《灵宝半景斋仪》

The zhai rite is held from early morning until noon and is called banjing (“half-scene”).

In the early morning, the ritual of the first audience is performed.

The gates are first opened, and the intent of the petition is declared before the deities.

The Changdao and the Huaxia Zan are then chanted, leading the rite into the Earth Gate, which symbolizes the portal to the realm where the deities dwell.

Homage is next paid in turn to the masters and, in accordance with the liturgy, the visualizations are carried out together with the corresponding ritual actions.

The Divine Spell for Guarding the Numina is then recited—the incantation that protects the altar and the rite.

The ritual drum is struck twenty-four times, and the sound of the drum announces that the rite has begun.

The rite of Dispatching the Censer is then performed, in which incense is burned to invite the deities.

The Most High Lord Lao of the Mysterious Primordial Beginning Qi (vital energy) of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens is asked to summon forth from within the servant’s own body the Merit Officers of the Three and the Five, the official envoys of the left and the right, the dragon-mounted relay officers of the left and the right who bear incense, the Golden Lads who attend the incense, the Jade Maidens who transmit words, and the incense officers of the direct talismans of the Five Emperors for the day—thirty-six of each. They are asked to convey the invocation and to report it to the gods of the soil and of the region of this place, and to the true officials and orthodox deities.

The servant now proceeds to burn incense and, for so-and-so, a disciple of the Great Dao, to establish a wondrous Lingbao half-scene purification rite, seeking grace, repenting transgressions, giving thanks and clearing away faults, dissolving calamities, preserving peace, and obtaining blessing. May the orthodox, true, life-generating Qi of the Most High of the ten directions—the Qi of the Dao that comes from the ten directions, pure and endowed with the power to generate and transform—descend into the bodies of the servant, the host of the rite, the disciples, and the others present, so that what the servant reports may swiftly ascend and be presented directly before the throne of the Most High Jade Emperor, Venerable Sovereign of Ultimate Truth of the Limitless Great Dao.

Each person then announces his or her own ritual rank, that is, the Daoist office or ritual identity.

We, your servants so-and-so, possessed of due official standing, with sincere hearts jointly submit this memorial: to the Celestial Worthy of the Golden Portal of Void and Spontaneity; the Limitless Great Dao (the Way); the Most High Lord of the Great Dao; the Most High Lord Lao; the Exalted Jade Sovereign; and the great sages of the ten directions who have already attained the Dao; to the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure in Utmost Perfection; the Thearch-Lords of the Thirty-two Heavens; the Supreme Thearch of the Jade Void; and the Great Thearch, the Jade Emperor; to the Utmost Perfected Luminous Sovereign Lords of the Dao of Numinous Treasure of Eastern Hua, the Southern Pole, Western Numinosity, Northern Perfection, the Mysterious Capital, the Jade Capital, the Golden Portal, the Mysterious Terrace of the Seven Treasures, and the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity; to the Great Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center; the Thearch-Lord of the Northern Pole; the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water; the Perfected Lord, Director of Destinies of the Nine Heavens; the Perfected Lord, Envoy of the Nine Heavens; and every perfected spirit among the officials of the Three Realms.

We, your servants, have heard that the Great Dao is originally nameless, and that the sages, doing what they can with words, disclose this teaching that cannot be put into speech. The Celestial Worthies descended into the world and expressly opened the gate of the orthodox teaching. They then promulgated the jade statutes and made clear the golden codes (that is, the sacred precepts and teachings). Since a way of making petition already exists, the principle that prayer and response communicate with one another is thereby shown. Through the lineage of our teachers we have studied the methods of the Dao and have been granted transmission of the purification rites (Zhaijiao). All who turn toward Daoism with faith should set out the sacred images and display a solemn ritual presence; those who wish to express their sincerity should first present a memorial petition (a document stating one’s prayers to the deities).

Then the text of the petition is read aloud.

The matters set forth in the petition have already been heard by the Holy Dao. We respectfully ask the Three Worthies of the Most High (the three supreme deities venerated in Daoism) to send down their light and to examine and illumine with clear discernment. The disciples who sponsor the purification rite set forth a solemn ritual presence; those who wish to express their sincerity should first present a memorial petition.

Then the text of the petition is read aloud.

The matters presented have already been set down in writing and memorialized, and the holy Dao (the Way) has already heard them. We respectfully invite the Three Venerables of the Most High to send down their light and examine the disciple who sponsors the purification rite.

We have heard that the Dao Ancestor of Mysterious Origin established the teachings and has always rescued people with a compassionate heart. The true Dao of the Most High broadly bestows loving care, and its grace reaches all things. It grants blessed reward to those whose hearts turn toward goodness, and it also receives and guides those who sincerely turn back and cultivate body and mind. When we received the teachings, we pledged to lead beings step by step and to save and deliver all living beings. Now we visualize the Jade Emperor, bow in reverence above and below, and pray that the true sages descend.

Incense is therefore burned, and the disciple offers body, Shen (spirit), and nature and life together to the Limitless Most High Lingbao Celestial Worthy of Spontaneity of the ten directions, earnestly begging this Worthy to descend to the ritual space and accept the offering. We respectfully ask that the disciple’s memorial be heard and that the light of grace be bestowed, so that the purification patron, disciple so-and-so, may have blessings fulfilled and merit accomplished; so that past offenses may be repented and cleared, and good fortune hoped for in the time to come. May the household and its dependents be safe, and may public and private affairs proceed smoothly and in peace. May the Nine Mysteries and Seven Ancestors—forebears and kin of successive generations—receive this merit and abide at ease. May the earth deities and dragon spirits receive divine favor and protect and assist.

Now, as incense is burned, we voluntarily take refuge in the venerable masters and the great assembly of sages, and honor the De (Virtue/Power) of their utmost truth and utmost sincerity. After attaining the Dao, may we rise into the formless realm, become one with the Dao, and return to the Real.

One then bows to the four directions.

One then repents.

The disciple has heard: the Great Dao is by nature hard to name, and can only provisionally be called the “Great Dao”; “Celestial Worthy,” too, is only an honorific adopted to meet the world. They dwell above the Golden Portal and the Jade Capital, appear throughout the ten directions and the three realms, shine upon living beings, and send down a radiance like sunlight.

One then repents.

(The closing phrase “illuminating the host of beings, letting down the sun’s quarter” seems unfinished in the scripture as given; the above follows the text now before us and renders it directly.)

