《上清靈寶大法(二)》Vol. 24

The liturgies prescribed for the Three Caverns—the Daoist scriptures classified as Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen—have been explained in many writings since ancient times. The Dao of Dongzhen has been transmitted for a long time. In the late Warring States period, the Three Perfected Lords of Mao (Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong) began to manifest auspicious signs on Mount Juqu, in the area of present-day Mount Mao in Jiangsu, and established an ancestral altar there. After them, Xu Changshi, Xu Yuanyou, Yang Siming, Guo Zhenren, and others successively transmitted the Dao, continuing the lineage without interruption. They all devoted themselves to the highest Dao and recited and studied the Cavern scriptures. Their teachings came from Yuqing, the celestial realm revered in Daoism, and did not establish separate, elaborate documents. Accordingly, the original rules of Dongzhen had no regulations for memorials and petitions.

In the Eastern Han, the Celestial Masters of Zhengyi arose in response to the times and established and promulgated various ritual codes. The ceremonies for purification and cultivation, along with the rites for submitting memorials and petitions, became clear and complete. These belong to the Dao of Dongshen and the Zhengyi lineage. During the Eastern Wu, Zuo Xianweng transmitted the Lingbao Dongxuan ritual codes. From this came the liturgies for submitting memorials and paying audience with the Emperor, as well as the secret methods of Yuan’gang flying steps. In the Jin dynasty, Xu Jingyang (Xu Xun) upheld the teachings of the Filial Piety and Brilliant King, from which developed methods and ritual forms for expelling demons, cutting off harm, and serving the world through meritorious deeds. These belong to the Dao of Dongxuan and the Lingbao lineage. They have been transmitted from ancient times to the present and have a genuine historical succession.

The Lingbao method of bowing to submit memorials is a secret document of the Dongxuan teachings. It descends from the wondrous method of the Taiji Immortal Weng, who inwardly practiced spirit travel to pay audience with the Emperor, and it also transmits the auspicious signs of the Upper Mystery realm. Practicing it enables one to cultivate the true and refine the form; it is by no means merely a matter of copying memorials and reporting affairs to the spirits. If it is transmitted to someone unfit to receive it, calamity may follow and befall the practitioner. If it is disclosed without first seeking authorization through a memorial, the misfortune may extend even to one’s nine ancestral generations.

The divine officials and generals listed in the memorials—such as the Yin-Yang spirits, adjudicating clerks, officials of the Gangfeng relay stations, courier officials who carry memorials on horseback, and flying-dragon cavalry officials—must also be the same as those used in Zhengyi memorials. This is because the office of the Gangfeng relay stations does not have two separate systems. As for duties such as inspecting and finalizing memorials, students who have received the various Dugong registers, a type of credential conferred in Daoist ordination, may perform them alongside their other ritual duties; they may also proceed without these offices.

By contrast, the ritual methods involving merit officers, Jade Maidens, seals and scripts, and ranks of ritual authority, as well as those involving restraining Qi and preserving Shen, treading the astral Dipper and performing flying steps, paying homage to the primordial origin, presenting petitions, and communing with the Dao to reach the true, should follow the Dongxuan ritual codes exclusively. The liturgies of the original Lingbao scriptures neither presume upon the rites of the Great Cavern of Yuqing nor mingle with the ritual methods of Zhengyi Dongshen. Each path of cultivation has its own source, and its proper affiliation must be clearly distinguished.

If even a trace of impurity is mixed into fine jade, it is no longer a pure treasure but a counterfeit. Only through complete purity and single-mindedness can one commune with the divine. The Immortal Elder attained the Dao and became perfected by practicing this method, and Sima Chengzhen also heard its secret teachings. He once lived in seclusion on Mount Shaoshi, and later passed the method of this “Dongxuan Chapter” on to the world.

Those who encounter this method must guard it with care. Unless they have sworn an oath before Heaven and Earth and formally received it at a ritual altar, they must not use it casually. Those outside the lineage in particular should not practice it. It is better to call it an improper method and abandon it than to reveal it or treat it with disrespect.

In spare moments, one should first practice entering stillness. The “stillness” spoken of here is not the Buddhist state of lifeless emptiness and extinction. It is closer to the Confucian Yan Hui’s states of “fasting the mind” and “sitting in forgetfulness”: the mind gives rise to no distracting thoughts, and external things do not enter it. It is clear, tranquil, empty, and undisturbed, yet continues without interruption, as though something remains present. Activity is contained within stillness, and from this the art arises.

In practice, fill the body with the Three Qi—the three original vital energies described in cultivation—and gather one Shen, an inner spiritual awareness, so that it rests securely within the body. This is the foundation of the mystery. Gradually, the practitioner will feel this spiritual awareness grow light and buoyant, then slowly leave the body, ride the emptiness and harness the Qi, rising aloft with ease. The steps and ascent are performed according to the formula; the secrets are scattered through related methods, and students should grasp them for themselves.

At the beginning of practice, start with what everyone understands; by its end, reach a state beyond the understanding of ordinary people. Without using calculations, its efficacy naturally increases; without boasting, the body is naturally trained; without deliberately projecting the Shen, the Shen naturally manifests; without waiting to deliberately cultivate perfection, one’s true nature naturally comes to fulfillment. This method can be used to submit memorials to Heaven, cut down demonic falsehoods, destroy harmful spirits, deliver the dead, and pray to avert disasters. The myriad methods return to a single whole: clear and simple, without complication. It is indeed the key to the Lingbao methods and a path to becoming an immortal and cultivating perfection.

