《靈寶文檢》Vol. 13

Lingbao Documents, Volume Two: Formal Memorial for the Great Yellow Register Retreat — Memorial to the Jade Clarity

Plain-language explanation

This text is a formal memorial from the ritual documents of the Lingbao tradition. Speaking as “your subject,” the Daoist priest reports to the celestial realm that he intends to perform the supreme Great Yellow Register Retreat—one of Daoism’s highest-ranking rites for delivering the deceased—and requests approval and the issuance of talismanic decrees.

Memorial to the Jade Clarity (a memorial addressed to the Celestial Worthy of the Jade Clarity realm)

Your subject, so-and-so, a Daoist priest of the following rank, is filled with awe and dread. I bow my head to the ground, prostrate myself, and make a hundred obeisances as I submit this memorial:

Your subject has overstepped his abilities and presumed to address the lofty heavens. I humbly ask for your gracious forbearance and pray that I may be spared punishment. I respectfully report that, according to a petition presented by a devotee of the Dao from such-and-such place (the petitioner’s name and other details), the deceased so-and-so (name and other details) has passed away. The petitioner asks that the supreme Great Yellow Register Retreat be solemnly established, bringing blessings throughout the world day and night and extending them widely to the realms of the living and the dead. May this meritorious work be dedicated especially to delivering the soul of the deceased so-and-so, so that it may transcend and attain deliverance.

The altar will be established and the rites commenced at such-and-such place on such-and-such day of this month. Respectfully acting on the petitioner’s behalf, your subject proposes to announce and issue the following:

The talismanic decree of the Primordial Beginning; the Golden Register’s white slips and longevity talismans; the true talisman for rescuing the suffering; the true talisman for breaking open the hells; the true talisman for delivering secluded souls; the Nine Dragons’ talismanic decree; the Most High’s edict of pardon and register of ascent to Heaven; and the various true talismans of deliverance prescribed in the Lingbao liturgy. These shall be sent throughout the ten directions and the three realms, to all celestial prisons, hells, and underworld offices, granting pardon to all solitary souls among the Three Paths of Suffering and the Five Destinies—hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, and all beings subject to the five courses of rebirth—as well as to all beings among the four modes of birth. They shall also reach the petitioner’s nine generations of ancestors on the father’s side and seven on the mother’s side, relatives by blood and marriage on both sides, and the souls of the deceased so-and-so and others named for deliverance. May they leave the hidden realms and all gather at the retreat altar to receive deliverance at the appointed time. When the rites are complete, three hundred and sixty purification offerings shall be performed in the Clear Offering rite, in gratitude for divine favor. May no soul remain trapped in the gates of the underworld, and may the people attain a realm of long life and well-being.

Respectfully recording the details of the petition and submitting this memorial.

I humbly pray that the Dao’s compassion grant approval to this memorial and permit your subject to carry out all the talismanic decrees described above.

Your subject ventures to intrude upon the majesty of the Dao. My heart is overwhelmed with trembling as I await judgment. Respectfully submitted.

Forms of address:

For the Highest Clarity, Great Clarity, and Jade Clarity: “Your compassionate Dao, before your jade desk” (the Jade Clarity, Highest Clarity, and Great Clarity are the Three Pure Ones realms; this memorial is addressed to the Jade Clarity and the others).

For the August Heaven, Gouchen, and the Lords of the Stars: “Your heavenly compassion, before your jade steps” (the August Heaven Shangdi, the Supreme Palace of Gouchen, the Lords of the Stars, and other celestial deities).

Note: This is the prescribed format for registering the rite, requesting talismans, and seeking pardon from the Celestial Worthy of the Jade Clarity and the celestial emperors and star officials before the altar is opened for the Great Yellow Register Retreat. During the rite, the priest fills in the parenthetical details—such as the petitioner’s native place, names, locations, and dates—with the actual information.

Below is a plain-language interpretation of this memorial text from the Lingbao Wenjian, following the original order and retaining proper names with brief explanations.

Houtu (addressed here with honorifics such as “Your Compassionate Majesty” and “Beneath the Jade Palace”)

I respectfully pray that Heaven show compassion and grant the request submitted by your servant (the Daoist’s self-designation). May Heaven issue a special decree and command all offices throughout the ten directions and three realms to extend pardon everywhere. All souls connected with the rites of recommendation and deliverance may come to the altar and receive deliverance. I ask that I be permitted to write the talismanic decrees in seal script as appropriate and to proclaim them in the proper order. Your servant has presumed upon Heaven’s authority (as above) and respectfully submits this memorial.

Memorial for submission to the Celestial Pivot Court (Its format is the same as that of the “advance notice,” but the words “in anticipation” are omitted and replaced with “now.”)

The memorial must list the honorific titles of seven sacred beings.

Eastern Pole Azure Palace (as above)

The Most Venerable Taiyi of the Eastern Pole Azure Palace, Who Hears the Cries and Rescues from Suffering (before the Jade Emperor’s throne): I respectfully pray that Your Reverent Compassion grant the request submitted by your servant and issue a special order: let the flying immortals of the ten directions and boundless reaches, the children who rescue from suffering, and all appropriate officers and generals carry it out. Please issue the Nine-Dragon Talisman Decree to arrange the following throughout the ten directions and three realms: command the talisman messengers, the offices of the Netherworld Gates (the checkpoints of the underworld), and the offices of judgment and punishment, to open and close the gates in their jurisdictions, pardon sins and release grievances, and deliver and recommend for deliverance the souls of the dead, the beings of the Three Paths of Suffering, the spirits of all kinds, wandering souls and flying spirits, and all lonely ghosts. Let them leave the realms of suffering and all come to the ritual altar, receive Your Compassionate Majesty’s grace (Heaven’s favor), and together attain rebirth in the human world. Your servant has presumed upon the authority of the Dao (as above).

Imperial Palace of the Southern Pole

Your servant, an appointed official, So-and-so, submits this memorial:

I have ventured to express my innermost sincerity and address Your Majesty’s attention. I pray that You graciously show compassion and pardon me, allowing your servant to atone for his offense (otherwise, he must suffer punishment). Your servant respectfully states that [details omitted] he will reverently carry out the prescribed procedure of summoning and gathering, so that the souls of the dead recommended for deliverance and the hidden spirits may receive offerings, undergo refinement, attain their appointed rank, and be reborn when the merit is complete and the rite has concluded. He will also conduct a pure Zhaijiao (purification ritual) lasting three hundred and sixty days, to make a clear return for Your gracious favor. In this way, may no soul remain trapped in the gates of the underworld, and may the people attain long life, health, and peace. I respectfully record and submit this memorial.

The True King of Jade Clarity, the Great Emperor of Longevity at the Southern Pole (before the Jade Emperor’s Majesty): I respectfully pray that Heaven’s compassion grant the request submitted by your servant and issue a special proclamation to the Southern Cinnabar-Heaven realm and the Vermilion Mound Fire Palace. May the officials, lords, generals, and officers in charge of refinement and deliverance be dispatched to the ritual altar to refine the souls of the dead and hidden spirits being delivered. Let them ascend to the court of flowing fire in the Vermilion Palace, have their names entered in the purple registers, and attain transformation and renewed life. May the blessings of the rite spread everywhere, the underworld share in the celebration, and all lands receive its benefits.

Notes for reading the original:

• Your servant: the Daoist’s self-designation when addressing the Heavenly Court in ritual.
• Recommendation and deliverance: rites performed on behalf of the dead to recommend them and guide them beyond suffering.
• The Three Paths of Suffering: places of torment, such as the hells.
• Vermilion Mound Fire Palace: a mythical underworld realm in the southern fire heavens, where souls are refined and delivered.
• Completion and dispersal: the ritual’s merit is complete and the Zhaijiao ceremony has concluded.
• The passage consists of formulaic memorials and talismanic orders sent in Lingbao Zhaijiao rites to Houtu, the Venerable One Who Rescues from Suffering, and the Great Emperor of Longevity at the Southern Pole. Its central aims are to pardon sins, open the gates of the underworld, refine and deliver souls, and bring about rebirth.

May all beings of every kind enjoy health and peace, and be rescued and restored. (Your servant) has presumed to intrude upon the majesty of Heaven and is filled with fear and trembling, awaiting punishment as this petition is submitted.

Lord Wood and Mother Metal (Lord Wood of the Eastern Florescent Immortal Realm and the Queen Mother of the West) — Palace of the Eastern Florescent Chancellor (format as above)

I respectfully submit this petition before Lord Qing Tong, the Daoist Sovereign and Lord Wood, Chancellor of the Eastern Florescent Realm (before the Dao), and the Primordial Lady, the White Jade Turtle Terrace, Ninefold Numinous, Perfectly Great Mother Metal (before the honored one). I humbly hope that, in your compassionate Dao, you will grant the petition, pity this humble student, and aid (your servant) in carrying out the refining and deliverance. May you secretly send down the ancestral Qi of Yin-Yang and the fluid essence of Heaven and Earth, refine and transform the departed souls and hidden spirits, reopen their nine apertures and remake their hundred joints, illuminate them within and without, restore their nature and gather their Shen, reveal their roots and restore their life, and raise them beyond to a blessed realm, ascending together to the land of immortals. May those in the deep night be rescued and revived, and may Heaven and Earth find peace. (Your servant) presumes to intrude upon the majesty of the Dao (as above).

The Ten Directions — Before the throne of the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure in the East

I respectfully submit this petition before the Most High Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, the Supreme Perfected of the Ten Directions, born of the self-so (before the Dao). I humbly hope that, in your compassionate Dao, you will grant (this petitioner’s) request and issue a special decree of grace, directing all places throughout the boundless worlds of the Ten Directions and the underworld offices of earth and water to respond and carry it out. May all hidden souls in the Five Paths, Three Destinies, and Four Births be pardoned, along with the deceased souls for whom petitions have been offered; may they leave suffering and ascend to perfection, hear the scriptures and listen to the teachings, receive the fruits of the Dao, and together attain the realm of life. May plants and animals alike be rescued and revived, and may the visible and hidden realms share in the celebration. I look upward in hope that your radiance will illumine and bear witness to this rite of cultivation. (This petitioner) presumes to intrude upon the majesty of the Dao (as above).

The Nine Heavens’ Imperial Palaces (as above)

Emperor of the Boundless Heaven of Yudan, Emperor of the Boundless Longevity Heaven of Supreme Dhyana and Goodness, Emperor of the Heaven of Brahmā’s Oversight and Suyan, Emperor of the Tranquil Heaven of Doushuai, Emperor of the Heaven of Paranirmita-vaśavartin, Free from Pride and Pleasure, Emperor of the Heaven of Dongyuan, Responsive Manifestation and Sound, Emperor of the Heaven of Numinous Transformation and Brahmā’s Attendants, Emperor of the Lofty, Empty, Clear and Bright Heaven, and Emperor of the Heaven of No Thought, No Bondage, and No Desire (before your thrones): I humbly hope that, in your heavenly compassion, you will grant (your servant’s) petition and issue a special command to the appropriate offices of the Perfected to respond and carry it out. May the merit of this purification rite be brought to completion, demonic obstacles dispelled, and calamity prevented; may blessings cover the whole realm and grace extend throughout families and states. I beseech you to spread the Perfected Qi of the Nine Heavens and send it down upon the ritual altar, to bathe and refine the departed souls and hidden spirits, enabling them to restore the vital energy of their remains, establish their forms, and gather their Shen, and to receive the grace of the Dao.

Plain-Language Interpretation

The deep ford of mystery is a great resource; the nature of the Dao knows its roots; the return to life’s mandate brings all things to fruition and birth.

(I, your subject, presume to offend the awe of Heaven, as above.)

The Palaces of the Five Elders

I, your subject, now lay before you my humble thoughts, presenting them to the august court. I respectfully submit the following:

• East: Secure Treasures, Flowery Grove; the Blue Spirit, Primordial Elder; the Azure Emperor; the Heavenly Lord of the Nine Qi.
• South: Brahma Treasures, Flourishing Yang; the Vermilion Spirit, True Elder; the Red Emperor; the Heavenly Lord of the Three Qi.
• West: Seven Treasures, Golden Gate; the Bright Spirit, August Elder; the White Emperor; the Heavenly Lord of the Seven Qi.
• North: Cavernous Yin, Northern Frontier; Utterly Hidden, Fivefold Spirit; the Mysterious Elder; the Black Emperor; the Heavenly Lord of the Five Qi.
• Center: Jade Treasures, Primal Spirit; the Primal Elder; the Yellow Emperor; the Heavenly Lord of the One Qi.

(Beneath the palace gate,) I respectfully look to the Dao’s compassion to grant my petition. I beseech you in particular to cast your radiance upon the ritual altar, witness and record the sincerity of this purification rite, bring its meritorious work to completion, and guide those in the hidden and visible realms. I further beseech you to secretly bestow the life-giving power of the Five Qi, and to transform and refine the stagnation and obscurity obstructing the myriad paths, so that all may be brought to life and transformation, and each may attain deliverance and renewal. I presume to offend the awe of the Dao, as above.

Petitions to the Heavens — Palaces of the Heavenly Emperors

(If submitting four petitions, write “Beneath the Eight Heavens of [the specified direction].”)

