《洞玄灵宝自然斋券仪》

The Certificate Ritual of the Dongxuan Lingbao Natural Retreat

When the purification rite has ended, the ritual master faces east, burns incense three times, and clicks the teeth three times.

Invocation of the Incense

Most High Lord Lao of the Three Qi (vital energy)—the Mysterious, the Primordial, and the Beginning—of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens, a revered deity of Daoism:

Please summon forth from within my body the Three-and-Five Merit Officers, the divine clerks charged with transmitting documents and presenting memorials; the official messengers of the left and right; the dragon-mounted relay officers of the left and right who bear incense; the Jade Lads who attend the incense; the Jade Maidens who convey messages; and the direct commissioners of the Five Emperors, the divine clerks who carry out the orders of the Celestial Emperors of the five directions—thirty-six of each kind. Ask them to report to the god of the soil of this place, the deities of its jurisdiction, and the upright spirits.

I now reverently burn incense to report and carry out the affairs of the purification rite. May the primal Qi of the orthodox and true Most High of the ten directions enter my body, so that what I report may ascend at once and reach directly before the Supremely Perfected Jade Emperor of the Most High, the Limitless Great Dao (the Way).

The ritual master then kneels upright and again addresses the god of the soil of this place, the deities of its jurisdiction, and the upright spirits: I now reverently burn incense to report and carry out the affairs of the purification rite. May the primal Qi of the orthodox and true Most High of the ten directions enter my body, so that what I report may ascend at once and reach directly before the Supremely Perfected Jade Emperor of the Most High, the Limitless Great Dao.

Still kneeling upright, the ritual master clicks the teeth twenty-four times more and summons the divine clerks within the body to set forth.

I respectfully request that the True Officials of the Five Bodies and the Merit Officer clerks within my body come forth in ranks. I further request that the lords and officers within my body come forth, twelve of each kind: those of the Upper Three Heavens who uphold the law and open transformation; the Yin-Yang Merit Officers; those who bring forth the Dao (the Way) and dispel calamity; and those who scatter misfortune and relieve distress. I also request that the lords and officers of the parish administration come forth, together with the Great Generals of such-and-such parish who establish the standard and supervise merit, the Commandants of the Court of Release of the forward division that renders merit and the rear division that carries out execution, the Assistants of the Post Court, the Audience Visitors of the Four Divisions who supervise merit, the Direct Envoys of the immortal spirits, and others of their kind. Of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Merit Officers, the Merit Officers who treat illness, the envoys of the left and right offices, the central clerks of the yin and yang spirits, the clerks of the statutory chariots and crimson talismans, the clerks who ride the Hard Wind and dispatch post-horses to submit memorials, the Flying Dragon mounted clerks, and the rest, two of each kind come forth.

The divine officers who have come forth are to be solemn in bearing, with robes and caps in full order, displaying majestic dignity. The Direct-Envoy Merit Officers wear the Crown That Communicates with Heaven and plain black robes; the Zhengyi Merit Officers wear vermilion-yang headcloths and plain crimson robes. The envoys wear the Crown of the Nine Virtues and plain robes hung with ribbons of the five colors, tiger tallies bound at the waist and jade tablets in hand. The Direct-Envoy Merit Officers take their stations at the four directions; the Zhengyi Merit Officers stand at the center; and the Merit Officers who treat illness guard my body. The envoy of the left office goes in front bearing the banner, and the envoy of the right office follows behind holding the staff of authority. The central clerk of the yang spirit stands on the left, and the central clerk of the yin spirit stands on the right. The Merit Officers of the upper division stand above, and the Merit Officers of the middle division protect my body; the Merit Officers who urge the Qi (vital energy) hasten the divine officers of the ten directions. The envoys of the upper division gaze far toward Heaven; the envoys of the middle division look out over the eight directions; and the envoys of the metropolitan offices surround my body. The gentleman clerks and tiger-brave guards, the hook-riders who detect treachery, the supervisors of the metropolitan offices, and the celestial stalwart strongmen likewise each keep to their own charge.

The clerks who seize Qi and consume Qi, the clerks who seize Shen (spirit) and consume Shen, the clerks who seize ghosts and consume ghosts, the clerks who seize deviance and consume deviance, the clerks who seize Jing (essence) and consume Jing, and the clerks who seize poison and consume poison, together with the clerks who execute by talisman and destroy illicit shrines, the clerks of the statutory chariots and crimson talismans, the clerks who ride the Hard Wind and dispatch post-horses to submit memorials, and the Flying Dragon mounted clerks, all take station before and behind me and to my left and right. What are here called “seizing Qi,” “seizing Shen,” and the like are the names of the duties of the various classes of divine officers in the scripture. When the Merit Officers and envoys have finished arraying themselves, they form a processional guard and give notice to the officialdom of Lingbao, the Numinous Treasure, and to the lords, generals, and officers who preside over and supervise the purification retreat.

