerated deity of Daoism, and asked: “In recent years the Three Realms—the realms of heaven, earth, and humanity—have collapsed and sunk into ruin. Between heaven and earth, the Qi (vital energy) of humans, ghosts, and warfare clamors day and night without cease. We have now come upon the age of the final catastrophe. We Seven Perfected are ignorant and shallow, and do not know how relief is to be given. We earnestly beg the Celestial Worthy to instruct us, so that we may awaken to the correct Dao and become a bridge for saving the people of the world. In this way, not only will those of the present life receive grace, but later generations will also be rescued, and the beings of the future will be widely delivered. We beg the Celestial Worthy to condescend to instruct us, and to pardon our faults of not having fully known and not having fully exerted ourselves.”

At this, the Celestial Worthy admonished the Seven Perfected of Jinming, saying: “Your allotted time and the prophetic assurance of your future attainment have already matured. In time to come you will become the utmost true great sages of the ten directions, bestowing grace to relieve later ages and widely delivering the beings of the future.”

The final section of the original text repeats the words in which the Seven Perfected set forth their plea and request to the Celestial Worthy.

At this time the Heavenly Worthy told the Jinming Qizhen (the Seven Perfected of Golden Brightness, seven true immortals): “You are destined to receive the conferral of prediction, and in the future you will become ancestral masters of the Orthodox Dharma of the Perfected Great Sages of the Ten Directions, circulating and transmitting this Golden Perfected Orthodox Dharma. The Dharma Wheel (Falun, symbolizing the preaching and dissemination of the Orthodox Dharma) possesses incomparably exalted merit and is the king of the Great Vehicle among the unsurpassed wondrous dharmas. Its merit is vast and majestic, transcending all phenomena; it truly has immeasurable merit, with nothing that can compare. If not a person of lofty virtue who has attained the Dao (the Way), who could establish such merit and lay such a foundation of blessed karma?

“Yet the sentient beings of the Three Realms are submerged in the sea of suffering; the remains of the dead sink into the dark nether regions, their souls undergoing all manner of hardships, while the living also find themselves in difficult circumstances. Now we are in the last kalpa, in the time of the Three Disasters and Five Turbidities (the calamitous and defiled age spoken of in Daoism), when a hundred kinds of evils converge, disasters and wars follow one after another, and this has already continued for a long while—how can it not evoke sorrow?

“The merit of the superior karma of the Great Vehicle is not something all the common people under heaven can constantly cultivate. Therefore I confer upon you this Great Register of the Upper Prime Heavenly Official for Inspecting Spirits, Binding Ghosts, Collecting Demons and Gathering Jing (essence) (the numinous register granted by the Upper Prime Heavenly Official, used for protection and exorcism), named the Supreme Three Primes Register for Pacifying and Stabilizing the Residence. With it one may support the orthodox Qi (vital energy) of heaven and earth, assist the nation and accord with the times, and also use it to succor the people of the world.

“After it is stamped with the seal of the Supreme Three Primes and placed to pacify and stabilize above the halls and doorways of the dwellings of gods and humans (above the halls and portals of human residences), it may be used to drive away sprites, ghosts, pestilences and calamities, hundred poisons, inauspicious qi, demonic evils, wangliang, and various anomalous phenomena coming from the Ten Directions and Five Directions, and to subdue them, so that disasters, military calamities, ghosts, sprites and essences cannot cause harm, thereby long preserving the peace of the common people.

“Those who obtain this register may rely on it to pass through the Three Disasters and also receive protection amid the great tribulations of the age of Five Turbidities. If a nation has a ruler who guards the Dao, and it happens that our Dao flourishes, the country can enjoy peace; when ruler and ministers together practice the Orthodox Dao, the altars of the state can remain long secure.”

The Jinming Qizhen thereupon kowtowed and bowed once more, requesting to receive this numinous register.

At that time, the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) told the Seven Perfected (Qizhen, the seven True Persons): Now I shall proclaim this widely to Heaven and Earth, and invite Heaven and Earth to come together to bear witness and establish the covenant. Taking the numinous registers for pacifying and securing as foremost, one can examine, restrain, and gather in improper Qi (vital energy), causing it to return to the orthodox method.

The Seven Perfected performed the rites of courtesy, respectfully accepted them, and reported to the Celestial Worthy: “We shall certainly carry this out in accordance with the method.” When the transmission was complete, the Celestial Worthy rose into the void, concealed his form, and departed.

The Unsurpassed, Most Supreme, Primordial Most High Jade Emperor, Lord of the Limitless Great Dao, now sends down and bestows upon the Seven Perfected of Jinming these unsurpassed Three-Origin numinous registers for pacifying and securing a given residence (Fulu, talismans and registers, used to pacify and secure a dwelling). The Seven Perfected reported to the Celestial Worthy: “We shall certainly carry this out in accordance with the method.” When the transmission was complete, the Celestial Worthy rose into the void, concealed his form, and departed.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), the Most High Jade Emperor (Taishang Yuhuang), and the Lord of the Limitless Great Dao (Wuji Dadaojun)—revered deities of Daoism—today send down this Supreme Three Primes Spirit Register for Pacifying the Dwelling, conferred by the Seven Perfected of Golden Brilliance (Jinming Qizhen), in order to guard and protect a certain residence. This register was established at the yin hour on the fifteenth day of the tenth month of the ren-shen year, and proclamation is made to the deities of the heavens: the True Sovereigns and celestial officials of the Three Heavens of Qingwei, Yuyu, and Dachi; the various officials under the Jade Emperor of the Lofty Nine Heavens; the officials of the Thirty-two Heavens who preside over allotted lifespans; the recording officers belonging to the Divine Emperors Who Fly through the Heavens of the Ten Directions; and all the revered deities who govern the engendering of spirit, the deliverance of destiny, the extension of life, and the increase of blessings; the celestial officials of the Nine Heavens and the Nine Earths; the sun, moon, and stars, the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, the Five Emperors, and the Four Directorates; the innumerable supreme perfected great sages and deities within the dark and unseen realms of the Ten Directions; the official lords, generals, and clerks of the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Water, of the Nine Palaces and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), and of every station of the Six Jia; the gods of the mountains, forests, streams, and waters of the Five Sacred Peaks, the numinous mountains, the great marshes, the rivers and seas, and the Nine Provinces; the King of the Soil, the true officials, generals, and clerks of the altars of soil and grain, and every revered deity in heaven above and on earth below. All of these, together with the Seven Perfected of Golden Brilliance, jointly conclude a covenant and swear an oath.

