《上清靈寶大法(二)》Vol. 42

The Corresponding Fasting Text for the Transmission Rite

Ritual Procedures for the Corresponding Fast, Offering, and Transmission of the Dao

A dignified Daoist priest presides over rites such as sealing the altar and consecrating water. A lamp for the Dipper is lit within the offering area, where the offering rite is performed. Huaxia escorts the senior officiant—the Daoist priest leading the ritual—from the quiet chamber to stand before his master.

The senior officiant and the disciples offer incense and bow. They then perform the fasting rite, inviting the master, the Mysterious Master, the Celestial Master, and the scripture master, register master, and transmission master—the teachers who transmit scriptures and methods, ritual registers, and Daoist teachings—to attend. The Cloud Chariot rite is performed to welcome the deities.

The senior officiant kneels and delivers his petition. After singing “Hymn to the Dao,” Huaxia escorts him to the offering altar. He ascends from the Earth Gate to the Heaven Gate, offers incense in the ten directions, then offers incense at the imperial altar table and burns it. He summons the talismanic registers and silently recites the secret incantation. Kneeling, he offers incense in his assigned place, reads the memorial, and makes his invocation.

Your servant has heard that primordial Qi lay hidden and intermingled, forming the myriad things when chaos first opened. The Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—were established at the beginning of the vast and undifferentiated age. Mysterious grace reaches everywhere, and immense protection encompasses all, like bellows stirring Yin and Yang and shaping the myriad things. Thus there is no dark place beyond its illumination, nor any prayer that cannot reach its destination. With reverence, we burn and offer incense to the Dao, incense to De, and incense of Wuwei, purity, stillness, and naturalness, and submit this petition:

To the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning, of emptiness and naturalness; the Lord of the Great Dao, Most High; the Heavenly Worthy of Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery; the Most High Lord Lao; the Heavenly Worthy of the Dao and De of the Cavern Spirit; the Jade Emperor, Supreme Ruler of Heaven; the Great Emperor of the Purple Tenuity and Northern Pole; the Heavenly Emperor of the Gouchen Star Palace; the Heavenly Worthies of Numinous Treasure of the ten directions; the Divine Empress of Earth, Sovereign of the Earth; the Heavenly Worthy Taiyi, Savior from Suffering, of the Azure Palace at the Eastern Pole; the Lord of the Eastern Florescence, the Minister above, the Green Youth Daoist Lord; the Great Emperor of Longevity at the Southern Pole; the Primordial Lady of the Golden Mother of Great Yin, the numinous and true one of the Jade Turtle Terrace; the Emperors of the Nine Heavens; the Lords of the Five Elders; the Emperors of the Thirty-Two Heavens; the True Lord Taiyi of the Ten Spirits of the Five Blessings; the Lords of the Eleven Luminaries of Highest Clarity; the Immortal King of Filial Piety in the Palace of the Sun; the Bright King of Filial Piety in the Palace of the Moon; the Lords of the Nine Emperors of the Northern Dipper in the Central Heaven; the Three Primordial Emperors of Heaven, Earth, and Water; the True Lords of the Four Sages of the Northern Pole; the Great Master of the Mysterious Center; the Great Master who Supports the Teaching and Assists the Origin of the Three Heavens; the True Lord of Zhengyi, Calm Response; the Three True Lords, Masters of Numinous Treasure Scriptures, Registers, and Transmission; the Transcendent of the Left of the Taiji, Perfected One Chongying; and the Grand Immortal Historian of the Nine Provinces…

Note: The original text ends here; the following names of deities and invocations are missing.

This passage comes from the transmission liturgy of the Shangqing Lingbao Great Method. It has three parts: first, it invites the various gods and perfected beings; next, it reports the transmission to the celestial court; and finally, the ritual master “dispatches his officers,” summoning the divine officials within himself to guard him.

Inviting the perfected beings. The scripture begins by naming, in sequence, the deities being invited: the Eminent High Commissioner; the Perfected Lord of Divine Merit and Wondrous Deliverance, a senior perfected being who oversees ritual matters; the Sovereign of the Qin Xuandu Bureau; the Sovereign of the High Perfected Ones’ Celestial Pivot Court; the star perfected beings who govern the three hundred and sixty-five degrees of the celestial circuit, including the twenty-eight lunar lodges and the various star lords; the Demon Kings of the Five Emperors of the Three Realms; the Flying Celestial Spirit Kings of the Ten Directions; and the true official of the natal star of a certain person, the disciple receiving the transmission, who oversees that person’s fate. The invocations also include the Great Emperor of Northern Yin Fengdu, a great deity who governs the underworld; the Water Palace; the Great Emperor of Fusang in the Eastern Dawn; the Perfected Lords of the Five Peaks; the Holy Emperors of the Five Heavens of the Five Peaks; the immortal officials who govern and transform the various Daoist temples and administrative centers; the holy assembly of the rivers, seas, and sources of streams; the spirit officials and generals listed in the scriptures, methods, and registers of the Three Caverns; the lords of the Tai Sui palace; the city gods and deities of sacrifice; and all the mighty spirits and officials of the Three Realms. They are asked to receive a universal offering through the clouds of incense rising from this burner.

The words that follow—“May jade tones gather Qi, may the spirit wind draw together the smoke; may the purple void grow lush and radiant, aiding and escorting the myriad immortals, who hold their registers and records and come together before the Emperor”—express the wish that jade tones gather the true Qi, that the spirit wind draw together the incense smoke, and that the immortals, holding their registers and records, arrive together before the Celestial Emperor.

