《洞玄灵宝自然斋仪》

The masters of ritual, each in accordance with the liturgical regulations, quiet the mind and practice visualization.

The ritual drum is then struck twenty-four times.

Next the rite of “Issuing the Burner” is performed. One invokes the Most High Lord Lao of the Three Qi (vital energy)—Mystery, Origin, and Beginning—of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens, asking him to summon forth from within our bodies the Merit Officers of the Three and Five, the emissaries of the offices of the left and right, the mounted officers of the postal dragons who present incense on the left and right, the Golden Lads who attend the incense, the Jade Maidens who transmit words, and the direct-talisman officers of the Five Emperors together with the incense officials on duty for the day, thirty-six of each. One prays that they report to the Shen (spirits) of the soil of this place, the true officials of the locality, and the orthodox spirits, saying: I am now burning incense and practicing the Dao (the Way), and on behalf of the disciple So-and-so I set forth the matter and pray for what is sought. May the orthodox and true vital Qi of the ten directions descend into our bodies, so that the petitions I submit may be swiftly conveyed and arrive directly before the Jade Emperor, Supreme Sovereign of Ultimate Truth of the Most High Boundless Great Dao.

Each person announces his own name and official title.

Holding ritual office, the Master of Such-and-such sacred mountain, your servant So-and-so, and the others, together and with sincere hearts, respectfully address:

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, of emptiness and spontaneity; the Most High Lord of the Dao of the Boundless Great Dao; the Most High Lord Lao; the Exalted Jade Emperor on High; and the hosts of great saints of the ten directions who have already attained the Dao, together with the kings and venerable ones of ultimate truth.

Each person announces his own name and official title.

Holding ritual office, the Master of Such-and-such sacred mountain, your servant So-and-so, and the others, together and with sincere hearts, respectfully address:

We, the officiants of the purification rite, respectfully report to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning of Vacuous Spontaneity, the Most High Lord of the Limitless Great Dao (the Way), the Most High Lord Lao, the Exalted Jade Emperor, the great sages of the ten directions who have already attained the Dao, the lords and elders of ultimate perfection, the Thearchs of the Thirty-two Heavens, the Supreme Thearch of the Jade Void, the Jade Thearch and Grand Thearch, the worthies of Eastern Florescence, the Southern Pole, the Western Numen, and the Northern Perfected, the Most Perfected Brilliant Sovereign and Lord of the Dao of the Numinous Treasure in the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity, upon the Mysterious Terrace of the Seven Treasures at the Golden Portal of the Jade Capital in the Mysterious Metropolis, the Great Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center, and the officers of every rank throughout the Three Realms, together with all revered deities.

In a former life we were bound by affinity, and in this life we have been born into a flourishing age. Receiving the inspiration and elevation of the mysterious and wondrous true Dao, we have been able to enter the gate of the teaching. From three revered masters we swore a covenant and received the methods, accepting the divine scriptures of the Three Treasures, which we enshrine and honor with ritual reverence in order to seek what we wish. Favored with grace so profound, we are at once joyful and awestruck. Yet on the day we received the methods we pledged to exert our minds and strength to the utmost. Our talent and wisdom are shallow, and we can offer only our meager effort: proclaiming the voice of the teaching and praising its mysterious and wondrous instruction, so that all living beings may enter the gate of the teaching, the living may be rescued and the dead delivered, and the multitude may dwell in peace and joy. Whenever anyone comes to pray and petition, the matter ought, by rights, to be conveyed upward to the divinities. Now there is a document of prayer, which we carefully submit and memorialize.

The prayer text is then recited.

What the prayer text states is as follows: our intention is only to reverently carry out the voice of the teaching and to praise the mysterious and wondrous instruction, so that all living beings may enter the gate of the teaching, the living may be rescued and the dead delivered, and the multitude may dwell in peace and joy. Whenever anyone comes to pray and petition, the matter ought, by rights, to be conveyed upward to the divinities. Now there is a document of prayer, which we carefully submit and memorialize.

