《靈寶文檢》Vol. 29

Note on the Text and Its Section

This section is from juan 10 of the Shangqing Lingbao Wenjian, as included in the Daozang Jiyao. It belongs to the category of bangyi (placard-intent documents)—that is, documents used in keyi (liturgy) for posting placards and presenting “intentions” in memorial. The original book was compiled by Jin Ti, a Perfected Officer Enforcing the Law of the Southern Bureau and holder of the secret register of the Central Covenant of Lingbao. It was later revised by the Buyun Chamber and re-collated by the later student Chen Fuxuan of Jinxi, sobriquet Hanpu. The following entry, titled “The Li Clan’s Dual Intention for Filling and Repaying the Treasury,” is the general intention of a placard used when solemnly establishing the Lingbao Great Jiao (offering ritual) of Repaying the Covenant and Requiting Grace, the Golden Register Grand Fast for Receiving Life, the Rite of Filling and Depositing the Treasury, and other daochang (ritual assemblies) for universal blessing and illumining the dark.

Vernacular Explanation

The Li Clan’s Dual Intention for Filling and Repaying the Treasury (summary of the title as assigned by the office)

This was established for the solemn construction of the Lingbao Great Jiao of Repaying the Covenant and Requiting Grace, the Golden Register Grand Fast for Receiving Life, the Rite of Filling and Depositing the Treasury, and the daochang for universal blessing and illumining the dark. The total number of day-and-night periods has been set at so many; an auspicious hour on a certain year, month, and day of the Imperial Qing has been chosen for putting pen to paper. The ritual begins with the opening of the altar on a certain day; on a certain day the jiao is established, merit is reported, and the curtains are removed; only then is completion formally announced.

At that time (the year, month, and auspicious hour are briefly stated).

Respectfully we have heard:

In the empty azure the true is refined; Heaven and Earth are nourished in the layered heavens. The Great Dark contains its radiance; the August Human probes the Great Brahma and assigns its grades. The Jade Bureau discusses the pivot, and destiny is divided into six measures; jade caskets emit their essence, and Qi congeals into the Five Writs. Transformation governs the great thousand, and all is endowed with the principle of no sound and no scent; the great essence is One, and all returns to form itself being emptiness. For nine years cultivating and reciting the supreme words, leading them to the Golden Gate; through ten thousand kalpas the great resonance flows, bequeathed to the jeweled trees. Although sage and ordinary are separated by difference, within a single thought the canonical standards remain and do not go beyond the Three Vehicles. Though the ornate text is difficult to detail fully, its essential purport can be comprehended. Thereupon—

A plot of ground is borrowed; the altar spreads its eight terraces. Lotus seats are solemnly arrayed; the five colors gather, yet mist and rosy clouds do not stain them. Mushroom carriages are ingeniously adorned; the nine lights join, and sun and moon are without blemish. Jade registers and golden statutes grandly unfold the precious expositions of the Daoist canon; ornate seal scripts secretly perform, and the Dharma wheel flies. In the deep distance, phoenix banners; once the music of the Celestial Balance is played, we welcome the fluttering crane carriages. A thousand carriages with embroidered canopies descend to the mortal realm, thereby attuning to our foolish sincerity.

(The officiant So-and-so and others) bow a hundred times and submit the following:

To the Limitless Great Dao and the Golden Palace Primordial August High Perfected (beneath the palace gate); to the Nine Heavens Golden Register Immeasurable Receiving-Life Perfected Lord (beneath the throne). I, your servant, have heard:

The roots of blessing are planted in the field of the mind; the next life is planted and completed from this life. The fruits of goodness are cultivated from the nature-ground; later generations are cultivated and completed from this generation. Examining the purport of the Golden Register scripture, those who receive the transmission begin…

Background and Brief Glossary (for Reading the Placard Text)

Filling the deposited treasury / repaying the deposited treasury (tianjiku/huanjiku). In Daoist liturgy, the ritual of “filling” or “repaying” the treasury deposited in the underworld—an underworld register of pre-deposited merit and goods—for believers, often held together with life-receiving and grace-requiting jiao.

Golden Register receiving life (Jinlu shousheng). According to the Golden Register lineage, the handling of registers of “receiving life” for the deceased or the living, praying that the underworld follow the register and grant deliverance through kalpas and ascent, and the like.

Bangyi (placard intention). The formulaic phrases posted on placards to announce the ritual purpose, invite sages, and state the believers’ vows; mostly parallel and elegant.

Opening the altar, establishing the jiao, removing the curtains. Opening the altar and beginning the liturgy; establishing the jiao and performing sacrifice; removing the curtains and closing the altar, concluding one stage of keyi.

Eight terraces. The stepped form of the altar, symbolizing the eight directions or celestial ranks; specifics according to Lingbao altar diagrams.

Three Vehicles (Sancheng). Here borrowing Buddhist vocabulary to refer to different levels of methods for saving people; the placard uses it to say that canonical norms do not go beyond it.

Note: The original text continues after “Examining the purport of the Golden Register scripture, those who receive the transmission begin…” If you provide the subsequent passages, they can be translated in the same style. Also, “Guling Buyun Fang” may be a variant writing of a place name or chamber name; editions differ, but this does not affect the main line of this placard intention.

Lingbao Wenjian: A Plain-Language Reading

This text is a formal memorial, a petition submitted to the Heavenly court during a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) offering. Its theme is jiku ("depositing in the celestial storehouse"), which means lodging merit and goods with the heavenly treasury to request blessings and longevity. The sections below follow the sequence of the text.

Opening (Citation and Self-Deprecation)

Following the surviving texts on jiku attributed to Perfected Miaoyin (Miaoyin Zhenren), this petition adopts the practice that good people of earlier times circulated and made known. Your servant, aware of my own modest talent, has by chance taken part in the Dao. My learning is as slight as a thread of cloth, and among the officials in their ceremonial robes I am truly a mere pretender in the scriptural teachings of the Three Caverns (Sandong). I open this altar and set out the matter only through inner reflection, and I respectfully record these words to convey them to the unseen realm.

Statement of the Matter

Today, according to the Daoist priest of a certain place in Sichuan, Great Qing, who has performed a jianzhai (ritual offering), the purpose is to deposit wealth in the storehouse, to repay Heaven, to petition for grace, to receive blessings and extend life, and to prepare merit in advance. The faithful donor, Mr. So-and-so, and his household, on a certain day, burn incense of five woods, offer ten lamps of flowers, bow a hundred times to express sincerity, and with one mind take refuge and kneel in worship.

Within the golden gate of the Jade Capital stand the Supreme Lords of the Three Realms (Sanjing Yuanzun), and within the White Jade Capital shine the Six Sovereign High Deities (Liuyu Shangdi). On the Mountain of Accumulated Goodness (Shanji Shan) are arrayed immortal sages in their offices, and at the Assembly of Birth (Shousheng Hui) attendant perfected officials wait upon them. May they cast a favorable gaze and clearly perceive our sincere devotion.

Praise of Heaven, Earth, and Parents

We reflect deeply that the grace of the Four Great Elements (sida), which the text describes as the foundation of creation, covers all things and ceaselessly generates and completes them, and is contained within the order of the world. The Dao is broad and encompasses the Three Powers (sancai) of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity; in stillness and motion its transformations cannot be fully described. The vault of heaven displays its forms, and its spiritual protection extends to the eight directions. The broad and solid earth bears all shapes, and its primal power spreads to the seven extremes. The sun rises and the moon follows, shining without distinction; water sources and soil veins nourish all things in the same way.

The two modes of Heaven and Earth (eryi) give rise to visible signs, and their goodness is rooted in yin and yang. Nine months of gestation (jiuyue huaitai) give the body its form, and the spiritual root is held by the parents. Each element develops according to its occasion, and the meaning of harmonious balance (chonghe) produces life after life and is put to use. The work of weiyu, the ordering and nurturing of the world, is greatly raised, as the Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong) says: "Only those who are utterly sincere under Heaven can fully develop their nature... and can assist in the transforming and nurturing of Heaven and Earth." Thus the origin of human beings is established, and the grandeur of the cosmos is set in motion.

Family and Community Continuity

We look back on the fragrant lineage, tracing its source to a remote past. The Longxi clan has given rise to fine descendants, and its branches extend and sustain the family over the generations. Each settlement shares in the blessings of its ancestral spirits, and the inheritance continues without break, opening a grand future for later descendants. Such thoughts run very deep, yet the return we can offer is truly rare.

The Donor's Statement (Humility and Petition)

According to Mr. So-and-so: I am but an ordinary person in this world and an ignorant man between Heaven and Earth. My conduct toward family has not been sincere, and I often feel shame in my daily dealings. My household is bound by obligations, and my comings and goings have not been examined. I have endured wind and rain and am fortunate to have modest clothing and food. I have also wandered through the pursuit of fame and profit, under the stars and the moon. My dwelling may seem secure, but it truly depends on the support of Heaven and Earth. If there is peace, may blessings reach us; I hope to rely on this principle.