Purification by bathing before submitting a memorial

Whenever one is preparing to submit a memorial—a written petition addressed to the gods of the celestial realm—one must first wash away the body’s impurities, bathe, and change clothes. When using fragrant water, first wash the hair, then bathe, and afterward put on clean, fresh clothing before entering the quiet chamber. If the body is unclean, the gods will not dwell in it peacefully; if they do not dwell there peacefully, the art will lack efficacy; and if the art lacks efficacy, it will be difficult to commune with Heaven.

Decoction recipe

Half a jin of peach bark, half a jin of mao grass, half a liang of patchouli, half a liang of fragrant white angelica, and half a liang of lingling fragrance. Coarsely pound the ingredients and boil them together.

Ingesting a talisman to cleanse inner impurities

The incantation says:

Heaven and Earth move in their courses; the pure radiance of the Sun and Moon shines through the Four Seas, able to cut off evil spirits and dispel demons and illness. May light appear within my body; may divine water pour through me, so that every calamity vanishes without a trace.

The text discusses the specific ritual protocols of the Shangqing Lingbao School (a major Daoist tradition) when performing the "petition ritual" (a ceremony for submitting memorials to deities).

Regarding talisman (Fulu) usage: After chanting incantations and drawing talismans, one must burn the talisman to ashes, mix it with purified water, and ingest it. At the same time, one talisman should be placed inside the petition and concealed beneath the altar, where it must not be seen. Practicing Daoists should regularly recite sacred texts and ingest talismans (Daoist empowered documents) to resonate with the Qi of Heaven and Earth, purify body and mind, and ensure efficacy in rituals. The specific talismans to be ingested are recorded in the scriptures, so they are not listed here—any talisman proven effective in practice may be used.

Concerning the "Method of Ingesting the Petition to Communicate with the Heart-Mind (Shen)": Three days before formally ascending the altar to submit the petition, one must first write a brief version of the petition on thin paper (about 2.5 inches in size), then enter a meditative state (focused visualization) and ingest the paper. This is a preparatory ritual before the petition ceremony. The Lingbao School also has a "Heart Petition" format for urgent and secret memorials, though in modern times, some have mistakenly identified the "Heart Petition" as the "3.3-inch Petition to Communicate with the Heart-Mind"—this is incorrect. The specific petition formats to be ingested are determined during the altar initiation (a ritual for receiving Daoist transmission) and will not be repeated here.

Regarding the "Petition-Burning Talisman": This is a commonly used talisman, also called the "Master Artisan Talisman." Ancient methods dictate that it must be burned in the incense burner during the petition ritual—one should not dismiss it due to its familiar name.

Concerning petition formats: The Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) School requires twelve small seals to be stamped on the petition, from "repeated bows" to "after the year designation." Some seals have border patterns, while others do not. In contrast, the Dongxuan (Cavern Mystery) liturgy stipulates that blank paper should be left at the beginning and end of the petition, with talismans drawn in fixed patterns, omitting the twelve small seals. Only the "General Petition Seal" is stamped at the year and month. Nowadays, some see the "General Petition Seal" mentioned in Shenxiao School (a Song Dynasty Daoist movement) texts and mistakenly assume it belongs to the Yuqing Dongzhen (Cavern Perfection) scriptures. In reality, the Dongxuan School's petition methods had already used this seal before the Shenxiao School's rise—the inscription on the "General Petition Seal" is actually the "Lingbao Ascension Covenant" (a key ritual contract of the Lingbao School).

Only by removing the words at the end, “for the living to use as a seal,” can the original meaning be recovered. Here, “seal” means a marker or token of authentication; that is precisely its sense. The Tongzhang Seal is used in the Dongxuan Zhangfa and belongs to the ritual system of the Lingbao scriptures.

Some people see talismans and seals used in these rituals, make a cursory survey of other texts, and then call them “Jade Clarity Lingbao.” This is incorrect. Since ancient times, the Shengtian Dajuan has been clearly assigned to the Dongxuan division. When it is given to the deceased for use, the words “Envoy of the Nine Mysteries” and “summon the soul to ascend,” among others, are written on the tally. When the living use it as a seal, the words that follow are removed. How can this be grounds for declaring that it belongs to the Dongzhen division? The Shenxiao Register merely includes it for use when needed; it does not deliberately claim that this seal falls outside the category of Dongxuan Lingbao. At the time, the Shenxiao tradition held that the Celestial Altar encompassed all methods, so it included one or two Lingbao talismans in the register. This is no reason to alter the ancient scheme of classification.

The Lingbao Ritual of Bowing and Presenting a Petition

The ritual master conducting the liturgy stands in the sacred chamber, wearing ritual robes and carrying talismans, while visualizing the content prescribed by the scripture.

Divide the wine and fruit offerings into thirty-six portions and arrange them beneath the corridors on both sides. Prepare the ceremonial implements. Go to the sacred chamber and lead the senior ritual master before the Master’s curtain to report the matter. After the report, ascend to the outer altar and go to the “Earth Gate.” Recite the spell for entering the gate, then ascend to the “Heavenly Gate.” Pay respects before the incense of the Ten Directions, the incense on the imperial table, the incense on the talisman for burning incense, and the incense at the designated place. The senior ritual master moves the ritual table to the right side of the altar and faces northwest.

