《靈寶淨明院行遣式》

This scripture presents the official document format used by the Daoist Lingbao Jingming Temple (an important Daoist monastic institution) for distributing divine stipends, containing three primary template documents:

1. Stipend Voucher (Fujuan talisman):

Each month, the Jingming Temple must distribute provisions to thirty-six Divine Emperors (high-ranking deities), eighty-four thousand garrison commanders and festival officers (basic-level divine officials), as well as divine generals and soldiers (guardian spirits) from branch temples. The voucher must specify the exact amount of money and grain allocated to each deity—neither more nor less. The document requires twenty-four impressions of the Jingming Ritual Seal and concludes with the incantation: "Urgently implemented according to the oath and precepts of the Supreme Cavern-Spirit Hall," followed by the distribution date.

2. Memorial to the Celestial Pivot Court (Tianshuyuan, the Daoist celestial administrative bureau):

Before distributing stipends, the Jingming Temple must submit an application to the Celestial Pivot Court. The memorial must list all deities receiving stipends that month and confirm that the distribution vouchers have been prepared in accordance with the Scripture of Jingming Methods.

3. Document Delivery Procedure:

Finally, the Great Spirit of Celestial Treasury (heavenly storehouse administrator) must deliver both the memorial and stipend vouchers to the Celestial Pivot Court. The phrase "awaiting your honored instruction" (须至旨挥) serves as the formal closing formula in ancient documents, indicating pending approval from higher authorities.

These documents reflect Daoism's unique "celestial administrative system," which transposes human bureaucratic procedures onto the divine realm, managing deity stipends through standardized paperwork. As the executive body, the Jingming Temple must strictly follow procedures when applying for funds from the Celestial Pivot Court, embodying the Daoist administrative philosophy of "correspondence between heaven and humanity."

This scripture presents two document formats used by the Lingbao Jingming Temple (an important Daoist monastery) primarily for exorcising illnesses. The content divides into three sections:

The first section is a dispatch order for the "Great Deity of Heavenly Treasury" (a Daoist divinity governing celestial finances):

The order commands the Great Deity of Heavenly Treasury to immediately release specified funds and materials without delay. Violations will incur penalties. The document concludes with the date, sealed by both the "Vermilion-Approved Great Deity of Heavenly Treasury" stamp and the monastery's official seal.

The second section is the patient's application form:

It records the patient's address, full name, birth date, illness duration, and symptoms (including failed medical treatments and suspected spiritual afflictions—any divination results or ghostly dreams must be detailed). The petitioner humbly requests the Lingbao Jingming Temple's outer altar to perform healing rituals, with the submission date and signature appended.

The third section contains two types of official judgments (Daoist juridical documents):

1. The first is a warrant deploying divine generals: It commands the Pure Brightness Divine King (a Daoist guardian deity) to lead a specified contingent of celestial soldiers to immediately search the patient's residence and capture all haunting spirits (including mountain goblins, tree demons, wandering ghosts, etc.). If ancestral spirits are responsible, they shall be handed to the Great Emperor of Eastern Peak (ruler of the underworld) for celestial justice. The mandate requires full patient recovery with nocturnal manifestations confirming divine retribution.

2. The second is an instruction for the patient's household Land God and Six Destiny Deities (domestic protector spirits): They must promptly search the patient's body and entire dwelling to apprehend the haunting ghosts.

Both judgments are to be burned during the ritual altar's troop mobilization, inscribed with "Urgently enacted according to the Supreme Cavern-Spirit Hall's Oath Command" (indicating immediate Daoist law enforcement) and precise timing.

This scripture details the specific procedures for exorcism and healing in the Daoist "Lingbao Jingming Yuan" (Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness Court), outlining several key steps:

1. Capturing Evil Spirits: When encountering disturbances caused by plant or tree spirits (jingguai), celestial generals and soldiers (Daoist guardian deities) are dispatched to apprehend them. The captured entities are then delivered to Mount Tai (Dongyue, the Daoist administrative center for ghostly affairs) for judgment according to celestial law. If the disturbance stems from deceased relatives (whether from the patient's own family or others), the spirits are returned to their original resting places under supervision, forbidden from causing further harm. The execution must be impartial, ensuring the patient shows improvement by nightfall, with visible divine manifestations (lingying) occurring in the household as proof of efficacy.

