《靈寶文檢》Vol. 10
About this page. The original text of 《靈寶文檢》 Vol. 10 (Qing Daoist texts 清代道教文獻, 36 volumes) is shown in Classical Chinese as transmitted in the Kanripo (Kyoto University) edition. An English interpretation of the 1 passages on this page accompanies it: select a passage or press “Interpretation” to show it. All texts in English
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Lingbao Document Forms, Volume One: Table of Contents (Plain-Language Explanation)
This is the table of contents for the first volume of the reprinted Lingbao Document Forms in the Daozang Jiyao. The entries are the names and formats of documents that had to be submitted in advance to notify the various divine offices when performing a Great Yellow Register Retreat, a large Daoist liturgy for delivering the deceased and praying for blessings. The volume is essentially a “checklist of official documents for conducting a retreat.”
I. Great Yellow Register Retreat: Advance Petitions
“Advance petitions” are reports submitted to Heaven and the various deities before the retreat begins. They state the purpose of the rites, provide lists of participants, and request that the proceedings be overseen and authorized.
| Entry | Approximate plain-language meaning |
|---|---|
| The Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), with the Nine Sovereigns | A document submitted to the Three Pure Ones (the highest Daoist deities: Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing), with an accompanying petition concerning the Nine Sovereigns. |
| Format for a Square Envelope with a Perforated Flap | The writing format for a square document envelope with a perforated flap. |
| Petition for Submission through the Celestial Pivot | A petition submitted through the Celestial Pivot, the hub of the celestial realm or its heavenly gate, requesting passage or presenting a matter. |
| Eastern Pole | A petition addressed to the Eastern Pole, the eastern realm often associated with delivering the dead and with the system of Taiyi, Savior from Suffering. |
| Northern Dipper | A petition to the Lords of the Northern Dipper, who preside over the dispelling of calamities and the prolonging of life. |
| Celestial Secretariat | A petition to the offices of the Celestial Secretariat. |
| Five Masters | A petition to the Five Masters, who may refer to the Perfected Lords of the five directions or, depending on the complete ritual, five ancestral masters or ritual officials. |
| Three Origins | A petition to the Three Origins: the Upper, Middle, and Lower Origins, or the related system of the Three Officials. |
| Five Offices | A petition to the Five Offices, meaning the five directional offices of Heaven or five kinds of celestial bureau. |
| Underworld | A petition to the offices of the underworld. |
| Eastern Peak | A petition to the Eastern Peak, Mount Tai, which presides over the underworld, life and death, and the registers of the dead. |
| Water Office | A petition to the divine offices that govern bodies of water and rivers. |
II. Great Yellow Register Retreat: Advance Notices
“Advance notices” are announcements issued shortly before or during the retreat to the authorities along the route, at the boundaries between realms, and among local deities, so that summoned beings may be brought in, granted passage, and overseen during the rites.
| Entry | Approximate plain-language meaning |
|---|---|
| Officials and Generals | A notice to the divine generals who protect the rites and wield weapons. |
| Community Deities | A notice to the local land and community deities. |
| City God | A notice to the deity who protects the city. |
| Merit Officers | A notice to the divine clerks who handle documents and record merits and faults. |
| Divine Tigers | A notice to the tiger deities who bind and escort beings in ritual proceedings, such as the Divine Tiger corps. |
| Pass of the Upper Realm | A notice to a checkpoint in the celestial realm. |
| Pass of the Middle Realm | A notice to a checkpoint between Heaven and Earth. |
| Pass of the Lower Realm | A notice to a checkpoint in the underworld or terrestrial realm. |
Summary
The volume’s contents center on two functions: advance petitions, which report matters through the ranks of authority to the Three Pure Ones, the Northern Dipper, the Celestial Secretariat, the underworld, and the Eastern Peak; and advance notices, which are posted for the City God, community deities, and checkpoints across the Three Realms. The sections that follow likely provide model texts, standard phrasing, and document formats for each entry. Lingbao Document Forms is a reference work on the document templates used in Lingbao ritual practice.
Source text: Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（KR5i0092）; Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Report an error / feedback