《靈寶領教濟度金書》Vol. 36

This scripture records the complete liturgical procedure (Keyi) of the "Complete Form Spirit Official Rite" (Zhaijiao purification ritual) performed by the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) school, a major Daoist tradition. The ritual consists of several key components:

The preparation before opening the altar involves the ritual master burning incense to petition various deities to descend. The mentioned "Immortal Officials of the Numinous Treasure Mystic Altar and Celestial Physicians" represent specialized divine teams in Daoism responsible for healing deceased souls and resolving karmic entanglements. This includes the Washing Department that cleanses sins and the Life-Register Department that records lifespans, along with their celestial officers and generals.

The scripture then describes the ritual's core purpose: the patron (who sponsors the ceremony) establishes the altar to deliver a deceased relative. This departed soul was deeply entangled in worldly afflictions during life, and after death, their spirit sank into the underworld with a defiled and withered form, requiring divine power for liberation. Through submitting memorials (official petitions to the celestial court), the ritual master has obtained the Jade Emperor's permission to invoke divine intervention.

The ceremony specifically invokes an extensive medical pantheon, including: Spirit Officials for diagnosis, Immortal Officials for preparing medicine, Doctors for restoring physical form, and Generals for expelling pathogenic influences. Each deity has specialized roles—the "Pulse-Diagnosing Spirit Official" examines conditions, while "Physician Officials of Bian Que" borrow the healing power of the ancient legendary doctor Bian Que. Most remarkable are the "Twelve Qi Transformation Generals of Primordial Chaos," who utilize the primordial Qi of heaven and earth to reconstruct the deceased's form.

Lower-ranking divine functionaries (Gongcao) handle specific tasks like soul-gathering, Qi-concentration, and form-reintegration: the "Soul-Returning Gongcao" recalls scattered spirits, the "Bone-Restoring Gongcao" mends skeletal remains, while the "Revivification Gongcao" symbolically bestows rebirth. Through the "Lingbao Karmic Resolution" power, the ritual ultimately purifies the deceased's sins and fully restores their physical form.

This liturgy exemplifies the Daoist cultivation ideal of "perfected form and spirit" (xingshen jumiao), demonstrating how sacred ceremonies and divine empowerment can thoroughly purify and reconstruct even the forms and souls of the departed.

This scripture describes a grand ritual ceremony from the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) tradition of Daoism for delivering deceased souls, comprising three essential components:

First is the summoning of various deities. Mentioned here are spirit-officials specializing in resolving karmic grievances—such as the Washing Department Spirit-Official who cleanses sins, the Nine-Phoenix Filth-Destroying Lord who removes impurities, along with water deities like the Heavenly River East-Well Lord and the Washing Lady, as well as jade maiden officials overseeing ritual implements. These divine beings descend to the ritual arena riding chariots of shifting clouds and winds.

Next comes the "Initial Offering" ceremony. The ritual master addresses the deities: Since the differentiation of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji), all beings have relied on heaven and earth for sustenance, while the gods govern the workings of Yin-Yang. Now we humbly invite the celestial immortals to descend with their majestic retinues, carrying out the Heavenly Emperor's decree to bestow boundless grace. Through the harmonizing power of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the alchemical methods involving minerals and herbs, may the deceased souls have their vital energy (Qi), blood, and spiritual consciousness (Shen) restored to proper order, transforming all enmities into compassion. Just as pure water cleanses defilement and sacred ritual robes reflect true form, we invoke the deities' infinite creative power to accomplish this transcendent work of salvation beyond ordinary human capacity.

Finally, the "Secondary Offering" phase begins. The master declares: The Heavenly Emperor inherently possesses the virtue (De) of nurturing life, yet mortals inevitably face death. Now these souls languish in the dark underworld, their physical forms decaying and spirits scattered due to disrupted Yin-Yang balance, entangled in karmic grievances. We beseech the deities to follow the Heavenly Emperor's command—gather the souls' dispersed consciousness, employ the vital energies of the Five Phases and the dual forces of Yin-Yang to repair their damaged organs and meridians, reconstitute their life essence (Jing), and ultimately achieve ascension through deliverance.

