《上清靈寶大法(一)》Vol. 65

The Official of the Supreme Shangqing Lingbao Great Rites submits this document to a certain Marquis-King of this region:

On a certain day in a certain month, this office will hold a Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat for a certain sponsor, lasting for a number of days and nights, to mourn the departed souls of certain deceased persons. The relevant documents have been prepared. We respectfully ask your office to oversee the matter.

As the retreat period approaches, we fear that ignorant people may fail to correct their conduct and offend the altar’s prohibitions. We look up to the merits and virtue of the Marquis-King, whose name has reached the celestial realm and who is worshipped locally; whose illustrious fame and might shake the four quarters, and whose blessings extend widely among the people. All hold your wisdom and divine insight in reverence. We therefore earnestly pray that you descend to assist and protect the retreat rites, and submit this document specifically for that purpose.

We respectfully ask you to muster your troops, ride out to clear the way, and proceed to the Jade Steps to await orders. Halt your carriages and horses, raise your standards, issue commands, display your might, and guard the altar. Please inspect hidden places, search out and remove evil influences and defilements, and drive away people and animals harmful to the altar, as well as disturbances caused by the baleful Qi of corpses lying in the earth. If anyone violates the prohibitions by eating meat or drinking wine, please manifest your divine might and strictly restrain them. Also disperse the celestial incense so that it spreads throughout the four quarters; welcome the Celestial Emperor to descend before the altar, guide the departed souls, and bring peace to all spirits in the netherworld.

We also ask you to oversee every part of the proceedings, so that the retreat rites may be completed in accordance with the proper procedures. From beginning to end, may your blessings reach both the netherworld and the human realm. May you exalt the Great Dao; when the work is complete, your merit will surely be proclaimed and rewarded. We earnestly await the successful completion of the retreat rites and will not forget to see your divine retinue off. Respectfully submitted.

Submitted on a certain day in a certain month of a certain year.

Petition for Borrowing Land, Building an Altar, and Breaking Ground

The Official of the Lingbao Great Rites submits this document to the Imperial Lord of the Earthly Department and Tai Sui, the Venerable Spirits of the Five Soils, the Divine Lords of the Four Sacred Beasts, and the hundred gods who govern prohibitions:

At the request of a certain retreat sponsor, this office will hold a Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat on a certain day in a certain month, to mourn the departed souls of certain deceased persons and pray that they may ascend to the realms of the immortals. This office has already reported the matter to the Celestial Court and sought approval to deliver them from suffering. Now that the retreat period is near and the rites are about to begin, we intend to borrow the vacant ground in the central sector to build a Mysterious Altar, welcome the Imperial Lords and Perfected Gods to descend, and conduct the sacrifice with due solemnity. We therefore submit this document specifically for that purpose.

We respectfully ask all the gods to understand the merit of the retreat rites and temporarily leave your respective quarters: may the Azure Dragon go to the east, the Vermilion Bird to the south…

The White Tiger, the divine beast of the West, travels westward; the Black Tortoise, the divine beast of the North, withdraws northward; and Gouchen, the spirit who presides over the center, withdraws to the middle. The force of baleful Sha hides deep within.

All the many thousands of spirits belonging to this place are to withdraw twenty-five paces each and rise to a distant, elevated place.

The altar ground reaches upward to the realm of the Three Heavens and extends downward to the Nine Layers of the underworld. Its eight directions are marked out, and the altar is raised in three tiers, resembling the vast, tranquil purity of Qingdu, the celestial capital. The Jade Carriage, borne by the celestial gods, is invited to descend. In accordance with the documents of the Yellow Register rite for rescuing the dead, the departed souls are enabled to pass through the gates of the underworld. Should lingering, inauspicious energy remain from a hidden corpse, or demonic influences seize an opening to intrude, they must be strictly restrained according to the prohibitions and commandments, and confined beneath Kui and Gang, the stellar powers that subdue evil. Only then can the ritual be successfully completed. The relevant divine offices must also carry out their duties in accordance with the regulations, ensuring that the altar ground remains secure and undisturbed. This notice is hereby issued.

Year, month, and day: notice issued.

Notice for Dismantling the Altar and Restoring the Ground

At the altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat, notice is hereby issued to the Earth Office, which governs the land. The matter is as stated above.

Yesterday, at this altar, a certain Retreat sponsor performed rites to dedicate merit to the departed souls of certain deceased persons. With reverence and in accordance with the prescribed liturgical procedures, an altar was temporarily erected on this ground to pay homage to the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning and conduct the ritual. The rites are now complete, and the altar is about to be dismantled. Regulations require that the spirits of the Central Palace offices be summoned and each return to the Earth Office. This notice is therefore issued.

We ask all the spirits to uphold the mysterious regulations together and return to their proper places: may the Yellow, Black, Azure, and Green directions be settled, and the Nine Palaces restored to purity and stillness; may the east, west, south, and north be secure, and each of the Eight Trigrams return to its proper position. May all things be stable, without further tilting or sinking. May the departed souls receive deliverance and be forever freed from the underworld; may the Retreat sponsor receive blessings, and may the merit of this rite be recorded in the registers of the Earth Office. May the human and celestial realms celebrate together, and may all living things, plants and animals alike, dwell in peace. We humbly pray for stability and respectfully await your inspection.

Year, month, and day: notice issued.

Notice Commanding Water to Dispel Impurity

At the altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat:

With reverence, this altar has been established for the Great Retreat in accordance with the laws of the Mysterious Gate. Yet we remain concerned that this worldly, mundane place may be polluted and impure, and that noxious and defiling influences may be present. We therefore use sword water, the ritual water for purifying the retreat altar, to cleanse the grounds, and hereby issue this notice.

This notice requests that the officers and troops who dispel impurity in the five directions, the divine generals of the four gates, the Great Spirits of the Eight Trigrams, the Divine Lords of the Four Emblems, and the local Earth spirits and guardian deities who keep watch over the altar, respectfully receive the command of the Celestial Emperor and come together to the Mysterious Altar. They are to summon the celestial troops in their entirety and exercise their divine power: command the Five Dragons to spray water, washing away pollution, raising what is clear and removing what is impure; command the Nine Phoenixes to carry talismans in their beaks, driving away malign influences and cleansing defilement. Let the dusty, mundane place be transformed into a pure and tranquil one, so that the inner and outer altar grounds are solemn and dignified, and celestial gods and human participants may gather there.

