《道法會元》Vol. 206

This scripture records the essential teachings expounded by the Nine Heavens' Thunder Response and Universal Transformation Heavenly Lord (the supreme thunder deity in Daoist pantheon) to Thunder Master Hao Weng (a key thunder divinity) at the Jade Brahma Seven-Treasure Tiered Terrace. The Heavenly Lord laments the moral decline of the world where people have lost their virtue: lacking loyalty to rulers, filial piety toward parents, respect for teachers, brotherly love, marital fidelity, and trust between friends. They even show no reverence for heaven, earth, and deities, nor honor the Three Luminaries (sun, moon, and stars), while wasting precious grains.

People commit manifold evils: uttering malicious words, using fraudulent weights and measures (referring to commercial deceit), killing living beings, engaging in debauchery, and committing slander and treason. Such transgressions prompt the Three Officials (Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials) to record their sins, while the Great Unity Deity (the cosmic overseer) forwards documents to the Thunder Department's Five Thunders Judgment Bureau. Punishment unfolds in two stages: first annihilating the offender's primordial spirit (Shen), then sentencing their soul. The condemned will suffer mental derangement, public scorn, and ultimately complete dissolution—their physical form shattered by thunderbolts.

The text vividly depicts the horrors of the Eastern Wind-Thunder Hell: sinners struck by lightning and thunder, tormented by blades and spears. Those whose earthly lifespan has ended are directly consigned to hell, while others with remaining years drift eternally in void realms, battered by bitter winds and rains, never attaining liberation across countless kalpas.

In response, the Jade Purity True King, Divine Empyrean Jade Emperor (one of Daoism's supreme deities), specially revealed methods to refine immortal souls and deliver trapped spirits. Through the Thunder Fire Master True Lord (a thunder department enforcer), celestial mechanisms are activated to summon and elevate sunken souls via stellar revolutions.

The conclusion details the ritual to invoke the Golden Fire Heavenly Warriors (thunder department generals): offering incense and prayers to beseech these golden-armored deities—who wield demon-subduing imperial bells—to lead their troops in protecting the ritual space. The "Miraculous Marshal of Fire Bells" refers to these generals' flame-ringed ritual implements that emit demon-quelling golden light, while "Qi riding lunar phases" describes how their divine power synchronizes with the moon's cycles. The entire ceremony harnesses thunder's might to deliver deceased spirits, embodying Daoism's dual doctrine of "punishing evil while delivering the dead."

This scripture depicts a Daoist ritual for the salvation of departed souls, interwoven with profound reflections on cosmic and human existence.

The ceremony begins by summoning various divine generals (Marshal Wen, Marshal Heqiao, Marshal Yang, and other underworld deities from Fengdu) to gather wandering souls from the ten directions and three realms for deliverance. The ritual master devoutly invokes sacred names like "Celestial Worthy of the United Radiance of Sun and Moon," emphasizing the universal salvation offered equally to all souls regardless of their earthly status.

The latter portion presents philosophical contemplation through contrasts: at the dawn of creation, all beings were equal, yet differences in innate nature (xing) created distinctions between wisdom and folly. The text enumerates diverse human destinies—the wisdom of Lin Xiangru returning the jade intact to Zhao, the tragic heroism of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on Qin; the loyalty of Su Wu herding sheep for nineteen years, and the regret of Han Xin's fate as "the hound being cooked after the hare is caught." Scholars, physicians, diviners, artisans—no matter their earthly achievements—all ultimately face the wheel of life and death.

Particular attention is given to Daoist practitioners (like the ancestral master who attained enlightenment by bamboo sounds, or the Daoist planting peach trees) and hermits (who "pillow themselves on flowing streams and rinse their mouths with stones," fishing the moon and plowing clouds). Their transcendence of fame and worldly disputes forms a striking contrast with the soul-summoning ritual earlier, subtly revealing the Daoist cultivation ideal of surpassing life-and-death dualities and seeing through worldly illusions.

This scripture describes a Daoist ritual for the salvation of lost souls, revealing the myriad sufferings endured by sentient beings in the mortal realm and the compassionate act of liberating wandering spirits through zhaijiao (purification) keyi (liturgy).

The human world is filled with untimely deaths—some wrongfully slain due to karmic debts from past lives, others cut down by sudden calamities. These lost souls linger in government offices, battlefields, and execution grounds, becoming homeless ghosts. Men suffer the ravages of war, while women endure the pains of childbirth. Life is like passing through eighty-four thousand gates of toil, rushing about all three hundred and sixty days of the year, only to find it all amounts to empty fame in the end.

Even plants, animals, and supernatural beings possess their own spiritual nature: the "elephant game" (a reference to chess) within an orange can foretell the future, ghosts appear beneath mulberry trees. Mynah birds learn to chant "Amitabha," clamshells bear the image of Guanyin. Ants know how to march in formation, domestic geese understand bidding farewell to guests. Though these beings may have changed forms, they retain an innate inclination toward goodness.