The prayer text is then recited.

The course of events has been truthfully reported, yet anxiety still remains in our hearts. Relying on the power of the Great Dao (the Way), we hope to dispel the calamities yet to come. We, your servants, have received the abundant grace of Heaven, and our duty is to succor all living beings.

We have heard that the Void Sovereign, a deity venerated in Daoism, spread the methods of the teaching in order to guide the myriad living beings, and that the Great Emperor, likewise a venerated deity, left behind scriptures (Jing) to serve as the standard of cultivation for the many perfected immortals. The gate of the Dao stands open, drawing people toward deliverance, and the teaching permits living beings to rely upon it in their practice. When the heart is stirred, it can commune with the spirits and divinities; when a prayer is offered, none fails to receive a response. When the heart within is sincere, auspicious signs appear; and when divine grace descends, the stars themselves seem to shine more brightly because of it.

Now, with this first stick of incense, body, Shen (spirit), and nature and life together take refuge in the boundless Great Dao of the ten directions and in the Three Supreme Worthies of the Most High, the three highest deities venerated in Daoism. We wish to dedicate this merit back to the Great Dao. May the Nine Mysterious and Seven Ancestors—the ancestors and forebears of successive generations—of the household of this disciple, together with kin who have died or been reborn and all the relatives of the clan, as one leave the Ninefold Darkness, the depths of the underworld, and together ascend to the Ten Extremes, the sacred realms. May their names be removed from the netherworld registers of the Northern Yin and entered upon the immortal registers of the Southern Pole. May blessings endure and auspicious signs gather from afar; may enmity and strife be laid to rest, and may good fortune extend to descendants.

Therefore we burn incense and take refuge in the De (Virtue/Power) of the revered masters and of the great host of sages and the supremely perfected. After the Dao has been attained, may we ascend into the realm of the formless and become one with the Dao.

The Jade Capital (Yujing), the immortal realm of which Daoism speaks, is not remote. If one only gathers in the thoughts of the mind, one can commune with it. The True Ruler, the divinity who presides over all things, has no fixed place; pray as the heart moves, and a response is sure to come. In performing this second rite of taking up incense, one vows to return body, Shen (spirit), and nature and life together to the Most High Three Venerables of the Limitless Great Dao (the Way) of the Ten Directions, the highest deities revered in Daoism.

One wishes to dedicate this merit to the emperor. Transforming and nurturing the people by means of the Dao, and bearing Heaven’s mandate to govern the world, the emperor causes every heart to hold harmony and joy and all things to grow in due course. One further wishes to dedicate the merit to us ministers, to the three masters who transmit the methods of the Dao, to the Jing (scripture/classic) masters, to one’s birth parents, to those who cultivate the Dao in seclusion amid mountains and forests, to fellow cultivators, to affinal kindred, to the people of the world, and to flying insects, walking beasts, and all living beings, wishing that all may find peace and remain far from calamity.

Therefore one burns incense and takes refuge in the masters, the host of great saints, and the De (Virtue/Power) of the Utmost Truth. May one, after attaining the Dao, ascend into the formless realm and become one with the Dao. The Great Dao is without partiality and responds to each person as conditions arise; where there is utmost sincerity and good faith, stimulus brings communion. In performing this third rite of taking up incense, one vows to return body, Shen, and nature and life to the Most High Three Venerables of the Limitless Great Dao of the Ten Directions.

One wishes to dedicate this merit to the patron of the Zhai (purification rite). The disciple of the Great Dao, So-and-so, together with kindred and affines, respectfully prays that disasters and afflictions be removed and body and mind be clear and pure; that one comprehend the profound teachings of the Golden Chamber, the sacred secret realm of which Daoism speaks, and transcend the dark realm of the Feng Department, the underworld offices of the shades. Blessings, virtue, and good deeds then naturally become manifest, and the divinities protect and uphold; one’s span of life is lengthened, like a withered tree growing lush again, and like a cold lamp about to go out kindled once more. Men and women are upright and harmonious, and livestock flourish and thrive.

