《靈寶文檢》Vol. 16
About this page. The original text of 《靈寶文檢》 Vol. 16 (Qing Daoist texts 清代道教文獻, 36 volumes) is shown in Classical Chinese as transmitted in the Kanripo (Kyoto University) edition. An English interpretation of the 2 passages on this page accompanies it: select a passage or press “Interpretation” to show it. All texts in English
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Volume Four of the Lingbao Documents: Contents
This volume collects the names of memorials, official notices, and talismans used in various liturgies, organized by ritual type as follows.
Rite for Praying for Clear Skies or Rain
Documents are sent to the heavens and their offices to pray for clear skies or rainfall. The revered deities and offices involved include:
Haotian (Jade Emperor), Nanjí (Great Emperor of Longevity), Beiji (Great Emperor Ziwei), Houtu (Earth Deity), Nine Celestial Sovereigns, Great Luminaries (the sun, moon, and five planets, among others), Lunar Shadow (a baleful influence of the moon), Big Dipper, Three Officials (the great officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water), Four Sages, Five Masters, Nine Masters, Eastern Peak (Mount Tai), Water Office, Three Marshals of Jiaoshen, Water Bureau, Directorate of Waterworks, and officials and generals. Other document titles include Notice to the Local Earth God, Closing Section of the Petition for Clear Skies, Notice to the Generals, City God, Local Earth God, Village Altar, and Earth Deity.
Rite for Quelling Locusts
This rite drives away locust plagues. Documents are sent to:
Haotian, Beiji, Nanjí, Houtu, Heavenly Bureau, the Four Sages, the Five Masters, the Three Officials, Eastern Peak, Marshal-Generals, Tai Sui, the City God, Grain Crops (the deity of grain), rites in the sacrificial canon, the Village Altar, and the Earth Deity.
Rite of Thanks to the Thunder Deities (Offender Not Yet Executed)
After the thunder has ceased, thanks are offered to the deities. If the person responsible has not yet been punished, the documents concern:
Thunder Venerable, Provincial Office, Thunder Notice, and Notice for a Further Proceeding.
Death by Thunderbolt
The liturgy for someone killed by a thunderbolt involves:
The Nine Celestial Sovereigns, the Three Officials, Three Bureaus, Official Notice, and Notice of Thanks to the Thunder Deities.
Surviving a Thunderbolt
A survivor of a thunderbolt gives thanks to the deities through:
The Nine Celestial Sovereigns, the Three Officials, the Heavenly Bureau, the Notice of Thanks to the Thunder Deities, and the Notice for Sacrificing a Pig (or Ox).
Jade Register Blood Lake Retreat
A Jade Register retreat, using a ritual method from the Lingbao lineage, to deliver souls from the Blood Lake, the netherworld where blood from childbirth and other defilements gather. Its documents and ritual stages include:
Void Sovereign, Haotian, the Heavenly Bureau, Benevolent Governance, Wanli, Divine Tiger, Heavenly Medicine, Watching over Birth, Refining and Deliverance, Purifying Defilements, Four Generals, the Blood Lake, and Reconciling Grievances.
Various Blood Lake Talismans
The names of talismans used in the Blood Lake retreat include:
Register of Salvation from Suffering, Special Pardon Talisman, Extraordinary Pardon Talisman, Limited Pardon Talisman, Flowing Light Talisman, Special Deliverance of Blood Corpses, Consecration (Jade Register), Defilement-Purging Talisman, Blood Lake-Breaking Talisman, Talisman for Deliverance from Childbirth Perils, Knot-Untying Talisman, Darkness-Breaking Talisman, and Limited Pardon Talisman.
The Six Offices
The Blood Lake retreat divides its administration among six offices:
Office for Untying Knots, Office for Watching over Birth, Office of Heavenly Medicine, Office for Restoring the Whole Body, Office for Washing and Cleansing, Office of Cloth and Casket, and Purification.
Golden Register Retreat for Advance Cultivation
A Golden Register retreat, using a ritual method from the Shangqing lineage, performed in advance during one’s lifetime. Documents are sent to:
Seven Treasures, Divine Empyrean, Nine Heavens, Five Elders, Various Heavens, and Ten Directions.
Contents Note for the Lingbao Document Register (Plain-Language Interpretation)
This is the closing section of the catalog of documents in the Shangqing Lingbao Daoist Canon, followed by an index of the talismans, memorials, and petitions associated with the Great Blood Lake Retreat. Most of the listed titles refer to documents, talismans and registers, memorials, or petitions used in purification rituals, rites for the deliverance of the dead, and the opening or transfer of treasuries, as well as the deities and offices concerned with these rites.
