《道法會元》Vol. 179

This passage serves as the preface to the "Shangqing Wuyuan Yuce Jiuling Feibu Zhangzou Mifa" (Secret Methods of the Nine Numinous Flying Steps and Memorials from the Jade Book of Five Primordials) in the Daoist Ritual Compendium (Daofa Huiyuan). It outlines the transmission history and compilation background of these esoteric Daoist practices.

The text explains that this secret method was originally transmitted by Lady Wei (Wei Huacun), the Numinous Perfected of Purple Emptiness and Director of Destiny of the Southern Peak (a renowned female Daoist master of the Wei-Jin period). It was later inherited by the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Perfected Master Zhang, a female libationer of the Jin Dynasty (a key figure in the Zhengyi tradition), who incorporated the Rujing (entering the meditation chamber) methods of various celestial officials from the Taiqing (Great Clarity) lineage. These teachings correspond with the "Thousand Two Hundred Officials' Rites" (a vast Daoist pantheon) passed down from the Han Dynasty, which should continue to be followed.

The author notes that the Xuancizhang edition compiled by Master Yu before the Tang Dynasty was lost during wartime upheavals. Most surviving versions of shangzhang (memorials submitted to celestial deities) have been haphazardly altered by unqualified libationers, resulting in muddled incantations and irregular formats that fail to genuinely communicate with the divine. Such documents are often as ineffective as "casting them into the void," and may even incur divine censure.

To address this, the compiler consulted authentic secret transmissions, eliminating redundancies and simplifying the material to create the Wuyuan Yuce (Jade Book of Five Primordials) as a supplement to the Tongchu Zhengfa (Early Youth Correct Methods). Among its contents, the profound techniques of the Jiuling Feibu (Nine Numinous Flying Steps)—such as the Taiqing Rujing Kouqi (oral instructions for entering the meditation chamber)—are not easily mastered by ordinary practitioners. Only celestial officials or, at the very least, Sandong disciples (Daoists proficient in the Three Caverns scriptures: Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen) can properly employ them.

Finally, the text clarifies that this flying-step method originates from the highest Daoist scriptures, the Sandong classics. The compiler organized the material by referencing Zhengyi liturgy (Keyi), Lingbao classifications, and the stone almanac (Shili) left by the immortal Chisongzi (Red Pine Master). With sustained practice, adepts will naturally achieve mastery through comprehensive understanding.

Daoist scriptures classify cultivation methods into three primary systems: the Dongzhen (Cavern of Perfection), Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery), and Dongshen (Cavern of Divinity) traditions. The Dongzhen corresponds to the supreme "Dadong Falu" (Great Cavern Registers transmitted by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning), representing the highest methods. Dongxuan encompasses the "Lingbao Falu" (Numinous Treasure Registers transmitted by the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure) as intermediate methods. Dongshen includes foundational registers like the "Mengwei Dugong" (Covenant Authority Registers) and "Tianxin Wulei" (Five Thunder Registers of the Heavenly Heart). Practitioners must strictly identify themselves according to their actual initiation level—those falsely claiming the title of "Great Cavern Master" without receiving the "Dadong Zhongmeng Lu" (Great Cavern Covenant Register), or calling themselves "Master of Three Caverns" with only intermediate registers, will be punished according to the "Xuandu Great Statutes."

Specifically: The Dongzhen system centers on the "Shangqing Dadong Lu" (Highest Clarity Great Cavern Register). Dongxuan includes the "Lingbao Zhongmeng Lu" (Numinous Treasure Covenant Register) and "Shengzhen Neijiao Lu" (Ascension to Truth Inner Teaching Register). Dongshen features the "Daode Zixu Yangguang Lu" (Dao and De Purple Void Sunlight Register). These three systems each maintain distinct transmission lineages in the Daoist Canon, with practitioners' registers requiring proper orthodox transmission. Among them, Dongzhen represents the supreme vehicle, Dongxuan the middle vehicle, and Dongshen the foundational level. The Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) lineage serves as a supplementary system, collectively forming the "Four Supports" transmission framework.

Regarding the protocols for submitting memorials (petitions to deities): When masters submit petitions on behalf of laypeople, the documents must not be casually placed or left in the mundane world. All matters from the entire year must be fully recorded before sealing. The memorial altar must be crafted from cypress wood, measuring 2.4 chi in length, 1.5 chi in width, and 0.8 chi in height, featuring curved legs. The petition box specifications are 3.6 cun square and 1.5 chi long, with petition paper normally 1.2 chi tall, extending to 1.3 chi during leap months.