We, your servants, respectfully declare: The Great Dao (the Way) is originally nameless and can only reluctantly be called the “Great Dao”; the Celestial Worthies likewise manifest in response to the titles by which people of the world address them. Residing above the Golden Portal and the Jade Capital, they behold all within the ten directions and the three realms. They illumine living beings, bestowing light as the sun and moon do, and they nourish the myriad things, dispensing the Qi (vital energy) of the four seasons. Whenever prayers are offered or matters reported, the Celestial Worthies respond in sympathetic accord with what is wished.

Now the patron of the rite, disciple So-and-so, respectfully presents a prayer text, setting forth his heart’s wish before the Mysterious Master (a Daoist ritual master), and requests that a ritual space be established and the Zhai (purification rite) performed. The disciple prays that the true divinities descend before the incense altar, that he may bow to the Celestial Worthies, take refuge, and repent. He fears that disciple So-and-so, from remote kalpas long past down to this day, together with his parents, clan kin, and household dependents, has committed all manner of offenses through the three activities of body, speech, and mind, and has incurred faults through the six faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind (the six capacities of perception and consciousness). Lifetime after lifetime, and ever since this body was born, there have been transgressions.

Today a purification rite is established for repentance, and reverent worship is offered to the Most High Limitless Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) Celestial Worthies of the Ten Directions. May karmic offenses be extinguished and blessings increased; may faults be removed and calamities laid to rest; may the years be secure and a good span of life enjoyed, with longevity extended and auspicious fortune flourishing; may the nine ancestors (the ancestors of nine generations) ascend to Heaven, and may the whole household be safe and joyful. May disasters sink into stillness before they have yet appeared, and may blessings arise anew from this day. Bowing our heads, we take refuge in the True and Orthodox Three Treasures (the Three Treasures revered in Daoism: the Dao, the Jing [scripture/classic], and the Master).

The hymn of invitation is then chanted three times.

Three prostrations are then performed.

Name, title, and identity are then announced.

Thereupon we servants So-and-so, who hold ritual office, once again respectfully address those above: May misfortunes sink into stillness before they have yet appeared, and may blessings arise anew from this day. Bowing our heads, we take refuge in the True and Orthodox Three Treasures.

The hymn of invitation is then chanted three times.

Three prostrations are then performed.

Name, title, and identity are then announced.

Disciples invested with ritual office, So-and-so and the others, respectfully and with due caution submit this petition on high to the Supreme Limitless Great Dao (the Way), the Most High Lord of the Dao, the Most High Lord Lao, the Exalted Jade Emperor, the Unsurpassed Mysterious Elder, the hosts of great sages of the ten directions who have already attained the Dao, the Most True Celestial Worthies of the Numinous Treasure, the Venerable Scriptures of the Thirty-Six Sections, and the Great Ritual Master within the Mystery, together with the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water (the deities who govern the three realms of heaven, earth, and water), the officers of every rank throughout the Three Realms, and all spirits possessed of awesome numinous power.

We disciples have received our master’s transmission, wear and honor the registers (Fulu, talismans and registers), and transmit and study the classics (Jing, scripture/classic). At first we pledged to establish purification rites in the human world and regularly proclaim the teaching; later we devoted ourselves to cultivating the true, practicing visualization and the threefold guarding of the One (in Daoist cultivation, the essential method of concentrating the spirit and maintaining the Jing [essence], Qi [vital energy], and Shen [spirit] within the body). Whatever requests arise in the human realm or the celestial realm ought to be carried out according to the liturgy (Keyi). The altar has now been arranged, the sacred images set out, everything required for the purification rite prepared, and the matters prayed for reported to Heaven. The patron’s prayer text has been read aloud, and ritual pledges of faith have been offered; we set them forth with reverence and hope for grace.

We respectfully ask the Unsurpassed Venerable Emperor of Vacuous August Spontaneity to look down upon us. We pray that you will come to the Azure Empyrean (the celestial realm) and behold the true hearts with which we devoutly make this announcement. May the merit of the purification rite be brought to fulfillment and its blessed recompense appear clearly; may vast grace watch over all and remove every misfortune; may wondrous grace descend and sweep away a thousand calamities. We humbly wish the patron health of body and a favorable destiny, with fortune and stipend increasing day by day, and long life for every man and woman of the household. May the Nine Mysteries and Seven Ancestors, together with the forebears of three generations (honorific names for the ancestors), all receive the blessings of the rite, rest in ease and freedom, and each be reborn in the celestial realm. May the dragon spirits of the residence, the Earth God and the City God, and the deities of the temples likewise receive the merit of this petition of thanksgiving and help bring good conditions to completion. Thus, above, the vast compassionate grace of the Celestial Worthies may be made manifest, and below, the sincere hearts of us disciples, who take refuge and honor the Dao, may be answered. We respectfully submit this petition.

One then recites the “Ten Recollections,” performs the “Restoration of the Incense Burner” (the closing section of the purification rite, in which the incense burner and related ritual items are restored), and next recites the “Hymn of the Lesser Learning of Immortality.” When the hymns of merit-dedication are finished, the altar is dismissed according to custom.

On the following morning, the sequence from the officiant’s own intonation of the Dao through the issuing of the incense burner follows the ritual procedure of the previous day, except that the “Divine Spell for Guarding the Numinous” is not recited.

We respectfully invite the Most High Lord Lao of the Three Qi (vital energy) of Mystery, Origin, and Beginning of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens to descend. We invite the Three-and-Five Merit Officers within our bodies (divine clerks who transmit documents and communicate with the deities), the emissaries of the officers of the left and right, the dragon-riding relay officers of the left and right who bear incense, the Golden Lads who attend the incense, the Jade Maidens who convey messages, and the officers on duty with the talismans of the Five Emperors together with the incense officials assigned to the day—thirty-six of each—to manifest together.

We now report to the earth gods of this place and to the true officials and orthodox deities who guard this territory: I am burning incense and, for a certain disciple of the Great Dao (the Way), am establishing the Lingbao Half-Scene Wondrous Purification (a type of purification rite within the Lingbao liturgy), seeking grace, confessing transgressions, and requesting blessings and the removal of calamities. May the Qi of life of the orthodox and true ones of the Most High in the ten directions descend and flow into my body and into the body of the disciple who sponsors the purification, so that what I report may swiftly ascend and be conveyed before the Jade August Venerable Emperor of the Unsurpassed Great Dao of the Most High.

Then each announces his or her own name and office.

