《上清靈寶大法(一)》Vol. 64

Interpretation

Volume Sixty-Four of the Great Shangqing Lingbao Rites, Section on Birds, Part Four.

Transmitted by Ning Quanzhen, the accomplished adept of Dongwei and Perfected One who Opens the Light and Rescues the Suffering; compiled by Wang Qizhen, disciple of the Three Caverns of Shangqing and successor master who leads the teachings of Lingbao.

Ritual Documents and Memorials for Purification Rites

Formal Dispatch: Grand City God of the Capital

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rites issues this dispatch to the officials of the Grand City God of the Capital throughout the realm:

Yesterday, this Office received a report concerning [insert the matter for which prayers are requested, such as the deceased person’s place of birth]. We judge that the matter cannot be set aside. On [month and day], we therefore sent a memorial swiftly to the Celestial Court, seeking pardon and clemency in advance. We also send this dispatch to your office so that you may proceed according to the regulations.

Now, in accordance with the ritual procedures, we are establishing an altar to the Dark Realm. We will present memorials in due order and submit petitions to the Celestial Court, requesting talismans and the granting of pardon; pay homage to the perfected and holy ones, repent and make amends; break open the prisons, summon souls, and distribute food universally; and perform the nighttime purification rites. For the departed souls, we will carry out refinement and deliverance, confer registers, issue certificates, and provide recommendations so that they may ascend beyond. When the rites are complete, we will present a memorial reporting our merits and dismantle the altar. After the purification rite is completed and the altar dispersed, on the night of [date] we will perform a Clear Offering, setting up altars at the three hundred and sixty positions to make offerings in gratitude for Heaven’s grace.

In addition to having submitted a memorial to the Celestial Court and sent a dispatch to the Office of the Perfected, we must issue a separate dispatch to your office. This document is now delivered to you. Please examine the matter and promptly instruct the authorities responsible for the shrines under your jurisdiction to carry it out. Then notify the City God shrines and temples in all circuits, prefectures, and counties under your command, along with the relevant offices, and inform the local gods of the nine provinces to comply with the decree: release and gather the men and women among the departed who are to receive deliverance, together with the lonely souls of the Six Paths, and have them come to the place of the purification rite. They are to respond to the summons and come to the altar to receive grace and be delivered beyond. Once this has been carried out, report the merits truthfully so that rewards and promotions may be granted according to merit. The ritual regulations and prohibitions are strict; please handle this matter with care and do not neglect it.

This dispatch is hereby issued.

Dispatched on [year, month, day].

Dispatch: City God of the Prefecture

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rites issues this dispatch to the officials of the City God of [name of prefecture]:

Yesterday, this Office received [the matter listed in the dispatch to the Grand City God, or the first document sent to the Office of the Perfected]. A separate dispatch is therefore required. This document is now delivered to you. Please act in accordance with the matters described above and promptly send notices to the City Gods of the counties under your jurisdiction and to the orthodox deities worshipped in their temples, so that they may inform one another, open the checkpoints, clear the roads, and release the departed souls of [names], together with the lonely souls and suffering spirits sent from every realm of the Six Paths and the Four Births.

The water and land checkpoints and crossings along the route must not obstruct them. Escort them at once to wait for the summons, and have them enter the altar in order, to receive deliverance in person. When the appointed date arrives…

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

I further request that the divine troops of every department personally descend to take up their posts, cut down demons and sweep away defilement, stop wicked deeds and prevent calamities, guard the altar grounds, and respectfully welcome the Emperor’s carriage. Please also convey this to the lord of the pools and caves in this territory—the spirit who governs wind and rain: after the purification retreat has been established, let all wind and rain scheduled within this jurisdiction be suspended for the time being, so that Heaven and Earth may be clear and bright, and humans and spirits may celebrate together. Once the merit of the retreat has been reported above, rewards and thanks will be offered in due course, in return for the spirits’ protection. Daoist precepts are strict; please be sure to carry out these orders as directed. This is hereby communicated.

Issued on the year, month, and day

Communication to the County City God

The Lingbao Great Dharma Bureau issues this communication to the presiding City God of a certain county:

The Bureau recently received a related document (the original text has a variant here: “from the City God of the capital …”), and now must send a special notice. Upon receiving this document, consult the matter already explained in the earlier communication, relay it to the orthodox gods worshipped within your jurisdiction, and notify the relevant ferry crossings and checkpoints. Open the gates promptly and release the souls of the deceased, including so-and-so, so that they may pass through. Whether they have unresolved grievances, have been detained, or have been forcibly held by heterodox forces, search for them all and bring them to the altar, where they will respectfully await the summons and receive the merit of the Zhaijiao purification ritual.

The solitary and suffering souls sent from the nine provinces and ten circuits must likewise be gathered by category, quickly ferried across and assembled in one place, and kept under strict control so that all are present. Await the altar’s summons to all; every soul must come to the ritual assembly to receive liberation and transformation together, and gain new life. On the appointed date, prepare the divine troops under the command of the sacred might to take up their posts at the altar, inspect and enforce discipline, sweep away ill omens throughout, punish evil and ward off calamity, so that the Dharma’s authority may be made manifest.

From the establishment of the retreat onward, let all wind and rain governed by the local territorial deities be suspended for the time being, so that the skies may clear. We await the Emperor-Lord and the Perfected Ones to inspect the retreat, report its merit, and bestow rewards; when the time comes, we shall surely render service in return. Upon receiving this document, please observe the laws of the Daoist tradition and carry them out promptly. This is hereby communicated.

Issued on the year, month, and day

Communication to the City Gods of Other Prefectures and Counties

The Lingbao Great Dharma Bureau issues this communication to the presiding City God of a certain prefecture or county:

The Bureau has now received a related document (the original text has a variant here: “from the City God of the capital …”) and must send a special notice. Upon receiving this document, ascertain the matter and relay it to the various spirit shrines within your jurisdiction. Among the departed souls received and guided onward by this altar, any who have been detained or confined by the relevant divine offices must all be released in accordance with the amnesty decree. Also notify the ferry crossings and checkpoints along the route, both on land and water, to escort them onward in order and bring them here, so that they may personally receive liberation.

The solitary souls in every place should likewise be sent to the altar by whatever means possible, to receive together …

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

When the period prescribed for the Zhaijiao rites has ended and the document for delivering the departed souls to salvation has arrived, please carry out the rites in accordance with the sacred regulations and jade laws.

Year, month, day: document issued.

To all temples within this jurisdiction:

The Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rites issues this document to the Marquis-King of [name of temple] in [name of jurisdiction]:

The Bureau has now received [the document from the City God of the same prefecture / and has reported the matter to the responsible True Bureau]. We therefore issue this document specifically. Upon receiving it, please ascertain the circumstances and promptly notify the local Earth God and the relevant divine offices. Open the roads and escort the souls of the deceased [names] here, where they are to await summons and reception.

All solitary souls, lingering spirits, and trapped ghosts sent from different places during the Zhaijiao rites should be gathered in one place in separate groups. They are to await the universal summons and be brought here in turn to receive salvation together. Keep them under regular supervision. Do not allow them to harbor wrongful thoughts or cause disturbances at will. If they encounter those with whom they have a feud, mediate between them and urge them to reconcile, and have them repent of their past misdeeds.

The netherworld garments transformed through the rites—paper clothing burned for the deceased—as well as the ritual funds, such as paper money for the dead, burned on the night the altar is dismantled, must be distributed fairly so that all may receive their share and undergo refinement and deliverance. Once the rites are complete, guide the departed souls toward rebirth. Also dispatch divine troops to guard the ritual altar and uphold its prohibitions. Drive away corpse spirits, foul vapors, and impure things such as meat and wine; prevent acts of cruelty and ill omens such as fires and theft. Do not allow birds to nest or roost in the hall, or chickens, cats, mice, and other animals to defile the ritual implements. Be alert and prevent trouble before it arises. If any person or creature violates the prohibitions, deal with the matter firmly according to the rules, so that the inside and outside remain solemn and pure.

May the imperial divinities descend, and may the rites be completed with all merit and virtue fulfilled. Upon receiving this document, carry out its commands promptly and in accordance with the law. Do not disobey or delay. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day: document issued.

To the principal deities of the ancestral shrines in nearby villages:

The Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rites issues this document to the principal deities of the ancestral shrines in nearby villages:

The Bureau has now received [fill in the reason here; if the document from the City God of the same prefecture has arrived, state that the matter is being reported to the responsible True Bureau on the basis of that document]. We therefore issue this document specifically. Upon receiving it, please ascertain the circumstances and notify one another immediately. In accordance with the superior command, open the passes and clear the roads at the appointed time, escorting the souls of the deceased [names] to the ritual altar to receive deliverance. Please also escort the solitary and suffering souls sent from various places along the route to the designated gathering place. There they are to await the universal summons and receive together the merit of the Zhaijiao rites. Upon receiving this document, carry out its commands. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day: document issued.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Document: Notification to the Local Earth God

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rite, which oversees Lingbao purification rituals and liturgies, issues this document to the principal local deity in charge of the land and territory.

In accordance with the relevant documents (the original passage, “the notification from the City God of the capital has arrived / beyond the formal report to the true office,” may contain variant wording or omitted text), this office now issues a special notice.

Upon receiving this document, summon the local Five Roads and the associated deities. Guide the souls of the deceased, including a certain person and others, to the ritual altar to receive rites for delivering the dead. Gather together by category any wandering souls sent from other places as well. Have them await the summons and gathering rite, then send them in turn to the altar to receive deliverance together.

Be sure to attend to this matter. If resentments among the dead remain unresolved, their troubled states of mind may cause them to disturb one another. Use suitable means to counsel and console them, helping them free themselves from delusion and confusion so that they do not remain there for a long time. Please also distribute fairly the spirit garments, ritual funds, and other offerings transformed through the rites. Do not allow the strong to bully the weak and thereby undermine the good result of the rites of deliverance.

You are also asked to serve at the altar alongside this office’s officials. Whenever the purification rite is conducted at the altar, petitions are presented to the court above, or official documents are issued, convey the incense and express your sincerity, each fulfilling your duties. You must also dispel baleful influences and inspect all matters, ensuring that the rites are conducted with solemn dignity and order.

In this way, the Celestial Emperor may look favorably upon the proceedings, and once the rites are complete, their merit may be reported in gratitude for the gods’ beneficence.

The Lü of Nüqing, a Daoist code of precepts, clearly forbids unauthorized violations. This notice is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Document: Notification to the She Commandants and Gods of the Nine Provinces

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rite issues this document to the presiding deity of the She altar in Ji Province.

In accordance with the relevant documents (the original passage, “the notification from the City God of the capital has arrived / beyond the formal report to the true office,” may contain variant wording or omitted text), this office now issues a special notice.

Upon receiving this document, investigate and properly carry out the following matters. Notify the commanderies and counties under your jurisdiction in Ji Province, as well as the relevant underworld jurisdictions, to follow the imperial command by searching for and gathering the deceased who are to receive rites of deliverance. Do not detain them on account of karmic retribution. Send them here to be respectfully received and delivered through the rites.

Gather by category all wandering souls within this province who are to receive deliverance, whether their deaths were recent or long ago, and regardless of distance. Send them to the ritual altar to await the summons and gathering rite, so they may take part together in the purification ritual and liturgy. This matter concerns a solemn covenant and the true rites; it must be carried out without delay. This notice is hereby issued.

To the presiding She commandants of Yan, Qing, Xu, Liang, Yang, Jing, Yu, and Yong Provinces:

The eight documents above contain the same instructions as the preceding one.

Document: Notification to the Dao of the Ten Directions

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rite issues this document to the presiding deity of the Dao in the East, who oversees the affairs of the eastern Dao domain.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Our office, acting upon [as appropriate, “the dispatch from the City God of the Capital has arrived” or “a report submitted to the Bureau of the True”], hereby issues this special document:

Upon receiving this document, investigate the circumstances of the matter and issue orders to all Dao officials and associated divine offices within your jurisdiction to carry out the command without exception: identify, verify, and assemble the departed souls who are to be delivered from suffering. Any souls still unreleased because they are entangled in grievances or have unexpiated offenses are also to be freed from confinement and entered into the register. Locate the solitary and sinful souls detained in various places, and have the responsible officers and generals escort them together with the divine officials of Mount Tai. Also issue orders to the water and land checkpoints and ferries along the way: wherever the souls pass, they must be promptly escorted here to receive the practices of the purification rite, so that all may attain deliverance and ascent. Do not delay or obstruct. Upon receiving this document, carry it out immediately. This is hereby issued.

Year, month, day — Official document

Chief Dao Officials of the Southern Capital, Chief Dao Officials of the Western Capital, Chief Dao Officials of the Northern Capital, Chief Dao Officials of the Northeastern Capital, Chief Dao Officials of the Southeastern Capital, Chief Dao Officials of the Southwestern Capital, Chief Dao Officials of the Northwestern Capital, Chief Dao Officials of the Upper Realm, and Chief Dao Officials of the Lower Realm:

The nine documents above have the same contents as the text above.

Documents to the Great Deities of the Five Roads

The Lingbao Great Ritual Bureau issues a document to the Great Deity of the Eastern Flying Road:

Our office, acting upon [as appropriate, “the dispatch from the City God of the Capital has arrived” or “a report submitted to the Bureau of the True”], hereby issues this special document:

Upon receiving this document, investigate the circumstances of the matter and notify all Dao officials in this region, the territories under the jurisdiction of the local earth gods, the underworld offices and prisons, and the water and land bridges, checkpoints, and ferries along the routes taken by the departed souls. All are to make use of the wisdom-light of the Most High—the light of wisdom emanating from the Most High—to dispel darkness, open the roads, and guide the souls who are to be assembled and receive ritual deliverance, together with the solitary souls among the Six Paths, to the purification altar. There they are to await summons and guidance, and receive ritual deliverance and cultivation.

If rampant and violent forces of heterodox Dao obstruct the roads, arrest them and deliver them to the nearest hell to be punished according to the statutes. Carry out this order immediately upon receipt of the document. This is hereby issued.

