《广成集》Vol. 4

Though the instruments are many, there is no fitting occasion to strike and play them; their pure, far-reaching beauty therefore remains unused. If our sincere devotion reaches the Dao, the bell can naturally be moved. May the surplus bell be set aside to make good what is lacking: let it leave Emerald Peak and be moved to the imperial capital. Its clear, resonant sound will gradually carry into the vermilion clouds, and its deep, ringing echoes will be heard within the Purple Forbidden City. We humbly ask that this sincere prayer be granted, so the bell may guard the capital for generations to come.

End of Volume Eleven of the Guangcheng ji.

Guangcheng ji, Volume Twelve

Written by Du Guangting, who served in the Taiching Palace in the Upper Capital, composed writings at imperial command, and was granted the purple robe.

“Prayer for a Zhaijiao at a Sacred Mountain’s Manifestation” (a prayer text used in a Zhaijiao ceremony for a sacred mountain’s numinous manifestations).

The Great Dao brings Qi and Jing together, from which the Yin and Yang energies of Heaven and Earth arise. The Primordial Venerable One, a Daoist title for a supreme deity, carries out the work of teaching and transforms all living beings into existence. All beings receive their due allotment from the Way of Heaven, and the realm as a whole thereby moves toward stability. People revere the assembled deities because they oversee good fortune and blessings.

We respectfully set forth our account. Since aligning ourselves with the will of Heaven and the people and founding our undertaking, we have not yet reached a state of peace throughout the realm, but fortunately we have brought prosperity and abundance to the regions. The neighboring states have come to submit, and the officials have gathered. The people’s hearts have turned toward us, and Heaven’s will has become clear. Yet some gave misguided instruction, and affection for a loved one became entangled with affairs of state: the great office was entrusted to Lesheng, and the weighty authority to supervise and assist the government was placed in his hands. The commoner Yuan Ying consequently gave freer rein to his desires and utterly forgot the way of filial respect. Incited by treacherous men, he conceived a wicked plan of rebellion. Arrows and stones nearly struck the imperial carriage, while the sound of drums and gongs drew close to the attendants.

Fortunately, under Heaven’s protection, numinous responses and auspicious signs appeared. They would not allow the owl- and jing-like hearts of wickedness—the owl and jing being creatures used as metaphors for cruel, rebellious, and unfilial people—to prevail. The wolf-like rebels were quickly destroyed. In less than a day and a night, the rebellion was completely quelled; the court and the regions beyond it were once again at peace, and the whole realm rejoiced. We therefore selected an auspicious day to acknowledge the might and virtue of the deities. With utmost sincerity, we have come from afar to make our report and respectfully present a modest offering. We pray that the deities will look upon us and grant their protection, so that the state may remain secure and follow the righteous path for generations to come. We respectfully submit this petition.

Prayer to the Water-Palace Deities for Setting Sail, by Zong An, Palace Attendant of Zhenjiang: This is a prayer written by Zong An, Palace Attendant of Zhenjiang, to announce a ship’s departure and offer sacrifice to the deities of the Water Palace.

The Dao’s teachings are widely put into practice, and the blessings of the spirits descend everywhere. From the state above to the common people below, all rely on the spirits’ power to rescue and protect them in unseen ways. Since ancient times, this protection has never failed, bringing peace to all regions by land and water.

My abilities are modest, yet I have been fortunate to live in a wise and enlightened age. I am ashamed that I have not rendered service to the state worthy of the history books, though I have repeatedly received the ruler’s favor, as generous as the gifts of Heaven and Earth. Now the emperor has again honored me, publicly granting me a military tally that represents command authority. I ascended the altar for the investiture of a general and received the same honors as Han Xin when he was commissioned. I was also given the golden battle-axe once used by Marquis Lü, a symbol of the power to wage war. The emperor has entrusted me with the defense of the frontier, sent me on my way with a ceremonial push of the carriage, and granted me authority to conduct military campaigns independently. I have examined myself again and again, and feel only apprehension. I dare not refuse the emperor’s trust.

The emperor has chosen an auspicious date and ordered me to set out. The journey will pass upstream through the gorge in Chu, then follow the Jin River downstream. A thousand boats fill the river: fleets rowing against the current and vessels pouring in from its many tributaries surge together. The emperor has therefore earnestly petitioned the True Spirits to command the generals of the underworld and protect this expedition. The emperor remains reverent in his heart, hoping both to spread civilizing teachings and live in harmony with neighboring states, while also planning strategy and pacifying distant regions. The movements of the elite troops depend first of all on the success of this campaign.

Now, as we are about to cast off and travel downstream, I have purified my body and mind and sincerely offered a Zhaijiao (purification ritual), respectfully inviting the Great Sage Xuanyuan (an honorific title for Laozi in Daoism), the Eminent Worthies of the Five Elders (deities of the five directions), and the divine officers and generals to send down their blessings. May the rushing torrents become easy to cross, and the dangerous currents turn into calm, steady waters. May the waterways stretch open and clear for ten thousand miles, with all the spirits protecting us. May the great enterprise of the state flourish and its foundations grow ever stronger; may we defend the court from without and share in good fortune and blessings. I am filled with awe and trepidation, and cannot express it all.

Prayer for a Personal-Destiny Zhaijiao, composed by Zhou Xiang, Vice Director

I have heard that Heaven sees all things clearly and responds when it is moved; the spirit realm is just and upright, and when people pray, their petitions find a way through. The spirits often rescue and protect living beings with compassion, answering the wishes of those who pray and dispelling …

I respectfully understand that Heaven observes even the smallest details and responds when it is moved. The principles of the gods and spirits are just and upright: if one prays with sincerity, one’s appeal will always reach them. The gods and spirits often rescue and protect all living beings with compassion, answering the wishes of those who pray. They dispel misfortune and bestow blessings just as an echo answers a sound. I have kept these words in mind and remain devout. Whenever the year of my birth sign comes around, I can prepare incense and lamps and hold a Zhaijiao purification ritual, urging myself to cultivate with sincerity. I am truly indebted to the gods’ protection.

Yet I worry that worldly affairs have not settled, and that faults can easily accumulate. I am also constrained by official duties, making it difficult to repent and make amends. Now, as the stars bear down and the fortune of the current year is weak and perilous, I fear that calamity may overtake me; this is why I dare to pray for blessings. It has been two years since I led troops to neighboring prefectures and took up a post on a distant frontier. Because I failed to submit a memorial and make my report according to ritual, I must surely incur the offense of delay and neglect. I had intended to hold a Jiao ritual to repay the gods after our victorious return, but now we are about to attack the enemy’s stronghold, and there is no question yet of laying down arms and going home. The incense and lamps have long gone unattended, and there has been no opportunity to settle down.

Therefore, I entrust my intentions to the sacred shrine and, from afar, make my prayer to the Perfected One. I have prepared the offerings and ritual implements required for three Jiao ceremonies, and will present my words of supplication at a single altar. I respectfully ask the Mysterious Sage—a reverential Daoist title for a venerable deity—to look upon my heartfelt sincerity, release me from hardship and dispel calamity, prolong my life and preserve it, cleanse the flaws accumulated over the years, and remove my past transgressions, so that I may witness the success of my undertaking and enjoy blessings for a long time. My gratitude is beyond what I can express.

Prayer by Ge Xianhua for the Great King’s Benming Jiao

The two Qi of Heaven and Earth endow all things with spirit, while the Five Phases—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—give all things their forms. Human beings model themselves on the perfection of the rounded heavens to establish their allotted fate, and rely on the solid earth to form their bodies. Guilt and blessing, good fortune and danger, are all connected with arrangements made in the unseen realm; people’s thoughts and actions, too, are governed by the one who presides over them. May the Great King enjoy blessings for a long time. My gratitude is beyond what I can express.

Yin and Yang Qi between heaven and earth give rise to spiritual beings, while the Five Phases each take on their own forms. Human beings receive their allotted destiny through the ordering of the Dao of Heaven and manifest their bodies by relying on the earth. Guilt and blessing, good fortune and misfortune, are all connected to the unseen causes and consequences of good and evil. A person’s thoughts and actions, too, are governed by Heaven’s mandate.

How much more, then, should I be mindful that I have received exceptional favor and long borne important responsibilities. I often reflect on my abilities and duties, remaining cautious and humbled in my heart. Whenever I establish an altar and perform a memorial offering rite—a Daoist ritual in which petitions are presented to the deities—I dare not neglect the proper forms of reverent worship. Through this practice of cultivation and service, I hope to repay the kindness of my sovereign and my parents.

Now, as the birthday of the Primordial Lady, a revered Daoist deity, approaches, I go to the numinous altar of my natal destiny. I carefully prepare incense and offerings and sincerely call upon the True Immortals. May the deities witness my earnest devotion and bestow abundant blessings: may my offenses as a subject be cleansed away, my lifespan and stipend be increased, the land where I dwell be peaceful and secure, and the people live in health and ease. May calamities and epidemics leave the four borders undisturbed; may farming and sericulture yield abundant harvests, and may the year be blessed. May I be able to devote all my loyalty and long uphold an age of peace. I, your subject, submit my life in prayer with utmost sincerity.

Prayer to the True Deities upon the Great King’s First Construction of the Transformation of the Ten Thousand Immortals

Jiulong is a famed sacred mountain, a blessed place that preserves traces of the teachings of three Immortals. Above, it connects with the Heart constellation; below, it guards the land of Shu and safeguards the fortunes of peace and prosperity. I submit my life in prayer with utmost sincerity.

I respectfully reflect that Jiulong, a place name, is a famous scenic site, bearing traces of the manifestations of the Three Immortals. Above, it corresponds to the Heart constellation; below, it guards the Jin River. Layer upon layer of clouds and rosy mists cast a brocade-like radiance, while lofty pines and cassia trees rise amid drifting haze and mountain vapors. High towers of the Five Palaces display the bearing of the gods of Western Numinous Radiance and the Southern Pole; the Four Assistant deities shine in splendor, arrayed in the forms of the gods of Eastern Florescence and the Northern Perfected. The terrain is beautiful, the scenery secluded and strange, the moon slants across the mountains, and a stream runs close by.

Later, however, warfare and turmoil spread. War drums shook the land, a comet swept across the sky, and the cold gleam of weapons lit the plains. Practitioners who stretched their bodies like bears and extended their limbs like birds—the adepts of daoyin and health cultivation—departed resolutely and never returned. The recluses who drank from mountain springs and made their beds on stone also shook out their robes and went far away. To think that this splendid place had become desolate, its pavilions’ golden brilliance veiled by dust, and the divine images in its spacious halls overgrown with moss, is truly lamentable.

Moreover, the day associated with my personal birth and destiny corresponds to the Immortals and Perfected of this place. It is fitting, then, to restore the old shrine and form a bond of goodness in repayment to the True Spirits. I therefore charged Tang Dongqing, a Daoist adept of the Three Caverns versed in the scriptures and methods of the Three Caverns, to fell timber and summon craftsmen, calculate the celestial signs, and select an auspicious day. The chosen day fell under the influence of the Wind and Winnowing Basket stars and coincided with the auspicious Jiazi day. With reverence, I reported to the Most Perfect, held a grand Great Jiao purification ritual, and earnestly asked the Immortals and Perfected to witness our sincerity and bestow auspicious blessings, so that calamities would not intrude and the construction might soon be completed.

May we continue the buildings left by the worthies of old and establish a model that will benefit generations to come, so that its good name may spread through the Grotto Heavens and be inscribed in the Cloud Valley. May the True Spirits also extend their protection widely, bringing peace to the region, abundant harvests, and the dispelling of baleful influences. May the Nine Assistants—the stellar officials who attend the imperial seat, here referring to the Immortals and Perfected—bestow a numinous elixir, and may I hear the teachings of the Profound Mystery, the Daoist doctrine of the deepest and most subtle principles. May I always cherish reverence for the Way of Heaven and look upward to receive the grace bestowed by the High Perfected. The sincerity of my heart is so profound that I cannot fully express it.

“Prayer for the Great Wang’s Jiao Offering at Ge Xianhua, by the Attendant of the Sikong”

Fusi Shangqing Immortal Mountain is where Ge Xian’s numinous presence took form. It is a celebrated sight in central Sichuan and a blessed land under Heaven. Jade caves rise high, with clouds and mist hidden within; mountain peaks like precious jade screen out the sunlight. At dawn, rosy clouds spread across the sky; at night, divine lamps flash and shine. In the deep grottoes, sweet, clear stalactite water gathers, while springs murmur far within hidden depths. The numinous radiance of the Nine Wells appears of its own accord, and the responses of the Three True Gods are ever present. The Crane Monastery, which enshrines deities associated with cranes, stands at the center, while the Dragon Star manifests in the upper realm. Vermilion towers and blue-green halls face one another in accordance with the old design. Relics such as the Xiao family shrine and the Wei family inscriptions stand in succession, repeatedly heralding auspicious signs; these include the traces left by Dou Ying and others.

Having been commissioned to serve as an envoy in Shu, and with the occasion of the Shu ruler’s appointed natal day approaching, I included this site in the restoration works. Plans for construction had already begun, and the work was soon completed. Tiered pavilions and lofty towers stand among the sheer cliffs, seeming to seize the morning light; wind-facing windows and cloud-high beams lend the secluded mountain forest an even more wondrous air. Now the heavenly grotto, a Daoist realm of immortals, has been opened anew to bring peace to the Brocade Prefecture of Chengdu.

Across the forty districts of Shu, the harvest is abundant year after year, and grain piles high as mountains. Throughout five thousand miles of rivers and mountains, the people live in prosperity. Everyone has received your beneficence; who could fail to feel gratitude? I have been deeply nurtured and transformed by the sovereign, and am truly grateful for this gift of creation. I can only pray with reverence and offer a small repayment for your kindness. Therefore, I have prepared a Zhaijiao purification rite with an altar, praying for the protection of the Dao’s power.

May the gods of the Nine Heavens grant their protection, and may the gathered sages descend to witness and discern. May they see my wholehearted sincerity and bestow their grace widely: may the Three River region be peaceful and clear, and the dust of war settle across the eight neighboring states; may the crops be plentiful and calamities dispelled. May the gods impart numinous medicine so that people may live long; may meritorious achievements accrue to the sacred dynasty, and the realm’s fortune flourish for ages. May the state and its altars be secured once more, and may blessings extend forever throughout the world. With a sincere heart, I pray for good fortune and grace, reverently submit myself to the divine, and respectfully offer these words.

Prayer by Ran Chuchou for Returning to the Northern Dipper: A prayer written by Ran Chuchou to return to the Northern Dipper.

The mysterious realm above manifests the constellations, shining upon the human world. The imperial chariot of the Big Dipper travels its course, its handle pointing out the directions. Human beings’ sins and blessings, good fortune and calamities, are all governed by the divine.

We, your servants, were formerly ordered to travel far afield, crossing rugged roads and enduring danger and hardship. Along the way, we kept our hearts sincere and prayed in secret to the Mysterious Perfected Ones, the divine beings revered in Daoism. Now, through the divine’s watchful care and protection, we have arrived in safety. Grateful for this kindness, we earnestly wish to repay it. We respectfully select an auspicious day to perform a purification ritual with incense, fulfilling our vow by offering incense and bowing in thanks for this mysterious grace. We ask the exalted Perfected Ones to accept this humble offering, dispel disasters and hardship, increase our blessings and emoluments, and lengthen our lives. May our journeys be smooth and unobstructed, our public and private affairs auspicious and secure, and our travels free of hindrance; may all our family members remain safe. May we continually receive the light of the sun and moon and be able to serve our wise and enlightened ruler. We, your servants, are filled with reverence and fear, and respectfully offer this prayer.

Prayer of thanksgiving after the completion of construction at Zixia Cave

The Great Dao, the profound reality of the Way, is deep and unfathomable. Immortals can manifest all kinds of transformations, displaying wondrous powers that reach everywhere and mysteries beyond human measure. They secretly assist emperors and quietly protect the state. From ancient times to the present, these deeds have been clearly recorded in the histories. Emperor Yao once traveled to Mount Gushe, and the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan once went to Mount Juci to seek the Way. King Mu of Zhou ascended to the Yao Waters, and Emperor Wu of Han made a progress to Kunlun. They surveyed mist, rosy clouds, and drifting vapors, and gazed upon immortal realms pure as ice and snow. Thus they attained longevity, brought greater peace and stability to the realm, accomplished magnificent deeds, and made manifest the protection of the Dao.

My virtue is slight, yet I have taken on the weighty responsibility of founding a great enterprise. Before the Golden Towers and Jade Capital, the celestial palace of the Heavenly Emperor, I dare not neglect the rites of reverence. Toward the Nine Heavens of Purity and the Three Realms, the Daoist higher heavens, I have always maintained a reverent and devoted heart. On the twenty-first day of the seventh month in the ren-shen year of Yongping, a prophetic document bestowed by the Most High Lord Lao was discovered in Shifang County, Hanzhou. Its jade inscription was preserved in an immortal dwelling, while its bronze tally was engraved upon the earth. The text recorded birth dates, allotted lifespans, auspicious times, and names; it recounted the succession of generations and revealed that the dynastic mandate would endure for many years.

On the twenty-fourth day of the eighth month in the wu-zi year, Wang Chengshang, Military Commissioner of Lizhou, reported that immortals had appeared in a numinous grotto in these mountains. The court therefore ordered the ceremonial officer Ren Keyan and senior attendant Yang Zhishu to travel there and offer thanks, responding to the protection bestowed by the spirits. On the first day of the tenth month, the moment an altar was established and a Daoist purification ritual performed, reports again came of the immortals’ appearance. Cloud banners and feathered ornaments appeared in profusion among the mountain cliffs; figures like immortal cranes and sacred forms stood arrayed within the grotto entrance. The scene surpassed King Mu of Zhou’s visit to the Yao Waters and exceeded the travels of Emperor Yao and the Yellow Emperor at Mount Gushe and Mount Juci.

We have gratefully received these auspicious signs and are filled with still greater reverence and caution. We have therefore consulted the statutes and ceremonial precedents and now hold a special rite to confer honors and show veneration. On the jia-shen day of this month, Daoshang Mountain was renamed Mount Xuandu, Yangmo Grotto was renamed Purple Cloud Grotto, and Jinggu County was renamed Jinxian County. The spirit of Mount Xuandu was granted the title Duke of Jade Purity. An altar was established here, and the Daoist temple was repaired. From the first plans and the start of construction until the work was complete, the immortals appeared repeatedly in sacred form, further revealing the spirits’ gracious gifts.

