《正一指教斋清旦行道仪》

The Taishang Xuanyuan Wuling Laojun ought to summon the Gongcao messengers, the left and right Dragon-Tiger Lords, the incense-bearing messengers, and the Orthodox Gods of the Three Qi (Qi, vital energy) to immediately report upward to the Three Heavens Taishang Xuanyuan Great Dao Lord. The disciples are presently burning incense and conducting the Qingdan Zhaiyi (morning purification ritual), praying that orthodox Qi from the eight directions enter the disciples' bodies, allowing the memorialized matters to be swiftly transmitted, reaching directly before the Zhizhen Wuji Daojun (Most True Infinite Dao Lord).

Incense is then offered, a circumambulation of one circuit is performed, and two bows are made facing east.

They next assume a prolonged kneeling posture, knock the teeth twenty-four times, and summon the affiliated spirit clerks to step forward and receive their commands.

With reverence we summon and invite the True Officials of the Five Bodies within our persons, together with the Merit Officer clerks, the officials charged with administrative duties, the Great Generals who hold the tallies and supervise meritorious affairs, as well as the officials of the Front Division of Merit Effectiveness, the Rear Division of Punitive Effectiveness, the Post Station Commanders, the Post Station Assistants, and the Four Division Merit-Supervising Visitors. We also summon and invite the Direct Envoys of the Two Offices of Immortal Spirits that we wear, the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Merit Officers, the Healing Merit Officers, the Envoys of the Left and Right Offices, the Yin-Yang Spirit Decision Clerks, the Red Talisman Clerks of the Ritual Chariots, and the Strong Wind Mounted Post-Horse Petition Clerks, requesting two of each to come forth.

The summoned officials shall all attire themselves in splendid garments, don their caps, fasten their sashes, let their cap tassels hang down, and maintain a correct and dignified bearing as they stand before, behind, to the left and right of us. They shall all listen to the words spoken from our mouths and separately report these words to the official subordinates of Taiqing, the lord clerks who supervise the Zhaijiao (purification ritual), the various official lords, generals and clerks of the Twenty-Four Dioceses established by the Celestial Master (Tianshi), as well as the various official lords of the Two Mysteries, Three Origins, Four Beginnings and Jiazi upon the Dao (the Way), the Seventy-Two Officials, the Three Officials of Investigation and Summoning, and the deities of daily duty and talisman duty.

They shall also report to the gods of the Five Sacred Peaks and Four Waterways, the spirits of hills, pools, marshes and temples, the supervisors of mountain forests, the gods of mountains, rivers, streams and valleys, as well as the True Officials of this prefecture, county, township and village, the spirit clerks responsible for recording Qi (vital energy) and exercising surveillance, the chief gods who investigate and summon the land, the earth-altar gods and the village gods. All the spirit clerks of these various quarters shall immediately attire themselves and, together with the Merit Officer Envoys and Flying Dragon Post Clerks within our persons, jointly present the memorial.

They shall memorialize the Supreme Great Dao of the Most High, the Most High Lord Lao, the Most High Elder, the assembled Perfected of the Four Directions, the Honored Lords of Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue/Power), as well as the managing lord clerks under the gates of the Three Master Lords—the Celestial Master (Tianshi), the Successor Master, the Lineage Master and the Female Master—together with the numinous spirits of Taiqing and the various official lords of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity): We have been granted the privilege of participating in the teaching of the Law and of holding the office of proclaiming and expounding the doctrine. Now that the time has come to report back to the Honored Deities of the Upper Realm, we respectfully convey this on their behalf. We hereby report the relevant matters as follows.

The text of the memorial is then recited.

Earnestly stating the request, we cautiously report to the deities. In accordance with the ancient rites of Hanzhong we establish the Zhijiao Zhai (a form of zhai ritual), to be observed for one day and one night with the Dao performed three times by day and by night. Day and night we remain wholly concentrated in sincere reverence, earnestly begging that mysterious grace be bestowed and descend to shine upon and examine us. We invite the immortal officials who supervise the zhai of the Three Heavens, together with the heavenly soldiers and their mounts, to descend as one according to the ritual methods, circulating divine power and disseminating primordial Qi (vital energy) so as to protect the ritual space. May body and mind be purified, may the prayer be sensed and conveyed upward, blessings granted and disasters averted. The petition being as stated above, we earnestly ask the Gongcao messengers (the divine clerks who transmit memorials) to report each matter separately and to present it upward at the proper time. When the memorial is concluded, let each return into our bodies and to your respective palaces; if summoned again, come once more according to the former custom. Thereupon we prostrate ourselves, kowtow three times, swallow three times, rise, and bow again.

The rites of homage to the four directions are then performed.

If the hour is Hai (a nighttime period), the issuing of the furnace (lighting incense and invoking the spirits) is first carried out here, after which the four-directional homage proceeds.