Tonight, a solemn altar is erected as the Daoist master recites secret incantations: the heavy shackles of hell are unlocked, and all ferries across the River Naihe (the underworld river) set sail. As the bright moon passes over twelve towers, amid the chiming of wind bells from three thousand worlds, the lost souls hear the call and gather. The patron of the ritual (the one sponsoring the ceremony) offers sincere charity, using fragrant water to cleanse the accumulated filth from these souls and providing ritual food to sate their hunger. The spirits receive precepts as though lifting their heads to see the sun, and hearing the sacred teachings is like climbing steps hand in hand.

Yet some souls remain trapped in the dark paths of karma, still imprisoned in hell. Thus, the Jing Fengdu Po Diyu Lingzhang (Spiritual Verses for Purifying Fengdu and Breaking Open Hell) is solemnly recited once more, with all masters chanting the Jing Fengdu incantation (a mantra for liberating hell-bound souls) three times in unison.

Though the realms of Yin and Yang are separate, life and death follow the natural rhythm of day and night. The Supreme Venerable Lord (Taishang Laojun) established this compassionate method, and the lost souls should seize this opportunity for liberation—letting go of grudges and sincerely turning toward the Dao. Just as one advances further atop a hundred-foot pole, awakening is possible in all ten directions of the dharma realm. Now, with utmost reverence, we summon: the Celestial Emperor of Taiwei waves the yellow banner, the Perfected Lord of Wuying raises the numinous pennant—may the long night of hell be opened, and may all suffering souls be liberated, forever freed from the three torturous paths (of fire, blood, and blades).

Today, the patron, upholding the virtue of cherishing life (haosheng zhi de), opens this boundless dharma assembly, summoning all orphaned and lingering souls from the Nine Darknesses of hell, the ten classes of beings, the five sufferings and three torturous paths, and the six realms of rebirth (Buddhist concepts of samsara). May they all come forth to receive salvation.

This scripture describes a Daoist salvation ritual (Zhaijiao), which unfolds in three distinct phases:

The summoning ceremony begins with the priest invoking the Three Treasures of Daoism - the Dao itself (Dao Bao), the sacred scriptures (Jing Bao), and the lineage masters (Shi Bao). Through their power, the ritual calls forth wandering souls from the Nine Dark Hells, including those suffering the Five Agonies (birth, aging, sickness, death, and separation), the Three Torment Paths (flames, blood, and blades), and all Six Realms (celestial, human, asura, animal, hungry ghost, and hell). The text repeatedly emphasizes liberating these spirits to "forever leave behind the sufferings of the Three Torment Paths."

The salvation process follows, where the priest guides the souls using ritual talismans (Fulu) and spirit banners to transcend the underworld and ascend to the Southern Palace (Nangong) - the Daoist realm of eternal life. These pitiful souls are depicted with faces covered in dust and garments soaked with tears, having wandered for millennia through wind and rain, now finally granted deliverance through this ritual.

The purification rite concludes the ceremony. As souls gather before the altar, the priest reads admonitions urging them to observe precepts. The "Bathing in Orchid Water" ritual cleanses them, with recitations of the Scripture of Salvation (Duren Jing) and the blessings of the Heavenly Worthy Who Purifies Forms with Golden Flowers (Huanghua Dangxing Tianzun) washing away their karmic stains. Poetic verses like "gazing up to behold the eight directions" depict their celestial ascent amidst moonlight and five-colored auspicious clouds.

The entire ritual embodies the Daoist compassionate spirit of "wondrous transformation through life-affirming grace," employing liturgy (Keyi), talismans, and purification rites to deliver souls from suffering and facilitate their rebirth in the wheel of reincarnation.

This scripture passage describes the Daoist ritual process for delivering wandering souls, comprising several key elements:

It first speaks of lonely ghosts wandering in perpetual darkness, deprived of access to Fashi (ritually consecrated food) and virtuous teachings. Here it mentions the Jade Clarity True King (Yuzhen Qingwang, an exalted Daoist deity) possesses special talismans (Fulu) for saving submerged souls.

The text then details the ritual of burning the "Deliverance of Wandering Souls Talisman," accompanied by chanting the sacred names of multiple Celestial Venerables (Tianzun). These seemingly obscure incantations are actually unique Daoist Sanskrit-derived mantras, such as "Danlou Ahui," primarily used to invoke divine power. Phrases like "Great Brahma scattering mist" and "auspicious clouds sprinkling down" depict the numinous imagery of descending deities amidst radiant clouds.

Particular emphasis is placed on delivering women who died in childbirth - souls potentially trapped in the "Lake of Blood" (Xuehu, a Daoist conception of polluted afterlife for such deaths). Special talismans like the "Cleansing Blood Lake Talisman" and "Purifying Blood-Corrupted Corpse Talisman" are burned for this purpose.