We now respectfully dispatch twelve persons, including Du Guangting, Grand Master for Splendid Happiness with Golden and Purple Insignia, Left Admonisher, Master of Guangcheng, and Duke of Cai. Bearing tokens, gifts, and incense and flowers, they will hold a Golden Register ritual at the Purple Cloud Immortal Abbey in accordance with the ritual procedures of the mysterious canon. This is the occasion of the Lower Origin, one of the Daoist Three Origin festivals, which falls on the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month. As it coincides with an important festival, we have specially arranged this ceremony to express our gratitude and reaffirm the honorific title.

We respectfully ask all the perfected ones, immortal officials, and divine attendants in the grotto realms to witness this sincere devotion and bestow mysterious blessings, so that all under Heaven may be at peace and the four quarters united. May the heavenly palaces and earthly courts continually extend their benevolent grace; may the state’s fortunes endure, may the sovereign enjoy a long life, and may the blessings of the realm continue to flourish. We bow and present this petition.

Human form and life, we are told, arise in accordance with the Great Dao. The life and allotted destiny each person receives are also linked to Heaven. We have received the benevolent grace of Heaven and Earth, which cover and nurture us, and the power of Yin-Yang Qi to transform and nourish the myriad things. We should therefore devote ourselves to cultivation, strive diligently to improve ourselves, and reverently serve the spirits.

I know my own low station, yet have repeatedly received the emperor’s favor: at court, I took part in supporting and guarding the realm; beyond the capital, I served as a regional governor. I have achieved little, and my heart is often troubled by unease and fear. Now, according to the celestial calendar, the stars have entered the palace of my birth destiny: a baleful star stands directly over it, while Mars stands opposite. I fear calamity may befall me, but do not know where to turn in prayer.

I have heard that the Most High (Taishang), an honorific for the highest divine beings in Daoism, left behind scriptures, and that the Primordial Emperor (Yuanhuang), a Daoist deity, established the teachings. The Zhengyi tradition records the rites for cultivation and averting calamity, while the Chart of the Yellow River (Hetu) sets out the procedures for offering a purification rite and making prayers. If one serves with the utmost sincerity and diligence, one will surely receive the spirits’ protection. On the day of my birth destiny, I humbly perform a Nine Luminaries purification rite, offering prayers to the gods of the nine celestial bodies and seeking relief from calamity. With a pure and sincere heart, I take refuge in the wondrous, mysterious Great Dao.

I earnestly beseech the assembled perfected immortals and great sages to recognize my sincerity, cleanse my sins, resolve debts of grievance, dispel calamity, and lengthen my life. May my blessings and emoluments increase in Nanchang, and may ill fortune and decline recede in the Northern Residence. I vow to cleanse my heart and strive to improve myself, repaying the kindness of the perfected sages; and to serve my country with loyalty, repaying the kindness of my sovereign and parents. I am filled with fear and trepidation.

Another prayer for a purification rite on the day of one’s birth destiny.

I have heard that the foremost virtue of Heaven and Earth is to nurture life, and that the foundation of their benevolence in creating all things is to bestow blessings. I have been fortunate to receive good fortune and live in a flourishing age, bathed in the grace of the sun, moon, and stars—the “Three Lights”—and favored by the sovereign’s generous kindness. As a regional governor, I have received special consideration, held distinguished offices in succession, and enjoyed honor and splendor.

I have often feared that excessive good fortune might invite calamity. So I have been especially careful to keep myself in check, and all the more vigilant, never daring to grow complacent. Now Mars stands opposite me in the correspondence between the stars’ courses and my natal palace, while a baleful hidden star also happens to cast its influence upon me. I look up at the celestial signs and silently examine myself, yet do not know how to pray for the removal of these ill influences. Thinking of how frail my life and destiny are, I urge myself on all the more, filled with anxious caution.

Therefore, I have chosen my birth-sign day—the day corresponding to the zodiac animal of my birth year—to prepare a River Chart Jiao ritual, a Zhaijiao rite for praying for blessings according to the ideas of the River Chart. With reverence, I lay out my intentions and pray to receive the compassionate protection of the Dao. I beseech you to dispel calamity and quell misfortune, add years to my life, and let my stipend and blessings endure. May I give my whole heart to serving with reverence and forever repay the protection of the Most True, an honorific title for the Dao.

This is a Jiao petition composed by the Lady of Yue to give thanks and fulfill her vow on behalf of Lord Zong Kan, the Commander-in-Chief.

I have heard that the Dao’s root is mysterious and far-reaching, and that it responds to the prayers of all beings in accordance with their circumstances: in the lower realm, it silently regards their sincere hearts; in the Upper Clarity realm, the Daoist heaven, it reveals its wondrous insight. Prayers receive answers like echoes, without partiality; protection follows like a shadow, without hindrance.

My husband, Wang Zongkan, and my son, Chengzhao, among others, were ordered last year to lead troops against the rebels. They devoted themselves to serving the state, yet the rebels surrounded them in a lone city, where they were trapped for more than ten days. The fighting grew urgent, beacon fires flared everywhere, and all news from them ceased. I gazed toward the Bao and Mian region, my thoughts fixed on them; I looked across the mountains and rivers, but could not see them even to the farthest horizon. Overcome with worry and fear, I did not know where to turn in prayer. So I went in earnest to a Daoist temple and asked a Daoist priest to submit memorials on my behalf.

The temple solemnly established an altar and ritual seats, praying for the heavenly troops to descend and for the numinous powers to respond and protect them. Before long, the enemy’s formidable encirclement was broken, and the rebels suffered a crushing defeat. The soldiers won the merit of putting down the rebellion and lived up to the praise of the wise and enlightened ruler. My family was reunited, and the army returned in triumph. The fighting was brought to an end through the ruler’s wise plans, and also through the protective power of Daoist rites and divine spirits.

Now, on an auspicious day, we have specially held a zhangjiao rite—a Daoist ritual in which an altar is established and memorials are submitted to pray to the gods—to repay the spirits for their profound kindness. We perform the zhangjiao rite once more, expressing our thanks with fragrant incense and ceremonial observances. We have carefully prepared the offerings and bow reverently as we burn incense. We look up in hope that the perfected immortals of the Thirty-Six Palaces will descend, and pray that the Eighty-One Manifestations—the Daoist term for the majesty and blessings of divine beings—will appear. May auspicious radiance shine upon the altar, and may abundant grace be bestowed forever upon the state and our family, so that the sacred dynasty may prosper for ages and our whole clan flourish. We vow to honor and serve the Dao, thereby repaying the compassionate kindness of the divine and perfected ones. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the ruler’s grace and offer our reverent thanks.

“Prayer to Avert Disaster by Mao Xuan, Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs”: a zhaijiao prayer for averting disaster, composed by Mao Xuan, Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs.

It is said that the Dao’s Qi moves through the cosmos, and its mysterious power impels the transformation and birth of all things. The three celestial luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—receive the workings of the Heavenly Dao, while Heaven and Earth govern covering and support. The Five Planets move in their courses, governing the alternation of cold and heat and the passage of the seasons. Thus a person’s birth and destiny are both bound to the Heavenly Dao. The gods arrange the creation of blessings for the good and punishments for the wicked. People should act with care and diligence so that they may receive the blessings bestowed by the gods.

Since childhood, I have lived in a wise and enlightened age and received special esteem and favor from the court. I served in the Northern and Southern Offices, advanced through successive posts, and attained rank and honor. Clad in robes of crimson and purple, I reached the height of worldly splendor. I have always held sincere devotion to my country and continually reminded myself to keep my words and conduct in check. Yet I still fear that the years calculated through Yin-Yang may bring misfortune and decline, and that the stars of calamity may shine upon me in their courses. Building works or disturbing the earth might also startle the Dragon Spirits; in my daily conduct and bearing, I may have been careless in some respect. I have not yet offered prayers or confessed my failings, and this makes me all the more fearful and uneasy.

Now the fortune of the current year is drawing near my birth date, and the Celestial Talisman Star has entered the northeast. My major cycle falls in the Year of the Dog, which also coincides with Kui and Gang, spirits believed in divination to exert a special influence. Saturn is in concealment at my life palace, shining upon and opposing the Ox position. I fear these signs may bring calamity, and my heart is filled with still greater dread and unrest.

I have heard that Wenchang of the Southern Court, who oversees the assessment of a person’s good deeds and misdeeds, and the Dipper Pole of the Northern Palace, who records faults and punishes wrongdoing, leave nothing unexamined. The rewards and punishments of good and ill fortune are exact, as clear as an image reflected in a mirror. The orthodox rites of the Daoist tradition provide for confession and repentance; with sincere devotion, one’s plea can reach the gods. The mysterious scriptures also transmit rites of offering to the spirits and atoning for faults, through which prayers may receive a response.

Therefore, I have chosen an auspicious day and reverently prepared a Zhaijiao offering. I lay bare my sincere heart and ask the gods to look upon me with compassion. I beseech them to dispel calamities and obstacles, avert danger and misfortune, quiet the disasters, and cleanse away my faults; then to increase my stipend and years of life, and grant blessings and good fortune. I vow to uphold the ways of loyalty and filial piety with diligence, repaying the kindness of my sovereign and my parents. I will keep this sincere devotion forever in my heart, grateful for the gods’ compassionate grace. With utmost sincerity, I confess my failings and pray for their favor. I respectfully submit this petition.

Mount Lu lies in a numinous and beautiful region corresponding to the Zhen and Yi lunar lodges. It is where the Perfected One of Kuanglu left traces of his immortality. Its status is exalted, comparable to that of the Five Sacred Peaks, and its terrain commands the area around Jiujiang. The Jade Gate and Golden Citadel, poetic names for an immortal palace, conceal the deep and secluded dwellings of the immortals; Furnace Peak, crowned with clouds, is a sacred realm where perfected beings dwell. Mount Lu stands lush and beautiful above the vast surging river. Those who come to pay their respects and pray are blessed each time.

I was once banished from court and set adrift like duckweed on the wind. Passing through this quiet sacred realm, I prayed in my heart for the protection of the High Perfected, hoping to receive their compassionate aid, and vowed to offer them fragrant pepper wine. After my sincere prayer, the spirits responded with signs. Soon, however, war blocked my way. The river’s waves grew perilous, making passage difficult, and my lone sail was held back. I had no choice but to take another route and leave for a time. I have always remained sincere in my heart, yet have not repaid the spirits for their wondrous, unseen protection.

Now, having been charged with proclaiming the ruler’s grace and settled in the capital of Shu, I have come to the Daoist palace to pay my respects. Remembering my former vow, I have held a Zhaijiao purification ritual and offered ritual wine, respectfully expressing my sincerity. I have heard that when the response is genuine, prayer can reach its destination, for the Great Dao is present everywhere. I pray that the spirits will descend: even ten thousand li apart is no great distance, and if they lower their ceremonial retinue but a little, the Three Rivers region will not seem remote. I humbly ask the spirits to accept my earnest devotion and bestow abundant blessings, so that my former vow may be fulfilled and their profound grace may protect me for years to come. May they erase my name from the register of sins and forever remove calamities; may I complete my work of assisting the sovereign and governing the realm, enjoy a long life, and serve my ruler and parents with loyalty and filial devotion. I vow to become ever more diligent and reverent, relying on the power of the Daoist rites. I am filled with awe and trepidation as I respectfully submit these words.

It is said that the three orders of spirits—those of Heaven, Earth, and humanity—first took their proper places, and all things thereby received their forms. All things follow the most harmonious pattern of Yin-Yang and contain the true connections between Heaven and Earth. Thus each develops its own nature and capacities, receives its allotted span of life, and is assigned its own role. The spirits who govern life and death each oversee their own affairs and hold distinct authority. Even the smallest details are recorded, examined, and verified; nothing is overlooked.

I fear that across my present life and past lives, and through many lifetimes, faults may have accumulated and their consequences may now be coming to light. My observances may not have met the standards of the divine, and I may have been careless or insufficiently reverent in my daily conduct. The stars have also cast their influence upon me, and my birth-year fate has proved inauspicious, bringing calamity. Yet I do not know how to avert it or atone for my offenses. Now, following the teachings of the Daoist tradition, I pray with devotion before the altar of jade, choose an auspicious day, and reverently prepare a Zhaijiao offering—a ritual altar for seeking blessings and averting calamity from the gods.

I beseech the Six Sages of the Southern Palace to grant me a new name in the register of the living, and the Seven Perfected of the Northern Dipper to examine my case and remove my name from the register of the dead. May the Three Officials lessen my offenses, and the Five Emperors dispel my calamities. May I be able to visit a sacred mountain to fulfill a vow made in the past, receive the grace of the gods, and be granted good fortune.

I have received an imperial summons and am to travel to the court. Crossing rivers and mountains brings the hardship of travel by foot and boat, while both water and land routes carry the risks of boats and carts. I truly need the gods’ protection. May they look kindly upon my sincere wish, so that I may reach the capital safely and meet with great good fortune. How could I ever forget to cultivate the Way and make offerings in return for the true spirits’ aid? I am filled with trepidation.

Prayer for a Home-Settling Zhaijiao at the Residence of Wang Zongkui, Minister of Hanzhou

(A prayer used in a Zhaijiao ceremony to settle and bless the residence of Wang Zongkui, an official of Hanzhou)

It is said that the undivided Great Simplicity—the primordial state before Heaven and Earth separated and before things took form—began to divide, and the three orders of spirits of Heaven, Earth, and humanity each took their place. The ancient way of life, when people lived in nests, came to an end, and the system of building houses and halls arose. This was the work first begun by the sages of antiquity.

I have heard that in the beginning, Heaven and Earth separated from a state of undivided wholeness, and the three numinous powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—each took their proper place. People long ago ceased living in nests and began building houses; since high antiquity, sages too have adapted their teachings to changing times. Houses are built to shield people from cold and heat, damp and dryness, wind and rain, and to offer shelter as light and darkness alternate.

In working out the forms and orientations of houses, the ancients made many deductions based on patterns in nature. They classified them through the trigrams Qian, Kun, Zhen, and Dui; matched them with the musical notes zhi, yu, gong, and shang; and examined the changes of Yin-Yang and the movements of punitive and virtuous Qi. The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches—Yi, Xin, Geng, and Gui—each have their own functions, as do the directions associated with Zi, Wu, Chou, and Yin. In the regions governed by the Six Spirits and Four Sha, the Qi of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger interweaves and moves; in the directions of the Five Yellow and Nine Purple, auspicious Qi may gather. People model their actions on the workings of Heaven and Earth, consult the stars, sun, and moon in arranging affairs, and use these principles to examine fortune and misfortune, believing them to have clear foundations. Thus even magpies follow the Grand Marshal of the Year and help people avoid the General’s direction. Since humans are the most spiritually perceptive of all beings, we should be all the more mindful and reverent.

Recently, I have been living in a humble, damp dwelling unfit for habitation. I therefore chose an auspicious day and rebuilt the house. I followed the intent of construction shown in the Great Strength hexagram, while rejecting extravagant and presumptuous practices. I admired the simplicity of the ancients, who cut thatch and built with earth, and kept in mind the rules governing the status of such features as mountain-shaped roof brackets and painted, algae-patterned beams. The walls have been plastered, and the building work is complete. Yet I worry that using baskets and hoes during construction may have violated taboos; that in the course of the work I may have offended the spirits, gone against the proper rules of the Five Surnames—the dwelling practice that matches surnames with the Five Phases—or harmed the principles of the Two Dwellings, the living house and the tomb. Perhaps I damaged the earth’s veins, dug into hills and fields, defiled places where auspicious spirits dwell, or covered an inauspicious site, thereby inviting calamity. Until now, I have made no confession or appeal for forgiveness.

So I carefully consulted the arcane scriptures and sincerely held a grand Daoist offering ritual. With reverence, I invited the true writings and opened the Red Script of Lingbao. Following the talismanic commands of the Dongxuan Cavern, I dispelled baleful Qi and restored the Dragon Spirits to their proper places. I thanked the deities and sought their grace, dispelling calamities and praying for blessings. I respectfully ask the Three Venerable Ones, the honored deities of Daoism, to look upon this rite; may the Five Emperors send down their radiance, may the numinous powers of the Eight Assemblies receive their commands, and may the officials of the Three Origins be dispatched to protect the dwelling and keep it peaceful, making the four directions pure and solemn. May past offenses be pardoned and future peace and good fortune bestowed. May I receive the protection of the deities and remain secure for a long time.

Within a dwelling there is also a lord of the soil. From ancient times to the present, residents have come and gone, and people of the Five Surnames have lived together in the same place. Therefore, during this rite, I also present offerings and address prayers to the local earth deities. May the deities accept this sincerity and respect, each enjoy ease in their proper place, and proceed to the courts of blessing without sending down illness or calamity. May my whole family receive their grace, and may my nine generations of kin share in its honor. I will always hold to loyalty and filial devotion, and fulfill the virtues owed to ruler and parents.

The single Qi that permeates Heaven and Earth gives birth to the myriad things. The sun, moon, and stars hang high and shine, watching over all beings and governing the world. They travel along the ecliptic—the region of the sky through which the Sun appears to move—each following its own pattern, arranged in the heavens without disorder. In the broadest sense, they are connected to the calamities and fortunes of Heaven and Earth, the rise and fall of states, the favor or adversity of the times, and the safety or peril of the world. More specifically, they are also connected to good and evil among people, the good and ill fortune of each year, and the length of a person’s life. All these are governed by the gods.

Your servant’s natal palace has been crossed by Saturn, while the place occupied by his birth star has also been crossed by the Dark Void, an inauspicious configuration in ancient astrology. Both the major and minor cycles have encountered stars in conflict and opposition, and a Heavenly Talisman, an unfavorable astrological sign, has settled in his natal palace. As a result, calamities have followed one after another, and illness has taken hold. Though your servant has sought medical treatment in many ways, his prolonged suffering has not subsided. He fears that crimes accumulated over many lifetimes have brought on this ill fortune, or that failings in a former life have caused his present hardship. Perhaps, too, he has dealt out rewards and punishments unfairly in his duties, or accumulated faults since taking up his position; thus the gods have condemned him, and his fate has fallen into difficulty.