All who dare to stir up demonic apparitions and cause trouble are to be confined beneath Kui and Gang, made to obey reverently and comply with the law. May both the visible realm and the underworld receive this grace. When this notice arrives, carry it out in accordance with the Laws of Nüqing, the divine laws of Daoism. This notice is hereby issued.

Documents issued in year, month, and day.

Petition to the General Who Clears the Way

The Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat addresses this petition to the Great General Who Clears the Way.

With reverence, this altar carries out the rites in accordance with the sacred regulations. Following the solemn liturgy, we first sound the golden bell, then open the Way of the Kaiyang star. We now issue this petition and invite the Great General to descend to the Mysterious Altar, where the rites are performed, and set the Qi of the Origin of Heaven in motion. The bell’s sound should ring out clear and far, in harmony with the cadence of the Nine Suns. The wondrous light should appear and disappear, opening the Three Radiances—the celestial lights of the sun, moon, and stars. With sincere hearts, the retreat altar prays in silence, reaching upward to the subtle order of the Mystery. Thus the rites begin. Respectfully submitted.

Documents issued in year, month, and day.

Petition to the General Who Guards the Altar

The Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat addresses this petition to the Great General Who Guards the Altar.

With reverence, this altar follows the ritual canon and carefully observes the order of the retreat rites. At the beginning of the retreat, the jade chime is sounded to summon the Yin spirits. We now issue this petition and invite the Great General to work his wondrous transformations unseen and open the earth; to spread the Brahma sound, summon the subtle Qi hidden in darkness, and bring the Qi of Original Yang into harmony, in accord with the primordial principle that precedes the formation of Taiji. Mortals and sages may then dwell together, while the spirits of wind and cloud gather in celebration. Respectfully submitted.

Documents issued in year, month, and day.

Notice of Returning the Pardon

To the Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat:

We have received one pardon issued by the Tai Xuan Capital Secretariat, the office in the Daoist divine realm responsible for these documents. The original is attached above.

This altar has carried out its instructions. We now ask the relevant authorities to review the pardon and promptly implement the matters it sets forth.

Notice issued in year, month, and day.

Petition Transmitting the Pardon

The Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat addresses this petition to the Day-Duty Merit Officer, the Earthly Way Office, and the local earth spirits along the route to Mount Tai.

This altar has now received one special pardon issued by the Three Heavenly Gates and one pardon issued by the Tai Xuan Capital Secretariat. We hereby convey the pardons to the Lords of the Eastern Peak, Fengdu, and the Ten Directions, as well as to the rulers of the underworld prisons in every region. They pardon the deceased, so-and-so and others, releasing them from the sufferings of the Six Paths of rebirth and allowing them to leave the gates of the underworld and come to the retreat altar to receive deliverance. This petition is therefore issued.

Please urgently receive the pardons in accordance with this petition and immediately send them throughout the Three Realms, the Ten Directions, and the boundless worlds. Notify the rulers everywhere, and carry out the pardons in full. Do not alter, damage, or lose the documents, and do not delay their delivery. Enforce them according to the law. Respectfully submitted.

Documents issued in year, month, and day.

Petition to Break Open the Hells

(The Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat addresses this petition to the rulers of the Offices of the Nine Hells. In a properly formatted document, the text here is written in smaller characters.)

This altar is conducting a retreat on behalf of the retreat officiant, so-and-so…

During the Grand Yellow Register Retreat (a large Daoist Zhaijiao ritual for delivering the souls of the dead), we commemorate the souls of the deceased so-and-so and others, as well as the departed souls suffering in the lower realm, so that they may ascend together to the immortal realm. The related memorial petitions have already been submitted to the Heavenly Court in batches, and, in accordance with ritual procedure, talismanic documents have been issued to notify the divine officials in charge of the various hells to carry out their duties. We are now about to summon and guide the departed souls, but fear that the gates of the netherworld may not yet be open and that their souls may still be detained. We therefore respectfully present the true talisman for breaking open the hells, from the precious registers of Jade Purity (a talisman used to open the hells and deliver departed souls), and dispatch one hundred and twenty youths of Great Mystery, each bearing the precious implements of the various heavens and talismanic credentials, to descend into the nether prisons and open the gates. The official document accompanying this talisman is hereby forwarded. Let all offices comply with the decree of Jade Purity. When the youths from each quarter arrive at the hells, they shall immediately use the original talisman and their credentials to open the gates, release the guilty departed souls, and carry out these instructions. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day — official document

Official Document Urging the Summons

Altar of the Supreme Grand Yellow Register Retreat:

Upon review, on a certain day this month, the retreat official so-and-so established a Grand Yellow Register Retreat to commemorate the souls of the deceased so-and-so and others, and to pray that they ascend together to the shore of the Dao (the realm of liberation through attaining the Dao). For this purpose, the altar has submitted petitions to the Heavenly Court in batches, requesting its grace to open the way to deliverance. It has also prepared documents and handed them to the responsible divine generals, instructing them first to seize and summon the souls named above. The summons is now under way, but we remain concerned that the roads of the netherworld are perilous and that the departed souls may not be brought out in time. We therefore issue this further document to urge action.

We hereby notify the Divine Tiger Soul Pursuit Officials (divine officials responsible for pursuing and apprehending departed souls), the celestial officers and attendants of the Department of the Law, the Merit Officers of the terrestrial and ghostly paths, the local Earth God, and the Venerable Gods of the Five Roads: immediately prepare the route and clear the way to the netherworld. Urge the deceased so-and-so, along with the souls and true souls of the living male and female relatives of those attending the retreat, to follow the soul-guiding banner here at the appointed time, manifest their forms, respond to the summons, come to the retreat chamber for ritual bathing, and then enter the altar precincts to pay homage and receive deliverance in person. The time allowed for the journey is limited; there must be no delay. Anyone who intercepts or obstructs them along the way shall be taken into custody and sent to a nearby hell to be punished according to the law. Carry out these instructions swiftly and await a report. This document is hereby issued.