Next, visualize the Four Emblems guarding the body, with the sun and moon shining upon it, each nine inches from the face. The Northern Dipper covers the crown of the head, and the Piao star faces forward. Then bow to the Master according to the rules of the purification rite. Next, visualize the three generals descending from the Heavenly Gate: the Upper Origin General, as black Qi, at the left kidney; the Middle Origin General, as black Qi, at the right kidney; and the Lower Origin General, as red Qi, at the heart. Then visualize officials and soldiers dressed in vermilion guarding the altar precinct.

The liturgy assistant raises his voice in turn, leading everyone in bowing to the Master according to the ritual procedure and visualizing in accordance with the prescribed method.

The senior ritual master recites the spell:

Spell:

Primordial True Ones of the Great Beginning, exalted Venerables of the Five Elders;

Greatly constant and radiant, you shine impartially everywhere.

Above, you preside over the Nine Heavens; in the middle, you govern Feng Mountain; below, you suppress the rivers and seas and the sources of the twelve rivers.

With the divine spell of the Eight Awe-Inspiring Powers and the five chapters of the numinous register, you summon dragons to float upon the waters and gather Qi into clouds.

You cause the myriad spirits to fall and scatter; not one of those condemned escapes.

The sun, moon, and five planets, together with the Seven Primordial Ones of the Northern Dipper; the heavens, earth, waters, and mountains; the Heavenly Kings feast and travel, while the Five Emperors hold their banners.

Heavenly soldiers clear the way in front; the Golden Tiger races behind. The Heavenly Axe and fierce beasts guard the perimeter, arrayed to keep watch at the four gates.

When a matter must be presented in a memorial, the moment it is invoked, the gods arrive; the summoned messengers hasten forward. The gods of wind and fire who speed through the air, recorded in the Red Script, do not pause for even an instant.

Whatever must be conveyed is carried by the Golden Dragon Courier. The ritual officiant strikes the ritual drum twenty-four times.

Supreme Lord Lao, the Primordial One of the Three Qi of the Mysterious Origin, of the Three Heavens Above All, please dispatch the Three-and-Five Meritorious Officers within my body; the left and right official messengers; the left and right incense-bearing dragon couriers; the incense-attending Golden Youths; the message-transmitting Jade Maidens; the Five Emperors’ Talisman Officers; and the incense officials on duty for the day, thirty-six of each. Have them set the ceremonial procession in order and proceed to this place to inform the local Earth Deity, the gods of the territory, and the correct gods of the soil and grain: I am now burning incense and respectfully laying out my intentions. All my earnest feelings have been written in this memorial.

May the generative Qi of the True and Orthodox Way from the Ten Directions descend and flow into my body, so that what I present in this memorial may be conveyed swiftly and delivered directly before the True, Infinite Great Dao and the august presence of the Jade Emperor of the Vast Heaven.

Each should declare their ritual office and rank.

I, [name], holding the ritual rank of [rank], together with the ritual officers and Daoist assembly gathered at this altar, respectfully address the Infinite Great Dao; the Supreme Emperor; the High Perfected Ones; the Solar Lord, Emperor of the Sun, of the Office of the Sun; the August Yin Sovereign of the Moon, of the Palace of the Moon; the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper; the Three Emperors of Heaven, Earth, and Water; the True Lords and Marshals of the Four Sages of the North Pole; the Star Lords of the Five Virtues of the Five Directions; the Star Lords of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions of the Four Quarters; the Great Master of the Mysterious Center; the True Lord of Zhengyi, Stillness and Response; the True Lords who are the Three Masters of the Lingbao scriptures, registers, and ordinations; the True Lord, the Transcendent Elder of the Left of Taiji, who Responds to the Impulse; the True Lord of Divine Merit and Wondrous Deliverance, the High and Luminous Great Envoy, Grand Historian and Celestial Immortal of the Nine Provinces; the true masters who have transmitted the teachings through the ages; the holy ones above the Three Caverns’ ancestral altars; the immortals of the Lingbao scriptures and registers; the assembled sages of the Dongxuan precepts and rites; the Flying Heavenly Kings of the Ten Directions; the Three True Lords Tang, Ge, and Zhou of the Three Origins; the officials overseeing the purification altar and those on duty; the officials of Lingbao; and all the Perfected Spirits listed in the memorial, with their thousands of chariots and tens of thousands of horsemen.

I have heard that the Supreme Emperor and the High Perfected Ones are supremely mysterious, the highest and most exalted rulers; the Golden Palaces of Jade Capital are the supreme heaven of Purple Clarity. Gazing upward, it is too distant and profound to fathom; raising one’s eyes, one sees only the vast, boundless firmament. How could such a realm be reached through words, or the human form climb there by steps? I know that our stations differ, and that sages and ordinary people follow different paths.

Yet Daoist liturgy establishes offices to convey memorials and report matters to the higher realms, and prescribes procedures for submitting flying memorials and praying to the gods. Though communication between Heaven and the human world occurs only in an instant, subtle and hard to perceive, in practice it still requires a master’s guidance and a person’s focused visualization before contact can be made. Indeed.

When the divine beings who present memorials depart from the body, they can appear before the Heavenly Emperor; by purifying oneself, one can commune with Heaven. The practitioner must rise swiftly, attuning to the heavenly realm in an instant, and then write out the memorial and present it above. First invite the Perfected Officials to descend, summon the spirits within the body, and respectfully welcome the Heavenly Attendants. May one remain steadfast in the original vow and seek the protection of mysterious, compassionate grace. Bowing one’s head and offering sincere devotion, one makes this reverent invitation.

Offices of the Officials Who Present the Memorial

Offer incense and tea, and perform the first offering rite.