Reporting the transmission. The ritual master, speaking as “your servant,” presents a memorial: A disciple of the transmitted Dharma and registers, from a certain native place, has received the Shangqing Lingbao Great Method from a certain transmission master. The documents have already been sent up to the celestial court, and formal notices have been issued to the relevant divine offices in the Three Realms. Now, on an auspicious day and at an auspicious hour, the ritual master has chosen a place to establish the altar and transmit the teaching. A pure Zhaijiao (purification ritual) has been arranged, and the Three-Heavens Emperors and the High Perfected Ones of the Nine Extremities are respectfully invited. The spirits of the Three Realms are summoned to gather, the immortals are asked to descend, and permission for the transmission and their presence as witnesses to its oath are requested. The altar has been put in order and the ritual banquet laid out. Facing the High Perfected Ones with reverence, the ritual master announces that the rite is about to begin.

Ritual procedure and dispatching the officers. The text then gives the ritual cues: strike the chime and begin the invocation; chant in the hall; have the liturgy assistant lead everyone in bowing to the transmission master; have the chief ritual master recite the Five Directions incantation and sound the ritual drum; light the incense burner; and have all the officials kneel together.

Next, the chief ritual master “dispatches his officers,” summoning the divine officials within himself. He respectfully calls forth the true officials of his five bodily forms, the merit officers and their generals, the Yin-Yang merit officers who open and establish the Dao, and the officers who dispel calamities and misfortune and release people from hardship—twelve of each. He also summons two each of the Great General Who Establishes the Standard and Supervises Merit, the Directly Dispatched Merit Officer, and the Yin-Yang Divine Formula Officer. Once called forth, they are to stand in full array and surround the ritual master, guarding his person.

There is also a group of divine officials with various duties: clerks, tiger warriors, mounted officers who detect treachery, chief officials and supervisors, and celestial strongmen; officers who regulate and enforce order, seize spirits and consume them; officers who seize poison and consume it; officers who seize essences and consume them; officers who seize evil and consume it; officers who destroy talismans and demolish temples; and mounted officers who ride the fierce wind and carry messages through the relay stations. These officials each help suppress evil spirits, poisonous Qi, entities of Jing (essence), and other malign forces, while protecting the ritual master as he performs the rites.

The officials bearing the proclamation, including the relay messengers and flying-dragon mounted officers, are all stationed here. Officials serving at my left and right, in front and behind, please convey the words I have presented on my behalf, and report them to the local earth gods, the true gods who govern the districts and villages, the gods who administer their transformation, as well as the gods of the Jinglu sanctuaries, famous mountains, blessed grotto-heavens, seas and peaks, the officials of the Grand Year, and the officers and generals at the ritual altar. With sincere devotion, I submit this petition together with them.

I respectfully invite the supremely true Dao, formless and nameless, empty, void, and natural; the Most High Primal Venerable One, to listen from above the jade steps of the Seven Treasures in the Golden Palace. On the day I received the teachings, I pledged to make spreading the Dao and aiding all beings my first priority, and to guide people toward the Dao as my chief aim. I now respectfully present this petition on behalf of a certain person, praying that it reach the profound and wondrous powers of response.

May what I now report be conveyed above; may what I pray for be answered; may the calamities I ask to be dispelled recede and vanish; and may those I ask to be delivered attain deliverance. I ask the Merit Officials and messengers, and the flying-dragon mounted officers, to carry the petition separately and deliver it on time. Once the matters have been reported, may each return to my person and to their own palaces. When summoned again, may they come as before.

May each of you state your ritual office and rank.

I, the duly appointed official (name), together with the members of the palace assembly at the same altar, respectfully submit this petition with sincere devotion:

I respectfully invite the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, embodiment of the void and natural origin; the Infinite Great Dao; the Lord of the Way Most High; the Most High Lord Lao; the Jade Emperor, August Sovereign of the Vast Heaven; the Great Emperor of the North Pole and Purple Tenuity; the Heavenly Worthies of Numinous Treasure of the Ten Directions; the Sovereign Goddess of the Earth, Empress of the Earth; the Great Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole; the Great Emperor of Azure Radiance; the Supreme Emperors of the Nine Heavens; the Heavenly Lords of the Five Elders; the Supreme Emperors of the Thirty-Two Heavens; the Heavenly Lords of the Ten Extremes; the Supreme Emperor of Jade Void; the Great Jade Emperor; and the honored ones of the Eastern Florescence, Southern Pole, Western Numinous Realm, and Northern Truth.

I respectfully invite the Numinous Treasure, True and Luminous August Lord of the Mysterious Capital and Jade Capital, the Seven Treasures of the Golden Palace, the Jade Terrace, and the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity; the High Minister, High Chancellor, High Protector, and High Assistant; the Four Offices; the Five Emperors; the Great Lord of Longevity; Lord Han, who cherishes life; the Venerable Elder; the Great God Sima of the Office of Deliverance from the World; the Imperial Lord of the Palace of the Sun; the August Lord of the Palace of the Moon; the Star Lords of the Five Directions and Five Virtues; the Star Lords of the Four Qi and Four Luminaries; the True Lords of the Seven Primordial Powers of the Northern Dipper; the Star Lords who assist the Imperial Seat within the Dipper; the southern officials of destiny, records, longevity, increase of allotted years, and deliverance from calamity; the honored scriptures of the Thirty-Six Divisions; the Great Masters of the Mysterious Center; the True Lords who serve as the Three Masters of the Numinous Treasure scriptures, registers, and ordination; the Imperial Lords of the Three Primordial Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Water; the True Lords of the Four Sages of the Northern Pole; the True Lord of Supreme Ultimate, Immortal Elder Chongying; the True Lord of Divine Merit and Wondrous Deliverance, who governs the Nine Provinces; Tai Xuan…

This scripture is an invocation text from Daoist purification rituals (Zhaijiao) and liturgies (Keyi), depicting the ceremonial scene where the presiding priest reverently invites various deities to descend. The text first enumerates the pantheon of Daoist belief:

From the highest Pure Ones (Sanqing) of the Three Pure Realms (the supreme deities of Daoism) and the immortal sages who transmitted scriptures through generations; to the Three Realms' Five Emperors (rulers of heaven, earth, and water realms), the Great Demon Kings (deities overseeing spiritual tests), and celestial beings like the Flying Celestial Kings; down to specific functionaries like the Star Lords (Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions deities), Destiny Guardians (Yuanchen), and Grand Year Deities (Taisui); including underworld sovereigns like the Fengdu Emperor and eastern paradise rulers like the Fusang Emperor; as well as mountain deities of the Five Peaks and water gods of rivers; finally extending to local deities like City Gods (Chenghuang) and Earth Gods (Tudi).