I, your subject, now express my humble sincerity, presuming to address the gathered heavens. I still hope for your generous mercy and ask that I be spared punishment and blame. I respectfully submit the following:

Beneath the Palace of the Emperor of Great Sovereignty, Yellow Ceng Heaven (the eight ranks are listed here): I respectfully look to Heaven’s compassion to grant my petition. I beseech you in particular to bestow gracious radiance from above, and to inspect and dispatch the officials, youths, generals, and clerks of the Dongxuan registers and methods, in accordance with the prescribed rites, to undertake their duties and bring the purification rite’s meritorious work to completion. I further beseech you to spread the wisdom-light of the Numinous Treasure, to emulate the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth, and to devote this work to recommending the souls of the departed and the spirits of the hidden realm. May it sweep away the shadows of Yin, nourish the Yang spirits, bring forth life-giving moisture from the primordial expanse, establish their roots and enable them to receive confirmation, so that forms emerge from the indistinct and Qi gathers and Shen takes shape. May no soul on the hidden paths remain sunk in stagnation; may peace and safety bless the human world; may grace extend to all moving and growing things, and blessings cover the whole realm. I presume to offend the awe of Heaven, as above.

Sun and Moon — Yuyi Palace of the Sun

The duly appointed [title] (I, so-and-so)

I, the petitioner, respectfully submit the following and must therefore record this petition and report it.

Respectfully submitted.

The Solar Palace’s Lord of the Sun, Yuyi, Radiance of Fiery Brilliance in the Great Vermilion Palace

This book presents a writ (a petition addressed to the gods) from the Daoist Lingbao purification rites. The text below is a prayer inviting the Star Lords of the Lunar Palace, the Northern Dipper, the Five Planets, and the Southern Dipper to descend, retrieve the souls of the dead, refine and deliver them, and raise them to a higher state.

The Holy Empress of Great Yin, Yellow Radiance, Pure Luminosity, and Primal Essence of the Lunar Palace

We humbly look to your true compassion. We beseech you to show mercy and permit your immortal carriage to descend for a time, coming down to the sacred altar. May you inspect and record this prayer, so that the rites of this purification ceremony may be brought to completion, your grace may extend throughout the world, and your blessings may reach the netherworld. We further beseech you to spread forth numinous light and send down true Qi, so that Water and Fire may be joined and Yin-Yang brought into harmony. May the souls of the multitude be refined and delivered, each recovering its original nature and awareness, receiving the fruits of the Dao, and ascending to the Vermilion Palace. (The ritual master) has presumed to offend your awesome presence. (The wording is as above.)

The Northern Dipper · The Celestial Palace of the Northern Dipper

We humbly look to the true compassion of the Great Sages of the Central Heavens, the Star Lords of the Nine Sovereigns of the Northern Dipper. May you grant our petition and issue an order to the Northern Dipper’s Office of Mysterious Ordinances, dispatching the divine tiger chief clerk He Qiao, the emissaries of the two sages and three departments, and the Jade Maidens of the Seven Offices. May they lead a company of officials and soldiers down to the ritual office to retrieve the souls of the dead offered for deliverance, together with the departed spirits and all others. May they arrive at the altar at the appointed time, make the consequences of deeds manifest, receive the fruits of goodness, and thereby attest to their ascent beyond this world. We await the cloud chariot as our pledge. In carrying out this rite, (the ritual master) has presumed to offend you. (As above.)

Note: The Northern Dipper’s Office of Mysterious Ordinances is a divine bureau in the Daoist Northern Dipper system responsible for retrieving souls and examining their deeds. “Chief clerk He Qiao of the divine tiger,” and the other figures named here, are officials dispatched by this bureau. “Departed spirits” refers to the souls of the dead.

The Five Planets

Star Lord of Wood Virtue in the East

The True Lord of the Year Star, the Supreme Perfected Lord of the Azure Emperor, Beginningless Azure, of Wood Virtue in the East

Star Lord of Fire Virtue in the South

The True Lord of the Fire Star, the Supreme Perfected Lord of the Red Emperor, Cinnabar Radiance, of Fire Virtue in the South

Star Lord of Metal Virtue in the West

The True Lord of the Great White Star, the Supreme Perfected Lord of the White Emperor, Great Simplicity and Lesser Yin, of Metal Virtue in the West

Star Lord of Water Virtue in the North

The True Lord of the Water Star, the Supreme Perfected Lord of the Black Emperor, Great Darkness and Yin Primordial, of Water Virtue in the North

Star Lord of Earth Virtue in the Center

The True Lord of the Restraining Star, the Supreme Perfected Lord of the Yellow Emperor, Ancestral Qi and Central Primordial, of Earth Virtue in the Center

(When the light descends) We humbly look to your true compassion. May you bend down with mercy and permit your immortal carriages to descend especially for this occasion, to inspect the rites of purification. We earnestly hope you will open wide the gates of compassion and benevolence, extend your vast grace, and spread the Five Phases’ upright Qi. May the two forms of Yin-Yang unite and generate vital fluid. May the souls of the dead be refined and delivered, recover their nature and awareness, receive all the fruits of goodness, and ascend to the Vermilion Palace. (The ritual master) has presumed to offend you.

Note: The Five Planets are the Year Star (Jupiter), the Fire Star (Mars), the Great White Star (Venus), the Water Star (Mercury), and the Restraining Star (Saturn). Each is associated with one of the Five Phases—Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, and Earth—and with a direction.

The Southern Dipper · The Celestial Palace of the Southern Dipper

We humbly look to the true compassion of the True Lord, High Minister of the Fire Bell and the Six Offices of the Southern Dipper. May you show us your gracious mercy and permit your immortal carriage to descend especially for this occasion, looking down upon the rites of purification. We earnestly hope you will bring forth your great power to nurture and sustain beings, and send down your vast grace to refine souls. May all return to their nature, long sunk away; may their spirits, already scattered, be made whole again. May Yin-Yang be brought forth anew and the power of creation and transformation once more lend its support, so that all may attain ascent beyond this world. (The ritual master) has presumed to offend you.

Note: The Southern Dipper governs longevity and the nurturing of life. Here, its role accords with the ritual work of refining and delivering souls, restoring body and spirit, and joining Yin-Yang anew.

This Daoist liturgical document is the official memorial submitted to the celestial court by priests during the Grand Yellow Register Retreat (a major ritual for the salvation of deceased souls). Its content can be divided into four main sections:

First, it reports basic information about the ritual to the Supreme Mysterious Capital Bureau (a key administrative body in the Daoist celestial bureaucracy): selecting an auspicious date and time to establish an altar at a specific location for conducting the Supreme Yellow Register Retreat spanning several days and nights. The purpose is to universally deliver souls from the underworld while blessing both the living and the deceased. The ceremony will strictly follow Daoist scriptures, completing 360 segments of pure offerings (complete sacrificial rites) to repay celestial grace.

The second section enumerates various essential fulu (talismans and registers with spiritual power) to be used in the ritual, including seven core spells such as the Primordial Decree and Golden Register White Slips, along with the Lingbao Salvation series of talismans. These documents will notify the underworld offices (yin realm authorities) to release deceased souls and wandering spirits to attend the altar for salvation. The priests specifically emphasize that such important procedures require prior celestial approval.

Next comes the formal petition to the presiding True Lords (high-ranking deities) of the Supreme Mysterious Capital Bureau under the Three Heavens Gate: earnestly requesting these deities to forward the memorial to the celestial court and coordinate with underworld officials across the Three Realms (heaven, earth, and water). Simultaneously, it petitions for the dispatch of various guardian spirits from the Lingbao scriptural tradition—including the Divine Tiger Pursuing Officers, Flying Celestial Immortals, Golden Dragon Courier Officials, and other protective deities—to safeguard the ritual altar and ensure smooth proceedings.

The concluding section repeats the same content in standard format to the Five Bureaus (including the Shangqing Tongchu Five Bureaus and other major celestial institutions) and the Three Officials (the Great Emperors of Heaven, Earth, and Water). The term "Zhao" serves as the priest's self-reference, while phrases like "presumptuously facing celestial majesty" reflect the characteristic humble expressions unique to Daoist documents. Parenthetical notations such as "same as above" and "avoiding transgressions while pleading for clarity" represent standard annotative formats in Daoist liturgical texts.

Plain-language interpretation

The Supreme Yellow Register Great Purification (held day and night to deliver souls from suffering, protect the living and the dead, and bring the rite to its completion and dispersal), a Pure Purification Rite.

Three hundred and sixty measures: in clear response to Heaven’s grace. I, (the petitioner), submit this petition with utmost sincerity and dare not refuse or suppress the request. To undertake this purification rite, I must first submit a formal notice. I therefore present this written petition for your attention.

This petition is respectfully submitted above.

To the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity, the Heavenly Official of the Upper Origin, First Rank, who bestows blessings;

To the Great Emperor of Clear Emptiness, the Earth Official of the Middle Origin, Second Rank, who pardons sins;

To the Great Emperor of the Cavernous Yin, the Water Official of the Lower Origin, Third Rank, who dispels calamities:

I respectfully hope that, in your true compassion, you will grant my request and specially dispatch your immortal retinue to witness and record the sincerity of this purification rite. May blessings extend to both the hidden and the visible realms, and your grace encompass all beneath Heaven. I further beseech you to present this petition at the Heavenly Court and issue instructions to the Three Origins, the Nine Palaces, the twenty-seven bureaus, the one hundred and twenty offices, and all other relevant departments. May they follow the talismanic command to deliver, rescue, and commend the souls of the dead who remain bound, together with all other departed spirits; remove their sins and karmic burdens, release them from their bonds, lead them out of the gates of the underworld, and raise them to a blessed realm. May all within China rejoice, and may every living thing find peace. I, (the petitioner), have presumptuously intruded upon your sacred authority, as stated above.

The Five Masters — the Palace of the Five Lingbao Masters — for filling vacant offices

I, (the successor officiant), do not shrink from the charge of irreverence, but venture to seek the hearing of the most perfect ones. To spread the great teaching, nothing takes precedence over delivering people from suffering. I have carefully considered the sincere petition received from (the following parties and circumstances), which calls for aid to both the hidden and visible realms. It is right that I submit this request, and reason does not permit me to refuse it. I have consulted the ancient rites: purification rites originate in Lingbao, and only those qualified to receive and wear the Dongxuan ritual registers may be appointed to these offices. The present candidates do not meet the full requirements, so I have no choice but to provisionally use disciples holding Zhengyi ritual registers of the various grades to fill the vacancies and carry out the duties. I therefore submit this petition for your attention.

This petition is respectfully submitted above.

The True Lord, Great Master of the Mysterious Center of Lingbao;

The True Lord, Ancient Master of the Lingbao Scriptures;

The True Lord, Ancient Master of the Lingbao Registers;

The True Lord, Ancient Master of the Lingbao Deliverance;

The True Lord, Great Master of Lingbao in charge of the purification rite:

I respectfully hope that, in your true compassion, you will especially review and record this petition, and permit us to provisionally fill the offices and perform their duties, so that both the hidden and visible realms may receive your grace. I further beseech you to present this petition at the Heavenly Court and request that commands be issued to the Three Officials, the Five Emperors, and all relevant divine departments, so that they may respond and carry out the rite. I, (the successor officiant), have presumptuously intruded upon the authority of the Masters and am overcome with awe and trepidation. Respectfully submitted.

Plain-language interpretation

Petition to the Five Masters (following the earlier format for the Three Offices)

I respectfully look to the compassionate mercy of the revered Masters. May they grant my request and specially dispatch the immortal crane carriage to preside over the purification liturgy, so that the memorials and petitions may reach the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), and their gracious decree may descend upon the Three Realms. May the hidden world celebrate together, and may all under Heaven receive their grace.

I further beg them to command the officials, generals, clerks, and soldiers listed in the Fulu of the Three Caverns and Four Auxiliary Traditions, along with the troops and guards of the Three Realms and Five Sacred Peaks, to attend to the ritual, convey our sincere devotion, and proclaim the talismanic edicts. May they summon souls and gather spirits, deliver all beings among the four kinds of birth whose bright spirits remain behind, and release sinful souls from the Three Paths and Nine Nights—the various roads of the underworld—so that every soul for whom offerings are made may ascend to the realm of clear emptiness. (Petition) I presume to trouble you with this request.

The Five Emperors: Palace of the Azure Emperor of the East

Lord Azure Emperor of the East

Lord Red Emperor of the South

Lord White Emperor of the West

Lord Black Emperor of the North

Lord Yellow Emperor of the Center

(As the light descends) I respectfully look to your sacred compassion to take pity and look upon us. May you specially move your ritual carriage to rest at the altar, pity this humble and unlearned student, pardon the errors made while presiding over the ritual, and remove them from the register of offenses. May you bring good merit to completion, so that all under Heaven receive your grace and the visible and hidden worlds alike receive your protection. For all the deceased and wandering spirits for whom offerings are made, we earnestly pray for your forgiveness. May they rely wholly on your gracious kindness, leave the shadowed realm soon, and ascend together to the realm of clear emptiness. (Petitioner) I presume to trouble you with this request.

Immortal Weng: Left Palace of the Supreme Ultimate

Immortal Weng of the Left Palace of the Supreme Ultimate, Perfected One Chongying Fuyou

Under the authority of the Great Envoy of High Illumination, Lord Zhenjun

The Divine Lord Zhenjun of Miraculous Merit and Wondrous Deliverance, Great Envoy of High Illumination and Grand Historian of the Immortals of the Nine Provinces

(The petition is the same as that to the Five Masters.)