Once again, state the ritual office.

I, your servant, holding the ritual position of [name], respectfully submit this memorial with a sincere heart:

We respectfully invite the Limitless Great Dao, the Supreme Emperor, the Most High Perfected Ones (revered celestial deities), the Most High Saints of the sun, moon, stars, and constellations; the Three Officials, the Four Saints, and the Five Masters; the deities of the Three Caverns scriptures and registers; the Generals of the Three Origins; and all the officials named in this memorial. May they look down with compassionate regard and examine it with benevolent attention.

I have heard that the Dongxuan lineage established the transmission of the teaching and vigorously promoted the rites for presenting memorials; that Lingbao, an important Daoist tradition and scriptural corpus, established solemn liturgies and widely proclaimed the rules for observing purification and cultivation. The true Dao has spread far and wide, and its mysterious teachings are practiced throughout the world. This is because the True Masters revealed the path to universal salvation, while the Most High Saints proclaimed boundless grace. The world relies on their protection, and for thousands of years people have followed their teachings. How could someone like me, living among ordinary people and having taken up the Dao late in life, spread the Great Dao through my own strength? I depend entirely on the holy masters above to reach down and guide me. I still pray that the holy Perfected Ones will pity and save me, and ultimately grant me their support.

The person on whose behalf I submit this memorial has cultivated diligently and spoken with sincerity, earnestly requesting that a written memorial be offered and presented to the Heavenly Court, and seeking the compassion of the highest celestial deities. Yet I am merely an ordinary person burdened by worldly affairs, a lowly being of the earth. Though I hold the office and bear the responsibility of transmitting this petition, I have not attained the art of lightening my body. How, then, could I ride the clouds and appear before the Heavenly Emperor? I now follow only the established rites and customary procedures. Without relying on the grace of my master, it would be difficult for the Heavenly Court to hear of this matter.

We respectfully invite the Lord of the Jade Capital and the Master of the Golden Palace to descend, and to command the Duty Officer of Merit, who transmits documents, and the officials responsible for memorials to come to the ritual altar, convey our sincerity, and send the memorial up to Heaven according to the rites. In this way, the ritual procedures of the teaching may be made manifest, and the prayer and its response may be clearly revealed. I offer these modest gifts and lay bare my humble sincerity, bowing my head in reverence. I now perform the second offering.

Offer incense and perform the rite.

I respectfully submit this further memorial with a sincere heart:

We respectfully invite the Limitless Great Dao, the Most High Saints and Masters, the Three Perfected Lords of the Three Origins—Tang, Ge, and Zhou—and the spiritual officials of the Three Heavens responsible for memorials: the officials who compose petitions, the Perfected Officials who guide them forward, the Senior Officials who record them, the attendants who carry flying memorials within the ritual, the Officers of Merit who expedite the Qi, the magistrates and assistants of the relay stations, the supervisors of merit in the Four Departments, the audience officials, the officials who detect wrongdoing and uphold justice, and all the attendants who carry and deliver memorials; the Three and Five Officers of Merit, the Left and Right Official Messengers, the Five Emperors’ Talisman Officers on duty, and the divine officials in charge of each hour.

The incense officials on duty for the day, the officials of the year’s Grand Duke, the generals and clerks serving under the Ten Heavenly Stems, and all the numinous officials and generals of the mountains, rivers, streams, valleys, seas, peaks, grotto-heavens, and the retinue of a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen in the memorial:

I respectfully report: The vast and lofty celestial realm is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Only through careful reverence can communication with the spirits be achieved. To fulfill the wondrous purpose of visualization—holding the spirits in mind and contemplating them with focused attention—one must rely entirely on the efficacy of transmitting petitions. I, so-and-so, now observe the liturgical procedure, submit this written petition and report my matter, respectfully presenting this memorial in the hope that it will reach the exalted ones above. Without celestial clerks to convey it, how could the words of ordinary people reach the heavens? I present these modest offerings and pray that the spirits descend to witness my sincerity, grant efficacious blessings, help bring about communion between humans and spirits through visualization, and guide me along the cloud road so that I may ascend. May they usher in the Perfected and the officials of the Dao, leading and welcoming them before and behind me. May the officials above examine and transmit this petition, so that this earnest intention may at once receive a manifest response. I conclude the Zhaijiao purification ritual with three libations.

Reading the Memorial for Paper Money and Horses

I respectfully report to the True Officials of the Five Bodies, the divine clerks of the Eight Radiances, and all the honored spirits in the Golden Halls and Jade Chambers: At the head of the Nine Palaces, the Emperor of the Mud Ball Palace—an image of a deity residing at the center of the head—is revered as sovereign. In the central region, the Five Qi, the five kinds of primordial energy that constitute the human body and the cosmos, are regulated, harmonizing the many spirits within the body. To fulfill the subtle mystery of cultivating the Dao, one must comprehend its wondrous workings. Moreover, the transmission of scriptures, the conferral of registers—credentials of Daoist office—and the distribution of tokens and jade rings as signs of authority all have the purpose of delivering beings from suffering whenever petitions are made.

I now present this memorial for delivery to the Vermilion Gate of the celestial palace. Please dispatch clerks from the upright Qi within my body to report to the exalted Perfected of the Three Realms. They will leave the ordinary world and enter the sacred realm, rising from earth to heaven: first crossing the astral winds, then floating through the void; regulating their breath as they pass the Horn and Neck mansions, and protecting their bodies as they circle the Winnowing Basket and Dipper mansions. They will pay their respects at the palaces of the sun and moon, pass through the stellar offices of the Five Constants, then proceed upward from the Seed-People Heavens of the Desire, Form, and Formless Realms to the Golden Court, where they will present the matter before the sacred realm of Jade Capital. Once the report has been delivered, they will return to the body. I now summon the generals and clerks in accordance with the prescribed regulations.

