6.1 Memorial for the Underground Treasury (k'u-tieh)
In the world of the dead, there is the Subterranean Bureau. In the world of the living, there is the Citadel of the Living. The world of the living and the world of the dead are like two divergent paths: they are under different rulers.
It is understood' that at [house] number X, street Y, village Z, Heng-ch'un town, Ping-tung county, T'ai-wan province, the Republic of China, is the filial Mr. So-andso, who follows the Tao in the world of the living and sponsors post-mortem rituals' to deliver the dead as a recompense for favors. [He wishes to] perform rituals for the benefit of the deceased--the soul of the illustrious ancestor So-and-so. It is an urgent concern that the three hun-souls and seven p'o-souls of the deceased have not been ritually delivered. On the X day of the X month in X year, a vegetarian feast is prepared. [We] offer it to the exalted immortals on high, and pray that the deceased in the underworld may be delivered, [so that he can] ascend to the Dharma Realm in heaven at the earliest time. Standing in front of the Palace of the Three Treasuries, the Taoist issues a memorandum to the soul of the deceased So-and-so.
[Let him] hold on to it.
It is recorded that ,
a total of 000000 ten-thousand strings of cash are given to the authentic soul of the deceased So-and-so. He will take them and spend them.
The officer who guards the treasure [ ]' takes responsibility.
Cremated on the X day of X month in X year.
' Chin-chii is the phrase that marks the beginning of the main body of the memorandum. It is often followed immediately by the identity of the sponsor of the ritual.
2 I render chui-hsiu li-ch'an as the sponsoring of post-mortem rituals as opposed to having merit-producing rites performed on one's own behalf while still alive,' which is called vuhsiu.
' Chenq-hun seems to emphasize that the recipient must not be an imposter but the intended beneficiary himself.
s
' In this blank is filled in the name of the deity that takes possession of the medium and goes to the underworld.
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6.2 Ascending to the Heavenly Bureau, Ascending to the Northern Bushel, Memorandum for the Subterranean Treasury, Opening the Passes along the Road, Descending into the Subterranean Citadel (Chin-t'ien-tsao chin-pei-tou vin-fu k'u-tieh k'ai-lu-kuan lo-ti-fu)5
1 Opening the passes along the road and descending into
the Subterranean Citadel.
2 Solemnly, I beseech the ensemble of fierce generals
[represented on] the altar.
3 May they not abandon their sympathy and may they descend
upon the arena of the Tao.
4 The numinous charm transforms rivers, streams, and
oceans.
5 The power of the ray' opens the gate of heaven.
6 With the peach stick° in my hand, I cleave the world. 7 With a metal whip, I strike open the five prisons.'
The text on which this translation is based belongs to the keeper of the Lush Mountain Temple. The exorcist of Lower Fountain uses the same version. Lu 1990 published a similar text obtained from an exorcist in Tainan. As the title suggests, our text has the twofold function of guiding the spirit of the medium/deity either to heaven or to the underworld. The translation covers only the portion that concerns the trip to the subterranean world.
• Tao-ch'anq refers to the place where the ritual is performed.
' Hao-kuanq is believed to be the ray emitting from the forehead of an extraordinary person. The author of a work on Hakka customs and beliefs writes that "a kind of hao-kuanq (emits) from the forehead of human being. It can drive away perverse (spirits] and repel ghosts... Legend has it that the ray of a certain gentleman... can reach several tens of chan ... Petty ghosts all back away from him" (Chang 1984 [compiled 1928]) In another source, this ray is an attribute of the Buddha-savior. The Maitreva Sutra of Rebirth in Heaven (Mi-lo shanq-shenq chinq) declares that at the hour of death of a Maitreya devotee, the Buddha will emit a "ray of the mark of the white-haired great person (pai-hao ta-jen-hsiang kuang" to welcome the person. At that very moment the person will be reborn in the paradise (Ishida 1986).
