《罗天大醮设醮仪》

Ritual Procedure for Establishing the Luotian Grand Offering

The ritual masters (priests who preside over or take part in the liturgy) each visualize and still the mind in accordance with the ritual protocol.

The Weiling Incantation is read aloud (a spell invoking the deities to guard the ritual altar and drive off evil influences).

East. The great deity of the bright stars in the azure heaven of the nine Qi (nine kinds of vital energy) of the East shines with brilliance upon the East and clearly illumines the ninefold gates of heaven. Turning sunlight like candleflame, it sweeps away impurity and malign Qi. The Youth of Opening Brightness, named Xuanqing, strictly guards my ritual altar and assists the Imperial Lord above. He subdues demons and monsters, binds sprites and evils, and campaigns against and seizes the wicked. He upholds the orthodox Dao (the Way) and spreads the Red Writ and Jade Script (sacred talismanic writings of Daoism). He carries out the talismanic mandates of the Nine Heavens just as a courier transmits orders. When the world is brought to peace, I am then able to ascend in flight and become an immortal.

South. The cinnabar heaven of the three Qi of the South radiates splendor and pours forth light. The planet Yinghuo (Mars) turns its brilliance and shines throughout the realm of the Great Yang. In heaven there is the Red Essence, joined with Xuhuang (a venerated deity of Daoism). The Youth of Opening Brightness, named Huafang, exercises overall command of the divine troops of the Fire Division and strictly guards the Jade Hall. He cuts away evil influences, binds demons and sprites, and eliminates demon kings. Acting on the command of the Northern Emperor, he harnesses wind and fire to strike at evil. Flowing bells cast light upon one another and guard the ritual altar. Orthodox Qi circulates—who would dare to act with wild arrogance and raise disorder? I shall enjoy merit of the highest grade, sit secure while turning the Kuigang (the stars of the Northern Dipper), endure through a hundred million kalpas, and uphold the celestial realm forever without end.

West. In the white heaven of the seven Qi of the West, the star Taibai (that is, Venus) spreads its essential light. Its radiance shines upon the Golden Gate and brightly penetrates places dark and deep. Within the celestial realm is the White Sovereign, named Diling, who preserves Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit), settles and holds guard, and protects the form of my body. He severs the root of evil influences and makes manifest the orthodox road that leads to the Jade Way. The palaces stand in solemn order, and the Three Luminaries of sun, moon, and stars (the three kinds of celestial light spoken of in Daoism) come together. United with the natural Dao, one ascends in flight to the Purple Court (the palace court of the celestial realm). Following the talismanic mandate of Lingbao, benefit is widely extended to all living beings. The orthodox Qi of the Primordial Sovereign of the West comes forth and unites with my person. Merit reaches all things, and heaven and earth alike find peace.

North. The original text has at this point only the two characters “North”; no corresponding incantation is supplied.

In the Mysterious Heaven of the North—the northern celestial realm where the revered deities of Daoism dwell—the Qi (vital energy) of the Primordial Beginning, the original vital energy of the cosmos, circulates back and forth. The star Chen, that is, Mercury, turns, and its light shines upon the Taiwei Enclosure, the stellar region where the Celestial Emperor resides. The venerable Shen (spirit) of the Black Numen, named Cengwei, wears a dark celestial crown and flowing immortal skirts and feathered robes. He guards the five gates, examines sprites of Jing (essence), and seizes the deviant and the false. Should any evil thing dare to intrude, he cuts it down and destroys it. The mandate transmitted by the jade talisman summons the divine perfected ones of the Eight Awes. The gates of deviance are thereby closed, and the radiance of the orthodox Dao (the Way) spreads abroad. The Three Luminaries—the sun, the moon, and the stars—shine, and my body is kept from decline. Thereupon, riding the void and borne on the floating air, the whole body ascends in flight and becomes an immortal.

The Center

The Yellow Qi of the Center harmonizes and orders Qian and Kun, Heaven and Earth, smelts and fuses Yin-Yang, and holds in its grasp the mysterious and wondrous true Qi. The Garrison Star, Saturn, sends forth its brilliance and illuminates the nine stars. The Youth of Opening Light is named Tianlin. Yang Qi bears his bodily form as he flies aloft through the void, and the whole body ascends in flight to become an immortal.