Year, month, day — official document

Official Document for the Universal Summoning of the Solitary Souls of the Six Paths

Altar of the Supreme Grand Yellow Register Retreat:

Upon review, on a certain day this month, the retreat official so-and-so established a Grand Yellow Register Retreat to commemorate the souls of the deceased so-and-so and others, as well as the departed souls suffering in the lower realm, praying that they may together set out on the path to new life. For this purpose, the altar has submitted petitions to the Heavenly Court in batches…

In accordance with the ritual regulations of the Three Heavens—a collective name for Shangqing, Yuqing, and Taiqing—we issue this document of summons, used in Daoist rites to convey commands, and tonight perform a rite of universal deliverance. We extend aid to the departed souls of the Six Paths—the six destinations of life: heaven, the human realm, asuras, hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—so that all may receive deliverance without hindrance. This document is prepared in advance and entrusted to the divine officials concerned for execution.

May divine power reach everywhere and clear away all obstacles in the netherworld. In accordance with the ordinances, we now summon all immortals, Daoists, living beings of the human realm, deities, beings of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, and wandering spirits from every direction and from the boundless, mysterious realms, from ancient times to the present.

Those summoned also include the many dead throughout the Nine Provinces and the Nine Netherworlds of the Ten Directions: those killed or wounded in battle; those who died amid raids and conflict; those executed under the law of the sovereign; those imprisoned or held in chains and fetters; those sentenced to hard labor or exiled to distant places; those who died while serving as officials away from home or traveling; those who drowned after throwing themselves into rivers, falling into wells, or being capsized from boats; those who fell from heights or from carts and horses; farmers, artisans, merchants, monks, Daoists, and nuns, as well as people who died among mountain crags and valleys or while displaced from home; itinerants, performers who made their living by their skills, people without fixed occupations, sorcerers, thieves, and hired workers who died far from home; those struck by lightning, mauled by tigers, or killed in floods and fires; those who met wrongful deaths by cutting their own throats, hanging themselves, taking poison, or falling into traps; those who died in epidemics or famine, or whose remains lie exposed outdoors; those who died from gu poison, corpse-transmission disease, or attacks by wicked spirits; women who miscarried, died during pregnancy, or perished in childbirth; those who died blind, deaf, or mute, lame, with contracted limbs, paralyzed, or after long illness; widowers, widows, orphans, solitary elderly people, beggars, and the destitute with no one to depend on; those who attached themselves to plants and trees, became spirits, and wander from place to place; those who remain resentful over feuds, curses, ill fortune, or unpaid debts; beings born from wombs, eggs, moisture, or transformation, and all creatures with spirit and awareness, whether crawling, flying, hidden, or living in water.

All newly dead and long departed, whether from other realms or this world, men or women, with descendants who offer sacrifices or without them—all lonely souls and lingering spirits are included in this summons. Fearing that obstacles on the roads of the underworld may prevent them from reaching the altar in time, we therefore issue this document to hasten and draw them here.

We now issue this document and respectfully summon the soul-pursuing envoys of the Three Divisions of Divine Tigers, together with the merit officers of the heavenly, earthly, human, immortal, divine, and ghostly paths; the officials who guard the altar; the local City God and Earth God; the Great Deities of the Five Roads; the Venerable Deity of the Year; the Six Jia guiding envoys; and the soul-leading attendants. Let them at once guide here the sentient beings of the Six Paths named above, together with the countless hosts of ghosts, as numerous as the sands of a river.

As the banners guide them, the souls of the dead enter the altar one by one and personally undergo the salvation rites. Keep the souls under restraint so they do not give rise to misguided thoughts or disturb the vital energy. If obstacles lie ahead, deal with them in accordance with the laws of Heaven. Do not delay the appointed time of the ritual; remain ready at all times for instructions and reports. This formal notice is hereby issued.

Dated [year, month, day]

Notice for Transforming Underworld Garments (a formal notice for burning garments for the dead)

Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat:

After examination, this altar finds that on a certain day this month, a Yellow Register Great Retreat will be held for the retreat sponsor, a certain person, in memory of the deceased, a certain group, with prayers that their souls ascend to the realm of the immortals. This altar has already summoned the souls named above to the altar and bathed and purified them. The underworld garments are now to be burned. Because the garments are numerous, we fear the souls may damage or fight over them. We therefore ask the deities to personally supervise the proceedings, and issue this notice specifically for that purpose.

This notice is hereby addressed to the officials in charge of underworld garments at the Yellow Register Office, the mighty deity who receives offerings at the altar, the local orthodox deity who receives incense and sacrifices, and the divine clerks on duty in the ritual bureau. Please personally oversee the burning. May the power of the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters—transform all the underworld garments into brightly colored robes, like flowing clouds at sunset, luminous inside and out. Check the number of garments one by one and distribute them in order. Do not use strength in numbers to seize them, and do not take them from one another. Ensure that every soul receives garments complete inside and out, with none omitted or unfairly distributed, lest this obstruct their salvation. Upon receiving this notice, carry it out in accordance with the laws of the esoteric rites. This formal notice is hereby issued.

Dated [year, month, day]

Notice for Refining and Deliverance (a formal notice for performing rites that refine and deliver the souls of the dead)

Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat:

This altar is holding a Yellow Register Great Retreat for the ritual officer, a certain person, in memory of the deceased, a certain group. We have now requested that a decree be issued, and will perform the rites to deliver the souls in accordance with ritual procedure. We are now following the prescribed rites to refine and deliver the souls, and pray that the deities will exercise their divine powers and reveal their wondrous efficacy. In addition to having already submitted formal petitions to the emperors of Heaven and prayed for their gracious light to descend, we must also issue the following special notice.

