《靈寶領教濟度金書》Vol. 238

This scripture documents a Daoist ritual called the "Prayer for Offspring Ceremony" (Qisijiao), primarily performed to beseech for descendants. Before the ritual commences, the officiating priest (Fashi) and participants must first pay reverent homage while silently contemplating the teachings of the patriarchs.

The ceremony begins with chanting the "Guardian Spirit Incantation" (Weilingzhou) to summon the powers of the Five Planets (Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Saturn): Mercury dispels calamities, Jupiter brings prosperity, Mars eliminates misfortunes, Venus wards off warfare, and Saturn stabilizes the four directions—ensuring the flourishing of family and nation. Through these incantations, the priest attains divine power, enabling them to traverse heaven and earth freely, command wind and clouds, and summon myriad spirits.

Next, the ritual drum is struck twenty-four times, symbolizing communication between heaven and earth. The priest invokes the "Three-Five Merit Officers" (Sanwu Gongcao)—guardian deities cultivated through inner practice—along with thirty-two divine protectors, including the Golden Lad of Incense and the Jade Maiden of Messages, to jointly open the sacred altar. Local earth deities (Tudishen) are also summoned to assist, ensuring the altar remains pure and untainted, free from demonic interference.

The highest deities are then reverently invited to descend: foremost among them are the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)—the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, representing cosmic origins), the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Tianzun, embodying the mysteries of the Dao), and the Celestial Worthy of Dao and Virtue (Daode Tianzun, exemplifying the teaching of sentient beings)—followed by the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi), who governs the Three Realms. The priest and all present devoutly petition the deities, beseeching their blessings.

The entire ceremony follows strict liturgical procedures (Keyi), harnessing the powers of the Five Planets, guardian deities, and supreme divinities to fulfill the wish for offspring. Here, "Qi" refers to primordial energy, while "the chime of jade pendants" (Linlang) symbolizes the pure resonance of sacred sounds. The ritual emphasizes both outer and inner purity, affirming that sincerity of heart ensures spiritual efficacy.

This scripture enumerates the divine titles of numerous revered deities in Daoist belief, primarily divided into several categories:

First, it lists the highest-ranking celestial emperors and important divine lords, including the Celestial Emperor of Gouchen, the Earthly Sovereign Hou Tu, the Longevity Emperor, the Eastern Florescence Emperor (Donghua Dijun), the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu), along with celestial officials governing the sun, moon, stars, and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions. These deities preside over cosmic principles such as celestial movements and the transformations of Yin-Yang.

Next, it mentions the administrative hierarchies of the Three Realms (heaven, earth, and water), including the Three Primes True Lords (Sanyuan Zhenjun) and the Three Officials' Emperors (Sanguan Dijun), who oversee human morality, record merits and faults, and govern the cycles of life and death. Specialized divine officials like the Supervisors of Birth (Jiansheng Si) and Guardians of Offspring (Zisun Si) are responsible for fertility and lineage continuation.

The text then enumerates immortal officials in charge of scripture transmission, guardian generals, as well as terrestrial deities like the Five Sacred Peaks' mountain gods and local city gods (Chenghuang). Finally, it explains that this liturgy is performed during zhaijiao purification rituals when childless devotees petition these deities, seeking worldly blessings through accumulated hidden virtue (yinde).

Phrases like "the silent operation of the feminine and masculine in the realm of the inaudible and imperceptible" refer to the profound principle of Yin-Yang qi operating in formless subtlety. "The essence of the two and five" denotes the quintessential energies of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (Wuxing), while "the purity of one becoming three" reflects the Daoist cosmogonic sequence where the Dao generates One, One generates Two, and Two generates Three. These represent fundamental Daoist understandings of cosmic generation.

The ritual master sincerely repents and seeks to rectify wrongdoings, hoping through zhaijiao ceremonies to resonate with the divine and obtain offspring to continue the family lineage. This reflects the practical religious function of Daoist salvation rituals (keyi) in addressing devotees' worldly concerns.

This passage describes an elaborate Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual), which consists of three main components:

The first part depicts the ceremonial welcome of sacred beings: Daoist priests reverently invite various deities to descend upon the ritual altar. The "nine phoenixes and eight simurghs" represent the celestial honor guard, while "vermilion carriages and jade-green palanquins" symbolize the divine vehicles. "Feathered canopies and jade wheels" describe the magnificent ceremonial implements. With utmost devotion, the priests perform rituals including prostrations and formal invitations to welcome the sacred presence.

The second section details the invocation of deities: The presiding priest leads all participating clergy in addressing the supreme Daoist divinity "the Great Dao of Supreme Non-Ultimate" (Taishang Wuji Dadao), along with the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), perfected beings from the ten directions, and celestial deities of heaven and earth. The scripture particularly emphasizes the deities' merit in nurturing all creation, describing their abodes as "golden towers and jade palaces" in the immortal realms, and their role in governing human destiny.

Finally, the text explains the purpose of the ritual: The patron sponsoring the ceremony (known as the jiao master) comes from a scholarly family spanning generations, yet faces concerns about lineage continuation. The passage suggests their accumulated merits may have been affected by daily transgressions (such as harming living creatures or improper medicinal practices). Therefore, they specially establish this altar, offering dragon-jade tablets and phoenix-silk tributes, hanging ritual banners, and performing celestial music to confess transgressions and beseech divine blessings. The entire ceremony maintains solemn dignity, suffused with the sacred atmosphere of lingering immortal melodies.