We respectfully invite the Most High Mysterious Origin Five Numinous Elder Lord to summon the Gongcao messengers, the Left and Right Dragon-Tiger Lords, the incense-bearing messengers, and the True Spirits of the Three Qi, that they swiftly memorialize and report to the Most High Mysterious Origin Great Dao Lord of the Three Heavens: We are now burning incense and conducting the Qingdan zhai rite; may the upright Qi of the eight directions enter our bodies; may the reported matters be transmitted with all speed, arriving directly before the Utmost True Limitless Dao Lord.

The ritual master then turns toward the east and says: “Lords, we are now burning incense and conducting the Qingdan zhai rite; may the upright Qi of the eight directions enter our bodies; may the reported matters be transmitted with all speed, arriving directly before the Utmost True Limitless Dao Lord.”

The ritual master next turns back toward the east, faces west, kneels at length and offers incense; when the rite is finished he rises.

Facing west, each participant then announces the zhi office to which he belongs (the official titles used in Daoist ritual), bows again, sits upright, and recites:

We respectfully report to the four Master Lords—the Celestial Master (Tianshi), the Successor Master, the Lineage Master, and the Female Master—together with the registrars and official clerks under the ladies.

Then facing north:

We respectfully report to the Sovereign Most High, the Great Dao Lord of the Northern Ascent.

Then facing east:

We respectfully report to the Most High Lord Lao of Taiqing, Mysterious Origin, Upper Three Heavens and Limitless Great Dao, the Most High Elder, the Heavenly Emperor Lord, the Heavenly Emperor Elder, the Lords of the Nine Elders Immortal Capital, the Elders of the Nine Qi and their like, together with the hundreds of millions of layers of Dao Qi, the twelve hundred official lords, and His Jade Majesty of Taiqing.

Then facing south.

We respectfully address the Great Dao Lord of the South, the assembled officials of Destiny, and the Lord of Myriad Blessings of the Three Heavens: Influenced by the karma of previous lives, we have received the teachings of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Daoism and have been fortunate to encounter a favorable opportunity to enter the gateway of cultivating the netherworld Way. Our actions fall short of the principles of purity, stillness, and emptiness, and our cultivation has not yet achieved forbearance. We constantly wish to accumulate merit to make amends for our faults, to perpetuate blessings and eliminate sins, to increase good affinities, to rescue those in worry, hardship, and danger, and to deliver beings from suffering. Today, with the sincere heart of observing the purification precepts, we recite this prayer of aspiration.

The Recitation

The contents stated in the documents may all be submitted to the heavenly court. Therefore we jointly establish for the zhai host, a certain Yi, the Celestial Master (Tianshi) Instructed Purification Ritual, conducting it for one day and one night in three sessions of practicing the Dao. May this merit dissolve calamities and enmities for the seven generations of parents of the zhai host’s family as well as all spiritual beings deceased and yet living, remove punishments for sins, deliver the souls wandering in the long night, redeem long-accumulated karmic debts, sever the causal connections leading to hell, and establish good karma leading to heaven. May our entire bodies, minds, and lives all return to the Great Dao (the Way).

First Incense Offering Prayer: May this merit protect the seven generations of parents and the spiritual consciousnesses of past lives, so that they may be spared from disasters and sufferings, liberated from afflictions and evil karma, receive the refining deliverance of Zhuling Palace, transform and ascend to the Southern Pole, forever leave the three evil paths, no longer cycle through the five destinies, and no longer enter the six realms. May blessings spread widely to the eight directions, fortune be passed down to descendants, and also benefit people of the present. Therefore we burn incense and of our own accord take refuge in the Master Lord, ascending to the formless realm and uniting truly with the Dao.

Second Incense Offering Prayer: May this merit bring peace to the emperor, the ruler, the officials, and the common people, making the foundation of the nation stable and prosperous. May blessings spread widely to the eight directions, fortune be passed down to descendants, and also benefit people of the present. Therefore we burn incense and of our own accord take refuge in the Master Lord, ascending to the formless realm and uniting truly with the Dao.

During the second offering of incense, one prays that this merit be dedicated to the emperor, the monarchs of the state, officials of all ranks, and the common people, in order to protect and stabilize the foundations of the nation, bringing prosperity to the country, security to the altars of soil and grain, and peace to the realm, so that the territory may be blessed and the national fortune endure. Therefore we return our bodies to the Great Dao (the Way), return our spirits to the Great Dao, and return our lives to the Great Dao. By this merit may the emperor, monarchs, officials, and people be kept far from disasters and sufferings, with all afflictions and evil roots eliminated; may their lifespans last as long as heaven and earth and their years stand as high as the mountains. May the nation be governed in good order and the people live in peace, meritorious works accomplished and the fortune of the Dao flourishing; those above compassionate and those below filial; the ruler observing propriety and the ministers loyal; all under heaven at peace and the four directions tranquil. Now, burning incense, we take refuge in the Teacher-Lord (the teachers and monarchs honored in Daoist rituals), ascend into the formless realm, unite with the Dao, and accord with the True Dao.

During the third offering of incense, one prays that this merit be dedicated to the offering sponsor (the person conducting the offering ritual) himself, together with family members and relatives of high or low station, old or young, that they may receive auspicious blessings, avert disasters and overcome hardships, preserve their lives, ascend into the formless realm, unite with the Dao, and accord with the True Dao.

