《靈寶無量度人上經大法》Vol. 71

Inviting the Ritual Master

Ritual regulations prescribe that purification rites are performed to deliver beings in the human world and the celestial realm, and to save and protect all kinds of living beings. To establish a solemn ritual altar, one must have a ritual master preside. The master should possess the appropriate Fulu (talismans and registers), be well versed in liturgy, understand the rules governing ceremonial conduct, be able to visualize the spirits and contemplate the True Dao, and preside over rites such as making invocations and presenting petitions. The master must also dispel improper thoughts and ensure that the ritual proceedings are orderly and properly arranged. Only then can the rite accord with the Heavenly Dao, embody the Great Dao, and open a broad path of expedient means to save all who have sunk into suffering. Because the ritual master has profound virtue and outstanding merit and cannot easily be replaced, the master is honored as the “Treasure of the Master.”

If the ritual master holds an official religious rank among the officials of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen), the master may take part in Dongxuan rites. If no suitable person is available, a Dongxuan ritual master may preside, while Zixu or Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) ritual masters serve as the assisting officials. Purification rites originate in Lingbao and belong to the Dongxuan lineage, so it is fitting for a Dongxuan ritual master to preside. Other Daoists who have received and observe the Ten Precepts and hold white registers must not casually claim ritual offices or usurp their titles.

Whenever a purification rite is to be performed to seek deliverance for the dead and aid for the living, a person of pure virtue who diligently practices the Dao must first be sought out. Such a person may live in a quiet Daoist monastery or withdraw into the mountains and forests; they are esteemed for their reputation and virtue and respected within the Daoist community. After the community has discussed and approved the choice, divination is performed to confirm an auspicious day. The participants then fast and bathe to purify body and mind, choose a favorable day, sincerely write a petition of invitation, entrust themselves to the Dao, and earnestly state their request, placing it in the ritual master’s care. If the invitation is not yet accepted, they should appeal again with sincerity and remain wholly single-minded. The invitation may be made at most three times; only after it has been accepted may preparations for the rite begin.

Above are the August Heavens; below are the vast Earth, as well as the underworld ruled by the nether officials. The worlds in the ten directions are boundless, and the Three Realms are beyond measure. Without the profound merit and clear practice of a lineage master, how could one connect the hidden realms with the human world and remove the barriers between the earthly and celestial realms? Only someone deeply learned in the Dao and versed in its mysteries, able to guide the living and the dead and show the way between the human and celestial realms, deserves the title “High Merit” (the presiding ritual master in Daoist purification and offering rites). Those of lesser learning who chase only wealth and profit, invoke a false pretext to preside over an altar, and conduct rites in secret will merely waste their strength and squander resources. Such people are unlikely to escape having their offenses recorded by the Three Officials, the deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water. How, then, could they expect the rite to receive a divine response?

Submitting the Petition

The document reads:

“Stating our native place: Daoist disciple [name] and family members respectfully submit this petition.

We now state our request: to perform a rite of deliverance for the deceased [name]. The deceased passed away at the age of …” (The original text ends here.)

A person was born in a certain year, month, day, and hour, lived at a certain place, and later died there. The body has now been placed in its coffin and buried at a certain site. Fearing that the deceased’s soul and consciousness have not yet been delivered from suffering, the family has chosen a festival now being observed to sincerely prepare a rite of offerings to the ten directions. At a certain place, they have invited several Daoist priests to conduct a supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat, a Daoist purification rite performed to pray for the dead and deliver them from suffering, lasting for a number of days and nights. When the retreat has concluded, they will hold a Pure Offering Rite, a Daoist rite of prayer and sacrifice, to ask that the deceased, a certain person, be granted repentance and have his transgressions dispelled, so that he may be aided in his deliverance. They also pray that the ancestors, relatives, and relations by marriage represented at the altar, together with beings in the six realms, the three paths of suffering, the nine depths, and the five destinies, as well as the lingering dead and solitary souls in the underworld offices, may all, through this meritorious connection, ascend together to the realm of the immortals.

With sincere devotion, we have prepared this petition and respectfully submitted it to the ritual master. We humbly pray that the master, in his compassion, will carry out the rite of deliverance according to the liturgy. We dare not presume to decide matters on our own and respectfully await the master’s instructions.

Petition

On the first day of a certain month in a certain year of a certain reign era, on a certain Jiazi day, the relatives residing in a certain prefecture, county, and township, with the reverent hearts of those who have fasted and bathed, bow their heads and prostrate themselves twice before the Reverend Ritual Master of a certain cavern:

When the primal Qi (ancestral Qi) of Heaven and Earth first divided, all things came under the shelter of the Dao. Once the source of the Great Dao had opened forth, its lineage was passed down from generation to generation, and the ancestral line of the perfected beings continued. We revere those deeply versed in Daoist learning, who can enter into profound understanding of the mysterious teachings. We therefore presume to set out this sacrificial rite and respectfully ask the master to look upon it with favor.

We reflect that the deceased, a certain person, had formed a bond with the true Dao during his life and was thus able to be born as a human being. Yet he lived in a world made up of earth, water, fire, and wind, and was also drawn by the conditions of greed, anger, craving, and aversion. He did not understand that worldly affairs are illusory and impermanent; instead, he accumulated many transgressions. Now he has suddenly fallen into the underworld, forever cut off from the sunlight of the human realm. Without the aid of mysterious rites, how could he be rescued from the suffering of sinking in the underworld? We have therefore sought widely for those who possess the Dao and specially established a sacred altar.

We respectfully reflect that you, Master, have realized the Great Dao and are wholly upright and without deceit. You devote yourself to the realm of emptiness, stillness, and tranquility, and understand the meaning of the Three Caverns and Four Supplements, the principal divisions of Daoist scriptures. You are a guide to beings in the ten directions and three realms. You open the gateway to the Mysterious Gate and build a ferry for those adrift in the sea of suffering. Beings in Heaven, the human world, and the underworld all admire your virtue and receive your beneficence.

We humbly pray that you extend your great compassion and grant our earnest request: may you send forth your spirit and command the Qi, reaching across the Three Realms, the heavenly regions above; may you issue decrees and talismans and registers to rescue the deceased from the torments of the nine springs. May auspicious clouds descend and life-giving force never cease; may numinous winds gather, so that the deceased’s bones rise like smoke. May this suffering soul attain the fruit of becoming a perfected immortal. We also pray that the souls of the Nine Generations of Ancestors, still detained in the underworld, and the wandering spirits of the six paths…

All living beings have ascended to the homeland of liberation and arrived together at the far shore, deep and wondrous. With hearts utterly sincere in taking refuge, they find that what they wish to say cannot be fully expressed. Daring to look up and receive the radiance of the divine powers, they are stirred and filled with urgency.

With reverence, we offer this address.

We now invoke and pledge our vows.

The presiding Daoist master ascends the ritual seat, while the assembled clergy stand in their ranks and open the ritual space. When the ceremony reaches the disciples’ address, the disciple finishes reading, and the presiding master raises incense and offers this prayer:

On Jade Capital Mountain in the land of Fuli, primordial Qi has gathered for countless ages, while mists and rosy clouds swirl around it. A hundred and a thousand sincere thoughts and beliefs reach the divine powers; their roots wind beneath Qianlin, and auspicious clouds spread throughout the Great Void. Now a single precious stick of incense burns in the golden censer, and the gods of the Three Realms and Ten Directions bow in reverence.

Holding incense and ritual tablets, we present our petition to the divine powers:

Today we burn incense in offering to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the Three Realms, the Ten Extremes, and the Ten Splendors; to the unsurpassed, supremely true Three Treasures of the Dao (the Way), the scriptures, and the masters; to the thousand spirits and myriad perfected ones of the Three Realms and Ten Directions; and to the responsive divine ruler who presides over the Yellow Register Zhaijiao rites. We humbly pray that the gods, riding dragons and phoenixes, flying through the sky and treading the void, will descend upon this ritual space and bear witness to this merit.

The wonder of the Dao shares its source with the Primordial Beginning and is the foundation of all that truly exists. Its workings are precise and ordered, governing all things. Before the three primordial Qi first divided, the Dao was still and formless, the source of ultimate emptiness and nonbeing. Vast and natural, it brought forth the myriad things. The Dao arose at the beginning of the appearances of Heaven and Earth, hidden within the hollow and formless. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning unfurled the charts of the scriptures and proclaimed five sacred texts in the azure sky. The Dao of the Cavern Mystery opened the hidden mysteries and set out ten ways of deliverance in its foundational chapters. Life continues without end, and its principles cannot be exhausted. The source of the transformations of the myriad things can neither be named nor fathomed.