From the time this Supreme Three Primes Spirit Register for Guarding the Dwelling is conferred and sealed, the deities must not violate the agreement by loosing demonic troops, ghosts and spirits, calamities, epidemics, and baleful forces to intrude upon the gates and doors of the residence or to harm the men and women, old and young, of the household. Should any evil spirit encroach upon the orthodox Way, it shall be seized by the Supreme Spirit Great Generals of the Three Primes and Nine Divisions who guard the dwelling, together with their officers and soldiers, and escorted to the Court of Cold Ice and the Nine Nights, north of Great Yin in Beifeng—the northern underworld spoken of in Daoism—then handed over to the officials who preside over the knives of wind and the punishments of water and fire, to be judged according to the laws of the officials of the Nine Capitals, to suffer punishment for ninety thousand kalpas, and never to be pardoned. This command must be obeyed at once, and everything is to be carried out according to the statutes of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and the Most High Jade Emperor, Lord of the Great Dao.

The divine general who receives the register and guards the dwelling is the “Supreme Great General of the Upper Spirits for Garrison and Defense, Director of Rectitude of the Jade Statutes of the Orthodox Law of the Qingwei Heaven of the Unsurpassed Upper Prime,” one in number; the officers, generals, and soldiers who guard the dwelling number three hundred and sixty thousand in all.

This passage comes from the Wushang Sanyuan Zhenzhai Ling Lu (Supreme Three Origins Registers for Protecting the Home), and consists of wording used in Daoist household-protection Fulu (talismans and registers). It lists the names and duties of the divine generals who guard residences in the heavens belonging to the Three Origins (Upper, Middle, and Lower).

The opening lines give the generals' titles. In the Wushang Shangyuan Qingwei Heaven (one of the Daoist heavens, belonging to the First Official of the Upper Origin) there is a Jade Bureau. Under it serves one "Great General of Spiritual Protection and Defense of the Upper Origin," who commands 360,000 officers and soldiers charged with guarding homes. The wording of the titles varies slightly from entry to entry, with forms such as "Upright Jade Bureau," "Jade Registry Bureau," and "Grand Overseer." These are names for different offices within the same system, and every general commands the same number of soldiers.

The middle section is the core of the decree. The Supreme Lord of the Upper Origin, the Primordial Supreme Jade Emperor, Great Lord of the Limitless Dao (a revered Daoist deity, here the one who issues the command), orders the three defending generals of the Qingwei Heaven's Jade Bureau each to lead 360,000 home-guarding soldiers of their own command and to protect the residence of "a disciple of the Great Dao's pure and orthodox teaching, so-and-so." The place marked "so-and-so" is where the protected person's name is filled in when the text is used. The protection extends to all four directions, above and below, and to the center, with 360,000 layers of defense in all.

If any malevolent spirit comes to harm this household or to offend the disciple of the orthodox teaching, the generals and soldiers are to display the might of Heaven and at once seize every sort of wicked ghost and bandit, as well as the unorthodox spirits that bring plague and calamity. They are to deliver them to Northern Fengdu (the Daoist underworld prison), where officials of the Wind Blade and of Water and Fire will interrogate and punish them. If any general or soldier shelters or conceals the offenders, that one will be punished in the same way. Apart from the ancestral spirits of the household's own ancestral shrine, none may enter.

Once the home has been sealed, the household is to be protected forever. The registers (the Daoist rolls that record a practitioner's identity and spiritual rank) of every member of the family, old and young, male and female, will remain at peace, and the whole family will pass safely through the kalpa of the Three Calamities (disasters of water, fire, wind, and the like). "Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances" is the formulaic closing of talismanic incantations, meaning that the spirits are asked to carry out the order as swiftly as they would a legal command.

The last two entries turn to the Middle Origin. They concern the divine generals of the Jade Bureau in the Wushang Zhongyuan Yuyu Heaven (the heaven belonging to the Second Official of the Middle Origin). Here too there is a Great General of Spiritual Protection and Defense, who commands 360,000 soldiers and horses guarding homes.

One Great General of Garrison and Defense, the Superior Spirit of Bright Authority in the Office of Wrongdoing of the Unsurpassed Middle Origin Yuyu Heaven, commands the officers and generals together with 360,000 soldiers and horses assigned to guard the dwelling.

The Unsurpassed, Supreme and Most High Jade Emperor, Lord of the Great Dao (Dao), Primordial Beginning, commands the three generals of Bright Authority of the Unsurpassed Middle Origin Yuyu Heaven—the Controller of Rectitude, the Judicial Controller, and the Controller of Wrongdoing—and the others, each to lead 360,000 household-guarding troops, to marshal with strict order the soldiers and divine officials under their command, and to garrison the residence of so-and-so, a disciple of the pure and true orthodox law of the Great Dao. The four quarters and the four corners are all to be patrolled and set right, and through all twelve double-hours of day and night the affairs within the dwelling are to be inspected and kept under restraint.

The divine spirits of the six directions—the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, the Dark Warrior, Gouchen, and the Hidden Dragon—jointly protect the residence. Each lays out thirty-six layers of defense around so-and-so’s dwelling to withstand evil influences coming from outside. They patrol the plague calamities and epidemic poisons of the five directions, the wangliang, and the ghosts that wander in the air; they also inspect the baleful killers lurking with the sunken corpses underground, the Jing (essence) of gold, silver, copper, iron, and jade, the stale Qi (vital energy) of the Six Heavens (the old evil qi), and the uncanny spirits of shamans, invocators, and domestic shrines. Whatever works mischief within or around so-and-so’s residence, the generals and their troops bring celestial authority and divine power to bear, seize it, and escort it under guard to the prison of the Ninefold Darkness of Northern Feng (the underworld hell spoken of in Daoism), driving out all that is inauspicious.

The dwelling is now sealed and protected by a spirit register for garrisoning the household. Unless they are ghosts and spirits to whom the master of the house personally offers sacrifice and veneration, no specter may enter. Should the generals and troops indulge evil influences and thereby bring harm upon so-and-so, or should they collude with those evil influences, they too shall be severely punished, with no pardon granted. Let this be carried out at once; all is to accord with the statutes and ordinances.

One Great General of Garrison and Defense, Direct Spirit of the Four Garrisons, of the Orthodox Law of the Great Scarlet Heaven of the Unsurpassed Lower Origin, commands the officers and generals together with 360,000 clerks and soldiers assigned to guard the dwelling.

One Great General of Garrison and Defense, Direct Spirit of the Four Offices, of the Orthodox Law of the Great Scarlet Heaven of the Unsurpassed Lower Origin, commands the officers and generals together with 360,000 clerks and soldiers assigned to guard the dwelling.

Daoist liturgical texts state that there is one Direct-Spirit Garrison-and-Defense Great General of the Four Outlooks under the Orthodox Law of the Unsurpassed Origin and the Great Scarlet Heaven, and that he commands three hundred and sixty thousand officials and soldiers who guard the residence.

