Description

In Taoism, the ritual of salvation, also known as "Chao Du", is a religious ceremony designed to alleviate the suffering of departed souls and assist them in achieving rest or a higher level of reincarnation. It aspires to free the soul from the cycle of rebirth woven within the Three Realms and Six Paths.

In the Taoist worldview, the soul endures various trials and reincarnations following a person's death, during which it may encounter numerous hardships. The Chao Du ceremony, involving practices such as chanting, ritualistic offerings, and prayer, is performed with the intent to alleviate or abolish the departed soul's suffering in the netherworld and smooth its transition.

This ceremony typically involves the following components:

1. Establishment of a Ritual Altar: Taoists set up a ritual altar, a sacred space where the salvation ceremony is conducted. The altar, adorned with numerous Taoist deities, adheres strictly to traditional Taoist norms.

2. Invocation of the Scriptures: Taoists deliver orations from Taoist scriptures like the "Taishang Ganying Pian", harnessing their profound moral teachings and sacred powers to bless and save the departed soul.

3. Ritual Offerings: An array of ritualistic offerings, including the burning of incense, offering of fruits, and freeing of captive beings (animal release), are performed in an attempt to comfort the departed soul and provide for the deities of the Taoist pantheon, thereby gaining their blessings and assistance.

4. Distribution of Salvation Talismans: Taoists produce and distribute specialized talismans, such as the Lotus Seat, symbolically assisting the departed soul in its salvation and guiding it along the path of light.

5. Dismissal of the Departed Soul: Upon the soul's salvation, Taoists partake in a dismissing ceremony to aid the soul in leaving the human world smoothly and embarking on its next phase of life.

The Taoist Chao Du ceremony underscores moral cultivation and inner purification, as well as compassion and pity for departed souls. Through this ceremony, Taoists seek to secure a serene and harmonious dwelling for departed souls within the cycle of the universe.