The scripture emphasizes that while these deities are formless and nameless, they embody the profound nature of the Dao (the Way). Their manifested appearances all represent the Dao's transformative power in nurturing all existence. Before the cosmos took form, the Primordial Qi (the fundamental energy constituting all things in Daoist cosmology) already existed. This primal energy differentiated into the Three Powers (heaven, earth, and humanity), giving birth to the myriad beings. The transmission of Daoist scriptures (Three Caverns and Four Supplements) serves both to assist the celestial order and reveal the Dao's ultimate truth.

The presiding priest humbly describes himself as ordinary in aptitude, yet through his master's transmission has gained access to these profound scriptures. Now preparing the ritual with devout sincerity, he dares not neglect his sacred duty for personal reasons. Through purifying body and mind while diligently cultivating the Great Dao, he hopes to maintain unbroken lineage transmission, beseeching the exalted deities to witness this sincerity.

The text then depicts the priest's reverent bowing before the altar: gazing devoutly at the azure sky in prayer, visualizing deities descending on five-colored auspicious clouds, surrounded by ritual implements like flowing-gold fire bells, arriving in immortal chariots drawn by flying dragons and phoenixes. As the host of sacred beings descend to the altar, both priest and participants maintain intense mental focus.

Finally comes the ceremonial offering of tea and wine, where the priest solemnly invokes the highest deities: first the Three Supreme Sovereigns of Natural Nothingness (referring to the Sanqing deities including Yuanshi Tianzun), the Jade Emperor, and celestial rulers like the Purple Tenuity Emperor; then the guardian deities of the Thirty-Six Supreme Scriptures and the Three Masters of the Lingbao tradition (Scripture Master, Register Master, and Ordination Master). The entire invocation process embodies Daoism's core principle of "revering the Dao and valuing Virtue (De)" while demonstrating the tradition's meticulous ritual orthodoxy.

The sacred beings, numinous officials, and generals and clerks governed by the Three Caverns and Four Supplements system of Daoist scriptures, together with all the awe inspiring spirits belonging to the Three Realms:

I have heard that the Dao, in its essence, is originally without words. Teachings were established through scriptures and precepts, and their instruction was passed down in the world through concrete acts. Fulu (talismans and registers) were therefore established to save and deliver people. The nine grades and three vehicles—the different levels and paths of cultivation—are interconnected; the six scripts and eight styles of writing illuminate one another, making their principles clear. When Daoist methods spread through the heavens, they become the path toward which the myriad beings turn; when they descend to the human world, they open the way for living beings to cultivate and advance in De.

Without good affinities accumulated over many lifetimes, how could one glimpse the orthodox scriptures? Those who transmit the teachings must therefore be resolute and diligent, and strict in their cultivation, before they may serve as teachers. Only those with pure aspirations and thoughts can receive the teachings. Outwardly, they must accomplish good works and assist the subtle transformation of the Dao; inwardly, they must refine their conduct and discipline their ordinary body and mind. The rules of liturgy and precepts are of the greatest importance, and the transmission of the teachings must never be undertaken lightly.

My own capacities are modest, and I truly lack penetrating understanding. The Five Sprouts and Three Primes, specialized terms in Daoist cultivation—how could I know the roots of their practice? Faced with the six desires and seven emotions, I merely drift along and become lost in them. Since I ought to reflect on myself, how could I presume to transmit the teachings to others?

Yet the recipient has already sworn an oath and received the teachings at the ritual altar. Although the precepts strictly forbid casually disclosing the teachings, they also forbid excessive secrecy that would cause the lineage to be lost. Moreover, the recipient has earnestly requested instruction and is willing to accept guidance in the Orthodox Way. How could I refuse indefinitely simply because my own learning is inadequate? Fortunately, this person is determined, so I venture to explain and copy out the teachings for him. Although I do not understand the secrets of communicating with the Real and reaching the Mysterious, I would not dare transmit methods that betray the Great Dao and deceive people.

Accordingly, I consulted the scriptures and prepared the ritual altar in full. With reverence, I honor the High Sages and ask them to bestow their light; with reverence, I look up and await the descent of the Perfected Ones to the altar. Now I venture to present my ordinary sentiments, sending them up to the exalted Heavenly Court. I respectfully perform the Zhaijiao purification ritual and Keyi liturgy, and reverently read the blue petition, the prayer presented to the deities during Daoist rites.

The blue petition is read and then burned.

As stated in the petition, the request is sincere and steadfast, and its reasons merit a favorable response. I therefore dare not refuse. I respectfully submit that the sacred Lingbao scriptures belong to the highest grade of the Dongxuan Cavern of the Three Caverns. Their origins have been impossible to fathom since the age of Yanchang; only at the beginning of the Longhan era did their mysteries gradually become manifest. The scriptures condensed the true Qi of Flying Mystery into hidden numinous sounds. Their source and lineage began with the Five Sacred Mountains and were widely disseminated through four translations.

