《上清靈寶大法(一)》Vol. 44

Any ceremony involving a large-scale Zhaijiao (purification ritual) or universal salvation of the beings in the netherworld must first be reported to Heaven, and rites must be performed to pardon and deliver departed souls. Only after memorials and petitions have been presented, and pardons and Fulu (talismans and registers) issued, may the altar be set up and the liturgy performed. This sequence of rites includes pardons, registers of names, documents, decrees, talismans, and contracts, all of which must be reported and issued in the proper order.

In the preliminary reports to Heaven, first present the Memorial for Deliverance from Suffering, and issue the Nine-Dragon Talisman and the Decree of the Azure Palace. Next, present the “Memorial of the Plain Chariot and White Horse” and issue the “Proclamation to the Three Realms.” Then present the “Memorial for Breaking Open Fengdu and Opening the Way,” and issue the “Decree for Deliverance and Redemption from Fengdu,” the “Decree of Primordial Beginning’s Talismanic Command,” the “Supreme One’s Edict of Pardon and Talisman for Deliverance from Suffering,” the “Talisman for Breaking Open the Hells,” the “Talisman for Delivering Hidden Souls,” as well as the registers of the Three Officials, the Jade Registers of the Nine Depths, the White Registers, and other documents. On the appointed date of the ritual, present the “Memorial for Opening the Roads” and issue the Jade Emperor’s decree and the edict appointing the deities of the earth. Once the Zhaijiao is complete, present the “Memorial for Bathing and Refining the Departed” and issue the “Decree for Refining the Form with Golden Liquids,” the “Decree of Thunder Patterns,” the “Register for Ascending to Heaven,” the “Talisman of Long Life,” and others. Then present further memorials for delivering departed souls, and issue the decrees that carry them through each checkpoint and onward to the various heavens.

Each talisman and decree should be reported and issued according to its proper category. Their sequence must not be confused; it should be carefully considered and arranged. Talismanic contracts are true commands from Heaven. In the netherworld, none who receive them fail to honor and obey them. The following provisions are set out in detail according to the rules of the ritual.

The Supreme One’s Edict of Pardon and Register of Ascension to Heaven

At the beginning of the rite, first sit quietly in a secluded room, concentrating the spirit, and complete the internal refinement according to the method. Then burn incense, kneel facing north, and silently report to the Dao Lord Yuchen, the Star Lord of the Southern Dipper, and the perfected beings of the south, requesting that they send down an edict permitting the departed souls to ascend to Heaven, and grant permission for you to write and issue talismans and registers in accordance with the ritual. After completing the oral report, visualize yourself bowing nine times to the deities.

Next, visualize three tiers of the Heavenly Gate, radiant with golden light. Within the gate appears the Dao Lord Yuchen, serene in bearing, with perfected attendants arranged on either side. Then silently report and bow nine times, and wait a short while. Visualize the Dao Lord Yuchen’s face as kindly and gracious, readily granting the request and instructing Jade Boys and Jade Maidens to carry a precious casket down before the altar table amid a sea of jeweled light. The casket shines like the sun, illuminating Heaven and Earth. Then open it and unfold the precious register within.

Draw the divine Qi (vital energy) into the talisman paper according to the number of times the deity is invited to descend, until they become one. Light appears in the cinnabar, brush, and inkstone. Then click the teeth together three times, perform three bows, and withdraw. Sit facing east for a while, allowing the divine Qi to settle.

Next, form the “Supervisory Command” hand gesture with the left hand. Hold the brush in the right hand and recite this incantation over the incense:

“May the Supreme Lord of the Dao, the Most High Lord of the Mysterious Origin, teach me to draw talismans. May they pierce the darkness of the underworld, release the souls of the dead, and let them see the light. Swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands.”

Recite this incantation five thousand times. At the same time, absorb the blue, yellow, and white Qi from the Gate of Heaven, and send it into the brush and the cinnabar paper. First write the twenty-eight seal-script characters beginning with “Supreme and Unsurpassed.”

Next, form the Southern Dipper hand gesture, corresponding to the six stars of the Southern Dipper. Visualize the six stars descending from the south like a newly risen sun, radiating boundless light. Form the gesture and guide the starlight into the talisman. Then visualize the light of the six stars penetrating the talisman and merging with the six stars inscribed upon it, shining all the way through to the back of the paper.

Then form the Liwen hand gesture with the left hand, draw in true light, and channel it into the brush. First write the names and titles of the six stars. The star names and related text in the original are as follows:

“Residing in the Li Palace”; “Radiant as the sun”; “Ruling over and commanding the Fire Emperor”; “Receiving the substance of Yin-Yang”; “Exalted in rank at the Southern Pole”; “Shaping souls and forging spirits, might beyond measure”; “Mercifully pardoning the souls of the Ninefold Netherworld.”

Next write the true titles of the six palaces, circling each star’s title six times:

“Perfected Lord of the Heavenly Treasury, in charge of destiny”; “Perfected Lord of the Heavenly Minister, in charge of records”; “Perfected Lord of the Heavenly Beam, prolonging life”; “Perfected Lord of the Heavenly Child, increasing one’s allotted years”; “Perfected Lord of the Heavenly Pivot, delivering from calamity”; “Perfected Lord of the Heavenly Mechanism, ascending to life.”

Then click the teeth together twelve times, draw in Qi, and recite:

“The great Brahma-Qi circulates throughout the ten directions. Within it are spirits who enable people to cross over and escape death. They ferry across boundless multitudes of beings. Swiftly, in accordance with the commands and edicts of the Supreme Emperor.”

After reciting this incantation, use the brush to trace the stars and the stellar pattern. When the brushwork is complete, the incantation will also be finished. Then blow on the talisman, form the hand gesture, and write four characters while reciting “Om yin zha li” nine times. Form the Zhongwen hand gesture and visualize golden light from the Gate of Heaven, like a rainbow, entering the talisman and shining through to the back of the paper. Let its radiance become visible. Then set the brush to the paper and recite:

“Om yin zha li.”

Note: Some characters and layout marks in the original appear to be damaged or missing. The original wording has been retained above where it could not be determined with certainty.

