《上清天宝斋初夜仪》

The Shangqing Tianbao Zhai (Shangqing Heavenly Treasure Purification Ritual, a liturgy of the Shangqing school) is an important method by which students of the Dao seek immortality. This ritual may be performed only after one has received the full body of Shangqing practices; one who has received only the intermediate practices may not perform the Tianbao Zhai.

In performing the ritual, one first prays for blessings on the emperor and the ruler of the state, then seeks grace for one's ancestors, and at the same time washes away past faults and repents of recent transgressions. When merit and practice are complete and Virtue (De) is fully realized, one may naturally become an immortal and ascend to heaven in broad daylight.

Pledge-offerings used by the Son of Heaven (zhenxin, tokens used in the ritual to secure and stabilize the rite and to attest to the practitioner's sincerity)

Five golden dragons, each weighing five liang; five jade discs, each three cun in diameter. For the east, nine bolts of blue damask; for the south, three bolts of red damask; for the west, seven bolts of white damask; for the north, five bolts of black damask; and for the center, twelve bolts of yellow damask.

The colored silk fabrics used for these pledge-offerings must all be woven finely and thickly; thin or flimsy cloth may not be used.

Pledge-offerings used by dukes and marquises

Five golden dragons, each weighing one liang; five jade discs, of no fixed size. For the east, one bolt of blue damask; for the south, one bolt of red damask; for the west, one bolt of white damask; for the north, one bolt of black damask; and for the center, one bolt of yellow damask.

The colored silk fabrics used for these pledge-offerings must all be woven finely and thickly; thin or flimsy cloth may not be used.

Pledge-offerings used by ordinary people

For the east, nine chi of blue plain silk; for the south, one bolt of crimson damask.

The colored silk fabrics used for these pledge-offerings must all be woven finely and thickly; thin or flimsy cloth may not be used.

Pledge-offerings used by ordinary people

For the east, nine chi of blue plain silk; for the south, three chi of crimson plain silk; for the west, seven chi of white plain silk; for the north, five chi of black plain silk; and for the center, one zhang and two chi of yellow plain silk.

The colored silk fabrics used for these pledge-offerings should all be woven finely and thickly; thin or flimsy cloth may also be left out of use.

The Lord Qingtong (Qingtong Jun) said: If someone has long practiced the Dao, dwells among mountain crags, holds a deep and sincere devotion to the Dao, and earnestly longs for immortality, then they need only prepare incense and lamps, and need not prepare golden dragons, colored fabrics, or other pledge-offerings. So long as the heart is pure and devotion is sincere and single-minded, they will naturally attain the Dao.

When a purification ritual (Zhaijiao) is to be held, first write the Nine True Scripts in yellow pigment on blue-green paper and place them on a small table at the Heavenly Gate. On the day of the "Return of Office" (the closing of the ritual, when the rites of return and dispatch are performed), burn these talismanic texts at the Heavenly Gate only.

From the emperor down to ordinary commoners, all must light thirty-two Heavenly Lamps on the upper tier of the altar, one for each celestial deity. The lamps for the middle and lower tiers are provided according to each person's means. Outside the altar, in the corresponding positions, light the Lamps of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, the Lamps of the Five Planets, five Lamps of the Natal Destiny, and nine Lamps of the Passing Years. Candles are to be prepared in sufficient quantity for the needs of the rite. The notices posted at the gates throughout the altar follow the established rules of the Yellow Register Retreat.

First, lead the patron of the retreat before the Mystery Master (Xuanshi, the officiating priest of the ritual), to report and explain the purpose for which the ritual is being held.

Next, chant the Dao hymn.

Then invite and pay respects to the Three Masters (the three venerable teachers revered in the ritual).

Next, sing the "Hymn of Huaxia," while guiding the patron to the Earth Gate (the gate of the altar area that represents the earthly realm).

Then comes the empowering of the water, which is the blessing of the ritual water by means of sacred incantations.

Next, recite the Incantation for Ascending the Altar, as the patron enters the altar area through the Heavenly Gate. The incantation reads:

The mysterious Qi of heaven is clear and harmonious, and the three radiances of sun, moon, and stars shine brightly. In the golden chamber of the Dao, five kinds of immortal fungus and precious treasures grow. Mysterious clouds and a purple canopy descend, illuminating my form. Jade Youths and Jade Maidens bring me a numinous response. The Heavenly Emperors of the Five Directions, together with the three radiances, shine down upon me; riding dragons and cranes, I ascend to the Purple Court. The patron of the retreat seeks blessings and protection, and hopes to gain long life. Envoys who communicate with the Perfected, swiftly reach the celestial court and bring me a numinous response. The Heavenly Emperors of the Five Directions, together with the three radiances, shine down upon me; riding dragons and cranes, I ascend to the Purple Court. The patron of the retreat seeks blessings and protection, and hopes to gain long life. Envoys who communicate with the Perfected, swiftly reach Highest Clarity.

