《正一殟司辟毒神灯仪》

The rite is performed in accordance with the regulations.

Respectfully it is said: Heaven and Earth separated out of chaos, and Qi (vital energy) and form were thereby sharply distinguished. Nüwa (the creator goddess of ancient Chinese mythology) severed the feet of the giant turtle to prop up the four poles of Heaven; Yiqi (the title of a sovereign in ancient legend) observed the sun, moon, and stars, established the calendar, and conferred the seasons. The Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—were thereby set apart, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) were arrayed in their places. Thus there came to be the climatic changes of the seventy-two pentads, and the year was fixed at three hundred and sixty days. The transformations of Heaven and Earth set ghosts and spirits in motion, and the subtle workings of Yin-Yang govern the alternation of cold and heat.

Signs appear in Heaven, and therefore good and ill fortune can be discerned; human beings receive the endowments granted by Heaven, and disaster and blessing follow accordingly. Thus felicity continues in families that accumulate goodness, while calamity commonly visits those who do evil. Fortunately, people still have a path of prayer, and a convenient gate through which to seek help.

Now the faithful devotee So-and-so, born amid the covering and shelter of Heaven and Earth and dwelling beneath the protection of the gods, rectifies heart and mind, reverently serves the celestial deities, establishes the Mysterious Altar (the altar ground on which Daoist Zhaijiao, or purification ritual, rites are performed), and conducts the Pure Offering (a pure and solemn Daoist rite of sacrifice and prayer). Incense smoke curls upward, spreading through the air like rose-colored clouds; the lamps burn bright, radiant as the stars of the blue sky. Moonlight on the jade terrace is clear and cold, and the hems of immortal robes drift faintly into view; above the Milky Way a pure breeze gently comes, and cloud-chariots fly back and forth.

We earnestly beg the deities to look upon this sincere offering and to descend and examine it. May the deities broadly bestow luminous virtue and send down profound grace, adding auspicious blessings for the future and removing the faults of the past. May the many blessings gather together, the host of demons be destroyed, and may we suffer no harm from calamity, at ease and in peace. May an enduring, imperishable name be left upon the golden book, and may the methods of prolonging years and increasing life be recorded in the green slips (ancient writing slips, here referring to the registers kept by the deities). We further pray that the deities continue their protection, that all present exhaust their hearts in reverence, and that we bow our heads and take refuge in the boundless great Dao (the Way).

We, your servants, single-mindedly entrust our lives to Envoy Zhang of the East, who spreads pestilence.

Above the Great Void—the vast emptiness of which Daoism speaks—the Celestial Worthies and gods naturally give forth a radiance of nine colors, with no need of light from the sun, the moon, or the stars. From the sun, moon, and stellar lodges above down to the seas, sacred peaks, mountains, and rivers below, all cherish a mind to serve the Celestial Emperor and fulfill the rites proper to subjects.

In the celestial realm there are palace halls and gateways, basilicas, lofts, and terraces: some built of precious treasures, others condensed from clouds and rosy mists. The place is vague and elusive, like courtyards only dimly seen; there are also many scenes of pure brightness, and palaces transparent and luminous. On every day of zhai (purification), the host of divinities gathers from all sides. A clear wind rises, and sound is heard in the purple vault of heaven; vapors ascend and condense into pure Fulu (talismans and registers). Hundreds and thousands of immortal hosts, together with the thirty-two Sovereign Lords, all assemble at the Jade Capital, the metropolis of heaven, and attend court at the Golden Portal, the palace of the Celestial Emperor.

Now a faithful devotee, So-and-so, lights silver lamps amid curling sandalwood incense, reverently prays and invites the gods to descend, and chants:

The silver lamps set in array become jeweled canopies, radiant and brilliant, like meteors descending into the human world. The ceremonial retinue from above the Nine Heavens wheels downward; five-colored auspicious clouds and a clear Qi (vital energy), sweet as dew, spread and fill the air. By edict the Three Officials—the deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water—are charged to remove calamity, and sickness and pestilence are all brought to recovery. The hosts of the Wen Office, the divine bureau in charge of pestilence, drive out malign influences and expel strange harms, sending down blessings and dissolving disasters. May we remain sincere and reverent, never slackening from beginning to end.

All of us, with one heart, take refuge and dedicate our lives, offering ritual homage to the Southern Envoy Tian Who Carries Out Pestilence, a divine general in Daoism appointed to the office of pestilence.

At the end they chant once more: May sickness and pestilence all be healed; may the hosts of the Wen Office drive out strange harms, send down blessings, and dissolve disasters. All of us, with one heart, take refuge and dedicate our lives, offering ritual homage to the Southern Envoy Tian Who Carries Out Pestilence.