First, take the four characters above as a mantra and recite them repeatedly, as many times as you wish. Then recite the four characters again, turning the brush four times on each character, for sixteen turns in all. Next, lift the brush and draw a covering stroke above the characters while reciting:

“By the command of the Primordial Beginning, promotion comes in due time. May the departed soul receive deliverance and at once ascend to Heaven. Urgently, in accordance with the law and command of the Supreme Emperor of Primordial Beginning.”

Next, summon the “Golden Light of the Heavenly Gate”—the golden radiance of the celestial realm envisioned in the ritual—and use the Jade Clarity hand seal performed with the peachwood sword. Raise the brush and envision golden light and Dao Qi (the vital energy spoken of in Daoism) bursting from the talisman. Let its golden radiance shine brilliantly in all ten directions, delivering the living and relieving the dead. When writing the hidden script, recite the “Supreme One’s Compassionate Mantra” three times for each character.

Above each character, draw two more strokes to form the shape of “Heaven covering, Earth upturned.” Turn the brush nine times over these strokes while reciting:

“I carry out this command at the behest of the Celestial Worthy Taiyi Who Rescues from Suffering.”

Then thrust the brush into the paper nine times and breathe the azure-dark Qi into the talisman.

The four characters above may be written in regular script, in paired form, or in overlapping form; each has its own explanation. These four characters are the secret taboo name of Yuchen (a name or symbol transmitted in secret). Primordial Beginning is Yuchen’s teacher, which is why the command of Primordial Beginning is invoked. Since the dead who receive this talisman all thereby ascend to Heaven, it is called the “Precious Register for Ascending to Heaven.” When the writing is complete, offer this prayer:

“Above the southern sky are six stars. Emerge from darkness and enter the netherworld. By the command of the Heavenly Emperor, I summon you swiftly to oversee all beings. Enter the immortal registers of Nanchang, and the soul may then return. Urgently, in accordance with the law and command.”

The general mantra is:

“By the command of the Supreme Dao Lord, deliver the divine talisman of Kunlun. Once this talisman is issued, deliver the departed souls. Urgently, in accordance with the law and command.”

These mantras are not made more effective by reciting them many times. Recite the preceding mantra of the secret taboo name as well, and offer a prayer. Then draw in once again the myriad rays of golden light from the Heavenly Gate, envisioning the radiance entering the register. With the brush-picking technique—a way of making and accenting strokes when writing talismans—depict starlight interwoven throughout the register, making it bright as the sun and transparent within and without.

Then burn incense, click the teeth nine times, bow three times, kneel and make your report, and perform the invitation for the deities to descend once again. Use the same visualization method as before. If announcing the rite at the ritual altar, likewise visualize and pray according to the procedure for inviting the deities to descend. Finally, send off the deities and burn the talisman. Envision the golden light within the register shining through all ten directions and the Nine Springs of the deepest netherworld, illuminating everything there. Let all suffering departed souls see the light, leave their torment behind, and ascend to the realm of immortals and perfected beings.

General Form of the Register

The Supreme, Mysterious Origin: the Supreme One’s Command and Pardon, the Precious Register for Ascending to Heaven

Proclamation issued to those in charge of the heavenly prisons and earthly hells in the ten directions and the Three Realms:

The God Who Delivers People from Death

The Lord of Long Life at the Southern Pole

The Great Divine Marshal in Charge of Deliverance from the World

Lord Han, the Elder Who Cherishes Life

The Supreme Mystery of the Origin, the Jade Dawn Lord of the Way, commands his subordinates to carry out the talismanic decree, dispelling the darkness of the netherworld so that the souls of the dead may escape their suffering.

Hasten to obey the statutes and commands of the Most High!

I, [name], holding the ritual rank of [title], submit this petition on account of [matter]. The circumstances cannot be held back, so I have sent an urgent memorial to the Heavenly Court in due order, requesting judgment and the promulgation of an edict. I am also concerned that the souls recommended for salvation committed grave offenses in life, have not yet been pardoned, and remain confined in the underworld, beyond the reach of deliverance. I humbly request that the Most High issue an edict pardoning their offenses, bestowing on them the precious register of ascent to heaven, removing their karmic burdens, and freeing them from suffering. In accordance with this edict, I now inform those charged with carrying it out.

Now, by command of the Most High, the precious register of pardon and ascent to heaven is issued to notify the officials of the Celestial Bureaus and the underworld in the Ten Directions and Three Realms; the mountains, rivers, seas, and peaks; the springs, winding paths, and dark gates; and the Northern Capital of Luofeng, the Six Caverns, Ten Palaces, Three Courts and Nine Offices, and the one hundred and twenty bureaus of the netherworld. Notice is also given to remote and secluded lands, the regions of the underworld, the great hells, the divisions of the Nine Provinces, blessed lands and famous mountains, and all places governed by the City Gods, local shrine officials, and other spirits, as well as wherever the registers of the Immortal Bureaus are kept. All rulers of celestial prisons and earthly hells who oversee the accounting of offenses and blessings and investigate merits and faults must receive this talismanic decree and pardon the deceased [name] and all souls receiving salvation on this occasion.

This decree encompasses the unattached, solitary souls throughout the Nine Provinces, as well as sinful souls and suffering spirits in the offices of the underworld, the hells, the Yin bureaus, and dark prisons. It includes all offenses committed in life through body, speech, and mind—the Three Actions—and through the Six Faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, as they encounter the external world and give rise to afflictions. It also includes the retribution and grievances borne after death, whether these arose from deliberate acts or inadvertent transgressions.

These offenses include personally murdering a ruler or one’s parents, failing to honor one’s parents, slandering the Great Dao, abandoning the true Way to follow falsehood, harming one’s brothers, plotting to betray one’s teacher, conspiring with relatives to commit incest, becoming a bandit and taking human life, slaughtering living beings to satisfy one’s own needs, using strength to oppress the weak and rank to bully the poor, slighting the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the teachers—and remaining inwardly insincere, neglecting ritual masters, defiling and despising sacred texts, harboring malicious thoughts and indulging jealousy, speaking viciously and sowing discord, provoking good people to fight, killing living beings in sacrifice, and baring the body before the sun, moon, and stars.