Year, month, day — Official document

Great Deity of the Southern Crossroads, Great Deity of the Western Straight Road, Great Deity Who Blocks the Northern Road, Great Deity of the Central Road:

The five documents above have the same contents as the text above.

Documents to the Masters of the Netherworld Passes and Hidden Roads

The Lingbao Great Ritual Bureau issues a document to the Masters of the Netherworld Passes and Hidden Roads:

Our office, acting upon [as appropriate, “the dispatch from the City God of the Capital has arrived” or “a report submitted to the Bureau of the True”], hereby issues this special document:

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

The document is now being sent. Let all the checkpoints of the underworld, along with the deities who oversee its waterways, roads, bridges, ferries, and related crossings, carry out the imperial decree without exception.

May the wisdom-light of the Most High pierce the darkness, rescuing and guiding the souls summoned for deliverance in this rite, as well as suffering spirits in the Five Paths. Quickly open the roads of the underworld. Pass this document from level to level, and allow the souls to come to the ritual altar, receive the merit of the rites, and attain deliverance and release. At every place along the way, do not detain them or cause delay, lest the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) be impeded. Once this document arrives, carry out its instructions in accordance with the rules of the mysterious rites. This is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Document addressed to Lord Xianggong of Haoli

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rite issues this document to Lord Xianggong of Haoli at the Eastern Peak, and to the deities in the ten directions who oversee the crossings of the underworld’s waterways and roads:

This office has received [an official notice from the City God of the capital, or a report from a higher-ranking true office], and therefore issues this document as formal notification.

Please take note and act accordingly. Swiftly notify the bridges, ferries, and other crossings of the waterways and roads throughout the ten directions of the underworld. Relying on the light of divine grace, open the roads and guide the souls summoned for deliverance in this rite, along with suffering spirits, to the Mysterious Altar, where they may receive deliverance in person. Once this document arrives, do not delay or obstruct them; let them pass on schedule. The rules of the rites are exceedingly strict, so do not detain them. This is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Document addressed to the shrines along the route in a certain prefecture and place

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rite issues this document to the shrines along the route in a certain prefecture and place, and to the deities who oversee the crossings of the waterways and roads:

This office has received [an official notice from the City God of the capital, or a report from a higher-ranking true office], and therefore issues this document as formal notification.

Upon receiving this document, please investigate the relevant circumstances and inform one another among the places along the route. In accordance with the imperial decree, open the roads and checkpoints for the souls. When the deceased summoned for deliverance in this rite, together with other souls summoned for deliverance and suffering spirits of the Six Paths, pass through the territory under your jurisdiction, please pass them onward under escort, handing them on from one place to the next until they reach their own jurisdiction. Then guide them to the ritual altar to receive merit and attain deliverance and release. Please do not obstruct them; act swiftly. This is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Document addressed to the local earth deities along the route to Mount Tai

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rite issues this document to the local earth deities along the route to Mount Tai:

This office has received [an official notice from the City God of the capital, or a report from a higher-ranking true office], and therefore issues this document as formal notification.

Please take note, swiftly pass this document from one level to the next, and notify one another. In accordance with the Celestial Emperor’s decree, open the roads and checkpoints: where there is a road, make it passable; where there is a ferry, let the souls cross. Guide the souls…

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Those among the wandering souls who have suffered injustice and still have unresolved disputes must not be detained or prevented from passing through the realms to which they belong. Release them at the appointed time, await those who come to receive them, and perform rites on their behalf to bring them blessings. All parties must come and take part in their deliverance. Do not delay; make every effort to carry this out promptly. Respectfully submitted.

Year, month, day Official notice

Official Notice: To the Spirit Bureau of the Five Roads and Five Wounds

The Great Lingbao Rites Bureau issues this notice to the Spirit Bureau of the Five Roads, the Five Wounds, and the Thirty-Six Wounds:

Our bureau has now received [the notice from the City God of the same city / a notice submitted to the True Bureau]. A separate notice must therefore be issued. Please investigate and act in accordance with the matters concerned.

By imperial command, investigate and deal with the souls of men and women recommended for deliverance at this ritual assembly, as well as the solitary spirits of the Nine Provinces who have no one to make offerings to them. Whether they died unnaturally or reached the end of their natural lives, all who have been detained and entered in the registers must be released. If any remain entangled in debts of injustice, bound by vengeance and resentment accumulated over time and still unresolved, each party sinking further into suffering and clinging to delusion, then mediate and settle their grievances according to the circumstances. Sever their ties with one another forever, and send them here to receive deliverance in person, so that all the souls may be reborn. Respectfully submitted.

Year, month, day Official notice

Official Notice: To the True Officials of the Local Land and Territory

The Great Lingbao Rites Bureau issues this notice to the True Officials of the local land and territory of a certain temple or monastery, and to the Orthodox Gods served by incense offerings within and beyond its grounds:

Our bureau has now received [the notice from the City God of the same city / a notice submitted to the True Bureau]. A separate notice must therefore be issued. Please act accordingly and promptly inform the relevant gods of this territory, so that all may jointly obey the imperial command.

Put your sacred presence in order and sweep away demons and malign forces, making the inner and outer areas pure. Drive away livestock and birds that pass through and bring defilement, and ward off calamities such as fire, theft, and sudden disaster. Restrain and prohibit those who indulge in meat and wine and behave without restraint; put an end to verbal disputes, accusations, and contention. Welcome auspicious Qi and invite the Emperor True Ones to descend. Guide the departed souls and support the wandering spirits; convey their prayers through the incense offerings, dispel every demonic obstacle, and bring the merits of the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) to completion. Present cups of reward in recognition and honor. Do not neglect to serve with wholehearted effort. Observe the laws of the Mysterious Realm and carry them out promptly. This notice is hereby issued.

Year, month, day Official notice

Official Notice: To the Holy Ones Who Oversee the Purification Ritual, the Kitchen Officials, and Other Gods

The Great Lingbao Rites Bureau issues this notice to the Holy Ones who oversee the purification ritual, the kitchen officials, and other gods:

Our bureau issues this separate notice in connection with the relevant matters, for the reasons stated above. Upon receiving it, please recognize the broad merit of the Zhaijiao and attend to the kitchen set up here and the preparations of the offerings. Prepare fine offerings for presentation to the heavens, as well as hu shi, meals bestowed on the departed souls. We respectfully ask you to gather the relevant gods of this place and work together to assist in carrying out these preparations.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

The Bright Mirror of All Spirits jointly inspects and protects, regularly patrols, drives away damage from insects and rodents; punishes those who violate the Way and steal, and eliminates unexpected calamities such as fire and bandits. It forbids meat and wine that violate regulations and pass through the ritual altar, and requests that orders be clearly issued and penalties applied, so that the altar remains pure and the rite is complete.

May Heaven and humans witness and enjoy this zhaijiao (Daoist rite of setting up an altar for blessing and sacrifice); after the fast and rite are complete, reward shall be given according to merit. Upon receipt of this document, please implement it at once. Respectfully submitted.

Year Month Day Document

Document Summoning the True Officials of a Certain Place’s Earth and Domain

The Lingbao Grand Dharma Office issues this document summoning the true officials of the earth and domain of a certain place (spirits in charge of local land and territory) to examine and verify.

This Office, in accordance with the foregoing reasons, hereby specially issues this document. Please descend to protect and aid, come promptly to rescue, and grant shelter, jointly upholding the teachings of the jade altar (the Daoist altar for establishing the rite and practicing the Law). Please divide your numinous presence to assist and complete each matter as it arises, so that merit is fulfilled and both the netherworld and the human realm benefit. We earnestly ask the true spirits to fulfill this sincere intent. Respectfully submitted.

Year Month Day Document

Document Summoning the Spirits Who Guard and Witness Vows

The Lingbao Grand Dharma Office issues this document summoning the spirits who guard and witness vows (spirits who oversee and attest to vows taken).

This Office, in accordance with the foregoing reasons, hereby specially issues this document. Please examine in detail the origin and course of the relevant matters and promptly report the situation to the presiding spirits who received the vows at that time. Please, in accordance with the divine command (the command of the spirits), assess the merit of the zhaijiao, verify and explain the grounds on which the vows were granted, and strike off entries already fulfilled, lest any shortfall remain, so that the vows may be complete. May all gather true merit and help the dead attain liberation; this is also the fruit of widely bestowing grace. This is hereby announced; please act accordingly. Respectfully submitted.

Year Month Day Document

Document Summoning the Earth Spirit of a Certain Mountain Grave Site

The Lingbao Grand Dharma Office issues this document summoning the earth spirit of a certain mountain grave site and all spirits of that mountain.

This Office, in accordance with the foregoing reasons, hereby specially issues this document. Please ascertain the facts of the matter and inform us of this mountain’s taboos, and of all spirits, the Haoli Elder of the Wilds (spirit in charge of graveyards and the dead), the two-thousand-shi officials beneath the earth, and the rest. Please each keep your place and secretly protect the tomb and the qi within it; establish the new grave so its form lies deep underground, with dragon spirits guarding outside. May the dead return to the heavenly realm and auspicious light constantly shine in the netherworld, so that descendants flourish for long ages. We earnestly ask you to comply and not delay. Respectfully submitted.

Year Month Day Document

Document Summoning the Divine Tiger

The Lingbao Grand Dharma Office.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

On the grounds stated above, a separate official document must now be issued. This dispatch is hereby submitted:

The divine officials, including the two Great Saints Shenhu and He Qiao, the Seven True Jade Maidens, and the soul-pursuing emissaries of the Three Departments, are requested to obey the decree of deliverance and exercise their divine powers widely. Dispatch the soul-pursuing officials and troops once more to search throughout the heavenly prisons and hells in the Three Realms and the ten directions. In both the hells with intervals and the hells without intervals, search one by one and gather the men and women among the dead who are to be delivered, carefully checking their places of origin and names.

If any souls of the dead bear grave karmic offenses and remain imprisoned by forces of heterodox paths, still unable to obtain release, investigate and pursue them as well, bringing them to the ritual altar to await summons. Cause them to appear by following the ritual banner, so that all may receive deliverance. Also investigate and deliver the countless souls of the dead who suffer without end. Assemble at the appointed time for the ritual assembly, jointly receive the merit of the purification ritual, and undergo refinement and deliverance. The merit of delivering people is great; the commands of the Wind-and-Fire method must not be delayed. Carry them out swiftly and without fail. This dispatch is hereby submitted.

Issued on [year, month, day].

This dispatch is used to summon and capture officials and generals.

Office of the Great Lingbao Rite

On the grounds of the eight matters stated above, a separate official document must now be issued. This dispatch is hereby submitted:

The named general is requested to obey the command of the Emperor Lord, once again lead the officials and troops of the Divine Tiger, and search throughout the netherworld courts and secluded prisons under his jurisdiction, investigating and assembling the souls of the dead. If any souls, because of grave karmic offenses or unresolved grievances, remain sunk in retribution, or have lost their way among heterodox paths and cannot be found, check their names one by one and pursue them all here to await summons. Command them to appear by attaching themselves to the ritual banner and personally receive recommendation for deliverance and cultivation.

The command is clear; there must be no delay or disobedience. Once the report of merit has been submitted, recognition and rewards will be granted in repayment for the divine protection. Upon receiving this dispatch, carry it out immediately. This dispatch is hereby submitted.

Issued on [year, month, day].

This dispatch is addressed to the Divine Tiger (it is unclear whether it is used for submitting a report).

Office of the Great Lingbao Rite

On the grounds stated above, a separate official document must now be issued. This dispatch is hereby submitted:

The named general is requested to receive the command and lead the subordinate soul-pursuing officials and troops, carrying the Ta Yi Xuanming Hunyuan Jade Register—a Daoist ritual document used for official correspondence with the netherworld—directly to the netherworld courts and secluded prisons throughout the Three Realms and the ten directions, as well as to all places that administer offenses, investigate cases, and register the souls of the dead. There, search for the deceased named person and for the men and women among the dead who are to be delivered.

Whatever the reason they are now being detained, and whether or not they bear karmic grievances or have already repaid those grievances, follow the names listed in the document and pursue each of their deceased relatives and their original souls. Escort them swiftly here to await summons, and command them to appear by following the ritual banner.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Those performing the ritual proceed to the altar to pay homage and respectfully receive the wondrous blessings. This fulfills the officiant’s wishes and demonstrates the efficacy of the divine teachings. The matter depends entirely on the divine generals’ swift dispatch to carry it out. Once it is completed, they must immediately report their merit. The relevant instructions are set out below: Upon receiving the Shangqing dispatch, carry out its orders. Respectfully issued.

Year, month, day: dispatch

Dispatch delivered to the altar supervisor.

The Lingbao Great Rites Office issues this dispatch to the altar supervisor, General So-and-so:

In response to the request mentioned above, this office hereby issues a special dispatch.

Please command your subordinate troops to be stationed where the ritual altar is located. Work together with the local City God temple and the other deities and ritual officials to bestow blessings and display your might, execute demons that defy the righteous Way, and drive out lurking corpses and every kind of impure Qi.

Should the altar be defiled by women’s menstrual blood, meat, the smell of alcohol, or other offenses, deal with them in accordance with the prescribed rules and regulations. Keep away the impurities brought by cats and dogs, and drive off noisy, calling birds. Ensure that the altar grounds, inside and out, are pure and solemn, so that the true spirits may descend. Prevent fires, theft, and accidental disasters at all times. Arrange every matter properly, relying on the protection of the gods.

Also restrain lonely spirits so each may remain in its proper place. Counsel those who have suffered injustice, and release those burdened by life-debts, so that they may escape deluded attachments and cease to bind one another. When burning garments for the dead and presenting food offerings in offering vessels, be sure to receive and guide them properly. Distribute funds, Fulu (talismans and registers), and other items fairly. No one may bully another, lest the fruits of goodness be harmed. Only in this way can cultivation and construction be brought to perfection, with the underworld and the world of the living blessed together.

