《太清道德显化仪》

The officiant first recites the incantation invoking the guardian spirits, then announces their own Daoist rank and name.

Your humble servant, holding office as [name], respectfully submits this petition: to the Supreme Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), Celestial Worthy of the Dao and De, of the Great Pure Realm of Mysterious Origin, the Unsurpassed Three Heavens, and the Limitless Great Dao; to the Sacred Mother of the Prior Heaven, the Great Holy Empress, and the Primordial Lady of Taiyi; to the Lords of the Taiqing Dongshen (the Cavern of Spirit, one of the Three Caverns), the Elders, the Chief Ministers, the Grand Chancellors, the Grand Guardians, and the Grand Tutors; to the Three Heavens and Four Ministers, all the officials who assist in governance and the officers who oversee divine duties; to all immortal officials and spirit officers, and to the deities of the Three Realms: we humbly beseech you all to extend your compassion and descend to observe this rite.

I have heard that the Great Void is vast and boundless, and within it dwells the Celestial Emperor; the primordial Qi (vital energy) is subtle and hard to perceive, and the substance of the Dao is contained within it. The realm of Taiqing (the Great Pure) is the very source where, through great cycles of cosmic calamity, heaven and earth were conceived. The Qi of the Dao is vast and inexhaustible, spreading layer upon layer through the primal chaos. Within this realm, twelve hundred lords and officials were born of creation and transformation to assist the Great Dao. The Dao is at once subtle yet present, and seemingly formless; it is elusive and beyond fathoming. Its efficacy does not appear through acts of mastery, yet it spreads widely through the practice of benevolence and the nurturing of the myriad people. Its traces are by nature impossible to exhaust, yet they have gradually become manifest through the establishment of teachings across the generations.

I have consulted the records of the classics and tried to trace the deeds of the sage. It is said that in the ninth year of King Wuding of Shang, who reverently practiced non-action (Wuwei), on the full moon day when the handle of the Dipper pointed to the Yin position, some hold that this was the birthday of Hunyuan (the Daoist honorific for Taishang Laojun). Hence the rites celebrating Laojun's birthday came to be handed down. This is merely an expression of people's reverence; how could it add anything to the sage's virtue?

Today, your disciple [name] and others deeply revere Laojun and chant praises without cease. We have swept clean the altar grounds and set up the altar to hold a jiao (a Daoist ritual of offerings to the spirits). Reverently we approach the vermilion steps (the stairs before the hall of the deities) and present wine in wishes for longevity. We beseech you not to disdain our lowliness, but to descend especially and receive these offerings. May the green ox and purple Qi appear once more, as when Laojun passed through the Hangu Pass; and may the white horse with the vermilion mane appear, as when Laojun descended upon Mount Mao. May the assembled Perfected Ones gather together, so that our sincere hearts may be secretly moved and connected with you.

We gaze up toward the heavenly steps, waiting earnestly, with unbounded reverence. We humbly bow and invite you once more.

With reverence and wholehearted sincerity, we invite the following deities and perfected immortals to descend, one by one:

The Most High Celestial Thearch Lord of Great Clarity; the Elder of the Celestial Thearch of Great Clarity; the Lord of the Immortal Capital of the Nine Elders of Great Clarity; the Elder of the Nine Qi (vital energy) of Great Clarity; the Upper Minister, the Azure Lad Lord of Fangzhu Palace; the Upper Steward, Lord Wang, Chief Perfected of the Western Citadel; the Upper Protector, the Primordial Lady of the Southern Pole of the Great Elixir; the Upper Tutor, the Primordial Lady of Great Simplicity of White Mountain Palace; the Great Ritual Master within the Mystery, the Elder by the River; Master Wenshi, the Perfected Yin; the Upper Minister of Supreme Mystery, True Lord Zhang; the Upper Minister of the Celestial Mechanism, True Lord Ge; the Upper Minister of the Celestial Pivot, True Lord Xu; the Upper Minister of Joint Documents, True Lord Fuqiu; the Perfected of Great Existence of the Upper Prime; the Immortal Elder of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) of the Middle Prime; the Immortal Earl of Great Clarity of the Lower Prime; the Upper Minister of Taiji of Dongshen (one of the Three Caverns); the Immortal Earl of Taiji of Dongshen; the Superior Immortal of Great Mystery of Dongshen; together with the commander-in-chief who leads the dharma-protecting forces of the Three Heavens of Dongshen, the grand commander of the great armies of the Nine Heavens of Dongshen, the vice-director of Great Tenuity of Dongshen, the vice-director of Taiji of Dongshen, the minister of the Wood bureau of Dongshen, the minister of the Fire bureau of Dongshen, and the Immortal Earl of Metal of Dongshen.

We further invite the Superior Immortal of Great Mystery of Dongshen; the commander-in-chief who leads the dharma-protecting forces of the Three Heavens of Dongshen; the grand commander of the great armies of the Nine Heavens of Dongshen; the vice-director of Great Tenuity of Dongshen; the vice-director of Taiji of Dongshen; and the ministers of the Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, and Earth bureaus of Dongshen, corresponding to the Five Phases; the grand minister who guards the troops of Great Tenuity of Dongshen; the grand minister who increases allotted lifespan of Taiji of Dongshen; the grand minister of superior immortals of the Purple Prefecture of Dongshen; the supervisor of the immortal authority of the great immortals of Dongshen; the grand master of superior immortals of Taiji of Dongshen; the guardian commandant of the Three Heavens of Dongshen who beheads demons; the grand minister of superior immortals of the Cyan Void of Dongshen; the supervisor of superior immortals who preserve life of the Nine Heavens of Dongshen; the grand supervisor of the Seven Governors of Purple Tenuity of Dongshen; the grand supervisor of covenanted authority of the Golden Portal of Dongshen; the grand supervisor of Fusang and the Sun Valley of Dongshen; the supervisor of superior immortals of Taiji of Dongshen; the grand supervisor of immortal ordinances of the Mysterious Capital of Dongshen; the troop registrar of the immortal prefecture of Taiji of Dongshen; the rectifier of the protecting prefecture of the Nine Heavens of Dongshen; the grand supervisor of clouds and mists of the Nine Heavens of Dongshen; the commandant of the Purple Prefecture of Dongshen; the true supervisor of the Six Brightnesses and the Luminous Void of Dongshen; the guardian commandant of the immortal capital of the Eight Extremes of Dongshen; the grand supervisor of the Northern Pole of Dongshen; and the lord director-general of all spirits of Taiji of Dongshen.