Kneeling to Summon the Officials

I respectfully summon the True Officials of the Five Bodies within my body; the Merit Officers; the Law-Enforcers of the Three Upper Heavens; the Merit Officers who open and transform Yin and Yang; and the officials who dispel calamities, scatter misfortune, and resolve afflictions—twelve of each. I also summon the Great General who governs the center, bears the command pennant, and oversees merit; the Merit-Performing Officials of the vanguard; the Execution Officials of the rearguard; the Post Station Director and Deputy Director; the Merit Supervisors of the Four Bureaus; the Audience Officers; the Flying-Memorial Envoys of the ritual law; the Merit Officers who hasten Qi; the Three-and-Five Merit Officers; the left and right official envoys; the Directing Talisman Officials of the Five Emperors; the Jade Boys and Jade Maidens; and the divine clerks who determine Yin and Yang. All the summoned spirit clerks must put their attire in proper order.

The manifested crowns, robes, belts, and hanging tassels must all be adjusted and set straight, to display proper dignity. The Gongcao (divine clerks who convey the commands of the gods and handle documents) wear vermilion Yang headcloths and Tongtian crowns. They are dressed in black, fine-silk tunics, wear dragon-headed swords at their waists, and hold memorial registers in their hands.

The messengers wear dark Yin headcloths and Jiude crowns. They are dressed in crimson ritual tunics, wear tiger tallies at their waists, and hold jade tablets. The Direct Gongcao stand in attendance in the four directions, while the Three-Five Gongcao stand in the center. The Gongcao who treat illness guard my body. The Left Office Messenger stands before me, holding a tally; the Right Office Messenger stands behind me, holding a banner. The Yang Spirit Adjudicating Officer stands to my left, and the Yin Spirit Adjudicating Officer to my right. The Upper Gongcao attend above; the Middle Gongcao attend beside me; and the Qi-Urging Gongcao spur the movement of Qi.

The Upper Messengers of the Ten Directions gaze far into the heavens, the Middle Messengers survey the eight directions, and the Metropolitan Officers surround my body. The Heavenly Cavalry, armored troops, wolf officers, tiger warriors, inspectors of wrongdoing, hook-riders, metropolitan deputy directors, and mighty warriors of Heaven; the officers who rectify and uphold what is right; the officers who collect and feed on spirits, ghosts, Qi, poison, and Jing; the officers who execute talismans and destroy shrines; the mounted messengers of the fierce winds; the relay riders who submit memorials; the flying-dragon cavalry officers; and all the other divine officials are stationed around me, before and behind, to the left and right. They listen to my declared words and convey them, each to the appropriate place, for reporting and presentation.

I respectfully make this joint appeal to the Orthodox Spirit of the Land here, and to the gods who inspect and summon; to the Lords of Equality on the left and right; the Twenty-Eight Administrations, the Thirty-Six Quiet Hermitages, and the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands; the Three Hundred and Sixty Famous Mountains; the Upper Palace of Kunlun, the Grotto-Heavens, and the seas and peaks; the Two Mysteries, Three Origins, Four Beginnings, Twenty-Four Qi, and Twelve Hour Gods on the Dao; the August Heaven and Sovereign Earth; the Grand Year Officer and the Taiyin of this year, together with the Lords of the Sixty Jiazi; the gods of wind and of flowing Qi; the local gods of the ward and village; and the spirits of the four quarters and eight directions: the Lord Hu of the Nine Yi in the east, the Lord Yue of the Eight Man in the south, the Lord Di of the Six Rong in the west, the Lord Qiang of the Five Di in the north, and the Lord Cang of the Three Qin in the center. I also appeal to the twenty-six thousand immortals of the Primordial Origin’s Orthodox Qi; the gods of rivers, springs, streams, valleys, mountains, and forests; Meng Chang and the twelve Creek Perfected Ones; and the lords and divine officers and generals of the source, the beginning, this place, and the altars of soil and grain.

To the supreme, formless and nameless, empty and self-so, supremely true Great Dao; to the Lord of the Dao, the Most High, and to Your Majesty of the Jade Steps in Highest Clarity: By good fortune, through affinities from former lives, I have received and practiced the methods of your honored teaching. I hereby solemnly make this declaration…

On this day, we make a vow to spread the Great Dao, praise the true Way, and proclaim the mysteries of the Dao. We pray that the fortunes of the state may be protected for generations and that all living beings may be saved. Whenever someone makes a sincere petition, it should properly be presented to the Celestial Court. Now a petitioner has submitted a written petition, expressed their intention, and brought a token of faith—a pledge of sincerity—asking us to present the memorial on their behalf. I bow low and respectfully submit this petition. The text is now set on the plain offering table. I earnestly ask the celestial official in charge of petitions to examine and review it, and to transmit it upward without delay. Please inspect the text.

Lift the petition and place it uncovered on the offering table for memorials. Set the dragon-headed writing knife on its left, and the vermilion brush and fish-and-goose-shaped paperweights on its right. Place a copy of the petition beside it.