The Emperor of Heaven (the supreme deity) secretly protects the people and therefore commands the gods of the plague division to dispense fortune and misfortune according to the Heavenly Dao (Dao, the Way). Those who do good and accumulate De (Virtue/Power) will have a surplus of blessing and can remain safe and at peace; those who do evil will have a surplus of calamity and will find it hard to escape blame and punishment.

The sage who presides over pestilence is majestic and exalted, and the marshal who commands the heavens wields illustrious authority. Tradition holds that when King Wu governed the world, that was precisely the time when Master Kuangfu attained the Dao. He harnessed the Qi (vital energy) of the clouds and rode the wind; the carriage of the immortal was such that none could overtake it. In the deep mountains and secluded valleys his numinous traces remain to this day. He was granted the honorific title “Hewen” (Harmonizer of Pestilence). Although pestilence is a calamity within the working of the Great Dao, it is also something people bring upon themselves. When the deities examine good and evil in the human world, they decide according to a person’s virtue.

Now the devotee So-and-so burns incense that curls like light clouds and arrays lamps like stars set in their ranks. Reverently inviting the deities to descend, the devotee offers this praise in prayer:

With reverence we invoke the Five Wen, the deities who govern pestilence in the five directions, and the exalted Divine Thearch. May you deign to hear this sincere entreaty and broadly bestow the grace of salvation. Marshal of All Heaven, commander of the celestial hosts, please extend your favor to all. May the awesome spirits of the deities on the left and right descend smoothly and without obstruction. Master Kuangfu, please harmonize the pestilential qi and drive away epidemic illness; gather in the poisonous qi of pestilence, so that blessings extend to later generations. Please briefly halt your cloud carriage, descend to the ritual altar, and protect the whole family, that they may long rely on the shelter of the gods.

The ritual masters and devotees present, with one heart taking refuge, respectfully invite Envoy Zhao of the West Who Travels the Pestilence, the divine messenger charged with inspecting and carrying out pestilence. Please gather in the poisonous qi of pestilence, so that blessings extend to later generations; briefly halt your cloud carriage, descend to the ritual altar, and protect the whole family, that they may long rely on the shelter of the gods.

The ritual masters and devotees present, with one heart taking refuge, respectfully invite Envoy Zhao of the West Who Travels the Pestilence.

Heaven and Earth are like a vast furnace: they bring the myriad things into being, overspread and nourish all living beings, and show partiality to no one. The Way of Heaven (Dao) is like a net whose mesh is wide yet lets nothing slip through; descending into the human world, it brings to good and evil each its due recompense. People ought therefore to keep reverence in their hearts, examine themselves at every moment, and respectfully observe the precepts. Both the Xiyi—the Changes (Yi), traditionally said to have been created by Fuxi—and the Zhou Shu record this principle: good and ill fortune depend upon oneself, and blessing and calamity do not arrive without cause. That a person fails to live long is because old offenses have accumulated within; when what is not good has been done and misfortune left behind, it is not that Heaven has deliberately sent down disaster. If one can repent and reform, much that is auspicious will come from that time on; if one is unwilling to correct one’s faults, disasters of every kind will follow.

For this reason the Yun Bureau was established, the divine office charged with pestilence and with driving out epidemic harm, to carry out the talismanic mandate of the Celestial Emperor. In each cycle of twelve years, the Year King then on duty metes out reward and punishment; within the five directions, generals are relied upon to wield awesome authority. The Demon King Lifan (Lifan Mowang) assists the holy Dao and often manifests in fierce majesty; Grand Guardian Zhang Kang (Zhang Kang Taibao) likewise often appears in company with the spirits and displays numinous power. May they draw in their might, terrible as thunder and lightning, and bestow auspicious blessings. Now the devotee So-and-so lights the lamps: the lamps open like lotus blossoms, and the incense smoke curling in the burner is like the breath of the suanni, a legendary beast of good omen. We earnestly beg the deities to descend, and respectfully offer this hymn of praise:

We earnestly beg the Demon King Lifan (Limo Fanwang) to bestow vast grace; Grand Guardian Zhang Kang, may the temple be peaceful and solemn. Kings of the twelve years, follow the command of the Celestial Emperor; envoys of the five directions, sweep away malevolence, deviance, and cruelty. May the deities be upright and discerning, commending the loyal and the righteous and protecting those who are filial to their parents. May all of heaven and the breadth of earth turn to cool clarity and peace, so that living beings may hold in mind and turn toward the shelter of Heaven and Earth.