We, servants holding ritual office, So-and-so and others, with sincere reverence jointly address on high the Celestial Worthy of the Void and the Spontaneous of the Golden Portal (the Celestial Worthy who dwells in the void and the spontaneous, within the Golden Portal); the Most High Lord of the Limitless Great Dao (the Way); the Most High Lord Lao; the Exalted Jade Emperor; the host of great saints of the ten directions who have already attained the Dao; the Celestial Worthy of Supreme Perfection and Numinous Treasure; the Imperial Lords of the Thirty-Two Heavens; the Supreme Sovereign of Jade Vacuity; the Jade Emperor and the Great Emperor; Eastern Florescence, the Southern Pole, the Western Numen, and the Northern Perfected; together with the Dao Lord, Luminous Sovereign of the Supremely Perfect Numinous Treasure, of 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; the Imperial Lord of the North Pole; the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water; the Perfected Lord Controller of Destiny of the Nine Heavens; the Perfected Lord Envoy of the Nine Heavens; and all the august spirits of the palace retinues of the Three Realms.

We have heard that the Great Canopy Heaven is clear, empty, and still, and is divided within into nine tiers of celestial domains. Vast, it embraces myriads of heavens, while the King of the Dharma alone occupies the highest place. The wheel of the law of the Great Dao turns in heaven, and the true teaching spreads to the human world. The Three Treasures of Master, Dao, and Jing (scripture/classic) are handed down from generation to generation, and the profound teaching is widely propagated. From this were established the Jade Statutes of the Nine Perfected and set up the Golden Codes of the Seven Sages. The memorials presented to pray for blessings thereby declare the gateway of the Zhai purification rite. In earlier years we received our masters’ instruction, accepted the ritual registers, and studied and transmitted the scriptures, first cherishing the wish to aid the world and deliver people, so as to answer the prayers of the human realm and the heavens. Now that the prayer memorial has been offered up, it is proper that it also be presented to the celestial court.

The prayer text is then read aloud

All that we have set forth has been memorialized as in the document. We respectfully ask that the Mysterious Scrutiny (the subtle inspection of the celestial realm) deign to hear it. We humbly pray that the Three Supreme Worthies (the three exalted deities venerated in Daoism), with holy compassion and clear discernment, look down upon the sincere intent of our prayers, bestow vast grace, and thereby answer the prayers of the human realm and the heavens. Now that the prayer memorial has been offered up, it is proper that it also be presented to the celestial court.

The prayer text is then read aloud

These prayers have now been fully set forth in the manner of a memorial presented to the throne, and we respectfully ask that the Mysterious Discernment (Xuanjian)—Heaven’s clear scrutiny—deign to hear them. We humbly pray that the Three Supreme Venerables of the Most High (Taishang Sanzun), the three highest deities venerated in Daoism, will examine us with compassionate hearts. We earnestly beg them to look with favor upon the sincerity of our devout prayers and to bestow their grace.

With body and mind purified, we reverently perform the Guan’gao, the rite of reporting and petitioning the deities. We respectfully invite the True Sages to descend above the Nine Heavens, and we offer homage to the Celestial Worthies (Tianzun) within the Ten Extremes. The patron of the retreat, So-and-so, has prepared incense and flowers and has solemnly arrayed the offerings. At this hour the golden rooster announces the dawn and the jade water-clock is nearly spent; following the dignified forms of the Zhai liturgy, we hold the rites of the sacred assembly in the three periods of the day, sincerely praying for grace and blessings.

At the first offering of incense, we begin by invoking long life for the sovereign. Now, taking up incense and presenting it, we make offering to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), one of the highest deities of Daoism, in the Holy Realm of Jade Clarity (Yuqing Shengjing). May the merit of this act be dedicated first to His Majesty the reigning emperor. We humbly pray that the imperial throne long remain secure and the sacred lifespan extend without end; that his sagely brilliance be as the sun and moon, and his transformative teaching as that of Tang Yao and Yu Shun. May the emperor, like the Pole Star, be outstanding in De (Virtue/Power), long seated facing south to govern all under Heaven, receive a thousand years of flourishing dynastic fortune, and let the breeze of benevolent virtue blow upon the myriad realms.

May the princes and the heir apparent stand firm as bedrock, and may the generals and ministers, together with the feudal lords, assist and bring peace to the state. May the harvests be abundant and the people’s livelihood ample, and the world at peace; may disasters not arise, the common people rest in tranquility, and the myriad beings flourish.

Now, by the burning of incense, we reverently express our homage and take refuge in the Venerable Master, the great assembly of sages, and the De of Ultimate Truth. May we, once we have attained the Dao (the Way), ascend into the realm of the formless and become one with the Great Dao.

I have heard that when one burns incense, offers flowers, and bows again and again in worship, the fragrance rises and drifts into the midst of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing; the highest celestial realm revered in Daoism). The blessings received in this life can also, over a long time, suffuse and shelter the nine ancestors (the ancestors of nine generations). A household that accumulates goodness receives the De (Virtue/Power) of its forebears, and blessings and felicity that continue without end likewise reach later generations.

Now these two sticks of incense are offered to the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, Vacuous Sovereign of the Perfect Realm of Upper Clarity (a deity revered in Daoism). May this merit be dedicated to the nine ancestors and seven mysteries (the ancestors of successive generations) of the patron of the retreat, and to the family forebears of three generations. The only concern is that, amid the karmic conditions of the past, the patron’s parents committed all manner of sinful karma, and that to this day they have not yet escaped the three paths and five sufferings (the three evil destinies and every kind of suffering), but have long remained sunk in misery.

Incense is now offered once more to the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, Vacuous Sovereign of the Perfect Realm of Upper Clarity, and this merit is again dedicated to the ancestors and family forebears of the patron of the retreat. May they, by means of this, repent, so that all their transgressions are washed away, and they enter a celestial realm of solemn bearing and carefree ease; and may blessings shelter the household, so that sons and grandsons become eminent and flourish.

Therefore incense is burned, and one voluntarily takes refuge in the revered Master, the host of great sages, and the De of the Utmost Perfected. May one, after attaining the Dao (the Way) in the future, ascend into the formless realm and unite with the Great Dao, becoming perfected.

I have heard that when incense is offered three times, the fragrant smoke rises straight to the golden gates of Heaven, expressing the inner reverence of the one who keeps the purification fast; dispersing like jade blossoms, it fills the worlds of the ten directions as an offering. A prayer for blessing is sure to receive a response, and a prayer for grace will likewise meet with a sympathetic answer. Now, by the merit of these three offerings of incense, offering is made to the Jade Emperor, Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) Tianzun of the immortal realm of Taiqing (a revered deity of Daoism). May this merit be used to protect and uphold the patron of the purification rite, so-and-so.