This notice is hereby addressed to the chief divine general of the Office for Receiving Refinement at Nanchang; the upper generals of the left and right guards of the Cinnabar Heaven; the generals in charge of water and fire; the Fire-Bell General; the Fire-Bell Youth; the Nine-Luminosity Youth; the Youth of Opening the Light; the two great divine generals of the Water Pool and Fire Marsh; the youths of the Water and Fire Pools; the Great Deity Who Watches Over Life; the Great Deities of Dragon Might of the Ten Directions, Cinnabar Spirit, Bright Brilliance, Mysterious Essence, Refining the Corpse, Returning to Life, and Gathering Form…

Great Deity Who Oversees the Soul’s Passage, Great Deity Who Transforms and Transports, Great Deity Who Gathers the Po (corporeal soul), Great Deity Who Guides the Hun (ethereal soul), Great Deity of Transformation, Great Deity Who Refines and Delivers, Great Deity Who Raises Souls Beyond, Great Deity Who Transforms the Body, Great Deity Who Restores the Form, Great Deity Who Rectifies the Essence, Great Deity of the Fire Bureau, Great Deity Who Returns the Form, Great Deity of Transcendent Transformation, the Youths Who Refine and Deliver, the Twelve Generals of the Primordial Qi of the Hundun, the Immortal Clerks of the Nine Heavens Who Bring Forth and Transform in Harmony, the Immortal Clerks of the Southern Nanchang Upper Palace, the Zhuling Fire Bureau, and the Southern Tomb Pivot Bureau Who Refine and Deliver in Harmony, the Lords and Officials of the Two Lingbao Bureaus of Water and Fire Who Refine and Deliver, the Maidens and Divine Soldiers, and all others—including the Immortal Officers of the Guidance and Refinement Bureau, the Numinous Officials, Merit Officers, Messengers, Clerks, and Soldiers—are assigned their numinous powers and, by command, descend to this place.

We respectfully summon the true essences of the sun and moon and draw upon the pure, original Qi of Heaven and Earth, the fundamental energy that forms all things. Let the left side become a pool of refinement and the right side a flowing deep water. Harmonize Kan and Li, the trigrams representing water and fire; draw forth and replenish Lead and Mercury, names for the Yin and Yang energies in internal alchemy; guide the departed souls and nourish their decayed remains. Disperse and dissolve the dark Qi, allowing the light of the sun to reach everywhere. Nourish them with the Five Sprouts, symbols of the generative Qi of the Five Phases, so that life may sprout anew. Gather the Nine Qi, the many forms of primordial energy, to give birth to the spirits. May the infant suddenly chant aloud, and may the souls, after passing through ten transformations, return. Subdue demonic obstacles, protect and recommend the souls, and let them all be delivered beyond, to take their place in the Cinnabar Heaven, the Daoist celestial realm.

We earnestly hope that all the gods will show compassion and benevolence, and descend to manifest their response. We respectfully submit this petition.

Submitted on the [day, month, year].

Petition to the Celestial Physician for Refining and Deliverance

At the Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat:

This altar has established a Yellow Register Great Retreat, a major Daoist ritual for delivering the dead, to commend the departed souls of the retreat official, so-and-so, and others. We have already received and promulgated the divine command, and prayed for permission to open the rite of deliverance. Now that the ritual services have been completed, we respectfully perform the Great Refinement according to the liturgical rites of the Mysterious Gate, a ritual in which the souls of the dead are refined and transformed. Yet we remain concerned that the departed souls may carry illnesses and be unable to recover when they undergo refinement. We must therefore appeal to the Celestial Physician, so that they may receive new life and be brought to fruition. In addition to having duly performed the talismanic rites and distributed Qi to restore the souls’ bodies, we must submit a separate petition to request authorization.

We now respectfully petition the Celestial Physician’s Immortal Clerks; the Numinous Officials of the Supreme Medicine Bureau who dispense medicine; the Three and Five Merit Officers who treat illness; the Imperial Physicians and Doctors; the clerks who oversee acupuncture; the Generals who remove toxic Qi; and all the gods belonging to the Celestial Physician’s office. We also petition the relevant officials of the Lingbao Bureau: the Merit Officers who gather the forms, those who unite the Qi, those who replenish and continue the Qi, those who gather the Shen, those who restore the bones and the whole body, those who mend the bones, the Great Deities Who Restore the Form and Appearance, the Merit Officers who oversee childbirth, and those who extract and deliver stillborn fetuses.

May all the spirits who oversee birth and nurture, and who compassionately come to the aid of the living, extend their grace and provide healing. Upon examination and confirmation, all departed souls who are to receive deliverance…

There are thirty-six kinds of affliction among departed souls, further divided into eighteen grades of unnatural death. They must now be classified and treated individually. First, establish the cause and clarify the circumstances. Then, as appropriate, use moxibustion or acupuncture, talismans or medicine, choosing the method according to each soul’s condition and the severity and urgency of its needs. The principles of “ruler, minister, assistant, and courier” must also be applied in combination, dispensing the Five Spirits’ true Qi (the subtle primordial energy described in Daoism) and regulating the body’s vital gates and passages, so that the afflicted souls may be freed from their many disorders. For souls who died in childbirth or during pregnancy, cut away the roots of their suffering and untangle what is knotted; for souls who were mutilated, restore them to wholeness. Let their original true nature return and their former appearance be restored. Then, with Kan and Li (Daoist terms corresponding respectively to water and fire), refine and transform them until body and spirit attain a wondrous state and they can ascend. We earnestly ask for compassion and pity: protect them and deliver them through salvation. Respectfully submitted.

Submitted on [year, month, day].

Issuing the Covenant Document

The Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat submits this document to the guardian deities of the Heavenly Gates of the Three Realms:

On a certain day this month, our altar held a Yellow Register Great Retreat for the retreat’s sponsor, a certain person, to mourn and deliver through salvation the souls of the deceased. They have now completed the rite of refinement. In accordance with ritual procedure, we have divided the two matching halves of the covenant for ascent to heaven through the spiritual power of Lingbao: one half has been given to the deceased souls to keep, and the other has been placed in a square case, which has been resealed. We now submit this half of the covenant to the Heavenly Gates of the Three Realms for inspection and registration.