The Center

The Yellow Qi of the Center harmonizes and orders Qian and Kun, Heaven and Earth, smelts and fuses Yin-Yang, and holds in its grasp the mysterious and wondrous true Qi. The Garrison Star sends forth its brilliance and illuminates the nine stars. The Youth of Opening Light is named Tianlin. Yang Qi flares upward, revealing a vermilion flame that shines through within and without and sets my bodily form in motion. Every kind of evil influence is shattered and destroyed in turn, and ghosts and spirits alike are constrained and driven at its command. The Divine Spell of the Central Mountain, a Daoist ritual incantation, spreads throughout the world, so that all may hear it. The Five Numina, the numinous deities of the five directions, settle and stand guard, and my bodily form ascends in flight to the Shangqing realm, the higher celestial realm spoken of in Daoism.

Strike the ritual drum twenty-four times

The Most High Lord Lao of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens, of the Three Qi of the Mysterious, the Primordial, and the Beginning, summons forth from within my body the Merit Officers of the Three and the Five, the official emissaries of the left and the right, the golden lads of the left and the right who bear incense, the jade maidens who transmit words and scatter flowers, together with the direct-talisman officers of the Five Emperors and the incense-official emissaries on duty for the day, thirty-six of each. The divine officers thus summoned must all compose their bearing and dress correctly, with caps and sashes complete and the tassels of their robes hanging down.

They are asked to notify and present a memorial to the Earth God of the Mysterious Altar and the deities of this locality. Now I hold a jiao offering, a Zhaijiao (purification ritual), to give thanks, and carefully set forth the matters for which I pray; every sincere wish has been written in full into the memorial. May the utterly true Qi of the Dao of the Most High, together with the auspicious light of Lingbao, the Numinous Treasure, descend and flow into our bodies, so that the sincerity of what I memorialize may swiftly ascend, reaching the Utterly True and Limitless Great Dao, the exalted sages of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), and the throne of the Most Venerable Jade August Thearch of the Golden Portal of Vast Heaven.

Please announce your ritual offices

Your servant of the stated rank, So-and-so, together with the officers and company assembled at the altar, with sincere hearts reverently address the above: May the Qi of the Dao descend and flow into our bodies, so that the sincerity of what I memorialize may swiftly ascend, reaching the Utterly True and Limitless Great Dao, the exalted sages of the Three Pure Ones, and the throne of the Most Venerable Jade August Thearch of the Golden Portal of Vast Heaven.

Proclaiming the Ritual Office (declaring sacred titles and ranks)

I, your servant so-and-so, invested with ritual office, together with the officials attending the altar and all those assembled, sincerely submit this memorial and respectfully invite: the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, of Empty Non-Being and Spontaneity; the Most High Lord of the Limitless Great Dao (the Way); the Most High Lord Lao; the Exalted Jade Emperor; the host of great sages of the ten directions who have already attained the Dao; the Lords and Elders of Utmost Perfection; the Imperial Lords of the Thirty-Two Heavens; the Supreme Thearch of the Jade Void; the Great Jade Thearch; the Eastern Florescence and the Southern Pole, the Western Numen and the Northern Perfected; the Luminous Sovereign Lord of the Dao of the Utmost Perfection of the Numinous Treasure, of the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity upon the Jasper Terrace of the Seven Treasures at the Golden Portal of the Jade Capital in the Mysterious Metropolis; the Venerable Scriptures of the Thirty-Six Divisions; the Great Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center; the Supreme Minister and the Supreme Steward, the Supreme Guardian and the Supreme Preceptor; the Twenty-Four Perfected who transmit below the teaching of Great Peace; Lord Wang, Chief Perfected of the Western Citadel; the Perfected of Great Unity; Lord Mao, Senior Minister of the Eastern Marchmount and Director of Destinies; the two Perfected, Determiner of Records and Preserver of Life; the divine immortals who have attained the Dao in the famous mountains and grotto abodes; together with the officers of every rank throughout the Three Realms and all perfected spirits.

