《玄门报孝追荐仪》

In the rites of cultivation practiced by the Mysterious Gate, the deceased are commemorated and delivered through liturgical texts and acts of worship.

Those who preside over the ritual take their places in order in the Hall of the Masters, advance with the ceremonial steps of Pacing the Void, and then invoke the ancestral masters.

They declare with reverence: The immortal perfected of the Golden Portal transmit and expound the teachings, widely circulating the scriptures (Jing) that save and deliver departed souls; the jade registers promulgate the liturgy (Keyi), setting forth in detail the methods of ascent and transformation. Whether living or dead, all may thereby receive protection; the realm of Yin and the world of Yang alike may partake of this grace. Thus the Great Emperor of Azure Radiance of the Eastern Pole, out of compassion, saves those who suffer, and the Kui star of the Northern Dipper establishes the rite for the deliverance of departed spirits, so that souls may be delivered and even dry bones may regain vitality. Now, presuming to hold this solemn rite, we earnestly beg you to examine and take notice.

We reverently honor the Teaching Lord of the Mysterious Center and the great ancestral masters: your Way (Dao) runs through the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity; you hold the myriad things in your embrace, establish teachings according to the conditions of each place, and manifest your traces in response to the transformations of things. You are the reliance of all beings as they face life and death, and the sovereigns of the realm of darkness. I am an insignificant disciple of the gate of the Dao. Having received the instruction of the true methods of the Numinous Treasure, and having had the good fortune to study under the masters of the Mysterious Gate, I am resolved to rescue souls in darkness, aid those in distress, benefit the age, and help others.

I respectfully set forth the case of the deceased: the departed souls have endured boundless suffering. Whether from former lives or from this life, they have committed all manner of offenses, both crimes of the Yang world and faults of the Yin realm. Because these offenses violate the statutes of the celestial realm, their names are entered in the registers of the underworld offices, and they are imprisoned in the cold Yin darkness and detained in the gloomy jails. If they do not take refuge in the celestial court, how can the departed souls be summoned to the ritual altar? I can only look up and appeal to the majesty of Heaven, earnestly begging compassion for these souls in distress. Offering my sincere heart, I presume to pray and announce to the upper realm of the Azure Mystery, asking that the light of grace descend and illuminate the darkness.

We earnestly beg the perfected immortals, with compassionate hearts, to guide and ferry the departed souls, and with holy Virtue (De) to pardon them: please issue talismanic commands from the source of the River, transforming the sword-trees into trees of fine jade; issue the talismanic commands of the Red Script to the prisons of the underworld, transforming the mountains of knives into mountains of treasure. May you send down the light of wisdom that shines through the darkness and fulfill the vow of compassionate deliverance, so that the long night grows bright and the paths of the underworld are illumined. Thus the departed souls may together receive the fruit of the Dao, be released from the retribution and bondage of the deep darkness, ascend to the realm of the immortals, and roam free and at ease. We earnestly beg that the grace of the Mysterious Gate be bestowed, and that the response of salvation soon appear. This disciple prays with wholehearted sincerity, and now leads the assembly to ascend the altar and reverently perform this rite.

The Cantor chants:

Ascend the altar.

Incense Hymn.

To repay their kindness and virtue, and to attain rebirth in the realm of the immortals where one roams free and at ease, we look up to Heaven to bestow its profound and mysterious grace, and to send down a clear and manifest response without delay. Yet the sincere prayers within my heart are too deep to be fully expressed. Now I lead the assembly to ascend the altar and reverently perform the rite.

The Cantor chants:

Ascend the altar.

Incense Hymn.

Each member of the assembly pays homage to the Master, and, following the liturgical protocol (Keyi), calms the mind and enters contemplation.

The Mysterious Yin and its Seven Numinous Powers, the Nine Breaths gathering to take form. The spirits of the Hun, the Jing, the Po, and the Shuang move in their courses, while the two lights of sun and moon revolve in alternation. Their radiance soars and blazes, bringing forth the energy of lasting spring in all things. Sun and moon shed their brilliance, blending and converging into pure essence (Jing). The Qi of the Great Brahma spreads abroad, and the fire bells race through the air. The Demon Kings, receiving their commands, go about their tasks and proceed to the imperial capital for audience. They universally save all beings and bestow their grace upon the realm of the shades. The jade script proclaims its decree, and ten thousand breaths rise up. The many Qi are harmonized and return to the Dao (the Way), uniting with the true Dao.

Strike the ritual drum twenty-four times.