Upon receiving this document, may the deities inspect it, arrange its transfer, and keep it safely. When the souls named above arrive carrying the other half of the covenant, please verify that the two halves match exactly and, at the appointed time, complete their deliverance and ascent to heaven. May the Demon Kings sponsor their passage, so that they are not blocked at the Heavenly Gates. Upon arrival of this document, you are authorized to proceed accordingly.

Carry this out in accordance with the laws of the Mysterious Rites. Respectfully submitted.

Submitted on [year, month, day].

Document for the Register of Birth in Heaven

The Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat submits this document to the officials in charge of the Register of Birth in Heaven:

On a certain day this month, our altar held a Yellow Register Great Retreat for a certain ritual officer, to mourn and deliver through salvation the souls of the deceased. They have ascended in due order through memorial petitions to the Heavenly Court and have been opened to salvation in accordance with the ritual procedures. The souls named above have now completed the rite of refinement and should be sent to the Register of Birth in Heaven for arrangements for rebirth. We therefore issue this matching document and entrust it to the altar’s presiding officer to deliver to a certain deceased person, who is to keep it as proof.

Upon receiving this document, please inspect it, verify that the covenant halves match, and affix your seal. Complete the relevant merits at the appointed time, and register a birth mother for each soul, so that no delay prevents these sunken souls from being opened to salvation. Upon arrival of this document, you are authorized to proceed in accordance with the Mysterious Rites.

Respectfully carry this out as prescribed. Respectfully submitted.

Submitted on [year, month, day].

Escort and Dispatch Document

The Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat…

This altar has verified that on a certain day this month, a Yellow Register Grand Retreat was established for the sponsor, a certain person. This Zhaijiao rite, held to commend the souls of the deceased and pray for blessings and relief from calamity, was performed to deliver the departed souls of certain people. These souls have now arrived at the place of refinement and deliverance, where rites are performed to deliver the dead. Divine clerks should be assigned to take charge of them and escort them to the Register of Rebirth in the netherworld, where they will await registration. Their merits and virtues will determine their rebirth. They are now being dispatched together with this document.

The above is a dispatch.

To the Earthly Circuit Merit Officer of the Yellow Register Bureau, a divine clerk responsible for carrying documents and guiding souls, and to the officials handling this matter: Place the souls who have received deliverance under the charge of a designated escort and send them to their destination, carrying all the issued credentials, edicts, amnesty documents, and Fulu talismans and registers. Upon arrival at the Register of Rebirth, complete the handover, assess their merits, commute their offenses, and arrange their rebirth according to their karma. Should anyone obstruct them along the way, arrest the obstructors and send them to the nearest prison office. Make the regulations clear and carry them out at once, without delay. This dispatch is issued accordingly.

Dispatch dated: [year, month, day].

Dispatch for Protection during the Burning and Escort

To the Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Grand Retreat:

By order of the fasting official, a certain person, this altar established a Yellow Register Grand Retreat to commend the departed souls of certain people and the suffering spirits of the Lower Realm. The refinement and deliverance rites have now been carried out in accordance with the liturgy and brought to completion. Credentials and Fulu have been issued for the souls to use as proof when receiving rebirth. As the scriptures and goods burned for them might be seized along the way, divine clerks should be assigned to supervise them specifically and escort the souls to the place of rebirth. This dispatch is now issued.

The above is a dispatch.

To the personnel supervising the altar and conducting the rites, the on-duty divine clerks of the Office of Divine Courts, the local earth god, the Great Deity of the Five Roads who governs roads and the passage of souls, and the officials at every level handling affairs for the Yellow Register Bureau: Personally supervise the burning rite. Check each soul’s name against the Fulu, credentials, scriptures, and goods issued, then distribute them separately to the souls concerned for safekeeping. Ensure the full amount is present and the distribution fair; nothing may be withheld or seized by another. Then continue escorting the souls to the Register of Rebirth at the Yellow Register Bureau and complete the handover. Together with the on-duty registrar, follow the edicts and amnesty documents to reduce their entries in the register of offenses in accordance with the merits of the Grand Retreat, then assign each soul a place of rebirth according to its standing. Should anyone unlawfully obstruct them along the way, deal with the matter properly under the law and complete the procedure on time, without delay. This dispatch is issued accordingly.

Dispatch dated: [year, month, day].

Mountain Dispatch

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rites issues this dispatch to the presiding deity of an Immortal Palace in a certain Grotto-Heaven:

This office has verified that on a certain day this month, a rite was established to commend the departed souls of certain people for a person of a certain native place in a certain village…

The Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat (a Daoist purification ritual held to pray for the dead and deliver them beyond) lasted for several days and nights. In solemn accordance with the liturgy, we opened the way for the deceased and petitioned for their deliverance and ascent. Now that the merit of the ritual has been fully accomplished, we have dismantled the altar and concluded the assembly according to ritual procedure. With reverence, we have carried dragon tablets, jade discs with knobs, and other tablets to a certain grotto-heaven, where their good deeds are recorded and their names entered in the registers of immortals. We therefore issue this notice and respectfully ask that, upon receiving it, you review and act upon it.

We have respectfully followed the old precedents of the Mysterious Capital and hereby submit this notice.

Issued on [year, month, day]

Earth Tablet Notice

The Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rite (the institution overseeing Lingbao purification rituals) reports to the presiding spirit officials of the Earth Court beneath the Central Palace, the Grand Year Star, the Nine Layers of Earth, and the Earth Sovereign:

Please take note that on a certain day this month, a person of a certain native place and village held the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat, lasting several days and nights, to offer memorial rites for the souls of the deceased [names]. In solemn accordance with the liturgy, we opened the way for the deceased and petitioned for their deliverance and ascent. Now that the merit of the ritual has been fully accomplished, we have dismantled the altar and concluded the assembly according to ritual procedure. With reverence, we have carried dragon tablets, jade discs with knobs, and other tablets to a certain blessed land, where their good deeds are recorded and their names entered in the registers of immortals. We therefore issue this notice and respectfully ask that, upon receiving it, you review and approve it accordingly.

We have respectfully followed the old precedents of the Mysterious Capital and hereby submit this notice.