Whether these offenses arose as thoughts, were spoken aloud, were committed by the person themselves, or were carried out at their instigation—and however many offenses have accumulated over countless lifetimes—all are, through the compassionate grace of the Most High, swiftly struck from the registers of sin. Their evil roots are destroyed; they are no longer detained, but leave the hells directly, escape the netherworld forever, and ultimately attain the wondrous fruit. Even beings who bear sand and stones on their shoulders and struggle across boundless waters are to be rescued by the power of thunder and lightning, which is sent to sweep away their suffering…

The souls of the dead who tunneled through mountains, pierced the earth, drew down Heaven, or channeled water must all be freed from their service, released from their duties forever.

Next, cause the seven Qi of these souls—the primal energies that compose the human body and sustain life—to gather and become perfected. Let the six ritual measures, associated with the cycles of time and the directions of Heaven and Earth, move through the void; let the five spirits, the numinous energies of the five directions, reconnect what has been severed; and let the two luminaries, the Sun and Moon, support those who have grown weak. They turn the celestial pivot, stride through the empty sky, and enter the Cloud Palace.

They are born within the embryo and pass through dust-born calamities without end. Their bodies take shape in the Golden City, and their spirit and Qi gather in the Jade Cavern. True Qi nourishes them within, enabling them to become perfected. Above, they enter the Great Void; below, they reach the Hidden Springs. Within the Cloud Palace’s jeweled halls, their true souls enter and leave blessed lands, traveling between the gates of life. They chew the lingzhi fungus and rinse their mouths with golden spring water; sweet dew flows down and hangs above the Dantian (energy center). Purple clouds shine around them, and the three Qi gather like smoke as the Jade Chamber becomes an immortal realm. Seated in stillness upon a golden lotus, their perfected forms eclipse the sun. The long ages of the mortal world pass for them as though they were a single year. Let all the foregoing be carried out according to this proclamation.

Proclaimed on an auspicious day and hour in the specified month and year of the Grand Year.

I, the ritual official of the specified surname, receive this decree and shall carry out this rite.

Celestial Pivot Senior Minister

Celestial Mechanism Inner Minister

Great Mystery Senior Minister

Celestial Mechanism Senior Minister

The Supreme One, Savior from Suffering, in the Eastern Pole Palace

The Supreme Lord Lao, Perfect Primordial One, Master Who Manifests in Response Through Ten Thousand Calamities

Inner envelope format:

The Supreme Lord’s Talismanic Register for Pardoning Sins and Sending Souls to Heaven. I, the ritual official of the specified surname, shall carry it out and respectfully seal it.

On the reverse of the inner envelope, write:

By decree, pardon the souls of the deceased, including the named souls.

Outer envelope format:

Proclamation of the Supreme Lord’s Talismanic Register for Pardoning Sins and Sending Souls to Heaven.

To the authorities who govern the heavenly prisons and earthly hells in the Three Realms and the Ten Directions: I, the ritual official of the specified surname, respectfully seal this again.

This talismanic register is proclaimed to the underworld offices to release the souls of the dead from the sins that bind them to the uninterrupted hells. Write the register in cinnabar on yellow paper, nine inches high. Then wrap the proclamation in white paper, writing its main text in large characters in ink. Make both the inner and outer envelopes from blue paper and write on them in cinnabar. After presenting the memorial requesting pardon for sins in Fengdu, proclaim and enact the document.

Pardon edict format:

On a specified day of this month, by command of the Supreme Lord Yuchen Yuanhuang, Lord of the Great Dao, and the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, the ritual master of high rank submits this petition, requesting the issuance of the Supreme Lord’s Talismanic Register for Pardoning Sins and Sending Souls to Heaven. May it open the light for the souls of the dead, release them from the suffering of the long night, and pardon their sins. Now, in accordance with the Supreme Lord’s command, this talismanic register is proclaimed.

Prepare this talismanic register in the same manner as the one described above, writing it in cinnabar on yellow paper. Write the pardon edict in ink on yellow silk, and make both the inner and outer envelopes from yellow paper. Prepare twenty copies of the proclamation: one for each of the nine regions, one for each of the ten directions, and one specifically for delivering the souls of the dead. Write the deceased person’s name on each copy. After reading the proclamation, burn it.

By doing this, they can be granted pardon, have their many sins and faults erased, and undergo ritual refinement to attain new life.

Another method: To universally deliver all souls, including the unclaimed spirits among the six realms, use yellow paper cut into pieces nine inches long and three inches wide. Following the method described earlier, write on the paper an edict, a pardon, and a register for ascending to Heaven (a Fulu, or talisman-and-register, that guides the souls of the dead to Heaven). Also prepare a formal proclamation, written according to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). Make and distribute registers in the appropriate number, according to the names and number of the souls being delivered. Perform the rite according to the ritual refinement method of the Immortal Elder Taiji.

Precious Register for Ascending to Heaven: Precious Writ of the Heavenly Worthy Who Relieves Suffering

The talismanic text on the precious writ reads:

“Azure Mystery, Reliever of Suffering, issue the edict and proclaim its execution. With great compassion and mercy, pardon the nine depths below. Divide and disperse your manifestations; follow each thought and seek each call. True essence of the Three Luminaries, universally deliver the guilty souls. Lord of Mysterious Spirit and Qi; Heavenly Worthy Taiyi, Reliever of Suffering” (recite nine times). “Three Qi of the Cinnabar Heaven, erase the name from the Northern Bureau. Primordial Qi of the Mysterious Origin, irrigate the body. The two forms gaze in all directions; purple clouds envelop the body. At the moment the departed soul receives this edict, it immediately ascends through Heaven’s Gate.”

Write the three characters “Qi of Heaven’s Gate,” blow upon them, and then write the talisman. Recite the four-character incantation, writing it in successive layers; with each character, circle the brush nine times. Then write: “By the talismanic command of the Primordial Beginning, the departed soul shall ascend at once upon receiving the command. The departed soul undergoes refinement and immediately ascends to Heaven.”

Write “Qi of Heaven’s Gate” again and recite: “Behold the light and swiftly be born into the heavenly realm. Hasten, hasten, by the edict of the Heavenly Worthy Who Relieves Suffering.” Perform the brush-turning and other actions according to ritual.

Turn the brush ten times and flick it ten times; then recite, “Heavenly Worthy of the Ten Jade Treasures.” Next form the hand signs for the directions and recite the corresponding titles of the Heavenly Worthies:

Mao direction: title of the Heavenly Worthy; Heavenly Worthy of Mysterious Truth and Ten Thousand Blessings.