2. Document Formats: Three types of ritual documents are used:

• The first is burned before the household stove.
• The second involves sending celestial generals with consecrated water (fulu water) to heal the patient.
• For severe cases, a formal petition must be composed in proper format. If the patient is unconscious due to overwhelming evil qi (xieqi), a direct appeal may be submitted to the local City God (Chenghuang, the territorial protector deity), requesting capable judges and generals to hunt down the malicious spirits.

3. Offering Rituals: If the patient's family prepares paper money and paper horses (ritual offerings), the quantities must be noted in the document for divine acknowledgment. During treatment, all available altar deities are to be deployed in rotation.

4. Mobilizing Divine Forces: Through official petitions, a request is made to higher-ranking divine kings (shenwang) to dispatch troops, urging the local City God to immediately send fierce generals. These forces collaborate with the household's Earth God (Tudi Shen) and the Director of Fate (Siming Shen) to thoroughly scour the patient's body for haunting ghosts. The malevolent entities are to be shackled and transported to the Celestial Prison for punishment, ensuring the patient's full recovery, complete dispersion of evil qi, and restoration of righteous energy (zhengqi).

A final emphasis: No leniency or concealment is permitted during execution—evil spirits must never be allowed to escape justice.

This scripture presents two types of ritual documents used by the Lingbao Jingming Yuan (a major Daoist altar) for exorcism and healing.

The first part is a petition addressed to the deities:

1. It begins by stating the date (such as the year, month, and day in the celestial cycle) and the petitioner’s identity.

2. It describes how a person in a certain place has fallen ill due to the disturbances caused by evil spirits.

3. It requests the "Lord Emperor Who Binds All Evil" and the "Lord Emperor Who Heals All Illnesses" to dispatch divine soldiers and officers.

4. It calls upon the local City God (protective deity of the area), the Earth God, and the Six Destiny Gods (deities overseeing fate) to jointly investigate and capture the malevolent spirits responsible.

5. Regardless of any connection between these evil forces and the afflicted person, they are to be seized and delivered to the celestial prison for punishment according to divine law.

6. It also prays for the swift recovery of the patient.

The second part is a document for administering consecrated water (Fulu ritual):

1. It explains that a person from a certain place, suffering from a severe illness, has sought help and is willing to offer paper money and horses (ritual offerings in Daoism).

2. The Jingming Yuan has already dispatched divine generals and officers and provided consecrated water for the patient to ingest.

3. It requests the deities to infuse the water with true Qi (vital energy) so that, upon consumption, the patient may dispel pathogenic and evil influences.

4. It lists various ailments that can be treated, including pain, fever and chills, and epidemic diseases.

5. It prays for the patient’s full restoration to health.

Both documents conclude by recording the exact date and the name and rank of the presiding ritual master. These texts reflect Daoist religious practices of healing and exorcism through talismans (Fulu), invocations, and divine intervention.

This scripture presents two formal document formats used in the Lingbao Jingming Yuan (a Daoist practice site) of Daoism: the Memorial for Offering Spirit Money and Paper Horses (Xian Qianma Shenzhuang) and the Official Dispatch for Offering Spirit Money and Paper Horses (Xian Qianma Dieshi). These documents are employed by Daoist priests when making offerings of spirit money, paper horses, and other ritual items to deities during specific festivals or ceremonies, while petitioning for divine protection.

The first format, the Memorial for Offering Spirit Money and Paper Horses, follows this structure:

1. The opening states the priest’s religious rank (fǎwèi, denoting their level of cultivation).

2. A detailed list of offerings is provided, including spirit money, paper horses, incense, tea, wine, fruits, vegetarian food, and other ritual items.