The Supreme Lord of the Dao of the Three Primordial Qi of the Highest Three Heavens, the Mysterious Origin (a Daoist deity), summons the Officers of the Three and Five within our bodies, the officials and messengers of the left and right, the Golden Youths who attend the incense, the Jade Maidens who transmit words, the Duty Talismans of the Five Emperors, and the Incense Officers of the day, thirty-six of each, to appear. Those who appear, composing their bearing with solemnity, are to report to the numinous altar and to the local Earth God, the True Officials of the village and district, and the other spirits: I now formally ascend the altar, burn incense, and practice the Dao, and I respectfully petition on behalf of the matter for which I pray. All the sincere sentiments within my heart have already been recorded and reported. May the Dao-qi of Jade Purity and the wondrous light of Lingbao flow into our bodies, so that the sincerity of my memorial may be swiftly conveyed, reaching the Supreme Limitless Great Dao, and the presence of the Heavenly Worthy Who Saves from Suffering, the Merciful Father of Mysterious Azure of the Eastern Pole, the Supreme Unity (a deity who delivers the souls of the dead from the underworld).

All present are to announce their names and ritual ranks.

The Daoist priest named here, together with a certain disciple, with sincere reverence jointly memorializes the honored deities: the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning of the Supreme Limitless Great Dao, Vacuous and Spontaneous (Taishang Wuji Dadao Xuwu Ziran Yuanshi Tianzun); the Supreme Lord of the Dao, the Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy (Lingbao Tianzun); the Supreme Lord Lao, the Celestial Worthy of the Dao and Its De (Daode Tianzun); together with the Exalted Jade August Supreme Emperor, the Great Celestial August Emperor of the Upper Palace of Gouchen, the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity and the Northern Culmen of the Central Heaven, the Great Emperor of Azure Florescence of the Eastern Pole, the Sovereign Earth Spirit of Empress Earth, and the Celestial Worthies and deities of the various heavens. The memorial also includes the great sages of the ten directions who have already attained the Dao, the lords and elders of utmost perfection, the honored deities of Eastern Florescence, the Southern Pole, the Western Numen, and Northern Perfection, the Bright August Lords of the Dao of the Mysterious Capital, the Jade Capital, and the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity, the divine offices of Upper Minister, Upper Steward, Upper Guardian, and Upper Tutor, the Venerable Scriptures (Jing) of the Thirty-Six Departments, the Great Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center, and the presiding powers of the Five Emperors, the Three Officials, the Four Bureaus, the Nine Offices, and the celestial departments of the Nine Heavens; the divine sages and multitudes of the underworld, the water offices, the Five Marchmounts, the Four Waterways, and the grotto-heavens of famous mountains; the officials of the Three Realms and every deity possessed of awesome numinous power. We earnestly beg all of you to extend great compassion and look down upon this matter.

Your subject has heard that the De (Virtue/Power) of the ancient sages accorded with Heaven and Earth, and that their conduct followed the order of the four seasons. How weighty is the way of filial piety: because of it the sun and moon shine more brightly, and the royal way is thereby brought to completion. Lord Lan received the relevant teaching from the Perfected of the Dipper, and Mother Chen transmitted this corpus to the Grand Historian. Thus the Jingming method takes loyalty to the ruler and filial reverence toward parents as the root on which the mind is established, while the Mengzhen Zhai (purification ritual) was instituted for the purpose of repaying the ancestors and delivering one’s kin. From this it is clear: how could those who seek immortality and study the Dao fail to cherish their relatives deeply? To claim that cultivating the Dao extinguishes innate nature and violates ordinary human relations is merely the biased opinion of certain Confucians. Examined in the light of the Daoist scriptures, how could they understand the heart of great filial piety contained in the Dao of celestial perfection?

Your subject reflects that his endowment is ordinary, yet he has been fortunate to take part in study and cultivation within the Mysterious Gate, to carry out the scriptures and liturgy (Keyi), to instruct the people, to keep the precepts, and to cultivate by burning incense. Although cultivation calls for forgetting form and setting knowledge aside so as to commune with the Great Dao—and your subject has even borrowed the words of Yan Yuan to express this meaning—only the careful conduct of funerals and the remembrance of distant ancestors can return human hearts to sincerity and simplicity. For this reason he constantly wishes to promote the teaching of Zengzi.

Now, among his fellow practitioners, some devote themselves to performing rites of deliverance for their kin. As Libationer, your subject is by duty bound to preside over the memorial and announcement. May the deities pass up and down and ever remain at our side, and may he be fortunate to behold the solemn and majestic radiance of the Celestial Worthies. The heart of filial piety and fraternal respect can move the deities, and the deities can likewise discern the human heart. The disciple has earnestly set forth his petition and has already received approval; how, then, would your subject dare not to memorialize the honored deities?

In light of the words set forth above, every effort has been made to express our earnest intent. We look up and beseech the Great Dao (the Way) to look down and examine us, and we also ask that it condescend to observe the sincerity of our hearts.