• The peach stick is a powerful weapon for exorcising demons. This text suggests that it has other ritual functions too.
• Temple keeper Lin explains that there are five prisons in the underworld. But I suspect the term is a corruption of wuyUeh, the
Five Mountains, whose cosmological significance
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8 May the first patriarch emit the ray for me.
9 May my master10 emit the ray for me.
10 May the immortals and the jade maids emit the ray
for me.
11 May the seven patriarchs and the immortal masters emit the ray for me.
12 May Marshals Chang and Chao" emit the ray for me.
13 May the ensemble of officials and generals emit the ray for me.
14 A ray is generated that shines brilliantly.
15 A ray is generated that illuminates the divine boy.12
16 The ray that shines over a thousand miles receives and
provides guidance.
17 The ray that shines over ten-thousand miles guides the divine boy.
18 Step by step, the ray illuminates the [path of] the divine boy.
19 By the glow, the influx of the three rivers between yin
and yang" becomes visible.
20 By the light, the beginnings of the seven paths to
the Subterranean Citadel become visible.
21 There are three paths leading into three directions. 22 The highway is straight and leads to heaven.
23 The narrow path is twisted and reaches the Subterranean
Citadel.
24 At the beginning of the road to the Subterranean Citadel
suits better the grandiose language employed here.
10 Pen-shih seems to refer to the master from whom the officiant learned his rituals.
11 The identity of these figures is unknown.
12 Shen-t'unq, divine boy, suggests the combination of a deity (shen) and a medium (chi-t'unq). Deities are commonly addressed as shen-kunq, lord divinity or reverend divinity, but never a "divine boy." Neither is the term used for the medium (chi-t'unq), divination boy. The term may be interpreted as a compromise to the puzzhing question as to who visits the subterranean world--both tho t medium and the deity go.
13 The boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead are marked by these three rivers. As lines 21-24 suggest, the divine boy is at a cosmic crossroads where he can choose to go to heaven, to the netherworld, or back to this world.
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is a meadow."
25 There is no one guarding the road across the meadow. 26 The road across the meadow is difficult to travel. 27 Leading soldiers, a Demon Chief comes along.
28 The Five Legions of soldiers and steeds are bustling. 29 The road across the meadow is good for racing.
30 To the racing horses and lines of soldiers is offered
paper money.
31 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of] passage is bought.
32 The road across the meadow is passed.
33 The travel continues onto the Black Painted Road. 34 It is murky along the Black Painted Road.
35 (Upon seeing] Lord Wang Sun,19 paper money is offered
immediately.
36 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of] passing is bought.
37 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of) travel is bought.
38 The Black Paint Road is passed.
39 The journey continues onto the Red Paint Road. 40 [Everything] is bright red 16 along the Red Paint Road.
41 The road is a marvel of bumpiness and twistiness. 42 [Everything] is glowing red' along the Red Paint Road.
43 The patron-deity18 comes along on horseback.
1' Many of the landmarks mentioned in this text are unfamiliar to me. I will only note those of which there are references that I know.
15 In LO (1990b) Marshal Wang Sun was invoked in a ritual of Smashing the Citadel (ta-ch'enq). The invocation indicates that this deity specializes in possessing mediums (fu-shenct'un ) and tracking down spirits in the underworld (hsia-yin shou-hun).
16 It is my conjecture that the modifer yinq-yinq applied to the color red means something like brightness.
1' The phrase ch'ih-ai-ai is unfamiliar to me. Presumably ai
ai describes a kind of redness, just as yinq-yinq in line 40.
1e En-chu literally is the person (or deity) to whom one is indebted. In Lu's (1990b) version it is clear that this "patron" is Marshal Wang Sun, who in this ritual is going to the other world on behalf of the living.
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44 Raising the whip, he gives the horse the reins." 45 When he snaps the whip, the horse [sprints] like a flying hornet.
46 When our patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 47 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of] passage is bought.
