《靈寶領教濟度金書》Vol. 107

This scripture records the complete liturgical procedure of the Mingzhen Zhai (a Zhaijiao purification ritual for redeeming departed souls) as practiced by the Lingbao school (one of Daoism's major lineages). The ceremony was compiled and systematized by the renowned Southern Song dynasty Daoist master Lin Lingzhen, who was honored with the title "Water-South Master of Lingbao's Profound Teachings."

The ritual begins with orderly preparations in the Hall of Silent Contemplation (the ceremonial space). Participants are guided before the Precept Seat (the ritual platform for transmitting precepts). The officiating priest loudly chants the "Invocation of the Seat" verses, describing the auspicious clouds enveloping the altar and the radiant jade platform (referring to the ritual space), expressing the determination to transmit the Dao's teachings. After venerating the "Heavenly Worthy Incarnate of the Golden Portal" (an honorific title for Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the Three Pure Ones), the priest ascends the ceremonial seat.

The redemption ceremony then commences with the chanting of "Extended Hymns of Salvation," beseeching deliverance for all beings from the sufferings of the Three Realms (the realms of desire, form, and formlessness) and the Five Torments of hell (referring to five types of hellish punishments). With reverent focus, participants begin the Threefold Incense Offering ritual:

During the first incense offering, the fragrant smoke spreads like auspicious clouds and sweet dew, presented to the Dharma King of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun). This serves to pray for the emperor's blessings, wishing peace across the land and prosperity for the people.

The second incense offering venerates the Jade Dawn of the Supreme (Lingbao Tianzun), specifically dedicated to redeeming departed souls. It seeks the elimination of the deceased's karmic burdens and their salvation, while also blessing the living with family harmony and descendants' safety.

The third incense offering honors the Exalted Worthy of Dao and De (Daode Tianzun), praying for the patron sponsoring the ritual. The blessings sought include perfect happiness and longevity, flourishing household fortunes, and the perpetuation of literary and ritual traditions.

Each incense offering features specific "Incense Praises" (verses extolling the incense) and benedictory texts. The ceremony concludes with "Extended Hymns for Scripture Invocation," marking the preparation for scriptural recitation. Through incense offerings, chanting, and prostrations, the entire ritual achieves its dual purpose of seeking blessings while averting calamities and redeeming departed souls.

This scripture primarily describes Daoist cultivation practices and rituals for the salvation of departed souls, along with cosmological theories about the origin of the universe and the fundamental nature of human existence.

In the ritual section, it depicts the reverent attitude of Daoist priests when establishing altars and invoking scriptures: they seek the true scriptures with the same urgency as one craving food and drink when hungry or thirsty, their resolve as firm as metal or stone. Through the salvation talismans (Fulu) of the Five Numinous Powers (representing the Five Phases), they assist departed souls in escaping the sea of suffering. The priests refer to themselves as "your servant [name]" while offering incense to celestial deities, including those of the Nine Heavens (the highest celestial realms), the Four Extremities (the farthest reaches of the cosmos), and the Five Pure Realms (states of spiritual purity). These deities are responsible for transmitting scriptures, establishing teachings, and delivering all beings—including the Three Officials (Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials), the Five Masters, and other celestial functionaries—while flying divine kings and mountain-river spirits bear witness to the ceremony.

The text then describes the descent of the deities: immortals arrive in jade-green and cinnabar chariots (divine vehicles), radiating light that illuminates the celestial paths. Their jeweled wheels and feathered canopies pause among the clouds as myriad sages and countless perfected beings (Xianzhen) guard the divine procession. The Dao-Qi (vital energy) of the Jade Pure Realm (highest heaven) and the wondrous light of the Numinous Treasure illuminate the ten directions, penetrating the nine layers of the underworld to guide departed souls from darkness to the ritual altar, where they may hear the mysterious sounds of the Nine Precepts and awaken to the true meaning of the Dao.