Palace of the Nine Heavens’ Inspector

Envoy of the Nine Heavens, Lord Zhenjun Who Responds to the Origin and Preserves Good Fortune

I respectfully look to your true compassion to grant this request. May you specially move your immortal retinue to witness and certify this purification rite, record its sincerity, and report it above. May you protect us despite our violations of ritual rules and extend universal pardon; grant us your particular aid and bring our undertaking to completion. May blessings spread across the whole realm and grace extend to both the visible and hidden worlds. Deliver the deceased and solitary spirits, raise them beyond the layered darkness, and enable them to return to their origin, gather their spirit, return to life, and realize their true nature. (Petitioner) I presume to trouble you with this request.

Palace of the Heavenly Court’s Auspicious Mandate

Lord Zhenjun of Ten Thousand Blessings, Supreme Emperor of the Heavenly Court

I respectfully look to your true compassion to take pity and grant approval. (The same as in the petition to the Nine Heavens.)

Office of the Heavenly Court for the Descent of the Sage

Lord Zhenjun of the Office of the Heavenly Court for the Descent of the Sage

The following is a modern plain-language interpretation of the petition section of the ritual documents in the Lingbao Wenjian, divided according to the original text.

True Lord Who Directs the Rituals of the Celestial Court

The True Lord in charge of reporting ritual matters to the celestial court is respectfully asked to show compassion and grant approval, and to present immediately to Heaven the sincerity behind this Zhaijiao rite: May the celestial palaces and high Perfected Ones of the upper realm; the assembled sages of the sacred mountains, earth, and realms of the living and the dead in the middle realm; the true sovereigns of the water palaces and Dragon Courts in the lower realm; and all the myriad sages and perfected beings throughout the ten directions and three realms, descend together on the appointed day to witness and partake of the ritual offerings. (The patron) has presumptuously intruded upon the sacred majesty and is filled with trepidation.

Office of the Three Heavens for the Descent of the Sages

True Lord of the Office of the Three Heavens for the Descent of the Sages

True Lord of the Office of the Three Heavens in Charge of Rituals is respectfully asked to show compassion and grant approval, and to specially authorize the transmission of this sincere offering so that it may reach the hearing of Heaven. The petition is presented across the Three Realms—Heaven, Earth, and the underworld—to invite the Most Holy One from the Jade Capital, the celestial abode of the immortals, and the Emperor Venerable from the Golden Palace, the great hall of Heaven. May they arrive at the ritual altar at the appointed time and partake together of the offerings that night. (The patron) has presumptuously intruded upon the sacred majesty and is deeply uneasy; this petition is respectfully submitted.

Palace of the Nine Heavens’ Lords of Destiny

True Lord of Destiny of the Nine Heavens

Great God Marshal of Deliverance from the Nine Heavens

Venerable Han, Lord of Compassionate Life of the Nine Heavens

The ranked True Lords of the Nine Heavens are respectfully asked to show compassion and grant approval, and to specially send their immortal retinue to witness and safeguard this ritual, ensuring that it is free from demonic obstruction and that its meritorious work is brought to completion. May blessings extend throughout the realms of the living and the dead, and grace flow throughout the universe. May the souls of the deceased and spirits of the underworld offered here all be refined and brought to completion. We also pray that compassion and deliverance be reported to the highest reaches of the Nine Heavens, that the hundred spirits descend unseen and issue a special decree. May all celebrate through the Three Origins—the Upper, Middle, and Lower Origins, or Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—and join in chanting reverent invocations. May the souls receive the Nine Qi, the primordial energies, to form their bodies; may Yin-Yang be remade, their nature and awareness restored, and all ascend to a realm of renewed life, escaping forever the dark, stagnant depths. (The patron) has presumptuously intruded upon the sacred majesty.

Disciples of the True One of Great Compassion and Great Mercy Who Saves from Suffering

The foregoing petition is respectfully submitted

and presented to the True One of Great Compassion and Great Mercy Who Saves from Suffering.

The True One of Great Compassion, Great Mercy, and Great Benevolence is respectfully asked to show compassion and specially convey this petition: Request that the Dao decree be issued from the Azure Palace at the Eastern Pole, the abode of the Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering in the East. Let commands be proclaimed throughout the Three Realms and notices sent to all offices; dispatch the Flying Heavenly Immortals to distribute the Nine-Dragon talismanic decrees throughout the realms, sending forth divine presence to save those in distress and bestowing benevolence in response to each plea. Release the dead from the underworld’s bonds and dispel the shadows of the netherworld. Deliver the bound and recommended souls of the deceased (name), along with all wandering souls and lingering spirits. Remove enmities, awaken those sunk in delusion, and gather back the spirits of their former lives, so they may know their roots and recover their nature, ascend soon to the realm of renewed life, and leave forever the still and desolate world of the dead. It is also wished that (the patron) …

(The final sentence is incomplete in the excerpt provided. Common continuations offer further prayers for protection and expressions of gratitude.)

Notes for reading the ritual text:

• Jiao / Zhaijiao refers to a ritual involving the establishment of an altar, presentation of offerings, petitions to the deities, and deliverance of the souls of the dead.
• True Lord, Great God, and Venerable Elder are titles for different ranks of perfected beings within the celestial bureaucracy and the Nine Heavens system.
• The Three Heavens, Nine Heavens, and ten directions and three realms are ritual expressions referring to the many levels of the celestial bureaucracy and to the three realms—desire, form, and formlessness, or Heaven, Earth, and the underworld.
• The True One Who Saves from Suffering / Azure Palace at the Eastern Pole is often associated with the lineage of the Celestial Worthy of Salvation from Suffering, Taiyi, who presides over aid in the underworld and the deliverance of souls.
• (Name) is often left blank in ritual documents for the Daoist priest to fill in with the deceased person’s name.

This scripture describes a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual) for the salvation of departed souls, where the ritual master invites various deities to descend upon the altar to assist the spirits in transcending suffering.

First, the master summons the demon kings of the Three Realms (the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Realm of Formlessness) to bear witness to the ritual. Specific mention is made of the Great Demon King of the Formless Realm, the Great Demon King of the Form Realm, and the Great Demon King of the Desire Realm, urging them to descend with their celestial retinues to oversee the salvation ceremony. Next, the master invites the immortal officials, jade maidens, and jade youths under the throne of the Heavenly Worthy of Numinous Treasure (one of the Three Pure Ones, Sanqing), as well as minor celestial functionaries like the Gongcao (heavenly clerks) and the officials responsible for recording virtuous deeds, to join the ritual assembly.

The focus of the ceremony lies in the salvation of the departed souls. The master requests the opening of the "Gate of the Dharma Wheel for Delivering Beings" (referring to the passage beyond the cycle of rebirth) and the closing of the "Door of the Five Karmic Roots" (the five fundamental causes of rebirth). Through the recitation of scriptures and the dissemination of teachings, the souls are awakened to enlightenment; through the practice of Cunsi (visualization meditation, a Daoist cultivation method), the souls are granted spiritual renewal. Special emphasis is placed on inviting the "Ten Directions’ Flying Celestial Kings" to descend and reveal the secret scriptures of the Three Pure Ones, ensuring the salvation of all lingering souls.

The latter part of the ritual focuses on beseeching the high immortals and officials of the Southern Chang Upper Palace (a Daoist institution governing departed souls) and the Vermilion Ling Fire Mansion (a place for refining and delivering souls) to dispatch immortal youths and officials to bestow spiritual Qi (vital energy) upon the souls. This enables the souls to reunite the dual energies of Yin and Yang, undergo rebirth through the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), restore their original nature, and ultimately transcend the cycle of rebirth.

Finally, the scripture mentions the Lower Primordial Yellow Register Bureau (a Daoist institution overseeing purification rituals), requesting its immortal officials to descend and supervise the entire ceremony, ensuring that all celestial generals, officers, and soldiers involved fulfill their duties harmoniously to complete this grand salvation ritual.

A Vernacular Reading of Related Passages from the Lingbao Documents

[Summoning and Deliverance]

Please issue the summons and, in accordance with the prescribed petitions, open the rite of deliverance. Let all the lonely souls among the three realms of suffering, the five paths, and the four kinds of birth leave the shadowy underworld and gather at the ritual assembly to receive purification. Once the rite is complete, when the officials responsible for escorting them deliver them to your honored court, promptly examine their registers of offenses from the three lives, and allow all of them to be reborn according to their respective ranks. In this way, the fast will be brought to completion, and both the living and the dead will share in its blessings.

(Three realms of suffering: places of torment in the lower world according to Daoist belief; five paths: commonly associated with reincarnation and the ways traveled by ghosts and spirits; four kinds of birth: beings born from wombs, eggs, moisture, or transformation. Here, the terms refer to souls sunk in various conditions.)

Office of the Northern Dipper’s Mysterious Pattern

To the Perfected Lord who presides over the Office of the Northern Dipper’s Mysterious Pattern: We humbly pray that your sacred compassion will graciously grant this request. May you specially dispatch your immortal retinue to witness and attest to the sincerity of this fast, bring its good work to fruition, and carry out deliverance everywhere. We earnestly ask that you dispatch divine tiger guardians, together with the officials and troops responsible for pursuing and seizing souls, to descend to the ritual office and bring the souls of the deceased named in the offering, along with all lonely, stranded spirits, to the Mysterious Altar, where they may receive your grace and be delivered beyond suffering.

(Divine tiger: a guardian deity often invoked in Daoist rites for pursuing and capturing souls; stranded spirits: souls detained in the underworld and unable to ascend.)

Shangqing Celestial Medical Bureau

To the Perfected Lord who presides over the Shangqing Celestial Medical Bureau: We humbly pray that your sacred compassion will grant this petition. May you specially dispatch your immortal retinue to witness and attest to the cultivation of merit. We further ask that you send a company of celestial spirit officials, divine youths who taste medicines, and functionaries of the Five Phases to descend to the ritual office and treat the illnesses suffered in life by the souls of the deceased named in the offering, the secluded spirits, and all others. May each be fully restored, with healthy bodies and a radiant spirit and form, so that all who receive purification may be nourished and renewed.

(Secluded spirits: souls of the deceased; functionaries of the Five Phases: celestial officials who oversee medicines and prescriptions.)

Nine Heavens Universal Deliverance Bureau

To the Perfected Lord who presides over the Nine Heavens Universal Deliverance Bureau: We humbly pray that your sacred compassion will graciously grant this request. May you specially dispatch your immortal retinue to look kindly upon the cultivation of this fast. We further ask that you send the officials, youths, generals, and attendants of your bureau to distribute Qi and manifest their divine presence, gathering here in the clouds at the appointed time, to fulfill the people’s plea below and honor the Dao’s grace above. When the lonely souls of various kinds have been delivered at the ritual altar, let them take up the talismanic command and be escorted to your bureau. There, deliver each according to their rank, enabling them to attain the realms of humanity and heaven.

(Distribute Qi and manifest their divine presence: dispatch divine energy and manifestations to the ritual altar; deliver according to rank: raise souls according to their merits and status.)

Nine Heavens Bureau for Generating Spirits

To the Perfected Lord who presides over the Nine Heavens Bureau for Generating Spirits: We humbly pray that your sacred compassion will grant this petition. May you specially dispatch your immortal retinue to look down upon the cultivation of this fast. We further ask that you send the relevant perfected spirits of the Bureau for Overseeing Rebirth, distributing Qi and radiating divine light as they descend at the appointed time. For all souls to be delivered, including every lonely and stranded spirit, remove the obstacles to conception so that each may be reborn in full, restore the dead to life and their bodies, gather their spirits and return them to their source, and deliver them all, enabling them to attain transcendence and ascend.

(Bureau for Overseeing Rebirth: a celestial office that governs reincarnation and return to life; remove the obstacles to conception: resolve impediments to rebirth so that each soul may find its proper destination.)

Azure Mysterious Left Bureau

To the Perfected Lord who presides over the Azure Mysterious Left Bureau: We humbly pray that your sacred compassion will grant this petition and specially dispatch your immortal retinue—

(The passage should continue below with text about dispatching officials to the ritual altar and examining registers of offenses, following the same format as the preceding bureaus. It belongs to the same type of summoning document.)

A Plain Language Reading of the Lingbao Wenjian

[The Hall of Purification for Reviewing the Registers of the Immortal Procession]

While conducting a purification rite at the Hall of Purification for Reviewing the Registers of the Immortal Procession, we humbly ask that this petition be set forth and reported. May the Eastern Pole (the realm governed by the Celestial Worthy Who Relieves Suffering at the Eastern Pole) send down its command; may Northern Feng (the underworld of Fengdu in the north) copy the petition in vermilion ink and present it to the heavenly court. May a blue talisman be issued and widely distributed through the offices of the underworld, illuminating the darkness of the Night Terrace (the netherworld and burial grounds), releasing the dead from confinement in the underworld, and giving departed souls hope of deliverance, so that both the hidden and visible worlds may receive its grace.

I (so-and-so) humbly and boldly beseech:

[At the Gate of the Celestial Perfected]

The Great Immortal of Natural Origin, the Celestial Perfected Sovereign, who dwells in the highest realm of the Three Pure Ones (the highest heaven inhabited by the Three Pure Ones): We humbly implore your sacred compassion to consent to descend with the immortal procession and infuse the One Qi of the source of wisdom (wisdom and the source of the Dao) into my Dantian. May you inscribe the heavenly talisman in seal script and bring about its numinous efficacy, allowing its wondrous power to be fully realized and silently aligning it with the proper rules for wielding the brush. Thus may the departed souls and spirits of the hidden realm receive the talisman’s command, attain deliverance and renewed life, rely wholly on your gracious blessing, and bring their wholesome destinies to completion.

