《金箓济幽判斛仪》

With sincere reverence, the named ritual masters and their companions jointly present this memorial, respectfully inviting the Celestial Worthies of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) of the Three Realms, the supreme sages of the Ten Extremes and the Ten Blossoms, the compassionate Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun—the Great Unity Heavenly Worthy Who Saves from Suffering—and the Qingxuan Supreme Emperor in the Palace of the Eastern Pole, together with all Celestial Worthies and Celestial Emperors, the supreme true immortals of the Daluo Dharma Realm, the myriad spirits of the Three Realms, and every deity. We respectfully beseech these sacred beings, in their compassion, to examine this petition with clarity and graciously hear it.

The One Qi (Yiqi, the primordial vital energy that constitutes the myriad things) between heaven and earth is now full and now empty, and the forms of the myriad things continually appear and vanish. After death there is birth again, and after birth there is death again; a person becomes a ghost, and a ghost may also be reborn as a person. The cycle of birth and death has no end, and karmic retribution never ceases. Among the Six Paths (Liudao, the six destinations through which sentient beings transmigrate), nothing is more sorrowful than this; among the Four Modes of Birth (Sisheng: womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born), nothing is more bitter. Those who accumulate good deeds ultimately ascend to the good paths; those who accumulate evil deeds ultimately fall into the evil paths.

Fortunately, the Ancestral Master of the Dao, the Most High Compassionate Worthy, broadly established the ritual methods of Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and Keyi (liturgy), universally practiced relief and deliverance, solemnly held ritual assemblies to assist the ascent of departed souls, and specially sent down scriptures (Jing) for saving the dead. It is precisely the time when Yin Qi is bleak and desolate and Yang Qi unfolds and expands, and also the moment when spirits meet and ghosts gather. When the Qi of the hun and po souls is stirred, a mournful wind rises with it; when efficacious sounds issue forth, the affairs of the netherworld gradually become manifest. The resounding ritual tones of the purification rites spread widely and can be heard even in distant realms of darkness. We look up to the Mysterious Worthy of the Purple Pole and the Teaching Father of Green Florescence (deities of salvation venerated in Daoism), and ask them to take the bright stars as torches of wisdom and shine them broadly, and to gather Fanqi (Brahma-Qi, sacred and pure vital energy) into a bridge of the Dharma and vigorously carry out salvation.

The envoys who pursue souls, acting on command, announce and summon the departed souls of the ten directions; the gods and spirits of every place are likewise ordered to draw them in and urge them on. May the beings of the path of celestial immortals, the path of gods and spirits, the path of human relations, the path of hell, the path of hungry ghosts, and the path of animals, together with every kind of proliferating life—fish, soft-shelled turtles, insects, and the rest—hear the summons in a moment, so that far and near are fully reached and none fails to know. Sentient beings will naturally feel a response in their hearts and sincerely trust and submit, just as a shadow follows form and an echo answers sound: they call their companions and lead one another, respond to each other, and their breaths accord.

May they leave death and enter the path of life: may those who have lost their sight come to see, and those who are lame come to walk; may the whole way be free of obstruction, so that they come in unbroken succession, some earlier and some later, gradually arriving. May the envoys exert their power to summon departed souls, and may the departed souls receive the summons and come forward to be delivered. Next, the divine spells for purifying Fengdu, opening the karmic paths, and leaving the Cold Courts will be reverently intoned, so as to purify Fengdu, open the road that leads to the good paths, and enable departed souls to escape the cold, dark realm of suffering.

Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) and seek the true should take compassion for all living beings as their heart; those who accumulate merit and practice good deeds should take the relief of the myriad things as their foundation. They often recite scriptures for deliverance in accordance with the Jing (scripture/classic) and the Keyi (liturgy), and they likewise cultivate with sincere attention and accumulate merit. Relying on the gracious power of these rites, they hope to move and commune with the divine.

Today, on this day of fasting and purification, fellow practitioners of diligent cultivation have been specially convened to hold a solemn ritual assembly for salvation, with incense and offerings set forth. We reverently establish this rite for the souls of the deceased commended for deliverance, wishing that they may encounter this extraordinary affinity with the teaching. Yet they remain entangled by the obstacles of sinful karma and find it difficult to escape the painful round of rebirth. Mindful that they once received birth as human beings, we today specially set out food and bestow relief upon them.

