《上清靈寶大法(二)》Vol. 22

Book Twenty-Three of The Great Rites of the Shangqing Lingbao Tradition

(Compiled by Jin Yunzhong, a Lingbao Ritual Master of the Dongxuan Cavern, Holder of the Southern Bureau’s Ritual Law, and Deputy Assistant at the Tongchu Prefecture)

Memorials and Petitions

“Memorial” is a format inherited from antiquity. Ritual texts used in the world may vary with the times, but the format of memorials must not be changed at will according to personal preference. The Yellow Register Retreat (a Daoist purification rite conducted to transcend the dead and pray for blessings) has used five memorials and red petitions since ancient times: the Memorial of the Plain Carriage and White Horse, the Memorial for Breaking Through Fengdu and Removing Sin, the Memorial for Opening the Roads, the Memorial for Bathing and Refining, and the Memorial for Raising and Transcending the Souls of the Dead. Recently, some people have altered and rearranged their formats. This ritual lineage follows the old forms, which must not be changed at will; therefore, it continues to follow the ancient practice.

Memorial of the Plain Carriage and White Horse

Your servant, a bearer of the registers and offices of the Shangqing Lingbao tradition, approaches in sincere fear and trembling, bowing his head twice.

Your servant submits: I have heard that providing provisions to the spirits of the dead so they may be recommended for deliverance and raised through transcendence truly depends on the mysterious grace of the gods. The issuance and proclamation of true talismans likewise require the aid of divine officials. I venture to express my sincerity and respectfully report this matter to Heaven.

Your servant has received a petition from a Daoist official named [name], residing in [place], [county], [prefecture], together with members of the household, requesting that a Great Yellow Register Retreat be held for a total of [number] days and nights. The purpose of this retreat is to pray for blessings for the state above and broadly bestow blessings upon all living beings below; to raise the souls of seven generations of ancestors and rescue solitary souls in the Ninefold Darkness, enabling them to accumulate good fruits; and to transcend the deceased [name], so that they may soon ascend to the realm of the Dao.

Having received this petition, your servant is deeply moved by its earnestness and cannot refuse. I have therefore prepared a memorial and venture to submit it to Heaven and Earth. In reverent observance of the ritual procedures, I have performed the rites at the altar, recited the scriptures, paid homage to the true spirits, and repented and sought pardon. Now, in accordance with the talismanic commands of the Original Beginning, I invoke the Gold Register and White Writ, the True Talisman for Saving the Suffering, the Supreme One’s Edict of Absolution and Register of Treasures for Ascending to Heaven, the Supreme One’s True Talisman for Breaking Through the Underworld, the True Talisman for Rescuing Hidden Souls, the talismanic command of the Nine Dragons of the Azure Palace in the Eastern Pole, and the Jade Writ of the Divine Tiger of Supreme Unity, Mysterious Darkness, and Primordial Unity. By these commands, I summon the seven generations of ancestors and parents from the household of the deceased [name], together with all manner of solitary souls, to gather at the retreat altar.

On the night of [month] [day], an imperial altar will be established to summon and manifest the spirits of the dead, allowing them to appear and show signs of response; they will then be led in paying homage to the true spirits. At dawn on [day], the principal retreat will begin. The altar rites will be conducted for three days, during which sacrificial food will be distributed widely to the spirits of the dead, solitary souls will be extensively relieved, their numinous consciousness refined and delivered, and precepts and talismans and registers transmitted.

Your servant respectfully petitions for one Grand General of the Plain Carriage and White Horse, together with the officials, lords, generals, and officers …

Some have retitled this chapter “Chapter on Dispelling Impurity” and removed passages such as “plain carriage and white horses.” Ritual masters in different regions all follow the methods handed down by their teachers, though at times they also act according to their own understanding. What is recorded here is the old form transmitted within this lineage. Different schools and ritual lineages have their own variations, and each should proceed according to its own methods.

“Dispelling impurity” refers to the work of the relevant ritual officials: driving away demons and baleful, impure Qi, and preparing for the descent of the divine sovereigns of Heaven to inspect the rite. For this reason, one should not directly ask the Supreme Lord to dispatch ritual officials in person to dispel impurity.

Memorial for Deliverance from Guilt in Fengdu

Your servant, a ritual official of the Shangqing Lingbao registers, [title], is sincerely fearful and trembling, and bows twice with his head to the ground.

Your servant submits: I have heard that living beings, through the accumulation of transgressions, fall into the punishments of the netherworld. The Great Dao extends compassion far and wide, universally delivering the suffering souls imprisoned in the underworld. For those who have sunk into the depths to attain ascent, they must rely on the grace of the Great Dao.

Your servant respectfully acts on the petition submitted by [official title], [surname], [name], a follower of the Dao residing at [place], [county], [prefecture], requesting that rites of recommendation and deliverance be performed for the deceased, so that they may ascend into the realm of the Dao. Having received this request, your servant considers the matter sincere and urgent and believes it should be carried out in accordance with the regulations. In addition to having entered the matter in the registers and submitted it in advance, your servant has set [date] night for the invocation and establishment of the altar, and will begin a Yellow Register Great Retreat (a large Daoist purification ritual for recommending and delivering the souls of the deceased) on [date], continuing for [number] days and nights. At that time, the true gods will be worshipped, sins confessed and repented, and the Dao enacted and scriptures recited. We will also petition for authorization, issue talismans, summon the souls of the deceased, and carry out their deliverance, so that both the netherworld and the human world may receive the grace of renewal.

Your servant respectfully submits this petition for the matter, requesting the descent of talismanic commands summoning the true spirits, and the dispatch of talismanic envoys and spirit-summoning boys. We also respectfully request the bestowal of the true Taiji talisman. We humbly invite the Greatly Compassionate One of the Eastern Pole’s Azure Palace, the Celestial Worthy Taiyi, Savior from Suffering (the Daoist deity who delivers the souls of the deceased), to send down compassionate light and illuminate the ten directions and worlds.