According to the old ritual, the petition is dispatched first and its case sealed afterward. But if the celestial officers are sent first and the petition is sealed only afterward, then no further blessing is spoken once it has been sealed. This seems improper. We therefore now seal the petition first and dispatch the officers afterward. Those who wish to follow the old ritual may have the Daoist assembly carry the petition and its case, along with the sealing cord and paste, and proceed according to the rite.

The presiding ritual master lifts the petition case and silently recites the spell for opening it. There is no need to open the case in advance: first place the petition outside it. In former times, the seal recess was filled with wax and the opening sealed with a wax stamp, but wax is not clean. Now the case is tied with cord, sealed with paste, and stamped over the seal recess. Wax is no longer used on the paper beneath the stamp.

Announce: “Let the document attendant open the case.” A junior clerk takes the writing knife and opens the case according to the petition rite. The petition is to ascend to the Celestial Court; its contents must be conveyed swiftly so that the officials below may bring their duties to a proper conclusion.

Next, pass the petition over the incense while silently reciting the spell for fumigating it:

“Five-colored smoke rises over the petition and ascends to Heaven. The five-colored Qi rises with the petition to the Celestial Emperor. Officials in the lower realm must not obstruct it at will.”

When sealing the petition, the ritual master places it inside the case. The ritual attendant passes over the cord; the presiding master seals the stamp recess with paste, applies the paper seal, and then silently recites the spell for consecrating the petition:

“My brush spirit is clear and mighty. By command, I summon the Jade Youths and Jade Maidens of Shangqing to open the dragon case, so that my petition may swiftly reach the Celestial Court. Hasten and carry this out in accordance with the divine ordinances.”

Then silently recite the blessing:

“The rite for dispatching the petition is performed at its appointed time. The petition’s secret seal is transmitted heart to heart, and the numinous petition is likewise transmitted in secret. Vermilion smoke rises, clearing the cloud road to Heaven by night. By day, we look up to the wondrous grace of the Dao, which secretly bestows blessings.”

After sealing the petition, the presiding master places its case on the ritual tray and kneels to dispatch the celestial officers:

“I respectfully dispatch the true officials of the Five Body Parts within me, one official, twelve junior clerks, three document attendants, the Five Merit Officers, the left and right official messengers, the Urgent Qi Merit Officer, and the Flying Memorial Envoy.”

The officials, including the Five Emperors’ Direct Talismans and the Flying Dragon Mounted Attendants, have all put their robes and headdresses in order, dressing with dignity and decorum. Bearing swords and carrying Fulu (talismans and registers), they serve as ministers, handling memorials at the appointed time and transmitting them directly to the Three Heavens, where they are delivered to the offices under their jurisdiction and presented along with the memorial.

By good fortune and the ties of a former life, I have received an appointment in the Mysterious Gate. Yet I have failed to understand the Orthodox Way or to grasp the seasons and ranks. My abilities are ordinary, my understanding foolish and shallow. The memorials I submit may violate the prohibitions of the liturgy, be poorly arranged in their wording, contain errors of meaning, or have omissions and mistakes; some expressions may even give offense. I respectfully ask the clerks and minor officials who process the memorials to amend and revise them promptly, so they may be presented without hindrance. May they not be returned with a reprimand from the officials in charge. I hold my breath and wait, as the memorial proceeds directly upward.

The Highest One—the supreme Dao—is formless and nameless, empty and naturally so: the truly perfect Great Dao. I respectfully ask the Lord of the Dao to proceed beneath the Jade Steps of Shangqing without delay or pause. May the gate officials at his left and right, and the numinous officials named in the memorial, examine it in order. May the petition be granted, those summoned arrive promptly, the sick be healed, those in need be rescued and delivered, evil spirits be destroyed and vanish, and those being escorted to a new destination arrive safely.

If officials in the lower realm, or old Qi (vital energy) lingering in the void—Qi that has dissipated and remained behind—intercept my memorial and prevent it from ascending, let them be registered and delivered to the celestial prison under their jurisdiction, there to be punished according to the law and the authority of Heaven made manifest. May every document and memorial reach the hearing of Heaven. I prostrate myself at the right side of the throne and respectfully await heavenly grace, praying for a response.

The presiding master hands the memorial to the Daoist assembly and places it on the memorial table. The person in charge of the chime strikes it, and the rite begins. The ritual supervisor leads the assembly, following the memorial to the place where it will be burned. The memorial must be burned in a strong fire. The proclamation officer reads the accompanying document.

The assembly at the altar chants the verses for burning the memorial. The presiding master sends it forth, then bows and prostrates, visualizing and carrying out the ritual as prescribed. Incense burners are placed at the altar’s four corners, and Fulu are burned in the four directions. The presiding master prostrates, then rises and announces that the memorial has been presented above. When the verses for burning it have been completed, the liturgical text is read aloud.