Essential guidelines: Specially prepared incense must be used for memorials—ordinary hearth ashes are forbidden. The entire household must face north to perform rituals. Petition cases must bear proper seals according to regulations. During memorial ceremonies, the sponsor's household must maintain solemn silence—disturbances like crowing chickens or barking dogs may agitate the deities and prevent petitions from reaching the celestial court. When receiving offerings, masters may only accept kneeling gifts in special circumstances like healing illnesses or receiving divine grace—violations will be prosecuted as theft.

The fundamental purpose of memorials lies in aiding the world and delivering beings. When common people suffering from sudden calamities or illnesses seek help, masters should compassionately administer relief according to proper methods.

A household Daoist practitioner who pretends to be absent when at home, or deliberately refuses to aid those in urgent medical distress, will be punished with ten months of illness.

The incense burner and lamp stand for deity worship must be positioned higher than the writing desk used for composing memorial petitions (formal documents addressed to celestial beings). When drafting these petitions, only clean paper and ink may be used. The primary purposes of submitting memorials are either to confess the ritual sponsor's (zhai zhu) transgressions or to report confidential matters. After completion, the document should be burned in the quiet chamber (meditation space) without disclosing its contents to outsiders—revealing others' secrets constitutes a grave offense.

Regardless of a memorial's size, whether submitted outdoors or indoors, a three-day moratorium must follow. The writing desk cannot be immediately dismantled nor the seating mat destroyed. If doubts arise about an urgent petition's content, it should be burned at once. When submitting memorials in the quiet chamber, the southeastern direction must remain open while facing north.

During the Three Assemblies Days (major Daoist festivals) and Earth God Festivals, routine memorials are prohibited—exceptions are made only for emergency illnesses or solar deity thanksgiving rites held on days containing the numbers 3 or 8 each month. The three days before and after Winter Solstice likewise forbid regular petitions unless emergencies occur.

The celestial stems Wu-Chen and Wu-Xu mark forbidden days for casual quiet chamber entry. If the mid-month or Three Assemblies observances conflict, alternate auspicious dates may be chosen—though this restriction doesn't apply to major sacrificial festivals or Earth God ceremonies requiring memorial submission.

Three Assemblies Days require merit reporting; delayed submissions are permissible if unavoidable. Ordained disciples (lu recipients) submitting personal petitions must truthfully declare received blessings and accumulated merits. All ritual offerings must be given to their master—none may be kept privately. If the master resides distantly, nearby Daoist priests may receive them instead.

Priests conducting memorial rituals must abstain from meat, alcohol, and pungent foods before entering the quiet chamber. Violators forfeit 3,000 merit points, causing guardian deities to withdraw to heaven—all petitions submitted within 100 days will fail celestial delivery. Priests must also refrain from eating at patients' homes, lest malevolent entities possess the infirm and nullify healing efforts, rendering petitions void.

When encountering the sick, priests must assist wholeheartedly. Withholding aid due to past grievances invites calamity. Disciples writing petitions for their master must preface them with: "This humble servant's ordained master, [name]..."

Should a household member fall critically ill during a disciple's petition composition for their master, they must immediately withdraw for consultation without delay—though this doesn't apply to non-emergencies. Before drafting petitions, brushes and inkstones must be purified and properly arranged on the dedicated writing desk; casual handling is forbidden.

This scripture details the specific ritual requirements for presenting memorials (zhang) to deities in Daoist practice, with several key points:

Before submitting a memorial, one must first burn incense and pay respects in the purification hall (zhaitang), personally stating the petition. It is forbidden to directly bring the memorial into the meditation chamber (a cultivation space) without proper announcement—doing so would render the document as ineffective as throwing it into water. Regardless of the memorial's size, the ceremony must be conducted outdoors, with the four directional portals opened: the Celestial Gate (symbolizing the entrance to the heavenly realm), Earthly Door (symbolizing the exit to the underworld), Human Gate, and Ghost Path. The ritual master must be positioned facing north, with the memorial entering through the Celestial Gate and exiting through the Earthly Door—a traditional protocol that must not be mistaken.

During the actual procedure, incense must first be burned to invite the Incense Official (a protector deity) to attend the incense burner. One cannot simply remove the burner without proper announcement. If the meditation chamber's incense burner is carried out empty, it will lose divine protection, allowing demonic interference that disrupts the memorial and exhausts the myriad deities, wasting paper and ink in vain. When presenting the memorial, lamps must be lit in the shape of the Dipper (symbolizing the Northern Dipper), with special attention paid to the positions of Kuigang (stellar deities in the Big Dipper) and Pojun (the seventh star of the Dipper). Improper alignment of Pojun will affect efficacy, a detail beginners must note carefully.