We pray that Beiyin Fengdu, the Six Heavens, the Ten Caverns, the Five Sacred Peaks, the netherworld’s Springs and Bends, the underworld offices that administer judgment and punishment, and all the heavenly prisons and earthly hells may receive this compassionate grace and be granted peace. We pray that the Perfected Ones Who Save from Suffering, the Children Who Save from Suffering, and the Azure Mysterious Jade Maidens be dispatched to every hell, underworld tribunal, place of confinement, and night court, to open the gates, pardon sins, and end suffering; to break swords and destroy instruments of torture; to make records of sins and transgressions vanish; and to settle and reconcile grievances and enmities.

Whether they are the souls of the deceased condemned to carry sand and bear stones, laboring and suffering in the rivers of the underworld; spirits who command thunder and lightning; ghosts who drive the wind and sweep the mountains; souls undergoing retribution for their sins; or dragons who tunnel through the earth and channel water; whether they are the spirits of nine generations of forebears and seven generations of ancestors, or solitary souls from every path in the six directions and four quarters, we pray that all may be released from their service and granted pardon from imprisonment. May they ascend to the Southern Palace according to their rank, pass beyond the netherworld, be freed from conscription in the realm of the dead, and be registered as beings of the upper realm.

May all flying creatures, land animals, aquatic beings, and all living things covered in fur, feathers, scales, or armor each abide in their own nature, and universally receive illumination and renewal. I earnestly beseech the Most High to extend compassion to each in turn.

I respectfully petition the officials known as the Two Offices’ Direct Envoys, the Three-Five Merit Officers, the Left and Right Office Envoys, the Yin-Yang Spirit Adjudicators, the Red Talisman Officers of the Sectional Chariot, the Strong Wind Mounted Relay Officers, the Courier Horse Officers for Memorials, and the Flying Dragon Cavalry Officers. May they carry my memorial and deliver it to the Most High’s Three Heavens Bureau, the celestial office that receives memorials. I respectfully await the notice and reply issued by the Bureau of Heaven. I, your servant, [name], am filled with awe and trepidation. I bow my head twice in reverence and respectfully submit this report.

Your servant belongs to the [name] precinct and resides at [place] in [prefecture]. I burn incense and practice the Dao.

Respectfully presented to the Most High, the Jade Steps of the Golden Gate of the Utmost Truth of Emptiness and Nature, the Great Dao.

In the [year], [month], on the first day of the lunar month, at the [hour] of the [jiazi] day.

Your servant bows and presents this memorial at the ritual altar.

Closing formula:

Respectfully presented to the Most High, the Golden Gate of Emptiness and Nature. Your servant, [official rank and surname], submits this memorial and respectfully seals it.

Inner envelope:

(Respectfully submitted under seal to the Most High’s Three Heavens Bureau.) Your servant, [official rank and surname], respectfully seals the inner envelope.

Outer envelope:

(The memorial is respectfully submitted under seal to the gate of the Three Heavens, with a request that it be forwarded.) Your servant, [official rank and surname], respectfully seals the outer envelope.

Memorial for Opening the Way

Your servant, [surname], holder of a rank in the Shangqing Lingbao ritual registers, is filled with awe and trepidation. I bow my head twice in reverence and submit this memorial:

Your servant has heard that in the shadowy depths of the underworld, departed souls rarely encounter an opportunity for deliverance. The wondrous and profound Great Dao is compassionate and benevolent, and opens wide the means of ascent and salvation. Without relying on Heaven’s grace, it is difficult to build a broad passage linking the netherworld and the human realm. I humbly venture to invoke Heaven’s authority and respectfully set forth my request.

Your servant respectfully reports that [official’s surname and name], a Daoist practitioner residing at [place] in [county], [prefecture], [province], will submit this memorial on behalf of their family and relatives. They intend to perform a Great Yellow Register Retreat of the Most High, a Daoist Zhaijiao ritual for delivering departed souls, praying for blessings, and dispelling calamities. The rite will be held for several days and nights to summon and deliver the departed spirits. Yet they remain concerned that barriers between Yin and Yang may block the way, leaving souls trapped and sunk in the depths. I therefore respectfully submit this memorial and request that the Most High appoint one Direct Talisman Envoy and one Direct Talisman Envoy of the Three Realms, each bearing the Most High’s talismanic command and register memorial, to notify and instruct the Three Primordial Lords’ Nine Offices, the One Hundred and Twenty Bureaus, the Five Emperors’ Investigating Officials, the Chief Clerks of the Four Offices, the inner and outer palaces of Northern Yin’s Fengdu, the Nine Caverns of the Underworld, the myriad bureaus, the endless hells, the Springs and Bends, the River Sources, the dark and frigid waters, the Five Roads’ Central Offices, and the Earth Emperors beneath the Nine Layers of Earth…

All the gods and officials of the Earth Office (also called the Underworld Office) are hereby commanded to listen reverently: the she officials who govern the land and altars throughout the Nine Provinces; the offices that inspect and assess merits and faults at the Five Sacred Peaks, famous mountains, and secluded caverns where immortals dwell and the underworld conducts its affairs; the divine officials in the forests, city-god shrines, and temple altars; the Grand Duke of the Year; the local earth god; the chief officials of the departments of good and evil; the one hundred and twenty offices and their officials; and all those in charge in the celestial prisons, hells, and shadowy courts of the underworld.

By the command of the Highest Mystery, open the gates and clear the roads; pardon sins and release imprisoned souls. Welcome and recommend the soul of a certain person, together with the souls of others named for deliverance, as well as the ancestors and kin of the household, the spirits assigned to the Nine Provinces, beings of the five paths and four kinds of birth, the hidden spirits of the myriad forms, and the countless ghosts. May each leave behind suffering and hardship, and may their bodies and souls be protected. Let them proceed together to the ritual altar, pay homage to the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters—listen to the scriptures and teachings, receive the precepts and the transmission of Fulu, illuminate the road through the long night, and open wide the way home from the underworld. May their merit be fulfilled and their Dao fruit brought to completion, so that they may rise to the ranks of the immortals. As for divine officials who disobey or delay, let the underworld offices demote and discipline them. We respectfully ask the Most High to bestow kindness according to each one’s needs, take pity, and deliver them, carrying out the requests set forth above.

