《靈寶玉鑑》Vol. 15

The seventeenth volume of the Lingbao Jade Mirror records the essential method of "Flying Spirit to Audience with the Emperor." The profound mystery of the Dao lies in its fundamental nature of clarity and stillness, while the manifestation of Shen (spirit) is reflected in its responsive interaction with all things. This principle of stillness and responsiveness represents the two aspects of the Dao's essence and function, which cannot be fully expressed in words. Only those who understand that Shen and Qi can freely enter and exit, naturally separating and reuniting, can truly grasp its profundity.

To cultivate this method, one must diligently nurture the "Cinnabar Origin Red Child" (referring to the innate primordial Qi within the human body) in daily practice. Only when it gradually becomes abundant and mature, capable of naturally soaring through the void, does one attain the qualification to present memorials and petitions to the heavens. The specific cultivation technique is called the "Six Jia and Nine Numinous Flying Steps Method": one must begin from the Azure Dragon's direction at specific hours, sequentially passing through celestial sacred sites such as the Hao Star, Bright Hall, and Great Yin, summoning the assistance of the Six Ding Jade Maidens (Taoist guardian goddesses), and finally ascend to the Heavenly Gate to pay homage to the Celestial Emperor. The entire ritual must be performed on an altar known as the "Jade Altar for Flying Steps and Memorials of the Nine Numinous," with the presiding deity being the "Lord of the Cinnabar Origin" (i.e., the practitioner's own original spirit).

The Nine Numinous refer to Youguang, Tianlu, Yutang, Xufan, Yuanhuang, Ziguang, Rongshen, Tianyou, and Shenquan, symbolizing the pure Yang Qi and the wondrous transformations of the divine. The cultivation process begins with concentrating the spirit and gathering Qi, ultimately aiming to forget physical form, nourish emptiness, and unite with the Dao. If one temporarily cannot reach profound states, the key lies in cultivating the mind and nurturing one's nature—dual cultivation of the heart method and practice will naturally align with the Great Dao.

The Celestial Master's (Tianshi) annotation at the end explains: "Above the Dao" refers to the supreme existence of the non-active (Wuwei) Great Dao that predates the Three Powers (heaven, earth, and humanity).

This scripture primarily explains the ritual protocols for submitting memorials (petitions to the Celestial Court) in Daoist practice, along with taboos and avoidance periods (known as "yan") in daily life.

Regarding the relationship between Heaven, Earth, and Humanity: Heaven corresponds to the "Three Primes" (referring to the three luminaries of sun, moon, and stars), Humanity to the "Four Beginnings" (the start of each season—spring, summer, autumn, winter), and Earth to the "Twelve Branches" (earthly stems). These elements constitute the fundamental framework of the Three Powers (Heaven-Earth-Humanity). The sexagenary cycle (Jiazi etc.) corresponds to the guardian deities of the twelve earthly branches, while mountains, rivers, plants and trees each have their own presiding spirits.

Concerning memorial protocols: The standard format requires beginning petitions with the four-character phrase "Respectfully According to the Document," though later practitioners often omit this traditional opening. When writing memorials, three blank lines must be left after mentioning the "Grand Year Duke" (the annual presiding deity), creating space for celestial officials to record their responses. Similarly, three blank lines follow the title of Celestial Master (Tianshi, high-ranking Daoist priests), reserved for the Star Maidens of the Dipper (female officials of the Northern Dipper) to record the decrees of the Most High Lord Lao.

Regulations on seal usage specify that ordinary memorials don't require seals, but summary petitions submitted to the Celestial Offices (Tiancao) at year-end or season's end must bear twelve small seals. According to the Orthodox Unity (Zhengyi) tradition dating back to the Han dynasty, such memorials aren't burned—instead, the priest's spirit directly delivers them to the Celestial Court during the memorial-submission ritual.

Life avoidance periods include: 100 days of avoidance after childbirth in a household (with 3 days' avoidance required when entering the delivery room); one month's avoidance after the death of children or servants; one day's avoidance for livestock deaths (unless occurring outdoors, which requires no avoidance). Mourning periods dictate: 40 days for major bereavement (parents), one month for intermediate mourning (grandparents), and avoidance until month's end for minor mourning (distant relatives). These avoidance periods also apply after visiting bereaved households.

This scripture primarily elucidates the various taboos and precautions in Daoist zhaijiao (purification rituals) ceremonies.

Dietary prohibitions during mourning periods: When encountering bereavement, one must not consume sacrificial food offered by the mourning family, nor food from women within three days postpartum or during their month-long confinement. During these impure periods, it is also forbidden to conduct zhaijiao ceremonies or perform baibiao shangzhang (the ritual of presenting memorials to heaven). If ceremonies must be conducted elsewhere, talismanic incantations (fulu) are required for purification.