Notes

Jiku refers to recording one's present merit and goods in the heavenly storehouse through ritual, in the hope that they may be drawn upon in a future life or in the unseen realm, linked with prolonged life and blessing. The Sanjing Yuanzun, the Liuyu Shangdi, the Mountain of Accumulated Goodness, and the Assembly of Birth are heavenly ranks and officials commonly named in Lingbao ritual texts. In this text, "servant" (chen) usually refers to the Daoist priest or the scribe writing on behalf of the petitioner, while "faithful people" (xinmin) are the donors who sponsor the ritual. Two characters in the transmitted text are garbled, and this does not affect the general meaning: the first seems related to a certain region's good people and their circulation of scriptures, and the second appears close to the word for "vast" or "majestic."

A Vernacular Commentary on the Lingbao Wenjian (Lingbao Document Registers)

Under divine protection, in gratitude for grace and in repayment of merit, this mountain-dwelling practitioner humbly sets up a zhaijiao (purification and offering ritual) to thank Heaven and Earth. Following the ritual rules, the requisite offerings and ceremonial vessels are prepared, and the officiants and the assembled congregation are charged to set up an altar at home, recite scripture, and perform confessional liturgy (chanhui). (The ritual sequence that follows is omitted.)

When the jade casket holding the scriptures is opened, the hope is that every character will dissolve transgressions. When the sacred names are proclaimed, the hope is that every line will extinguish sins.

Raising the Banners to Welcome the Perfected: Four pairs of five-colored flower banners are hung high to welcome the perfected beings and to offer a respectful presentation for their inspection.

Two halls are lit with orchid-fat pure candles, and the candles of all the Perfected are arranged in brilliant display, filling the altar with offerings.

Jade grains and fragrant kitchen dishes make up a full banquet of wondrous offerings, presented for their acceptance. Gold paper and cloud horses in five crates are read aloud as a formal notice of the offerings.

Five registers of the Eight Majesties in dragon-script and phoenix seal-script are recited for blessing. Four rounds of the Celestial Ordering Spirit Registers are recited for protection and empowerment.

Sacred Mantras of Virtue and Power: Merit is blessed one by one, as above, so that the purpose may be widely proclaimed. Toward the void, the root is planted; the petitions are presented in full. From stillness, spirit is born. The aim is to repay the extraordinary grace received and to pray for the arrival of a wondrous shelter.

Respectfully heard:

The Dao is profound and subtle. From primordial chaos it first opened into a single stroke. Human beings live within the realm of the world, dwelling between Heaven and Earth, and are called the Three Powers (sancai). Once nature has been endowed, a good root is secretly contained in the spiritual terrace of the heart. If one cultivates oneself as one would polish a mirror, the foundation of blessing can be bequeathed to later generations. Because of these earlier teachings, a great fasting ceremony is respectfully opened, and in order to list the merits, the age is recorded first.

(Name) respectfully states the following request on behalf of (X): born in the (X) year, (X) month, (X) hour, in the line of Geng-Ji [unclear character]. Above, this person belongs to the palace of the (X)th Star Lord of the Northern Dipper (Beidou), and below, is registered under the (Ji)-tenth storehouse official's case in the Shousheng Yuan (Office of Receiving Life) of the Yuefu (Office of the Sacred Peaks). At the time of birth from the womb, the spirit-money due was (X) and the scriptures due were (X).

Yet (Name) reflects that the parents, who gave this person their physical form in the mortal realm and received their destiny from the Dipper's enclosure, have conducted their lives in harmony with blessings, and have been sustained by the vast benevolence of Heaven and Earth. Food and clothing have been abundant, and the great kindness of their overseeing gaze has been received. Yet the years pass easily, and the child's duty carries sorrow. Sighing that the months flow away like water, the child laments that no merit has yet been built. Out of thought for parental kindness, and reverence for wondrous goodness, the child follows the golden registers' guidance for redeeming underworld loans, and in accordance with the mysterious rites' established teachings, offers merit to the storehouse, planting good fruit for future lives. (The text continues below.)

Explanatory notes (for ease of reading):

• Zhaijiao (purification and offering ritual), altar setup: A Daoist ritual in which an altar is set up at home for scripture recitation, confession liturgy (chanhui), and offerings.
• Jade casket and sacred names: The jade box or ornate case that holds scriptures. "Sacred names" refers to the honorific titles of the deities.
• Welcoming the perfected: Inviting and making offerings to the heavenly beings and Perfected immortals.
• Orchid-fat candles and bright candles: Clean candles made with orchid-derived fat, symbolizing an offering of light.
• Cloud horses and gold paper: Symbolic offerings of paper horses and gold and silver paper, representing the offering of wealth and the conveyance of intent.
• Eight Majesties dragon-script and phoenix seal-script; Celestial Ordering Spirit Registers: Talismanic registers and named spirit registers recited in the Lingbao tradition, used to empower merit.
• Shousheng Yuan (Office of Receiving Life) and storehouse officials: Underworld bureaus in Daoist belief that oversee the "borrowed storehouse" spirit money for living persons. The placeholders (X) stand in for the name, birth date, Star Lord, and storehouse number, to be filled in by the officiant or the sponsor at the time of the rite.
• [Unclear character]: This is a sexagenary month designation, used here together with the Geng line and the Beidou's illumination of one's destiny, to express the alignment of one's life-star with the stars above.

This scripture records the contents of a Daoist "Repayment of Prenatal Debts" ritual (Keyi), describing how devotees settle karmic debts from past lives and accumulate merit through specific ceremonies.

During the ritual, practitioners prepare multiple Daoist scriptures for recitation, including the Lingbao Shousheng Zhenjing (Numinous Treasure Scripture of Receiving Life), Wudou Luku Zhenjing (True Scripture of the Five Dippers' Treasury), and Dongyue Xuanfan Miaojing (Mysterious Model Scripture of Eastern Peak). A special "Jinlu Shousheng Baofan" (Golden Register Life-Receiving Banner) is erected as the central ritual implement. These texts and ritual objects serve to demonstrate piety to Heaven while petitioning for the elimination of karmic debts (Daoism teaches that souls borrow "life-receiving money" from the underworld during reincarnation, requiring repayment in the present life).

Symbolic offerings are meticulously prepared: miniature "Jiku Baozang Louge" (Treasury-Storing Pavilion) models are constructed, along with two "Yansheng Baolu" (Life-Prolonging Registers) and paired "Yinyang Hetong Wendie" (Yin-Yang Contract Documents). Special spirit money (paper currency) is prepared in abundance—ten chests per treasury—each bearing unique codes and half-seals as verification. These offerings will be transported by celestial "laborers" to the specialized vaults of the "Shousheng Yuan" (Life-Receiving Bureau) at Dongyue Taishan Fu (the Eastern Peak's prefecture governing the underworld).

Upon completing the ritual, devotees wear the "Yangdie" (Yang Contract Document) as a counterpart to underworld records. At life's end, this document will serve as proof for auditing accounts in the underworld, allowing retrieval of deposited merit-assets to facilitate future rebirth.

The latter portion expresses the practitioner's ancestral veneration and aspirations for familial prosperity. It emphasizes inheriting ancestral virtues, enabling the family to rise like flourishing bamboo with each generation remembering its roots. Between the lines flows profound ancestral remembrance and sincere prayers for enduring blessings.

(Note: The terms "ji" [self] and "mou" [so-and-so] represent standard ritual document placeholders to be filled with specific devotees' information during actual ceremonies.)

Excerpts from the Lingbao Wenjian: A Vernacular Rendering

Memorial Recitation and Scriptures

Offerings and sacrifices express, in modest measure, one's sincerity. By holding the assembly on schedule and carrying out the practice with solemnity, one may intercede on behalf of the dead, that is, petition Heaven for the deliverance (jiandu) of the departed or of one's kin. Accordingly, the memorial of deliverance is hereby submitted. The "and so forth" in the text marks places to be filled in, according to the prescribed form, with the names of those to be delivered and the reasons for the rite.

All the souls connected with this deliverance are to attend and receive together the recitation to be performed. This includes a number of fascicles of the Jade Chapter on the Birth of Spirits of the Nine Heavens (Jiutian Shengshen Yuzhang), a number of fascicles of the Wondrous Scripture of Dongxuan for Relief from Suffering (Dongxuan Jiuku Miaojing), a number of fascicles of the True Scripture on the Responsive Efficacy of the Ten Kings (Shiwang Ganying Zhenjing), a number of fascicles of the True Scripture on Ascending to Heaven and Attaining the Dao (Shengtian Dedao Zhenjing), and a number of fascicles of the Wondrous Scripture of the Fengdu Darkness (Fengdu Heian Miaojing).

