《广成集》Vol. 5

Petition for the Life-Star Ritual of Sikong Wang Zongjie, Former Tuanlian Commissioner of Jiazhou

I have heard that the supreme Great Dao (Dao, the Way) governs through wuwei (non-action), embracing all the heavens and the myriad things and letting them arise and move in their own courses. Its mysterious efficacy, though it acts, sets the Four Images (the forces of yin-yang and the changing seasons) in motion and shapes the myriad things. Heaven and earth bear and sustain all things with generous embrace, and from antiquity to the present there has been no error. Therefore the sun, moon, and stars each keep their places, and the Five Planets follow their constant courses. Bright blessings reach into the dark netherworld, and vast grace extends across the realm. Both the human and celestial worlds receive its favor, and its deep protection flows far and wide.

Your minister was early granted the protection of the divine and met with a prosperous age. Several times I received special favor and was appointed to govern a region, and again and again I received great trust and took on difficult and weighty offices. Looking back on my modest talents, I have built no merit, and when I consider the duties I bear, I am anxious and fearful and remain ever cautious. Though I wish to exhaust my strength in repaying the kindness of my sovereign and my parents, I fear that excessive fortune may invite calamity, or that I may find myself in a time when fate is dim and unfavorable.

I worry that in commanding troops and governing the frontier, the handling of the people's affairs will bring numerous lawsuits, and fulfilling my duties will entail extensive taxes and corvée labor. In governance there are rewards and punishments; in receiving and seeing off guests there are banquets and rewards; in military affairs there is the danger of unforeseen casualties; and in adjudication, weighty and light matters may be mishandled. Thus I may incur guilt without having the chance to repent and seek expiation. Or there may be karmic debts from past lives and old grudges not yet resolved. Or the stars and the register of fate may show that I remain in a period of calamity.

From early summer into autumn, I have long suffered from a slight illness that has not healed. Without relying on the blessing of the Dao, how could I obtain the protection of the true spirits? Now I have set up a jiao offering ritual at the Cui Altar (the sacrificial platform) and, in accordance with an imperial edict, have sent down the purple-mud decree. The exalted immortals seem to have halted their carriages upon hearing the summons, and the myriad sages have manifested to bestow blessings. I humbly take advantage of this grand assembly to prepare incense and offerings, to pour out my utmost sincerity, and to reverently seek the mysterious protection of the divine.

I earnestly beg the spirits to look upon me and protect me, and to bestow auspicious blessings, so that my guilt may be dispelled, my grudges resolved, my calamities transcended, my lifespan and emoluments extended, my illness and misfortune dispersed, and fortunate omens gathered to me. I will continue to put my troops in order, observe military discipline, and diligently fulfill my duties in assisting the sovereign. Riding in the blue-canopied, vermilion-wheeled carriage of an official, I dare not slacken in touring the regions and observing the conditions of the people. Your minister returns wholeheartedly to the decree, lays bare his heart, and respectfully submits this petition.

Petition for My Natal Day (Benming Ci), by Wang Zongjie, Former Militia Commissioner of Jiazhou and Minister of Works (Sikong)

In the space between Heaven and Earth, the Yin and Yang breaths (Yin-Yang) circulate, and the Qi of the Five Phases (Wu Xing, Five Phases) interact, so that the myriad beings grow and change. The human being receives a form and is given life, and both depend on the mysterious transforming power of Heaven. My talent is slight, yet I have been shaped and sheltered by Heaven. I was fortunate to meet a prosperous age, and I have repeatedly received grace and honor.

Between Heaven and Earth, the Yin-Yang breaths circulate, and the Qi of the Five Phases grows and changes. The human being receives a form and is given life, and both depend on the mysterious transforming power of Heaven. My talent is slight, yet I have received the favor of Heaven's shaping. I was fortunate to meet a prosperous age, and I have repeatedly received grace and glory. I once served at court in confidential posts, and later went out to govern prefectures, commanding troops and ordering the people. Aware that I lacked the ability to govern well, I often feared that excessive favor would bring calamity. Later I did encounter hardship and fell into peril. By the gracious kindness of the Emperor, I was restored to my place among the court officials. I labored day and night, mindful of the Emperor's kindness. Though I devoted myself wholeheartedly to my duties, I have not been able to repay my sovereign and my parents with real accomplishment.

In recent years, disasters and obstructions have followed one another. Since the Mid-Autumn Festival, illness has repeatedly flared up. Although I have consulted physicians, taken medicines, and undergone acupuncture, I have never recovered. I privately reckon that Saturn has entered my birth palace for several years, and Mars still sits in the Zi position of the house of property. The Grand Duke (Taisui) stands in the Six Harms (liu hai) days, and my minor fortune falls upon the Sui Po (Year-Breaker). Although Jupiter brought blessings at the beginning of winter, I am now in a period of unfavorable fortune. Meeting such a declining cycle, I grow even more anxious and fearful.

I also worry that in governing I have met difficulties at every turn. In administering law, I may not have shown sufficient compassion and leniency. In overseeing the kitchen, I may have erred in the preparation of food and the slaughter of animals. Through such faults I may have incurred karmic debts, and I have not yet fully repented and sought release from them. I also fear that offenses from past lives have been recorded in the netherworld and now implicate me. Or perhaps my dwelling has offended the dragon spirits, or the graves of my ancestors in my native place have been damaged, and these troubles have reached me and produced my present distress. I examine my heart, reflect on my errors, and pray with sincere earnestness.

Therefore, on my natal day, I respectfully prepare incense, candles, and lamps for a prayer rite. I look up to the blue heavens to petition, and I exhaust my utmost sincerity in seeking grace. I beseech the true spirits between Heaven and Earth and the deities who govern Yin and Yang to send down great fortune, to perceive the sincerity of my heart, to wash away my transgressions, dissolve my calamities, quiet my enmities, and lift my misfortunes. May my ancestors rest in peace in the netherworld, and may my descendants live in safety in an enlightened age.

May the channels of my body flow freely, free from the troubles of blockage, and may my Six Viscera (liu fu) move in harmony and return to balance. I beg to be granted recovery and to receive blessings of good fortune. When my years are nearly spent, may my life be extended, and on days that are like a rebirth, may my body and life be preserved. I lay open my intentions, pour out my heartfelt pleas with tears, earnestly petition the deities, and vow to repay the protection of the Venerable Spirits by sincerely devoting myself to the Dao and to their worship. I, a certain person, offer this prayer with the utmost reverence, and respectfully present these words.