The Twenty-four Parishes established by the Celestial Master (Tianshi), the Thirty-six Quiet Lodges, the Seventy-two Blessed Lands, and the Three Hundred and Sixty Famous Mountains, together with the divine officials of the upper realms, Kunlun among them, and the thirty-six thousand divinities; the sun, moon, and stellar lodges, the patterns and images of the heavens, the Five Emperors of Heaven and Earth, and the generals and officers of the officialdom of the Three Realms; within the Dao, the Two Mysteries and the Three Primes, the Four Beginnings and the Four Faces, the winds and qi of every quarter, the infused qi of the jiazi cycle, and all the Lords of Investigation and Summons—all these are respectfully asked to hear the report together.

The Hu Elder Divine Lords of the Nine Yi of the East, the Yue Elder Divine Lords of the Eight Man of the South, the Di Elder Divine Lords of the Six Rong of the West, the Qiang Elder Divine Lords of the Five Di of the North, and the Cang Elder Divine Lords of the Three Qin of the Center; the spirits of the Five Marchmounts and the Four Great Rivers, of hills, mounds, pools, and marshes; the shrine gods of every place; and the spirits of the high mountains, of the streams and valleys among the mountains and rivers, and of the mountain forests, the Twelve Stream Maidens, the lords of the root and source of the soil, and the generals and officers of the altars of soil and grain—all these are likewise asked to make ready in full attire at once and, together with the Merit Officers and envoys within my body and the Flying Dragon mounted clerks, to submit the memorial upward.

I respectfully announce upward to the Most High Limitless Great Dao, the Most High Lord of the Great Dao, the Most High Lord Lao, the Most High Elder, the Unsurpassed Mysterious Elder, the host of holy Celestial Worthies of the Dao and De (Virtue/Power) of the Limitless Great Dao of the Ten Directions, the Great Emperors of Utmost Perfection, the Celestial Emperor and the Lord Celestial Master, the Great Ritual Master of Lingbao who supervises the purification retreat, and all the official lords.

I was born amid the dust of the common world and have long been sunk in the pursuits of a degenerate age, clinging greedily to glory and splendor. Now I have fortunately met with the opportunity to take part in the teaching and transformation of the Great Dao and, by the covenant oath of the Three Masters, have been granted the venerable Jing (scripture/classic) of the Three Treasures. I make offerings to this scripture and honor it in order to obtain what I seek. The grace I have received is profound, and I am at once joyful and filled with awe. On the day I received the teaching, I vowed to proclaim the voice of the teaching, to praise the transformative instruction of the Great Dao, to transmit it to students who come after, and to open salvation for beings of heaven and of humanity.

Now a priest of Taiyi, the Great Unity—or a priestess—a male or female officer and Perfected Person, so-and-so, of such-and-such prefecture, county, township, and village, is by inborn nature kind and humane, loyal, faithful, and upright, and filial toward elders. Although this person dwells amid the dust of the world, the aspiration is lofty and far-reaching; keeping personally pure and self-disciplined, of clear and correct conduct, this person looks up in admiration to the Way of the divine immortals. This person has already received and upholds the supreme teaching and the tally-covenant of Taiyi, and now comes with a sincere heart to seek the teaching, applying to receive and uphold the Jade-Script True Scripture and Precious Talismans of the Most High Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery, one of the Three Caverns) Lingbao. The sincerity is deep and earnest, and truly ought not to be refused.

I have therefore, in accordance with the statutory rite, observed the purification retreat together with so-and-so and completed the prescribed liturgical order of the retreat days. Now I open the contract-tally for transmitting the scripture and respectfully offer up one vermilion memorial on yellow silk, asking the Merit Officers, the envoys, and the Flying Dragon post-riders to fly it up as a memorial at the proper time and present it to the Most High. The document is set out upon the jade desk. I ask the upper realms to examine and verify it each in turn, so that this utter sincerity may be known.

After reciting the text of the memorial to its end, the officiant knocks the teeth three times and says: "Your servant once again relies upon the assembled True Immortals, the Superior Officials, the Merit Registrars, the Messengers, and the Flying-Dragon Riders to convey this memorial, each in their turn. Please present the Five Scriptures of the Supreme and Perfect Truth that your servant has conferred upon So-and-so, together with one copy each of the Broken Tally and the Red-and-White Memorial, and carry them upward to the presence of the Pure and Mysterious One. Let no baleful qi, stale qi, or obstructing force of official channels in the lower world cut them off and keep them from rising. Your servant holds his breath and sends the memorial soaring upward to the Three Heavens. Respectfully awaiting the reply of the Celestial Bureaus."