48 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
49 The Red Paint Road is passed.
50 The journey continues onto the Road of Cold Water Pound. 51 Along the Road of Cold Water Pound are nothing but
banana trees.
52 A pair of wild birds (are resting] on a swaying (branch of] of a banana tree.
53 They are stroking each other's heads and their tails are wagging.
54 Time and again they bellow; time and again they caw. 55 [They] warn you not to drink the water from the pond. 56 If you drink the water from the pond, 57 for three nights and five days you will not have a
fever. 20
58 [Travelling along] the Road of Cold Water Pond [one feels] chilly.
59 The Road of Cold Water is overgrown23 with moss.
60 The moss along the Road of Cold Water is slippery.
61 Bronze snakes and iron dogs like to devour human beings. 62 When our patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 63 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
64 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
66 The Road of Cold Water Pound is passed.
67 The journey continues onto the Sandy Road of Ma-ch'ih. 68 The Sandy Road of Ma-ch'i,is a marvel. 69 [Our patron-deity] strikes the sand with his left
hand and the sand turns into rice.
70 (Our patron-deity) strikes the rice with his right hand
and the rice turns into soldiers.
71 When our patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 72 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
19 Literally, the original reads: loosening the horse head. The translation is a very free rendering* But the next line seems to guarantee my reading that the horse is racing.
20 I suspect there is corruption here. Given the preceding warning, it would make better sense if the water is to cause a fever that lasts for several days.
21 The character hsiang (to resemble) is changed to chang (to grow).
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passage is bought.
73 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
74 The Sandy Road of Ma-ch'ih is passed.
75 The journey continues onto Gravel Road.
76 Along Gravel Road the pebbles are sharp as needle. 77 When our patron-deity passes, his hands and legs are
stung.
78 He raises the whip and the horse sprints like a flying hornet.
79 He comes along in strides and everybody runs [after him].
80 When our patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 81 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of] passage is bought.
82 Gravel Road is passed.
83 The journey continues onto the Diamond Bridge. 84 On the Diamond Bridge; the Diamond Bridge.' 85 Once on the Diamond Bridge one sways slowly. 86 On the Diamond Bridge are seven generals. 87 Wielding lances23 and brandishing swords,
they stand in the middle of the bridge.24
88 Those who have a good heart and good behavior will be
led across.
89 Those who have a bad heart and bad behavior will be the first to be swallowed.
90 The general who guards the near end of the bridge comes to receive and guide.
91 The Earth God at the far end of the bridge will lead you on.
92 There is a general at the near end of the bridge.
93 There is a great demon ambassador at the far end of the bridge.
94 Taking money with their hands, they show the way through.
95 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of) passage is bought.
96 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
97 The Diamond Bridge is passed.
98 The journey continues onto the Dragon Pass Well.
99 By the Dragon Pass Well (one hears] the voice of an
22 This line simply repeats the name of the bridge.
23 The character for hand is changed to that of lance (ch' iang) to preserve the paralell.
24 The character for hand is here changed to that of bridge. Literally, this clauses reads: [they] divide the bridge in the middle.
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infant.
100 He is crying for his father, mother, and brothers.
101 The infant also demands paper money.
102 When our patron-deity passes by he must not listen. 103 Money is offered, paper is offered, and [the right of]
passage is bought.
104 Paper is burnt, money is offered. and [the right of] travel is bought.
105 Dragon Pass Well is passed.
106 The journey continues onto Deep Field Road.
107 Along Deep Field Road everything is unfathomable.25 108 Our patron-deity comes along on horse back.
109 He approaches in strides and everyone runs [after him]. 110 When our patron passes, paper money is offered. 111 Money is offered, paper is offered, and [the right of]
passage is bought.
112 Deep Field Road is passed.
113 The journey continues to the front of the Earth God Temple.
114 In front of the Earth God Temple is the Earth God.
115 The Earth God 26 leads you through.
116 The Earth God supports you as you pass.
117 When our patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 118 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of)
passage is bought.