The Lingbao scriptures can bring peace to the state and assist rulers in governing; they harmonize Yin-Yang and aid the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth. The High Sages and Perfected Ones all rely on them to realize the Great Dao. Even the dead who have sunk into the dark underworld can, with their aid, rise and be delivered. They are truly a bridge by which the myriad beings reach liberation, and a rule followed by the countless spirits. Though the transmission of this magnificent scripture is undertaken with great care, its vastness encompasses every kind of merit.

If I, your servant, am dull in natural ability and shallow in learning, yet have wrongly taken the position of a master and inherited another’s lineage of the Dao; if, as an ordinary mortal, I have rashly received a post bestowed by the immortals, and have acted beyond the bounds of my duty, then I am truly ashamed. Still, I hope Heaven will show compassion and mercy, and I pray that my master’s grace will shelter and guide me. May I be permitted to transmit the teachings and continue to advance. I earnestly ask that the past offenses and accumulated sins of our nine generations of ancestors be pardoned: first, may our names be struck from the Black Register, the record of transgressions, and may they be entered without delay in the Mysterious Capital, the dwelling place of the Daoist immortals.

We know that our presumptuous irreverence grows day by day, yet the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) has its own prescribed procedures. We respectfully venture to perform the rite of the Second Offering, thereby expressing our utmost sincerity. I and the disciples who have inherited the Dharma tremble with fear and bow our heads twice in reverence.

Rite of the Second Offering

When the offering is complete, all recite together: “The Celestial Worthy of the Ten Directions of Numinous Treasure.”

The disciple who has inherited the Dharma bows twice and makes a formal petition. (Here the ritual secretary may write it down, or the lead cantor may read it aloud on the disciple’s behalf.)

I, a disciple who has inherited and practices the Great Dharma of Numinous Treasure, holding the ritual rank of [title], [name], respectfully and fearfully bow my head twice and submit this petition:

We reverently invite the High Perfected Ones of the Three Realms, the Sovereigns of the Myriad Heavens, and the Limitless Most High Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure of the East; together with the Limitless Most High Celestial Worthies of Numinous Treasure of the South, West, North, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest, Northwest, Above, and Below. May you look down with compassion and attend to us, granting your witness and record.

Across a thousand lifetimes, I have today been fortunate enough to meet my master, inherit the Dharma lineage, receive the true teachings, advance in rank, and take up a ritual office. I will forever hold fast to my original resolve and dare not betray my pledge. Should I break my vow, I willingly accept the punishment. Now my master and I divide a pair of jade pendants and split a covenant document to seal this oath. I drink the elixir and respectfully ask the honored spirits to bear witness and permit me to receive the transmission and pass on the Dharma. Filled with gratitude, I await your gracious approval.

All recite the Celestial Worthy’s title.

The master and disciple return to their ritual positions and stand facing one another.

The High Merit Priest, who presides over the rite, reads the precepts:

Reverently stated: The Way of Numinous Treasure is the root of the Cavern-Mystery tradition, honored above all in the Jade Capital, and it saves people without measure. Those who receive and uphold this teaching can bring merit to their nine generations of ancestors, enabling them to ascend; those who cultivate it can raise their bodies to the Nine Heavens. It is the pivot of the myriad teachings and the orthodox teaching that governs the Ten Directions. Its laws are vast and its grace profound, beyond what words can fully describe. Those who receive this teaching should naturally cultivate it, and must carefully observe the matters from which they are forbidden to depart. If they cultivate without ceasing, they may hope to become immortals. Now, before the Celestial Court, the vows shall be declared. First, the Ten Precepts will be explained.

First Precept: Do not forget the beings and responsibilities in the remotest reaches of the eight directions. Those who are loyal should practice loyalty to its fullest; those who honor their parents should fulfill filial devotion to its fullest; those who fast should observe the precepts strictly; those who are reverent should treat others with proper courtesy; and those who are generous should strive to extend their forbearance widely.

Tolerance is joy at its fullest; forbearance is harmony at its fullest; patience is wisdom at its fullest. The heavens have the Northern Dipper—the North Star—as their center, the earth has the Five Sacred Mountains as its center, and a house has its main beams as its center. With a center, the heavens can gather abundant primordial Qi; the earth can bring together the forms of all things; and a house can support its many timbers. People, too, have eight foundational points—the essential directions or principles by which they stand in the world—and the same is true of them: these enable them to gather all kinds of good deeds. Once good deeds are established, the Dao is present. When the Dao is present, what one sees becomes clear and readily understood, and whatever one must respond to is met with harmony and fitness. This is the foundation for cultivating the Lingbao Scripture for the Salvation of Humanity.

The second precept is not to forget the “water that reflects.” A mirror may serve as a metaphor for the human heart, and water as a metaphor for human nature. When the heart is clear, the principles of all things can be reflected in it; when nature is still, the Five Pollutions—the five kinds of defilement that cloud a person’s nature—cannot intrude. The Dao exists within the human body and is perfectly integrated and unobstructed. It cannot be grasped by covering it over with ignorance, nor attained through restless agitation. Using the mirror and water to contemplate the heart and nature is the fundamental meaning of cultivating the Lingbao Scripture for the Salvation of Humanity.

The third precept is not to forget the “daily record”: examining one’s good and bad deeds each day. In dealing with the world, people should be most concerned about failing to understand themselves, refusing to hear of their faults, and unwillingness to heed advice. If you do not understand yourself, you cannot awaken; if you do not hear of your faults, you cannot correct them; if you refuse advice, you will gain no benefit. The daily record offers a way to examine yourself: anything you have done but would not dare write down is a fault of your own. If correcting one’s faults is held precious, then the daily record is like a teacher who needs no instruction, a friend who need not speak, a father or ruler who need not admonish, and a set of laws that need not be enforced. Do not forget the daily record. This is the purpose behind cultivating the Lingbao Scripture for the Salvation of Humanity.