Your servant is filled with fear by day and night, and wishes to lay his case before the gods in prayer, repent, and atone. He has therefore carefully examined the movements of the stars and consulted the liturgies for Zhaijiao purification rites. With reverence, he has come to the sacred altar and devoutly performed the offering rite. Facing the center, he has voiced his sincerity; looking up to the assembled stars, he has entrusted them with his wishes. He has bowed, burned incense, and openly confessed his faults.

He earnestly entreats the holy beings of the celestial realm to extend their boundless compassion, and the revered gods of the Supreme Dao to bestow their grace in protecting all living beings: may his sins be forgiven, calamities dispelled, grievances reconciled, and disasters and retribution brought to an end. May the Qi pathways throughout his body flow freely, the Six Qi be brought into harmony, his illness be cured, and blessings descend upon him. May his life be prolonged through the Southern Dipper and his name erased from the register of the dead in the Northern Palace. Your servant will surely receive the gods’ protecting grace and will not dare to betray the blessings they have bestowed.

End of Volume Twelve of the Guangcheng ji.

Written by Du Guangting, the eminent and purple-robed Daoist who served at Taiqing Palace and composed texts by imperial command.

A Circumambulation of Heaven Offering by Mo Tingyi for the Birthday of Vice Commissioner Zhang, the Pacification Commissioner (a ritual text praying for blessings from the spirits of the celestial circuits)

It is said that the Dao arose through the transformation of the primordial Qi, and that human beings stand in correspondence with Heaven, Earth, and the Dao. Good and evil in people spring from the sincerity of the heart; fortune and misfortune are realized through the mysterious workings of the Heavenly Dao. If one holds worthy hopes, one will surely receive an extraordinary response of good fortune. Now, here amid famous mountains and overlooking an immortal’s grotto, we burn incense and offer prayers, setting forth our words with sincerity. Our intentions will surely reach the spirits and bring blessings to light.

Zhang Lin, this province’s deputy pacification commissioner, has far-reaching insight and a pure, upright heart. He is intelligent and discerning, without partiality; loyal and steadfast, without yielding. He conducts public affairs and serves his ruler with fairness, his mind broad and clear as still water. In governing his subordinates and caring for the people, he welcomes good counsel and readily corrects his errors. Moreover, he commands many elite troops and provides them generously with provisions in every season. Throughout years of warfare, supplies have never failed to reach them, even across a thousand miles. His thoughts are devoted entirely to concern for the state; he never calculates how to secure his own livelihood. He is constantly diligent and respectful, so busy that he neglects sleep and meals. Everyone has benefited from his kindness—who could fail to remember his generosity?

I am alone and hold a lowly office. It is by relying on his support that I have been able to rise and accomplish something. I wish to pray to the True Spirits and thereby express my gratitude and repay his kindness. Now spring warmth is returning, and the secluded valleys and forests are slowly opening into life. I have therefore chosen his birthday and reverently perform the Great Sui, a Daoist rite for praying for blessings. Gazing up at the stars, I declare my sincerity; to the mountains and rivers, I express my wholehearted devotion. Incense smoke mingles with clouds above the stream, and lamplight glimmers beneath the mountain moon. The mountains are still; at midnight, a gentle breeze stirs. I bow respectfully and lay out offerings of water plants, duckweed, and other ritual fare.

We respectfully invite the spirits to descend. May their radiance surpass the sun, moon, and stars; may the Immortals of the ten directions ride the wind to attend. May they witness the sincerity of this offering and the pouring of wine, and grant manifest blessings of protection. May his life be long, and may calamities brought by the Five Phases and the Three Fates be dispelled. May he accumulate good deeds, his achievements shine among the ranks of the immortals, and his hidden virtue flourish among his descendants. Thereafter, may the borders be peaceful and the four quarters settled; may plague and disaster cease to trouble us, and may weapons no longer be needed. May the sage ruler govern through Wuwei (non-action), and may the regional commanders make manifest their benevolent work of pacification. May both the unseen realm and the human world enjoy peace, and may birds in flight and fish in the water each fulfill their lives. How could we dare forget to discipline ourselves and repay this age of peace and prosperity? We respectfully set forth these words, trembling with reverence.

Heaven and Earth are vast, deep, and bountiful, nurturing all things. Central Yellow, the Qi of Earth at the center, governs Water and Fire and stands above Metal and Wood. Thus it can nurture all living beings and encompass the Five Stars—the five planetary bodies of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Its influence reaches upward to the affairs of the state and downward to the people and their relationships. It governs good and ill fortune and bears on safety and danger.

The palace where I serve belongs to the Zhen trigram, one of the Eight Trigrams and a symbol of the East. It now coincides with the presence of the Five Demons, malign forces in divination, while my fortune also meets the portent of the Flying Banner—and this is happening in this very month. I fear that disaster may follow, and am deeply troubled. Therefore, with reverence, I have chosen an auspicious day and carefully performed a Zhaijiao purification ritual. I beseech the divine beings to witness my sincerity and bestow great blessings: deliver people from danger and bring them safely through peril, turn misfortune into good fortune, dispel calamities, increase blessings and emoluments, prolong life, protect my family, and bring harmony to all public and private affairs.

All those gathered for the rite present this prayer to the Southern Dipper, the star deity revered in Daoism.

The Great Dao gathers the wondrous and true Qi, bringing forth the myriad things through its mysterious workings. Clear Qi and turbid Qi have different origins, and Yin-Yang occupy distinct positions. The Upper Palace of the Southern Dipper governs human life, death, longevity, and destiny. From affairs of state to the daily lives of ordinary people, nothing falls beyond its authority. The length of one’s life and the measure of one’s blessings and prosperity are all determined by its sovereign power, down to the smallest detail.

We, your subjects, are fortunate to have been born in an age of enlightened rule and to have witnessed the flourishing of the Daoist teachings. We were born through the nurturing care of Heaven and Earth, yet in our daily conduct we cannot help but make mistakes. How could we move through the world without committing faults? Because we did not repent and seek forgiveness in time, calamities have followed. We also fear that the stars governing the coming year, the Nine Palaces, or the Three Destinies—the stellar and numerological patterns used to calculate fate—may bring calamities or harmful clashes, in which celestial bodies oppose or collide with one another. The intentions of the spirits are difficult to know, and the thoughts of mortals impossible to fathom. Therefore, we must burn incense, make offerings, and pray with all sincerity.

Now, on an auspicious day, we respectfully perform a grand Zhaijiao, a Daoist purification and blessing rite. We humbly pray that the radiance of the spirits will descend and that their wondrous gaze will turn upon the human realm, recognizing our earnest and sincere devotion and bestowing abundant blessings. May calamities be dispelled and misfortune dissolved; may blessings and prosperity increase, and life be extended. May our offenses be erased from the registers of the underworld, and our names entered in the registers of blessings among the living. May public and private affairs alike proceed in harmony, and may our families be safe and healthy. May our living and deceased kin alike receive grace, and may both the unseen world and the human realm be sheltered and protected.

I have heard that the principles for building houses are already set down in the hexagrams of the Book of Changes, where they take their model from the Great Strength hexagram. The sages established rules for building houses, replacing the ancient practice of making nests in trees. Thus houses with beams and pillars were built, becoming a standard for all ages. The placement of a house is arranged according to Yin-Yang, while its measurements and regulations are determined with reference to the principles of punishment and virtue. People also charged the gods with their respective duties: to violate these rules brings misfortune and blame, while following them brings good fortune.

The house where I have recently been living could not keep out wind and rain, so I took advantage of the season to make repairs and improvements. The work took several months to complete. Yet I worry that, while digging and moving stones, lowering the ground or raising its level, the tools may have violated taboos; the places where we excavated and built may also have offended the gods. I have not yet performed a jiao thanksgiving rite—a ritual in which an altar is set up, rites are conducted, and the gods are invited and thanked—so I remain reverent and apprehensive.

Moreover, this residential site has been occupied over many years by people of different surnames, and there has been more than one presiding deity. I fear that some gods or departed spirits may still be lingering here. So through this jiao rite I ask them to move on together and receive deliverance. To this end, I have respectfully put the courtyard in order and set up a ritual altar. I request the use of Lingbao talismanic script, follow the ritual codes of the Great Mystery, invite the perfected and the holy to descend, and lay before them the sincerity of my intentions.

I respectfully ask the Five Emperors to look upon us with favor and all the gods to protect us. May the talisman officers convey the command to the earthly authorities, settle and guard the Dragon Gods, and dispel calamities caused by offenses. May baleful influences cease, pure and clear Qi flow freely, disasters still unseen be averted, and renewed blessings welcomed. May the stale Qi left by hidden corpses be cleansed away, and lingering souls and wandering spirits be sent on their way, so that all beings, from the world of the living to the netherworld, may each find their proper place.

May the signs corresponding to the Six Jia and the Five Phases, and the directions corresponding to the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, each be settled in their proper positions and remain auspicious for a long time. May the whole family enjoy peace and well-being, and may everyone in the household be healthy and at ease. I will strive to cultivate myself and renew my commitment to goodness, in gratitude for the blessings bestowed by the perfected spirits.

“Prayer for the Earth-Net Jiao Rite,” by Minister Hu Fan.

I have heard that the Five Planets—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—each arise with their own endowment, while Heaven, Earth, and Humanity each occupy their proper place among the Three Powers. All things receive the Dao’s shaping and transformation, and respond to Heaven’s nurturing and engendering. Yet the cycles of time continually turn: Yin and Yang alternate in rising and descending; good fortune and misfortune depend on and conceal one another; cold and heat cycle in succession. A period of adversity passes, and a period of peace arrives; disaster may sometimes arise from an excess of good fortune. These principles are borne out in the workings of all things and are indeed the ordinary course of things. How much more, then, should I, so mediocre and shallow, remain alert and cautious?

In this life, I have encountered a period of calamity: the great cycle is in Jiachen, and the minor cycle falls in Dingsi. Both of the past two months have brought inauspicious days. The Four Palaces are also where the Earth Net lies, and this corresponds to my natal hexagram. I fear these circumstances may converge into a period of misfortune, with nowhere to turn for prayer or deliverance. I also worry that the stars’ influence may bring changes, that the Five Phases may punish and overcome one another, and that the Three Destinies—the method of divining fate from one’s birth year, month, day, and other details—are weakened. Though the Traveling Horse star is present in this year, I fear calamity may still outweigh good fortune.

Looking back, I examine my words and actions and reflect on my body and mind. I feel that I should repent and pray, expressing my sincere and humble plea. I have therefore chosen an auspicious day, devoutly prepared a ritual altar, and respectfully invited the honored deities to descend, hoping that the divine spirits will look upon me with understanding. I respectfully ask the Three Officials and Five Emperors to witness my sincerity, and the Lords of the Northern Dipper to bestow their broad beneficence. May the gods inscribe my name in the register for long life and grant blessings and auspiciousness; may they burn the documents recording my accumulated offenses and pardon my transgressions. May they release me from the disasters brought by the Earth Net and dispel the misfortune associated with the Xun Palace, one of the Bagua directions; add new years to my life; gather auspicious and beautiful blessings; bring peace and smoothness to both public and private affairs; and keep my family and kin safe and tranquil. I will forever receive the deities’ aid and protection. How could I ever betray the true gods’ safeguarding care? I respectfully submit this petition.

“Prayer for a Benming Jiao for Yin Juhong, born in the Xinyou year”: a prayer written by Yin Juhong for a benming jiao, a Daoist rite to seek blessings and avert calamity in one’s birth year.

The Great Dao carries out the work of creation and transformation, from which the three luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—receive their original source. Human beings receive their bodily form and span of life, each manifesting their own awareness, and thus every life has its allotted destiny. Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth join together to bring all things into being. Good and ill fortune, blessings and calamities, are administered respectively by the Celestial Court and the Underworld. The Three Officials—the Celestial Official, the Terrestrial Official, and the Water Official—examine human conduct, overlooking neither faults nor blessings. The Five Emperors, divine rulers of the five directions, hold authority over life and death; the fate of every human being is connected to them.

I know that my origins are humble, yet I have been fortunate to receive the benevolent favor of a just and enlightened court. My native place and official title are entered in the central records, and my name is registered in the palace offices. Serving beneath the halls of the court, I am often ashamed of my limited ability and virtue. Bathed in the radiance of the ruler’s favor, I feel still more apprehensive when I consider how little good fortune I possess. I have yet to accomplish any notable deeds, while the faults I have accumulated may already be many. I am constantly troubled that errors carried over from a former life, as well as offenses committed in this life, have not yet been cleansed through repentance, making it difficult for me to obtain pardon.

I also fear that the Three Destinies and Five Phases—methods of divination used to assess one’s endowment and fortune—together with celestial signs and the cycles of the years, may at times bring misfortune or calamity. I fear, too, that I may have violated the duties governed by the gods or acted against the teachings of benevolence and righteousness upheld by Confucianism and Daoism. Perhaps I have harmed others to profit myself; perhaps I have killed deliberately or injured someone by accident. Faults are easily accumulated, while good deeds are hard to accomplish. My life may be short, or my allotted fortune and rank meager.

For this reason, on the day of my natal destiny, I have often prepared a Zhaijiao prayer ritual to appeal to the gods. I have also recited scriptures and incantations, and offered reverence to the divine beings. But of late, times have been difficult and the land of China in turmoil. At times I have taken refuge in the mountains and forests; at others, I have traveled the roads. I have now served in office for five years, so occupied that I have had no time to submit a memorial and perform the Zhaijiao rites. The incense and votive lamps have long gone unused, and this has left me unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Now, under imperial command, I am traveling to the southwest and have halted my carriage and horses in the area of Mount Min and Jianmen Pass. The roads have been clear throughout the journey, and the passes and bridges have all been open. The emperor’s benevolence, like a current from Heaven, reaches far in every direction; sounds of rejoicing and scenes of delight brighten the region. Moreover, Shaocheng, another name for Chengdu, has long been a dwelling place of immortals. It is therefore an ideal place to quiet the mind, offer a sincere prayer, seek blessings, and pay reverence to the perfected spirits.

I have accordingly chosen the day of my natal destiny and will perform the rite once more. I have brought tokens and gifts, and prepared incense, candles, and fresh flowers. I will also take this opportunity to make up for the Zhaijiao rites I was unable to perform in the past. If my sincerity reaches above, the gods will surely look upon me with favor. I humbly ask them to accept my earnest devotion and bestow abundant blessings, allowing me to fulfill wishes long held and receive new grace. May they grant me release from calamities and an extension of life and fortune; may the living and the dead alike find peace, and may my family be safe.

I also pray that the state may prosper and Heaven and Earth be at peace; that the sun, moon, and stars may follow their proper courses, and that Yin and Yang and the six Qi may be in harmony. May warfare cease and civil governance be renewed; may the years be favorable and the people prosperous. May the emperor’s carriage return, and may the foundations of the state endure forever. May all these devout prayers be fulfilled, so that in time the world may enter an age of peace and flourishing. I am filled with the utmost trepidation.

I have heard that the Great Dao transmits the scriptures, and that Xuanyuan—the title for Laozi and the Daoist deities he represents—expounds the teachings to aid the world, support the state, spread the teachings, and save all people. Its merit accords with Heaven and Earth, and its grace extends to all things. Precious memorials reach the heavenly court, and sincere prayers from the human realm are sure to be conveyed. Heaven’s beneficence descends upon the world, and pure, auspicious blessings arrive in due time. All living beings may receive protection; none are overlooked, great or small.

This year, the Empress’s annual fortune falls under the influence of the “Three Killings” direction. The earthly branch of her minor cycle belongs to Wood, yet is in a weakened state; the heavenly stem, fate-and-lifespan configuration, and sound of the cycle are all obstructed by Earth energy. The “Four Killings of the Flying Banner” remain in the Yin position; the Luo Hou star is in an inauspicious configuration, Saturn is passing through an unfavorable lunar mansion, and Mars is about to enter her natal palace. The places traversed by her annual cycle also coincide with inauspicious configurations such as the “Earth Net.”

In addition, physicians have found that the Qi of her organs has not yet been harmonized, and that her nutritive Qi and defensive Qi—the energies circulating within and around the body to sustain life—are out of balance. Her vital energy is weak, her six pulses have not recovered, and her nine repositories, meaning the body’s organs, remain depleted. There is concern that calamity may grow more severe and misfortune deepen. There is also concern that grievances and debts accumulated across past and present lives remain unresolved, while her everyday thoughts and actions continue to add to her faults. She therefore needs to rely on a memorial presented to Heaven, in the hope that it will convey her repentance and petitions.

Accordingly, in keeping with Daoist liturgy, an auspicious day has been selected and the documents and offerings prepared. A memorial is respectfully submitted, requesting that the celestial officials and troops—the officers and generals of the heavenly court—descend to observe and offer protection. We pray that the Empress’s organs be at peace within and that calamities recede without; that the harmful effects of the stars’ influence be dispelled, and the conflicts and impediments in her yearly cycle and destiny removed; that enmities be reconciled and disputes over debts brought to an end; that the Six Qi flow freely and the joints, channels, and vessels throughout her body be harmonized; and that she escape decline and danger, with her lifespan, blessings, and fortune extended. We beseech the Northern Palace, abode of the deity who governs longevity, to reclaim the years cut short, and the Southern Pole—the Star of the Elder of the South, symbol of longevity—to add years of long life.

We respectfully pray that the Most True Great Dao and the Three Most High Ones of the Most High, the three supreme deities venerated in Daoism, always hold compassion and the desire to save in their hearts, and bestow blessings of peace and tranquility. The Empress vows to serve with reverence and loyalty, fulfill her filial duties, diligently cultivate body and mind, assist the enlightened ruler in governing with benevolence, and repay the grace of the Great Dao, which nurtures and brings all things into being.

It is said that the primordial Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth began to take shape, and from it all things received their source. The sun, moon, and stars hang in ordered array above, clearly revealing Yin-Yang and the firm and yielding. The authority to rule the realm belongs to a wise and enlightened sovereign: Heaven commands the emperor to govern the people, and the emperor, having received Heaven’s Mandate, brings peace to the realm. Since ancient times, ruler and minister have each held their proper place. Whether governing through ritual and deference or pacifying the realm by force of arms, one must uphold Dao and virtue alike. When times are perilous, the power of virtue becomes all the more evident; when the fortunes of the state falter, its far-reaching blessings also come to a halt.