We respectfully invite the Sheling of the Nine Provinces, deities who preside over the local earth altars, and the Lingguan of the Five Marchmounts, divine generals who guard the Five Sacred Peaks, to descend and bear witness, granting compassionate protection. With reverence we look afar toward the immortal mansions and memorialise Xuhuang Shangdi, the Sovereign Emperor of the Void, a revered deity of the Daoist tradition, praying that the Celestial Emperor widely extend grace and look with concern upon the souls of the dead. Now the deities throughout heaven and earth, from antiquity to the present, are to be invited universally; relying on the awesome radiance of the divine, we specially issue a written summons.

The rite proceeds by summoning the orphaned souls, receiving and guiding the souls of the dead, cleansing and purifying their forms, sprinkling water to purify the altar, and the Three Refuges, by which the departed are led to take refuge in the Dao, the Jing, and the Master.

Those called to mind are the hungry ghosts of the dark underworld and the souls of the dead who wander through the long night: they fill the void and drift about everywhere. They can only sigh and lament upon deviant paths… Now the deities throughout heaven and earth, from antiquity to the present, are to be invited universally; relying on the awesome radiance of the divine, we specially issue a written summons.

Again the rite proceeds by summoning the orphaned souls, receiving and guiding the souls of the dead, cleansing and purifying their forms, sprinkling water to purify the altar, and the Three Refuges.

After the words corresponding to “they can only sigh and lament upon deviant paths,” the sense of the original breaks off, and there are repeated passages; the above follows the text as it survives.

Hungry ghosts and fallen souls in the dark netherworld have long been sunk in darkness, spread throughout the void and wandering everywhere. Along deviant paths they lament, their faces haggard and their sorrow past bearing. Some of the dead have already lingered for many years; their conscious spirit (Shen) is benighted and their bodily forms defiled. They have not yet entered the gate of liberation and remain trapped in their fall.

Some infants were parted from their parents while still very small; some elders took leave of their children and grandchildren forever. Some died in their native places, and some died as strangers abroad. Some suffered punishment for crimes; some died suddenly before their span of life was complete. Some perished in epidemics; some were punished for offending the thunder. Some were murdered by others; some cut their own throats or hanged themselves. Some were injured by tigers and wolves in the mountains and forests; some were devoured by fish and dragons in the rivers and seas. Some died in strife between men and women, or in pregnancy and childbirth. Some were bitten by snakes, or died from taking poison. Still other souls of the dead linger in the underworld bearing unresolved grievances, or, after a violent death, have not yet left the path of ghosts.

Although the living wish to offer sacrifices for them, they have no offerings to present. The dead endure hunger and thirst beyond bearing, as if smoke rose in the belly and fire burned in the throat, suffering starvation for a long time and never obtaining their fill. They can only watch in vain as sun and moon turn and the years succeed one another, grieving that they are parted from their native places and can scarcely find their kin. Across distant mist and waves, the words in their hearts cannot be conveyed. Each is governed by the nether realm of his own locality and has no grave upon which to rely. Beneath the bright moon, clouds of sorrow stretch without end. All solitary souls and lingering spirits of the dead have failed to take the path of ascent and transcendence, and remain entangled by affliction.

When one thinks of rebirth through the six paths, one grieves still more for the wandering of the four classes of living beings. Birds and beasts are confined all day by cages and nets: some fold their wings and hide in nests in the woods; some, with teeth and fur, conceal themselves in burrows in the earth; some, bearing horns and hooves, wander the grassy marshes; some, clad in scales and shells, swim in the water. Faced with the cauldron, how can they escape being cooked? Meeting knife and sword, how can they avoid injury? All these sufferings are the retribution brought on by the sinful karma of the past.

In the underworld there are one hundred and twenty offices of the shades and eighty-four thousand courts of the earth, together with the penal prisons administered by the Three Officials and the courts of grievance of the Five Sacred Peaks. There are also the Court of Endless Night of the Northern Capital and the Dark Palace of the Eastern Peak. Further, there are the realms of the Three Paths associated with the upper, middle, and lower corpses, as well as the path of death, the path of evil, the heterodox path, and the gates of the Five Sufferings. Among them are the hells of iron houses and iron mountains, iron oxen and iron horses, the crushing of the body between two stones, the Eight Extremities and the Eight Colds, severance and separation, and scorching until the body falls away. Living beings suffer there through life after life and kalpa after kalpa, finding neither a gate by which to leave death nor a road by which to seek life. Mountains of knives rise sheer; forests of swords stand bristling. They swallow fire and eat smoke, tormented day and night. Flying spears and hurled halberds pierce the flesh. They are tortured as well in bitter labors such as hauling stones and bearing mountains.