I have heard that the Heavens are ordered and accomplished through the Great Dao, and that Yin and Yang are shaped and brought into being by the Dao. The Three Primes (Sanyuan), the Upper, Middle, and Lower Offices of the Three Officials who determine the merits and faults of the human world and dispense blessings, are the days for bestowing teaching and transformation. The Five Crimsons (Wujiang), a designation within the Daoist pantheon and its system of deities and offices, govern the guiding principles of birth and nurturing. The power that unifies all things and maintains their order ultimately returns to the Great Dao of perfect truth. Thus blessings can extend throughout the realm, and grace reaches both the netherworld and the human world. The Nanchang Register of Cinnabar (Nanchang Danlu), a record of good deeds and the bestowal of blessings, promotes the way of encouraging people toward goodness. The Northern Black Book (Beibu Heishu), a record of transgressions that warns against wrongdoing, reveals the principle of restraining faults. Both serve to encourage good, admonish evil, and broadly shelter the human world and the heavens.

Your servant has been fortunate to uphold the aims of Daoism and has often observed its clear teachings. I can only strive diligently and exert myself to repay the compassion of Heaven. I reflect that I have received the profound favor of the state yet have contributed little to assisting the sovereign. My merits have not yet been inscribed on the sacred tripod (ding), the ritual vessel that symbolizes the achievements of the state's chief ministers, and yet my rewards already exceed those of an ordinary minister. When I left the capital, I bore the ceremonial staff and commanded the army. Repeatedly I have received new favors and have risen to high rank. I hold a post at the Azure Gate (Qingsuo), the palace gate used here to denote high court office, and I have been entrusted with the Yellow Pivot (Huangshu), the offices that handle military and governmental affairs. Considering this, I am more fearful than ever, yet I have no means of repaying my sovereign. I can only reverently perform the rite of burning incense and offering prayers, hoping to repay the kindness of my sovereign and my parents.

Now is the season when the Heavenly Official (Tianguan) governs the seasonal cycles and Taihao (the ancient deity of the East) presides over the directions. Shaoyin (the seasonal qi of gradually increasing yin) practices the benevolence that nourishes all things, and the imperial amnesty spreads the grace of growth and transformation widely. Therefore, your servant respectfully tends the incense and reverently holds a jiao offering ritual (jiao) to pray. Looking up at the celestial phenomena and concentrating my thoughts in prayer, I hope that auspicious signs will answer my wish. I pray that the foundation of the state endures for a long time and that the sovereign's life is long. May the court and the realm enjoy peace and the world be tranquil. May the eight directions and nine provinces be unified, the years bring abundant harvests and the weather remain mild, and the age of quietude and non-action (wuwei) endure for a long time. May the passes of the netherworld be clear and peaceful, and may all living things, animal and plant alike, flourish and thrive. Under all the heavens, may everyone enjoy longevity and well-being.

Your servant, [name], prays that calamities and misfortunes be dispelled, that karmic debts be resolved, that transgressions dissolve, and that blessings and auspicious signs gather. May public and private affairs proceed smoothly, and may family members and relatives often enjoy peace. Your servant vows, with a heart of loyalty and filial piety, to exert every effort in assisting the state in its clear and prosperous fortune, and his gratitude is boundless.

Ritual Petition for the Illness and Distress of the Grand Lady of the State of Zhao, Lady Mou

I have heard that the true deities of Heaven have compassion for all things, and the Dao delights in giving life to all beings, and often makes manifest the work of rescuing living beings...

I have heard that the True Spirits of Heaven take pity on all beings, and that the Dao cherishes life. They often extend their compassion to aid and protect the people of the world, so that all may find peace and see their wishes fulfilled. Heaven and Earth nurture the myriad things and bring forth living beings endowed with spirit. The two breaths of Yin and Yang join to form the human body, while the Three Yuan (Sanyuan), which in Daoist usage denotes the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water and also refers to the forces that govern one's fated span, manifest their brilliance and arrange the length of a person's life. The auspicious and the inauspicious, and the sin and blessing of human beings, are all governed by the celestial deities.

Now my fortune and fate have declined, and my Nayin (the Five Phase attribute derived from the sexagenary year of birth) falls in the position of the tomb. Although I have encountered the auspicious sign of the She Shen star, I have also met the inauspicious omen of clashing and breaking. My annual cycle has met the Heavenly Talisman, and my birth chart has met the Five Ghosts. My Body Palace is entangled by the Dark Luminaries, and at a time when my fortune is already stagnant, the planet Saturn passes through, while the Mars star overlaps the palace of punishment. These manifold calamities have at last brought illness upon me. It has not healed to this day, and my anxiety and dread grow ever deeper.

I privately fear that the transgressions accumulated over past and present lives have not yet been dissolved, and that the debts of wealth and life I owe, along with my unresolved grievances, have not been settled. Without the aid of a great Zhaijiao (purification ritual), it would be difficult to fully express the sincerity of my repentance and petition. I am therefore willing to offer my clothing and treasured possessions, prepare incense, candles, and offerings, solemnly establish the altar, and pray with devotion.

I earnestly beseech the compassionate protection of the Heavens and the sympathy of the holy ones, that they bestow the grace of remaking my life and fulfill the virtue of cherishing life. I pray to the Three Officials, the Five Emperors, the Seven Dark Luminaries, the Southern and Northern Dippers, the celestial officers of the Lunar Mansions, the venerable spirits of mountains, rivers, and peaks, the deities of the Netherworld, and the gods who protect my Body Palace and annual fortune, as well as the spirits of the Three Realms who respond to this matter, to examine the registers of the Cao Office and the talismanic records. If these record grievances, guilt, periods of misfortune, or fated calamities, I humbly ask for special pardon, that my blessings be extended, my years of life increased, my misfortune and decline washed away, and my illness and suffering dispelled. May my joints be relaxed and my six viscera at peace, so that I may once again see the sun and resume my ordinary life.

I vow to stand upright in sincerity and to strive to uphold my integrity, so that I may long repay the grace of aid and protection. I will constantly contemplate good deeds and penetrate profound principles, so as to respond to the favor of the true spirits. With utmost sincerity and an earnest heart, I now disclose my inner circumstances, beseeching the preservation of my life, and I pray with urgency and devotion. Thus I respectfully submit this petition.

This is the petition used at the great Zhaijiao held at the residence of Wang Zongjie on the day of the descent of the Lady of Hongnong Commandery.

I have heard that Xuanyuan Daozu (the Mysterious Origin Dao Ancestor) and Taishang Laojun (the Most High Lord Lao) concentrated their spirits in the realm of the Sanqing (Three Pure Ones) and contemplated the myriad beings of the world, intending to bestow grace and deliver them. They therefore descended with a sacred ritual model, manifested the five-colored radiance of the sun, and came riding the rising dawn in a chariot drawn by nine dragons. This passage is a petition (zhuci) recited by the lady of Hongnong Commandery in Mengwo Chuan during a great jiao (large-scale ritual of blessing and purification) held on a birthday celebration.