Submit all the matters above to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) for three days. To repay their profound kindness, keep the vows steadfastly and do not violate the rules of the liturgy. Upon receiving this dispatch, carry out its instructions according to the regulations. Respectfully issued.

Year, month, day: dispatch

Dispatch delivered to General So-and-so, supervisor of the ritual proceedings.

The Lingbao Great Rites Office:

In response to the request mentioned above, this office hereby issues a special dispatch.

This dispatch directs General So-and-so to mobilize troops promptly, respond to the summons, carry out the orders, restore discipline, proclaim the commands, and lead the personnel under the various offices, so that each fulfills its duties:

The Divine Tiger Division holds authority to pursue and capture. The Lingbao Division oversees affairs of both the underworld and the human world. Matters within the altar precincts are entrusted to the City God and the local community land deities for protection. The expulsion of demons is assigned to the illustrious ranks of the Immortal Court. The local land deity conveys incense messages; the Merit Officer delivers memorials. The Purification Division clears away dust and impurity. Each division must perform its duties and ensure that memorials are duly transmitted.

Matters concerning Daoist rites and assemblies are handled by the deity in charge of the Daoist dispensation. The gods who oversee births and govern life attend to the souls of the deceased in childbirth. The divine physicians treat sick ghosts. The Yellow Register Court assists with all affairs, and the Nanchang Office is responsible for refining and transforming dried bones.

All officials and soldiers under this local altar jurisdiction must, in handling every matter, follow …

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

I command you to draw further lessons from these instructions so that everyone may understand them, and to work together wholeheartedly and diligently. Should anyone delay or disobey, deal with them according to a fair system of rewards and penalties. May the light of Heaven shine down, bringing aid even to the realm of darkness, and may both Yin and Yang receive deliverance. You must make still greater efforts to promote our Dao together. The rites of fasting and cultivation must be completed in full. Once the work is done, you will be promoted, rewarded, and commended. The prohibitions are strict and must be observed without fail. Do not forget. This is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Document: To the Three Heavens’ Bureau of Spirits

(The Bureau of Spirits: a Daoist institution of divine officials)

Lingbao Bureau of Great Rites (the institution responsible for Lingbao purification rituals and rites)

On the matter stated above, this bureau hereby issues this special document.

We now summon the Jade Youths and Jade Maidens of the Five Emperors of this bureau; the Three-Five Meritorious Officers (divine officials who transmit documents and carry out commands); the left and right official envoys; the Attendant Incense-Bearing Golden Youths; the Maidens Who Convey Words; the Directing Talisman Officers of the Five Emperors; the left and right dragon-mounted courier officials bearing incense; the Incense Officials on Duty; and the Lords of Dragons and Tigers. Together, let them put the ceremonial retinue in order and descend to the netherworld. Let them array the spirits, establish the ritual precinct, gather the Dao’s Qi, set divine power in motion, dispel impure influences, summon the Perfected, and convey the rising incense smoke, so that our earnest prayers may reach the heavenly court. May auspicious signs converge between Heaven and Earth, and may light like cinnabar and emerald arise within the altar precinct, allowing all the petitions presented here to be heard above.

May divine grace deliver all beings everywhere. May its wondrous power of transformation appear swiftly, and may the merits of the purification rites be spread far and wide. This is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Document: To the Receiving Bureau

(The Receiving Bureau: a divine department that receives and forwards memorials and other documents)

Lingbao Bureau of Great Rites

On the matter stated above, this bureau hereby issues this special document.

We now summon the Jade Maidens of the Three Heavens, Ten Heavens, Thirty-Two Heavens, and the Five Emperors’ Receiving Bureaus; the numinous officers who present memorials to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) and those who issue documents; the officers who oversee ritual methods and seals; and the officials of the Precious-Document Bureau. Let them manifest in multiple forms and descend to the ritual altar under orders. Whenever memorials or other written petitions are submitted, let the receiving departments of the imperial court accept them within the prescribed time and present them promptly before the throne, without delay. In this way, each petition may receive a reply and an imperial decree, so that together we may complete the purification rites and accumulate merit. This is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Document: To the Meritorious Officers on Duty in the Three Realms and at the Four Watches

(Meritorious Officers: divine officials who transmit documents and carry out divine commands)

Document from the Lingbao Bureau of Great Rites, addressed to the Directing Talisman Officers of the Three Realms, the Meritorious Officers of the Four Watches, the Meritorious Officers of the Sixty Jiazi Cycles, and the Meritorious Officers of the Two Watches.

On the matter stated above, this bureau hereby issues this special document.

We now summon you all to descend to the ritual altar under orders and attend to the relevant duties. From the establishment of the purification rite onward, whenever you are summoned in connection with any submitted petitions, formal declarations, memorials, notices, talismans and registers (Fulu), amnesty decrees, or proclamations, please receive and transmit them promptly, setting out by separate routes and hastening on your way. Documents sent up to the heavenly court must be delivered swiftly along the cloud roads. Those sent down to the underworld or the water realm must also be carried at speed on flying steeds. We pray that the following be issued…

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

The Celestial Emperor’s decree has already spread throughout the passes of the netherworld. It commands that the gates of salvation be opened, so that all sunken souls may receive the recompense of the wondrous teaching, and that the work be completed as swiftly as wind and fire, without delay. Once the ritual is complete, a memorial is to be submitted describing the merits achieved, so that the accomplishments may be recorded and commendations bestowed. This document is hereby issued on the year, month, and day.

This document notifies the heavens of Lingbao and the eminent host of spirits: the Great Lingbao Dharma Bureau, which presides over Lingbao liturgies, now issues this special dispatch concerning the matter stated above. All spirits are to answer the summons, descend, and announce and carry out their respective duties. With banners, ceremonial regalia, drums and music, command staffs, and other marks of dignity, protect the altar grounds. Wield torches and ring ritual bells to sweep away demonic influences, respectfully welcome the descent of the Supreme Emperor, and cut down the malevolent spirits who lack benevolence.

Should flying demons or wild, powerful forces roaming beyond the settled lands obstruct memorials and prevent them from reaching the court, block the passage of departed souls, or act recklessly, committing evil and trespassing on sacred ground, let the spirits display their authority: cut apart their bodies and sever their heads, thereby making clear the Jade Emperor’s command. In this way, merit may be accomplished through the Yellow Register rite, a salvation fast for the departed, so that the netherworld and the human realm alike may receive its blessings. The merits will be duly recorded, and on that basis rewards and promotions will be granted as proof of repayment for divine grace. This document is hereby issued on the year, month, and day.

This document notifies all ritual generals and masters: the Great Lingbao Dharma Bureau now issues this special dispatch concerning the matter stated above. The Bureau’s presiding commander; the Great General of the Ten Thousand Offices, who brings all undertakings to completion; the officials responsible for elevating souls into the ranks of the immortals; the commander of Thunder, So-and-so; the Celestial Pivot of Shangqing and the Celestial Heart (the titles received may be entered as appropriate); and the gods, generals, clerks of merit, and talisman messengers belonging to the various offices, courts, and departments of the So-and-so Retreat are to dispatch divine troops to descend, display their dignity, put their attire in order, take their places in sequence, and each attend to their duties.

Purify the altar grounds and respectfully carry out the commands of the Emperor and the perfected ones. Guide the departed spirits, subdue the lonely ghosts, and drive away reanimated corpses and foul influences. Discipline those who run wild and cause disorder through meat and wine; regulate the passage of livestock; and detect fires, thefts, violent acts, and rebellion, so that the people may know reverence and demonic forces may not intrude. Take turns faithfully according to the appointed dates, and receive and relay petitions, memorials, talismans and registers, and official documents. In every matter reported or heard, follow the prescribed commands: proclaim the Celestial Emperor’s orders above and transmit them below to the underworld. Act swiftly, without missing a moment. Fulfill your duties together and complete the work through mutual effort, then advance in rank and receive commendation. Never forget your loyalty or neglect your responsibilities. Should anyone transgress, the prescribed penalties are in force. Carry out the orders as directed, without disobedience. This document is hereby issued on the year, month, and day.

This document notifies the officials named in the memorial: the Great Lingbao Dharma Bureau now issues this special dispatch concerning the matter stated above.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Submitted herewith:

We respectfully present this memorial to the courts beneath the Three Heavens—the Daoist celestial courts of the three realms—and petition the two officials responsible for registering, transmitting, approving, delivering, checking, and protecting memorials, as well as for gathering intelligence, sending reports, and affixing seals. We also petition the Zhengyi meritorious officers, divine clerks who convey memorials; the left and right official messengers; the Yin-Yang divine adjudicators; the clerks of the ritual cart and vermilion tally; the mounted couriers of the fierce winds; the post riders who submit memorials; the flying dragon riders; the spirit officials in charge; and the retinue of a thousand chariots and ten thousand riders within the memorial, including the immortal officers and military clerks of the Ninefold-Spirit Flying-Step Memorial Bureau. May they divide their forms, gather primordial Qi, and descend to the ritual altar at the appointed command.

Whenever we bow and submit a petition or memorial, or gather the spirit and unite with the Dao, may the gods descend at the appointed time, respond to each invocation, and accord with the talismans. May they escort the Original Spirit across the Supreme Ultimate, pass through the fierce winds, and reach in an instant the dwelling of the Heavenly Emperor. May the solemn celestial court permit this memorial to ascend, so that the matter may be heard in Heaven and receive wondrous recompense and blessings. May the purification rite be brought to completion, and may we not fail to repay the grace of the gods. We respectfully submit this petition.

Submitted on [year, month, day].

Petition to the Immortal Armies of the Three Caverns:

Office of the Great Lingbao Rite, the institution overseeing Lingbao purification rites and ritual services.

In accordance with the matter set out above, this office now submits a special petition:

Submitted herewith:

The celestial immortal armies, earthly immortal armies, flying immortal armies, armies of Perfected Ones, and armies of spirit beings from the Three Caverns; the armies of the sun, moon, and stars; the armies of the Nine Palaces and Five Emperors; the armies of the Three Rivers and Four Seas; and the armies of the Five Sacred Peaks and Four Great Waterways. May the gods manifest their virtue of protecting life, divide their forms, descend, gather at the ritual altar, and oversee the proceedings. May their generals display their mighty authority, while the ranks of immortals each fulfill their duties, take their appointed places, and stand guard. May they mark out the boundaries and protect the ritual grounds.

May they reverently carry out the commands of the Imperial Perfected—the Heavenly Emperor and the immortals—and make manifest the mysterious grace of Heaven; rescue departed souls from suffering; drive away people and impure influences that intrude upon the ritual grounds; and dispel the disturbances of lurking corpses, grievances, and malign Qi. May the grounds within and without be solemn and pure, demonic obstacles vanish, and the rite proceed smoothly from beginning to end. May both the visible world and the underworld receive blessings, and may the merits be recorded and submitted to the Celestial Bureau, thereby making the achievement known. We respectfully submit this petition.

Submitted on [year, month, day].

Petition to the Office of Refining and Deliverance, the institution overseeing rites that refine and deliver the souls of the dead:

Office of the Great Lingbao Rite

In accordance with the matter set out above, this office now submits a special petition:

Submitted herewith:

The immortal officers and attendant maidens of the Lingbao Great Water Bureau and Fire Bureau who conduct the rites of refining and deliverance; the immortal officials in charge of receiving souls for refinement in the Upper Palace of Nanchang, the Fire Court of Zhuling, and the Pivot Bureau of Nanling; the myriad gods who oversee their respective duties; the immortal clerks belonging to the transformations and generation of the Primordial Chaos; the immortal clerks belonging to the transformations and generation of the Five Emperors and of the Nine Heavens; and the spirit officials and attendant maidens in each bureau responsible for refining and deliverance.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

The messengers, officials, and troops should all receive the merit of the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and come together to the Dark Altar, where each is to attend to their assigned post, conduct affairs with reverence, and carry out the compassionate grace entrusted to them. On the appointed day, they shall respectfully perform the Great Refining rite in accordance with the Dark Rites, praying that the upright Qi of Yin-Yang infuse the Pool of Blossoming Water and Fire, the symbolic basin of transformation, so that the departed spirit may be transformed on the left in the Southern Palace and enter deeply into the Eastern Well. They shall guide the departed spirit and refine the bodily remains, joining the images of Metal and Wood to establish the foundation; they shall unite the essences of the sun and moon to temper the hun and po souls. They shall draw in the twelve numinous powers of primordial unity to complete the body, and gather the eighteen Qi of the Great Cavern so that its luminous essence is made whole. Nourished by the fluids of the Five Sprouts, symbols of the life-giving force of the Five Phases, its inner splendor shall be nurtured and brought forth. They shall spread the radiance of the Nine Heavens, opening and clarifying the innate awareness, so that even dry bones may attain confirmation of the human Way. After ten transformations restore the spirit, it shall ascend to the Upper Dantian Heaven and the Court of Flowing Fire. May the nature of the One True remain undimmed. We respectfully pray that the divine beings answer in accordance with our request, that the practice be brought to completion, and that the true tradition be widely propagated and profound De made manifest. Respectfully submitted.

Submitted on [year, month, and day].

A General Register of the Officials and Generals of Lingbao (a document summarizing the duties of Lingbao officials and generals).

Office of the Great Lingbao Rite:

This office now submits a memorial concerning the matters set forth above, seeking the abundant grace of Heaven. The Dark Altar has now been opened, and the wondrous rites are about to be performed. In addition to preparing a further formal memorial to Heaven and sending notices to the true offices throughout the Three Realms, the altar has the following urgent matters, which are set out individually in this special notice:

One: The establishment of the Dark Altar requires strict observance of its ritual decorum and prohibitions. We request that the Lingbao presiding master oversee the various offices and supervise their affairs. The chief and deputy officials of each department, bureau, and court should be assigned duties and work shifts according to their abilities, each fulfilling their responsibilities and rendering service. Errors are to be corrected and meritorious work rewarded, so that all may encourage one another and jointly support the merit of the Zhaijiao.