3. The time of the offering is specified.

4. A petition is made to the Thirty-Six Divine Sovereigns (dìjūn) of the Jingming Yuan, requesting:

• The efficacy of talismanic methods (fúfǎ) in healing illnesses and exorcising evil
• The summoning of divine generals (shénjiàng) for assistance
• Protection and peace for the entire household

5. In ordinary times, the petition simply seeks safeguarding for the Daoist sanctuary (dàochǎng) and its practitioners.

6. The document concludes with the date and the name of the petitioner.

The second format, the Official Dispatch for Offering Spirit Money and Paper Horses, is a more formal administrative document:

1. It specifies that it is issued by the outer altar of the Lingbao Jingming Yuan.

2. The recipients of the offerings are listed in detail, including:

• Various divine officials of the Jingming Yuan (divine kings, generals, and spiritual officers)
• Divine generals from other affiliated institutions

3. The deities are instructed to:

• Respond swiftly when the priest performs rituals
• Ensure immediate recovery for the afflicted
• Carry out their duties without delay

4. During ordinary times, they are to guard the Daoist sanctuary and repel disturbances by malevolent spirits and ghosts.

5. The document concludes with the issuance date and the name of the responsible official.

Both documents exemplify the Daoist ritual principle of "communication between humans and deities" (rénshén gōutōng). Through formal petitions, priests report their activities and request divine assistance, providing not only detailed lists of offerings but also clear instructions for divine intervention. The text mentions fúfǎ (talismanic methods), Daoist techniques for healing and exorcism using ritual charms, and jiàoyán (ritual altars), referring to ceremonial platforms for Daoist sacrificial rites.

This scripture records the official document used in the Lingbao Jingming (Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness) tradition of Daoism when conferring religious titles upon disciples. The text primarily consists of the following components:

First, it enumerates the ritual implements bestowed upon the disciple:

1. Conferral of a specific religious title

2. Three volumes of the "Supreme Lingbao Jingming Scripture and Dharma Sayings"

3. Two seals (the Seal of the Jingming Dharma Master and the Jingming Seal)

4. One ritual sword

5. One ritual mirror

6. The precious Jingming Heart Seal tablet

7. The Jingming Merit and Demerit Record book

8. The register of divine kings and emperors from the Jingming Dharma Department

9. The register of 84,000 spirit officials and commanding generals

10. The register of 84,000 seasonal officers and armored cavalry

11. The register of merit officers (Gongcao), direct messengers (Zhifu), and judicial officers (Panguan)

The document requires the disciple to strictly adhere to precepts, oversee celestial seals, cooperate with divine kings and emperors in performing rituals at Daoist temples to relieve people's suffering. They must diligently maintain incense offerings, practice with devotion, never violate celestial laws, act with fairness and compassion, and avoid negligence.

The conclusion specifies the conferral date and lists the master-teachers involved in the transmission:

• Ordination Master: Xu Xun (Divine Lord of Marvelous Aid, Grand Historian Immortal of the Nine Provinces and Eminent Envoy)
• Supervision Master: Zhang Daoling (Celestial Master Zhang, Great Master of the Three Heavens Supporting Orthodoxy)
• Other scripture masters and ancestral masters from the celestial hierarchy

Finally, it includes the main tenets of the "Shangqing Lingbao Ten Precepts":

1. Maintain equanimity without self-deception

2. Be loyal to teachers and reverent toward Heaven, Earth, and parents

3. Treat others with kindness while practicing frugality and self-cultivation

4. Remain pure and upright, avoiding factionalism

5. Venerate the Daoist teachings with devout practice

6. Respect deities and spirits without contempt

7. Understand that food and clothing originate from primordial Qi (vital energy), abstaining from greed

8. Use ash-water for purification rather than pursuing superficial adornments

(Note: The term "Divine Emperor" refers to high-ranking Daoist deities; "Dharma registers" (Falu) are credential documents conferred during ordination; "merit officers" and similar titles designate functional deities within the Daoist pantheon.)

This scripture documents the specific procedures and document formats for transmission rituals at the Lingbao Jingming (Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness) Temple. The main contents include:

Practitioners must recite scriptures and perform prostrations with complete sincerity, maintaining mental tranquility. After seventeen days of cultivation, one may attain the state of "Great Stability" and behold the Jade Pure celestial realm (one of the Three Pure Realms in Daoism).