Next, circle the altar while offering incense, beginning from the east during the day and from the north at night.

Then offer incense at the Imperial Table, and afterward at one's own assigned position.

Next, pay respects to the Masters according to the ritual, and perform the visualizations as prescribed.

Then recite the Incantation of the Guardian Spirits.

Next, strike the ritual drum twenty-four times.

Finally, perform the opening of the censer (the rite of unsealing the incense burner so that the petitions may be conveyed upward).

The Five Spirits and Five Elders of the Upper Origin (the spirit officials of the five directions and the five Celestial Worthies of the Upper Origin heaven), the Celestial Worthy of Original Unity, Void and Self-So, and the Lord of the Supreme Celestial Treasure, together with eighty-one each of the Straight-Incense Golden Seals, the Jade Maidens of Plain Spirit, the Self-So Perfected Communicators of the Left and Right Jade Spirits, and the Flying-Light Dragon Riders: may you all descend in solemn majesty and announce this rite to the true officials of the local earth and realm.

Your servant now burns incense and performs the rite, holding the Grand Zhai of the Celestial Treasure of Highest Clarity (a Daoist Zhaijiao purification ritual) on behalf of the sponsor, Official So-and-so. The ritual space will remain open for one night, and the ceremonies will be performed over three sessions. We have carefully prepared offerings fragrant as orchids, pure incense and flowers, and arranged colored silks and golden dragons, praying for grace and blessing. May the Golden Elixir and jade radiance of the Supreme Ten Directions descend and spread throughout the sponsor's person; may this memorial be swiftly transmitted and presented before the August Jade Emperor of the Highest Heaven and the myriad sages.

Next, the names and titles are to be announced in order.

Your servant So-and-so, holding the ordination rank, performs the first-night ceremony of the Grand Zhai of the Celestial Treasure of Highest Clarity and, together with the assembled Daoists and the sponsor, respectfully reports before the August Jade Emperor of the Highest Heaven and the myriad sages.

Next, the names and titles are to be announced in order.

Your servant So-and-so, holding the ordination rank, performs the first-night ceremony of the Grand Zhai of the Celestial Treasure of Highest Clarity and, together with the assembled Daoists and the sponsor and others, sincerely and jointly petitions: the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning, the Great Dao of Void and Self-So without Limit; the Sovereign Lady of the Supreme Celestial Treasure, the Jade Emperor of Highest Clarity; the Supreme Lord of the Dao; the Supreme Lord Lao; the Supreme Elder; the Supreme Mysterious Elder, the August Jade Sovereign of the Highest Heaven; the Queen Mother of the West; the Lady of the Southern Peak; the great sages of the ten directions who have attained the Dao; the lords and elders of utmost perfection and mysterious virtue; the Supreme Emperor of the Jade Void; the Jade Emperor, the Great Emperor; the Lords of the Eastern Florescence and the Southern Pole; the Numinous One of the West and the Perfected One of the North; the Bright Sovereign and Lord of Utmost Perfection of the Numinous Treasure, of the Seven-Jewel Mysterious Terrace, the Purple Tenuity Upper Palace, the Golden Gate Tower, the Jade Capital of the Mysterious Metropolis; the Thirty-Two Heavenly Emperors; the Twenty-Four Exalted Perfected; the Master of Initial Writings, who taught below in the Age of Great Peace; the Chief Ministers and Supreme Governors of the Three Offices of Heaven, Earth, and Water; the Four Directors and Five Emperors of the sun, moon, stars, and constellations; the celestial immortals, earthly immortals, flying immortals, and spirit immortals; the Great Master of the Mysterious Center; the Three Masters of Scripture, Registers, and Transmission; the Great Masters of the Three Heavens; and the officials and all true spirits of the Five Peaks and Four Rivers, the Eight Seas and Nine Rivers, the famous mountains and cavern-heavens, and the Three Realms.

Your servant has heard: the Round-Clear and Square Masters, the Three Masters of Scripture, Registers, and Transmission, the Great Masters of the Three Heavens, and the officials and all true spirits of the Five Peaks and Four Rivers, the Eight Seas and Nine Rivers, the famous mountains and cavern-heavens, and the Three Realms...