One: The Zhaijiao has now reached its appointed day, and the departed spirits must come to receive deliverance. Some may have committed grave offenses and remain in custody, unable to escape; others may be held by malign beings or entangled in debts and grudges. We request that the officials under the command of the Divine Tiger be strictly ordered to investigate thoroughly, checking each spirit against its register by place of origin and name. They shall summon all the departed spirits’ true hun and proper po, lead them to the altar to await the summons, and direct them to manifest in bodily form by attaching themselves to the banners, so that they may personally receive liberation.

One: For the memorials submitted on this occasion, and all related ritual petitions and memorials after the Zhaijiao has been established, the Jade Maidens and spirit officials responsible for receiving and presenting documents under the Three Heavens, the Ten Heavens, the Five Emperors, and the Thirty-Two Heavens shall, at the proper time, carry and present them directly to the offices on duty beneath the Gate of the Three Heavens, requesting that the documents be forwarded. They shall handle the matter together with the clerks and junior officials.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Review and correct the document word by word so that its contents are reasonable, then submit it as soon as possible. The petitions, dispatches, and notices concerning the Three Realms (Heaven, Earth, and Water), as well as all the talismanic commands issued by the Supreme High One and the perfected beings, must be handed to the Four Duty Merit Officers, the Three Realms’ Talisman Officers, and the divine officials on duty. They are to transmit each document in turn according to the official dispatch. The wind and fire divine couriers must also be urged to deliver them on schedule without delay. The divine officials must wait at the ritual altar and may not leave without authorization. Once summoned, they must act at once. Only then can the Emperor’s grace be conveyed downward and every place carry out the commands.

There is concern that foul, harmful Qi may remain from buried corpses at the site where the altar is to be built. There is also concern that local people do not understand the consequences of sin and merit and may continue eating meat, drinking excessively, or violating taboos through contact with menstrual blood. The commander is asked to investigate carefully and strictly instruct the altar supervisor to restrain such conduct in advance. Those who behave recklessly and show no regard for the laws must be punished according to the rules, as a warning to others.

The arrangement of every part of the purification altar, its related affairs, and the preparation of ritual implements, ceremonial objects, and offerings must all be handled with care. There is concern that attendants may lack reverence, that chickens, dogs, cats, or mice may sneak in, or that someone may attempt theft. The local earth god and the relevant deities should therefore be warned to patrol regularly and drive away anything impure in advance. Fires and other accidents must be guarded against with particular care, so that both inside and outside the altar conform to ritual requirements without obstruction.

Whenever rites of purification, audience and memorial presentation, confession of sins, or prayers for grace are performed, the Three-Five Merit Officers, the left and right official envoys, the incense-attending Golden Youth, the message-bearing Jade Maiden, the Talisman Officers of the Five Emperors, the daily incense officials, the left and right Dragon and Tiger Lords, and the other relevant immortal beings should each take up their appointed duties and attend to their tasks. With sincere and reverent intent, one can communicate with the spirits. They will dispel foul Qi, invite the perfected spirits, and convey the intent carried by the incense, allowing prayers to ascend, the myriad spirits to gather, and the souls of the dead to receive blessings.

For the souls of the dead, wandering souls, and suffering spirits sent from various places, the altar supervisor must be strictly instructed to have the local shrine’s principal gods, the earth god, and the Five Paths gods lead the officials responsible for custody in each place to the Office for Gathering Souls, where they will report to the presiding official. That official must check each name individually, enter them in separate registers, and arrange for them to be jointly managed and restrained. If the dead and the living bear deep grievances against each other and an accidental meeting might bring disaster, or if unresolved resentments involve debts of life, money, or other matters, causing the parties to become entangled in disputes, they should work together with the Great Deity of the Bureau for Judging Grievances to mediate and counsel them properly. Each side should come to regret its actions, let go of past resentments, and devote itself to seeking rebirth.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Whenever a general summons is issued for wandering spirits, they should proceed in order to the ritual banquet—the place where the Zhaijiao rites are performed—to receive offerings of food and accept the precepts and teachings.

These spirits have only just escaped confinement. They were already hungry and thirsty, and they are as numerous as grains of sand and as fierce as wolves and tigers. They crowd forward like a torrent rushing into a deep ravine. The offerings of food prepared for them, together with burial clothes and spirit money, are therefore placed under the command of the Supreme General of the Left Guard of Cinnabar Heaven, the emissary in charge of spirit clothes and food, the Great Deities of the Five Roads, the Lords of the Four Spirits, and the relevant divine officials. Through the might of the Great Dao and the grace of the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters—they gather in and instruct the boundless multitude of spirits: providing them with clothes to cover and protect their bodies, and with nectar and fine foods to satisfy their hunger. They are forbidden to prey on the weak or use their numbers to oppress the few.

Once the spirits have finished eating, their original officers continue to lead them to the Bureau for Gathering Souls, where they stay for a time. On the appointed day, they are summoned together to enter the ritual altar, where the Daoist personally performs rites of refinement and deliverance to purify and save the dead. The spirit money and Fulu (talismans and registers) used on their behalf are also placed under the supervision of divine officials for burning. According to the written registers, they are then apportioned evenly and escorted in good order to places such as the Huanglu Court’s register for rebirth, where their cases are handed over for management. They are recorded for rebirth according to their respective kinds, so that they do not remain lost and stranded, or mistakenly bring harm to the living. In this way, the good affinities formed through the Zhaijiao rites can spread widely, and the resulting merit can be properly assigned.

When a Zhaijiao is established and its rites are performed, the merit gained may often provoke jealousy among demonic spirits, leading them to create obstacles recklessly. Therefore, the Jade Maidens Who Discern Demons, the Commanding Officials of the Eight Awe-Inspiring Powers, and the Chief Officers Who Kill Ghosts with Divine Insight are asked to investigate, muster their forces, and dispatch imposing celestial troops to remove the obstacles. If fierce gods or ghosts intercept memorials in midair, block the spirits of the dead along the way, or even detain souls that should be delivered, then the Ancestor of the Myriad Gods is asked to display his might and destroy the ghostly demons, so that the Three Realms may be cleared and all passage made unobstructed.

On the evening when the Zhaijiao is complete and the altar is dismantled, the rites of refinement and deliverance should be performed universally in accordance with the Great Rite. The officials of this department who oversee refinement and transformation, together with officials of the Nanchang Office of Refinement and its immortal youths and assembled immortals, are asked to preside. The righteous Qi of Yin-Yang is then called upon to transform the two pools of water and fire, carry out the work of the Nine Refinements, and bring together the wonders of the Five Phases. It guards the spirits of the dead and solitary souls described above, guiding them all through refinement, so that they may congeal into the substance of jade-like eyes, wash away their obstructed Yin forms, recover their complete Yang spirits, and dissolve their shadowy gloom. In the end, they attain the rank of immortals and transformed beings. Then, with the recommendation of the Demon Kings, they are sent across the ritual bridge and ascend to the Vermilion Court.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

From the opening of the altar to the ritual’s completion and the altar’s dismissal, especially when the altar is set up outdoors, the celestial memorials—documents submitted to the heavenly realm—and the rites of presenting memorials are performed beneath the sun, moon, and stars. Since the weather is unpredictable and wind or rain may disrupt the rites, the presiding master should direct the Thunder Marshal, the Great Deity of Sudden Fire, the two generals Xin and Zhang, the Thunder Lord, the Lightning Mother, the Wind Earl, the Rain Master, and the gods of the City God and local community shrines to notify in advance the Dragon Gods dwelling in the pools and caverns of this region, along with the gods who oversee wind, thunder, clouds, and rain this year. They should arrange for the rain to stop and the skies to clear on the appointed day, and for clouds and mist to disperse, so that the weather of the human and heavenly realms may come into accord and the Zhaijiao rites may be brought to a successful conclusion.

After the altar is dismissed, the ritual offerings should be respectfully arranged and presented to give thanks for Heaven’s grace. The presiding marshal should direct the merit-recording divine officials who serve that day—responsible for conveying documents and recording good and bad deeds—and the emissaries bearing official seals to petition the emperors and perfected beings of the heavens above, and notify the dark and light realms throughout the Three Realms below. The assembled sacred beings should be informed in advance to descend together to the ritual banquet at the appointed time. Then the ceremonial guards should be ordered to arrange the procession of immortals in orderly ranks, scatter celestial flowers in every direction, and sound the sacred music in succession to welcome the imperial carriage. In this way, merit may be made complete and De brought to fulfillment, so that both the living and the dead may receive its blessings.

The affairs of this altar are numerous; here, only a brief outline can be given, and their finer points cannot all be described. Once the general principles have been set out, the details will become clear; once the main points are explained, the finer particulars can also be understood. Everything should follow established precedent and be carried out according to the prescribed regulations.

The matters set out in this document are as above. We respectfully ask that you follow the Emperor’s command above, attend to the sincerity of the Zhai below, join in advancing the benevolent intention of saving and delivering all beings, and together support the teaching of Xuanyuan, the Dao revered by Daoists. Your hidden merits will shine forth, and your rank among the immortals will rise. This order must be carried out without negligence. Respectfully issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Document to the Yellow Register Office

The Administration of the Lingbao Great Rites issues this document to the Upper Clarity Yellow Register Office:

In accordance with the matters set out above, this Administration hereby issues this document for the specific purpose stated. The personnel assigned to attend the altar by command should work together with the various offices, encouraging one another and exerting themselves in unity to guard the sacred altar, respectfully welcome the imperial carriage, issue and proclaim talismanic directives, and deliver the spirits of the dead who have sunk into suffering. They should assist in proclaiming the rules and models of the liturgy, support the divine work, and refine and deliver the souls of the dead. I respectfully ask you all to attend to these matters and ensure that the rites conform to regulations.

After the souls of the dead named above, together with the countless suffering spirits of the underworld, have completed their deliverance, we respectfully ask that, as they proceed to your office, the relevant departments examine their merits and faults; that the officials of the immortal registers consult the records concerning their rebirth; and that all those in charge jointly review each person’s records of offenses across three lifetimes, quietly making adjustments on their behalf. As for those souls burdened by the roots of karma accumulated over many lifetimes, who require protection from many quarters, we must also rely upon…

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Heaven’s grace is being extended, allowing the dead to be recommended for their good deeds and their offenses redeemed. In accordance with the merit of the Zhaijiao rites (Daoist rituals for blessings and the deliverance of the dead), their spirits may be delivered, and their names entered in the register.

The deceased’s register of life and death has already been forwarded to the Office for Rebirth, where it will be handled according to regulations. By authority of the document ordering pardon, please arrange for the deceased to be reborn as soon as possible. If anything obstructs the process of rebirth, this document is submitted as a report.

Issued on [year, month, day].

To the Wind-and-Fire Relay Officials

The Lingbao Great Ritual Office, which oversees Lingbao Zhaijiao rites, issues this document to the officials, attendants, and officers of the Wind-and-Fire Relay Station:

On the matter stated above, this Office now issues this specific directive. Please carry it out as ordered.

Order the relevant personnel to come before the altar and take charge of the divine relay station. Whenever documents, memorials, petitions, Fulu, pardons, or slips are issued from this altar and need to be transmitted, order the Merit Officer—a divine official responsible in Daoism for conveying documents and carrying out duties—to drive the wind and hurl the fire, and deliver them swiftly that same day. Whatever the distance or terrain, deliver them on time and report the progress of the journey. Anyone who obstructs the transmission shall be dealt with according to law. Carry out this order without delay.

Issued on [year, month, day].

To the Golden-Horse Relay Officials

The Lingbao Great Ritual Office issues this document to the officials, attendants, and officers of the Golden-Horse Relay Station:

On the matter stated above, this Office now issues this specific directive. Please carry it out as ordered.

The previous imperial command has been delivered to the altar. Whenever imperial edicts of the Most High, Fulu, or pardons are issued and read aloud at this altar, dispatch a flying courier at once to report them swiftly to the offices of the underworld. Do not conceal them. The relay service has fixed deadlines; do not miss them. You must also obtain confirmation that each location has received the message.

The Azure Statutes, the Daoist precepts and laws, are extremely strict. Please carry out this order without delay.

Issued on [year, month, day].

To the Crouching-Dragon Relay Officials

The Lingbao Great Ritual Office issues this document to the Crouching-Dragon Relay officials and to the attendants who convey slips to the underworld:

On the matter stated above, this Office now issues this specific directive. Receive Heaven’s grace and come before the altar to take up your duties. From the completion of the Zhaijiao rites onward, whenever edicts, pardons, slips, Fulu, or proclamations are issued from this altar, receive and deliver them immediately to the offices of the underworld. Thus the dark prisons may be opened and pardons granted, and all the souls of the dead may swiftly receive vindication and deliverance. Do not pause even for an instant. Proclaim the grace of the Celestial Emperor. Once the documents have arrived, carry out the orders without deliberate defiance.

Issued on [year, month, day].

To the Golden-Dragon Relay Officials

The Lingbao Great Ritual Office issues this document to the Golden-Dragon Relay officials and to the attendants who convey slips to the Fire Office:

On the matter stated above, this Office now issues this specific directive. Please personally receive and carry out the Emperor’s command at the altar. Whenever the altar issues the talismanic commands of Primordial Beginning, the numinous talismans of long life, and related …

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

If the dispatches of the hidden realm involve summoning, we earnestly ask you all to hasten forth in obedience to the command, drive the dragon steeds, and swiftly spread the clouds. Wherever the documents arrive, ensure that they reach the true offices, so that the departed spirits may be elevated. We earnestly ask you to respond in accordance with the command and allow no delay.

Respectfully issued as a dispatch.

Year, month, day — dispatch

Dispatch to the Flying Messengers of the Ten Directions

The Great Office of the Lingbao Rite issues this dispatch to the Flying Messengers of the Ten Directions:

On the matter set forth above, this office now issues a special dispatch and respectfully asks you to carry it out as directed.