The petitioner (zhaizhu) must face north. Those suffering acute illnesses may loosen their hair and personally deliver the memorial, while healthy individuals need not do so. The celestial bureaucracy in Mystic Metropolis (Xuandu, a Daoist paradise) contains various departments (gongcao), each with examiners (dianzhe) responsible for reviewing submissions. If a Daoist priest's memorial contains formatting errors, incoherent content, or violates Daoist principles, it will be rejected by these departments, preventing the matter from reaching the celestial court. Blaming the inefficacy of Daoist methods in such cases is actually the priest's own fault.

When all ritual protocols are followed without violating taboos, every petition for healing will be answered, and every plea for deliverance from hardship will be resolved. The text further specifies that urgent memorials—such as those for sudden severe illness or disaster—must be written with cinnabar ink, including the phrases "Taixuandu" and the name of the presiding priest (jijiu). These red memorials function like expedited documents in the human world, receiving celestial priority. Memorials for exorcising ghosts must also use cinnabar for the priest's name, while those combating malign forces require blue paper, as the underworld officials (under the Three Offices—Heaven, Earth, and Water) who handle demonic disturbances and temple hauntings revere the color blue.

This passage originates from the 30th chapter of The Collected Essentials of Daoist Ritual (Daofa Huiyuan), summarizing thirty key regulations on memorial presentation in orthodox Daoist liturgy.

This scripture primarily details the specific procedures and precautions for submitting memorial petitions (shangzhang) to deities in Daoist practice.

When writing a memorial petition, it should be inscribed with cinnabar on blue paper, though other colored papers may also be used, with the quantity determined by individual needs. For illnesses caused by ghostly Qi (vital energy) intrusion, a specialized "ghost-striking petition" must be written and consumed immediately after the ritual. If disturbances from the Five Tombs (wumu, five types of graves) occur in one's household, a petition should be submitted to dispel them.

The method for preparing medicinal pills involves grinding two fen (an ancient measurement equal to 1/10 liang) of genuine pearls with the written petition paper into a fine powder, then forming small pills. After kneeling in silent worship facing north at dawn, these should be taken immediately—capable of reviving even those at death's door. For other ailments, the dose can be divided into two or three portions taken with clear water.

When composing petitions, one must burn incense facing north with all implements purified. Use high-quality paper, clean brushes and towels, dressing properly while sitting upright to write. The ink must be evenly applied, the document sealed with wheat paste, and every procedural detail meticulously observed when submitting to higher authorities.

For household misfortunes—illnesses, deaths, bad omens, strange dreams, or financial losses—one may submit a "grave dispute resolution petition." Only the merit officers (gongcao) and local earth deities listed on one's personal minor talismans (xiaolinglu) may be invoked; summoning higher-ranking deities beyond one's authority is prohibited.

If the fine print at a petition's conclusion lacks the phrase "Supreme Dao Lord" (Taishang Daojun) and isn't submitted northward, it only qualifies as a mid-level Taiqing petition. Only those mentioning "Supreme" (Taishang) or submitted northward may be called "Great Dao" (Dadao) petitions.

Regarding post-submission thanksgiving (yangong): Major events warrant 300-400 merit credits, saving a dying person 500, while minor affairs require only first or second-class credits. Excessive thanksgiving causes righteous Qi to become unstable and deities to grow weary. Both written petitions and oral requests must clearly state merits, inviting the Three Heavens' archivists to promote positions according to regulations.

This scripture details the specific protocols and precautions for submitting memorial petitions (zhang) to the Celestial Court in Daoist practice, categorized into three grades (grand, medium, and minor) for different ceremonial occasions.

Key prohibitions must be observed: Memorials cannot be submitted during violent storms, thunderstorms, hail, or when rainbows appear as celestial omens. The six "Wu Days" (Wuchen, Wuxu, etc. - the six heavenly stems containing "Wu") also prohibit submissions, except for emergencies which may be submitted before midnight. Particularly on Wuchen and Wuxu days, even petitions for healing must be withheld, as they would prove futile.

Qualifications for submission are strict: Only ordained Daoists who have received high-ranking titles like "Dugong Zhizheng Yi Jijiu" (Chief Ritual Master of Orthodox Unity) and possess the "Celestial Official Golden Register White Slip" (advanced ordination credential) are authorized. Proper address forms must be used: grand and medium memorials must specify the exact Celestial department (e.g., "such-and-such Bureau of such-and-such Palace"), while minor petitions need only address the "Golden Portal of the Three Heavens" (heavenly gate).

