《道门定制》Vol. 1

Daomen Dingzhi is a work on the formats of Daoist liturgical documents and the procedures governing rituals. It is included in The Chinese Daoist Canon: Liturgical Regulations and Ritual Etiquette. Its contents are divided into two volumes.

Volume One focuses on how to write documents such as memorials, petitions, and official communications, and on the forms of address they use. Topics include submitting memorials to the throne, addressing oneself as a subject, inviting the assembled perfected beings, edicts and precious proclamations of the Lady of the Azure, and Golden Registers and white slips. It also discusses wording for memorials, calligraphic styles, methods for writing ritual memorials, reciting the honorific titles of the Great Clarity, and formulas for expressing repentance in memorials. The volume lists various divine titles and era names, and describes several types of ritual memorials and their prohibitions, including memorials for dispelling calamities, protecting life, and extending one’s years; memorials for transferring and rescuing souls; memorials praying for the country’s good fortune; memorials for resolving disputes involving graves; fire oaths; and memorials to Wenchang.

Volume Two presents formats for various petitions, memorials, and official communications. These include petitions inviting the Nine Sovereigns and petitions requesting talismanic commands, as well as formats for submitting documents to the Celestial Pivot Bureau, the Five Masters, the Three Prefectures, Mount Dongyue, and other authorities. It also includes ritual documents for submission at appointed times, inviting the assembled perfected beings, summoning souls, and the Southern Pole’s refining and deliverance rite, along with official communications addressed to the Upper, Middle, and Lower Realms, the City God, the Five Roads, and child spirits. The volume concludes with a catalog of documents to be sent up through the memorial system.

Volume Three of Standards of the Daoist Gate. Its contents include a memorial by Wang Qinruo, the emperor’s reply, and a memorial by Sun Xubai, a Daoist priest granted purple robes and an imperial instructor of ritual specialists, concerning a memorial offering of money and horses.

It then lists the sacred seats for the Yellow Register Assembly of the Luo Heaven, a large Daoist purification ritual. First comes the first hundredth section of the twelve hundred sacred seats, comprising fourteen registers; next comes the second hundredth section, comprising fifty-two registers. The registers in each section are numbered in sequence.

Here are the memorials numbered fifty-one through one hundred from Daoist Ritual Regulations, along with the dragon-offering petitions for the Grotto Abode, Earth Office, and Water Office. Next is the section titled “Sacred Positions for Extinguishing Calamities, One Hundred and Twenty,” which includes memorials numbered one through ten.

Eleventh Ritual Document

Twelfth Ritual Document

One Hundred and Twenty Documents for Delivering the Souls of the Dead and Raising Them to Sacred Rank

First Document

Second Document

Third Document

Fourth Document

Fifth Document

Sixth Document

Seventh Document

Eighth Document

Ninth Document

Tenth Document

Eleventh Document

Twelfth Document

Volume Four

Cloud-Script Talismans and Proclamations (talismans and proclamations written in cloud script)

Secret Hidden Texts of the Three Sovereigns (the Three Sovereigns are legendary ancient rulers; here the phrase refers to esoteric transmitted texts)

Sacred Texts for Pacifying Heaven (sacred talismanic texts used to protect and stabilize Heaven and Earth)

Sacred Text for Pacifying Heaven of the Azure Emperor of the East

Sacred Text for Pacifying Heaven of the Red Emperor of the South

Sacred Text for Pacifying Heaven of the White Emperor of the West

Sacred Text for Pacifying Heaven of the Black Emperor of the North

Sacred Text for Pacifying Heaven of the Yellow Emperor of the Center

Sacred Texts for Dispelling Calamities (sacred talismanic texts invoking the removal of calamities)

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the Azure Emperor of the East

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the Red Emperor of the South

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the White Emperor of the West

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the Black Emperor of the North

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the Yellow Emperor of the Center

Talismans

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the Azure Emperor of the East

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the Red Emperor of the South

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the White Emperor of the West

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the Black Emperor of the North

Sacred Text for Dispelling Calamities of the Yellow Emperor of the Center

Sacred Texts for Refining and Deliverance (sacred talismanic texts used in refining-and-deliverance rites; these Daoist Zhaijiao (purification rituals) rescue the souls of the dead and help them transform and ascend)

Sacred Text for Refining and Deliverance in the Eight Heavens of the East

Sacred Text for Refining and Deliverance in the Eight Heavens of the South

Sacred Text for Refining and Deliverance in the Eight Heavens of the West

Sacred Text for Refining and Deliverance in the Eight Heavens of the North

Sacred Text for Refining and Deliverance in the Brahma Heaven of the Center

Precious Proclamations for Moving the Spirit and Ascending to Heaven (precious proclamations invoking deities to guide the souls of the dead as their spirits move and ascend to Heaven)

Jade Text of the Most High for Absolution from Sin, Ascending to Heaven, and Moving the Spirit

Jade Text of the Most High Precious Proclamation for Moving the Spirit and Ascending to Heaven through the Passage of the Gate

Jade Text of the Most High for Moving the Spirit, Ascending to the True, Delivering Life, and Leaving the Cycle of Birth and Death

Jade Text of the Most High Precious Proclamation for Refining the Spirit and Ascending to the True in Jade Purity

Jade Text of the Most High Precious Proclamation for Immortals to Transform into Humans and Generate Spirits

Dragon Documents of the Three Administrations (dragon documents issued to the administrations of caverns, earth, and water—that is, documents of the divine realm)

Cavern Administration

Earth Administration

Water Administration

Golden Registers and White Documents (golden-register documents and white documents used in Zhaijiao (purification rituals))

Rescue-from-Suffering Talisman, Scattered Form

Rescue-from-Suffering Talisman, Gathered Form

Documents for Longevity (documents praying for long life)

Longevity Talisman, Scattered Form

Longevity Talisman, Gathered Form

Format for the Ordination Certificate (the certificate issued after receiving precepts)

Bathing Talisman (a talisman used in rites for ritual bathing and purification)

Volume Five

Comprehensive Petition of the Yellow Register (the general petition used in the Yellow Register retreat)

Merit Petition for the Great Covenant with the True (a petition of merit written for the Great Covenant with the True retreat)

Merit Petition for the Calamity-Dispelling Petition Rite (a petition of merit written for the rite of presenting a petition to dispel calamities)

Volume Six

The contents listed in Dao Men Ding Zhi include Zhaijiao rituals, memorials, talismans and registers, and various liturgies for prayer and averting calamity. “Rules for the Purification Offering” refers to the regulations governing Zhaijiao rituals. “Discussion of Altar Orientation” explains how to arrange the altar’s position and direction. “Discussion of Writing Memorials,” “Sealing Memorials and Talismans,” “Displaying Yang Talismans,” and “Displaying Yin Talismans” concern the writing, sealing, and use of memorials and talismans. “Azure Writings” and “Precious Proclamations” are texts presented to the deities during Zhaijiao rituals, while “Formats for Writings” gives the forms of the related documents.

Volume Seven includes memorials seeking peace for homes and tombs, and texts for praying for children, warding off evil, treating illness, bringing rain, and clearing the skies. It also includes ritual documents for dispelling disasters and misfortune, averting damage to crops by insects and locusts, and rites in which Daoist priests confess their transgressions, deliver the dead, and refine corpses. “Memorial to Lady Wei of Southern Mount Heng for Changing Names and Registers, Increasing the Years of Life, Dispelling Calamity, and Relieving Urgent Distress” invokes Lady Wei of Southern Mount Heng as its principal deity and petitions for changes to names and registers, an increase in allotted years, the removal of calamities, and relief in emergencies.

Volume Eight contains the “True Texts of the Eight Powers” and the “True Text for Summoning Dragons.” The True Texts of the Eight Powers are arranged by the Azure Emperor of the East, the Red Emperor of the South, the White Emperor of the West, the Black Emperor of the North, and the Yellow Emperor of the Center. The True Text for Summoning Dragons is likewise organized by the divine emperors of the Five Directions. The following sections give invocations used in star-offering rituals to pray for the removal of disasters and misfortune, along with talismanic incantations depicting the true forms of the celestial bodies and stellar deities, including the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu. True texts and talismanic incantations are specialized written signs used in Daoist rituals.

True-Form Talisman of the Venerable Lord of Purple Qi.

True-Form Talisman of the Venerable Lord of the Moon’s Obscuration.

Prayer to the Lords of the Southern Dipper.

Sacred Talisman of the Venerable Lord Who Stabilizes the State, Chancellor and Arbiter of Fate, Lord of the Celestial Treasury, First Star of the Southern Dipper.

Sacred Talisman of the Venerable Lord Who Stabilizes the Peaks, General and Recorder of Deeds, Lord of the Celestial Minister, Second Star of the Southern Dipper.

Sacred Talisman of the Venerable Lord Who Prolongs Life and Preserves the Mandate, Lord of the Celestial Beam, Third Star of the Southern Dipper.

Sacred Talisman of the Venerable Lord Who Adds to One’s Years and Protects Life, Lord of the Celestial Companion, Fourth Star of the Southern Dipper.

Sacred Talisman of the Venerable Lord Who Averts Calamity, Brings Literary Brilliance, and Refines the Soul, Lord of the Celestial Pivot, Fifth Star of the Southern Dipper.

Sacred Talisman of the Venerable Lord Who Oversees the Register and Administers Justice, Lord of the Celestial Mechanism and Giver of Life, Sixth Star of the Southern Dipper.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper (a golden, wondrous talismanic insignia of the Lords of the Northern Dipper).

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper’s Yang Brightness.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper’s Yin Essence.

Sacred Talisman of the Perfected Ones of the Northern Dipper.

Sacred Talisman of the Venerable Lord Who Oversees the Register and Administers Justice, Lord of the Celestial Mechanism and Giver of Life, Sixth Star of the Southern Dipper.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper’s Yang Brightness.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper’s Yin Essence.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Perfected Ones of the Northern Dipper.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper’s Dark Depths.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper’s Cinnabar Origin.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper’s North Pole.

Golden Mysterious Feathered Insignia of the Northern Dipper’s Celestial Pass.

Scarlet Script of the Wondrous Transformation of Taiji and the Primordial Cavern (a scarlet talismanic script concerning the generative transformation of Taiji and the principle of the Primordial Cavern).

Supreme Invitation of the Perfected Talisman (a talisman for the Supreme Lord of the Dao to summon perfected spirits).

Altar diagram (a diagram of the ritual altar at a Daoist sanctuary).

Talisman for Pacifying the Home and Returning Spirits to Their Places (a talisman to settle a residence and summon its spirits back to their proper places).

True Script for a Ritual to Pray for Offspring (a true script used in a ritual seeking children).

True Script for Praying for Offspring to the Azure Emperor of the East.

True Script for Praying for Offspring to the Red Emperor of the South.

True Script for Praying for Offspring to the White Emperor of the West.

True Script for Praying for Offspring to the Black Emperor of the North.

Jade Almanac Treasure Script of the Central Ancestral Qi (a jade almanac treasure script concerning the Central Ancestral Qi).

Jade Script for Erasing Transgressions (a jade script used to remove wrongdoing).

Jade Script for Erasing Transgressions of the Beginning Azure of the East.

Jade Script for Erasing Transgressions of the Southern Sun.

Jade Script for Erasing Transgressions of the Lesser Yin of the West.

Jade Script for Erasing Transgressions of the Great Yin of the North.

Jade Script for Erasing Transgressions of the Central Great Yellow.

Volume Nine.

One Hundred and Twenty Documents Concerning the Sacred Positions of Wenchang (documents concerning the sacred positions of the Wenchang deity, in a total of one hundred and twenty pieces).

First document.

Second document.

Third document.

Fourth document.

Fifth document.

Sixth document.

Seventh document.

Eighth document.

Ninth document.

Tenth document.

Eleventh document.

Twelfth document.

Thirteenth document.

Fourteenth document.

Fifteenth document.

A residence-installation rite requires enshrining the seventy-two deities of the household.

When burying the dead, seventy-two spirit tablets should be enshrined.

At a registry-renewal Zhaijiao (purification ritual), the seventy-two officials of the underworld should be invited with due reverence.

Petitions Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, and Fourteen; Petition Fifteen.

A residence-installation rite requires enshrining the seventy-two deities of the household.

When burying the dead, seventy-two spirit tablets should be enshrined.

At a registry-renewal Zhaijiao, the sacred seats of the seventy-two offices of the underworld should be enshrined.

The summons to the deities for the first stage of the Yellow Register Celestial Liturgy (a large-scale Daoist Zhaijiao): Petitions One, Two, and Three.

Memorials for the Rite for Rebirth According to One’s Wishes (a ritual praying that the deceased may be reborn according to their wishes): Petitions One, Two, Three, and Four.

Memorials for the Supreme One’s Compassionate Rite of the Great Ninefold Darkness (a large-scale Zhaijiao for departed souls in the netherworld): Petitions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six.

General memorials for the Rite to Protect Pregnancy and Pray for Offspring (a ritual seeking the safety of a fetus and the blessing of children): Petitions One through Twelve.

Memorials for the Rite of Ascension and Transmigration (a ritual praying for the deceased to be delivered and elevated): Petitions One through Twelve.

Tomb-litigation lantern plaques (plaques associated with disputes concerning graves).

Volume Ten.

The Five Precepts Register for the Rite of Registry Renewal and Case-File Replacement (a document of the Five Precepts used in the rite for changing the deceased’s registry and replacing their case file).

Petitions to the Eastern Peak for the Rite of Registry Renewal: Petitions Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve.

Tomb-litigation lantern plaques.

Volume Ten.

The Five Precepts Register for the Rite of Registry Renewal and Case-File Replacement.

Petition to the Eastern Peak for the Rite of Registry Renewal.

The Underworld Warrant for the Rite of Registry Renewal (a document sent to the underworld for the rite).

Duty rosters for Yellow Register and other Zhaijiao rites (notices listing ritual offices).

Nighttime Zhaijiao notice.

Request for the transmission of Daoist teachings and registers (a document used when requesting the transmission of Daoist methods and ritual registers).

Format for a child’s protective sash (a ritual format for making a sash to protect a child’s safety).