The square memorial may be left with spaces, and its format should follow the established precedent.

Yellow Slip Attached to the Wooden Tablet

Your servant petitions: a grand Yellow Register Retreat is to be established at a certain place. Please dispatch the officers and subordinates to announce and transmit the summons. We respectfully await your decision.

It should be noted that both the Petition for Deliverance from Fengdu’s Sins and the Petition for Opening the Roads are chiefly concerned with broadly delivering the souls of the underworld. Although the sponsor of a retreat may hold it specifically for one person, when the underworld is delivered as a whole, the souls included in the offering also receive aid. As there are many kinds of hell, it is difficult to describe them one by one; the implements used to examine and punish the dead are likewise too numerous to list in full.

Thus Master Guangcheng says: “Hell is called hell because its prisons are set beneath the earth. The places where sinful souls are tried may sometimes also be found among cities and settlements. The courts and offices of the underworld seize and try them there, and these places too are called hells.” The Scripture on Karmic Retribution and Causal Conditions says that worldly crimes committed by the living are judged by earthly officials, while offenses and misdeeds in the underworld are overseen by its officials. Some scriptures speak of thirty-six hells; the Scripture of the Immortal Precepts speaks of eighteen; the Scripture of Orthodox Unity speaks of eight great hells; and the Scripture on Causal Conditions says that the Three Officials of Fengdu govern twenty-four hells. The accounts in the various scriptures are already too many to exhaust, and no one knows how many more are left unmentioned. As for punishments involving golden mallets, iron rods, sword trees, mountains of knives, furnaces, pits of hot coals, boiling water, fire chariots, and filth, the scriptures offer only brief descriptions of their terrors, to warn people against committing sins.

Even when the “Chapter for Deliverance from Sin” mentions copper pillars, iron beds, and instruments of torture, along with boiling water and coals in blazing furnaces, all of these can be transformed into cool, soothing lamps. If one describes the forms of the hells one by one, the list will never end; worse, it will make the scripture’s meaning seem unduly narrow.

For example, the “Chapter for Opening the Way” names the hells of the great and lesser Iron Encircling Mountains, the Avici Hell, and others. Yet this, too, may become overly rigid. The hells are numerous, and their names cannot all be known. Therefore, the “Chapter for Deliverance from Sin” used in the scripture speaks only in general terms of resolving enmity, dispelling grievances, and ending feuds, without describing each instrument of punishment. The “Chapter for Opening the Way” likewise refers broadly to the palaces and caverns of Fengdu and to the boundless hells, without listing the name of every hell. In this way, the wording remains concise while the meaning reaches far, and few words encompass much.

After all, a list of names cannot include everything, and the realms of the unseen cannot be fully described by naming their parts. The matter should therefore be summed up in broad terms: all who dwell in hell may receive the grace of Heaven; all who are due to suffer hell’s punishments may receive its wondrous pardon. Why must one identify a hell by name to dispel the suffering of sin, or pinpoint its location to increase the merit of a Zhaijiao (purification ritual)? If one receives the compassion of the Supreme Emperor, there is no being who cannot be saved. Those who study the Dao should broaden their minds and avoid narrow, superficial interpretations. This is essential to the study of the Dao: a narrow heart lacks the breadth needed to save all beings of Heaven and humanity.

Chapter on Purification and Refinement for Deliverance

I, a minister holding a rank in the registers of the Shangqing Lingbao tradition, am deeply humbled and fearful. I bow my head to the ground, prostrate myself, and bow again.

I submit this petition. I have heard that though the body and consciousness may briefly perish, worldly entanglements continue to bind them; the hun and po souls and awareness drift apart, while their spiritual foundations have yet to be restored. Without the method of refinement for deliverance, how could the dead be reborn and rise to a higher state? I therefore dare to knock at Heaven’s gate and present the wishes of ordinary people.

I respectfully act on the statement submitted by a Daoist official of the surname and given name of [name], residing in [place], [prefecture], [province], or [county], and undertake the deliverance of the souls of their family members and others, so that the departed may ascend to the realm of the Dao. Having carefully reviewed the matter as reported, I deem it proper to submit it and proceed in accordance with the ritual procedures. I now respectfully lead the Daoist assembly of this lineage in establishing an altar on [date] and beginning the Zhaijiao on [date].

We shall conduct the Supreme Taiyi Yellow Register Great Retreat, a Zhaijiao ritual in which Daoists pray for the dead and deliver their souls, for a specified number of days and nights. We shall recite scriptures and perform the rites, repent and seek pardon for sins, pay homage to the perfected and the sages, pray for Heaven’s mandate, and issue Fulu (talismans and registers) to summon and gather the souls so they may be delivered. May this ritual extend everywhere to the departed souls lingering in the Three Paths—the realms of suffering of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—and to all kinds of spirits in the unseen world. May they all receive the beneficence of the divine, be cleansed of worldly impurities, return to the teachings of the Great Dao, and once again attain…

In accordance with the principle of Yin-Yang (yin-yang) joining in harmony, I respectfully submit this petition, requesting that five youths of the Five Directions and Five Spirits, together with 120 officers, generals, attendants, and soldiers charged with dispelling impurity, and one Lady of Washing and one Jade Maiden of Yellow Florescence, descend at the appointed time. May they bring Yellow Florescence Divine Water, the plain elixir for refining corpses, numinous jade wine, sweet dew, and golden fluid, and pour them into the fragrant bath. In this way, the ghosts of the deceased receiving salvation may be cleansed of yin impurity and washed free of worldly toil. The roots of karmic transgression will remain neither within nor without, and the stains of torment and defilement will be removed.

Next, may the youths of the Five Directions invoke the true Qi (vital energy) of the Five Directions—the primordial energy of each direction—and nourish the souls of the deceased with distinct numinous fluids: the true Qi of the Azure Numinous Primordial Elder of the East, with the Azure Fluid of the Nine Qi; the true Qi of the Vermilion Numinous True Elder of the South, with the Vermilion Florescence of the Three Qi; the true Qi of the Bright Numinous August Elder of the West, with the Plain Elixir of the Seven Qi; the true Qi of the Five Numinous Mysterious Elder of the North, with the Mysterious Spring of the Five Qi; and the true Qi of the Primordial Numinous Origin Elder of the Center, with the Yellow Florescence of the One Qi. May all the souls of the deceased receive this nourishing grace, their hun and po souls brought to rest, and the Five Spirits—the numinous beings associated with the body’s life processes—born anew.