[At the Gate of the Three Primordial Perfected Lords]

Perfected Lord Tang, Who Transforms through the Dao in the Upper Primordial Era; Perfected Lord Ge, Who Protects the Correct Way in the Middle Primordial Era; and Perfected Lord Zhou, Who Steadies the Will in the Lower Primordial Era: We humbly hope that your sacred compassion will grant our request and specially descend with the immortal procession to witness and oversee this purification rite. We further beg you to command the officers and soldiers of the Office of Petitions and Memorials (the underworld bureau responsible for petitions and memorials), and to send orders to the officials above who command the firmament winds (heavenly winds used to carry commands), so that they may clear the cloud roads, convey the petitions, and guide the human and divine officials to court at the Imperial Gate (the palace of the Heavenly Emperor). May the sincerity of this purification rite encounter no obstruction, heavenly gifts spread far and wide, all beings be released and revived, and the ten directions enjoy peace and purity.

I (your servant) humbly and boldly beseech:

[The Five Offices for Gathering Souls]

Lord Ke Han, the sole official of the Office for Promoting Life, and the True Rulers of the Five Offices for Gathering Souls: We humbly hope that your true compassion will graciously grant our plea. May your light of grace shine down and the true Qi flow freely. We ask especially that you gather and restore the body and spirit of the departed souls and spirits being recommended at this assembly (those for whom a purification rite is performed to seek deliverance), cleanse away their netherworld shadows, refine their embryonic forms and return them to their source, so that they may receive transformation and renewed life.

[The Palace of Northern Yin and Fengdu]

We respectfully submit this petition before the sacred presence of the Great Emperor Yu Jue of the Origin of Heaven in Northern Yin and Fengdu. We humbly hope that your sacred compassion will kindly grant our plea and temporarily descend in your ritual carriage to witness and attest to the cultivation of this rite. We further beg you to issue commands to the Six Caverns and Ten Palaces of Northern Fengdu Luofeng (the various prisons and offices of the Fengdu underworld), so that all the underworld prisons and offices may obey the talisman’s command. May the underworld officials set aside their statutes and the netherworld clerks suspend punishment, releasing everywhere the souls of the dead from the Three Paths and Five Ways and all beings among the Four Forms of Birth, as well as the souls of the deceased recommended by me and others. May their registers of guilt be promptly expunged, their roots of evil destroyed, their offenses pardoned, and their grudges and entanglements cleared away. Through this summons and deliverance, may those burdened with grave sins be fully released and those sunk in delusion fully awakened, so that they may receive the blessings of this purification rite, as we have prayed.

Note: The whole text follows the format of a memorial in the Lingbao purification rite. It submits petitions in sequence to the heavenly gates (the Celestial Perfected Sovereign and the Three Primordial Perfected Lords), the offices for gathering souls, and Northern Yin and Fengdu. It uses many ritual formulas such as “we humbly implore,” “we presume to petition,” and “as requested.” In modern terms, its wording may be understood as “we earnestly ask you to descend, witness the purification rite, pardon sins, and deliver souls.”

Memorial to the Palace of the Eastern Peak’s Director of Destinies and Others

We have brought the departed souls forward to answer the charges. If the interrogation has not yet been completed, they should not all be pardoned indiscriminately. We also earnestly request that they be temporarily guided, protected, and escorted to the altar, where the retribution due to them may be made clear.

We venture to submit this prayer and humbly beg that it be granted and carried out. Your disciple has transgressed against the sacred majesty and is filled with the deepest apprehension. With two bows, I respectfully submit this petition.

Palace of the Eastern Peak’s Director of Destinies

We respectfully address the Perfected Lord, the Supreme Minister and Director of Destinies of the Eastern Peak. We earnestly beseech your true compassion and ask that you graciously grant our request. We especially invite your celestial presence to descend and bear witness to the record of this purification retreat. We also beg that your sacred decree be issued to the official bureaus of the Five Peaks; the grottoes, blessed lands, numinous ruins, and famous mountains throughout the realm; the jurisdictions and offices within the territories governed by the Dao; and the City Gods and local Earth Gods in every region of the Nine Provinces, as well as all other places under your charge, so that all may be pardoned throughout the Three Paths of Suffering, including Fengdu.

The Five Peaks (Palace of the Emperor of [a Certain] Peak)

The Eastern Peak: Great Emperor of Heavenly Equalizing, Great Birth, Benevolence, and Sageliness

The Southern Peak: Sagely Emperor Who Directs Heaven and Transforms with Radiance

The Western Peak: Sagely Emperor of Metal Heaven, Great Benefit, and Auspicious Harmony

The Northern Peak: Sagely Emperor of Peaceful Heaven, Great Rectitude, and Primordial Origin

The Central Peak: Sagely Emperor of Central Heaven, Great Peace, and Veneration

We humbly look to your sacred compassion and beg you to grant our request. We temporarily invite your celestial retinue to descend and look graciously upon the sincerity of this purification retreat, so that its merit may be fulfilled and heavenly grace spread far and wide. In particular, we pray that your sacred decree be issued to the official bureaus under your jurisdiction, the prisons and hidden courts of the netherworld, the regions of the Nine Provinces, the grotto heavens and blessed lands, the ritual altars of famous mountains and great rivers, and the City Gods and local shrines, as well as all other places, as set out above.

Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands

The Perfected Immortal who presides over the registers of [a certain] grotto heaven and its sacred precinct, as above

The Perfected Immortal who presides over the registers of [a certain] grotto heaven

We humbly beg you to examine this petition in detail and especially invite your celestial retinue to descend graciously upon the retreat altar, to complete this meritorious work and bear witness to our devotional observances. We further beg you to notify the immortal bureaus and numinous domains under your administration, which keep the registers of departed souls and assess their merits and faults. May all places under your charge obey the talismanic decree and release and deliver them.

This is for the benefit of the departed souls and all those who have passed from sight, as well as for the removal of illness, the erasure of evil roots from the registers of sin, and the review of those held in confinement, so that they may be summoned, dispatched, and receive only good fruits, and may attain transcendence and ascension. We pray that this be taken into consideration and carried out. Respectfully submitted.

Fusang Palace of the Water Bureau

Great Emperor of Cinnabar Radiance of Fusang in the Water Bureau

We humbly look to your true compassion and beg you to grant our request. We temporarily invite your dragon-borne presence to descend and inspect this purification practice. Once its meritorious work is complete and your vast grace has spread throughout the land, we beg you to issue instructions to the true offices of the Water Bureau to carry out the matters described above, including the release and deliverance of souls.

Notes to Aid Reading the Original

“Director of Destinies” refers to a divine office responsible for the registers of life and death. The Eastern Peak is Mount Tai, which in Daoism is often charged with administering the netherworld and assessing merits and faults.

The “Three Paths of Suffering” and Fengdu refer to places of torment in the netherworld; Fengdu is the seat of its administration.

“Grotto heavens and blessed lands” are celestial grottoes and blessed domains governed by immortals, each with a presiding Perfected Immortal who keeps the registers of departed souls.

“Release and deliver” means rescuing departed souls from confinement and registers of sin, and guiding them to ascend, through purification rites and talismanic decrees.

“Those who have passed from sight” is a respectful term for departed souls. “Sacred precinct” refers to the quiet chamber where the purification altar is established.

The repeated placeholders “[a certain]” and “as above” are part of a liturgical template. When the ritual is performed, the specific peak or grotto heaven is entered, along with the clauses repeated from the preceding section.

The character following “review those held in confinement” is unclear in the original. The general meaning is to clear the records of confinement and authorize those held to be released.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Lingbao Ritual Text

In the underworld offices of Quanqu, Mingleng, and other places, all matters related to this rite are to be handled in accordance with the talismanic command, carrying out deliverance and salvation as prescribed (as in the preceding passage).

The officials of Fengdu and the Ten Kings (as above)

• Immortal official of the Palace of the Yin Heaven of Absolute Extinction in Fengdu
• Immortal official of the Palace of the Heaven of Truthful Affairs and Supreme Slaughter in Fengdu
• Immortal official of the Palace of the Heaven of the Bright Dawn, Endurance of Offenses, and Martial City in Fengdu
• Immortal official of the Palace of the Heaven of Tranquil Illumination and Sinful Qi in Fengdu
• Immortal official of the Palace of the Heaven of the Seven Nonbeings of the Ancestral Spirit in Fengdu
• Immortal official of the Palace of the Heaven of Daring Administration and Repeatedly Winding Paths in Fengdu
• The High Lord, Director of Justice in Fengdu
• The True Lord of the Four Luminaries in Fengdu
• The attendants of the Imperial Dawn in the Great Prohibition and Middle Prohibition of Fengdu
• The Lord of Fate, official of ghosts in Fengdu
• The True Lord who presides over the Palace of the Elder of Fengdu

We humbly hope that Your Holiness, in Your compassion, will look down and inspect this rite, and specially dispatch Your divine carriage to descend upon the ritual altar, bringing this good work to completion and bearing witness to the purification rite. We further beseech You to issue commands to the prisons of the netherworld and their officials under Your jurisdiction, who govern the sins and blessings of the souls of the dead and assess the merits and transgressions of the living. Wherever they are to be sent, may they all follow the talismanic command and deliver and recommend for salvation (so-and-so), together with all solitary souls from the Five Paths and Three Destinies, and all beings among the Four Kinds of Birth and the myriad classes of life (the section on the underworld is as above).

The Nine Ramparts and the High Sovereign’s Earth Palace

• First Rampart: Earth Sovereign of the Land of Lustrous Color
• Second Rampart: Earth Sovereign of the Land of Firm Color
• Third Rampart: Earth Sovereign of the Land of Stone Fat and Luster
• Fourth Rampart: Earth Sovereign of the Land of Moist Luster
• Fifth Rampart: Earth Sovereign of the Land of Golden Millet and Luster
• Sixth Rampart: Earth Sovereign of the Land of Vajra and Iron Rule
• Seventh Rampart: Earth Sovereign of the Land of Water’s Control and Luster
• Eighth Rampart: Earth Sovereign of the Land of Great Wind and Luster
• Ninth Rampart: Earth Sovereign of the Land of the Deep Cavern, Colorless Framework

We humbly hope that You will illuminate, inspect, and carefully examine this rite, and specially submit a petition to the officials of the Earth. May the sacred assembly each send down their divine carriages to look upon and witness the purification rite. We further beseech You to issue commands to the netherworld officials of the Earth Palaces in every place, who govern sins and blessings and take the souls of the dead into custody. Wherever they are assigned to go, may they receive the talismanic command and deliver and save the souls of the deceased (so-and-so), together with all solitary souls from the Five Paths and Three Destinies, and all souls among the Four Kinds of Birth and the myriad classes of life (the section on blessed lands is as above).

The Three Masters of the Divine Empyrean

Your subject, (so-and-so), of the appointed rank, prostrates and bows one hundred times before submitting this memorial: Your subject does not shrink from the punishment of axe and halberd, and dares to address the majesty of Heaven…

Notes for reading the ritual text

• Fengdu: In Daoist tradition, the capital city that governs ghosts. The passage lists its officials and immortal officials of the heavenly palaces as recipients of official petitions for deliverance and salvation in the netherworld.
• Deliverance by talismanic command: Using Lingbao Fulu (talismans and registers) and an authoritative decree to rescue souls from the netherworld and recommend them for salvation.
• The Nine Earth Sovereigns: The High Sovereign’s Earth Palace has nine levels, or “ramparts,” each with its own Earth Sovereign. They symbolize the nine layers of underground prisons and the governance of sins and blessings in the Earth Palaces.
• The Three Masters of the Divine Empyrean; prostrating and submitting a memorial: The ritual official calls themself “your subject” and petitions the heavens of the Divine Empyrean, asking the Three Realms to carry out deliverance and salvation.

Extract from the Lingbao Document Forms (Petitions and Petition to the Nine Heavenly Worthies)

Petition of the Official

Relying on Your Imperial Majesty’s benevolent compassion, which reaches down to hear this petition, I, your servant, respectfully petition as follows: According to the circumstances described above, I beg permission to establish the Lingbao Nine Heavens Natural Mystery Fast for Generating the Spirits for a number of days and nights, universally delivering secluded souls and elevating our mysterious ancestors, so that these good benefits may be gathered and the souls of the deceased delivered and raised. When the fast has been completed and the rites concluded, we shall perform a purification ritual of a number of grades, in manifest response to Heaven’s grace.

The fast is now scheduled to take place. It is therefore appropriate to report and carry out the various divine warrants for deliverance and salvation from the Divine Empyrean, and to notify the offices of the underworld everywhere, rescuing and redeeming the souls of the deceased so that they may leave the realm of darkness. I dare not act on my own authority, and respectfully submit this written petition:

• Ancestral Master: The Great Emperor of Longevity, True King of the Jade Clarity of the Most High Divine Empyrean (before the throne).
• Lineage Master: The Most High Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole of the Azure Clarity of the Highest Heaven, the Primordial Worthy Taiyi (before the throne).
• True Master: The True Lord, the Venerable Elder of the Most High Crimson Clarity, the Nine Heavens Office of Increase of Years and Bestowal of Life, the Commander Han (before the throne).