The Unsurpassed, All-Highest Primordial Most High Jade Sovereign, Lord of the Great Dao (the Way), commands the Direct-Spirit Great Generals of the Four Garrisons, the Four Offices, and the Four Outlooks, of the Unsurpassed Origin and the Great Scarlet Heaven, each to lead three hundred and sixty thousand officials and soldiers assigned to guard dwellings, and to keep a strict, layered watch over the residence of so-and-so, a disciple who cultivates the pure and true Orthodox Law of the Great Dao. They are ordered to restrain every kind of taboo matter within the twelve double-hours inside the house. The Grand General Taisui, the Gate Clerk and the Household Commandant, the god of the well, the god of the stove, the successive forebears of the family who have passed away, and the divine officials of the local earth god must all observe this covenant together. The Seven Perfected (true deities venerated in Daoism) act in accordance with the Mysterious Statutes (the ritual law of Daoism).

By the lofty and wondrous Orthodox Law of the Great Vehicle, the Unsurpassed, All-Highest Primordial Most High Jade Sovereign, Lord of the Great Dao, seals and protects the residence of so-and-so and bestows the Unsurpassed Great Register of the Superior Spirits of the Three Origins for Pacifying the Dwelling, a Daoist Fulu (talismans and registers) for settling and guarding the home. So-and-so then bows with forehead to the ground and declares himself a pure and true disciple of the Great Dao, sealing the dwelling under the seal of the Most High Three Origins. From this day forward, the Yin realm of the dead and the Yang world of the living alike know of the matter; the jade offices of the various heavens oversee the covenant; and the Three Heavens (the celestial realms spoken of in Daoism) issue their command: in the hidden darkness there is none who does not hear, in the netherworld there is none who does not respond, in heaven there is none who does not carry it out, and on earth there is none who does not receive it.

From now on, nothing may use the gates of this household to draw in disaster, accident, or violent calamity. Whether forces of Yin-Yang, water and fire, the stale Qi (vital energy) of the Six Heavens—which in Daoist liturgical texts means impure and deviant Qi—demons and goblins, spectral marauders, or the ghosts and spirits of those who died away from home and come and go of their own accord without having received sacrifice, none may harm the men and women, old and young, within the gates of the family. If any refuse to submit to the Orthodox Law, the garrison-and-defense generals, together with their officials and soldiers, will display their might in the eight directions, seize every kind of specter, and escort them to the Water Bureau of the Cold-Ice Night Court at Beifeng (the nether region spoken of in Daoism), where the examining officers of the Nine Capitals will detain and try them, so that they suffer punishment for a long time and obtain no release. Let this be executed urgently, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances of the Nine Capitals.

The names of the successive deceased forebears of the family of so-and-so are respectfully listed below: the late great-grandfather so-and-so, the late great-grandmother so-and-so, the late grandfather so-and-so, the late grandmother so-and-so, the late father so-and-so, and the late mother so-and-so. The foregoing are the deceased ancestors of three generations of the family. They are now sealed and protected, and are entered on the left.

The deceased great-grandfather so-and-so, the deceased great-grandmother so-and-so, the deceased grandfather so-and-so, the deceased grandmother so-and-so, the deceased father so-and-so, and the deceased mother so-and-so.

These are the deceased ancestors of three generations of a certain family. They are now conferred and placed under the jurisdiction of the celestial officials, generals, and soldiers of the Supreme Three Heavens. These ancestors may receive offerings only within the scope of ancestral-hall sacrifices of this family; they must not of their own accord exceed regular bounds, still less demand food and drink from the living without cause, stir up calamities, or cause illness among descendants and those still alive. Any who violate this shall be delivered to the Nine Capitals and forever consigned to the officials who administer the celestial statutes.

If they are able to bring blessings and protection to this family, the Jade Directorate Life Officials of the Supreme Three Heavens (divine officers charged with nurturing life and conferring blessings) together with the Residence-Guarding Generals shall memorialize on their behalf for promotion, reporting their names to the Three Heavens and declaring their merits, so that they may ascend into the Primordial Life Hall of Blessings in the Nine Heavens, there to receive naturally supplied clothing and food and dwell at ease in Wuwei (non-action). They shall reside long in the blessed lands, protecting those still living, everything carried out in accordance with the celestial laws. This is the pure and correct dharma decree of the Unsurpassed Unsurpassed Primordial Beginning, Most High Jade Emperor, Limitless Great Dao.

Disciple so-and-so, native of such-and-such commandery, such-and-such county, such-and-such township, such-and-such village, aged so many years, male (or female), with clothing and food naturally sufficient, living at ease in Wuwei (non-action), long residing in the blessed lands and protecting those still living, everything executed in accordance with the celestial laws. This is the pure and correct dharma decree of the Unsurpassed Unsurpassed Primordial Beginning, Most High Jade Emperor, Limitless Great Dao. Disciple so-and-so, native of such-and-such commandery, such-and-such county, such-and-such township, such-and-such village, aged so many years, male (or female) so-and-so.

The foregoing comprises one household totaling so many male and female members. The Seven Perfected now confer this matter by means of the seal of the Most High Three Primes, delivering it to the officials of the Supreme Three Heavens Jade Directorate of Correct Law and Divine Life, and dispatching the three generals belonging to the Supreme Three Primes to protect the male and female members of this family together with their spans of life and to garrison this residence. Each commands the residence-guarding troops, horses, and official soldiers, guarding the dwelling layer upon layer according to their respective jurisdictions, each layer three hundred and sixty thousand strong. Everything is executed in accordance with the celestial laws of the Unsurpassed Primordial Beginning, Most High Jade Emperor, Lord of the Great Dao.

In the Taisui year such-and-such, on the first day of such-and-such month at the zi hour, the True Master Jinming Seven Perfected conferred this register (lu) in such-and-such village.

When reciting the Unsurpassed Great Register of the Three Primordials for Securing the Dwelling and the Superior Spirits (Wushang Sanyuan Zhenzhai Shangling Dalu), one should first visualize the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) and the Most High Jade Emperor, Lord of the Great Dao (Taishang Yuhuang Dadaojun), descending in the void. They manifest bodily forms of golden radiance and descend together with the Three Venerables of Golden Brilliance (Jinming Sanzun).