119 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
120 The front of the Earth God Temple is passed.
121 The journey continues to the front of the White Cloth Shop.
122 In the White Cloth Shop everything is white.
123 The inside of the White Cloth Shop is an interesting" place.
124 The inside of the White Cloth Shop is full of fun.28 125 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 126 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
127 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of]
25 The expression shen ai-ai is unfamiliar to me. My translation is conjectural.
26 The text reads t'u-ti kunq-kunq, which#is an intimate way of address the Earth God, for kunq-kunq is commonly used to address one's maternal grandfather. The same expression is used in the next line.
27 There are two characters that I do not recognize. The temple keeper said they mean "to play" in the Minnan dialect.
28 The original is chinq-chih. I changed it to ch'inq-chih.
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travel is bought.
128 The front of the White Cloth Shop is passed. 129 The journey continues onto the Rock of Southern Bushel. 29
130 Above the Rock of Southern Bushel is a male star.30
131 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 132 Money is offered, paper is offered, and [the right of]
passage is bought.
133 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
134 On the Rock of Southern Bushel a metal rooster is crowing.
135 Respectfully, the patron-deity is asked to watch out. 136 The crowing rooster comes to provide guidance and
demands a clear distinction .31
137 It comes along to receive and guide the medium."
138 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
139 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
140 The Rock of Southern Bushel is passed.
141 The journey continues onto the Hexagonal Pavilion. 142 Inside the Hexagonal Pavilion is Kuan Yin.
143 Kuan-yin is seated at the center of a lotus flower. 144 Standing on two sides are Shan Ts' ai" and the Dragon
Girl.
145 Dragon kings from the four seas come to pay homage. 146 Mountain gods and Earth Gods are lined up on both sides.
147 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 148 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of) passage is bought.
149 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
150 The Hexagonal Pavilion is passed.
29 The Southern Bushel (Nan-tou) is the constellation that contrasts with the Big Dipper (Pei-tou) . It is also mentioned in the invocation of the Scripture for Thanking the Deities.
30 It is unclear to me what a male stvr (hsiunq-hsinq) is.
31 The connection between t'ao fen-minq and the role of the rooster as a guide eludes me.
32 Here, the text switches to the term shen-t'unq, divine boy, instead of patron-deity, en-chu,.
33 In the village representations of Kuan Yin show her being flanked by a boy and 'a girl. But the villagers claim that they are the Golden Lad and the Jade Girl (chin-t'unq vu-nil).
167
151 The journey continues to the Hexagonal Pavilion."
152 Under the Hexagonal Pavilion lie hexagonal stones. 153 Under the Hexagonal Pavilion are fine lao-leaves.3S 154 Under the Hexagonal Pavilion are hexagonal bricks. 155 Under the Hexagonal Pavilion is a beautiful garden .76 156 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
157 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of]
travel is bought.
158 The Hexagonal Pavilion is passed.
159 The journey continues to the Mountain of Broken
Coins."
160 There is a ten-layered mound and a nine-leveled peak.
161 The patron-deity and the broken coins [...]3a
162 Disciples in the world of the living love to eat
[... ]39
163 Incompletely burnt paper money.
3' The Hexagonal Pavilion is passed twice. Since this confusion in the original text cannot be solved by minor emendation I leave this passage unchanged.
11 Lao-yeh is the kind of leaf which one chews together with betel nuts.
7f Here the text notes that the patron-deity may decide to go into the garden. It provides a special spell (Spell for Entering the Garden, iu hua-yiian chou) which is to be recited if such a digression is to take place.