The Great Shu Emperor, Martial, Heroic, Sagacious, and Sagely, Radiant, and Filially Pious, has virtue that accords with the vault of Heaven and achievements that benefit the people. Having received Heaven’s Mandate, he governs in accordance with the Dao, keeping the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and humanity at peace for generations. The spirits protect and assist him; in the human world, the weather is favorable and the seasons are in harmony. The calendar is balanced and exact, matching the celestial cycles and measures preserved in Heaven’s treasury. The people live in abundance and harvest after harvest is plentiful; auspicious signs and fortunate events appear in succession, day after day and month after month.

Yet the emperor remains diligent by day and vigilant by night, carefully restraining himself and following Heaven’s intent. He shows reverence toward both the unseen realm and the human world, and labors with concern for all the people. His mind is set on rescuing those in danger and relieving hardship. He does not indulge in sights that please the eye or entertain the heart, but remains concerned for the people in every quarter, wishing that all may be benevolent and long-lived.

Previously, the Four Spirits moved into the Xianchi Palace, and the Spirit of the Chief Tally arrived at the Field of the Bright Hall. War then broke out, but victory soon followed. Those who broke their pledges and plotted rebellion met defeat and suffered setbacks in battle. This shows that the spirits approve of the emperor’s virtue and that Heaven is strengthening his authority. The auspicious sign before us, in which calamity turns to fortune, heralds peace for the state and the prolonging of its fortunes.

Now the year is drawing to a close, and the seasonal cycle is about to turn. By the grace of Heaven’s favor in this present age, the court prays that blessings may descend with the coming of the new spring. To repay the spirits for their protection, we offer sincere devotion through purification, light the Golden Register divine lamps—lamps offered to the spirits in Daoist purification rituals—and conduct the grand River Chart Offering, a large Daoist ritual of altar offerings and prayer. We respectfully invite the exalted and luminous deities to look upon us, and pray that the Great Emperor respond with favor, that the spirits of the ten directions may continually bestow radiant blessings, and that blessings may descend throughout three years.

May the state’s precious fortunes flourish for ages, and may the ancestral temples remain at peace. May the emperor’s life be as enduring as the Five Sacred Peaks and shine with the radiance of the sun and moon. May the lands of the eight directions submit to his instruction, and the myriad states turn their hearts toward him. May reverence for the right way take root everywhere, and may all rebellion and disorder be brought to an end. May the Crown Prince’s glory shine forth and the civilizing teachings flourish; may he assist the emperor in planning the affairs of state, so that the great enterprise of the realm may prosper for generations. May the inner palace and all officials devote themselves to service, and may the people and the armies alike share in health and well-being. May dragon spirits guard the realm unseen, and may the mountains and rivers remain at peace for ages. May all beings—whether in the unseen realm or the human world, flying above or dwelling beneath the waters—forever receive the emperor’s vast grace.

A prayer of blessing offered by the Crown Prince to the Emperor at the Great One (Taiyi) purification rite, with the lighting of a Golden Register lamp.

It is said that when the wondrous workings of creation first began to divide, Heaven and Earth took shape as the Two Principles. Yin and Yang each found their proper place, while the divine powers took charge of assisting, protecting, and keeping watch. The Celestial Worthy of the Great One and the Great Emperor Gao Huang sat enthroned amid Gouchen, the celestial palace, surveying the human world and dispatching divine messengers to travel back and forth on their rounds. Thus the Five Phases, the eight winds, the patterns of Heaven and Earth known as “Heaven One, Earth Two,” and all other celestial and terrestrial forces each moved in their proper course. Clouds and dew rose, and the stars followed their paths. The gods made their rounds through the Nine Provinces, secretly issuing admonitions; they traveled through every region, looked down upon the human world, and revealed good and ill fortune. From ancient times to the present, how could people dare forget to remain vigilant and continually set themselves right?

As the Direct Talisman, the guardian deity on duty, makes his rounds, I am in the Palace of Bright Hall; when the Four Gods make their rounds, I occupy the position of Chengchi. Now it is fitting to purify body and mind and pray with utmost sincerity.

The Emperor received his mandate from Heaven, holds the charge of Heaven’s decree, and has inherited the great succession. He has spread the teachings of compassion and frugality, strengthened the foundation of stillness and Wuwei (non-action), and seeks harmony throughout the realm and peace for the myriad states. Previously, a neighboring country broke its covenant, crossed the borders in invasion, slaughtered the people, and ravaged the commanderies and counties. Now the forces of violence have been subdued, and the shadow of war has been swept away. This was surely due to the Emperor’s sagacious plans, and was also truly made possible by the aid of divine power.

Now the borders are peaceful and the lands of Han are cleared of disorder. The stars have completed one circuit, and the year draws to a close. This day of the Ren-Shen month also marks the beginning of the new year’s cycle of duty. For this reason, an altar has been specially established to offer thanks respectfully to the gods. A Great One grand purification rite is being performed, and a divine Golden Register lamp kindled, its light shining down into the underworld and reaching up to the heavenly realm, cleansing calamities and obstructions and ushering in blessings and good fortune.

May the ancestral temples be peaceful and flourishing, and the foundations of the state secure. May the destiny of the realm endure, and may the Emperor enjoy a long life of sagely virtue. May the dynasty’s splendor surpass the ancient golden ages represented by the Cloud Officials and the Fire Chronicle, and exceed the achievements of the Han of Yan and the Zhou of Ji. May all-under-Heaven soon be unified, and may the Great Harmony ultimately be attained. May the ladies of the inner palace assist in governing the realm, and may the officials together offer their loyal counsel with all sincerity. May the sun, moon, and stars shine brightly, and the seasons proceed in harmony. May the harvests be abundant year after year, and may the people be spared illness and disaster. May the Dragon Gods rejoice and bestow the blessings of favorable winds and timely rains; may the mountains and rivers be at peace, and may blessings spread widely, bringing auspicious signs in the form of horses, vessels, carriages, and other gifts.

May our earnest and wholehearted intentions reach the gods above. We look up and beseech the divine powers to look upon us with favor and protection, and to grant blessings that are lasting and profound. I, your servant, am overcome with awe and know myself unworthy of this charge.

The Great Dao (the Way) gives rise to the myriad things, transforming all kinds of beings through its wondrous power. Yin-Yang governs Heaven and Earth, distinguishing the myriad things. All people receive a physical form at birth and depend on the creative work of the divine spirits. I have had the good fortune to receive the Great Dao’s protection and the court’s favor, enjoying honor and privilege while overseeing military affairs. Yet, looking back on my achievements, I find them unremarkable; considering the high position I hold, I am deeply ashamed to be so undeserving of it. Day and night I reflect on myself, never daring to neglect vigilance and self-discipline. Still, I fear that I have fallen short in cultivating myself and conducting my affairs, often acted wrongly, and accumulated faults and blemishes without promptly repenting and cleansing them.

Each person’s Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and Three Destinies—the pattern of fate inferred from such factors as the year, month, and day of birth—have periods marked by conflict and affliction. The Nine Luminaries, the nine celestial bodies recognized in Daoism, likewise each have their appointed time for influencing a person’s fate. Perhaps enmities from a former life remain unresolved, or debts from the past remain unpaid. The way of the divine spirits is profound and unfathomable, beyond the reach of ordinary understanding. Thus calamities and obstructions arise, and though I wish to repent and seek pardon, I cannot find a way to do so. Therefore, on the day corresponding to my birth-year cycle, I have reverently established a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and made offerings. Following the ritual regulations of the Celestial Perfectionists, I bow low, recite a memorial, and pray for divine aid.

I humbly beseech the exalted sages to respond and hear my plea, and the true spirits to observe and protect me. May they recognize my sincere devotion and bestow blessings, dispelling calamities and extending my life. May they secretly increase my good fortune, prosperity, and longevity, and grant broad pardon for my offenses. May they resolve past grievances and bestow blessings for the future. I vow to fulfill my duties of loyalty and filial devotion to the utmost, and to serve my sovereign and parents forever. I am filled with utmost awe and fear.

This is the memorial used by the emperor when he performed a Jiao rite at Longxing Abbey to address the divine spirits of the Jade Bureau transformation.

Numerous stars are arrayed in the heavens, while many famous mountains and scenic places are spread across the earth. The radiance of the stars shines in every direction, and the mountains and rivers stand in majesty as blessed lands. The divine spirits of Heaven and Earth each carry out their appointed duties, protecting the state and its people.

I respectfully reflect that Yuju Cave and Terrace is a sacred place where the Old Lord of the Mysterious Origin (Xuanyuan Laojun), the Daoist honorific for Laozi, once descended. It guards this capital and lies near the city walls. Though many years have passed, the numinous radiance of the deity has not faded. The quiet and secluded character of this place is no different from that of mountain forests and valleys, yet it often bestows auspicious blessings upon the people. I have always held it in reverence; how could I neglect to pay my respects and make offerings?

Since receiving the Mandate of Heaven and establishing the court, I have had palaces and city gates built according to the due southern alignment. The Frost Altar and Feathered Hall, too, have been moved and rebuilt as circumstances changed. Yet the true image of the Old Lord in the stone chamber and cave gate continues to receive devout offerings, with candles lit and incense burned morning and evening as before. How much more should it be honored and purified in the presence of the court’s solemn halls. In this way, the sacred traces may endure as long as Heaven and Earth and remain forever.

I am concerned, however, that construction and relocation might disturb the local dragon spirits who rule the land, as well as the divine officials who govern Yin-Yang. I also fear that the many laborers and their noisy work may offend the spirits. Anxious that the construction may have caused some violation, I have therefore established a Jiao (purification ritual) to pray, repent, and make amends. A propitious day was chosen, an incense altar prepared, and a sincere prayer offered. My devotion is not distant; the spirits will surely perceive it.

I respectfully beseech the Old Lord of the Mysterious Origin to bestow blessings and the Great Dao to extend its grace: forgive past errors and breaches of propriety, and grant future good fortune and blessings, so that the state may prosper for ages and its altars and territory remain secure; may wind and rain be well balanced, and the dragon spirits live in harmony; may calamities be dispelled and offenses brought to rest. If Taiyi, the deity who presides over the turning of the years, takes its annual course and alters the configuration of the earth’s Qi, or if the Fire Star or Saturn shines upon me and affects my destiny palace, may the spirits turn their power toward protecting me and grant me safety and smooth passage. May no beacons of war be seen within the four borders, and may the people suffer no calamities or epidemics. May I keep my heart steadfastly sincere, honor the blessings bestowed by the Mysterious Gate, and remain forever grateful.

I beseech all the deities whose names are listed in this Jiao ritual to turn their power toward protecting me and grant me safety and smooth passage. May no beacons of war be seen within the four borders, and may the people suffer no calamities or epidemics. May I keep my heart steadfastly sincere, honor the blessings bestowed by the Mysterious Gate, and remain forever grateful.

Prayer for a Jiao ritual to the famous mountains and great rivers

The Dao embraces the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and humanity, and the earth sustains countless living beings. Here are places where immortals cultivate, as well as domains governed by perfected beings and divine officials. The foundations of the immortal spirits are plain to see, while the wondrous transformations of creation are without end.

I respectfully follow the Way of Heaven and have received the imperial throne. When inspecting the territories under my rule, I ought to purify myself, establish an altar, and perform sacrifices. In recent years, military and political affairs have been weighty, and warfare has continued year after year, so I have been unable to offer sacrifices everywhere. This has often kept me on guard. Now I wish to express my reverence and devotion, in the hope of dispelling calamities.

I hereby command Daoist priests of the Three Caverns—the system by which Daoist scriptures are classified, and also a lineage of Daoist transmission—to perform a jiao rite, a Daoist prayer and sacrifice for blessings and the averting of calamity. I also dispatch envoys to prepare the rite with due care, so that our prayers may quietly reach the Court of Heaven. We pray for abundance in every season, and that the six Qi of Yin and Yang—the six energies whose movements and transformations govern Heaven and Earth—may cause no harm; for long life and a flourishing state. May the imperial lineage and the fortunes of the dynasty endure, and may civil and military officials, all those within and beyond the court, and the countless people throughout the realm share in these blessings.

I commit my thoughts to this blue prayer memorial, the parallel prose petition offered to the gods in Daoist rites, and briefly set forth my sincere devotion. I am filled with reverent awe, beyond what words can express.

“Prayer for the Immortals of Xianju Mountain, Presented by the Emperor”

The Emperor of Great Shu respectfully bows before the Perfected Master Zhang, who attained the Dao on Mount Beimang, a sacred mountain in Daoist legend.

You are a lofty Perfected One in the Purple Palace, a noble adept on the Isles of Mystery. Riding the wind and driving the clouds, you can sit at ease in the formless; your spirit roams realms without boundary and withdraws into the beginning of Heaven and Earth, before chaos was divided. At times you reveal sacred talismans to protect the realm and aid the people; at times you secretly assist rulers, helping them dispel the troubles of the state. Li Shunxing once protected Emperor Jing, and Tao Zhenbai once aided King Xiao. Zinian secretly remonstrated with the prefect, hoping that Emperor Zhaolie would grasp the deeper meaning. Those who receive these teachings are blessed; those who disregard them turn away from auspicious signs and bring sorrow upon themselves.

These deeds are recorded on bright silk and in books, as clearly as the sun and moon. Recently, while gathering herbs at the Abbey of Immortal Abode, the commoner Guo Huizhi discovered a bronze tablet left by the Perfected Master during the Tianbao era. Its inscription runs around the tablet and contains sixty characters, giving the Perfected Master’s name and birth details in full. It had been kept hidden for two hundred years, yet the inscriptions and seal script remain intact. The line of transmission to later generations is clearly set out, and the dates and times are exact. Though moss had spread over the tablet and earth had worn it away, its spiritual power still protected it. What it records accords with what came to pass: this is truly the Perfected Master’s miraculous manifestation.

Knowing that my virtue is slight, yet that I have received so auspicious a sign, I feel all the more apprehensive and reverent. The marvel of this event surpasses the auspicious records of the Red Bird Talisman and the Yellow Chart; its meaning, too, exceeds the legends of the phoenix bearing a text and the divine dragon carrying a chart. Having witnessed a sign of long life, how could I forget to remain cautious and vigilant? I have therefore established an altar for a Zhaijiao purification ritual, hoping to repay the Perfected Master’s wondrous, mysterious grace. I have also cleared away weeds and thorns, chosen an auspicious day to begin the work, and renewed the emerald railings and vermilion eaves on the old site, restoring the pavilions and tall pillars to their former appearance. With reverence, I pray that the True Spirit will witness this clear offering of gratitude. Though the Thirty-Six Heavenly Palaces lie far away, I earnestly ask you to send down your awesome radiance. May I remember and honor your grace throughout the long years to come. My heart is filled with gratitude and awe beyond what words can express.

A prayer composed by the Crown Prince during the Zhaijiao purification ritual at Mount Immortal Abode.

The Hall of Sunken Clouds and the Radiant Chamber are the great cities of the celestial realms; the Jade Terrace and Osmanthus Hall are blessed places in the human world. Some are sites where true sages feast and wander in appreciation of the scenery; others are grotto dwellings where immortals reside. All are filled with wondrous spiritual beauty, sending down grace and bringing good fortune, rescuing the human and celestial realms, and secretly protecting the state.

This ancient Daoist temple has indeed revealed an extraordinary auspicious sign: the discovery of a Heavenly Treasure True Talisman, a sacred talisman recorded in the secret writings of the Old Lord. Its characters are written in gold, its seal impression shaped like a bird, and its seal script coils like a hornless dragon. The traces are clear, as though they had just appeared; even after the dust was brushed away, moss marks remained upon it. Thousands of years ago, the talisman foretold that a wise and enlightened ruler would lay the foundations of a dynasty. After the state had flourished for two hundred years, it foretold that the present emperor would inherit its mandate. The emperor’s personal name, the dynastic surname, and his birth date and month are all set out one by one, with the various signs confirming one another.

I then added the name of one so deficient in De as myself and carefully recorded the words in the diagrams and registers. This made me all the more fearful and circumspect, and earnest in prayer. Gazing from afar at the mist-shrouded mountains, I admire and give thanks for the blessings of the spirits. So, through the feast held for the Zhaijiao purification ritual, I express my reverence for the immortals and perfected beings, and my devotion to incense offerings and spiritual practice. I pray that the imperial house’s foundations remain firm and boundless as the sea, and that the emperor’s sacred years extend as high as Mount Min and Mount Emei. May all regions of the realm submit to the teachings, and the people of every land turn toward benevolence. I vow to uphold with devotion the heart of loyalty and filial piety, repaying the protection of the true spirits. I am filled with fear and reverence.

End of Volume Thirteen of the Guangcheng ji.

I respectfully believe that an enlightened ruler must receive auspicious signs, bear the Mandate of Heaven, receive talismans and registers, and thereby be praised. I occupy the supreme position under Heaven and bear the weighty duties of an emperor. Nearly six years have passed since I ascended the throne. The people have not yet been fully educated, and the regions have not yet all adopted the court calendar. Day and night I work with care and diligence, never daring to rest at ease.

I fear that the laws may be enforced unjustly and that rewards and punishments may be misapplied. Armies are stationed throughout the land, yet the people are still not prosperous. Corpses lie piled along the rivers after battle, and the number killed and wounded is beyond counting. I often think that I should first offer an apology to atone for my failings. As for prophetic texts that foretell the rise and fall of Heaven’s Mandate, I believe most of them come from mediocre and ignorant people.

On the eighth day of the seventh month this year, Guo Jiongzhi, a resident of Shifang County in Hanzhou, was gathering herbs at Xianguan Temple when he unearthed a copper plaque, seven cun long and four cun wide. The plaque bore sixty characters, whose general meaning was: “The Record of Laozi’s Communion with Heaven states: In the years Dingmao, Jiaxu, and Yihai, a king will be born and rule for two hundred years. The Son of Heaven: King Wang Congjian, King Wang Yuanying, King Wang Wangan, King Wang Yue, King Wang Ze, King Wang Daoyi.” Five seal-script characters that followed could not be made out. The inscription then continued: “North Mangshan of Luozhou; transformed, it glorifies the Dao. Left here in the Tianbao era.” This speaks of an enlightened age in the future.

I consider my own virtue meager, yet I have suddenly received such an auspicious sign. The copper plaque seems to foretell the extension of the realm’s fortunes and to record the order in which my descendants will succeed me. I respectfully accept this mysterious gift, and am all the more filled with apprehension. Now I sincerely set forth my thoughts and hold a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) specifically to express my gratitude. I earnestly beseech all the spirits, when the ritual is complete, to proceed to blessed realms and famed mountains, each riding an immortal carriage, and together receive my sincere prayers. Please protect the state and keep the people safe; let wind and rain come in their proper season, and let weapons of war be laid aside. I hold the spirits’ protection deep in my heart, beyond what words can fully express.