We also invite the one thousand two hundred official lords of Great Clarity; the officials of the various palace bureaus who present memorials of Great Clarity; the golden lads and jade maidens who attend the incense on the left and right of Great Clarity; the dragon and tiger lords who stand guard on the left and right of Great Clarity; the Perfected Gan of Langlang; and the Perfected Kou of Mount Song; the perfected of successive generations of Great Clarity who have transmitted the methods of the Dao (the Way); the divine immortals who open and transform the Three Realms; and the incense officials and envoys on duty that day, together with the orthodox gods of the local earth.

This passage of “inviting the holy” is an invocation text used in Daoist ritual. By name it summons deities, immortal officials, dharma-protecting divine generals, and local spirits of every rank, praying that they come to the altar to protect and bless. Some divine titles appear more than once and are retained as in the original.

With hearts full of reverence and trepidation, we, your assembled subjects, kowtow and bow twice, respectfully petitioning the Supreme Lord Lao of Great Clarity, the Mysterious Origin, the Unsurpassed Three Heavens, and the Limitless Great Dao (Dao), the Celestial Worthy of the Dao and Its De (De). We reverently look up to the Celestial Worthy’s vast compassionate grace, and pray that holy light may descend upon the precious throne.

Musical Prelude of Great Clarity

Though we scarcely know our own measure, and though we are ordinary and dull, we still presume to invite the Celestial Worthy’s ceremonial retinue to descend. We picture divine dragons drawing the carriage and celestial horses opening the way, twelve guard officials clearing the road ahead and ninety thousand flying immortals following behind. Amid auspicious clouds, standards and insignia are raised high; between cloud and rosy mist flutter the banners of the Ten Perfections. The bells of the splendid great carriage ring out, and a radiance like sun and moon shines upon the fans of the Five Brilliances. Looking up, we receive the auspicious signs of high antiquity and rely on the grace-light that the Celestial Worthy scatters from heaven. Selecting one marvel among them, we do our utmost to set forth a solemn and magnificent liturgy. We wish to celebrate with an offering of precious gifts such as the Seven Treasures. Filled with reverence, we kowtow and bow twice, rejoicing to the utmost.

Pacing the Void

The precious throne descends upon the golden hall; roseate light illuminates the jade pavilion. Ten thousand perfected immortals go to pay court at the imperial abode, treading cloud-qi (Qi) and traveling aloft through the void.

I have heard that, when the Celestial Worthy was born in former times, divine water first manifested the auspicious omen. Water drawn from the Yellow Blossom Pool of the Eastern Well made the body emit a golden radiance; and when the flowing water of the Western Blossom Pool was poured in, the body grew moist and lustrous as jade. Ever since the nine dragons presented this auspicious sign, the event has been a glory celebrated through the ages. Now we take up this name and proclaim its virtue. The watercourses of the Numinous Stream flow on without end, their grace inexhaustible; by drawing a share of the lingering ripples of the Eastern Well, one may entrust to them the hope of ascending as a flying immortal. Before the Dao we respectfully present our offerings.

Celestial Worthy of the Flowing Enrichment of the Dharma Source

Offering of incense.

I have heard that, among the methods of the Dao (the Way), incense is held in the highest esteem. The incense that issues from the Heaven of Pure Subtlety (Qingwei Tian, a lofty celestial realm in Daoism) is called “incense of liberation,” and it has the power to deliver those in the dark underworld and to raise up people of the manifest world. The incense produced on Juku Continent is called “incense of return to life,” and it has the wondrous effect of restoring the dead to life and reviving mortal remains. In truth, the efficacy lies not in the incense itself, but in the De (Virtue/Power) of the one who offers it. Some also say that fragrance is perceived not only by the nose, but still more by the mind. The flowers, grasses, and trees of the human world already give forth scent; how, then, could the immortals of heaven lack fragrance? Yet ritual is valued for its simplicity, and offerings are valued for what is distinctive. So long as sincerity cannot be concealed, Heaven can sense it. Reverently facing the Dao, we respectfully offer this incense.

Celestial Worthy of Incense Clouds Formed into Seal-Script

Offering Flowers

I have heard that in the parks and gardens of the immortal realms there are ten thousand kinds of rare flowers and extraordinary plants. In the Sun Grotto of Everlasting Radiance (Changyang Riku, the place of sunlight in the immortal realm), one may look upward and gather the blossoms of the Ruo tree; in the Mysterious Garden and the Qian Forest (legendary immortal mountains), one may pluck flower-hearts of azurite blue. Blossoms in full splendor set the numinous wind in motion and make the daylight seem long; reds and purples stand vivid, as if it were the mild and harmonious spring of the realm of the Dao. These are no ordinary colors and scents of the mortal world, and they ought to be offered for the enjoyment of the Most Exalted. We present jade-like flowers before the mat, wishing that the Celestial Worthies may rejoice; we further wish that the flowers may transform into precious canopies in the void, so that all may together receive the shelter of the Dao. Reverently facing the Dao, we respectfully offer these flowers.

Celestial Worthy of Jade Blossoms in Brilliant Color

Offering the Candle

I have heard that lamps and candles, though small, can supply what the light of Yin-Yang does not reach. With orchid balm for oil, they carry on the sunlight and send forth glittering red flames; drawing fire by means of a yangsui mirror, they raise a bright crimson glow. As for the immortal realm of Great Clarity (Taiqing), how could it need the illumination of a feeble lamp? Offering a candle here perhaps takes the sense of requiting the sunlight, and it also accords with the ritual practice of arraying torches. May my sincere heart shine on enduringly, like this single candle flame; may the power of the Dao be made manifest, so that light shines throughout the ten directions. Reverently facing the Dao, we respectfully offer this candle.

Celestial Worthy of Wisdom-Light Without Obstruction

Offering Tea

I have heard that the rare and wondrous varieties among all the herbs, flowers, and trees are precious medicines taken by immortals who have attained the Dao (the Way). The Seven-Brilliance Stone Fungus was once sent as tribute from the west, offered up from Kunwu; the Ten-Knot Divine Herb comes from the depths of Mount Kongdong in the north. The medicines used by Daoists are especially numerous, so how could a single cup of tea in the human world be worth envying? Yet in offering birthday blessings to the Most Honored One, one ought to present offerings according to the proper rites of reverence. Penglai has three immortal mountains, and I dare not boast that I have already grasped the mysteries of becoming an immortal; the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) rank of immortals stands first, and I still hope to obtain the fortunate chance of exchanging my mortal bones for immortal ones. With reverence we turn to face the Dao and respectfully present these offerings.