" According to the temple keeper the Mountain of Broken Coins is made of useless ritual- money, which includes, first, incompletely burnt ritual money and, second, ritual money that has been stirred (and thus torn) while burning. However, Lu's (1990:71) text implies a critique of the practice of burning ritual money, for it says that the existence of this mound of valueless scraps is due to the unrestricted manner in which ritual money is burnt in the world of the living. The Hakkas' belief concerning this landmark is an even more explicit moral lession. Chang 1984 claims that the mountain is made of ritual money burnt by those who do not believe in the Buddha but become terrified when death approaches. They mistakenly believed that large amounts of ritual money will absolve their sins, but the money is in fact abandoned.
38 The meaning of this line is unclear.
39 The last character is unrecognizable. My guess is that it is the character for meat (hun).
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164 Smashed money'° that piles up into a mound .41
165 The Azure Dragon and the White Tiger are on alert on the sides.
166 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 167 Money is offered, paper is offered, and [the right of] passage is bought.
168 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
169 The Mountain of Torn Money is passed.
170 The journey continues onto Slippery Mountain Road .42 171 One must watch out on the Slippery Mountain Road.
172 The unknown mountain path is not travelled by anybody. 173 Mountain gods and Earth Gods are lined up on two sides. 174 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 175 Slippery Mountain Road must be passed. 176 Tens-of-thousands of mountain paths must be traversed. 177 Ox-[demons] and horse-(demons]" are lined up on two
sides.
178 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 179 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of) passage is bought.
180 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
181 Slippery Mountain Road is passed.
182 The journey continues to the Tangerine Peak. 183 Tangerine Peak, Tangerine Mountain.
184 The patron-deity watches carefully on horseback. 185 One must look into the east and never look into the
west. If you look west, you will be (...]"
186 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered.
87 Money is offered, paper is offered, and [the right of]
passage is bought.
188 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
189 Tangerine Peak is passed.
190 The journey continues to the Mutual Remembrance Peak.
'0 The original is to-p'o, smashed.
'1 These two lines seem to confirm the temple keeper's understanding of the formation of the mountain.
'2 Literally, the name means the "road of a mountain that is slippery because of oil [on it]."
'3 In the original, ox-demons and horse-demons are niu-veh and ma-veh. I assume that refer to the ox-head (niu-t'ou) and horse-face (ma-mien) demons that are so often featured in pictures of hell.
" The meaning of the last character is unclear.
169
191 On the Mutual Remembrance Peak are three gentlemen .45 192 The first gentleman; the second gentleman.
193 A white horse appears and there is the third gentleman. 194 Solemnly, the third gentleman Wang Sun is invited." 195 Marshal Wang Sun comes to possess the medium. 17 196 Hurry up, hurry up.
197 When the Demon Chief passes, paper money is offered. 198 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of] passage is bought.
199 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
200 Mutual Remembrance Peak is passed.
201 The journey continues to the front of the Palace of the Queen-Mother.48
202 In front of the Palace is a smiling Queen-mother. 203 From the deities and the Buddha direction is asked: 204 (Which is the road that] leads straight to the
underworld, where the eight characters may be
inspected.
205 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of] passage is bought.
206 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
207 The Palace of the Queen-Mother is passed.
208 The journey continues to the beginning of Twelve Streets.
209 The beginning of Twelve Streets, the Twelve Streets. 210 The end of the Twelve Streets is a good place for business.
211 You must not pick the fire flowers along the streets. 212 Picking flowers may confuse your mind."
213 There is wine in the wine shop but you must not drink. 214 If you get drunk you will not recognize the person (you
are looking for].
215 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 216 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of] passage is bought.
'5 For lack of a better word, I render hsianq-kunq as gentleman.
'c In a spell recorded by Lu (1990b:62) Wan Sun is also mentioned as the third gentleman (san hsianq-kunq).
" Fu-t'unc--to possess the medium.
" Queen-mother (wang-mu) denotes the Queen-mother of the West (Hsi huang-mu), who is the patron of exorcists in Taiwan (Lagerwey 1987b).