Warrant to the Kitchen God for the Residence-Installation Zhaijiao.

Preface to Standard Formats of the Daoist Tradition.

The Dao is the simplest; ritual, by contrast, is the most fully elaborated. The foundation of serving Heaven is the Dao. From serving Heaven arises a heart of utmost sincerity, and ritual follows from it. This is the fundamental purpose of the sages’ teaching. Yet ritual should strike a balance between simplicity and elaboration, without leaning too far in either direction.

In Daoist Zhaijiao (purification rituals), religious rites performed at an altar to seek the protection of the deities, the documents used in ancient times consisted only of talismans and vermilion seals. Later, people added memorials, official communications, and other documents, drawing on secular ritual forms and incorporating teachings from the scriptures. These documents had no fixed format across regions. Some were so elaborate that they lost sight of simplicity, making them difficult to follow for those with limited means. Others were so cursory that those who sincerely wished to honor and serve Heaven had no clear guidance and could not be satisfied with the result. I, Lü Yuansu, have often worried about this and wanted to revise the forms to bring them into proper balance: simple rites should not omit what is needed, and elaborate ones should not go too far. In this way, ritual observances for serving the Dao and Heaven will not vary in their degree of formality from person to person. Other matters that need explanation are set out below, where they may be clarified.

Written by Lü Yuansu of Puan, Tang’an, in the year Wushen of the Chunxi era.

Standard Forms of the Daoist Tradition, Volume One

Compiled by Lü Yuansu of Puan, a Daoist of Western Shu; edited by Hu Xianglong, styled Xingqi, the True Recluse of Zhuling.

On Memorials and Petitions

When submitting memorials to the Nine Sovereigns, one should present a separate memorial to each deity. The text should briefly state the matter at hand and the purpose of the petition—for example, that a Zhaijiao rite is to be held on a particular date and time, and that the deities are respectfully invited to descend, expressing the hope that they will grace the ceremony with their presence. There is no need to include every prayer. The same procedure applies to other petitions submitted to the assembled deities, as well as to official communications addressed to the local earth deity and the deities of the Three Realms.

When performing the Daoist path rite, one should ascend the altar and conduct the ceremony, and separately use a petition to pray. If holding a Jiao (a Daoist ritual of offering and prayer at an altar), a single document is sufficient. To invite the assembled sages and divine beings, an invitation notice is most appropriate. If the names of the Nine Emperors have already been listed in the memorial, there is no need to ascend the altar and perform the rite, or to write a separate petition. If a Jiao is still held, a single document is sufficient. An invitation notice is still the most convenient way to invite the assembled sages. Listing the Nine Emperors in the memorial while following a different set of formats is improper.

On Addressing Oneself as “Your Subject”

The assembled sages other than the Nine Emperors need not be addressed with the word “subject.” This is because the Nine Emperors are equivalent to the supreme ruler among humans. Even sages who hold imperial positions are only lords of their respective realms; before the Nine Emperors, they are like feudal lords and officials.

When a senior ritual master presents a matter, if the document already gives the name of the ritual sponsor, there is no need to add the word “subject.” Likewise, when the ritual sponsor mentions the senior ritual master by name in the text, there is no need to add that word.

On Invitation Notices for the Assembled Perfected Ones

There are twelve hundred high perfected ones in the Yellow Register’s celestial host, the heavenly realm described in Daoist purification rituals. It would be impossible to write an invitation notice for every one of them. Instead, one may follow the Three Sovereigns Text and write three “Three Sovereigns notices” for the assembled perfected ones of the three palaces who are to be invited, praying that the Three Sovereign Emperors and the assembled perfected ones descend together. The divine perfected beings invited in the documents to the Three Realms should be handled in the same way. This layered method of transmitting the invitations is comprehensive without being cumbersome.

On Documents and Dispatches

During the Han dynasty, the Celestial Master (Tianshi) presided over Daoist affairs and also held the office of Director of the Celestial Pivot Bureau, which managed memorials and official documents. The Celestial Master was responsible for submitting petitions. Any memorial addressed to the Nine Sovereigns, revered deities in Daoism, should first be presented to the Celestial Pivot Bureau. All official correspondence should bear the signature “Supreme Mystery Bureau.”

After establishing the ritual altar and performing a Zhaijiao purification ritual, one should first write the Celestial Master’s title, then list the title of the High Merit Master who presides over the rite, and proceed accordingly. This was an instruction left by the Celestial Master and passed down for later generations to follow. It enables communication between the unseen realm and the human world, and is indeed an ancient rule.

Recently, people have often omitted this rule, writing only the Celestial Master’s title after the words “performing the rite,” as though the ritual documents had truly descended from heaven. They then add a postscript by the High Merit Master after the documents, stating that the rite was carried out under orders. This practice does not accord with the old system; it would be better to follow the ancient method. In memorials submitted to the Celestial Master today, one may also state the request for an official title, which may help accommodate both human considerations and practical needs.

A discussion of the Nüqing Shaoshu, a Daoist document, and the Baogao, hymns praising the deities.

The section on the “Primordial Beginning Talismanic Decree of the Red Writ of the Chaos Cavern,” recorded in the past, belongs to the Lü of the Green Maiden (a Daoist classic concerning the laws and ordinances of the netherworld). Its citation today in rites for rescuing and guiding departed souls is solely for drawing in their souls. The Supreme Mystery Metropolitan Office (a Daoist institution overseeing the relevant ritual affairs) should prepare the documents at the ritual altar and carry out the procedure according to the established rules.

Recently, some have treated these documents as imperial edicts and assumed that they must carry an imperial mandate. They have therefore composed them in paired phrases, devised a separate format, and added the words “By decree of the Three Heavens, this order is hereby delivered.” Others have added numerous provisions, imitating imperial amnesty proclamations. These practices not only violate the established regulations but also arise from human speculation and are unreasonable.

The Eastern Peak governs the retrieval of human souls and commands the earth spirits. Therefore, when drawing in the souls of the departed, one must submit a formal notice to the Eastern Peak and request that orders be passed on to the various offices of the terrestrial and aquatic realms. To issue separate notices to every temple of the sacred peaks, rivers, terrestrial and aquatic realms, and City Gods, as well as to each mountain in the netherworld, would cause needless confusion. This stems from human speculation: the assumption that the various places could not all receive notice within a single day. In truth, in the netherworld, the gods can communicate wherever their numinous influence reaches. A message can be conveyed without their going there in person, and people need not concern themselves with arranging it.

Some also compose “Precious Proclamations for Ascending to Heaven” in imitation of the format of imperial decrees and memorials—submitting a request and then acting upon receipt of an imperial order. This practice invites ridicule from the discerning and truly damages Daoist ritual regulations.

Discussion of the Golden Registers and White Tablets

The merit accumulated through brief petitions—documents containing prayers and requests—can also benefit beings in the netherworld, and its effects are too numerous to describe one by one. Zhang Lihua’s story is especially notable. The record says that she recited the scriptures nine times, and when the time came to repent of her offenses, she burned a brief memorial, a document presented to the deities. From this we can see that such a memorial should be submitted once the merit has been completed.

Recently, some people have been about to submit a memorial and first taken out a talisman for rescuing the suffering and burned it, believing this would free the dead from hell. This practice is unsound. There are documents such as soul-summoning petitions and white briefs for drawing out the soul; these should be proclaimed during the transmission rite. The deceased should rely on the merit of the ritual performed at the altar, together with their own wish to leave hell, observe the precepts, repent, and reform. Only then should the brief petition be presented and its contents announced to the ten directions, so that their offenses may be pardoned and their grievances resolved. Once this has been done, the deceased may be said to have left hell and ascended to the Vermilion Palace, a celestial palace in Daoism.

Thus the scriptures say that when beings in the Ninefold Hells hear that the Northern Emperor, a revered Daoist deity, has made extensive petitions on their behalf, they feel remorse and seek deliverance. Only then does the Celestial Worthy teach them the precepts and bestow Fulu (talismans and registers). This point is especially instructive. Chanting incantations and writing talismans in seal script are not difficult. Once you can write twenty talismans, you can remember them, because the meanings of the talismans and incantations correspond to one another. Try it yourself, and you will see that this is true.

On the meaning of the petition: a blue memorial, the prayer presented to the deities during a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual), is usually addressed only to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) or the Jade Emperor. It may also be addressed specifically to the Jade Emperor; this is more appropriate. Some people address it to the Nine Sovereigns and those below them, continuing down to the Ten Extremes…

The perfected spirits of the Celestial Realm and the Three Realms have all already been listed in the petition. When reporting to and beseeching the supreme deity, must that deity then pass the request on to the many perfected gods?

Petitions used at court contain only sixty or seventy characters and omit phrases such as “with thanks” and “I humbly reflect.” This shows how strictly the format of memorials is observed. The petition begins by stating the request plainly, so there is no need to use paired lines or linked couplets. Some say this makes it easier to read aloud, but they fail to see that elaborating the petition with parallel couplets only repeats its meaning, making it less concise and precise.

The section stating the request need not list every ritual performed at the altar, since these are set out in detail in the merit memorial, a document recording the Zhaijiao rites and acts of merit. The petition need only state that the matter is being presented at a certain date and time, and that the Jiao rite will be held and the altar closed upon its completion at another date and time. That is broadly sufficient. Repeatedly reading the merit memorial at every hour, in stale and lengthy language, will also weary those listening.

Since the petition has already stated the request in detail, its earnest intent should be expressed in a few concise, well-chosen sentences. In the past, when the Dao was practiced hour by hour, petitions were composed to suit the circumstances of each hour; this was merely a matter of form. Today, when a Yellow Register Retreat is held—a Zhaijiao rite for such purposes as delivering the souls of the dead and praying for blessings and the removal of calamities—the proceedings of the scriptures recited at the nine sessions are reported separately, with one petition for each. In this way, the practice of the Dao accords with the content and intent of the scripture recitations, and the sponsor’s far-reaching vows are also made clear. This accords with the purpose of praying for the state, for families, for the living and the dead, and for the Dragon Gods, Earth Gods, and all beings.

For a Jiao rite, it is enough to use an opening petition and a closing petition. Some also write petitions on yellow paper, which is especially inappropriate: how can a subject’s memorial to the throne be written on yellow paper? Writing in cinnabar on blue paper uses the blue paper as a substitute for presenting a petition with one’s heart laid bare and blood poured out, in a show of utmost sincerity.

“On the Form of Petitions,” Regulations and Discussions of Xuandu

Ritual regulations require that memorials submitted to the celestial realm during Daoist ceremonies be truthful in content and make no attempt at literary flourish. They should be plain, even if awkward, rather than deliberately ornate; simple and unshowy, with no false claims. Their wording should be direct, their reasoning clear but not needlessly elaborate, and their language clean, proper, and free of anything vulgar or improper. Only when a text is concise and sincere can it resonate with Heaven and Earth, stir the spirits, and reach the celestial administration directly, bringing an immediate response. Officials responsible for inspection and enforcement are also punished if these requirements are violated.

On the Taijing Heading

The Taijing heading, the honorific title written in a memorial for a revered celestial deity, consists of fifty-two characters. When written in stacked lines, it should occupy two cun and four fen; every character must be clear and legible, without crowding. Some people, to save time, compress it to one cun and two fen, making it look smeared. Others space the characters too far apart, stretching the heading out. Neither practice follows the rules. Anyone responsible for memorials must handle them with care and seriousness, writing neatly and precisely rather than taking careless shortcuts.

Among the rules governing purification rituals, the prohibitions concerning vermilion memorials are especially strict. According to the Essentials on the Subtle Meaning of the Vermilion Cavern by the Three Caverns Master, the Taijing heading must not be written and inserted into its case too long before the formal proceedings. It should be written shortly before the ritual begins, placed in its case, and kept ready for the ceremony. These rules are so exacting that those who carry them out must give the work their full attention.

On the Memorial Listing the Assembly of Perfected Ones

In Three Registers ordination rites and various purification rituals, the high-ranking Perfected Ones invited to descend each have their own rank and prescribed place, and these must not be exceeded. Under the regulations for a Golden Register ritual venue, one offering of paper money and a paper horse is presented for each Perfected One who descends; several sacred ranks are not combined into a single offering. The names of the 1,200 Perfected Ones are now checked, and the unit and order for each is set, to prevent any discourtesy. For rituals such as the Covenant with the Perfected Ones to Avert Calamity, offerings may be presented according to the circumstances, following this model in the written memorial, but the number must not exceed 120.

Those responsible for memorials should first prepare a register of the sacred ranks and submit it through the senior ritual master. The liturgy lecturer then invites the deities to descend, so that all arrangements correspond. Otherwise, the senior ritual master, the liturgy lecturer, and the offering memorial will not align, and each will proceed on its own.

When ancient Daoist adepts began their cultivation, they first submitted formal petitions to the Three Offices (Heaven, Earth, and Water), asking that their faults be erased and their merits recorded. Thus they would speak of making vows before the divine beings and receiving transmission from their master’s lineage. Worthies of earlier generations also performed these rites at the altar of the Three Registers, where the Three Registers ceremonies were held. After completing the purification rites, they would reaffirm their intentions; this, too, was proper practice.

The petition was made from hibiscus wood to signify purity. The Bencao records that the hibiscus resembles a small sunflower, with pale red flowers formed from five petals; it opens in the morning and closes at dusk. Its wood is white, which is why this timber was chosen. The character for “hibiscus” is pronounced jin, meaning “cautious.” A golden dragon was then used to bear the petition. The dragon-shaped implement should be proportioned to the petition, with a hollowed base to hold it; the dragon was placed in the hollow to support the petition. Some people also use an Earth Office dragon seated to guard a home, but this is merely a folk belief. If the golden dragon is entrusted with carrying messages, how could it remain seated and still convey documents?

Blue silk was used in place of cut hair. Each petition was accompanied by twenty-four feet of blue silk, used to bind the petition and connect it to the golden dragon. The Three Offices of Heaven, Earth, and Water each had twenty-one golden buttons. Seven were used for each petition and tied to the blue silk to serve as the dragon’s bridle, symbolizing a firm restraint. A jade disc was also added as an expression of reverence and a solemn offering: the disc for the Office of Heaven was round and blue; the disc for the Earth Office was square and yellow; and the disc for the Water Office was black and hexagonal, symbolizing the number associated with Water.