Laojun manifested himself in Mengwo Chuan, entrusting his divine traces there, and was born into the Li surname. Lotus flowers sprang from the earth to greet his steps, and a well welled up in the courtyard to cleanse his appearance until it was as clear and lustrous as jade. He displayed an extraordinarily noble bearing and expounded a mysterious and subtle teaching. The celestial realms revere him as their supreme master, and every age has honored him as its teacher. We have chosen an auspicious day for this celebration to bestow blessings upon all things, and therefore we should solemnly establish this jiao assembly to express our sincere reverence.

I have long since awakened to the true Dao and have studied the baolu (precious registers) of Daoism, which record the names of divine perfected beings and the methods of cultivation. I investigate the subtle methods of prolonging life and the spirit charts of ascension and transformation. I also compose my body and mind according to these methods and cultivate within the nine chambers (inner or ritual halls used in practice), regulating the shenqi (spirit breath) of the three passes (the vital gates through which jing qi, or essence and vital energy, is regulated in cultivation). I wash away faults, dispel impurities, and aid the spirits of the dark netherworld as well as the living beings of this world. I constantly practice with reverence, so how would I dare to stop offering incense and lamps?

Now that we have arrived at a time of pardon and grace, I respectfully prepare the offerings of the jiao zhen (ritual of offering to the perfected beings), sincerely hasten toward the immortal realm, look up to the dragon chariot, and present my words with utter devotion, performing the ritual in a green altar. The prayer extends to the celestial gates and the earthly underworld, the sun, moon, and stars, the officials of the Three Offices and the Five Emperors, the divine bureaus of the North and the Southern Dan, and the other divine administrators. It reaches downward to mountains and earth, outward to the spirits of the dark netherworld. I exhaust my sincerity and hope only that the divine will perceive it clearly.

I pray that the foundations of the imperial house may remain firm for a long time and that the sovereign may enjoy a long and sacred life. I pray that the teachings of Daoism may flourish in harmony and that the teachings of the sages may spread widely. I pray that the nine provinces and the four directions may all honor the wind of De (Virtue) and that all living beings may share together in an age of great peace and contentment. I also pray that the nine mysterious ancestors and seven generations of ancestors (the ancestors of many generations as described in Daoism), together with the departed spirits, may be freed from suffering and ascend to immortal realms such as the Danling and Biluo. I pray that calamities may be dispelled before they arise, that boundless blessings and goodness may descend, that lifespans may be lengthened, and that all transgressions may be fully dissolved. I vow to pray with devout and single-minded focus, to repay the boundless grace of the divine, and to offer my reverent submission with utmost sincerity.

The Three Heavens (Santian), the celestial realm of Daoist belief, carry out their teaching through the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) school, which has transmitted the methods of memorial submission (zhangzou). Its mysterious merit is broadly extended to rescue all beings, so that the light of the heavens shines into the netherworld and dispels the sorrows of darkness. Ordinary people may also send sincere petitions up to the heavenly court, so that their wishes, carried to the spirits, may be fulfilled. For this reason the heavens have established the twenty-four registers (fulu), the spirits' registers of names and talismans, and have dispatched one thousand two hundred official generals to govern human affairs and to keep the rosters of the immortals. A person's thoughts can become riding officers who carry the memorials, and the incense smoke rising during sacrifice serves like relay horses bearing documents. As long as one's devotion is earnest, one may hope to be answered by the spirits, and as long as one's pleas are sincere, they will surely reach the heavens. Since antiquity, people have revered these spirits, and the favor they have bestowed is plainly visible.

I have long admired the right Way and have often been protected by the spirits. Now I hold the post of general and carry the seal of office, yet I have not yet rendered meritorious service to the state. I keep to my own conduct and keep my mind clear and calm, and I constantly hold the hope of cultivating body and mind and prolonging life. Now, by imperial command, I am temporarily garrisoning a distant frontier, and because my birthday falls at this time, I pray for the spirits' blessings, respectfully perform the jiao ritual (the rite of setting up an altar for sacrifice and submitting petitions), and have carefully prepared this memorial. I beg the Dao to bestow its compassionate grace and the Celestial Master (Tianshi) to look down with protection, and to dispatch military officers and clerks to guard me, so that the frontier defenses may hold firm and the beacon fires of alarm may be quieted. People from distant regions have changed their attitudes and come carrying their children to submit to virtue, and fierce customs have turned toward goodness, so that people cross mountains and ridges to receive instruction. May the realm be peaceful and clear, its stability and prosperity enduring for a long time. May my own official salary and lifespan be increased and prolonged, and may calamities and dangers cease. May the Daoist community prosper in peace, and may the officials and soldiers live in harmony. I pray that all beings in the netherworld and in the world of the living may receive the mysterious protection. With utmost sincerity, I submit this memorial in devout supplication.

On the jiazi day of early spring, the East Court Situ performed the jiao ritual.

Diaozi Zhao Taiwei's Yangping Huajiao Ci

The Great Dao has revealed its brilliance, and the Ancestor of the Mysterious Origin Dao (Laozi) has descended to bestow his teaching. Heaven and earth divided into the five latitudes, the five planets, and the Five Emperors (Wudi) govern the succession of the seasons. The years are distributed among the Three Primes (Sanyuan): the Upper Prime (Shangyuan), the Middle Prime (Zhongyuan), and the Lower Prime (Xiayuan). The Three Officials (Sanguan), the Heavenly Official (Tianguan), the Earthly Official (Diguan), and the Water Official (Shuiguan), keep the registers of life and death. Thus the hundred spirits each hold their offices, and the myriad things each have their proper place. Cold and heat turn in their cycle to complete the year, and they also make manifest transgression and blessing. The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are matched to govern human affairs and to determine good and ill fortune. These principles have been followed from antiquity to the present, responding with efficacy, and they have never erred.

Your minister has been fortunate to receive the shelter of the Mysterious Dao and to assist in a flourishing age. When blessings become excessive, calamity may follow, so this minister has always kept in mind the precepts for guarding one's good fortune. My virtue is shallow and my responsibility is heavy, and I can only serve the state with a devout heart. Now we stand in the Upper Prime, when the new Liujia year begins, at the first day of the Jiazi cycle and the opening of the Heavenly Official's watch. On this auspicious day I respectfully hold a great jiao (dajiao, a large-scale Daoist purification ritual) and humbly ask the Mysterious Sage to examine this minister's sincere devotion.