The Dao sets Yin and Yang in motion, opening and closing their Qi so that the myriad things come into being. It takes cherishing life as its De (Virtue/Power) and abides alone, enduring forever. Its efficacy lies in following what is natural and exerting no control. Who can understand the true ruler? The Dao is neither an ordinary way nor an ordinary name. It abandons no person and leaves no thing behind.

From the age of the Three Sovereigns, people could still unite with the Dao. By the end of the age of the Five Emperors, the Dao had gradually withdrawn from them. Human desires overcame the principles of Heaven; illusions clouded the mind and dimmed its awakened nature. People could no longer preserve their lives or cherish their spirit. Instead, they turned ever farther from truth and toward falsehood. Life begins here, and death comes from here as well. Their comings and goings are drawn along by external things, while right awareness sinks beneath joy, anger, greed, and resentment. They cast the eternal, true Dao beyond a world of dreams and bubbles, ultimately bringing ruin upon themselves and departing from their original nature.

Those who turn away from their original nature suffer punishment from ghosts and spirits, as every kind of calamity descends upon them: swords and blades cross like snow and frost; raging fires blaze, and freezing prisons loom high. These sufferings in the Ninefold Underworld are all brought upon oneself by a single mistaken thought. Only when people cry out in anguish there do they realize that their past actions were wrong, but by then it is too late. Even when manifestations appear to rescue the suffering, they have yet to receive the great grace of deliverance. Their many offenses gather and continue to turn in an unending cycle…

The Most High, an honorific used in Daoism for the supreme deity, widely dispenses methods of salvation, compiling and promoting the scriptures of the Yellow Register rites, the great Daoist purification rituals, so that texts illuminating the True Dao may circulate far and wide. Riding a divine chariot drawn by five phoenixes and eight luan birds, he seeks out and rescues beings in the ten directions. He issues talismans and registers of nine dragons and two tigers, opening a passage through the Six Paths. He transforms clouds and mist into a pure, sweet jade dew, white as snow, and dispels the veils of calamity like fire, revealing the radiance of Lingbao, the scriptures and teachings revered in Daoism. The sword trees lose their blades, and the cauldrons of boiling water, where suffering souls are said to be punished, grow still. The officials who govern the underworld everywhere carry out the liturgical procedures for salvation. Beings in the Three Realms all take refuge, and all rejoice and submit with gladness.

When the nine scrolls of scripture had been read, Lihua was delivered beyond suffering; through this, a fearless man also received a summons from the Northern Emperor, the deity who rules the north. This is an unsurpassed opportunity, and the karmic reward it brings is truly beyond measure. The Primordial Emperor, a Daoist deity, proclaims the teachings, while sages and perfected ones throughout the ages transmit and disseminate the scriptures. Daoist scriptures are divided into thirty-six sections, with the Scripture for Delivering Humanity foremost among them. Purification rites are divided into seventy-two grades, and the Yellow Register Great Rite is the grandest. Ge Xiangong and the Perfected Left Xuan transmitted the teachings of the Great Cavern Scripture; Perfected Zhang Jingying spread the methods of Zhengyi, or Orthodox Unity. The branches of Daoist teachings flow from their source in a vast, boundless current. The methods and scriptural teachings continue to develop and be passed down without end. This is due both to the breadth of their merit and to the solemnity of their precepts.

Without a steadfast and sincere heart, how could one hear of or witness the regulations of the Great Rite? Today, the person sponsoring the Yellow Register Great Rite, so-and-so, takes refuge in the ten directions and petitions the Three Heavens, the Daoist heavens. Remembering the ancestors and fulfilling filial duties through good works, this person hopes to deliver countless generations of forebears. Through purification rites and the accumulation of merit, they also seek to aid many departed souls. They have prepared offerings, including patterned silks, and laid them out with dignity; they have respectfully readied tokens of devotion and widely invited practitioners of pure and quiet ways to join in the Assembly for Illuminating the True. Such a ceremony should be presided over and conducted by an accomplished adept.

A person like me is no more than an ordinary mortal, a junior of scant learning within the Mysterious Gate. I am deeply ashamed to have received the precepts of the Nine Perfected and been entrusted with scriptures of the Three Caverns. I have not yet penetrated the True Dao; how could I be qualified to attain the wondrous union of body and spirit? My virtue is shallow too; how could I bring Heaven and Earth into unity? I ought instead to cast off the burdens of the body, shut out the cleverness of ear and eye, withdraw to the mountains, and draw near to the marshlands. Why, then, through worldly ties, have I been granted this solemn charge? The thought fills me with trepidation and makes me all the more aware of the need for sincere reverence.

How could I dare neglect the rules and precepts of the liturgy, or fail to make my plea to Heaven? With a foolish yet unwavering sincerity, I proclaim the teachings of the Great Dao’s Wuwei, non-action. This is like carrying a mountain across the sea, or cutting down a crane’s legs and grafting them onto a wild duck’s: I am plainly unfit for the task. A short rope cannot draw water from an abyss, and adepts of the Great Dao would surely laugh at my presumption. Fortunately, this undertaking has its own causes and conditions, and capable people are here to help. They are guides in the sea of the teachings and masters of their religious lineages. They support one another and do not scorn someone as mediocre as me.

Only when everyone accepts the precepts together can the rites be brought to completion. Moreover, the liturgical regulations record every detail, with merits and transgressions entered separately in the registers of the Three Officials and Five Emperors, and in the lists of the Nine Courts and Four Offices. Nothing, however minute, is overlooked. No one may act carelessly or neglect the rites, lest the blessings of recommending the dead and conducting the purification retreat be harmed. Therefore, one must report to Heaven and Earth, swear before the spirits, and each person must give their whole heart to the undertaking, without harboring other thoughts. Only then can merit be entered in the cinnabar registers—the sacred ledgers of merit in Daoism—so that the seven generations of ancestors may ascend to Heaven. One must not allow transgressions to be entered in the black books, causing the nine generations of the departed to fall. When ascending the altar and when first receiving one’s office, one should uphold these vows and respectfully ask the holy spirits to witness them.

Now the purification retreat has been conducted with solemn dignity, and the vows and prayers are complete. The jade pendants ring out clearly, as though their sound reaches the ten directions. Everyone’s bearing is neat and grave as they look up and await the descent of the myriad saints. With purified intentions and hearts united in sincerity, all take part together in this exceptional ritual.

The Mysterious Rite for Delivering the Dead

The Mysterious Master said: Once the petition requesting the rite has been submitted, choose an auspicious site, determine an auspicious day, and announce the purification retreat. With due solemnity, summon those who share the same commitment to enter the quiet chamber where Daoists practice their rites, and undertake the retreat together. First report to Heaven, prepare the written documents, and send notice to the Ten Heavens, Nine Earths, Three Origins, and Nine Provinces, so that every document reaches its destination. Recite the scriptures and sacred names, explain the liturgical teachings, burn incense and observe the retreat, establish the altar and present memorials, summon and draw in the spirits, examine the signs of response, issue talismanic commands, and await spiritual communion. Let the merit extend throughout the realms of the unseen and the living; let the ritual name be inscribed in the Jade Clarity, the abode of Daoist deities, so that all beneath Heaven may receive its grace and, in due course, ascend to Heaven.

The instructions say: The submitted petition is the disciple’s application for conducting a grand purification retreat. It must express filial devotion and compassion, loyalty and uprightness, and be earnest and selfless; only then may the request for the dead’s deliverance be granted. An auspicious site means a famous mountain, grotto-heaven, blessed land, quiet retreat, mysterious altar, palace, or temple. Any place that has not been a battlefield and is not an impure site such as a slaughterhouse, prison, birthing room, or graveyard may be called auspicious.

To determine an auspicious day and announce the purification retreat means choosing one of the Three Origins, Eight Seasonal Nodes, Five Feast Days, Ten Abstinence Days, or Three Assemblies, or a date that coincides with the departed’s forty-ninth day or death anniversary. For a universal deliverance rite, one should choose a Day of Heavenly Pardon, a Jiazi or Gengshen day, or a festival, assembly day, New Year’s Day, feast day, or day of an official assembly. All these are called auspicious days. If none of these days is available, one must not begin setting up the altar or performing the rites.