Essential regulations for zhaijiao keyi (liturgy): Those presiding over shangzhang jiao rituals must not kill living creatures—violators will have their lifespans shortened by twelve years. Ritual implements (magical instruments and offerings) used in ceremonies must never be lent to others.

The dialogue between Chisongzi (an immortal in Daoism) and the celestial gatekeeper reveals the mysteries of timing for memorial presentations: On yang days (days with heavenly stems of Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, or Ren), memorials should be presented during yin hours (earthly branches of Chou, Mao, Si, Wei, You, or Hai). Conversely, on yin days (stems Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin, or Gui), use yang hours (branches Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, or Xu). Presenting memorials during yang hours on yang days harms domestic animals, while doing so during yin hours on yin days endangers travelers.

Timing prohibitions fall into two categories: First, hours forbidden according to heavenly stem days (e.g., days of Jia/Yi forbid Yin/Mao hours). Second, hours prohibited by the Twelve Construction-Deities (ancient calendrical spirits in date selection, e.g., Jian days forbid Shen hours). These restrictions apply both to memorial presentations and visiting the sick.

Special date and familial prohibitions: Legal matters or soul salvation must avoid Si days/Si hours. When elders fall ill, avoid Hai days/Hai hours. For ailing mothers, shun Shen days/Shen hours. Eldest sons' illnesses forbid Mao days/Mao hours. Eldest daughters-in-law's sickness prohibits You days/You hours. Children's births must avoid Wu days/Wu hours.

Critical reminder: The fifteenth day of each month marks when deities assemble at the celestial gates—no memorial presentations should occur then, lest the officiant incur celestial punishment and forfeit blessings.

This scripture primarily discusses the selection of auspicious and inauspicious timings for the Daoist ritual of "presenting memorials" (shangzhang, submitting petitions to the celestial court). Several key concepts require attention:

Each month has specific "taboo days" (yuejiri) unsuitable for presenting memorials, such as the second day of the first lunar month or the second day of the second month. Performing the ritual on these days violates celestial laws. Conversely, particularly auspicious days exist, such as the six designated days including Jiazi and Bingzi, when presenting memorials can extend one's lifespan.

The method for determining the celestial physician's (tianyi, the deity overseeing healing) orientation follows an annual cycle: in the Year of the Rat (zi) it faces the Mao direction (east), in the Year of the Ox (chou) the Xu direction (northwest), and so forth. During daily petition rituals, the celestial physician deity should be seated in specific orientations, facing the "ghost direction" (guifang, where negative energies gather) to facilitate healing. For instance, when the celestial physician occupies the Si position in the first month, one should face the Wu position's ghost direction.

The ritual must also align with the Big Dipper's (Tiangang, the celestial pivot) monthly positional changes: during the first month it resides in the Geng position (west), the second month in the Kun position (southwest), etc. Additionally, there are considerations regarding the "opening of celestial gates during the six Jia cycles" (liujiaxun tianmen kai) - for example, during the Jiazi cycle, the celestial gates open at the Chen hour (7-9 AM), making this an optimal time for presenting memorials.

Finally, the text enumerates the year's most auspicious "memorial presentation days," including stem-branch combinations like Jiawu and Jiashen, along with specific dates such as the eleventh of the first month and the twenty-eighth of the second month. These dates yield the most potent ritual effects.

This scripture primarily records the inauspicious days to avoid and the favorable days to select when conducting "presenting petitions" (shangzhang, the ritual of submitting memorials to deities) and "offering sacrifices" (shejiao, sacrificial ceremonies) in Daoist practice.

First, several important auspicious days are listed: the "Five Virtue Days" (wude ri, specifically jiachen, bingchen, and jiawu days) are suitable for grand sacrifices to Heaven and Earth; the "Heaven's Wish Days" (tianyuan ri, including sichou, jiachen, and yisi days) are appropriate for presenting petitions to make wishes; while the "Sacrificial Petition Days" (jiao zhang ri) denote a series of specific dates suitable for both presenting petitions and offering sacrifices.

The text then mentions the "Three Assembly Days" (sanhui ri, occurring on the 5th day of the 1st month, 7th day of the 7th month, and 5th day of the 10th month) — during these three special days, there are no taboos for presenting petitions. The "Celestial Official's Audience at Heaven's Gate Day" (tianguan chao li tianmen ri), marking specific dates when celestial officials inspect the human realm, is also suitable for rituals.