“Pingque” refers to the writing convention of leaving a space or raising the line when writing the titles of revered gods or related honorific expressions, as a mark of respect. Expressions such as the sacred titles of the Nine Sovereigns, grace and pardon, full absolution, heavenly majesty, divine inspection, descent, the scriptures and teachings, swift celestial conveyance, and sacred virtue should all follow the pingque convention.

Terms such as “the sacred titles of the Nine Sovereigns,” “grace and pardon” (bestowing grace and forgiveness), “original absolution” (forgiveness of sins), “heavenly might,” “inspection,” “descent,” “scriptural teachings,” “windborne retinue” (the ceremonial escort or carriage in which immortals travel on the wind), and “sacred virtue,” whenever they concern the sacred names and honorific titles of revered deities, must be avoided by leaving a blank space. This is called “respectful spacing.”

When listing the names of the Nine Sovereigns and other High Perfected Ones (divinities of higher rank) in a memorial, leave a space for one character in each name. When submitting a memorial specifically to these High Perfected Ones, leave space for their honorific titles as prescribed by ritual. Names of local deities such as the Earth God do not need to be left blank. In document formats, a circle marking a blank space likewise indicates that one character must be omitted; every place where one character is to be left blank is treated as respectful spacing.

In documents and formal papers submitted to other Sacred Perfected Ones (holy immortals), any sacred title of the Nine Sovereigns or of a higher-ranking deity must also be given respectful spacing. Names must not be split within a memorial, nor may other phrases be split arbitrarily. Instead, adjust the placement of the text so that related material falls together on the same line whenever possible.

Discussion of establishing a Jiao ritual and inviting the gods and immortals to descend.

At ritual assemblies held in the palace and at Zhaijiao in the southeast, it is generally enough simply to establish the altar and perform the purification rites. At the appointed hour, wine is offered according to ritual, and offerings are prepared according to the number of Perfected Ones (Shangzhen) being invited. When the Perfected Ones are welcomed and descend, tea is offered. After the three offerings of wine have been completed, the sacred guests are respectfully dismissed and broth is offered. The ceremony should proceed calmly and without haste, with utmost sincerity; this is the most fitting approach.

Opening the altar means announcing that the purification rites have begun. At each appointed period, the practice of the Way is performed to quiet the heart, preserve sincerity, repent, and cultivate oneself. Once good deeds and merit have accumulated and the practice of the Way is complete, these good works are used to invite the Perfected Ones to descend and receive the offering of sincerity. Only then is the merit of the purification rite complete. This is why, before the formal announcement of the rite, the Five Masters are first invited to bear witness.

A Zhaijiao divided into one hundred and twenty portions can still be provided for. At twelve hundred portions, however, the required vessels and offerings become extensive. Even so, the ceremony can be held if more offerings are prepared. The essential point is to state the purpose of the purification rite clearly. The written notice should therefore specify that a particular ritual assembly is being established, that a particular Great Zhaijiao will be held on a certain day and at a certain hour, and how many portions the entire rite comprises.

Nowadays in Shu, from the opening of the altar through the practice of the Way at three or nine periods, libations are offered at every stage. The ritual attendants are already thoroughly exhausted. By the time the altar is established and the ceremony brought to a close, the Perfected Ones descend and the three offerings are performed—a crucial moment of communion between Heaven and humanity—yet the attendants are often too tired to give it their full attention. Why not set aside three days, or one day, solely for the practice of the Way, serving with undivided attention, quieting the heart through incense and ritual offerings, nourishing the spirit, and seeking still contemplation and true communion? Then, when the Zhaijiao is held, they could devote their full effort to serving. Would this not be better?

The discussion was submitted in a memorial.

These documents were carved, printed, and distributed so that those arranging ritual services could fulfill their wish to honor the Dao, without wasting money, and so that those presiding over the liturgy would not have to bear the fault of writing an erroneous memorial. Young Daoist practitioners who use the book to write memorials can learn the relevant rules and carefully check the forms and strokes of the characters, bringing the rituals performed in the human realm into accord with the liturgical forms of the sacred immortals. In time, they may thereby hope to advance to the rank of “pinned cap and brown robe,” a Daoist rank. When they later perform Jiao rites for others and write memorials, they will also be able to ensure that the documents meet the proper standards. This, too, is a matter worth discussing within the religious community. One measure can benefit all three parties.

Someone said, “Once this book is published, even a low-ranking official can write memorials on someone’s behalf. But that cuts off the chance for those of us who write with the brush in the Daoist tradition to advance to the rank of pinned cap and brown robe. How can such a thing be counted as beneficial?” Yuan replied, “That is not so. Although this book has been compiled in considerable detail, Daoists must still weigh each matter according to its circumstances so that it accords with the liturgy and religious teachings. If those arranging ritual services prepare offerings with sincere hearts and serve the Dao, would they really care who writes the memorial for them? If they have a low-ranking yamen runner write it, I see no reason to think he would have a sincere intention to honor the Dao. What more is there to say?”

On Correcting Character Forms

In writing, some characters follow forms handed down from earlier masters’ brushwork, while others use forms current among the people; their dots and strokes vary in number. Such forms are unsuitable for memorials, so only the Shu edition is used, keeping the characters consistent and properly formed. The book also lists, one by one, characters that have been corrupted in popular usage, which is a good intention. Yet it also mixes in obscure ancient characters and cites miscellaneous sources, leaving readers unable to locate or recognize them. At the same time, it includes many colloquial forms, jumbled together, which is still not quite appropriate.

This book is now compiled according to the character forms established by scholars of earlier periods, using standard forms as far as possible from beginning to end. Colloquial forms have been removed from the collected entries, and the meanings of characters have been corrected. Thus, when a copyist writes out a memorial to submit to the celestial realm and report to the true offices of the Three Realms—the divine authorities who oversee celestial affairs—everything can be found clearly by opening the book. It contains none of the obscure, hard-to-recognize ancient characters or the corrupted, confusing colloquial forms. In this way, it can be said to combine completeness with elegance.

Explaining “Taiqing Xian Shangzhen,” and the Wuxu and Wuchen Years

Recently, some people have claimed that the Taiqing (one of the Daoist classics) contains no deity called the Heavenly Emperor Venerable. I have therefore offered an explanation. They do not realize that a Confucian scholar must read books they have not yet encountered in order to deserve the name of a true Confucian.

Explaining the “High Perfected” Mentioned in the Taiqing

According to the Xuandu Statutes, the Register of the Chapters of Master Chisong, the Digest of Precepts and Statutes, the Hidden Instructions for Ascending to Perfection, and other texts, the days wuxu and wuchen are when the Supreme Venerable and the Taiqing Venerable go to pay their respects to the Supreme Lord Lao. The Supreme Lord Lao is the most exalted in the Taiqing. At that time, they verify the life and death of men and women throughout the world. Those who are due to be born are entered in the Jade Register, the book that records names and details of life and death.

The Venerable of the Nine Qi is also a Taiqing Venerable and oversees the affairs of ghosts and spirits. On these two days, he goes to pay his respects to the Lord of the Immortal Capital of the Nine Elders—here, this means the Immortal Capital in the Taiqing, not the Immortal Capital of Xuanzhou—and verifies the life and death of men and women throughout the world. Those who are due to die are entered in the Register of the Dead.

According to the Xuandu Statutes, the Heavenly Emperor Venerable goes to pay his respects to the Lord Heavenly Emperor. The Lord Heavenly Emperor is one of the heavenly emperors in the Eastern Palace of the Taiqing. He investigates men and women throughout the world who have committed offenses and enters their names in the Right Covenant, a register recording such offenses. These are matters reported and handled by the Perfected Ones of the upper three heavens and the Eastern Palace of the Taiqing.

When the Celestial Master returns to the Celestial Bureau, he verifies, reviews, and keeps the registers, recording good and evil separately. On the days wuxu and wuchen, the Gate of Heaven is closed and the Earth’s Portal sealed; all dealings with the outside world cease, and no memorials may be submitted. If one of these days falls on an auspicious date, however, one may submit a memorial reporting one’s merits. These are days of major celebration, when clerks, troops, spirits, and generals are broadly promoted and rewarded. No other memorials may therefore be submitted; anyone who violates this rule will suffer a hundred days of illness and affliction.

Another account holds that if either of these two days coincides with a Three Yuan day, a Three Assembly day, one of the Eight Seasonal Festivals, or one’s birth year’s day, a memorial may also be submitted, without restriction by the prohibitions above. These are days when people are permitted to submit memorials of repentance and atonement. On all other days, memorials are not permitted.

When people in antiquity wrote memorials, after the year, month, and day they wrote only “when the Gate of Heaven opens.” There were further rules: on a yang day—zi, yin, chen, wu, shen, or xu—one had to submit a memorial during a yin hour, such as the you or hai hour. On a yin day—chou, mao, si, wei, you, or hai—one had to submit it during a yang hour, such as the zi or xu hour. We must not remain ignorant of these rules.

Some people have also guessed at changes to the wording of memorials, leaving the meaning incoherent. Here is one example. A “Memorial Reporting Merits” contains the phrase: “My study of the methods is not yet complete; in the prescribed rules for bowing and rising, advancing and withdrawing, I have violated regulations and failed to conform to ritual.” The meaning is that the ritual master, who presides over the Zhaijiao, admits that his study of the methods is incomplete and asks the Supreme Lord to pardon his offenses for failing to observe the prescribed forms of bowing and rising and the rules for advancing and withdrawing.

The Daoist Canon contains a separate scroll titled Ritual Rules for Bowing, Rising, and Proceeding, which explains the ceremonial forms for bowing, kneeling, advancing, and withdrawing. The preface to the Scripture on the Generation of Spirit says: “Following all the prescribed forms of bowing and rising, with the covenant of the Perfected and the full ritual code in place, face south and kneel upright, then present it to the Flying Heavenly King of the Limitless.” This refers precisely to such rites. Recently, some people who did not know the source of this passage changed the character ge to “incomplete rules,” “no rules,” or “lost rules.” They failed to see that the surrounding text originally formed a single sentence, and instead changed characters and removed words as they pleased, forcing the passage to mean what they wanted it to mean. This is truly inappropriate. It stands to reason that similar problems may occur elsewhere. Since this concerns the correct transmission of our religion’s teachings, I cannot remain silent, and so I have explained the matter here as well.

Discussion of the reading of “Taiji Title” (the title identifying the recipient of a memorial).

According to the Jing of Master Yin’s Questions on Ritual Regulations and the Jing of the Celestial Master’s Questions on the Law, the Celestial Master once asked the Lord Lao: Some people read “Taiji” and then “to be heard”; others read “to be heard” first and then “Taiji.” Some first bow with their heads to the ground, then make a second bow, and read the small characters of the “Taiji Title,” followed by “to be heard” and the names of the petitioning officials. Others put “Taiji” at the end. These practices differ—which one accords with the proper rules?

The Most High replied: When writing a memorial, write “to be heard,” then the names of the petitioning officials, then “Taiji,” and then the era name, leaving three lines of blank space between each item. This is an unalterable rule for writing petitions and memorials. The reading follows a different order: after reading “to be heard,” kneel upright and hold the tablet in both hands; read the small characters of the “Taiji Title” first, then the officials’ names, and finally the era name. This is the complete ritual for presenting a memorial to the Heavenly Emperor.

Recently, some people have written “Taiji” before the officials’ names. It seems they heard of certain practices but failed to check them carefully, and so confused the format of memorials. If those who do not understand the rules imitate them out of curiosity, disregarding the unseen punishment this may bring, not only may the memorial be rejected; the ritual sponsor, the Daoist priest, the person responsible for the memorial, and the officials named in it may all be punished as well. How can these rules not be examined with care?

Discussion of “Palace Bureau,” written after the memorial.

Whatever the scale of a Zhaijiao ritual (a Daoist rite in which an altar is set up to pay reverence to the deities), the most important part is presenting a memorial. Both the netherworld and the human world regard this as a great benefit. The “Palace Bureau” written after the memorial also involves the months and the Jade Maidens. How could these formats in the Mysterious Capital (the celestial palace described in Daoist scriptures) not be examined with care?

Discussion of “Palace Bureau,” written after the memorial.

In Zhaijiao (purification rituals for praying for blessings and averting calamities), regardless of the scale, the most important thing is to submit a memorial to the gods. Both the netherworld and the human world regard memorials as greatly beneficial. The palace offices (divine bureaus responsible for relevant affairs) and the monthly Jade Maidens (goddesses assigned duties by month) listed in the memorials, together with the key points for preparing memorials recorded in the Xuan Du Lü Zhengyi Zhangyi, are all thoroughly set out and provide ample guidance. The Most High (a Daoist honorific for a revered deity) established the teaching so that people would follow it. How, then, could its rules be treated lightly? Those who fail to act in accordance with ritual procedures will, while alive, be punished by having their allotted years reduced and their blessings swept away; after death, they will suffer the calamity of enduring hardship on the muddy paths.

I privately saw a volume of memorial texts published in recent years. It follows only the views of Daoist novices, removing the palace offices and monthly Jade Maidens to make it easier to proceed carelessly. They do not understand that when a high-ranking ritual master (a Daoist who leads Zhaijiao and performs rites) prostrates himself before the memorial, he visualizes the palace offices and Jade Maidens standing before him. How could someone who merely shows off his literary skill understand the submission of a memorial? How can these contents be deleted?

I also saw that the volume includes three memorial texts—for guiding the dead onward, dispelling calamities, and resolving disputes involving tombs. Most of the small-print annotations use readings corrected in the Dingzhi ji. The other memorial texts also have points worth retaining, as well as points open to question, such as using precedents from earlier cases to form parallel phrases. Moreover, some people believe texts produced through spirit-writing, sincerely and mistakenly taking them to have been composed by the Perfected Ones of the Upper Realm and revering and serving them. They do not realize that this is like the kind of case described in the Yisheng zhuan as “a transformation appearing as Guanyin.”