Finally, the text explains how souls receiving these authentic talismans achieve "illuminated heart-mind," dissolving karmic obstructions to restore their original nature. It mentions utilizing the Qi of the Five Phases (Wuxing) and the Three Lights (solar, lunar and stellar energies) to purify souls, enabling them to cross the "Dharma Bridge" (a ritual symbol of passage to pure realms) toward liberation.

Through burning talismans, chanting mantras and invoking celestial powers, this comprehensive ritual system embodies Daoist compassionate soteriology, particularly addressing souls who suffered violent or "blood-defiled" deaths. These practices reflect the tradition's sophisticated ceremonial framework for posthumous salvation.

This scripture primarily elucidates the Daoist ritual for the salvation of departed souls. The text opens by depicting purified souls ascending to the celestial realm, roaming the Jade Capital (Yuqing, the highest Daoist paradise) in the company of immortal beings.

It then introduces the "Flaming Golden Bell" (Liujin Huoling), a ritual instrument used for exorcism, followed by specific talismans (Fulu) designed for souls who perished through different means: self-immolation, weapon wounds, hanging, drowning, and poisoning. The ritual summons divine beings such as the Celestial Physician (Tianyi), the Five Thunder Lords (Wulei Shenjun, deities governing thunder), and the Six Poisons Lords (Liudu Shenjun), harnessing the power of Primordial Qi (Hunyuan Yiqi, the cosmic source energy) to restore the souls to wholeness.

Particular emphasis is placed on the "Jade True Fire Bell Talisman with Nine Radiances" (Yuzhen Huoling Jiumang Zhenfu), a sacred talisman with nine luminous rays that illuminates the underworld, guiding souls out of darkness. While reciting the Golden Light Incantation (Jinguang Zhou), the text describes how adepts, through cultivation, attain a state where "their bodies emit radiance," gaining the protection of deities from the Three Realms and the ability to command thunder and subdue demons.

Finally, the scripture admonishes the departed souls to maintain reverence and faith, relinquishing earthly grievances and fears of ghosts and spirits. It stresses the strict laws of the underworld—those who defy precepts risk eternal damnation. Significantly, it highlights the boundless compassion of the Jade Clarity True King (Yuqing Zhenwang, a revered Daoist deity), who established this expedient method to rescue suffering beings from the Three Paths (hell, hungry ghosts, and animal realms). As long as souls adhere to these teachings, they will attain deliverance.

This passage describes the ritual process and doctrinal essence of paying homage to the Divine Empyrean Jade Emperor in the Shenxiao tradition (an important Daoist school of the Song dynasty). Practitioners must first worship the Jade Perfection (a revered Daoist deity) with utmost sincerity, sitting upright before the ritual altar to receive sacred ritual offerings. Only through such ceremonies that cleanse karmic obstructions can one comprehend the Dao and attain carefree liberation.

The scripture reveals that the supreme Daoist methods of the Shenxiao lineage originate from the Jade Emperor of the Primordial Void (one of Daoism's highest deities), who manifests as a majestic golden radiance. By devoutly contemplating his sacred countenance with sincere reverence, one receives blessings and wisdom, attaining perfect prosperity. His golden visage shines like the blazing sun, his jeweled throne appearing in empty space; his jade-like form stands solemn as heaven itself, with auspicious light filling the entire Dharma realm. This Celestial Worthy compassionately relieves sentient beings' suffering, guiding cultivators to ascend to the realm of truth.

The text emphasizes that the Divine Empyrean Jade Emperor shares the same Dao-body with the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Daoism's supreme deity), his merits equal to those of the Celestial Worthy of Dao and Virtue (one of the Three Pure Ones). The Three Pure Ones stand beside him, with all creation relying on his sacred virtue. Thus he is honored as "The Marvelous Dao's Emanation, Universal Transformation Celestial Worthy of Divine Empyrean," who compassionately teaches sentient beings through the Precious Jade Pivot Scripture. As an emanation of the Divine Empyrean Jade Emperor, his boundless merits transcend conception, and all beings should worship him devoutly.

The passage concludes with liturgy for paying homage to the Supreme Celestial Worthy: bowing in refuge to the genuine Divine Empyrean wondrous methods, which share the same origin as the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. It mentions how the Nine Empyrean Lords (high-ranking immortals) once descended to the realm of Clear Void, transmitting thunderous esoterica in the Heaven of Luminous Courtyard and Empryean Radiance (one of Daoism's thirty-six heavens), specifically entrusting these teachings to Fire Master Lord (founder of Shenxiao). These methods universally deliver countless beings, bringing light to the underworld and restoring peace to all creation. By contemplating the sacred jade countenance, practitioners transcend suffering and ascend to the realm of truth. The scripture concludes with prayers for guiding deceased souls to the Cold Forest (a liberation site) to receive ritual offerings, completing the ceremonial sequence.