Particular attention must be paid to the following prohibitions:

1. "Striking Time" (douji shi): taboos based on the twelve construction stars (jian, chu, man, etc.) and their corresponding hourly prohibitions

2. "Four Seasons' Inauspicious Days" (sishi xiong ri): seasonal taboos (you days in spring, wu in summer, hai in autumn, zi in winter)

3. "Monthly Forbidden Directions" (meiyue xiong fang): specific directional taboos for each month

4. "Ancestral Masters' Memorial Days" (daofu deng jiri): death anniversaries of Daoist patriarchs or important deities

Conducting petition rituals or healing practices on these prohibited days may bring misfortune to the presiding ritual master (shi). The scripture particularly emphasizes that one "must not present petitions" (bu ke bai zhang) during these times, as doing so would harm the master.

This passage discusses the inauspicious days to avoid and the favorable days to select when conducting zhangjiao (a Daoist sacrificial ritual), along with the auspicious or ominous implications of different dates.

First, the prohibited days to avoid: The days of Bingyin and Dingmao are the "Dao Father's Memorial Days"; Bingshen and Dingyou are the "Dao Mother's Memorial Days"; Wuchen and Wuxu are the "Southern Emperor's Memorial Days"; while Renchen and Renxu are the "Northern Emperor's Memorial Days." On these days, one must not submit memorials (Daoist ritual documents), as doing so may harm the ritual master and invite calamities.

Next, it lists particularly auspicious days for conducting zhangjiao rituals: The "Three Assembly Days" include Tianhui (Celestial Assembly) on Bingwu, Dihui (Earthly Assembly) on Renwu, and Renhui (Human Assembly) on Renzhi. The "Eight Festival Days" include Rihui (Sun Assembly) on Gengwu, Yuehui (Moon Assembly) on Gengshen, Xinghui (Star Assembly) on Xinyou, Wuxinghui (Five Phases Assembly) on Jiachen, and Sishihui (Four Seasons Assembly) on Jiaxu. Additionally, there are Tianjie (Celestial Festival) on Jiawu, Dijie (Earthly Festival) on Jiashen, and Renjie (Human Festival) on Jiazi, among others. Performing rituals on these days ensures divine response.

The passage then details the auspicious or ominous characteristics of twelve types of days:

• Yao'an Day: Celestial deities descend, bringing blessings to the household—highly auspicious.
• Yutang Day: The heavens rejoice, bestowing enduring blessings.
• Jintang Day: Celestial spirits descend, granting longevity—highly auspicious.
• Longhu Day: Celestial beings do not descend, resulting in fewer blessings.
• Zuizhi Day: The heavens are displeased, making it difficult to plead one's case—highly ominous.
• Jingxin Day: The heavens rejoice, and the spirits accept offerings.
• Puhu Day: Celestial blessings descend, bringing profound fortune.
• Fusheng Day: The heavens gather in joy—highly auspicious.
• Shousi Day: Celestial records of sins are made, bringing misfortune to the household—highly ominous.
• Shengxin Day: The heavens bestow blessings, a day of increase—highly auspicious.
• Yihou Day: The heavens are joyful, universally aiding all people—highly auspicious.
• Xushi Day: The heavens open in harmony, allowing prayers for blessings.

Finally, it explains the cyclical pattern of these auspicious and ominous days: Following the method of "Twelve Months Rotation," each month corresponds to a rotating earthly branch. For example, in the first month, "Yao'an" falls on the Yin day; in the second month, on the Shen day; in the third month, on the Mao day, and so on. Other days, such as "Yutang" and "Jintang," also rotate monthly according to this pattern.

This scripture serves as a practical guide for Daoist zhaijiao (purification rituals), instructing priests on when to conduct rituals, when to abstain, and the specific effects of different dates.

This scripture discusses the inauspicious directions and times to avoid during important Daoist rituals, as well as which sacred palaces to visit for worship in different months.

First, it lists the positions of "Celestial Killings" (heavenly malevolent forces), "Yin Killings" (underworld malevolent forces), and "Monthly Killings" (seasonal malevolent forces) throughout the twelve months. For instance, in the first month, Celestial Killings reside in the Xu position (northwest by west), Yin Killings in the Yin position (northeast by east), and Monthly Killings in the Chou position (northeast by north). These directions must be avoided when performing "presenting memorials" (submitting petitions to the celestial court) or "grand jiao rituals" (major sacrificial ceremonies), as they may harm the presiding Daoist priest.

Next, it enumerates specific "Master-Killing Taboo Days" for each month—such as the Wei day in the first month or the Shen day in the second month. When these coincide with "Tian Gang Master-Killing Days," presenting memorials and grand jiao rituals are strictly prohibited.