On the surging river of craving and desire, black waves cause beings to lose their way; in the deep sea of suffering, the billows cover their eyes. The souls of the dead sink in vain into darkness and confusion, left solitary in the realm of yin. All these fruits of retribution were brought about by formerly indulging the deluded mind and creating evil karma.

Now this ritual assembly of cultivation is specially established and a rite of offering is performed, praying that the supreme Dao (the Way) may extend compassion and that the lofty Perfected may open the way of deliverance, so that living beings, and every kind of creature, may obtain a response and receive rescue. By means of the honored sacred titles in the scriptures, the sublime names in the treasure store are proclaimed: those who formerly had never heard the name of the Celestial Worthy may now hear it; those who formerly had never met the Celestial Worthy may now encounter him. Through the merit of the ritual service, the souls of the dead may hope to transcend the path of ghosts, receive commendation and deliverance, and advance toward the ranks of the immortals. All beings should arouse the resolve to take refuge. Let everyone listen with care.

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) of Great Compassion and Utmost Vastness, the Celestial Worthy of Sacred Power Without Bounds, the Celestial Worthy Able to Dissolve Evil Destinies, the Celestial Worthy Who Attains Accord with Mysterious Merit, the Celestial Worthy by Whom the Souls of the Dead Receive Refinement, the Celestial Worthy of Hidden Communion with the Immortal Dao (the Way), the Celestial Worthy by Whom Sins Are Dissolved in the Northern Bureau, the Celestial Worthy by Whom Names Are Entered in the Southern Palace, the Celestial Worthy Who Manifests the Wondrous Dao, and the Celestial Worthy of Flight and Ascent into the Great Void.

With reverence we praise the Celestial Worthies, whose sacred power is manifest and whose compassion is vast, and who are able to save and deliver the souls of the dead. The realms of suffering endured by the departed—like the river of attachment and the sea of bitterness in which one is drowned—are transformed into lotus ponds, and the trees of swords and mountains of knives are turned into flower gardens. The bone-chilling cold pools soon melt away, and the boiling cauldrons of oil are at once extinguished. All of this depends on the supreme creative transformation of Xuanyuan (an honorific title of the Dao), and also on the good affinities of the Dao and De (Virtue/Power).

At this moment the lamps and candles are about to be lit, and their brightness shines open the underworld. No sooner are agarwood and sandalwood burned than their fragrance spreads and rises, dispersing through the ten directions. If the souls of the dead wish to leave the deep and heavy realm of nether darkness, they must rely on the vast transformative power of the Celestial Worthies. Food and drink are offered for the departed and wealth is presented, and with respect we invite the Four Offices and Six Palaces (the divine offices and palace courts that administer the affairs of the underworld), the presiding officers of the ledgers of good and the records of evil, and the sovereigns of the yin realm together with the officials and deities of the yang realm within the Three Primes and Nine Bureaus (the system of divine offices of Daoist immortals and gods), to look down with care upon all beings and broadly extend relief. We pray that grace descend from Heaven and that compassion be dispensed in the underworld.

May one portion of offered food be transformed into a hundred kinds of delicacies, and one portion of wealth into a thousand cartloads of treasures, universally bestowed upon the ghosts and souls of the boundless worlds. We look up in hope that the gods will together descend to receive and enjoy the offerings, so that the empty stomachs of the departed are at once filled and every hungry belly is satisfied. May all those present each apply body and mind and promptly express the intention of transferring merit (turning over to the souls of the dead the merit of reciting scriptures, doing good deeds, and the like).

May the souls of the dead, relying on the good affinities accumulated through successive lives in the past, receive recommendation and deliverance through the methods of the Dao, and at this hour of this night receive fragrant and fine food offerings like sweet dew. May the rain of compassion quietly fall and wash away their faults; may the wind of liberation blow far and wide and sweep away their sinful karma. May all beings universally rejoice, receive the blessed rewards of the human world and the heavenly realms, have every response they pray for realized, and be able to move on to a place of peace and ease.