The fourth precept is not to forget posthumous deliverance and the establishment of protection. Those closest to a person are above all their parents and ancestors; those they honor most are above all their ruler. The kindness of rulers, parents, and ancestors must be repaid. Posthumous deliverance and the establishment of protection are ways of repaying it.

“Posthumous deliverance” means reciting scriptures and performing talismanic rites to pray for the deceased parents, ancestors, and six kinds of kin—parents, siblings, and other relatives—so they may receive aid in the netherworld. “Deliverance” means reciting scriptures and performing talismanic rites to pray for living parents, ancestors, and relatives, increasing their blessings and longevity. “Establishing protection” means reciting scriptures and performing talismanic rites to pray for the sovereign’s long life and well-being and for peace throughout the realm. It also includes praying for the Dragon Spirits to bring rain, driving away demons and harmful influences, protecting the people, and dispelling calamities brought by the stars and constellations.

Furthermore, whether at home by carrying on one’s grandfather’s aspirations, or in office by fulfilling the duties entrusted by one’s ruler, one should do whatever benefits others and can serve to repay kindness. This is like nourishing and fertilizing the roots of a tree even after its leaves have fallen.

This is what “returning to the root and restoring one’s original life” means: people should return to the fundamental and recover their original nature. They must diligently cultivate. Only then can they embody the Dao of the Lingbao tradition, which saves and liberates people.

The fifth precept: Do not forget the methods for healing illness and saving people. Make compassion and mercy your first priority. When you encounter someone who is ill, perform talismanic rites for them, recite scriptures, and pray sincerely for their afflictions to be dispelled. Treat them as you would your own children and close family. Whenever you have the chance to benefit or help someone, do so with all your heart. When presiding over ritual services, accumulate hidden merit and deal with others generously and fairly. Before performing rites, examine yourself repeatedly and consider your actions with care. Also do your best to undertake works that benefit the world, such as building bridges and roads and planting trees along the way.

A person with a compassionate heart is like a tree with roots. Without benevolence, a person is worse even than birds and beasts. The scripture gives examples such as gibbons, living elephants, and a righteous falcon fighting a snake to show that animals, too, can act to rescue others and display a sense of justice—something worthy of human reflection. This is why the Lingbao tradition seeks to save and liberate people.

The sixth precept: Do not forget the methods of refining and cultivation. Take the workings of Heaven and Earth as your model, and follow the transformations of Yin-Yang (Yin and Yang). Keep your thoughts upright and pure at all times, and persevere without slackening. In this way, you can transcend the ordinary world and attain many transformations. The scripture says that even insects can shed their former forms: some change from crawling on land to flying through the air, while others change from swimming in water to running on land. Since all things can undergo such changes, people, too, should be able to cultivate and transform themselves. This is the Lingbao method of saving and liberating people.

The seventh precept: Do not forget to be upright and pure. Uprightness enables you to hold to the right path and avoid improper or licentious conduct. Purity enables you to observe the precepts and refrain from craving unsuitable foods. Do not engage in licentious conduct, lest you deplete your Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit). Do not eat indiscriminately, lest you take the lives of living beings. Regard other people’s wives and daughters as you would your own family, and regard living beings as creatures whose lives you have been entrusted to nurture. In this way, you can preserve your spirit and reduce grievances and enmity. This is the substance of the Lingbao tradition’s work of saving and liberating people.

The eighth precept: Do not forget frugality. Whatever you seek or acquire, remember that it comes from the primordial ancestral Qi, the source from which all things are generated according to Daoist teaching. Clear water can wash away dirt; there is no need to pursue adornment. Rice, millet, and beans are enough to satisfy hunger; there is no need to seek delicacies. This is the blessing of the Lingbao tradition’s work of saving and liberating people.

The ninth precept: Do not forget to keep your vows and fulfill your promises. A “vow” is the good intention you express when you first enter the Dao. A “promise” is the pledge you make after entering the Dao. Earth spirits and enlightened spirits are watching, so you must not change your commitment halfway through. The ritual precepts must be observed. This is the intention behind the Lingbao tradition’s work of saving and liberating people.

The tenth precept: Do not forget to respect your teachers and fellow practitioners. Teachers are responsible for instruction, while fellow practitioners encourage and admonish one another. Instruction is like a father’s guidance; encouragement is like an elder brother’s. Since they are like fathers and elder brothers, how could you fail to respect them…

Must it be discarded with such solemnity? This is the way to receive the essential teaching of the Lingbao Duren.

The ten precepts above are the teachings that the revered master has transmitted and explained from the ancient scripture. The scripture contains the key to the Dao and is the means by which the Dao’s methods are put into practice. Those who wish to follow the Orthodox teachings must first cultivate with care, uphold the precepts, and put them into practice faithfully, never growing lax halfway through. In this way, your countless ancestors and the souls in the underworld will all be delivered and ascend to the Vermilion Palace. The more diligently you cultivate and the more steadily you study, the more fully your merit will be perfected. Then you can become an immortal, ascend to the Golden Gates, and feast and wander in the Jade Capital. I urge you to cultivate with diligence.

The ceremony of dividing the ring and splitting the covenant follows

The “ring and covenant” are tokens used to make an oath. They are presented to the Three Officials (of Heaven, Earth, and Water) and pledged before the celestial realms of the ten directions. They signify unwavering faith in the master who delivers you: you dare not conceal the truth or speak falsely, and as a disciple you dare not betray the Great Dao or disobey your revered master. Once the ring is divided, the covenant will never change; once the covenant document is split, the oath will never be broken. If you begin diligently but later grow lax, the Five Emperors will record your transgressions. If you revere, observe, and diligently cultivate the teachings, you will share in the blessings of the Nine Heavens. The disciple should receive these tokens before the holy perfected ones and cherish and uphold them for life.