I have heard that Heaven is clear and round, while Earth is turbid and square. The myriad things are conceived within subtle and mysterious gateways, and their receiving of image and their differentiation into form all depend on the wondrous Dao (the Way). The Dao moves in cycles, ending and beginning again without cease, and in fashioning the myriad things it leaves none out. Heaven and Earth cover and bear them, enabling them to come into being, and also oversee the discernment of transgression and blessing. This is the reason the Primordial Sovereign (Yuanhuang, a venerated divine title in Daoism) unfolded the teachings, and the Supreme One (Taishang, a Daoist honorific for the highest divinity) handed down the ritual forms.

The Dao sends down a rain of the Law to wash away the troubles of the mortal world, and sets in motion a boat of compassion to help people cross the sea of suffering. Therefore the sponsor of this fast, N., with a sincere heart, seeks blessings and grace from the realm of the mysterious, hoping that calamities may be dispelled and misfortunes scattered. The sponsor has laid out incense, lamps, colored silks, and golden dragons, established a ritual space for a single night, and, in accordance with the rite, convened the liturgical sessions in three periods.

I was born a mere mortal, raised on my parents' milk. Because of good affinities accumulated in a former life, I was fortunate to encounter the teachings of Daoism. In my youth I donned the robes and cap of a Daoist priest, resolved to revere the true lineage of the Dao. On the Star Altar I received the Fa registers (Falu, the credentials by which Daoism records priestly rank and names on the rolls), and in the Moon Hall I took up the succession of the incense and lamps. When I ascended the altar to receive the Law, I swore an oath to make clear the mysterious teachings and proclaim the sacred scriptures. For all who turn their hearts toward the Dao, how could I dare not to memorialize their wishes to the heavens? The Green Prose (Qingci, the written prayer presented to the deities in Zhaijiao purification rituals) composed by the sponsor is now reverently read aloud and presented.

Next, the Green Prose is read.

Following the wishes set forth, we sincerely pray for blessings, for the salvation of the deceased and the protection of the living, that all may gain increased fortune and longevity. At the moment a heartfelt intention arises, the Three Realms (in Daoist teaching, the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm) all know of it; when we sincerely confess and repent our transgressions, the myriad sages will grant forgiveness. Holding incense and fire, we offer our prayers to the Great Dao (the Way) of emptiness. In accordance with the rite, we perform the practice of the Dao three times a day, set out one vegetarian banquet, devote ourselves to fasting, and prepare pure vegetarian food, incense, and flowers.

We respectfully invite the exalted Perfected (Gaozhen, deities who have attained the Dao) of the Three Isles and the supreme sages of the ten directions to descend. Though the vast and profound heavens are distant, our petitions can reach them; the Dao is boundless, and through sincere inquiry one may grasp its deeper meaning. We humbly beg the divine powers to observe the sincerity of our repentance, to hear our words of confession, to bestow their profound grace, and to extend broad forgiveness. Reflecting on our past ignorance and shallowness, we wish to set down our grave faults of former times; whether they be the offenses of earlier generations or the errors of this present life, we pray to be released from them.

May the whole body be at ease, the six viscera in harmony, the five organs at peace, and the many spirits (Shen) within the body steady and secure. May the Cinnabar Palace (Danggong, the place that symbolizes cultivation, immortality, and ascension) bear our names among those who ascend, and may the dark registers of the shadowy underworld retain no record of decay and ruin. May all entanglements be dissolved and a thousand auspicious blessings descend; may enemies on both sides cease their strife, and may creditors no longer demand repayment. Whether a person was killed deliberately or harmed by accident, we wish that it all be resolved.

May we devote ourselves to cutting off stray thoughts and concentrate the Shen (spirit) in contemplating the Mysterious Gate (Xuanguan, the crucial point in Neidan, or internal alchemy, where body and mind converge and the movement of Qi enters and exits). Tonight we first briefly set out the reasons for holding this fast; tomorrow we will present our prayers and petitions in full. We ask the local Earth God and the district officials of the spirit world to record the merit of this fast and report it to the realm of the Perfected. May all our earnest wishes reach the seat of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three highest deities honored in Daoism), the Lord of the Limitless Dao, and the Jade Emperor.

Then perform the prostrations. Ten days later, present the prayers and petitions separately once more. We ask the local Earth God and the district officials of the spirit world to record the merit of this fast and report it to the realm of the Perfected; may all our wishes reach the seat of the Three Pure Ones, the Lord of the Limitless Dao, and the Jade Emperor.