One then visualizes that each of the Three Heavens has three generals, together with soldiers, cavalry, and clerical troops. Each division numbers 360,000, spread throughout the ten directions and coming to secure the residence. They guard the residence layer upon layer, 360,000 layers in all, just as armies do in the human world. Afterward, the following incantation is to be recited for the Fulu (talismans and registers):

“O Jade Emperor in the Void, the Jade Heaven opens a passage; the Jade Clarity issues a command, and the command is named Golden Perfection. The Jade Void manifests its luminous majesty, and the Three Heavens bring forth divine spirits. Taking the orthodox law as the standard, talismanic mandates are issued to the Nine Heavens. Gather and draw in the Qi (vital energy) to assist you; restrain the sprite-spirits and disperse the mists and smoke; drive the ghosts and specters and summon the demons and monsters. Sweep away all defilement; spirit generals come to stand guard, and heavenly troops encircle and protect. The orthodox Dao (the Way) proceeds on its course, blessing you with peace this day and crushing the myriad kinds of sprites and anomalies. Whoever dares to invade your body, I command the Divine Lords to sweep away demonic deviance on every side. Those who do good are advanced; those who oppose are punished. Swiftly, swiftly, carry this out in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.”

The Three Primordials (Sanyuan) are a collective designation in Daoism associated with the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water. The rite here proceeds by visualizing heavenly deities and heavenly troops descending to secure the residence, and by issuing, through talismans and incantations, commands to expel evil and protect the dwelling.

The Statutes of the Orthodox Law of the Jade Administration of the Supreme Three Heavens (Wushang Santian Yusi Zhengfa Lü) further stipulate that, among Heaven, humanity, and Earth in the ten directions, whoever receives investiture with this spirit register for securing the dwelling for the first time must present two shi and four dou of rice for use with the “Register of Destinies Bound to the Mysterious Capital” (Xuandu Ximing Ji); present, according to the positions of the five directions, the corresponding quantities of securing colored silks; and also present one bolt of purple-patterned destiny silk and two guan and four hundred wen in cash.

One who upholds the law of the twenty-four generative Qi of the Upper Prime must likewise, as prescribed, present two shi and four dou of rice, securing colored silks of the five directions, one bolt of purple-patterned destiny silk, and two guan and four hundred wen in cash. The twenty-four generative Qi of the Upper Prime correspond to twenty-four life-generating deities, each linked with its own original destiny. They also symbolize the undifferentiated primordial generative Qi within the twenty-four grotto residences, and in the lower realm correspond to twenty-four deities, thereby embodying the number of the Three Primordials. All the items presented above must accord with the statutory regulations and must not be contravened.

The Seven Perfected say: When beings of the heavenly realms, the human world, and the underworld first begin to act according to this liturgical code, they may pay one shi and two dou of rice, one guan and two hundred wen in cash, and twelve bolts of silk; they may also pay eight bolts of silk and eight hundred wen. The number twelve is used to correspond to the twelve divine perfected, and the number eight takes its model from the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

The Wushang Santian Yusi Zhengfa Lü (Orthodox Statutes of the Jade Bureau of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens) says: If beings of the heavenly realms of the ten directions, the human world, and the underworld receive and uphold the “Wushang Sanyuan Zhenzhai Shangling Lu” (the Unsurpassed Upper Spirit Register of the Three Primordials for Stabilizing the Dwelling, a Fulu [talismans and registers] used to guard and protect the household), they should each year pay two shi and four dou of life-mandate rice of the generative Qi (vital energy) of the Upper Prime of the Mysterious Capital, together with the patterned life-silk, the plain life-silk, the cash, and the like used for the stabilizing colored offerings of the five directions, and deliver them to the ritual master’s establishment.

When the ritual master receives the rice, silk, cash, and other items paid in by disciples, he should take eight-tenths of them for works of merit and, on behalf of the celestial emperors of the heavens of the ten directions and the sovereign lords and kings of the various regions, hold the Great Retreat of the Golden Perfected Turning the Dharma Wheel, a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual). He should take another eight-tenths and, in accordance with the method of the Three Primordials, petition on the disciples’ behalf for the promotion and reward of the generals and soldiers who guard and defend, so that their merits are recorded and their ranks advanced; and he should take yet another eight-tenths to give in charity to the poor throughout the world and to Daoists who dwell in the mountains cultivating the Dao (the Way). Anyone who violates these regulations is to be judged according to the penal code of the Nine Capitals.

The Seven Perfected further say: In the heavenly realms, the human world, and the underworld there are many who are poor; they too may pay cash, silk, rice, and the like, in whatever amount, so long as it serves as the expense with which the ritual master provides and carries out works of merit.

The Wushang Santian Yusi Zhengfa Lü further says: If beings of the heavenly realms of the ten directions, the human world, and the underworld receive and uphold the Unsurpassed Upper Spirit Register of the Three Primordials for Stabilizing the Dwelling, yet fail to pay, as prescribed, the rice and grain that serve as the “life-pledge,” the Directors of Destiny of the Three Heavens (deities who govern lifespan and the registers of fate) will deduct ten from their allotted years; if the offerings are delivered to the ritual master’s establishment according to the yearly term, the Directors of Destiny will add ten to their lifespan. All of the above is carried out in accordance with the statutes.

All disciples ought to cultivate body and mind and keep themselves pure and upright. They should establish the Ziran Zhai (Natural Purification, a Daoist Zhaijiao, or purification ritual), burn incense and practice the Dao (the Way), recite the Jing (scripture) and perform worship and repentance, and light lamps to illuminate the night. Over one day and one night, divided into six periods, they pray for blessings and transfer the conferred rewards to the celestial officials charged with guarding and defense.

If no ritual master is present in the dwelling to preside over the practice of the Dao, the men and women of the household may perform it themselves. It is enough to hold Jinming (Golden Brilliance, the intention of cultivation named in the scripture) in the heart, keep oneself upright, establish the Ziran Zhai, burn incense and practice the Dao, recite scripture and perform rites of worship and repentance, light lamps at night, and, in six periods over one day and one night, pray for blessings and transfer the rewards to the celestial officials of the upper heavens who guard and defend. Maintaining a centered and upright heart is also important. If a disciple does not observe the purification and the precepts on the Sanyuan days (Three Prime days), the Jade Bureau celestial official of the Upper Prime will not enter that person’s name in the Shengyuan zhi lu (Register of the Origin of Life, the register recording years of life together with blessings and emoluments). In accordance with the statutes, the case will be judged under the law of the Three Punishments.

The Wushang Santian Yusi Zhengfa Lü (Statutes of the Orthodox Law of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens) says: If the Son of Heaven and the princes and marquises wish the state to be at peace, the people settled, to enjoy lasting good fortune, and to preserve the sheji (altars of soil and grain, that is, the sovereignty of the state), they should all seal and place this numinous register—a Fulu (talismans and registers) with a protective function—upon the gates of imperial palaces and residences.

The Qizhen (Seven Perfected, a collective designation for venerated Daoist deities) say: The Celestial Emperors, Grand Emperors, and High Gods of the ten directions and of the various upper heavens likewise seal this numinous register upon the jasper gates and jade watchtowers of the celestial realm. How much more, then, the Sons of Heaven and the princes and marquises of the human world?