Wu direction: Heavenly Worthy of Supreme Sublimity.

You direction: Heavenly Worthy of the Mysterious Supreme Jade Dawn.

Kan direction: Heavenly Worthy Who Cherishes Life and Delivers Destinies.

Si direction: Heavenly Worthy of the Great Numinous Void Emperor.

Shen direction: Heavenly Worthy, Supreme Sage Who Delivers to Immortality.

Yin direction: Heavenly Worthy of the Jade Void and Luminous Emperor.

Qian direction: Heavenly Worthy of the Boundless Great Flower.

Hai direction: Heavenly Worthy of the True Emperor of the Cavernous Spirit.

Xun direction: …

Then turn the brush three times for each and recite:

“By the edict of the Great Emperor of Jade Clarity: when the light of wisdom arrives, interrogation in the dark prison ceases, and the departed soul swiftly ascends to the heavenly realm.”

“By the edict of the Great Emperor of Supreme Clarity: when the light of wisdom arrives, interrogation in the dark prison ceases, and the departed soul swiftly ascends to the heavenly realm.”

“By the edict of the Great Emperor of Great Clarity: when the light of wisdom arrives, interrogation in the dark prison ceases, and the departed soul swiftly ascends to the heavenly realm.”

Visualize the light illuminating Heaven and Earth.

Proclamation for Delivering the Souls of the Dead

The above Precious Register for Ascending to Heaven of the Most High is issued to a certain person to hold and present, so that they may proceed directly to the place to which they belong (carry this out according to ritual).

The presiding official should comply with the Most High’s decree and carry out the promotion at once, at the appointed time. This is the prescribed form for an official proclamation.

Form for a Register to Send Solitary Souls to Heaven

The Most High’s Precious Register for Ascending to Heaven is used to deliver solitary souls who are due for salvation, freeing them from the realm of darkness so they may be reborn in accordance with their individual karmic causes and effects. The presiding official should act in accordance with the talismanic decree.

Issued in the year, month, and day of the current sexagenary cycle.

With the ritual rank and surname of [name], acting under command.

Another Form

The Most High’s Precious Register for Ascending to Heaven.

I now present this Precious Register and bestow it upon the solitary souls who are due for salvation, so that they may proceed directly to the bureau assigned to them in the netherworld and claim their places there. The presiding official should comply with the Most High’s decree and immediately arrange rebirth according to each soul’s classification, whether as a human being or a celestial being. All matters are to be handled in accordance with this proclamation.

Issued in the year, month, day, and hour of the current sexagenary cycle.

With the ritual rank of [minister] and surname of [name], receiving and carrying out the imperial command.

Master of Salvation: the Celestial Worthy, the Greatly Compassionate and Benevolent One of the Eastern Pole Palace, Taiyi Who Relieves Suffering, a Daoist deity who presides over the salvation of the souls of the dead.

Form of an Official Dispatch

Official dispatch of the Tai Xuan Capital Ministry, addressed to He Ducheng Ziju, the official who governs the Ninefold Depths and oversees affairs of the netherworld.

By imperial decree, this ministry declares: All people in the world possess bodies of flesh and bone formed through the transformations of the Four Great Elements. Who can escape death? The body takes shape through the gathering of the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth. What is most precious is to cherish life, nurture living things, and bring them into being. Therefore, the wondrous laws are widely put into practice, and even the dark realms depend upon the Emperor’s civilizing grace.

The Netherworld Capital lies in deep darkness because living beings turn away from the right path and follow crooked ways. The Purple Tenuity Palace in the Upper Court, by contrast, awaits those who transcend the ordinary and enter the sacred realm. Though the realms of life and death are distinct, living beings often let their thoughts grow confused and chase after desires. Unable to restrain the seven emotions, they sink into attachment and sensual desire, falling into a sea of suffering. Through countless eons, their torment grows ever deeper. Why do so many beings remain deluded?

The ritual canons of the thirty-six divisions are like lamps lit in a dark room, bringing everything clearly to light. The one hundred and twenty offices, each with its own duties, are also set out in detail in the extensive registers. Every act of generosity, whether giving a foot or an inch, aims to benefit all things and build up good causes.

Now a person of ritual rank, [name], has submitted a petition to recommend salvation for relatives and friends of other surnames, wishing to help them attain rebirth. The petitioner also wishes to extend salvation to beings in the ten directions and offer broad aid to the six paths of rebirth. Since it is understood that Heaven should be served with sincerity, this favor should be extended to all, bringing grace to beings of these kinds. In response to this act of recommendation, talismans and registers shall now be issued, making protection and consolation widely known.

Those who have offended Heaven, destroyed the Dao, rebelled against their ruler, or defied their parents shall not be pardoned. All others, whether in water or on land, manifest in the world or hidden in the netherworld, long dead or recently deceased, regardless of rank or the severity of their offenses, shall, in accordance with the talismanic decree of the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning, have their penalties reduced and receive pardon according to the appropriate grade.

First: The ritual officiant, [name], makes a primary recommendation for [person]. This person may, while alive, have harbored mistaken thoughts…

According to the current Fulu ordinances (Daoist ritual documents), any errors committed in carrying out one’s duties may be addressed through promotion at the prescribed times.

When a deceased person is jointly recommended by a Zhaiguan at a particular place, and their offenses have already been pardoned repeatedly with no charge left to pursue, the current Fulu ordinances allow them to be treated leniently and their rank among the immortals to be raised further.

When a Zhaiguan recommends deceased members of their own clan, from their great-great-grandparents and great-grandparents down to nephews and younger brothers, the current Fulu ordinances provide for those who were meant to die but have not yet been released, or who were reborn and then fallen back into the cycle of reincarnation, to be assessed according to their rank, rescued, and raised to a higher state.

When a Zhaiguan conducts a universal salvation rite at an altar for the souls of the dead, men and women alike, near or far, the current Fulu ordinances pardon their offenses and send them on to rebirth.

Those who abuse their power to oppress others and drive them to their deaths; recklessly provoke border conflicts and kill the innocent; covet wealth and plunder; poison others with drugs; violate human bonds; or commit sexual offenses with close relatives are, under the current Fulu ordinances, to have their offenses or penalties reduced by one degree.