Next, make obeisance to the ten directions.

With utmost sincerity we take refuge in the North: the Limitless and Inexhaustible Primordial, Most Exalted Heavenly Treasure Lord, the Celestial Venerable of Shangqing. For each of the other directions, follow this same form and bow once to each.

Then each person should repent sincerely.

We, your ministers, sincerely take refuge in the boundless Dao of the ten directions, in the Primal Lord of Heavenly Treasure, and in the Jade Emperor of Shangqing (the venerable deity of the Shangqing realm).

We now repent with sincere hearts, wishing to dissolve our faults and transgressions. We humbly beg the Dao to extend its compassion widely and to bestow profound grace. We bow in homage to the east, west, south, north, above, below, and the four intermediate directions. We also pay reverence to the sun, moon, and stars, to the famous mountains and cavern-heavens, to the Five Peaks and Four Rivers (the five sacred mountains and the four great rivers), to the Eight Seas and Nine Rivers, to the officials and attendants of the Three Realms, and to all the perfected spirits.

We pray that the reigning emperor may enjoy a long and enduring life, and that the fortunes of the state may remain secure. We also repent on behalf of our officials, colleagues, and the civil and military officials of the court, as well as on behalf of the nine generations of ancestors of the sponsor of the rite (the person who presides over or provides for the Zhaijiao (purification ritual)), their distant forebears, their relatives on both the inner and outer sides of the family, their four friends and three teachers, and their households high and low. We pray that the faults they have committed in former lives and in this one, across many kalpas, may all be removed. These faults include disdain for the sages and worthies, deceiving and misleading the four orders of people (people of differing stations), disloyalty and lack of filial piety, destroying sacred images and scriptures, harming the innocent, and injuring living beings.

These sins have piled up like mountains. Without the power of the Dao to dispel calamity and relieve suffering, it would be difficult to attain the immortal path. May past transgressions be wholly extinguished, and may new blessings and good fortune descend in full. May all be auspicious and fair, may the perfected spirits watch over and protect us, may grievances cease their pursuit, and may creditors no longer press their claims. Whether living beings were killed deliberately or harmed by accident, may all be resolved. May our names be entered in the registers of the good, and may our offenses be struck from the black rolls of the underworld offices, so that all may dwell long in blessed lands and enjoy prolonged life. May calamity sink into the Nine Depths, and may blessings arise from the ten directions.

We, your ministers, bow our heads and take refuge in the Three Treasures of Orthodox Truth (the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters revered in Daoism).

Next, recite the Three Heavens Chapter of the Primordial Beginning.

Hymn of the Qingwei Heaven

The Void Cavern where the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) dwells is, at root, emptiness. Three primal Qi (气) converge, and their essence rises to the gate of Heaven. Purple radiance blends and pours into the vast void; light appears in all four directions, nurturing the root of numinous wonder. Marvelous transformations unfold from the Eastern Qiong Heaven, and three gates open onto the realm of Western Kunlun. A boundless brilliance illuminates the Nine Mysteries Heavens and makes them clear; five-colored splendor accompanies clouds like brocade. In the realm of Liluo, spirit lamps blaze, and the Seven Stars of the Northern Origin shine. The vision drifts upward to the palaces of the Heaven of Highest Purity (Shangqing), where the Sovereign Lord of the Emperor-One stands solemn and upright. The Realm of High Supremacy opens majestically, and feathered-robed youths come and go in great numbers. Flowing fragrance, without form or color, pervades the multitudes of immortals.

Turning left, one passes through three cycles of kalpic tribulation; moving right, one opens the nine layers of the celestial gates. Golden blossoms adorn the plain clouds like tassels, and the winds of the eight directions dance among the wheels of the Dharma turning in the air. The seasons never cease their course, and the green and white Qi became distinct from the very beginning. Through the number nine times nine, tribulations succeed one another; reckoned by three times three, a long era too will pass. Heaven and earth must in the end reach their time of convergence and conclusion; when fortune is blocked and turbulence has run its course, all will turn and change again. Discern and illuminate the method of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity), and diligently practice the Six Heavenly Texts. When the age of Great Peace returns to emptiness, uphold and assist the Later Sage Lord.

The lines above concerning tribulations, celestial gates, and heavenly texts are repeated once in the scripture: Discern and illuminate the method of Zhengyi, and diligently practice the Six Heavenly Texts. When the age of Great Peace returns to emptiness, uphold and assist the Later Sage Lord.