Deities and offices listed in the Lingbao Document Register
| Original entry | Plain-language explanation |
|---|---|
| Great Luminaries | A divine office or document category associated with the sun, moon, and the Seven Luminaries |
| Northern Dipper | Documents for the Lords of the Northern Dipper and related liturgies |
| Southern Dipper | Documents for the Lords of the Southern Dipper and related liturgies |
| Three Officials | The Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official, and the Water Official—the Three Great Officials |
| Heavenly Secretariat | A celestial administrative office or department |
| Five Masters | The five directional masters or five perfected masters often invoked in Daoist liturgies; the precise meaning depends on the complete text |
| Five Offices | Offices overseeing treasuries and registers associated with the five directions or five administrative divisions |
| Celestial Administration | The celestial administration that examines merits and transgressions and oversees registers |
| Yellow Register | Registers and documents associated with rites such as the Great Yellow Register Retreat |
| Southern Palace | The Southern Palace, often associated with registration, rebirth, and the deliverance of the dead |
| Receiving Birth | Ritual documents concerning the Receiving Birth Court and debts incurred at birth |
| Fengdu | The Great Emperor of Fengdu and the administration of prisons in the underworld |
| Eastern Peak | The Great Emperor of Mount Tai at the Eastern Peak and his administrative office |
| Water Office | The divine administration of the Water Palace, dragon palaces, rivers, and springs |
| Ten Kings | The Ten Kings of the Ten Courts of the underworld |
| Officials and Generals | Ceremonial attendants and protective officials and generals |
| Divine Tiger | The Divine Tiger officials, associated with escorting and guarding the ritual altar |
| Community Deities | Local earth gods, community gods, and command deities |
| Great Year | A deity or divine office associated with ancestral temples or local sacrificial rites; the character may vary by edition |
| City God | The City God and his administrative office |
| Merit Register | Files and registers in which merits are recorded |
| Longevity Register | Files used in rites to extend life and pray for longevity |
| Local Earth God | The local earth deity and related official dispatches |
| Inviting the Treasury Official | The name of the treasury official invoked when requesting a treasury in a purification ritual, along with the corresponding document form |
| Sacrificing to the Treasury Official | The treasury official concerned in rites of sacrifice and repayment |
| Replacing the Treasury Official | Documents used when replacing the treasury official or transferring a treasury |
| Nine Perfected Ones (Ordination Certificate) | A credential document in the category of certificates of ordination from the Nine Perfected Ones |
| Ring Contract Dispatch | An official dispatch in the form of a ring contract or covenant |
| Contract (Ring Contract) | A contract document corresponding to the ring contract |
| Passage Permit | A pass or official dispatch used to pass through a checkpoint or verify a contract |
Golden Register talisman forms, treasury documents, and Yin-Yang dispatches
- Golden Register talisman forms: Formats for talismans and registers used in Golden Register purification rituals.
- Yin-Yang dispatch: An official document used for communication or adjudication between the underworld and the human realm.
- Contract (official document): A written agreement between two parties or between humans and deities.
- Treasury deposit dispatch: An official document used when depositing property or merit in a treasury.
- Water guide and fire register: Document titles associated with water and fire deities, or with verification and registration.
- Repayment (basket file) and treasury deposit (basket file): Basket and case documents used for repayment or depositing items in a treasury.
- Treasury opening dispatch and treasury thanksgiving dispatch: Document forms used in the rites for opening a treasury and giving thanks to it.
- Nine Dragon talisman: A Lingbao talisman form associated with the Nine Dragons.
This concludes the catalog of Shangqing Lingbao documents.
Great Blood Lake Retreat: catalog of talismans, memorials, and petitions for the Three Paths and Five Sufferings
The Great Blood Lake Retreat is devoted to delivering the souls of those who died through bloodshed, childbirth, or violent injury. The following are the names of its talisman, memorial, dispatch, and petition forms.
Talismanic seals: treasures and true talismans for opening the light of the Jade Clarity realm
The Jade Clarity Treasure Talisman for Opening the Light, the Treasure Talisman for Illuminating, and the Treasure Talisman for Relieving Suffering; the True Talisman of Flowing Light, the True Talisman of Flowing Essence, the True Talisman of Flowing Radiance, the True Talisman of Flowing Thunder, and the True Talisman of Flowing Splendor, among others. These are used mainly when opening the altar, relieving suffering, and delivering the dead.
Memorial forms
- Memorial form for the Jade Register Great Blood Lake Retreat
- Blood Lake Memorial
Dispatch forms
- Dispatch form for the Great One’s Jade Register Blood Lake
- Blood Lake Dispatch
Petition forms
- Petition form for the Jade Clarity Blood Lake Retreat
- Blood Lake Petition, Blood Lake Petition for Recommendation and Protection, and Blood Lake Petition for Rebirth
- Memorial for Relieving Suffering and Refining the Dead in the Blood Lake
- Petition form to the Primordial Beginning concerning all souls who died through violent injury or bloodshed
- Petition for Rebirth through Refinement in the Blood Lake and Petition for Deliverance of the Dead through Refinement in the Blood Lake
Overview: This section is not the body of a scripture or lecture. It is an index of ritual documents. The first part lists the deities, offices, and document types involved in Lingbao purification rituals, including the constellations, the Three Officials, Fengdu, the Eastern Peak, treasury officials, and contractual dispatches. The second part lists the talismans, memorials, dispatches, and petitions used in the Great Blood Lake Retreat. It serves as a reference for Daoist priests to locate and fill out the documents according to their prescribed forms. To understand a specific entry, such as “Inviting the Treasury Official” or “Refinement in the Blood Lake,” one must consult the model text for that form elsewhere in the complete work.
Source text: Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（KR5i0092）; Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Report an error / feedback