《靈寶施食法》

Interpretation of the Lingbao Food Offering Ritual

This is a Daoist ritual for delivering the souls of the deceased through food offerings, which can be performed daily. If maintaining a long-term fast is difficult, simply avoid the five pungent vegetables (garlic, scallions, leeks, shallots, and asafoetida) as well as meat and alcohol. Alternatively, the ritual may be conducted on designated fasting days (Zhaijiao) in the Daoist tradition.

Procedure:

1. At breakfast, prepare clean rice and store it in a clean container.

2. Late at night, when all is quiet, face the sky and silently recite:

• First, chant the Purification of the Three Karmas mantra (to cleanse the defilements of body, speech, and mind, as detailed in the Morning Repentance Liturgy).
• While chanting, unify body and mind, letting go of worldly distractions, and visualize golden light filling the void.

3. Next, recite the Land Spirit Mantra, visualizing the local earth deity standing respectfully to receive your command:

"The spirit of this land is most divine, traversing heaven and earth, entering and exiting the netherworld. Swiftly convey my plea, and upon the fulfillment of this merit, my name shall be recorded in the celestial registers of Shangqing (Highest Clarity)."

4. Recite the Scripture on Salvation from Suffering (Jiuku Jing) once. While chanting, maintain a mind free of distractions and visualize light radiating from the Muddy Pellet Palace (the upper Dantian), with celestial deities encircling above.

5. Then, reverently invoke:

Pay homage in sequence to the Yuanshi Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning), Lingbao Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure), Daode Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of the Dao and Its Virtue)—the supreme Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)—as well as Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Supreme Oneness Who Saves from Suffering) and dozens of other divine beings, beseeching them to:

• Illuminate the paths of the underworld with auspicious light,
• Guide the souls of the departed swiftly to receive deliverance,
• Transform the offered food into divine nectar through the power of the celestial deities, showering it throughout the ten directions,
• Ensure that all spirits and ghosts attain liberation.

Conclude the ritual by chanting the Universal Illumination of Ghosts and Spirits Mantra.

Note: This is a vital Daoist rite for aiding the deceased, combining food offerings, scripture recitation, and divine invocation to deliver beings in the underworld. It embodies the Daoist ideal of "universal salvation" (pudu zhongsheng), reflecting the tradition's profound compassion.

This passage describes the ritual procedure of the Lingbao Feeding Rites (Lingbao Shishi Fa) in Daoism, primarily used for liberating wandering souls and resolving karmic grievances. Here's the modern interpretation:

First, recite the mantra "Nán wā wèi fú dìng jí lì" seven times to swiftly summon divine beings. Visualize boundless dark Qi emerging from behind the left shoulder, shimmering with countless starlight points. After inhaling, exhale this dark Qi forward as if marshaled by celestial generals.

Next, recite the invocation text to summon souls from all ten directions: including solitary spirits from demon realms, the human world, hells, hungry ghost realms, and animal realms; karmic creditors from past lives involving blood debts, financial obligations, or emotional bonds; and wandering souls of those who died in wars or perished abroad throughout history. May they all gather at the ritual site through the power of Daoist practice to receive food offerings, resolve grievances, and attain liberation.

Then chant the "Sweet Dew Throat-Opening Mantra" nine times (mantra: "Ōng lǐ yuán xī píng zhà xī shè huá yē"). Visualize compassionate deities sprinkling sweet dew from above while keeping the tongue touching the palate, lips gently closed, and gaze directed upward. When sweet saliva fills the mouth, swallow it slowly to alleviate the suffering souls' hunger and thirst.

Subsequently, recite the "Food Transformation Mantra" seven times (mantra: "Ōng bù lú lǐ yán yù duō shè"), using mantra power to make the food inexhaustible. Then slowly chant the "Five Kitchens Mantra," which contains essential cultivation principles for harmonizing primordial Qi (Yuanqi) and purifying the mind: maintain mental equilibrium, neither forcibly pursuing nor completely abandoning thoughts, preserving innate Qi for cultivation.

Finally, recite the "Grievance Resolution Mantra" seven times (mantra: "Huà mèn ōng lì hōng jiě shì wǔ guǐ zhài") to purify one's mind of resentment and help souls awaken from karmic entanglements. Conclude by declaring: "All wandering souls are now satiated and refreshed, their grievances resolved—each may depart in peace."

(Note: This constitutes the "feeding ritual" segment in Daoist liberation ceremonies, employing mantras, visualization, and ritual food to aid hungry ghost realm beings. The "Five Kitchens Mantra" serves as a口诀 (formula) for regulating the practitioner's own Qi mechanism.)

This passage explains the ritual procedures and essential techniques of the Daoist "Lingbao Food Offering Method," comprising four key components: taking refuge, precepts, vows, and food offering incantations.

【Taking Refuge】

By taking refuge in the Three Treasures—the wondrous Dao (Daode) of the Great Canopy Jade Capital (Daluo Yujing), the Jade Scriptures (Yujing) of the Splendid Hall's Inner Landscape (Huatang Neijing), and the enlightened masters who attained the Dao—one can avoid falling into the three wretched paths of hell, hungry ghosts, and beasts. Here, "Great Canopy Jade Capital" refers to Daoism's highest celestial realm, while "Splendid Hall's Inner Landscape" denotes the internal cultivation states within the human body.

【Nine Authentic Precepts】

1. Be filial to parents

2. Be loyal to rulers

3. Abstain from killing and cultivate compassion

4. Avoid sexual misconduct and maintain proper conduct

5. Never betray righteousness; sacrifice self for others

6. Refrain from anger and oppression

7. Do not deceive or harm virtuous people

8. Avoid arrogance and disrespect toward truth

9. Maintain single-minded devotion to precepts

【Four Great Vows】

1. Awaken one's true nature without delusion

2. Cultivate compassion and transcend worldly desires

3. Accumulate abundant virtue to save all beings

4. Take refuge in the true Dao and propagate its teachings

【Food Offering Ritual】

1. First recite the Food Scattering Incantation:

"I present this pure offering,

Universally bestowing it upon the netherworld beings.

A single grain fills the ten directions,

Countless spirits of rivers and sands partake together."

2. Perform the dedication ritual:

Visualize divine light bursting forth from the crown of your head. Form the "Wuwen" hand seal (a Daoist mudra) with your left hand, transforming dark Qi into warm radiance.

3. Conclude with the Dedication Incantation:

"May this merit return to the Celestial Worthy (Tianshi),

Blessing ancestors, teachers, and friends,

Extending universally to all beings,

That we may together accomplish the supreme Dao."

【Important Notes】

For characters with the "mouth" radical (口) in the incantations, only pronounce the phonetic component (the non-radical part). Other characters should be pronounced normally—do not be confused by this.

This scripture integrates cultivation precepts with rituals for saving lost souls. It emphasizes that through upholding precepts, making vows, and performing food offering ceremonies, one can both purify personal karmic obstacles and deliver beings trapped in the netherworld.