Heavenly Worthy of Spiritual Penetration and Measured Judgment

Offering of Wine

I have heard that long ago, when the Son of Heaven toured the four quarters, the immortals vied to present birthday wine. The Azure Youth of the Eastern Sea once laid out a banquet of jade-green wine and golden-fluid, jade-nectar; the Supreme Lord of the Nine Heavens likewise spread a feast of cloud-essence and moon-liquid. Jade blossoms were offered from Zhuling, and sweet immortal nectar came from the Purple Palace. Recalling the splendor of those days, we now once more perform the rite of wine offering according to ritual. Taking the form of the Northern Dipper, we ladle out the celestial brew and present the wine to the heavenly court, wishing the Most Honored One to enjoy forever the spring radiance bestowed by Heaven; we also brew the waters of the Western River as a wine of longevity, hoping that all within heaven and earth and the four directions may enter together the land of drunkenness. With reverence we turn to face the Dao and respectfully present this offering of wine.

Heavenly Worthy of Jade Radiance and Floating Moisture

Offering of Fruit

I have heard that when the Son of Heaven once made his tours, he would inspect the immortal fruits presented by officials from every region. The Queen Mother of the West once offered golden and purple jiaoli fruit; the Lady of the Southern Pole presented red, spirit-lit fire jujubes. Immortals once plucked mulberries from the Fusang tree in the east, and gathered melons and fruits from Mount Kongdong in the north. Now, recalling how these lingering immortal fruits seem still to be before our eyes, we present fruit offerings according to the rites of the human world. The fruit said to ripen only after three thousand years is still not the most precious; if one could obtain an immortal branch that does not wither even after seven hundred years, one would gladly share it with all. With reverence we turn to face the Dao and respectfully present this offering of fruit.

Heavenly Worthy of Savoring the Subtle and Imperceptible (Xiyi)

Presenting the Memorial

Your servant has heard that the grace of Heaven and Earth has, from the outset, no need of outward form in order to show itself, and that the radiance of the sun and moon does not rely on painting to add to its brilliance. How much more is this true of the Great Dao (the Way), which lies beyond anything words can express and above the realm that thought and argument can reach. Even if one takes dust and sand, or a myriad kalpas—spans of time immensely long—as a comparison, one still cannot fathom the Dao to its end. How, then, could a few sentences in a written document praise it completely?

What the text sets forth may seem ordinary, yet in truth it bears a deep and solemn intent. Rivers and seas receive even the smallest streams, and so their waters remain abundant and free of care. The profound grace of Heaven and Earth likewise nourishes people every day and ought to be received at every moment. With reverence, this heart of pure sincerity is submitted to be heard on high.

The memorial (shuwen) is read aloud, and the dispatch (guanwen)—the document presented and proclaimed in the rite—is read aloud. Homage is offered to the deities, and the merit is dedicated (huixiang), the merit of the liturgy being transferred to those for whom prayers are offered.

The liturgical text of manifestation.

Buxu (the sung melody of Daoist ritual).

Your servant has heard that the profound grace of Heaven and Earth is such that people may receive it every day. With reverence, the heart of pure sincerity here set forth is submitted to be heard on high.

The memorial is read aloud, and the dispatch is read aloud. Homage is offered to the deities, and the merit is dedicated.

The liturgical text of manifestation.

Buxu.

Your servant has heard that the substance of the Great Void (Taixu, the vast and boundless emptiness) is such that even a sage who has attained the Dao (the Way) can hardly fathom its depths, and that the full roundness of the sun and moon is such that even the most skilled craftsman can hardly capture their radiance.

With reverence I invoke the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), Sovereign Emperor of Primordial Unity and Supreme De (Virtue), Celestial Venerable of the Dao and De, dwelling in the immortal realm of Great Purity (Taiqing). You were born before the Limitless (Wuji) and rise above the Great Void. To say that you exist is not quite right, yet to say that you do not exist is also not right. You have neither sound nor form, yet you are the root of the Supreme Dao. You can be long or short, square or round; no single name can contain you, for you are the mother of all things. You are so vast that you embrace the whole universe, and so subtle that you can enter a strand of fine hair. You are lofty and boundless beyond description, profound and still beyond recognition.

Since the first opening of heaven and earth, subtle and mysterious transformations have operated in secret. Heaven and earth, above and below, took on the forms of clear and turbid, while movement and stillness gave rise to the natures of firm and yielding. Wind, thunder, mountain, and marsh are interlinked, and from them the Bagua (Eight Trigrams, eight symbols representing the changes of all things in heaven and earth) arise in turn. The four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter revolve without ever losing their order. The sun, moon, and stars hang in the heavens, while people and the myriad things grow between heaven and earth. Countless are the beings, growing and transforming without cease, and all of this results from the Dao setting in motion the primordial Qi (vital energy; the original breath from which heaven, earth, and all things are formed) and opening up heaven and earth.

Later, the Nine Sovereigns (legendary rulers of remote antiquity) were established one after another, and their lineages were handed down through the generations. Lord Lao then descended into the human world to serve as teacher to the people, establishing teachings suited to each age. He set down guiding principles and made clear the essential ways of governing the world; he created conditions beneficial to livelihood and brought the people's many undertakings to fulfillment. This was a teaching that followed the demands of each era and established the moral and social order of the human world.

Afterward, he established the doctrine of Dao and De and set down the practice of purity, stillness, and emptiness. The Seven Wondrous Scriptures (Jing) guide the multitude according to the Three Vehicles (levels of practice), while the Nine-Times-Returned Elixir Formula (a Neidan, or internal alchemy, method) was passed on to the highest practitioners. At times he explained the roots of ritual and music, and at times he also expounded Buddhist learning. Whether root or branch, profound or shallow, all received his discussion. The ten thousand teachings seem to differ, yet in the end they lead in the same direction. This was his way of accommodating the customs of the world and establishing instruction.

Lord Lao also divided his person across the Three Realms (the heavens, the human world, and the underworld) and manifested his traces in the ten directions. At times he shone forth in the region of the Gouchen star, governing the celestial constellations; at times he concealed his radiance and served as Archivist of the Pillar (the historian's post Laozi is said to have held), assisting the state in the human world. He once restored white bones to life, and he rescued people from floods and carried the multitudes through calamity. He aided those in peril and relieved misfortune, answering every petition, saving both the dead and the living. All who were fated to meet him were delivered; from ancient times to the present, those he has saved are beyond measure.