The Statutes of the Orthodox Law of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens say: The Flying Celestial Emperors of the ten directions, the Celestial Kings of the various Brahma heavens, and the Celestial Lords of the Five Emperors of the five directions each seal and place this numinous register, so as to guard the operation of Heaven and Earth, uphold the inherent order of the Heavenly Dao, and harmonize the Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang, thereby employing the creative transformations of nature and presiding over the course of the natural world.

The Seven Perfected say: The High Gods and the Most Perfected Great Sages of the heavens of the ten directions all revere this numinous register; how much more, then, the people of the world?

The orthodox laws of the Supreme Three Heavens Jade Bureau (the divine office in the Daoist heavens that administers statutes and decrees) stipulate: when a ritual master confers a spiritual register—the Fulu (talismans and registers) and registers of names bestowed in Daoism—upon a disciple and receives offerings such as life-rice and pledge-tokens, if he does not proceed according to the provisions of the “Three Grades,” and does not use the offerings for almsgiving and the accumulation of merit, the ritual master will be investigated by the offices of the Nine Capitals and sentenced under the “Penal Code of the Nine Kalpas.”

The orthodox laws of the Supreme Three Heavens Jade Bureau stipulate: if a ritual master receives the life-rice, pledge-tokens, and other offerings that disciples remit each year, yet keeps them for his own enjoyment and that of his father, sons, and household, and does not establish merit or pray for blessings on the disciples’ behalf, he shall be examined by the investigating officers of the Nine Capitals, and the charge shall be entered under the “Code of the Three Punishments and Five Kalpas.”

The orthodox laws of the Supreme Three Heavens Jade Bureau stipulate: on the great festival days of the Three Primordials (important days of purification such as the Upper Prime, the Middle Prime, and the Lower Prime), if a ritual master does not establish merit for his disciples, nor pray that divine beings such as generals and soldiers bestow rewards and blessings upon them, he will suffer calamitous punishment from the Capital of the King of the Dead, and the charge shall be entered under the investigative code of the Three Punishments.

The orthodox laws of the Supreme Three Heavens Jade Bureau stipulate: on the days of the Three Primordials, a ritual master must report his disciples’ names to the Jade Bureau of the Three Heavens and request the protection of the spirits of life and the superior officials. If he fails to do so, he will suffer all manner of calamities while alive, and after death will receive the punishment of the Nine Penalties of the Ninefold Darkness (the depths of the underworld).

The orthodox laws of the Supreme Three Heavens Jade Bureau stipulate: among the common households of the ten directions of heaven and earth and the boundless worlds, those who encounter calamity, strange and uncanny changes, and the turmoil of demons and evils shall suffer the punishment of the Nine Penalties of the Ninefold Darkness.

The orthodox laws of the Supreme Three Heavens Jade Bureau stipulate: among the common households of the ten directions of heaven and earth and the boundless worlds, if they encounter calamity, strange and uncanny changes, and the turmoil of demons and evils, or if visiting ghosts summon hosts of baleful forces that continually bring misfortune upon celestial beings and the human world, they should follow the orthodox law, take offerings such as life-rice, life-colored silk, and plain life-money, go to a ritual master, and ask the ritual master to seal them into a spiritual register.

The Seven Perfected (revered deities of Daoism) say: those who obtain a spiritual register can not only avoid calamity, but, amid disasters of water, fire, wind, and the blade, can also escape the greater and lesser yang-nine and the greater and lesser hundred-and-six (the years of disaster spoken of in antiquity).

The Unsurpassed Three HeHeavens Jade Bureau Orthodox Statutes (Wushang Santian Yusi Zhengfa Lü, the title of the laws administered in the Daoist heavens) state: Disciples in the celestial realms of the ten directions and in the human world who uphold the orthodox law, if they properly seal this Linglu—a protective Fulu (talismans and registers)—and install it upon the gateway of a government office or a residence, can thereby make people’s minds clear and their Shen (spirit) lucid, settle their breath, and render the household solemn and still. The deities of the various heavens will come to protect them, and the officials of the Three Realms will also come to guard the gates. The celestial gods and terrestrial spirits—the divinities of heaven and of the earth—will honor this disciple of the orthodox law, often coming to pay reverence to the Linglu and to watch over the household gate, not daring to harbor any thought of doing harm.

The Unsurpassed Three Heavens Jade Bureau Orthodox Statutes state: If disciples in the celestial realms of the ten directions and in the human world who uphold the orthodox law meet with illness or calamity in the household, or with intrusion by yin malignities, disasters of water and fire, harm from thieves, or frequent harassment by others, the head of the household may choose one person to bathe and purify the body and set the clothing in order, then, beneath the Linglu, observe a fast and burn incense, perform the rite of nine prostrations, report how grave the calamity is, and according to the circumstances pray for the help that is needed, while holding in mind the “Three Divisions” (Sanbu, the three classes of divine perfected beings venerated in Daoist ritual).

The Unsurpassed Three Heavens Jade Bureau Orthodox Statutes state: Among the faithful of the celestial realms of the ten directions and of the human world, if the number of people in a household increases, the Linglu should be resealed and reinstalled after three years; if the household’s share of blessing declines and the number of people decreases, it should likewise be resealed and reinstalled after three years. If over three years the population neither increases nor decreases, there is no need to replace it; but when nine years have passed, the Linglu should be replaced and resealed anew. If it is not replaced, the generals and soldiers originally charged with guarding the household will have completed their merit, ascended to heaven, and departed; it must therefore be replaced at the proper time. If after nine years it is still not replaced, the disciple is to be judged according to the “Three Penal Statutes” (Sanxing lü).

The Unsurpassed Three Heavens Jade Bureau Orthodox Statutes state: After the faithful of the celestial realms of the ten directions and of the human world have sealed and installed the Linglu, they must not worship the ghosts and spirits of talisman shrines, nor honor heterodox teachers or shamans and ritual invokers; nor may they humble themselves and offer wealth in order to seek blessing. If they violate this, they are to be judged according to the “Three Penal Statutes.”

The Orthodox Legal Code of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens (the orthodox laws and precepts of the Daoist celestial realm) stipulates: Once the spiritual registers of the ten directions of heaven, humanity, and earth—Fulu (talismans and registers) used to secure the dwelling and confer protection—have been conferred and sealed, a disciple’s household must not invite non-human beings to enter, nor allow nuns and maidens of stale former-qi, and the like, to sing and dance within the residence. All such matters that do not accord with the orthodox Dao (the Way) are to be judged and sentenced under the Three Penal Codes of the Dark Capital.

The Orthodox Law of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulates: Those who have received the spiritual registers of the ten directions of heaven, humanity, and earth must not defy the master’s commands or abandon their covenants. If anyone violates the precepts, the generals and soldiers who garrison the residence will ascend to the celestial palaces and will no longer return to guard the dwellings of the human world. The offender is judged and sentenced under the penal code of Great Yin.