As the mysterious ordinances descend upon the ritual altar, bear the memorials upward to the most distant reaches of the Ten Directions. Issue summonses to call the divine kings, transmit the talismanic commands, and open the passes to the netherworld, so that the departed spirits’ karmic obstructions may be revealed and dissolved. In this way, the merit of Lingbao’s deliverance of people may be fulfilled, in accord with the wondrous efficacy of the Millet Pearl entering the subtle. You are hereby notified and earnestly asked to respond as commanded.

Respectfully issued as a dispatch.

Year, month, day — dispatch

Dispatch to the Messengers of the Nine Dragons Bearing Talismanic Commands

The Great Office of the Lingbao Rite issues this dispatch to the Messengers of the Nine Dragons Bearing Talismanic Commands:

On the matter set forth above, this office now issues a special dispatch and respectfully asks you to receive and carry it out.

As the mysterious ordinances descend upon the ritual ground, take up the talismanic commands of the Azure Palace and convey them to the netherworld. Make Heaven’s grace known and rescue the departed spirits, so that they may come to receive the merit of rites of recommen­dation and cultivation. In this way, the work of universal deliverance may be widely carried out. This dispatch is now issued in advance, and you are earnestly asked to respond as commanded.

Respectfully issued as a dispatch.

Year, month, day — dispatch

Dispatch to the Merit Officers of the Seven Paths

The Great Office of the Lingbao Rite:

On the matter set forth above, this office now issues a dispatch.

This dispatch is addressed to the merit officers of the Heavenly, Earthly, Human, Immortal, Divine, Ghost, and Karmic Paths. Merit officers are divine clerks who oversee the delivery of documents and the handling of affairs. We ask you to obey the sovereign emperor’s command and descend to the mysterious altar.

After the purification rite has been established, this office will issue memorials, petitions, and dispatches, and promulgate talismanic commands, amnesty documents, and summonses. Please receive all documents concerning covenants or communications. Travel by divine dragon, ride the clouds and mists, drive swift steeds, or journey upon giant whales; carry the documents throughout the Three Realms. Each of you shall transmit them according to your duties and complete the work on time, without delay. Act in accordance with the statutes and do not disobey.

As for the solitary souls in the Six Paths who are to be delivered, please summon them all according to their respective kinds. Guide them at the appointed time and bring them forward in turn. Through the merit of the purification ritual, may all beings together attain the fruition of the Immortal Way. This matter must be received and carried out; please attend to it swiftly. This dispatch is hereby issued.

Year, month, day — dispatch

Dispatch to the Great General Who Bears the Amnesty

The Great Office of the Lingbao Rite issues this dispatch to the Great General Who Bears the Amnesty:

On the matter set forth above, this office now issues a special dispatch and respectfully asks you to carry it out as directed.

As the mysterious ordinances descend upon the ritual ground, receive the duties assigned to you. Whenever this office promulgates…

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Edict of the Jade Clarity

The Three Heavens—the three celestial realms spoken of in Daoism—issue an amnesty, which we respectfully receive. We now command the divine post stations to deliver it swiftly and proclaim it throughout the ten directions, so that all the relevant departed souls may enter the offices of the underworld, hear the proclamation of Heaven’s grace, and be delivered from their sufferings. We humbly hope Heaven’s grace will grant this request, and we shall carry out the command. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day

Document to the Office for Gathering Souls

Directorate of the Great Lingbao Rites:

In accordance with the request submitted above, this office hereby issues this special document.

This dispatch is sent to the Office for Gathering Souls. We ask Generals Zhang and Lu of the Merit Officers, together with the divine generals who restore and reconcile souls, to examine this matter carefully and handle it accordingly. Await the departed men and women sent from the various places who are to receive deliverance, as well as the wandering, suffering souls of the nine provinces and ten regions who have no one to depend on. Check their names against the registers and verify their numbers one by one; record them by category, separate men and women, and divide them into two groups, gathering them here to the north.

The wandering souls of the nine provinces should also be settled in nine separate places according to the direction of each province: Yangzhou in the center, Xuzhou in the east, Qingzhou in the southeast, Yuzhou in the south, Jingzhou in the southwest, Yongzhou in the west, Liangzhou in the northwest, Jizhou in the north, and Yanzhou in the northeast, arranged accordingly.

If any among them bear unresolved grievances, are entangled with one another, or harbor resentment toward the living and seek to provoke trouble or take revenge, then guide them with reason and compassion so that they abandon wrongful thoughts and return to the right path, release their entanglements with one another, and cease their disturbances. If this altar summons and draws them here, send the departed souls who are to receive good fruits to come forward in order. They must still be gathered and kept under control, and instructed to remain quiet and composed. After the rites of refinement and deliverance are complete, let them each be reborn according to their category. Recognition and reward will be granted in due course. We humbly ask that these commands be carried out. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day

Document to the Celestial Physicians for Universal Deliverance

Directorate of the Great Lingbao Rites:

In accordance with the request submitted above, this office hereby issues this special document.

This dispatch requests the Celestial Physician Immortals, the Minister of Medicines, the spirit officials who prepare and apply medicines, the Merit Officers of the Three and Five who treat illness, the Imperial Physician Scholars, the minor officials in charge of stone probes, the generals and emissaries who remove poisons, and the officials serving in their respective posts at the Celestial Medical Bureau to take heed of the merit of the purification ritual and join in providing relief. Having received the command to descend to the human realm, please each carry out your assigned duties and convey the orders.

Now examine one by one the departed souls summoned here to take part in the ritual assembly, along with the dead throughout the boundless netherworld. Among them may be souls who died from any of thirty-six kinds of injury, or suffered any of eighteen kinds of violent death. For each, use the secret prescriptions of the Highest Mystery and the divine medicines of Great Clarity, preparing them separately and treating each according to the condition.

If any died under the punishments of the law or by weapons…

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

For those who have suffered violent death, been killed in a fight, or taken their own lives, may their heads and bodies be reunited and their bodies restored. May even wounds as severe as those inflicted when a tiger and snake devour one another be healed. For those struck by lightning, burned by fire, injured by metal weapons, beaten by wood, or crushed beneath earth or falling stones, may flesh grow anew and bones be mended. May those who have drowned, starved, fallen ill from miasma or plague, or suffered from chronic ailments receive care and nourishment. May those bound in stocks or shackles, hanged or tied up, and those paralyzed, crippled, or lame be released from restraint and have their limbs stretched out. May the blind, deaf, and mute regain sight, hearing, and speech. May those covered in sores, poisoned, or whose bodies have rotted be restored with new flesh.

May pregnant women be safe, together with their children. May those who have miscarried have the old causes severed, their accumulated blood cleared, and body and mind restored to purity. May every part of the body be made whole, all illnesses dispersed, the spirit renewed, and the bones strengthened, so that they may appear before the divine beings, receive deliverance directly, spare the ghosts in the underworld their lamentation, and be brought forth into manifest transformation. To this end, I respectfully submit each request in turn, in accordance with established procedure.

Submitted on the [day] of the [month], in the [year].

Petition submitted to the Lingbao Bureau of the Dark Realm, the divine office overseeing matters such as birth and death, for use in this kind of ritual.

The Great Lingbao Ritual Bureau, in accordance with the foregoing intentions, now submits this formal petition, requesting that the Merit Officers of the Lingbao Bureau of the Dark Realm who oversee births and the retrieval of stillborn fetuses, together with the spirit officials and attendant officers of the womb, heed our plea to preserve life and descend together to examine the souls to be delivered and the departed spirits in the underworld. If any women among them died in childbirth, we respectfully ask that the officials of the Office for Oversight of Births join in, and that the Original Qi of the Primordial Beginning—the primordial, prenatal source of Qi represented by the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning—and the Lingbao Jade Talisman be applied as appropriate, with their powers directed toward careful healing and care.

For pregnancies cut short, in which the fetus was harmed unseen, may the fetus be helped to develop. When mother and child could not be delivered at the time of labor and the fetus died in the womb, may it be helped to emerge. For those who died after childbirth from stagnant blood, may the channels be cleared. For those who died from poison, disrupted menstruation, or hemorrhage, may the blood’s malign influence be subdued. May grievances be resolved, the origins of the womb’s burden be cleared, and defilements washed away, leaving the inner and outer being pure, free from entanglement in karmic stains, and able to receive the good fruits of posthumous offerings and deliverance. If this request may be granted, we respectfully ask the divine beings to witness it. Submitted with respect.

Submitted on the [day] of the [month], in the [year].

Petition submitted to the Office for Oversight of Births, the divine office responsible for supervising women’s childbirth.

The Great Lingbao Ritual Bureau, in accordance with the foregoing intentions, now submits this formal petition, requesting that the immortal officials and attendant officers of the Nine Heavens who oversee childbirth, together with the Lords of Swift Birth and Assisted Birth, supervise and preside over this matter.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Birth Attendant, Birth-Sending Attendant, Lord of the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Portal, Lady of the Nursing Chamber, Lord Who Brings Forth Life, Lady Who Gives Birth, Merit Officer Who Separates Forms, Sheds the Womb, Ends Fetal Life, and Unties Knots, Divine Lord Who Assigns Fates and Sends Forth Births, Great God Who Returns to the Womb and Nurtures the Young, and numinous officials who universally save mothers and children: I ask you all to set in motion the power of compassion and benevolence, descend upon the ritual altar, and examine and gather the souls of the deceased. Among them may be the souls of women who died in difficult childbirth. I now pray that the orthodox vital energy of the Nine Heavens set the power of creation and transformation in motion, weigh each case according to its severity, and deal with it as appropriate: may the fetal Qi of those who are pregnant be settled and complete; may the menstrual blood of those who have miscarried return to normal; may the birth passages of those in labor who cannot deliver open; may the old roots of those whose placenta has not been expelled be severed. Remove grievances and knots, and cleanse away blood and filth. Let them take jade talismans to preserve their bodies and bathe in divine water to purify body and mind, so that all may give birth safely and receive deliverance. May you all join in this act of rescue and bring about wondrous merit. Respectfully, this petition is submitted.

Petition dated: [year, month, day]

Petition to the Office for Dispelling Defilement (the Daoist ritual office responsible for removing impurity):

The Great Lingbao Ritual Office, which presides over Lingbao liturgies.

In accordance with the matters stated above, this office now issues the following petition:

This petition is addressed to:

The Lords Who Dispel Afflictions, the Five Emperors of the Five Directions; the Numinous Officials of the Nine Phoenixes Who Break Defilement; the Great Generals Who Gather, Extinguish, Set in Motion, and Remove Defilement; Lady of Washing and Rinsing; Jade Maidens of the Immortal Flowers; Jade Maidens Who Scatter Flowers; Water Envoys of the Five Directions; the Five Numinous Youths; the Jade Maiden of Yellow Florescence; and the Immortal Officials and Attendants Who Dispel Defilement. By command, descend and each take charge of your appointed duties.

Wherever an altar has been established, if taboos and defiling energies have arisen from slaughter, sexual misconduct, birth, or death; if baleful influences have come from funerals or unburied corpses; or if ordinary dust and defilement have been incurred or contracted through the mingling and passing of people and livestock, please wash everything inside and out with water of true essence. The Daoist practitioners and ritual attendants taking part in the purification ceremony must also bathe and cleanse themselves, so that body and mind are pure, the altar is clean, and the intentions held in contemplation and prayer may communicate with the spirits.

For the souls of the deceased and the lonely spirits summoned to the altar and gathered together, we also pray that the method of refining and delivering souls be applied: wash away the calamities of childbirth, blood and filth, and the dark, dull energy of yin corpses with plain broth and true crystals of Yellow Florescence. May their souls and spirits become clear and penetrating, their hearts and awareness complete and bright, so that they may appear before the divine immortals, receive their grace, and find a place of transformation and rebirth. We earnestly ask the spirits to look upon this petition and carry it out without delay. Respectfully, this petition is submitted.

Petition dated: [year, month, day]

Petition to the Fate-Examining Youths and the Mighty Spirits Who Guard the Precepts:

The Great Lingbao Ritual Office.

In accordance with the matters stated above, this office must now submit the following petition:

This petition is addressed to:

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Child Deities Who Inspect the Registers of Fate, Mighty Gods Who Protect the Precepts, the Five Emperors’ Duty Talismans (messengers serving the Celestial Emperors of the five directions), and the Clerks of the Six Palaces (divine officials of the Six Palaces):

We respectfully invite the gods to witness the sincerity of those observing the fast and to descend to the Mystic Altar, where Daoist rites are performed. Whenever the precepts are explained or a sacred talisman proclaimed, please guide the souls of the deceased here, protect them in accordance with this document, and open their minds so that they may understand the path of cultivation and cease their delusion. I, your disciple, will personally undertake their refinement and deliverance, and will also use my ritual power to guide them along the road of their next life. I have established this covenant in advance and respectfully pray for the gods’ aid. I submit this petition.

Petition dated [year, month, day].

Petition: Report to the Grand Tai Sui of the Current Year

The Lingbao Great Ritual Office submits this petition to the god Grand Tai Sui, who holds office in the current year:

In accordance with the matters reported above, this Office hereby submits this petition.

Please investigate the details and forward this document to the reviewing divine offices responsible for the relevant year, so that they may examine the matter and assign responsibility. Please also summon the souls of the deceased recommended for deliverance and have them come to the altar to receive transformation. Lead along as well the wandering souls sent from other places, so that they may all receive deliverance together.

From now on, please forward all memorials and official documents submitted by this altar to the officials and divine clerks handling this year’s affairs, as well as to the local community and settlement gods. Whenever documents are to be dispatched, please ensure they are sent on time and not delayed, so that the Zhaijiao rites may be completed smoothly and both the living and the dead may benefit. I submit this petition.

Petition dated [year, month, day].

Petition: Report to the Lord of the Boundless Spirit Realm

The Lingbao Great Ritual Office submits this petition to the Lord of the Boundless Spirit Realm, a divine official who governs that realm:

In accordance with the matters reported above, this Office hereby submits this petition.