Discussion of memorials and documents

Daoist memorials and documents must be prepared by Daoist priests… [the remainder is fragmentary], mistakenly taking them to have been composed by the Perfected Ones of the Upper Realm and revering and serving them. They do not realize that this is like the kind of case described in the Yisheng zhuan as “a transformation appearing as Guanyin.”

Discussion of memorials and documents

Petitions and documents submitted by Daoists to the Celestial Court should be written in a pure and elegant style, with wording that accords with ritual standards and reflects the original intention of the Most High in establishing the teaching and encouraging people to do good. Recently, some professional document writers have copied the format of government paperwork, creating documents that resemble official certificates. Their language is coarse, and they even address the deities in a threatening tone. They sign the end with titles such as Celestial Master (Tianshi) and Senior Liturgist (gaogong), though the actual contents are their own inventions. The deities see clearly and act uprightly; how could they be deceived? These writers do not understand that serving the Dao and Heaven follows principles entirely different from a judicial official’s methods of summoning and governing spirits, and has nothing at all to do with the government’s system of official documents. If anyone relies on such documents in every circumstance, and they contain genuine errors, they should be revised. They must be carefully reviewed by people of sound judgment before they are put into use. I, Yuansu, do not dare claim as my own what I have come to understand, so I have added these four explanations to dispel confusion. My only hope is that the teachings will be clear and the wording straightforward. May fellow Daoists and all who perform purification rituals and practice the Dao avoid incurring guilt through Zhaijiao, the rites of establishing an altar and offering prayers.

Methods for Writing Petitions

The liturgical regulations state that when writing a petition, one should set up a writing table facing north. The brush and inkstone must be reserved for this purpose and not mixed with the implements used for ordinary writing.

While writing a petition, one should hold one’s breath as a sign of focused reverence, and must not speak to anyone during the process. The brush must not be set down until the writing is complete. The yellow silk used for writing must not be damaged, and no scraps may be scattered on the bedding or floor. The cut silk should be one chi and two cun wide. Each line should be spaced one cun and two fen apart, with seventeen characters to a line. Leave eight fen at the top, and leave no gap at the bottom wide enough for an ant to pass through. Some people say that a space for “ants to walk” should be left at the bottom, but the records in the various scriptures all state that no space should be left there.

The character for “minister” must not appear at the beginning, and the character for “ghost” must not be the first character. The written forms must not contain defects such as “drooping birth and exposed death” or “drawn strokes broken through,” nor may personal names be left incomplete or damaged. After the words “submit for hearing,” leave a space of one cun and two fen. Leave three lines between the minister’s surname and the words “submit for hearing”; three lines between the Supreme Purity title, an honorific for a revered deity in Daoist documents, and the minister’s surname; and three lines between the current year’s cyclical designation and the Supreme Purity title.

When the writing is complete, burn incense three times, then check the petition carefully. Place it in a clean location and wait for the ritual to be performed. Violating these rules will reduce one’s allotted years of life. This account is found in the Daocang Xuandu Statutes and the Essential Instructions.

When preparing memorials, write the offices and their divisions twice; write the petitioner’s surname three times; write the title “Taiqing” three times; and write the name of the Grand Year three times. After finishing, burn three sticks of incense and carefully check the document. Place it in a clean spot and wait for the ritual to be performed. Those who violate these rules will have years deducted from their allotted lifespan. The above is taken from the Laws of the Daoist Canon’s Xuandu and the Essential Instructions.

Offices by Month

The first and twelfth months belong to the Palace of the Supreme Elder, the Venerable Man of Empty Origin. The second month belongs to the Palace of the Mysterious Elder’s Immortal Capital. The third and fourth months belong to the Palace of the Supreme One’s Three Heavens of Great Clarity. The fifth month belongs to the Palace of the Supreme One’s Reverence for the Dao. The sixth and seventh months belong to the Palace of the Supreme One’s Nine Qi of Wenchang. The eighth month belongs to the Palace of the Supreme One, the Celestial Emperor. The ninth and tenth months belong to the Palace of the Supreme One’s Great Dao. Intercalary months belong to the Palace of the Mysterious Capital. The eleventh month belongs to the Palace of the Supreme One’s Attendants, the Left and Right Supervisors, and the Generals.

Administrative Bureaus

The following lists the bureaus—offices responsible for different matters in Daoist documents—and their corresponding dates and palace names:

First day: the Bureau for Establishing Jade, Palace of Red Spirit; second day: the Bureau of Great Simplicity, Palace of Great Tenuity; third day: the Bureau of Great Tenuity, Palace of Northern Peace; fourth day: the Bureau of the Chief Director, Lower Palace of Great Clarity; fifth day: the Bureau of Orthodox Unity, Palace of Illuminating Clarity; sixth day: the Bureau of Mysterious Unity, Upper Palace of Brightness.

First day: the Bureau of Great Simplicity, Palace of Lofty Spirit and Red Spirit; second day: the Bureau of Great Simplicity, Palace of Great Tenuity; third day: the Bureau of Great Tenuity, Palace of Northern Peace; fourth day: the Bureau of the Chief Director, Lower Palace of Great Clarity; fifth day: the Bureau of Orthodox Unity, Palace of Illuminating Clarity; sixth day: the Bureau of Mysterious Unity, Upper Palace of Brightness; seventh day: the Bureau of Great Simplicity, Palace of Lofty Spirit; eighth day: the Bureau of Gathered Spirits, Palace of Purple Tenuity; ninth day: the Bureau of Origin Spirits, Palace of Attending Spring; tenth day: the Bureau of Great Clarity, Palace of Purple Spirit; eleventh day: the Bureau of the Three Waters, Palace of the Plain Lady; twelfth day: the Bureau of Registers, Palace of Great Wilderness; thirteenth day: the Bureau of Clear Narratives, Palace of Western Brightness; fourteenth day: the Bureau of Mysterious Rectification, Palace of the Upper Descent; fifteenth day: the Bureau of the Central Capital, Palace of Standard Peace; sixteenth day: the Bureau of Faults, Northern Office; seventeenth day: the Bureau of Hidden Crimes, Southern Earl’s Palace; eighteenth day: the Bureau of Unified Regions, Palace of Eastern Brightness; nineteenth day: the Bureau of Unified Registers, Palace of Western Spirit; twentieth day: the Bureau of Inspection and Assessment, Palace of the Life Governor; twenty-first day: the Bureau of Supervision, Palace of Yang Brightness.

The Office of Examination (the bureau overseeing assessments) is based in the Palace of the Sun. It handles affairs of the prefectural palaces and is on duty on the sixteenth day.

The Office for Detecting Wrongdoing is based in the Palace of the Southern Earl and is on duty on the seventeenth day.

The Office for Commanding the Departments is based in the Eastern Radiance Palace and is on duty on the eighteenth day.

The Office for Managing the Registers is based in the Western Spirit Palace and is on duty on the nineteenth day.

The Office of Supervision and Examination is based in the Palace of the Director of Destiny and is on duty on the twentieth day.

The Office Supervising the Departments is based in the Bright Yang Palace and is on duty on the twenty-first day.

The Office of Examination is based in the Palace of the Sun and is on duty on the twenty-second day.

The Office of Official Affairs is based in the Lesser Yang Palace and is on duty on the twenty-third day.

The Office of the Mysterious Origin is based in the Great Yin Palace and is on duty on the twenty-fourth day.

The Office of the Great Mystery is based in the Lesser Yin Palace and is on duty on the twenty-fifth day.

The General Office is based in the Northern Dipper Palace and is on duty on the twenty-sixth day.

The Office of Chief Supervisors is based in the Great White Palace and is on duty on the twenty-seventh day.

The Office of Direct Envoys is based in the Radiant Grove Palace and is on duty on the twenty-eighth day.

The Office of Direct Supervision is based in the Bright Yang Palace and is on duty on the twenty-ninth day.

The Office of Examination is based in the Palace of Dawn and is on duty on the thirtieth day.

The information above has been checked against Zhu Dongwei’s Essentials.

Jade Maidens

Six Jade Maidens are listed here. One takes duty on each Jia day; their assignments must not be confused.

On a Jiazi day, the Jade Maiden of Great Mystery takes duty; on a Jiaxu day, the Jade Maiden of Yellow Plain; on a Jiashen day, the Jade Maiden of Great Simplicity; on a Jiachen day, the Jade Maiden Who Worships the Essence; on a Jiawu day, the Jade Maiden of the Crimson Palace; and on a Jia-yin day, the Jade Maiden of the Green Waist.

This comes from the Upper Three Commands of the Register of the Great Cavern of the Jade Clarity. The same six Jade Maidens listed below also appear in the Register of the Great Cavern of the Jade Clarity: the upper three sections correspond to the Jade Maiden of Left Numinous Flight, and the lower three sections to the Jade Maiden of Right Numinous Flight.

On a Jiazi day, the Jade Maiden of Great Mystery takes duty; on a Jiaxu day, the Jade Maiden of Yellow Plain; on a Jiashen day, the Jade Maiden of Great Simplicity; on a Jiachen day, the Jade Maiden Who Worships the Essence; on a Jiawu day, the Jade Maiden of the Crimson Palace; and on a Jia-yin day, the Jade Maiden of the Green Waist.

A General Confession of Faults for All Petitions and Memorials

Your servant, the High Merit officiant, [name], trembling with awe, bows twice before the throne and reports to the Most High, the Limitless Great Dao, the Utmost Truth and Spontaneity, revered by the Daoist tradition: I am by nature dull and shallow, of ordinary ability. Only through my teachers’ instruction was I able to join the ranks of Daoist practitioners. Trembling with awe, I bow once more. I reflect that my studies remain incomplete, and that my words and conduct have at times violated the rules and fallen short of what is proper. Fearing that I may therefore be punished, I am deeply apprehensive. I accordingly submit this petition, respectfully setting out my faults and reporting them with upturned face to the High Heavens. I presume to disturb the sacred hearing. The matter presented in this petition is as follows: …

Statement of Merits and Confession of Faults: Your servant, an appointed official, approaches with the utmost trepidation. Acknowledging the weight of my offenses, I bow twice before the Most High, the Limitless Great Dao, the Most Perfect and Spontaneous. I submit: “What follows from your servant is the opening of a memorial to the Golden Palace, the celestial court.”

Your servant bows again in profound fear and submits: “My abilities are dull, yet I have wrongly taken part in the rites of the Great Dao. My merits are slight, while my faults have piled up like mountains. Whether I bow my head or look up, I feel ashamed and uneasy; my mind and spirit are confused. I am by nature an ordinary and lowly person, yet, fortunately, through the blessings of past lives, I encountered the teachings of the Great Dao and received favors far beyond what I deserve. Since I have been fortunate enough to serve in a true office—a Daoist divine post charged with saving sentient beings—even though my nature is mediocre and my understanding clouded, I still vow to give all my sincerity, follow the teachings of compassion, and carefully observe the subtle instructions. Whenever I see what is right, I will courageously take it upon myself, reproaching myself for it day and night. Now that this occasion has arisen, how could I fail to submit a memorial? The above is the opening of your servant’s petition.”

Afterword to the Memorial: This passage serves as proof of the offering being presented. The Most High and the honored ones must determine what favor to grant. The original phrase “May the assembly of honored ones of the Most High examine and accept this sincere submission” asks them to look upon it and accept its sincerity. The author calls himself ignorant and coarse in spiritual disposition, unable to appear in person before the celestial court. Mortals are burdened by impurity and cannot lighten their bodies to ascend and present a memorial themselves; therefore, the petition says, “I respectfully rely on the two official messengers and direct envoys,” and other divine officials to carry it. The phrase expresses the mind and spirit ascending with the divine envoys and must not be omitted or altered.

The titles listed in the text—“the two official messengers and direct envoys, the Zhengyi Merit Officer, the left and right official envoys, the Yin-Yang divine adjudication officers, and the red-talisman officers of the ritual carriage”—are names for divine officials who are charged with carrying documents and communicating between the human world and the celestial realm in Daoist petitions. The author again explains that mortals cannot ascend to heaven and present a memorial in person, so they must rely on these divine officials to convey it. The relevant wording must not be abridged.

Because the officials of the Second Directorate, the Zhengyi Merit Officers, the messengers of the left and right offices, the Yin-Yang Spirit-Decision Clerks, the Red Talisman Clerks of the Ritual Chariot, the Strong-Wind Relay Riders, the Memorial-Bearing Clerks on Post Horses, the Flying Dragon and Divine Dragon Celestial Immortals, the Flying Perfected Riders, and the other officials are each to dispatch two persons to travel and carry out these duties, I, the petitioner, on behalf of the household of a certain disciple, am performing a Zhaijiao rite at a certain Daoist altar. I respectfully submit this memorial to the Heavenly Officials, Lords, Generals, Clerks, and Soldiers, requesting permission to send one copy of the memorial to a certain office beneath the Gate of the Three Heavens, and then forward it to a certain Jade Maiden in a certain bureau of a certain palace of the Most High, where I humbly await a reply. I, so-and-so, am sincerely overcome with fear and trepidation; I bow my head and prostrate myself twice. In a “Merit-Reporting Memorial,” the words “guilty unto death, guilty unto death” must be added after “fear and trepidation,” and the name of the humble petitioner, together with the name of his Daoist temple in a certain prefecture and county, must also be reported. According to ancient ritual, phrases such as “cultivating the Dao and receiving instruction at a certain temple” are not to be written.

Taiping honorifics (reverential titles for deities used in memorials)

These are used in all types of memorials. Once folded, the memorial should measure two cun and four fen, and the writing must be clear.

The titles “Taiping, Mysterious Origin,” “Highest Three Heavens,” “Boundless Great Dao,” “Lord Lao, the Most High,” “Elder of the Most High,” “Emperor of Heaven,” “Elder Emperor of Heaven,” and “Lord of the Nine Elders’ Immortal Capital” must be written in characters four fen in size, with the writing kept clear.