I have heard that human beings live amid the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, and ought to serve all three with equal reverence. Principle originates in the One, while instruction is divided into the Three Teachings. Thus, when the filial devotion with which one serves one’s father is applied to serving one’s ruler, the meaning of loyalty and filial piety is fully realized; when the methods of cultivating oneself are applied to governing the state, the teaching of purity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action) can be fulfilled. For those who cultivate the True and study the Dao, repaying the ruler’s grace is especially important. Therefore, the Marvelous Precepts of the Nine Perfected regard reverence and diligent care as the gate to entering De (Virtue/Power); the Keyi (liturgy) of the Three Registers, through the burning of incense and the practice of ritual purification, gives expression to prayers for blessing. The teachings and methods of Daoism are of long standing, and those who cultivate and study them ought to follow and observe them.

Now, as we ascend the altar to practice the Dao, we ask the ritual assembly to raise the first stick of incense. May the incense smoke rise into the air and ascend directly as an offering to the unsurpassed, supremely true Treasure of the Dao. We bow our heads and prostrate ourselves, taking refuge in the Three Supreme Worthies of the Most High (the three venerated deities honored in Daoism) and in the host of sages of the ten directions. By this merit we pray for the emperor’s sacred longevity and well-being. We respectfully wish that the emperor’s Dao and De may accord with the mysterious sages, and that his virtuous conduct may match Heaven; that the one possessed of De may receive the Mandate of Heaven, and that the ancestral temples of the state may flourish for generations; that rule by Wuwei may be carried out, so that the people are naturally transformed by instruction, and the Chinese heartland together with the peoples of the distant frontiers may be brought into unity.

Now, as we burn incense, we voluntarily take refuge in the Venerable Dao, the multitude of great sages, and the De of supreme truth. May we, after attaining the Dao, be harmonious and at peace, and long endure.

I have heard that all people descend from their ancestors, and that filial piety begins with reverence and love for one's parents. According to the Confucian ritual system, apart from the seven temples and the two secondary shrines (tiao) of the ancestral temple, other ancestors are not included in the regular sacrifices. According to the Daoist scriptures, however, ancestors as far back as a hundred million generations should also be included in the rites of intercession and salvation. Some forebears, having died without receiving salvation, cannot become immortals; others bear guilt because, in a former life, they did not make offerings to their ancestors. For this reason, the Nüqing jindian (Prohibitions Canon of the Lady of Azure) preserves texts on rescue and the expiation of sins, and the Lingbao benzhang (Original Memorials of Lingbao) lists the methods of intercession and salvation first. For Daoists cultivating perfection, this matter should be counted as the foremost task. When the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) established the teachings, he too made explicit provision for it.

Now that the altar has been set up and the rite is being performed, the assembly is invited to focus their intention and offer incense twice. May the incense smoke rise into the air and ascend directly as an offering to the Scriptures and Treasures of the Supreme and Perfect (the highest scriptures and sacred treasures revered in Daoism). We bow with our foreheads to the ground, relying on the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing; the three venerable deities honored in Daoism) and the sages of the ten directions, and we dedicate the merit of this rite in repayment of our ancestors' kindness. The disciple, [name], together with all people within the Daoist community and in the secular world, again bows to the ground, relying on the Three Pure Ones and the sages of the ten directions, and dedicates this merit in repayment of our ancestors' kindness. May the disciple's remote ancestors (distant forebears) and the departed spirits of all generations receive the benefit of this good work and ascend to the realm of the immortals. We humbly beseech the Three Realms to issue a decree of pardon, so that the Nine Depths (the realm of the underworld) may receive the grace bestowed by the dragon tablets (celestial mandates or documents from Heaven). Remembering our ancestors and thinking of those long departed, we pray that they may soon leave the offices of the Springs and Bends (the bureaucracy of the underworld), and that their consciousness, transformed and returned to its origin, may be relocated to the Palace of Vermilion Fire (the celestial palaces of the immortal realm in Daoism). Now we burn incense and take refuge in the Honored Scriptures, the Great Assembly of Sages, and the virtue of the Supreme and Perfect. Once the Dao is attained, may we ascend together into the realm of formlessness.

I have heard that the principle is vast and subtle, and that the way of the noble person can be handed down. Parents toil with great effort to raise their children, and their kindness is the most profound of all. Even living beings with blood and breath know how to express feeling; how, then, could those who pursue the Dao and De (Virtue) forget their own roots? Some people were unable to care for their parents wholeheartedly while the parents lived; after the parents have died, they should all the more earnestly offer intercession and accumulate merit. Master Wang, following the Yuhuang benxing (Original Acts of the Jade Emperor), offered blessings for his parents and in the end fulfilled his wish. The son of the Mo family recited the Qingxiao yinshu (Hidden Book of the Azure Firmament) and rescued his mother, and he too gained his desire. The shining deeds of worthy people of former ages deserve the reverence of later generations, and should also serve as a clear mirror for them.