I think of how I am far from my home and my parents, unable to pay my respects to them on schedule. I had hoped to return and attend to them, but rivers and mountains still stand between us. Moreover, the mountain passes of Longdi wind and are hard to traverse, and the river runs swift and treacherous. I can only rely on the power of the gods and hope for a safe journey. I respectfully invite the Venerable Gods of the Five Emperors, the Great Sages of the Three Officials, and the Sixty Jiazi Deities (the spirits who govern the years and days of the stems and branches) to descend with their efficacy and grant special protection, so that my light boat may cross smoothly and my journey of ten thousand li may be free of worry. May I no longer have to sigh at gazing toward the distant mountains, and may I soon fulfill my wish to wear colorful garments and serve my parents. If this is granted, how could I forget the grace of the gods? I vow to carry out the ritual observances even more diligently and to repay the protection of the perfected spirits forever. With a heart that surrenders its life and offers utmost sincerity, I pray for grace, and my anxiety is extreme. Respectfully submitted.

Diaozi Zhao Taiwei's Yangping Huajiao Ci

How could I, under the Way of Heaven, dare to fail the grace of the gods? I vow to carry out the ritual observances diligently and to repay the protection of the perfected spirits forever. With a heart that surrenders its life and offers utmost sincerity, I pray for grace, and my anxiety is extreme. Respectfully submitted.

Diaozi Zhao Taiwei's Yangping Huajiao Ci

May the Most Exalted Body of the Dao (Dao) distribute its numinous light, and may the immortal officials be arranged in order according to rank: above, joining with the stars; below, transforming into famous mountains. The grotto-abodes (dongfu) are deep and solemn, wreathed in clouds and rosy mists, their scenery beautiful and wondrous. The immortal perfected secretly protect the state and greatly shelter the common people, governing the registers of names in heaven and on earth and keeping the ledgers of each person's life-span. They dispel calamities and bestow blessings, and whenever one sincerely petitions, there is certain response.

Your servant has been fortunate to serve a sagely and enlightened ruler and has received the honor of official rank and imperial favor. I command the army, yet I am ashamed that I lack the military achievements of Han Xin and Bai Qi. I govern local affairs, yet I am ashamed that I lack the administrative accomplishments of Gong Sui and Huang Ba. I have often feared that, occupying a high position with excessive fortune, I would invite calamity. Therefore I early offered my utmost sincerity and took refuge in the Xuan Teaching (Xuanjiao), the Mysterious Teaching, that is, Daoism. I transmit the study of the scriptures and the registers (lu, the certificate documents received in Daoist investiture), and I reverently serve the perfected spirits.

What I pray for is this: that the fortune of the state endure long, and that the sacred longevity of the sovereign be firm and enduring; that all regions of the world be united under one rule, and that within the four seas there be harmony and mutual concord. Your servant, so-and-so, prays for the removal of calamities and the pardon of offenses, that the six kinship relations receive blessings and the nine ancestors be able to ascend to heaven. May my salary and lifespan continually increase and my merit and reputation become manifest. I vow to be reverent, utterly loyal and filial, and to uphold forever the principles of goodness and brightness. I hope that my diligent cultivation of the self may repay the protection of the true immortals.

Your servant reverently performs the jiao (offering) rite, presenting libation wine and offerings, hoping thereby to express a pure and sincere heart. Your servant returns in devout supplication, with utmost earnestness. Respectfully submitted.

End of Volume Sixteen of the Guangcheng Ji.

Guangcheng Ji, Volume Seventeen

Composed by Du Guangting, Great Virtuoso of Literary Composition serving in the Inner Court of the Taiqing Palace in the Upper Capital, Bestowed with the Purple Robe.

Ritual Words for the Crane-Cry Offering, Restoring Life to the Withered Cypress

That immortal mountain guards the great southern land. Its majestic mass sprawls upon the thick earth and rises gracefully beneath the vault of heaven, connecting the regions of the Mian and Luo rivers……

This immortal mountain stands tall over the southern lands, its bearing majestic, deep, and firm, its graceful peaks soaring into the clouds. It overlooks the river plains of the Mian and Luo waters and gathers the splendid vistas of Mount Min and Mount Emei. Its cliffs and peaks seem to lift up the sun, and within its grottoes immortal perfected dwell. Pines and cypresses spread dense foliage, stretching unbroken to the sky. Their numinous potency, accumulated over a thousand years, lends the place a solemn and dignified air.

It is said that auspicious omens have appeared within the mountain, and this blessed land is therefore made manifest. It exerts the power of supreme yang transformation (zhishang yang shenghua), causing the withered and decayed cypress to change its form. Its supple branches flourish anew and shed fragrant sweet dew, and its dense leaves revive in splendor and sway verdant in the clear breeze. Spirits secretly protect the land, and the ancestral temples and altars of the state are thereby blessed. I wish to receive this mysterious grace and to enjoy lasting auspicious blessings.

Therefore, I reverently hold this solemn jiao ritual (a ritual of setting up an altar for prayer in Daoism) to petition and give thanks to the True Spirits. In the Xuan Chamber I concentrate my mind and offer prayers, my heart gazing beyond the cloud peaks toward the immortal mountain. What I hope for is that the Huaxia and the four frontier regions be at peace, that the four seas and famous mountains be secure and free of calamity, that the crops be abundant, and that disasters and turmoil all be quelled. May I continue to serve with reverence for a long time, to repay the subtle favor of Heaven. I bow my head and respectfully present these words.

Memorial of Protection (Baozhang Zhici), presented with bows by the Situ (Minister of Works) Li Zhongshun.

I have heard that the Dao moves without any fixed pattern, and its marvelous efficacy is difficult to measure. Yet when one responds to the right moment and prays with sincerity, responses can reach one another. The Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity, one of the Daoist ritual lineages) has transmitted scriptures and precious memorials to save all living beings, and the Mengwei (a branch within the Zhengyi system of rites) has established the teachings and arranged the jiao ceremonies to aid the common people. From the ancient sages down to the present, these graces have reached both the hidden and the visible realms, extending their benevolence to heaven and to the human world.

Your servant, so-and-so, received the profound and mysterious grace early on and was fortunate to be born in an enlightened age. Heaven's favor is vast, and the titles bestowed by the world are also generous. I am ashamed that I lack the talent to govern the state and save the people, and I feel deeply that I have received too much favor, fearing that I may fail the trust placed in me. Moreover, I hold military command and serve as garrison commander of a region, carrying the tallies that authorize the mobilization of troops. At times, rewards may not fairly distinguish good from evil, and punishments may be unduly light or heavy. If the common people harbor resentment and suffer harm because of this, any one of these faults may bring punishment upon me.

I also fear that the fortunes shown by the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the Three Fates (sanming, the divinatory arts by which the ancients calculated destiny) may coincide with calamity, and that the dark stars and bright stars may shine upon me with ill omen. I may have offended the dragon spirits while traveling by water or by land, or violated taboos through building with earth and timber. There may also be old grudges and debts from past lives, or sins incurred through deliberate killing or unintentional harm to others. If misfortune should strike again, it may give rise to illness, which truly is cause for dread.