May the Jade Fluid, tempered a hundred times and blended a thousand times like vajra, the flowing radiance of Great White, and the scattered fluid of the Primordial August Emperor also be invoked to release what is knotted and wash away defilement, nourishing and refining body and mind until wisdom is clear and unobstructed. I further invoke the true Qi of Yin and Yang and the numinous fluids of Metal and Wood, asking that they descend upon the world of Cinnabar Heaven, the Vermilion Mound Fire Court, and the Upper Palace of Nanchang. May the Lords, officers, generals, attendants, and soldiers charged with refining descend to the altar and refine and deliver the souls of the deceased, so that their original nature may become clear, their form and spirit restored, and they may be reborn in a land of blessing and receive the Way’s protection forever. May the Most High judge each case and, in compassion, grant this petition.

I respectfully follow established practice in using a square enclosure at the end of the blank passage; the precedent may be followed.

Yunzhong respectfully reports that he has often heard: after birth, blood and flesh form the body, and wherever Qi and blood circulate, illness and all manner of discomfort arise. The Dao De Jing says, “I have great troubles because I have a body.” This means that the body becomes a burden to the spirit and soul. In recent times, Song Qiqiu wrote in his Book of Transformation, “Nothing originally harmed me, yet my sinews and bones became what harmed me; nothing originally caused me pain, yet my blood and flesh became what caused me pain.” These words indeed come close to the Great Dao.

Once the spirit and soul leave the body, the hundred bones all become decaying earth. Where, then, are the former injuries to the limbs and illnesses of the heart and abdomen? Yet if the soul remains obstructed—bound and entangled by fixation and conflict, or lost in delusion through its own infatuation—it may find no end to its delay before rebirth. If one could get to the root…

Once the principles of nature and life are understood, one should act in accord with the right moment to deliver all beings. This is why the Most High—a Daoist honorific for the supreme deity—established the methods of fasting. Fasting and cultivation are intended to build the merit of the fast, recite scriptures, and practice the Dao, bringing light to dark places and awakening those sunk in suffering. That is all.

The chapter “Bathing and Refining the Dead” describes a ritual in which the souls of the dead are purified, refined, and delivered. After death, the souls dwell in the netherworld, bound by the nets of punishment. They must therefore first be washed clean of their defilements, then their spiritual awareness gathered and their foundation restored with the aid of Yin-Yang Qi, so that they may be reborn among human beings. A person first changes from human into ghost; now, through the deliverance of the Mysterious Way of the Upper Realm, the spirits are gathered anew, allowing the ghost to return to human form. When the time comes for rebirth, the Sovereign grants each a lifespan according to rank, generates the soul from the Nine Qi—the nine primordial energies that constitute life—and forms its flesh anew.

The only concern is that the merit of the fast may not be sufficient to reach Heaven, and that the Yin and Yang Qi may therefore fail to descend upon the souls. To follow the old methods and summon the Celestial Physician to send down divine medicine, treat the ailments the dead suffered in life, and repair their damaged bones and flesh would stray far from the Dao. The dead have not merely suffered bodily decay while their souls remain intact. The vital forces of Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth can also refine their souls and enable them to be reborn. Why, then, worry that a soul may be ill and unable to recover? I therefore follow the method transmitted by my late master and dare not conform to custom at the expense of the orthodox Way. If what one has received differs from this, one should follow the proper principles of the master’s teaching and dare not transgress them.

Chapter on Delivering the Souls of the Dead

I, a humble servant holding an office in the Upper Clarity Lingbao registers of ritual methods—that is, a ritual master who upholds these registers and holds the corresponding title—am filled with awe and trepidation. I bow my head and prostrate myself twice.

I submit: I have heard that the blessings of religious instruction extend widely to all beings, lifting those who have sunk into suffering and raising them to a higher state; and that the blessings of Zhaijiao rites are boundless, saving the souls of the dead in the netherworld and delivering them from suffering. I humbly ask that this petition be examined and recorded, and that compassion and mercy ultimately be bestowed.

I respectfully report the matter presented by a devotee of the Dao, an official of a certain surname, residing in a certain place in a certain county, prefecture, and province, together with the family members named in the petition. They have reverently established a Great Yellow Register Fast of the Most High, a Daoist Zhaijiao rite for praying for blessings, commemorating the dead, and delivering souls. The fast lasted a specified number of days and nights and was held to commend the departed spirits and raise them to the realms of the immortals. In accordance with the prescribed ritual procedures, I have duly performed the rites of opening and deliverance, commended and delivered the souls of the dead, and carried out the rites of offering and refinement for their relatives of the same clan and for the souls lingering in the Ninefold Darkness.

Now that we have received the power of the Daoist rites, we also rely upon the grace of Heaven. I respectfully petition the Lords of Destiny, of Records, of Longevity, of Increased Years, of Deliverance from Calamity, and of Birth in the Upper Realm, one of each, in the Upper Palace of Nanchang, to deliver these souls of the dead and enable them to be reborn in the Southern Palace; to determine their lifespans and enter their names in jade tablets and golden registers. I further petition on their behalf…

A prayer for the departed soul: Great Spirit Sima, Holy Mother Weifang, and Youth of Dongyang, please refine the departed soul’s form and substance, transforming it into a body of yellow radiance and dissolving its former shape. Enter the name it bore in life into the Purple Register, so that it may be listed among the ranks of the Vermilion Palace. May it receive protection and blessings, continue without end, and enjoy freedom for ages to come. We beseech the Most High to show compassion in turn. I respectfully entrust this petition to the messengers who travel through the void. The box at the end may be left blank; the rest should follow the preceding format.