Now we ascend the altar and practice the Dao (the Way). All who take part in the rite are asked each to offer incense three times. May this fragrant smoke rise into the heights and ascend directly to the Unsurpassed Supreme True Teachers and Treasures (the highest teachers and scriptures revered in Daoism) as an offering. Bowing our heads to the ground, and relying on the protection of the Three Venerables of the Most High and the host of sages of the ten directions, we wish to dedicate this merit specifically to the Shen (spirit) and soul of the deceased so-and-so recommended for deliverance by disciple so-and-so, so that they may leave the dark road of the underworld and ascend to the realm of the immortals.

We respectfully wish that the deceased, through the merit of the Three Transformations and Five Refinements (the method of refining and deliverance in Daoist rites for the dead), may escape the suffering of the nine nights of heavy Yin. May they ingest the flying root and bring forth jade liquor, and soon wander in spirit through the Hall of Great Vastness; chewing the numinous mushroom and rinsing with the golden spring, may they then take flying steps to the Lodge of Cavern Yang. Now, as we burn incense, we take refuge in the Venerable Teachers, the host of great sages, and the De (Virtue/Power) of Supreme Truth. May the deceased, after attaining the Dao, ascend with the multitude into the formless realm.

Lifang (Saluting the Directions)

Everyone is asked to kneel at length together in repentance.

We respectfully have heard that, after the Grand Scribe ascended to immortality, scriptures were transmitted concerning the Nine Darknesses—the depths of the underworld—and the realm of Luminous Perfection; and that, after the Celestial Master (Tianshi) attained the Dao, he left behind the ritual procedures of the “Three-Eight Confession of Sins.” These scriptures and rites are not only for recommending and delivering the departed, but still more for making filial piety manifest.

Calling to mind the deceased, so-and-so: human life is like a dream, and the greatest affliction lies in possessing this fleshly body. The six faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are constantly stained by the dust of the world. The three karmas of body, speech, and mind—action, speech, and thought—remain endlessly entangled, and offenses therefore accumulate without cease. The five aggregates, the five factors that constitute the person and experience, are not truly permanent and unchanging. The four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind only temporarily combine to form the human body, and every movement a person makes is bound up with worldly causes and conditions.

The deceased once wandered in distress between right and wrong, between self and other, and between things and the self, and turned again and again amid passion and desire, love and hatred. The thoughts that arose in the mind and the words spoken by the mouth, accumulating day by day, all left their traces. Under the clear scrutiny of the impartial and selfless Heavenly Dao, these faults can scarcely escape examination in the end. The underworld differs from the human world, and the deceased’s present condition of rising or sinking cannot be known by imagination.

Now the disciple, so-and-so, seeking to repay the kindness of kin, has from childhood received the edifying teaching of the Dao and of De (Virtue/Power), yet has been unable to repay the toil of parental nurture. If the former spirits have not yet been delivered, how can one be at ease? Therefore, carefully following the liturgy (Keyi) of the Mysterious Gate—the ritual norms of Daoism—one seeks by this means to help the deceased obtain blessings in the dark realm. With reverence, incense, flowers, lamps, candles, and ritual pledges are prepared as offerings, and refuge is taken in the Supreme Unsurpassed Great Dao, the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Worthies of the Ten Directions, the Heavenly Worthies Who Save from Suffering of the Ten Directions, together with the gods and immortals of the ten directions and all the numinous officers.

We earnestly beg that Heaven’s grace be vast and its magnanimity all-embracing. May it deign to consider that the former kin sank into secular causes and conditions and could not free themselves. May every fault of their lifetime, and every place where they transgressed the precepts, receive pardon and renewal, so that they may leave the barriers of the underworld and soon transform their form and ascend into the Cinnabar Realm—the realm of immortals and perfected beings spoken of in Daoism.

May the deceased and the living, across both worlds, encounter auspicious fortune like the opening of heaven and earth, and may all people of the Daoist tradition and of the secular world receive grace like the illumination of sun and moon. After confession and the acknowledgment of sins, may the deceased ascend into the formless realm of the Dao.

Mingmo is one component of the liturgical service in Daoist ritual. Buxu refers to the hymns of praise chanted by Daoist priests while performing the rite. The Three Opening Hymns are verses of invocation and praise offered in three stages during the ritual. The Three Salutations are the three acts of worship within the ritual. The Renewed Declaration of Ritual Office is the act of once again proclaiming one’s ritual post or liturgical identity.

