《靈寶領教濟度金書》Vol. 223

This is a repentance text from a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual) liturgy compiled by Southern Song dynasty Daoist master Lin Lingzhen. During the ceremony, priests confess sins on behalf of the ritual participants (known as zhaizhu) to various deities, seeking absolution and deliverance from misfortune.

The ritual begins with priests burning incense and paying homage, representing the participants in confessing transgressions before multiple revered deities. These include: the Supreme Palace (residence of Daoism's highest deities) with its Azure City Jade Tower Marshal's Office; the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper such as the Greedy Wolf Yangming Star Lord; celestial beings like the Jade Emperor's Nine Dawn Lords; and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions including the Solar Palace Sun Star Lord.

The text enumerates the participants' accumulated faults since time immemorial: disturbances in the Three Karmas (body, speech, and mind); indulgence in the Six Emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, and hate); and frequent violations of precepts and moral principles. These offenses have offended heavenly laws above and violated earthly principles below, transgressing both human ethics and divine ordinances. Whether self-committed or instigated in others, whether overt misdeeds or hidden sins, they are too numerous to count. Recorded on black registers in the Mysterious Tribunal (the underworld bureaucracy), these transgressions may invite calamity if not promptly confessed and resolved.

Special mention is made of inauspicious astrological circumstances requiring ritual resolution: encountering unlucky annual cycles, offending the Li position (one of the Nine Palaces) in the southern direction, or facing obstructed fortunes known as "fuyin fanyin" (astrological terms for stagnant energy), or the malignant combinations of "Six Harms and Three Punishments." Concerns are raised about potential unwitting offenses during house construction—disturbing the Grand Duke Jupiter (Taisui) or Lunar Deity (Taiyin) in the southern Li position of the property, or antagonizing fierce deities like the Yellow Banner or Leopard's Tail, which might bring unnoticed misfortune upon households.

The text culminates in supplications to the Celestial Sovereign (a Daoist deity) for blessings and the Northern Dipper Lords for mercy—seeking absolution for past wrongs and bestowal of future grace. May participants enjoy mental serenity and physical health, with auspicious stars illuminating their fate while malignant influences retreat. May households know peace, the Five Blessings (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and natural death) grace their doors, descendants flourish, and all endeavors prosper. Ultimately, may they attain union with the Dao and ascend to perfection.

The closing phrase "harmony and union with the Dao" (he yu dao he zhen) is chanted in unison by all participants, expressing the ultimate pursuit of merging with the supreme Dao.

This passage is a confessional text from Daoist zhaijiao (purification ritual) ceremonies, primarily describing the process where the fasting devotee (zhai zhu) repents their transgressions before various deities and seeks deliverance from misfortunes.

First, through incense-offering rituals, the devotee confesses before the multitude of deities residing in the Five-Colored Jade Tower of Zhongyuan Palace (one of the Three Officials who oversee absolution). These include: the Giant Gate Yinjing Star Lord who governs constellations, the Pan Kui Perfected Being, the Jade Emperor's Northern Morning Lord, and the Celestial Xuan Star's Xu Jing Shangxuan Imperial Lady. These deities can help resolve prenatal calamities and reform one's physical form.

The confession continues before the Lunar Palace's Great Yin Imperial Lord and four stellar mansions (Wei, Mao, Bi, and Zi), followed by repentance to the eight guardian deities of the Gen position (northeast direction). The devotee reflects on transgressions committed since beginningless time (referring to past and present lives): impurities in body, speech, and mind; indulgence in the six emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, love, and hate); and repeated violations of precepts and moral principles. These offenses are recorded on the dark registers of the underworld courts, and without confession and ritual remedy, will inevitably attract misfortune.