With utmost sincerity, I respectfully make this petition once more:

To the Limitless Great Dao; the Most High True Master; the Great Master of the Mysterious Center; the Great Master of the Three Heavens; the True Lord of the Zhengyi Jingying; the True Lords who serve as the Three Masters of the Lingbao scriptures, registers, and ordinations; the True Lords who are the Four Marshals of this Ultimate Realm; the True Lord Chongying, the Left Immortal Elder of the Taiji; the True Lord, High and Illustrious Great Envoy of the Celestial Historians of the Nine Provinces, whose divine merit brings wondrous deliverance; the sacred masters of the Three Caverns’ ancestral altars; the patriarchs who have transmitted the teachings throughout the ages; the immortals of the ten directions who have attained the Dao; the three True Lords Tang, Ge, and Zhou of the Three Origins; and the numinous officials under the Three Heavens who oversee memorials and petitions…

I respectfully invite the true officials who usher in petitions, the merit officers named in the memorial, the Jade Maidens who attend to official affairs, the talisman envoys on duty today, the immortal officials who guard the cloud road through the void, all the true officials, and the myriad spirits within the body to hear my report together:

I have heard that by contemplating the true spirits and keeping the Great Dao in mind, one hopes to attain the far-reaching Qi—the life breath and primordial energy of the cosmos as understood in Daoism. I now present this memorial, yet have not fully grasped the subtleties of the teachings. I merely follow the prescribed forms for memorials, knowing full well that my mortal body is no immortal’s. I therefore presume to rely on divine grace and call upon the twenty-four spirits within my body to send this memorial flying to the Purple Limit in heaven. I also rely on the grace that shelters and nurtures me, and use the Qi of the thirty-five divisions to gather and command the Highest Mystery in the distant heavens.

Yet my contemplation has not been sufficiently focused, and the rites I have arranged are far from complete. Still, I look up to the immortal host and respectfully invite them to descend. In my heart I long for the presence of the immortals, yet can scarcely follow their celestial retinue. May all the perfected ones kindly forgive my presumption and overstepping, and ultimately grant me life, nurture, and fulfillment. May the matters I request and pray for reach their destination and receive a response. Deeply mindful of this grace, I bow my head and entrust my life to the Dao, gazing up toward the road to heaven. I bow twice and respectfully send the memorial on its way.

Hymn for Sending Off the Holy Ones

The chief ritual master kneels upright and receives the officers and generals.

The matters in the memorial I presented are now complete. The true officials of the five bodily forms, the merit officers, and the messengers who accompanied me: each of you, please depart through the Gate of the Many Mysteries. Those who came from the left shall return by the left; those who came from the right shall return by the right. The merit officers who serve throughout heaven and earth shall be escorted by the officers in charge of command and inspection. Let each return to their proper station and dwell peacefully in the Golden Halls and Jade Chambers, without disorder. When summoned again in the future, come as before.

Twelve Vows

Restoring the Incense Burner

Incense officers and messengers, Lords of the Dragons and Tigers on the left and right, and all the spirits who attend to the incense: may the place where I present my memorial naturally give rise to auspicious signs such as golden liquid, vermilion and jade green, and sacred mushrooms. May the hundred spirits and all the perfected ones gather before the incense burner. May I study the Dao and attain it, seek immortality and become immortal; may the ritual officiants receive blessings, all beings under heaven benefit from its grace, the dead find deliverance, and departed souls ascend.

Immortal youths and Jade Maidens of the Ten Directions, please guard the rising incense smoke and swiftly carry the words I have presented and petitioned, delivering them directly before the Most Perfect One, the Infinite Great Dao, and the Jade Emperor of the Vast Heaven.

Leaving the Gate and Descending from the Altar

The ritual master offers thanks, then withdraws to the quiet chamber.

Ritual Positions of the Memorial Officials

The Perfected Lord Tang, who transforms the Dao of the Upper Origin; the Perfected Lord Ge, who steadies the will of the Middle Origin; the Perfected Lord Zhou, who protects the Orthodox Path of the Lower Origin; the spirit officials who receive memorials and petitions beneath the Three Heavens; the immortal officials and senior record keepers who usher in memorials beneath the Three Heavens; the Great General who establishes the standards and oversees merit within the administration; the officers and generals within the administration’s Qi; and the attendants who present and convey memorials.

Officials Responsible for Registering and Checking Memorials (officials who registered and verified memorials)

Officials Responsible for Reviewing and Marking Memorials (officials who examined memorials and extracted or marked their text)

Officials Responsible for Seals and Memorials (officials who applied seals and managed memorials)

Officials Responsible for Carrying Memorials (officials who carried memorials in procession)

The celestial officials and generals named in the memorial; and, among the ritual officers, the Flying Memorial Officer (responsible for conveying flying memorials) and the Qi-Prompting Merit Officer (who urged the movement of Qi).

The Three-Five Merit Officers; the Left and Right Official Messengers; the Five Emperors’ Direct Talisman Officers; the Jade Youths and Jade Maidens; the Incense Officials and Relay Station Clerks; the Supervising Officers and Petitioning Officials of the Four Departments; the Directors and Assistants of Relay Stations; the officials who investigate wrongdoing and uphold justice; the officials and generals who capture evil spirits and consume Qi; the Yin-Yang Divination Clerks; the Red Talisman Clerks of the Ritual Carriage; the Wind-Riding Relay Clerks of the Dipper; the clerks who convey memorials by relay horse; the Jade Maidens who transmit messages; the clerks and assistants who write documents; the divine lords of the Three Origins, Four Beginnings, and Twenty-Four Qi; the divine clerks who usher petitioners through Heaven’s Gate, and the officials and lords who guard it; the officials and lords of the sixty sexagenary cycle signs; the Venerable Imperial Lord of the Grand Year for this year; the Merit Officers, generals, clerks, and youths serving under the Ten Heavenly Stems; the presiding officials serving in the twelve double-hours; the Merit Officers of the Three Realms and Four Watches, and the Direct Talisman Officers who transmit memorials; the officials and generals of the various departments who inspect, assess, and summon; the numinous officials and clerks in the grotto heavens, blessed lands, quiet retreats, and administrative precincts; the numinous officials and clerks of the mountains and forests, rivers, streams, and valleys; the principal local gods of the land and grain in the territorial divisions of the nine provinces; the City God, the Community God, and the deities of the source and origin in this district; the local Earth Gods and the righteous gods of the neighborhood; and all the perfected spirits named in the memorial, with their thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen.