Announcing the purification retreat is the moment when one first forms the intention and communicates it to the Mysterious Origin—the Dao revered in Daoism. “Beginning on such-and-such a day” specifies the date on which the retreat starts. Summoning fellow practitioners with due solemnity means inviting companions who share the same Daoist tradition, teacher, and altar. “Those of the same commitment” refers to people with the same aspirations. To deliver the dead in both the unseen and human realms, one must summon suitable people; otherwise, harmonious energy will be difficult to bring forth, and the merit may be diminished. From the day the retreat is announced, participants should enter the quiet chamber, cease contact with the outside world, and undertake a hundred-day retreat together…

This passage describes the specific procedures for conducting a Daoist zhaijiao ritual (a religious ceremony for salvation and blessings) to deliver departed souls.

The duration of the ritual can be chosen as ten days, forty-nine days, or thirty-two days, depending on the number of souls to be delivered. Preparations must be thorough without last-minute shortages. Seven days before formally opening the altar, announcements must be sent to all realms—the Three Realms (heaven, earth, and humanity), the Nine Underworlds (nine layers of the subterranean world), the Ten Celestial Stems, the Ten Directions, the Nine Provinces, and the Northern Capital of the Netherworld.

Participating Daoist priests and the deceased's family members must observe purification through fasting and bathing beforehand, reciting sacred texts (scriptures and mantras for salvation) including the Great Cavern Scripture (Dadong Zhenjing), Lingbao Scriptures, Nine Heavens Spirit-Nourishing Treasure Chapters, Dao De Jing, Yellow Court Scripture (Huangting Jing), Steps in the Void to Rescue from Three Sufferings, Scripture for Extracting from the Nine Darknesses, Nectar Divine Incantation, as well as divine invocations like the titles of the Heavenly Venerables in the Langhan Collection.

Three days before opening the altar, documents for ritual preparation must be issued to notify the deities on duty that year—the Divine Lords, Dragon Kings of Rainfall, Earth Gods, City Gods, Mountain Gods, and Water Gods—while requesting celestial officials to dispatch divine soldiers to protect the ritual site and dispel inauspicious Qi. During prolonged droughts, precautions against wind and rain must be taken; during excessive rain, an auspicious day must be chosen to pray for clear skies. Locally revered and efficacious deities should also be invited to guard the altar against malevolent disturbances.

At sunset on the day before formally opening the altar, all participating priests must gather at the ritual site to rehearse the procedures. At dawn the next day, the assembly reverently invites the master to preside over the altar-opening ceremony, performing purification rites to cleanse impurities. The ritual may last one, three, five, or seven days and nights, during which incense must be offered six times daily, scriptures recited ten times, and ancient protocols followed—presenting memorials, proclaiming the Five Directions' sacred texts, and employing ritual implements such as gold-jade tokens, talismans (fulu), and inscribed bamboo slips.

After the ritual concludes, the entire process must be reviewed, and the altar dismantled only when merits are perfected. Finally, apologies must be made to the deities, reporting the merits accrued. If the ritual is flawless, the Three Officials (heaven, earth, and water) and Five Emperors (sovereigns of the five directions) will submit memorials to the celestial court—the departed souls will be delivered, and the living will receive blessings. However, any errors in the ritual may incur blame.

The Sequence of Ritual Procedures at the Mysterious Altar

The Mysterious Master said: Since the founding Patriarch transmitted the teachings on ritual methods and established the great Zhai purification rites, each ceremony has followed a set order. The formal notices, announcements, dispatches, memorials, and petitions used when establishing a Zhai rite at a Mysterious Altar, along with the ritual prayers, texts inviting the masters, and petitions of supplication, should be written by the ritual master presiding over the great rite according to his own intent. There is no fixed template. If such texts are indiscriminately compiled into ritual manuals, they will continue to multiply over time and may even become common custom. These writings are like white stone masquerading as fine jade: they look similar but are not genuine, and they can harm the true Daoist methods. In the initial stages of learning and practice, one should first become familiar with ritual decorum.

The altar is established the day before the Zhai rite is formally held. At dawn on the day of the ceremony, one first recites an invitation for the masters to ascend the altar. In the presence of the Nine Masters—the nine ritual masters honored in the Zhai rite—one presents petitions concerning the mysteries and establishes the altar grounds. Only after the Six Officials—the six ritual offices—have bowed and presented their petitions to the mysteries, revealed their written credentials, and received their appointments do they proceed to the images of the Three Treasures to initiate the rite and offer incense. On the day of ascending the altar to perform the Dao rite, documents are first burned inside the altar precinct. Formal notices are issued, prior announcements are made, and memorials are relayed to inform the local deities of the Nine Provinces, the divine officials of the Three Realms, the Five Sacred Peaks, the underworld offices of the Nine Provinces, the districts of the Northern Capital, the City Gods, the mountain and forest spirits, the Meng and Chang stream deities, the gods of the year, and the Dragon Gods who govern rain, among other divine offices. They are charged with guarding the altar, summoning the souls and spirits to attend, and are petitioned to stop the rain and clear the skies. Once these notices and petitions have been delivered, the officiants circle the altar and ascend it, present the “Memorial of the Plain Carriage and White Horse,” and open the way.

They then submit petitions to the Celestial Court, the Five Emperors, the Four Offices, the palaces of the Three Luminaries, the Three Courts of the Celestial Administration, the ten heavens of Lingbao, the Northern and Southern Dippers, the True Palaces of the Four Poles, the offices of the Four Sage Masters, the seats of the Three Officials, the Five Sacred Peaks’ Lords of Fate, the Thirty-Two Heavens, the Upper Palace of Ziwei, the Fire Office of the Red Heaven, the Upper Palace of Chongming, the Office of Sacred Names, the Five Offices of Dan Tian Tongchu, Donghua, Xiling, the Five Elder Emperors, as well as the Heavenly Worthies, Perfected Ones, and others. All divine beings, ritual masters, and celestial emperors connected with the rite must be thoroughly informed, each in turn. Next, the True Talisman for Deliverance from Suffering and the Supreme Lord’s Edict of Pardon and Register for Ascending to Heaven are proclaimed. The ritual procedures for performing the Dao rite are then announced, followed by rites of repentance, bows, recitation, and chanting of the True Scriptures.

After the morning ceremonies conclude, the Dao rite is performed near midday. The Treasures of the Three Heavens, the White Interval, and the Nine Heavens, along with the Jade Clarity True Talisman for Breaking Open the Earth and Hells, are announced and dispatched. The “Memorial for Breaking Through the Roads of Karmic Retribution in Fengdu” is presented, and the ritual of praise to the Ten Kings is chanted. At dusk, the morning homage is performed, and the ritual of the Child Who Delivers the Suffering and Leads the Dead to Heaven is proclaimed and praised. During the early night Dao rite, petitions of summons and invitation are issued outside the altar to draw the souls of the deceased to attend and receive guidance. Once they arrive, a ritual bath is performed for them, and the “Memorial for Ritual Bathing and Refinement” is presented.

In the Refinement and Salvation rite, first the souls of the dead are summoned before the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters—and taught talismans and registers, as well as the precepts. They are then welcomed back to their proper places. Chants are recited and food is offered ten times, followed by repentance. Next, nine sacred lamps are lit and the ritual procedures of the Nine Hells are proclaimed. After the ritual master opens the gates of hell, he summons the souls from the Nine Springs and the Six Paths to come and be bathed. An Unimpeded Night Fast is then established—a fasting rite at which the souls of the dead receive food—and the precepts are proclaimed to the gods. Once the ritual is complete, the souls are invited to view their own images and manifest their forms.

At midnight, the master ascends the altar and performs the Dao rite, bowing as he submits memorials requesting the souls’ deliverance and ascent. He carries out the method of the Nine Refinements for transforming them into immortals, then issues the true talisman for rescuing and delivering the hidden souls, the numinous talisman for ascending to the true and transforming their destinies, and the talisman of long life. He next summons the courier officials and reads aloud the contract documents. A life-release rite follows: prayers are addressed to the divine court of flowing fire, and the fish and dragons are released separately. Memorial slips, reed enclosures, reed dragons and attendants, and other ritual objects are then burned. At the close of the rite, the altar is purified and a Zhaijiao purification ritual is performed. The true texts of the Five Directions are read aloud; thanks are offered for divine kindness, and a memorial is submitted to state the matter and request permission to appear before the Dark Master to return one’s office. The master recounts his achievements, repents of his faults, and burns a vermilion memorial, requesting a blessing and the acceptance of his official appointment. Only after these prayers have been offered is the rite complete.

