《金箓十回度人早午晚朝开收仪》

Your servant respectfully holds that, before Heaven and Earth had yet grown distinct and the myriad things had yet taken form, the True Script—the fundamental writing of the Dao (the Way)—was already stored within the great void. In the Longhan age, a legendary primordial kalpa, Heaven and Earth first opened, and the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning began to manifest in that earliest kalpic world. A wondrous wind arose and stirred; the Qi (vital energy) of the Dao condensed in response, forming the Dragon Chapters of the Eight Assemblies and the Phoenix Seal-script of the Three Origins, the ancient celestial writings of Daoist legend. From these the transformations of all things between Heaven and Earth were established, and Yin-Yang and the four seasons proceeded accordingly. The Great Dao runs side by side with the cosmic order symbolized by the River Chart and the Luo Writing, and does not conflict with it; even set beside the trigrams of Fuxi and King Wen, its efficacy far exceeds what those can fully convey.

Your servant now respectfully carries out the edict of the higher authority, performing the Golden Register Zhaijiao (a type of Daoist purification ritual) and establishing a great retreat to pray for blessings and felicity, continuing through several days and nights. I now lead the officials and the assembly to ascend the altar for the first round of recitation of the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (the Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters on Limitless Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery of the Most High, an important Daoist classic), and to pay court homage to a certain venerable deity, the recitation and the rite each performed once. In accordance with the register text (the ritual register on which the Zhaijiao is based), the great retreat of prayer for blessings is held over several days and nights; I again lead the officials and the assembly to ascend the altar for the first round of recitation of this scripture and to pay homage to a certain venerable deity, each once.

We rely upon the compassionate worthies of the supreme Three Treasures—Dao (the Way), Jing (scripture/classic), and the Master—and upon the great sages of the heavens of the ten directions, who by the power of their compassionate vows preside over and bear witness to the merit of reciting the scripture. We respectfully pray: may the sacred golden words fully illuminate the mysterious principle, and may the treasured scripture scrolls open its subtle and hidden purport; may the profound meanings stored from the Prior Heaven be made manifest, and may the chapters transmitted from highest antiquity be brought forth. Let people throughout the four quarters of the world all comprehend the meaning of the scripture, and may none fail to receive its grace. We bow our heads before Xuhuang (a venerated Daoist deity) and devote ourselves to cultivating and practicing the scriptural method.

Hymn for Spreading the Seat

The hymn of praise chanted when the scripture seat is laid out.

Recitation of the Scripture Completed

The recitation of the scripture is finished.

Hymn for Removing the Seat

The hymn of praise chanted when the scripture seat is withdrawn.

This is done so that sentient beings may form the karmic conditions for doing good; if they thereby attain awakening, they rely upon and gratefully remember the grace of the mysterious Great Dao.

Dedication of Merit

I respectfully hold that the sun rises in the east, and that the east belongs to the station of Lesser Yang (Shaoyang); the myriad things issue forth and grow from the quarter of Zhen (Thunder, of the Bagua, the Eight Trigrams), and the quarter of Zhen is also where the Thunder Gate stands. When Yang Qi (vital energy) surges and commingles, it gives forth sound; when thunder rises with arousing force, it can awaken those who are dull and insensible. When all the heavens hear the numinous and wondrous sound of the Jing (scripture/classic), they gladly declare it good and praise it with one voice; and so the whole country, high and low, fixes its mind in reverence, and only then hears the supreme principle.

This is the meaning of “causing the deaf to recover their hearing”: it serves to show the efficacy of reciting scripture. I, your servant, just now led the officials and all those assembled up onto the ritual altar, and together we chanted in praise the numinous and wondrous sound of the scripture; and so the whole country, high and low, fixes its mind in reverence, and only then hears the supreme principle. What is called “causing the deaf to recover their hearing” is precisely the use of this expression as a metaphor for the efficacy of the scriptural text.