Those who offend the sun, moon, or stars—the “Three Lights” in Daoist terminology; resent wind and rain; deliberately kill living beings; secretly plot to take another’s life; kill or subdue others; serve a teacher or elder while violating precepts and laws; kill living beings wantonly; or are undergoing retribution for debts of money or life are all to be assessed according to their rank under the current Fulu ordinances. Whether their offenses were intentional or inadvertent, they are to be pardoned or have their penalties reduced as prescribed.

All souls who have died unnatural deaths are included, whether or not they are guilty, and whatever the cause: violating the laws of the state or the ordinances of Heaven; battle; imprisonment; drowning; falling; plague; stings from poisonous insects; difficult childbirth; suicide; being swallowed; contracting an epidemic disease; delusion; terror; disfigurement; violent or bloody misfortune; or bodily deformity. Other causes of death not listed individually are included as well. Whether or not the deceased have relatives, so long as they remain in a state of suffering, the current Fulu ordinances provide for their release and for salvation according to their rank.

Birds, beasts, and living creatures on land and in water were originally human beings who later fell into the cycle of reincarnation and have not yet regained their original form. Under the current Fulu ordinances, they are all to be assigned new births and transformations according to their rank.

Practitioners who once studied the Dao and refined their form in mountains, forests, market towns, or caves, using Fulu and medicines to rescue people, may die and enter the registers of the dead before completing their work. Under the current Fulu ordinances, the relevant department is to verify and approve their cases, and they are to be specially promoted and delivered to a higher state.

Loyal ministers and filial children honored with offerings in villages and local communities, as well as deities enshrined in the sacrificial rites of mountain temples, are eligible for promotion according to the current Fulu ordinances if they answer the people’s prayers, protect local communities, and grant blessings. Once the responsible department has verified and approved their cases, they may be promoted in accordance with precedent.

The divine generals, officers and soldiers, merit officers, upper-earth deities, and other gods who receive orders to serve at Yellow Register Retreat altars—Daoist ritual altars for prayers for blessings and the recommendation of the dead—carry out ritual duties and assist in the work of religious instruction. This also includes those serving in related offices in the middle and lower realms …

This document is to be prepared in the format currently used for talismanic decrees, with ranks advanced in accordance with precedent.

All persons below the first rank are pardoned for crimes committed before dawn on a certain day of this month, whether their crimes have already been established or remain uninvestigated, and whether they have already submitted declarations of repentance or have yet to do so.

Alas! Heaven’s workings are silent and unseen, yet those who sincerely make their appeal receive a response. The sins of the people in this world are not sent down by Heaven; their own deluded actions bring them upon themselves. They should remain vigilant at all times, so as to receive Heaven’s generous grace. On the day the pardon reaches its destination, the official in charge shall put it into effect at once.

The order is issued as follows: When this decree arrives, copy it and circulate it to all offices under your jurisdiction, and ensure that it is promptly carried out. Anyone who shows disrespect or negligence while carrying out these orders shall be dealt with under the statutes. So ordered.

A further document is issued as follows:

The Tai Xuan Capital Bureau, a Daoist administrative office, issues this document to Prefect Qiao, the official who governs the Nine Hells. You have been informed from childhood:

By imperial decree: Govern beings in the visible world and establish far and wide a mighty foundation that will endure through all ages without calamity. The worlds of the living and the dead alike lie under Heaven’s protection, while life and death are governed by its authority and laws. Among all things, human beings are the most precious. At first, people receive a good nature, but later their minds may become stubborn and violent. Giving free rein to the six emotions and desires, they accumulate the three karmic deeds of body, speech, and mind; with but a single mistaken thought, they may suddenly fall into the depths of the Nine Hells.

Heaven’s net is vast, and its laws are strict. Sinners are held in evil prisons and confined in dark jails. If a pardon has not yet included them, its grace cannot reach them, and they cannot simply be released at will. To make clear the principle of encouraging good and punishing evil, We hereby grant the compassionate favor of rescuing and delivering them. We consider the spread of the Great Dao’s teachings and pity the beings sunk in suffering and held fast there. Without demotions and promotions, how could the grace of creation, which brings forth life and saves all things, be made manifest? We therefore issue this decree: let the Capital of Mystery distribute talismanic decrees to the offices in every region, and command all the deities to listen respectfully and obey, entrusting its execution to the officials in charge.

This Bureau, acting on the memorial of a certain senior ritual master, reports that a certain ritual officer, on behalf of a relative or deceased person, seeks to repay a debt of gratitude and secure their deliverance. The officer has established the Great Zhaijiao for Deliverance from the Nine Hells, a purification ritual praying for the souls in the underworld to be delivered; has performed an offering ritual to purify the realms of the living and the dead; has widely carried out good deeds and rescued those sunk in suffering; and looks upward to Heaven for its grace and downward for its gift of deliverance and relief. We respectfully request an imperial decree.

The order is issued under the authority of the Three Heavens: Great virtue takes cherishing life as its foundation and widely extends the grace that washes away faults. Sincerity of the highest degree is enough to serve the Supreme Lord; We therefore grant the request to save and relieve beings. A generous decree is hereby issued, making the compassion of the Celestial Court known, and talismanic decrees are to be distributed to the offices in every region. Grace is to be extended universally from before dawn. The relevant matters should first be settled and are recorded below.

First, the pardon: For crimes committed before dawn on a certain day of this month, all offenders are pardoned, whether convicted or not, their crimes established or still uninvestigated, and whether they have already suffered punishment or not, with the exception of grave and heinous crimes that the laws do not pardon: slandering the Dao of Heaven, reviling the holy perfected ones, violating the laws, breaking the ritual codes, turning against the Dao and overturning the natural order, and secretly plotting robbery and murder…

All sins and karmic retributions that are due to be repaid but remain unpaid are pardoned together, in accordance with the talismanic command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning.

Those imprisoned in various places, subjected for a long time to severe torture, and fallen into an evil destiny—a harsh state of rebirth—have received grace but not yet been pardoned. If they can repent and reform, stop doing evil, and turn to good, then no matter how grave their sins, they shall be assigned rebirth according to their kind, in accordance with this decree.