Therefore one burns incense and takes refuge in the masters, the host of great saints, and the De of the Utmost Truth. May one, after attaining the Dao, ascend into the formless realm and become one with the Dao.

Next one performs the repentance rite of the ten directions, offering penitential worship to the deities of the ten directions.

Next one performs the repentance rite of the four holy quarters, offering penitential worship to the holy deities of the four directions.

We of this ritual assembly (the Daoist priests and devotees taking part in the Daoist purification rite), with utmost sincerity entrust our lives to the boundless Supreme Lord of Numinous Treasure of the ten directions, the Taishang Lingbao Tianzun, and to the gods, immortals, and numinous officers in every quarter of the ten directions.

Disciple So-and-so was born into the dusty world. Since growing up, transgressions have clung fast, Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) have been impaired, and falsehood has been plentiful while sincerity has been scarce. Bound by family affection and emotional attachment, and tempted by reputation and fame, this one has committed many faults and can scarcely remain safe from harm. There is further anxiety that, from accumulated lifetimes down to the present day, the sins committed in secret and the faults brought into the open have already offended the deities of the ten directions. At times one has failed to accord with the order of Yin-Yang and has not known how to avoid what is taboo; at times one has wantonly killed living beings and taken life, and given free rein to passion; at times one has offended knowingly, and at times erred without intent through carelessness; at times the faults were made by one’s own body and mind, and at times one obeyed because others compelled it. Offenses have accumulated, deep and grave, and drawn punishment from the deities, so that day and night one lives in worry and fear and dares not dwell at ease. Now, relying on the Supreme Worthy, one hopes to receive protection and nurture.

We cleanse our hearts within, sincerely repent of our faults, and with a quiet mind pray for grace. To this end we arrange the wondrous Lingbao retreat (the purification fast and rite of prayer and aversion of the Lingbao tradition), seeking to dissolve and redeem the guilt of the dark underworld and of the human world. May all who live in this world, whether close or distant, noble or humble, see calamity and affliction disperse and their span of life stretch long; may the relatives by marriage and the clan kin of the inner and outer lines who are still in this world enjoy a spiritual consciousness that is clear and at peace, and all receive mysterious blessing and felicity; may descendants thrive and flourish and long form good affinities. May blessings gather from the ten directions, and may misfortune sink into the Ninefold Darkness (the dark and profound netherworld). We bow our heads and take refuge in the orthodox Three Treasures (the Dao, the Way; the Jing, the scriptures; and the masters).

Next, we turn to the left in dedication and stand facing west, visualize the nine-colored circular image (a round sacred image displaying nine colors), and recite the formula for commanding demons.

The secret incantation is recited.

Next comes the buxu, Pacing the Void (the segment of the purification rite in which one walks while chanting), as we walk in a circuit.

Next we perform the Three Invitations (the petition offered in three stages).

Next we perform the Three Salutations.

Next we once more chant the names and the titles of rank.

Those who hold ritual office, a certain Master Yue and others, with one heart and sincere reverence once again submit this memorial to the Limitless Dao (the Way) of the Most High, the thirty-six venerable Jing (scriptures) of the Most True Lingbao, the Three Worthies of the Most High, the host of sages of the ten directions, the Great Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center, the officials of the Three Realms, and all divine spirits.

We have been favored by blessings accumulated in the past, and by karmic affinity have encountered the methods of the Great Dao and the Lingbao Jing. We have received the saving deliverance of the Mysterious Truth, and have also been fortunate to be invested with the numinous writs. Yet we were born bearing the habits of the dusty world, which we have never been able to cut off completely, and we have violated the precepts and prohibitions. Though our hearts are utterly sincere, we find that sincerity hard to express. By rights we ought to lose heart and reproach ourselves, willingly accepting punishment in the unseen realm. But because the Thousand Perfected have established regulations that allow a person to redeem faults by establishing slight merit, we make bold, with our shallow understanding, to carry out the work of teaching, hoping thereby to redeem our faults and to help living beings escape suffering.

