《靈寶領教濟度金書》Vol. 187

The Lingbao Lingjiao Jidu Jinshu (Scripture of Lingbao Salvation through Teachings) documents a Daoist ritual (Keyi) for dispelling calamities and seeking blessings. Before the ceremony begins, the officiating priests must properly adjust their ritual garments and silently contemplate the teachings of the patriarchs with tranquil minds.

The ritual commences with the recitation of the "Weiling Zhou" (Guardian Spirit Incantation) to purify the sacred space: The five directional primal energies (Wufang Yuanqi) flow through the heavens, while the radiance of the stars illuminates the altar. The majestic Black Spirit Deity (Heiling Zunshen, the northern guardian) commands authority, leading celestial immortals to guard the five directional gates and expel malevolent forces. Jade talismans (Yufu, ritual implements) secure the eight directions, obstructing wicked paths while opening the way for righteousness. The priest invokes the protective light of the sun, moon, and stars (Sanguang) to safeguard his form, aiding his ascent to the celestial realms and union with the Dao.

Next, the ritual drum is struck twenty-four times, symbolizing the connection between the three realms (heaven, earth, and humanity). The priest summons the thirty-six guardian deities cultivated within his body, including the Merit Officials (Gongcao Guan, internal protectors) and the Jade Maidens of Incense (Xiangguan Yunü), who arrive in full regalia to protect the sacred space. Local earth deities (Tudi Shen) are also invited to bear witness.

The priest declares his intention: May the righteous energies of the ten directions and the auspicious light of Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) flow into his being, ensuring his prayers reach the highest deities. He then respectfully invokes the supreme divinities of Daoism in sequence:

• The Three Pure Ones (Sanqing): Yuanshi Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning), Lingbao Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure), and Daode Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of the Dao and Its Virtue)
• The Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Shangdi)
• The Great Emperor of the South Pole (Nanji Tianhuang Dadi)
• The Great Emperor of the North Pole (Ziwei Dadi)
• The Empress of Earth (Houtu Huangdiqi)
• The Nine Celestial Sovereigns of the Divine Empyrean (Shenxiao Jiuchen Shangdi)

This passage presents the complete opening liturgy of a Daoist calamity-dispelling ritual. By summoning celestial and earthly deities and purifying the sacred space, it prepares the ground for subsequent blessings. The priest must maintain utmost sincerity to resonate with the divine and invite their presence to the altar.

This scripture passage depicts the scene of inviting various deities to descend during a Daoist zhaijiao (purification ritual), consisting of three main sections:

First, it enumerates the deities to be reverently invited: including the Heavenly Venerables of all celestial realms, the Divine Emperors and their ministers, the Three Officials (Heavenly Official, Earthly Official, and Water Official), the Four Saints (Daoist guardian deities), one's personal destiny guardian (benming yuanchen), as well as all divinities of the three realms such as city gods and earth deities. The ritual officiant humbly acknowledges that these deities govern the operations of heaven and earth, having established the Daoist tradition since the primordial chaos and continuing to teach sentient beings through Daoist methods.

Next comes the invocation, expressing the sincere repentance of the ritual sponsor (zhaizhu) who reflects upon themselves amid the vast mundane world, hoping to receive divine protection through the ceremony. The text mentions "jade casket scriptures" (yaoji) and "jade-boxed Daoist classics" (langhan), indicating that Daoist scriptures possess supreme power to resolve kalpic calamities and govern yin-yang. Ritual implements like the "three registers with golden seals" (sanlu jinzhang, Daoist talismans) and "jade casket of the nine underworlds" (jiuyou yugui, implements for soul salvation) are described as possessing formidable spiritual potency.

Finally, the passage describes the altar arrangement: a jade platform surrounded by star-lamps, rainbow banners fluttering in the air, with purple mist curling from incense burners beneath solemn feathered canopies. The burning orchid incense and candles resemble red lotus blossoms in full bloom, while vermilion fruits on peach branches glimmer radiantly. The entire scene manifests sacred solemnity as participants gaze upward toward the celestial throne, awaiting the deities' descent. This vivid portrayal captures the sacred atmosphere and exquisite arrangements characteristic of Daoist zhaijiao rituals.

This passage describes the incense-offering segment in a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual), recorded in the Lingbao Lingjiao Jidu Jinshu (Golden Book of Numinous Treasure for Salvation) liturgical manual. The ritual master leads devotees in making three successive incense offerings, each dedicated to one of the Three Treasures of Daoism—the supreme objects of veneration.

During the first incense offering, participants kneel reverently to present incense to the "Most Exalted and True Celestial Worthy of the Dao Treasure," the divine embodiment of the Dao. They pray for the emperor to receive heaven and earth's protection, for enduring national stability with imperial authority firm as Mount Tai, and for the sovereign's achievements to be recorded in history. Simultaneously, they invoke blessings upon ancestral spirits of the state altars and imperial temples, wishing them to ride auspicious clouds and immortal chariots, ascending to the mysterious celestial realms.

The second offering is presented to the "Most Exalted and True Celestial Worthy of the Scripture Treasure," the sacred manifestation of Daoist classics. Special prayers are made for the patron sponsoring the ritual (zhai zhu), wishing them to eliminate delusions and comprehend true Dao. May their pure heart-mind remain lucid as gold and jade, their household harmonious, and their virtue praised by neighbors. The ritual also seeks salvation for nine generations of ancestors and five degrees of relatives, liberating them from underworld suffering to ascend toward radiant realms borne by meritorious light.