The three grades of memorials are:

1) "Prostration Memorials" (baizhang) requiring the "Nine Spirits Flying Steps Dipper Seal" and "Flying Talisman Qi-Transforming Contract Seal," performed with stellar rituals;

2) "Contemplation Memorials" (cunzhang) using the "Nine Elders Immortal Capital Commanding Seal" - which also serves for exorcisms;

3) "Dispatch Memorials" (qianzhang) employing either the "Seven Stars Dipper Seal" or the local temple's official seal. If all three seals are unavailable, the temple seal alone suffices.

For minor matters or petitions of repentance, submissions may be directed to the Southern Dipper, Northern Dipper, or Lunar/Solar Palaces without specifying departments - simply addressed to "Three Heavens Portal." These "minor memorials" (xiaozhang) may be delivered by Flying Celestial Kings following the Seven Stars Dipper ritual procedure.

Grand memorials follow formal protocols, beginning with "Your subject [name] respectfully dispatches..." and enumerating all dispatched celestial officials - including Orthodox Unity Merit Officers, Left-Right Official Messengers, Yin-Yang Judgment Clerks, and the complete pantheon of divine functionaries. Medium memorials may abbreviate this list, while minor petitions simply state "respectfully dispatch two official envoys" or "two officer messengers."

This scripture meticulously documents the standardized format and protocols for submitting memorial petitions (zhangbiao) to deities in Daoist practice. Distinct conventions govern the opening salutations based on petition grades: Grand Petitions (dazhang) must begin with "humbly prostrating a hundred times in acknowledgment of capital offenses," Medium Petitions (zhongzhang) omit the "capital offenses" phrase, while Minor Petitions (xiaozhang) simply state "with utmost reverence, kowtowing and bowing repeatedly." Petitions addressed to the Southern Dipper (Nandou) and Northern Dipper (Beidou) adopt the formulaic opening: "[Name] kowtows repeatedly and bows again with reverence."

Sealing regulations specify that ordinary petitions require a single seal on the date section, whereas Grand Petitions and important Medium Petitions demand twelve seals with additional impressions along the document's folded edges. The "Immortal Capital Seal" (Xiandu yin) must be stamped thrice—at prescribed locations on the document's fore, middle, and end sections. Emergency circumstances permit simplified sealing, provided the outer wrapping consists of red silk pouches, substitutable with wooden cases when silk is unavailable.

The text particularly emphasizes taboos: petitions cannot be submitted during extreme weather like gales or torrential rain, with violators facing punishments ranging from shortened lifespans to chronic illness. Priests who submit petitions for the irredeemably wicked risk revocation of clerical status and posthumous condemnation to labor in the Nether Mountain (Yinshan). Practitioners must maintain sincere devotion—any duplicity or deception invoked the Five Punishments, with absolution granted only through genuine repentance.

A final note clarifies that supplementary sheets may accompany petitions when content exceeds standard limits. These protocols reflect the solemnity of Daoist memorial rites, embodying the principle that spiritual efficacy stems from sincerity, with ritual violations incurring celestial retribution according to cosmic law.

In Daoist memorial submission rituals (presenting petitions to deities), if the ritual master encounters impurities such as mourning pollution, livestock giving birth, or postpartum women, they must immediately purify with consecrated water (water empowered by talismanic incantations). If purification has been performed but fewer than seven days have passed, the memorial ritual cannot proceed. Should there be a postpartum woman in the household or pollution caused by domestic animals like cats or dogs, memorial submission is prohibited for sixty days—violators will be punished according to the Taixuan Capital Statutes (a Daoist disciplinary code). Engaging in sexual activity also disqualifies one from participating in the ritual; offenders will face penalties under the Five Punishments Code (an ancient penal system).

The ritual master responsible for memorial submission must abstain from alcohol and meat before the ceremony and avoid contact with defilements, as these disrupt the Dao Qi (primordial vital energy). Violations of the Great Statutes (fundamental Daoist precepts) warrant disciplinary action. Masters must never dwell in impure locations and should regularly use consecrated water for purification. During cultivation, they must visualize the guardian generals (protective deities) without lapse, maintaining constant connection with the Three-Five Merit Officers (daily duty deities) and the Zhengyi Merit Officers (protective spirits of the Celestial Master tradition) whether sitting or reclining. Visualization of these generals must align with their prescribed directions and colors. Minor cultivation is performed every three days, major cultivation every five days, and integrated practice every ten days.

Using an incorrect ritual seal invokes punishment under the Five Punishments Code. These twenty-two regulations governing memorial rituals (transmitted through generations of masters rather than originating from a single source) are compiled here for reference.