Hymn of the Yuyu Heaven

A numinous wind rises from the western gate, and brocade clouds ascend in the Eastern Qiong. The three primal Qi illuminate the Jade Isle, and flowing fragrance mounts on drifting smoke. Five-colored blossoms scatter in the wind, and in an instant the Nine Pure Heavens grow bright. The Qian tree gleams beneath the red sun, and yellow flowers grow as the moon rises.

Among them are youths gathering the divine mushroom, clad in feathered robes and wearing the Flying Green. They wander freely across ten thousand ridges and peaks, feasting at leisure in green carriages. Driving the wheels of the Nine Voids, they move and transform without any measurable span. On the left they proclaim the Three Heavenly Texts; on the right they command the Six Heavenly Soldiers. They gather and restrain the primal Qi, returning it to the Void Cavern. The six tribulations arrive in turn, each in its season; the reckoning of cycles has its own time of convergence, so who can foretell success or failure in advance?

Vast waves submerge the cloud-net, and in all the cosmos not a trace remains. Corpses and po-souls drift in the long currents, and solitary ghosts are drowned and dispersed. Seeing this threshold between life and death, one comes to understand the brightness of the true Dharma. Those who have achieved the Dao and practice with still greater diligence will inscribe a splendid name in the registers of Donghua. Fortunate are those with the white tablet of the immortals, for together all shall enjoy Great Peace.

Hymn of the Great Red Heaven (the scripture does not include the main text.)

The Dongguan (Cavern Gate) sets in motion the scripture of the celestial Dao (Way), and the five primal Qi (vital energy) drive the Three Subtleties, the refined and profound Qi of the Dao, along their course. The purple celestial gate gives forth jade tablets, while the golden celestial gate welcomes the radiance of the divine. The Eight Convergences, where the primal Qi of the celestial Dao meets, come together. The true wind flows, and brilliant light shines forth, so that even the layered darkness is thrown open. Beyond the Nine Pure Heavens, the horizon stretches high and vast, and the light of dawn circles and returns. The three colors of light return to emptiness, and the four seasons change in accord with the Jade Mechanism, the pivot of the Dao's movement.

The River Marquis, the spirit who governs the rivers, has already taken up his brush to write, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) shift silently into one another. Endless kalpas turn and begin anew; when their course reaches its end, they ride the primal Qi back to the source. Myriad demons are arrayed across the heavens, and the many malign forces vie to display their might. The common people bear the blows of calamity, corpses lie strewn across the land, and the sight is one of grief.

How wondrous is the scripture of this Correct Law! Having passed through the kalpas, its light has never faded. When the appointed time arrives, the people will greet one another, and the covenant is established within the gates of the Nine Heavens. I make a pledge with you all to welcome together an age of Great Peace; then your bodies will be unfettered, and you will rise in flight without needing wings.

Then perform the Three Salutations.

With sincere hearts, bow and pay homage to: the Limitless and Boundless, the Primordial, Most High Celestial Treasure Sovereign, the Celestial Venerable of Shangqing (Supreme Clarity).

With sincere hearts, bow and pay homage to: the thirty-six sections of the True Scripture of Shangqing (Jing), and the supreme numinous texts of the Natural Yellow Writings.

With sincere hearts, bow and pay homage to: the Three Venerables of Taishang, the Masters of the Mysterious Center, the holy assembly of the Dao and De (Virtue), and all the immortals and perfected beings.

Then recite once more the names and titles of the revered deities.

To the High and Supreme Primordial Celestial Treasure Lord (a revered deity of Daoism), who embodies Emptiness, Naturalness, and the boundless Great Dao (the Way); to the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Lord Lao, the Supreme Ministers and Chancellors (high assisting officials of the celestial realm), the officials of the Three Realms, and all perfected spirits:

I have been fortunate to encounter the teachings of the Great Dao. I suppose that in past lives I already possessed a spiritual root, and so I have been permitted to wear the true Fulu (talismans and registers) and to behold the treasured scriptures. On the day I received the Dao, at the moment I swore my oath, I promised to illuminate its profound principles and to proclaim the classics of the sages. The master of the retreat now pleads for divine favor with earnest intent and confesses past faults with deep sincerity. In keeping with ritual form, we observe a three-day purification fast and set up a single altar. We burn incense so that its fragrance drifts to the immortal realms in all eight directions, and we light lamps so that their flames open into a thousand blossoms of radiance.