I humbly hope Your Imperial Majesty’s benevolent compassion will grant approval to this petition. I first beg forgiveness for my own ignorance and folly, and ask to be allowed to carry out these rites. May an edict of pardon be specially issued and proclaimed to the relevant jurisdictions throughout the ten directions and the Three Realms, ordering all to pardon every sinful soul, and to summon the souls of the deceased offered for deliverance, including [name], our ancestors, and the many departed souls among our kin by marriage, to the altar to receive deliverance. As for all warrants for rescuing and delivering them, allow me to write and seal them as circumstances require, then proclaim and carry them out in due order. I have presumed upon Heaven’s authority; below, I am filled with the utmost trembling as I await judgment. Respectfully submitted.

Petition to the Nine Heavenly Worthies

(Submitted in petition:) The Heavenly Worthy Taiyi, Savior from Suffering; the Heavenly Worthy Who Rescues from Sin in the Nine Hells; the Heavenly Worthy Lingbao of the Ten Directions; the Heavenly Worthy Who Delivers Life at Vermilion Mound; the Heavenly Worthy of the Great Crossing on the Dharma Bridge; the Heavenly Worthy Who Refines by Fire in the Realm of the Cinnabar Elixir; the Heavenly Worthy Who Transforms into a Body at the Golden Gate; the Heavenly Worthy of Ease and Joy; and the Heavenly Worthy of Perfect Fulfillment in the Precious Flower.

I humbly hope the compassion of the Dao will grant approval to this petition from [the petitioner], and specially issue a benevolent decree, proclaiming it to the relevant jurisdictions throughout the Three Realms and the ten directions, so that all may respond, open the way, and carry out the rites: rescue and deliver the souls of [name] and others offered for deliverance, together with all secluded souls among the five paths and three realms of suffering, the four kinds of birth, and the myriad beings. May they all leave darkness and behold the light; may they all receive the transforming power that shapes and refines them, fulfill the work of generation and renewal, strengthen their inborn nature and awareness, and return to the root and restore their origin. [The petitioner] has presumed upon Heaven’s authority, as above.

Nine Heavens: The Jade Clarity Supreme Emperor of the Divine Empyrean; the Life-Giving Supreme Emperor of the Azure Heaven…

A Vernacular Interpretation of the Lingbao Textual Register

The Eight Firmament Emperors (Honored Names)

The Emperor of All Life in the Azure Firmament, the Emperor of Great Peace in the Crimson Firmament, the Emperor of the Central Pole in the Luminous Firmament, the Emperor of Vast Origin in the Jade Firmament, the Emperor of Primordial Azure in the Lang Firmament, the Emperor Who Unites the Luminous Forms in the Purple Firmament, and the Emperor of Radiant Brightness in the Great Firmament.

With reverence, I look up and pray that Your Majesty, in your compassion, grant what I have submitted. I specially ask that your dragon chariot descend and bear witness to the sincerity of this purification rite. I beg you to forgive my ignorance and permit me to perform the rite of refinement—that is, to transform the souls of the dead through the power of the Dao. I humbly pray that you send down the pure, upright Qi of the Nine Heavens to refine and deliver the souls of the dead; grant spirit talismans of blended light and shadow, so that spirit may be born and form nurtured. May your grace spread far and wide, reaching all things that are born and grow. May the blessings of this rite extend to the visible and invisible worlds, and your mysterious beneficence encompass plants and animals. I have presumptuously troubled you.

The Ten Perfected Ones

The Perfected One of Great Compassion Who Frees from Sin, the Perfected One of Great Compassion Who Delivers Across, the Perfected One of Great Compassion Who Liberates through the Dharma, the Perfected One of Great Compassion of the Ten Blossoms, the Perfected One of Wondrous Practice of Highest Clarity, the Perfected One of the Supreme Ultimate of Highest Clarity, the Perfected One of Universal Deliverance of Highest Clarity, the Perfected One of Universal Aid of Highest Clarity, the Left Mysterious Perfected One of Highest Clarity, and the Right Mysterious Perfected One of Highest Clarity.

I humbly beg the Perfected Ones, in your compassion, to transmit your talismanic command and set in motion the power of your compassionate vows. With the divine might that frees from sin and the light of wisdom, illuminate the Three Paths of suffering, such as the hells, and open the Five Paths of rebirth. Deliver the secluded spirits of the dead from their accumulated sins across many lifetimes and the resentments and wrongs that have gathered over countless kalpas. Let them leave the hidden realms, approach the altar, hear the scriptures and teachings, receive deliverance, and be reborn. I place all my hope in your grace of transformation and nurture, that you may universally relieve the suffering of those sunk in distress. I have presumed upon the Perfected Ones’ august presence, and am filled with awe and apprehension. I respectfully submit this petition.

The Seven Luminaries and Star Palaces

The Solar Lord of the Sun Palace, the Lunar Lord of the Moon Court, the Star Lord of Wood Virtue of the East, the Star Lord of Fire Virtue of the South, the Star Lord of Metal Virtue of the West, the Star Lord of Water Virtue of the North, and the Star Lord of Earth Virtue of the Center.

(Under the light) With reverence, I pray that the Perfected Ones, in your compassion, grant the ritual sponsor’s request. I specially ask that you move your immortal retinue here and let it rest for a time at the purification altar, thereby bringing good merit to completion and extending deliverance to all. I respectfully pray that you open wide the gates of benevolence and spread your immense beneficence: distribute the upright Qi of the Five Phases, unite the essences of the two forms—the sun and moon—harmonize Yin and Yang, and bring Water and Fire into accord. Refine the souls of the dead, restore them to their original state, and raise them into the Vermilion Palace, a symbol of the elixir path and the realm of life, so that they may soon be reborn in the world of light. The ritual sponsor has presumed upon the Perfected Ones’ august presence, as above.

Note: This text consists of invocations, repentance, and rites of refinement and deliverance used in Lingbao purification rituals. In the text, “I, your servant” is generally how the ritual master refers to himself, while “the ritual sponsor” generally refers to the person sponsoring the rite or to the party representing the deceased. The Eight Firmament Emperors, Ten Perfected Ones, and Seven Luminaries and Star Palaces are honored gods and stellar lords invoked in the liturgy. Their names have been retained as they appear in the original, without substituting other names.

This is a set of template documents used in Daoist zhaijiao (purification rituals), primarily formal petitions dispatched to various deities during the Huanglu Zhai (Yellow Register Rite for salvation of the deceased). Modeled after ancient government missives, these texts exemplify the Daoist principle of "communicating with deities through human protocols."

The first document, the "Water Petition," invites water deities to purify the ritual space. Its essence states: As we conduct this zhaijiao ceremony, concerned about potential impurities in the sacred area, we formally request the local Dragon King and water deities (revered as "True Governors" in Daoism) to dispatch pure spring water—honorifically termed "Jade Springs" and "Numinous Waves"—for cleansing the ritual platform.

The second, "Kitchen Oversight Petition," addresses the kitchen supervising spirits. Daoist tradition holds that the Stove God and the Nine Heavens' Cloud Kitchen Supervising Envoys oversee ritual offerings. This document summons them to ensure the offerings' purity, preventing any offense to deities due to unclean ingredients or improper handling. The phrase "to satisfy the celestial beings and receive their blessings" refers to securing divine acceptance of the offerings.

Most crucial is the third document, the "Divine Generals Petition," which musters protective deities. It summons immortal officials and thunder department warriors described in Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) scriptures—a major Daoist school—to perform multiple sacred tasks: dispelling malign qi (energies), delivering documents to the celestial court, guiding deceased souls ("recommending the departed"), and liberating trapped spirits from the underworld ("those detained in the Nine Darknesses") toward enlightenment.

Finally, the "Ten Directions Petition" invites flying celestial beings from the ten directions of boundless space, with content similar to the Divine Generals Petition. The term "dividing their true forms into transformed qi" refers to the Daoist concept of deities manifesting through differentiated vital energy.

These documents demonstrate Daoism's unique "literary communion with the divine," employing formal bureaucratic formats to communicate with sacred beings. Each clearly specifies the recipient deity's honorific title, purpose of issuance, and concrete requests, reflecting the systematic and standardized nature of Daoist ritual liturgy.

These are three memorial documents (道教文书) used in Daoist Zhaijiao (斋醮, purification rituals), addressed respectively to the upper, middle, and lower realms of deities. Their purpose is to invite divine beings from all spheres to descend to the ritual arena and assist in the salvation of departed souls.

The first document is directed to the Divine Tiger system. It summons deities including Chief Officer He Qiao of the Divine Tiger, the Two Great Sages, the Three Departmental Envoys, and the Seven Jade Maidens—all responsible for retrieving wandering souls. The text commands these divine agents to swiftly search throughout the ten directions and three realms: the Northern Capital Luofeng (北都罗酆, Daoist underworld), the Five Sacred Mountains' grotto-heavens, City God temples, local earth shrines, and all netherworld courts governing life, death, and karmic records. They are to bring relevant souls to the ritual space for salvation—even those whose karmic accounts remain unsettled may temporarily attend the rite.

The second memorial is addressed to the upper realms. Recognizing the celestial spheres' profound remoteness beyond ordinary communication, it dispatches Upper Realm Direct Envoys (上界直符使者, celestial messengers) to deliver the document to the highest divine authorities: the Jade Emperors dwelling beyond primordial yang, the stellar deities within the Great Void, and celestial officials like the Upper Prime Heaven Officer (上元天官). The text humbly requests these august beings to temporarily descend from their heavenly palaces to grace the ritual.

The third document targets the middle realms—the human world and aquatic domains. Given the inaccessibility of mountain abysses and river depths, Middle Realm Direct Envoys (中界直符使者) are sent to invite deities from immortal mountain grottoes, river and lake palaces, and the nine-layered subterranean courts (九垒九幽). These earthbound divinities are petitioned to arrive via their spirit chariots to complete the ritual.

Composed with rigorous protocol, each memorial first states the ritual's purpose, then enumerates the invited deities, and concludes with earnest petitions. They embody the Daoist belief that through specific documents and rituals (科仪, liturgy), communication with the tripartite cosmos' divine powers becomes possible.

This is a set of sample documents used in Daoist Zhaijiao (purification rituals), primarily containing four types of official communications (Yiwén) for interacting with the divine realm. These texts request assistance from various deities in conducting the ritual ceremonies.

The first document addresses the Lower Realm Messengers (Zhifu shizhe), minor divine officials responsible for delivering messages. It petitions them to convey the contents to earthly emperors of past dynasties, temple deities, and immortalized sages (Xiandao), inviting these spirits to descend on clouds and witness the merit of the ritual. The text particularly emphasizes prompt delivery without delay.

The second document, the "Three Realms Dispatch" (Sanjie Die), serves as an official communiqué to the Three Realms Merit Officials (Gongcao of Heaven, Earth, and Water realms) and the Four Seasonal Messengers (Sizhi shizhe). It humbly requests these deities to extend invitations to the supreme Xu Huang Great Dao (the highest Daoist divinity) and various sacred beings, hoping they might arrive riding cranes to observe the ceremony. Special emphasis is placed on maintaining the ritual space's purity and solemnity.

The third document, the "Local Deity Dispatch" (Sheling Die), addresses the regional mountain and river deities (Tudi Shen). It asks this chief administrator of local spirits to notify subordinate deities, commanding them to release detained souls—particularly neglected wandering spirits—in accordance with Fulu (empowered talismanic decrees). The text invites the earth deity to personally attend the ritual and witness the salvific merits performed for these souls.

The final document, the "Grand Year Deity Dispatch" (Taisui Die), petitions the presiding Taisui deity of the current year. It requests Taisui to instruct underworld offices to temporarily relocate local earth gods near the ritual site. Simultaneously, it demands the containment of nearby restless ghosts that might disrupt the ceremony, while specifically ordering the release of souls detained in the underworld so they may attend the salvation rites on schedule.

All documents follow a standardized format, beginning with "Respectfully Submitted to the Right" (You Yi) and concluding with "Humbly Presented" (Jin Die). Phrases like "condescend to descend" (Fujiang) and "deign to grace" (Chui Bi) reflect the reverential attitude toward deities in Daoist ceremonial practice.

Lingbao Document Templates: Dispatches to the City God and Related Texts (Plain-Language Interpretation)

1. Hoping Again for Ascent and Deliverance (Dispatch Related to the Ascent and Deliverance Ritual)

For the ascent and deliverance ritual, we again hope that the divine chariot—the vehicle borne by the spirits—will descend to the lower realm and join us in witnessing and verifying the merit cultivated through the purification rite. We respectfully submit this dispatch.

Dispatch to the City God

Regarding　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Transfer

To the Great City God, presiding in the main hall of the netherworld in this county, who governs the affairs of both Yin and Yang: please examine the matter carefully. We specifically request that you mobilize your divine retinue and come with us to witness and verify the merit cultivated through the purification rite, so that good works may be fulfilled and blessings may reach both the hidden and visible worlds. We also ask you to direct the subordinate spirit officials who govern the local districts to obey the talismanic command wherever it is carried out, rescue and elevate the souls of the dead, and deliver all wandering spirits without anyone to care for or make offerings to them. Let them come to the altar when summoned, receive the fruits of the Dao, and all be transformed and delivered, attaining a blessed place of rebirth. Respectfully submitted.

Dispatch to the City God, Concerning Porters

(For the format, see the Yayi Collection)

Upon receiving this dispatch, our office has already performed the rites in accordance with the prescribed liturgy. We respectfully recognize that your office administers the county’s affairs and governs the order of the netherworld. Whenever assistance is needed for deliverance, it is through your efforts that the work is accomplished. We therefore set out this dispatch to inform you.