The third incense honors the "Most Exalted and True Celestial Worthy of the Master Treasure," the collective embodiment of realized adepts throughout history. Devotees reaffirm their commitment to spiritual refuge, aspiring to emulate accomplished sages of all ages by ultimately merging with the Great Dao, attaining the formless supreme state.

Through this threefold incense offering, the ceremony systematically venerates Daoism's highest objects of worship, fully expressing the tradition's "Three Treasures" devotional system. Each incense segment carries specific prayer intentions and cultivation goals—from national welfare to personal practice, from worldly peace to ancestral salvation—demonstrating Daoism's religious ethos of delivering all beings through compassionate action.

This passage is a prayer text from Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual) ceremonies, expressing devout devotion to the deities and wishes for blessings.

First, the Daoist priests demonstrate their complete surrender to the supreme Tianzun (the highest deity in Daoism), performing full prostrations. They beseech the "Three Pure Ones" (Sanqing)—Taiqing, Yuqing, and Shangqing—to extend their merit and virtue throughout the world, so that all living beings under heaven and within the four seas may benefit.

Next, it describes an idealized vision of a peaceful and prosperous era: granaries overflowing with grain, mulberry and hemp fields stretching far and wide, tranquil borders, and even birds and beasts living freely, with all things in their rightful place. This reflects the aspiration for the state of "Great Harmony" (Taihe), the cosmic equilibrium.

Then, blessings are invoked for Daoist practitioners: may departed masters and teachers have their virtuous deeds recorded in the immortal realm of Danling (abode of Daoist immortals), and may present-day fellow cultivators practice the Great Vehicle Dao in profound and wondrous states. At this point, incense is burned as an offering, expressing devotion to the masters and all the true sages, with the hope of uniting with the Dao.

Following this comes the repentance segment, marked by repeated bows. The presiding priest leads all participants in the ritual to reverently petition the Nine Heavens’ Supreme Deities (highest celestial beings in Daoism), the perfected beings of the ten directions, the sun, moon, and stars, the ruling stars of their birth, the Three Officials (Heavenly Official, Earthly Official, and Water Official), the Four Saints, and all other divine beings.

The text states: The Great Dao (Dao) gives birth to all things, and humans receive the innate Qi (vital energy), endowing them with spiritual awareness. Human nature is originally in harmony with the eternal Dao, but due to the disturbances of the "Five Thieves" (desires arising from the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body), the mind and spirit become scattered. Now, in the twilight years of life, the practitioners sincerely seek repentance, using the Zhaijiao ritual to express their utmost sincerity.

The entire passage embodies the sacred solemnity unique to Daoist ceremonies, blending religious ideals with worldly aspirations through elegant literary expression.

This passage is a prayer from a Daoist purification ritual (Zhaijiao), expressing the officiant’s reverence and evoking the sacred setting of a liturgical ceremony.

The person presiding over the rite approaches with awe and caution, as if standing before a deep abyss, always mindful of the majesty of the Heavenly Dao. They must resist the intrusions of worldly desires—“the red dust” refers to worldly troubles—and keep the heart pure; “plain steps” refers to an unadorned original nature. Whether in quiet cultivation or in ritual action, they must follow the laws of Heaven, seek audience above in the Purple Void Immortal Realm, the highest celestial realm in Daoism, and pray below for divine grace to descend.

The ritual altar is solemn and sacred. The jade altar is adorned with the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters—and the perfected immortals of the ten directions are arrayed there. The prayer is written in vermilion ink, its strokes kindling sacred fire, to erase the record of sins, known as the “black register,” a list of karmic offenses. The prayer asks Heaven and Earth, and the four quarters, to bestow blessings; it calls upon the Eight Trigrams and the Nine Chapters, Daoist scriptures, to manifest their power, so that calamities may not intrude and worldly entanglements may not disturb.

May the ancestors of every generation be released from the cycle of rebirth, and may all relatives receive protection. May past misfortunes be dispelled and auspicious signs appear. May Heaven and Earth be clear and bright, the mountains and rivers show their auspiciousness, and the people live in peace and prosperity. May light reach both the world of the living and the netherworld.

The rite then proceeds to its specific ritual stages. After making the vow, the officiant visualizes the deities and offers prayers with incense. The incense officials and messengers, the Dragon and Tiger Lords who protect the rite, and other deities descend to the altar. The incense burner spontaneously reveals golden liquid and cinnabar-green elixirs, medicines of the immortals, and sprigs of sacred fungus, as the perfected immortals gather. May those who cultivate the Dao attain it and become immortals; may all participants in the purification ritual receive blessings, and may grace reach both the living and the dead.

Finally, celestial youths and jade maidens carry the prayer to the highest divine realms: the Supreme, Infinite Great Dao, the source of the Dao; the Three Pure Ones, the Heavenly Worthies of Jade Clarity, Highest Clarity, and Great Clarity; and the August Jade Emperor of the Vast Heaven, one of the highest deities in Daoism. At the close of the rite, the officiant recites the departure hymn and gives thanks to the ancestral masters, completing the ceremony.

This text comes from volume 187 of the Golden Book of Deliverance through the Teachings of the Numinous Treasure. An important liturgical classic of the Daoist Lingbao tradition in the Song dynasty, it records in detail the full ritual procedures for delivering departed souls, praying for blessings, and dispelling calamities.