We should now reverently chant the Numinous Stanzas of Transforming Food (the numinous stanzas that pray for the food offerings to be transformed into the nourishment needed by the souls of the dead).

After Fulu (talismans and registers) have been burned, the food transformed, spells recited to bless the food, and empowerment performed, the honored titles are proclaimed.

The scripture (Jing) says that “precept” means “to stop”: it can halt a person’s wayward thoughts and return the mind to right concentration. Thus the keeping of precepts gives rise to concentration. The Confucians also say that only when one knows how to stop where one ought to stop can the mind thereafter become settled.

The precepts taught in the many scriptures of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen—the classification of Daoist scriptures) and in the secret canons of the Four Supplements (works that assist the scriptural teachings of the Three Caverns) each differ. Among them, the supreme Dongxuan Lingbao Nine True Wonderful Precepts stand at the head of every code of discipline. Both the celestial realm and the human world revere them, and both the nether world and the manifest world observe them. They are supreme, a profound and wondrous method within the Dongxuan scriptural teaching, the numinous spirit of the myriad gods and the treasure of the One Qi (vital energy—the primordial breath of which Daoism speaks). Their wondrous principle runs through the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity, and by precept they restrain the six emotions (the six kinds of human feeling). The yang number is fixed at nine, and so they are called the “Nine Precepts”; their cultivation is genuine and unfeigned, and so they are called “True.”

Heavenly beings and the beings of the nether world all rely upon the Nine True Wonderful Precepts. Heavenly beings take them as a protective bulwark, while beings of the nether world and of the manifest world take them as a ladder and a boat of deliverance. The departed soul who receives the Nine Precepts today may take them as the fundamental method of cultivation. In receiving the precepts, quiet and silence come first; in keeping them, diligent observance is essential. The ritual assembly, of one mind and sincere reverence, now transmits the Nine Precepts.

The Hymn of Raising Wisdom is recited.

The first precept is to be respectful and humble and to care for one’s parents with filial devotion; it is named the Precept of Initial Truth. After it is received and upheld, one should obtain the fruit of uprightness and long life. In keeping this precept, one’s resolve must not slacken.

The second precept is to be diligent in one’s duties and loyal to one’s ruler; it is named the Precept of Mindful Truth. After it is received and upheld, one should obtain the fruit of intelligence and wisdom. In keeping this precept, one’s resolve must not slacken.

The third precept is not to kill, and to rescue living beings with compassion; it is named the Precept of Upholding Truth. After it is received and upheld, one should obtain the fruit of wealth, honor, and high station. In keeping this precept, one’s resolve must not slacken.

The fourth precept is not to engage in sexual misconduct, to keep oneself upright, and to manage one’s relations with others properly; it is named the Precept of Guarding Truth. After it is received and upheld, one should obtain the fruit of auspicious joy and peace. In keeping this precept, one’s resolve must not slacken.

In the original text, several passages are repeated after the proclamation of the titles, and the wording before and after the fourth precept is also disordered; the present version has been arranged and translated according to the sense of the text.

The fifth precept is non-stealing: not to covet, and not to seize what belongs to others. Putting oneself in another’s place, one would rather suffer loss oneself than harm another person. This is called the Precept of Preserving the True. Once it has been received and upheld, one ought to obtain the fruit of a pure and wholesome nature. One must guard the mind at all times and must not grow lax.

The sixth precept is non-anger: not to give way to anger, and not to oppress others with wrath. Savage fury and the humiliation of others—this is called the Precept of Cultivating the True. Once it has been received and upheld, one ought to obtain the fruit of emolument and station that are pure and illustrious. One must guard the mind at all times and must not grow lax.

The seventh precept is non-arrogance: not to be proud or self-aggrandizing. To be haughty and to slight the Perfected who have attained the Dao (the Way)—this is called the Precept of Attaining the True. Once it has been received and upheld, one ought to obtain the fruit of being fully endowed with the “Ten Marks.” One must guard the mind at all times and must not grow lax.

The eighth precept is non-deceit: not to practice deception. To harm good people by flattery and fraud—this is called the Precept of Realizing the True. Once it has been received and upheld, one ought to obtain the fruit of the orthodox teaching of the Great Dao. One must guard the mind at all times and must not grow lax.