This scripture depicts a Daoist zhaijiao (purification ritual) ceremony and its accompanying prayers. During the ritual, Daoist priests follow specific liturgical procedures to offer supplications to the Sanqing (Three Pure Ones: Jade Clarity, Supreme Clarity, and Grand Clarity—the highest triad of deities), the Ten Directions' exalted perfected beings (venerated spirits of all directions), and the myriad celestial and earthly deities.

The ceremony begins with auspicious omens: divine dragons appear along the ecliptic (the sun's path), while nine celestial tigers dance in the purple empyrean (heavenly realm). The priests strike vermilion ritual drums, allowing the sacred sound to resonate in all eight directions. Through these rites, they seek divine grace for all living beings between heaven and earth, praying for absolution of past transgressions.

The presiding priest, representing the jiao sponsor (ritual patron), makes confession before the deities and implores their blessings. Special petitions include prayers for the sponsor's wife—for robust health and smooth pregnancy—and that their future child may be intelligent and become a pillar of the state. Specific prayer contents include:

1. May the wife be blessed with fortunate stars, kept from illness, and maintain joyful wellbeing

2. For a safe pregnancy with true immortals descending to protect during childbirth

3. That the newborn may possess extraordinary wisdom to become an outstanding talent in prosperous times

4. The child shall study ten thousand volumes to become a high-ranking state official

5. May this child bring honor to ancestors and elevate the family's standing

During the "secondary offering" phase, the priests reaffirm their identity and purpose before the deities, emphasizing the sponsor's sincere repentance and hope for divine protection henceforth. Through meticulously prescribed ritual language and gestures performed with utmost reverence, they convey these aspirations to the celestial realm.

The entire passage exemplifies the Daoist tradition of using zhaijiao rituals to seek blessings and avert misfortune for devotees, particularly highlighting the importance placed on family continuity and virtuous descendants. The ceremony employs rich Daoist symbolic elements—including ritual implements like crimson cords and purple ceremonial ribbons—along with significant numerical symbolism (such as nine tigers and eight cosmic cords).

This scripture belongs to the Daoist zhaijiao (purification ritual) liturgy, comprising two main sections:

The first section contains prayers for the ritual officiant (jiaozhu). It invokes profound blessings and longevity for the officiant, wishing their residence to remain pure and undisturbed, with seasonal peace free from calamities. May auspicious clouds perpetually grace their eaves while the bright moon illuminates the heavens; may their descendants prove virtuous and outstanding, ensuring the family's prosperous continuity. Further prayers seek celestial harmony with ominous stars receding, bountiful harvests of the Five Grains, and harmonious relations among neighbors. Let common people dwell in contentment with thriving livelihoods, borders remain peaceful, agriculture flourish, and all beings prosper.

The second section details the deity-sending ceremony. The officiant (self-referencing as "your servant") addresses the Supreme Limitless Great Dao (the highest Daoist divinity), the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing: Jade Pure, Upper Pure, and Supreme Pure deities), and all celestial beings attending the ritual banquet. Through the Threefold Offering ceremony (initial, secondary, and final sacrificial rites), sincere reverence has been demonstrated. Now as night deepens in stillness with sparse stars surrounding the bright moon, as ritual instruments fall silent, one visualizes the deities preparing their celestial retinue for return to the heavenly realms. Practitioners concentrate their Qi (vital energy) here in stillness, allowing the Hundred Spirits (deities corresponding to bodily regions) to merge into unity at the Muddy Pellet Palace (the crown point where the primordial spirit resides).

The conclusion involves incense-burning visualization. Invocations summon guardian deities like the Incense Official Messengers and Dragon-Tiger Lords to naturally generate golden fluids (alchemical term for refined vital essences) and cinnabar-jade mushroom blossoms (immortal herbs) as auspicious signs within the ritual space. May all perfected beings gather before the incense burner to assist practitioners in attaining the Dao and achieving perfection.

In Daoist purification rituals (zhaijiao, large-scale ceremonial offerings), when the immortals descend to receive the sacrifices, both the presiding ritual masters (zhaiguan) and devotees participating in the ceremony receive blessings. Beings of the visible world and the nether realm alike are bathed in divine grace. Celestial attendants (immortal youths and jade maidens) from the ten directions arrive amidst curling incense smoke to stand guard.

This scripture passage constitutes the invocation text through which the ritual master reports to the supreme deity, the "Most High Jade Emperor of the Primal Ultimate Great Dao and Utmost Truth." It expresses the hope that the memorial just presented may swiftly reach the Jade Emperor's divine presence. The text then depicts the scene of the deity's departure: the Jade Emperor ascends in his immortal chariot (the five-colored cloud carriage) surrounded by auspicious clouds, accompanied by the celestial music of nine movements (jiuzhang ge), soaring instantly into the lofty heavens. At this moment, the ritual altar becomes enveloped in fragrant smoke as mysterious blessings permeate the cosmos, showering fortune upon mountains and rivers alike.

The passage concludes with yearning for the immortal realms: gazing toward that distant path leading to the celestial domain, how one longs to wander freely and ascend to the Great Canopy Heaven (Daluo tian, the highest Daoist heaven). The phrase "fen liao" (burning the invocation) indicates this text was recited while the memorial was being ritually burned. This content originates from Volume 238 of the Lingbao Lingjiao Jidu Jinshu (Golden Texts of Lingbao Salvation Rituals), a key liturgical text of the Lingbao school's salvation ceremonies (jidu keyi), representing an important scripture within this major Daoist tradition.