We, your servants duly invested in office, So-and-so and others, with the utmost sincerity submit this memorial to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the Four Brahmas, the Eight Extremes and the Nine Empyreans, the Purple Gate-towers and Yellow Chambers, the Cloud Palaces and Stellar Bureaus, and all the exalted Perfected of the Three Realms together with the host of sages of the mysterious altars. We earnestly beg the sages to extend their compassion widely and to look down and examine this matter.

We know ourselves to be of ordinary endowment and shallow understanding. Although we dwell in the tradition of the Dao (the Way) and have read the classics of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, and although we have received and practiced the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and the Keyi (liturgy), we have not necessarily truly grasped the original intent of Lu Xiujing and Zhang Daoling. It is only that we have vowed in our hearts to aid the world and deliver people, and so, without regard for whether our station and ability are equal to the task, we have rashly undertaken the rites. The Three Bonds and the Five Constants are the foundation of human conduct, while the departed souls of the Nine Darknesses and the Ten Classes are all spirits who have lost the Dao, who suffer, and who are stranded in distress without support. We therefore carefully perform the rite of deliverance, hoping to help them escape their suffering.

We now repent and pray for blessings on behalf of the deceased kin, ancestors, and parents of disciple So-and-so, and of all suffering souls of the dead in the long night of the Nine Darknesses. Although they once stood within the relations of human ethics, they lost the principles of Heaven. The kinship affection, moral rightness, distinction of high and low, order of elder and younger, and trustworthiness of which the Five Teachings speak are the constant Dao; yet they violated the precepts against unfilial conduct, failure of fraternal duty, discord, disregard for the obligations of marriage kinship, and breach of trust, and gave these no heed at all. Those in superior positions acted without the Dao, and those who served as subordinates did not fulfill their loyalty. The moral climate of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame declined day by day, while habits of indulgence, deviance, and extravagance on the contrary prevailed. Deluded and unawakened, they continued thus until life came to an end; after death they still clung to their attachments, passing through myriads of kalpas, as if their feet trod mountains of knives and their hands climbed trees of swords, enduring every torment.

Now disciple So-and-so prays that the secret method of Purple Tenuity (Ziwei, the palaces of the celestial realm) be opened, and specially performs the Jade Casket Rite (Yugui Ke, a Daoist Keyi for the salvation of the dead). Through the transmission of documents we communicate with the netherworld, and dragon youths convey the tokens of credence. Looking up to the great grace by which Heaven and Earth transform and generate the myriad beings, we earnestly beg that a special favor be granted: wherever divine light shines, there is no hidden matter that cannot be brought to light; wherever grace reaches, what grievance cannot be resolved? May the souls of the dead leave the gates of the dark realm and sink no longer into the hells; may they obtain audience with the Celestial Worthies (Tianzun) and enter the Celestial Worthies’ ritual assembly.

We further pray that Heaven and Earth be harmonious, that the sun and moon be clear and bright, and that the world be at peace, so that people in every quarter may live in a state of longevity and ease; that both Heaven and humankind may be delivered, and at last ascend to the realm of the Unsurpassed Supreme Truth. As for the divine-tiger officers and lords and the dragon-talisman relay clerks (the divine officers charged with transmitting documents and communicating with the underworld), who carry out the work of teaching and transformation and labor to open the roads of the netherworld, they too should be commended according to their merit and entered for promotion among the immortal ranks.

Above, we pray that the Celestial Worthies broadly extend compassionate transformation; below, may this answer our intention of sincere refuge and petition. We respectfully submit this memorial.

Making the Vows

First, we pray that the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, a revered Daoist deity) will issue a decree of talismanic command. Second, we wish that the dark underworld may receive light. Third, we wish that the Golden Register (Jinlu, the roster and documents used in Daoist rites for the salvation of the dead) may free the deceased from suffering. Fourth, we wish that the sins of the deceased recorded in the black ledgers of the underworld may be erased. Fifth, we wish that the wind and waves of the sea of bitterness may be calmed. Sixth, we wish that the smoke and flames of the fiery hell may be stilled. Seventh, we wish that the Shen (spirit) of the deceased may be at peace and joyful. Eighth, we wish that entanglements of grievance and enmity may be dissolved. Ninth, we wish that the deceased may hear the teachings of the scriptures and awaken to the Dao (the Way). Tenth, we wish that the deceased may rise in immortal rank. Eleventh, we wish that Fengdu (the underworld in Daoist belief) may cease its interrogations. Twelfth, we wish that I may cultivate the Dao and study immortality, and in the end attain the Dao and become an immortal.

Visualizing the Spirits and Burning Incense

Incense Officials and Envoys, Dragon and Tiger Lords of the left and right (divine generals who guard the incense fire and the rite), and all the attending Spirit Officers of the incense: we ask that you cause golden liquid to arise of itself in this place where I practice the Dao, pay homage, and cultivate, so that the immortal path may be fulfilled.

