《靈寶玉鑑》Vol. 30

The "Jade Origin Salvation Gateway" section in the thirty-second volume of Lingbao Yujian primarily expounds the core concepts and specific methods for Daoist salvation of deceased souls in the Lingbao tradition.

It begins by explaining the natural operation of the Dao: the growth and development of all things in the universe follow natural cycles, as the Dao itself transcends concepts of grace and retribution. However, for individual beings, when Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) inhabit physical forms, they become like fine garments gathering dust. Once thoughts of good and evil arise, karmic consequences inevitably follow. Thus, the Lingbao ritual tradition specifically established the "Jade Origin Salvation" liturgy to liberate souls who died from bloody calamities like difficult childbirths or abortions (known as "bloody corpse birth souls").

These souls became mired in the sea of carnal desire during their lives, losing their primordial purity (Yuanzhen), resulting in abortion-related injuries and blood pollution. Though their physical forms perished, their attachments remain. They require purification through the pristine origin of the cosmos (what Daoism calls the pure fundamental source), awakened by the light of supreme Yang and ultimate goodness. Through the Purple Radiance (a Daoist ritual implement) that elucidates cosmic principles, and Jade Talismans (Daoist Fulu) that guide the Shen (spirit), these souls can relinquish delusions and return to their original purity—as clear and unobstructed as the full moon.

The specific salvation methods recorded include: Southeast of Iron Encircling Mountain (a Daoist hell realm) lies the Gorge Stone Hell, where split rock crevices naturally fill with poisonous liquids to torment souls. The northern Blood Lake Hell is the most polluted, where women who died in childbirth suffer for countless kalpas. To save such souls requires:

1. Submitting petitions three days in advance to request amnesty

2. Dispatching divine generals and officers to purify the polluted Qi of the Blood Lake

3. The ritual master first cleansing the souls' impurities in the sacred space

4. Inviting the Celestial Physicians (Daoist healing deities) for treatment

5. Only then performing standard salvation rituals like food offerings and precept conferral

The text concludes with incantations for the "Radiant Light True Talisman," summoning deities like the Primordial Celestial Sovereign and the Most High Lord Lao, harnessing the power of the Nine Heavenly Scripts and the Three Lights (sun, moon, stars) to illuminate the Nine Springs and Blood Lake with grace. Phrases like "Yuyi Bearing Pearls" refer to the solar deity, while "Jielin Containing Radiance" denotes the lunar deity, and "Seven Primes" signifies the Big Dipper—all reflecting Daoist astral veneration.

This scripture particularly emphasizes specialized purification procedures for souls from difficult childbirths or abortions, showcasing Daoism's reverence for life's origins and its unique approach to handling blood pollution.

This scripture is a talismanic text from the Daoist Lingbao Jade Mirror (Lingbao Yujian), used for the salvation of female souls who died in childbirth. Its core content describes how Daoist priests, through specific rituals, petition deities to help these souls escape the sufferings of hell.

The text first introduces the "Lingbao Talismanic Mandate of Flowing Radiance," a powerful fulu (talisman) with divine efficacy. When this talisman reaches the Ten Directions of the Wuji realms (the Daoist conception of all cosmic spaces), the Ninefold Netherworld (the deepest hell), or the Great and Small Iron Encircling Mountains (the barriers surrounding hell), it manifests miraculous effects: shattering the gates of hell, extinguishing volcanic flames, melting the ice of frozen pools, and transforming blades into jeweled trees. Through this talisman's power, women who perished in childbirth can immediately attain salvation and ascend to paradise.

The "Lake of Blood" mentioned refers to a specific region in Daoist hell reserved for female souls who died from blood-related calamities like difficult childbirth or hemorrhaging. The recurring phrase "Mandate of the Primal Sovereign" denotes an irrefutable command from the highest deities.

The incantation section invokes several major Daoist divinities:

• Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy of Supreme Unity Who Saves from Suffering, specializing in soul salvation)
• The Thirty-Three Celestial Emperors (supreme rulers of the heavenly realms)
• The Ten Directions' Wuji Flying Celestial Kings (guardian generals)

These deities jointly issue edicts, using the primordial qi of yin-yang (the universe's foundational energy) to illuminate hell, allowing souls to perceive the light. The talisman promises absolution for sins committed in the Lake of Blood and the resolution of past grievances.