The document format section meticulously records the ritual procedure: The outer altar of Lingbao Jingming Temple submits a petition to the celestial court on behalf of an applicant requesting transmission of the "Lingbao Great Method." Upon recommendation by the Guarantor Master, the following ritual objects are conferred:

1. Lingbao precept certificate (document outlining cultivation precepts)

2. Four volumes of the Lingbao Great Method

3. Three ritual seals: the Daojun Seal, Taixuan Capital Bureau Seal, and Supreme Supervisor of Spirits Seal

Practitioners must first attain the corresponding Daoist rank before studying the "Shangqing Lingbao Great Method." This method can subdue demonic forces across the Three Realms and summon divine assistance from the Lingbao Divine Kings, Numinous Officials, and Jade Maidens.

The document emphasizes that practitioners must strictly uphold their vows and devote themselves to aiding humanity. Violating precepts will bring punishment upon nine generations of ancestors.

Three important incantations are recorded:

1. Divine Seal Incantation: emphasizing the seal's authority representing the Celestial Emperor's power to command all spirits

2. Divine Mirror Incantation: the mirror symbolizes the practitioner's mind which should be as clear as a polished mirror

3. Divine Water Incantation: drawing northern essence Qi to purify body and mind

These contents reflect the transmission ceremonies and cultivation methods of the Song Dynasty Lingbao school, highlighting the cultivation philosophy of balancing internal and external practice while maintaining resonance between heaven and humanity.

This scripture documents several important incantation methods and ritual procedures from the Lingbao Jingming tradition of Daoism. Here's a modern interpretation:

On cultivating "Divine Water":

During cultivation, maintain the pure heart-mind of a filial child. When the divine water (saliva produced during practice) flows upward, it moves against the current; downward flow occurs naturally. Maintain balanced and natural Qi without forced accumulation. Practitioners should sustain this water-like purity long-term.

Four Key Incantation Methods:

1. Register Incantation (for recording merits and faults):

After recitation, draw Qi from the East. This register documents all actions - loyal service to rulers externally, filial devotion to family internally. Maintain sincerity regardless of wealth, with all conduct truthfully recorded. Violating this oath invokes ancestral punishment.

2. Dharma Incantation:

After recitation, draw Qi from the West. This sacred method from the Supreme Laozi can liberate nine generations of ancestors and expel the Three Corpses (malevolent spirits residing in the body). Focused practice brings blessings leading to ascension. Breaking precepts triggers oath penalties.

3. Elixir Scripture Incantation:

After recitation, draw Qi from the East. The Supreme Laozi's secret elixir formula contains nine authentic texts that eliminate delusions. During practice, carefully observe all perceptions, completing the Ninefold Revolving Golden Elixir (highest Daoist alchemical achievement) through visualization. Initial results manifest in one year, complete attainment in nine years, with spiritual powers appearing after three. Violations immediately summon misfortune.

4. Sword Incantation:

After recitation, draw Qi from the West. The divine sword isn't metal but refined from essential Qi. Gather solar-lunar essences, tempering for three years with Bing-Ding fire (pure Yang flame). This sword slays only demons, sparing innocents and the virtuous. Misuse invokes covenant punishment.

Ritual Procedure:

1. Inhale one breath, swallowing or exhaling as when transmitting to a master

2. Prostrate before the master, holding ritual implements eastward while pledging:

"This disciple receiving sacred methods and implements beseeches the master's guidance. May you pity my dullness as we progress together. Should I break this oath, may I suffer Fengdu's (Daoist underworld) torments, implicating nine generations, and may my master abandon me."

3. Prostrate again to ancestral masters

4. Kowtow thanking the Celestial Emperor (exhaling one breath)

5. When transmitting to disciples, follow this exact procedure

Final blessing for implements:

May seekers never forget their original intent - revering heaven-earth's virtue above, valuing ruler-minister and father-son bonds below. At attainment's fruition, may master and disciple ascend together; those disrespecting teachers shall face retribution.

This text reveals Daoism's rigorous precept system, emphasizing both internal-external cultivation and master-disciple propriety. The incantations integrate specific directions and Qi cultivation, embodying the Daoist practice philosophy of "harmony between heaven and humanity."

Interpretation of the Lingbao Jingming Yuan Xingqian Shi

This scripture primarily documents two key ritual procedures and the associated pantheon within the Jingming Dao (a Daoist lineage).