The Orthodox Law of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulates: After receiving the spiritual registers, one should assist the ritual master in accumulating three thousand meritorious deeds, instruct and transform beings of heaven and humanity, and cultivate a supreme field of blessing (a metaphor for accumulating good deeds and cultivating good fortune). In this way one may be advanced through the ten grades of the ranks of the Perfected and take a place among the superior immortals.

Households that have received the spiritual registers should practice goodness and accumulate blessings on the fifteenth day of the first month, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and the fifteenth day of the tenth month. These days are the seasons in which the various heavens cultivate the supreme field of blessing.

Households that have received the spiritual registers should also know that the fifteenth of the first month, the fifteenth of the seventh month, and the fifteenth of the tenth month are the days of the Three Primes (Upper Prime, Middle Prime, and Lower Prime), when the rosters of humans and ghosts administered by the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water are examined, and the sins and blessings entered in the ledgers of life and death are thereby determined. The generals, the soldiers, and the officers and troops of the hosts and cavalry sealed after the registers are received each number three hundred and sixty thousand; their forms appear as if made manifest and can be clearly seen. They encircle the residence, display their majestic power, garrison and defend it, and seize and drive out every kind of baleful and heterodox force.

The Seven Perfected (revered deities of Daoism) say: For one who is able to practice in this way, there is no calamity that cannot be dispelled, no hardship that cannot be crossed, and no disaster that cannot be calmed; one’s store of blessing can increase, thieves can be eliminated, good undertakings can proceed smoothly, malevolence can be swept away, heterodox Jing (essence) can be made to withdraw, evil persons can be subdued, and auspiciousness will also arrive.

The highest Jade Offices of the Three Heavens (divine offices in the Daoist celestial realm) bestow orthodox blessings: every harm of theft can be eliminated, every good undertaking can proceed smoothly, every baleful misfortune can be removed, every evil Jing (essence) can be driven away, every evil matter can be subdued, and every auspicious blessing can descend.

The highest Jade Offices of the Three Heavens proclaim the orthodox Law: people of the celestial realms in the ten directions, and disciples who cultivate the orthodox Law, if they wish to eliminate disasters, disperse evil Qi (vital energy), and pacify calamities, should strike the celestial drum thirty-six times and then recite:

“Three generals in the Unsurpassed Supreme Qingwei Heaven, each leading 360,000 officers, generals, and soldiers, shall for so-and-so restrain and expel the Qi of military disaster. Three generals in the Unsurpassed Yuyu Heaven, each leading 360,000 officers, generals, troops, and horses, shall for so-and-so eliminate calamities from the five directions, the six kinds of harm, together with ghosts, specters, evil Jing, and improper Qi. Three generals in the Unsurpassed Great Scarlet Heaven, each leading 360,000 officials and soldiers, shall for so-and-so gather up and remove plague, venomous epidemic, military disaster, flood and fire, illness, and other calamities, so that this disastrous Qi is extinguished at once. May they, for so-and-so, raise their awe-inspiring might, mobilize troops and horses, and keep guard and defense layer upon layer, so that so-and-so’s dwelling is firmly protected, with defenses posted on every side and vigilance strictly maintained. Let everything be carried out in accordance with the decrees of the Unsurpassed Primordial Most High Jade Emperor, Lord of the Great Dao (the Way).”

The Seven Perfected (honored deities of Daoism) say: If disciples find cause for fear in the home—if inauspicious strange lights, anomalies, or bewitching apparitions appear, or if members of the family worry over calamities of every kind; if a neighboring household meets with a baleful event so that both sides come to harm; if at night one often has dreams that are not true, or fears disasters such as plague, flood and fire, and thieves, including the fear that someone may do harm—then the incantation should be recited in this way. Calamity will then quickly recede; you will be preserved, and you will be able to remain safe and undisturbed.

The Orthodox Laws of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens (a Daoist code of statutes) stipulate that when a ritual master confers the Numinous Register for Securing the Dwelling—a Fulu (talismans and registers) used to guard and protect the household—upon disciples of the celestial beings of the ten directions, he must follow in full the documentary protocols and ceremonial procedures for transmitting the Mysterious Register, reporting and setting forth the relevant matters before the deities. When the report is complete, the ritual master and the disciple face one another, north and south, upon the numinous altar, and he explains the generals and soldiers commanded by the Numinous Register, while the disciples announce their own names one by one. After the registration for receiving the register is finished, the ritual master issues a command over the register-talisman, recites the incantation, and then affixes the Seal of the Supreme Three Primes. The ritual master bestows the Numinous Register upon the disciple, and the disciple thereupon kneels and bows before the ritual master, declaring himself “So-and-so, a disciple of the Pure and Orthodox Method of the Great Dao,” and performs the rite of nine bows.

The Seven Perfected (revered deities of Daoism) say that, when the Numinous Register is conferred, the procedures of submitting official memorials, petitions, and name-slips to the deities should all be carried out according to the liturgy for transmitting registers of the method. When the disciple pays his respects before the ritual master, he declares himself “So-and-so, a disciple of the Pure and Orthodox Method of the Great Dao,” and performs the rite of nine bows.

The Seven Perfected further say that the procedures for conferring the Numinous Register are the same as the liturgy for transmitting registers of the method, with no other difference; only a few items in the ritual documents need slight adjustment.

The Orthodox Laws of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulate that after disciples of the celestial beings of the ten directions have been invested with the Numinous Register, they must not engage in robbery, theft, or plunder, nor recruit vicious persons or come and go in their company. If such things occur in a disciple’s household, the celestial officials will judge the case as the crime of the Three Punishments under the Slaying Statutes of the Nine Capitals.

The Orthodox Laws of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulate that after disciples of the celestial beings of the ten directions have received the register, they must not treat the Numinous Register with contempt or disclose it, nor allow it to be stained by filth or to suffer harm to its Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy); offenders will be judged under the Statutes of the Ninefold Darkness.

The Orthodox Laws of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulate that disciples of the celestial beings of the ten directions should install the Numinous Register, hanging it in a securing position above the doorway of the main hall, so as to subdue all manner of spectral beings and improper Qi.

The Orthodox Laws of the Jade Bureau of the Supreme Three Heavens further stipulate that disciples of the celestial beings of the ten directions must not slight or discard the Numinous Register; offenders will be judged under the Slaying Statutes of the Nine Capitals.

The Orthodox Law of the Jade Office of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens (the orthodox legal precepts issued by the Daoist divine offices) stipulates that disciples of the Ten Directions Celestial Humans (Daoist disciples who cultivate this method) must not take away the numinous registers (linglu, which are Fulu [talismans and registers] that serve to guard the residence and confer protection) and discard them in a household that is not their own; violators shall be sentenced according to the “Statute of Disrespect Punishable by the Three Punishments.”