In the cosmological section, it explains the process of world formation: during the Dragon Han kalpa (cosmic cycle) before manifestation, when primordial chaos had yet to part, only the ancestral Qi (primordial energy) circulated in the Great Void, existing in a colorless, formless state through countless kalpas. Only when the primordial essence (Yuanjing) differentiated did the body of the Dao manifest—the clear Qi ascended to form heaven while the turbid Qi condensed to form earth. The interaction of Yin-Yang gave birth to humanity and all things. Humans receive the harmonious Qi of heaven and earth, making them the most spiritual of all beings. They are born with innate goodness, nurturing pure harmonious Qi during life to connect with the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji), returning to the realm of Great Non-Being after death.

The scripture concludes by explaining why humans fall into the Three Paths (hell, hungry ghosts, and animal realms) and Five Sufferings (birth, aging, sickness, death, and other hardships): it is due to the growth of acquired cunning and desires that obscure their true nature. Chasing external objects transforms body and mind into abodes of sin. When the Three Poisons (greed, anger, and delusion) flourish, one falls into the Three Paths; when the Five Thieves (desires arising from eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body) run rampant, one endures the Five Sufferings; when the Six Chisels (sensory desires) wreak havoc, one sinks into the Six Realms of rebirth.

This scripture primarily discusses the relationship between human nature and desires, and how to return to one's original pure nature through self-cultivation.

The text explains that six types of harmful thoughts (six cavities) bring corresponding karmic retribution, and ten kinds of evil deeds (ten palaces) also incur appropriate punishments. These are all the cyclical consequences of beings creating their own karma—not some deliberate net of suffering set by the underworld (Northern Capital of Springs and Winding Paths). Between heaven and earth, the Dao (the Threefold Unity) inherently exists, and every person possesses spiritual nature (a portion of divine intelligence), complete and flawless in its original state. However, people become lost because their acquired desires (temperamental nature) are seduced by external temptations, gradually drifting away from their true nature—like ripples disturbing water or clouds obscuring the moon, making it hard to see one's original face.

The scripture emphasizes that becoming a sage or an ordinary person depends entirely on oneself. If one can reflect inwardly and restrain desires, they can return to their pure, original nature (heaven-and-earth nature). The human spirit (Shen) inherently delights in purity, yet is often disturbed by thoughts; the heart naturally loves tranquility, yet is constantly pulled by desires. If one can eliminate desires, the heart will naturally become still; if the heart is clear, the spirit will naturally be pure. Here, "spirit" refers to the innate nature, while "desires" are the acquired passions. The heart is like a vessel that governs both: following one's nature leads to goodness, while indulging passions leads to evil.

Human life is fleeting, as brief as a white horse glimpsed through a crack—family and possessions are temporary connections, and wealth and honor come and go unpredictably. When death arrives (the six illusions vanish, the four elements separate), none of these external things remain with us. The only enduring reality is the luminous nature inherent in every person from birth. This nature is complete in everyone, neither increased by wisdom nor diminished by ignorance, life, or death. The problem is that people are bound by karmic forces, as inseparable as shadows follow forms and echoes answer sounds.

This scripture expounds how humans become bound by desires and attachments, and the path to liberation through awakening and precept-keeping.

People often find themselves tightly entangled by various desires and fixations, as if glued down and unable to break free. Their originally clear consciousness becomes clouded, their pure innate nature polluted. Drifting with the current without finding the shore, they ultimately stray onto wrong paths. These are all manifestations of external phenomena corrupting us. Indulgence leads to the cycle of birth and death, while awakening can halt this cycle.

Once awakened, the river of emotional attachments becomes calm, and the ocean of desires grows still. Worldly afflictions dissipate like smoke, karmic obstacles vanish like floating clouds. Turning inward to contemplate one's true nature, an illuminating radiance emerges in perfect stillness, reaching the realm of absolute emptiness. This state remains unshaken by external phenomena.