I, your servant, just now led the officials and all those assembled and, upon the altar, recited once through the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (the Most High’s Unsurpassed Wondrous Scripture of Limitless Salvation, of the Numinous Treasure of Dongxuan, the Cavern of Mystery, one of the Three Caverns—Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen), and dedicated the merit of the recitation to the Limitless Most High Celestial Worthy of the Lingbao of the East, the Celestial Worthy of Jade Clarity of the East Who Sends Down Blessings, the Celestial Lord of the Nine Qi of the Azure Prime and the Azure Heaven of the East, the Star Lord of the Eastern Dipper Who Records the Reckoning of Lifespan, the Azure Emperor, Lord Protector of Souls, the Solar Emperor-Lord of the Solar Palace, of Great Cinnabar, Yuyi, and Blazing Light, the Star Lord of the Celestial Rampart and the Imperial Seat, the Lord of the Dao (the Way), Supreme Perfected and Azure Sovereign of Initial Yang and of the De (Virtue/Power) of Wood in the East, the Perfected Lord of the Year Star, the Star Lord of the Root Mansion (Di) of the East, the Star Lord of the Heavenly Quadriga of the Chamber Mansion (Fang), the Star Lord Heavenly King of the Heart Mansion (Xin), the Star Lords of the arrayed mansions of the Heavenly Market Enclosure, the venerable spirit (Shen) of the Palace of Scorpio, the Star Lords of the arrayed mansions of the Mao Palace in the Song astral division, the supremely perfected great spirits of the limitless and measureless ranks of the East, the Lord of Limitless Salvation, Great Saint of Long Life and Divine King of the Flying Heavens, the Perfected Lord of Eastern Florescence Who Superintends Destiny, the venerable spirits of one’s natal destiny, of the Grand Year, and of Emolument and Horse, and every perfected numinous being who responds at the altar of the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and who ought to receive this prayer.

We pray that these venerable spirits, by means of the merit of the recitation and the power of the vow, will settle and securely guard the station of Jia and Yi and of Great Fire in the east (one of the stellar stations of the eastern quarter). May the state be peaceful and secure, and may the foundation of Heaven and Earth be protected and upheld; may the jade characters of the scripture radiate light, and may the stars, in their courses, each follow their proper measure. May the Director of Reckoning of Eastern Florescence, the Perfected Lord of Eastern Florescence Who Superintends Destiny, the venerable spirits of natal destiny, of the Grand Year, and of Emolument and Horse, and every perfected numinous being who responds within the purification altar, bestow upon the Lord of Wood (a venerable deity of the east) years of long life without old age; may the De of Wood in the east bring flourishing prosperity, and may the Eastern Dipper enter for human beings the name of long life. May the auspicious become manifest, and may blessings and celebrations be without end.

We perform the rite and bow in prostration, take refuge in the venerable ones, and then continue the processional steps and the chanting of praise.

After the chanting of the Zhihui Hymn is finished, the assembly turns toward the east.

The Supreme Mysterious Void Lineage is the root of spreading the great Dao (the Way) and honoring the Jing (scriptures/classics). By looking up to Heaven and down upon Earth and discerning the great Dao, a person may become an immortal, passing through countless kalpas with a lifespan beyond measure. Great and lofty true De (Virtue/Power) is silent and profound, and it appears through clarity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action). Lofty celestial scenery congeals into palaces in the void, arising of itself upon emptiness. The sun and moon shine in brilliant splendor; Heaven and Earth are peaceful and glad; joy has no end.

The Gaogong (the Daoist priest who presides over the rite) respectfully reads the documents in the east.

After the memorial is read aloud, it is burned.

The second round of the scripture-opening text is read aloud.

Your servant respectfully holds that the Five Chapters of Jade Characters (precious scriptures transmitted in Daoism) arose even before the Great Void took form; the inner sounds of the various heavens appeared in the Chiming Kalpa (an age in the Daoist view of cosmic time). The meaning of the scripture is deep and hidden, hard to glimpse; its writing is winding and secluded, and not easy to set forth clearly. The eight-angled radiance of the scripture was refined by the fire of Cavern Yang; the auspicious light of nine colors that emerges is the brilliance shown by rising flowing fire. Such a scripture should be treasured in the celestial palaces and must not be lightly preached to people of the mundane world.