The text then specifies which palaces to visit for worship in different months: in the first month, go to the Palace of the Supreme Venerable Lord of Emptiness; in the second month, the Palace of the Supreme Mysterious Elder Immortal Capital; in the third and fourth months, the Supreme Three Heavens Great Clarity Palace; in the fifth month, the Supreme Reiterating the Dao Palace; in the sixth and seventh months, the Supreme Nine Qi Palace of Literary Brilliance; in the eighth month, the Supreme Celestial Emperor Palace; in the ninth and tenth months, the Supreme Great Dao Palace; in the eleventh month, the Palace of the Supreme Attendant Generals and Left-Right Overseers; and in the twelfth month, return to the Palace of the Supreme Venerable Lord of Emptiness. During leap months, visit the Supreme Mysterious Capital Palace.

Finally, it emphasizes the regulations from the "Laws of the Mysterious Capital for Presenting Memorials": when submitting petitions, one must maintain focused intention and strictly follow the corresponding palace directions for each month without any negligence. These rules reflect the Daoist ritual tradition's meticulous consideration of temporal and spatial orientations.

This passage records the liturgical contents regarding "Daily Celestial Palaces" from the Daoist scripture Lingbao Yujian (Precious Jade Mirror of Numinous Treasure), describing the celestial palaces and their presiding deities corresponding to each of the thirty days in a lunar month.

The first day of the month corresponds to the Jade Ministry governing the Crimson Numinous Palace, the second day to the Great Simplicity Mysterious Ministry governing the Grand Tenuity Palace, the third day to the Grand Tenuity Ministry governing the Northern Peace Palace, and so forth until the thirtieth day when the Examination Ministry governs the Dawn Palace. Each day has its specific Celestial Ministry (heavenly administrative office) and corresponding palace responsible for overseeing human affairs.

When transmitting memorial petitions (official documents sent to the celestial realm in Daoist practice), there are specialized Jade Maidens of the Six Jia (Liujia) assigned for delivery. These Six Jia Jade Maidens are: the Great Mysterious Jade Maiden for Jiazi days, the Yellow Simplicity Jade Maiden for Jiaxu days, the Great Simplicity Jade Maiden for Jiashen days, the Crimson Palace Jade Maiden for Jiawu days, the Worshiping Essence Jade Maiden for Jiachen days, and the Blue-Waisted Jade Maiden for Jiayin days. Each jade maiden has two manifestations, and their spirit tablets are enshrined in the meditation chamber (Jingshi, Daoist practice space). Special offerings are made during the Six Jia days.

Additionally, there are three assisting attendants for document transmission: the Golden Light Attendant, the Vermilion Bird Attendant, and the Five Emperors Attendant. Together with the Six Ding Jade Maidens (Liuding), they ensure the successful delivery of memorials to the celestial court. These divine beings play crucial roles in Daoist purification rituals (Zhaijiao) and liturgy (Keyi), serving as messengers bridging heaven and humanity.

This scripture primarily describes the various divine officials and ritual arrangements for the "petition ceremony" (submitting memorial documents to the Celestial Court) in Daoist practice.

During the ritual, the position of "Attendant Officer" is established to handle all aspects of the memorial document: drafting, reviewing, reciting, proofreading, and submission. These Attendant Officers arrange writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the altar, silently offering prayers to ensure the document's contents are flawless.

The ceremony requires summoning the Merit Officers (heavenly functionaries) of the Five Emperors of the Five Directions: the Longevity Merit Officer of the Green Emperor (east), the Ascension Merit Officer of the Red Emperor (south), the Virtue-Recording Merit Officer of the White Emperor (west), the Life-Nourishing Merit Officer of the Black Emperor (north), and the Central Governance Merit Officer of the Yellow Emperor (center). Additionally, the Merit Officers of the Six Realms—Heaven, Earth, Spirit, Human, Ghost, and Karma—are invoked. These officers gather the righteous Qi (vital energy) from all directions to protect the memorial and ensure its unimpeded delivery to the Celestial Court, free from contamination.

The scripture also mentions the Celestial Court’s specialized bureau for processing petitions, the "Celestial Ministry," overseen by divine officials such as the Four Ministers of Memorials and the Spirit Officials of Petitions, who facilitate the submission. Notably, the Three Guardian Generals—Tang, Ge, and Zhou (Daoist protector deities)—as well as goddesses like the Great Unity Consort of the Dipper, take turns on duty to guarantee the memorial’s accurate transmission.

