《靈寶文檢》Vol. 7

Editorial Guidelines for the Lingbao Document Templates

On titles for the Nine Sovereigns and the various heavens

The Nine Sovereigns listed above, the Nine Lords of the Eastern Pole and the heavens they preside over, the Nine Heavens, and the like may be addressed as “your servants.” The others need not all be given the title “Nine Sovereigns.”

The Nine Sovereigns are like the supreme ruler in the human world. Though the assembled sages hold imperial rank, each is merely the Heavenly Emperor of a particular region. In relation to the Nine Sovereigns, they are like feudal lords serving the Son of Heaven. Among the officials, the assembled sages are addressed only as “junior petitioners”; members of the master’s lineage are addressed as “inheriting petitioners.”

How to write a “petition of invitation” to the Nine Sovereigns

A separate petition must be written to each of the Nine Sovereigns. It should briefly state the reason, using a format such as, “On [date], [name] respectfully reports that at [time] a zhaijiao purification ritual will be held to invite the Perfected to descend,” expressing the hope that the sacred presence will arrive. Petitions to other Perfected Ones are written in the same way. Since a separate petition of appeal and prayer is made when ascending the altar to perform the liturgy, if the ritual is inviting only the Nine Sovereigns, using a petition of invitation is more convenient. Listing the imperial titles of all the Nine Sovereigns on a single petition does not conform to the proper format.

Headings and format

Headings such as “Gracious Protection,” “Original Absolution,” “Heavenly Authority,” “Command,” “Submitted for Heaven’s Hearing,” “Sacred Presence,” “Gracious Virtue,” “Heavenly Compassion,” and “May the Heavenly Court deign to grant approval and hear this petition” must all be written flush with the top margin, with the heading level; one must not arbitrarily leave a character’s worth of space blank (“blank” here is read with the falling tone). For officials of the Cao departments, however, no space need be left above titles used in petitions and memorials. In petitions, reports, official letters, and statements submitted at middle or lower levels, titles such as “Nine Sovereigns” and “High Sages,” as well as the phrase “cherishing life,” must also be placed flush with the top margin. In all petitions, memorials, reports, and official letters, whether long or short, no characters may be set apart to create a break. It is most appropriate to write a person’s name on a single line.

Calligraphy and word choice

The older worthies’ freehand strokes, as well as the additions and omissions of strokes used in common writing for convenience, do not conform to the conventions for memorials, petitions, reports, and official letters and must not be used. Nor should one arbitrarily use archaic characters or copy texts carelessly without regard for errors. This edition has been checked against the Correct Rhymes and carved accordingly. If those who write these documents take care to make them accurate and elegant, the work will be more complete.

Corrections made in this book

All errors in the original book’s formats and headings have been corrected, as have omitted or variant characters, untidy handwriting, and punctuation. If a petition has been shortened slightly in one or two places, the established format has been followed; please take note.

How to read “same as above”

Where the words “same as above” occur in documents, memorials, letters, reports, statements, or official letters, read them carefully and their connection with what comes before and after will become clear.

Scope of the compilation

The document templates include the preliminary and principal memorials for the Yellow Register, along with suitable and accurate phrases from all categories of memorials, reports, statements, and official letters. Where these were insufficient, material was drawn from the Collection of Established Forms. The two sources have been combined into one book, leaving nothing out, so that it may meet practical needs.

Background note

This text is the editorial preface to the Lingbao Document Templates in a Qing dynasty reprint of the Essentials of the Daoist Canon. It is not a scripture about cultivation; it instructs Daoist ritual specialists and scribes in composing memorials, petitions, reports, official letters, and statements according to Lingbao liturgical conventions: whom to address as “your servants,” when to use a “petition of invitation,” which headings must be written flush with the top margin, and how to ensure that written forms follow the Correct Rhymes. Lingbao purification ritual documents follow strict formats, and these guidelines were prepared for that purpose.

Editor’s Preface to the Lingbao Ritual Documents (in Plain Language)

1. Assigning Positions for Yin and Yang Offerings

The original book does not distinguish the offerings by Yin and Yang or list the ranks of the deities. Here, following the arrangement for the “Great Offering to the Celestial Realms” that officials and commoners alike may perform in the Yellow Register of the Lower Origin, we have examined and selected clear passages from the original and compiled them into this collection. It is intended to help practitioners offer worship above to Heaven, make offerings below to Earth, and present their petitions with complete sincerity. (The word “rank” is read with a falling tone and refers to assigning positions.)