According to the Essentials of Zhengyi, when petitions are divided into sections each year in the twelfth month, the names of the Most High’s palaces should be entered separately; when sections are made daily, the palace offices should be entered separately. This is a liturgical rule of the Zhengyi school and may be followed at one’s discretion. The petition format used here belongs to the Dongxuan grade and is found in Shangqing scriptures; its origins differ from those of the Zhengyi school. Thus, this is a Shangqing ritual format used together with the Zhengyi petition format.

In the past, there was also a practice that did not use palace offices. Only the Collected Prescriptions for the Daoist Tradition stipulates that palace offices be added today. There is insufficient basis for adopting this practice. Moreover, Lingbao disciples have always addressed petitions directly to the Three Celestial Offices when submitting them to the Most High Lord of the Dao. I have repeatedly performed petitions in this way, and the texts have often received a numinous response. Only then did I dare to include them in this book. I have not invented them recklessly to mislead people without ever having used them myself. Scholars should examine this carefully.

Petition Envelopes

One chi, two cun, and eight fen long, and two cun and eight fen wide, measured with the ancient ruler. Make a bag from yellow silk, seal it on the outside, and wrap it in a yellow gauze cloth.

Petition Table

Make the petition table in the style of an incense table, with curved legs. Cover it with a yellow gauze tablecloth, which should also hang down on all sides.

Writing Petitions

Write in a quiet chamber, where no one comes and goes. Clean the room beforehand. Just before writing, use a Purification Talisman, vinegar, and charcoal smoke to cleanse the space and dispel impurities. The person responsible for writing petitions and memorials must bathe and change clothes before entering the room to write.

Usually, write seventeen characters on each line, leaving eight fen of space above and a narrow gap below the line of characters, called the “ant trail.” Another view says not to leave an ant trail, but characters written close to the paper’s edge may have their strokes cut off, so it is preferable to leave this gap. Each line should be one cun and two fen wide, and the paper should be one chi and two cun high. Arrange the lines in odd-numbered order from beginning to end. Leave two lines blank before the ritual title. From the ritual title to the words “bow twice,” use a separate line. Write the two characters “submit this petition” on the same level. The characters for “I,” personal names, and the characters for “ghost” and “death” must not begin a line; the character for “life” must not hang at the end of a line. Before writing the petition, first cover the table with clean, brightly colored silk. Year, month…

Leave three blank lines after this. If you must continue writing after taking leave of an elder, continue on another sheet of paper. Burn any leftover paper immediately after cutting it; do not let it fall onto the bed mat or the ground. Use fresh, clean brushes and ink, and do not mix them with others. Matters involving ominous or impure things must not appear at the beginning of a memorial. Such writing should be kept away from the start of a line and hidden from view.

Women, Buddhist monks and nuns, and animals such as chickens, dogs, and cats must not enter the chamber where memorials are written. Do not speak or make a disturbance while writing a memorial, and do not leave the room before it is finished. Do not put down the brush before completing a character. When dipping the brush, do not point its tip directly at the memorial. When reading aloud, keep your voice low so that others cannot hear; the character “low” should be aligned with the preceding line.

When you write “report this to the officials below,” write “to be heard” and then leave three blank lines. The two characters “the petitioner’s surname” should be written two cun and four fen lower than the preceding text. First state your ritual rank, but do not write your surname. When you reach the place for “the petitioner’s surname,” add your surname, for example: “I, of the surname So-and-so, reside at such-and-such a place in such-and-such a district, where I practice the Dao.” Since the surname is omitted at the beginning of the memorial and the petitioner is referred to only by given name in the body, “the petitioner’s surname” is written separately in the middle as the closing formula. Writing the petitioner’s full name here would violate the format.

An old account preserves a memorial by the scripture master Gao Jun, written as: “I, of the surname Gao, belong to Ziyuan Hermitage in Qimen County, Huizhou, where I practice the Dao.” Those outside the Yunzhong lineage may use their own judgment. Leave three blank lines after “the petitioner’s surname,” and another three after “the Sacred Position of the Most High.” Write the date at the end. A memorial must not be written across two days, and “Your Majesty” must not be filled in at different times. When presenting a memorial by day, face east; at night, face north.

Each sheet of a memorial has seventeen lines, with seventeen characters per line. Only the memorial written on yellow silk with red borders has twenty-four characters per line; all others follow the memorial format. According to the ancient rule, memorial officials must not write the spirits of the sexagenary cycle into a memorial. When writing, hold the paper without letting your sleeves brush against it. Grind the ink by turning the inkstone forty-nine times to the left. Do not bite the brush or breathe onto the memorial.

According to this method, hold fragrant water in the mouth, burn incense, and write the memorial table facing north. Anyone writing a memorial table must not step on anything filthy. If they have been through birth or death, touched impure Qi, or become contaminated, someone else must write it. The paper must not be torn, and no dots or strokes may be omitted from the characters. In hot weather, do not wear only a thin garment or expose the body. Do not lean over the desk while writing. Once the memorial is complete, do not inspect it for faults or make corrections. Do not let anyone read the finished memorial or leave it where people come and go. Write the line “the Sacred Position of the Most High” neatly and reverently; do not be constrained by…

According to the old rules, a petition (a document submitted to the heavenly realm) should be three inches long. If the matters to be presented were listed one by one, there would be too much to fit on the page, so the writing must not be crowded or disorderly. When writing the words “Your Majesty,” there is no need to add a special notation; neat, careful regular script is sufficient.

After reading aloud a copy of the petition, lay out the original before the sacred seat. Place the brush to the right of the seat and the dragon-headed writing knife (a ritual implement with a dragon-shaped handle, used for cutting paper) to the left. The ritual master kneels upright before the ritual table. Once the petition has been dispatched, raise it above the incense, roll it tightly, and place it in the inner case. After reciting the spell for opening the case, put the petition inside, add agarwood chips, and tie it with blue silk wound around it three times. In the past, it was sealed with wax, but solid wax is considered impure; today, it is sealed with paste instead. The place where the silk is tied must also be sealed. Then place it in the outer case and hand it to the incense attendant. The ritual master visualizes, bows low, and proceeds according to the liturgy.

Seals and offerings accompanying the petition (tokens and colored silk presented with the petition to protect it):

The Son of Heaven uses lengths measured in bolts; those below the rank of duke or marquis use lengths measured in zhang; common people use forty-nine chi.