Now there is a disciple of the Great Dao, so-and-so, whose feelings and will are confused and who harbors grievance in his heart; he is truly to be pitied. Born into the dusty world, his mind and Shen (spirit) are benighted and obscured. Entangled by habitual tendencies and conditioning causes, he cannot find the way to deliverance and liberation, and can only rely upon the Supreme Mystery (the highest mysterious Dao), specially praying for vast grace. We respectfully join together to bathe body and mind, burn incense, and recite the Jing, hoping thereby to repent and make amends for our offenses. We earnestly beg the assembled Worthies of the Most High, the Great Ritual Master Who Oversees the Retreat (the master who presides over the purification ritual), the host of spirits who attend the True, and the officials of the Three Realms to extend their divine scrutiny, to hear and examine our petition, to grant special pardon, and to fulfill this trifling entreaty of ours.

We earnestly beg pardon for this disciple and for his Nine Mysteries and Seven Ancestors (remote forebears and the ancestors of successive generations), and pardon for the offenses he himself has accumulated from life after life down to the present day: indulging passion and desire and broadly sowing the causes of sin; failing to understand moral principle and failing to grasp the wondrous purport; depleting Shen and primordial Qi (vital energy), disdaining simplicity while chasing after empty show; words that do not match the thoughts of the heart, devout in outward appearance yet false within; crimes committed in secret and faults committed in the open, numberless and without bound. Some were committed in confusion, without his knowing; others were committed knowingly and on purpose. There are also breaches of sworn covenants, violations of the precepts, idleness and negligence, even to the point of falling into the dark underworld, and faults of every kind, too many to record one by one. We earnestly beg leave, by burning incense and practicing the Dao this day, to have these offenses washed away and removed.

May the Lofty Saints and Great Spirits of the Most High, together with the host of spirits of Ultimate Truth, bestow the grace of great compassion, send down numinous response, and grant the blessing of salvation and favor without end. We ask that the flying celestial spirit-beings be summoned, bearing the Nine Dragon Talismanic Mandate of the Azure Palace of Eastern Florescence (the sacred talismanic mandate issued by the Azure Palace of Eastern Florescence), to patrol the ten directions and inspect each office and bureau. May every offense of the living and the dead in the household of the disciple, so-and-so, be removed: may the dead undergo refining and deliverance in the Southern Palace, and may their name-registers be struck from the Northern Bureau (the office that keeps the name-registers of the dark underworld); may blessings pass on to later generations, and good fortune descend upon the present world. May old and young live in harmony, and sons and grandsons be worthy, virtuous, and eminent; may disasters disperse and auspicious signs increase day by day; may servants be safe and at peace, and the livestock raised in the household flourish.

We respectfully perform the purification ritual for the patron of the retreat. All that we confess, and all the pardon we request, we earnestly beg may be accomplished just as we have said; all that we memorialize, and all that we set forth, we likewise earnestly beg may be forgiven and released. May this above accord with the vast compassion of the Celestial Worthies, and below answer the sincere hearts with which we entrust our lives and revere the Dao. We respectfully submit this memorial.

The next of the “Twelve Vows” is then read aloud.

At the Returning to the Censer—when, at the close of the ritual, homage is again paid to the incense burner—the envoys of the Incense Official, the Dragon and Tiger Lords on the left and right, and all the spirit officers who tend the incense fire are asked to cause golden liquor, cinnabar and azure, the blooms of the numinous mushrooms, and other immortal substances to arise of themselves within the hall of purification. May the hundred spirits and the assembled Perfected gather before this incense burner. May the disciple, after observing the purification, receive blessings for the whole family, so that favor extends both within the household and beyond it.

The immortal lads and jade maidens of the ten directions are asked to stand by as guards, so that the incense smoke may carry upward the prayers the disciple has already offered, reaching directly before the throne of the Most High Jade Emperor of the Boundless Great Dao (the Way).