Through this meticulously structured liturgy (Keyi) and the combined power of multiple deities, the ceremony accomplishes the purification, healing, and salvation of departed souls, embodying the Daoist compassionate ideal of universal deliverance.

This passage describes a Daoist ritual for delivering deceased souls and the sincere prayers invoking divine protection.

It first depicts the ceremonial process of purifying with sacred water and harmonizing the hundred spirits, enabling the departed souls to transcend the Eight Calamities (eight forms of suffering) and cross the Three Paths (the realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and beasts), ultimately ascending to the immortal realms. The devotees reverently perform the "Three Offerings" ritual (presenting offerings three times), beseeching the deities to descend upon the altar. Here, terms like "Qianlin" (the legendary immortal grove in Daoist lore) and "lotus throne" (the sacred seat of the deities) are used to portray the divine majesty accompanying the gods' descent.

The text then extols the compassionate virtue (De) and merit of the deities, praying for the salvation of the departed souls. References to "the transformation of the Three" (symbolizing the Daoist cosmogony: the Dao gives birth to the One, the One to the Two, and the Two to the Three) and the "Primordial Qi of Non-Being" (the fundamental energy of the cosmos) illustrate that this ritual seeks the aid of the creative power of the divine. It particularly mentions how the deceased, ensnared by the "net of illness" in life, fell into the "wheel of grievances" (the cycle of karmic retribution) after death, requiring the deities' "boat of salvation" to deliver them.

The final section describes the "Initial Offering to the Sacred," praising the "Imperial Virtue" (divine merit) as nurturing like the spring breeze, while golden talismans (Fulu) and jade tablets (ritual implements) possess the power to absolve sins. The ritual sponsor (the one conducting the ceremony) repents on behalf of the deceased for their worldly attachments and misguided pursuits in life, pleading for divine compassion toward this soul whose "Four Elements have scattered" (the dissolution of the physical body) and "hundred spirits are lost" (the dispersal of the soul). They implore the deities to employ their "power to quench the flames" (a metaphor for alleviating suffering) to grant deliverance.

The entire passage is imbued with devout faith in divine compassion and the religious sentiment of delivering souls through Daoist rites, embodying the tradition's universal spirit of mercy and salvation.

This scripture is used by the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) school, one of Daoism's major lineages, during salvation rituals. It primarily consists of two sections: the Secondary Offering and the Tertiary Offering.

In the Secondary Offering, the ritual master confesses to the deities: though presiding over the ceremony, his abilities are limited, and he seeks divine assistance to liberate the deceased soul. The text describes how the departed spirit suffers from afflictions of the heart—though the physical body has perished, karmic burdens remain unresolved, with grievances deepening through persistent attachments. Now blessed with divine protection ("Tiger Pass" referring to the celestial abode), the master prays to dispel the Five Phases' baleful energies (Daoism's five harmful negative forces) and resolve the Four Grave Karmas (a Buddhist concept denoting heavy transgressions like killing and theft). May the soul's ailments dissolve and resentments melt away. The text further implores celestial officials to secretly facilitate the restoration of the soul's meridians and organs (key Daoist cultivation concepts), reconstituting its hun and po spirits, ultimately achieving a purified dharma-body and ethereal form fit for ascension.

The Tertiary Offering depicts the ritual setting: the night air purified, the altar solemn. The master invites deities to descend upon the altar, seeking liberation from physical and spiritual afflictions—like winds calming and clouds parting to reveal the moon. He prays for the "Ten Thousand Spirits" (corresponding to bodily loci) to return to their proper stations, and for the Five Qi (vital energies of the five organs) to be reborn. The ceremony culminates in reverent homage to the "Compassionate Savior of Suffering Heavenly Worthy," extolling his inconceivable merits.

Frequent use of terms like "mysterious" (xuan) and "wondrous" (miao) reflects Daoism's veneration of numinous power, while references to "meridians and organs" and "Five Qi" demonstrate the tradition's integration of medicine and spiritual cultivation. Through the progressive stages of the three offerings, the ritual gradually accomplishes its purpose of transcendent deliverance.