Thus Lord Lao's spiritual powers are vast and his merit lofty. In heaven, he is the one revered by all sages; in the human world, he is the elder honored by the Three Teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism). The thirty-six heavens and thirty-six earths all lie within his grasp. Over eighty-one years and through eighty-one manifested forms, he gradually revealed his traces of transformation into the human world. Even the spirits cannot exhaust his mystery, and the wisdom of sages cannot trace his origin. Even if one poured out ten thousand words in praise, one could not finish through countless kalpas; yet if one spoke only a word or half a phrase, how could that add anything to the Great Dao?

Now your servant and his disciples, so-and-so and others, gaze upon the vast ocean, and our eyes cannot measure it; we look toward Mount Tai, and our sight cannot reach its height. Overestimating our abilities, we have rashly attempted to praise your merit: taking your sacred titles as the framework, we have composed nine sections of liturgical text, and we have drawn phrases from the immortal scriptures to extol you, though what we have chosen is less than a tenth of the original canon. Because our reverence and love run deep, we have, without noticing, set down these crude and shallow words. We humbly beg that the Dao-heart respond in silence and that Heaven's mirror observe in secret. These words of ours, as small as specks of dust, are hardly worth accepting; but with a breast as broad as the rivers and seas, what could you not embrace? Each of us, using our utmost sincerity, joins together to proclaim your mysterious and wondrous law.

With a devout heart I turn toward and reverently honor the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), one of the supreme deities venerated in Daoism, the Emperor of Primordial Origin and Supreme De (Virtue/Power) (Hunyuan Shangde Huangdi).

The Dao (the Way) is profound, still, and silent, hard to describe in words or images, and yet mysteriously subtle and freely penetrating. From an origin that is empty and formless, with nothing on which to depend, the Great Void becomes the very substance of the Dao. The mysterious primordial Qi (vital energy) first stirs and condenses, and the ancestral Qi (Zuqi, the source-Qi of the cosmos) thereby establishes the foundation of Heaven and Earth. The Dao gives birth to the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—and unfolds the many forms of the myriad things. It abides amid what has neither form nor image, before the Great Beginning and the Great Change. The Divine Treasure Elder (Shenbao Zhangren), one of the honorific titles of a revered Daoist deity, joins the assembly in proclaiming with one voice the praise of the Most High Lord Lao, the Emperor of Primordial Origin and Supreme De.

Within the dim and elusive depths, the forms of the myriad things come into view; above Heaven there is no origin more exalted than the Dao.

The Dao embraces and impels creation and transformation, setting Yin-Yang in motion; it opens the empty void and establishes Heaven and Earth.

Above, it assists the Primordial Beginning of Daluo, the highest heaven spoken of in Daoism, in the work of generation; in the middle, it spreads the Way of the Lord of the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Daojun), a revered Daoist deity.

The Most High Lord Lao resides in honor in the Palace of Supreme Purity and the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), and is the sovereign of the Great Dao of Wuwei (non-action).

With a devout heart I turn toward and reverently honor the Most High Lord Lao, the Emperor of Primordial Origin and Supreme De.

The Dao cleaves open chaos and separates the dark and the yellow (the chaotic state when Heaven and Earth first divided). The Qi of the Dao mingles and condenses, and from Daluo gives rise to the realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing). The primordial framework (Yuangang, the fundamental order of the cosmos) circulates and unfolds, bringing forth the many heavens from the beginning of the ancient kalpas. Above are the Nine Empyreans; below are the Three Realms. Grades of cultivation are established for the different realms, and the secluded domains where perfected immortals dwell are laid down. The Dao extends throughout the great chiliocosm, presiding over all that exists and honored as the ancestral sovereign. The Teaching Lord of the Myriad Heavens joins the assembly in proclaiming with one voice the praise of the Most High Lord Lao, the Emperor of Primordial Origin and Supreme De.

Ever since the primeval murk (Hongmeng, the undivided chaos before Heaven and Earth had separated), the Brahma-Qi (Fanqi, the pure and mysterious Qi of the primordial beginning) has circulated, and thus, from the beginning of the ancient kalpas, the foundation of Heaven and Earth was established.

The heavens number five hundred and fifty billion layers, and the teachings are divided into the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen) and thirty-six divisions, the classificatory system of the Daoist scriptures.

Each realm has its corresponding grades of cultivation, and the perfected immortals are likewise distinguished into different ranks.

Celestial beings and perfected sages all take the Dao as their teacher; their merit towers high and surpasses myriad kalpas.

With a devout heart I turn toward and reverently honor the teachings of the various divisions.

Each realm has its corresponding grades of cultivation, and the perfected immortals are likewise distinguished into different ranks.

Celestial beings and perfected sages all take the Dao as their teacher; their merit towers high and surpasses myriad kalpas.

Sincerely I take refuge in and pay homage to Taishang Laojun (the Supreme Venerable Lord), the Emperor of Primordial Chaos and Supreme De (Virtue). He descended in the age of the Nine Sovereigns to establish the teaching, and entrusted it to figures of successive ages as a line of masters. From Fuxi to King Kang of Zhou, tens of thousands of years passed; from Yuhua to Guo Shu, fifteen masters in all were honored with the title "Zi." They received primordial Qi (vital energy), nurtured benevolence and virtue, opened up the myriad things and brought affairs to completion. They set standards for the rulers of every age and left a model for ten thousand generations. Emperors of every age took them as teachers, and all together we praise Taishang Laojun, the Emperor of Primordial Chaos and Supreme Virtue.

The moral teaching of rulers was established according to each age; Tongxuan Pangu, the Ancient Master, was one among them.

Yuhua was also called Guangshou Dachengzi, and Guangchengzi bore further titles such as Suiying and Chijingzi.

Lutuzi, Wuchengzi, Yin Shou and others are also counted among them; Zhenxingzi was granted his title by bestowal, and Xieyizi took his title from a place name.

Yuchengzi, Jingchengzi and Guo Shuzi stand at the end of the line. Such, in broad outline, is the account of the successive transmissions.

Sincerely I take refuge in and pay homage to Taishang Laojun, the Emperor of Primordial Chaos and Supreme Virtue. Responding to each occasion, he carried out his teaching, and as the kalpas turned he delivered living beings. The Daode Jing (Scripture of the Dao and De, Dao, the Way, and De, Virtue or Power), with its five thousand and more characters, opened the source of Daoist Golden Elixir cultivation; the fifteen hundred scrolls of Fulu (talismans and registers) carried on the doctrine of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity). The teachings share a single source and differ only in name; they run side by side without conflict. Heaven and the human world alike rely on this teaching, and immortals and sages take refuge in it. All together we praise Taishang Laojun, the Emperor of Primordial Chaos and Supreme Virtue, as the Great Master of the Mysterious.