This liturgy must be performed in the prescribed sequence. It may be conducted continuously for seven, nine, or fourteen days and nights, but every stage must be carried out calmly and carefully, in order. Ordinarily, it must last at least three days and nights, or be performed continuously over one day and night, or through a single night. Even a slight departure from the sequence will disrupt the established order, muddle the rules and ritual forms, and invite rebuke from the underworld authorities. The Three Officials, who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, will record one’s merits and faults, and the Four Offices will review them. If one merely performs the rite, the grace of the merit gained amounts to no more than one or two ten-thousandths. Practitioners of the Dao should observe and carry it out.

The Five Elders—the emperors of the five directions—have already made this clear in the relevant section: merely seeing the Yellow Registers, the associated fast rites and scriptures, can suffice to avoid falling into hell. How much more so when one personally performs this great teaching and saves all beings in the netherworld. If you complete the rite a dozen or more times, the immortals and gods, humans and ghosts of Heaven and Earth and the Three Realms of the Ten Directions, as well as birds, beasts, and creatures with shells, will all receive your beneficence. The Demon King will submit in reverence and vouch for you, while the Supreme Emperor will praise you with joy. The Three Officials will report your achievements, and the Five Emperors will submit them through the ranks. The Patriarch will bestow on you the title of Origin Sovereign, and the Golden Palace in Heaven will send down cinnabar blossoms and a feathered carriage. Your ancestors of seven generations will be rescued from the Northern Palace, and your kin of nine generations will be delivered from the registers of the dead. Your own body and spirit, along with those of your relatives, will become immortal and divine, ascending together to the wondrous realm of the Dao. You will take the Golden Elixir, wear an immortal’s certificate, ride in a carriage, and ascend by day. The Three Heavens will grant you a rank among the perfected according to your achievements: you may become a Perfected of Highest Clarity, be invested as an Immortal Duke of Highest Clarity, or take your place as a Left Minister of the Supreme Ultimate. These are the merits that can be achieved by illuminating the Great Dao and saving all beings in the netherworld. You should devote yourself wholeheartedly to carrying out this practice.

The ancients were simple and sincere. They held the Dao in their hearts and upheld De in their conduct. They did not covet wealth or indulge in excessive desires, and each was content with their proper place. As long as their intentions were sincere, they could naturally communicate with the divine; there was no need to rely on treasures to unite with the primal purity of Heaven.

In the latter age, customs declined and people became deceitful, begrudging even their possessions. They did not know how to cherish life; instead, they prized wealth and treated life lightly. They acted for profit, allowing all manner of evil thoughts to accumulate within, while associating with wicked people without. In the end, they went one after another toward destruction, never coming to their senses. For this reason, the ritual law instructs people to distribute and give away their possessions: first, to prevent greed from arising within; second, to keep thieves from appearing without. When both inside and outside are at peace, all suffering is dispelled.

Thus, to demonstrate trust and sincerity and make one’s intentions known, one should begin with material offerings. Once possessions can be given up, one’s intentions are thereby made clear. Sages and benevolent spirits will respond in secret, meeting a person’s intentions. The mysterious sages and perfected beings honored by Daoism, between the high heavens and the broad earth, cannot be approached without tokens of trust, nor can they respond without sincerity. Sincere trust is the key to communication. Hence, those who study the Dao carry gold and treasure to make their intentions known and swear an oath before Heaven.

Thirteen golden dragons (ten are used to seal the altar in the ten directions, and three more are bestowed along with the scripture slips).

The ritual law stipulates that the emperor, empress, and crown prince use the finest gold; officials of the third rank and below use medium-grade gold; officials from the ninth rank upward use lower-grade gold; and scholars and commoners use gold plated with silver. Each golden dragon is three cun and six fen long. The dragon is Heaven’s courier, used to convey messages and establish communication. Dragon riders lead the way; bearing scripture slips on their backs, they can ascend and deliver messages. The Three Officials seal the altar to carry sincere intentions through, and in the method of sealing tokens for the ten directions, the dragon takes the foremost place. If a golden dragon is missing, then upon inspection the matter falls under the authority of the Yin Officials’ Bureau.

Eleven lengths of colored silk (ten lengths serve as tokens for the ten directions, and one additional length is used as a life token).

For the east, use nine lengths of blue patterned silk; for the south, three lengths of crimson; for the west, seven lengths of white; for the north, five lengths of black. For above, use thirty-two lengths of deep green; for below, thirty-two lengths of yellow. For each of the four intermediary directions—southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest—use twelve lengths of yellow, for a total of one hundred and thirty-six lengths.

The emperor follows the prescribed number of four; feudal lords use measures of zhang; scholars and commoners use measures of chi. For patterned silk corresponding to one’s birth year and its cyclical designation, the emperor and feudal lords use purple; scholars and commoners use the color corresponding to the Five Phases element associated with their birth year. The quantities, whether in bolts, zhang, or chi, are determined by each person’s birth designation, with one additional portion added as a token for the continuation of life.

The ritual law says that patterned silk displays the colors of the Five Phases and symbolizes the Qi of the ten directions. In this way, one invites the spirits of the ten heavens, communicates with the Five Emperors, presents tokens of trust, and petitions the divine. This item is indispensable; if it is missing, then upon inspection the matter falls under the authority of the Heavenly Officials’ Bureau of the Mysterious Capital.

For pacifying and securing the ten directions: ten sets each of paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones (each set of paper consists of twelve sheets).

The liturgical text says: When establishing a purification altar and conducting a Zhaijiao ritual, whether to seek blessings and grace for the deliverance of ancestors from past generations and of one’s parents, or to protect oneself from calamity, the deities of the Four Offices, the Five Emperors, and the Three Realms and ten directions must record good deeds and examine transgressions. Paper and brushes should therefore be prepared as registers for recording merit and virtuous acts, and placed to pacify and secure the ten directions; they must not be omitted. If they are missing, the Ten Heavens and Five Emperors will not record merit, and the Nine Offices and Three Officials will not remove people’s transgressions. Any omission will be investigated by the bureaus of the Three Officials.

Incense and flowers for pacifying and securing the ten directions.

The liturgical text says: Incense is used to establish communication and resonance, and to disperse foul influences. Flowers are prized for their freshness and purity, and present an auspicious and precious image. Incense and flowers are fundamental to praying for blessings and seeking the truth. Use agarwood, jianxiang, and other incense woods; for flowers, use blossoms from fragrant trees and plants. If fresh flowers are unavailable, clusters of flowers cut from paper in five colors may be used instead. Incense and flowers must be placed to pacify and secure the ten directions; they must not be omitted. If they are missing, the bureaus of the Yin Officials will investigate.

Twenty-four thousand pieces of sandalwood spirit money for pacifying and securing.

The liturgical text says: People depend on material goods to live and support themselves. They value wealth so highly that sometimes they prize it even above life. The purification rite therefore uses material goods as a token of sincere devotion; they must not be omitted. If they are missing, the Bureau of Xuandu of the Celestial Officials will investigate.

Two hu and four dou of rice for pacifying and securing.

The liturgical text says: Rice is the foundation of nourishing life, and people sustain themselves through food and drink. The purification rite therefore uses rice as a token of sincerity and trustworthiness. The Celestial Officials use it to increase one’s rank and stipend, so this offering must not be omitted. If it is missing, the bureau of the Celestial Officials will investigate.

Two dou and four sheng of oil for pacifying and securing.

The liturgical text says: Oil belongs to the Yin category. Yang arises within Yin, so oil is used to pacify and secure the Yin Officials and to continue the flow of Yang Qi. If it is missing, the bureaus of the Yin Officials will investigate.

Twenty-four jin of charcoal for pacifying and securing.

The liturgical text says: Charcoal belongs to the Yang category. Yin arises within Yang, so charcoal is used to pacify and secure the Yang Officials and to supplement Yin Qi. If it is missing, the bureaus of the Yang Officials will investigate.

Three tablets of hibiscus wood (each tablet one chi and two cun long, two cun and four fen wide, and two fen thick).

The liturgical text says: The word “tablet” carries the sense of recording and announcing: it records merit in the human world and reports an oath of allegiance upward to the Highest Perfected Ones, the honored true deities of Daoism. According to ritual convention, the Son of Heaven used jade to make oath tablets, because jade possesses nine virtues and serves as a token of reverence for Heaven and Earth and of sincere faith. Everyone else used hibiscus wood, though cypress wood could also be used. Red lines were drawn on the tablet to mark the positions of the Five Phases, and cinnabar was used to write the country’s name, the year and month, the location of the purification rite, and the ritual master’s name.