The departed souls dwelling on the Five Sacred Peaks, beside great rivers, in the offices of the Ninefold Underworld, or at the shrines of City Gods and local Earth Gods; those at springs, river sources, suburban wastes, and ruins; and the solitary spirits stranded in foreign lands—all kinds of beings and the beings of the Five Paths, born into different realms of rebirth, including sinful souls in the Blood Lake, those who died young, violent or accidental deaths, and the abandoned and helpless—shall, whatever their circumstances, be rescued and elevated in accordance with this talismanic command. They wander in a sea of illusion and sink into a river of attachment, cycling through rebirth without release.

Sinful souls in the world of the living who remain trapped and unable to attain release shall all be rescued in accordance with this decree. They include those who died after being arrested and bound in temples, monasteries, prefectural and county offices, prisons, military camps, marketplaces, battlefields, and earthen strongholds; those who died with grievances unresolved; and those who violated the law, suffered punishment, or fell in battle.

All kinds of wandering spirits, including the Five-Powers spirits and wild mountain sprites, who attach themselves to plants and trees, disturb living beings, impersonate demons, or recklessly demand blood sacrifices, have violated the laws of Heaven and been detained by the Dark Bureau, the Daoist authority governing affairs of the underworld. If they recognize their wrongdoing and are willing to repent, their cases shall be treated leniently and they shall all be released. Local communities and divine authorities are also ordered to investigate their circumstances, guide them onto the right path, and await further grace and arrangements.

Deities who receive offerings at spiritual altars and community shrines shall, if they have protected the people, brought peace to their regions, governed mountains and rivers, performed meritorious deeds, and acted to bring blessings to the people, be recommended one by one by their responsible offices in accordance with this decree and granted favors as prescribed.

Exceptional beings dwelling in mountain forests, rocky caverns, and secluded valleys who seek the Dao and teachers, cultivate the Real and refine their nature, aid souls stranded in the underworld, rescue those in distress, and show compassion to the poor—thereby aligning themselves with Heaven’s intent above and benefiting the people below—shall also be advanced according to this decree. This applies as well to those known for loyalty, heroism, filial devotion, righteousness, martial valor, and benevolence, who have accumulated abundant hidden virtue and are esteemed and respected by many. Even if they have lived out their full lifespan without entering the realm of the immortals, the responsible offices shall be ordered to investigate and verify their deeds thoroughly, recommend and report them without delay, and promote them as prescribed.

Those who solemnly conduct the Yellow Register Retreat, a Daoist Zhaijiao rite for rescuing departed souls and extending grace widely, and thereby aid boundless numbers of beings, shall have their merits recorded by the spirit officials who inspect the Three Realms and the officers responsible for elevation and deliverance at the Yellow Register Bureau, so that they may be advanced beyond the ordinary rules…

The ancestors, parents, relatives by blood and marriage, and those deceased with related karmic ties who must also be included in the deliverance—all mentioned in the petition—will receive the grace of Heaven together. They will ascend into the realm of the Dao, no longer confined behind the gates of the underworld, and will be able to rise to the ranks of the immortals.

All commanders, officials, and divine beings who come to the ritual altar to protect the ceremony, oversee and guard the purification altar, or assist in the Daoist rites must fulfill their duties. Acting on orders, they are to render service and earn merit as circumstances require. In accordance with the Mysterious Regulations—the rules and procedures governing Daoist rites—each is to be promoted by one rank.

All divine clerks who administer registers of life and death, charges, and punishments; the divine officials of the Three Origins and Nine Offices, the Five Sacred Peaks and Four Offices, Fengdu’s Nine Depths, and the Nether Springs; as well as the City Gods, local shrine officials, territorial gods, spirits who govern the roads of the underworld, and the officers and assistants responsible for escorting the dead in every place are each to be promoted by one rank, in accordance with the Jade Statutes, the laws of Heaven.

Any matters not individually listed in the pardon, whether too numerous to name or not explicitly provided for in the statutes, are to be granted leniency and release by reference to comparable cases.

If any office of the underworld, after this pardon has been issued, reopens old cases from before its promulgation and again pursues or detains the deceased, it shall be dealt with for disobeying the decree. Ah! Carry out Heaven’s grace and proclaim the commands of the Heavenly Emperor: every prayer will receive a response. Close the gate of death and open the path to new life—there is no one who cannot be saved. On the day this pardon arrives, the responsible divine clerks must put it into effect at once.

The foregoing document is issued under imperial command. The divine offices in charge of the dead in the Nine Depths—the furthest reaches of the underworld—are ordered to revise their registers without delay and transmit this command to all subordinate offices for implementation.

On the [day] of the [month] in the [year] of the Grand Year.

I, [name], a minister holding the Daoist rank of [rank], shall carry out this order.

The following gives the words “Imperial Pardon” and the related pardon text observed by the Eight Ministers of Heavenly Atonement:

The Supreme Emperor of Jade Purity (Yu Qing) grants deliverance far and wide, with boundless grace. The Supreme Emperor of Highest Clarity (Shang Qing) releases grudges and enmities. The Supreme Emperor of Great Clarity (Tai Qing) universally rescues the dead sunk in the deep springs. The Jade Emperor pardons their offenses. The heavens send down an edict, clearing Mount Luo, a place in the underworld. The dead in the Three Paths—hell-beings, hungry ghosts, and animals—and in the Five Sufferings, the Nine Depths, and Fengdu’s Springs are all released. Their entanglements are severed; they must swiftly obey the decree of the Supreme Emperor of Jade Purity.

Unclaimed, solitary souls may ascend to the Three Heavens. All who died with grievances or unresolved entanglements receive universal release and reconciliation. The dead sunk in dark realms are rescued far and wide, and their lifespans are made equal to Heaven’s. All men and women who have fallen into the underworld are pardoned, and the icy city, a prison of cold in the netherworld, is opened in its entirety. The icy city, the prisons of furnaces and burning coals, the Snow-Sealed Gate, and the Nether Springs are all pierced by sunlight. The dead journey together to the Ten Heavens, the celestial realms of Daoist teaching, and receive merit.

By command, a memorial is submitted to the Three Heavens—the Daoist celestial courts of the three realms. All who have committed offenses or acts of defiance are to be pardoned in accordance with the statutes. By command issued today, their spirits are to be elevated within the prescribed time and released from the Cold Pool of the Northern Capital, a cold pool in the underworld. Their bodies and souls are to be guarded by attendants, demonic obstacles subdued, and their passage to higher ranks secured, so that they may be sent to the Southern Palace.