Relying on the merit and karmic causes of these works, may the souls connected with this deliverance all hear the true meaning and together awaken to the principle of permanence. May they not be obstructed by the liuchen (the six dusts: form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma-objects), and may they all rise together to the upper grades. May this merit extend through a hundred generations, and may all present share in its residual blessings.

Invocation and Stellar Destiny

(Invocation) We respectfully hear that the Lotus Pond manifests auspicious signs, its radiance spreads the nine qi, and the Jade Pivot (Xuanji) sets forth governance. The land of Zhu (India) brings forth auspicious omens, and the correspondences of the Three Terraces display clear and luminous transformation. For people and things alike, all lie within the sphere of transformation; whether male or female, all abide within the shelter of protection. The stars that retard, lurk, or move in reverse (astrological terms for sluggish motion, hidden phases, and retrograde movement) shine forth in their palaces, and their rising and falling are fixed in sequence. Joy, prosperity, decline, and peril become manifest according to their palaces and stations. The good and the evil, the punishments, the clashes, the overcomings, and the battles are, as the scriptural principles set forth in advance make clear, something to be consulted; the calamities that arise may be averted by appeasement, and the rites carried out according to the ritual codes will make matters clearer still. We now attach this matter to the Dharma gate and venture to present it to the Chamber of the Pivot, the office that governs Heaven.

Petition on Behalf of the Retreat Master

Now there is the retreat master (the one who presides over the zhaijiao purification ritual and undertakes the fast and practice), of such-and-such a surname and name, with such-and-such a birth year in the sexagenary cycle, together with a number of men and women, elders and young ones. The master's form receives the upright qi and is refined by the sanjing (the three luminaries: sun, moon, and stars, or the qi of heaven, earth, and humanity as described in Daoist teaching). The master's destiny is divided into yin and yang and is registered under the qiyuan (the seven primal qi, or the seven luminaries). Moreover, illness has long clung to them and has not yet healed, so now they raise this rite of averting calamity, and together they receive the grace of transformation. With utmost sincerity they pray, relying on help from beginning to end; with single-minded devotion they petition, asking for even the slightest power to release them from peril and distress.

Accordingly, the following are recited: the Scripture of the Five Dippers (Wudou Jing), the Litany of the Northern Dipper (Beidou Chan), and the Eulogy for the Guan (Guan Zan). A hall of eleven great luminary lamps is also set up, and a number of cash coins corresponding to the practitioner's birth star are presented.

Having recounted this merit, we specially petition that the calamities and fated afflictions be removed and that obstructions and stagnation be dispersed, so that the practitioner may behold the radiance of Heaven. May obstacles and demons be cut away, may inauspicious forces be overcome, and may the human world attain clarity and peace. May this comply with the wishes of the people, and may the practitioner forever receive the grace of Heaven.

The Unattended Souls of a Village

We further recall the lonely souls of a village, the unsheltered spirits of the four borders. Some are the dead beneath the waters, who weep in vain toward the green river. Some abandoned their lives beneath beams (by hanging), and often cling to silk cords in sorrow. Their grievances are bound and cannot be untangled, and the chain of retribution never ends; they have destroyed one another with white blades and poisoned one another with red arsenic. Flying spirits and wandering essences are all like the blood of Chang Hong (a figure of innocent people who died violently), and spirits clinging to grass and trees are none other than the soul of Emperor Wang (the cuckoo whose cries of blood and the vengeful spirits attached to plants and trees evoke this image). Their bodies are incomplete and their kin cannot be identified; some met with warfare and fire, others with plague and pestilence. Such bitter karma of every kind cannot be fully told.

(The text that follows consists mainly of dates, place names, and the names of the dead, filled in according to the form; they are omitted here.)

Note

This text belongs to the wenjian (documentary memorial) genre of Lingbao zhaijiao. The first half concerns the deliverance of the dead and the list of scriptural fascicles. The middle section draws on stellar destiny and calamity to set out the grounds for averting misfortune. The latter half concerns the averting of misfortune for the living retreat master according to their birth star, and then extends to the unclaimed dead of a village. The character marked ji in phrases such as "juan ji" (fascicles, to be filled in) and "jinqian ji fen" (cash in portions) is a placeholder found in printed or manuscript editions; in actual use, the number of fascicles and portions is to be entered.

Plain-Language Reading of the Lingbao Wenjian (Spirit Treasure Documentary Checklist)

Main Idea of the Scripture

Some people’s six roots (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) are not yet complete when they meet the flames of war; corpses fill ravines and gullies. Again they encounter the turn of a cosmic kalpa, and their hun and po souls are buried in wild smoke and overgrown weeds. In the “field of compassion” there are many who are destitute and ruined, scattered on hills and mounds; countless wretched souls have never received the opportunity of liandu (salvation through ritual refinement) or jiddu (deliverance and crossing over).

Therefore one relies on Daoist methods to judge and release wandering ghosts. One distributes a copy of the Sazu Tiequan Hongyi (Grand Rite of the Iron Pledge of Patriarch Sa); according to the Jiuzhen Jigu Miaojie (Wondrous Precepts of the Nine Perfected for Delivering the Orphaned), one hangs the procession banners; one lights (a stated number of) lamps for the dark road of the nether journey; one recites and sprinkles one meal of cloud-kitchen sweet-dew ritual food; and one additionally raises a seven-star black banner to oversee orphaned souls, broadly saving orphaned souls on both the water and land paths, so that those who are qiongdu—alone and without support—may find a side path to ascension and leave behind the suffering of the nine dark nights in the gloom of Fengdu (the Daoist nether capital). Souls lingering in cold forests may have their yin shade cleared; the yang realm’s walls and boundaries may be secure, peaceful, and flourishing.

Items Recorded on the Right, Fully Expressing Sincerity

When the memorial has been fully recorded, one first repays the grace of covering and nurturing, then thanks the treasury officers, and in order presents the seasonal zhengchang offerings, inviting the circle of blessings to completion. One establishes a merit offering of a xiaozai qingjiao (purification ritual to dispel calamity) for the Three Realms and Four Prefectures, totaling three hundred and sixty ritual positions—above, to repay the vast grace of Heaven and Earth; below, to thank the deep bounty of water and land. May the father’s longevity be like the evergreen and the mother’s honor like the day lily; may the evening of life know the joy of peace and security; may orchids and cassia flourish, and the humble gate show forth blessing and shade. And so on—the petitioner, in fear and trembling that the wording is trivial and offends the high vault, humbly hopes the golden palace will accept this sincere heart, and looks down hoping the azure canopy will witness this ordinary devotion.

We humbly pray: may the Dao extend its wondrous shade and Heaven bestow abundant blessings; may the sea of fortune and mountain of longevity receive the great plan (jichou) in shared beauty; may orchid descendants and unicorn offspring multiply like locust wings in shared fragrance. One household rejoices together; a hundred generations share in peace. The petitioner, daring to offend heavenly majesty, with boundless urgency and awe, kowtows again and again with utmost respect.

Purpose of the Memorial for the Deceased (Opening the Ritual)

The season need not be spelled out; thus the petition is submitted, and the business of the symbolic teaching is entrusted to the yuyi (feathered robe, i.e., the Daoist priest). Thereupon one follows the pattern of the xuantu (jade diagram of the altar), establishing the zhitan (fungus altar) in the pure realm; the liturgy follows the yuge (jade grade of ritual rank), perusing the precious ji (scripture case) from the cloud pouch. Rainbow banners and feathered canopies welcome the hosts in due order; jade characters and golden writing dispatch them according to rank and category. One begs the benevolence of the heavenly palace to return, fully answering the hopes of the filial household.

Before the grief is fully told, the ritual register is first invoked:

Under Changchun Quande Shenhua Mingying Zhujiao Zhenjun (Perfect Lord, Fully Virtuous, Spirit-Transforming, Brightly Responsive, Chief Instructor of the Changchun lineage), the successor receives the full office (cloud)—with fear and trembling, kowtowing and bowing a hundred times, submitting upward.

Notes

• Beitian yuan (Field of Compassion Courtyard): In antiquity, a charitable institution that took in the poor and sick and buried unclaimed remains; here it stands for people adrift in the world with no place of burial.
• Shuilu liang tu (Water and land, two paths): In Daoism, the dead may sink in the water bureau or linger on land paths; deliverance liturgy often separates “water jiao,” “land jiao,” or combines them as a “water–land assembly.”
• Feng you jiuye (Fengdu’s dark nine nights): The dark nights of Fengdu (the Daoist nether capital)—the phase in which the dead suffer in the yin judiciary; chaosheng (ascension) means leaving this suffering.
• Sanjie sifu (Three Realms and Four Prefectures): Broadly Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, and the four prefectures (or four sages, four poles, etc., as ritual divisions); here, the divine mansions honored in the established jiao.
• Yuyi, xuantu, yuge, yun nang: Metaphors respectively for the Daoist priest, altar layout, grades of liturgy, and scripture pouch—expressing building the altar by liturgy and acting by rank.
• Changchun Quande Shenhua Mingying Zhujiao Zhenjun: A title often seen in ritual texts; “successor receives full office” means acting for the filial family in presenting the memorial and opening the ritual to Heaven.