At the third offering of incense one makes this vow: May this merit be dedicated to the patron himself and to every member of his household, high or low, old or young, that they may receive auspicious blessings, avert disaster and pass through calamity, preserve life and lengthen years, eliminate misfortune and peril, dispel affliction and resolve illness, and obtain gracious protection and good fortune; and may their sins and faults likewise be erased.

This merit is further extended to the officials of left and right who share the same Qi (vital energy) with the patron, to the people under their jurisdiction, and to all officials and commoners throughout the realm, so that everyone may universally receive blessings and widely enjoy gracious favor. Therefore the liturgist takes refuge in the Great Dao (the Way), returns the spirits to the Great Dao, and entrusts life to the Great Dao. May this merit protect the patron and his household, the officials of left and right who share the same Qi together with those they govern, and all officials and commoners under Heaven, that they be spared disaster, hardship and suffering, freed from affliction, evil roots, punishment and every kind of injury; that all calamities disperse and subside, and that a thousand disasters and ten thousand anxieties all recede and be subdued.

May the Four Gates and Nine Orifices of the body expel the stale and take in the fresh, and may the Three Ones and Five Spirits (the inner deities spoken of in Daoism) stand guard over the palaces and offices within the body; may the mind be open and clear, the ears keen and the eyes bright. Whatever is aspired to or sought after may be fulfilled as wished; whatever is undertaken or performed may be completed successfully. Seeking the Dao one obtains the true Dao; seeking wealth one obtains treasure. The Registrar of Destinies of the Southern Palace (the divine bureau that oversees name-registers and lifespan) records their names, enabling them to endure long and gaze far, their De (Virtue/Power) in accord with Heaven and Earth. May livestock and all flying, crawling and wriggling creatures, whether already born or yet unborn, receive fulfillment.

Therefore, now by burning incense one takes refuge in the Master-Lord (the revered teachers and perfected beings of Daoism), ascending into the formless realm and uniting in truth with the Dao. Bow twice.

Then the following three verses are recited:

When thoughts contend they become tangled within the Five Viscera. By gathering the feelings and observing the fast with reverence, the ancestors obtain good fortune and the descendants receive protection. The body becomes firm as diamond, lifespan without end; the inner heart like a crystal jewel, its radiance shining beyond the body. This is the unsurpassed Dao, the most honored among all methods of the Way. Blessings and merit arise from sincere fasting and are also gained by pinching incense and making vows. This is the seat that leads toward the Great Dao; the worthy and enlightened should all strive to cultivate it.

Pinch incense and offer it to the realm of emptiness, moving all through pure sincerity; concentrate the mind as one, harboring no second thought. The wish rises with the incense smoke; the smoke ascends to Taiqing (the Grand Purity, the clear high heavens of Daoism), and the prayer arrives together with the smoke. When the incense reaches the presence of the Great Dao, the Most High (Taishang, the honorific for the supreme perfected beings) praises and rejoices. Then, following the rite, circumambulate three times, and the merit can be widely bestowed upon the clan. Let everyone strive three times more.

Holding incense in the fingers and burning it toward the realm of emptiness, one harbors a heart of pure and undivided sincerity, praying to commune with all. With single-minded concentration no dual thoughts arise; the wishes of the heart ascend together with the incense smoke. The incense smoke rises into Taiqing (the Clear Vacuity Heaven spoken of in Daoism), and the wishes follow the incense smoke as well, riding the smoke to arrive before the Dao (the Way). The Taishang (an honorific title for supreme deities in Daoism) praises this piety.

When performing the Dao, one circumambulates three times according to the ritual. May the merits and virtues benefit the clan, may the Three Officials (Heavenly Official, Earthly Official, and Water Official, who govern the bestowal of blessings, the pardon of sins, and the relief of misfortunes) remove the offenses, may the Left God register the person’s life register, and may the Immortal Capital (the dwelling place of immortals) determine the name on the Jade Calendar. The name is recorded on the Left Contract (the credential for registering names), Tianlao (a Daoist deity) engraves it into the Jade Register (the immortal register or roster of Daoism), and also records the virtuous deeds from the netherworld into the Golden Coffer (a golden box for storing important documents).

In the midst of fasting and precepts one gathers the emotions and thoughts, burns incense facing the void, circumambulates while performing the Dao, and presents a heart of utmost sincerity. One prays to receive revelation from the Dao, to remove the accumulated multitude of sins, to pardon the culpability of relatives through successive generations and all descendants, so that the karmic obstacles of the ancestors are entirely dissolved, allowing the blessings and De (Virtue/Power) to flow back upon the multitude, so that people of the present world receive auspicious fortune, and also so that later generations may all know of it. These are all the merits obtained from burning incense; one should know that the transmission of this ritual comes from the Celestial Master (Tianshi). The joy in the heart is difficult to restrain, and thus one bows and kowtows to the Celestial Master Lord.