Prayer for the emperor’s Zhaijiao to repay the grace of the numinous talismans.

I have heard that Heaven bestows blessings, revealed through auspicious signs such as the River Chart and the Luo Writing. Emperors model themselves on Heaven, receive the Mandate, and ascend the throne with heaven-sent commands and credentials. Throughout the ages, the Mandate received by rulers has waxed and waned with the changing cycles of dynastic time. I was fortunate to come into an age blessed by Heaven, yet I know my virtue is shallow and my understanding limited. After the previous dynasty’s fortune declined, the people of the realm were left without support. Now, at the beginning of a dynasty founded on the virtue of Metal, all quarters have rallied to me. I have respectfully received the Mandate, and six years have passed since then.

I often rise before dawn to attend to affairs of state, and continue until nightfall without taking time to eat. I remain cautious and diligent, striving to follow Heaven’s intent. Now, wondrous inscriptions engraved on a bronze tablet have appeared in an ancient temple. They reveal that the Most High Lord Lao has bestowed an auspicious sign and confirm the omen that I have received the Mandate to govern the realm. My name is clearly written there, along with the year, month, day, and hour. These matters were arranged in advance in the Nine Heavens, countless ages ago. The secret talismanic writings have become manifest, and the sacred characters shine forth. They foretell that the imperial house will endure for generations and express far-reaching plans for its descendants. I examine myself and search my heart, filled with reverence and apprehension. In view of Heaven’s favor, I must strive all the more to cultivate virtue. I therefore respectfully perform a precious purification rite, dedicated to the gods and intended to pray for blessings and avert calamity. I take refuge in the Great Dao, hoping that blessings will increase and that the people of the realm will receive lasting protection. I respectfully submit this prayer.

The emperor performs a brewing-and-offering ritual to pray for blessings at the Temple of the Ten Thousand Immortals and Personal Destinies, a Daoist sanctuary venerating deities associated with people’s birth destinies.

In the upper realm, the stars are arrayed; below, the mountains and rivers lie spread out. Heaven and Earth respond to one another, and each has its appointed powers who administer punishments and blessings. I call to mind the efficacious traces of the immortals, who guard this land of celestial palaces. There, clouds gather and rain falls, aiding the growth and transformation of all things. Deep and hidden, its jade caverns and exquisite cliffs form a realm where immortals dwell. At this auspicious time, when the fortune of the state flourishes and wondrous signs appear, I have received the auspicious omen of a founding ruler. My birth hour corresponds to this immortal realm; it accords with a season of clarity and beauty and reflects the numinous radiance of the Great Fire Star, a celestial body associated with the heavens and the seasons.

Now is the time to pray for blessings from the human and celestial realms, and the day when phoenixes and cranes welcome honored guests. I have specially arranged this ritual offering and made prayers to express my sincerity. In the Hall of Proclamation, I devote myself to prayer and bow toward the white clouds. May the gods send down radiant grace and secretly support the great designs of the state, so that all beings may share in peace and the institutions, laws, and systems of transport and ceremony of all nations may be brought into unity. I will continue these sacrifices for generations in gratitude for Heaven’s kindness. I respectfully submit this prayer.

The emperor also performs a ritual prayer at Ge Immortal Temple, the place where Ge Xuan cultivated the Dao and manifested his spiritual power.

May the stars be arrayed across the heavens, and the many mountains stand guard over the earth. With the aid of the energies and signs of Heaven and Earth, may the nation be protected and its great fortune quietly sustained. May the people together enjoy lasting peace, and may all nations follow a common system and set of norms. May we continue our practice and offerings for ages to come, in repayment for the mysterious grace. With utmost reverence.

A Prayer Offered by the Emperor During a Second Zhaijiao at Ge Xianhua

May the stars be arrayed across the heavens, and the many mountains stand guard over the earth. With the aid of the energies and signs of Heaven and Earth, may the nation be protected. At each prescribed sacrifice to the famous mountains and great rivers, we pray to receive renewed blessings. The Emperor has received the Mandate of Heaven and established the cycles of the reign; he follows the course of the times and holds the talisman of authority. The mountain associated with his birth destiny is this very Ge Xianhua, a Daoist sacred site linked to Ge Xian. Clouds and rain gather deep in its caverns, while its peaks rise high into the mists and rosy clouds. Surely divine spirits dwell here, quietly protecting and aiding the fortunes of the realm. Now that an auspicious day has arrived, we have specially prepared a Zhaijiao to offer our prayers. We look upward with wholehearted devotion, reverently hoping for the light of divine presence.

May the highest sages of the heavens look down upon this sincerity. May the Three Perfected Ones and the assembled immortals together bestow their abundant grace, so that the imperial foundation may endure for ages and the nation flourish in stability. May the twenty-four peaks of Ge Xianhua together protect the Emperor and grant him long life; may the dynasty’s foundation last for thousands upon thousands of years, firm and unmoving. May the lands within the four seas and the nine provinces submit to the Emperor’s transforming influence; may warfare cease and every grain ripen in abundance. May all people enter a state of benevolence and longevity, and together accord with the true and upright Great Dao. With utmost reverence.

A Prayer for a Nine Luminaries Zhaijiao Held by Vanguard Prince Wang Chengsui for His Grandmother

The stars and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) in the heavens govern people’s offenses and blessings. The beams and pillars of a house, too, each have their own presiding powers. In the processes by which all things are generated, nurtured, and grow, responses of good and ill fortune arise of their own accord. Places where people live are likewise bound to incur faults and inauspicious influences, so the power of Daoist rites is needed to dispel grave calamities. The Primordial August One, a revered Daoist deity, established the teachings, and the scriptures of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen), the Daoist classification of scriptures, have been handed down. I respectfully follow the liturgies set forth in the scriptures and sincerely pray for blessings and protection.

My grandmother, of the [surname] family, was granted the title Grand Lady of the State of Dai. She is eighty years old and was born in the year Yimao, on the thirteenth day of the third month, at the hour Wuwu. Now Saturn and Mars occupy positions in a threefold alignment, while the Heavenly Talisman’s flying banners clash with her major fortune cycle. The Five Earths overcome Zi Water and also shine upon her birth date and hour. These clashes and harms have caused her to contract a mild illness. I am anxious and afraid, and cannot set my mind at ease.

I have received the sovereign’s favor and inherited my family’s blessings, yet I lost my parents at an early age and later endured calamity within my family. Only my grandmother’s loving presence remains for me to attend upon, morning and evening. With all sincerity and devotion, I wish only for her safety and long life. She now suffers from goiter, while the baleful stars continue to shine upon her. I fear that some taboo may have been violated in the household; I also fear that accumulated grievances and debts from generations past, wrongs left by the dead that entangle their descendants, or documents of accusation and sentencing in the netherworld may have brought about her weakness and danger. I can only hope that repentance and ritual offerings will dispel these calamities.

Therefore, I have chosen an auspicious day and respectfully established an altar for a Zhaijiao purification ritual. I beseech the Great Dao to send down its radiance and all revered deities to look upon us with compassion, and to release my grandmother, of the [surname] family, from calamity and extend her life: increase the life blessings allotted to her in the Southern Palace and erase her offenses recorded in the Northern Court; sweep away her illness and restore harmony to her body; secretly bestow divine medicine and secretly send spirit officials to protect and assist her. May she recover and enjoy lasting peace. May auspicious protection always abide in the household, with dragon spirits guarding it and evil dispelled. I can only cultivate diligently in gratitude for the grace of the Great Dao.

Mount Qingcheng is the immortal abode jointly revered by the divine spirits of the Five Sacred Peaks. It is hailed as a realm of Heaven and a capital of the immortals. Lofty and majestic, it guards the earth and reaches straight into the heavens. It is a gathering place for many divine beings and a sacred mountain revered throughout the regions, on land and water alike. It spreads its blessings widely and nurtures the lands in every direction, especially protecting the Three Shu—the ancient name for the region of Shu. The mountain’s sunny slopes receive abundant light, while clouds and mist lie deep in its shaded valleys. In keeping with the seasons, Mount Qingcheng brings down auspicious blessings; it assists enlightened rule and manifests good omens. Since ancient times, people far and near have revered and relied upon it.

I have received imperial favor and been entrusted with guarding this important region. My jurisdiction also extends across Zi, Sui, Qian, and Wu, as well as Lu, Wei, and the areas inhabited by the non-Han peoples. Holding a high office and bearing the heavy responsibilities of general and minister, I am often anxious that my merits may be too small for the favor I have received, and that blessings beyond my due may bring disaster. I therefore keep to my proper place, mindful and apprehensive.

Since spring began, the rains have come at the wrong times, harming the harvest in the fields, while fierce sunlight has scorched the crops. Though I have repeatedly performed sacrifices and made petitions to the gods in every quarter, I have seen only dark clouds gather over the western suburbs; the life-giving rain has still not reached the fields in the south. The people are distressed and helpless, not knowing where to turn in prayer.

I have considered that the Dao has left behind its scriptures, and that the Celestial Master (Tianshi) has handed down its teachings. Among them are rites for submitting petitions and prayers, as well as liturgies (Keyi) for rain-invoking Zhaijiao purification rituals. Such rites of incense burning and spiritual practice must be performed at a sacred place of numinous beauty. So I have come with a sincere heart to the cloud-shrouded caverns and immortal peaks. I bow in reverence, hoping that my immortal companions will respond and descend, and that my sincerity will reach the hearing of Heaven. I humbly ask for favorable winds and timely rains, and a bountiful harvest, to save the people from drought. May Feiyi, the drought-bringing beast of legend, be driven to a distant wilderness, and may Shangyang, the bird whose appearance foretells rain, dance within our borders.

May the leaders and followers of the mountain peoples appear in ordered ranks and display their power; may the Dragon Gods of the caverns manifest their might and aid the work of creation and nurture. May the drought demon Ba, which causes drought, be driven away, so that withered seedlings may regain their vitality. May the divine spirits gladly accept the fragrant offerings of millet and glutinous millet, and may the people’s hopes for abundant stores of grain, piled high as mountains, be fulfilled. I will devote myself to cultivating the Dao and serve the public with all my strength, repaying the divine spirits for their benevolent grace and praying to receive the protection of the Great Dao.

I have respectfully dispatched Cao Yue, Chief Deputy Commander, Honorary Right Vice President of the Department of State Affairs, and former Prefect of Lizhou, together with Du Guangting, Great Master of Hongjiao for the Left and Right Circuits and Daoist priest bestowed with the purple robe, to offer this petition and perform the purification ritual with sincere hearts. They entrust themselves to the divine spirits and pray for their blessings. I am filled with awe and trepidation.

In the heavens are the twenty-eight lunar mansions, arranged in celestial patterns, each in its own position. The earth is guarded by thirty-six heavenly deities, who establish the spirit realms in their respective domains. The stars govern the netherworld and the human realm, while the deities of each region oversee wrongdoing and blessings. The Heart Mansion is where the Celestial Emperor resides; the Upper Clarity is the immortal realm where the divine beings dwell. It rises high above the Long River, beside graceful peaks like jade wheels; it stands before towering ramparts, overlooking the fertile lands around Copper Horse.

Looking back toward the Blessed Abode, that immortal realm of prayer, I see how widely it shelters the regions of Yong and Shu. Fate bound me to this mountain, and I have been allowed to dwell here; yet I feel ashamed to hold the credential that symbolizes my office and to live within this sacred realm. I am constantly troubled that my rank is high and my responsibilities heavy, while my abilities are inadequate and my talents limited. I was appointed beyond the usual ranks of the five grades of nobility, and entrusted with governing six garrisons and their people. At times I have failed to reward and punish fairly; at others, I have not been gentle and harmonious in comforting and guiding the people. Those below me harbor resentment, while above me I have fallen short of the humane duty to nurture the people. I spend every day anxious and fearful, with no peace or respite, and faults follow in their wake.

Since the second month of spring, the rains have failed to come in season. Dust has spread across the fields, the sun has blazed fiercely, hot winds have swept the countryside, and not a cloud has appeared. The people sigh, fearing that farm work will be delayed. Fish in the ponds gasp with open mouths, as though they are about to be stranded on the dry banks. My heart burns with worry, yet I do not know how to pray. Fine and abundant offerings have already been laid out in the shrine, and we have spared no expense in offering well-fed livestock in prayer. Yet though we have given all our hearts, we have still heard no answer from the spirits.

I look up to the immortals, who aid all beings without distinction between the unseen realm and the human world. The Great Dao cherishes life and bestows its compassionate grace everywhere. The Most High established the rites of cultivation and supplication to bring blessings and avert calamity; the Three Heavens, too, have liturgies for submitting memorials and conducting Jiao offerings. With reverence I gaze toward the divine peak and, from afar, voice the pleas of ordinary people. We solemnly perform a great Jiao rite, humbly seeking the utmost truth of the divine spirits. We beg the spirits to take pity on all beings, to extend their compassionate grace, to forgive our faults, and to grant us blessings and good fortune.

May thunder and lightning display their might, and may the Dragon Spirits rejoice. May abundant rain nourish the earth and bring the crops to a plentiful harvest. May thunder rumble from the southern mountain, and lush crops rise in the fields of spring planting. May our hopes for a bountiful year be fulfilled, and may a good harvest truly come. I vow to practice and uphold the Daoist rites with diligence, in gratitude for the blessings bestowed by the true spirits. My gratitude is beyond measure.

This is “Prayer for the Circumcelestial Jiao,” a supplication used during a circumcelestial Jiao rite, composed by Zhao Yu, magistrate of Shifang County.

I respectfully declare: Heaven and Earth each possess numinous awareness, and the Most Sage governs them both. The transformations of Yin and Yang are beyond measure; the Most Numinous embodies their mystery. The spirits govern life and death and oversee guilt and blessings. Whenever people pray, they receive a response; no sincere heart goes unanswered.

My talents and virtue are slight, yet I govern this county, burdened with many affairs. It is responsible for collecting taxes, and urging their payment is especially difficult. The villages are desolate and impoverished, making their care and administration all the more urgent. I have purified my mind, sought to understand the people’s hardships, restrained myself, and devoted myself wholeheartedly to public service. Fortunately, with the aid of the Dao’s power and the hidden protection of the true spirits, tax collection was completed smoothly and local affairs were put in order. Epidemics subsided, the people suffered no harm, and their lives grew stable.

I considered how I ought to repay this mysterious grace. All have given their hearts fully, joining together to establish a Yellow Register altar, a Daoist ritual altar for praying for blessings and averting calamity. We have devoutly held a rite of incense and purification, and also performed a grand Jiao, a large-scale Daoist sacrificial rite, to repay the spirits’ beneficence. Moreover, this region lies near immortal mountains, and its people have been deeply shaped by Daoist teachings. The divine achievements of Chancellor Li seem still before our eyes, and the sacred power of Perfected Luo often makes itself known. Here, the blessed grounds of the Daoist temples mark two true realms reached by Daoist instruction. We beseech the spirits to look upon us clearly and accept this sincere prayer.

We respectfully invite the Most High, an honorific for the supreme Daoist divinity, to extend abundant compassion, and all the spirits to protect us with sincere care. Bestow blessings widely upon the realms of the dead and the living, reaching both the living and the departed, so that all may receive good fortune and aid. May this region be peaceful and the five grains yield a rich harvest; may epidemics and warfare never trouble us, and may birds, fish, and all living creatures be safe. May our nine ancestral generations and seven lines of descendants ascend to Heaven and enjoy its blessings; may the departed souls in the Three Paths and Nine Nights, the realms of underworld suffering, escape their distress and return to the true Dao. We also pray that calamities be dispelled and offenses cleansed, and that blessings, fortune, and years of life be increased unseen, so people may live out their full span. May all join in prayer and together receive profound protection. We, your servants, tremble with apprehension and respectfully submit this prayer.

Prayer for the Five Talismans to Protect the Residence of Vice Minister Wang of Jiazhou

It is said that the Great Dao reveals its radiance and transmits five teachings. It gathers the Qi of nature and forms the hollow script, the mysterious true writing spoken of in Daoist tradition. Above, it sets right the primal Qi of the Way of Heaven; below, it brings blessings and preserves the full span of life. All join in prayer and receive profound protection. We, your servants, tremble with apprehension and respectfully submit this prayer.

I respectfully submit: The Great Dao—the fundamental Way of the cosmos—manifests its radiance and bestows five texts of instruction. It gathers the Qi of nature into writings of the mysterious and profound. Above, it sets the workings of Heaven aright; below, it steadies the order of Earth. Between Heaven and Earth, it regulates the fortunes of calamity and blessing, and broadly bestows its blessings upon all beings. The Three Realms honor the Great Dao, and all the gods receive its teachings.

When a dwelling is repaired or built, one may unknowingly offend the spirits or openly violate prohibitions. In such cases, secret talismans and registers (Fulu) are used to protect and secure every quarter. Recently, as my dwelling required construction, the work has now been completed. I have therefore prepared a rite of incense offering and cultivation: an altar for the Yellow Registers rite (Huanglu) has been established, and extensive repentance and prayers for deliverance are being performed. Five talismans have been set out, and a jiao offering has been conducted to protect and bring peace to every place.

I earnestly beseech the Most High to extend boundless compassion and the Most Perfect to look down upon us, so that the dragon spirits may be at peace, disasters may be dispelled, and there may never again be cause to fear offending the spirits. May we continually receive the blessings of stability and peace. As for the spirits of the five clans who have long presided over this place, may each find a favorable passage into rebirth and receive deliverance and release. Through this, I will forever cherish the Great Dao’s boundless De and remain endlessly grateful.

Prayer for the Nine Luminaries Jiao Rite for Lord Zhang (a prayer composed for the Nine Luminaries jiao rite held for Lord Zhang).

I have heard that the Great Dao gathers light, and that the celestial realm manifests all manner of signs, illuminating the lands of the Nine Provinces and nourishing all living things. The celestial realm governs fortune and misfortune, calamity and blessing, and keeps watch over people’s offenses and merits. Great or small, everything is seen with perfect clarity, without the slightest omission. Thus the celestial realm left behind golden slips and jade books, transmitting methods of confession and prayer, and rites for atoning for offenses. If one acts with sincere devotion and gives one’s whole heart, the celestial realm will surely grant its clear discernment and protection.