The concluding section emphasizes the "Jade Emperor's Proclaimed Mandate," requiring cooperation from all underworld deities across the Ninefold Yin and Ninefold Earth. Salvation deities like the Jiuku Zhenren (True Person Who Saves from Suffering) and Zhengji Yuanjun (Primordial Lord Who Delivers All) are summoned to gather in the Southern Palace (a celestial realm), where yang-harmonizing qi is widely disseminated. Yuanshi Tianzun (the supreme Daoist deity) and the Jade Emperor jointly decree the souls' swift liberation from hell—ending eons of suffering, restoring clarity to wandering spirits, and uplifting their shen (spirit).

This scripture exemplifies the complete Daoist ritual process of soul salvation through fulu, incantations, and divine power, reflecting Daoism's profound compassion for life's suffering and its unique salvific methods.

This is a ritual document from the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) tradition of Daoism, used for liberating the souls of women who died during childbirth or miscarriage. The content is divided into three main sections:

The first talisman (Lingbao Jade Origin Cleansing Blood Lake True Talisman) serves as an official decree to the underworld deities. The opening phrase "By divine purity's protection, swiftly ascend to the southern capital—urgently as the law commands" is a standard Daoist incantation preamble, meaning "May the deities execute this immediately with the urgency of legal decree." It invokes deities like the "Great God of Physical Transformation" (responsible for repositioning souls) and the "Divine King of Corpse Disposal," instructing them to follow the compassionate will of the Primordial Sovereign Emperor (a high Daoist deity) to release women who perished in childbirth. Their souls are to be freed from the Blood Lake Hell (a special underworld realm for such deaths), cleansed of impurities, and elevated to paradise.

The second talisman (Liberation Talisman for Blood Lake's Boundless Sinful Souls) specifically addresses the salvation of all women in Blood Lake Hell who died from childbirth or miscarriage. It commands underworld officials to act without delay, purifying the souls' forms and summoning them to the ritual altar for liberation, ultimately enabling rebirth as humans or transcendence as immortals.

The third section contains grievance-resolving mantras. Phrases like "The Brahma-Qi (celestial energy) pervades the cosmos" represent esoteric Daoist Sanskrit-derived incantations believed to dissolve karmic grievances from the souls' past lives. The concluding mantra "Om Tanna Doulou Na Chidi Nan Suohe" belongs to the "Three Heavens' Brahma Language"—the supreme celestial tongue of Daoism—specifically used to resolve enmities and karmic obstacles.

Each talisman concludes by identifying the executing priest (with official title and surname) as acting under the mandate of the Supreme Lao Jun (Daoism's highest deity), along with the issuance date. The entire ritual reflects Daoism's distinctive compassion for women who died in childbirth, employing talismans, secret mantras, and divine summons to accomplish salvation.

This passage contains talismanic scriptures and pardon decrees from the Daoist Lingbao Jade Mirror scripture, specifically designed for salvation rituals to liberate female souls trapped in the "Blood Lake Hell" (a special hell realm for women who died in childbirth). Here's the modern interpretation:

This talismanic decree is issued by the Jade Emperor (the supreme deity in Daoism) to all deities across the ten directions and the various levels of the underworld, particularly targeting the administrators of the Northern Abyss Blood Lake. It commands the dissolution of karmic obstacles created by the deceased through body, speech, and mind (the three karmic portals) and the six sensory faculties (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind). All unresolved grievances are to be absolved, liberating the soul from perpetual darkness into light. The decree will be swiftly delivered via the Wind-Fire Courier System (a celestial express channel for heavenly documents).

The text contains two crucial incantations: The first describes golden light from the Jade Pure Realm (the highest heaven) illuminating downward, with the Five Directional Star Lords (deities of the five cardinal directions) joining with Primordial True Qi to break through hell's barriers, dispersing the baleful energies of Fengdu (the Daoist underworld). The Six Cave Ghost Kings (hell administrators) are commanded to obey, ensuring the Three Paths and Nine Darknesses (the deepest hell realms) become radiant, the Sea of Suffering stilled, water and fire purified, the Seven Stars (Big Dipper) revealed, ultimately elevating the soul to immortal realms.