'' HsinTt'ou lan is changed to hsin-t'ou Juan. 170
217 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
218 The Twelve Streets are passed.
219 The journey continues to the White Cloud Peak.
220 On the White Cloud Peak is the gentleman T'ien.
221 In front of the temple of the gentleman, everything is
white.
222 In front of the temple of the gentleman is a good playground. so
223 In front of the temple of the gentleman is (a place] good for horse racing.
224 Horses are brought out, soldiers are lined up, and paper money is offered.
225 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of) passage is bought.
226 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
227 White Cloud Peak is passed.
228 The journey continues to the Black-and-White Board. 229 Walk pass the Black-and-White Board swiftly. 230 If somebody calls from the front, do not listen. 231 If somebody calls from behind, dQ not walk.
232 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 233 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
234 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of) travel is bought.
235 The Black-and-White Board is passed.
236 The journey continues to the Willy-nilly Bridge. 237 The water under the Willy-nilly Bridge runs fast. 238 People are heard howling on the banks. 239 This is the voice of people in the underworld.
240 They wear torn clothes and (...]51
241 Abdomen and intestines are pierced, and hearts and livers are extracted.
242 The near end of the Willy-nilly Bridge; the Willy-nilly River. 52
243 Three are three streams under the Willy-nilly Bridge. 244 The turbid stream reaches to the Mountain of the
so Literally, it is "good for playing."
si The meaning of the last three characters are unclear.
52 There is a note after this line that the digression may be made to the Mountain of Souls (wanq-hun-shan). The temple keeper explains that this is the place where the souls of victims of violent death are confined.
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Dead."
245 The red stream leads to [the realm of] miscarriages' 246 The clear stream leads to the underworld. 247 People are advised not to act contrary to their
conscience.
248 Bronze snakes and iron dogs love to eat human beings. 249 Bronze snakes and iron dogs are lined up on two sides. 250 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 251 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
252 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
253 The Willy-nilly Bridge is passed.
254 The journey continues to the Seven-mile Ocean of Sand. 256 The Seven-mile Ocean of Sand has seven miles of sand. 257 The Seven-mile Ocean of Sand has fine white sand. 258 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 259 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
260 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
261 The Seven-mile Ocean of Sand is passed.
262 The journey continues to the Market of the Living. 263 The Market of the Living has twelve streets.
264 The Market of the Living is a good place for business. 265 At the beginning of the twelve streets is the Palace of
Birth Registration."
266 At the end of the twelve streets is the P'o-chieh
Pavilion.5'
267 For men, their eight characters are inspected in the
Palace of Birth.87
268 For women, their pregnancy is observed in the Palace of Birth.
53 Wanq-shan is an abbreviation of wanq-hun shan, the Mountain of Souls.
°' Conceivably, this is the place where the souls of women died of miscarriage are trapped, the Hell of Blood Pond (Hsieh-p'en ti-yii) .
" There is a goddess by the name of Life Registration (Chusheng niang-niang), although it does not appear in this text. At her name suggests, she is in charge of pregnancy and birthgiving.
" According the temple keeper, P'o-chieh is a kind of female demons that preys especially on infants.
°7 Palace of Birth (shenq-kunq) is an abbreviation of Palace of Birth Registration (chu-shenq kung).
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269 Observe carefully.
270 Respectfully, the patron-deity is asked to enter the Palace of Birth.
271 Observe the oil lamp and the burning candles.
272 First, inspect the table, chairs, rice, and water.
273 Second, inspect the bowls of food and the five kinds of
274 Third, examine and see if the table and chairs are comfortable.
275 Fourth, inspect and see if water and rice and cleans' 276 Fifth, inspect the ritual turtle and the flowers .60 277 Sixth, inspect the origin of life" and the eight
characters.
278 The patron-deity watches carefully with every step. 279 He demands clarity with every point.
280 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 281 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
282 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
283 The Market of the Living is passed.
284 The journey continues to the Peak of Nine Levels. 285 At the Peak of Nine Levels are three paths.
286 The path leading to Heaven Bureau is [laid with] gold
bricks.