Next, the disciple and the master who transmits the teachings each take hold of a vermilion brush. (The memorial petitions and the ring and covenant are placed in separate bags.)

The master says, “Turn the brush toward Heaven.”

The disciple replies, “I will not fail Heaven. If I fail Heaven, my seven generations of ancestors will suffer punishment; if Heaven fails me, the sun and moon will no longer shine.”

The master says, “Turn the brush toward Earth.”

The disciple replies, “I will not fail Earth. If I fail Earth, I will suffer the calamity of weapons and war; if Earth fails me, plants and trees will no longer grow.”

The master says, “Turn the brush toward your heart.”

The disciple replies, “I will not fail my own heart. If I go against my true heart, my whole family will know no peace; if my heart fails me, the transformation of the Dao cannot be put into effect.”

Next, the master holds a basin of water and a vermilion brush, and declares, “The transmission of the teachings is complete. We substitute cinnabar for blood and renew the blood oath, pledging that our resolve will remain firm. Drink this cinnabar essence, and you will understand the true Dao and the underworld, and know their principles. May the Five Qi blend and the hundred spirits unite; may the numinous Qi circulate, and may all Qi attain immortality together.”

The master, the disciple, and the Daoist assembly each return to their places. The high-ranking ritual master again reports to the holy perfected ones, supplements the appointment document, reads aloud the memorial petitions, and reads and confers the appointment document before the holy perfected ones. The disciple kneels for a long time. The memorial petitions, together with the ring and covenant and the appointment document, are handed to the disciple.

Holding the covenant document, the disciple declares:

“Your servant is naturally dull and foolish, of ordinary and lowly endowment. Only through Heaven’s grace have I been able to advance to the ranks of the immortals. Now the covenant is split and the ring divided, and I have made an oath and received my appointment before Heaven. The favor I have received is truly profound. Your servant…”

How could I fail to be still more diligent, to guard my original nature, and to take refuge forever in the Orthodox Teachings? If I should break my vow, I willingly accept punishment according to the Mysterious Regulations—the Daoist precepts and liturgical rules. Mindful of the grace I have received, my heart is overcome with emotion. I respectfully bow with my forehead to the ground to express my gratitude.

The Senior Priest reads the liturgy.

With solemn and sincere intent, I submit this petition:

To the August Sovereigns of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the exalted perfected beings of the Nine Heavens, the numinous offices of the Three Realms, all the sages of the Ten Directions, and the assembled deities and spirits of power at the ritual altar:

I have heard that the Daoist teachings are spread among humanity through the transmission of masters. Only when the lineage of the teachings is passed on without interruption can the true Way be widely proclaimed and circulate without end. In this way, the transformative power of the Great Dao is made manifest, guiding later generations from darkness toward the light and leading the people to reform themselves, pursue goodness, and turn away from wrongdoing. All this serves to uphold the Orthodox Teachings, and nothing is more important than delivering the people from suffering.

Yet my natural endowment is dull, and my disposition foolish. My learning has not reached the level of a perfected being, and I have not encountered a true transmission. Nevertheless, I rashly undertook the work of transmitting the teachings, gravely violating the rules of the liturgy. Who could have expected that the sages would extend their abundant compassion and the perfected beings would sincerely protect me? They did not abandon someone as lowly as I am. Instead, they graciously forgave me and allowed me, despite my shortcomings, to proceed according to the prescribed rites, sustaining the transmission and bringing the ritual to completion.

The tokens of trust were distributed and the credentials divided; vows were sworn and an alliance formed. During the purification retreat, the place where blood had been drawn was exposed, the Elixir was drunk, and the ritual office was received. These rites have, for the most part, been duly prepared, and this is truly due to the deities’ gracious favor. Yet I am ashamed that my sincerity in presenting offerings was not complete or generous, and that the rites of the purification ritual did not meet the highest standard of precision. The altar was not sufficiently elevated and dignified, and some of the rites I set forth were improper. If the deities take pity on my ignorance, they may yet pardon me; but if they call me to account for my failings, I will be unable to escape punishment.

I pray for boundless grace to pardon in full the errors committed through my foolish presumption, so that I and the disciples who inherit the teachings may soon encounter the wondrous intent and understand the numinous essentials. May we continue our cultivation without being troubled by obstacles, and receive the protection of Fulu, talismans and registers, and of the divine spirits. May every invocation receive a response, and may all petitions and communications be granted passage. May I attain the Dao in this life and have my name entered in the cinnabar register. May all who cultivate alongside me likewise receive grace and blessing.

Above all, may the Daoist teachings flourish and spread, and may the true regulations be widely proclaimed. May Heaven be clear and Earth still, and the sun and moon shine brightly. May the altars of the soil and grain and the ancestral temples be at peace; may the former sages ascend to the Palace of Everlasting Radiance and roam in spirit through the Court of the Great Wilderness. May blessings extend to the state, and may joy and celebration pass down to later generations. May the present emperor receive Heaven and Earth’s blessings, live as long as Mount Song and Mount Hua, and enjoy inexhaustible good fortune in every generation, for ten thousand years and beyond, in keeping forever with the auspicious sign of unbroken continuity.

May the Four Seas be at peace and the frontiers quiet; may weapons never need to be raised, and the Six Qi—the vital energies that move and change between Heaven and Earth—be in harmony. May the crops be abundant, and the people healthy and content. May those who dwell in secluded valleys and make their homes in rocky caves, together with all who cultivate the Real and advance in the Dao, make smooth progress in their practice and bring their work to completion…

When the merit is complete, may we soon receive the summons of the Nine Heavens, ascend into the realm of the gods, refine away our bodily forms, and become subjects of the Three Realms—the three tiers of heaven in Daoist teaching. Next, may the ancestors of our clans, departed spirits, teachers, elders, and old friends all recognize the karmic ties of their former lives, leave the dark and obscure realms without delay, comprehend the true Dao, and ascend directly to a realm of freedom and ease.

