《靈寶無量度人上經大法》Vol. 30

Items for the Application of Averting and Deliverance Rites

The Master said: When the movements of Heaven and Earth fall into disorder, one should write the Textual Patterns of the Dragon Seal and Phoenix Qi (longzhang fengqi zhi wen) on plain silk, place it on a famous mountain, and chant and cultivate this scripture to avert the calamities and anomalies.

If the stars move erratically and the sun and moon grow dim, one should write the Five Elders' Vermilion Writing and Jade Character True Script in cinnabar on yellow silk, place it on a famous mountain, and avert the disaster by chanting and cultivating this scripture.

If the seasons lose their order and yin and yang fall out of balance, one should write the Pattern of the Great Brahma Correct Sound in cinnabar on blue silk, and place it in the village, a shrine, or a famous mountain, then avert the calamity by chanting and cultivating this scripture.

If the ruler of the state meets with disaster or wars arise on all sides, one should write the Secret Names of the Thirty-Two Heavens in cinnabar on yellow silk, wear it on the body, and avert the calamity by chanting and cultivating this scripture.

If epidemics spread and the common people suffer deaths, one should write the Correct Sounds of the Thirty-Two Heavens in cinnabar on green silk, wear it on the body, and avert the calamity by chanting and cultivating this scripture.

If a teacher or a friend passes away, one should write the Hidden Words and Immeasurable Sounds of Great Brahma in cinnabar on yellow silk and burn it to deliver the deceased.

Whenever these rites are performed, the practitioner should visualize himself or herself becoming the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable, form the mudra by pressing the middle joint of the middle finger, gather the Three Qi of the Heavenly Gate, and face south while writing. One should then perform the zhaijiao (purification ritual) according to the prescribed method, write the fulu (talismans and registers) and recite the scripture with a focused and sincere mind. When this is done, the heavens will record the practitioner's name, the myriad spirits will receive orders to guard them, and the practitioner will become a minister of the Golden Gate and be recommended by the Demon Kings.

Dragon Seal and Phoenix Qi Sacred Text

The following is the sacred textual pattern used in the rite. Composed of divine names, celestial titles, and symbolic phrases, it is chiefly meant for recitation and is not ordinary narrative prose:

Gazing, awakening, the luxuriant azure; great brightness, the purple numen. The Nine Spirits deliver the souls; they open and cleave the Jade Perfected. A-yi, weiye, the glowing brilliance; the flying heaven flows with sound. The wheel of radiance and the eternal sovereign; the capital of spirits nourishes and arrives. Huoluo, the great pardon; the auspicious clouds open the numinous. The Seven Luminaries shine on the demons; tranquil, they spread their blossoms. Void and non-being, the supreme head; the heavenly order fills the Polar Palace. The four exclamations nurture the images; they cleanse the radiance and soar with essence. Radiant crimson, the cavern yang; the floating scene, the jade light. The Seven Spirits chant their songs; the origin of the world is the purple hall. An array of blossoms scatters its radiance; the bright jade chamber shines. The Eight Dawns govern the beasts; Shao the lord gathers essence. The nine capitals soar and flourish; fly, be born, and ascend to the supreme numen. A dense net of pure realms; fragrant nurture in empty discourse. Irrigate the yellow flowers; auspicious cloud and dark brightness. The divine palace opens wide and extends to the cinnabar court. The Great Way floats in the scene; the true settlement transforms the origin. Winding and plain, vast and remote; jade beams clear the smoke. Lofty peaks gather; radiance spreads over the Seven Ranges. Elegant coils rest over the Three Offices; flowing light pours over the Nine Mysteries. Silent, void, and remote; flying flowers brush the carriage. The dawn overflows the registers, and the vast desert extends beyond.

Within the Ahqiu, nine-fold transformations appear, six dragons dance, and the clouds around the carriage shafts are dense. The purple essence (Jing) flows richly in the deep abyss.

Heaven and earth were still mixed and undivided, and from this the myriad things were gestated. Nine crucial transformations formed the vault of heaven, which covers and enfolds all things, while abundant De (Virtue) bears the forms of beings. Primordial Qi (Yuanqi) turns like a flowing river, Jing (essence) sinks deep and gathers, and it nurtures the blossom of vitality.

Bright scenery emerges from subtle depths, and the light of dawn is delicate. Clouds spread widely, Taihui governs the four directions, and Xiule and the Forbidden Heaven are lofty, remote, and clear.

Before the cosmic cycles of Zixu, Tuoqiu and the like alternated, Sanskrit chanting resounded among the jade-blue mists, faint and subtle, as the Shen (spirit) roamed in the primordial realm of Yuanshi.

Six transformations set the cosmic cycles in motion, cutting off evil deeds and transgressions. The vast and profound mysterious realm thus unfolds, and all living beings are universally delivered and attain the Dao of the immortals.

The above is the "Longzhang Fengqi Zhuanwen" (seal-script scripture named for the Dragon Patterns and Phoenix Qi), and the closing "Lingbao Wuliang Dure Shangjing Dafa, Juzhi Sanshi" (Lingbao Wuliang Dure Shangjing Dafa, Scroll Thirty) gives the title and scroll number of this volume.