287 The path leading to the world of the living is (laid with) silver bricks.
288 The path leading to the shades is (laid with] earthen bricks.
289 Holding the peach stick in his hand, (the patron-deity] divides the world.
290 His metal whip cracks open the Five Prisons.
291 Do not delay at the beginning of the twelve streets. 292 The big road is straight and reaches the Subterranean
Bureau.
293 The small road is sinuous and reaches to the Subterranean Office.
294 The beginning of the twelve streets is over here.
se "Bowls of food" render ts'ai-wan,, a kind of offering. The "five kinds of food (wu-wei)" too may refer to the five kinds of meat (wu-shenq).
s' The original is ch'inq-ts'ai, which does not make much sense. My translation stresses the character ch'ing which I take to refer to the purity of the rice and water.
6° My translation here is largely speculative.
61 The term shou-vOan is unfamiliar to me. I am translating it literally.
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295 The Pavilion for Receiving Officials is over there. 296 The Pavilion for Receiving Officials is bustling. 297 The soldiers guarding the gate of the Eastern Peak
are visible.
298 (The patron-deity] approaches the main gate of the Eastern Peak.
299 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 300 Money is offered, paper is offered, and [the right of] passage is bought.
301 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
302 [The patron-deity] approaches the second gate of the Eastern Peak.
303 Bronze snakes and iron dogs are guarding the entrance. 304 Bronze snakes and iron dogs are lined up on both sides. 305 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 306 Money is offered, paper is offered, and [the right of]
passage is bought.
307 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
308 (The patron-deity] approaches the third gate of the Eastern Peak.
309 Generals Chin and Wu are guarding the entrance.
310 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 311 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
312 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of] travel is bought.
313 (The patron-deity] approaches the fourth gate of the Eastern Peak.
314 Ox-head warders are guarding the entrance.
315 Ox-head warders are lined up on both sides.
316 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 317 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of]
passage is bought.
318 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and [the right of] travel is bought.
319 The patron-deity approaches the fifth gate of the Eastern Peak.
320 A gentleman and Shih Pao are guarding the entrance. 321 The gentleman and Shih Pao are standing on the sides. 322 When the patron-deity passes, paper money is offered. 323 Money is offered, paper is offered, and (the right of)
passage is bought.
324 Paper is burnt, money is offered, and (the right of) travel is bought.
325 Entering the gate, one must report immediately.
326 The Blue Register is presented and the eight characters are examined.
327 Visitors must stop here and declare their intention. 328 Without an urgent case I do not dare to bother the deities and immortals.
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329 Spirit soldiers, hurry up in accordance with the
law! i2
330 Heaven is urging; earth is urging.63
331 When business is finished in the Subterranean Citadel, please return.
332 Respectfully, the patron-deity [is reminded that] his
location is at the Mountain of Nine Levels.
333 Bid farewell to the Mountain of Nine Levels and retract
[your spirit].
334 Riding on horseback the first patriarch recalls the spirit.
335 Riding on horseback my master recalls the spirit.
336 The immortals and jade maids recall the spirit. 337 The seven immortal patriarchs recall the spirit.
338 The patriarch of the eight trigrams recalls the spirit. 339 The ensemble of officials and generals recall the
spirit.
340 The three spirit-retrieving masters and the three boys. 341 The three spirit-retrieving masters and the three lads. 342 Recall the spirit immediately.
343 Return to the fifth gate of the Eastern Peak.
345 Recall your spirit from the fifth gate.
346 Return to the fourth gate of the Eastern Peak. 347 Recall your spirit from the fourth gate. 348 Return to the third gate of the Eastern Peak. 349 Recall your spirit from the third gate.
350 Return to the second gate of the Eastern Peak. 351 Recall your spirit from the second gate. 352 Return to the first gate of the Eastern Peak. 353 Retract your spirit from the first gate.