Taishang Laojun transformed himself into Jinglao (the Quiet Elder) and began to spread the teaching, so that many rulers and ministers of the eastern states were delivered.

The Dao and its methods passed to Wenzi and Yin Xi, and the way of the Golden Elixir thereby became clear; the lineage was transmitted to the Celestial Master (Tianshi), and the Zhengyi teaching thereby shone forth. All rely on this teaching, and immortals and sages take refuge in it, calling Taishang Laojun the Great Master of the Mysterious; all together we praise Taishang Laojun, the Emperor of Primordial Chaos and Supreme Virtue.

Taishang Laojun transformed himself into Jinglao (the Quiet Elder) and began to spread the teaching, so that many rulers and ministers of the eastern states were delivered.

The Dao and its methods passed to Wenzi and Yin Xi, and the way of the Golden Elixir thereby became clear; the lineage was transmitted to the Celestial Master, and the Zhengyi teaching thereby shone forth.

Zhenduo and Song Lun transmitted the methods of refining and nourishing life, while Qianzhi and Gan Ji received the scriptures and the Keyi (liturgy).

These teachings were like a potter sifting out the dross and casting vessels, and they brought many immortals to accomplishment; the profound Daoist tradition has flowed on for ten thousand ages, enduring without end.

Sincerely I take refuge in and pay homage to Taishang Laojun, the Emperor of Primordial Chaos and Supreme Virtue. He made clear the principle of the True One and opened the gate of non-duality; he explained the roots of ritual and music and expounded where the Dao and De finally return. When Confucius met Laozi in the east, he exclaimed that it was "like seeing a dragon"; Laozi also established the fruit of nirvana and expounded the Buddhist teaching. The Hu peoples of the west came to invite him, and it is said they welcomed him riding elephants; he called himself the Ancient Master, and in his own time was also known as a recluse. The Three Teachings stand together, differing in name, yet the Dao and De are like rivers flowing into one. All together we revere Taishang Laojun, the Emperor of Primordial Chaos and Supreme Virtue, as the Master of the Three Teachings.

The manifestations of Taishang Laojun (the Supreme Elder Lord) can be traced back to the transition between the Yin (Shang) and Zhou dynasties; he also journeyed through the Xia era, where he established the norms of moral instruction and cultivation.

Later, eighty-one states gradually came under the influence of the customs of the Hu lands, yet after more than nine hundred years the teaching of the Dao remained manifest. Confucius (referred to in the text as the "Proclaimed Sage") heard of Laozi's teachings and sought instruction from him on ritual and music, while Fantuo (a Buddhist figure) paid homage to the Buddha and received the Buddhist Dharma. From this we can see that the Three Teachings of Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism were originally directed toward a shared destination, yet later scholars have argued over them endlessly, only bringing hardship upon themselves.

With sincere devotion, we take refuge and pay reverence: the Dao penetrates remote antiquity, and De (Virtue/Power) harmonizes subtly with the realm of profound remoteness, where there is no distinction. Above, it can assist rulers in carrying out moral instruction; below, it can help sovereigns govern the realm. Those who attain it can cultivate themselves and also order the state, and it applies to every kind of affair. It combines the strengths of the Yin-Yang school, the School of Names, the Legalists, the Confucians, the Mohists, and other schools, and explores in depth the order and disorder of past and present, as well as the changes of the Heavenly Way and human affairs. The Dao is both profound and able to let all things follow their own nature, reaching great accord; it is elusive and hard to grasp, and in the end returns to namelessness. Together we praise the Celestial Worthy of the Dao and De, Taishang Laojun, the Emperor of Primordial Chaos and Supreme Virtue.

The two sections of the Daode (that is, the Daode Jing, the Classic of the Way and Its Virtue) were sent down into the world, gathering the words of the many schools. One must make the heart empty and still while keeping the body and mind full, and experience the subtle, ineffable Dao of "xi yi" (the imperceptible and the inaudible); return to the root and restore one's allotted life, going back to the source and guarding the "Mysterious Female" (xuanpin, symbolizing the deep and hidden origin from which all things are generated and transformed). Cultivation should rest in Wuwei (Non-action) and freedom from desire, returning to purity and stillness; what is to be prized is holding fast to the constant virtue and the Dao's original nature, without deliberate contrivance. The principles of cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world are all drawn out from this; and the practices of immortals throughout the ages likewise find their foundation here.

With sincere devotion, we take refuge and pay reverence: the Venerable Lord transformed from formlessness into form, using the primordial Qi (vital energy) of heaven and earth to form his body. Beginning with the six primordial Qi of the Yudan Wuliang Heaven and the auspicious signs of thunder and lightning, his history spans countless kalpas; later he manifested his form again through the auspicious sign of the five-colored flowing pearl of heavenly water. He once ascended to heaven riding a white deer, and he also transformed into a green sheep and descended to Shu. Although these manifestations have visible traces, they are not ordinary traces but spontaneous transformations. Together we praise the incarnate Celestial Worthy of the Dao and De, Taishang Laojun, the Emperor of Primordial Chaos and Supreme Virtue.

The assembled immortals descended from heaven bearing the sun, and the five-colored flowing pearl congealed into a sacred embryo.

The Venerable Lord passed through the years of nine times nine, in accord with the number of the Qian origin; his birthday is the third day of the fifth month, matching the numerical principles of the Luoshu (Luo River Writing).

According to tradition, Laozi's surname derives from the plum tree (li); when he was born, he displayed signs of transcending the dust of the world, as though stepping upon lotus flowers.

Both in heaven and on earth he is revered as the supreme one, his appearance majestic and his marks of excellence complete, beyond all comparison.

With sincere devotion we take refuge and pay homage: the Laojun (Lord Lao) transforms without end, and his divine powers are beyond fathoming. At times he manifests as twelve hundred Laozis, appearing throughout the heavens; at times he manifests as one hundred and eighty Daojuns (Lords of the Dao), guiding the beings of the mortal world. His honorific titles number more than thirty-six, and his names more than seventy-two. Though his Dharma body fills all of empty space, his wondrous essence is by nature serene and still; amid the undivided chaos and the transformations of the myriad things, he remains constant and unchanging. All together we praise him: Taishang Laojun (Supreme Lord Lao), Hunyuan Shangde Huangdi (August Emperor of Primordial Highest Virtue).

His wondrous essence returns by nature to the One, and a hundred or a thousand transformed bodies are not too many.

In spring he becomes Shangjing, in summer Laoxi, in autumn Shenguang, and in winter a child.