Before the precious throne we offer our prayers and invocations, and high above the azure heavens we concentrate our visualization. We respectfully beseech the holy assembly of Emptiness and Nothingness and the exalted Perfected Ones of the Supreme to take note of this devotion and to bestow abundant auspiciousness and blessing. May I attain the Dao, remain free from the assaults of demonic obstruction, and be protected by ten thousand sages and assisted by a thousand spirits. Today, following the Keyi (liturgy) and its precepts, we circle the altar in ceremony; tomorrow we shall burn incense and present our petition once more. May the holy ones open their compassionate illumination, look down upon our sincerity, deliver those lost in delusion, and bring them early to the immortal path. May the living and the dead alike find peace and together preserve purity, stillness, and rectitude. May life be as long as the Southern Mountain, and blessings as deep and vast as the Eastern Sea. Thus, above, we may reveal the Celestial Worthy's grace in sheltering and nurturing all beings, and below, we may answer our own sincere resolve to take refuge in the Dao and serve it. We thank the upright and true deities for shedding their light upon us, and we bow our heads and prostrate once more.

Next, the Eight Vows are declared:

Jade Emperor of Shangqing, Lord of Supreme Simplicity, Supreme High Spirit, and Great Deity of the Immortal Capital, today I announce to you all and declare eight vows.

First, I vow to ascend through the clouds and become a perfected spirit of deathless longevity. Second, I vow that heaven and earth, the sun, moon, and stars, the winds and clouds, and all the phenomena of the sky may be in harmony. Third, I vow that the Five Sacred Peaks and I may endure together. Fourth, I vow that my ancestors of nine generations may have their sins dissolved and be freed from their transgressions. Fifth, I vow to obtain blessing and long life and to sever the root of rebirth in the cycle of reincarnation. Sixth, I vow that my appearance may be upright and my wisdom complete. Seventh, I vow to destroy ghosts and evil forces and to cut down the demons of the Six Heavens. Eighth, I vow that sweet dew may descend, so that blessings continue unbroken until the end of all kalpas.

Next comes the Renewal of the Censer (the part of the ritual in which bows are made again, incense is burned, or the incense burner is tended).

Immortal spirits, celestial officials, Golden Youths and Envoys, the Five Emperors, the spirits of the Five Peaks, divine immortals and true persons, the Correct Spirits of the Three Luminaries, the Celestial Immortals of the Left Dragon and Right Tiger, and the Incense Officials of the Five Numinous Powers: we ask that you summon the supreme and rightful qi (Qi) of the ten directions, the naturally formed golden liquid, the cinnabar essence and spirit-mushroom blossoms, and the Jade Perfected of the Nine Heavens. May they come to this ritual altar (the sacred space where a zhaijiao, or purification ritual, is held), observe the condition of the ritual host, and protect them as they ascend to immortality, so that they may travel through the great void and rise into the Nine Heavens. We ask the Jade Youths and Jade Maidens to attend the incense smoke and swiftly convey the petitions I have made before to the High Perfected, the Jade Emperor of Highest Purity, and the assembled sages.

Chant the Altar Hymn once, then descend from the altar.

The many immortals emerge from the Dongzhen realm (Dongzhen, one of the Three Caverns), radiant and brilliant, illuminating the Great Purity. Those who follow the Dao (the Way) and cultivate themselves are called immortals, and their bodies endure without decay. They wander freely through the mysterious void, and their palaces spread throughout the formless. The groves of seven-jeweled trees gleam with splendor, and the light of sun and moon shines bright. Patterns like dragon scales interlace and race across the sky, while phoenixes beat their wings in flight and cry out. The Most High governs the mysterious celestial palaces, and the true persons recite the Dongjing, the scripture of the Caverns. They burn incense and bow in homage, circling to the left, away from the palace city. After three circuits they return to the high seat, and the Heavenly Venerable descends in response. If one devotes the whole heart to spreading the supreme Dao, the world will be at peace everywhere.

Note from Xuexian: when descending from the altar, recite the incantation and leave through the Earth Gate (the passage from the ritual space leading to the underworld).

For those whose fortune and longevity are exhausted, their names are struck from the registers of the immortals. By decree of the Celestial Emperor, all beings across hundreds of millions of kalpas are born together into life. When the rite is complete, each returns to their proper place, and the myriad spirits are at peace. If there are further petitions to be presented later, the divine spirits will descend again.

Approach the Master of Mystery (the master who transmits the Dao's methods), bow in thanks, and disperse.