2. Establishing the Offering and Inviting the Perfected

To establish an offering and welcome the Perfected, follow the ancient rites. During the ceremony, after the three rounds of offerings are complete, and after bidding farewell to the holy ones and presenting the tea, all movements should be measured and respectful, with utmost sincerity. Those attending to the other duties must also be neatly dressed and share in this reverence, so that the deities may be moved to descend. There are 1,200 positions, which is a great many; it may be difficult to prepare all the vessels for the offerings at once. The simpler arrangements of 360 or 120 positions are also sufficient to express one’s full sincerity. In general, from the opening to the closing of a purification ritual, people often grow tired, slack, and disrespectful. At the moment when Heaven and humanity commune, if one does not present petitions and offerings with full devotion, the deities will not accept them and one may even incur severe punishment. Those responsible for the rites must take care.

3. Golden Register Rite for Receiving Life

The Golden Register Rite for Receiving Life has now been collated against good editions from various places and continued as a separate volume, so readers can judge for themselves. Where material was lacking, passages were supplied from the Nine Sovereigns Offering in the Yellow Register’s Formal Petitions.

4. Jade Register Rite for the Blood Lake

The petitions and talismanic documents for the Jade Register Rite for the Blood Lake were not originally arranged together. They have now been assembled into one collection; missing material has been drawn from the Yellow Register’s Formal Petitions.

5. Cloud Script and Perfected Writings

The original collection did not include the Cloud Script and Perfected Writings. They have now been collated against the Red Writings in the Collected Commentaries on the Imperial Scripture and added here.

6. Inner Petitions

The inner petitions in the original book are too brief and may not satisfy everyone, so they have all been removed.

7. Abbreviated Talismans

Abbreviated talismans have not all been included because there are no ritual directives or petitions associated with them; therefore, they have not been printed in detail.

8. Monthly Couplets

The original book contains no monthly couplets. Suitable examples, both refined and popular in style, have now been selected and printed for future use.

9. Lamentations

The original book contains few lamentations. Examples in both refined and popular styles, as well as works composed by Master Chen Zhongyuan, have now been selected and printed for future use.

10. Standard Formats for Ritual Documents, Memorials, and Petitions

The standard formats for ritual documents and the memorials and petitions addressed to the Perfected have been compiled into two collections. Each category has its own heading, and the texts have been collated. As for the prescribed formats and headings: those who write memorials must not, to save a scrap of paper, leave out spaces or run the dates directly into the memorial text, as this violates the prescribed format. If one or two memorials or petitions use an abbreviated format, follow the model of the Memorial for Deliverance from Suffering Through Communication with Heaven.

Plain-Language Explanation of the Lingbao Document Regulations

One

Memorials and petitions must be written on clean, fresh paper. Do not use paper that is old, torn, damaged, or stained with oil or ink; otherwise, the high gods will not accept it.

Two

The memorial paper should be one chi and two cun long, with a width of eight fen at the top. Seal the lower edge tightly so that ants cannot crawl in; an ancient text puts this as “the bottom must not allow ants to pass through.” Do not write the word “minister” on the very top line, or a sacred title on the very bottom line. Large characters should be two and a half fen high, small characters two fen, and every stroke and dot must be clear; do not write casually in running script. It is generally acceptable to leave three or four blank lines for the year, month, and day. The sacred tag should be half the length of the memorial paper. Petitions follow the same format.

Three

In documents of various kinds, large characters should be four fen high and small characters three and a half fen. Characters that are too small appear humble, while those that are too large risk presumption. Leave half a sheet blank at the end of the document, and write the year and month in the center. If the paper is too short, attach another half sheet. Do not take shortcuts; that would violate the prescribed format.

Four

Only water-based seals may be used; do not use oil-based seals. Water-based seals are for documents submitted upward, while oil-based seals are for those sent downward. When the paper is burned, oily smoke will soil it, and the gods will not accept it.

Five

In the date, only the words “Tai Sui” may be omitted. Write the date neatly. The seal should be placed below the character for “year.” The practice of placing it over that character is found in no known text and should not be followed.

Six

On documents such as petitions, notes, and proclamations, vermilion may be used only to fill in or mark “before” and “after,” and the names and numbers of the deceased appearing in them. Do not add vermilion marks elsewhere; this is strictly forbidden.

Seven

Do not put anything oily in the brazier, and do not burn documents using oil lamps. Oily smoke may soil the paper, and the gods will not receive it.