The patron of the purification rite, so-and-so, respectfully prays: May the true spirit of the Tianzun descend in protection and dispel the three calamities of the world; may the Qi (vital energy) of the Dao (the Way)—the generative energy of the Dao—uphold and protect, so that people may pass through the nine afflictions of human life (nine kinds of calamity). May the sins and faults of the past be pardoned, and the transgressions yet to come likewise forgiven; may the allotted span of life be increased and years be long; may all four seasons bring blessing, emolument, and joy, with eminent office and the highest honor; may the men and women of the household all enjoy health and peace; may the place where they dwell rest secure in farming and sericulture, with markets well supplied and resources abundant; and may the gods of the soil and the dragon spirits together extend their unseen protection.

Incense is therefore burned, and of their own accord they take refuge in the Honored Master and in the De (Virtue/Power) of ultimate truth embodied by the host of great sages (the Way of ultimate truth manifested by the great sages). May they, after attaining the Dao, ascend into the realm of the formless and unite with the Great Dao, becoming perfected.

One then bows in worship toward the four directions.

One then makes confession.

I have heard that the Jade Emperor sits upright upon the throne, his majestic bearing solemn beyond description. He broadly extends compassion, so that the myriad things between heaven and earth move freely and in harmony; by pardoning offenses, he also enables the deities to put expedient means into practice. When living beings commit sins, sincere repentance can remove them; even faults long accumulated, once each is confessed in turn, can all be forgiven.

Now the disciple So-and-so, who has established the purification rite (zhai), takes refuge in the Great Dao (the Way), devoutly observes the pure fast, bows in worship before the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), and offers the refuge of nature and life together with repentance. The disciple fears the sinful karma created through the six faculties—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—and also fears the faults incurred by the three karmas of body, mouth, and mind. The calamities of the world that inspire dread bring nine kinds of affliction; there is likewise fear that the faults of former lives now call forth retribution. Taking life forges enemies and creditors of grievance; and since remote kalpas, all manner of sinful karma connected with parents and kin may also have accumulated. The causes of sin are without measure and cannot all be fully told.

Today, in holding the rite, the disciple repents with utmost sincerity and reverently bows to the Limitless Most High Celestial Worthy of the Numinous Treasure of the Ten Directions (the Celestial Worthy venerated in Lingbao Daoism), praying that the thousands and myriads of sins, grave offenses, and knots of grievance be pardoned, so that the Celestial Worthy’s illustrious grace and awesome power shine down like the blazing sun and transgressions melt away like frost and snow. May blessings and goodness increase year by year, and may baleful disasters be avoided day by day; may the family be safe and the self healthy and at ease; may deceased remote ancestors and forebears enjoy good fruits and wander free and untrammeled; may the gods of the soil and the dragon spirits protect both public and private affairs, so that all is peaceful and auspicious. May calamity sink into the depths of the Ninefold Darkness (Jiuyou), and may blessings arise from the ten directions. The disciple prostrates and takes refuge in the Orthodox and True Three Treasures (the Dao, the Jing [scripture/classic], and the Master).

There follows the “Three Addresses” (Sanqi; the sections of Daoist purification liturgy in which one petitions the deities and sets forth a statement). In accordance with the ritual procedure given above, the names and honored ranks of the deities are solemnly intoned.

Your servants So-and-so and others, invested with ritual office, cautiously and solemnly address on high: the Most High Limitless Great Dao, Perfect and True Jade Emperor, Lord on High; the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun); the Perfected Lord, Envoy of the Nine Heavens; the Venerable Scriptures of the Thirty-Six Divisions; the Great Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center; together with the officers of the Three Realms and all deities possessed of awesome numinous power. The remaining names and honored ranks are intoned according to the rite set forth above.

We ministers who hold ritual office, So-and-so and the others, respectfully submit this memorial once more to the Utterly True Jade Emperor of the Supreme Boundless Great Dao (the Way), the Supreme Lord Lao, the Perfected Lords who are Envoys of the Nine Heavens, the Venerable Scriptures of the Thirty-Six Departments, the Great Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center, and all officials and divinities of the Three Realms.

We have heard that the Dao and De (Virtue/Power) are lofty, profound, and vast, and that their many mysteries cannot be exhausted; that the age of Longhan—the remote kalpic age spoken of in Daoism—is boundless without limit, and that the true Dao is likewise hard to discern. The Celestial Worthy sent down the teaching in the Heaven of Fuli, a celestial realm of Daoist legend, and thereupon the wheel of the Law turned in the world. The methods of the Dao were first transmitted in heaven and only later gradually reached the human world; masters and disciples passed them on from generation to generation, and the teaching spread ever more widely. We have received clear instruction and assist in exalting the orthodox Dao. First we cherish the wish to guide the people of the world; then we resolve to cultivate the methods of the Dao.

Whenever there is a matter of supplication, whether in the human world or in the celestial realm, an altar should be established. On the ritual altar one visualizes the Supreme Divine Perfected, prepares the documents, submits a memorial of prayer, and sets forth the intent of the purification retreat (Zhai) and its precepts, so that it may ascend to the celestial court. The prayer document of the patron of the Zhai has already been presented.

We respectfully invite the Celestial Worthy of the Golden Palace of the Great Dao of the Jade Emperor to look down upon this sincere heart, to hear, and to have this memorial proclaimed. We earnestly beg that the sins and obstacles of the patron of the Zhai, So-and-so, in this present life be pardoned, and that the faults of the past be removed; that the mysterious grace of the Eight Effulgences—the scenery of the immortal realms spoken of in Daoism—be bestowed, and that the blessings of the Nine Heavens descend. May his emolument continue as that governed by the stellar lords of the Southern Dipper, and his lifespan increase as that administered by Donghua, the divine perfected of the immortal realm in Daoism; may the members of his household be at peace, each adding to their years of life; may they be spared the Three Calamities of the passing months and years, and may the Nine Adversities within the allotted span of life be eliminated.

We also wish that the spirit-consciousnesses of the patron’s ancestors of seven generations and of his deceased kin, together with the departed who receive the transfer of merit through these memorial offerings, may all obtain liberation by virtue of the merit of this posthumous cultivation. May each of them roam in freedom and, after rebirth, dwell in peace and lasting joy.

The dragon spirits and the deities of taboos, the City God and the commanders of the local earth altar—local guardian deities—and the divinities within the temples shall likewise receive the grace of this petition and its thanksgiving, and shall protect the patron of the Zhai. Thus, above, the vast compassionate grace of the Celestial Worthy may be made manifest, and below, the sincerity with which we ministers take refuge and carry out our charge may be answered. We respectfully submit this memorial.

Next, according to the usual rite, the Twelve Vows are recited.

At the hour of Si, the Keyi (liturgy) of the third audience.

From the chanting of the Dao to the lighting of the incense burner—burning incense to invite the divinities—all is carried out according to the preceding rite, except that the divine spell for guarding the numinous is not recited.