Incense Officials and Envoys, Dragon and Tiger Lords of the left and right, and all the attending Spirit Officers of the incense: we ask that you cause golden liquid, cinnabar-and-jade elixirs, and the flowers of the numinous fungus (symbols of the elixirs and sacred herbs of the immortals) to arise of themselves in this place where I practice the Dao, pay homage, and cultivate, and that the hundred spirits and the host of the Perfected gather before this censer. May the departed souls receive salvation and may this disciple be graced with favor. May the immortal youths and jade maidens of the ten directions come to welcome and attend us. May the incense smoke carry for me the sincerity I have already expressed, so that my petition may swiftly reach the presence of the Supreme Limitless Great Dao and of the Heavenly Worthy Who Relieves Suffering, Taiyi, the Compassionate Father of the Azure Mystery of the Eastern Extreme (a Daoist deity of salvation).

Hymn for Leaving the Hall, Descending the Altar, and Thanking the Master

The nine layers of the Heavenly Gate have opened, and the ceremony of homage to the Primordial Beginning has been carried out according to ritual. The five kinds of suffering in hell have been lifted, and all this is merit gained in delivering the deceased. I respectfully bow before my Master and humbly express my thanks. I, the filial disciple so-and-so, earlier proclaimed and performed the rite of homage in accordance with the scriptural canon. I fear that I may have broken the rules of ritual and cannot escape punishment. I beg my Master, in compassion, to forgive and understand.

I, the filial disciple so-and-so, earlier proclaimed and performed the rite of homage in accordance with the scriptural canon. I fear that I may have broken the rules of ritual and cannot escape punishment. I beg my Master, in compassion, to be lenient. May the golden talisman deliver lives, so that the nine realms of the earth become as warm as a spring day. May the cinnabar slips proclaim grace, so that prisoners everywhere cease to be interrogated. May the Shen (spirit) of the deceased all rise beyond the realms of suffering and enjoy carefree freedom forever. May the tradition of the Mysterious Gate flourish, and may all beings together receive the grace of teaching and nurture. Presuming to bow before my venerable Master, my heart is deeply grateful, and I respectfully offer my thanks.

Dedicating Merit, Offering the Thanksgiving Jiao, Pacing the Void, Sprinkling Purification, Proclaiming the Spirit-Guarding Mantra, and Invoking the Ritual Ranks

These are the names of sections of the rite. "Dedicating Merit, Offering the Thanksgiving Jiao" means dedicating merit to the deceased and holding a jiao offering to give thanks for grace. "Pacing the Void" (Buxu) is the ritual hymn chanted by Daoist priests. "Sprinkling Purification" means sprinkling water to purify the altar. "Proclaiming the Spirit-Guarding Mantra" means reciting the mantra that summons guardian spirits. "Invoking the Ritual Ranks" means respectfully inviting the deities and proclaiming their names and exalted positions.

We, the undersigned officials serving at this post, with shared sincerity, respectfully submit this petition to the assembled Sages and Perfected Ones. We hope that all the sages will extend their compassion, observe this matter clearly, and cast their light upon it.

We have heard that the Dao (the Way) is the root from which all minds draw their workings, and that none of the myriad things can go against it. Filial piety is the foremost of all virtues, and everyone should strive to practice it. The kindness of parents is the greatest of all, comparable to the kindness with which Heaven and Earth bring the myriad things into being. For this reason, Mother Chen expounded her teachings in the Yellow Hall (the name of a hall in Daoist temples) and began by making clear the way of filial piety. The Dark Emperor (Emperor Zhenwu) transmitted the scriptures from the Jade Casket and explained in detail the principle of repaying parental kindness. Their purpose was not only to care for parents while they live and to mourn them when they die. It was also to accumulate good deeds and form good affinities, so as to reach the wondrous realm of the Dao.

The Immortal Su left behind the tangerine well, in memory of a loving mother and to establish merit. Zhenwu cultivated in the valley cliffs and attained the fruition of the Dao for the sake of both parents. From these examples we can see that the way of filial devotion is the weightiest of human relationships, and that those who study the Dao should practice it first.

Now the disciple, N., who performs these rites in repayment of parental kindness, has taken refuge in the Daoist community and so lives apart from the parents' side. The disciple once provided sweet foods and fine clothing and looked after their daily needs. Yet the disciple could neither fulfill filial duty as the world understands it nor seek out marvelous remedies to lengthen their lives. How, then, could the disciple follow the admonition of the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace) and, grieving over parents who died too soon, give up life to follow them? Whenever the disciple walks through frost and dew, the parents come to mind. Whenever the disciple sees the pines and catalpas (the pine and catalpa trees beside graves), tears cannot be held back. As the years pass, the disciple does not know where the parents' souls now rest. Yet in dreams the parents appear, their voices and faces seemingly still before the disciple's eyes.