"Knocking the teeth" and "holding the breath" are ritual techniques in Daoist liturgy (Keyi); the "memorial" (zhang) is a petition submitted to the deities, and the "tally" (quan) is a token used for swearing oaths and verifying transmission when scriptures are conferred.

When the presentation of the memorial is complete, the officiant kneels for a long while and makes the following declaration:

"Your servant So-and-so, holding the Fa-rank and serving as Master of Such-and-such Peak, respectfully addresses the Supreme Formless and Nameless, the Void and Self-so, the Perfect and True Great Dao; the Supreme Primordial Venerable; the Supreme Great Dao Lord; the Venerable Celestial Ones, the many sages of the Dao and De of the limitless Great Dao of the ten directions; the Great Master of Mystery; the Taiji True Person; and the Celestial Master Lord of the Three True Ones of Mysterious Unity.

"Your servant is foolish and coarse, no better than a walking corpse and rotting flesh. By the grace of a karmic bond from a former life, I have mistakenly received favor I did not deserve. I went on to receive the venerable scriptures of the Great Law and the Three Treasures, yet I have not withdrawn into deep mountain forests to rise above the world. Nor have I proclaimed the highest teaching, sown broadly in the fields of blessing, relieved suffering, or accumulated merit to make amends for my faults. Instead I have mingled with ordinary people and have not set myself apart from the customs of the world.

"By the Great Dao's gracious gift, I have preserved my life to this day and can still look up at the sun, moon, and stars. The kindness is deep and the bestowal great, and there is no way to repay it. Your servant So-and-so, in fear and trembling, bows his head to the ground twice, acknowledging that his offenses are grave.

"Your servant has heard that the true scriptures are precious and may not be practiced casually by the mediocre and shallow, and that their subtle and profound principles lie hidden and cannot be viewed with ordinary eyes by one of limited understanding such as myself. I was fortunate to meet with this opportunity, arriving just as the teachings of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, Dongshen) were being spread through the world and suitable heirs were being selected, and so, though impure, I was able to receive the sacred texts. I have held these scriptures only a short time and ought not to transmit them openly or lightly.

"Now the cycle of the Renchen year has arrived, and an age of Great Peace draws near. Calamity and blessing appear in alternation, and without one who has attained the Dao, it is hard to secure a peaceful lifespan. Human hearts, moreover, are difficult to fathom, yet virtuous people who diligently seek the Dao should not be turned away at the gate.

"There is now a Daoist, So-and-so, of such-and-such prefecture, county, township, and village, who devotes himself to studying the profound principles and fixes his mind on the true Dao. He is willing to give up wealth and honor and seeks only to be in accord with the Great Dao, desiring to practice the way of the immortals and of ascension. His heart is sincere, his search for the Dao earnest, and he admires the Dao's methods and presses forward bravely, humbly requesting to receive the venerable scriptures. Now, in accordance with the Mysterious Code, a ceremony has been established: the scriptures are conferred with a tally as proof, and he swears an oath before the Three Officials (Heaven, Earth, and Water) that he will not spread them recklessly. This matter is respectfully submitted in memorial, and we await a reply so that it may be carried out."

"The Three Officials" refers to the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water revered in Daoism. Several sentences in the scriptural text recur; the above has merged them according to their meaning.

After the matter has been fully reported, the master does not yet hand the covenant document over to the disciple. The master stands facing north, while the disciple turns to the left to face south, kneels and remains kneeling upright, holding the dan-shui (cinnabar-colored talisman water used in the ritual) before the chest. Facing north, the master proclaims: “I, so-and-so, Master of such-and-such a marchmount and holder of a ritual office, your servant so-and-so, respectfully make this matter known to the dan-shui: in such-and-such a prefecture, such-and-such a county, and such-and-such a hamlet, a certain person, whether so-and-so or so-and-so, of such-and-such years of age, has practiced the oral formula of the Yellow-and-Red Sovereign Unity and of the Great Unity’s Single Word, and the grace already received is profound. Now I declare my oath, establish my covenant, and entrust my life, and I come to request that your servant transmit to this person the Five Chapters of the Most High Lingbao of Ultimate Truth…”

The original text ends at “the Five Chapters of the Most High Lingbao of Ultimate Truth,” and the sentence is not yet complete.

The Taizhen Dao Jing, a Daoist scripture, records the following. Yellow-paper memorials inscribed with names and titles, together with plain white memorials, have already been presented, respectfully informing the exalted deities of the Most High and inviting the lords and officials of the oath, Lord Lingbao, the Elder of Lingbao (a venerable Lingbao deity), the lords and officials of the Three Offices of Heaven, Earth, and Water, and the ancestors of seven generations of a certain household to oversee the matter together and bear witness.