Finally, the text details the hierarchy of divine officials participating in the ceremony: 24 officials of the Great Clarity (Taiqing) rank, 32 officials of the Supreme Clarity (Shangqing) rank, and those of the Jade Clarity (Yuqing) rank. These deities include Memorial Spirit Officials, Transmission Spirit Officials, Jade Maidens, Golden Boys, Merit Officers, and Messengers, each responsible for different stages of the document’s delivery. The entire ritual system is meticulously structured to ensure that human appeals are precisely conveyed to the heavens.

This scripture describes the divine bureaucracy responsible for transmitting memorial documents (petitions to celestial deities) during Daoist purification rituals (Zhaijiao). These deities each perform specialized functions to collectively accomplish the sacred task of delivering human petitions to the celestial court.

The text first introduces the "Dao Merit Officials" (Daogongcao, the chief deities of document transmission) and their attendants: the Golden Lad of Incense Tending carries the ritual incense, the Jade Maiden of Message Relaying delivers communications, while the Left and Right Official Messengers provide protection. It then enumerates various specialized divine clerks assigned to document transmission, each with distinctive mounts and functions—such as the "Memorial Courier Riding the Phoenix" for rapid delivery, the "Petition Carrier Riding the Cloud Dragon" for high-altitude transport, and the "Urgent Dispatch Rider of Wind and Fire" for emergency documents.

The passage details the hierarchical structure of deities involved:

• Document reviewers like the "Right Attendant of Memorial Verification" and "Central Attendant of Memorial Examination"
• High-ranking deities including the "Great Unity Perfected Being" (Taiyi Zhenren), "Lord of Formless Heroism" (Wu Ying Gongzi), and "Venerable Spirit of White Origin" (Bai Yuan Zunshen)
• Destiny-controlling deities such as the "Elder of Life Registry" (Siming Zhangren) and "Great Lord Peach Well-being" (Taokang Dajun)
• Task-specific functionaries like the "Cinnabar Origin Perfected Being" (Dan Yuan Zhenren) and "Five Offices Duty Officer of Merit"
• Specialists in calamity resolution like the "Officials for Dispelling Disasters and Resolving Misfortunes"

The system also includes supervisory figures like the "Left and Right Banner-Erecting Inspecting Generals," postal station managers such as the "Courier Station Magistrate" and "Courier Station Assistant," plus numerous attendant spirits like boys and jade maidens. These deities are organized into functional systems—the "Six Jia and Six Ding Generals" handle security, the "Five Thearchs' Flying Celestial Kings" manage aerial delivery, while the "Thirty-Two Heavens' Messengers and Petitioners" facilitate inter-celestial communication.

This comprehensive structure embodies the Daoist concept of "heaven-human resonance"—when humans communicate with the celestial realm through memorials, the documents must pass through this complete divine bureaucracy, with each stage supervised by specialized deities to ensure accurate delivery to the heavenly court.

This scripture enumerates the various divine officials and messengers recorded in the Daoist Lingbao Jade Mirror, presenting a complete celestial bureaucratic system. These deities can be broadly categorized into several major types:

First are the emissaries responsible for overseeing the human realm, including Upper Division Messengers, Middle Division Messengers, and Capital Officials' Messengers, who function like earthly supervisory officials. There are also martial divine officers such as Wolf Officers and Tiger Warriors, tasked with pursuing malevolent forces, while Celestial Cavalry and Armored Soldiers represent the heavenly cavalry forces.

Next are functionaries assigned to specific duties: Spirit-Receiving and Spirit-Feeding Clerks manage divine affairs, Ghost-Receiving and Ghost-Feeding Clerks handle matters related to spirits, and specialized officials oversee distinct domains such as poisons, vital essences (Jing-Qi), and malignant influences. Witch-Slaying and Shrine-Destroying Clerks are responsible for eliminating sorcery and improper worship.

Then there are divine officers maintaining Yin-Yang balance, such as Yin-Yang Judgment Clerks and Red-Talisman Chariot Clerks, who govern the flow of cosmic energies. The Courier Horses, Memorial-Submitting Flying Dragon Riders likely serve as celestial couriers delivering heavenly documents.

The text also records high-ranking celestial officials like the Lord of Universal Peace and the Elder of Universal Peace, as well as the Sixty Jiazi Cycle Officials representing temporal cycles. The Thirty-Six Thousand Spirits of True Primordial Qi symbolize the foundational righteous energy of heaven and earth.

Finally, it mentions the Four Directional Guardians (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise) and local deities (Altar Land Gods, Neighborhood True Officials), forming a comprehensive spiritual system spanning central to local governance and temporal to spatial dimensions. Together, these divine officials uphold the orderly operation of the Daoist cosmological framework.