The Most High Lord Lao of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens, the Mysterious Primordial Beginning, and the Three Qi (vital energy)—one of the highest deities revered in Daoism—summons the Three-and-Five Merit Officers within the body, the official emissaries of the left and right, the dragon-riding courier officers of the left and right who bear incense, the Golden Lads who attend the incense, the Jade Maidens who convey messages, and the duty-talisman officers of the Five Emperors together with the incense officials on duty for the day, thirty-six of each, to manifest together. The gods of the soil of this place, the local deities, and the true officials and orthodox spirits who govern this locality are then informed: I am now burning incense and, for a certain disciple of the Great Dao (the Way), establishing the Lingbao Half-Scene Wondrous Retreat (a type of Daoist purification ritual). During the period of the retreat, the Dao is practiced at the three times of morning, noon, and evening, to seek grace, repent of transgressions, and pray for blessings and the dispelling of calamities.

May the orthodox and true generative Qi of the Most High of the ten directions—the pure and upright life-generating vital energy that comes from the ten directions—descend and flow into our bodies, so that the matters we report may swiftly ascend and be presented directly before the throne of the Most High Limitless Utmost True Jade Emperor, the Honored Sovereign. Each shall then announce his or her own name and office.

We, the servants charged with conducting the rite, respectfully and in all sincerity join in presenting this memorial, addressing the Supreme Celestial Worthy of the Void Sovereign of the Golden Portal; the Most High Celestial Worthy, True Sovereign of the Limitless; the Exalted Jade Emperor, Celestial Worthy of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate); the Most High Lord of the Jade Precincts of the Great Dao (the Way); the Most High Lord Lao of Mysterious Origin; the great holy assemblies of the ten directions who have attained the Dao; the lords and elders of Ultimate Truth; the emperors of the Thirty-Three Heavens; the Supreme Emperor of the Jade Void; the Great Jade Emperor; and the Dao Lord of Numinous Treasure, Ultimate Truth, and Luminous Sovereignty, of the Eastern Florescent, the Southern Pole, the Western Numinous, and the Northern Perfected, and of the Mysterious Metropolis, the Jade Capital, the Golden Portal, the Seven-Treasure Mysterious Terrace, and the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity; the Great Ritual Master of the Mysterious Center; the Perfected Lord, Controller of Destiny of the Nine Heavens; the Perfected Lord, Envoy of the Nine Heavens; the Great Emperor of the Northern Pole; the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water; together with the officers of every rank throughout the Three Realms and all the true numinous beings dwelling in the famous mountains and grotto-heavens.

We, your servants, have heard that before the empty void had yet been divided, within nothingness there was originally not a single thing. Only later, when the Qi (vital energy) of spontaneity condensed, was it provisionally given the name “Great Dao.” Thereupon the primordial Qi, once simple and undifferentiated, separated and formed Heaven and Earth. The wondrous principles of Prior Heaven fused and came forth, and the radiance of spirit was thereby made manifest. In the celestial court a Son of Heaven and the Three Dukes were established, and in the human world there were likewise teachers and elders to transmit the teaching. From that time the true scriptures descended into the world, and the observances of purification and abstinence, together with the precepts, could be proclaimed and carried out. On the boundless sea of desire, the true scriptures are as a boat; across the surging river of craving and attachment, the true scriptures are as a bridge. They deliver all beings from the Eight Sufferings (the eight afflictions commonly met in human life) and help people pass through the Three Calamities (catastrophes and disasters). The tradition of the Dao widely transmits the rites of purification, devoted expressly to saving beings of the human world and of the heavens. We, your servants, are fortunate to hold ritual office in the Mysterious Gate, and we wish to do our utmost to carry forward the vow of deliverance. Whenever the faithful have prayers to offer, memorials have already been prepared and submitted.

The prayer text is then read aloud

The matters set forth in the prayer text have been stated in full; the circumstances and the reasons have all been made clear. The host of sages has already heard them, and the heart of supplication is devout and urgent. Reverently we look up to the Great Dao of the Void Sovereign and to the supremely compassionate exalted deities, praying that they will deign to regard the wishes of beings in the secular world and bestow their protection. Whenever the faithful have prayers to offer, memorials have already been prepared and submitted.

The prayer text is then read aloud

All that has been set forth above has already been explained in full in the memorial. The host of sages has heard it, and the entreaty is earnest and profound. We respectfully invite the Void Sovereign Great Dao (the Way)—the supreme and unsurpassed Dao—and the Unsurpassed Compassionate Worthy to discern clearly the hearts of all living beings in the world, to listen, and to look down upon our petition.

Your servant has heard that the Heavenly Worthy abides in stillness and Wuwei (non-action), yet manifests within the Three Realms; when mysterious and wondrous De (Virtue/Power) resonates with living beings, it can reach them and answer their prayers. The patron of the retreat, disciple So-and-so, has specially performed the purification rite, respectfully memorializing the true spirits, offering incense smoke that curls and drifts, presenting it as one offers flowers, and setting forth fragrant delicacies. We, your servants, reverently perform the rite of the pass memorial, hoping that the prayer may ascend to the hearing of Heaven. Having received the grace of the Heavenly Worthy’s luminous protection, we shall surely obtain the power of his sustaining care.

Now, with the first pinching of incense, we make offering to the Heavenly Worthy of the Golden Pass of the Empty Great Dao. May this merit first be dedicated to the patron of the retreat; we then look upward in prayer for His Majesty the reigning emperor. May His Majesty’s sacred person endure for ten thousand years and the imperial throne long remain; may his radiance be like the sun and moon, and his lifespan as long as heaven and earth. May he govern by letting his robes hang down and seek the Dao, realizing the subtle principle of the unseen and the unheard; may he sit upright in court and govern the realm in peace, receiving the auspicious wish for long life once offered by the man of Hua’s border.

We also wish that the princes, nobles, and the heir apparent shine in the palace like jade trees, and that the achievements and renown of the great civil and military ministers be recorded in the Unicorn Pavilion. May gentle winds blow far and wide, and honest moral teaching spread broadly; may the world be clear and at peace, the people secure and well, and customs abundant.

Now, as we burn incense, we take refuge in the Venerable Master, the host of great sages, and the De of utmost truth. May we, after attaining the Dao, ascend into the formless realm and unite with the Great Dao to become true.