The Orthodox Law of the Jade Office of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens stipulates that when disciples of the Ten Directions Celestial Humans enter or leave a doorway, they should visualize the images of the deities in their minds. Upon seeing the generals and soldiers arrayed within the residential compound, they must constantly keep them in mind and never forget them. In this way, disasters will immediately dissipate, and the Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) can constantly remain.

The Orthodox Law of the Jade Office of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens stipulates that the three generals of the Upper Division stand three thousand six hundred zhang in height, their bodily forms resembling adamantine vajra. They hold the nine-colored numinous scepter for summoning spirits and subduing the eight sha, bestowed by the Jade Emperor (a command token for invoking deities and controlling baleful Qi). They ride three-colored venomous dragons and remain motionless in the air one thousand zhang above the ground. They command troops and horses, their divine majesty descending from the mysterious profundity. Even if a hundred kinds of weapons press near, they cannot harm the mind-spirit; ten thousand kinds of perils will dissipate in due time. Disciples of the Ten Directions Celestial Humans should constantly visualize their forms in their minds.

The Orthodox Law of the Jade Office of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens stipulates that the three generals of the Middle Division stand three thousand four hundred zhang in height, their bodily forms similar to those of the Upper Division generals. They hold the seven-colored divine tiger great-sha numinous scepter of the Nine Heavens, ride beasts that ward off evil, and remain motionless in the air five hundred zhang above the ground. They command divine troops descending from the mysterious profundity, able to dissolve a thousand kinds of poisons and weapons and cause ten thousand kinds of treacherous and evil things to flee and scatter. Disciples of the Ten Directions Celestial Humans should constantly visualize their forms in their minds.

The Orthodox Law of the Jade Office of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens stipulates that the three generals of the Lower Division stand three thousand two hundred zhang in height, their bodily forms similar to those of the generals of the previous two divisions. They hold the three-colored divine metal demon-subduing three-sha numinous scepter of the Three Heavens and ride beasts that prevent transgression. The generals remain motionless in the air five zhang above the ground; the officers and soldiers stand on the ground, spreading throughout the entire residence from top to bottom and protecting the whole household compound. They command troops and horses descending from the mysterious profundity, able to drive the plagues and epidemic toxins of the Five Directions to flee to uninhabited places, to destroy sprites and demons, to preserve the common people, and to bring people peace and good fortune. Disciples of the Ten Directions Celestial Humans should constantly visualize the forms of the numinous generals and divine soldiers in their minds.

The Statutes of the Orthodox Law of the Jade Administration of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens states: When the Great Dao (the Way) is upright, the laws and standards are likewise upright; when the laws and standards are upright, teaching and transformation are likewise upright; when teaching and transformation are upright, awakening is likewise upright. Disciples of the ten directions, the various heavens, and the human world, having entered the Way of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity, a school of Daoism), should receive the teaching of the orthodox law. Once they have been taught, they are no longer uninstructed common people, but become persons who follow the orthodox law, and thus all come under one and the same set of norms.

The Seven Perfected (the seven perfected beings revered in Daoism) say: What is called “teaching and transforming the common people” is rooted in the subtle and formless origin of the Great Dao; it naturally manifests within the vast and boundless void. The true emptiness of the Great Dao is without form; emptiness at its utmost is the Ultimate Dao. It penetrates what is real and is supremely mysterious. How could such a realm be measured by limited standards such as humaneness, righteousness, and wisdom? Even if one wished to point a finger toward the Great Void (the vast and boundless emptiness), the Great Void itself would still be hard to fathom—how much more so the Ultimate Dao?

The Great Dao embraces both wondrous being and wondrous non-being: operating naturally amid the formless, it thereby gives rise to the vast multitude of formed things. Thus all-encompassing wisdom is returned to spiritual luminosity, and spiritual luminosity is in turn returned to the nature of insight. The realm of Great Illumination thereby attained is orthodox wisdom that manifests of itself. Orthodox wisdom is the orthodox Dao. The movement of the Great Dao depends on its own power, and its transformations arise from its own functioning; it therefore takes the Four Images (the basic elements, such as Yin-Yang, that constitute the transformations of the myriad things) as primary in its creative operation, and beyond the mysterious there is what is still more mysterious. The Great Dao is vast, surpassing the myriad ways; what need is there still to set common people apart?

Among the supreme perfected great sages of the ten directions and the various heavens, there is none who does not revere and bow in homage, praising its wisdom. Orthodox wisdom is the orthodox Dao; the Great Dao moves of itself and transforms of itself, taking the Four Images as primary in its creative operation, incomparably mysterious. The sages and perfected of the ten directions and the various heavens all revere and bow, calling it their teacher; the Lord on High and the great celestial perfected deities do likewise. How much more, then, the beings of heaven, the living creatures of the earth, and ghosts and spirits—who among them would be unwilling to take it as teacher?

Once orthodox teaching has been established, people no longer regard themselves as uninstructed common folk. Those who bow before the master of the law are all disciples of the pure and true orthodox law. Being called disciples, they are already within the teaching and become persons who return to the Great Dao.

The Orthodox Law of the Supreme Jade Bureau of the Three Heavens (Wushang Santian Yusi Zhengfa, the highest precepts established by the divine offices of Daoism) provides that, after disciples of the celestial beings of the ten directions—disciples who have received the registers and entered the Dao (the Way)—receive the numinous registers (linglu), they must not collude with one another or manufacture weapons, nor may they plot against the ruler of the state in which they dwell or betray the court. Anyone who does so is to be punished according to the Eight Killers Law of Nüqing of the Underground Ninefold Darkness (Jiuyou).

The Orthodox Law of the Supreme Jade Bureau of the Three Heavens provides that, after disciples receive the numinous registers, they must not say one thing while harboring another in their hearts, nor may they oppress or humiliate the orphaned and the weak. They should treat others with an impartial heart, so that the celestial deities will come to protect and aid them. If they do evil, they are to be punished according to the Three Punishments Law of Nüqing of the Ninefold Darkness. In the scripture this article is then repeated once more.

The Orthodox Law of the Supreme Jade Bureau of the Three Heavens provides that, after disciples receive the numinous registers, they must not take human life, nor may they act as they please in violation of the way proper to subjects and of the laws and regulations. Offenders are to be punished according to the Three Punishments Law of the Capital Officials of the Ninefold Darkness.

The Orthodox Law of the Supreme Jade Bureau of the Three Heavens provides that, after disciples receive the numinous registers, they must not betray their teachers and elders or deceive their sovereign. Offenders are to be punished according to the Law of the Long Kalpas of the Ninefold Darkness.