Your servant has heard that the Dao is not far from the people of the world. It manifests as a wondrous image that is neither possessed of form nor empty nothingness. Heaven can cover the myriad things, yet when one looks up it is hard to say whether it is clear or turbid. Once a single thought of wholehearted sincerity gets through, the spirits of the ten directions all assemble.

Now the purification officer so-and-so has long reverently maintained a pure intention, offering a modest expression of sincere devotion. He has long kept pure the star altar—the altar ground on which the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) is held—and has already respectfully performed the rites of the Six Fasts. Now he once more welcomes the gods to descend and devoutly carries out the offering rite. Though the sacrificial gifts are not abundant, one remembers that even such humble plants as duckweed and southernwood may be used in sacrifice. The fragrance of incense mingles with the morning mist and gathers into the semblance of dragon chariots; the sound of the stone chimes, carried on the dawn wind, interweaves with the immortal music of the far void. The spirits are revered as though they stood before one’s eyes; when the heart’s intent calls forth a response, the spirits descend.

We respectfully pray that the spirits come driving clouds and riding feathered chariots, while the streamers and canopies of the Ten Absolutes—the banners used in the ritual—glimmer faintly upon one another; and that, between the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon, the ensigns of the Eight Treasures stream in the wind. The spirits of the Three Realms attend the carriages, and the myriad gods take their seats together. We, your servants, in fear and trembling, presume to present this invitation and respectfully await the descent of the spirits.

Arranging the ranks: the spirits are respectfully invited to take their places in order.

Descent of the sages: the spirits are respectfully invited to descend.

Settling the seats: the spirits are respectfully invited to be seated.

Presenting tea: the tea is offered.

We respectfully invite the luan carriage and crane chariot (the vehicles in which the immortals ride) to descend upon this immortal palace, and we reverently offer phoenix cakes and dragon rounds (refined tea cakes and tea balls), as if presenting fine wine in a jade cup. Gazing up at the celestial countenance, we feel it as though it were close at hand, and we earnestly beg the divinities to perceive our sincerity. May Heaven and Earth communicate above and below, and may the inner and the outer respond to one another. Your servant, together with the Zhai official (the official who presides over the Zhaijiao [purification ritual]), in fearful reverence knocks his head to the ground and bows again, and respectfully presents the rite of tea.

The Ritual

Your servant has heard that although Heaven does not speak, it sends calamity upon the wicked and bestows blessing upon those who do good; the Great Dao (the Way) covers the myriad things, yet it has always abhorred killing and cherished life. Thunder manifests the majesty of shaking chastisement, while rain and dew dispense the grace that moistens all things. The net of Heaven’s Dao is vast without bound, yet it lets nothing slip through; Heaven’s De (Virtue/Power) is broad and profound, more than words can exhaust. Good and ill fortune do not arrive by chance; calamity and blessing are both brought upon people by themselves. If only one knows how to amend one’s faults, turn toward the good, and keep far from evil, one can transform calamity into blessing.

We consider that Zhai official So-and-so, dwelling between Heaven and Earth and receiving the broad love of Heaven and Earth, is the most spiritually endowed of all beings. When charged with governing the people, he beheld this great catastrophe and worried that other regions were suffering plague, war, drought, locusts, and flood. Although the place where he himself resides is for the moment at peace, internal disorder may yet arise. Thereupon local officials and worthy gentlemen of the countryside together reported to the exalted Perfected of the extreme realms of the ten directions (revered deities of Daoism), submitted words of prayer, and established a great Luotian Zhaijiao (a large-scale Daoist purification ritual of offering to the deities of all the heavens).

The hearts of all were pure and sincere, and the rite was solemn and dignified. Orchid candles shone upon one another, and precious torches shed auspicious radiance; the fragrances of agarwood and sandalwood mingled, and from the golden censer rose auspicious smoke of the five colors. Over the offering altar there was a gentle warmth as of spring; after the clouds opened, the Yellow Path (the celestial road symbolizing auspiciousness) appeared. Now, as we are about to present the offerings, we dare not neglect the established order of the rite.