I have heard that the power of the Dao (the Way) leaves no visible trace and can only, by a strained name, be called merit. Grave offenses accumulated through life and death can be dissolved through the dedication of merit—that is, by transferring the merit of fasting, retreat, and cultivation and offering it to others. One should present incense of the superior grade in order to wash away the sufferings of the Nine Mysteries (a general term for ancestors and for kin in the unseen world). With two pinches of incense I reverently make offering to the host of sages of the Boundless Great Dao. May this merit be dedicated to the deceased relatives in the household of the patron of the retreat, including the seven ancestors and the Nine Mysteries, the ancestors of three generations, and the entire clan. I earnestly pray that they be pardoned from the sufferings of the Three Paths (hell, hungry ghosts, animals, and the other evil destinies) and ascend to the Halls of Blessing in the ten directions.

May they roam at ease through the Eight Effulgences (the immortal realms of Daoism), realize the Six Penetrations (six kinds of spiritual power that can be freely exercised), behold the True Emperor face to face, and draw near the Dharma King; and may this blessing also shelter living kin, so that residual felicity is handed down for a long time. Now, burning incense, I voluntarily take refuge in the supremely true De (Virtue/Power) of the revered master, the great sages, and the host of sages. After the Dao is attained, may there be ascent into the formless realm and union in truth with the Dao.

I have heard that the wondrous forms of the Celestial Worthies are majestically manifested by means of images from the ordinary world, and that the Great Dao, originally formless, establishes its teaching by means of the minds of people in the world. If one wishes to bring the blessings of the Nine Heavens to the patron of the retreat, one should offer incense of the three grades. With three pinches of incense I reverently make offering to the Supreme Celestial Worthy of the Mysterious Prime Great Dao. May this merit be used to protect and uphold the patron. I earnestly pray that the Celestial Worthy bestow protection through mysterious grace, so that Donghua (a divine title or directional name within the Daoist pantheon) may increase the patron’s allotted lifespan and the Southern Dipper (the stellar lords who govern longevity) may prolong the patron’s life.

May the patron’s lifespan grow like the mountains and the store of blessing be as deep as the sea; in official service, may rank be exalted and honor extend to the family; in daily life, may there be peace and ease, and health of body through the four seasons. May all the household, old and young, male and female, be as steadfast as pine and bamboo and as solid as metal and stone. May a thousand calamities disperse like clouds with repentance, and ten thousand misfortunes scatter like rain because of the purification retreat. May the dwelling be peaceful, wealth abundant, silkworms and mulberries yield a rich harvest, and the fields produce the five grains in plenty; may commercial endeavors turn out as one wishes, and the marketplace flourish. May the hidden spirits throughout the Six Paths (the six destinations in the cycle of rebirth of sentient beings) also receive a share of this residual blessing.

Now, burning incense, I voluntarily take refuge in the supremely true De of the revered master, the great sages, and the host of sages. After the Dao is attained, may there be ascent into the formless realm and union in truth with the Dao.

One then performs the bows, and afterward offers repentance.

I have heard that vexations are many and manifold, and that no offense is greater than the craving of desire; the Great Dao (the Way) brings peace and stillness, and no accumulation of blessing runs deeper than widely forming ties of goodness. Thus the three calamities arise from the three karmas of body, speech, and mind, and the nine afflictions come into being together with the nine orifices (the nine openings of the body). A person is troubled by the six roots—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind (the six faculties of perception and cognition)—and is also bound by the four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind (the four constituents of the body), and so this fleshly form takes shape. Amid the vast expanse of birth and death, people rush about in turmoil, caught in attachment, desire, and craving.

Fortunately, the divinities, in compassion, save and deliver the people of the world and propagate many teachings. The methods of the zhai (purification ritual) are widely proclaimed, rescuing those sunk in the sea of suffering. The patron of the zhai takes refuge in the Great Dao, establishes the ritual banquet (the altar seating at which the purification rite is held), bows before the Celestial Worthies (Tianzun), and repents with a heart of utmost sincerity.

I fear that every word and deed, and all that disciple So-and-so has done in former lives and in this life, has piled up faults layer upon layer, deep as the sea and heavy as the mountains. Today we establish the zhai to pray and petition and to confess our offenses, reverently worshipping the Limitless Supreme Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) Celestial Worthies of the Ten Directions. May the Celestial Worthies, by their manifest and efficacious grace, sweep away calamities that descend without cause; bestow blessing and long life, so that a renewed span of years may increase; and send down auspicious felicity, to continue and augment it. May the departed ancestors of seven generations all be free and at ease, and may elders and juniors, the honored and the kin still living, all receive peace and health. May calamity melt away like ice, and blessing gather like flowing water. We bow our heads and take refuge in the Orthodox and True Three Treasures.

One then proceeds with the “Three Invitations” (Sanqi; the three rites of petition within the zhai liturgy), and afterward solemnly proclaims the ritual office; all the procedures follow the method set out above.

I, minister so-and-so, holding ritual office, respectfully and solemnly open this memorial to all the perfected spirits of the full assembly and to the various deities who preside over affairs. We ministers, in former lives and generations, accumulated a surplus of blessings; through long kalpas we have ever harbored the root of faith in the Dao (the Way). Now we leave the dusty world of afflictions and desires and enter the hall of the methods of the Dao transmitted by the true masters. The human realm and Heaven, each in turn, support and raise one another; which is made manifest and which withdraws, which is real and which is vain, we have no means of knowing, and the intercourse of ordinary persons and sages is likewise hard to measure.

The wondrous canons of the immortals, the teachings of the Jing (scripture/classic), and the Keyi (liturgy) first set forth the wish to succor the age and rescue the common world, and then guide people onto the path of cultivation. Whenever blessings are sought for the human world and the celestial realms, a memorial must be presented at the ritual feast (the altar-seat at which Daoist rites are performed). Please visualize the Void Sovereign (a revered deity of Daoism) in the vast and lofty heights, and the Most High (an honorific for revered deities in Daoism) descending into the ritual arena.

Now the patron of the Zhai (Zhaijiao, purification ritual), so-and-so, submits a written petition (a document used in prayer) and conducts this solemn Zhai rite. The petition has already been memorialized three times according to the rite; may the whole of the liturgy be brought to perfect completion. The Zhai altar is furnished with incense, flowers, lamps, candles, and fruits and food, and by these sincerity is offered; gazing upon the revered images, pouring forth a reverent heart, and exhausting worldly feeling, one makes offering to the honored deities. May this merit be applied together for the protection of all.

The patron of the Zhai, so-and-so, respectfully prays: may lifespan rise as mountains grow higher, and blessings spread as the sea grows broader; may emolument and allotted life receive aid as lasting as the pine, and years of life receive protection as enduring as the tortoise and the crane. If one serves in office, may rank be illustrious and one long remain a weighty minister; if one lives at home, may every matter proceed smoothly and receive the aid of the gods. May the household abound in auspicious peace, and may those of the household be healthy and at ease. May the Nine Mysteries and Seven Ancestors (a general designation for ancestors of successive generations), the honored souls of former generations, and all sentient beings return to teaching and transformation and be well transformed. Thus, above, the De (Virtue/Power) of the Heavenly Worthies in their utmost perfection is made manifest, and below, answer is given to the hearts of us ministers, who return our lives and offer our sincerity. We respectfully submit this memorial.