354 Return to the Pavilion for Receiving Officials.
355 Bid farewell to the Pavilion for Receiving Officials and
recall your spirit.
356 Return to the Pavilion for Receiving Officials.
357 Recall your spirit from the Pavilion for Receiving Officials.
358 At the Mountain of Nine Levels, one must find his way with care.
359 Quickly, quickly, return to the world of the living! return to this altar!
360 Back at the Mount of Nine Levels, three are divergent paths.
361 Humbly, I beseech the patron-deity to pay attention. 362 Bid farewell to the Mountain of Nine Levels, and recall
62 The exorcist stops here and waits for the medium to show signs of returning, at which point he will recite the following text.
63 From here on begins the returning spell. 175
your spirit.
363 Return to the Market of the Living.
364 Bid farewell to the Market of the Living and recall your spirit.
367 Return to the Willy-nilly Bridge.
368 Recall your spirit from the Willy-nilly Bridge. 369 Return to the Black-and-white Board.
370 Recall your spirit from the Black-and-white Board. 371 Return to the Temple of the Gentleman.
372 Recall your spirit from the Temple of the Gentleman. 373 Return to Mount White Clouds. 374 Recall your spirit from Mount White Clouds. 375 Return to the Twelve Streets. 376 Recall your spirit from the beginning of the Twelve
Streets.
377 Return to the Queen-mother Palace.
378 Recall your spirit from the Queen-mother Palace. 379 Return to the Peak of Mutual Remembrance.
380 Recall your spirit from the Peak of Mutual Remembrance. 381 Return to the Tangerine Peak. 382 Recall your spirit from Tangerine Peak Road. 383 Return to the Mount Slippery Road. 384 Recall your spirit from Mount Slippery Raod. 385 Return to Mount Torn Money. 386 Recall your spirit from Mount Torn Money Raod. 387 Return to the Hexagonal Pavilion. 388 Recall your spirit from the Hexagonal Pavilion. 389 Return to the Southern Bushel Rock. 390 Recall your spirit from the Southern Bushel Rock. 391 Return to the White Cloth Shop. 392 Recall your spirit from the white Cloth Shop. 393 Return to the Earth God Temple. 394 Recall your spirit from the Earth God Temple. 395 Return to Deep Field Road. 396 Recall your spirit from Deep Field Road. 397 Return to Dragon Gate Well. 398 Recall your spirit from Dragon Gate Well. 399 Return to Diamond Bridge. 400 Recall your spirit from Diamond Bridge. 401 Return to Stone Slab Shop. 402 Recall your spirit from Stone Slab Shop. 403 Return to Gravel Road.
404 Recall your spirit from Gravel Road. 405 Return to Horse Tooth Dunes.
406 Recall your spirit from Horse Tooth Dunes. 407 Return to Cold Water Pound Road.
408 Recall your spirit from Cold Water Pound Road. 409 Return to Red-paint Road. 410 Recall your spirit from Red-paint Road. 411 Return to Black-paint Road. 412 Recall your spirit from Black-paint Road. 413 Return to Meadow Road.
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414 Recall your spirit from Meadow Road.
415 Come back to the altar. Hurry up and return.
416 Hurry up and return, the patriarch. Return to this
altar.
417 Hurry up and return, my master. Return to this altar.
418 Hurry up and return, the immortals and the jade lasses.
Return to this altar.
419 Hurry up and return, the seven immortal patriarchs.
Return to this altar.
420 The patriarch of the eight trigrams. Return to this
altar.
421 The ensemble of officials and generals. Return to this
altar.
422 Officials and generals who belong to this altar. Return
to this altar.
423 Heaven is urging, earth is urging.
424 May the patron-deity return in a hurry.
425 When you left, you covered three thousand miles.
426 Within no time, you returned to the altar."
64 This is the end of the text recited during the delegates' return from the other world.
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