The Ten Heavens—the celestial deities—proclaim: Wind and fire must not cease; the checkpoints of the netherworld are to suspend their inspections; the furnace charcoal is to be extinguished. None may disobey this command. All offices of the underworld shall act together and, in accordance with the imperial decree, transfer the souls of the dead. Let this be done with utmost urgency, by command of the Primordial Sovereign.

The formulaic documents of the Three Palaces above are to be written at noon. After laying down the brush, issue the Ten Heavens formula and lift up the pardon edict.

Pardon Edict

Memorandum of the Great Mystery Capital Bureau

This Bureau has received the command of the Three Heavens. In response to the petition submitted by the High Merit Master, a Daoist priest presiding over a Zhaijiao purification ritual, and acting on the Emperor’s decree, we now carry out the pardon in the name of Heaven.

Writing the Talisman

The Daoist scriptures say: The talismanic command of the Primordial Beginning has been handed down since the Kalpa of Longhan. Its secret rhymes and characters come from the Heaven of Fuli. It can deliver the dead, bring their remains back to life, transform white bones into beings endowed with spirit, and preserve their true nature through the refinement of Qi.

All beings possess an originally pure and clear nature. Yet, sinking into a sea of suffering and clinging to worldly ties, they gradually accumulate many karmic burdens. Through a thousand births and ten thousand deaths, they undergo retribution in the underworld. The Ten Lands of the Netherworld and the long night of the Nine Springs remain closed. Therefore, the true offices of the underworld have submitted a memorial requesting that mercy be granted widely. My Daoist heart is compassionate and deeply moved by pity; this request should indeed be approved, to make manifest generous grace and virtue. A pardon is now issued and transmitted to Fengdu, the Daoist underworld, to absolve the deceased, including so-and-so.

In the past, they may have committed offenses against the order of Heaven, failed in their duties to Heaven and Earth, or been unfilial, disloyal, unkind, or unjust. They may also have deliberately killed or accidentally injured others, or transgressed in matters of the six feelings and six desires. Whether their offenses were great or small, all are to be pardoned. In accordance with the talismanic command, the deceased shall leave the dark underworld and ascend to a blessed realm.

All guilty souls in the Nine Springs and all spirits suffering in the Three Paths—the realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—are to be pardoned, whether they defied the Way of Heaven, slandered sages and worthies, or erred deliberately or unknowingly. Whether they were disloyal as ministers, unfilial as children, harmed living beings, or secretly injured others, their offenses are to be pardoned regardless of severity, whether or not they have been discovered, and whether or not judgment has been passed.

The unattached and solitary spirits among the remaining Six Paths and Four Births are also to be delivered according to their circumstances, reborn in accordance with their blessings, released from enmity, and granted enduring peace and happiness.

All spirit officials, ritual officers, generals, assistant officers, and clerks who attend the altar to carry out the rites, as well as the talisman officers and duty officers, are each to be raised one rank. The ox-headed wardens of the prisons in Fengdu’s eternal night, the great ghost kings, the officials of the Nine Depths, the City Gods and local territorial deities, and the generals and administrators who held office while alive are each to be raised one official grade.

From this day forward, whenever a Yellow Register rite is held—a large Daoist purification ritual for delivering the souls of the dead…

Hold purification rites (Daoist sacrificial ceremonies) to relieve and deliver the souls of the dead in the underworld. Now, by command, this letter of pardon is issued and its amnesty put into effect.

Let this be proclaimed throughout all the realms beneath the heavens, down to the Nine Springs: if anyone dares, before the pardon is issued, to invoke past matters and hold someone accountable for their offenses, then that person shall be prosecuted and punished for the offense of doing so. The official in charge shall carry this out.

Alas! The numinous wonder of the Great Dao appears through the transformations of the divine beings. The beneficence of utmost benevolence should extend everywhere, even to the dark realm. All sentient beings receive the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth and come to life; some, however, incur punishment through their own negligence. Let the pardon described above now be promulgated. The City of Fengdu—the Daoist underworld—must be ordered to transmit these documents without delay and put them into effect. The relevant offices and subordinate authorities must also be notified and informed. Once this document has been delivered, proceed in accordance with the imperial command.

Issued by this document.

On the [day] of the [month] in the [year] of the Grand Tai Sui.

I, a minister of the surname [surname], holding the rank of a Daoist ritual official, have received the ritual mandate and carry out its command.

List the Eight Positions.

Seal format.

Document of the Tai Xuan Capital Office, addressed to the official who governs the Ninefold Netherworld.

Imperial edict:

The Tai Xuan Capital Office commands: when there is doubt in judging culpability, rule leniently; when there is doubt in assessing merit, judge generously. This is the admonition handed down by emperors since antiquity to their judicial officials. Take Emperor Shun’s intentions as your model and emulate Gao Yao’s virtue. Above all, value life and exercise caution in imposing punishment, so that the people’s hearts may be set at peace. You officials, both scholars and commoners, are now charged with administering the affairs of the underworld. Convene several subordinate officials to examine together the severity of the various cases. I remain concerned that my admonitions may not be comprehensive enough, and that old and new cases may continue to accumulate. Therefore, I impose a slight warning to make the authority of moral instruction clear. Heaven’s virtue in bringing forth all things is unfathomably vast; all departed souls should receive pardon and together be granted the chance of renewal, so that all may gather before the palace and hear the essentials of the Dao and De. You must comply with the laws and understand my earnest intent. This edict is hereby proclaimed; I trust that all have understood it.

According to the earnest petition of [name]: the departed soul being mourned repeatedly accumulated offenses while alive and, after death, is feared to be detained in the netherworld. Although rites of deliverance have been performed for this soul many times, it may still not have been able to ascend.

One primary soul for whom deliverance is requested: [name].

Additional souls for whom deliverance is requested: [names].

Also included in this universal deliverance are the lonely souls of five surnames, fallen officials and soldiers, and others. Men have three souls and seven po; women have three souls and fourteen po.

To the offices responsible for examining the offenses of the departed:

By imperial command, order the offices throughout the Three Realms responsible for assessing guilty souls to reduce their culpability in particular and promptly escort the above-mentioned departed souls. Order these souls to come to the ritual altar by a certain day of this month, appear in person before the Compassionate Venerable One, and receive deliverance directly. For the merit of the Primordial Beginning Supreme Emperor in delivering living beings is immense… wind and fire.