Cast the scriptures into famous mountains, great caverns, numinous springs, dragon caverns, and the ritual altar. Report the matter to the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water—the Celestial Official, the Terrestrial Official, and the Water Official revered in Daoism—so that they may inspect the purification rite and submit the memorial to the heavenly court above. Any omissions or violations are to be investigated and dealt with by the Nine Bureaus of the Terrestrial Official, its supervisory body.

For stabilizing the altar, use ten jade bi discs, each two cun and four fen in diameter and two fen thick, round in shape with a hole in the center. Also use three bi discs for the dragon offering.

The liturgical rules state: Jade has the virtues of firmness, constancy, and purity, and can serve as a token for swearing an oath and communicating with the Highest Perfected, the immortal perfected beings of Daoism. For this reason, jade is used as a pledge. When sending the dragon slips, bind them with blue silk and attach gold clasps. The blue silk stands in place of cutting off hair, and the gold clasps in place of drinking blood. In this way, the Three Officials are informed.

For the dragon bi discs offered to the Three Officials, use a round blue-green disc for the Celestial Official, a square yellow disc for the Terrestrial Official, and a six-lobed black disc for the Wood Official. The Son of Heaven uses jade bi discs; those below the dukes and marquises use discs made of hibiscus wood. Any omissions or violations are to be investigated and dealt with by the Nine Bureaus of the Terrestrial Official.

To send the three slips, use twenty-seven gold clasps. According to the rules for sending slips, each slip is fitted with nine clasps, making twenty-seven for all three. Each clasp is nine fen in diameter and shaped like a ring. The state uses gold; officials and commoners use silver or copper, which may also be gilded.

Ritual Regulations for the Emperor’s Altar-Stabilizing Ceremony

When establishing a purification altar, enshrine the Celestial Worthies of the Ten Directions, the Five Sacred Peaks, the Three Luminaries—the divine beings of celestial phenomena such as water, the sun, and the moon—and the scriptural treasures of the Water Palace, arranging them according to the cardinal directions. At each direction, stabilize the altar with colored silk, jade bi discs, and golden dragons. Also inscribe the jade characters of the Five Elders’ Perfected Writings in the five directions, display them publicly, and make a covenantal proclamation to the heavens. Perform worship and recitation three times each day, praying for pardon and confessing transgressions.

In addition, take five lengths of poplar wood and shape them into square bricks. Write the Qi of the Five Writings on colored silk and use it to guard the five directions. On the night the altar is dismantled in the five directions, hang these items at their respective points. This can dispel heavenly calamities and protect against the disasters of the age; below, it wards off poisons and saves the people, bringing blessings to both the living and the dead. Such blessings are beyond measure.

The ritual also requires five writing brushes, five blocks of ink, five inkstones, five bundles of counting rods, and five hundred sheets of paper, arranged separately in the five directions. Set aside five shi of rice as stipend rice, and prepare five thousand coins, placing them in the five directions as life money. Seal each set of papers separately and label them: “Eastern Dipper Lodge: Paper for Recording the Count,” “Southern Dipper Lodge: Paper for Bestowing Life,” “Western Dipper Lodge: Paper for Recording Names,” “Northern Dipper Lodge: Paper for Registering the Dead,” and “Central Dipper Lodge: Paper for Recording Good Deeds.” Also carve five wooden figures of youths, each holding a catalpa…

Place the sacred texts—talismanic writings and documents used in ritual—inside a wooden case for documents. After the dispersal liturgy is proclaimed at the closing of the altar, burn the case and its contents. The five-direction youths, divine youths representing the five directions, carry the sacred texts ahead as guides, leading the departed spirit to follow the light and be born in the realm of the Dao.

Alternatively, make two straw dragons from cogon grass and shape them like two youths: each holds a long pole in the left hand and a dragon cord in the right. On the day the altar is dispersed, bind the white bamboo slips bearing the talismanic mandate to the straw dragons with iron wire. Then use the two banners for “transferring the spirit and returning to yellow”; the youths hold them in their hands. The liturgy calls this “the straw dragons bearing the body, conveyed by wind and fire”: the straw dragons carry the departed spirit, swiftly conveying it by the power of wind and fire.

The ritual practitioner must also visualize the light of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the light of the three celestial lights, and the light of the three suns, gathering and refining them within the true fire. When the flames have burned out, the true fire becomes purple clouds and rises. The departed soul then rides upon these clouds and, drawing on the Qi within them, ascends to heaven. Next, the Lingbao officers, clerks, and troops escort the deceased with the two tally halves, one on the left and one on the right, until they reach the Gate of Heaven. Once the tallies have been checked and matched, the deceased ascends into the realm of the Dao.

Ceremonial Regalia

The liturgy says: The Three Venerable Ones of the Most High dwell at the Seven-Treasure Altar of Mystery on Mount Jade Capital, in the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity. Each day, the sages and perfected beings of the ten directions come three times to circle around and pay their respects. They hold talismans and oversee registers, raise staffs and carry banners, chant the Cavern Chapters, and travel through the air with gliding steps. They perform the wondrous music of heaven; strange sights appear in profusion, and flowers scatter in all directions. Luan birds dance and phoenixes fly; the Three Realms rejoice together, and the myriad perfected beings celebrate.

Today, when a purification rite is performed, the ascent to the altar and presentation of petitions symbolize the scene at Jade Capital in the Mystery Metropolis. All the ceremonial regalia and ritual forms are likewise prepared according to this celestial model.

The Celestial Worthy says: When the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning proclaimed the wondrous, mysterious Lingbao method of salvation, he once summoned the assembled immortals to the Terrace of the Treasure of Emptiness. The ceremonial retinues of the heavens gathered in a splendid display. The sun, moon, and stars; the celestial devices that symbolize the movement of the heavens; birds, beasts, luan birds, and phoenixes; vermilion carriages and green palanquins; banners, canopies, and rainbow streamers all came to pay homage to the Heavenly Worthy. When ritual practitioners open the altar and set up its steps, they follow these same celestial rites to deliver beings in the lower realm.

One Pair of Staff Ornaments

Made of five-colored silk, with five tiers from top to bottom, and hung at the top of a staff. The tip is decorated with golden luan birds and phoenixes, and tied with streamers.

One Pair of Banners

The top is like a beaded canopy and is decorated with a net of beads. Each has eight corners and a single tier. Hung from staffs, they have wooden frames, a dragon on the left and a tiger on the right, and are tied with streamers.

One Pair of Pennants

Shaped like the staff ornaments but without dragon or phoenix decorations. Each has three tiers, is made of five-colored silk, is tied with streamers, and hangs from a staff.

One Pair of Beaded Banners

Pearl-and-jade ornaments and golden phoenix decorations, suspended from poles.

A pair of Five-Brilliance fans.

Carved from wood and painted gold, their upper panels are arranged with constellations, while their lower panels depict the Five Sacred Mountains revered in Daoism and the seas and rivers. They stand upright on vermilion poles.

A pair of crane wings.

Carved from wood in the shape of crane wings, they stand upright on vermilion poles.

The Divine Sovereign (Huangren), a revered deity in Daoist texts, says: “Ascending the ritual platform to perform rites means acting as a representative of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning to spread his teachings. Therefore, solemn ceremonial regalia must first be arranged to bring the heavens under its authority. In the four corners of the platform, place emblems of the constellations, the Five Sacred Mountains, the seas and rivers, and the earth; also establish the Qi (vital energy) of each gate. All of this must follow the great rites. It must never be treated carelessly or with disrespect.”

Ranks of Ceremonial Robes and Swords

The liturgical rules prescribe that ceremonial robes and headdresses express ritual order. When ascending the platform to pay homage to the True Gods, one’s attire must be orderly. The canonical illustrations set out the appropriate requirements. A ritual master’s rank in the registers must be made clear through their attire, and every item of clothing must conform to the rules. The ranks and ceremonial dress of ritual masters, from the Five-One Masters to the Lecturers, differ in status and must follow the official regulations in full.

Zhengyi Ritual Master

Wears a dark cap, a crimson robe, a yellow skirt, and a crimson mantle decorated with twenty-four streamers. Wears a jade pendant of red fire and carries a sword for slaying evil, two chi and four cun long.

