《靈寶領教濟度金書》Vol. 123

The Lingbao Lingjiao Jidu Jinshu (Precious Scripture of Numinous Treasure for Salvation) records the complete procedure of a Daoist morning purification ritual (zhaijiao). This ceremony was presided over by the Dongwei Gaoshi (a highly accomplished Daoist master) known as the Jiuku Zhenren (True Person Who Saves from Suffering), with the purpose of delivering sentient beings through liturgical rites (keyi).

The ritual begins with the priests offering incense and paying homage, silently reciting the teachings of their patriarchs. They then chant the Weiling Zhou (Guardian Spirit Incantation), a protective mantra for the altar that invokes guardian deities such as "Qingyang" and "Shenhu," as well as divine soldiers like "Jiuwei" and "Bawai," who have the power to dispel evil spirits and purify the ritual space. The phrase "left summons the Central Yellow, right commands the Six Ding" refers to mobilizing the cultivated Yin and Yang energies within the body, while "seven revolutions and eight harmonies" describes the circulation of true Qi (vital energy) within the practitioner.

Next, the master strikes the ritual drum twenty-four times, symbolizing communication between heaven and earth. At this moment, the master summons the "Sanwu Gongcao" (internal deities cultivated through practice) within the body, as well as external guardian spirits, including the Golden Lad Who Serves Incense and the Jade Maiden Who Scatters Flowers—thirty-two deities in total—to jointly protect the altar. The master declares to these deities that a salvation ritual for the deceased will be performed, praying for the Dao's energy from the Jade Purity Realm (Yuqing Jing) to descend so that their sincerity may reach the celestial court.

The following segment involves inviting the deities. The master leads the assembly in reverently summoning the highest Daoist divinities: from the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) and the Supreme Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun) to the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Shangdi), as well as the Thirty-Six Celestial Emperors and the Four Directional Great Emperors. Special mention is made of sacred locations such as the "Jade Capital of Mysterious Metropolis" (Xuandu Yujing, the highest heavenly realm in Daoism) and the "Seven Treasures' Jade Terrace" (Qibao Qiongtai, abode of immortals), indicating that this ritual seeks to connect with all sacred beings across the three realms.

The entire passage demonstrates the meticulous liturgical structure of Daoist purification rituals. Through a series of ritual actions—burning incense, chanting mantras, drumming, and visualization—a sacred space is constructed to facilitate communication between humans and deities. This "Morning Court Ritual" (Zaochao Xingdao Yi) is often performed at dawn, as it is believed that the rising Yang energy at this time makes it easiest to resonate with the divine.

This passage describes a Daoist zhaijiao (purification ritual) for the salvation of departed souls, containing the following key elements:

Twenty-four immortal beings including the Lord of Western Citadel Wangjun, Great Primordial Perfected Being, Mount Tai's High Minister Siming Maojun, and the Two Perfected Ones of Confirming Records and Preserving Life, along with all celestial officials from the Three Realms (heaven, earth, and water domains), are invited to descend. The text depicts auspicious celestial phenomena: the Qingwei Heaven rotates with compassion like clouds; the Chisong kalpa-cycle dawns with wisdom like sunlight; golden texts shimmer against azure skies while jade characters manifest in the Purple Empyrean (celestial realm).

The presiding Daoist priest declares having received esoteric scriptures like the Purple Phoenix Chapters and Azure Dragon Registers. Though having cultivated in mountain seclusion, he humbly acknowledges limited merit, now conducting this ritual through the Celestial Worthy's grace. The ritual sponsor (zhai master) petitions for the deceased who suffered from illnesses during life (the "Three Corpses" and "Two Demons" representing pathogens), with disordered soul-states that might lead to unfavorable rebirth and potentially bring misfortune upon living relatives.

The ceremony strictly follows canonical texts like the Jade Casket's Clear Precepts: within simple thatched quarters (pengju), ninefold jade tones resound while orchid incense burns, with three-tiered jade altars arranged beneath radiant lotus lanterns. The priest visualizes immortals descending in dark-dragon chariots and vermilion-phoenix carriages—the Celestial Worthy enthroned on a lion seat as celestial officials line up like mandarin ducks paying homage, recreating the assembly at Floating Turquoise Heaven's celestial court.

The ritual concludes by petitioning to inscribe the deceased's name in celestial registers (qingbian) for liberation from the underworld, while simultaneously blessing the living. The entire passage exemplifies Daoist soteriological concepts where sacred rituals bridge the celestial and human realms during soul salvation ceremonies.