I have considered that the Great Dao cherishes life, and that the Supreme True Dao has established teachings that include rites of propitiation (qiqiu, petitions to avert calamity) and also opened paths of repentance and atonement. Therefore I respectfully prepare the altar and devote myself to the zhangjiao (the ritual of submitting memorials to the heavenly deities), paying homage to Heaven, repenting my faults, renewing myself, and sincerely seeking grace.

I humbly beseech the Sanjing (the Three Realm Exalted Ones, revered Daoist deities) and the great sages of the heavens to bestow their compassionate grace and take heed of this humble person. Command the celestial offices and earthly bureaus, reaching the netherworld and the human world alike, to dispel calamity, pardon transgressions, remove ill fortune and decline, resolve old grudges and debts, relieve illness and suffering, settle the hunshen (the spirit-souls), and bring the six qi into harmony and the hundred channels into free flow. I beg that a destiny of short life and misfortune be changed, and that long life be bestowed, so that a thousand transgressions and ten thousand disasters may all be dissolved and transcended. I vow to cultivate devoutly, to strive diligently, and to revere the true spirits. Filled with the intention of atoning and seeking grace, and wholeheartedly pleading for life, your servant, so-and-so, respectfully submits this memorial.

I have heard that the Great Dao has promulgated standards for cultivation, and that the mysterious True Dao has established its teachings. The Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition has rites for petitioning for blessings, and the Hetu (River Chart) also contains formulas for dispelling transgressions. With sincerity, one reports to the honored divine spirits, who will surely grant their clear discernment.

Ms. Mou was earlier granted the grace of the divine spirits and was born into the mortal world. Because she has received this kindness, she has always held reverence in her heart. Recently she was suddenly stricken with illness, which has not yet healed. She fears that in her everyday conduct, in how she establishes herself in the world, in how she deals with others, or in the thoughts she harbors, she may have committed faults or offenses. She also fears that she may have incurred enmities and drawn calamity, or that unfavorable motions of the stars and planets and the baleful influence of inauspicious stars have caused the disease to cling to her body and remain undispelled. Day and night she is anxious and fearful, and she dares not rest.

Furthermore, because her Life Palace (mingong) coincides with the transit of the Earth Luminary (tuyao, the star associated with Saturn), and her destiny stands in a precarious moment, she sincerely petitions the gods. Following the established keyi (liturgical norms), she devoutly undertakes a Great Jiao (dajiao, a large-scale zhaijiao purification and petitionary ritual).

She earnestly beseeches the Three Treasures Sacred Perfected (sanbao shangsheng, the holy perfected revered in Daoism as the Three Treasures) and the Nine Luminary Honored Spirits (jiuyao zunshen, the divinities who govern the nine luminaries) to extend boundless compassion and bestow their protective power. May they dispel calamity for Ms. Mou and resolve her enmities, prolong her life and increase her fortune, heal all her sicknesses, and restore harmony to the six qi (liuqi, the six vital energies that sustain the body's functioning). May they sweep away misfortune and decline and pardon her transgressions. May she cultivate and serve the Dao for a long time, to repay the grace of the mysterious Great Dao.

Ms. Mou, in utmost sincerity, repents of her offenses and implores the true spirits, earnestly requesting their protection. She respectfully presents this petition.

Petition for the Tianluo Jiao (Heavenly Net Offering), composed by Situ Ji Gong of the Eastern Court.

I have heard that the emoluments and bodily form a person enjoys all rely on the transforming generation of the Dao, and that prolonging life and preserving one's vital nature depend on the efficacy of divine spirits (shenming). A person's fortunes rise and fall, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) take turns in succession. As the stars move through their positions, the hexagrams also reveal good and ill fortune. When one meets calamity, there are cultivated methods of supplication and expiation (xiangzhu) for averting disaster and resolving misfortune. This is because the Mysterious Perfected (Xuanzhen), the divine beings revered by Daoism, takes pity on the world, and the Great Dao cherishes life, transmitting teachings that aid all people. Whenever the heart responds with sincerity, the response will follow. The Precious Chapters of the Three Heavens Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) set forth the rites for seeking blessings, and the Taixuan Hetu Jiaopin (Taixuan Diagram of the River Ritual Registers), a Daoist purification ritual (Zhaijiao) and liturgy (Keyi), explains the methods for transferring calamity. From ancient times to the present, people have followed and practiced these teachings, and many have received aid and protection.

I have been fortunate to receive blessings from the divine spirits and to live in a time of clear and prosperous governance. The favor and honor I have received are unusually abundant, and my rank far exceeds that of ordinary people. I often examine myself and keep in mind the warning that fullness invites loss. I have also vowed to devote all my strength and to remain constantly wary that excessive fortune will bring disaster. Now, my great fortune (dayun) still lies in the Xu position, and my minor fortune (xiaoyun) still lies in the Hai position. Within this year, both are also encountering the Heavenly Net (tianluo), a malevolent influence in fate astrology that signifies obstruction and calamity. I privately fear that whenever I stir my thoughts or handle affairs, I may bring misfortune upon myself. Across many lifetimes, I may already have committed faults. Although I have cultivated myself with caution, how can I guarantee that I have never erred? Moreover, the Dark Star (anyao), an inauspicious star that does not show itself openly, has moved into the Chen position, and the planet Mars sits in the Body Palace (shengong), the palace in the astrological chart that represents the self. Furthermore, my favor has reached its height while my ability remains insufficient. My merit is small, yet my office is high, and I fear this may bring disaster and obstruction. My apprehension grows deeper with each passing day.

Therefore, I respectfully follow the scriptures of the Mysterious Gate, perform the jiao ritual (the rite of setting up an altar to pray and seek the protection of the divine) with utmost sincerity, and submit memorials, confessing my guilt to the Nine Heavens and asking the assembled sages for grace. I earnestly beseech the true spirits to examine my case with clarity and extend broad favor. May they issue decrees to the celestial and terrestrial authorities in charge, and command the yang offices and the yin courts to pardon past transgressions, remove future decline and anomalies, dissolve the calamities brought by the stars, and lift the affliction of the Heavenly Net. May my fortune and emoluments be abundant and my life be prolonged, so that I may practice loyalty and filial piety in sincerity and long assist the enlightened transformation of the realm. I vow to diligently exhort myself in order to repay the compassion of the Mysterious Dao. My heart in surrendering to the Dao is utterly sincere.

Tian Chongqian and Lu Zhao also received the Liujia (Six Jia) register texts.