We earnestly beg the Demon King Lifan to bestow vast grace; Grand Guardian Zhang Kang, may the temple be peaceful and solemn. Kings of the twelve years, follow the command of the Celestial Emperor; envoys of the five directions, sweep away malevolence, deviance, and cruelty. May the deities be upright and discerning, commending the loyal and the righteous and protecting those who are filial to their parents. May all of heaven and the breadth of earth turn to cool clarity and peace, so that living beings may hold in mind and turn toward the shelter of Heaven and Earth.

All of us, with sincere hearts, take refuge in the Northern Pestilence Envoy Shi, the divine messenger charged with plague affairs in the north.

Heaven shows no partial favor toward those who draw near, and the Great Dao (the Way) has no fixed, unchanging form. The workings of the Great Dao bring the myriad things into manifestation, and its light can shine through every quarter. To lengthen one’s blessings and preserve life, there are methods of ritual cultivation and expiation (dispelling calamity and praying for blessings through rites of prayer); men and women alike receive the grace of Heaven’s protection.

We respectfully invite the plague offices (the divine bureaus that govern epidemics) to descend into the human world. When pestilence spreads, ghost-kings display their might; when illness is treated by inducing sweat, emissaries likewise exercise their supernatural powers. The deities instruct the people through fortune and misfortune, and they also send calamity and auspicious signs down into the world. They constantly come to the aid of the myriad things and do not set out to do harm; saving living beings with measureless sacred power expresses the De (Virtue/Power) of cherishing life.

The waxing and waning of Yin-Yang and the alternation of cold and heat all follow definite patterns: the twelve pitch-standards (the ancient twelve musical tones) move without deviation, and the four seasons and six Qi (the climate of the four seasons and the six natural vital energies) change in due order. Pestilence is divided into thirty-six kinds, and seventy-two deities make their rounds for them at the appointed times. When a wholesome thought arises in the heart, disaster can disperse; if the heart harbors crooked intent and one’s conduct is not upright, misfortune will come. If one offers worship with a sincere heart, one will surely obtain peace, health, and harmony.

Now the faithful devotee So-and-so has therefore prepared incense, its fragrance rich and full, and has kindled bright lamps, their light resplendent. We respectfully invite the deities to descend, and with words of praise we laud them:

The thirty-six decades (in antiquity time was reckoned by ten-day periods; here referring to the divine offices that govern climate) preside over the movement of climate; twenty-four deities guard the portals in their several posts and govern the hours; seventy-two deities patrol at the proper times, each attending to an appointed charge. Among the twelve pitch-standards are the tones Huangzhong, Taicu, and others. Black great banners, keen blades, and great beasts with long fangs are all emblems of divine majesty, and also the commands of Heaven. May the deities protect living beings, turn calamity into safety with compassionate hearts, let divine majesty still disaster and blame, and bless the whole household with peace, sound health, abundance, and long life.

We of this assembly, with sincere hearts, take refuge and pay ritual homage to the Central Plague-Conducting Envoy Zhong (the divine general who governs pestilence of the central direction).

The sacrificial rites established by the ancient sages have been handed down through long ages. People held that spirits must manifest their divine powers and let their efficacy be seen before they would receive sacrifice in the various regions. Following the regulations of altars and shrines, people carried out the Mandate of Heaven, so that the spirits might display their majestic numinous power within the territories under their charge.

Sacrificial tables are laden with fine wine and choice dishes, the cups and platters set out in abundance and purity. Shrines are built with vermilion eaves and blue-green tiles, their halls solemn and majestic. The spirits who receive offerings include the perfected immortals of Daoism, the great beings of Buddhism, and also the heroic martyrs of antiquity and the worthies of former generations. Some are given form in painting; others have their features molded in clay. They enjoy the offerings of the local people and receive the reverence and allegiance of folk from near and far.

Now a certain devotee therefore lights red candles, and sandalwood incense rises like mist. All look on with respect and admiration, and scholars and commoners come to believe and take refuge. The ritual assembly (fazhong, the Daoist priests participating in the rite), with devout hearts, respectfully offer this praise:

The numinous spirits of commanderies, counties, and walled towns are the masters of the people. The Sheling (the deity who governs the local altar of the soil) and the Chenghuang (the City God who guards the city walls and oversees the locality) have enjoyed sacrifice generation after generation. The spirits of the shrines are illustrious in renown and bright in wisdom. Worthies and notables from ancient times have toured the four quarters and received the people’s reverence. When the people offer sacrifice in their own locality, how could this be altered? May the spirits deign to examine this announcement of sacrifice, gladly descend, and protect this family so that they may forever be spared alarm and calamity.

Scriptures are recited, the shuwen (the written announcement of sacrifice addressed to the spirits) is read aloud, offerings and paper money are burned, and the merit is dedicated in transfer (huixiang, praying that the merit be directed to a specific recipient).