Method of "Wearing the Sun and Treading the Dipper"

1. At sunrise, the practitioner faces the sun, visualizing a solar disc illuminating the crown of their head.

2. "Treading the Dipper" refers to the ritual practice of bugang tadou (Pacing the Celestial Network and Stepping on the Dipper), where one walks seven circuits in specific directions.

3. The practice begins at the yin position (northeast) and proceeds leftward to the chou position (true north).

Summoned Deities

Jingming rituals invoke assistance from multiple divine hierarchies:

1. Jingming Yuan System: 36 Imperial Lords, Divine Kings, officers, and generals, along with 84,000 retinue members.

2. Tianshu Yuan System: The Four Deities and Eight Generals, Lingbao Judges, and the Examiners and Summoners.

3. Exorcism Yuan System: 36 Great Examiners and Summoners from the Dipper Ministry, the Four Seasonal Messengers, and others.

4. Dongyue Great Emperor System: Commanding generals, dragon deities, nine prison officials, and a thousand-strong divine army.

5. Tianbao Lingfa Ministry: Celestial Immortal troops.

6. Sanwu Dugong Lu System: Talisman messengers, merit officers, and others.

Format for Petitioning Dharma Transmission

This formal document is submitted by disciples seeking lineage transmission:

1. The header states the master’s dharma rank and name.

2. The disciple’s aspiration to receive the teachings is declared, affirming their vow to "act as heaven’s agent, aiding the nation and saving the people."

3. The master attests to the disciple’s qualification to cultivate the Jingming scriptures and methods.

4. The petition concludes with an appeal to the Jingming patriarch Xu Xun (the Divine Lord of Mysterious Salvation, Great Ambassador of the Nine Provinces) for approval.

Post-Ritual Verification Report

A supplementary document submitted after a ritual’s efficacy is confirmed:

1. It similarly begins with the master’s dharma rank and name.

2. Records the ritual’s manifest results.

3. Concludes with the date of submission.

Note:

• Qi (炁) refers to primordial energy.
• Budou (步斗, "Stepping the Dipper") is a Daoist ritual mimicking the Big Dipper’s constellation pattern.
• Kaozhao (考召) denotes the methods of examining and summoning deities.

These rituals embody Jingming Dao’s emphasis on "cultivating perfection through loyalty and filial piety," achieving its mission of "aiding the nation and saving the people" through strict ceremonial discipline.

This is an official ordination document from the Lingbao Jingming (Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness) tradition, recording the complete process of a disciple applying to become a ritual master within the Jingming lineage:

The disciple (named) submitted an application to the Jingming lineage, requesting transmission of the cultivation methods from the Lingbao Jingming Jing (Scripture of Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness). After review, the lineage approved this request, conferring upon the disciple the title of "Great High [Method Name] Register Master of Loyalty and Filial Piety," with responsibilities including managing scriptures and assisting in cultivation affairs within the Jingming tradition.

During the ordination ceremony, the disciple received these essential ritual implements: the Great High Pure Brightness Seal, the Pure Bright Dharma Master Seal, along with two specific talismanic signatures. All these were officially recorded in the register.

The document specifically reports this matter to the founding patriarch of Lingbao Jingming—the Divine Lord of Marvelous Aid with Divine Merit, Supreme Ambassador of Luminous Height over the Nine Provinces (Celestial Master Xu Xun)—requesting deities across the Three Realms (Desire Realm, Form Realm, and Formless Realm) to acknowledge and assist. It further requires the Jingming lineage to dispatch protector deities including Imperial Lords, Divine Kings, Marshals, and Messengers to the disciple's ritual altar to provide joint protection and help relieve sentient beings' suffering.

The conclusion notes: This official appointment credential (quanwen) issued by the Jingming lineage allows the disciple to apply for formal recognition from the Celestial Pivot Court (the Daoist institution overseeing divine appointments). The document bears the official seal of Jingming lineage, marked with "Urgently in accordance with the Great High's Command Statutes" to indicate immediate effect.

Postscript: The surnames "Zhu, Zhang, Gong" etc. mentioned refer to abbreviations for four major protector deities of Jingming, representing respectively the divine qualities of Benevolent Rectitude and Awesome Numinosity, Filial Integrity and Compassionate Grace, Loyal Prudence and Compassionate Grace, as well as Pure Rectitude and Prudent Integrity.