Please investigate the details and forward this document to the underworld offices belonging to the boundless worlds of the ten directions. Have them identify the souls of the deceased persons named here, along with the souls of prisoners suffering torment. May they obey the decree, be granted leave to depart, and come here to receive deliverance in person. Upon receipt of this petition, please act as requested. I submit this petition.

Petition dated [year, month, day].

Petition: Report to the Lord of the Northern Capital of Luofeng

The Lingbao Great Ritual Office submits this petition to the Lord of the Northern Capital of Luofeng, a divine official who governs the ghostly capital of Luofeng in the north:

In accordance with the matters reported above, this Office hereby submits this petition.

Please investigate the details and announce this document throughout the underworld, the netherworld, and the prisons of the dead. Have them identify the souls of the deceased persons named here, as well as the suffering souls of prisoners serving sentences and punishments in the underworld. May they obey the decree, be granted leave to depart, and come here to receive deliverance. Upon receipt of this petition, please act as requested. I submit this petition.

Petition dated [year, month, day].

Petition: Report to the Lord of the Palace of Quanqu

The Lingbao Great Ritual Office submits this petition to the Lord of the Palace of Quanqu, a divine official who governs the Palace of Quanqu:

In accordance with the matters reported above, this Office hereby submits this petition.

Please investigate the details and circulate this document throughout …

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

In the dark depths of the spring gate of the Lower Water Court—the office that governs the hidden realm beneath the waters—root out and cleanse the suffering souls of the deceased, including the named persons, and of the prisoners condemned to labor and serve their sentences along the waterway. Let them all obey the edict, receive permission to leave, come before the altar, and personally receive deliverance. Once this document arrives, carry out its instructions according to procedure. Respectfully issued.

Year, month, day

Document sent to the Three Origins and Nine Courts, the divine offices overseeing their affairs

The Great Lingbao Ritual Office

In accordance with the matters requested above, this office hereby issues this document.

This document is sent to the offices of the Three Origins and Nine Courts that govern life and death, Yin and Yang, registers of offenses, and the adjudication of punishments involving water, fire, wind, and blades. Please investigate the matter thoroughly, forward this document for action, and notify one another. Examine the deceased souls recommended for deliverance, as well as the suffering souls in the netherworld who should be delivered. By the grace of the amnesty, erase all records of their offenses from every lifetime. After examining the cases, transmit the orders through the proper ranks for execution.

Release the souls held in the hidden prisons under the jurisdiction of the Three Origins, and let them come to the Dark Altar—the place where Daoist rites are performed—to receive merit and be transformed through rebirth. Respectfully issued.

Year, month, day

Document sent to the Seventy-Five Offices of the Eastern Peak, the various divine offices under the Eastern Peak’s authority

The Great Lingbao Ritual Office issues this document to the Seventy-Five Offices of the Eastern Peak.

In accordance with the matters requested above, this office hereby issues this document.

Please investigate the matter thoroughly, notify one another, and act promptly. Examine the records of offenses in each case, and verify the deceased souls recommended for deliverance and the souls suffering in the netherworld. If any remain unresolved because their accumulated offenses are grave and they are bound together by grudges, please release them as well under the grace of the amnesty. Send officials of the Mount Tai deity and the officers responsible for these cases to lead them here, so that deliverance may be performed. Respectfully issued.

Year, month, day

Document sent to the One Hundred and Twenty Youths of the Original Source of the Great Mystery and True Unity, a Daoist divine title. This document must be issued first when performing the ritual of joining talismans and breaking open the prisons.

The Great Lingbao Ritual Office issues this document to the One Hundred and Twenty Youths of the Original Source of the Great Mystery and True Unity.

In accordance with the matters requested above, this office respectfully submits its thanks for your great grace. The Dark Altar is now newly established, and the wondrous rites are about to begin. Yet the depths of the Ninefold Darkness in the Northern Capital are dim and sealed, and its iron walls are strong, making it difficult to open a passage. We look to the One Hundred and Twenty Youths of the Original Source of the Great Mystery and True Unity, whose vows are vast and whose ritual power is profound, and who have saved all beings since ages long past. In accordance with the instructions transmitted by the Heavenly Worthy Who Relieves Suffering in the Ten Directions, we bestow the precious talisman and entrust it to the youths, authorizing them to join it with its counterpart and shatter the barriers of the netherworld.

Half of the issued “True Talisman of the Ten Heavens’ Mysterious Transformation” is now being set aside and dispatched on the agreed date and by the prescribed means. This document must therefore be issued in advance specifically for that purpose.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

This section describes the document formats used in the “Prison-Breaking” liturgy, including the dispatches addressed to the lads and the paired dispatches addressed to the wardens of the Nine Prisons.

The closing section of the dispatch: The document respectfully asks the deities to act with compassion and tireless devotion, making the salvation of the dead their foremost concern, and to descend on a specified day and hour of the current month in response to the ritual master’s summons. It asks them to carry the jeweled staffs of the heavens and bring talismanic tokens and credentials, break through the many barriers of the Nine Prisons, and make Heaven’s grace known in the underworld, so that condemned souls may awaken and be liberated. The document states that the petitioner presumes to hope the deities will fulfill this request promptly, and therefore respectfully submits this dispatch. The date is written at the end.

The twelve paired dispatches for the lads: These are issued one by one when the prison-breaking ritual is about to take place. They are issued in the name of the Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rites, on the authority of a divine talisman and golden tablet bestowed by decree of Yuqing, one of the highest celestial realms in Daoism. The left half of the talisman is affixed to each dispatch and matched against the right half on the dispatch to the Nine Prisons as proof of authenticity. The text states that the talisman’s recipient, the Lad of Precious Radiance, and the assembled perfected beings are to proceed to break open the prisons in accordance with the dispatch. Carrying the golden tablet and wielding the flying-cloud treasures of the heavens, they are to go directly to the Eastern Prison of Wind and Thunder, join the talisman halves to grant amnesty for sins, and carry out the command in accordance with the law. The date is written at the end.

The lads and the prisons to which they are assigned are as follows:

• Lad of the Immortal Land: the Copper Pillar Prison in the southeast
• Lad of Golden Radiance: the Fire Veil Prison in the south
• Lad of Purple Emptiness: the Slaughter and Dismemberment Prison in the southwest
• Lad of True Stability: the Vajra Prison in the west
• Lad of Supreme Wisdom: the Fire Chariot Prison in the northwest
• Lad of Profound Clarity: the Dark and Cold Prison in the north
• Lad of the Wise Sun: the Boiling Cauldron Prison in the northeast
• Lad of Wondrous Truth: the Universal Plundering Prison at the center
• Lad of Jade Mountain: the Fire Pit Prison above
• Lad of Dharma Cloud: the Filth Prison below
• Lad of the Primordial Beginning: the Uninterrupted Prison in the Great Iron Ring Mountain

The wording of these eleven dispatches is the same as that of the dispatch to the Lad of Precious Radiance above, with only the names of the lads and prisons changed.

The twelve paired dispatches to the Nine Prisons: These dispatches are sent together with the formal memorial. They too are issued in the name of the Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rites, on the authority of the divine talisman and golden tablet bestowed by decree of Yuqing. The right half of the talisman is affixed to each dispatch and matched against the left half on the dispatch to the lads. The text addresses the warden of the Eastern Prison of Wind and Thunder, asking the warden to await the arrival of the Lad of Precious Radiance and the assembled perfected beings inside the prison. Once the talisman halves have been matched and verified, the warden is to obey the law and pardon the condemned souls. The date is written at the end.

The dispatch to the wardens of the General Office of the Nine Netherworld Prisons: This document is sent to the administrative office overseeing the Nine Netherworld Prisons. If it is issued as nine separate dispatches, the names are changed according to direction. It states that the Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rites is submitting a dispatch to the warden of the Eastern Prison of Wind and Thunder. Since the intent behind the bureau’s order is the same as in the preceding text, a separate dispatch must be sent to inform the warden, who is to receive it, wait, and act in accordance with its instructions.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

This Bureau has set out the relevant matters and procedures in detail, and orders all prisons within its jurisdiction to carry them out in accordance with the edicts of higher authority.

May the wisdom light of the Most High shine upon the profound darkness, dispel it, and cleanse the offenses of the deceased, including so-and-so, as well as the sins of the souls confined in the prisons. Whatever offenses led to their detention, they are all to be released, placed under the guidance of the divine officials of Mount Tai, and escorted by the officers assigned to this matter to the ritual altar, where they are to receive grace, be delivered, and transformed into new life. This order must be carried out; it may not be disobeyed. Issued accordingly.

Issued on [year, month, day].

The Lords of the Southern Hell of Fire and Shade, the Western Hell of Vajra, the Northern Hell of Dark Chill, the Northeastern Hell of Boiling Cauldrons, the Southeastern Hell of Copper Pillars, the Southwestern Hell of Dismemberment, the Northwestern Hell of the Fire Chariot, and the Central Hell of Universal Plunder; the Lords of the Thirty-Six Hells of Fengdu; the Lords of the Twenty-Four Threefold-Origin Hells of Fengdu; the Lords of the Intermittent and Uninterrupted Hells in Fengdu’s Great Iron-Walled Mountain; the Lords of the various Hells in the inner and outer palaces and caverns of Fengdu; and the Lords of the Hells of the Five Sacred Peaks:

The thirteen documents listed above contain the same text as the preceding document.

Document: To the Lords of the Three Paths and Five Sufferings

The Great Lingbao Ritual Bureau issues this document to the Lords of the Three Paths and Five Sufferings, the divine authorities in charge of the three realms of suffering and the five forms of karmic retribution.

In accordance with the purpose of the ritual, this Bureau’s instructions are the same as those in the preceding document, and this notice is therefore issued specifically to you.

Examine the relevant matters carefully, notify one another without delay, and comply with the edicts of higher authority.

May the wisdom light of the Most High open the gates of darkness, reveal and relieve the sufferings endured in the lower realms by the souls of the deceased at this ritual. All souls still bound to service in the Three Paths—the realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—or trapped by the Five Burdens and not yet freed from karmic retribution are to be released. Place them under the leadership of the divine officials of Mount Tai and bring them to the ritual altar, where they are to receive liberation in person. During the souls’ refinement and deliverance, they must pass through the offices responsible for them, have the Three Corpses—the spirits said in Daoism to dwell within the body, record misdeeds, and obstruct cultivation—destroyed, and fly beyond the Five Gates, a technical term in this scripture for the relevant barriers or portals. Bring demonic obstacles under control in accordance with the law, have the divine authorities vouch for the souls, then register and assign them to rebirth according to their respective categories. Issued accordingly.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Document: To the Prisons Within and Beyond the Blood Lake

The Great Lingbao Ritual Bureau issues this document to the Lords of the great Hells within and beyond the Blood Lake.

In accordance with the purpose of the ritual, this Bureau’s instructions are the same as those in the preceding document, and this notice is therefore issued specifically to you.

Examine the relevant matters carefully, transmit this notice to all the great defilement Hells under your jurisdiction, carry out the procedures in order, and comply with the edicts of higher authority.

May the wisdom light of Lingbao illuminate and open the long night, break through the realm of blood, and establish a new realm beyond the darkness. Cleanse the offenses of the deceased at this ritual, of female souls, and of beings across the Four Births and Six Paths. All those who have accumulated merit and cultivated diligently, yet remain unable to escape the sufferings of the Blood Lake, Womb Souls, Blood Pools, and other Hells, are to be released. Have the divine officials of Mount Tai escort them to the ritual altar, where they are to receive grace, be delivered, and transformed into new life. This order must be carried out; it may not be disobeyed. Issued accordingly.

Issued on [year, month, day].

The Lords of the Southern Hell of Accumulated Blood, the Western Hell of the Blood Pool, the Northern Hell of the Blood Mountain, the Northeastern Hell of the Blood Lake, the Southeastern Hell of Living Entrails, the Southwestern Hell of Cooked Entrails, the Northwestern Hell of Womb Souls, and the Central Hell of the Blood Lake; the Lord of Fengdu’s Great Blood Lake Hell; and the Lords of the various caverns and Hells within and beyond the Blood Lake:

The nine documents listed above contain the same text as the preceding document.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

The souls under the jurisdiction of the various hells who died in childbirth, whose bodies bear blood, or who met violent deaths through killing, injury, or other causes must all be pardoned and released, whether or not they have completed their appointed periods of punishment or have previously left the underworld. They are to be transferred to the Great Spirit of Pure Waves, the deity responsible for washing away blood pollution and purifying the souls of the dead, to cleanse them of filth and foul energy. The officials in charge are then to handle the matter and assign benevolent guiding spirit officials to lead the souls together to the ritual altar, where they will await summons and reception. There they will receive treatment and bathing, so that they may take part in the court rites, receive grace, and be transformed into new lives through rebirth. This document is hereby issued.

Issued on the year, month, and day.

To the presiding spirit of the Xiashi Hell:

The contents of the document above are the same as those in the preceding text.

Document Issued to the Great Spirit of Pure Waves

The Lingbao Chief Office for Great Rituals issues this document to the Great Spirit of Pure Waves:

In accordance with the matters set out above, this office now issues this notice.

Please investigate and carry out this matter, and circulate notice to the Blood Lake Hells and other such places. In accordance with the talismanic command and amnesty decree, open the gates of the dark springs of the underworld and register all the souls in the prisons who died in childbirth, through killing or injury, by accidental or violent death, or from blood pollution and harmful magic. Regardless of their karmic offenses, release them all and rescue them from the filthy hells. Guide them to the place of Pure Waves for washing, remove their bloody filth, free them from bonds and obstructions, resolve their enmities, and restore their bodies and spirits to wholeness. Assign benevolent guiding spirit officials and the responsible officials to lead them together to the ritual altar, where they will await summons and reception. The official overseeing rebirth is to arrange their bathing and personally carry out their liberation rite. This document is hereby issued.

Issued on the year, month, and day.