In the text, a corrupted character in the base manuscript/OCR is generally understood in the context of delivering the orphaned as qiongdu or qiong jie (alone, without support—orphaned and isolated souls).

This scripture is a ritual document from the Daoist Lingbao Wenjian, composed in the formal style of a memorial submitted by a minister to the celestial deities.

It begins by addressing the highest Daoist divinities—the "Three Pure Ones of the Three Realms" (Sanqing) and the "Six Sovereign Emperors"—recounting how the primordial ancestral Qi (cosmic source energy) gave birth to all things at the dawn of the Dragon-Han kalpa (a Daoist cosmic cycle). Since Zhang Daoling established Daoism at Heming Mountain, the complete system of the Three Caverns scriptures (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) and ritual protocols (Zhaijiao) had been perfected.

The text then voices the filial son's repentance: though lacking in wisdom, he presides over this salvation ritual. He earnestly petitions the celestial court to deliver his deceased parents (referred to as "the late father X and mother X"), providing detailed records of their birthdates, native places, ages, and the circumstances of their passing.

With profound grief, the son describes his parents' nurturing kindness as "loftier than mountains, deeper than seas." He had hoped they would endure like evergreen pines or the eternal lingchun (symbolizing fatherhood) and xuancao (symbolizing motherhood), yet fate proved inexorable. Recalling their warmth in life, now separated by the Yin-Yang divide, he can only repay their kindness through this ritual.

Finally, the document outlines the ceremony: an auspicious date is chosen to invite Daoist priests (yushi) who will follow the golden pavilion ritual procedures transmitted by Guangcheng Tianshi (the legendary teacher of the Yellow Emperor). A sacred altar will be erected in the family home, arranged according to cosmic patterns, for the "Lingbao Salvation and Ascension Ritual" lasting one day and night. During this time, the Dongxuan Nüqing Sanyuan Pinjie Miaojing will be recited—a scripture detailing the precepts of the Three Officials (Heaven, Earth, Water) and methods for salvation.

The repeated phrase "yunyun" (etc.) reflects classical document conventions, indicating where specific details would be filled in during actual use.

This scripture describes a Daoist zhaijiao (purification ritual) for the salvation of deceased souls, containing the following key elements:

First, a series of ritual offerings are prepared: confession documents, lotus lamps, and other pure offerings are presented to the Jade Emperor (the supreme deity in Daoism), along with the burning of golden memorials (documents addressed to the celestial court). The ceremony involves reciting disaster-dispelling divine incantations, preparing merit documents and a copy of the Nine Perfect Precepts (Daoist ethical codes), plus ten loads of underworld currency (paper offerings), all to be delivered by designated officiants to the Sheng Tian Yuan (institution for soul salvation in the underworld).

The ritual aims to seek celestial blessings for the purification and ascension of departed souls. It specifically mentions redeeming the deceased ancestors of filial descendants' families—regardless of whether they accumulated virtue during their lifetimes—through this zhaijiao ceremony. Additional preparations include iron containers of food offerings, 360 ordination certificates (proof of precept acceptance) for the deceased, 36 guiding lanterns, and two mountains of paper money, ensuring all wandering souls receive beneficence.

The ritual concludes with prayers for the departed to bathe in divine radiance and ascend to the Penglai immortal isles (Daoist paradise), while invoking protection and blessings for living relatives. Conducted in strict accordance with Daoist liturgical norms, the ceremony employs scripture recitation and prayers to dispel misfortunes and bestow blessings upon the people.

Note: "Zhuling" refers to the southern fire palace, "glutinous millet" symbolizes the Golden Elixir (Jindan), and "Penglai's three isles" represent Daoist celestial realms. These specialized terms carry specific symbolic meanings in Daoist scriptures.

Plain-Language Commentary on the Lingbao Wenjian (Lingbao Scripture Register)

(Opening Invocation)

Respectfully, I report that the earth spirits give their support and the Jade Bureau assembly (yuju fahui, a jiaozhai occasion in which heaven and earth are brought into communication) has been established. Taishang (Most High, one of the supreme deities of Daoism) once transmitted the Great Dao to the huangren (the ideal adept who receives the Dao) through rites of preaching the scriptures, the Heavenly Perfected (tianzhen), the Eight Treasures, and millet. Through the Five Texts (wu wen, the core secret writings such as the Five Lingbao Scriptures) he revealed the realms, and the myriad spirits were gathered in.

The scriptures to be recited are listed below by entry, including the entrance scriptures, incantations, and confessional texts, along with edicts (gao), and so on. The order of the scriptures, confessions, incantations, and edicts has been written out one by one.

Now I invite the assembled masters of this altar to recite aloud and hold to these texts clearly, rectifying the mind and making the intention sincere, so that all miscellaneous thoughts are wholly purified, the mystery is penetrated and its subtleties examined, the seven emotions (qiqing) are settled, and no false movement arises. Take the "hiding one's light and nourishing obscurity" of the Daodejing (Dao De Jing) as a warning to yourselves, and the "watchfulness over one's solitude" of the Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean) as an encouragement. The Confucian gathers in the wandering heart, while our Dao nourishes the primordial qi (xiantian yuanqi). Look within and do not lightly cough or spit, for Daoism regards jing (essence) as precious. Let the five aggregates all be empty (a term borrowed from Buddhism, meaning that the mind does not cling), so that the seal script of the immortal scriptures may be brought to completion. Please each take your place on the altar, open the jade casket (yu han, the jade scripture case), and chant without omission, so that blessings may gather.

Roster of Officiants (Zhishi Bang)

This office, on behalf of the practitioners of the Dao, the filial and faithful Mr. or Ms. (surname), and others, undertakes the cultivation of the Great Lingbao Dudu Hongzhai (Great Lingbao Universal Salvation Retreat) because of the death of (name) and the departure of that soul, in order to aid their blessings in the netherworld. Fearing that the posts inside and outside the altar have not been established and that people may become mixed together, we now list and register the names of the officiants inside and outside the altar, assigned as follows.

Furthermore, I ask all those named on this roster to keep to their own posts and together exhaust their sincere devotion, praying to the spirits above and below in hope of a response (gange, divine response). Do not regard the precepts of sin and blessing as empty words. All of us who serve here, please follow this roster. This is the notice.

(Date)

The above roster is hereby announced.

Roster of Orphan Spirits (Gu Hun Bang)

Alas, within this realm and this region, among the five tones and six paths, the four kinds of birth and the myriad kinds of beings, are the lonely orphan souls (qie jie gu hun, unsettled spirits without sacrifice), numerous as the sands of the Ganges. They were human in life and became ghosts after death, yet they have not received salvation and deliverance in the human world, and have long remained orphan ghosts under the netherworld. To sink into such a state is most lamentable.

When they were human, they were not born at the same time. Once they became ghosts, they died along different paths. Some met with war and turmoil and the cruelty of blades and weapons. Others met with lean years of famine, and starved corpses lay along the roads. Having left their wells and villages, who will preside over their sacrifices in spring and autumn? Clinging to grass and attaching to trees (a popular term for homeless souls), they merely pass the years.

(This roster is meant to summon and universally deliver the orphan spirits within the region, in accordance with the salvation aim of the Lingbao Dudu retreat.)