I, your servant, know that my abilities are meager, yet have been fortunate to live in a favorable time and to hold the high office of chief minister, with its many burdensome duties. When hearing lawsuits and deciding punishments, I sometimes fear that I have judged too harshly or too leniently and incurred fault. Even when I act with care, I may still make an inadvertent mistake. Perhaps grievances and debts accumulated over many lifetimes have yet to be resolved. Whenever I quiet myself and reflect, these thoughts often fill me with worry and fear.

Now the fortunes of the palace are obstructed, and Saturn has passed through its position. Ketu, an imaginary star used in ancient astrology, approaches my life position; Shen Shou and Mars also shine upon it from the opposite palace. Both the month of my birth and my life palace encounter the Heavenly Talisman, a star that signifies an unfavorable omen in astrology. These baleful signs have converged, bringing calamity. I search my heart and reflect on myself, trembling with unease; I earnestly turn toward the spirits and look up to the celestial signs, seeking protection. I offer all my sincerity and perform a Jiao ritual, setting up an altar and presenting offerings to the spirits to pray for blessings and avert calamity.

I humbly pray that the Most True and Highest Saints and the exalted sovereigns among the stars will look with compassion upon us mortals in this dusty world and extend their grace and pardon: resolve past grievances and karmic debts, forgive grave offenses, increase blessings and years of life, and quell calamities. Grant your servant peace of body and mind, harmony among the six Qi, and release from misfortune, decline, and illness. Your servant will do his utmost to serve loyally and repay his sovereign’s kindness for years to come; he will also purify himself and gather his spirit, in gratitude for the protection of the honored gods. Your servant is overcome with fear and reverence.

Prayer for the Assembly’s Joint Performance of the Three Origins Jiao Ritual

The Most High Boundless Great Dao, the Heavenly Worthy Primordial Beginning; the Lord of the Great Dao Most High; the Most High Lord Lao; the Heavenly Worthy of the Numinous Treasure of Natural Self-So of the Ten Directions…

To the supreme and unsurpassed Wujidao Yuanshi Tianzun, the Lord of the Great Dao, Taishang Laojun, the Lingbao Tianzun of the Ten Directions of Natural Manifestation, the Five Elders and High Emperors, the Three Primordial Lords (the revered deities who govern the Upper, Middle, and Lower Primordial periods), the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, the revered scriptures of the Thirty-Six Divisions, the Great Master of the Mysterious Center, the Perfected Ones of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the Masters of the Three Heavens, the perfected spirits of the three realms of Heaven, the underworld, and the human world, and all the divine officials in the offices of the Three Officials who oversee mysterious affairs:

We humble mortals of the dusty world have, through blessings accumulated over many lifetimes, had the good fortune to encounter the mysterious Great Dao and take part in practicing and upholding its most authentic methods. Yet, living among people, we remain burdened by worldly concerns, tossed about by fame, wealth, and gain, and adrift in the cycle of birth and death. We have not yet fully understood the essentials of transcendence, but merely aspire to the Dao’s teaching of stillness and emptiness. The six desires and the karmic actions of body, speech, and mind often lead us into many offenses, while the record of our misdeeds in the underworld continues to grow. Some wrongs and old debts from previous lives still bind us in the underworld; some have yet to confess and repent for killing or injuring others, whether deliberately or by mistake. Others suffer misfortune associated with the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the Three Destinies (a system that uses the Five Phases and fate calculations to interpret human destiny), or have incurred the wrath of baleful stars such as the Hidden and Bright luminaries. Ordinary people can scarcely discern these influences and do not know how to pray for relief.

The divine officials of the Three Primordial periods periodically examine merit and fault, yet the Five Emperors have no means to investigate our good and evil deeds, vindicate the wronged, and clear their grievances. Even our Nine Generations of the Mysterious Ancestors and Seven Generations of Forebears (a general term for distant ancestors and generations of the dead) remain trapped in the Three Paths of Suffering (the realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals). Lawsuits in the underworld drag on without end, and our offenses continue to accumulate. When our blessings are exhausted and disaster strikes, where can we turn to repent?

Therefore, on this day when a certain official reviews the registers of merit and fault, we have gathered to perform a prayer and Zhaijiao (purification ritual), earnestly imploring the deities to turn their light upon us and look kindly on our sincerity. May they bestow blessings and grace upon us, prolong our years and preserve our lives; deliver our Nine Generations of the Mysterious Ancestors and Seven Generations of Forebears, and erase the offenses recorded in the registers of the underworld; sweep away the many calamities, and enter the names of the living into the celestial registers of the upper realm. May we long receive the Great Dao’s response and continually enjoy its boundless grace.

We also pray that the sovereign’s blessings and years may endure, that the realm may be peaceful and secure, and that the people may live in harmony and well-being. May all regions, near and far, be well governed; may the crops yield abundant harvests year after year, and may warfare cease of its own accord. May the dead, the guilty spirits, and the lonely souls in the Ninefold Depths and Six Destinies all receive boundless grace, each attaining freedom and release. With utmost sincerity, we take refuge in the deities, confess our faults, and offer our prayer. We respectfully set forth these words.

A petition for the Lower Assembly Jiao of the Six Jia Registers, composed by Wang Zongzhuan and others.

We have long known that our talents are ordinary and our understanding shallow, yet we yearn for profound truths. We devote ourselves to pursuing the wondrous Dao and turn our hearts toward the true teachings of Daoism. We study the mysterious texts of the Six Jia and admire the essentials of long life. With utmost sincerity, we respectfully confess and pray.

Prayer by Wang Zongzhuan and others at a Lower Assembly jiao ritual, seeking the blessings of the Six Jia registers

We have long known that our talents are ordinary and our understanding shallow, yet we yearn for profound truths. We devote ourselves to pursuing the wondrous Dao and turn our hearts toward the true teachings of Daoism. We study the mysterious texts of the Six Jia and admire the essentials of long life. Yet, bound to official service, we cannot devote ourselves to cultivation as we wish. On the days of the Three Origins and Four Beginnings, we ought to set out incense and light lamps, but at times we have fallen short. On the festivals of the Five La and Six Yang, we ought to focus our thoughts in prayer and meditation, but we have failed to do so wholeheartedly. We fear that we may have unwittingly taken life or harmed living things, and may have incurred old resentments and karmic debts. We also fear that the fortunes of the passing years may turn against us, or that we may suffer calamities brought by the stars. In the past, we did not confess our faults before the gods, and our fear and unease have therefore grown deeper.

Now, on this auspicious day of the Lower Assembly, we perform a jiao ritual and seek the blessings of the Six Jia registers. We earnestly ask the exalted Five Emperors to send down auspicious blessings, and the true officers of the Six Jia to cleanse our sins and failings. May our names be entered in the registers of the living in the Celestial Bureau, and our names removed from the rolls of the dead in the underworld. May our whole family receive protection, and may our ancestors of seven generations ascend to Heaven. May our years, blessings, and emoluments increase and endure, and may public and private affairs alike proceed in peace and harmony. We will burn incense with steadfast devotion for a long time, in gratitude for the mysterious grace of compassion.

Prayer for a jiao ritual held for disciples at the Three Assemblies

I am of slender learning, yet I bear the weighty charge of upholding and spreading the Great Dao (Dao), of proclaiming and clarifying its true teachings, and of guiding and delivering beings in the heavens and among humankind. I transmit the methods of the Dao to my disciples and hand down the scriptures to later generations, so as to aid the age and promote moral transformation.

Your disciples, so-and-so and the others, long ago admired the Great Dao and turned their hearts toward the Utmost Truth (the highest reality of the Way). They took faith in the Xuanke (the Daoist codes of discipline and ritual decorum) and received the Fulu (talismans and registers) according to the proper rites. Many years have passed since they received this transmission. They fear that, before receiving the Dao or after bearing the talismans, their conduct and resolve may have strayed, and that in their actions they may have transgressed the precepts.

In the three karmic domains of body, speech, and mind (the actions, words, and thoughts of the person), and in all kinds of faults, they may have erred willfully. On the days of the Three Primes (the Upper, Middle, and Lower Primes) and the Eight Solstitial and Equinoctial Festivals (the four seasonal beginnings, the two equinoxes, and the two solstices), their worship and petitions were not wholehearted. Their practice on their birth-day cycle days and on the Gengshen day (the days Daoists calculate from one's personal birth-stem and branch for cultivation) was deficient. At times they ate meat and blood foods, defiling the pure ritual space. At other times they indulged in sound and beauty and broke the prohibitions. Without the aid of the Sanhui (the fixed dates on which Daoists hold zhai-jiao rituals and confessions), they could not confess and petition completely.

Today falls on one of those Sanhui days, which is also a day for examining merit and fault. Therefore we jointly hold a great Jiao (a large-scale Daoist purification ritual), present the memorial, and report their merits. They confess their offenses before the celestial realms of the ten directions and sincerely take refuge in the Three Treasures (the Dao, the scriptures, and the teachers). They pray that accumulated calamities from the past may dissolve, that numerous transgressions may be pardoned, that their names may be entered in the register of good merit, and that they may be enrolled in the Shenggong (the palace office that governs life and the registers of birth). They pray that grudges may be resolved, that debts and lawsuits may be settled, that their true qi may be abundant, that the hundred barriers of the body may be at peace and joyful, and that the Lingguan (the spirit-officials who guard the Dao) may protect them from without, so that all evils may dissipate and sink away.

May they, within the destinies governed by the Five Phases and the Three Destinies, and within the influence of the stars and planets, both dark and bright, be forever free from the disturbance of baleful stars and remain far from calamity. May the nine generations of ancestors ascend to heaven and the six kinds of kin receive blessings. May their public and private affairs be safe and auspicious, and their every movement and rest be secure and fitting. May their lives be lengthened and their blessings be enduring and vast. They vow to cultivate diligently and to exert themselves, in order to repay the grace of the profound Great Dao. Your servant is fearful and anxious.

Collection of Guangcheng, Volume Fourteen (End)

Collection of Guangcheng, Volume Fifteen

Presented by Du Guangting, Great Virtuoso of Literary Composition Serving in the Imperial Taiqing Palace of the Upper Capital, Recipient of the Purple Robe

Ritual Petition for the Emperor's Birth-Year Jiao

To the Supreme and Unsurpassed Great Dao, Xuanyuan Laojun, the Five Elder Thearchs, the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, the Four Lords of the Celestial Bureaus, the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper, the Supreme Jade Emperor, the Mysterious Lord of Great Majesty, the spirits of the Five Sacred Peaks and Four Great Rivers, the gods of the netherworld, and the gods of the sexagenary cycle:

The yin and yang qi of Heaven and Earth give form to the myriad things, and the Five Phases (Wu Xing) shape their appearances. All things receive the grace by which the Dao (Dao) brings them into being, and they are nourished by the vital harmony of primordial qi (Qi). A person's destiny register rises and falls, and their fortune is sometimes abundant and sometimes scant. Their conduct in the world may bring blame or blessing, and the course of their life may turn toward good or ill. These matters are overseen and examined jointly by the celestial officials above and each person's own life-governing spirit, and nothing, great or small, is overlooked.

I have long received the protection of Heaven and have humbly accepted the profound grace of the Mysterious. I have inherited the Mandate, established the principles of governance, and ruled the realm in accordance with the times. Yet I am ashamed that the transforming influence of De (De) has not yet reached everywhere, and I fear that rewards and punishments may sometimes be misapplied. Thinking of these things, my heart grows ever more reverent, and I tremble as one who drives a decayed carriage with worn-out horses. I can only hope that, through the power of the spirits, the common people may enjoy peace and well-being.

Therefore, in a quiet chamber, I hold my breath and gather my thoughts, and I come before the altar to bow and pray. I hope that the Dao will quietly lend its aid, and I earnestly beseech the numinous perfected beings and sacred immortals to watch over us in the unseen realm, so that warfare may cease, the grain harvests may be abundant, the court within and without may dwell in harmony and tranquility, and the common people may live in ease and health. I vow to serve with sincere devotion, so as to repay the mysterious grace I have received. With utmost sincerity I make this prayer, and with reverence I set forth these words.

Prayer Text for the Crown Prince's Personal Destiny Offering (Benming Jiaoci): the prayer recited when the Crown Prince performs an offering ritual (jiao, an altar rite of petition) for his personal destiny, that is, for the life-governing element and guardian spirit associated with the year of his birth.

The Great Dao (Dadao) radiates light, and the original Qi (yuanqi) of Heaven carries out its transforming and nourishing work, giving birth to the myriad things and sustaining the three powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Therefore the Celestial True Officials govern the registers of names and the registers of emoluments. The rise and decline of the Five Phases (Wuxing) are all governed by the mysterious power of creation and transformation, and the length of human life, one's fate, and the fortunes of rank and office likewise depend on the arrangements of the gods.

Your servant received profound grace from an early age and was given a post within the palace. In attending to the sovereign's meals and inquiring after his well-being, I have always been devoted and reverent. Though I have exhausted myself in loyalty and filial devotion, I find it impossible to repay the kindness of my sovereign and my parents. Now, on the day of my destined birth year, I respectfully prepare a jiao (ritual offering) to pray that calamities be removed, that faults be repented, and that blessings and auspicious joy may arrive. I pray that Your Majesty may be granted ten thousand years of life, that the great enterprise of the state may remain forever secure, and that the precious fortune may bring a thousand auspicious signs and a long-enduring prosperity. I have offered my utmost sincerity, reverently performed the rites of the jiao, and humbly beseech the mysterious gods to grant their protection. With utmost sincerity, I take refuge in them.

Jiao Lyrics for the Nine Officials of the Mysterious Celestial Patterns by Vice Minister Cui Yin: A jiao liturgical text composed by Vice Minister Cui Yin, used in prayers and offerings to the Nine Officials of the Mysterious Celestial Patterns.

Words of Petition for the Jiao Ritual Held at the Xuanyuan Temple of Shibi in Langzhou, for Shiwen Laojun

It is said that when the heavens display their celestial patterns, the Seven Governors (qizheng, the sun, moon, and five planets) move according to their regular courses. When people calculate the calendar and reckon the almanac, the Nine Palaces (jiugong, the configurations in shushu divination that divide directions and fortunes) shift accordingly. People judge good and ill fortune by these movements. Thus the Three Destinies and Five Phases (sanming wuxing, the doctrines of fate and the Five Phases) reveal omens of calamity or blessing, and the odd and even numbers of Yin-Yang shushu (yangqi yin'ou) are likewise used to discern good and evil.

This year, when I cast the Flying Stars of the Nine Palaces, the Heavenly Talisman Star fell in the Central Palace, and among the movements of the five planets, the Fire Star stood directly opposite my Life Palace. The annual cycle coincided with the direction where the "Earth Net" lies, and my greater and lesser fortunes clashed and broke against one another. This brought on illness, from which I have not yet recovered.

Relying on the Dao's compassionate gate of salvation, and following the aim of Taishang (Taishang, the honorific for the Dao) in establishing a jiao (jiao, a Daoist offering ritual) to pray, I open my heart to the spirits and reverently petition in the empty and tranquil altar precinct. I declare my sincerity before the celestial phenomena and confess and repent before all the numinous perfected. I respectfully request the Six Sages of the Southern Palace, the venerable deities of the southern heavens, to bestow Dharma texts that extend life and increase blessing. I request the Seven Primes of the Northern Dipper, the seven stellar lords transformed from the Big Dipper, to grant the power to remove mortal peril and bring down good fortune. May my lifespan and prosperity be increased and my calamities and dangers dispelled. May I be granted lasting peace and years, and may my short allotted span be restored. May my joints be comfortable and at ease throughout my body, and the Six Qi (liuqi, the six qi of the human body) be harmonized. May past debts and grievances be released, and my grave faults pardoned. May the nine generations of my ancestors receive blessing, and my whole clan be safe and upright. I will diligently cultivate myself to repay the protection of the venerable deities. With utmost reverence.

Here the transforming powers of Heaven and Earth are wondrous, and this is the profound and mysterious abode of the immortals. The peaks are lovely, piercing the clouds, and the green mountains tower over the riverbank. Before the peaks wreathed in mist, the solemn divine countenance of the Sage Ancestor (shengzu, the Old Lord honored by Daoism) rises high, and amid the pine and bamboo groves, the true forms of the Jade Youths, the attendants of the immortals, are scattered about. These scenes were not produced by the skill of carving or painting. They were formed by the marvelous power of natural Heaven and Earth.

Therefore the divine light circulating in secret has already appeared, and it will leave its blessings for those with affinity. May this place be spared drought and flood throughout the year and often display auspicious signs. Now my imperial carriage halts on the banks of the Han River, yet the road to Qinchuan lies cut off from me. I pray for the efficacious response of the divine light of the Mysterious Ancestor (xuanzu, the Daoist progenitor), and I hope the journey and migration of the Divine Descendant may be protected, that the realm may be settled and the people at peace. Do not let the bridge at the Yi River sweep away Pang Xun's faction alone, nor let the shrine at Huo Mountain vainly thwart the military vanguard of Liu Wu. Reverently awaiting the descent of the mysterious divine majesty, I pray that the great enterprise of the state may flourish. I offer this prayer sincerely, hoping for grace.

The Lyric on the Tianmu Mountain Jiao

Tianmu Mountain (Tianmu Shan) guards the center of the earth, and its caves seem to rise through to the heavens. Clouds, mist, and rain gather on the mountain, and wind and thunder accumulate here. Within the cliffs lie hidden immortal scriptures, and its springs are as clear as the pools where immortals bathe. The place bears the fine name of Futang, and its county takes the name Fengguo. We therefore offer our sincere prayers, trusting that they will receive an auspicious response.

Now the sacred carriage travels in accordance with Heaven's mandate, yet the palace has met with calamity. We earnestly hope that the spirits will quietly lend their support, so that together they may open the fortune of the nation's revival. May the Sacred Ancestor's power of Chongxuan (Profound Mystery), a Daoist honorific for the lofty and mysterious power of the Dao, be made ever more manifest in its divine majesty. May the Four Teachings of Xuanni (Confucius) be extolled so that their transforming influence becomes clear. Let it not be that the renown of the spirit who displayed power in aiding battle on Shouchun Mountain continues to circulate while only the deeds of welcoming the emperor before the Jishun Shrine are especially celebrated. May the teaching of the Dao be upheld and its pure and honest ethos spread. We are full of devotion and pray for the spirits' grace.