Twelve thousand coins; one shi and two dou of stipend rice; one dou and two sheng of oil; five liang of incense; one hundred sheets of paper; two large brushes and three small brushes; three ink sticks and two inkstones; one gold fish and one jade goose; one dragon-headed writing knife (six inches long, with a copper or iron blade and a dragon’s head made from half a liang of silver); one jin of salt and one jin of fermented beans; fifty jin of firewood and fifty jin of charcoal; and two clean towels. The life-token (an object used to signify a person’s allotted years) is prepared according to each person’s birth year.

The liturgy states: These tokens are prepared for the petitioning rite as proof and as an expression of sincerity. If someone seeks merit in their heart but is unwilling to part with their possessions, the spirits will not accept the offering. For practitioners living in remote mountain forests, or for poor households, the ritual master may provide the offerings on their behalf.

Dispatch notice for the petition (a document accompanying the petition as it is sent to the heavenly realm):

Office of the Great Lingbao Ritual:

This office now undertakes, on behalf of a certain person, the establishment of a Great Shangqing Yellow Register Retreat (a Daoist purification ritual) lasting a certain number of days and nights, praying for peace in the state, deliverance for the dead, and benefit for the living. In accordance with the liturgy, we respectfully submit one case containing a certain petition and carefully send it to be presented beneath the Gate of the Three Heavens. We hereby issue this dispatch notice.

Thus issued.

Let the official charged with carrying the petition, together with all the attendants accompanying its presentation, the two direct envoys, the Three and Five Meritorious Officers, the officials and messengers on the left and right, the attendants who bear flying petitions, the direct talisman officers of the Five Emperors, the twelve hour messengers, the Yin-Yang spirit-decision clerks, the ritual carriage and red talisman officers, the strong-wind relay riders, the post-horse petition clerks, the flying dragon cavalry officers, and all the other officials and generals with their thousand chariots and ten thousand riders, jointly bear the petition to the heavenly court and present it at the appointed time.

Petition to the Mother Deity: Request for an extension to carry out the Star-Fire rites, with an accompanying official dispatch.

Submitted on the year, month, day, and hour. Submitted by the ritual official of the appropriate rank. The officiant presents this written petition. The ritual officiant, So-and-so, respectfully prepares several copies of the Middle Section of the Numinous Writ of the Primordial Beginning, cloud horses, and gold money, and respectfully presents these offerings to:

The three generals Tang, Ge, and Zhou of the Three Primes; the numinous officials under the Three Heavens who oversee the wording of petitions; the immortal officials under the Three Heavens who usher petitions forward; the numinous officials who transmit flying petitions and hasten the circulation of Qi in the ritual tradition; the clerks and the Three-Five Merit Officers responsible for recording, presenting, and delivering petition texts; the left and right official envoys and the Five Emperors’ duty talismans; the twelve hourly envoys and the Yin-Yang spirit officials; the ritual carriage’s red-talisman officials and the fierce-wind courier riders; the post-horse petition officials and flying-dragon riders; the twelve copyist assistants and minor officials, the officials of the Sexagenary Cycle; and all the officers and generals who command a thousand chariots and ten thousand riders in the petition.

We earnestly beseech all the sacred and enlightened ones to show compassion, look down upon us, and accept these offerings. Respectfully submitted as a written petition. On the year, month, and day, the ritual officiant, So-and-so, presents this petition.

The memorial is written in vermilion ink on yellow paper. The Ritual Code of Master Guangcheng stipulates that the main text have twenty-four characters per line. No official dispatch is used when presenting the memorial.

I, So-and-so, ritual official of the appropriate rank, am sincerely fearful and trembling. I bow my head and prostrate twice as I submit this petition:

To the Most High, the Boundless Great Dao, the Most True and Natural One, before the Golden Palace and the steps of the Seven Treasures:

We are dull in our endowments, yet have presumptuously taken part in the rites of the Great Dao. Our merit and virtue are scant, while our transgressions weigh as heavily as mountains. At every turn, we feel ashamed and afraid, uneasy in body and mind. I am sincerely fearful and trembling, and bow my head in utmost obeisance.

We truly believe that even this small opportunity we have received comes from blessings accumulated in past lives, which allowed us to encounter the wondrous teachings. The kindness bestowed upon us far exceeds what we deserve. Since we have, unworthily, taken up duties in the Daoist tradition and accepted the responsibility of saving and delivering others, we vow, despite our ordinary nature, limited understanding, and dim, uninformed practice, to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to following the mysterious teachings. Whenever we see something that ought to be done, we will courageously take it upon ourselves and keep it in mind day and night. Now that we have encountered this circumstance, how could we fail to report it truthfully?

There is a Daoist devotee, an official named So-and-so, residing at [place], in [county], [prefecture], [province], who kneels and declares: We have heard that the Yellow Register Great Retreat of the supreme orthodox teaching—a Daoist purification rite for praying for blessings, dispelling misfortune, and delivering the spirits of the dead—can remove offenses incurred between life and death and dissolve the sins committed in past and present lives through body, speech, and mind. Its merit and virtue can support the emperor above and benefit the people below. It can protect the state and secure households, avert calamities and misfortunes, increase blessings and longevity, dissolve transgressions, and deliver the Nine Generations of Ancestors and Seven Generations of Forebears, together with all the departed, so that the living and the dead may both be saved and delivered and its benevolence may be widely extended. We respectfully prepare gold from the ten directions...

The dragon emblem, a token engraved with the shape of a dragon, serves to seal and protect the altar. All the offerings have been prepared, including silk bearing the natal design, incense, flowers, oil lamps, and candles.

With utmost sincerity, we submit this memorial. Through the performance of the Daoist liturgy and rites of repentance and atonement, we wish to sever the many faults and calamities of our past and present lives, accumulate good fruits, and deliver the deceased, so-and-so, enabling them to ascend beyond the mortal realm. Our words are earnest, and it is fitting that they be presented in a memorial.