The author, empowered by compassion, transcends the realm of confusion to behold the divine countenance ("golden visage" representing celestial deities) and receive sacred teachings ("jade decrees" meaning divine instructions). Past karmic obstacles are cleansed, conduct achieves the state of emptiness—all due to accumulated merit from previous lives that made such an opportunity possible.

At this stage, one should experience sudden awakening, removing inner obstructions to perceive one's true self with innate spiritual light. Inward contemplation reveals the mind's insubstantiality; outward observation shows the body's unreality; distant examination proves all phenomena illusory. Realizing these three are fundamentally empty—and that even the concept of "emptiness" itself is empty—one ultimately attains the serene state of constant stillness.

Within this pure luminous state, one merges with the vast void. The three poisons (greed, hatred, and delusion) disappear, the five aggregates (form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness) empty out, the six causes of karma cease, and the ten evil habits are eradicated. When delusive thoughts settle like dust, the cycle of rebirth naturally stops. Without rebirth, there's no birth or death—our true Buddha-nature endures as eternally as heaven and earth, surviving all kalpas undiminished.

For those yet to reach this state, keeping precepts becomes essential. Precepts function to prevent transgressions and distance one from falsehoods and sensual desires. Sentient beings drown in the illusory dust of the world, their delusion bone-deep—rejecting truth for falsehood like moths drawn to flames or ants circling a millstone, finding pleasure amidst thorns without thought of turning back. Karmic forces inevitably lead them to downfall. Therefore, perfected beings and sages throughout history have used precepts as protective barriers against deviant paths while preserving the true way.

Through precept-keeping, worldly impurities are cleansed to restore one's heaven-endowed original nature. Scriptures (represented by "Ruiji Langhan" precious texts) and precepts ("golden rules and jade laws") contain strict regulations. Now establishing an altar ("Xu Huang" representing the supreme deity) for the Lingbao purification ritual (Zhaijiao), following liturgical procedures (Keyi), the paramount practice becomes upholding the Nine Perfect Marvelous Precepts. Originally, the Qingwei Dharma King and Xu Huang Patriarch (Daoist deities) proclaimed these golden words precisely in response to the Black Spirit's inquiry.

This scripture records the Daoist ritual for the salvation of departed souls. During the ceremony, the master guides the deceased to take refuge in the Three Treasures of Dao (the Way), Jing (scriptures), and Shi (teachers) - the most revered triad in Daoism - while receiving six precepts.

First, the soul is led to take refuge in the "Dao Treasure" (the cosmic origin), praised as the supreme existence present since the chaos of creation. Prayers are offered to guide the departed to the celestial realms through pure methods. Next comes refuge in the "Jing Treasure" (Daoist scriptures), extolled as precious as gold and jade for their power to enlighten souls. Finally, refuge is taken in the "Shi Treasure" (successive generations of Daoist patriarchs), honored for their lineage of delivering sentient beings.

The ceremony then proceeds with the Great Compassionate Precept-Proclaiming Celestial Being (a Daoist deity) presiding over the precept-bestowal. The Northern Emperor's Hymn is chanted, depicting the Primordial Celestial Worthy (the highest Daoist deity) radiating compassion through the Nine Darknesses of hell to save lost souls.

Six precepts are then transmitted to the departed: First, filial piety toward parents; second, loyalty to rulers; third, abstaining from killing while compassionately delivering beings; fourth, avoiding sexual misconduct and maintaining upright conduct; fifth, refraining from theft and practicing self-sacrifice; sixth, eschewing anger and oppression of others. These correspond respectively to the Initial Truth Precept, Mindful Truth Precept, Upholding Truth Precept, Guarding Truth Precept, Preserving Truth Precept, and Cultivating Truth Precept.

The entire ritual assists souls in purification and salvation through taking refuge in the Three Treasures and observing precepts. The phrase "ascending to the celestial immortal realms" expresses Daoism's ideal postmortem destination, analogous to the Buddhist concept of rebirth in the Pure Land.