The honorifics “Taiping, Mysterious Origin,” “Highest Three Heavens,” “Boundless Great Dao,” “Lord Lao, the Most High,” “Elder of the Most High,” “Emperor of Heaven,” “Elder Emperor of Heaven,” “Lord of the Nine Elders’ Immortal Capital,” “Elder of the Nine Qi,” “the Dao-Qi of a hundred thousand myriad layers,” and “the Twelve Hundred Officials and Lords” are addressed as “Before the Jade Steps of Taiping.”

Three Pure Ones honorific

Memorials submitted on behalf of the state are written in characters one cun and two fen in size. The honorific is: “Before the Jade Steps of the Seven Treasures of the Golden Palace, the Three Most Venerable Ones, supreme beyond form and name, empty, nonbeing, and natural.”

Era name

When bowing and submitting a memorial at the ritual altar, specify the era name, the sexagenary designation of the Grand Marshal of the Year, the month, the sexagenary designation of the first day of the month, and the precise hour. For example: “In the jiazi year under the Grand Marshal, on the first day of a certain month, jiazi day, at a certain hour.”

Memorial taboos recorded in the Statutes of Xuandu

One should not submit petitions to the Celestial Court or pray to the gods on wuchen and wuxu days. Xu is the Gate of Heaven, and chen is the Earthly Portal. The general spirit associated with xu day is a dog; the one associated with chen day is a dragon. On wu days, the Central Palace Earth Spirit stands guard.

On these two days, the Supreme Lord Patriarchs and Elders—the divine beings of the celestial realm—are checking the lives and deaths, good and evil deeds, of men and women throughout the world. The dragon patrols the Five Sacred Peaks, the dog moves along the river crossings, and the Great Central Yellow Deity guards the Gate of Heaven. Anyone who violates the prohibition by submitting a petition on these days will have their soul seized by the Great Deity.

If disaster and baleful forces suddenly befall someone on a wuchen or wuxu day, and they wish to pray and make their plea known, they need only steady their thoughts and sit quietly, reflect on their faults, and sincerely repent. Heaven sees all clearly; it will show mercy and defer punishment. Once an auspicious day arrives, they may submit their petition, and their requests will be granted.

Petition for Dispelling Calamity, Preserving Life, and Prolonging the Years

This petition was composed by Celestial Master Du. The text here is copied from the Petition for Compassionate Aid and Assistance in Transformation in the Daoist Canon.

On that day, the disciple bowed reverently and presented this petition: “I, your disciple, was born of humble origins, yet have received the Dao’s teaching. My nature and life are bound to the Supreme Pole, the highest order of Heaven. Primal Qi, the vital energy at the source of life, descended from the Nine Heavens; through it I received spiritual awareness and came to possess a physical form, and have been granted boundless grace. Yet in conducting myself and going about my affairs, I have often acted as I pleased and lost sight of my true nature. The blessings I have received are meager, while my offenses are grave. My sins have piled up as though a string were filled to its very end. If calamity should reach its peak, there would be no way to seek rescue. I humbly pray that the revered Dao, compassionate and cherishing life, will save and aid all beings. I have cleansed my heart and am the first to confess my offenses; may the faults I have accumulated be pardoned.

“I also fear that the deeds I, your disciple, have committed in past and present lives have violated prohibitions and precepts. The six passions of the senses and the ten grave evils have accumulated day by day. The three karmic actions of body, speech, and mind have added ten further entanglements. Layer upon layer, they have formed karmic obstructions that drag one down and hold one fast, leaving no way to free oneself.

“I also fear that the ninth-generation forebears and seventh-generation ancestors of I, your disciple, and even more distant ancestors throughout the ages, may have committed wrongs that have implicated their descendants, near and far. I fear, too, that the Five Phases in my destiny register—the celestial record of a person’s lifespan and allotted fortune—may have shifted, and that the Nine Luminaries in Heaven, the Sun, Moon, and five planets among them, may have reached their corresponding positions and cast their light upon my destiny, bringing calamity. I further fear that, since the time of my ancestors, those who held office and administered affairs may have meted out rewards and punishments unjustly, wronging the people. The people’s laments and reproaches against harsh rule may have taken root as resentment and curses, bringing misfortune. I also fear that earthworks or construction at my residence may have disturbed or offended what should not be disturbed, gone against the Qi of Heaven and Earth, and fallen out of accord with the regular courses of the celestial patterns, incurring the spirits’ condemnation and bringing disaster. At the thought of these things, my heart grows heavy. In quiet reflection, I am overwhelmed with fear, like one who must cross a great river but does not know where to ford it. Therefore I wholeheartedly devote myself and pray that a memorial be presented to the Nine Heavens, so that my offenses may be dispelled.

“I, your servant, respectfully submit this memorial on behalf of I, your disciple, and petition Heaven to look down and take heed. I reverently invite the Lord of the Southern Heights and his one hundred and twenty officials and generals to take up residence at the Cangguo Palace, open Heaven’s gate for I, your disciple, and increase my lifespan. I also invite the Lord of Longevity and his one hundred and twenty officials and generals to take up residence at the Anchang Palace, add blessings and emoluments to my portion, lengthen my years, dispel calamity, and help me pass through adversity.

“I further invite the Lord of the Southern Chang Court of Elixir Registers and his one hundred and twenty officials and generals to take up residence at the Liekü Palace, restore to I, your disciple, the years of life allotted to me at birth, remove me from the register of the dead, dispel my guilt in Fengdu, the underworld, and enter my name again in the register of the living. I also invite the Lord of the Vermilion Officials of the Bright Hall and his one hundred and twenty officials and generals to take up residence at the Chengqi Palace, add years to my lifespan and extend its term.

“I further invite one Lord of Heaven and thirty-nine thousand Guardian Officers to free I, your disciple, from affliction and ill fortune, and protect my living Qi. Here, ‘passing through adversity’ means overcoming calamity. The liturgical regulations speak of ‘passing through the three calamities and eight hardships.’ Some have doubted this and often altered the wording on their own; this is truly improper.

“I also invite one thousand two hundred Jade Calendar Maidens, dressed in red, to gather in my three Hun souls and restrain my seven Po souls, regulate my five viscera and six bowels, settle the thirty-six thousand spirits within me, cleanse away illness and adversity, lengthen my life, and increase my years. I further invite the Lord Zhouyu and his one hundred and twenty officials and generals to take up residence at the Palace of Terrestrial Order. May they summon one hundred and twenty spirits of living Qi for I, your disciple, clothed in red celestial robes and holding tallying tokens. May they bind my three Hun souls and gather my seven Po souls, keeping them ever at my side, supporting me in weakness, helping me pass through adversity, and extending my life and years.

“If the destiny of I, your disciple, has fallen into water, may the Water Official transfer and rescue me; if it has fallen into the earth, may the Earth Official rescue me; if it has fallen into fire, may the Fire Official save me; if it has fallen into wood, may the Wood Spirit protect me. If my destiny is trapped in a tomb, may the tomb be opened and I be pulled free; if trapped in prison, may the prison be broken open and I released; if seized and detained, may the case be decided in my favor and pardon granted. If my allotted fortune is about to run out, may it be renewed and replenished; if it has already waned, may it be supported and restored.

“May I, your disciple, be spared the afflictions of illness and adversity, suffer no calamity or sudden misfortune, and enjoy a long life. Let this serve as proof that my prayer has been answered. All grace and virtue depend upon the Most High…”

Today, I, your disciple, submit this prayer of supplication. I reflect that I have accumulated blessings in the past and have been fortunate to live in an age of peace and enlightenment, when the Daoist teachings are widely transmitted and the Three Caverns—the three great divisions of Daoist scriptures—set forth their teachings. The supremely true, great sages save and protect heavenly beings and people in this world, so that even an ordinary person such as myself may follow the Orthodox Way. I have received the compassionate protection of the Great Dao of the Most High and of the lords who preside over us, and my family has been blessed from generation to generation.

Now I worry that my ancestors of generations past, deceased loved ones, household members, and the departed for whom I seek deliverance have accumulated all manner of karmic causes during their lives and across many lifetimes, leaving behind immeasurable sins that have not yet been pardoned. Unable to be delivered and ascend, they can only pass through cycles of rebirth in the Ninefold Darkness, the underworld, and endure suffering for a long time. Some may be in the twenty-four prisons of Mount Tai’s Daizong, the thirty-seven prisons of Luofeng in the Northern Capital, or the great prisons of the Ninefold Darkness governed by the Eight Directions and the Five Phases. Others may be in the underworld offices of the prefectures and counties, among the one hundred and twenty bureaus of the celestial, terrestrial, and aquatic realms, or in the offices of the royal officials who administer punishments of Yin and Yang, water and fire, wind and blades. Without the Great Dao’s boundless dispensation of grace, the departed have no means of deliverance.

As a descendant, I, your disciple, remember the dead and am overwhelmed with grief. If a younger person is making this supplication on behalf of an elder, or a husband on behalf of his wife, the two specified sentences in the text may be omitted and replaced with the appropriate forms of address. Anyone using this wording must adapt it to the actual relationship and must not copy it unchanged.

I worry that the deceased, [name], cannot see light in the dark underworld, and must wander through cycles of rebirth, enduring unbearable pain. I therefore lay bare my sincere heart, turn toward the teachings, and rely on the benevolence of the Great Dao as I respectfully request that a memorial petition be presented to dispel guilt and deliver the departed. My plea is most earnest and truly deserves compassion.

I respectfully submit this memorial on the matter, sending it up to the Celestial Administration. I beseech the Most High Lord Lao, the Most High Elder, the Celestial Master, the Female Master, and the Five Qi Lords serving under the Three Masters—all divine beings who govern the Qi of the Five Directions—to examine this memorial carefully and ensure that it reaches the heavenly court. I also ask that Daoist Qi descend to protect the ancestors, the recently deceased, and all departed spirits whom I, your disciple, offer for deliverance on behalf of my family.

I respectfully ask the presiding officials, clerks, and soldiers of the eastern, western, southern, and northern directions to descend together and devote themselves to delivering the deceased person, [name], whom I, your disciple, offer for deliverance on behalf of my family, along with our relatives, friends of other surnames, and all departed spirits. May they leave the realm of long night in the Ninefold Darkness and ascend to the eight heavenly halls of blessedness.

I further ask that one great general who rescues and redeems the souls of the dead, together with one hundred thousand soldiers, descend as one. May they inspect above the Nine Heavens, below the Nine Earths, among the Three Officials, and throughout the seasons and the Five Phases, as well as the twenty-four prisons of Mount Tai’s Daizong and the thirty-seven prisons of Luofeng in the Northern Capital. Let them deliver the departed named in the register. Men have three souls and seven spirits; women have three souls and fourteen spirits. I beseech you to release them from the punishments and penalties they suffer, resolve their grievances, and allow them to enter the Daoist palace and dwell in a land of bliss. Deliver each person in turn according to the register.

May the departed be settled in peace and also protect the living, so that their descendants remain safe; may both the living and the dead receive blessings, and may the ancestral graves remain at peace, free from calamity. Let this serve as proof of the efficacy of this rite. With reverence, I beseech the Most High…

In ancient times, when the Yellow Register Retreat was held—a Daoist ritual for praying for blessings, dispelling calamities, and delivering the spirits of the dead—the only memorial presented at its conclusion was this one. Because it encompassed the state and the family, the underworld and the human world, it was called the “Comprehensive Memorial.”

Today, your disciple, so-and-so, bows and submits this memorial: The supreme Orthodox Rite of the Great Yellow Register Retreat is intended to dispel the calamities of life and death, and the karma created through body, speech, and mind in past and present lives. We pray for the protection of the state above and all beings below: may the state be guarded and families kept safe; may disasters and misfortune be averted; may blessings increase and life be prolonged; may calamities be lifted; may the nine generations of ancestors and seven generations of forebears, together with all departed souls, be delivered; and may the living and the dead alike be rescued, so that grace reaches both the underworld and the human world. With reverence, we offer tokens to protect the ten directions, silk bearing the pattern of the petitioner’s birth destiny, oil lamps, candles, incense, flowers, and offerings of every kind. As proof of our wholehearted sincerity, we submit this document. As your disciple performs the Dao, confesses, and gives thanks for recent and past offenses, we pray that calamities be cut off and both the living and the dead be saved. Our intent is sincere, and its grounds can be made clear.

Your disciple respectfully leads the ritual masters, the liturgy leader, and Daoists so-and-so, together with those assembled at this altar. In accordance with the concise text of the Lower Origin Yellow Register and the rites for numinous immortals, we establish the mysterious rites and ceremonies at such-and-such a place, taking Heaven and Earth as our model. The retreat sponsor, your disciple so-and-so’s family, has prepared a golden dragon, silk, and colored objects to protect the ten directions, petition Heaven, and deliver both the living and the dead. All present apply themselves wholeheartedly, cleanse their thoughts, bow and pay obeisance, and entrust themselves to the Most True, praying that their wishes be fulfilled.

The retreat is conducted for three days and three nights, with nine periods of Dao practice and nine recitations of the scripture. The rites begin at dawn on such-and-such a day, and are performed for a total of eighteen periods. Once the petitioning rites are complete, we respectfully report the merit accomplished. The altar is then dismantled and the assembly dismissed; the golden dragon is cast into the mountains. Another ritual text specifies that it be cast among mountains and waters. The memorial is then written in cinnabar and submitted at the numinous altar.

We humbly pray that the Supreme, Boundless Great Dao; the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning; the Lord of the Dao; the Most High Lord Lao; the Most High Elder; the Mysterious Ancient One of the Highest Order; the Natural Powers of the Ten Directions; the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure; the perfected sages who have attained the Dao; the many True Immortals; the deities and spirits of the heavens; the Great Emperor and the Celestial Emperor; the Great Masters of the Mysterious Center; and the Celestial Master hear this memorial and take pity on your disciple’s sincere devotion. If the Celestial Worthies grant their approval, we respectfully ask them to command the presiding spirits to inform the ten directions.