The second incantation emphasizes the decree of Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (one of Daoism's highest deities), commanding the Salvation Immortal to execute the order. Divine sunlight shatters darkness, cleansing sins of the six senses. It concludes with "Urgently as decreed by the Jade Pure Primordial Sovereign Emperor," indicating immediate enforcement of the supreme command.

The pardon section details: summoning deities to open Fengdu's Nine Darknesses hells, specifically pardoning souls who died in childbirth. The "Flowing Light Jade Primordial Talisman" illuminates the Blood Lake Hell, transforming infernal instruments into auspicious signs—fire pits become blue lotuses, blades turn to forests, fiery pools metamorphose into hot springs—enabling souls' liberation and rebirth in paradise.

The concluding "Jade Register for Breaking the Blood Lake's Defilements and Illuminating Darkness" incantation invokes the Supreme Ultimate Most True Celestial Worthy's decree to penetrate the Nine Springs (underworld), dispatching 240 Solar-Lunar Youths (attendants of the Sun and Moon Lords) with celestial troops to expel impurities. The hell's icy cold melts, corpse-blood miasmas dissipate, as Southern Cinnabar True Fire (Daoist purifying flame) completely illuminates the underworld.

This scripture primarily discusses several important Daoist talismans (fulu) and ritual procedures used for redeeming departed souls and purifying karmic transgressions. The core purpose is to help souls escape the suffering of the Blood Lake Hell (a polluted underworld realm in Daoist cosmology) and return to the light.

Regarding the "Five-Colored Luminous Orb" talisman: This talisman emits radiance in five colors, possessing pure brilliance capable of reaching the Nine Heavens. It directly penetrates the underworld realms, severs the roots of karmic offenses, and dispels spiritual confusion. Wherever this jade talisman reaches, all spirits must obey its commands. When inscribing it, use blue paper with cinnabar ink while reciting the Three Lights incantation.

Special note: The Blood Lake Hell is filled with foul impurities that even ordinary deities find difficult to enter, even when bearing the Celestial Emperor's mandate. However, when this talisman is used with official proclamations (Daoist ritual documents), it can break through the polluted qi of the Blood Lake and dispel darkness. Its effective range extends 120 li (about 60 km), eliminating all darkness and impurity while bringing illumination. This talisman must be used discreetly and not shown casually.

Concerning the "Jade Primordial Tiger Script" talisman: Inscribe with cinnabar on yellow paper and affix to official documents. When using, accompany with the specific hand seal (Mountain Character Seal) and the mantra "Om Na-zha-li" (silently recited three times) to dispatch the merit-officer deities (gongcao) on their missions.

About the "Primordial Pure Spirit" talisman: Use blue paper with cinnabar inscription, stamped with either the Great Purity Seal or the Supreme Dharma Master Seal. The document must list the names of five ritual masters (referring to the chief officiants of the purification altar). Use with Lingbao Scripture incantations and specific hand seals, with transmission handled by earth-path merit officers.

The ritual master specially notes: For souls fallen into the Blood Lake, even after bathing and refining their forms, the roots of pollution remain difficult to eliminate. At the ritual's conclusion, transform the talisman into pocket-sized objects given to the departed souls to hold, ensuring they attain happiness in their new existence.

Regarding the "Primordial Sovereign's Blood-Corpse Purification" talisman: Its incantation essentially conveys the Celestial Emperor's decree to pardon underworld souls, cleanse blood defilements, and grant rebirth. During use, visualize the spiritual power of Taiyi Tianzun (Daoist savior deity) infusing the transgressing souls. Inscribed with cinnabar on yellow paper, this talisman purifies the polluted qi of blood-corpses, restoring souls to complete form and spirit so they may behold the Compassionate Ones (referring to Daoist deities).