Purple Void Ritual Master

Wears a dark cap, a yellow skirt, a yellow robe, and a yellow mantle decorated with twenty-eight streamers. Wears a green jade pendant and carries the Purple Void Sunlight Sword, two chi and eight cun long. Also carries the Five Emperors’ Sword for Summoning Spirits and wears a bright jade pendant.

Dongshen Ritual Master

Wears a dark cap, a yellow lower garment, a green robe, and a yellow mantle decorated with thirty-two streamers. Wears a white jade pendant and carries the Taiyi Three Origins Sword, three chi long. Also carries the Three Sovereigns’ Taiyi Sword and wears a green jade pendant.

Dongxuan Ritual Master

Wears a lotus crown, a yellow lower garment, a purple robe, and a purple mantle decorated with thirty-two streamers. Wears a Radiant Light jade pendant and carries the Eight Luminaries Sword for Guiding Spirits, three chi and six cun long. Also carries the Five Emperors’ Awe-Inspiring Sword for Repelling Evil and wears a plain jade pendant.

Dongzhen Ritual Master

Wears the Primordial Beginning Crown, a green skirt, a purple robe, and a purple mantle lined in green and decorated with thirty-nine streamers. Wears shoes embroidered with pearls and jade, takes the seat of the Eight Luminaries that Quake the Spirits, and carries a jade tablet and a jade scepter. Also wears the Quake-the-Spirits Sword. Jade pendants and pearl ornaments hang at both sides of the body, and talismans for summoning the True Spirits are worn continuously across the front and back. Alternatively, the master may wear a cloud-and-rosy-glow mantle of an immortal’s robe.

Great Cavern Ritual Master

Wears the Primordial Beginning Crown, a yellow skirt, a purple robe, and a five-colored cloud-and-rosy-glow mantle. The sword and jade pendant are of the same specifications as those of a Dongzhen Ritual Master.

Three Caverns Lecturer

Wears the Primordial Beginning Crown, a yellow skirt, a purple robe, and a nine-colored cloud-and-rosy-glow mantle. Carries neither sword nor jade pendant.

As mentioned earlier, each rank has its corresponding ritual robe for paying homage to the perfected ones and the gods. One ascends the altar to pay homage, thereby communing with the divine. Ritual implements such as the jeweled trident and cloud sword are used to ward off evil, subdue malign forces, awe the spirits, and overcome demons. Ornaments indicate whether one’s conduct and bearing accord with ritual standards. All robes and implements have their corresponding ranks.

The great perfected ones and exalted sages of the heavens have rites and ceremonial bearing in a thousand forms, ever changing and inexhaustible. Their terraces, palaces, and towers sometimes take shape as Qi condenses and clouds gather, appearing indistinctly, as though present and yet absent. Their forms and locations are not fixed: some flying terraces and traveling halls shift through the air; some golden gates and jade towers manifest from the void. Some are vast enough to contain the cosmos, while others are as minute as a hair. As for feathered robes, cloud garments, rosy-cloud robes, jade pendants, pearl banners, jeweled staffs, flying seals, jade crowns, jade tablets, rainbow pennants, phoenix carriages, dragon chariots, sun banners, moon banners, and vehicles drawn by cranes or steeds that are horned dragons, although all appear through the transformations of divine powers, they too have distinctions of rank. Thus, the ritual robes worn for paying homage, along with the swords, pendants, and crowns, take their forms from the ceremonial standards of the exalted perfected ones, and serve to display proper ritual decorum to the human world.

When observing a pure retreat, one should compose oneself in quietude, gather the spirit and Qi in a still chamber, and let the mind roam through a realm of emptiness and detachment. Inwardly, one pays homage to the Great Emperor and silently petitions the Mysterious Pass. There is then no need to attend to differences in robes; one will naturally grasp the essentials of communion and response. At such a time, distinctions of rank and status may dissolve entirely. But when practicing and teaching the Way, instructing the people, or explaining the methods of retreat, one should follow the order of ranks so that these become enduring, commonly observed rites. A composed bearing and ordered steps when paying homage to the perfected ones and the gods are proper observances for those who uphold and propagate the Great Dao, and are a splendid expression of the Mystery Gate.

On the Ranks of Retreat in Covenant Transmission

The Emperor said: The Supreme Way of Lingbao is the fundamental teaching of the Great Dao. The subtle tones kept hidden by the Heavenly Emperors are beyond the hearing of those with shallow understanding. When transmitting the teaching, one should choose the right people: those with steadfast hearts and dignified bearing, who keep faith in word and deed, are compassionate, loyal, and filial, carefully uphold their vows, discipline themselves with integrity, and aspire to purity and Wuwei (non-action). Only such people may cultivate the supreme methods and deliver the living and the dead.

If someone’s words and deeds are flawed, and they fail to fulfill their duties of loyalty and filial piety; if their heart is crooked and flattering, deceitful and distorted; if they lack inner virtue and outward dignity, then their blessings are scant and their character base. How could they commune with Heaven, Earth, and the spirits? One must carefully examine the worthy and the foolish, and distinguish the immortal from the mortal. Only then may one receive the covenant words and prepare a memorial to report to the Three Heavens, the threefold celestial realm in Daoist teaching. After receiving the Three Heavens’ acknowledgment, one should choose an auspicious day and transmit the teaching through a covenant rite conducted according to the liturgy.

A master who receives and transmits the teaching may transmit the ordination to five people only after completing half a cycle of six years in practice; after completing a full cycle of twelve years, the master may transmit it to ten people.

The two people may not undergo transmission again. However, the Lingbao scriptures differ from ordinary transmissions of the orthodox teachings.

If feudal lords or high officials wish to deliver the nation from hardship, support it in times of danger, and preserve its fortunes, then, when receiving this Great Teaching, they should prepare one hundred and twenty liang of fine gold, thirty-six bolts each of five-colored damask and gauze, twelve liang each of cinnabar and green silk, one hundred and twenty dan of rice as an offering of faith, one hundred and twenty thousand coins, and thirty-six jin of incense for the covenant oath.

If scholars or common people wish to save themselves from the cycle of life and death and raise their dark ancestors—that is, their forebears—to higher realms, they should prepare thirty-two liang of fine gold, ten bolts each of five-colored silk and damask, nine liang of red silk, twelve dan of rice as an offering of faith, one hundred and twelve thousand coins for the rite, and six jin of covenant incense.

Those who cultivate the Way should prepare nine liang of gold, one length of purple damask, one liang of green silk, one liang of cinnabar, one jin of covenant incense, and one hundred sheets of ritual paper to stand in place of money, silk, brushes, and ink. They should also prepare one offering for each of the five directions. If practitioners of the Way cannot afford the full amount of money and rice, they may reduce it to two-thirds of the prescribed quantity, but they must not omit it altogether.

This is a Great Teaching secretly kept by Heaven, and its prohibitions are exceptionally strict. Even when heavenly beings and humans go to the Upper Palace of Xuandu—the Daoist celestial palace—to transmit it, they must bring treasures of gold as tokens of faith when receiving the teaching. It must therefore never be divulged lightly. If a practitioner of the Way transmits the teaching to a ritual master in accordance with the required offerings of faith, each circumstance must be reported in detail to the Celestial Bureau, the divine offices that govern the heavens. During transmission, none of the items prescribed above may be concealed out of self-interest.

If a disciple receiving transmission begrudges worldly possessions, or secretly watches for and demands ritual objects, the master should not casually display them, much less transmit the teaching rashly. If, after the transmission, the teaching cannot be put into practice, the perfected spirits do not come to protect it, and demons ruin the scriptures and methods, both master and disciple will suffer great calamity. They must be scrupulously cautious and vigilant.

If the rules of the liturgy are observed, all the heavens will rejoice and celebrate, the demons will be subdued, and the myriad spirits will bow in respect. When the altar is opened and the teaching transmitted, the perfected beings themselves will oversee the rite. Then the transmitted teachings of the Way can spread; the demons will lie hidden, and the spirits will naturally be drawn to arrive. By summoning the holy perfected beings and gathering the gods, one can save the living and raise the dead to higher realms. Continue accumulating good deeds and merit, and accomplishment will soon follow.

The Covenant Document on the Siwei Board

On this day, at this hour, in this month and year, [name], of [county], [prefecture], today respectfully prepares treasures of gold and, with sincere intent, follows the ancient regulations of Xuandu. Facing the ten directions of the heavens, [name] bows deeply twice, transmits the secret texts of the Middle Grade of the Shangqing Lingbao Scripture and Methods, and practices the Way in accordance with the liturgical rites.