We petition the Five Elder Emperors, the True Immortals of the Five Sacred Peaks, the Three Officials, the nine offices and their hundred and twenty bureaus, and the perfected spirits of the ten realms to deliver the nine generations of ancestors and seven generations of forebears of your disciple so-and-so’s family. Whether bound to us by affinity or not, whether adversaries or kin, may all be saved equally. May every departed soul in the underworld leave the long night of the Nine Darknesses and rise to the Southern Palace. May dry bones receive caps and robes, and bodies revive like flowers blossoming on a withered tree. May they escape the cycle of rebirth and be reborn in a blessed land. We also petition the local earth deity to guard their remains, so that the dead recover their awareness, return to their proper places, and unite with the light.

May all offenses committed by your disciple so-and-so’s family in past and present lives be erased; may enmities be reconciled and calamities dispelled; may life be prolonged and lives preserved; may the living and the dead alike be at peace, and the family remain safe. May the sun, moon, and stars shine brightly, and Heaven and Earth endure. May Yin-Yang be in harmony and the five grains yield abundant harvests. May the state prosper and its people rejoice; may all under Heaven be peaceful and the four quarters tranquil; may the ruler’s mandate endure; may epidemics be eradicated and auspicious signs appear without cease. May good fortune be preserved forever, and may we remain eternally mindful of the Great Dao’s grace.

With reverence, we send forth all the celestial immortals, flying immortals, perfected beings, spirits, and terrestrial immortals invited during the retreat, together with the divine generals and troops of the sun, moon, stars, Nine Palaces, Five Emperors, Five Sacred Peaks, Four Great Rivers, Three Rivers, and Four Seas—each numbering nine hundred million mounts. We also invite the altar’s retreat supervisor, the golden attendants who serve incense, the jade maidens who scatter flowers, the Five Emperors’ appointed officers, the flying dragon riders who convey memorials, and the true officials within and around your disciple’s body, the officials of Numinous Treasure, the guardians of the palace, the household generals, the local earth deities, and the spirits of the Three Realms. All who have supervised and protected the retreat, conveyed summons, guarded its proceedings, or otherwise rendered service are asked to prepare for the journey and accompany this memorial to the Immortal Capital. There, may they receive recognition and rewards, pay their respects at the True Palace, advance in immortal rank, noble title, or official grade, and be appointed to offices appropriate to their standing, thereby attaining higher status in accordance with the rites of the Great Perfected.

Your disciples have not yet mastered the teachings, and are unfamiliar with the ritual rules for advancing, withdrawing, bowing, and raising their heads. The teachings prescribe formal audiences, bows, kneeling, and other observances. If any gestures were improper or failed to conform to the rites, we fear that the Four Offices may censure us and the Five Emperors hold us to account. We respectfully ask that our many offenses be pardoned and that you take pity on your disciples, who have not yet fully understood, and impose no punishment. The true officials of the five limbs within your disciple’s body shall each return to their own palaces and offices once the ritual work is complete. May your disciple study the Dao and attain the Dao, seek the Real and attain the Real, and become a True Immortal forever, enduring as long as the Three Lights, the Seven Luminaries, and the Five Qi. Let this serve as proof that our practice of the Dao has received a response. We humbly pray that all the Most High perfected beings look upon us with discernment.

Your disciples have conducted this immeasurable Lower Origin Yellow Register Retreat on behalf of such-and-such a family. After three days and four nights, the rites inviting the deities have now been completed. We now dismantle the altar and transfer the offices, so that the spirits of the heavens may each return to their proper places, and we reaffirm the merit accomplished. Once again, we respectfully submit one memorial written in vermilion on yellow silk, presenting it to the Three Heavenly Offices.

On this day, your servant respectfully bows and submits this memorial. I have heard that the River Chart revealed omens and made clear the patterns governing Heaven and Earth. The principles held in the hearts of sages were written down so that they might communicate the virtues of the divine. These are signs of the sacred Dao made manifest, and they also embody the proper order of ethical relationships. Moreover, August Heaven protects the people and establishes rulers and teachers for them. The people should therefore honor their ruler, following him as the sun and moon follow their courses. Once the poem “Tianbao” was composed, people learned how to repay their ruler’s kindness; once the Great Plan was established, its blessings were bestowed upon the people.

We now live in an age of clarity and abundance, utterly unlike the primordial age of ignorance. I consider that the ritual patron, a certain person, does not understand the principles of daily life; how, then, could he look up to receive Heaven’s grace? We share a loyal desire to protect the state, and humbly follow the ancient custom of frontier officials offering blessings to their ruler. We have now respectfully prepared offerings and, following Daoist liturgy, ask High Heaven to issue its command. We devote ourselves to the Great Dao and respectfully present this memorial, submitting it to the Three Heavens, the heavenly realms as understood in Daoism. Though your servant holds a lowly position, he is fortunate to take part in these esoteric rites. Accomplishing meritorious deeds is fundamental, but praying for the peace of the state must come first. Therefore, your servant bows low and presents one memorial written in vermilion characters on yellow paper, to be delivered to the Celestial Bureau, the offices of the heavenly realm. We respectfully beseech the Most High, Boundless Great Dao, Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning; the Most High Jade-Morning August Emperor Dao Lord; the Most High Lord Lao; Hun Yuan Shang; De Huangdi; the Most High Elder; the Celestial Master; the Female Master; the Three Masters; and the Five Qi Lords under their authority, along with all the other honored spirits, to take note and examine this memorial. May the Qi of the Great Dao cover and protect this document as a garment covers and shelters all things, and may it summon the True Spirits to descend.

Your servant respectfully requests one Lord of the Camp Stars and 120 officers and generals to take up station at Luoni Palace and pursue and capture the gathered bandits, so that the people may live in peace. We also request 100,000 heavenly troops of the sun and moon, dressed in red and wearing red headcloths, to regulate Yin-Yang and drive away raiders and thieves. We further request 1,200 Lords of the Sun’s Male Force, dressed in white, to subdue rebels and lead them to reform and submit. We also request one Lord of the Ten Thousand Surnames and 110 officers and generals to take up station at Heshan Palace and subdue throughout the realm those who are corrupt in heart, commit evil, and rebel. We further request the Lords of Venus of the east and west, with 120 officers and generals, to take up station at the Nine Heavens’ Qian Palace and overcome the treacherous and wicked, especially those plotting rebellion. We also request 200,000 soldiers from the Human Treasury, together with 100,000 soldiers apiece under the Lords Who Shake Heaven and Move Earth and the Lords of the Supreme Nine Qi, to subdue the wicked and treacherous together. May the rebels abandon their evil deeds and return to the righteous path, show reverence to the court, lay down their weapons, and bring an end to border troubles forever.

We beseech the sovereign to enjoy peace of body and mind and a long life; may his virtue surpass that of Tang Yao and Yu Shun, and his divine governance exceed that of Kings Wen and Wu of Zhou. May the imperial lineage flow on like the Milky Way, and the foundations of the state grow ever firmer in Jade Capital, the celestial palace of Daoist tradition. May the fortunes of the realm prosper and flourish, and may the ruler enjoy long life and abundance. May all officials, within and beyond the court, be steadfast in loyalty and uprightness. Then the winds and rains will come in season, the Five Grains will yield abundant harvests, calamities and epidemics will disappear, and the people will live in peace and health. May the state soon extend its territory and preserve peace for a long time, as proof that this prayer has been answered. We respectfully submit our requests for grace.

The “Petition for the Settlement of Tomb Disputes” is written on a material three zhang and six chi long, with seventeen characters on each line. Disciples (here meaning ritual attendants or those who perform the rites) may add or remove words in the spaces left blank, as circumstances require, so that each line contains seventeen characters. This avoids altering the petition as a whole.

Ritual offerings and tokens (items presented and used as tokens when submitting the petition):

Thirty-six chi of yellow silk and thirty-six chi of purple gauze for the life silk. The petition has seventeen characters per line; words may be added or removed in the spaces left blank, as circumstances require, so that each line contains seventeen characters. This avoids altering the petition as a whole.

The ritual offerings and tokens include thirty-six chi of yellow silk, thirty-six chi of purple gauze for the life silk, one liang of cinnabar, one silver knife (five cun long), 3,600 life coins, twelve sheng of stipend grain, 120 sheets of yellow locust-tree paper, a pair of fine brushes, one tablet of fine ink, one liang of frankincense, and mastic.

With reverence, I report to the officials of the Celestial Court, the underworld, and the offices of the dead: In accordance with the liturgical rules and precepts of the Zhengyi school and the rites of the Celestial Masters, the Great Dao has bestowed its teachings to save and protect all living beings. The twelve hundred official petitions can deliver both the living and the dead, and all the sages of the ten directions may serve as witnesses. Now your disciple, so-and-so, sincerely sets forth this request and humbly asks for your compassion.

Your disciple is concerned that ancestors of past generations and deceased relatives may bring charges against the living before the offices of the underworld, the courts of the dead, or the realms of spirits and demons. Such lawsuits take many forms: drowning, death by fire, injury, hanging, death in prison, death in confinement, death while performing forced labor, falls and injuries, beatings with rods or staves, poisoning, being mauled by tigers or wolves, death in childbirth, suicide by hanging or cutting one’s own throat, miscarriage, murder, death by lightning, bewitchment by seductive spirits, robbery by bandits, chronic illness, epidemic disease, sudden death, starvation, freezing, thirst, death from nightmares, malaria, demonic affliction, cholera, abscesses and ulcers, edema, crushing, death from severe illness without treatment, death in old age, premature death, and such circumstances as dying alone, without support, as a widower or widow, in a distant place, or without burial.

The dead may also bring charges because they had no coffin, their remains were left unburied or their bones scattered, birds or beasts pecked at them, their bodies were burned, their bones were soaked, carts or horses trampled them, or their graves were dug up and defiled. They may also complain that they were buried or left unburied, placed in a grave that was not theirs, laid to rest in an unstable grave, or buried in violation of funerary prohibitions. Disturbances of the earth’s Qi, an unsuitable grave orientation, and entanglements among ancestors, parents, and relatives may likewise become grounds for dispute. Other charges include giving birth to a child and failing to raise it, abandoning children, estrangement within the clan, betrayal in marriage, having nowhere to be buried, a household in need of repair, descendants failing to support their elders, the ending of ancestral rites, being bullied, suffering grief and injustice, dying suddenly without a way to plead one’s case, longing for loved ones, having a grievance that cannot be defended, becoming enemies through conflict, unresolved resentments, unpaid debts, unfinished vows, curses, unredressed wrongs, and the dead being tried, punished, made to perform labor, or subjected to prison retribution in the underworld. The dead may ask the living to testify on their behalf, pay their debts, rescue them, or accumulate merit for them, in the hope of obtaining pardon.

Each kind of lawsuit has its own cause. Those who drowned complain that they sank beneath the water and their bodies were soaked; those who burned to death complain that their skin was scorched and their flesh damaged; those who died of injuries complain that their bodies were mutilated, wounded, and bloodied; those who hanged themselves complain that the rope tightened around their necks and their breath was choked off; and those who died in prison complain of the suffering caused by instruments of torture, confinement, or forced labor. Other dead people bring complaints about the cause of their death, what happened to their bodies and graves, their family relationships, entanglements of favor and resentment, or punishments in the underworld. In broad terms, there are said to be eighty-one kinds of lawsuit, but finer distinctions may give rise to thousands upon thousands.

Those who commit wrongs while alive may be punished after death, suffering such tortures as being boiled in water or scorched by fire, struck by wind-blades or thunder, carrying stones and carving mountains, shifting and turning rivers, or blocking up caves. After death, lawsuits may also entangle one’s descendants, binding them together in mutual affliction. When cases in the underworld go untried for a long time, the suffering dead may grow resentful and grief-stricken, cry out to Heaven, curse the gods, or even defile the spirits. These acts, too, are considered to result from lawsuits and punitive examinations. If someone did evil in life or violated the precepts, guilt may accumulate layer upon layer, over hundreds or tens of years and through years, months, days, and hours. Unresolved offenses remain after death and continue to torment the soul. If the dead refuse to admit their guilt, they may call on demons and spirits, complain against Heaven and Earth, and bring calamity upon their living relatives.

Some people, while holding office or managing affairs, have wronged the innocent, killed people to seize their property, used public duties for private gain, acted cruelly, separated families, or destroyed marriages. Others have listened to the wicked, stirred up discord among relatives, oppressed people, used sorcery to curse the virtuous, or seized souls. Some have begun construction or disturbed the earth in violation of prohibitions, destroyed temples, offended the gods, or defiled sacred sites. Such wrongs, too, may become punishments and lawsuits in the underworld, beyond all counting.

Your disciple is also concerned that relatives going back seven generations may still bear various hidden offenses and public wrongs, misdeeds from life and after death, and old family debts. If they lacked virtue, failed to repay kindness, acted without benevolence or filial devotion, or deceived and falsified, they may be called to account after death before the Three Officials, the divine offices governing Heaven, Earth, and Water. Their guilt may pass from one generation to the next, while their souls suffer without a chance to plead their case. They may therefore accuse the living before the ghost officials and demand that they be drawn in to suffer the punishment in their place. Though the courts of the unseen world make careful inquiries, they may also show favoritism, heed the claims of ghosts, and summon the living to confront them. As a result, your disciple may suffer calamity for years, endure misfortune year after year, dream of strange things, lose wealth, fail in every undertaking, and have no place to appeal. Your disciple therefore asks the Daoist officiant conducting the rite to resolve lawsuits concerning the graves, dispel calamities arising from burial grounds, rescue the souls of the dead, and release them from grievances and enmities.

With reverence, your disciple looks to the boundless sacred power of the Great Dao and prays sincerely. In accordance with the liturgy, your disciple has prepared yellow paper, cinnabar, money and grain, paper and brushes, writing knives, patterned silk, and other ritual implements, and petitions the Celestial Officials by submitting a memorial. The Daoist officiant respectfully presents a written petition on behalf of your disciple, so-and-so, and asks the Supreme Great Dao and all the sages of the ten directions to dispatch the officials in charge to examine this matter. May they resolve the lawsuits and baleful influences arising from the graves of the deceased relatives of your disciple’s family, so that the lawsuits dissipate and calamities subside, and the living and the dead each follow their own way, forever separated by life and death.