These talismans and rituals exemplify the Daoist cultivation method of divine intervention for soul salvation, emphasizing multi-faceted approaches including talismans, hand seals, and visualization to achieve purification and transcendence.

This scripture describes the talismanic rites (fulu) and celestial general system employed by the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) tradition, one of the principal Daoist schools, for conducting salvation rituals specifically aimed at souls who perished during childbirth.

The text first introduces the "Jade Purity Primordial Sovereign's Blood-Cleansing Talismanic Decree," a command issued by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the Three Pure Ones/Sanqing, the highest Daoist deities). This decree is designed to liberate souls trapped in the Blood Lake Hell—a specific underworld realm for women who died in childbirth—ordering all underworld officials, including the lords of the Avici Hell, corpse-dispensing divine kings, and soul-devouring demon kings, to immediately release these souls, allowing them to cleanse their karmic burdens and attain rebirth.

The scripture then details the appearances of the celestial generals tasked with executing this mission: the Blood Lake Officers (specialized generals overseeing the Blood Lake Hell) have fearsome visages—blue faces with green hair, clad in yellow robes with white sashes, wielding halberds—and command a hundred soldiers. Another general, with a yellow face and crimson skin, wears white robes and wields a demon-subduing vajra, leading a million troops. During the ritual, the Daoist priest must summon them using specific hand seals (middle-finger mudras or hand positions corresponding to the "You" direction).

For salvation rites related to childbirth deaths, a dedicated birthing chamber and purification space must be established, and petitions must be submitted to the Celestial Pivot Court (Tianshuyuan, the administrative body of the Daoist celestial bureaucracy), which dispatches two generals to handle the matter. Specific procedures include using talismans to remove stillborn fetuses or retrieving the souls of deceased mothers or infants, depending on the circumstances. The scripture lists four groups of generals, each assigned to different scenarios:

The first group, led by the Great General Hu Jing, handles cases where the mother perishes but the child survives. Hu Jing can shake thunder drums to gather scattered souls and restore fleshly bodies. The second group, under the Great General Lu Mao, deals with cases where both mother and child die, purifying their karmic transgressions. The third group, clad in green headscarves and crimson robes, attends to cases where mother and child die before birth. The final group consists of four great generals—Xu Li, Zhou Mian, and others—specializing in cleansing grievances and restoring the souls' complete forms.

Each of these generals possesses divine powers: some can dissolve defilements to regenerate vital essences (jing), while others wash away injustices to reconstitute physical forms. They descend amid dark clouds to carry out their salvation duties in the human realm.

This scripture describes the ritual method for summoning the "Green Tower Envoys" (Qinglou Shizhe) – divine generals responsible for purification and exorcism in Daoist ceremonies.

The four divine generals all wear red embroidered headscarves and robes of four different colors, each descending while holding ritual talismans (Fulu). The "Green Tower Envoy Talisman" of the East must be used in conjunction with specific incantations:

The first incantation roughly states: "Assisting Green Tower deities to my left and right, I now perform the purification rite, transforming filth into purity, swiftly expelling evil influences, manifesting divine power immediately." It concludes with the phrase: "Urgently, urgently, in accordance with the Supreme Lao Jun’s decree!"

The second incantation is more detailed: "Summoning the fiery essence of the Supreme Lao Jun (Taishang Laojun), by the Emperor’s decree, delay is forbidden! To the left, dispatch the Six Ding Generals; to the right, command the Six Ren Generals. Holding talismanic orders, they mobilize the mountain deities. Green Tower Envoys must act swiftly—when the Azure Dragon and White Tiger Generals open their eyes, they unleash blazing flames to scatter demons and malignant energies."

The third incantation is briefer: "Listen attentively to the command—purify with sacred water. The Green Tower Generals descend to the ritual altar. If protection for childbirth or disaster relief is sought, execute without delay."

The operational method is as follows: Use one portion of spirit money (paper offerings) and a cup of tea, having the woman burn them in the latrine. Alternatively, the talisman may be inscribed and affixed before the envoy’s official dispatch document. These instructions originate from the thirty-second volume of the Lingbao Yujian (Precious Mirror of Numinous Treasure).