Regarding　　　　　Dispatch　　　　　To

To the presiding City God of the main hall of the netherworld in this county, the revered De-supporting deity: please review the matter described above and convey it to the celestial administration, informing the relevant offices so that they may act with compassion and graciously extend their aid in deliverance. We further hope you will assign one spirit official and ○○ porters and strongmen, who are to arrive at the altar on ○ day at the hour of the Goat and transport strings of spirit money. In this way, the passage of deliverance will be secured and the fruits of the rite will not be in vain. The ritual site opens on that day; we await your presence, so that you may join in receiving the merit of the rites. Respectfully submitted.

Another Dispatch to the City God

Our office has received this document and is conducting meritorious rites specifically for the deceased. In addition to having already submitted a memorial to the Three Heavens, we ask that the sins and offenses of the deceased (name) and the deceased offered as an accompanying recipient (name), and others, be pardoned; that notice be sent to all the relevant offices of the netherworld; and that the souls be located, gathered together, and made to await summons. A further dispatch must be prepared to request their collection; its form is as given above. You are to examine the matter carefully and await the arrival of the deceased, escorted from the various places, so that they may be gathered together. On the night when the Great Tenuity spirit banner is raised to summon the souls, dispatch a large number of spirit officials to escort them to the ritual altar and receive their share of the merit. The local governing offices are also instructed not to create obstacles without cause. Upon receiving this dispatch, carry it out with all speed. This dispatch is issued specifically for this purpose.

Regarding　　　　　Dispatch　　　　　To

To the De-supporting deity, the City God of this (prefecture or county): please review and attend to this matter. Respectfully submitted.

Note: The above are model official documents used in Lingbao purification rites to send dispatches to the City God, notify the offices of the netherworld, and summon souls. “○” marks places for entering the deceased’s name, the date, the number of people, and other details.

A Vernacular Interpretation of the Lingbao Ritual Documents

Our altar is now opening its incense altar, and the first rite is the invocation

Today our Daoist altar opens its incense altar. At the start of the ritual assembly, we respectfully invoke:

May the myriad spirits come to receive the offerings. May prayers for virtuous deeds surely find a response, and may the power of manifest recompense soon return. Goodness brings blessings and wrongdoing brings calamity; merit is rewarded and evil punished. Above, this accords with the Dao’s transforming influence; below, it answers the feelings of ordinary people. This document is therefore specially issued.

May the spirits of Heaven come to receive the incense offerings. Prayers from the faithful who do good will surely receive a response. May merit be made manifest: goodness repaid with goodness and evil with evil, merit rewarded and wrongdoing punished. Above, this accords with moral instruction; below, it meets the wishes of the people. This special document is hereby issued.

By this document, we petition

The deities enshrined in the temples, the flourishing and transforming host of the hundred gods, the Dharma-protecting Dragon Gods, and the true lords who attend the primordial court—we respectfully ask you to examine and act upon this petition. We issue this document with reverence.

Soul-Reclamation Writ

Our office has received this matter, which concerns rescuing souls in the netherworld and dispelling calamities. We have already submitted a memorial to the Heavenly Court. Beyond the offices of the various provinces, we are deeply concerned that the gates of the netherworld are dim and distant, and its long night endless. Without the aid of generals and commanders to search for the souls, how could the departed be brought here? We therefore issue this petition, asking the Great Marshal to follow the instructions in this document and visit the Heavenly Prisons, the Hells, the Gates of Death, the Regions of Life, the Blood Lake, the Stone Gorge, Fengdu, the offices of the underworld, Mount Tai, and the City God’s offices—all places where departed souls are detained and judged. Inform the officials in charge to extend Heaven’s grace widely: whatever the severity of their sins, release them all.

The deceased named in the principal and accompanying offerings, together with all those listed in the attached registers and statements, are to be escorted before the altar at (date), during the xu or hai hour. There they shall pay court to the celestial Perfected, receive the good fruits of their deeds, and be transformed into beings of the realm of life.

Also pursue and bring forth, from throughout the Dharma realm, the souls of men and women of the five musical registers, the solitary spirits of the six paths and four forms of birth, those who have a household but no one to depend on, and all unsettled spirits. Those who are brought here shall first be lodged together on borrowed ground at the altar or temple at (location). They must not make wind or whistle, bite, seize, or take revenge for grievances and feuds, thereby causing their own descent into suffering. On (date) at (time), they shall gather at the Cold Grove, hear the scriptures and the teachings, partake of wondrous offerings, receive the fruits of the rite and ascend beyond suffering, proceeding directly through the netherworld.

If they encounter checkpoints, ferries, or places under guard, they must not be delayed or obstructed. The merit of delivering souls is great; carry out this order with the speed of a spark. This document is therefore issued.

By this document, we transfer our petition to

The Eastern Peak’s senior general; the earth spirits’ commander; the Manifest Virtue Grand Protector, the impartial Marshal Wen; the Divine Tiger who travels through Heaven and enters the earth; the Iron Ox; the two Great Marshals, Generals Lu and He Qiao; the soul-reclaiming envoys of the Three Capitals; the generals of the Five Roads between the netherworld and the living; the Jade Maidens of the Seven Perfected; the merit officers of the earth’s pathways; the local earth gods along the roads of Mount Tai; and Generals Huan, Liu, and Wu.

Notes for readers

• Our office refers to the party presiding over the ritual assembly—the Daoist altar. The document is written in the style of an official government writ.
• Rescuing souls in the netherworld means delivering departed souls from the underworld.
• Fengdu, Mount Tai, and the City God’s offices refer to places associated in popular belief with the administration of the underworld, the Eastern Peak, and the City God.
• The Blood Lake is a realm of the netherworld found in Daoist ritual texts.
• The xu or hai hour refers approximately to the evening hours, from nine o’clock until midnight.
• The Cold Grove is a place in the ritual where solitary spirits gather to hear scriptures and receive offerings.
• Lodged together on borrowed ground means temporarily settling the souls on borrowed land near the altar or temple and warning them not to cause trouble or take revenge. The prohibitions against “making wind or whistling” and similar acts mean that they must not disturb the altar or act on resentment.
• The placeholders (date) and (location) are to be filled in with the date and place of the ritual.

This text comes from Lingbao Wenjian, a collection of documents used in Daoist Lingbao purification rituals. It contains formal dispatches addressed to the gods and officials of the underworld when delivering souls of the dead. The dispatches ask the spirit officials to carry out their instructions, clear a path, retrieve the souls, and guide them to the ritual altar to receive merit. The following renders each item in plain language.

Dispatch to the Soul-Requisition Office (general meaning)

To the spirit officials serving in the Soul-Requisition Office: Please promptly retrieve the deceased person’s case file and examine it carefully against the great ritual codes. Respectfully submitted in this dispatch.

Dispatch to the Local Earth Gods to Retrieve Souls

As the incense altar is first opened and the ritual begins, the deceased persons recommended for deliverance, such as [names], may have accumulated offenses during their lives and must answer for past wrongs after death. Fearing that they may still be held in custody by the underworld offices to which they were assigned and unable to obtain release, we therefore submit this dispatch requesting that their souls be retrieved.

The dispatch respectfully requests: Please examine the matter in detail and search every place where they may be held, near or far within the underworld—its cold courts, gates of death, hidden prisons, City God temples, local earth-god shrines, and all other such places. Search each one in turn, and bring the souls recommended for deliverance, together with the named souls recommended alongside them, to the ritual site so they may receive its merits. The local governing offices are also instructed to follow the Supreme One’s ritual code for deliverance and not to create any improper obstruction. Carry this out promptly upon receipt of the dispatch.

Forwarded to: the local earth gods along the route to Mount Tai, and the gods responsible for retrieving souls and freeing spirits. We respectfully ask that you examine and carry out these instructions.

Dispatch to Open the Directions

Our office has now purified and arranged the incense altar and respectfully commenced the ritual. We fear that the souls of the deceased recommended for deliverance, such as [name], and the souls recommended alongside them, such as [names], may be hindered by mountains and rivers or separated into different territories, and that officials at the passes and crossings along their route may wrongly detain them. We therefore need to send this dispatch.

Forwarded to: the guardians of the territory and the great gods of the Eight Trigrams. Please examine the matter in detail, open the directions wide, and guide the deceased to the ritual assembly. The governing offices are also instructed to follow the Supreme One’s ritual code for deliverance and not to create any improper obstruction. Carry this out upon receipt of the dispatch.

Dispatch to Ascend the Bridge

Our office now respectfully follows the true ritual code to summon and gather the souls. For today’s purification ritual performed by [name], and for the deliverance of the souls of the deceased, such as [name], we fear that mountains and rivers may block their way, that territories may be divided, and that officials at the passes and ferries along their route may stop them. We therefore issue this dispatch with the following instructions: Please examine the matter in detail, open a convenient path, and guide the souls of the deceased to ascend the bridge, bathe, receive merit, and accept deliverance. The governing offices must not create any improper obstruction, and shall carry out these instructions in accordance with the teachings.

Addressed to: the guardians of the territory, the generals who open the way in the eight directions, the bridge messengers, and the gods responsible for fragrant-water bathing. Let them follow these instructions.

Dispatch to the Four Spirits

(This belongs to the same group as the dispatches for ascending the bridge, bathing, and receiving guidance. It requests that the auspicious beasts or gods of the four directions protect the boundaries and assist in the work of deliverance. The source gives only the title here; in practice, its specific wording is often used together with dispatches for opening the way, ascending the bridge, and bathing.)

Brief Explanations of Terms

• Soul-Requisition Office: An underworld bureau within the ritual system responsible for summoning and taking custody of souls.
• Retrieving souls and freeing spirits: Under the ritual code, asking the gods and generals to remove souls from places of confinement and bring them to the altar.
• Opening the directions: Opening spirit paths in the four directions around the altar so that souls do not lose their way or get detained.
• Ascending the bridge: A ritual stage in which souls cross a passage such as the Bridge of No Return; it is often linked with bathing and receiving deliverance.
• Governing office: The underworld authority responsible for the relevant route or territory.
• The Supreme One’s ritual code for deliverance: Ritual regulations in the Lingbao tradition, invoked in the name of the Supreme One, for delivering souls, resolving grievances, and granting release.

A Vernacular Interpretation of the Lingbao Documents

Today, this office respectfully follows the orthodox liturgy to proclaim the mysterious ordinances. Divine officers must guard the sacred altar. Accordingly, the following official document is issued.

Official Dispatch

(An official dispatch addressed to the divine offices listed below)

Four Spirit Lords of the Sacred Altar: Please don full armor and gather at the ritual ground. Guard and seal the four directions, drive away baleful influences, protect the altar on all three levels, and welcome the True Sages as they descend. So ordered.

Dispatch for Concealing the Coffin

This office has learned that the coffin of the deceased person (name to be supplied), whose soul is to be recommended for deliverance, remains in the hall and has not yet been buried. Fearing that it may obstruct the purification rites, we must first issue a special dispatch requesting that the corpse be covered and the coffin concealed, so that no one encounters its impure influences. This document is to be sent.

Official Dispatch: Please

Great General Jiufeng, Who Breaks Impurity, and the Officers of the Five Refinements Who Conceal Coffins: We respectfully ask you to perceive clearly the Five Qi, keep all forms of transgression at bay, cover and conceal the coffin and corpse, and sweep away oppressive impurities. May the sacred altar be purified, the spirits be peaceful, and the True Sages descend, so that the departed soul may receive deliverance. So ordered.

Dispatch to Jiufeng

Today, this office reverently follows the Daoist scriptures in solemnly establishing the sacred altar. To summon the True Spirits, we must first dispel impurity and spread purity, relying on divine power. Accordingly, this dispatch is to be sent.

Official Dispatch: Please

Great General Jiufeng, Who Breaks Impurity, of the Jade Radiance Office in the Southern Cinnabar Heaven Realm: Please solemnly raise the cloud banners and descend to the sacred altar. Scatter the clear fragrance of a hundred harmonies and sprinkle ritual water of the Five Stars, so that the heavens are free of foul influences, the earth is rid of baleful dust, the four Qi are bright and clear, and the myriad spirits descend to witness the rite. Respectfully dispatched.

Dispatch to the Office of Refining and Deliverance

Official Dispatch

Officers and attendants of the Nanchang Office of Refining and Deliverance: Please review the arrangements for the deliverance rite now being conducted. We ask that you raise the cloud banners in solemn array and descend to the ritual ground; set in motion the balanced Qi of Kan and Li, and bring down the true essence of Water and Fire. Nurture the corporeal soul and transform the ethereal soul; turn the spirit toward the wondrous, bring transformation to its proper fulfillment, and raise it into the Vermilion Palace.

Dispatch to the Celestial Physicians

Official Dispatch

Immortal officials and officers of the Upper Clarity Celestial Medical Office: Please review the matter and look with favor upon the purification rites. Bring spiritual medicines to relieve suffering souls, and exercise the benevolent skill of the sages to treat the afflictions of itch, illness, and pain. May the hundred spirits be complete and the ten features made whole; may the soul undergo refinement and be reborn, its spirit transformed toward the wondrous. Respectfully dispatched.

Explanation: These texts are “dispatches”—summons addressed to the divine offices of the heavens during Lingbao rites. Their language imitates official government documents. In sequence, they call upon the gods to guard the ritual altar, conceal the coffin and dispel impurity, refine and raise the soul, and heal it through celestial medicine. This is a standard format for ritual documents used in rites of purification and deliverance.