The ninth precept is non-duality: upholding the precepts with single-minded devotion, and not with a divided heart. To observe the precepts with unwavering concentration from beginning to end—this is called the Precept of Ascending to the True. Once it has been received and upheld, one ought to obtain the fruit of realizing the station of a Great Dharma King. One must guard the mind at all times and must not grow lax.

Hymn on Receiving the Precepts

The wondrous precepts and numinous writ are set down on solemn yellow registers and white tablets. Since their profound purport has already been proclaimed, these sacred precept texts ought to be received with reverence.

Hymn on Receiving the Precepts

The wondrous precepts and numinous writ are set down on solemn yellow registers and white tablets. Since their profound purport has already been proclaimed, these sacred precept texts ought to be received with reverence. The human mind is hard to restrain; the nine precepts may be used to restrain it, so that the mind returns to the Great Void, the vast realm of emptiness and stillness spoken of in Daoism. The bodily form has not yet transcended the ordinary; one may cultivate with the aid of two Fulu (talismans and registers), so that the body ascends to the upper realms. You solitary souls, the dead who have nothing on which to rely, must in life after life never forget the teaching of the precepts, and through kalpa after kalpa must constantly uphold the talismanic tallies. Let the spirit grow clear and bright, no longer entangled by the things of the dusty world. Receive birth anew in the world of the living, and good fruits will naturally come and long abide. Grace will remain with family and realm, and blessings and felicity will continue without end. Now, with due reverence, the precious register of long life and the memorial recording merit are proclaimed to you.

Rite of Sacrifice and Refinement

The rite of invitation and prayer is about to end, and the offerings have been brought to completion. To detain them any longer would only add needless disturbance, for the netherworld and the world of the living stand apart.

At this hour the night lies deep. The Heavenly River seems to turn in its course, the drip of the bronze clepsydra grows ever sparser, and the night is nearly spent. Thick clouds veil the stars, and heavy mist shrouds the Moon Palace. In the rain, the Shangyang bird—said in legend to foretell wind and storm—beats its wings and dances; in the gloom, stone swallows rise and wheel in flocks. Snowflakes fall with a soft rustle, as though clothing the jade trees in plain white, and settle quietly upon the jade steps.

May all the deities ready their cloud chariots and ascend together into the high empyrean: the celestial gods return to the heavenly realm, and each divinity resumes its own office. Human beings live within the Three Realms, while ghosts return to the mansions of the Ninefold Darkness in the netherworld. May souls in hardship, hungry ghosts, and the dead confined in the dark prisons of hell all be delivered and raised, and together receive salvation.

May the offerings of the Celestial Kitchen be refined and transformed into provisions that benefit the dead, and may the wealth of the human world be converted for use in offering. All these gifts are presented in order to seek grace and bring blessing. The deceased have received the offerings of this fragrant purification assembly, and have also accepted the rite of presenting the memorial. Now that the ritual has been completed in due order, the dead should circle about and depart. May they find lodging in the realm of the immortals, rise upon auspicious clouds, proceed to the Palace of Numinous Response, and enter the realm of carefree wandering; from the cloudy heavens above down to the deep abyss, may they all receive wholesome causes, hear wondrous music, and, through the deliverance of this ritual, ascend together in transcendence.

We also wish that the food and drink remaining after the offerings have been received may fill the birds of the open wilds and the beasts of the deep mountains. Should they meet bowstring and arrow, may they be spared from harm; even should they encounter nets spread wide and spears raised against them, may they suffer no further injury. May they soon leave the evil destinies and swiftly obtain good affinities. In this way we modestly fulfill the merit of extending protection to all living beings, and give expression to a devout heart.

The ritual assembly and the officers of the purification rite bow their heads and look up in reverence toward the River of Stars; with cupped hands they salute the steps of Heaven, and hereby respectfully bid farewell.

Immortal music sounds clear and far-carrying. Celestial cranes dance and luan birds take flight, passing through the ninefold passes of heaven. The deceased, holding name registers and Fulu (talismans and registers), pass beyond the dharma-realm and proceed to the Golden Portal (the palaces of the heavenly realm) to have audience with the Celestial Emperor.

The recitation of the Hymn of Ultimate Bliss above has now concluded. An incineration rite is performed, in which the Jade Register—Fulu (talismans and registers) used in Daoist ritual to convey prayers and deliver the souls of the dead—is burned, so as to bring relief to the departed in the netherworld.