Special mention is made of potential encounters with baleful influences: the sha qi (malignant energy) and jie sha (calamitous sha) of the southern Li position; dangerous astrological combinations like fuyin and fanyin; and inauspicious fate patterns such as sanxing (three punishments) and sichong (four clashes). The devotee expresses concern about possibly violating taboos during house construction—unwittingly offending deities like Taisui, Taiyin, or Huangfan, or transgressing against the Jiuliang stars and lunar prohibitions—thereby bringing unknown calamities upon their household.

The prayer culminates in beseeching the Celestial Emperor (one of Daoism's supreme deities) and the Northern Dipper Star Lords for blessings: absolution of past transgressions and bestowal of future auspiciousness. The devotee prays for physical and mental well-being, the dispersal of malignant stars from their home, the arrival of the five blessings (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and peaceful death), and descendants' prosperity. The ultimate aspiration is achieving spiritual cultivation and union with the Dao (the state of merging with the supreme Dao).

The third section continues the confessional rite before the Yellow Terrace Jade Tower's Sikong Mansion deities in Zhenyuan Palace, including the Luchun Star Lord and Lü Dou Perfected Being, who oversee worldly fortunes and immortal registers. This passage similarly emphasizes eliminating karmic obstructions through repentance to receive divine protection.

This scripture passage describes the repentance and blessing components within a Daoist zhaijiao (purification ritual) ceremony. The content unfolds in several key sections:

The text begins with confessions of transgressions made before multiple deities, including star lords (celestial beings governing constellations in Daoism) and high-ranking divine sovereigns. The ritual host (the practitioner conducting the ceremony) acknowledges various karmic offenses committed since time immemorial - violations of precepts, transgressions against cosmic laws, and other misdeeds that have invited misfortunes.

It then enumerates potential calamities in detail: inauspicious astrological influences (such as the ominous stellar configurations of jiesha and fuyin), geomancy violations (like offending the annual Tai Sui方位 or yellow banner taboos). These may bring illness and disaster, often without the individual's awareness.

Subsequent passages implore the Celestial Sovereign (one of Daoism's supreme deities) and the Northern Dipper star lords to grant absolution and blessings. The petitions seek to eradicate past sins and obtain future merits, including specific requests for physical health, household safety, dispersal of malignant influences, and prosperous descendants. The ultimate goal is achieving "ascension through attaining the Dao" - union with the Dao.

The concluding section presents the ritual officiant (referred to as "your subject") performing incense offerings and prostrations on behalf of the host. Confessions and supplications are made to numerous high-ranking deities: the Wandering Commander of Vermilion Tower and Jade Pavilion (the literary and mystical Xuanming Lord), the Star-Treading Perfected Being, the Jade Emperor's Mysterious Flying Canopy Dawn Lord, alongside the Water Virtue Morning Star True Lord and the great deities of the six white qian positions.

This passage exemplifies the standard structure of Daoist zhaijiao rituals: repentance of transgressions precedes petitions for disaster relief, culminating in blessings. It incorporates distinctive Daoist beliefs concerning astral deities and destiny theory, reflecting the tradition's complex cosmological framework.

This is a Daoist repentance ritual titled "The Purification Ceremony for All Divine Officials of the Celestial and Earthly Realms to Confess and Atone." The ritual participant (known as the "fasting master") acknowledges that from the beginningless past to this present life, their three karmic actions—body, speech, and mind—have been disordered, and their six emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, and hatred) have run unchecked, repeatedly violating Daoist precepts and ethical principles.

These transgressions include: offending celestial patterns, defying earthly laws, disrupting human relationships in the yang world, and provoking spirits in the yin realm. Some sins were committed personally, while others were instigated in others, resulting in these offenses being recorded on the "Black Registers" of the Mysterious Tribunal (the Daoist underworld). Without timely repentance and disaster-dispelling, such misdeeds may easily invite calamity.

The fasting master also fears having unknowingly violated various inauspicious influences in the southern Li position (a feng shui orientation): the Dire Sha, Calamitous Sha, Hidden Resonance, and Reversed Resonance stellar afflictions, as well as the Six Harms and Three Punishments in fate analysis. They worry that during construction or renovation, they may have inadvertently offended deities like the Grand Duke (Tai Sui) or Grand Yin (Tai Yin) in the southern sector of their dwelling, or provoked malevolent forces such as the Yellow Banner, Leopard Tail, Five Ghosts, or Nine Malignants—bringing misfortune upon their household without realization.