Thereupon, in accordance with the regular rite, the Text of the Twelve Vows is read aloud.

When the noon audience rite has concluded, the sanbai (the proclamation text within the rite) is read aloud; beginning from the lead intonation of “Dao,” one reads the Text of the Three Offerings, continuing through to the dispatch of the incense burner, all according to the regular rite.

Then each announces and reports their own ritual office.

We ministers so-and-so, holding ritual office, with one heart and sincere reverence open this memorial: the Most High Limitless Great Dao; His Jade Majesty of Great Clarity; the Twelve Immortal Officials of the Central Yellow and the Nine Lands… (what follows is announced according to the regular rite).

When the noon audience rite has concluded, the sanbai is read aloud; beginning from the lead intonation of “Dao,” one reads the Text of the Three Offerings, continuing through to the dispatch of the incense burner, all according to the regular rite.

Then each announces and reports their own ritual office.

We, your subjects, with sincere hearts jointly present this memorial to the Supreme Limitless Great Dao (the Way)—the supreme and unsurpassed Great Dao—together with His Jade Majesty of Great Clarity, the Twelve Immortal Officials of the Central Yellow and the Nine Earths, the Divine Lords of the Five Soils, the Nine Palaces and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), the sun, moon, and stellar lodges, the Celestial Bureaus and the Earthly Courts, General Taisui, the Divine Generals of Drifting Soil, and every spirit and deity of the four quarters and of every place.

Your subject has heard that Heaven, by the Celestial Origin, fixes the order of years and seasons, while Earth, by the De (Virtue/Power) of Soil, occupies the place of honor. Clear Qi (vital energy) rises and turbid Qi congeals, and from this Heaven, Earth, and the eight directions are distinguished. The body of Heaven moves along its westward-returning course, while the earth is like a square carriage, receiving the waters that flow and pour toward the east. The principle of ghosts and spirits makes plain the workings of Yin-Yang, and the efficacy of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) is thereby shown all the more clearly; the myriad things are born of creative transformation. People passed from dwelling in caves and nests to the building of cities and palaces; in raising roofs and constructing houses they transmitted the wisdom of the former sages, while the opening of doors and windows is traditionally said to have begun with the rules established by the emperors of high antiquity. The sixty sexagenary cycles are matched to the Five Phases through the nayin correspondences and are reckoned according to the transformations of the Five Phases; the twelve double-hours each govern the directional taboos of the two residences.

Now the waters have overflowed, and the dwelling must be repaired anew. In breaking ground and beginning the work, in tearing down the old and replacing it with the new, we fear that some offense may be given; therefore we set up a jiao—a rite of prayer to the deities and of ritual appeasement—and make this announcement. We earnestly beg the gods to grant what we seek. We respectfully bow twice and present this invitation.

In due order the rite of the first offering is performed, with incense, tea, and wine presented. Your subject respectfully memorializes hereby the Heavenly Father, Supreme Thearch of the Great Yang, and the Earthly Mother, Venerable Deity of the Great Yin, with prayer offered toward the north. We respectfully bow twice and present this invitation.

In due order the rite of the first offering is performed, with incense, tea, and wine presented. Your subject respectfully memorializes hereby the Heavenly Father, Supreme Thearch of the Great Yang; the Earthly Mother, Venerable Deity of the Great Yin; the Thearch-Lord of the Northern Pole, Purple Tenuity, the Five Numina, and Great Tenuity; the Seven Primordials of the Northern Dipper; the Three Terraces; the Nine Luminaries; the Twenty-Eight Lodges; the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water; the True August Sovereigns of the Nine Earths; the Four Offices and the Five Thearchs; the taboos at the rear of the house; the twelve double-hours; the three hundred and sixty prohibitions; the one hundred and twenty baleful agents of the ten-day cycles; the City Gods of every direction; the Five Phases of the Soil Bureau; and all spirits and deities.

Your subject now respectfully makes this prayer and announcement on behalf of the disciple. Because the disciple’s residence is damaged and in need of repair, craftsmen have been engaged to add to the buildings and to alter them. During the work there will be much destruction, shifting, and excavation of uneven depth, and we fear offending the dragon spirits and disturbing the various taboos. Therefore the jiao rite is set forth, incense is burned, and lamps are lit: upward we pray the true spirits to bestow blessing, and downward we confess our offenses to the soil and the land. The disciple’s earnest intent has been prepared and written upon a plain document. The words submitted by the disciple shall now be respectfully read aloud and presented.

The document of prayer and announcement is then read aloud.

All of this has already been written into the prayer, and the gods perceive everything with perfect clarity. Your servant has heard that Heaven covers the myriad things, Earth bears the myriad things, and the sun and moon shed their radiance. Before the true gods of the upper realm we pray for blessing and protection, and toward the spirits of the lower realm we confess our faults and seek the remission of our transgressions. Now our earnest intent is set down, point by point, upon plain silk; the disciple’s prayer is recited with care and respectfully submitted.

The prayer is then read aloud:

All of this has already been written into the prayer, and the gods perceive everything with perfect clarity. Your servant has heard that Heaven covers the earth and the earth bears the myriad things; the sun and moon travel through the sky, and the stars revolve along their appointed courses. Human beings and living creatures receive the Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth and are thus born into the human world. The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) move and transform, and Yin and Yang turn into one another. The spirits are present everywhere, and each has its own prohibitions.

There is now a certain person who in earlier years inherited the ancestral estate and carried on the traditions of his forebears. He holds office as one who guards a region and governs a locality, administering the affairs of the prefecture and commandery. In accordance with plans for construction permitted by higher authority, the moving of earth and the undertaking of work cannot be avoided: some dig wells downward, others raise towers and terraces upward; halls and dwellings are adorned, courtyards are built, what is old is renovated and new facilities are added, so that the buildings become still more splendid. Yet in excavating one fears injury to the dragon spirits, and in beginning the work one worries about offending the deities.

For this reason we specially and with sincere devotion observe the rites of the Daoist tradition, and request that sacrificial prayer be performed according to the proper statutes. We reverently set forth the jiao rite (a Daoist ritual of sacrificial prayer), offering incense and lamps. With colored silks we secure the directions, and we prepare material goods as tokens of sincere reverence. Offerings such as silver money and paper horses are arrayed and presented one by one according to direction; wine is poured and food and drink are offered, and the sacrifice is conducted with the same reverence as if the spirits were present in person.