A Vernacular Interpretation of Lingbao Documents

Document for the Altar Guardians

Our office, the Daoist ritual bureau presiding over the purification rite, is opening the sacred altar today, and the ritual forms are about to begin. Relying on the power of the gods, we issue this document and request that you guard the altar precinct. Return once the rites are complete.

Submitted above.

To the Heavenly Generals who guard the altar on the left and right, and to all the awe-inspiring spirits serving in their appointed roles: raise the cloud banners in due order and protect the [specified] altar. Inspect and identify foul and unclean influences, and keep impure living people away. Enforce retribution on a grand scale and drive out lurking corpse-spirits and other baleful influences. Do not allow them to intrude upon or disturb the altar precinct. Let your divine presence shine forth mightily, and let the transformation wrought by the Dao spread far and wide. Respectfully issued.

Document for Raising the Banners

Our office is opening the ritual assembly today, and the secret ritual forms are about to begin. Relying on the power of the gods, we issue this document and request that you guard the sacred banner. Return once the rites are complete.

Submitted above.

To the Envoys Who Guard the Banners of the Nine Heavens and the revered gods of banners and standards: raise the sacred banner high, linking the hidden realms with the manifest world. Greatly proclaim the sincerity of the purification rite, welcome the sacred procession from all directions, summon spirits and call souls, and gather the perfected beings and numinous presences. When the benevolent work is complete, do not fail to provide a trustworthy sign that it has taken effect. Respectfully issued.

Document for Breaking Open the Prisons

In accordance with the Dao’s command, our office issues this notice to the underworld. Following the ritual regulations of the Jade Casket of Ziyang, Instructions for Numinous Immortals, we light the divine lamps that break through the darkness of the Ninefold Abyss, their radiance illuminating the long night of deep Yin. We now perform a purification rite to release and guide the deceased [specified person] and the accompanying deceased relatives, so that they may leave the hells and ascend to heaven. This document must therefore be issued.

Submitted above.

To the underworld officials in charge of the nine prisons of the Ninefold Abyss: examine the matter described above and act swiftly. In the east, still the wind and thunder; in the south, halt the fiery obscurations; in the west, shatter the vajra; in the north, end the chilling darkness. Put a complete stop to the punishments of the bronze pillars and dismemberment; let the swords, tree of blades, and cauldrons of boiling water all fall silent. End the sufferings, the fiery chariots, the confrontations, and the widespread plundering. Release the deceased [specified person] and the others, so they may come to the altar and receive deliverance. We further direct the underworld officials of the eastern prisons of wind and thunder to transmit this order in turn and carry it out. Respectfully issued.

Document for the Ninefold Abyss

Our office has received this document and now issues the corresponding order. Examine the matter described above, and please comply with the talismanic command by releasing the deceased [specified person] and the others to come to the altar and receive deliverance. Let interrogation and punishment cease throughout the underworld prisons, and let all the spirits of the netherworld bathe in the light of divine grace. We also pray that the divine procession will witness and record the purification rite. This document must therefore be issued.

Submitted above.

To the officials of the Central Bureau of the Ninefold Abyss and the wardens of its prisons: examine and carry out this order. Respectfully issued.

Document to Fengdu

(Document format: “Stone document—submitted above.” This is the heading used when issuing the document; the main text may be recorded on another page. This passage gives only the document format and contains no specific provisions.)

A Plain-Language Reading of the Lingbao Documents

Petition to the Office of Transformation and Rebirth in Fengdu

To the Lord of the Office of Transformation and Rebirth in Fengdu:

Please act in accordance with the instructions given above and transmit them promptly to your subordinates. All those who govern the prisons of the underworld and serve as its officials, and all who record the sins and blessings of the dead and assign them to their destinations, must obey this talismanic command. Deliver the souls of the dead, along with all solitary and stranded souls, and promptly remove their records of sin, erase the roots of evil, and arrange for their release from confinement. Send them forth as soon as they are summoned. If any summoned soul has not yet received pardon, please temporarily bring it here under escort and protection, make its retribution clear, and let it receive this good merit as proof of its ascent beyond the mortal realm. We also ask you to descend and witness this covenant. Respectfully submitted by those who practice and uphold the rites.

The following seven petitions follow the same format and are addressed respectively to:

• The Lord of the Five Paths Office in Fengdu
• The Lord of the Office of the Winding Springs in Fengdu
• The Northern Celestial Gatekeeper of the Cultivation Gate in Fengdu
• The Marquis of the Southern Censorate in Fengdu
• The Marquis of the Northern Censorate in Fengdu
• The Great Spirit of the Dark and Cold Realm in Fengdu
• The Lord of Western Brightness in Fengdu

(All seven petitions follow the format above.)

Petition to the Office for Solitary Souls

Petition submitted:

To the Lord of the Eastern Peak Office for Solitary Souls without Descendants:

Please examine the matter in detail and act in accordance with the talismanic command given above. Through the sincerity of the purification rite, release all male and female souls who suffer in confinement and have no one to make offerings for them. Promptly remove their records of sin, erase the roots of evil, and do not detain them. Send them to the altar when summoned. May the transformative power of great compassion extend everywhere. We ask that you graciously be present to witness the merit of this deliverance. Respectfully submitted by those who practice and uphold the rites.

Petition to the Office for Merit and Virtue

Petition submitted:

To the Lord of the Eastern Peak Office for Merit and Virtue:

Please examine the matter in detail and review the merits and virtues accumulated by the deceased (name) during life and after death. Remove their name from the registers of the underworld and enter it in the celestial records. Through the merit of this Yellow Register rite, may they attain the proper path to the human and heavenly realms. We ask that you graciously be present to witness this. Respectfully submitted by those who practice and uphold the rites.

Petition to the Office for Recording Births

Petition submitted:

To the Lord of the Eastern Peak Office for Recording Births:

Please examine the matter in detail and specially descend in your divine chariot to witness this purification rite. When the souls recommended at the ritual altar—namely the deceased (name), their relatives by marriage from both sides of the family who are also included in the offerings, and all solitary and stranded souls—have completed their deliverance, let the matter pass through your office. Please follow the talismanic registers for birth in the heavenly realm and promptly record them for rebirth there. Respectfully submitted.

Brief explanation:

This text consists of underworld petitions used in Lingbao purification rites. They issue instructions to officials in Fengdu, the Daoist underworld, and the Eastern Peak, the underworld associated with Mount Tai: to record sins and blessings, deliver the souls of the dead, release solitary souls, register merit, and record souls for birth in heaven. “Black registers” and “azure records” refer metaphorically to underworld records of sin and registers of immortal names. “Yellow Register” refers to talismans and registers used in ritual liturgy.

A Plain-Language Reading of the Lingbao Documents

1. Petition to the River God, Dragon Kings, and the Water Bureau

Our bureau has received authorization for this rite and has already submitted a memorial to the celestial court. In addition to issuing a pardon and granting mercy, we now respectfully follow the sacred ritual codes to establish a ceremonial rite. On a certain night this month, we will respectfully go to the riverbank and set afloat luminous lotus lamps to rescue those who have drowned, thereby universally liberating the souls of the submerged and others. We are concerned that the waters of the rivers may be strong and the winds and waves unrelenting. If we do not notify the relevant divine offices in advance, the rite of deliverance may be obstructed, so we must submit this formal document.

Submitted to:

River God, Dragon Kings, and the officials of the Water Bureau: Please examine the purpose of this matter in detail and, in accordance with the sacred regulations, put it into effect. Let the waterways carry word to the Water Palace; may the winds be still and the waves calm, so that the lamps’ radiance continues without interruption. May the waters clear and the moon appear, so that lingering souls may ascend beyond suffering, the living and the dead may rejoice together, and blessings may reach both land and water. Respectfully submitted.

2. Petition for River-God Water Lamps

Now that the ritual feast has concluded and the esoteric liturgy has been fully proclaimed, we are concerned that the Buddhist disciples in the river sands and the multitude of souls drowned in the waters remain submerged in the nine springs below and have not yet ascended. We have therefore prepared several hundred luminous lotus lamps to deliver those sunk in suffering, and must accordingly submit this formal document to inform the relevant offices.

Submitted to:

River God, Water Bureau, and deities of the river shoals: Please examine the purpose of this matter in detail and, in a spirit of compassion, universally aid those who have drowned. With the support of this benevolent light, may they ascend together to the shore of the Dao. The merit of deliverance is great; may you carry out this order with the speed of a spark. Thus submitted.

3. Petition to the Deities of the Official Sacrificial Rites

Submitted to:

Deities of the official sacrificial rites, invested by imperial decree in this region: Please examine the matter in detail. We ask that you personally lead your officials and troops to the site where the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) is to be performed, and supervise the local tutelary deities, Earth Gods, and other relevant spirits in guarding the altar’s boundaries and driving away baleful influences. Secure and pacify the surrounding area, and keep hidden what must remain concealed. In this way, the merits of the purification rite may be completed, demonic obstacles may not arise, blessings may spread throughout the realm, and grace may reach both the unseen and the visible. Respectfully submitted.

4. Petition to the Earth God

Our bureau has received authorization for this rite and has already carried out the prescribed observances. We must now issue this document to you, deity. Please examine the matter carefully and immediately put the altar’s boundaries in order, defend against demons and evil spirits, drive away ill omens, clear away defilement, transmit the written proclamations, and welcome the celestial conveyance. May the wholesome result be brought to completion, bringing benefit and deliverance to both the manifest and hidden realms. This document must be issued.

This document is respectfully addressed to the Earth God and the principal deity of this locality; please act accordingly.

5. Petition for the Cold Grove (opening)

Our bureau has received authorization for this rite and has prepared a memorial…

Notes for reading the petitions:

• Our bureau: The Daoist altar or ritual office conducting the liturgy, referring to itself.
• Authorization: The document authorizing a ritual and serving as the basis for carrying out an order.
• Sacred ritual codes: The ritual procedures prescribed by Daoist liturgical traditions such as Lingbao.
• Notify in advance: To inform the relevant divine offices beforehand.
• Formal document: An official notice or petition addressed to the gods.
• River God, Dragon Kings, Water Bureau: Divine offices governing rivers and waterways.
• Luminous lotus lamps: Ritual lamps used to deliver the souls of those drowned or otherwise submerged.
• Official sacrificial rites: Deities invested by imperial decree and worshipped in official local rites.
• Earth God: The principal local deity governing a particular place or district.
• Cold Grove: A ritual setting for delivering unclaimed souls and souls afflicted by hunger and cold. The petition in this section is incomplete.
• The ritual feast has concluded; the esoteric liturgy has been fully proclaimed: The ritual is nearing its end, and the final portion of the transmitted liturgy has been recited.
• Carry out this order with the speed of a spark: A formula meaning “act immediately.”

Plain-Language Interpretation of the Lingbao Document Forms

Petition (Presented to the Celestial Court and the Offices of the True Ones, Humbly Requesting Deliverance)

Opening: We respectfully petition the Celestial Court and the relevant Offices of the True Ones to grant deliverance. What follows is the document to be transmitted as required.

Petition submitted above

We respectfully address Yanmolu, Lord of the Cold Forest—an underworld prison—and General Zhu, who serves as its official. May your divine fire move swiftly. Lead the spirits of the thirty-six classes of ghosts and others to the place in our village where incense is burned, and to the land entrusted to the local earth deity and the village god. When the banner is raised and the dead are summoned, lead each spirit to the altar, where it may receive the fruits of goodness. Let the deceased be freed from the burden of the major examination by others in the underworld. Keep the assembled souls in order; let them bear no resentment or injure the life-force of the living, so that they do not obstruct deliverance and its merit may be brought to completion.

Let this be carried out as commanded. Respectfully submitted.

Petition Recording the Merits of the Principal Offering (Concluding Document with an Account of the Facts)

The office records that a Daoist, [name], from [place of origin], submitted a petition requesting that, beginning on [date], an unsurpassed Yellow Register Great Retreat be held for [number] days and nights to commend the deceased [name] and raise them to a good realm of rebirth. The rites prescribed by the liturgy have been performed and completed. This concluding document is therefore issued as a record:

One memorial submitted: A report to the Celestial Court announcing the commencement of a retreat for the Three Realms.

One memorial presented in worship: One red memorial to the Heavens, seeking deliverance from suffering (with each item listed individually); one memorial to the Duke of Wood and the Queen Mother of the West, seeking refinement and deliverance; one memorial to the Nine Heavens’ Supreme Emperor; one red memorial reporting the merits of the rites; and [number] blue petitions.

One proclamation issued at the retreat altar: True talismans of deliverance from suffering (with each item listed individually), and an amnesty decree.

One principal retreat: For three days, with nine sessions each day, worshipping the perfected ones and performing the Daoist rites.

One principal retreat: For three sessions, ascending the altar and reciting the scriptures.

One offering of lamps to the gods of the Nine Prisons: Nine libation cups.

One rite for summoning souls, bathing them, and presenting them before the perfected ones.

One invocation accompanying the offering of wondrous food from the Cloud Kitchen.

One universal summons to the hidden souls of the Five Paths and Three Roads, followed by a ritual distribution of food.

One recitation of the Most High [name] Scripture (with each item listed individually).

One bowing rite of repentance to the Most High [name].

One transmission of the wondrous precepts for the Nine Perfected to deliver and preserve life.

One bestowal of the Most High’s Treasure Register for Ascending to Heaven.

One observance of the Golden Book’s Precious Proclamation for the Midyear Festival.