For this reason, the disciple has reverently carried out the Daoist rites, hoping to add a little blessing for the parents in the realm of the dead. Lamps have been lit and incense burned, and the ritual has been performed according to the Jade Casket Covenant of the Perfected (the scripture and covenant used in Daoist purification rites). The rite of "Molding the Hun and Casting the Po" has been carried out, and the ceremony has followed the "Purple Pivot Flying Brahma" (a liturgical method used in Daoist rites of salvation). The ritual is now complete, and the disciple prays that the spirits will respond and grant an answer.

We humbly beseech the Supreme Great Dao and the illustrious Perfected Ones to take pity on the sorrow the disciple holds deep in the heart, and to exercise especially the virtue of cherishing life. May the Nine Dragons carry the documents onward, so that the might of wind and thunder reaches the Dark Capital (the realm of the dead) everywhere. May the ten thousand hells cease their punishments, and may grace fall like rain and dew, so that the suffering souls are cleared of their charges and released. May the souls of the parents be delivered and promoted in good time. Then all nine generations of ancestors will ascend to Heaven, and the disciple will not fail the vow made in leaving home to cultivate the Dao. Devoted to the Dao with a single mind, the disciple also does not dare forget to keep cultivating the self and accumulating merit. We, the undersigned, in utmost sincerity, respectfully await the gaze of the spirits.

Your subject has heard that although Heaven is high and distant, it can hear even the humblest voice, and that only sincerity can move it. When children wish to care for their parents, the parents are often already gone from this world, and this regret has existed since ancient times. We reverently await the attentive hearing of the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun).

Your subject has heard that although Heaven is high and distant, it can hear even the humblest voice, and that only sincerity can move it. When children wish to care for their parents, the parents are often already gone, and this regret has existed since ancient times. Thus Zeng Shen grieved that his parents had grown old while his own offerings remained meager, and Wenzheng, too, felt regret at having failed to care for his kin in time. If worthy men took filial devotion so deeply to heart, how could those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) lack the same feeling?

If one has not wholeheartedly cared for one's parents while they lived, sorrow is bound to remain after they die. Fortunately, the Heavenly Worthy has bestowed the Jade Casket rite for delivering the dead (a Daoist method for the salvation of departed souls and the release of wandering spirits), so that children may express a longing for their parents as vast as the heavens and impossible to repay. Keeping vigil at the grave in mourning, wearing mourning dress for life, or carving wooden images and serving departed parents as though they still lived may express filial feeling, but none of it benefits the dead. How can these compare with presenting one's grief to the Celestial Emperor in a Green Memorial (a written prayer submitted to Heaven), and then delivering the souls beneath the earth by means of white slips and flying talismans (Fulu, the talismans and registers used in Daoist ritual to transmit documents and summon spirits)? Once the departed souls have found refuge, the living are also comforted. From this we know that the liturgy (Keyi) transmitted by the Daoist tradition can supply what the ritual classics left unaddressed.

The filial disciple, so-and-so, reflects on their own ill fortune, having suffered the loss of parents in youth. My parents raised me through the utmost toil, and with what can I repay them? Now the tombs are overgrown with desolate weeds, and my heart holds only endless sorrow. I have therefore performed the Rite of Refining and Deliverance (a Daoist ritual for refining the form of departed souls and releasing them from suffering), hoping to add a little to the blessings of the dead in the realm of shadows. Having received the gracious notice of the true sages, I have set out a Pure Offering (a Zhaijiao, a purification ritual) in gratitude for their kindness. I humbly beg the Celestial Emperor to understand my heart and fulfill my wish.

I beg the Celestial Emperor to consider that my forebears accumulated virtue yet did not enjoy its blessings, and to pity me, who hold filial thoughts yet cannot express my devotion by caring for them in person. I humbly request a special grace: that the suffering of these souls, sunk in the dark underworld, be washed away, and that the departed be freed early from the gloomy passes. May the Jade Eyes refine their substance and the Yellow Blossom cleanse their forms (ritual language of Daoist deliverance, signifying the purification and transformation of the souls' forms), so that the souls are transformed and enter the Realm of Cinnabar. Then, through the Green Script that restores life and the Golden Chamber that delivers destiny (petitionary phrases from Daoist rites for the dead), may they gain the chance to ascend to the Highest Purity. May the souls shed their former substance, attain the Dao as immortals, and be reborn in the Dao. Your subjects reverently offer incense and respectfully perform the second libation (the second offering of wine in the sacrificial rite).