Issued on [year, month, day]

Water Tablet Notice

The Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rite reports to the presiding spirit officials of the sacred pool and cavern at [place]:

Please take note that on a certain day this month, a person of a certain native place and village held the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat, lasting several days and nights, to offer memorial rites for the souls of the deceased [names]. In solemn accordance with the liturgy, we opened the way for the deceased and petitioned for their deliverance and ascent. Now that the merit of the ritual has been fully accomplished, we have dismantled the altar and concluded the assembly according to ritual procedure. With reverence, we have carried dragon tablets, jade discs with knobs, and other tablets to a certain sacred pool, where their good deeds are recorded and their names entered in the registers of immortals. We therefore issue this notice and respectfully ask that, upon receiving it, you review and approve it accordingly.

We have respectfully followed the old precedents of the Mysterious Capital and hereby submit this notice.

Issued on [year, month, day]

Notice for Sending the Supervising Altar Spirits Back to Their Shrines

(This notice is also used when sending the City God and local guardian spirits back to their shrines.)

The Bureau of the Great Lingbao Rite reports to the spirits serving as supervising altar officials and generals:

Please take note that earlier, the ritual officiant [name] petitioned to hold a Yellow Register Great Retreat to offer memorial rites for the souls of the deceased [names] and aid their deliverance. The altar proceedings have now been completed. We have offered a thanksgiving rite, and the retreat has come to a full and proper conclusion. At the beginning of the retreat, this bureau respectfully invited the spirits to descend, protect the ritual proceedings, and oversee the covenant vows. They remained diligent throughout, from beginning to end, and indeed rendered…

The record of merit has been compiled as a memorial and submitted. The Three Heavens—the celestial courts of the Three Realms in Daoist teaching—will assess the achievements against the register of merit and grant rewards according to the regulations. Apart from this, all the deities should return as usual to their original posts. The relevant offices must issue a document to serve as proof.

This document is now issued for your review and implementation. The deities should return to their shrines and resume their original positions, awaiting the celestial court’s assessment and its subsequent bestowal of grace. Respectfully issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Notice on Honoring and Rewarding the Deities

(One copy is issued to each deity; only the name of the deity named below needs to be changed.)

The Lingbao Great Dharma Office, which oversees Lingbao Zhaijiao rites, has reviewed the matter: previously, the ritual official [name] requested a Yellow Register Great Retreat to pray on behalf of the deceased [names]. The rite has now been completed in thanksgiving for Heaven’s grace, and the ritual proceedings have come to a full conclusion.

All the deities who were originally invited and came to attend to the ritual duties each fulfilled their responsibilities at the altar and proclaimed their merit, without delay or omission. This office has set down the matter in a memorial and submitted it to the Three Heavens, and has also reported it to the Residence of the Three Officials, the divine office responsible for the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, requesting that the achievements be assessed and rewards granted according to the regulations. All concerned are now directed to take note and act accordingly: the deities should return to their former offices and await the assessment and the subsequent bestowal of grace. This directive is hereby issued.

The notice above is entrusted to the Four Duty Merit Officers, divine officials who guard the four directions and convey documents, as well as to the incense officials and messengers, for implementation accordingly.

Issued on [year, month, day].

The generals and officials sent by the Eastern Peak, Mount Tai Residence to guard the altar; the generals and officials sent by the City God Office to guard the altar; the generals and officials sent by this office to attend to the ritual duties; the local Earth God, the Five Ways deities, and other gods; and the Earth Gods along the mountains and roads.

The five notices above all contain the same text as the preceding document.

Official Communication

To the Altar of the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat:

In accordance with ritual, one memorial submitted by the Celestial Official [name] is now enclosed, sealed layer upon layer on the inside and outside, and stamped with seals. It is respectfully sent to the Three Heavens’ gates for forwarding. An official communication must now be issued for this purpose.

The official communication above.

The Jade Maidens who receive communications in the Three Heavens; the numinous officers who present memorials; the offices responsible for submitting, recording, transmitting, fixing, carrying, checking, receiving, dispatching, and sealing memorials; the Duty Messengers of the Two Offices; the Zhengyi Merit Officers; the left and right official messengers; the Yin-Yang divine adjudicators; the chariot and red-talisman officials; the officials who ride the strong wind and carry dispatches; the post riders who carry memorials; the Flying Dragon post officials; the numinous messengers; the child officials and troops; the Four Duty Merit Officers; the upper-realm Duty Talisman Messengers; and the one thousand immortal officials named in the memorial must all accompany and protect it, bear the memorial, and present it to the celestial court on schedule.

If, on the way, they pass through the demonic realm of the strong wind and are obstructed or detained, the obstructors must be taken to a nearby prison and dealt with according to the law. Please transmit it swiftly and without delay; there must be no error or detention. This official communication is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Dispatch Document for the Prayer

At the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat Altar—the ritual altar where the Yellow Register retreat is performed:

In accordance with ritual, we now respectfully submit one written prayer to the Celestial Realm. It has been sealed and stamped, and is being sent with reverence to the Secretariat beneath the Three Heavens, the celestial office that oversees the transmission of memorials, with a request that it be forwarded for presentation. We hereby issue this dispatch document.

The dispatch document reads:

The Duty Merit Officer, the celestial official responsible for transmitting documents, and the divine officials on duty must promptly receive and carry this document, deliver it for presentation on schedule, and allow no delay along the way. If anyone who acts against the proper order blocks or obstructs it, seize that person and send them to the Celestial Prison for punishment. Carry out this command with all speed. This dispatch is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Dispatch Document for Submitting a Memorial

At the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat Altar:

This altar now sends one sealed and stamped packet containing a memorial, respectfully addressed to the Secretariat beneath the Three Heavens, with a request that it be forwarded for presentation. We hereby issue this dispatch document.