We beseech the Celestial Officials, divine generals, clerks, and soldiers to fulfill their respective duties, stabilize the Qi of the graves of your disciple, so-and-so, dispel calamities and punitive trials, bestow divine protection, and remove every kind of misfortune. We also ask the divine officials of Fengdu, Mount Tai, the rivers and seas, and the hills and ridges, together with the Three Officials and Nine Offices, to investigate each case as circumstances require and pardon the dead from their punishments and forced labor.

In accordance with the twelve hundred official petitions of the Supreme One, and the methods for curing illness and restraining demons transmitted by the Perfected Ones of Zhengyi and practiced by Lady Wei of Mount Heng, we ask that the Great Mysterious Lord, the Lord of the Capital, the Protecting General, and their divine generals and troops be summoned on behalf of your disciple, so-and-so, to deal with baleful influences from the graves and the lawsuits that ensnare the family. The scripture also names the deities corresponding to surnames associated with the Five Phases: the surname Jue corresponds to Goumang, Zheng to Zhurong, Shang to Rushou, Yu to Xuanming, and Gong to Gouchen Houtu. We further ask the officials of the burial grounds—the Mound Magistrate, the Grave Elder, Canglin Jun of the Two Thousand shi beneath the earth, the King of Wuyi, the Left and Right Tomb Lords, the Underground Commissioner, the Right Rank of the Tomb Ministers, and the elders of Haoli—to join in ending the lawsuits and calamities arising from the graves of your disciple’s family.

If the graves of the seven generations of grandparents, uncles, aunts, and siblings of your disciple, so-and-so, or those of relatives on either side of the family, have violated the season, orientation, terrain of the burial site, or funerary prohibitions, bringing punishment, unceasing loss, or harm to descendants, may all these troubles be resolved together, so that the living and the dead may each find peace. We also ask the deities who govern geography, the stars, calamities, and the Qi of storehouses to gather up ghosts, illness spirits, and inauspicious influences in the graves, and disperse nightmares, unsettled souls, strange disturbances in the household, and lawsuits brought by deceased relatives, whether close or distant.

We further ask the Celestial Officials’ generals and troops to protect your disciple, so-and-so, and the members of the household, drive away old baleful influences, and sever the dead’s hold over the living, so that the dead no longer disturb the living. May they infuse the living with vitality and turn misfortune into good fortune. If ghost officials of the underworld falsely assume forms and shadows, or command ghost troops to coerce the dead and entangle your disciple’s family, may they be restrained and cut off in accordance with the Mysterious Code of Nüqing, a Daoist ritual method for dealing with spirits and curbing malign influences. We also ask the generals and soldiers who redeem and rescue departed souls to relocate and deliver the deceased so-and-so, whose salvation is sought on behalf of your disciple’s family, release them from punishments and enmities, and guide them into a peaceful place within a Daoist palace. The scripture further states, in accordance with Daoist teachings, that men have three Hun souls and seven Po souls, while women have three Hun souls and fourteen Po souls.

We humbly beseech the summoned Celestial Officials, divine generals, clerks, and soldiers to fulfill their duties, release the dead from their punishments, and relieve every kind of suffering and torment. May the dead be at peace, may lawsuits cease, and may calamities and entanglements end completely. May the deceased relatives of your disciple’s family, from earlier and later generations, friends and relatives of other surnames, servants and attendants, and all those who died suddenly or unjustly, wandered without burial, or left no descendants, find peace. May the eighty-one kinds of lawsuits described above and the countless calamities and punishments all subside, never again causing trouble or harm. If any departed soul still harbors resentment and lurks in wait for an opportunity to cause harm, we ask that every such soul be gathered up and driven away, never again to create trouble.

After the petition is presented, we pray that blessings be bestowed upon the deceased relatives of your disciple’s family, from earlier and later generations, that the seven generations of ancestors and nine generations of forebears receive pardon, that their souls ascend to the Three Heavens, and that the graves be at peace and all punishments and lawsuits come to rest. May these blessings extend to future generations: may descendants flourish, advance in official careers, succeed in their studies, achieve their aims, meet with no obstruction wherever they go, live long lives, and be freed from calamities. May the elderly regain their vigor, the young enjoy long and healthy lives, dreams be peaceful, households tranquil, and illnesses cured. May the nine generations of hidden ancestors, the seven generations of forebears, and all wandering souls ascend to Heaven and swiftly attain release. The Daoist officiant conducts a Daoist ritual assembly on behalf of the family of your disciple, so-and-so, and presents petitions before the Celestial Officials and divine generals at the Three Gates of Heaven for three days, praying that lawsuits and calamities arising from the graves be resolved, the living protected, the dead delivered, and grace and blessings bestowed.

The “Petition for the Defense of the Deceased” is a formal petition intended to plead on behalf of the dead and secure their deliverance. Its contents are already comprehensive and complete. Those performing a petition-bowing ritual need not also bow in recitation of the “Petition for the Ascension and Deliverance of the Deceased,” which asks that the dead be raised to a higher state and delivered, lest doing so appear disrespectful.

These four kinds of petitions were compiled on the basis of models from ancient ritual texts and checked against the Jing of the Twelve Hundred Divine Titles. The divine officials and generals invoked in the petitions, and the duties assigned to them, are all correct.

Petition for Protection from Fire

We, the disciples of this household, bow our heads respectfully today as we present our petition. We know that our nature is ordinary and limited. Though we have long received the Daoist teachings, we have sunk into a life of toil and accumulated many faults. We fear that fires may break out through inadequate precautions within the prefecture or county, among the villages, or at homes and settlements.

Now, faced with such fear and distress, I have no way to dispel the calamities and atone for past faults on my own. I have heard that the great rites of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) and the precious memorials of the Celestial Masters (Tianshi) can save sentient beings and dispel misfortune. In the face of natural disasters, epidemics, floods, fires, droughts, and locust plagues, divine power can avert calamity and protect the people’s peace and safety. Immortals can also rescue the world and destroy demons and evil spirits. I therefore sincerely take refuge in the Great Dao and humbly ask for its protection.

My heart is filled with fear and distress. I respectfully submit this memorial on behalf of the disciples so-and-so, reporting the matter to the Celestial Bureaucracy and earnestly asking the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), the Most High Elder (Taishang Zhangren), the Celestial Master, the Female Master, and the Five Qi Lords under the Three Masters to look upon and examine it, so that the memorial I have presented may reach the Heavenly Court. I ask that the Qi of the Great Dao flow down, envelop and protect the disciples so-and-so, cleanse them of illness and calamity, and grant them long life.

I respectfully pray to the Northern Heavenly Official, Lord Xuanming, and his 120 officers and generals to drive the fire spirits and ghosts from all four directions away from the home of the disciples so-and-so, and to suppress them a thousand feet beneath the earth, so that no strange lights appear again. May they utterly destroy the evil spirits and protect the prefecture, county, and residence, keeping calamity and epidemic from intruding.

I also pray that the Northern Water Official of Ren and Gui, the officers and clerks of Hai and Zi, the River Earl and Lord of the Water Source, the Dragon King’s officials, General Xuanwu, and their many guards, soldiers, and officers all descend together. May they seize the fire spirits and ghosts, including Song Wuji, from the home of the disciples so-and-so, escort them to the Ren-Gui Water Bureau, and strictly confine them. May fires no longer break out in the prefecture, county, or residence; may strange occurrences cease, the region be peaceful, the villages quiet, the household safe, and the home blessed with good fortune. May their livelihood be abundant and their wishes fulfilled. Let these outcomes serve as proof of the efficacy of this rite.

Memorial to Wenchang

The successful candidate so-and-so and others bow their heads and state: We respectfully reflect that, in the past…

A certain number of successful examination candidates bowed to the ground and said:

We are descendants of officials and grew up amid worldly splendor and custom. Fortunately, we encountered the right circumstances and were able to receive Daoist instruction. Heaven and Earth bring forth the myriad things; our master nurtured and taught us, guiding us in the study of ritual, poetry, and the classics until we became Confucian scholars and men of letters. In cultivating ourselves and putting into practice the Five Constant Virtues—benevolence, righteousness, ritual propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness—we have often failed to understand their essential principles. We have also inevitably transgressed the Three Bonds of social ethics: ruler and subject, father and son, and husband and wife. The merit we have established is as small as a hair’s tip, while our faults have piled up like hills. As the years pass, our accumulated blemishes remain unwashed away. At the thought of standing as if before an abyss and treading as if on thin ice, we are filled with fear. We wish to bow and confess our faults, but have no way to do so.

Our families have studied the books for generations, and we ought to sit the examinations and seek official distinction. But our understanding is shallow, and neither our talent nor our virtue is complete. Though we work diligently from morning to night, the road to office remains blocked; our ambitions have not been fulfilled, while the burdens of responsibility and expectation on our shoulders grow heavier. Without seeking help, how can we realize our aspirations? Yet we also understand that success or hardship in official life is determined by fate, and that Heaven arranges wealth and rank. Good deeds bring good fortune, and only sincerity can move the spirits. We therefore pray with our utmost sincerity, offering all our devotion in the hope of establishing good merit and making some small progress.

Our good deeds are not yet deep-rooted, and our faults still await repentance and reform. From this day forward, we will surely observe the teachings, correct the errors of the past, and cultivate virtue for the future, so that we may welcome exceptional good fortune and perfect the conduct expected of Confucian scholars.

We have heard that the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), a revered Daoist deity, established the teachings and transmitted the twenty-seven grades of fasting rites—the rules governing Zhaijiao purification rituals and liturgies—which have spread among humankind. They broadly urge people toward goodness and save the world, leaving no one who can be guided beyond their reach. They can restore the vitality of the Dao to bodies grown withered and decayed, and awaken clear understanding even in those who are dull-witted. Relying on this grace, we venture to pray that our fortunes may turn for the better. We have therefore come to you, my lord, to state our case and ask you to submit a memorial on our behalf.

My learning and insight are shallow, and I do not understand the mysteries of the Great Dao. Yet, seeing that these people pray with sincerity, I find their case reasonable and worthy of being presented. Their prayers move me deeply, almost beyond what words can express. “The common people”—the yuan-yuan—means the people at large. I respectfully perform the rites on their behalf and report this matter to the Celestial Bureau. I humbly request that the Most High Lord Lao, the Most High Elder, the Celestial Master, the Female Master, the Three Masters, and the Five Qi Lords of their lineage listen and take notice. I beseech these revered deities to examine the memorial I submit and allow it to reach the celestial court. May they help Confucian learning flourish and worthy men advance together, so that the learning of poetry and the classics may spread, and both civil virtue and military achievement may be cultivated. In this way, human relationships may be strengthened, filial respect fulfilled, moral instruction refined, and customs transformed, in repayment for the nurturing grace of Heaven and Earth.

In accordance with established rites, I respectfully submit one thousand two hundred official memorials. I petition the Lords of the Master’s Court to send one hundred and twenty officials and generals to reside at Purple Canopy Palace. I also petition the Clear and Bright Lord of the Eastern Well to descend with the memorial and infuse the one hundred and twenty joints of the bodies of the examination candidates with his warm, gentle, pure, and luminous spirit. May this spirit spread between their livers and diaphragms, transform their intentions, cleanse their five viscera, calm their spirits, and protect their true Qi. May it drive away the Three Corpses—the spirits said to dwell in the human body and obstruct cultivation—and destroy the Nine Worms. May it remove the false and preserve the true, clear away turbidity and move toward purity, turn them from death toward vitality, and avert calamity and bring good fortune. May it open their minds, enable them to understand the teachings of the sages, bring fluency to their writing, and allow them to succeed in their studies.

Next, I petition the Lord of the Five Classics’ Confucian Qi and one hundred and twenty officials and generals to reside at the Palace of Nine Marvels, specifically to open the minds of these examination candidates. May they retain what they have heard and not easily forget it; may their wisdom become complete and clear, and their talent and understanding surpass those of ordinary people.

I further petition one thousand two hundred Jade Maidens of the Heavenly King, dressed in blue and commanding the assembled officials, to bestow seals and cords of office—emblems of appointment and authority—upon these examination candidates and assist them in their work, so that they may communicate with the spirits. I also petition one thousand two hundred Plain Maidens of the Jade Register, dressed in red, to gather in their souls and bring them back into their bodies, record their names in the Mysterious Register of the Jade Almanac, and inscribe their allotted years in the cinnabar register.

If these examination candidates seek a degree and wish to succeed in the examinations, I petition the deities who govern the constellations to submit a memorial and convey their request to the Southern Dipper, the Palace of Wenchang, the Eastern Wall Library, and the stellar officials who oversee worthy men and ranks and emoluments. May they reveal auspicious signs and spread numinous light, so that good omens shine upon the candidates and they are granted examination degrees.

If these examination candidates seek eligibility for the prefectural examinations and assistance in the tribute examinations, I petition the spirits who secretly oversee these matters to command the numinous and responsive deities in charge of the examinations in each region to inspect the examination halls, review the candidates’ conduct and learning, and judge their relative merits fairly. May the learning and virtue of these candidates steadily improve and good fortune gather around them; may their examinations proceed smoothly and the examination halls remain peaceful; may their names appear on the list of successful candidates, and may they leave a good reputation in the Jade Hall, the offices of the imperial court. May all their wishes be fulfilled, their blessings and emoluments be fitting, and their family’s pure and upright traditions be passed down through generations. May they serve the state loyally, preserve the family’s tradition of learning without interruption, and help revive the Confucian way. Let these achievements serve as proof of the spirits’ grace.

The formal style for sealing is as follows: in the body of the document, replace “Meritorious Petition” with “Primordial Venerable of the Three Realms.” Make the same change to the contents of both the inner and outer covers.

Inner Cover:

The Great Dao, Supreme and Boundless

[Full title of the presiding master], your servant respectfully seals within

Before the Jade Steps of the Lord Lao of the Golden Palace

Square Case:

Respectfully presented with a vermilion-stamped document on yellow silk

[Full title of the presiding master], your servant respectfully seals without

Before the Jade Steps of the Supreme Venerable of Great Clarity

The outer case is written in the same format.