Eight

The original text specifies a “ke lou” (a sealed envelope). Today, a small inner envelope is used, with a ke lou added around it for greater security. On the protective envelope, write vertically: “Submitted to the Tianshu Court.” The inner envelope contains the formal petition; the ke lou is for urgent use. The ke lou should be the same length as the memorial paper and as wide as the seal of the officiant’s office. The sacred tag should be half that length.

Nine

Among memorials, only those addressed to the Nine Sovereigns, the Eastern Pole, the Three Offices, and the Eastern Peak have a “direct submission” designation. The rest do not. The designation “Office for Introducing Petitions on the Day’s Watch,” which appears in use today, is of unknown official rank and should not be used.

Ten

The words “zhong xie” (“central thanks”) appear on some memorials to accommodate the auspicious “Yellow Path” positions assigned to sacred figures. Count from the beginning: if the sacred figure’s position falls on the Yellow Path, attach the sacred tag; if it falls on the inauspicious “Black Path,” use “zhong xie” …

Note: This text sets out document-format rules for the Daoist Lingbao tradition, including specifications for memorials, seals, burning documents, and submitting petitions to the Tianshu Court. “Yellow Path” and “Black Path” refer to auspicious and inauspicious positions used in choosing dates and placing sacred figures. “Direct submission” refers to a type of memorial that may be sent straight to the heavenly court. A “sacred tag” is a strip marking the position of a sacred figure.

A Plain-Language Reading of Lingbao Wenjian

Main Ideas of the Scripture

Write two characters in the place marked “Black Path,” and place the sacred slip on the line above. For the “Yellow Path,” write names such as Azure Dragon, Bright Hall, Heavenly Punishment, and Vermilion Bird, along with the other similar entries in the original. Since these may be difficult to remember in full, keep the main point in mind: when asking how long a distant journey will take or when one will return home from a foreign place, a character with the “movement” radical indicates the Yellow Path; one without it indicates the Black Path. The Yellow Path is suitable for movement, while the Black Path is suitable for stillness.

When performing a Yellow Register Great Retreat, choose an auspicious day from among the seasonal observances and assembly days for setting up the altar, opening the altar and beginning the rites, and dismantling the altar. It is better still if dismantling the altar also falls on an auspicious day. Avoid the days Bingyin, Dingmao, Bingshen, Dingyou, Wuxu, and Wuchen, as well as inauspicious days such as “Death’s Reception,” “Dragon and Tiger,” and “Misfortune and Defeat.” The Three Assemblies days are generally exempt from these prohibitions.

The late master Lü Pu’an’s Collected Regulations quotes the Laws of Xuandu: when submitting memorials and petitions, especially avoid the days Wuxu and Wuchen. Chen is the Heavenly Gate, and Xu is the Earthly Gate; on Chen days, the Dragon General guards the Heavenly Gate, and on Xu days, the Dog General guards the Earthly Gate. On these days, the Supreme Elder visits the Supreme Lord Lao to review the names of men and women throughout the realm who are destined to be born and enter them in the Jade Register. The Elder of the Nine Qi visits the Lord of the Immortal Capital of the Nine Elders to review those destined to die and enter them in the Register of the Dead. The Elder of the Celestial Emperor and the various Celestial Emperor Lords review the transgressions of men and women throughout the realm. On these days, the Heavenly Gate remains closed, and the Great Spirit of the Central Yellow guards it. Anyone who violates this taboo by submitting a memorial may have their soul taken away. Those who study the Dao should know this.

When opening the altar for a Zhaijiao purification ritual, also avoid inauspicious days associated with Thunder, the Great Sha of the White Tiger, or the White Tiger entering the Central Palace. On such days, do not use bells, drums, or ritual music in the main hall; doing so may bring harm to people. If the White Tiger enters the Central Palace, the hall may be prepared and furnished in advance, and the rites may be performed the next day, when the Central Palace is occupied; then the prohibition no longer applies.

For purification rituals, the days suited to offerings and repentance include the Three Assemblies, the Eight Seasonal Festivals, the Five Laba Days, the Minor Assemblies, the Four Beginnings, the Ten Heavenly Festival Assemblies, and a person’s birth-cycle day. Holding a ritual on these days benefits both the living and the dead. Consult an almanac for the specific dates.

Most of the foregoing rules come from the late master Lü Pu’an’s Collected Regulations and are recorded here for reference. The words are plain, but the principles are subtle; the explanations are clear and the meaning upright. May fellow practitioners take heed. Those who come after should read and reflect on them often, so that they do not make mistakes when putting them into practice and may together reach the highest good.

Written at the Mustard Seed Studio.