Lingbao Wenjian: A Vernacular Interpretation

Scripture Passage

Lament: Xiang Yu cut his own throat at Wujiang, and his eight thousand elite warriors' souls filled the river. Tian Heng died, and his five hundred loyal retainers' souls wandered among the islands of the sea. Qu Yuan clasped a stone and drowned in the Luo River, and Shen Zi hanged himself from a beam in Xincheng. The golden steps cut out the hearts of the loyal and upright, and the Three Benevolent Ones are worthy of pity. The sharp blade cut open a pregnant woman, and two lives are cause for grief. Jie Tui kept his integrity and was burned on Mian Mountain, becoming a fire ghost. Yi and Qi held fast to loyalty and righteousness and starved to death on Shouyang, becoming hungry ghosts. Some had the skill of Bian Zhuang to fight tigers, yet were killed by tigers. Others lacked the strength of the King of Han to slay serpents, and were bitten by serpents. Some shot arrows at the sky with bloodied bags and were struck by thunder for their wickedness. Others lacked Huan Jing's ability to escape calamity, and were infected by plague as heaven's punishment. Some lived to eight hundred years like Peng Zu, a long life. Others died young in their prime, like Yan Hui. There are the yu spirits that startle chickens and tease dogs, and the spirits that shoot sand and cast shadows. Across hundreds and thousands of kalpas there are hundreds of millions of wronged souls, crowding the dark netherworld in throngs and gathering in ghostly valleys. Recalling their lives as humans, all of them received the nurturing transformation of life. Lamenting that they are now ghosts, they have not received the aid of deliverance. When the moon is bright and the stars are sparse, some appear in form and in shadow. When the wind blows and the rain falls, some are heard weeping and wailing. So sorrowful, so mournful, so desolate and bleak. We borrow the good resources of the patron and rely on the Dao's methods of relief, so that you may leave your body and be transformed, not becoming a wandering orphan spirit. Your sins and faults are expunged, and you may together ascend as good spirits. From now on, a general amnesty is granted for the future. Swiftly may you ascend to the palace of ultimate bliss, and not sink into the realm of the bitter sea. Heaven has a road and hell has no gate. Relying on this good cause, all of you receive deliverance.

Vernacular Interpretation

On Sorrows: Xiang Yu slashed his throat at Wujiang, and eight thousand of his fierce generals' souls clogged the river. Tian Heng met his death, and five hundred loyal retainers' souls drifted among the islands of the sea. Qu Yuan clasped a stone and threw himself into the Luo River, while Shen Zi hanged himself from a beam in Xincheng. The golden steps cut out the hearts of the loyal, and the Three Benevolent Ones (Bi Gan, Viscount Wei, and the Prince of Ji) are pitiable. The sharp blade ripped open a pregnant woman, and mother and child, two lives, are cause for grief. Jie Tui kept his integrity and was burned on Mian Mountain, becoming a fire ghost. Boyi and Shuqi upheld loyalty and righteousness and starved to death on Shouyang, becoming hungry ghosts. Bian Zhuang of old had the skill to fight tigers, yet was wounded by a tiger. Those without the King of Han's strength to slay serpents were bitten by serpents instead. Some shot arrows at the sky with bloodied bags and were struck by thunder for their wickedness. Others who lacked Huan Jing's ability to avoid calamity were infected by plague as heaven's punishment. Some lived to eight hundred years like Peng Zu, while others died young in their prime, like Yan Hui. There are the yu spirits that startle chickens and tease dogs, and the spirits that shoot sand and cast shadows. Across hundreds of thousands of kalpas there are hundreds of millions of wronged souls, crowding the dark netherworld in throngs and gathering in ghostly valleys. Recalling their lives as humans, all of them received the nurturing transformation of life. Lamenting that they are now ghosts, they have not received the aid of deliverance. When the moon is bright and the stars are sparse, some appear in form and in shadow. When the wind blows and the rain falls, some are heard weeping and wailing. So sorrowful, so mournful, so desolate and bleak. We borrow the good resources of the patron and rely on the Dao's methods of relief, so that you may leave your body and be transformed, and not become wandering orphan spirits. Your sins and faults are expunged, and you may together ascend as good spirits. From now on, a general amnesty is granted for the future: swiftly may you ascend to the palace of ultimate bliss, and not sink into the realm of the bitter sea. Heaven has a road and hell has no gate. Relying on this good cause, all of you receive deliverance.

Memorial for the Father (Deliverance of the Late Father)

Humbly, the gate of compassion is wide open, and great is the work of welcoming and guiding souls. The sea of suffering has no shore, and we vow to rely on the bridge of the Dharma. We now express our grief and look up to the light of compassion. We recall that our late father had an upright and firm heart and a calm, gentle bearing. In his household he upheld the customs of courtesy and yielding, and in his life among the forests and springs he had a carefree, unworldly manner. Through his sincerity, people accepted his righteousness, and through his bestowal of kindness, all received his grace. The wave of his influence moistened the house, and his achievements left a plan for peace. Yet his two young children were not yet grown when the hall's pillar was startled, and we lament the bridge in the southern mountains that collapsed despite a hundred remedies with no effect. Orphaned and alone, the young child walks the courtyard, with no one left to teach him ritual. The infant cries, and at night the sound of gibbons breaks the tender heart. The lamp's flame flickers, and everything before our eyes is sorrowful. The children are young and the wife is widowed, and all that remains is a mound of yellow earth. Humbly we pray that by this merit and virtue, our late father may be delivered, swiftly ascend to the immortal realms, and forever escape the cycle of rebirth.

Glossary of Proper Nouns

Note: This text is a summoning and deliverance document used in Lingbao school deliverance rituals. It first lists the many kinds of tragic deaths suffered by wronged souls past and present, then relies on the patron's merit and Daoist methods to deliver the spirits from the bitter sea and lead them to good destinies. It also includes a dedicated section, "Memorial for the Father," which seeks blessings and deliverance for a deceased father.

Vernacular Interpretation

The household is left in solitude. I reflect that in my parent's lifetime I heard very little of the scriptures and Dharma, and I fear that after death it will be hard to escape transmigration (lunhui). Once one sinks into it, how could one be liberated? I grieve that a parent's kindness, like the warmth of spring sunlight, was so brief, and that I have not yet repaid their toil in raising me. I only hope that the day of wisdom will shine universally, and so I have specially held this memorial rite (jiandu keyi). (Ritual phrases omitted.)

I earnestly beseech that the golden banner guide the way and the jeweled raft (baofa, a vessel for crossing suffering) draw near the shore. May the consciousness of karma (yeshi) be lifted from the sea of bitterness, and the departed soul be ferried out of the Dark Capital (Youdu, the netherworld). In the Lotus Grade (Lianhua pin) may they attain a pure body; in the Qian Tree Grove (Qianshu lin) may they realize the fruit of free and effortless wandering. May they forever leave the evil paths and be permanently freed from the wheel of suffering.

Memorial Text for the Father (Jian Fu Wen)

The Spring Terrace (Quantai) in the depths of the underworld cannot be crossed without the raft of compassion (cihang, a vessel of salvation). The Celestial Throne is lofty and distant, and only sincere prayer can reach it. Now, on behalf of my late father (name), born on (date and hour), human life, like the tortoise's long years, is hard to keep, and the butterfly dream (a brief human life) is easily shattered. The sorrow of flowing water passing the riverbank and of the boat hidden in the night's ravine has overtaken him. On (date), he suddenly returned to the path of darkness, and the spring light vanished. Fame and rank betray the talented; once the official cap is cast aside, it becomes a great dream.

His son feels deep shame, orphaned and alone. The sea of kindness is vast, and even if I were to give my body, I could hardly repay it. Virtue is as high as a mountain, and though I weep blood, I cannot requite it. Without taking refuge in the Supreme Sovereign of Origin (Yuanhuang, the highest deity of Daoism), how could I deliver my deceased father? Now, at the completion of the seventh seven days (forty-nine days), I respectfully perform the supreme ritual, recite the secret scriptures of the dragon script (Longwen midian), and welcome the compassionate lord on the crane chariot (helu). I hope for a spiritual response that will help him be born into the heavens. (Omitted.) May his spirit and soul awaken fully and his consciousness become clear and luminous. May he receive a single drop of sweet dew to wash away the defilements of many lifetimes. May the mysterious sound pierce through and reach the causes of neither birth nor death, and may his wondrous body become perfectly harmonious and attain the fruit of neither going nor coming.

Joint Memorial for Both Parents (Shuang Jian Fumu)

Gloomy mist and sorrowful clouds: grief separates the paths of yin and yang. Golden scriptures and jade verses broadly open the gate of deliverance. I present my sorrowful petition with tears falling, unfold my filial devotion with heartfelt urgency, turn my heart to the palm-leaf scriptures (beiye), and bow my head to the lotus dais.

I grieve when I recall that my late father managed the household with diligence and thrift, and was humble, harmonious, and amiable. His gentle manner and generous bearing were enough to make him a model for the village. He treated others fairly, and in his respectable dress he was honored in the seats of guests. When he completed his sixtieth year, he was already fortunate to have a good name. Yet in what should have been his long years, he suddenly perished, and I look about with no one to rely on. Now as the thirty-fifth day draws near, I am startled that time slips past like a colt glimpsed through a crack. I knock at the Nine Heavens to request their decree and gather in crane-feathered robes (Daoist ritual vestments). (The ritual text is omitted. Its structure parallels the memorial for the father, but it is addressed to both parents.)

Note: This text belongs to the memorial (biaowen) genre of deliverance liturgy (jiandu keyi) in the Lingbao school. It uses Buddhist images such as the sea of suffering, the lotus, and karmic consciousness alongside Daoist titles such as the Supreme Sovereign of Origin, the secret dragon-script scriptures, and the crane chariot. This blend is a common feature of Daoist liturgical writing since the Song and Yuan dynasties, and it reflects the literary style of the unity of the Three Teachings (sanjiao heyi). In the original, "(name)" and "(etc.)" mark places in the ritual where the officiant fills in the deceased's name and formulaic phrases.