One burning of paper offerings of gold and silver, scripture money, coffins, and underworld goods: [quantity].

The petition above records that these merits have been fully accomplished. May the deceased [name] receive the benefits of these good works and attain sudden awakening and ascent.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of Lingbao Documents

(General Vow for Deliverance)

Through the bonds of past lives, all defilements are emptied and all delusions released. The myriad beings cling to nothing, and their single nature returns to the Real. May they soon leave the realm of the long night and swiftly ascend to the land of blessed halls. Since this document serves as proof in both the human world and the underworld, the text is set out below.

Document to the Underworld Treasury Official for Delivering the Deceased

[Name of Office]: Regarding repayment of what was borrowed during life and a request to distribute and issue the funds.

According to the petition submitted, this office has received the document. In addition to having already performed the rites for deliverance in accordance with the prescribed procedures, the filial and faithful [name] earnestly reflects on the deceased [name]: when receiving a physical body and being born as a human, the deceased borrowed [amount] ten-thousand strings of “grace money” from the treasury of your office. This debt was not repaid during life, so the descendants must make up the amount after death. Now, at the altar, [amount] boxes of gold and valuables have been prepared and submitted to the treasury for payment (paid in full / not paid in full). We respectfully request that you cancel the debts from the previous and present lives, so that no amount remains owing.

The principal and accompanying deceased persons now being delivered have [amount] ten [amount] boxes of underworld funds and offerings listed under their soul names. We respectfully ask your office to dispatch divine clerks and treasury staff, together with laborers, to come and distribute the boxes and underworld funds that have been brought here. According to the disbursement list, clearly hand them to the named souls of the deceased, so that each may personally receive the full amount. In this way, they may receive the merit and be delivered, follow the good and transform their spirits, and attain rebirth in the world of the living. No deception or concealment is to be allowed; should any irregularity occur, we ask that it be punished. This document is therefore issued specifically for this purpose.

Hereby submitted to the underworld treasury official in charge of [number] in the [number]th storehouse, concerning the deceased [name], to the merits registrar. We respectfully request that this be reviewed and attended to carefully. This document is issued with due respect.

Document Urging the Summoning of Souls

Office of Convenience at the Supreme Ultimate: Regarding the matter of urging and summoning.

According to the petition submitted by [Sichuan, etc.] and offered in accordance with the Dao, a relief rite and sacrifice for the solitary souls has been arranged to welcome good fortune [etc.]. [Name] and the whole family are, on this day, relying on the Dao to establish a Qingwei rite for aiding and refining souls. The rite is being performed for the unoffered solitary souls. This office has received the petition. In addition to having already carried out the rites of refinement and deliverance according to the prescribed procedures, now, as the ritual master ascends the seat to preach and the banner is raised to gather and summon, there is still concern that barriers at the underworld gate may prevent the souls from arriving. It is therefore proper to issue this document to urge and hasten them. This document is issued accordingly.

Hereby submitted to the officials, military officers, and clerks responsible for pursuing and summoning at the Dark Altar’s quiet precinct, with a request that they act together in accordance with these instructions.

Explanatory Notes on Specialized Terms

• Deliverance / refinement and deliverance: Daoist rites performed to transcend the dead.
• Grace money: A category of underworld funds said to be borrowed from the underworld treasury during a ritual and requiring repayment.
• Boxes of underworld funds and offerings: Boxes containing spirit money and other offerings for the dead.
• Gathering and summoning: Raising a banner to summon the souls of the deceased to the altar.
• Qingwei aid and refinement: A Qingwei school ritual for aiding and refining the souls of the dead.

The Great Teaching jointly rescues those lost at the ford, so that the dark passes hold no perilous stretches on the road, and the ritual assembly may bear fruit in ascent and salvation. The merit of saving souls is vast; wind and fire—the image of the yin bureaucracy’s dispatch and unimpeded passage through the checkpoints—do not cease; hence this writ is issued.

Escort Pass

Office heading: Regarding escort. This office, now that the refining-and-salvation rite on this day (…) is complete, has issued the Supreme Lord’s writ of precepts for ascent to heaven, precious registers (baolu), and underworld wealth (mingcai) for the orphaned souls of the five tones, male and female, and for wusi orphaned souls and local spirits without sacrificial offerings (wusi guhun, difang guishen), to receive at the altar and wear as proof for the realm of rebirth (shengfang); beyond that, pass documents must reach the checkpoints.

To the right … Pass

The Left and Right Guardian Generals of Crimson Heaven (Dantian) and the executing officer-generals of the Department of Law are asked, with tireless compassion, to escort in person and proceed to the Crimson Heaven bureau to add rank and register rebirth; hence this pass.

Fire Register Dispatch

Office heading: Regarding disbursement and settlement. Whereas Sichuan (…) performs Daoist merit on behalf of the filial household of (name), and on this day has requested a merit-and-salvation rite to support the soul(s) of the deceased (names), the altar has issued and settled underworld wealth and pledge bundles (xinnang), which cannot all be listed in full; for this reason we respectfully invoke the Three Treasures (Sanbao) and request one register of disbursement slips, to be carried by spirit laborers (shenyi fuding) and submitted to the case records of the relevant office under the Underworld Office of Ascent to Heaven (Mingfu Shengtian Yuan), asking that disbursement be made clearly and guidance to the realm of rebirth be granted; a register to this effect is required.

The principal and secondary deceased souls’ underworld goods and pledge bundles are fully recorded below (listed by number as in the bundles).

The above underworld wealth and pledge bundles are itemized one by one; we respectfully ask your office to disburse them, so that the named deceased souls may receive them, accept the merit, receive salvation, and be reborn according to their karmic fruit; a register to this effect is required.

To the right: Spirit laborers and strongmen (fuding lishi) shall act accordingly.

Water Guide

Office heading: Regarding issuance of travel permits for smooth passage at checkpoints. Whereas a filial believer in the Dao who observes fasting, (name), from (place of origin), states: for the deceased (name), body and soul, a Lingbao Great Ritual for Elevation and Salvation (Lingbao qianba da zhai) has been humbly established for one offering; the rite began on (month/day) and ended on (day/month), and so on. This office having received this, besides having already issued official credentials, the great precepts, and precious registers (baolu), all items consigned for the principal and secondary deceased—including underworld wealth, chests and bundles, robes and caps, spirit dwellings, and the like—have been registered and numbered one by one and submitted.

(The text continues in the format for release at checkpoints, escort, and the like; the original breaks off here.)

Plain-Language Interpretation

1. Escort Warrant

Our bureau sends this warrant to the underworld to petition for rites of deliverance and the transfer of merit on behalf of the deceased. We now dispatch divine officials, bearers, strongmen, and others to escort the departed soul along the way.

Celestial official in charge of the records at the Underworld’s Court for Ascending to Heaven: please consult the merit records of the deceased, identified as (someone), and receive the merit in full, so that it may be dispensed accordingly.

You must take care to protect the soul along the route. Do not damage the warrant’s cover, conceal other wandering ghosts within it, or let money leak away. Anyone who violates these orders will be punished according to the law. At checkpoints, ferry crossings, and river crossings, inspect the warrant and allow passage. Do not obstruct the procession.

The merit of delivering a person is great; carry out this command with the speed of a spark. You must arrive without delay.

The warrant above is issued to the bearers, strongmen, and others. Let them comply.

Dispatched on the _ day of the _ month, in the ___ year.

The bureau: return to the City God’s shrine and submit the warrant by the appointed date, ___ days hence.

2. Memorial of Thanks to the Divine Generals

Our bureau has received this document and must proclaim and carry out its orders. Yesterday, we sent a dispatch requesting that your divine might assemble the numinous powers of the ritual office at (someone’s) altar, proclaim and convey the summons, and escort the memorial petitions so they may pass through the unseen realm and bring benefit to the visible world.

Now the good fruits have come to completion, and (someone’s) merit has been accomplished. We therefore submit this memorial of thanks.

May the great officials, lords, generals, and officers of the One Mansion, Two Courts, Three Offices, and Five Thunders of the Shangqing Thunder Gate divide themselves and transform their Qi, descending together to the ritual altar to witness and receive the offerings, and accept the rites performed by ordinary people. We further beseech you to support and uphold the teachings, guide those who come after us, and thereby allow the mysterious tradition to spread widely and the Dao’s transforming influence to flourish. Respectfully submitted.

3. Register of the Deceased

To the office overseeing the place where the great Yellow Register Retreat altar is established:

We hereby report that, in accordance with the Dao, we have prepared this register on behalf of (someone), in observance of filial devotion, for the family of (someone). We are deeply concerned for the soul of the deceased person recommended for deliverance, (someone). We have written their name and the year, month, day, and hour of birth and death in this document. On its authority, please take charge of the soul, draw it out from its plight, release it, and arrange for its escort.

The names of those recommended for deliverance are listed below:

One: the soul of the deceased person chiefly recommended for deliverance, (someone).

One: the ancestors of three generations, in their proper ancestral order, and all the close kin of the household of the (someone) family.

One: the souls of the additionally recommended deceased, (someone, someone), and others.

One: all the solitary souls of men and women of the Five Tones within this region.

All the above are respectfully listed. We beseech your honored office to take charge of them according to their names. Let them await the summons, come to the ritual altar, receive a share of the merit, and undergo release and transformation. Respectfully submitted.

Background: These are documents from a Lingbao Yellow Register Retreat, used to notify the underworld, escort departed souls, and thank the divine generals. The warrant serves as a travel permit; the Memorial of Thanks to the Divine Generals expresses gratitude to the deities who provided the escort; and the register lists the deceased, so the underworld can take charge of them and summon them to the ritual altar to receive merit.

This scripture presents a set of official document templates from the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) tradition of Daoism, comprising three distinct forms for different ritual purposes:

The first document is addressed to the City God (Cheng Huang), the local underworld guardian, demanding the release of deceased souls from the subterranean and aquatic realms. It orders celestial officials to escort these souls to the Southern Palace (Nan Gong) - the Daoist realm of rebirth - for reincarnation. A specific instruction requires local Earth Gods (Tu Di Shen), the grassroots-level deities, to deliver this document to the City God immediately without delay.

The second document, termed the "Proclamation Plaque" (Xiaoyu Pai), functions as an official notice for underworld functionaries. It announces the ongoing Lingbao salvation ritual and commands General Divine Tiger (Shen Hu Jiangjun), a Daoist guardian general, to lead the underworld's designated money-transport drivers and laborers. They are instructed to prepare carts, provisions, straw sandals, and other necessary tools before receiving ritual offerings at the altar, then carefully transport spirit money and other items to the underworld. A stern warning emphasizes that the transport seals must remain intact during transit, checkpoints must not obstruct passage, and any interference by malevolent spirits will be punished according to Daoist canon law.

The third document, the "Soul-Summoning Plaque" (Tihun Pai), serves as a spiritual warrant. It declares the salvation ritual is performed under the decree of the Supreme Mysterious Origin Celestial Worthy (Xuan Yuan Tianzun), the highest Daoist deity, promising liberation for all registered souls regardless of their connection to the sponsoring family. This standardized form, used during household salvation ceremonies, includes blank spaces for entering the ritual date.

These documents exemplify the Lingbao tradition's characteristic "dual benefit for yin and yang realms" principle. They simultaneously standardize yang-world ritual procedures while simulating yin-world administrative paperwork, creating sacred documents that bridge both realms. The repeated emphasis on "following the liturgy" (Yi Ke) and "according to canon law" (Yi Lü) reflects Daoism's profound attention to procedural orthodoxy in ritual practice.

A Plain-Language Reading of the Lingbao Document

Offering at the Daoist Ritual Site for the Azure Mystery’s Deliverance from Suffering (name omitted)

At the altar, we respectfully declare: The souls of our deceased relatives from the household and clan, and of relatives by marriage, both near and distant, have received no offerings or rites of posthumous recommendation since leaving the world of the living. We fear that their souls remain bound in the Nine Springs, unable to receive merit and rise to deliverance; or that they have been unable to leave places such as the courts of the underworld, the prisons of Mount Dai (the underworld administration on Mount Tai), and Luofeng (the underworld of Fengdu), and so have not attained rebirth. We now establish this virtuous connection and extend deliverance to all.

The names of the deceased for whom offerings are made are listed below:

One principal deceased person recommended: (name omitted)

One deceased person recommended in addition: (name omitted), and other souls

In accordance with this document, call their names and release them. At the altar, receive them respectfully for deliverance. We charge the officials and clerks of the hidden prisons not to delay or obstruct them, interfere with the mysterious work, or hinder the deliverance of their souls. At checkpoints, ferry crossings, and guarded passes, do not harass, detain, or obstruct them; verify their identities and let them pass. This document is to be presented wherever required.

This order is issued to the Divine Tiger and Marshal He Qiao, the two great marshals, to be carried out accordingly.

Year, month, day: issued

Office

Note: This is a “document of inspection” used in Lingbao purification rituals and offerings. Modeled on an official government document, it is presented to the underworld’s divine generals—the Divine Tiger and Marshal He Qiao—and to officials at checkpoints and crossings, asking them to release the souls in accordance with the document so they may attend the altar, receive offerings and recommendation, and rise to deliverance. “Principal deceased person recommended” refers to the main person for whom offerings are made; “deceased person recommended in addition” refers to someone included in the posthumous recommendation. The volume title, “Reprinted Essentials Compiled from the Daoist Canon,” indicates that this is a compiled edition; Volume Two ends here.