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Encyclopaedia of Ancient, Obscure and Esoteric East Asian Religious Practices

Lingbao Universal Salvation

Overview

Section titled “Overview”

This canonical ID (74) currently groups 2 source layers with divergent titles. Milestone-1 migration preserves every layer below without inventing a single merged narrative. Status: needs-review.

Also attested under these titles

Section titled “Also attested under these titles”
  • Kechien Kanjō — Affinity-Establishing Initiation

Research layers

Section titled “Research layers”

Layer 1: Kechien Kanjō — Affinity-Establishing Initiation

Section titled “Layer 1: Kechien Kanjō — Affinity-Establishing Initiation”

Source file: 01_Buddhism.md

Kōyasan still publicly performs this ancient initiation.

Current institutional sequence

Section titled “Current institutional sequence”
  1. Participant enters the initiation environment.
  2. A ritual mark/mantra is given.
  3. Eyes are covered.
  4. Participant receives a flower.
  5. The flower is cast onto the maṇḍala.
  6. The Buddha/deity on whom it lands establishes the participant’s karmic affinity.
  7. The ācārya pours “wisdom water” over the participant’s head.
  8. The participant leaves with a newly established ritual connection to the maṇḍala.

Kōyasan records Kūkai performing major kanjō in 812.

Source: Kongōbu-ji, Kōyasan.
Reliability: A.

Layer 2: Lingbao Universal Salvation

Section titled “Layer 2: Lingbao Universal Salvation”

Source file: 02_Daoism.md

Chinese: 靈寶, Lingbao (“Numinous Treasure”)
Period: revelations c. 397–402 CE; major codification by Lu Xiujing (406–477)

Lingbao made communal liturgy and universal salvation central. It absorbed earlier Daoist technologies while also integrating recognizably Buddhist ideas, including universal vows and multi-heaven cosmology.

Liturgical structure

Section titled “Liturgical structure”

Purification and retreat; altar establishment; invitation of celestial beings; petitions and scripture recitation; visualization by priest; offerings; salvation work for living and dead; merit/cosmic benefit extended beyond the sponsoring family; dismissal of gods and closing of sacred space.

Reliability: A/B.