Section One (Mourning My Late Mother)

Once more I call to mind my late mother. Since she left this world, more than seventy years have passed. Raising my cup in remembrance, I sigh that the figure of my kind mother, like the day lily, is gone, and only her needlework and clothing remain. With a heart as hard to repay as the grass's, I vow to receive the Buddhist Dharma (fofa) so that it may bring salvation, and together we entrust her to ascension. I humbly pray that the dust of worldly ties be wholly exhausted, like a bright moon shining at midheaven, and that all karmic obstructions be removed, like a lotus blooming on the water. May she depart from the bitter sea and the lost ferry, and enter the hall of blessing and the excellent land.

Memorial Text for My Mother (Jian Mu Wen)

Humbly, the Northern Hall's kind mother grieves over the dim obscurity of the departed soul, and the Eastern Palace's sage vows to rescue those who suffer on the dark road. Therefore we open an unobstructed great assembly (wuzhe dahui) to repay her boundless kindness. With sincere devotion, I offer this text to the clear, compassionate gaze (qingmu) of the Dharma master.

Earnestly I reflect that (name)'s sins have piled up like a mountain and calamity burns like fire. By rights I should have given up my humble body, yet the consequences have reached my kind mother. A hundred bodies could not redeem this, and my five viscera are all shattered. The sun and moon never stop, and her voice and countenance can no longer be seen. I grieve over sixty-six years of her life, which suddenly concluded the karmic bond of one life and one death. Whether she rises or sinks beyond the dark pass is hard to know, and my repayment can only exhaust my filial sincerity. Respectfully, I invite companions of the Dharma to honor the good cause of the fifth and seventh days (wuqi), and reverently I expound the jade casket (qionghan) scriptures, offering the teachings of the preceding three days (qian san). I humbly extend this rite of deliverance to rescue those who are sunk. Open the gate of the prison (bi'an) of the dark, and the night terrace (yetai) will suddenly seem easy to dawn. Ascend the road of free wandering, and the sea of bitterness will naturally be without waves. May she swiftly arrive at the land of rebirth (shengfang) and at once ascend to the highest rank (shangpin).

Memorial Text for My Father (Jian Fu Wen)

Humbly, the Dharma expounded through the millet-grain pearls (referring to the Daoist scriptures) carries each of its three vehicles and every scroll to benefit beings, and the stream of this text, a treasury, diligently ferries the living across in its five chapters. Banners hang in five colors and lamps shine in seven tiers. Weeping blood while holding mourning, I cherish filial longing and am deeply grieved. Following the sound to answer, I rely on heaven's hearing, which is extremely humble. I therefore lay bare my red heart and humbly appeal to the great Creator.

I reflect on my father, (name). Simple and diligent, he built the family through toil. He neither envied nor sought, and favor and disgrace did not disturb his heart. Sincere in benevolence and in yielding, he never let right and wrong pass his lips. Daughters married and sons wed, yet the wish of Xiangping (the wish to see one's children settled) remained unfinished. He tilled the fields and drew water from the well, and always honored the customs of high antiquity. He lived seventy-six years in this floating world, which now seems like a dream, and having left the dust of the world twenty-one days ago, we are already separated by a thousand springs.

What I regret is that, having taught my son through scripture, I had hoped he would win the brocade honors (duojin) next autumn. What I am ashamed of is that I do not know on what day I can burn the yellow paper (fenhuang) to report to the ancestors the honor of our five-tripod rank. Alas, Father, where have you gone? The spring wind has blown, yet I no longer hear the sound of your cough or voice. On whom shall your child now depend? Through the night rain, I face only emptiness.

Note: This text is a liturgical memorial of the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) lineage, used in rites of deliverance on behalf of deceased parents. It commonly opens with formulaic phrases such as "fuyi" (humbly, we), "qienian" (earnestly we reflect), and "fuyuan" (we humbly pray). It also draws on a vocabulary of the underworld and ritual assembly, including "wuqi" (the fifth and seventh days), "qionghan" (jade casket), "qian san" (the preceding three days), "yetai" (night terrace, a figure for the grave), and "bi'an" (prison gate). In the text, "(name)" marks where the name of the deceased is to be filled in when the document is written.

The following are plain-language interpretations of several memorial-deliverance texts from the Lingbao Wengjian (Lingbao Document Templates)—texts for performing Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and bestowing blessings on deceased parents. Technical terms are briefly explained at first occurrence.

Memorial Text for the Deliverance of a Father (Opening Excerpt)

Having just exhausted my tears, I think of my father and cannot stop weeping. I once heard Laozi (the founder of Daoism) say that worry and trouble come from “having a body”; if there were no body, one could be spared all kinds of sorrow and distress. Shakyamuni (the founder of Buddhism) also left a teaching: the body is the root of all suffering; without a body, one could cut off grief and sorrow. Moreover, affectionate attachment entangles the mind and is sometimes fiercer than jackals and wolves; anger and lust disturb the original nature and are as savage as fiery snakes. Were it not for a “Zhiren” (perfected person) of great wisdom who can transcend, who could truly escape these things? My father was always loyal at heart, so I suppose his karmic obstacles are somewhat lighter than those of ordinary people. I am orphaned and helpless, constantly bearing the “sorrow of wind in the trees” (the pain of bereavement, like wind shaking the trees while one can no longer see one’s parents). To repay the fundamental kindness, I can rely only on the “Three Vehicles” of Daoist methods (here broadly referring to Daoist Zhaijiao, scripture recitation, repentance, and other means of deliverance).

Prayer: May his numinous spirit remain undimmed and his awakened nature always clear; may he accord with conditions with an open, unbound mind and not lose the “pearl within the garment” (a metaphor for the Buddha-nature/Dao-nature inherent in everyone); may he let his nature roam freely and suddenly awaken to the principle within the mind.

Memorial Text for the Deliverance of a Mother

General meaning: The kindness of one’s parents is difficult to repay. I have mourned for three years, weeping blood without cease; only by relying on Daoist methods can I, within a single day’s Zhaijiao (purification ritual), deliver my mother to ascend to heaven. I exhaust my grief and entreaty, sending them up to the Compassionate Worthy One (here referring to the Dao, the Buddha, or the deity invoked at the Zhaijiao altar).

Remembering my mother: My late mother was gentle by nature and diligent and frugal in managing the household. She bore and raised us brothers with utmost toil; she restored the family estate with far-reaching plans. She did not neglect her children’s education because of poverty, nor grow slack in managing the family livelihood because of old age; she bought fields and estates and managed houses, tireless day and night, to the point of having no time for food or rest. She was married to my father for many years and greatly assisted him; she hoped to prolong her years and enjoy health. Her maternal deportment was proper, not inferior to the wifely virtue of the ancients, and sufficient as a model for people today.

Misfortune: Just when I wished to exert a little strength and repay a drop of kindness, who could know that “the tree wishes to be still but the wind does not stop”—before my name was made, my parent was already gone. She suddenly contracted an illness and hastened to the deep springs (the Yellow Springs, the underworld). Earth split and heaven tilted; my heart and liver were torn. As days pass and months come, I can no longer see her everyday face. Recalling her deathbed words pains me through this life. Thinking of boundless heaven (heaven is infinite, parental kindness endless), and that a certain death anniversary has arrived (the text’s “a certain day has swiftly come” means the arrival of a memorial day), I respectfully open my filial sincerity and devoutly perform Zhaijiao blessings.

Prayer: May my mother’s original nature be perfect and luminous, and her virtuous heaven thoroughly clear; may she be freed from the karmic obstacles incurred in life and have eliminated the grievances and faults incurred after death (entanglements and karmic debts); may she be unobstructed and free, happy and at ease, in the realm of the Pure Land, and roam at leisure in Tushita Heaven (one of the Buddhist pure lands; here used as a heavenly realm of ascent). I further pray that the karmic ties not yet severed may be rejoined in future lives as family. I look up and implore the eye of wisdom to look down and witness my humble sincerity.

Explanatory Notes

Lingbao Wengjian: templates for Zhaijiao documents and memorial-deliverance petition texts used by the Daoist Lingbao school (Lingbao scriptures and methods), for memorializing deceased parents, praying for their ascent to heaven, and seeking blessings.

The text quotes both Laozi’s “without a body, one avoids misfortune” and Shakyamuni’s “the body is the root of suffering.” This is a common “three teachings in one” style in Daoist Zhaijiao texts from the Song and Yuan onward. It does not mean that the doctrines are conflated; rather, it borrows the language of both traditions to heighten the meaning of “transcending the physical body and resolving grievances through deliverance.”