Eliminate every kind of calamity and save all living beings without exception. On the day of receiving the Dao, the disciple’s name is entered in the Southern Palace, the place where Daoist texts say the immortals hold office. Divine beings stand guard and protect the disciple, enabling them to transcend the Three Realms and take their place among the ranks of immortals. The Demon King vouches for them, and the assembled perfected beings oversee their passage.

I, the ordained overseer of the disciple, So-and-so, respectfully uphold the Great Law and proclaim and transmit the methods of the divine perfected ones, saving all beings of Heaven and the human world. I dare not conceal these secret teachings. At the transmission, I swear by “Heaven within Heaven” that, after receiving the teaching, the disciple will not divulge it recklessly to anyone unfit to receive it. Should the disciple break this oath, they will be punished by the officials of the underworld, have their lifespan reduced, undergo trials through ten thousand kalpas, and fall forever into the cycle of rebirth, bringing calamity upon seven generations of ancestors. This covenant document is now established as a pledge of faith.

I, the disciple So-and-so, who succeeds to the teaching, am of such-and-such an age and was born at such-and-such a year, month, day, and hour. I inherit the divine lineage of such-and-such a sacred mountain and receive from Heaven such-and-such a Qi. With reverence, I invoke the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Most High Lord of the Dao, the Most High Lord Lao, the Celestial Worthy of Heaven, the Perfected One of Wondrous Practice, the Great Sages of the Heavens, the Five Elder Emperors, the Flying Celestial Spirit Kings, the Great Demons of the Five Emperors, the Three Officials and Five Masters, and the stars throughout the celestial sphere, to descend with the teaching and deliver people.

Ritual text for the covenant document:

Today, with joy, we perform the rite of initiation for So-and-so. Having passed through the barriers of the heavens, this person seeks the removal of the Three Evils, the severing of their roots in the underworld, and ascent through the Five Gates to be listed among the ranks of the Great Mystery. The Demon King is charged with overseeing and recommending them, so that no obstruction bars their passage through Heaven’s gate. The Eastern Dipper adds years to their lifespan; the Western Dipper records their name; the Northern Dipper erases them from the register of the dead; the Southern Dipper enters them in the register of the living; and the Central Dipper’s Great Star holds overall charge and oversight. The Azure Emperor protects their Hun soul, the White Emperor attends their Po soul, the Red Emperor nourishes their Qi, the Black Emperor circulates their blood, and the Yellow Emperor presides at the center.

The Great Demons of the Five Emperors are the ancestors of the myriad gods. They proclaim this throughout the boundless host of spirits, so that all the gods come to obey their command. The Five Emperors of the Three Realms jointly submit a petition to Shangqing.

This covenant document is entrusted to the disciple So-and-so to keep as a treasure that protects the body. May the Flying Celestial spirits look down and observe; may the Supreme Emperor approve from afar; may the myriad gods come to pay homage, and the divine beings of the Three Realms attend as retinue. May the gathered demons be restrained, the ghosts and spirits disperse of their own accord, the myriad numinous beings tremble and submit, and the assembly of immortals be summoned, so that both the netherworld and wisdom are made wholly clear. This teaching is vast and wondrously profound. Urgently, in accordance with the statutes and commands!

Covenant document for the ritual transmission of the Lingbao Great Law.

Oaths and precepts for cultivating perfection in the Lingbao tradition.

Oaths and precepts for the transmission rite at the Lingbao altar, entrusted to the disciple So-and-so, who succeeds to the teaching. The disciple respectfully upholds the Great Law and must accept the following oaths and precepts:

The Ten Vows of Lingbao:

First, vow to pursue longevity. Second, vow to escape death and enter the realm of life. Third, vow to refine and nourish primordial Qi and preserve the forms and spirits through visualization. Fourth, vow to deliver all living beings.

The fifth vow: May peace prevail throughout the world. The sixth vow: May all beings awaken to the Dao.

The seventh vow: May our ancestors ascend to higher realms. The eighth vow: May we forever escape the jurisdiction of ghost officials.

The ninth vow: May body and spirit attain a wondrous state. The tenth vow: May we become one with the Great Dao.

The Five Lingbao Precepts

First precept: Do not kill indiscriminately or harm others. Always be patient and yielding, and regularly help those in need.

Second precept: Do not harbor jealousy. Always seek to help others succeed.

Third precept: Do not steal or engage in illicit sexual conduct. Always act with integrity.

Fourth precept: Do not harbor thoughts of corruption. Always keep a sense of shame.

Fifth precept: Put an end to hatred, jealousy, and extravagant display. Always cultivate simplicity and compassion.

The Ten Lingbao Vows

First vow: Do not drink to excess, and do not give way to violent anger or hatred.

Second vow: Do not let yourself go hungry or eat to excess, and do not overexert yourself.

Third vow: Do not harbor excessive ambitions or become absorbed in distant, unrealistic thoughts.

Fourth vow: Do not associate with people of poor character, and do not lightly sever proper relationships.

Fifth vow: Do not acquire wealth through unrighteous means.

Sixth vow: Do not resent the Great Dao or blame your teachers and elders.

Seventh vow: Do not enter a temple without authorization.

Eighth vow: Do not circulate sacred Lingbao texts, Daoist scriptures, recklessly.

Ninth vow: Do not show disrespect for or profane secret scriptures.

Tenth vow: Do not harm spirits and gods arbitrarily.

The Ten Lingbao Good Deeds

First, honor and care for the elderly, and show concern for orphans.

Second, have compassion for the poor and support the lonely and vulnerable.

Third, deliver beings in the netherworld from suffering.

Fourth, widely distribute elixirs and medicines used in Daoist practice.

Fifth, show reverence for all beings.

Sixth, diligently practice the method of using talisman water for prayer, averting calamity, healing, and other purposes.

Seventh, regularly recite scriptures and incantations.

Eighth, widely print and produce scriptures, and create and paint images of the gods.

Ninth, diligently observe purification and uphold the precepts.

Tenth, release living creatures or buy them back to spare them from being killed.

All the vows and precepts above have been set out one by one. If you never violate them and remain steadfast in body and mind, you will be delivered beyond the Three Paths—the realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—and will no longer turn in the Six Destinies of rebirth. The gods of the heavens will protect you, and the myriad sages will honor you. You should practice diligently, observe purification and uphold the precepts, keep your mind calm, and act with propriety and care, so that your intentions remain clear. Devote yourself wholeheartedly to the Great Dao without wavering; keep both inner and outer realms pure and still, and you will continually accord with nature.

If you cultivate the Dao in accordance with the precepts, you can become an example for the Three Realms and receive the reverence of spirits and gods. You will summon the perfected spirits and communicate with the divine, attaining a wondrous state in both body and spirit. The Great Dao does not fail those who follow it. Practice diligently and receive its teachings earnestly; do not heed the words of demons. This register is hereby established.

This register was established in the year, month, day, and hour of [name of the] year deity.

Ordination Master: holding the ritual rank, family name [name].

Precious Invocation to the Lingbao Celestial Immortals

Before the Three Heavens (a respectful address to the divine powers of the Three Heavens).

We respectfully state: At the time when chaos first divided, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning opened the scriptures and charts. The True Writings shone above the layered heavens, and the Jade Characters were proclaimed in the azure firmament. The spirits descended and took form; Qi and treasures gathered to create bodies. Primal Qi was held within the Great Void, while Yin-Yang moved to bring forth cold and heat. The Three Realms were governed, and the myriad demons restrained and subdued. The Purple Registers, Jade Chapters, Langgan Caskets, and Stamen Slips are regarded as the highest scriptures; their methods alone are revered above all…

The Central Palace is the root of all methods and the source of their mysterious workings. It is the most exalted place among the heavens.

Only after studying diligently and enduring hardship may a disciple hear this teaching. The master must carefully assess the disciple’s virtue and discernment, then proceed according to established regulations. The master must swear an oath before the Ten Heavens—that is, the various heavens spoken of in Daoism—and submit a memorial to the Celestial Court. Only then, with gifts such as gold and silk, may the teaching be transmitted. To reveal the secret texts recklessly would bring calamity upon nine generations of ancestors.

Now, the disciple who is to inherit the teaching, [name], respectfully brings nine liang of gold, one length of purple silk, one liang of cinnabar, and one piece of oath incense on this day [if the recipient is a high official, scholar, or commoner, enter the appropriate quantities instead]. The disciple also measures out the prescribed cubits and paces, and proceeds to the ritual altar. Prostrate on the ground, the disciple makes this petition on behalf of their own life destiny: born in [year], [month], [day], at [hour].