At dawn when ascending the altar for the Keyi (liturgy), the ritual master and devotees first lift the first incense stick. May its curling smoke rise straight to the highest heavens as an offering to the supreme Dao Treasure (the primordial source of the Dao). With wholehearted devotion, all kneel in reverence, relying upon the majestic virtue of the Three Supreme Venerables (the Jade Pure, Upper Pure, and Great Pure Heavenly Worthies). They dedicate these merits with the wish: may the nation enjoy peace, may the imperial ancestors ride phoenixes to Penglai's immortal mountains, hear the true Dao in jade terraced paradises, bringing auspicious signs to the imperial house with blessings unending.

They praise the current emperor's virtue surpassing ancient sage-kings, his achievements towering above the Yellow Emperor. As the Five Sacred Mountains guard the earth, may his sacred lifespan endure like their peaks; as the four seas pay homage, may his blessings reach the heavens. May unified culture spread across Yu the Great's domains, with myriad states paying tribute as in Emperor Yao's golden age. May civil and military officials assist in harmony, eternally preserving the imperial reign. This first incense dedicates to the master teachers and all realized saints, wishing cultivators may unite with the Dao, attaining longevity and vision.

Next they lift the second incense stick, its smoke offering to the supreme Scripture Treasure (Daoist sacred texts). Again they bow devoutly, dedicating merits for the ritual sponsor's ancestors through nine generations and kin through seven. May departed souls stroll immortal groves and jade gardens, ride azure mists across celestial realms, receive deliverance in cinnabar paradises, perpetuating the family's scholarly legacy through generations. May the sponsor personally receive the Five Blessings (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and peaceful death), with lifespan like the Southern Mountain, drinking jade nectar to preserve youthful countenance, dwelling in golden towers encircled by auspicious clouds. May their household forever brim with fortunate energy, far from calamity, ever graced with good fortune. This second incense dedicates to the master teachers and saintly assembly, wishing the realized may transcend form to unite with the Dao.

Finally they lift the third incense stick, its smoke offering to the supreme Teacher Treasure (Daoist patriarchs through the ages). Prostrating fully, they pray that through the Threefold Refuge (in Dao, Scriptures, and Teachers), the sponsor's lineage may flourish for generations, while cultivators awaken to the true Dao, ultimately merging with the supreme Way. The entire liturgy completes through these three incense offerings the full veneration of the "Dao-Scripture-Teacher" Three Treasures, embodying the fundamental Daoist belief in the "Trinity of the Three Treasures."

This scripture is an important liturgical text of the Lingbao tradition in Daoism, documenting the ritual of repentance and blessings before the Celestial Worthies. The general meaning is as follows:

We devout practitioners earnestly pray to dedicate the merits of our spiritual practice to the Three Masters (initiation master, ordination master, and recommendation master) and Four Companions (fellow practitioners), as well as to our extended family across five clans and six relations. May the mysterious auspicious clouds of the Celestial Worthies provide shelter, and the radiant light of the Great Dao shine universally. May our departed loved ones realize their perfect innate nature and forever transcend the cycle of afflictions; may the living purify their six sensory desires and attain the state of purity through Wuwei (non-action). We pray that all beings in the six realms (including the seven destinies and three wretched paths referring to hells, hungry ghosts, and other woeful states) and souls trapped in the Nine Dark Underworlds may be liberated from suffering, finding peace like the still, dust-free waters of meditation.

Now we burn incense and take refuge in the assembly of Celestial Worthies and sacred beings, aspiring that upon attaining the Dao, we may eternally enjoy the joy of natural spontaneity and merge completely with the Great Dao. This is followed by ritual prostrations, repentance ceremonies, and threefold invocations.

The scripture emphasizes that spiritual practice should cherish the Dharma methods as dearly as one's spouse and regard the scriptures as precious jewels. Through maintaining precepts to restrain sensory desires and cultivating upright Qi (vital energy) with a detached mind, one achieves serene Shen (spirit). Even celestial demons will then respect and protect such practitioners, ensuring great blessings across lifetimes.

Subsequently comes the solemn Threefold Homage ritual: first paying respects to the supreme origin of the Great Dao, then venerating the Thirty-Six Sacred Scriptures (representing the complete canon of Daoist texts), and finally honoring the Great Master of Mysterious Center (referring to Lord Lao, the deified Laozi). The presiding Daoist priest and all participants jointly invoke the celestial deities, including the Three Pure Ones (Yuanshi Tianzun, Taishang Daojun, and the Jade Emperor) and Four Sovereigns, along with the directional emperors of east, west, south and north, the Thirty-Six Celestial Emperors, and immortals from sacred grottoes and blessed lands. The text reveals these sacred beings oversee the examination of life, death, good and evil, using the movements of sun, moon and stars to manifest cosmic principles, impartially recording all beings' karmic retribution for virtuous and evil deeds.