The world calls him the God of Fortune, and he appears as Xuanwu (the Dark Warrior); in the heavens he is called the Lord of Stars, presiding over the Gouchen stellar realm.

It is like a precious moon hanging in empty space: wherever the water is clear, the moon's reflection appears.

With sincere devotion we take refuge and pay homage: his merit surpasses that of all the sages, and his De (Virtue) crowns heaven and earth. He bestows kindness and practices benevolence, as spring causes the myriad things to grow; under his many names he appears as the God of Fortune and Xuanwu, and in the heavens he is honored as the Lord of Stars, presiding over the Gouchen stellar realm.

It is like a precious moon hanging in empty space: wherever the water is clear, the moon's reflection appears.

With sincere devotion we take refuge and pay homage: his merit surpasses that of all the sages, and his De (Virtue) crowns heaven and earth. He bestows kindness and practices benevolence, so that all things are bathed as in a spring breeze; he also appears in response to the circumstances and prayers of beings, like the moon reflected in a thousand rivers. He aids countless who suffer, delivers the beings of the dusty world, and helps the people pass through long ages of calamity. He is the loving father of the beings of the four modes of birth and the benevolent teacher of the Three Realms; those he saves and transforms are limitless and boundless. All together we praise him: Taishang Laojun, Hunyuan Shangde Huangdi.

He is the true parent of all beings in the Three Realms, delivering both heavenly beings and mortals, whether a calamitous age is ending or a new one begins.

He cut down the wicked and displayed a awe-inspiring aspect, pacifying the rebellion of Pang Xun; and in compassion he healed the sick, so that the light shone forth again.

Both the Chinese and the barbarian peoples received his teaching, and even insects, grasses, and trees were touched by his grace.

His transformed bodies extend to places as numerous as particles of dust, and no praise of his merit could ever be complete.

The preceding rite of praise has now been brought to a perfect close. Yet to seek the realm of the Great Void through words and images is, in the end, to fail to glimpse its true nature; and even if we exhaust our efforts to describe its vast De (Virtue), we cannot add anything to the beauty it already possesses. Taiqing (the Great Purity, the Daoist realm of pure and subtle loftiness) is profoundly mysterious beyond measure. How could brush and ink ever explain it? Our understanding is as narrow as peering through a bamboo tube at a leopard, and to praise the sacred so presumptuously is truly lacking in reverence. Since the rite of praise has been fully performed, we trust that the divine powers have already observed and accepted it.

We revere the profound Daoist way and are gradually receiving the transformation of its teachings. It is not that we dislike embracing unity and preserving the feminine (the path of holding fast to oneness, humility, and gentleness); rather, living in the dusty world and busy with worldly affairs, we find it difficult to practice. The farther we stray from the Dao (the Way), the lower our spirit falls, so how could we reach the state of inward contemplation and self-examination? When the mind has not been cleared and desires have not been expelled, we cannot enter the realm of constant stillness (clarity, quiet, and settled calm). When we think of our own slight lives, bewildered and at a loss, it is truly sorrowful. We only hope that the compassionate divine ones will take pity on us and especially lend the power of their methods to aid and sustain us, so that we may repent and sever the bonds of karma, and escape early from the net of delusion; may we wash away long-accumulated habits and return to the pure way of clarity. All who are gathered at this ritual assembly hold sincere devotion in their hearts and together express their repentance.

We bow our heads and take refuge in the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing; the Jade Pure, Highest Pure, and Great Pure), and in Hunyuan, the Venerable Lord of the Teaching of Wuwei (Non-action).

We take refuge in Taiqing, in the Dao and De (Virtue), in the host of immortals and perfected ones, and in the assisting deities of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) and the Dongshen (Cavern of Spirit).

Since beginningless time, we have constantly had our original minds obscured by ignorance, craving, and attachment.

Some of us have violated the twelve hundred precepts of the New Code; others have broken the one hundred and eighty major precepts.

Through distinguishing right from wrong and calculating self against other, we have given rise to wrong views; and by clinging to notions of emptiness, existence, and form, we have fallen into all manner of mistaken views and states.

The ocean of desire is vast and boundless, without limit; the river of craving rushes onward, where could its end be?

We only regret that our bodies and minds lack stability, and so within the cycle of birth and death, we do not know how many times we have paused.

Now, facing the Greatly Compassionate One, we sincerely repent, wishing to attain the supreme great Dao.

Once more we address our fellow practitioners in this ritual space: calm your hearts, gather in your scattered thoughts, and express your intentions with honesty.

Together let us uphold the ten vows, forge good affinities, and dissolve sins as numerous as dust and sand.

First, may the sage ruler enjoy boundless longevity; second, may all under heaven be universally at peace.

Third, may the teachings of the Dao and De be constantly propagated; fourth, may wind and rain come in their proper seasons.

Fifth vow: may the old and the young alike practice kindness and filial piety. Sixth vow: may people show sincerity, without falsehood or deceit.

Upholding these ten vows forges good karmic bonds and dispels offenses as countless as dust and sand.

First vow: may the sage enjoy long life for ten thousand years. Second vow: may peace prevail everywhere under heaven.

Third vow: may moral instruction and transformation be carried out continually. Fourth vow: may wind and rain arrive in their proper seasons.

Fifth vow: may the old and the young alike practice kindness and filial piety. Sixth vow: may those who meet with early death or obstruction all preserve their lives.

Seventh vow: may the Three Paths (the three realms of suffering in Daoist teaching) know suffering no more. Eighth vow: may warfare cease in every region under heaven.

Ninth vow: may floods and fires cause no further harm. Tenth vow: may plague and noxious miasma no longer spread.

Offenses arise from the mind, so they should be repented in the mind. When thoughts cease, offenses have nothing from which to arise. When one clings neither to mind nor to offense, and both return together to emptiness, this is called true repentance.

Dedication of Merit

Thus far we have paid homage to the Supreme Truth (the highest and unsurpassed true Dao), set forth our repentance, and sung praise of its merit, and the rite is now complete. We humbly beseech your compassion, which never forsakes us, to bestow its favor universally: strike our faults from the black register, so that the stain of offenses is scattered like wind; record blessings and years of life upon the red writ, so that the sprouts of goodness may grow day by day. For the sake of this good karmic bond, we reverently and single-mindedly invoke the "Celestial Venerable of Taiqing (Supreme Purity) Manifestation," and pray for the inconceivable merit of this Venerable.

Rite of the Manifestation Jiao Offering

Recite the incantation of the guardian spirits, and invite all present to call out the ranks of the deities.