Thus, the fasting master ascends the ritual platform to burn incense and chant scriptures, beseeching the Celestial Sovereign (one of Daoism's highest deities) for blessings and the Great Dipper Star Lords (who govern human destiny) for mercy—to absolve past wrongs and bestow future grace. They pray for mental serenity, physical health, radiant vitality, auspicious stars aligning with their fate palace, and the dispersal of household misfortunes. May they receive the Five Blessings (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and a peaceful death) and extended life, with descendants achieving prominence, domestic peace, and the smooth realization of all endeavors. The ultimate aim is attaining the Dao and ascending as an immortal, merging with the Great Way.

In the fifth segment of the ritual, priests confess on behalf of the fasting master to numerous deities: including the Upright and Crimson Elixir Star Lord of the Dipper Lord's Mansion, the Jade Emperor's Golden Chief Morning Lord, the Central Sovereign Lady, and the four constellation lords of Jiao, Kang, Di, and Fang (from the eastern quadrant of the Twenty-Eight Mansions). They seek absolution for the fasting master's accumulated karmic offenses since beginningless time.

This passage from the Lingbao Lingjiao Jidu Jinshu (Numinous Treasure Scripture for Salvation Through Ritual Instruction) outlines a Daoist liturgical practice for confessing transgressions and seeking deliverance from misfortunes. It describes how devotees, having incurred calamities through various offenses, must perform rituals to beseech divine absolution and blessings.

In human existence, transgressions—both overt and hidden—are inevitable and innumerable. These misdeeds are recorded in the "Black Registers" of the underworld bureaucracy that monitors mortal virtue and vice. Without timely ritual confession and purification, such offenses readily attract misfortune. This danger intensifies during astrologically inauspicious periods: when encountering the malevolent influences of the Li (Fire) trigram's southern position, calamity-bringing stellar deities like Jiesha, or facing astrological patterns like Fuyin-Fanyin (indicating cyclical reversals) or the harmful combinations of the "Six Harms and Three Punishments" in earthly branch correlations.

Unwitting offenses may occur when constructing or renovating dwellings—violating forbidden orientations governed by deities like Taisui (Year Lord), Taiyin (Counterpart of Taisui), or the disaster-bringing stellar spirits Huangfan and Baowei. Collisions with the Seven Killers, Five Ghosts, or the injury-causing Jiuliang Star can also unknowingly invite calamity.

Thus devotees establish ritual altars, burning incense and reciting scriptures to devoutly petition: May the Celestial Sovereign (Tianhuang) bestow blessings, and the Northern Dipper Lords shower grace—absolving past transgressions and granting future prosperity. May health flourish, auspicious stars illuminate the destiny palace, and baleful influences retreat from households. They seek the "Five Blessings" (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and peaceful death), the "Three Longevities" (upper, middle, and lower), illustrious descendants, and domestic peace. May all endeavors find fulfillment, ultimately merging with the Great Dao beyond physical form.

The ritual master, representing devotees, offers incense in confession before multiple deities: the Martial Pivot Northern Star Lord (Wuxing Beiji) from the Jade Tower of Mysterious Terraces, the Pace-the-Dipper Perfected (Bugang Zhenren), the Flying Radiance Dawn Lord of Jade Emperor's Northern Dipper (Yu Huang Beichen Feihua Chenjun), the Primordial Imperial Consort of the Purple Pole Palace's Kaiyang Star (Ziji Gong Kaiyang Xing Anshang Chenhua Yuanhuang Furen), and the Central Lord of the Record-illumination Palace (Jiming Gong Zhongjun)—among other stellar deities. Special confessions address the Three Great Deities of the Xun (Southeast) trigram position—Luminous Unity (Mingyi), Numinous Response (Lingying), and Mysterious Darkness (Xuanming)—along with all numinous officials in the southern "Quail Head" lunar mansion division.