Parentheses or variant characters in the text (for example, the character ji for “self” and a variant form of sui for “year”) are mostly missing characters caused by block-printed editions, manuscript transmission, or scanning. In the plain-language explanation they have been supplied according to context as common forms such as “several decades,” “years,” “grievances and faults,” and “devoutly perform.” If you have a critical edition for a particular character, you may adjust slightly according to it.

Lingbao Wenjian: A Plain-Language Reading

Text for Transferring Merit for a Deceased Wife (Excerpt)

Respectfully we report: may the great gate of jianba (deliverance and salvation of the dead) be opened wide, and may the ci yun (clouds of compassion, which cover and protect like clouds) shine everywhere. We widely perform the rite of chanhui dizui (repentance and cleansing of transgressions) and pray that the hui yan (eye of wisdom, the Buddha eye and heavenly eye that can perceive sin and fortune) will look upon us from afar. Transformation bodies fill the three thousand worlds. At the altar they bow their heads, and all the sages grieve together. We bow toward the nine heavens, and the orphaned children on the steps below mourn their late wife.

Our late wife, as frail as the cattail and as fragrant as the orchid, could serve as a model through the sancong (three obediences: to her father at home, to her husband in marriage, and to her son after her husband's death), and her side (four virtues: womanly virtue, speech, appearance, and work) were worthy of praise. Her conduct as a wife was without fault, and her bearing as a mother was steadfast. Her gentleness came from her nature, and her generosity rested on her true disposition. Though she could have feasted on rare dishes, she kept to pingfan (plain offerings of duckweed and artemisia, symbolizing thrift). She had the household gather before her, and she herself drew water from the well and pounded grain. She spun thread beneath the night moon, knowing that bitter labor made her a person of virtue. She valued her humble cloth and wooden hairpin above spring finery, and she cherished good fortune for the sake of her children. She served her parents-in-law with propriety and got along with her sisters-in-law without arrogance. She ought surely to have lived to a full hundred years, but who could have foreseen that fate would strike her repeatedly with the yangjiu (the years of misfortune)?

A sudden fever struck, and a hundred medicines had no effect. Like the pearl of Hepu (which sank into the sea, an image of a life slipping away), the five watches of the night brought the cries of gibbons, and the heart seemed ready to break. Like the mirror of Lechang (which shattered, an image of a couple's final parting), the cries of geese at the third watch brought tears that dried up first. Alas that her rosy beauty could not be kept, and alas that no one now gathers her jeweled hairpins. Her boudoir is silent and lonely, and it only grieves the husband who once raised his tray to her with such devotion. The gauze bed-curtains are cold, and the bed is no longer that of a couple whose hair was tied together as one. In the long night the infant cries out, and I cannot bear to hear a child weeping tears of blood. All day there are cries of lament, yet no one appears to ask whether we are hungry. Grief cannot be restrained, and a wounded heart cannot be controlled. With the strength of the Dao we lead her forward, and at last she is born in the land of joy. Relying on the subtle power of scripture, she ascends straight to the lotus dais.

We humbly wish that a single thread of incense smoke might reach the Qinghua jing (the realm of salvation presided over by the Great Emperor Qinghua of the Eastern Pole in Daoism), and that a few lines of heartfelt sentiment might pass afar to Ziqi Shanzhong (the mountain of purple vapors, where immortals dwell). May karmic obstructions dissolve, and may her gai chan (the entanglement of sin that covers and binds) be cleansed and made pure. May she not be reborn in a female body, may she forever escape the suffering of carrying and nursing children, and may she leave the net of the world for good, free from an untimely death. When the mind-pearl is understood to be originally pure, and the nature of sin is realized to be empty, the lotus opens in its nine grades, and she receives the prophecy of her one remaining life.

Memorial for Ancestors (Excerpt)

Respectfully we report: the virtue of our ancestors flows on in fragrance, and we are grateful for a kindness that no repayment with body and hair could match. The teachings left by the compassionate venerable ones bring sudden deliverance to those in the dark realm.

We grieve for our ancestors, who by a slight illness suddenly left the human world. We clasped hands and parted forever, like a river that flows on without stopping, and the flowing water holds our sorrow. We bid a final farewell and cannot bear to hear their last words. Moreover, their loyalty and kindness were beyond description. Clear streams arise from clear sources, and when the roots flourish, the branches must thrive. Thus we nurture our ancestors above all, so that they are never uprooted.

Note: The original is a memorial text for the dead used in Lingbao zhaijiao (purification rites). The first half is a memorial for a wife. It sets out her virtue, her untimely death, and her orphaned children, and then prays for her deliverance, her release from female rebirth, and her ascent to the lotus dais. The second half is a memorial for ancestors. It praises their virtue, describes the grief of parting, and traces the source of the family's lineage. The allusions, such as the pearl of Hepu and the mirror of Lechang, image the parting of husband and wife. "Yangjiu" refers to years of misfortune, and "gai chan" refers to the karmic obstruction that entangles the soul.

Classical Commentary in Plain Language

(Continued from above) …as the foundation for the lasting blessings of descendants, our gratitude is profound. Yet the rites of commemoration and deliverance cannot be fully controlled by us. Now, on the Wuqi (the fifth-seven observance, the Daoist memorial held on the forty-ninth day after death), we are fortunate to open a fangbian zhi men (the "gate of skillful means," a method for saving all beings) in the Jiuqing (Nine Clarities, the nine pure heavenly realms of Daoism), and to allow living beings to express their sincere wish to repay their origins. We respectfully invite the helü (Crane Companions, immortals who ride cranes, here referring to accomplished Daoist masters) to chant the longzhang (Dragon Registers, liturgical scriptures from the Lingbao purification rite) and deliver the souls of our ancestors, wishing that they may soon be born in blessed lands.

We humbly pray that all dust of the mind be cleared away and all bonds of grievance be dissolved, that the towering mountain of sin be transformed into a fragrant canopy of the qizhen (Seven Treasures), and that the vast sea of suffering become a jiupin lianchi (Nine-Grade Lotus Pool, a lotus pond in the Pure Land whose rank depends on merit), so that they may soon escape the dark realms of suffering and ascend to the pure land of joy.

Memorial Text to the Officiating Master

Time flows on like water, and the moisture of the returning waves is now beyond hope; the alchemical furnace is silent, and the smoke of the broken cauldron still lingers. We grieve to hear that the empty echo has ceased, and we regret that the figure of the one who rode off on a crane can no longer be seen.

We remember our revered teacher (name): the sida (Four Elements, earth, water, fire, and wind, referring to the physical body) have separated, and the secret methods of swallowing mist and sunlight have come to an end; the single spirit has undergone shijie (corpse liberation, the transformation of an adept who leaves the body behind to ascend as an immortal). Our discourse on the mysteries has fallen silent, the scroll of drinking dew is closed, the Huangting (Yellow Court, the classic of the inner landscape, also referring to the Yellow Court points within the body), and the alchemical furnace is cold beneath the white snow. On this day, the soul has flown beyond the heavens, riding away on an ox; in empty space, the corporeal soul has scattered, and when will it ride a crane and return? We wish to repay his kindness with the milk of the Dharma, but even if our bodies were shattered, we could not fully repay it.

As we arrive at the fifth-seven observance, we hold a grand ritual feast, looking up to the Venerable Lord of Ten Thousand Virtues, descending to the Daoist courtyard of the Sanqing (Three Pure Ones), proclaiming the supreme scriptures, offering new and marvelous gifts, and relying on his compassion to deliver and especially commemorate the spirit of the teacher.

We humbly pray that the spirit and the Dao, the Virtue and the Way, may be in harmony and accord, that the wuqi chaoyuan (Five Qi returning to their origin, the true energies of the five viscera returning to their root) be realized, and that the Venerable Emperor of Sublime Void swiftly ride his phoenix carriage. May the sanhua juding (Three Flowers gathering at the crown, the convergence of jing, qi, and shen at the top of the head) be attained, and may his name soon be entered among the ranks of the immortals and he receive the Dragon Registers. May he come before the precious awakening, ascend to a precious land, and, beholding the golden countenance, rise upon golden lotuses.

Memorial Text for the Paternal Uncle

We grieve as we remember that our paternal uncle, by nature, held firm integrity; he dealt with the world with simplicity and sincerity, managed his household with frugality, and understood well the proper measure of abundance and restraint. In treating his nephews, he was gentle and kind, and did not seek the reputation of stately dignity. We had thought that the longevity of the hills and mountains and the honor of a cane and stool would surely be enjoyed, but who would have expected that the registers of the netherworld would fix his full span of years, and that he would be led away by the guiding pennants and cranes (the banners and crane carriage that escort the soul, here referring to the deceased being received)? His voice and countenance are now far away, and his nephews have no way to look up to him.