This passage describes a Daoist zhaijiao ritual (a ceremonial offering for blessings) to deliver deceased souls. The ritual master first declares that he is acting upon the sacred mandate of Daoist patriarch Laozi (the Mysterious Origin), presiding over the ceremony with a mind as clear as a mirror, serving as a conduit between the celestial and earthly realms.

The text details the transgressions of the deceased: during their lifetime, they drowned in the ocean of desires, violated ethical principles, and transgressed the laws of heaven and earth, resulting in unsettled hun and po souls. Now these wandering spirits are trapped in the underworld (referred to in Daoism as "Black Feng"), entangled by various karmic obstructions like chronically ill patients awaiting deliverance.

The master erects a sacred altar (xuántán), arranging ritual implements such as phoenix-embroidered silks and dragon-shaped jade discs according to the liturgical procedures of the Ruiji (a Daoist scripture). Through celestial visualization and devout prayers, he beseeches heavenly mercy—hoping for divine pardon to descend like nourishing rain upon all beings. The ritual seeks to liberate the souls from the underworld, escorting them through the celestial gates with immortal officials' guidance for rebirth opportunities, while simultaneously dispelling misfortunes from the sponsoring family.

The ceremony concludes with blessings for the patron's (zhāizhǔ) household: may the yin and yang energies harmonize, bringing health and longevity while averting disasters. The grander aspiration extends to universal peace—the cessation of warfare, people living in contentment, and nature flourishing in balance. It even envisions the suspension of hell's operations (the Five Paths and Three Torments), embodying the Daoist compassionate ideal of "illuminating the celestial venerables' great mercy above while responding to sentient beings' sincere devotion below."

The entire passage manifests the core of Daoist salvation philosophy: through sacred rituals that bridge heaven and humanity, it delivers the deceased toward rebirth while blessing the living, ultimately achieving harmony among the Three Powers of heaven, earth, and humankind.

This passage is a ritual practice from the Lingbao Lingjiao Jidu Jinshu (Precious Scripture of Numinous Treasure for Salvation and Deliverance), primarily containing ten vows and a morning audience ritual. The ten vows are as follows:

First, may the practitioner’s body and mind harmonize with heaven and earth, enabling the sponsor of the purification ritual (Zhaijiao) to liberate their ancestors of seven generations from suffering, ascending them to paradise where they are free from want of food and clothing.

Second, may rulers govern with moral virtue, fostering flourishing schools and spreading the imperial teachings with dignity, bringing peace to the world, subduing foreign tribes, dispelling evil influences, and nurturing sages and worthies.

Third, may the Dharma-transmitting master’s merits be vast, guiding all beings until they ultimately ascend and attain immortality.

Fourth, may fellow practitioners swiftly achieve the Dao and immortality, uplifting and delivering one another.

Fifth, may family and friends live in harmony, valuing benevolence and righteousness over material wealth, setting an example for all.

Sixth, may I practice selfless generosity, aiding Daoist priests and the impoverished, ensuring all people find their rightful place.

Seventh, may even the smallest creatures attain deliverance and fulfillment.

Eighth, may past and present transgressions be pardoned, and may virtuous deeds amend past wrongs.

Ninth, may my lineage prosper, ancestral sacrifices endure, and virtuous descendants arise generation after generation.

Tenth, may I reverently follow the master’s teachings and scriptural (Jing) guidance without negligence, embracing all beings with equanimity, ultimately ascending to immortality, meeting the Supreme Dao Ancestor in broad daylight, becoming a perfected being (Zhenren), riding clouds and cranes, and uniting with the Dao.

The ritual section of "Invoking the Spirits and Gathering Incense" follows: The practitioner visualizes divine beings such as the Incense Official Messenger, the Dragon and Tiger Lords, and the Attendant Incense Spirit Officials, praying that during the morning ritual, celestial medicines like golden nectar (Jinye), cinnabar jade, and divine mushrooms spontaneously manifest, while a hundred perfected spirits gather before the incense burner. Through this, may the practitioner attain the Dao and immortality, the sponsor receive blessings, and both the living and the deceased share in divine grace. May celestial youths and jade maidens from all directions guard the incense smoke, swiftly conveying the practitioner’s sincerity to the Supreme Ultimate Great Dao and the Most True Jade Emperor.

The conclusion of the ritual includes the "Chant for Leaving the Altar," "Returning to Silent Stillness," and "Offering Gratitude to the Master and Dedicating Merit." The entire passage illustrates the Daoist practitioner’s grand aspiration—through vows, visualization, and ritual—to achieve personal cultivation while universally delivering all beings.