The Great Dao teaching was about to be promulgated, and so the profound scriptures began to be composed. The Five Thousand Characters was revealed as instruction, and the Liujia method (the Six Jia, a Daoist technique of divination tied to the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and related arts) opened the mysterious diagrams and registers. It originated in the era of Emperor Shun and was transmitted through the Zhou dynasty. Practiced internally, it can gather true Qi and return to original unity, as though one were driving the sun and moon and ascending into the clouds. Applied externally, it can protect the state and bring peace to the people, so that all things thrive and the realm is abundant. This is the foundation of the Dharma teaching, and it has been revered across the ages.

We are able to rely on the mysterious fulu (Daoist talismans), and we have met a sagely and enlightened age. The pure customs of the Dao have spread widely, and its profound principles have reached the four quarters. From this point on, we wish to study and cultivate, and to uphold and protect this practice over the long term. On this auspicious day, we respectfully state our sincere hearts and humbly request the compassion of the Primal Sage and the attentive witness of the many True Spirits. Please fulfill our earnest wish, bestow the radiant presence of your descent, let our visualizations and prayers reach them, and bring our cultivation and merit to completion. May our Nine Mysterious Ancestors (the nine generations of ancestors in Daoist belief) be delivered, may the faults we have accumulated be removed, may blessings and goodness arrive, and may our lives be lengthened. May we be able to aid the people, assist the state, make the Great Dao known, proclaim the scriptures, and carry the wind of stillness and purity far into the future, finally attaining the realm of Xiyi (the subtle, ineffable state of the Dao body). We take refuge with utmost sincerity and respectfully submit this petition.

Fan Yanxu and Others Receive the Zhengyi Register Petition

In the Southern Palace of Zhengyi (the sacred palace associated with the conferral of registers), within the Purple Yang Jade Hall, are secretly stored the Yanghua True Register (a register conferred in Daoist ordination) and the Feihua Spirit Diagram (a diagram concerning the transformations and ascension of immortals). Downward, these registers can subdue malevolent demons and harmonize the Yin and Yang and the climate; upward, they can stabilize the realm and bring the immortals to court. Protecting the state and bringing peace to the people is the principle that all who have upheld this practice, past and present, have followed in common.

We are fortunate to have met this sagely and enlightened age, and to bathe together in the transforming teaching of the Dao. We have long since departed from the worldly disturbances of dust and turmoil, wear Daoist robes, and have entered the ranks of those who cultivate the Dao. Now we wish to receive the Zhengyi registers and diligently practice them. We respectfully entreat the holy True Ones to extend their compassion widely, so that our aspirations in cultivation may be fulfilled. May we walk the Yi Xing (a ritual of stepping according to the positions of the stars and the Dipper) and accord with the method of the Flying Steps of the Nine Heavens, supporting the age, establishing merit, and achieving the efficacy of the Great Dao transforming the world. We burn incense, bow with joined hands, and take refuge in the True Spirits with devotion, respectfully awaiting the arrival of mysterious grace. With utmost sincerity, we submit this petition.

It is said that the Daoist classic Treasure Canon of the River Chart (Hetu Baodian) describes jiao offering rites performed to aid the people of the world, and that the liturgical regulations of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) school use memorial documents to support moral instruction. All of these promote the essential principles of the Dao methods (daofa) and bestow blessings widely upon all beings.

Your servant has been fortunate enough to enter the Mysterious Gate (Xuanmen) of Daoism and is numbered, though unworthily, among the holders of the Secret Register (milu), the roll of names that Daoist masters are granted. Yet I have often failed to burn incense and carry out my practice on schedule, and so my faults have continually come to light. When I managed public affairs, I was caught up in official business and was often troubled by regret and anxiety. At times, when I heard lawsuits, my rewards and punishments were weighed unevenly; at other times, when I instructed and comforted my subordinates, my rewards, admonitions, and encouragements were not carried through properly. Reflecting on these matters, I examine myself and grow anxious day and night. Without relying on the profound power of the Dao, I would have no means to repent and atone.

Moreover, at the end of the fifth month, the Earth and Fire qi are about to enter my body palace (shengong), the astrological palace that corresponds to one's own destiny. Therefore I am fearful in my heart and hope to petition for appeasement and aid. I have now prepared pure and solemn offerings, and I respectfully present them, asking that a memorial (zhangwen), a document addressed to the deities of the heavens, be granted.

I humbly beseech the Venerables of the Great Supreme (Taishang) and the Lords of the Three Heavens who transform and teach (santian huazhu) to extend their great compassion and bestow their profound grace, commanding the celestial officials and soldiers to protect me each according to their duties. I beg that my sins and blemishes be removed, that enmities and debts be resolved and quieted, that the calamities of the Nine Luminaries (jiuyao), the stars traditionally linked to human fortune and misfortune, be turned back from my path, and that the afflictions of collision and punishment associated with the Three Destinies (sanming) be brought to an end. May I attain peace and good fortune and always find my affairs proceeding smoothly and without obstruction. I vow to faithfully observe the rites of burning incense and making offerings, to repay the protection of the venerable deities, and my gratitude is boundless.

Prayer offered by Grand Commandant Diao Zongmian on paying homage at the Cave of the Perfected Zhu of the Numinous Pool.

I have heard that the vast and boundless Dao (the Way) that transforms and nurtures all things is the very reason Daoist teaching is spread, namely to deliver all living beings. Its profound merit does not presume to govern, yet it reaches all things like a gentle wind. Whether people seek it out or turn toward it, nothing obstructs them, and its aid and protection leave no one out. For this reason, the Qingjian Dan Pian (a Daoist scriptural record) continually documents those who attained the Dao and ascended to perfection, and the Youguan Ye Fu (the netherworld of the dead) likewise receives the compassionate grace of purification and release. The flame passes from hand to hand, and its light has spread universally from antiquity to the present.

I am fortunate to live in a prosperous age and to be counted among the cultivators of perfection (xiuzhen). Each time I reverently burn incense and offer prayers, I silently rely on the power of the Dao, hoping to open a lasting and deep store of blessings so that I may repay the kindness of the sovereign. I often urge myself with a sincere heart and diligence, and I also hope soon to be entered in the Register of Mysteries (Xuanlu, the register of Daoist immortals). Though my heart is eager and earnest, I do not know where I might look up to the path of the immortals.

Respectfully, I reflect that the Immortal Lord's Dao transcends the ordinary, and his lifespan surpasses that of the cranes of Liaodong. You point toward the Three Mountains and rise high in ascension, not regarding the cloud road as an ordinary journey. After many years you return for a time, and surely you will also feel compassion for the dusty world. I am ashamed to be merely a worldly junior like Lu Ao, able only to look up to the distant traces of Ruoshi's departure. Now, in sincere fasting, I burn incense and bow, awaiting your gracious inspection, and I ask that the profound Dao moisten my heart. May I, in my study and practice, grasp something of the subtle and profound principles. May I, sincere and upright, governing myself and cultivating my conduct, forever repay the grace of sovereign and parents. May I embrace simplicity and preserve genuineness, and be willing to follow the footsteps of the immortals. Respectfully submitted.