The dispatch document reads: The Merit Officer on duty that day must clearly hand over this matter, take responsibility for its delivery, and submit it on schedule. There must be no stopping or delay along the way, nor may anyone intercept it. If anyone obstructs it, seize them and deliver them to the nearest prison office for lawful punishment. This dispatch is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Dispatch Document for Offering Spirit Money and Horses to the Rulers of the Underworld

At the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat Altar:

This altar is holding a Yellow Register Great Retreat for the retreat sponsor, a certain person, and performing a purification offering to the Underworld, presenting offerings to its deities. The gifts to be presented are listed below:

One dragon carriage, accompanied by one sealed and stamped document of presentation, respectfully sent to the Left Office of Azure Mystery at the Eastern Pole, with a request that it be forwarded for presentation.

A certain number of sheets of spirit money and a certain number of spirit horses, accompanied by a certain number of sealed documents of presentation, sent to the Underworld and offered to the assembled holy beings attending the offering rite. We hereby issue this dispatch document.

The dispatch document reads:

The Duty Merit Officer, the Merit Officers of the Earthly Way, and the local earth deities along the route—including those of Mount Tai and the lands and waters—must receive these items and take responsibility for escorting them. Please check the credentials and forward each offering for presentation in turn, without omission or delay. Carry out this command. This dispatch is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Dispatch Document for Offering Spirit Money and Horses to the Heavens

At the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat Altar:

This altar is holding a Yellow Register Great Retreat for the retreat sponsor, a certain person, and performing the retreat rites. The offerings to be presented to the heavens are listed below:

A certain number of dragon carriages, to be sent before the throne of a certain Emperor;

A certain number of portions of spirit money, to be sent before the sacred seat of a certain holy one.

The dispatch document reads:

The Merit Officer on duty and the divine officials on duty must receive these offerings and take responsibility for escorting them, delivering them directly to …

All divine officials must present the offerings one by one, in proper order. None may be misplaced, omitted, or delayed. Let this command be carried out at once. This official dispatch is hereby issued.

[Year, month, day] — Official Dispatch

Official Dispatch of the Pardon Edict

The Most High Yellow Register Great Purification Altar:

In accordance with the command of the Most High, we now issue a pardon edict and a precious register for ascension to Heaven, pardoning and delivering the souls of the deceased, including [name], as well as suffering spirits in the Lower Origin realm, so that they may leave the darkness of the netherworld and come to the purification altar to receive deliverance.

This dispatch is sent to the day-duty Merit Officer, the Earthly Path Merit Officer, the Court of Mount Tai, the Earthly Court, the Water Court, and the local earth gods along every route. They are commanded to carry and proclaim it, proceeding directly to the offices of the underworld in the Three Realms and Ten Directions to deliver condemned souls and make Heaven’s grace known.

Let this command be carried out at once. This official dispatch is hereby issued.

[Year, month, day] — Official Dispatch

Official Dispatch of the Nine-Dragon Talisman

The Most High Yellow Register Great Purification Altar:

In accordance with the command embodied in the Nine-Dragon Talisman of the Eastern Pole, Azure Mystery, and Savior from Suffering, we now pardon and deliver the souls of the deceased, including [name], as well as beings suffering in the netherworld among the Six Paths, so that they may leave their painful condition.

This dispatch is sent to the envoy of the Nine-Dragon Talisman, the day-duty Merit Officer, and the Earthly Path Merit Officer. They are commanded to carry it to the underworld offices, deliver condemned souls, and bring them to the purification altar to receive deliverance.

Let this command be carried out at once. This official dispatch is hereby issued.

[Year, month, day] — Official Dispatch

Official Dispatch of the Talisman Commands of the Perfected Ones

The Most High Yellow Register Great Purification Altar:

In accordance with the talisman commands of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and the various Perfected Ones, we now pardon and deliver the souls of the deceased, including [name], as well as beings suffering in the netherworld among the Six Paths, so that they may leave the deep darkness of the underworld.

This dispatch is sent to the day-duty Merit Officer and the divine officials on duty. They are commanded to hand it over and carry out its instructions, proceeding to the underworld offices to deliver the sunken souls and bring them to the purification altar to receive deliverance.

Let this command be carried out at once. This official dispatch is hereby issued.

[Year, month, day] — Official Dispatch

Official Dispatch of the Talisman for Deliverance from Suffering

The Most High Yellow Register Great Purification Altar:

With reverence, in accordance with the talisman command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, we issue the true talisman for deliverance from suffering, recorded in the Yellow Register and White Document. We announce it to the boundless worlds of the Ten Directions and deliver the named souls recommended for salvation, so that they may leave the dark underworld.

This dispatch is sent to the courier officials of the Black Capital’s Jiaolong Relay Station and the document-bearing youths of the Earthly Court. They are commanded to carry the talisman command to the underworld offices, open a path for the deliverance of sunken souls, and make Heaven’s grace known.

Let this command be carried out. This official dispatch is hereby issued.

[Year, month, day] — Official Dispatch

Official Dispatch of the Longevity Talisman

The Most High Yellow Register Great Purification Altar:

With reverence, in accordance with the talisman command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, we issue the numinous longevity talisman recorded in the Yellow Register and White Document, and announce it to …

The Vermilion Palace in the Southern Cinnabar Heaven is an official document for delivering and elevating the souls of the dead.

Right dispatch:

We respectfully ask the Golden Dragon Courier Officials of the Mysterious Capital and the Youth Bearers of Petitions of the Fire Court to carry this talismanic order straight to the Southern Heaven and proclaim the matter of delivering and elevating the souls of the dead. The Celestial Court has already graciously approved this matter and ordered that it be carried out as commanded. This dispatch is hereby issued.

Issued on the year, month, and day stated.

Dispatch for Issuing Tickets for Ascension to Heaven

At the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat Altar:

For the soul of the deceased person or persons named below, mourned by the retreat sponsor, so-and-so, this altar has respectfully established a Great Retreat. The retreat has been completed, and the rites of refining and deliverance are also finished. We now carefully separate the matching left and right halves of the Lingbao true ticket for ascension to Heaven, to be used in elevating and delivering the souls. One half of each ticket is given to the soul to keep; the matching half, serving as proof, is presented to the upper realm together with the securely sealed letters and official documents.

We ask the guardian deities at the gates of Heaven in the Three Realms to inspect and verify the matching halves. This dispatch is hereby sent.