May all spirits in the Six Heavens, the Ten Earths, and the Three Paths and Nine Hells receive the light and protection of Heaven’s grace. May their torments cease and the bonds of resentment be released. May wandering souls without refuge find a place to rest, and may sunken souls and lost spirits not yet delivered be saved. May they all awaken and reflect, and universally attain purity, tranquility, and ease.

May all living beings endowed with a nature from Heaven, formed in body, possessing awareness, and bearing life—whether birds and beasts, fish and scaled creatures, plants or insects—be spared untimely calamity and harm, and preserve their life force. We feel deeply ashamed for having repeatedly disturbed the Perfected Ones. We dare not detain them, and here offer this final, modest tribute as a small expression of gratitude for their beneficence. I and my disciples tremble in fear and bow our heads twice.

Rite of the Final Offering

With utmost sincerity and reverence, I respectfully submit this petition:

Great Dao, High Perfected Ones, and exalted sages of the Jade Empyrean, we respectfully invite you to descend to the ritual altar, to observe and protect the work of delivering and transforming all awe-inspiring spirits. I have heard that the Great Dao is empty and still, yet responds with wondrous efficacy; Heaven is high, yet hears even the lowly voices of the human world. Thus this altar for transmitting the Dao has been especially blessed by your presence as witnesses. Yet we have presumptuously made our petition heard in Heaven and rashly disturbed your numinous authority. Our hearts are truly fearful, and we are overcome with alarm. We still earnestly beg you to forgive us and show us compassion.

The rite of supplementary transmission and the concluding Zhaijiao ceremonies are now complete. The human and immortal realms are separated, and the ceremonial retinue cannot remain for long. The tranquil retinue has withdrawn, and the celestial music has fallen silent. The jade chariot departs, the purple clouds draw in their radiance, and the traces of the jade carriage are difficult to follow. The officers and attendants return to their appointed offices, and the Perfected Ones and spirits each return to their proper places. We can only cherish our longing, turn to you with earnest and lingering devotion, fix our spirits on the distant celestial steps, and bow a hundred times as we respectfully see you off.

Hymn for Sending Off the Gods, Receiving the Officials, and Restoring the Incense Burner

Leave the hall and proceed to the teacher’s tent.

The High Merit officiant—the Daoist priest presiding over the ritual—kneels at length, thanks the teacher, and reads the words of gratitude to the teacher.

Perform the purification rite and burn the cloud chariot, the symbolic vehicle for sending off the gods.

Come forward and pour out wine as an offering.

Recite auspicious prayers, thank the teacher, exchange congratulations, and then withdraw.

I have heard that hearing the Dao is difficult; this saying has been handed down for a long time. Since the middle antiquity, ritual liturgies and teachings have arisen, while the great principles of the Dao have gradually fallen into obscurity. The ways of the age have steadily declined, and ritual arts have spread widely; lineages have multiplied and become increasingly mixed. Since the methods of the Three Caverns—the system for classifying Daoist scriptures—flourished, the Celestial Master of the Han dynasty promoted the Zhengyi school, and the Orthodox Method of the Celestial Heart also appeared. In those days, seals and swords were received at the Jade Bureau, and demons and strange manifestations throughout the world were swept away. This method brought aid to the age and achieved remarkable merit. Favored by Heaven, the Celestial Heart method passed through the upheavals of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and then through the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties…

Transmission lineages became scattered and were lost, making them almost impossible to verify. After the Five Dynasties, Master Tan and Master Rao successively compiled the old teachings of the patriarchs into books. Although they took the “Three Talismans and Two Seals” (three kinds of Fulu and two kinds of seals) as their foundation, the names, offices, format, and wording in these books do not resemble the institutions of the Han dynasty. The heavenly statutes and ghost laws they describe also do not fit Han times. For example, the penal terms “three years’ penal servitude and one hundred strokes with the staff” were established only during the Xian-de era of the Later Zhou, and were not the original terminology of the Han Celestial Masters. Han punishments included measures such as “three hundred strokes with the whip” and “two hundred strokes with the whip,” which differed from later systems.

I have heard that Master Rao was well versed in the affairs of the netherworld. Perhaps he meant to use worldly institutions to admonish people, or perhaps he had other insights. During transmission of the teachings, he issued “immortal edicts”—documents conferring immortal offices—to fill vacancies in the offices of the netherworld. Yuan Miaozong consequently adopted this form and composed the associated rites. In the early Shaoxing era, the Perfected Master Lu revised the Tianxin Faze once more, and made especially extensive use of worldly institutions to establish official titles.

Lord Lu was exceptionally talented and widely read. He wrote the Chuan Du Ke Wen and composed a preface for each of the ten volumes of that method. His writing is precise and surpasses both ancient and modern works. Yet some of his views were biased. He elevated the Celestial Master to stand alongside the Supreme Emperor, and in memorials showed the Celestial Master excessive reverence, almost to the point of slighting the Celestial Worthy. He also placed the Celestial Worthy alone above the myriad Perfected Ones, which is doctrinally inappropriate. This is truly regrettable.

As for issuing immortal edicts, Lord Lu did not follow the old precedent. Instead, he issued only documents filling offices, which was entirely appropriate. In the human world, the ruler appoints people to official rank and therefore issues appointment documents. If a minister is to fill an office on someone’s behalf, he issues only a written notice. Without the ruler’s permission, one cannot issue an appointment document on one’s own authority. Moreover, the regulations for transmitting the teachings already provide rites and statutes, which should simply be followed. This is not a personal audience with the Supreme Emperor or the reception of a heavenly decree. It is only a matter of preparing and recording a memorial in accordance with the rites, conducting the transmission, and issuing documents assigning the respective offices. Even at a ritual altar, only written notices are issued. How can affairs of the netherworld simply copy worldly formats and presume to create appointment documents? This practice is indeed untenable.