From beginningless kalpas until this present life, devotees confess offenses committed through the Three Karmas (body, speech, and mind) and indulgence in the Six Emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, and hate)—repeated violations of precepts and cosmic order. Above, they offended celestial patterns; below, they transgressed terrestrial principles. In the yang realm, they violated human ethics; in the yin realm, they affronted spiritual beings. Not only committing errors themselves but leading others astray, their thoughts, words, and deeds accumulated boundless transgressions—all recorded in the underworld's Black Registers. Without timely confession and purification, when fate encounters perilous periods—particularly clashes with the southern Li trigram's baleful influences—calamity will surely manifest.

This scripture describes a Daoist ritual for warding off calamities and seeking blessings. The priest burns incense and recites scriptures at the altar, performing repentance for the patron (the participating devotees) and praying to dispel misfortunes.

The patron may have incurred disasters for the following reasons: violating inauspicious directions (such as the southern Li position) during house construction, offending taboo orientations like the Grand Duke Jupiter (Taisui) or the Grand Yin (Taiyin); encountering malevolent astrological influences in their destiny, such as the Three Penalties (Sanxing) or Six Harms (Liuha), or the baleful stars like Mars (Yinghuo) and Comet (Bixing); or accumulating transgressions against heavenly principles and human ethics through daily words and deeds.

Through the ritual, the priest petitions multiple deities, including the Military Breaker Star Lord (Pojun Xingjun) of the Northern Dipper, the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Zongling), the Golden Star of Venus (Jinde Taibai Xingjun), and the four constellation lords of Ox (Niu), Girl (Nü), Emptiness (Xu), and Wall (Bi) from the Twenty-Eight Mansions. The priest seeks divine pardon for the patron’s past offenses and bestowal of blessings.

Specific requests include dispelling inauspicious feng shui influences (such as the Five Ghosts and Seven Killers) in the patron’s residence, resolving astrological misfortunes (like the Three Penalties and Six Harms), and ensuring physical health and household peace. Ultimately, the ritual aims to bring the Five Blessings (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and a peaceful death) to the patron’s door, prosperity for descendants, and ultimate union with the Dao (achieving oneness with the Great Way).

The ritual particularly emphasizes warding off inauspicious forces in the southern Li position (the southern trigram in the Bagua), a key directional taboo in Daoist feng shui. The entire ceremony reflects the Daoist belief system of transforming destiny through repentance and ritual purification.

This scripture is a repentance and supplication text used in Daoist zhaijiao (purification rituals), detailing the process of dispelling misfortunes and seeking blessings for the ritual participants (known as the "fasting master").

The text begins by describing how, since time immemorial, the fasting master has been entangled in the three karmic offenses of body, speech, and mind, with the six emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, and hate) running unchecked, repeatedly violating precepts and moral principles. These transgressions offend celestial laws above and contravene earthly principles below, breaching both human ethics and divine decrees. As a result, sins are recorded on the "black registers" of the underworld. Without timely repentance and ritual purification, calamities may befall the offender.

Particular emphasis is placed on potential encounters with malevolent influences: the various sha-qi (baleful energies) of the southern Li position (the southern trigram in the Bagua), the jiesha (calamity-bringing deities), the fuyin and fanyin (astrological terms indicating cyclical misfortunes), and the liuhai and sanxing (inauspicious combinations in fate calculation). The text also expresses concern that during construction activities, the fasting master might have unwittingly offended the southern dwelling's Taisui (Jupiter deity), Taiyin (Moon deity), Huangfan Baowei (malevolent spirits), or temporal baleful influences like the year and month punishments—all capable of triggering disasters.