Document Issued to the Eastern Peak Office for Matters Concerning the Dead

The Lingbao Chief Office for Great Rituals issues this document to the Eastern Peak Office for Matters Concerning the Dead:

In accordance with the matters set out above, this office now issues this notice.

Upon receiving this document, please investigate the details and notify the clerks under your jurisdiction, the underworld officials responsible for paperwork. Have them examine and compile, one by one, the records of past-life karma for the deceased, such as so-and-so, and for the suffering souls in the lower realm, then submit the findings to the Peak Office. In accordance with the amnesty, erase all their charges and release them to come here. Personally carry out their liberation rite. This document is hereby issued.

Issued on the year, month, and day.

The four Peak Offices for Matters Concerning the Dead are to proceed in the same way.

Document Issued to the Eastern Peak Office for Matters Concerning Solitary Souls

The Lingbao Chief Office for Great Rituals issues this document to the Eastern Peak Office for Matters Concerning Solitary Souls:

In accordance with the matters set out above, this office now issues this notice.

Please examine and carry out this matter immediately, and notify all places under your jurisdiction. Register all solitary souls, both those with known sponsors and those without, as well as prisoners and suffering souls throughout the nine provinces and ten circuits, whether their deaths were recent or long ago, whether they are near or far, and whether or not they have grievances. Release them all. Assign spirit officials to escort them here and place them under the care of the Soul-Gathering Office, where they are to await…

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

This passage contains several official documents addressed to the offices of the underworld as part of a grand Lingbao purification ritual. Their purpose is to free the souls being saved from burdens such as unresolved debts, curses, and oaths.

The previous document ends by saying: May all these souls receive deliverance and be granted rebirth. Do not detain or hold them back and thereby impede the ritual. Upon receipt of this document, please act in accordance with its instructions. Respectfully submitted. (Dated with the year, month, and day.)

Document to the Office of Dongyue in Charge of Grudges and Feuds: The Great Lingbao Ritual Office, which presides over the purification rite, addresses the department responsible for grudges and feuds in Dongyue, the underworld of Mount Tai. In accordance with the intent set out by this altar, this document is issued. Please investigate thoroughly and examine, one by one, the records of grievances and debts involving the souls being saved at this ritual assembly. If any souls, over successive lifetimes, have taken lives, incurred debts of money or property, or harmed people and other beings, perpetuating cycles of revenge; if they remain imprisoned and held for cross-examination; or if unresolved matters involve “contagion of corpse illness among kin,” “tomb litigation” arising from burials, or curses and oaths entangling the parties, then, by the merit of this grand purification and through the Emperor’s pardon, destroy all the relevant registers and prevent the souls from being reported again. Order every place of confinement to release them and have the officials handling their cases escort them to the altar, where they may receive grace and be transformed and delivered. Respectfully submitted.

Document to the Office of Dongyue in Charge of Curses and Oaths: The Great Lingbao Ritual Office likewise issues this document. Please investigate thoroughly and instruct the clerks to retrieve and check, one by one, the records of curses and oaths held in the various offices. Some of the recommended souls may, while alive, have fought with others, uttered reckless and baseless spoken curses, drawn up written statements of curses or oaths, or made agreements with others. Please gather these documents and submit them to the Dongyue administration. In accordance with the “universal pardon of Heaven” granted at the grand purification assembly, burn them all to dissolve the entanglements between the parties. Also identify all the souls involved in the related cases and held for cross-examination, and have the clerks of the Mount Tai deity escort them to the altar so that they may personally receive deliverance. Please carry out these instructions promptly. Respectfully submitted.

Document to the Office of Dongyue in Charge of the Merits of the Dead: The Great Lingbao Ritual Office likewise issues this document. Once the souls have arrived, please investigate thoroughly. This altar, acting in accordance with the merits of the purification rite, joins in carrying out their deliverance. After the souls awaiting deliverance at this altar—the solitary souls—have completed their ritual refinement, by which the dead are transformed and raised up, they will bring talismans and documents to your office. Please instruct the relevant clerks to examine and record any good deeds or praiseworthy qualities the deceased displayed during their lives, however small, as well as the merits of the rites of recommendation and deliverance performed after their deaths by their descendants and relatives. On this basis, enter their merits in the records and grant them recognition.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

All previously accumulated causes of goodness and the merit of this great fast should be registered and carried out together, without delay, so that the roots of harmful karma may be removed. A document is now issued on purple tablets, the Daoist medium for conveying commands and recording matters, and forwarded to the relevant offices. They are instructed to verify the circumstances of the departed souls, issue certifications, and submit reports. Once the Yellow Register Court, the office overseeing matters related to Yellow Register rites, has checked the records, it should register each soul’s destination in its next life according to the rank it is due, so that all suffering souls may be delivered. May benevolence and grace spread far and wide. Thus is this document issued.

Issued on [day] of [month], [year].

Document to the Case Office at Mount Tai in Charge of Rebirth

The Bureau of Great Lingbao Rituals issues this document to the Case Office at Mount Tai in Charge of Rebirth:

We are proceeding in accordance with the matters stated above and hereby issue this document. Please investigate and handle the matter properly, following the Sovereign Lord’s instructions and showing concern for the departed souls in the netherworld. After this altar has performed the rite of deliverance for the souls, please use the talismans and registers to carry out the procedures.

Upon receiving this document, consult the records of merit and register the good fruits according to procedure. Increase good deeds widely, remove harmful karma, and sever the roots of descent into hell. Then issue a certification and report it to the Yellow Register Court for review. Next, register each soul’s destination in its next life according to its rank. Do not let them remain lost on the way, lest this obstruct their deliverance. Thus is this document issued.

Issued on [day] of [month], [year].

Document to the Case Office of the Capital of the Six Paths

The Bureau of Great Lingbao Rituals issues this document to the Case Office of the Capital of the Six Paths:

We are proceeding in accordance with the matters stated above and hereby issue this document. Please review and carry out the matter, and promptly dispatch the officials and officers in charge of the Six Paths to deliver notices throughout the netherworld regions, including the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands. Have the relevant departed souls assemble in advance and send them here to wait, so that they may together receive summons, deliverance, and instruction, and attain new life. Thus is this document issued.

Issued on [day] of [month], [year].

Document to the Underworld Office of Transformation into New Life

The Bureau of Great Lingbao Rituals issues this document to the Underworld Office of Transformation into New Life:

We are proceeding in accordance with the matters stated above and hereby issue this document. Please heed Heaven’s virtue of cherishing life, show benevolence, and extend aid widely. Among the wandering souls for whom this altar performs the rite of deliverance, some have fallen into the Three Evil Paths—hell, the hungry ghosts, and animals—because they remain entangled in karmic retribution. Now, by good fortune, they receive Heaven’s grace through this fast. In accordance with the edict of pardon and the register of names, please enable them to shed their forms as other kinds of beings and be reborn as human beings.

Whether they fly, swim beneath the waters, crawl, or possess awareness or not, all living beings rely on the merit of the ritual to escape the consequences of evil forever. We respectfully request that you carry out this petition at once. Thus is this document issued.

Issued on [day] of [month], [year].

Document to the Adjudicators and Attendants of the Two Departments of Good and Evil

The Bureau of Great Lingbao Rituals issues this document to the adjudicators and attendants of the Two Departments of Good and Evil:

We are proceeding in accordance with the matters stated above and hereby issue this document. Please investigate and handle the matter properly. Send the records and related documents already entered in the registers of life and death, good and evil, concerning the deceased [name] and others, as well as the souls who have received deliverance, to …

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

To the divine officials responsible for assessing guilt and merit in the Yellow Register Bureau, which oversees Yellow Register purification rites and examines the sins and blessings of the dead:

Whether the deceased committed sins or not, and whether they accumulated good deeds or not, all are to be included in the grace of pardon bestowed through this Great Purification Rite, a large-scale purification ritual. Burn all records of their sins, and make no further inquiry into them. Let the roots of harmful karma be severed, and let good fortune descend to support them, so that the deceased no longer fall into the suffering of transmigration but are reborn in a blessed realm. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day Official dispatch

Dispatch: To the Great General Who Turns the Wheel of the Six Paths

The Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rites, which oversees Lingbao liturgies, issues this dispatch to the Great General Who Turns the Wheel of the Six Paths:

In accordance with the matters stated above, this bureau now issues this notice.

Please investigate thoroughly and handle the matter appropriately. Among all beings of the Six Paths who have received deliverance at this altar, some may still be entangled by karmic obstacles because their accumulated merit is not yet complete, and thus continue to transmigrate without release. In accordance with the pardon granted through the Great Purification Rite, please raise them from the evil paths to the good paths, then free them from the cycle of the Six Paths, so that they may together attain the highest realization and pass directly beyond the long ages of tribulation. May this benefit both the underworld and the world of the living, and bring their merit to completion. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day Official dispatch

Dispatch: To the Envoys Who Assign the Four Kinds of Birth

The Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rites issues this dispatch to the Envoys Who Assign the Four Kinds of Birth:

In accordance with the matters stated above, this bureau now issues this notice.

Please carry this out so that all beings may share in this grace. For all beings born from wombs, eggs, moisture, or transformation, as well as those with scales, shells, or feathers, since they are fortunate enough to receive the grace of pardon, please follow the arrangements for merit established by the Yellow Register Bureau’s purification rites. Let them shed their former bodies, escape capture in nets and traps, leave the evil paths, and be transformed into immortals or reborn as human beings. In this way, living beings, including plants and animals, as well as the underworld and the world of the living, may all benefit. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day Official dispatch

Dispatch: To the Office of the Dead under the Ruler of Fengdu

The Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rites issues this dispatch to the Office of the Dead under the Ruler of Fengdu, the Daoist underworld:

In accordance with the matters stated above, this bureau now issues this notice.

Please investigate the matter thoroughly and direct the subordinate clerks to act. Examine the deceased named so-and-so and others, as well as the souls imprisoned in the underworld and enduring suffering. Whether their past records of sin list them as guilty or not, include them all in the grace of pardon, and cancel and erase their records. Summon the souls now held in confinement, and have benevolent spirits and clerks escort them to the ritual altar, where they may receive the merit of the purification rites and, through that merit, be reborn. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day Official dispatch

Dispatch: To the Offices of the Dead in the Ten Courts of the Underworld

The Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rites issues this dispatch to the Offices of the Dead in the Ten Courts of the Underworld:

In accordance with the matters stated above, this bureau now issues this notice.

Please carry this out and examine the men and women among the deceased souls currently receiving deliverance, as well as the orphaned souls…

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Regardless of whether the registers of the deceased’s offenses have already been examined or verified and closed, we humbly beseech the grace of Heaven to have them all burned. Release the souls of the dead and place them in the charge of the officials of the God of Mount Tai. Let the divine tiger officers lead them to the altar, where they may receive merit, be delivered from suffering, and be transformed into new life. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day: issued

Document addressed to the Water Bureau, which oversees cases concerning the dead

The Lingbao Great Law Bureau issues this document to the Water Bureau, which oversees cases concerning the dead:

In accordance with the matters submitted above, this bureau now issues this notice. Please review and carry out the following: carefully examine, one by one, the past registers of offenses of the souls being delivered in this rite. Whether or not they have suffered unjust karma, and whether or not retribution has already been carried out, all are to be pardoned. Rescue them from the realm of sinking and suffering, and place them in the care of the responsible officials, who shall lead them to the altar to receive grace and be reborn into new life. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day: issued

Document addressed to the Water Bureau, which oversees cases concerning solitary souls

The Lingbao Great Law Bureau issues this document to the Water Bureau, which oversees cases concerning solitary souls:

In accordance with the matters submitted above, this bureau now issues this notice. Please review and carry it out, and notify the waterways in all regions to seek out every soul who drowned and has no place to return to, who remains stranded in the depths. Whether recently dead or long departed, and regardless of number, all are to be registered and released. Send them to the altar to await the universal summons, receive the merit of the Zhaijiao purification rite, and then be reborn according to their respective kinds. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day: issued

Document addressed to the Masters of the Sources of the Twelve Rivers

The Lingbao Great Law Bureau issues this document to the Masters of the Sources of the Twelve Rivers:

In accordance with the matters submitted above, this bureau now issues this notice. Please investigate thoroughly and transmit this document to all Water Bureaus, springs and sources, rivers and seas, lakes, waterways, streams, pools and caverns, Dragon Courts, bridges, weirs, dams, sluices, and crossings. Search for and gather the souls being delivered in this rite. All souls compelled to labor along the waterways or submerged in the Spring Halls are to receive pardon, be released and sent here, and personally receive deliverance.

In addition, gather all souls under your jurisdiction who died by throwing themselves into rivers, shipwreck, drowning, or other violent deaths and have no place to return to, whether or not they are being held by resentment or fixation over past wrongs. Send them to the ferry crossing so they may leave the waters. You must also notify the deities in charge along the route not to obstruct or delay them. Ensure that they are safely handed over to the supervising officials and escorted to the altar, where they may share in the merit of the wondrous Dharma, undergo refinement and deliverance, and attain new life. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day: issued

Document addressed to the Southern Marchmount Bureau, which oversees cases concerning birds (advance notice; to be issued when the report is submitted for review)

The Lingbao Great Law Bureau issues this document to the Southern Marchmount Bureau, which oversees cases concerning birds:

In accordance with the matters submitted above, this bureau now issues this notice.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Please investigate the purpose and circumstances of this Zhaijiao (purification ritual) in detail. Confirm that its merit is boundless, then dispatch the gods and divine officers under your jurisdiction to the site of the ritual altar. Summon the local gods of fate, the earth gods, and the gods who receive temple offerings, and notify the officials guarding the altar grounds: from now on, they must prevent sparrows and other birds from gathering or roosting above the hall, and must not allow them to carry in or peck at filth, lest they defile this consecrated place. They should patrol and guard it at all times, without negligence or failure. Only then can the Yellow Altar be established in due dignity, with reverence to welcome the Imperial Lord’s descent. Once the task is complete, let these gods come and go as they will.