I respectfully lead the Daoists of this altar in accordance with the liturgy of the Lower Primordial Yellow Register Retreat and the standards of the numinous immortals. We have selected a site and established an altar, performing the rites according to the mysterious liturgical rules, following the patterns of Heaven and taking the Earth as our model. We send forth the prepared golden dragon and colored silk to seal and protect the ten directions, praying that Heaven grant its decree and deliver both the living and the dead. May everyone admonish and encourage one another, cleanse body and mind, focus their thoughts in sincere recitation, and entrust themselves to the Most True.

We now respectfully conduct the supreme Yellow Register Great Retreat for a set number of days and nights, with nine daily audiences and ten recitations of the scriptures each day. The retreat rites began on a certain date and will conclude with the closing of the retreat on another. Thereafter, we will perform a Jiao rite of thanksgiving and reflection. We respectfully state our ritual proceedings before the spirits of all three hundred and sixty offices, dissolve the altar, and cast the dragon into the landscape of mountains and waters. We submit our memorial on a wooden tablet inscribed in vermilion, bow before the memorial at the numinous altar, and respectfully present it to the Nine Heavens.

We humbly beseech the Supreme, Boundless Great Dao; the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning; the Lord of the Dao, the Supreme; the Supreme Lord Lao; the Supreme Elder; the Unparalleled Mysterious Elder; the Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthies of the ten directions and primordial nature; the great sages who have attained the Dao; the various Perfected Ones; the Lords and Elders; the Great Emperors; the Celestial Emperors; the Celestial Master; and the Great Mysterious Masters of the Dharma. May you examine this memorial and show compassion for our sincere hearts. If Heaven grants its approval, we earnestly ask that the spirits who oversee the registers be commanded to inform the Five Old Emperors of the ten directions, the Perfected Immortals of the Five Sacred Peaks, the Three Offices and Nine Courts, and the true spirits of the worlds in the ten directions. May they deliver the deceased, so-and-so, together with the deceased’s nine generations of ancestors and seven generations of forebears—that is, all ancestors through the generations—as well as all wandering souls, whether connected or unconnected to the family, adversaries or kin. May all be delivered without delay, freed from the long night and the sufferings of the Ninefold Darkness, and raised to the Southern Palace to receive robes and caps. May dry bones regain their bodily form and withered places bloom anew; may they leave behind the suffering of transmigration and be reborn within the gate of blessing.

We also pray that the place where the deceased rests be guarded by the spirits, and that their remains receive protection and honor. May their spirit return to its former state and unite with the radiant darkness. We ask that all the sins of the retreat sponsor, so-and-so, from past and present lives be completely cleansed; that disputes with adversaries be reconciled and calamities dispelled; that misfortune be averted, life prolonged, and life itself preserved; and that both the living and the dead find peace, with their families kept safe.

May the sun, moon, and stars shine brightly, and Heaven and Earth remain secure for ages. May the four quarters be peaceful, the Emperor’s good fortune endure, Yin and Yang be in harmony, and the Five Grains yield abundant harvests. May epidemics and harmful afflictions be banished forever, auspicious signs arrive each day, the nation prosper, the people live in peace, and all under Heaven enjoy tranquility.

May peace overcome calamity and hardship, preserve the original Qi, and bring auspiciousness and smooth progress, so that we may receive the Dao’s grace for a long time. I respectfully dispatch the requested celestial soldiers of the heavenly realm, the troops and horses of the Perfected Ma, the troops and horses of the earthly immortals, the troops and horses of the Sun and Moon, the troops and horses of the constellations, the troops and horses of the Five Emperors, the troops and horses of the Three Rivers and Four Seas, and the troops and horses of the Five Sacred Peaks and Four Great Rivers, each numbering nine hundred million myriads.

May all the true immortal officers and generals, the attendants of the Lingbao, the officials who oversee the purification rites and attend to their duties, the Three-Five Merit Officers, the left and right official messengers, the fragrant incense attendants—the Golden Youth and Jade Maiden who convey messages—the direct talisman officers of the Five Emperors, the officials who deliver messages and submit petitions, the flying-dragon mounted officers, the petition-carrying attendants, the officials, lords, generals, and officers listed in the petition, the talisman messengers who summon the Perfected and call forth spirits, the youths who summon the Perfected and call forth spirits, the Great High direct talisman messengers, the direct talisman messengers of the Three Realms, the black-capital interwoven dragons, the golden-dragon courier officers, the generals, lords, and officers of the plain carriage and white horse, the bathing and impurity-cleansing officials, the refining-and-transcendence generals and officers of the Upper Palace of Nanchang, the spirit-tiger summoning generals and officers, the Jade Maiden spirit soldiers, and all departments of the Orthodox Law—who are carried within our bodies through the scriptures, registers, and methods of the Three Caverns and Four Supplements—join together with one heart and one effort to pursue and seize the souls.

All officials who take part in this undertaking, including the City God, the local shrine official who oversees the affairs of the territorial deities, the general who guards the residence, the true officials and orthodox gods of this locality, the deities of the Three Realms, the altar-inspecting divine generals, and every divine officer who supervises, protects, conveys summons, safeguards the purification rites, or has rendered meritorious service: please ready yourselves and accompany the petition I submit to register and receive reward at the Mysterious Capital, report your merits, and pay homage at the immortal palace. May your ranks be raised and your standing advanced among the High Perfected; may you receive greater titles and official stipends. Grant each of you a true office according to your rank, and promote all of you in order of seniority, following in every respect the rites of the Great Perfected.

Our study of the methods is not yet complete. In our conduct and movements, we may inevitably fail in proper form, violate the regulations, or fall short of ritual standards. We fear that the Four Offices may investigate us and the Five Emperors detain us, leaving us burdened with a thousand kinds of fault and ten thousand kinds of offense. We humbly ask for pardon and compassion. Please understand that we have not yet attained awakening, and do not impose punishment upon us. May the true officials of the Five Limbs within our bodies receive these merits. Once the rite is complete, may they each return to the palaces within our bodies, so that we may succeed in studying the Dao, attain immortality, and remain Perfected forever, shining with the Sun, Moon, and stars and enduring alongside the Qi of the Five Phases.