We fear that the offerings are as meager as duckweed and algae (aquatic plants used in ancient sacrifice) and that we have not achieved complete purity, and so we have gathered immortal medicines such as ginseng and poria in place of ordinary coarse sacrificial goods. Though the offerings are not abundant, our sincerity is more than sufficient; since the heart is already devout, the wording may be kept simple. With undivided sincerity we presume to pray and make this announcement, bowing a hundred times and knocking our heads, reverent and fearful. The clear wine has been poured to fill the vessel; we respectfully perform the rite of the first offering.

Your servant has heard that once the Dao (the Way) can be spoken, it is no longer the constant and unchanging Dao; once it can be named, its fundamental reality can no longer be fully set forth. Thus principles profound and far-reaching are hard to exhaust. To call the divine divine, and the sagely sagely, comes of reverence for what is clear, luminous, and numinous. One reflects that the human body is like foam upon the water, and a lifetime like a candle flame in the wind, gone in an instant. Transgression cannot be escaped, and one fears the vast net of Heaven, through which little is let slip; yet good deeds may perhaps dispel calamity, as the ancient books also record.

Heaven clearly surveys the eight directions—the four quarters, the eight points, and Heaven and Earth together. We have therefore established the Great Luotian Jiao (Luotian dajiao), a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) in which an altar is raised and offerings made to the sacred beings of the heavens. Holding ourselves in purity and giving ourselves wholly to sincere reverence, we have already presented our meager offerings, and now we express our earnest respect once more. We confess our faults, and we also return thanks; we are ashamed to fall short even of the otter and the jackal, which still know how to repay their source. Affairs have a beginning and an end; we wish to serve with the diligent devotion of dogs and horses. We neither see nor hear the divinities, yet we look up to their vastness without bound, as though they were present above. Reverently honoring the exalted gods possessed of De (Virtue/Power) and the Dao, we earnestly beg them to discern the sincerity that comes from our hearts. May the faults entered in the registers of transgression be removed, and may blessings and emolument be recorded in the Qingdu, the palaces of the celestial realm. May good fortune be received in time to come, and may the calamities of the present and of what lies ahead disperse. Your servants reverently present wine, offering the second libation—the second presentation of wine in the rite of sacrifice.

The rite is performed.

Your servant has heard that the Dao seems at once to be and not to be, without sound and without savor. The movement of Heaven is vast and lofty, while the subtlety of the supreme Dao is dim and elusive, hard to fathom. Your servants exert heart and sincerity to the utmost, raising our gaze to pray and make announcement to Heaven. We think upon this flawed and insubstantial body: fault has been incurred, yet there is nowhere to entreat; still we look with longing to the nameless wondrous Dao, trusting that its great De can embrace all living beings. We have therefore chosen an auspicious day and carefully perform the rite, purifying the orchid field—the clean altar-ground where the Zhaijiao is held—and rendering it solemn and pure.

Daoist priests, dressed in ritual robes and wearing feathered garments, carry out the rite without cease for eight days and seven nights. About the Purple Prefecture, the dwelling of the immortals, clouds and Qi (vital energy) rise and surge, and ritual installations such as the nine sections and the ten absolutes are set in place. The true writs—the talismanic texts, memorials, and other documents used in the jiao—are read aloud and then gathered in; the mats are withdrawn, fragrant offerings for the jiao are arrayed, and the altar is thereafter dispersed. Suddenly we look up to the light of the Kui and Bi lodges, constellations of the heavens, hoping the divinities will examine the earnestness of us folk of the grass and the wilds. May the mountain of transgression crumble and vanish, and may length of life increase like the mountains and hills. May the sea of blessing grow clear, and the bounty of emolument flow on without cease, like a river. Your servant, together with the officials of the fast, knocks the head and bows again; we establish the jiao to return thanks, and present wine in the final offering—the last presentation of wine in the rite of sacrifice.

The rite is performed.