Now, respectfully following the compassionate benevolence of the Venerable Parent, we humbly cultivate blessings for the netherworld and specially open a hongzhai (grand retreat, a large-scale ritual of deliverance).

Memorial Text for the Grandmother

We grieve as we remember that the virtue of the grandmother, who bequeathed blessings to later generations, was truly abundant. She carried on the legacy of the ancestors, and the filial duty of the grandchildren should be exhausted in return. She fed them sweets and played with the grandchildren, her attentive care of them without end; we, having gathered celery as an offering, feel ashamed that our provision and service to her were never sincere enough. We had thought that the longevity of the hills and mountains could last long, but how could it be…

(Continued from the preceding passage)

Longevity as enduring as pine and cypress, green and undying, and a hall of the sea filling with counting-tallies (legend says that on a sea-island of the immortals, tallies were piled up to record a person's years), with the fragrance of orchids lingering on. Yet just as the great birthday was barely prepared, the spirit of this admirable virtue suddenly departed. When the body grew cold, the grief was like that of Li Mi (a man of the Jin dynasty who, hearing gibbons cry, thought of his deceased grandfather, and was overcome with deep sorrow), and tears stained the red pomegranate blossoms. The pain pierced as deeply as the blood-tears of Zong Qing, an allusion to extreme grief over the loss of a close relative. Were it not for this rite of deliverance (jiandu), how could one fully express this filial devotion?

Elder Brother's Memorial for His Younger Brother (Xiong Jian Di Wen)

Preface: Among the bonds that order human life, none is closer than that between brothers. The Book of Odes praises the affection of the cherry-apple tree, and truly the bond between siblings is one of intimate devotion. It is said that calyx and blossom shine together, so how could the branches of our family have withered so suddenly? Like geese flying in formation, the bond of hands and feet has been torn apart midway. Like the wagtails on the plain, we are left with lasting regret, and the sorrow of kinsfolk has arisen abruptly in the midst of life. Deeply mindful of the harmony that once existed between us, I now especially knock upon the profound teachings of the mysterious.

Memorial for a Deceased Teacher (Jian Shi Wen)

Prostrating in reverence: the jade tablets preserve the liturgical registers, and the precious charter reveals the wondrous method of refining the form. The dragon-script opens the gate of pardon, and the spirit scriptures illuminate the rites of transference and deliverance. Yet the merit and virtue of the teacher were not yet complete, and his allotted time had come to its end. We vow to perform a pure fast and refining deliverance, and the keyi (liturgy) unfolds for his ascent and transfer. Mindful of the teacher's lofty virtue, we hope that his profound merit will bring about his deliverance.

Prostrating in thought: the late Master (name) passed away from illness, having achieved yuhua (ascension to immortality). Your disciple (name) earnestly reflects that the transmission of teaching from master to disciple has, since antiquity, relied on true masters to guide and receive the initiate. The source of the lineage has been continued generation after generation, and until now the supreme teaching has been opened so that it may be carried on. Blessed with the virtue of being received and cultivated, I have wished to repay it but could not. How swiftly the distant journey was taken, never to return. (Declaration:) Again we reflect that the teacher's merit and practice were not yet complete, and that his spirit is lodged in the dark capital. We therefore respectfully follow the precepts of the teaching and undertake this exalted refining deliverance. We invite fellow wandering clergy, companions of the clouds and waters, and reverently open the jade-gem scriptures.

We humbly pray: may your wisdom-eye observe from afar, and your Dao-heart perceive and reflect clearly. Look down with compassion upon your later students, and open for them the courtyard of the Southern Palace where the flowing fire is kindled. Show pity to your dark descendants, and in the Northern Office erase the ledger of accumulated transgressions, so that the body may be refined and the spirit made clear (and so on).

Self-Deliverance Memorial for a Daughter Who Died in Childbirth (Wei Nü Chan Wang Zi Chao Du Wen)

Prostrating in reverence: our little daughter has passed away without finding the path to rebirth. May the compassionate Honored One watch over her with care and widely open the gate of rescue from death.

Grieving for our departed daughter: she was a slight and frail body, delicate and weak. She was raised in the plainness of simple fare and knew well the hardships of farming. Within the household she never disobeyed our instructions. At the very beginning, when the omen of the bear and the brown bear appeared in a dream (a propitious sign of pregnancy), she was instead visited by the ominous thought of the owl devouring its mother, an image of a perilous and reversed childbirth. Just as she approached the tenth month, she suddenly became a ghost of the nine springs. The bond between father and daughter runs deep, and it is hard to sever the love that lies at the very core of the heart. The Compassionate Honored One's grace is great; may it deliver her soul from the dark night.

Opening Prayer

With sincere hearts, pure and clean, we respectfully prepare these offerings. We humbly pray that the heavenly ears will hear our voices and, with a compassionate heart, rescue us from suffering. May the shell of ignorance (wuming) be broken, so that in a single day, through the merit of the scripture, we may partake of the Dharma-flavor and the spirit may transcend the nine earths. May we, during the three periods of ritual, behold the golden countenance and be recorded for receiving the highest vehicle.

Memorial for One Who Died in Childbirth

We reflect that the eighty thousand cold darknesses are all bathed in the wisdom-power of the Primordial Venerable (Yuanzun), and the three thousand seas of karmic offense all revere the supreme compassion of the Azure Ultimate (Qingji). Thus the Jade Register is made manifest in subtle profundity, and the Golden Cord secretly holds the proclamations of deliverance.

We respectfully open this festive assembly and aim to attain the blessings of the netherworld. In deep grief, your servant mourns his deceased wife: a frail, delicate woman of willow-like slenderness, who came into my household as a humble bride and personally undertook the labor of drawing water and pounding grain. She offered duckweed and artemisia in the ancestral sacrifices and aided in the seasonal rites of autumn and winter. We had hoped to fly together as a pair, yet who could have foreseen that calamity would arise in an instant? Who would have thought that the dream of bears, the first omen of a son, would become merely the grief of owls devouring their mothers? Her life fell to the Spring Terrace (Quantai), the netherworld, and how could I not hang in anxious longing for the rites of deliverance? Her body sank into the great night, and in my heart a sorrow lingers without end. Recalling our deep bond from the time we first bound our hair, I specially open this rite of mourning and this spiritual assembly, to bring forth its sublime fruit and aid her in rebirth.

We humbly pray that she clearly understands the Three Voids (sankong) and instantly dispels the Five Outflows (wulou). May she face the golden countenance and swiftly enter the realm of sublime adornment, and may she hear the jade verses and be free from the faults of defilement.

Memorial for Paternal Uncles

We respectfully declare that consciousness and nature sink into the waves of illusion, forever departing from the sea of karma, and that the Heart of Heaven is vast, its compassionate ship ferrying all across the sea of delusion.

We reflect upon your uncle: heavenly destiny has ended, and the cycle of years cannot be escaped. His soul drifted away, veiling the spring light in endless night, and his shadow and form fell silent, leaving only the traces of his hands in the empty hall. As brothers of the same paternal line, we cannot bear to sever the shadow of intertwined branches, and I, his unworthy nephew, deeply hold the sorrow of our shared lineage. The Ruan household had an uncle whose name was idly passed down to later ages; the Deng family had no son, and in this life they wring their hands in vain. Lying among foxes and wildcats, who hangs a single line of paper money? In the hall, swallows and sparrows nest, and painted images hang empty through the four seasons. Considering that the discords of yang have already multiplied and fearing that the censures of yin are not few, without relying on memorial rites and mourning, it is difficult to obtain transcendence. Now, as the thirty-fifth day arrives, we greatly establish this Dao altar.

We humbly pray that the sea of karma is dried up and the waves of consciousness trace their way back to the sea of enlightenment. May the sprout of spirit, withering, link its fragrance once more to the yellow chrysanthemum. May he untie the nets of the ten entanglements and turn his light directly inward, and enter the lotus pool of the eight virtues (bade), with liberation manifesting before us at once.

Note: This text is a memorial document for use in Lingbao zhaijiao keyi (Lingbao purification and liturgical rites) for the dead. The "Memorial for One Who Died in Childbirth" makes an offering on behalf of a wife who died during labor, and the "Memorial for Paternal Uncles" makes offerings for deceased uncles. The "Five Sevens" (wuqi) refers to the memorial assembly held on the thirty-fifth day after death. Phrases such as "humble wife" (jingbu), "well and mortar" (jingjiu), "duckweed and artemisia" (pingfan), and "autumn and winter sacrifices" (zhengchang) allude, respectively, to frugal household management, a wife's virtue and domestic labor, ancestral offerings, and ritual duty. The allusions to the "dream of bears" and the "owls devouring their mothers" express the grief of hoping for a son and instead losing a wife.