Right dispatch:

We ask the Merit Officers on duty for the day and the Merit Officers of the Heavenly Way to take charge of this document and proceed to the Heavenly Gate to report the matter. When the souls named above arrive bearing their tickets, please carry out their deliverance in accordance with the liturgy, without delay or obstruction. This dispatch is hereby issued.

Issued on the year, month, and day stated.

Dispatch for Submitting a Petition to Hold a Jiao Offering

Office of the Great Lingbao Rite:

Our office previously established the Supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat with due reverence for the soul of the deceased person or persons named below, mourned by the sponsor of the Yellow Register Great Retreat, so-and-so. The retreat was completed on a certain day of this month. A clear Jiao offering is now respectfully scheduled for the night of a certain day in a certain month, with offerings arranged in three hundred and sixty positions, to give thanks to Heaven.

We hereby send ten copies of the petition to the throne and one formal report, all securely resealed and stamped, to the Upper Clarity Pivot Court beneath the gates of the Three Heavens, for onward presentation. This dispatch is hereby sent.

Right dispatch: We ask the Merit Officer Envoys on duty on the appointed day to take charge of these documents promptly and deliver them for presentation, ensuring they are handled properly. They must not delay or obstruct them. Violators will be dealt with according to law. This dispatch is hereby issued.

Issued on the year, month, and day stated.

Dispatch for Merit Officer Envoys

Office of the Great Lingbao Rite:

Our office previously performed the Jiao offering for the sponsor and the souls of the deceased mentioned in the dispatch to the Merit Officers on duty for the day. We must now register the documents in advance with the Celestial Emperors, the perfected immortals of the Three Realms, and all deities responsible for Jiao rites. In addition to the separate documents already prepared for specific purposes, the following documents are listed here:

First, thirty-four petitions to the throne, to be presented to the upper realm…

The documents to be presented before a certain Emperor are listed separately by destination below:

One: 254 petition documents, to be submitted to the holy seats (the places where the divine and holy beings reside). Each holy seat must be listed individually before the sacred presence, with the entries written opposite one another in left-to-right order. These documents are to be sent separately to their respective destinations for presentation.

One: 62 petitions of appeal, to be submitted to the seats of certain deities. Each deity’s seat must be listed individually. These documents are to be delivered separately to their respective destinations.

We now formally notify the Merit Officers serving in the year, month, day, and hour, along with the Talisman-Bearing Envoys serving as Directing Officials in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Realms, and the divine clerks of this office who receive and transmit memorials. You are to take charge of the documents listed above at once and carry them into the realms under your respective jurisdictions, visiting every celestial court to report and submit the documents. May all the holy perfected beings descend to observe and supervise, so that the ritual may be brought to completion. There must be no delay, lest the laws of the Mysterious Realm be violated. This notice is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Official Notice on Offerings Presented at the Ritual Altar

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rites, acting on behalf of the fasting official [name], has established a Yellow Register Great Retreat (a Daoist purification and offering ritual) and performed the ritual offering in gratitude for received blessings. The rite is now complete, and the ritual implements have been prepared. The carriages and other items to be presented have been detailed in separate documents; the relevant particulars are hereby notified as follows:

One: Nine sealed and stamped packets of offering petitions and one sealed and stamped packet of petition memorials. Nine dragon carriages are to be delivered to the gate of the Three Heavens, for presentation.

One: One sealed and stamped packet of offering petitions. One phoenix palanquin is to be delivered before the Hall of the Sovereign Earth Goddess, for presentation.

We hereby notify the Merit Officer on duty on the appointed day: take charge of the relevant documents at once and accompany the carriages directly to the various celestial courts to present the offerings. There must be no delay or breach of this order, lest the laws of the Mysterious Realm be violated. This notice is hereby issued.

Issued on [year, month, day].

Official Notice to the Directing Officials of the Three Realms

The Office of the Great Lingbao Rites has established a Yellow Register Great Retreat on behalf of the fasting official [name] and performed the ritual offering in gratitude for received blessings. The rite is now complete. Items are to be presented to the holy perfected beings of the Three Realms, including the dragon carriage used by the sponsor of the rite, gold money, and accompanying horses. These have been detailed in separate documents; the relevant particulars are hereby notified as follows:

One: A number of offering petitions and dragon carriages are to be delivered before a certain Emperor. Each holy seat is to be listed individually.

One: A number of offering petitions, portions of gold money, and accompanying horses …

Presented before the holy perfected one, the following items are listed individually:

Offerings of several documents, several portions of silver money, and several paper horses.

Presented before the deity’s shrine, the following instructions are listed individually:

Be it known to the direct talisman envoys of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Realms, the divine officials responsible for conveying talismanic commands: each of you shall carry the documents under your charge and proceed separately to the palaces and other designated places to present them. Do not cause confusion, omit anything, or delay or violate the instructions. This notice is hereby issued.

Issued on the year, month, and day.

Edict of the Celestial Emperor

The Celestial Emperor commands the gods of the Heavenly Gate:

On a certain day of this month, in accordance with the talismanic command of the Primordial Beginning, the souls of the deceased so-and-so and others were to be delivered from suffering and sent to dwell in the heavenly realms. In accordance with the Lingbao Basic Liturgy and the rites for subduing demons, recommending the worthy, and advancing the ranks of the saved, they have now been escorted to the Southern Palace and, at the appointed times, promoted before the throne.

The gods who guard the Heavenly Gate are commanded: upon receiving this document, immediately verify the talismanic credentials and admit these souls, allowing them to appear in person before the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, hear his teachings, return to the Dao of the Mysterious Origin, attain the fruit of immortality, and realize the true Dao. Do not refuse or disobey. At the slightest breach of this command, the Kings of the Four Heavenly Gates will pound you to dust. Hasten to carry out this order in accordance with the Statutes and Commands of the Highest Clarity Lingbao.

Upon arrival of this edict, carry it out. This notice is respectfully issued.

Issued on the year, month, day, and hour.

Bearer of the ritual rank, so-and-so, signed and sealed.

Great Method of the Highest Clarity Lingbao, scroll sixty-five