Liturgical Text for the Black Talisman Offering of Grand Tutor Xianggong

I have heard that the Supreme Dao established the liturgies of cultivation, and that Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) laid down the rites of offering purification and prayer (zhaijiao, purification ritual). The Hetu (River Chart) recorded the admonitions, and the Taixuan (Supreme Mystery) opened the gate of confession and repentance. All of these were established to protect human relations and to propagate…

I have heard that the supreme Dao transmitted the liturgical codes (Keyi), and that the Orthodox Unity (Zhengyi) school opened the jiao offering rites for seeking blessings. The River Chart (Hetu) left its teachings, and the Supreme Mystery (Taixuan) opened the way of confession and atonement. All of these were meant to save the world, to spread numinous power, and to extend grace widely across the realm, so that they became standards honored by people across the ages.

I was born in a prosperous age and received a weighty trust. Although I have devoted my utmost sincerity to serving the state, I have contributed little. Fearing that excessive good fortune would invite calamity, I have also fallen ill. Now the black talismans have flown and transformed, the Five Phases (Wuxing) qi has entered the central palace, my fate and allotted stipend accord with the nayin sound correspondences, and disaster weighs especially heavily upon me. Therefore I have quieted my mind and turned toward the Dao, bowed before the pure altar, and respectfully prepared incense and lamps, and I now perform the jiao rite with sincerity, petitioning the spirits.

I respectfully beseech Xuanyuan (Mysterious Origin), a Daoist honorific for the Dao, to take notice. May the Five Emperors bestow their grace, and may they command the Noble Spirits of the Nine Palaces and direct the spirit officials under the Three Officials (Sanguan) to dissolve misfortune, resolve grievances, wash away transgressions, and increase blessings and longevity, so that my body's qi channels may be harmonious and peaceful, and my long-standing illness may be healed. I vow to exhaust my loyalty and filial devotion, and I hope to receive the favor of the sacred sovereign. I will forever follow the sublime Dao to repay the protection of the spirits. Respectfully submitted.

Memorial Submitted by Zong Kui, Lord Governor of Yangzhou, on Behalf of Lady of Chen, Madam So-and-so, Reciting the Nine Luminaries Petition

I have heard that among the myriad spirits between heaven and earth, and among all things between yin and yang, all are covered and nourished by the primordial harmonious qi (Yuanhe zhi qi), and all are born from receiving the qi of the Dao. The destinies of human beings and the Five Phases both follow the sublime Dao... to repay the protection of the spirits. Respectfully submitted.

I have heard that the many spirits of heaven and earth, and all the myriad things born from the interplay of yin and yang, are sheltered and nourished by the yuanhe zhi qi (Qi of Primordial Harmony), and that they come to life by receiving the Dao-Qi. A person's three destinies (sanming) and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) determine the fortunes and misfortunes of one's allotted span. The Southern Palace (Nangong) and the Northern Bureau (Beifu) oversee the recording of transgressions and merits. Not a single good or evil deed is omitted, and not the slightest error is made. Moreover, when the Three Primes (sanyuan), namely the Upper, Middle, and Lower Primes, revolve and change, and when the Nine Luminaries (jiuyao), referring to the sun, moon, and the five planets of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, move through their stations, the heavenly patterns reveal either calamity or blessing, following one as a shadow follows a form and answering as an echo answers a sound. For this reason, how could one not be watchful and cautious, and reverent toward the perfected spirits?

A certain individual has the planets Saturn and Mars, Tuxing and Huoxing, moving into the wu position. The planet has reached the position of one's life-star and occupies one's body palace. The minor cycle has moved into the chou position, which coincides with the Six Harms. The major cycle has moved into the xu position, where it resides in the tomb-storehouse. The major cycle causes the strength of the life position in the wu sign to decline, and the minor cycle begins to thin one's wanglu (royal emolument, the portion of stipend and fortune governed by one's destiny). Troubled by these conditions, and fearing that disaster will arrive, this person sincerely exhorts themselves and takes refuge in the xuanxiang (Mysterious Celestial Patterns), the heavenly phenomena and star-spirits revered in Daoism. In accordance with the ritual protocol for presenting a memorial, they bow toward the Three Heavens (santian), the celestial realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing). They prepare the offerings and implements for the jiao (ritual offering), and devote themselves to praying for the protection of the Nine Luminaries.

They respectfully beseech the Most Perfect (zhizhen) to bestow compassion and protection, and ask the assembled holy ones to grant their grace: pardon the transgressions of past years, dissolve the debts accumulated over many lifetimes, eliminate calamities, deliver them from fateful and declining cycles, lengthen their lifespan, and increase their prosperity and emoluments. May they receive protection and always enjoy peace and smoothness, and serve the numinous perfected forever. They vow to cultivate diligently, to revere and serve the Dao, and with utmost sincerity they make this prayer, returning their lives in trust.

Prayer for the Birthday of Lord Zong Kui of Yangzhou: Liturgical Text for the Southern Dipper Jiao. This is the prayer recited when the Southern Dipper jiao ritual is held to celebrate the birthday of Lord Zong Kui of Yangzhou.

It is said that the stars of heaven gather their radiance to adorn the sky and reveal their many signs. The Upper Palace of Nanchang (Nanchang Shangfu), the celestial office in Daoist belief that governs each person's registry of life and allotted fortune, secretly bestows blessings and good omens and protects the state. The secret precepts of the Hetu (River Chart) set forth the proper rules of reverent worship, and the Zhengyi Lingke (the liturgical codes of zhaijiao rites in Zhengyi Daoism) likewise records the methods of practice and observance.

I reverently study these profound teachings and give them my utmost sincerity. In my early years I received deep imperial grace and was born into a flourishing age. I was repeatedly favored and held a series of prominent offices. Yet I have no achievements in aiding the court or serving the nation, and I have nonetheless been entrusted with the seal of chief minister and the tallies of military command. Reflecting on this, I am filled with apprehension and cannot repay the vast kindness of heaven and earth. I resolve to serve with diligence and hope to repay the favor of my sovereign and my parents. I can only keep refining myself and dare not grow slack.

For this reason, on my birthday, I have respectfully held a jiao (jiao, a Daoist offering ritual in which an altar is set up to pray to the divine). I bow toward the Dantai (Cinnabar Terrace, a symbol of the immortals' abode or a sacred altar) and pray with focused devotion toward the Xuanji (the utmost height of the heavens). Fragrant incense is lit, and its smoke rises, in the hope that my wishes may reach the Nine Clarities (the higher heavens in Daoist cosmology). On this fine night I pray sincerely, hoping that my petition will be conveyed before the Six Sages.