Now so-and-so voluntarily seeks the Dao (the Way) and cultivates life, observes fasting and purification, and cleanses the body, entrusting heart and mind to the Dao and accepting as binding the essential teaching and oral instructions of the wondrous Lingbao scriptures. Receiving and observing the great method, one advances, withdraws, and conducts oneself entirely according to the prescribed norms. One is careful in speech and action, casts off the entanglements of every desire, cuts off distracting thoughts, and makes the mind quiet and even. One concentrates on cultivating the methods of the Dao and must not let mind and Shen (spirit) fall into disorder, nor draw others in and disturb the clear, still primordial Qi (vital energy). One should always cherish a heart of great compassion and broadly save and deliver all living beings, praying that the state be secure and the people prosperous, and that the four seas be peaceful and united. The ancestors of seven generations all obtain deliverance; one oneself enters the realm of light and is soon reborn in the human world; and when the great kalpa ends, all ascend together to Shangqing (the higher celestial realm spoken of in Daoism). If one has not yet become an immortal and attained deliverance, the limit is the appointed term of five-eight.

The scriptural methods must not be divulged in private or recklessly transmitted to unsuitable persons. If one breaks the oath, forfeits trust, treats it with contempt, and leaks the numinous writings, then one’s parents, in life and after death alike, will long be pressed into service in the dark underworld, and one oneself will endure the torment of the wind-blades through ten thousand kalpas, and must not resent it. The consequences of violating the various prohibitions are all as stated in the Mingzhen zhi wen (Writings Illuminating the Perfected). If disciple so-and-so recklessly transmits them to an unsuitable person, breaks the oath, forfeits trust, and leaks the numinous writings, this will likewise cause the parents to be long pressed into service in the underworld, and oneself to undergo the torment of the wind-blades through ten thousand kalpas, without resentment. Disciple so-and-so receives the proclaimed mandate of the true Dao and the oral instructions of the ritual master and dares not transgress them; if they are recklessly transmitted to an unsuitable person, the calamity will extend to oneself.

May one not fail the orthodox and true deities of above, below, the center, and the four quarters and eight directions. Now all together drink the cinnabar water of the oath, observe fasting and purification according to the ritual norms, and cultivate the essential teaching of the wondrous method. They pray that both disciple and ritual master may be spared heavenly disasters and pass through the “Yangjiu and Bailiu” and the great calamity of the jia-shen year (the cycles of disaster spoken of in Daoism). From one kalpa to the next, their share of blessing neither diminishes nor increases; may the sun and moon shed light together, and the Three Treasures—the Dao, the Jing (scripture), and the master—proceed side by side without cease.

They respectfully receive the celestial writings of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen) conferred by Lord Lingbao and the Elder of Lingbao, together with the methods by which one may preserve life.

When the incantation is finished, the cinnabar water is drunk three times, and the covenant writ is then conferred—a document recording the oath and the content of the transmission. When the conferral is complete, the ritual master rises, burns incense, scatters flowers, and walks in a circuit while chanting one Hymn of the Five Perfected. The disciple thereupon makes two bows. When the rite is finished, the disciple kneels upright, holding the ritual pledge, a token serving as proof of the rite. The ritual master clicks the teeth thirty-six times and, in the mind, visualizes the color proper to each of the five viscera, bringing them all to completeness and transforming them into cloud-gauze like a precious canopy that covers the scripture master and the disciple, and then intones:

“The celestial writ is concise and not elaborate; Dao and De (Virtue/Power) are already complete in themselves. One who cultivates this method will surely become a divine immortal—what further wish is needed? The radiance of the scripture shines within the Great Void, bright and abundant. All transmission must be carried out according to the method; if one leaks the scriptural method or treats it with contempt, one will fall into hell.”

After the rite comes to an end, the disciple performs three bows and receives the scripture. He then bows once toward each of the four quarters, completing the circuit of homage to the ten directions: beginning in the north and turning eastward, he pays reverence in sequence through all ten directions. While bowing, he visualizes Taishang (a supreme deity of Daoism) manifesting the true countenances of the ten directions, their forms matching the images proper to each direction.

The master then recites the Hymns of the Three Paths and Five Sufferings (hymns that tell of the three evil destinies and the five kinds of suffering). When the recitation is finished, the master further intones three stanzas of wisdom, expounds the scriptural teachings, and bestows the Ten Precepts upon the disciple. Once the rite of deliverance is complete, the master reports the merit accomplished and resumes his former office.

Dongxuan Ritual for Conferring the Lingbao Natural Covenant