I have heard that Qianyuan (the original source of Heaven) and Kunyuan (the original source of Earth) are the foundation of human life, and that the bodies of my father and mother are the beginning of my own form. Life continues from generation to generation, and thoughts follow one another without end; the hardships and troubles of human existence arise from this. How could the profound kindness of parents, who bore, raised, and cared for their children, ever be fully repaid?

One who understands the principles of the Dao (the Way) should realize that one's true parents are the vast and clear awareness at the source of life. To dispel greed and anger, and to calm the dangers and obstacles within the heart, is the real repayment of this kindness. Put down accumulated habits and cut away attachments, and burdens will naturally fall away. When all things with form and appearance return to formlessness, this is called "True Emptiness" (zhenkong), though it does not mean that nothing exists. Only then can one enter the gate of liberation and reach a state of carefree freedom.

I think of the deceased, so-and-so, who in life was bound by the worldly dust and sunk in illusory conditions. Desire is like the sea and passion like a river, so that ignorance is easily indulged; life is like a flash of lightning or a spark from flint, brief and hard to hold. Now this life has returned beneath the Yellow Springs, and the name has been entered in the registers of the ghosts. I think that this person has not yet cleared away the nine bonds and ten entanglements (a summary of afflictions and attachments in Buddhist and Daoist texts), so how could they escape the three paths and five sufferings (the evil realms and their many torments)?

I recall sending my child to leave the household and become a Daoist, so that the child's heart might find a refuge. Now, to deliver souls in the underworld and remove their suffering likewise depends on the compassion and mercy of our Dao. I respectfully beg that special grace be bestowed, and that the virtue of universal salvation be widely practiced. May Elder Immortal Tao examine and verify the registers of names, and may Sima Han (a divine office in charge of the affairs of the underworld) lead the deceased soul to transcendence. May the deceased, so-and-so, receive an appointment in the Vermilion Palace (a palace of the Daoist immortal realm) and have their name placed in the Yellow Register (Huanglu, the register recording merit and prayers for blessing and the salvation of the dead). May the one hundred and eighty karmic hindrances of affliction be wholly removed, and the eighty-four thousand toils and false thoughts of the dust be cut off together. May they leave the paths of suffering forever and enter the immortal Way at once. From now on may they pass freely through the Six Voids (the four directions, above and below), and no longer revolve through the Three Realms in rebirth.

Further, your disciple, so-and-so, remembers and continues the blessings of former teachers and ancestors of the clan, so that all of them may ascend together to a realm of peace and joy. May descendants in later generations, and kin both Daoist and lay, find ease and good fortune. May those who study immortality meet with favorable conditions, and may the path of cultivation be free of demonic obstacles. May we cultivate the correct Way and its subtle methods, with words and deeds made clear and put into practice, vowing never to fail the teaching of gratitude. May both the original form and the clinging to self be put down together, so that we may soon ascend the gate of True Unity (the state of returning to the Great Dao). We respectfully offer incense, and last of all present the offering of wine.

I have heard that the Dao cannot be captured in form or image: when it disperses, it becomes Qi (the primordial energy spoken of in Daoism), and when it gathers, it takes on bodily shape. The spirits have no fixed abode. Listen for them and they cannot be heard; look for them and they cannot be seen. Only when the heart and Shen (spirit) respond to them in silence does one seem to glimpse the deities ascending, descending, coming, and going.

The audience rite has just been performed, and now the time has come to send the deities off with reverence. I imagine that the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three supreme deities revered in Daoism) have already roamed off into the distant realm of pure emptiness, and that the officials of the Nine Earths (spirit functionaries who oversee the affairs of the underworld) have returned to their posts in the realm of shadows. In a moment I no longer know where they are. I linger in melancholy, regretting that I cannot follow them.

We are only mortals of flesh and blood, lowly as dust and mud. Thanks to the transforming teachings of the Dao, we have been allowed to take our places among the ranks of the Perfected (the sacred stations of Daoism). During the rite, we may have bowed or straightened improperly, or let our steps fall out of measure. In visualizing and presenting our petitions, we may not have been practiced in the method of summoning the spirits, and in writing the Fulu (talismans and registers), we may not have followed the proper rules of the brush. We humbly beg the deities to pardon our faults and remember our merits, so that we may not incur guilt for having taken part in this Zhaijiao (purification ritual).

The favor of the deities is profound, and we have no way to repay it. We can only burn incense and cultivate ourselves with greater diligence. May the deities' majestic presence remain, and may they still look upon us and appear to us. Our hearts cling to them and cannot let go. Gazing up at the road to heaven, we bow in sincere devotion and respectfully send the deities on their way.

Hymn for the Return of the Carriage (ritual language for the deities' return journey by chariot)

Sending Off the Transformed Offerings: the paper money, paper silks, and other items burned during the ritual are sent forth as a gesture of offering to the deceased or to the deities.