May the divine remove my calamities and obstructions and dissolve my enmities and resentments. May my blessings and emoluments increase and my life be extended. Pardon my past faults and grant me auspicious fortune in the days to come. May my ancestors be delivered, and may my entire clan dwell in peace and tranquility. I vow to respectfully uphold the Dao and never fail the protection of the true numinous ones. With utmost sincerity, I submit myself in prayer, and my reverence is beyond words.

Qingcheng Shan Zhangren Dian Gong Bi An Tudi Jiaoci (Prayer for the Ceremony of Settling the Earth God upon Completion of the Elder's Hall on Mount Qingcheng): This is the prayer used in the rite of settling the earth god, held after the completion of the Hall of the Elder on Mount Qingcheng.

It is said that after Heaven and Earth first parted from primordial chaos, the myriad things coalesced and gradually differentiated into form. Mount Min rises vast and grand, stretching across and enveloping the western frontier. It stands guarding the two rivers, and its standing even surpasses that of the Five Sacred Peaks. This is a grotto-dwelling of the immortals, its peaks layered and soaring into the clouds as if they held up the sun and moon. Its slopes are verdant, mist and cloud wreathe it, and the mortal world lies shut out beyond the mountains. Countless true spirits gather in the Pitian Kingdom, and around Chengdu fairy herbs such as lingzhi and atractylodes flourish. The place is called a blessed land (Fudi), for it gathers the spiritual essence of the mountains and rivers.

Xiyi Zhenjun (the Perfected Lord of Rarity and Subtlety), an immortal revered in Daoism (Dao Jiao), attained the Dao in remote antiquity, and his renown is honored by many High Perfected. When the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) toured the south, he treated the Perfected Lord with the courtesy due a teacher. When Emperor Ming of the Tang traveled west, he too had the shrine repaired and venerated. The Han dynasty built a grand shrine, and during the Zhonghe reign period an honorific title was added. Auspicious signs often appear here, and the Perfected Lord greatly protects the realm.

Not long ago, I personally parted the mountain mists and wisteria vines and gazed up at the immortal's ceremonial retinue. The gentle countenance of the Perfected Lord seemed to stand before my eyes, and I could not forget it. Recently, however, the temple gates, halls, and tiered beams have been eroded by wind and rain, and after many years they have gradually fallen into disrepair, a cause for concern. I therefore charged Master Huijin, whose name is Xingzhen, with gathering timber and assembling craftsmen to complete this grand restoration. The lofty ridgepoles now catch the sunlight, and the blue eaves stretch out into the sky. The images on the four walls have been renewed, while the tiered railings and steps remain as they were. The main hall has now been repaired as well, in the hope that the grace of the true spirit will be transmitted for a long time.

May Heaven, Earth, the mountains and rivers, and the deities who each keep their office always bestow blessings and protect the people. May violence cease, calamities and pestilence no longer arise, and the harvests be abundant. May wind and rain come in their proper seasons and the heavens remain clear and serene. May people far and near see the realm at peace, culture and learning flourishing, and weapons laid to rest. May the border beacon fires be extinguished and demonic calamities swept away. May the realm at last be unified, with every region observing a single calendar. May the common people receive blessings and the state endure in prosperity for a long time.

Therefore, we reverently perform this sacrifice and constantly keep pure offerings and fragrant gifts ready. I have sent Master Du Guangting, the Scholar of Broad Accomplishment (Guangcheng Xiansheng), to devoutly conduct a grand jiao, a large-scale Zhaijiao (purification ritual), to convey our gratitude to the true spirits. Gazing toward the place where the immortal's carriage dwells, I humbly beseech the mysterious and divine ones to take notice. This statement is respectfully submitted.

Reporting Again to the Perfected Spirit of Mount Qingcheng: An Invocation for the Jiao Rite

I respectfully report this matter once more to the Perfected Spirit (zhenling) of Mount Qingcheng, the immortal An Qi (Anqi). May all living beings in the world receive blessing and protection, and may the state and its ancestral temples flourish for a long time. We reverently hold this sacrifice, offering duckweed, algae, and other offerings in ritual observance, and we often present fragrant incense. Master Guangcheng, Du Guangting, has been specially appointed to sincerely establish a great jiao (grand Daoist offering, keyi) and to lay out our feelings before the Perfected Spirit and give thanks. We gaze afar toward the cloud-chariots of the immortal mountain and look up, hoping the Perfected Spirit will see clearly. We respectfully submit these words.

An Invocation for the Jiao Rite, Reporting Again to Qingcheng Mountain and Inviting the Perfected Spirit

It is said that Heaven establishes sacred realms where the spirits dwell, and that Earth opens immortal mansions where the xian (immortals) reside. The Perfected Spirit dwells within them and is honored alike by the netherworld and the human world. The Perfected Spirit governs the principles that order all mountains and oversees the fortune and misfortune of every region under Heaven. The cloud peaks and mist-wreathed halls have been revered since ancient times, and the Perfected Spirit bestows blessings and shelter on the world, so that people across past and present have received its grace.

Not long ago, I traveled a great distance along mountain paths overgrown with grass and trees, and I personally came to the dwelling of the immortal Perfected Spirit. I looked up at the solemn scene of the halls and saw the honor guards in the courtyards around them. It was as though the Perfected Spirit's radiance still stood before my eyes, and my reverence and longing have remained deep ever since. I therefore ordered that a portrait of the Perfected Spirit be painted and set up in the hall. In the morning I lit incense as fine as jade tassels, and in the evening I prepared silver lamps. My prayers are offered entirely for the common people and are not secret petitions for private gain. I trust that the Perfected Spirit, whose discernment is never clouded, will know the sincerity of this heart.

Now the Daoist temple on the mountain has been repaired, its halls renewed, and separate arrangements have been made for burning incense and cultivating practice. Here there are no meat or other impure things, and this adds to an atmosphere of purity and solemnity. For this reason I have specially held the jiao rite and reverently prepared the ceremony to present our petition: may the Perfected Spirit return to the immortal temple. May the Perfected Spirit ride a chariot decked with colorful banners and a crane, and wander at leisure among the pines and the moon. May the orchids and fragrant herbs give off their perfume, and may the path to the immortal realm be serene and free. May the immortal realm remain peaceful for a long time, and may the Perfected Spirit exert its great power to protect the state and its people. From now on, may the common people of the world always obtain its deep and boundless blessings. I offer my heartfelt prayers and respectfully submit these words.

End of Volume Seventeen of the Guangcheng Collection.