The Lyric for the Empress's Cultivation of the Great Sanyuan Jiao

We have heard that the teaching of the Dao (Dao) can shape and complete the myriad things, and that the power of the spirits (Shen) can nurture all beings. The Qi (vital energy) of heaven and earth divides into two ascending breaths, and the tales of spirits who aided in battle and displayed their power are still told. Before the Jishun Shrine, too, the story of welcoming the emperor stands out alone. May the teaching of the Dao be upheld and its pure and honest ethos spread. With utmost devotion, we offer our earnest prayers.

The Sanyuan Dajiao (Great Jiao of the Three Primes) is a grand Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual) held at the Upper, Middle, and Lower Yuan festivals, and it is usually performed to seek blessings and dispel calamities.

The Dao transforms and nurtures all things, and the merit of the spirits sustains all beings. The primordial qi divided into the two forms of Heaven and Earth, each bearing its own duty to contain, cover, and support the myriad things. The seasons open according to the Three Primes (Upper, Middle, and Lower Yuan), which establish the authority to judge fortune and misfortune and to dispense reward and punishment. Thus the Northern Capital Quanqu (the Daoist divine bureau governing the netherworld) is often the time for examination and pardon, and the Southern Pole Wenchang (a Daoist deity and celestial abode) frequently bestows the grace of salvation and ascension. As for the human world, good and evil bring auspicious and inauspicious outcomes, and whoever sincerely states their intentions may receive the vast grace of Heaven.

Zhou, by good fortune, has received honor and favor, as though this were the result of blessings from past lives, and he lives in an age of national prosperity. He holds an official post at court and assists in keeping the state secure. Yet he is often ashamed, feeling that his virtue (De) is shallow and that he has not repaid his special favors. He also fears that the faults accumulated in past and present lives have not yet been erased. The calamities revealed by the Five Phases and the Three Fates (sanming, a divinatory system that reads destiny from the Five Phases and one's birth time) may be approaching: Mars has entered his palace of the body, and the Heavenly Talisman falls on his birthday. He fears that these may bring disaster, and so he devotes himself wholeheartedly to repentance and prayer.

It is the day of the Middle Yuan Great Amnesty, a festival on which all beings under Heaven hope for grace. Zhou quietly visualizes, bows toward the jiao altar (the altar where the zhaijiao purification rite and keyi liturgy are performed), and sincerely presents his petition at the various celestial abodes, hoping the spirits will look down upon him and protect him. He also pleads with the divine officials of each rank, asking that the spirits pardon his faults. He prays for the resolution of his enmities and debts, the cleansing of his sins and flaws, the dispersal of disaster, the lengthening of his life and salary, and that illness and crisis will no longer trouble him, so that blessings and good fortune may gather to him.

May the Nine Mysterious and Seven Ancestors (nine generations of ancestors and seven generations of forebears) be granted rank in the immortal realm, and may his kin and dependents all enjoy prosperity and draw near to the sacred realm. He further prays that the ancestral temples be peaceful and secure, that the sovereign enjoy a long and holy life, that within the court his ministers assist the great work of the state, and that the officials guarding the frontiers stand firm as bedrock to protect the foundations of the nation. May all the officials be loyal and dutiful in their posts, and may every region under Heaven return to peace and good order. With a sincere heart I offer this prayer and humbly hope that the Mysterious Heaven will bestow its compassionate grace. I take refuge in devout reverence and look up to the wise radiance of the Heavenly Honored One (Tianzun), though I cannot fully express it in words.

This is a petition of prayer and ritual offering (zhang) composed on behalf of Minister of Works (Situ) Zhao Qiu, who was ill.

We have heard that the wondrous functioning of the Great Dao has no fixed abode, and that it proceeds to aid the world and save beings. Its mysterious compassion circulates widely, and its grace reaches all living things. The Dao opens the way to petition the true spirits and to confess one's transgressions, and it bestows the means to rescue from peril and to seek favor. Its merit is accomplished without claim to it, and its bounty spreads without limit. Your servant relies on the kindly grace with which the Dao shelters and nourishes, and so bows in utmost sincerity to petition.

Your servant considers himself fortunate to have arrived in a prosperous age, to have received favor, and to have risen to high office from a start among the ranks of the palace guard. Your servant's merit is slight while the responsibility is great, and his contributions are few while the favors he has received are deep. He is constantly uneasy and afraid, feeling that he can scarcely repay the elevation he has been granted. Recently, calamity has pressed upon him and sickness has clung to his body. Your Majesty, out of concern and consolation for your servant, dispatched renowned physicians to examine him. Yet he has not recovered, and this makes him all the more fearful.

Your servant reflects that he dwells in the mundane world and, in ordinary times, has not understood how to cultivate his person and nature. How could his conduct in establishing himself and in carrying out affairs be entirely free of fault? At times he has injured living beings without feeling compassion; at times he has directed troops against the enemy and too readily ordered executions. In commanding the army, he may have disobeyed military orders; in governing affairs, he may have bestowed rewards and punishments improperly. Perhaps for these reasons he has invited enmity in the unseen realm, so that he is now bound by a prolonged illness and placed in danger. Your servant also fears that the transgressions accumulated in former lives have not yet been expunged, and that he may be afflicted by the disasters carried by the movements of the stars, such as the Five Phases and the Nine Luminaries. Perhaps in construction and building he offended something, or by breaking ground and beginning works he harmed something. Your servant searches his heart and can do nothing but offer sincere repentance and pray. Therefore he respectfully submits this memorial, holds a solemn Great Jiao (ritual offering), prays with devotion in the lower realm, and sets forth his petition before the heavenly deities.

He earnestly begs that the Great Dao extend its compassion, and that the most perfect spirits witness and protect him. He asks that the divine officials who govern the cycles of fate remove calamity and deliver him from distress, bestow divine grace, dispel illness, and prolong his life. Let his death record in the netherworld be withdrawn, and let his immortal name be entered in the register of immortals in the world of the living. May the old debts of resentment arising from past injury or accidental killing be reconciled and brought to peace, and may new transgressions as well as old faults be washed clean by the mysterious grace. Your servant vows that henceforth he will diligently govern himself and will forever repay the virtue of the Great Dao. Your servant, filled with trepidation, submits this petition.

I have served the Way since my youth, reverently hearing its teachings and turning my heart toward the Northern Dipper (Beidou), the constellation and the spirits it represents, and devoting myself to its profound mysteries. Whenever I have made petitions, I have received its compassionate protection. I am deeply grateful for the favors these spirits have bestowed, and my gratitude is boundless, yet I have not found adequate means to repay such vast kindness.

Now, having chosen an auspicious day, the day on which the Tiande He (a conjunction of auspicious days) falls, I have had an image made in the Hall of the Northern Emperor at Yuju of the Central Dipper of the Jade Pivot (Yaoshu Zhongdou), the deity of the central palace of the Northern Dipper, along with its Auxiliary Star (Fuxing), so that the two together form eight figures. The sacred image has been adorned with robes like rainbows, and the forms of dragons and cranes have been painted to depict its divine bearing. It is placed before the statue of the Great Emperor of the North, solemn as the gathering of all the gods in heaven. I have already reverently reported this matter, and I now order the work to begin. I humbly request that the Seven Sages descend, and that the assembled spirits observe and protect us, responding to our prayers for a long time and granting good fortune, so that all people have something to rely upon in their petitions and all living beings have a refuge. I will continue to offer incense and keep this worship for a long time, in gratitude for the True Way. Your servant bows his head in utmost sincerity and submits himself in obedience.

I have heard that when the spirit of the sun manifests auspicious signs, the Fire Virtue (Huode) receives the mandate of heaven, divides responsibility for the sun's movement, continues its light, and takes up its duties from the southern li position (Li Wei, the position of the Trigram Li in the Bagua). Accordingly, the calendar of the seasons is arranged, so that the sun and moon rise and set through crimson clouds and circle along the ecliptic, again and again. The planet Mars moves on schedule, and if it shows anomalies, this is not done out of private intent. It hangs in the sky with conspicuous brilliance and may affect the state, and the disasters or blessings it brings reach even the smallest matters.

I have received the grace of the mysterious Way and find myself in a time of prosperity. I have been careful in cultivating my conduct and purifying myself, yet I have not attained a state free of all faults. A person's destiny and the cycles of the years both remain within the movement of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). I have privately consulted the calendrical and numerological arts, and I find that Mars is now shining upon this period. I fear that this may bring calamity, and my heart is filled with apprehension. Therefore I have respectfully prepared offerings, incense, candles, and lamps, and prayed to the spirit of Mars, humbly asking for its discernment and protection. I beg the spirit to remove disasters and faults, quietly dissolve transgressions, and grant good fortune, so that what I seek may be settled and auspicious. I will continue to offer worship for a long time with a sincere heart, in repayment for the heavenly kindness I have received.

Petition for the Nine Luminaries Jiao of Xian Chu

Heaven and earth each hold the spirit-breath, and the Three Officials (Sanguan), the spirit-officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, determine the span of each person's life. The sun, moon, and stars manifest the celestial patterns, and the Nine Luminaries (Jiuyao), the nine stellar lights, observe over and protect all things. The Northern Palace (Beifu) punishes those who violate the Dao of Heaven, while the Southern Palace (Nangong) adds years to people's lives. The movements of the stars and the mountains and rivers are all subject to examination and verification, without the slightest partiality. All people in the world are placed under the governance of the divine.

I know my talent is shallow, yet I have been fortunate to receive the mysterious grace. In my daily conduct I fear I may have transgressed the precepts of the netherworld, and in my inner reflection I am not certain my thoughts fully accord with the requirements of the gods. Recently I have also met with calamity and danger, together with faults and transgressions, and perhaps for this reason I have encountered misfortune and cannot smoothly repent and seek blessings. All people in the world are placed under the governance of the divine. I know my talent is shallow, yet I have been fortunate to receive the mysterious grace. In my daily conduct I fear I may have transgressed the precepts of the netherworld, and in my inner reflection I am not certain my thoughts fully accord with the requirements of the gods. Recently I have also met with calamity and danger, together with faults and transgressions, and perhaps for this reason I have encountered misfortune and cannot smoothly repent and seek blessings.

This year the Central Palace (zhonggong), the central position in the nine-palace numerological system, is overlooked by the Heavenly Talisman Star and its malign forces, and my life position is also being confronted by the planet Saturn. My great fortune remains within the Calamity Sha (jiesha), the malevolent force that signifies disaster, and the Flying Banner malefic star has fallen upon this year's fortunate direction. The Three Destinies and Five Phases, the destiny pattern calculated from birth year, month, and day together with the relations among the Five Phases, may suffer conflict and harm. The lunar mansions and the Five Planets (the sun, moon, and the planets of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth) also give cause for concern about their influence. My circumstances have therefore been precarious and unsettled, and disasters and dangers have repeatedly befallen me. Without relying on the most holy and divine, I have no path to repentance and blessing. With utmost reverence and sincerity, I respectfully hold this solemn Great Jiao (dajiao), a large-scale purification ritual. I earnestly beseech the Supreme Mysterious Sages of the heavens to descend, bestow auspicious blessings, dispel future calamities and transgressions, and pardon past faults. I pray that the Six Bureaus of Life-Controllers (Liucao Siming), the divine officials who govern the registers of destiny, add to my emoluments and lifespan within the Cinnabar Heaven, and that the Venerable Gods of the Seven Records (Qiji) grant auspicious peace above the Mysterious Ultimate (Xuanji). May public and private affairs be clear and secure, and may my family and dependents be peaceful and at rest. I will forever receive the boundless salvific grace of the assembled sages, and my gratitude is beyond measure.

I have heard that the Three Lights (sun, moon, and stars) display auspicious signs and the Nine Luminaries gather their radiance. Together with the metal and wood stations, they set the four seasons in their order, establish the pattern of Yin and Yang, reveal the forms of all things under Heaven and Earth, and allow the myriad things to grow. They govern the netherworld and the human world alike, and they oversee transgression and reward. I know that I am ordinary and humble, yet I have been fortunate to serve the true spirits, and I fear only that in my conduct and practice…

Heaven's sun, moon, and stars display auspicious signs, and the Nine Luminaries (Jiuyao, nine celestial bodies or stellar powers) gather their radiance. They correspond to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), each governing a region, so that the four seasons proceed in order. They also regulate Yin-Yang (Yin-Yang) and give form to images, so that all things grow and multiply. They govern the netherworld and the human world alike, overseeing transgressions and blessings.

I know myself to be ordinary and shallow, yet I am fortunate to serve the True Spirits (Zhenling, the divine beings revered in Daoism). I fear that my daily conduct may contain small errors that invite faults, and that my cultivation of the Dao (Dao, the Way) has not yet fully accorded with the correct path. Moreover, the affairs under my charge, whether great or small, must all be handled, and I fear I may inevitably be careless or insufficiently cautious, thereby accumulating further transgressions. Although I labor day and night and dare not forget diligence and reverence, fortune and misfortune are difficult to foresee, and so my apprehension grows. Because the Stars of Destiny (Suyao, the luminaries associated with a person's fate and the calendar) now shine upon me, I have sincerely undertaken repentance and prayer. Accordingly, in keeping with my Destiny Sign (benming, the sexagenary designation corresponding to one's year of birth), I respectfully establish a ritual altar (jiaoyan, the offering platform for Daoist ritual prayer). I present offerings of value (xinbi, the sacrificial goods) to express sincerity, set out incense and lamps, and perform the rites of petition.

I earnestly beseech the Supreme Sage of Xiyi (Xiyi Zhisheng, a title for the highest divine sage) to observe my wholehearted devotion, and I ask the Exalted Stellar Spirits (Chenyao Gaozun) to bestow their grace. I pray for forgiveness of past transgressions and the dissolution of impending misfortune, that debts of injustice may be cleared and calmed, and that dangers and calamities be washed away without remainder. Further, may my blessings of prosperity, longevity, and fortune be increased, may auspiciousness be granted for a long time, may my family and dependents be at peace, and may both public and private affairs proceed smoothly. I vow to diligently cultivate and serve the Dao in return for the gods' grace, and my gratitude is beyond words.

Communal Liturgical Text for the Jiazi Jiao Ritual (Zhongxiu Jiazi Jiaoci)

After Great Simplicity (Dapu, the original undifferentiated state before heaven and earth were divided) differentiated, the Primordial Essence (Yuanjing, the original vital essence from which heaven, earth, and all things are formed) moved on its own. From this, Yin and Yang began to generate and transform, and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches became the foundation. The sixty orthodox deities govern the four seasons and protect the peace and tranquility of public and private affairs. I vow to diligently cultivate and serve the Dao in return for the gods' grace, and my gratitude is beyond words.

When the primordial qi of the undifferentiated heaven and earth had already divided, the original jing-qi began to move on its own. Yin-Yang started to generate and transform, and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches thereby laid their foundations. Sixty orthodox deities govern the four seasons and the day and night, while eight hundred talisman clerks patrol among them, judging fortune and misfortune, life and death. From the greatest matters of heaven, earth, the state, and the clan, which all follow the cycles of the calendar, down to the smallest calamities, auspicious signs, transgressions, and blessings, everything is governed by the spirits.

We have consulted scriptures such as the Longtai Shishi Jing (Scripture of the Stone Chamber of the Dragon Embryo) and studied the essentials of the Fengzhuan Yuhan (Jade Casket of Phoenix-Seal Script). Having grasped their central purport, we have turned more earnestly to devotion to the Dao and its methods. We rely on the merit of the spirits to have encountered this time of the Dao's flourishing. Yet the worldly mind's scheming has long obscured us, and mundane entanglements have not yet been released. In our daily conduct, our advances and retreats often fail to accord with the standards of the Confucians and the Xuanmen (Mysterious Gate), and our every action frequently brings faults. We further fear that among the Five Phases there may be mutual punishment and harm, or that within the Three Destinies (sanming, the three factors on which the reckoning of a person's fate is based) we may be meeting adversity. Without relying on the supreme Dao, our grave transgressions will be difficult to expiate.

Therefore, on a Liujia day (an auspicious day in the sixty-jiazi cycle, represented by the jia day), at the head of the Five Primes (wuyuan), we unite our hearts and resolve and earnestly petition for grace. We respectfully request that the heavenly realm send down true spirits to the Xuantan (mysterious altar, where Daoist rites are set up and performed) to receive our offerings. We sincerely hope the spirits will bestow grace broadly and judge impartially, granting all present good fortune and forever removing calamities. May the Qinggong (the spirit office that governs registers of emolument) increase our blessings, and may the Danjian (the register recording the names or lifespans of immortals) extend our years. Whether living or deceased, may all find peace, and in public and private affairs alike, may all proceed smoothly and securely. We will diligently and sincerely uphold the Dao's methods and repay the spirits' kindness for all time. With the utmost sincerity, we cannot fully express ourselves.

A prayer text jointly established by the assembly for the Benming Jiao (Life-Star Offering, a Daoist zhaijiao ritual performed to pray for the peace of one's life-star, dispel calamities, and extend life).

We have been enlightened by the Dao because of blessings accumulated in the past, which allowed us to encounter this teaching. The Utmost True Dao has bestowed its instruction, and its profound intent has been transmitted. We humbly receive the protection and grace of Heaven and constantly hold a mindful, reverent heart. Yet we also worry that our conduct has fallen short of ritual propriety and that our demeanor has been faulty. Living in the world and adapting to circumstances, we often commit transgressions without realizing it. Few people in a lifetime repent and pray at all times. Therefore, having heard that the Three Heavens (Santian, the three celestial realms in Daoist cosmology) have established regulations for the zhangjiao (register-offering) rites, and that Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity, a Daoist school) also has methods for averting calamity and dispelling misfortune, we have specially chosen an auspicious day. Together we have sincerely prayed, reverently come to the altar, and offered our devout petitions and thanks.

We respectfully invite the Three Officials and Nine Offices (Sanguan Jiufu, the spirit bureaus governing Heaven, Earth, water, and related functions), the Exalted Five Emperors, the True Lords of the Dipper (Doujizhenjun, the honored deities of the Northern Dipper realm), and the Spirit Generals of Life and Hour (Mingchen Lingjiang, the divine generals who govern one's birth-star and hour). Please record our sincere intentions and extend your boundless compassion, pardoning past transgressions and relieving future calamities. May the stars cease to cast their unfavorable light, and may the dangers and afflictions of the year be dispelled. May our longevity and prosperity continue to grow and gather as auspicious blessings. May our public and private affairs proceed smoothly and auspiciously, and may our kinsfolk enjoy peace and well-being. We will always hold in our hearts gratitude for the protection we rely upon, and we vow forever to burn incense, cultivate ourselves, and devoutly serve the Dao.