Your servant of established office, So-and-so—the servant who holds ritual rank—together with the company of officials in attendance at the altar, respectfully, of one heart and sincere intent, addresses those above: We reverently invite the Supreme Worthies of the Three Realms and the exalted saints of the ten directions, the sacred beings of the various heavens honored in the Daoist tradition, to accept this rite of establishing the jiao and returning thanks. We respectfully present wine in the final offering.

The rite is performed.

This official, So-and-so, ranked among the immortals, together with the officers presiding over the rites at the altar and the assembled attendants, sincerely presents this memorial: We respectfully invite the Supreme Venerables of the Three Pure Realms, the Superior Saints of the Ten Directions, the Celestial Emperors and Celestial Perfected within the Jade Capital and Golden Towers, the revered teachers and holy hosts of the Ten Directions, the officials of the Three Realms, and all divine spirits and numinous powers to descend and bear witness.

Through the fortunate karmic affinities of many lifetimes, we have been able to encounter the Dao (the Way). In earlier years, by the grace of the celestial court, we were enrolled among the immortals, clad in feathered robes and wearing star crowns; later we inherited the methods of the Zhi altar—the place where an altar is set up and the offering ritual (jiao) is performed—swore a covenant, and received transmission of the methods of the Dao. Although the nine grades of ritual regulations have already been imparted, our earnest intentions can scarcely be expressed one by one. Now, commanded to preside over the offering rite, we respectfully show our reverence by burning incense and observing the purification retreat (zhai). The painted horns have fallen silent, and the jade pendants give a clear ring; fine wine poured into golden cups reflects a bright radiance. We have performed three salutations and a hundred bows, doing all we can to express our veneration; as for the many faults and transgressions we have accumulated, we set them forth in a written confession and ask to atone.

The statement of the wishes of the purification officers shall now be respectfully read aloud and reported.

The statement is read aloud.

The memorial slip is read aloud—the document in which prayers and requests are set before the deities.

The submitted petition is read aloud—the memorial presented to the deities.

This official, So-and-so, ranked among the immortals, again kneels in homage and presents a memorial: We respectfully invite the Superior Saints of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the exalted Perfected of the ultimate realms of the Ten Directions, and the deities presiding over this offering banquet. These shall now be respectfully read aloud and reported.

The statement is read aloud.

The memorial slip is read aloud.

The submitted petition is read aloud.

Your servant So-and-so, who holds the appropriate ritual rank, once again kowtows and presents this memorial: With reverence I beg to invite the Supreme Sages of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest deities venerated in Daoism; the Exalted Perfected of the Ten Extremes, the venerable gods who dwell in the celestial realms of the ten directions; the True Governors of the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) banquet, the divinities who preside over the jiao rite; and all divine spirits and mighty numina, earnestly imploring that the grace of Heaven look down and take notice of this servant’s sincerity in rendering thanks.

This servant has heard that the Daluo Heaven, the supreme celestial realm spoken of in Daoism, is vast and remote. The Jasper Pool and the jade steps are bright and lovely, as though spring lasted forever and age never came; tier upon tier of cloudy heavens rise aloft, and palaces of precious treasure shine in splendor, as though night never fell. The gates of the golden halls stand open, and stairways of white jade lie stretched before them. Rosy light shines upon the full radiance of divine glory, displaying the solemn and harmonious insignia of the celestial court; the host of stars takes its place in order, encircling the brilliant stellar precincts of the heavenly palace.

Still more, the supreme deities occupy stations of honor and are already hard to behold in person. When this servant summons them to descend, I truly dare not claim that I am able to command them. Only because the Supreme Thearch does not scorn this servant’s humble station have I been able to invite the venerable deities to descend with reverence, and I fear there may have been offenses against their dignity. The rites of court audience having now been completed, it is proper to escort the divine carriages respectfully on their return. This servant reverently envisions it: the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning in the Void rides back to the Wondrous Court of Great Existence, and the Dao Lord of Lingbao proceeds by palanquin toward the perfected realm of Shangqing; flying dragons and dancing cranes welcome Lord Lao back to the Jade Capital, while whistling phoenixes and soaring simurghs throng about the Supreme Thearch of Vast Heaven as he returns to the Golden Portal.