All matters specified in the edict are to be carried out in accordance with the contents and format of the document on the right. This notice is hereby issued.

Issued in the year, month, day, and hour of the Grand Tai Sui.

The ritual officiant (minister), of the [surname] family, receives this decree and carries it out as instructed.

The Lord of the Three Heavens, Upholder of the Teachings, Orthodox Unity, and Perfect Response (a revered Daoist deity, usually identified as Zhang Daoling).

Seal format.

The Grand Mysterious Capital Administrative Office issues this document to the Lord of Fengdu (the divine official who governs Fengdu):

The two documents above, the edict and the amnesty, are not found in the records of ritual methods and were often composed independently by later generations. Since they have long circulated in various places, they are not to be deleted, but are retained here together. Before using them, give advance notice and issue the edict first. When the appointed date arrives, issue the amnesty. The amnesty is to be proclaimed together with the decree of pardon. Both the edict and amnesty are to be written on yellow paper with a broad upper margin, using large characters for the main text. The wording, talismanic commands, and seal script within them are all to be written in vermilion. Documents concerning the return of amnesty warrants, the dispatch of amnesty warrants, and the issuance of amnesty passes are listed in the “Memorials and Petitions” section.

Precious Invocation to the Great One of the Eastern Pole, Blue Palace

In the Heaven of Everlasting Joy, within the Palace of the Eastern Pole, auspicious red light shines upon purple Qi. The great sage with a golden countenance widely carries out deliverance through divine power, freeing the souls of the dead who have sunk into the Nine Depths. This master of the teachings is immensely compassionate: hearing a call, he responds; in accord with each person’s thoughts, he extends his mercy. Through countless millions of kalpas, he has delivered living beings without measure. Greatly Compassionate, Greatly Merciful, Greatly Wise, and Greatly Insightful, the Heavenly Worthy Taiyi Who Rescues from Suffering.

With reverence, we recite the Precious Invocation to Taiyi and respectfully beseech the officials of the various departments of hell and the governing divine officials of the underworld to obey the edict and open a path of deliverance for the souls of the dead in the netherworld, so that they may receive salvation. May the governing divine officials respectfully hear and carefully receive this decree, and carry it out accordingly.

Issued in the year, month, day, and auspicious hour of the Grand Tai Sui.

The ritual officiant (minister), of the [surname] family, receives this decree and carries it out as instructed.

The Greatly Compassionate and Benevolent One in the Palace of the Eastern Pole, the Heavenly Worthy Taiyi Who Rescues from Suffering.

Precious Invocation to the Jade Emperor of the Golden Palace

Office of the Great Lingbao Rites:

On a certain day of this month, we respectfully carry out the Jade Emperor’s decree and issue this mysterious, sacred invocation to deliver souls burdened by sin, freeing them from suffering and raising them to the Jade Capital.

The Jade Emperor’s Precious Invocation, recorded in the Golden Palace’s registers of immortals, who oversees the cultivation of the Dao and delivers living beings:

The Supreme One, Mysterious Firmament, the wondrous heaven beyond all others; there is the Mysterious True Realm, and in its vast reaches stands the Purple Golden Palace. The Taiwei King’s Clear Palace is the boundless, supreme sacred realm, vast and without limit, its Dharma light bright and clear, its stillness deep and immense. It is the source of the myriad Dharmas and the great gathering place of the original primordial Brahma-Qi…

The ten directions—east, south, west, north, southeast, northeast, southwest, northwest, above, and below—are pure, still, deep, and far-reaching. The Dao of true constancy is vast and boundless, still and secluded, yet endowed with great divine powers. Respectfully, in obedience to the command of the Jade Emperor, the Great Celestial Venerable, Supreme Emperor of the Mysterious Vault, we invite the most holy sages of the ten directions, the true and most perfect beings of Lingbao, to follow the scriptures of “Deliverance of Humanity” and exercise their powers to restore the remains to life and revive the dead. Let this command be issued to the Ninefold Darkness, the netherworld underworld, so that suffering departed souls may find peace. Let it also be proclaimed throughout all regions, that every soul lingering in the netherworld may receive its blessings. The officiant, having received this command, respectfully accepts and carries it out.

Issued under the authority of the Grand Year, and of the year, month, day, and hour.

The disciple of the ritual rank, [surname], receives the command and carries it out.

The Jade Emperor, the Great Celestial Venerable, Supreme Emperor of the Mysterious Vault

Lingbao True Command for Delivering the Guilty from Fengdu

The Lingbao Office of Great Rites:

On the [day] of this month, respectfully carrying out the mysterious command, we remove the sins of the departed, redeem them from their offenses, and send them to rebirth in the Southern Palace.

Fengdu, the Daoist underworld, receives the command:

Within vast and boundless Fengdu stand layer upon layer of Vajra Mountains. The immeasurable light of Lingbao shines upon the Fiery Pool, the underworld’s infernal prison, soothing the suffering and troubled souls. Seven generations of ancestors and all the departed in the netherworld travel in a fragrant cloud chariot. Through the power of concentration and wisdom, they are reborn upon blue lotus flowers and find eternal peace. Their merit transforms into golden light, opening the barriers of the netherworld. True fragrance flows from the Flower Pool, while lotus canopies drift with the clouds. The spirits dwell in the realm of profound mystery, abide forever in the Twelve Towers, and swiftly carry out the Lingbao decree, freely wandering in heaven.

Respectfully, in accordance with the Fengdu talismanic command issued by the Supreme One’s Jade Writ, we remove the sins of all and redeem the departed souls of the netherworld from their offenses. May the myriad spirits of the underworld all reverently obey, so that the departed may never again be bound or confined; may they receive the wise life bestowed by the Celestial Venerable, escape imprisonment in hell, entrust their embodied forms to the Immortal Capital, and abide forever in a realm of joy. Let this be carried out.

Issued under the authority of the Grand Year, and of the year, month, day, and hour.

The disciple of the ritual rank, [surname], receives the command and carries it out.

All the foregoing commands are to be written in vermilion on yellow paper, with a black-ink border, then sealed in an envelope according to ritual.

Great Method of the Highest Clarity Lingbao, juan 44