We humbly beseech the Great High One and all the revered deities to show their compassion in turn. I respectfully call upon two flying-immortal direct messengers of the officials, Three-Five Merit Officers, left and right official messengers, Yin-Yang divine clerks, red-talisman officers of the ritual carriage, mounted courier officers of the strong wind, relay-horse officers who submit petitions, flying-dragon mounted officers, and mounted officers of the celestial immortals—twenty-four of each—to carry my petition and present it above…

Go to the Supreme Three Heavens Bureau, the celestial office that oversees memorials, and prostrate yourself in greeting.

Report: Your servant, so-and-so, is filled with awe and trepidation. I kowtow, bow deeply, and bow twice.

I respectfully submit this report.

[Leave three blank lines here.]

Your servant, surnamed so-and-so, belongs to such-and-such place in such-and-such prefecture. Here I burn incense and perform the purification retreat.

[Leave three blank lines here.]

I respectfully present this to the Supreme Worthy of the Golden Gates and Seven Treasures, seated beneath the Jade Steps: the Most High, formless and nameless, empty and spontaneous, supremely true Great Dao.

[Leave three blank lines here.]

I respectfully submit this memorial: in such-and-such year, on such-and-such month and day, at the hour of Jiazi, I bow and present it from within the retreat altar.

The above is a vermilion memorial, written with a red brush. I respectfully follow the instructions of Master Guangcheng: use six feet of fine, soft, yellow silk, and take one width from its end. Draw a border and write within it using a red brush, with twenty-four characters to each line. The first line should end with the character “yu”; the line should be filled exactly when the words “bow twice” are reached. The words “submit this report” should be aligned and written on a separate line. The character “sheng” must not appear at the end of a line, and the characters “gui” and “si” must not appear at the beginning of a line. Do not split a person’s name across the end of a line, and do not begin a line with the character “chen.” Observe all the rules for the format of memorials. Do not smudge, alter, misspell, annotate, soil, or damage the memorial. Write with focused care. Even when submitting a memorial to the human court, one must make the handwriting neat and precise; how much more so when reporting to the perfected beings of Heaven? How could one treat this lightly? Otherwise, one may incur punishment from the celestial officials, the memorial may fail to reach its destination, and one may instead bring guilt upon oneself. How, then, could one move the spirits?

Memorials addressed to the sacred ranks of the Most High should be written in person by the ritual master at the site, filling the twenty-four ruled spaces. The ancients were simple in their ways: they drew lines on the silk before writing. In the past, some ritual masters still saw their predecessors observing this old method of ruling the silk. Silk in recent times is also very thin, so paper can be placed behind it to make writing easier. My late master used only thick, clean yellow paper, which was especially convenient. Silk is indeed the ancient method, but when burned it leaves behind wisps of its threads. Nowadays, ruled lines are no longer commonly drawn.

This memorial alone is a special case: the officials, commanders, and clerks accompany it on its journey to the celestial court, so there is no need to write a separate guan document, used to convey orders and dispatch personnel. It need only be presented in a bowing ceremony during the final rite, when the altar is dismantled.

Many people wish to follow the old draft left by Master Guangcheng and use a yellow silk memorial, but they do not know that in ancient times, during large-scale Zhaijiao rites, memorials always began by praying for the ruler’s good fortune and the state’s peace, and only then mentioned one’s personal concerns. The priority was to deliver all beings from suffering, and only afterward to attend to the dead. Therefore, as long as this principle is upheld from beginning to end, this memorial may be used. In recent times, however, people conducting rites for protection and peace have been anxiously intent only on praying for themselves, without taking into account…

Sacrificial rites should pray for the stability of the state and peace in the world. Rites to release the dead should likewise be guided by an urgent wish to save the spirits of the departed. Yet some senior ritual masters, who preside over Daoist purification rites, simply follow the wishes of the donors who sponsor them, fearing that the merit of the rite will be shared with others. In recent times, the Five Chapters of the Yellow Register, used in Yellow Register purification rites, have almost entirely lost their prayers for the protection of the state and blessings for the ruler, while also neglecting the purpose of universal salvation. Only when writing the vermilion memorial—a petition written in red ink and presented to the spirits—do they adopt the format of Guangcheng. This sharply contradicts the five chapters that came before. Is this not deceiving Heaven?

The memorial texts described by Yunzong still preserve the intent of the ancients, so using this vermilion memorial can be consistent with them. But if one uses only texts that cater to current fashions and writes simply to please the donor, then this memorial is quite unsuitable. Moreover, some senior ritual masters have no habitual concern for the universal relief of living beings. During purification rites they are always uneasy, afraid of the slightest departure from the donor’s wishes. They also fear the donor will never hire them again, so they hurry to flatter and serve. How could they dare even to breathe freely in the donor’s presence? Asking them to distinguish right from wrong and clarify the purpose of orthodox scriptures is harder still.

In ancient times, those who sponsored purification rites and cultivated the Dao would give away wealth and offer broad relief to the unseen realms. They did this, first, to rid themselves of greed; second, to remember the ruler above, deliver their nine generations of ancestors in the middle, and extend their concern to the common people, so that all under Heaven might share in blessings; and third, to save all beings across the five paths, four kinds of birth, three realms of suffering, and ten classes of beings—even birds, beasts, and plants could receive the merit of the rites. By seeking the protection of one’s household and person in this way, one could gain boundless blessings and longevity. By dedicating the rites to one’s kin and releasing the dead, one might also help them ascend. If donors could hear these modest views of Yunzong, they would surely broaden their benevolence to some degree. Sadly, those who preside over the rites, whenever they meet with donors, are so busy flattering them that they have no time to explain these principles.

Yunzong often presides over purification rites and always acts in accordance with this purpose; the donors have never insisted on having things their own way. If fellow practitioners would keep to their proper duties, respect their religious tradition, and refuse to be constrained by meager offerings—or to abase themselves in pursuit of profit—that would be a blessing for the tradition.

In general, whether one gains or loses wealth depends on causes and conditions from past lives; poverty, riches, hardship, and success each have their allotted course. To bend oneself in pursuit of gain, using sweet words to secure employment, is truly futile.