We respectfully invite the Four Offices and the Five Emperors (deities in Daoism who oversee the relevant affairs of the celestial realms) and the True Officials of the Earth Bureau (deities who govern the affairs of the land) to come to the Nine Palaces and descend upon the jiao altars of the ten directions, to receive our sincere rites of reverence, and to bestow blessing and extend grace. May the household dependents be spared disaster, and may the home be peaceful and complete; may all matters of construction proceed smoothly, and may going abroad and entering and leaving the household all be safe. May the earth gods of the five directions and the City God (Chenghuang) rejoice to extend their protection, so that the work may be brought to successful completion. We bow twice.

The second offering is then performed: We pray that the household dependents be spared disaster and the home be peaceful and complete; that all matters of construction proceed smoothly, and that going out and coming in be safe. May the earth gods of the five directions and the City God rejoice to extend their protection, so that the work may be brought to successful completion. We bow twice.

The second offering is then performed: incense is offered, tea is presented, and wine is offered.

I respectfully report once again to the True Spirit Supreme Lord and the Earth Gods of the Five Directions (deities who govern the lands of the five directions): I have heard that, when Heaven and Earth first opened, Yin-Yang transformed and brought forth the myriad things. From the age of dwelling in caves and nests, people gradually came to live in the palaces of the capital. Whether building altars, casting vessels, felling timber to raise houses, or constructing city walls and dikes, none of these can be separated from such works of making and building.

Chiyou once resisted and gave battle before the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, and weapons and armor were thereby handed down to later ages. Celestial phenomena display their regular patterns, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) communicate with the hundred spirits; the earth presents its configurations, and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), ancient symbols used to represent the transformations of nature, preside over the changes of all things. Each of the twelve double-hours has its own palace and office, and each of the sixty Jiazi has its own Nayin (a classification that pairs the tonal patterns of the Five Phases with the heavenly stems and earthly branches). The ancients therefore investigated these regularities, and from them established methods of taboo and avoidance.

Whether in the daily affairs of a whole household or in the travel and seclusion of the common people, one should first choose a suitable day and hour, avoid unfavorable directions, and seek what is auspicious. Now the state has issued an edict commanding an official newly to take up office in a public bureau; houses are also to be repaired and the residence enlarged. Digging and disturbing the soil cannot be avoided if the buildings are to be made wholly new. Directions of good and ill fortune are hard to foresee. We fear that people and livestock may thereby meet with calamity, and the entire family is filled with anxiety.

The householder understands that, in accordance with the rite of confession and thanksgiving in the tradition of the Dao (the Way), one ought to set up a Jiao and worship the deities of the Earthly De (Virtue/Power) of the Five Directions (spirits who preside over the lands of the five directions). We respectfully invite the Five Emperors of the Five Directions, the deities of the twelve double-hours, the Earth Bureau and the City God (deities who preside over land and city walls), the household gods, and the spirits who govern taboos to accept the Jiao feast set out by the whole residence and to receive the devout prayers of the Zhai host. May the deities protect the home, so that the family prospers; may silkworms and mulberry yield abundantly and the storehouses be full; may the building works be successfully completed and the repairs accomplished as wished. With awe and joy in our hearts, we rely upon and gratefully remember the grace of the deities, and we bow twice.

Thereafter the Rite of the Three Offerings (in which sacrificial items are presented in three stages) is performed in sequence: incense is offered, tea is offered, and wine is offered.

I respectfully report once more to the Heavenly Father, the Earth Mother, the earth gods of the five directions, the holy perfected ones seated in assembly, and all the deities. This disciple respectfully establishes a Jiao for this household—a rite of worshipping the gods and praying for blessings—to offer thanks to the hundred gods, and especially to thank the Five Emperors for bestowing their awesome numinous light. I earnestly beg the gods to hear this statement, to permit this family to give thanks and pray for blessings, to accept the offerings of the Jiao rite, and to look graciously upon the pingfan presented, the herbs and vegetables offered in sacrifice.

I pray the gods to protect the whole family, so that its members flourish, the household receives blessing, and life at home is harmonious and joyful. May it be that after this Jiao rite the Five Emperors, in accord with Heaven’s seasons, carry out their teaching and transformation, and the spirits of the four quarters assist one another in concord; may the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) bring well-being through the eight seasonal nodes, and the Nine Palaces send down auspicious favor from Heaven. May Taisui, the stellar deity presiding over the year, proceed in proper course, and Taiyin, the divine luminary associated with the moon, bestow fortune and emolument; may the General spirits garrison the locality, and the spirits of the monthly commanders bring good fortune. May the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger display their might at the gates of the residence, and the Vermilion Bird and the Dark Warrior add cultured splendor at the doorways; may auspicious spirits such as the Jade Hall, the Golden Casket, Heavenly Virtue, and the Bright Hall long draw in persons of wealth and rank, so that the household ever preserves its blessings and emoluments.

Now precious mirrors are hung on the four sides of the courtyard, and star-blades, ritual implements used for suppression and protection, are set in the five directions, to illuminate and examine the orthodox spirits of the twelve positions and to drive off and ward away baleful ghosts from every quarter. Five-colored silks are offered, signifying dedication to the divine dragons of the five directions; five kinds of wealth are also prepared, presented and ritually refined in sacrifice to the Five Emperors. By this Jiao rite we give thanks to the hundred gods, and we respectfully ask the deities assembled here to look down, inspect, and protect us, to take their stations by direction and stand guard, so that auspiciousness long endures, misfortune departs and blessing returns, disaster disperses and good things gather, protecting the household’s people in peace and health and causing the family estate to prosper.

Those who hold office, may they receive salary, promotion, and distinction; those who live at home, may what they seek come to pass smoothly. May the star of blessing shine upon them, so that faults and calamitous offenses accumulated in the past are cleared away; may the dwelling be bright and the household harmonious. Amid colored windows and embroidered doors, may joy be constant through the four seasons; may halls and chambers be fragrant, pure, and splendid, and may auspicious renown go forth at each of the eight seasonal nodes. Thereafter, when ground is broken, excavations made, and building works undertaken, may there be no disaster on any of the four sides; may all the family’s dependents be at peace and in health at every time, with no pestilence arising, no worry of wind or fire, and with storehouses and wealth ample and free from loss.

Tonight we give thanks to the spirits of the unseen realm, and pray that blessing be left behind at this hour. The wealth offered has been carefully prepared, and is burned and sent forth in offering. Your servant, together with this disciple, bows once more in sending them off.