Through ritual actions—ascending the altar, burning incense, chanting scriptures, and performing liturgical rites—the text implores the Celestial Sovereign (a Daoist deity) and the Northern Dipper deities to bestow mercy: forgiving past transgressions while granting future blessings; revitalizing the spirit, ensuring steady steps and radiant health; attracting auspicious stars to protect the family while repelling malignant forces; bringing the five blessings (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and peaceful death) and the three longevity deities (higher, middle, and lower longevity); safeguarding descendants' prosperity and household peace, with all endeavors bearing virtuous fruit. Ultimately, upon achieving spiritual perfection, the practitioner may ascend to the formless realm, merging with the Dao (Dao-He-Zhen).

The latter section enumerates specific deities being petitioned: celestial beings like the Purple Qi Jade Tower Heavenly Worthy, the Jade Emperor's stellar officials, the Three Destiny Perfected Ones, and the Nine Dawn Lords, alongside deities of sun, moon, fire, water, and the southwestern Kun position's Great Mysterious Divinity—all beseeched to accept the fasting master's repentance.

This scripture describes a Daoist purification ritual (Zhaijiao) performed to dispel misfortunes and pray for blessings on behalf of devotees. The ritual master offers incense and recites scriptures to confess transgressions before various celestial deities, seeking absolution and deliverance from calamities.

The text first enumerates the honorific titles of revered divinities: the Great Emperor Perfected Being from the Jade Terrace Purple Palace of the Supreme Venerable Court, the Assistant Star Lord, the Three Yang Perfected Beings, the Jade Emperor's True Form, the Primordial Dawn Lord, and other heavenly spirits. Devotees confess all transgressions committed since beginningless time, including violations of precepts and offenses against celestial and earthly spirits—sins recorded on the dark registers of the underworld that easily invite disasters.

Particular attention is given to potentially activated malignant forces: the baleful qi from the Li (Fire) position in the south, calamity-bringing stars like Jiesha and Fuyin Fanyin, as well as fengshui-related malevolent spirits such as Taisui (Year Lord), Huangfan (Yellow Pennant), and Baowei (Leopard's Tail). These invisible forces may trigger illnesses and misfortunes that ordinary people cannot perceive.

Through the elevated altar ritual, supplicants seek celestial pardon for past offenses and divine favor for future blessings. Specific petitions include: physical health, household safety, auspicious stellar influences, dispersion of malignant forces, attainment of the "Five Blessings" (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and peaceful death) and "Three Longevities" (upper, middle, and lower lifespans), prosperous descendants, and familial harmony. The ultimate aspiration is mystical union with the Dao, reaching the formless realm of pure non-being.

Note: In this scripture, "Li position" refers to the southern direction in fengshui; "Taisui" represents the annual ruling deity in Daoist cosmology; "Five Ghosts" denote five types of baleful influences; "Nine Inauspicious Ones" indicate nine unlucky stellar spirits—all concepts from Daoist numerology and geomancy traditions.

The Lingbao Lingjiao Jidu Jinshu (Precious Scripture of Salvation According to the Numinous Treasure Tradition) is a pivotal text of the Lingbao school in Daoism, primarily documenting liturgical rites (Keyi) for delivering deceased souls and dispelling misfortunes. This scripture meticulously records the procedures, incantations, and talismanic practices (Fulu) for various purification rituals (Zhaijiao).

Volume 223 specifically outlines the ceremonial protocols for the salvation of departed spirits. It contains complete liturgical sequences—from altar construction and deity invocation to scripture recitation, food offerings, and deity send-off—emphasizing that only through the integration of a ritual master's internal cultivation (Neilian) and external ceremonial forms can the deliverance of souls be achieved.

This section elaborates on salvation methods tailored to different categories of spirits: ordinary deceased souls, wronged ghosts, and those fallen in battle, among others. The rites require specific talismanic incantations, mudras (ritual hand gestures), and Pacing the Void (Bugang—a sacred dance pattern), coordinated with prescribed scripture recitations, to effectively commune with divine beings and liberate souls from suffering.