Throughout the period of the Zhai, whether memorials are presented or petitions submitted, or the altar is ascended for audience and supplication, may auspicious cranes and blue luan birds—celestial birds that symbolize good fortune—fly in at the appointed time and circle and dance above the altar. In this way, they will manifest the power of the gods, transform harmonious Qi into auspicious signs, and bring blessings and joy even to the departed in the netherworld. This is hereby communicated.

Year, month, day. Official dispatch.

Official Dispatch to the Great Demon Kings of the Six Upper and Lower Palaces of Fengdu

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rite issues this dispatch to the Great Demon Kings of the Six Upper and Lower Palaces of Fengdu:

In accordance with the circumstances stated above, this office now issues this notice. Please investigate thoroughly and notify the palaces and grotto-heavens, both within and beyond, and examine the affairs under the jurisdiction of the netherworld authorities. Verify the recommended departed souls and the suffering spirits of the Lower Origin—those who endure hardship in the netherworld. If any have been unable to escape suffering because of karmic offenses, enmity, or retribution, please, in accordance with the pardon, erase their records of guilt and release them from prison, so that they may go to the ritual altar and personally receive the wondrous fruits of the Daoist rites. Once their deliverance is complete, please continue to process each case in accordance with the talismans and registers, and recommend them for advancement according to their merit, so that they may be entered into the registers of the living. This is hereby communicated.

Year, month, day. Official dispatch.

Official Dispatch to the Inspecting Officials of Fengdu’s Netherworld Bureau

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rite issues this dispatch to the inspecting officials of Fengdu’s netherworld bureau:

In accordance with the circumstances stated above, this office now issues this notice. Please investigate, as required, the degree of karmic offenses accumulated by the recommended departed souls during their lives, and grant them all leniency in accordance with the pardon. Also notify the netherworld administration and release the departed souls from the prisons below, so that they may come and personally receive deliverance. Please also register and examine all spirits imprisoned and suffering, dispatch them to the altar grounds to share in the merit of the Zhai, and ensure that they receive rebirth and transformation in due course. This is hereby communicated.

Year, month, day. Official dispatch.

Official Dispatch to the Gods of Fate, Records, Merit, and Execution of Fengdu

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rite:

In accordance with the circumstances stated above, this office now issues this notice.

This document is hereby sent to the gods of fate, records, merit, and execution of Fengdu; the True Lords of the Four Luminaries; the Five Sacred Peaks …

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Bull-Headed Wardens of the Underworld, the God-King of the Awe-Inspiring Sword, the nine hundred million Ghost Kings who serve as Heavenly Cavalry and Armored Soldiers, the Mighty Heaven Giants, the Divine Soldiers of Punishment, and Cui, Lord of the Underworld, and the Great King with the Burnt Face: carry this out at once and notify the various offices of the underworld, the prisons of the netherworld, and all other relevant places. This matter must be reported.

May the wise light of the Most High open and clear the gates of the Netherworld Springs, so that those who suffer may be freed from anguish and pain, and may all receive the grace of pardon. Wash away the roots of sin of the departed souls being delivered in this rite, as well as those of the suffering spirits in the dark prisons; release them from their confinement and bring them here under the command of the officials of the Department of Divine Officers of Mount Tai, so that they may respectfully receive the merit of the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and be delivered across in due course. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, and day of issue

Document addressed to the Jade Maiden of Mysterious Darkness and Night Radiance

The Great Lingbao Office of the Dao issues this document to the Jade Maiden of Mysterious Darkness and Night Radiance:

In accordance with the foregoing, this office now issues this notice.

Please recognize the sincerity of the Zhaijiao and join in advancing benevolent intentions. May the immeasurable, true light of Lingbao illuminate the long night; may the cries of suffering fall silent, and may realms of punishment involving water, fire, and wind-blades all be transformed into realms of purity. Guide the departed souls mentioned above, along with the sinful spirits in the Netherworld Pass and the Court of the Springs, out of their confinement and to the Mysterious Altar, where the Zhaijiao is held, so that they may respectfully receive rites of deliverance and cultivation and ascend in due course. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, and day

Document addressed to the Great Deity of Dark Waters

The Great Lingbao Office of the Dao issues this document to the Great Deity of Dark Waters:

In accordance with the foregoing, this office now issues this notice.

Carry this out at once and notify the relevant prisons of the netherworld, including the Cold Pool of the Northern Capital and the source of the River of Winding Springs. Wash away the roots of sin of the departed souls, prisoners, and suffering sinful spirits who are to be gathered here, regardless of the severity of their offenses. In reverent accordance with the grace of pardon, release them from the gates of the Springs and place them under the command of the divine officers of Mount Tai, who will lead them to the altar to receive the merit of the Zhaijiao, escape their former state, and be reborn transformed. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, and day

Document addressed to the Six Jia Guides and Emissaries

The Great Lingbao Office of the Dao issues this document:

This document is addressed to the Six Jia Guides and Emissaries, the Soul-Guiding Boys, the deities of roads and fields, and the emissaries who lead the dead. Carry this out and work together to rescue the sunken souls. Ride upon the treasure light to illuminate the dark road, and carry spirit banners, used to guide souls, to open the path through the netherworld. Notify the guardians at every pass along the way and lead the departed souls along the proper road. Guide them onward and rescue the lonely spirits who have no one to depend on. Summon the departed souls who wander in confusion; act promptly, without stopping or causing delay, lest the rite of deliverance be held up. We earnestly request that you comply and carry this out swiftly. This document is hereby issued.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

Document for Entering the Year, Month, and Day

Notice to the Director of Destinies

Office of the Great Lingbao Law:

On the basis of the matter described above, this office now submits a report of thanks. The altar precinct is about to open, and there is much to attend to. Moreover, the purification and cultivation must continue for several days and nights, and we greatly fear that demonic obstacles may arise. We must therefore remain carefully on guard.

We respectfully invite the Director of Destinies, the Earth God, the Gate Guardians, the Household Guardians, the Twelve Taboos, the Five Roads and Six Spirits in the household of the fasting official, together with all deities associated with incense offerings inside and outside the home. We also invite the generals overseeing the altar and all the gods of temples throughout the local territory to observe the merits of the purification rite and each do their utmost to assist. We fear that coffins, concealed corpses, matters of food and sexual relations, hidden spirits and goblins, the presence of meat and fish, or accumulated worldly filth may bring various forms of impurity. These must all be cleared away in advance, so that the altar precinct is solemn and clean, ready to receive the gods as they descend to partake of the purification offerings, the offerings of food and grain, and the implements used in the ritual proceedings.

Throughout the purification period, the precinct must be guarded as usual. Chickens, dogs, cats, and mice must not be allowed to sneak in, disturb the rite, or defile it; nor may ill-intentioned people be allowed to steal or cause damage. Those who deliberately violate these rules must be identified and reported to the supervising generals, then punished publicly according to regulations, as a warning to those who come after them. Lamps, candles, fires, and other accidents must also be checked for and guarded against regularly, and possible calamities must be averted in advance. If anything remains unsettled during the proceedings, discreet assistance must be given so that the ritual is not obstructed.

All those who enter the altar precinct to undertake purification, present memorials, or submit petitions rely on the transmission of incense to express their sincerity and communicate with the highest heavens. The departed souls and wandering spirits sent from various places must be comforted and brought into order; they must not be allowed to cause disturbance. They should be guided in sequence to receive deliverance and cultivate merit. Any requests or inquiries should be taken up and handled as they arise. In this way, the ritual proceedings can remain orderly from beginning to end, benefiting both the unseen realm and the human world. Rewards have their proper rites; we ask permission to record this matter in a memorial. We trust that all parties will comply and not violate the regulations. This notice is therefore issued.

This notice is issued to the Director of Destinies, the Earth God, and the other gods in the household of the fasting official, with instructions to proceed accordingly.

Year, month, day: notice issued

Official Dispatch and Talismanic Warrant for the Envoys

Office of the Great Lingbao Law:

This office now issues an official dispatch to be delivered to the following places:

One official dispatch is issued for each place, folded at the corner, sealed, and delivered separately to:

The Lord of the Great City God of All Under Heaven;

the Lord of the City God of a certain prefecture;

the Lord of the City God of a certain county;

the Marquis or King of a certain temple in this local territory;

the principal gods of shrines and temples in nearby and distant villages;

the principal local gods of the land and community;

the Lord of the Shrine Commands of the Nine Provinces.

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

The Great Lord of the Dao in the Ten Directions (the great deity who commands the Dao realms of the ten directions)

The Great Deities of the Five Directions and Five Paths (the great deities who govern the five directions and five paths)

The Lord of the Netherworld Passes and Hidden Roads (the deity who governs the passes of the underworld and the roads of the netherworld)

The Lord of Mount Tai, Xianggong of Haoli, and the deities of water and land in the realms of the ten directions

The deities of roadside shrines and temples, and of water and land crossings and ferry points in a certain prefecture and locality

The local earth gods along the roads of Mount Tai

The divine officials of the Five Paths, the Five Afflictions, and the Thirty-Six Afflictions (officials who govern the related calamities and injuries)

The local earth gods, True Officials of the Districts (divine officials who govern local areas), and principal deities worshiped within and outside the jurisdiction of a certain Daoist temple

The local earth gods and True Officials of the Districts who inspect and verify affairs in a certain locality

The deities who inspect and uphold vows

The local earth gods of a certain mountain burial ground, and all the mountain spirits

The Divine Tiger, the two Great Sages He and Qiao, and the officers and generals charged with summoning and controlling spirits

The heavenly deities, officers, and attendants of the various bureaus, courts, and offices under the jurisdiction of a certain Jing (a Daoist organization or residence)

The officers and generals responsible for the water and fire bureaus’ refining-and-deliverance rites in the Great Lingbao Rites (refining and deliverance is a Daoist rite for rescuing the souls of the dead)

The Upper Clarity Yellow Registers Court (a Daoist institution overseeing Yellow Register purification rites and related affairs)

The flying celestial messengers of the ten directions

The Merit Officers of the Seven Paths (divine clerks who convey documents and carry out commands)

The Great General Who Bears the Pardon

The Merit Officers and divine generals of the Soul-Gathering Office

The officials and deities serving in the Celestial Physicians Office

The Merit Officers, officers, and attendants overseeing birth affairs in the Mysterious Lingbao Bureau

The youths who inspect registers of destiny, and the mighty spirits who protect the precepts

The deity of the Grand Year who watches over the current year

The presiding deity of the Boundless Divine Realm

The presiding deity of the Northern Capital of Luofeng (Luofeng is a Daoist legendary realm of the underworld)

The presiding deity of the Office of the Winding Springs (an administrative office in the underworld)

The officials of the Three Origins and Nine Offices who oversee registers of life, death, and transgressions, and conduct investigations and hearings

The Seventy-Five Offices of the Eastern Peak (the seventy-five offices under the Eastern Peak administration, each overseeing different affairs)

The Youth of the Primordial Foundation of the Great Mystery and True Unity

The presiding deity of the General Office of the Ninefold Abyss Hells

The presiding deity of the Thirty-Six Hells of Fengdu

The presiding deity of the Twenty-Four Hells of the Three Origins in Fengdu

The presiding deity of the Hells with Intervals and Without Intervals in Fengdu’s Great Iron-Enclosing Mountain (respectively, hells where suffering is interrupted and where it is unceasing)

The presiding deities of the various hells in the palaces and grotto-abodes within and beyond Fengdu

The presiding deities of the Five Sacred Mountains’ Hells

The presiding deities of the Three Paths and Five Sufferings (conditions of suffering in the underworld)

The presiding deities of the great hells within and beyond the Blood Lake

The presiding deity of the Gorge-Stone Hell

The Great Deity of Pure Waves

The officials of the Eastern Peak who oversee case files concerning the dead

The officials of the Four Sacred Peaks who oversee case files concerning the dead

The officials of the Eastern Peak who oversee case files concerning lonely souls

The officials of the Eastern Peak who oversee case files concerning grievances and enmities

The officials of the Eastern Peak who oversee case files concerning curses

The officials of the Eastern Peak who oversee case files concerning the merits and virtues of the dead

The officials of the Eastern Peak who oversee case files concerning rebirth

The general clerks of the central office who oversee affairs of the Six Paths (the six destinations into which sentient beings are reborn)

The Office of Transformation and Rebirth in Fengdu (an office overseeing the transformation and rebirth of departed souls)

The judges and youths of the Offices of Good and Evil

The Great General of Reincarnation, who presides over the cycle of rebirth through the Six Paths

The messengers who assign beings to the Four Modes of Birth (womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born)

Collapse ▲

Interpretation

The administrative offices of Fengdu (the chief seat of the underworld in Daoist belief) that oversee the registers of the dead;

the offices in the Ten Palaces of the Underworld that oversee the registers of the dead;

the offices in the Water Realm that oversee the registers of the dead;

the offices in the Water Realm that oversee the solitary souls (the spirits of the dead with no place of refuge);

the presiding deities of the sources of the twelve rivers;

the offices on Mount Heng in the South that oversee birds;

the great demon kings of the six upper and lower palaces of Fengdu;

the inspecting officials of Fengdu’s underworld;

the deities of Fengdu in charge of fate and records, who respectively administer lifespans and records of merits and faults;

the Jade Maiden of Great Mystery and Night Radiance;

the Great Deity Mingling;

and the envoys who guide and open the way for the Six Jia.

The official documents above must be conveyed one by one and delivered without fail to every checkpoint. This dispatch is now entrusted to the divine envoys: the Merit Officers on duty for the year, month, day, and hour, as well as the Direct Talisman Envoys of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Realms. They are to hand over and manage the documents according to the quantities listed, proceed by separate routes to the true offices in charge at each location, and deliver the documents clearly. They must not delay along the way, but immediately inspect and carry out the matter.

Let this be proclaimed and reported accordingly.

Dispatch dated the [day] of the [month], in the [year].

The Great Method of the Numinous Treasure of Highest Clarity, juan 64.

Collapse ▲