Officiating in rank, I carry out the Taiqing Manifestation Jiao rite. I, the Libationer (the presiding officiant in Daoist ritual) so-and-so, submit this petition to Taiqing on high. For the sake of this good karmic bond, I reverently and single-mindedly invoke the "Celestial Venerable of Taiqing Manifestation," and pray for the inconceivable merit of this Venerable.

Rite of the Manifestation Jiao Offering

Recite the incantation of the guardian spirits, and invite all present to call out the ranks of the deities.

Note: The original phrase "太清芽日长" does not connect smoothly with the text before and after it, and may reflect a scribal or typesetting error. Here it is rendered according to context as "so that the sprouts of goodness may grow day by day."

I respectfully perform the Ritual of Manifestation for the Great Purity (a Zhaijiao rite of petition addressed to the deities of Taiqing, the Great Purity).

Your subject, the Libationer, reverently announces and petitions the Supreme Lord Lao of the Great Purity, Mysterious Origin, Supreme Three Heavens, and Limitless Great Dao (Dao, the Way); the Sovereign of Primordial Unity and Supreme De (De, Virtue); the Celestial Venerable of Dao and De; the Empress Dowager of Prior Heaven; the Lady of Supreme Unity; and the Lords and Elders of the Great Purity. Your subject also addresses the Four Assistants of the Great Purity: the Elder of the River Bank, Master Wenshi, the Three Heavens and Four Aspects, the Ministers and Officials of the Dongshen (Three Caverns) Chancellery, and all the immortal officials, together with the twelve hundred officials of the Great Purity, the golden youths and jade maidens on the left and right, the Lords of the Dragon and Tiger, the officials of the Three Realms, and all awesome and numinous powers. We humbly beseech you all to extend your compassion widely and to descend and observe with clarity.

Your subject has heard that among the myriad things there is one undivided root that existed before Heaven and Earth, which people reluctantly call "Dao." It lies beyond what hearing and sight can reach, with neither form nor fixed name. Within the subtle and elusive, it shows no feeling, yet it contains image, essence, and true being. All the countless transformations between Heaven and Earth arise from it, and the movement of Yin-Yang (Yin and Yang) and the succession of the four seasons are formed because of it. The changes in the forms, colors, wisdom, and strength of all things are without end, and advance and retreat, survival and perishing, and the alternation of the upright and the deviant occur ceaselessly. Without a fundamental principle governing them, how could the myriad things move for long and generate without end?

Only our Hunyuan (the Dao as embodied in Supreme Lord Lao) is the ancestral teacher of the Dao. Considering that all existence dwells within the Dao's nurturing, how could the Dao fail to sustain it? Since all beings are born of the Dao, how could the Dao abandon them? And so, over long kalpas, the Dao has divided itself into numinous responses and appeared in worlds as vast as specks of dust. In successive ages it has been teacher to emperors, sons of Heaven, and kings, and through ten thousand generations has never wearied. It established the separate laws of Heaven, Earth, and humankind, so that the three powers might all be at peace. Its transforming influence reaches things great and small and touches both the manifest and the hidden. The myriad things turn toward it, yet it does not claim to be their master, and so its De is pure; the people live by following it without knowing it exists, and this may be called truly great.

Your subject, the Libationer, is a person of poor family and humble standing, an insignificant old retainer. Early on, your subject received the grace of the Great Dao's creative transformation and was fortunate to be enrolled in the gate of the Dao. The Dao divides itself among the myriad things and appears as "the One" (the root from which all things arise from the Dao). Although all things follow natural change, your subject has not yet grasped the mystery of the Valley Spirit (the Dao's empty, still, and inexhaustible wonder) contained in "knowing the male while keeping to the female" (understanding strength while remaining in gentleness).

Now it is the auspicious day on which the true Dao manifests, and also the birthday on which the Ancestral Qi (Qi, vital energy; the primal energy of the ancestral source) descends. Although Supreme Lord Lao has eighty-one transformation bodies, they remain manifestations of the one great Void; though seven hundred million kalpas have passed, he is no different from the very beginning of the Primordial Origin. Though your subject is lowly and poor, your subject also knows well how brief and fleeting human life is. We beseech the Compassionate Venerable to take pity on living beings and graciously bestow your favor, so that all sentient beings may return to their destiny and root and attain the Way of long life. May they also accumulate good affinities and practice the Dao, and may they meet the moment that opens abundant blessings.

Your subjects reverently offer incense and perform the first offering (the first presentation of incense and gifts in the ritual).

Having recited the invocation text once according to its meaning, we respectfully pray that it ascend to the ears of Heaven. We look up to the compassion of the Dao (the Way) and beg it to condescend to observe us.

Your servants have heard that what is called "naturalness" (ziran) means that the Dao itself gives birth to nothing, yet enables the myriad things to grow. This wondrous function of ceaseless generation is called "life." What is called Shen (spirit) has no form of its own, yet brings all that exists to completion, to say nothing of the primordial images between Heaven and Earth. The Dao lies hidden in the void and attains ultimate truth, and its root lies in Supreme Nothingness. It begins where there is no beginning and ends where there is no end, so it can hardly be compared to the way worldly things are transformed and born. It speaks of "now" without being bound by today, and of "antiquity" without being bound by the ancient. How could generations, months, and years frame it? Only in order to teach the people did the Dao take teaching as its own duty. It had no choice but to dim its radiance, blend with the dust of the world, and take on visible form.

In former times, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang, in a certain chen year, in the second month, when the handle of the Dipper points to the yin position by the reckoning of the Yin calendar, an auspicious omen suddenly appeared: the light of the sun doubled in brilliance. People then knew it to be the sign that a Zhenren (Perfected Being) had come into the world. Eighty-one years reach nine times the number of the sun, and the seventy-two marks symbolize the beginning of primordial Qi (vital energy). This Perfected Being shone forth in the mysterious Li Valley in the north, and flourished with particular splendor in Taiguan in western Shu. From there his name began to spread, and his teaching came to be carried out.

He once sought out Daojun and Yuanjun, showing that those who seek learning must have a teacher. He also once lived in retirement as Archivist beneath the Pillar, revealing the sage's intention not to abandon the people of the world. He spread the profound teaching of the Dao in the Central Lands, and expounded the Buddha's Dharma in the Western Regions. That the true immortals sometimes appear and sometimes withdraw is not something ordinary people can fully know. Yet the records and biographies are clear and open to examination, and heavenly Jing (scriptures) stand as evidence, and so they command belief.