The Celestial Sovereign returns to the station of Gouchen, and the Great Thearch of Purple Tenuity returns to the stellar enclosure of the Northern Pole. Empress Earth and the Earth Spirits command the deities of the earth to return to their imperial residences, and the Great Thearch of Longevity, together with the Heavenly Worthy Who Relieves Suffering, turns the carriages about. The Three Sovereigns and the Five Elders return to their palaces, and the Four Brahma Heavens and the heavens of the Nine Empyreans likewise drive back to Heaven.

Thereupon the deities of all the heavens are respectfully escorted each to their own station, while we gaze afar as the immortals accompany the carriages. We, your servants, bow in sending off the divine immortals of this jiao assembly who return to the celestial realm, reverently envisioning: the crack of whips resounds along the cloud roads, and the gates of Heaven stand open; the ranks of immortals are orderly and solemn, as though, having paid their courtesies, they enter the celestial court; the tall ritual carriages and their insignia are arrayed in austere order, and banners and ceremonial standards crowd about the divine carriages as they return. Feathered robes flutter, and the cries of cranes sound again and again; immortal music strikes up, and the calls of the simurghs gradually fade into the distance. May Heaven and Earth be harmonious and at peace, and may the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang each follow their constant Dao (the Way). May auspicious stars appear over a realm that possesses the Dao, and may sweet dew fall and excellent grain spring up where the land is rich and fair.

We, your servants, bow in sending off the divine immortals of this jiao assembly who return to the earthly offices, reverently envisioning: the gates of the Marchmount offices open, and the locks of the offices of the springs are undone; splendid simurgh-carriages set forth in orderly array and in a moment drive into the palace courts; immortal cranes draw the carriages lightly away, returning once more to dwell in the grotto-residences among cliffs and rocks. Pearl curtains roll up, and immortal maidens come forward in joy to welcome them; precious carriages come home, and jade immortals smile as they bow. May good fortune open a new destiny, and may sage grace moisten the unseen realm. May the deities of the Marchmounts bring forth worthy talents in an age of prosperity, and may the Celestial Thearch issue a decree showing compassion for all beings within the passes and barriers of the underworld.

We, your servants, bow in sending off the divine immortals of this jiao assembly who return to the Water Offices, reverently envisioning: dragon carriages return to the dark-blue sea, and chariots and horses pass Dongting; the deities proceed in solemn state, as though returning from the thearch’s palace; insignia and ritual robes are strictly ordered, and they gladly come back before the imperial throne. The carriages halt, and moonlight is reflected upon a thousand rivers; zithers and swords are put away, and mist veils the Three Isles. May grace spread through the myriad things like waves, and may deep and generous kindness moisten the people. May the four seas still their mighty billows and help the fish leap the three tiers of waves.

Thereupon we, your servants, bow in sending off the divine immortals of this jiao assembly who return to the human world, reverently envisioning: precious carriages drift among the clouds, and pearl-decked banners are arrayed like stars; mountains and rivers everywhere have long awaited the return of the venerable deities, and solemn shrines respectfully welcome the immortal sages back. Spirit banners roll up, and iron-armored warhorses neigh into the wind; the insignia of the celestial court accompany them, and cap ornaments of gold and marten gleam in the moonlight. May the venerable deities peacefully enjoy the offerings in their temples and bestow blessings upon the people of the realm. May clouds of compassion broadly extend their grace, and may harmonious Qi drive away pestilence.

Then the host of spirits returns each to their own shrine-temples, guarding the spirit niches and the halls and attending each to their duties throughout the wards and lanes. In a moment all around is still, and there is no further sound. We, your servants, linger here a while at dusk and only now speak these words—how should we have the face to gaze afar toward the steps of Heaven? We only regret that these bodies have no wings and cannot follow after. When on a later day we again present a memorial for the rite of welcoming the deities, we still hope that the divinities will descend in compassion. Filled with reverence, we prostrate ourselves in lingering attachment and, with utmost sincerity, bow in sending them off.