The memorial method transmitted by masters in the Registers is the Dao of Dongxuan Lingbao. The method of submitting memorials also appears in ancient liturgies. Like the Zhengyi lineage, it is a practice commonly followed in the world. The officials, generals, clerks, and troops of Lingbao and Zhengyi are broadly the same, though they differ in details. As for summoning spirits to pay audience to the Emperor, visualization, and the performance of magical arts, Lingbao and Zhengyi are entirely different. This method requires an oath sworn before Heaven and formal transmission; it must not be taught publicly.

The highest grade of Yuqing and the single division of Dongzhen were never governed by the rules for submitting memorials. This has been known since ancient times. In recent times, however, the Tiantai tradition has held that heart memorials belong to Yuqing and should use the General Memorial Seal. This view arose because its proponents saw the General Memorial Seal recorded in the Shenxiao Register and based their system on it. They did not know that the seal’s inscription was actually the Lingbao Great Writ for Ascending to Heaven. Others have said that the Dongxuan division should use the Ninefold Numinous Flying-Step Seal for Memorials. In fact, the Ninefold Numinous Flying Step is simply a ritual procedure used when bowing before a memorial. In ancient times, no office was established to oversee it, there was no seal called the “Ninefold Numinous Flying-Step Seal,” and it was never identified as…

This does not conform to the standard practices of the Dongxuan Cavern, yet it has also been classified under the Dongshen Cavern and uses the “Yellow Spirit Leaping Chapter” seal. The use of this seal is not exclusive to the Zhengyi school; some have simply failed to examine its origins carefully.

When Jiang compiled and revised the Rituals in Prescribed Form, he argued that purification rites originated with Lingbao, while memorial petitions—rituals for submitting petitions to the Celestial Court—began with Zhengyi. He based this view on the fact that the relevant transmission came from a Zhengyi ritual altar, and that the Celestial Master likewise followed the school’s own ritual methods when performing memorial petitions. For this reason, he made no further comparison with Lingbao ritual methods. If we follow the Rituals in Prescribed Form, we should therefore leave out Lingbao’s original ritual methods while still observing the ceremonial rules for Zhengyi memorial petitions. This may be like copying the shape of a swan from another swan: the result may not be an exact likeness, but it is at least a relatively safe approach.

If we fail to recognize that the Dongzhen Cavern originally had no established rules for memorial petitions, and instead create a separate method of bowing and submitting petitions in the Three Caverns based on the Tiantai tradition, we will likely run afoul of the canonical texts. Some people today consider the “Three-Five Flying Steps” a Zhengyi method for memorial petitions, and the “Nine Spirits Flying Steps” a practice of the Dongxuan Cavern. Others mix the officials, generals, clerks, and soldiers of the Divine Empyrean tradition into the bowing rites for memorial petitions. We should remember that the Divine Empyrean teaching only flourished during the Xuanhe era of the Song dynasty. Before then, Lingbao ritual methods had already been in circulation for a long time and were not mixed with the Divine Empyrean tradition. In recent times, some have blended Great Cavern liturgies into Divine Empyrean methods, then incorporated Lingbao liturgies as well, calling the result “Jade Purity Lingbao.” This may seem to gather everything together, but no such ritual arrangement is known from earlier times.

The Lingbao method of bowing and submitting memorial petitions should be practiced in the quiet and leisure of ordinary days: regulate the breath, cultivate the spirit, and reach a state of ascending into the void and entering the subtle. In inner cultivation, this is called “Ten Turns Returning the Spirit”; when used for submitting memorial petitions, it is called “Flying Steps of the Primordial Net.” During the ceremony, there is no need for elaborate hand gestures, finger signs, steps, or pacing the astral patterns. The Daoist assembly need only place four incense burners at the four corners of the altar and kindle a strong flame of incense in each. Once the high priest—the ritual master who presides over the ceremony—has bowed and prostrated himself, he casts one of four talismans into each corner burner to be burned. After the high priest has dispatched the divine officials, the assembly carries the memorial text away to be burned, and the high priest then prostrates himself over the petition. The saying “still and unmoving, yet responding and thereby connecting” points to what matters most: the work of cultivation done in ordinary times.

This differs greatly from the Zhengyi school’s methods of visualization and spirit flight. Only by inheriting this school, receiving this method, using its corresponding petition forms, sacred ranks, and seals, and practicing the method from beginning to end with consistency between inner and outer cultivation, can one establish a distinct lineage and hope to achieve communication and spiritual access. If one merely takes one or two of these methods and mixes them into older rites…

Some practitioners of the Dao, or transmitters of its teachings, are ashamed to be followed by others, so they presume to alter the seals (yinzhuan), talismans (fulu), documents, ritual formats (zhangshi), and systems of rank and title (mingwei). They do not keep to the original norms. Instead, they adopt the name "Yuangang Feibu" (Celestial Net Flying Steps) to deceive ordinary people. Yet the Daoist community has its own constant regulations, and these do not tolerate fraud.

"Yinzhuan," "zhangshi," and "mingwei" all refer to the seals, talisman scripts, document formats, and corresponding institutions used in Daoist ritual. "Yuangang Feibu" is the name of a practice mentioned in the scriptures.

Shangqing Lingbao Dafa (Great Methods of the Shangqing Lingbao Tradition), Scroll 25