The Orthodox Law of the Supreme Jade Bureau of the Three Heavens provides that, if a ritual master who has received the registers lives far from his disciples, he may allow the disciples to present “life-rice” (mingmi, rice offered to the ritual master and used for purificatory abstinence and cultivation). On the Eight Nodes (bajie: the seasonal festivals of the four seasons, together with such solar terms as the Beginning of Spring, the Beginning of Summer, the Beginning of Autumn, and the Beginning of Winter) of the men and women of the household, and on the natal day (benming ri, the day corresponding to the heavenly stem and earthly branch of one’s birth), disciples may offer life-rice as provision for observing purificatory abstinence and cultivation. If they neither offer the rice in this way nor deliver it to the ritual master’s household, they are to be punished according to the Eight Killers Law of the Ninefold Darkness.

The Orthodox Law of the Supreme Jade Bureau of the Three Heavens provides that the life-rice of the sealed registers received by the ritual master must not be stored and hoarded in a granary with the intention of waiting for a year of famine, then raising the price and selling it for profit. Anyone who does so is to be punished according to the Eight Killers Law of the Ninefold Darkness.

The Orthodox Law of the Supreme Jade Bureau of the Three Heavens provides that the life-rice of the sealed registers received by the ritual master must not be placed in a granary and hoarded, to be sold at a raised price for profit when a year of famine comes. Anyone who does so is to be punished according to the Law of the Three Thousand and Nine Punishments.

The orthodox law of the Jade Office of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulates: When a ritual master receives from disciples rice, money, and silk offered to avert calamities threatening their allotted lives, he must not store these things away in a warehouse and fail to bring them out for almsgiving and relief. Offenders are to be convicted under the “Law of the Three Thousand Baleful Officers of the Ninefold Underworld.”

The orthodox law of the Jade Office of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulates: The rice for averting calamities of allotted life that a ritual master receives from disciples must not be kept in a warehouse; nor, within three years, may it be used to do good works and accumulate De (Virtue/Power). Offenders are to be convicted under the “Law of the Eight Baleful Powers of the Three Thousand Dark Capitals.”

The orthodox law of the Jade Office of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulates: If disciples of the celestial beings of the ten directions—disciples who have received registers and entered the Dao (the Way)—lose their spirit registers, they should hold a Lingbao Zhaijiao (purification ritual) in order to repent and make amends for the fault. Only after the rite has been completed may they go to a ritual master to have the spirit registers sealed and conferred anew. If the disciple has not performed the purification according to the rule, yet the ritual master presumes to seal the registers for him anyway, master and disciple alike are to be convicted under the “Law of the Three Punishments.”

The orthodox law of the Jade Office of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulates: If disciples of the celestial beings of the ten directions encounter warfare, flood, fire, or other disasters and lose their spirit registers for that reason, they need not hold a Zhaijiao and may go directly to a ritual master to have the registers sealed anew. If a disciple does not have the registers resealed, he is to be convicted under the “Law of the Nine Punishments of the Yin Nüqing Statutes.”

The orthodox law of the Jade Office of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulates: A ritual master must not deceive his disciples, nor seize on pretexts to demand money and goods from them out of boundless greed. Offenders are to be convicted under the “Law of the Three Punishments.”

The orthodox law of the Jade Office of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulates: If disciples of the celestial beings of the ten directions become aware of a fault of their own, they should at once go to a ritual master, frankly admit the wrong, and repent and seek pardon. In this way the fault may be removed. If they do not do so, they are to be convicted under the “Law of the Three Punishments.”

The orthodox law of the Jade Office of the Supreme Three Heavens stipulates: A ritual master must not take advantage of whether a disciple’s circumstances are favorable or adverse, nor of the turns of his fortune for good or ill, in order to exact property. Offenders are to be convicted under the “Law of the Nine Punishments of the Dark Capital.”

Preface of the Seven Perfected of Jinming.

What is called the Orthodox Teaching is the upright Dao (the Way). It leads a person from clear awakening on to great awakening and correct awakening, and into the realm of wondrous awakening—truly subtle in the extreme. The wondrous principle is profound and fine; beyond subtlety there lies a still deeper wondrous principle. How could words and images ever explain it? If not for the Mysterious Sage—a sage who penetrates the mysterious principle—who would dare to point it out beyond form, and then draw it into form?

The Numinous Registers—Daoist Fulu (talismans and registers) that protect and deliver—were originally transmitted by the Unsurpassed Supreme Lord of Primordial Beginning, the Jade August Sovereign. They have circulated since infinite kalpas, and are regularly put into practice when the fortune of the kalpa declines, so as to deliver the people of the world: freeing them from suffering in the Yangjiu, the years of calamity, and preserving them unharmed through the Bailiu, the periods when disasters come one after another. The Lord of the Dao carries out this teaching with such earnest care—could it be for his own sake?

The Orthodox Teaching is in truth like a compassionate mother, forever mindful of her child; it is also like a skilled physician treating illness—would such a physician ever wish to treat the sick and yet see no cure? The methods that save the world are the same. Beings of the Three Realms dwell amid affliction, scorching heat, and hardship; their lives are like lamps in the wind, yet they do not know their own suffering and even take it for pleasure. As I see those deluded beings, they are truly not happy. Their span of life is as brief as a flash of lightning, and in the end they sink into the Eight Difficulties, the eight obstacles to cultivation and to hearing the Dao; through long kalpas they are harassed by the Five Poisons, the five afflictions or harms that cause suffering, and they become sufferers in the dark underworld. How can this be called happiness?

While alive, a person sees the disorder of the world yet does not perceive disaster and the turmoil of war; how much less, after death, sunk in the underworld, can one understand the suffering there? The compassionate true Dao sends down its teaching, awakening beings on the paths of the underworld, turning the Nine Nights—the dim realm of the dead—into light, dispersing obscurity, opening the gate of wisdom, illuminating what beings have not yet awakened to, and enabling them to comprehend the Six Wisdoms, the six kinds of wisdom, so that they understand clearly and are no longer obstructed.

In this way the households of the living are auspicious and at peace; the dead may ascend and be transformed in heaven, their spirits roaming in freedom; and descendants of later generations may live in safety. This is the work of the Orthodox Teaching of the Numinous Registers: it preserves the myriad people, delivers them amid the Five Turbidities—the defiled and disordered condition of the world—and keeps the Three Calamities and Six Harms from coming upon them. Its efficacy is sufficient to govern the turning of heaven and earth—how much more so ghosts and spirits? How could ghosts and spirits fail to be dispelled?

The hosts belonging to the Orthodox Teaching of the Jade Office of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens possess such majestic divine power. All are numinous generals born of spontaneity, and the soldiers likewise. Only I believe this—how could the common people all understand it?