Having heard of these matters, your servants journeyed to Qiao Commandery to seek him out, and came to Lai Township to remember the ancient traces. Touching the remains that still survive, we regret only that we were born too late. We clung to the ancient juniper in the courtyard, but the immortal's wind-chariot had long since gone far away. We went to the sacred pool to cleanse body and mind, yet could not behold the immortal's true form. We bowed before the venerable image in the portrait as if gazing up at the blue sky through clouds and mist, and examined his great achievements in the records, yet glimpsed only a corner of Mount Tai. Your servants hold a longing in vain in their hearts, with nothing on which to rest their resolve to take refuge.

Now, meeting the day of the Perfected Being's birth, your servants respectfully perform the rites of celebration. We think of the immortals' treasures, the sweet nectar of the Nine Lights and the flowery essence of white jade, as if the host of immortals were celebrating longevity. We think too of the spirit-fruits of the Three Mysteries, the purple apples and the red fruit of the crimson tree, and imagine the Ten Thousand Emperors raising their cups in congratulation. This is the moment when the banquet in the immortal realm is at its merriest. How could the immortals and perfected ones spare a thought for the pleasures of the turbid world?

Yet the Dao receives all beings with a compassionate heart, and your servants serve the venerable spirits with hearts of reverence and love. Sincere and single-minded devotion can communicate in secret, and what matters lies not in the offerings but in the heart's intent. The wise and luminous spirits answer clearly, and what they accept is not the gift itself but sincerity. What your servants ask exceeds their station, and perhaps it is presumptuous, though we do not know it. Your servants bow once more in reverence, offer incense, and perform the second offering (the second presentation of offerings in the ritual).

At the time of the Grand Beginning and the Grand Change, Heaven and Earth had not yet taken form, and the source of the Great Dao (the Way) was profound and boundless, beyond all inquiry. The Dao gave birth to Heaven and Earth and allowed spirits, ghosts, and the Celestial Emperor to appear; its subtle workings cannot be fully expressed in words. Your servants once more bow in reverence and offer incense.

Since antiquity, every school has discussed the arts of the Way, and Confucianism, Buddhism, and the Huang-Lao tradition are together called the Three Teachings. The way of ritual and music differs from that of the School of Names, the Legalists, the Military School, and the Diplomatic Strategists, yet none is as profound as the principle of Wuwei (non-action), through which all things are transformed and nurtured naturally. Chan Buddhism speaks of emptiness, and the School of Names debates "hard and white" and "sameness and difference," but neither can match the Daoist's subtle principle of responding to all things without relying on speech. This holds all the more for the teachings of Lingbao and Zhenyi, and for the Golden Elixir methods of dual cultivation of nature and life: at their greatest, they can lead one to the realm of the immortals; at their smallest, they can protect family and state.

The Dao is exalted and by right endures beyond high antiquity. Its methods are so refined and its attainments so deep that ordinary people cannot grasp them. Shallow scholars often speak harshly, calling Daoism a heterodox teaching or a path outside the true Way. Yet the supreme principle of naturalness needs nothing added to it. Those who think themselves clever and pursue only private gain merely reveal the limits of their own understanding.

Though your servants and the disciples named below know ourselves to be of humble and common standing, we constantly recite the profound scriptures. Hearing the teachings of the divine powers stirs us, and we admire the spirit of purity and stillness, which cleanses body and mind. We lament that the sages have been gone so long and pity the steady decline of the age. Can it be that our Way is wrong? Why can people no longer see the simple customs of the ancient era of Fuxi and Shennong? The profound words were lost long ago, and who can truly understand the Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) and the Daodejing?

We are fortunate to meet the birthday of our Master, and take this occasion to pray for the flourishing of the Great Dao. We respectfully beseech that worldly teaching be spread and the tradition of the Daoist community revived. May the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen), the heavenly texts that classify the Daoist scriptures, be restored in full and transmitted anew, and may the supreme Dao of Wuwei endure forever through the long kalpas. As for accord with the course of creation, union with the Great Void, and long life, these are states the Most Honored One already possesses by nature, and a lowly servant like me cannot exhaust them in words. Your servants bow in reverence, offer incense, and perform the final offering.

Final Offering and Proclamation of the Memorial (the last offering of the rite, with the reading of the written memorial)

Your servant has heard that when Heaven and Earth unite, sweet dew descends; when Kan and Li (symbolizing water and fire, and also Yin-Yang) complement one another, the yellow sprout (an alchemical term for the first sign that the elixir is forming) comes forth. The essence gathered in the cinnabar cauldron is utterly unlike the things of the mundane world; how could the smoke and cooking fires of the dusty realm be offered to the lofty immortals?

Now, borrowing the rite of pouring water, we imitate the courtesy of presenting broth. At dusk we take a single spoonful, hoping to draw from our satchels the immortal recipe and try it. With the White Snow nine times returned (an alchemical term for the repeated refining of the elixir), we hope that the remaining medicine may transform our bones and make us immortals. Your servants reverently lift up the offerings and present them.

Presenting the Broth and Offering the Scriptures (presenting the broth and offering up the Jing, or scriptures)

Sending Off the Sages (respectfully escorting the divine)

Your servant has heard that the gods lie hidden within the dim and subtle, yet are present everywhere; the Dao dwells in emptiness, and whoever makes a petition receives a response. The gods are enshrined in the distant realm of Daluo Heaven (the highest heavenly sphere in Daoism), the most exalted of all beings. To cling to outward forms in seeking the divine is already to stray from the right path; to presume to measure the gods by their comings and goings takes one still further astray.

Yet since these rites follow human custom, it would be hard to express sincerity without observing the ceremony. Therefore we show reverence with incense, flowers, lamps, and candles, and convey our hearts through written statements and memorials (documents presented during sacrificial rites). We respectfully ask the gods to look upon us with discernment, and we tremble lest any impropriety in the rite give offense and bring blame.

Now the felicitations are complete, but we cannot detain the divine chariots. We humbly imagine the Nine-Radiance crane canopies (the processional standards of the immortals) coming from the azure sky to welcome you, and the Eight-Effulgence dragon carriages (the chariots of the immortals) soaring across the blue heavens as you return. Your servants strain their eyes toward the clouds, tears streaming down their faces. Words have an end, but feeling has none; though your forms are far away, our hearts remain very near.

In former days the White Deer could still be sought out in Qiao; how then, in days to come, could the Green Goat reach Shu Commandery? Our hearts cling to you and cannot let go. We reverently perform the rite of prostration and respectfully send off the gods.

Hymn for the Return of the Carriage (a hymn of praise for respectfully escorting the divine chariot)