Gengshen Jiao Ci (Petition for the Gengshen Rite)

I respectfully recite the true formulas and devoutly follow the mysterious scriptures. The Gengshen day is an occasion for cultivation and service to the Dao, when the Great Emperor descends to examine and verify the records of transgressions. On this day, the Three Corpses (Sanshi, spirits believed to dwell within the human body and report a person's faults) and their yin essences enumerate the accusations, leaving out nothing, however great or small, and recording even the most minute details. First, the transgressions are registered in the Palace of Supreme Mystery (Taixuan Zhi Fu), and at last the documents are deposited in the Court of the Spring Bend (Quanqu Zhi Ting). Everyone who cultivates the body and nourishes the heart should therefore approach this with fear and vigilance. It is my hope that, through...

May the Holy Perfected of the Southern Dipper and Northern Dipper Palaces, and the Great Emperors, look down upon us and protect us. May they pardon the petitions the restless corpses and ghosts of the netherworld have submitted, and bestow the grace of the Great Dao (Dao), which cherishes life, so that we may dispel calamity, wash away transgression, accumulate good deeds, and receive blessing. May our Nine Mysterious Ancestors (a respectful term for ancestors) be freed from cold and gloom, and may the Five Lineages (the branches of relatives within the family) find peace. May our undertakings proceed auspiciously and smoothly, and may our wishes be fulfilled. May we always hold to the resolve to cultivate the Way, so as to repay the grace of the True Spirits of the orthodox Way.

Jiaoci for the Southern and Northern Dipper

It is said that after Heaven and Earth took form, the Three Spirits (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, or spiritual powers such as Heaven, Earth, and Water) each settled into their proper places. All things receive their nature from the natural Dao and are sustained by its function of non-interference. Heaven and Earth practice wuwei (non-action) and therefore endure for a long time. Once things in the world begin to show activity, prosperity and decline readily change. Fortune and misfortune, regret and error arise from this.

For this reason, the Southern Pole Register of Cinnabar records the names of the living, and the Black Register of the Northern Capital records the allotment of the dead. The Palaces of the Southern and Northern Dipper examine human affairs with impartiality, and the births and deaths of countless beings are bound up with them. In my early years I was blessed to live in a prosperous age, to bask in the imperial favor, and to receive mysterious teaching. Yet I feared that in my thoughts and deeds I might violate the Five Constants (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness), accumulate faults, and thereby have my name appear in the registers of life and death.

A person's Five Phases and Three Destinies (fate-numbers calculated from the Five Phases and astrological reckoning) may encounter the afflictions of yin-yang conflict and mutual overcoming. The dark luminaries and scattered stars (the astral powers that govern human destiny) also each have periods in which they shine upon and influence a person. If one does not pray and repent in time, calamity may come. Now I have chosen an auspicious day and respectfully hold a jiao ritual (an offering rite in which an altar is set up to present sacrifices to the gods and petition for blessing). The altar is pure and quiet, and the night is still and deep. May our mysterious petitions ascend and the True Spirits descend.

We earnestly beseech the Six Sovereigns of Destiny on the Dantai (the divine officers who govern lifespan) to bestow decrees of prolonged life. We earnestly beseech the Seven True Great Emperors of the Mysterious Pole to remove the limits that diminish life, so that sorrow turns to peace and both lifespan and emolument increase. May the netherworld and the human world together receive special grace, and may all our kin share in the vast blessings. May public and private affairs alike be auspicious, and may the old and young both be at peace. We will forever bear the boundless kindness of the Sages of the Southern and Northern Dipper.

Longxing Guan Yurong Yuan Jiao Tudi Ci

Invocation for the Jiao Rite at the Transforming-Dragon Pool of Qinzhong in the Zhonghe Era

In the immortal realm stand jade towers, jeweled palaces, star chambers, and feather halls, solemnly arrayed above the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest divine domain revered in Daoism, and spreading broadly among the Eight Scenes. All things gather there, and countless perfected beings rest and roam there. Thus people, modeling their structures on the immortal realm, built temples and abbeys in the human world. When King Mu of Zhou returned from his journey to the west, he raised palace halls modeled on tiered terraces, and when Emperor Wu of Han gazed southward, he laid out the foundations in accordance with the intent of Taiyi (a deity revered in Daoism). From then on, immortal temples and numinous sites spread across the mountains and seas, and their wind-eaves and cloud-beams shone brilliantly amid the mist and forests. They are the dwelling places of true sages and the gathering places of blessings and auspicious signs.

The Longxing Temple was built in the Sui dynasty. After many years through the Tang, the passage of time had left its structures long decayed, so it was rebuilt with especially earnest effort. Because the work had taken a long time, there was concern of offending or disturbing the spirits, and so a jiao rite (a Daoist ritual of prayer and offering) was held, with wine and food presented to pacify the Dragon Spirit. The prayers sought a stable realm and contented people, an age of great peace and abundant livelihood, so that the fortunes of the state might endure and flourish, and the profound and mysterious blessings might be received for all time. The sincerity of these prayers cannot be fully expressed.

After Heaven, Earth, and the three Qi had divided and transformed, the Dragon is held in highest honor among the Five Numinous Beings. It governs the pivots of cosmic transformation and the mysteries of its rising and descending changes. Its divine power is lodged in the celestial phenomena, and its profound virtue gives birth within the Kan Palace (the palace of water in the system of trigrams).

In the past, when my ancestor Emperor Ming (Mingdi) toured the region of Shu, he indeed heard that a dragon had leapt up, and he took this as an auspicious sign. He therefore ordered the pond to be dredged as a dwelling for the Dragon Spirit. Time has since passed, and the embankments have fallen into ruin: wild grass grows over the ripples, and the spring veins are choked with sand and silt. Yet the numinous responsiveness has not vanished, and the legend of the Dragon God receiving sacrifices still circulates. It often sends timely rain, fulfilling the people's longing for water.

Reflecting on these old events, I feel deep anxiety. My virtue is slight, and when I inherited the great enterprise, I met with bandits rising in rebellion. Now I tour the regions and observe the conditions of the people, and I am temporarily stationed outside the capital. I earnestly beg the Dragon God to display the majesty of thunder and manifest the commands of wind and thunder, to sweep away the fierce forces of the north and disperse the clouds of war over the Central Plains, so that the realm may be governed in clarity, the court made stable, and blessings bestowed upon the people for a long time.

The emperor is touring the common people's lands and remains at the Kun Suburb. May the majesty of thunder be displayed once more, with commands that shake the four directions like wind and thunder. May the fierce forces of the north be swept away and the miasma of the Central Plains dispersed. May governance be well ordered, the realm be at peace, and blessings be enjoyed for a long time. This minister is overcome with trepidation.

Benediction Text for the Crown Prince's Jiao (Offering) Ritual on the Emperor's Birthday

This minister has heard that the vast heavens cover all things, so there is no need to trouble people to look up and pray, and that the deep blue sea receives rivers and streams and can even accept a single drop of dew. Presumptuously following this principle, this minister respectfully sets forth sincere wishes.

On a certain day of a certain month is the emperor's birthday, which is also the emperor's jiaxu day in the sexagenary cycle (the birth date reckoned by the ganzhi calendar). The emperor was already given a secret record in the Xiantian (Prior to Heaven) realm, which foretold auspicious favor in advance. Precious auspicious signs have emerged from the earth and secretly accord with the decree of Heaven. Divination predicts that the national fortune will extend for ten thousand generations, and calculations of the calendar also reveal the aid of the hundred spirits. Therefore a grand jiao ritual, in which an altar is set up to make offerings and petition the gods, has been held in reverent anticipation of a vast blessing. The wish is that the auspicious signs of the Three Primes (Sanyuan, the Daoist officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water) and of the myriad sages may gather, so that the emperor may live as long as the Northern Pole and the Southern Mountain. This minister, with a utterly sincere heart, reverently implores the grace of Heaven. This minister, Your Servant, kowtows in trepidation and prays earnestly.

Benediction Text for the Jiao Ritual Held by the Chuan Lord Great King for the Descent of the Crane at Pengnü Daoist Temple

This minister respectfully notes that the transforming nourishment of the Dao has no fixed mode, and true immortals manifest their spirit amid the dim and unfathomable. In the subtle places beyond sight, they reveal the images of changes in heaven and earth, and they also look down upon the human world to deliver living beings. Examining past events and the records of the classics, there are precedents for this. When Ding Lingwei (a legendary immortal) returned, people saw a red-crowned crane. When Su Dan (a legendary immortal) descended, a white crane also appeared. These deeds have been transmitted through the ages and became auspicious signs recorded at the time.

Now, it has suddenly been reported that spirit cranes are roosting above the cloud peaks. That is the mountain where Xuanyuan (the honorific title of Laozi) practiced the Dao and transformed the world, and it is also the place where Peng Zu ascended to Heaven. The Daoist altar is overgrown with grass and trees, and for a long time there has been no trace of incense offerings; yet in the deep forest a response between the human and the divine has occurred. This is truly a great auspicious sign of the sacred dynasty, and it is not something that a local garrison could bring about.

This minister wishes to pray for a lifespan as enduring as the mountains and years as long as the cranes', so as to protect the national fortune and the calendar of the sovereign. Gazing toward the mountain ridges wreathed in clouds, this minister's heart is both awed and delighted. This minister hopes, through presenting the jiao petition, to express sincere devotion in taking refuge with the spirits. Respectfully dispatching the Great Virtuous Master Shangguan Zhizhen, who has received the purple robe, and the Military Commander Wang Chengchen, this minister offers incense with a devout heart and reports to the spirits. This minister is overcome with trepidation and prays in submission.

Guangcheng Ji, Scroll Sixteen. Its author, Du Guangting, once served as a palace attendant (neigongfeng) at the Taiqing Palace in the Upper Capital. By imperial decree he composed texts for the court and was granted a purple robe (ziyi).

The piece is titled "Petition Memorial for the Two Perfected Li at Tianxi Abbey" (Tianxi Guan Gao Feng Zhang Li Er Zhenren Jiaoci). A "jiaoci" is a petition text recited during a jiao ritual (jiaoyi), a Daoist ceremony of offering and supplication. "Li Er Zhenren" refers to two Perfected (zhenren) of the Li surname, both venerated as realized immortals. The phrase that opens the main text, "fuyi," is a common respectful formula in jiaoci and means "with reverence, I respectfully set forth."

Looking back over the history of ancient sovereigns who received the mandate to found their domains, one finds that they always obtained Heaven's favor before their great undertakings could succeed. Now disasters have multiplied between the seas and the mountains, and the common people have no one to rely on. I have therefore accepted the support of the many and rule over the region of Mount Min and Mount Bao. Tribute from the four quarters continues to arrive, yet the rivers, mountains, and roads of the Central Plains are sometimes blocked. I grieve day and night and seek the way to govern. By day I labor diligently, and by night I stay watchful. I put my weapons in order and make my commands clear, preparing to punish those who make trouble and to rescue the people from peril. I do not take pleasure in warfare; I only wish to quell these many disorders. I am troubled and anxious about this, and my concern is especially deep.

The feudal lords and states have repeatedly presented auspicious omens. Fish, shrimp, and other aquatic creatures, along with birds and beasts, have gathered among the trees and bamboo groves. Some have strange forms, and some display markings on their bodies, and their reports have spread near and far. Each time, I have declined such honors out of modesty and have repeatedly set aside their memorials.

In the autumn of the seventh month of the second year of the Yongping era, a bronze chenwei (a prophetic inscription that foretells the mandate of Heaven through written words) inscribed with ancient seal script was discovered at the Xianju Lingshan (Spirit Mountain of the Immortal Dwelling). It is a record of Taishang (the Supreme Lord, a revered deity of Daoism) communicating with the heavens, and its characters were cast by Zhang Zhen. The inscription records names, birth dates, and the number of years of the descendants, each entry set out in order and clearly, and every item agrees with the facts. It resembles the results obtained when the Duke of Zhou drew lots to divine and when Guo Pu consulted the milfoil stalks. It truly seems to have come from Heaven's bestowal, confirming the efficacy of the divine.

Considering that my own knowledge is shallow, I feel deeply ashamed. How could I dare to receive this mandate with negligence? Therefore I have built a new palace, bestowed a new honorific name, established images of the deities and ritual observances, and changed the name of the county. I have held the Zhaijiao (purification ritual, a rite of fasting and prayer at a sacred altar) and offered petitions on the jade altar. Although I have sincerely presented gifts to express thanks, I still cannot repay Heaven's grace. Zhang Zhenren personally sealed away the secret writings, and Li Zhenren was the first to guard the sacred mountain. The two Perfected have brought auspiciousness, and their blessings have shone across the land. It is fitting that we hold a ceremony of honorific enfeoffment to recognize their merit in assisting us.

Accordingly, I have carried out the ceremony in accordance with the statutes and respectfully expressed my sincere intentions. I now confer upon Zhang Hongdao the title Perfected Jiansheng (Perfected of the Sage Mirror), and upon Li Babai the title Perfected Xuanying (Perfected of Mysterious Response). I respectfully dispatch Master Guangcheng, Jinzi Guanglu Dafu, Left Remonstrance Grand Counselor, the Duke of Cai, Du Guangting, to prepare incense, candles, and lamps and to conduct the offering rite with utmost sincerity. I humbly request that the two Perfected open the gates of the Palace of the Nine Clear Heavens, descend in the Eight Scenic Cloud Chariot, look down upon our sincere hearts, and bestow their grace widely, so that the Nine Provinces and the Four Seas are cleared of calamity and gloom and become places of peace and security. May the realm enjoy lasting order, with carts running on one track, writing unified in one script, and all under Heaven united as one. I vow to follow the mysterious teachings and to keep my sincerity firm forever. My prayers are offered with devotion, and they cannot be fully described. I respectfully make this report.

Proclamation Conferring a Title on the Perfected Tianxi, Issued by the Tianxi Guan (the Daoist temple that enshrines Perfected Tianxi):

Your name is inscribed in the cinnabar registers (danjian), the records of immortal names, and you were born with the aptitude of an immortal. You have never valued the splendid carriages and palaces of the human world. Dwelling beyond the mundane realm, residing among clouds and mists, eating simply, you remained steadfast in yourself. Early on you received the spirit scriptures and studied astronomy, the calendar, and the science of celestial omens in depth, probing what is hidden and understanding both past and future. You once carved bronze seal-script inscriptions on an immortal mountain, and you verified the Metal phase (the virtue of Metal among the Five Phases) in the land of Shu. For more than two hundred years you kept your traces concealed. Later, fifty-eight characters were added, and the auspicious signs that appeared around the temple all came true.

We reflect that our virtue is shallow and that we can only revere the blessings you have bestowed. Although we have built a magnificent and dignified shrine, fashioned your statue, inscribed a plaque for the new city gate, and performed prayers according to the rites of Zhaijiao (purification ritual), we still feel that we have not fulfilled our long-held wishes, nor have we adequately repaid your profound grace. Therefore, in accordance with the proper ceremony, we now specially confer on you an additional honorary title. We now name you "Perfected Jiansheng" (Perfected Exemplar of Insight), and we respectfully dispatch Mr. Du, who comes sincerely to the Shuang Altly (the altar where the ritual observances are held), to announce this reverently.

May you ride the phoenix-drawn carriage and harness the crane, and proceed to the place where Master Wenshi (a legendary immortal) dwells. Among the serene immortal chambers and jade curtains, may you be counted among the Perfected of Taiyuan (the profound origin spoken of in Daoism). May you continue to protect us in secret, bestowing your numinous light often, so that all under heaven returns to unity and the great enterprise endures in prosperity. We will labor day and night to keep the people at peace. We respectfully offer this text in sacrifice.

The immortal Li Fangzhi moved with the lightness of drifting clouds, receiving auspicious golden omens. Having resolved to cultivate the Dao (the Way) on Xuanqiu, he was never destined for a short life. Endowed from birth with the bearing and presence of an immortal, he had long been counted among the ranks of the long-lived immortals. He transcended the mundane world, and his conduct was so lofty and remote that he seemed to ride above the clouds. Weary of the toil of human life, as brief as a colt's shadow flashing past a window, he came to savor the delight of roaming freely among the clouds of Ao Ridge.

He once dwelt and traveled in the Shu region, at times revealing himself to the world and at other times hiding his traces within it. He retreated three times to the Numinous Peak in seclusion and lived more than eight hundred years. The divine elixir he refined turned to stone, which still remains on Mount Changli. Later, his entire household ascended bodily to heaven, and the site of his immortal dwelling became renowned for it. Accordingly, numinous writings were indeed discovered at the old site. These texts had long been sealed away in the immortal realm, and they appeared only when the times turned to the fortune of Metal (Jin), in accordance with the auspicious omens.

Reflecting on my own shallow virtue (De), I have nonetheless received this singular grace, and my heart is filled with reverence and gratitude. I have restored the immortal's traces and the site, adorned the divine images with solemnity, purified myself through fasting, burned incense in accordance with ritual, and led the assembly in offering courtesies of thanks. Even so, I feel that I have not fully expressed my sentiments or repaid the profound mystery of this grace. I have now determined the proper ceremonies and offer a noble title of honor.

I imagine that the immortal long ago took on star ornaments and robes of rosy cloud and ascended to the rank of Perfected (Zhenren). Here I seal this document with zhi clay and write it in dew-seal script as a modest expression of sincere devotion and diligence. Reflecting inwardly, I feel deep shame. I hereby confer upon Li Fangzhi the title "True Lord of Mysterious Response" (Xuanying Zhenren). I respectfully dispatch Du Guangting to set up a jiao (a Daoist ritual in which an altar is erected, offerings are arranged, and rites are performed to petition the gods) and to solemnly read the proclamation. We pray that the Perfected will bestow mysterious protection and forever shield the foundations of the imperial house. With deep longing, I await the lofty Perfected's gracious regard from the Xuanshi Palace.

The Grand Commandant of Hanzhou respectfully sets up a jiao altar in the courtyard of the immortal's residence and solemnly proclaims this matter. He prays that the Perfected will bestow protection so that the foundations of the imperial house may enjoy lasting blessings. He entrusts his longing to the Xuanshi Palace and awaits the lofty Perfected's gracious regard. Respectfully submitted.