This situation is found only in the Tianxin Fa. As for the Lingbao Dafa, its scriptures have circulated widely since Ge Xianweng (Ge Xuan). By the time of Xu Jingyang (Xu Xun), its various methods were already fully developed. Even the Hunyuan method regards Lord Xu as its patriarch. Although the Pure Method, the Esoteric Method, and the Lingbao method belong to different lineages, none has ever displayed such strange practices. After the Shaoxing era, the Celestial…

When the Lingbao method spread in eastern Zhejiang, many false and improper practices became mixed into it, more so than in the case of the Tianshin method. What the scripture describes is a formal covenant made with the Celestial Worthies of the Ten Directions according to established rites: offer precious gold, report to the ten-directional gods in the master’s presence, and swear an oath aloud so that Heaven can hear it. This solemn procedure was meant to prevent irreverence; that is the scripture’s true meaning.

The quantity of precious gold was never fixed. When making a covenant with the Celestial Worthies, holding the rite, and transmitting the method, master and disciple would fast and then swear the covenant together. They would divide the covenant documents, which served as proof of their agreement, so that the master could not conceal the true method and the disciple could not betray the master. This is the purpose of dividing the documents.

Yet the “Chapter on Seals and Covenant Documents” in the Tiantai Lingbao method calls for ten pieces of yellow silk, each inscribed in cinnabar with the disciple’s name and the sacred titles of the Celestial Worthies of the Ten Directions. During transmission, the names of the ten-directional Celestial Worthies are written in the center, and the silk is then split down the middle. This is called “making a covenant with the Ten Heavens.” But in worldly writing, when words concern things of special dignity, such as an emperor’s carriage or the imperial palace, people usually avoid writing the relevant characters in full or leave them blank as a sign of respect. How, then, can one carefully write the sacred titles of the Celestial Worthies and afterward split them down the middle?

They have also devised a format for covenant documents in which the scriptures and the transmitting master’s name are written upright at the top, while the names of the parents and three generations of ancestors are written upside down at the bottom. They call this the “Three Heavens Covenant Document.” In ancient times, people would ask the Nine Ancestors—the ancestors of nine generations—to bear witness to a covenant, and pray to Heaven: if they themselves broke the oath, may the Nine Ancestors be punished along with them. This was intended to make the oath more solemn. How, then, can the covenant document be inverted and placed below?

I do not know who invented this absurd claim. They fail to understand that the Celestial Worthies are not words to be split apart, and that parents and ancestors are not to be written upside down or set in an inverted position. If such practices are tolerated, what could not be tolerated? The same reasoning could be applied to other ritual rules. I fear that virtuous and well-intentioned people, unaware of the origins of these practices, may be led into transgression, and so I have set out this further clarification.

The documents are divided to prevent master and disciple from betraying one another. When have the Celestial Worthies ever betrayed you? Nor do the Celestial Worthies make separate covenant documents with ordinary people. A small mark on the document is enough to show that both parties have made a shared oath; a single talisman at the point where it is split will suffice.

When establishing an altar for the Lingbao method, you should invite the Celestial Worthies of the Ten Directions together. The documents you compose should follow the ancient forms in full, and certificates conferring ritual rank should likewise follow the old rites. As for the wording at the end of the certificate, you may compose it according to the method’s original meaning; if it is only a matter of elegant phrasing, you may adapt it as appropriate.

These ritual regulations may be adopted, but they were not devised independently. The generals and officers listed in the ritual texts—divine generals and troop officers summoned and commanded in Daoist liturgies—are all under the authority of the Highest Mystery. They are not the mountain generals and troops used in the Orthodox Method of the Celestial Heart, which centers on the Celestial Heart method, nor are they forces that may be freely summoned through methods of interrogation and invocation.

These generals and officers may be dispatched by “transfer and assignment”: when an occasion arises, a divine general is invited to descend and receive a task. In the Tiantai method, the practice of altering passages from scriptures into the names of offices and bureaus for generals and officers is conjectural fabrication. It has already been discussed in detail in Ranks and Orders of the Palaces and Offices of the Three Realms and must not be carried on, much less put recklessly into practice. The relevant ritual documents briefly list the generals and officers to be summoned in this method for use in ceremonies. This follows established regulations; it is not a practice of “transfer and assignment.”

It is absolutely impermissible to imitate the imperial court by privately drafting official warrants that confer authority and assign tasks to divine generals. Those who know of this matter should take it as a warning. The Orthodox Method of the Celestial Heart has long since become confused and mixed with other practices; how could the numinous writings of Lingbao also follow popular custom?

As for recent transmission ceremonies, many additions have been made, including “covenant proclamations to the Ten Heavens” and other miscellaneous rites. Practices also differ from place to place. None of these belong to the original canonical tradition of this scripture, so they should not be adopted lightly. During ordination—the transmission of a lineage and the ceremony of initiation and conferral of teachings—and when performing liturgies, some use wording from Celestial Heart ordination rites, while others mix in language from other Zhaijiao rites when reading invocations and petitions. This differs greatly from the ritual purpose of transmitting the Great Lingbao Method. Although the ancient method includes related phrases, its ritual documents are incomplete. The ritual texts compiled by Yunzong are now being revised and assembled on the basis of the old canon, in keeping with the purpose of this method, so that what is done before the Supreme Emperor does not contradict what is spoken aloud.

The lineages of the various schools each have their own foundations. If someone has not received the transmission of a particular school’s lineage, using the wording in Yunzong’s ritual texts is all the more unreasonable. Those who do not belong to this school should compile their own rituals; that is the proper course.

The Great Lingbao Method of Highest Clarity, volume 43