Wooden Box:

Make a cloth bag from bright yellow silk or damask, sized to fit the wooden box. Tie the mouth of the bag with a cord to form the seal head. The presiding master, the Daoist who leads the Zhaijiao purification ritual, writes a talisman and applies a seal to it.

“Vermilion-stamped document on yellow silk, in a wooden box, respectfully presented to the Celestial Pivot Office of Upper Clarity, the heavenly Daoist agency in charge of petitions. We humbly request that the Immortal Bureau receive and forward it for presentation before the Jade Steps of the Supreme Venerable of Great Clarity.”

The presiding master’s title should not be followed by “your servant respectfully”; write only “protectively sealed.”

Some people make the wooden box with two or three nested layers. Though this looks refined, it is unsuitable when the vermilion-stamped document is burned and presented, since the process should not be delayed. The fire cannot reach the innermost layer at once, and after the petition rite is complete, one is always left feeling that something remains unfinished. If a wooden box is used, it should be kept simple. Some people also seal it with wax, which is an even greater violation of the prohibitions. Paper should not be burned by lamplight or candlelight in the first place; how much more so for a petition document? Wax melts in the heat and seeps into the paper, staining and damaging it. The sealing methods commonly used in the secular world cannot simply be applied here.

End of Volume One of Established Daoist Rites

Volume Two of Established Daoist Rites

Compiled by the Daoist Pu’an Lü Yuansu of Western Shu

Edited by the Reclusive True Man of Zhuling, Hu Xianglong of Xingzhai

The paper used for memorials, petitions, formal petitions, and invocations is one chi and two cun in height.

Titles of the Nine Sovereigns

Below the Golden Palace of the Cavern of Truth, the Great Dao, the Natural High Perfected One, the Great Sage, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning transformed the single Qi (the primordial energy present at the birth of the cosmos) into the Three Powers: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. During the first great calamity of the Longhan era, a primordial cosmic age, he proclaimed the Way of the Cavern of Perfection (Dongzhen) and taught beings in Heaven and among humanity. He is the source of the myriad Ways.

Before the Golden Portal of the Great Sage, the Dao Lord, Jade Sovereign of the Primordial Emperor of the Jade Dawn, Lord of the Great Way of the Cavern of Mystery (addressing the Lingbao Celestial Worthy, master of the Cavern of Mystery):

The Dao Lord was born in the heavenly realm of Yufen and received the teachings of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. During the Chiming calamity, he proclaimed the Way of the Cavern of Mystery, enlightening and saving living beings.

Before the Golden Portal of the Great Sage, the Celestial Worthy Who Descended into the World, the Old Lord of the Dark Origin, Golden Portal, and Primordial Mystery, Lord of the Great Way of the Cavern of Spirit (addressing the Old Lord, master of the Cavern of Spirit):

Since the creation of Heaven and Earth, the Old Lord has served as teacher to emperors of successive dynasties. During the Kaihuang calamity, he proclaimed the Way of the Cavern of Spirit and, by command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, descended into the world during the Shang and Zhou dynasties to teach living beings.

Before the Jade Steps of the August Emperor of the Vast Heaven, Jade Sovereign, Who Opened Heaven, Holds the Talisman, Governs the Calendar, Embraces Reality, and Embodies the Way (addressing the August Emperor of the Vast Heaven, Jade Sovereign):

By command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Jade Sovereign descended into the world during the Shang and Zhou dynasties to teach living beings.

Before the Jade Steps of the August Emperor of the Vast Heaven, Jade Sovereign, Who Opened Heaven, Holds the Talisman, Governs the Calendar, Embraces Reality, and Embodies the Way (addressing the August Emperor of the Vast Heaven, Jade Sovereign):

The Jade Sovereign is the August Lord of Heaven whom the imperial court worships at the Round Mound altar. It is said that Zhenwu, the Creator, once remarked, “I serve the Jade Emperor. I see only red clouds billowing through the Hall of Manifest Brightness; that is when the Lord holds court. I have never been able to see his face.”

Before the Jade Steps of the Great Emperor of the Ziwei Celestial Pole in the Upper Palace (addressing the Great Emperor of the Ziwei Celestial Pole in the Upper Palace):

Among the stellar officials of Gouchen is a star called the Great Emperor of Heaven. His divine title is Yaopo, and he is in fact charged with governing and commanding all the gods.

Before the Jade Steps of the Great Emperor of the Ziwei Northern Pole at the Center of Heaven (addressing the Great Emperor of the Ziwei Northern Pole at the Center of Heaven):

There are five stars at the Northern Pole. The one at their center is the Great Emperor Ziwei, also called Beichen. The saying “He remains in his place, while the many stars pay homage around him” means that he dwells at the center, encircled and guarded by the stars. The other four stars assist him, move according to the courses of the stars, and receive his rightful commands.

Before the Earth Sovereign, Empress of the Earth, Who Bears Heaven, Follows its Pattern, and Embodies Great Virtue and Radiance (addressing the Earth Sovereign, Empress of the Earth):

The Empress of the Earth is the Earth Sovereign whom the imperial court worships at the Square Marsh altar. The August Lord of Heaven and the Earth Sovereign, Empress of the Earth, revered by emperors, are together called the Venerable Ones of Heaven and Earth and regarded respectively as the Father of Heaven and the Mother of Earth.

Petition for Inviting the Nine Sovereigns

Your servant, a Daoist priest holding the full rank of High Merit, who presides over Zhaijiao (purification rituals), submits this petition before the Golden Portal of the sacred deity (addressing the honored god). At the request of the Daoist sponsor of the purification rite, a certain member of a certain household from a certain place, your servant respectfully sets out the petition’s purpose in brief. The Empress of the Earth is the Earth Sovereign whom the imperial court worships at the Square Marsh altar; the August Lord of Heaven and the Earth Sovereign, Empress of the Earth, revered by emperors, are together called the Father of Heaven and the Mother of Earth.

Petition for Inviting the Nine Sovereigns

As the presiding ritual master, I, your subject So-and-so, submit a memorial to the Holy Venerable Ones in the Golden Palace (the celestial court). The matter I report is this: a certain household in the local community, devoted to the Dao and serving as the ritual sponsors, wishes to express its intentions. On a certain day and at a certain hour, at a certain place, they will establish an altar and commission us to conduct a Daoist ritual assembly. On a certain day, at the Zi or Chou hour, they will set up an altar for a certain Jiao rite and respectfully invite a number of the Most High Perfected Ones to descend and receive offerings. When the ceremony is complete, the deities will be escorted back. All that remains is to purify and prepare the altar and solemnly carry out the liturgy. Though my abilities are modest, I have had the good fortune to be entered in the registers of ritual offices. My duty is to save living beings and assist the growth of all things. When anyone sincerely prays for help, how could I dare not convey the request on their behalf?

I am filled with awe and fear, and bow my head twice. I humbly ask the Holy Venerable Ones to look with compassion upon the wishes of mortals, extend their grace and pity to all beings, and pour forth the light of compassion. May they descend to the altar and fulfill the hopes of both the human and celestial realms, so that blessings reach the family and the state, the unseen and visible worlds, and this Jiao rite may be brought to a perfect conclusion. I look up to the Holy Venerable Ones with the utmost trepidation and earnestness. I respectfully prepare this memorial and submit it for their sacred attention. I, your subject So-and-so, am filled with awe and fear, bow my head twice, and submit this petition.

On a certain year, month, and day, I, your subject So-and-so, presiding ritual master, respectfully submit this memorial.

The inner slip reads:

I, your humble subject So-and-so, petition on behalf of a certain household devoted to the Dao, which is establishing a certain Daoist ritual site and respectfully inviting the sacred retinue to descend.

Format for the memorial envelope:

Before the Golden Palace bearing the sacred name, I, your subject So-and-so, holding the rank of presiding ritual master, respectfully seal this.

For the square envelope, place the memorial documents inside one after another, following this format.

One sealed packet respectfully presenting the memorial, to be sent to the Upper Realm.

I, your subject So-and-so, holding the rank of presiding ritual master, respectfully seal this.

Before the sacred name.

Petition to the Nine Sovereigns:

When performing a Jiao rite, a single memorial is sufficient for petitioning the Nine Sovereigns. Use this format, and prepare the inner slip as in the preceding example.

I, your subject So-and-so, with full title and rank.

I, your servant So-and-so, reflect that I have respectfully been entered in the register of precious talismans, the record used when a Daoist receives talismans and registers, and have been fortunate enough to serve as an official in a ritual jurisdiction. At the initial covenant, we agreed to proclaim the wondrous Dao and save and protect living beings. When someone sincerely petitions us, how could we set that petition aside? I now submit a memorial concerning a family of the Dao in [place of origin and residence], for whom I am conducting the ritual services from the initial petition through the concluding dispersal. The ritual altar is now prepared, and the secret rites have just begun. Looking up to Heaven’s compassion, I humbly ask that blessings descend. I therefore must submit this report.

The above concerns a family of the Dao in [place of origin and residence], for whom I, your servant So-and-so, am conducting the ritual services from the initial petition through the concluding dispersal. The ritual altar is now prepared, and the secret rites have just begun. Looking up to Heaven’s compassion, I humbly ask that blessings descend. I therefore must submit this report.

I, your servant So-and-so, respectfully dare to submit this petition and request the bestowal of a sacred title. I await the imperial decree.

On [year], [month], [day], I, your servant So-and-so, submit this petition, listing my officiating ritual master’s full titles.

Standard Petition for Requesting a Talismanic Command and Submitting a Memorial

I, your servant So-and-so, officiating ritual master, with my full titles listed below.

I, your servant So-and-so, respectfully dare to report: I am conducting a ritual for a certain person of the Dao in [place of origin and residence], from the initial petition through the concluding dispersal, as described above. Though unworthy, I hold a place among the offices of the perfected and am charged with saving and delivering beings. I therefore carry out the Supreme One’s talismanic command, the Golden Register’s white document used to recommend and deliver the dead, and the cloud-script talismanic proclamation, on behalf of the deceased So-and-so whom I am recommending for deliverance, all the departed spirits gathered here, and all beings in the Six Realms of rebirth.

I fear that the deceased has not yet been freed from guilt in the underworld, remains detained in the realm of the dead, and cannot escape, obstructing their deliverance. I respectfully submit this petition to the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, listing the full titles, and humbly beseech the Worthy beneath the Golden Palace to show special compassion and grant my request. I ask that an edict be issued to the Eastern Peak’s offices of the dead, directing the offices of land and water and all subordinate departments concerned to pardon the offenses of the deceased So-and-so and the others, so that they may begin anew, come in full to the ritual altar, and receive its merit. I also beseech the broad diffusion of the Dao’s Qi, its vital energy, to cover and protect the talismanic documents, so that all the divine offices responsible may know of and carry out this command.

I, your servant So-and-so, have offended Heaven’s authority and am filled with utmost fear. I respectfully submit this petition.

On [year], [month], [day], I, your servant So-and-so, submit this petition, listing my officiating ritual master’s full titles.

Petition to the Celestial Pivot Court

When conducting a jiao rite for averting calamity and the like—a Daoist ritual in which an altar is set up for sacrifices and prayers—delete the four characters “Nüqing Shaoshu.”

Enter the officiant’s full title and name, but do not use the title “your subject.”

The document on the right conveys the same meaning as the Nine Sovereigns Memorial (Jiuhuang Biao) and is used when the ritual service is complete and the altar is being dismantled. We have now reverently and solemnly set up the altar and begun the liturgy. Matters reported to the Nine Heavens of Purity must pass through the Central Secretariat of the Immortals. We therefore first submit several memorials requesting an audience with the sacred beings, and respectfully ask that they be forwarded on our behalf. We recall that the Celestial Master established the teachings so that later generations might practice them; all exchanges of official documents must therefore rely on one’s celestial rank. We have copied this document and submit it to the Celestial Pivot Bureau, asking the True Lord Who Supports the Teachings of the Three Heavens, Orthodox Unity, Assists the Mysterious, and Responds in Stillness to review it. We earnestly implore the sacred and compassionate One to forward it in particular. After the ritual service is complete, we entrust all memorial texts and other documents to the divine official on duty, to deliver and submit them to the immortal court.

We also ask for compassion toward the ordinary and unenlightened, and for the Nüqing edicts and the central bureau’s official documents required for use at the altar to be granted to us through hidden divine power, so that every matter we report may be carried out with due care. The jiao altar is now prepared, and we respectfully await the descent of the immortal perfected beings. We look up to them to grace the altar and bear witness to, and seal their covenant upon, the matters we have undertaken in cultivation and worship. I, So-and-so, presume to address the divine power, filled with fear and reverence, and respectfully submit this document.

On [year, month, day], I, So-and-so, with the following full title and name as officiant, submit this document.

Memorial to the Five Masters

Enter the officiant’s full title and name, but do not use the title “your subject.”

A certain person, a resident of a certain place and a lay follower of the Dao, has stated their wishes and presented a written petition bearing talismanic instructions. The Zhaijiao rites have now been completed. We have respectfully submitted our memorial and proclaimed the liturgical procedures at the incense-scented ritual altar. We have carefully recorded the petition and request that the Great Master of the Profound Mystery of the Lingbao tradition, the Lingbao Scripture Master, the Lingbao Register Master, the Lingbao Salvation Master, and the Great Lingbao Ritual Supervisor descend.

We humbly hope that all the sacred perfected beings will show compassion and come by cloud chariot to the Daoist ritual grounds. Please present our sincere prayers on our behalf and inspect the Zhaijiao rites, so that the wishes of ordinary people may be conveyed above, and both the unseen realm and the visible world may receive blessings. We have offended the sacred dignity and are filled with fear and trepidation. We respectfully submit this petition.

On [year, month, day], [full official title of the ritual master] respectfully submits this petition.

Petition to the Three Administrations

[Full official title of the ritual master]; does not style himself as a subject.

A certain person, a resident of a certain place and a lay follower of the Dao, has the wishes stated in the preceding petition. The Zhaijiao rites have now been completed. We now respectfully conduct the ritual at the altar and guide …