The disciple has reflected again and again and has always kept their intentions pure, devoted themselves to upholding the Dao, remained wholehearted and sincere, and carefully observed the clear rules of liturgy. Now that the disciple has acted in accordance with the oath and the regulations for transmitting the teaching, and has received auspicious signs, they should rightfully be granted an immortal rank in recognition of their merit.

Recommending masters: the Perfected Ones of the Ten Directions, the Flying Heavenly Divine Kings, the Great Sages of Long Life, and the Boundless Great Deities.

Supervising masters: the Imperial Lords of the Thirty-Two Heavens and the Perfected Ones of Wondrous Practice.

Ordaining master: the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure of the Ten Directions and the Dao Lord of the Void Emperor.

Scripture master: the Eminent Emissary of the Nine Heavens and the True Lord of Divine Merit and Wondrous Aid.

Register master: the Great Master Who Supports the Teaching and Assists the Origin in the Three Heavens, the True Lord of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity), Stillness, and Response.

Ordaining master: the Profound Central Teacher and Great Master.

The Lord of Registers of the Eastern Dipper; the Lord Who Grants Birth in the Southern Dipper; the Lord Who Records Names in the Western Dipper; the Lord Who Marks the Dead in the Northern Dipper; and the Great Lord of the Central Dipper.

In accordance with the Basic Ritual Procedures of the Numinous Treasure tradition, [name] should now be granted and undertake the Great Shangqing Numinous Treasure Method. [Name] of [mountain] and the Perfected One [title], the True Official of the Office of Refinement in the Upper Palace of Nanchang, shall oversee the affairs of the Yellow Register Institute.

In accordance with the above oath and the true regulations of the liturgy, we joyfully celebrate the recipient’s ordination and request that they be entered among the ranks of immortals. By decree of the Jade Emperor of the Three Pure Ones, let this order be carried out.

Transmitting and ordaining master: the official [surname], holding the rank of [rank]. Issued on [year] of the current sexagenary cycle, [month], [day], at [hour].

Hand over the military dispatches and issue the ordination certificate.

The generals and troops of the Numinous Treasure transmission altar deliver military dispatches to the disciple who is to inherit the teaching, [name]. The altar had previously, on the basis of [the matter described], respectfully come before the altar and bestowed one complete set of scriptures, secret instructions, talisman diagrams, and seals for the Great Shangqing Numinous Treasure Method. The disciple vows to uphold the teaching throughout life without faltering. In addition to having submitted the required written memorial to Heaven and received authorization for the transmission, the disciple must observe the ritual regulations, break the jade ring and divide the covenant before the divine beings as a sign that the oath has been sealed, and receive the oath document, the ordination document, the transmission texts, and the talismanic dispatches for mobilizing generals and troops.

Whenever this matter is to be carried out, a separate document should be written and handed to a certain disciple for reference and action.

One complete set of the talismans and registers, diagrams, jade seal-script inscriptions (talismanic writing in the form of jade seal script), liturgical procedures, and ritual models for the Shangqing Lingbao scriptures and methods.

The seals to be used include: the Seal of the Office of the Great Lingbao Method, the Seal of the Dao Lord, the Seal of the Heavenly Treasure Lord, the Seal of the Office of Refining and Deliverance, the Seal of the Yellow Register Court, the Seal of the Azure Mystery for Saving from Suffering, the Seal of the Eight Mighty Dragon Script, the Seal of the Red Writ in Jade Characters, the Seal of the Supreme Mystery Metropolitan Office, the Seal of the Inner Taboo of the Divine Tiger, the Seal of the Northern Dipper’s Mysterious Pattern, the Seal of the Male and Female Divine Tigers, the Seal of the Chief Supervisor of All Spirits, the Seal of Union with the Dao and Realization of Truth, the Seal of the Five Emperors’ Great Demons, the Seal for Strictly Guarding the Northern Feng, the Seal of the Convergence of a Hundred Spirits, and the Seal for Presenting Memorials.

There shall also be one ordination certificate, one scroll of Dao proclamations, one board talisman, one military dispatch, a ring-shaped contract, a staff talisman for breaking open the prisons, and greeting tablets for the Ten Directions.

The Shangqing Lingbao methods include the perfected and holy celestial beings, spirit kings, Perfected Lords, generals and commanders, officials and soldiers, boys and girls, merit officers, talisman officials, and troops and horses—together numbering hundreds of billions.

These documents and ritual objects are to be handed to a certain disciple, with instructions to honor the office conferred upon him, practice the Lingbao scriptures with devotion, carefully observe the precepts and prohibitions, apply himself diligently without slackening, accumulate merit and cultivation, and gradually advance in the ranks of immortals. If he breaks his oath, he will bring misfortune and blame upon himself; he must not lay the blame on his master. This document is therefore established.

The document should specify the year of the Grand Year, as well as the year, month, day, and hour.

Greeting Tablet for the Flying Perfected Who Attend the Origin

A certain Mountain Master, disciple of the Three Luminaries of the Great One’s Cavern Mystery, and a certain Perfected One of the Emperor, practice the Great Lingbao Method and serve as true officials in the Office of Receiving Refinement at the Upper Palace of Nanchang, overseeing the affairs of the Yellow Register Court. I, a certain person of a certain surname, respectfully perform the rite of greeting.

Staff for the Five Emperors to Break the Prison

The staff bears the inscription: “On the right, the transformed body of the Golden Gate; true Qi flows throughout; radiant wisdom illumines the scene; the Golden Tiger breaks through the dark.”

The Lingbao Ring Form

The Celestial Worthy said: The greeting tablet is made of catalpa wood, one chi and two cun long. Its surface is coated in white, its four edges painted green, and the bearer’s official title and rank are written in ink at the center. This serves as the greeting tablet.

The board contract is also made of catalpa wood, one chi and two cun long and nine cun high. Its surface is blue; the text is written in cinnabar, and the talismans are written in yellow.

The staff is made of poplar wood, three chi and six cun long, with a circumference of five cun and four fen. A spell is carved on each of its four sides, and it is then placed in a yellow silk bag. When the method is transmitted, the staff should be displayed before the Highest Perfected. After the rite is complete, the disciple should put it away and set it before the sacred image, where it is to be offered reverence each day. Before using it, one must first perform the rite of bowing twice.

And have someone make a circular object from one liang and two qian of silver, with talismanic writing engraved in cinnabar at its center.

Notice Appointing Additional Generals and Officers

The Office of the Great Lingbao Method issues this notice to the generals, officers, and soldiers newly assigned to assist in ritual proceedings:

I previously presented myself as a disciple of a certain transmission master and asked him to recommend me in a memorial to the Heavenly Court, so that I might receive the complete set of numinous texts of the Supreme Clarity Lingbao Great Method: its talismans, diagrams, seals, and formulas. On a certain day this month, the transmission master submitted his recommendation to the Heavenly Court, and I was granted permission to take up an additional celestial office. You have now been assigned to come and assist me. The necessary generals, officers, and troops are to be enrolled in the office and stationed there on duty. This notice is therefore issued to you.

This notice appoints the newly assigned generals, officers, and soldiers who are to assist in the Method. You must carry out these orders, clearly issue commands, keep the camp in strict order, and maintain your equipment. As soon as you hear the incantation, you must arrive at once to support the righteous Way and earn merit. When your merits are complete in due course, a recommendation will be submitted on your behalf. You must not disobey.

Form for Breaking the Covenant

On the first day of a certain month in a certain year, I, a disciple who has received the transmission of the Dharma, named So-and-so and residing in Such-and-such place, have today respectfully brought the ritual token and, in accordance with the prescribed liturgical procedures, received the office of the Dharma.

I now swear before the Heavenly Worthy: I will use the complete set of numinous texts of the Supreme Clarity Lingbao Great Method that I have received—its talismans, diagrams, seals, and formulas—to assist the transformation brought about by the Way of Heaven, aid the state and protect the people, deliver the living and liberate the dead, and abide forever by the Three Treasures.

The transmission master dares not conceal the true Dharma or pass off the false as true; the disciple dares not resent the Great Way or blame the teacher. Should either violate this covenant, both will suffer unseen punishment. The Way they cultivate will fail to reach completion, and all matters will be dealt with according to the prescribed disciplinary rules and regulations.

The Great Method of the Supreme Scripture of Limitless Deliverance through Lingbao, Volume 71