This scripture expounds the nine precepts proclaimed in Daoist salvation rituals for departed souls and their profound significance. The first three precepts are: The Seventh Precept admonishes spirits against deceiving or harming virtuous people, for only then can one truly uphold the precepts; The Eighth Precept requires spirits to abandon arrogance and never disparage truth, as this is the path to attaining the Dao; The Ninth Precept emphasizes wholehearted devotion to the precepts with undivided attention, the only way to reach the realm of authentic enlightenment.

The text then employs poetic verses to illuminate the essence of precept-keeping: The Great Dao takes non-attachment as its root, yet all phenomena in the world can become fields for cultivating the Way. Accumulating merit follows no fixed pattern—it wholly depends on one's original mind. Practitioners should maintain humility like an empty valley, treating all beings equally, just as the ocean becomes sovereign by accommodating countless rivers, or the true dragon preserves wisdom by shedding its scales. Precepts must be upheld with unwavering perseverance to plant seeds of goodness across lifetimes.

The scripture emphasizes these nine precepts serve as a compassionate ferry across the sea of suffering, a radiant lamp in darkness—they heal chronic afflictions and relieve spiritual drought. Those who keep the precepts should cherish them as protected treasures, serve them as one would a sovereign, and honor them as filial children revere parents. Such practitioners will receive constant protection from guardian youths of the precepts, the Five Directional Thearchs, and deities of the Six Palaces, ensuring steady progress on the path. The Three Officials and Five Thearchs record accumulated merits while the Nine Bureaus and Four Departments examine spiritual practice, ultimately enabling liberation from cyclic existence to roam freely in the Great Void.

A special warning reminds practitioners never to slacken, lest they fall back into the ocean of suffering. These precepts may appear as worldly regulations, but in truth they constitute profound medicine for sentient beings drowning in the cycles of life and death, addicted to worldly dust. Like acupuncture curing illness, they puncture delusions to restore original nature. Obsession with using precepts to distinguish truth from falsehood ironically creates new attachments—as Confucians say: "The moment you attempt to define original nature, you've already strayed from it."

The final admonition tells departed souls: Those who were clever in life must maintain spiritual clarity after death, comprehending the true meaning of precepts without becoming constrained by their formulations. Authentic practice means preserving one's primordial purity within the boundless realm of Non-Ultimate.

This passage depicts a Daoist salvation ritual and the spiritual states attained through cultivation. By practicing "true observation" (zhenguan, an internal visualization technique), the practitioner reaches a state of pure emptiness, thereby becoming one of the "seed people" (zhongmin, Daoist term for immortal adepts who attain longevity).

As the ritual concludes, a thousand candles gradually extinguish, all varieties of incense burn to completion, the chime's resonance fades beneath the moonlight, and the celestial pipes' music withdraws into the clouds (all representing the closing scenes of the ceremony). The immortal chariots (referring to divine conveyances) have already returned to heaven, the host of celestial deities resume their proper stations, and the ten directions (representing the entire cosmos) bask in divine radiance. The sacred images upon the altar remain serenely seated, awaiting the completion of the "refinement and deliverance" (liandu, the rite for liberating souls).

The scripture explains that through receiving precepts and hearing the Dharma, the departed souls may attain "recommendation for ascension" (baoju shengqian, achieving salvation), eternally liberated from the sea of human suffering to soar into celestial realms. Such merit knows no bounds, benefiting all sentient beings and bringing perfect awakening to the entire Dharma realm (cosmos).

The concluding quatrain is the priest's gatha: The departed souls should thoroughly awaken to their past transgressions, thereby transcending the cycle of rebirth. Like the "mysterious pearl" (xuanzhu, symbolizing original nature) containing all existence, their purity shines bright as the autumn moon. With this gatha completed, the priest concludes the ritual and descends from the altar.