Your servant, respectfully obeying Heaven’s mandate, has sincerely established the Golden Register Great Retreat for Prolonging Auspiciousness (a large-scale Daoist Zhaijiao, or purification ritual, praying that blessings and longevity may continue), which has now lasted several days and nights. Leading the officials and the assembly, I now ascend the altar, turn for the second time, and chant the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (the Most High’s Wondrous Scripture of the Highest Grade on Limitless Salvation, of the Numinous Treasure and of Dongxuan, the Cavern Mystery among the Three Caverns), and pay court homage with the Precious Invocations (liturgical texts praising the merits of the deities). Relying on the compassionate worthies of the Unsurpassed Three Treasures and the great sages of the heavens of the ten directions, may the power of their compassionate vows preside over and protect the merit of this recitation. I pray that they open and make manifest this Dao, awakening and nourishing your servant’s mind, so that this scripture may be proclaimed as if personally transmitted by the immortal perfected ones of Heaven. The Golden Perfected (a Daoist honored deity, or sacred true Qi, vital energy) send forth their sounds, reaching up to the Three Su Heavens (heavens spoken of in Daoism); the jade stanzas pass through the void and broadly set forth the mysteries of the heavens of the ten directions. All who hear the Brahma utterance (the sacred chanting voice in Daoist Keyi, or liturgy) obtain extraordinary merit. Bowing to the Void Sovereign (a Daoist honored deity), we carry out the scriptural method.

There is chanting as the scripture seat is laid out.

The recitation of the scripture is finished.

There is chanting as the scripture seat is withdrawn.

Dedication of merit: the merit gained by reciting the scripture is transferred to those for whom the prayers are made.

Your servant respectfully holds that the number of Earth is two, and from this fire is born; fire is the Qi of utmost Yang within Yin-Yang, displaying a function both splendid and mysterious. All who hear the Brahma utterance obtain extraordinary merit. Bowing to the Void Sovereign, we carry out the scriptural method.

There is chanting as the scripture seat is laid out.

The recitation of the scripture is finished.

There is chanting as the scripture seat is withdrawn.

Dedication of merit.

I say with reverence: the earthly number two gives birth to fire, and fire is the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of utmost Yang. Twofold light forms the hexagram Li, which corresponds to the South. Brilliance laid upon brilliance rests in the central and correct position, so that every region under Heaven may behold its radiance. Since the Celestial Worthy proclaimed the teaching of the Jing (scriptures), the foundational work opened by the Huangji—the honored and upright station at the center—has grown ever greater. The supreme Dao (the Way) is vast and exalted, and it is difficult to describe in words.

Just now I led the officiants up to the altar and recited, for the second time, the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing, the Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters on Limitless Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of the Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery), one of the Three Caverns, of the Most High. I dedicated the merit of the recitation to the Limitless Most High Celestial Worthy of the Numinous Treasure of the South; the Celestial Worthy of the South Who Prolongs Life and Increases the Allotted Years; the Heavenly Lord of the Three Qi of the Great Cinnabar Heaven of the South; the Lord of Upper Birth of the Southern Dipper; the Red Emperor, Lord Who Nourishes Qi; the Stellar Lord of the Imperial Seat in the Taiwei Enclosure of the South; the Supreme Perfected Dao Lord, Red Emperor of the Cinnabar Heaven of the Fire De (Virtue/Power) of the South; and the Stellar Lord of Yinghuo (Mars). The merit was likewise dedicated to the Stellar Lord of the Willow Lodge, the Celestial Kitchen; the Stellar Lord of the Star Lodge, the Celestial Treasury; the Stellar Lord of the Spread-Net Lodge, the Celestial Balance; the venerable deities of the arrayed lodges in the Zhou allotment of the Wu palace; and the venerable deity of the Lion Palace. It was also dedicated to the great deities of Utmost Perfection in the limitless and innumerable ranks of the South; the Divine King Who Flies Through Heaven, Great Sage of Long Life, Lord of Limitless Salvation; the Perfected Lord of the Record-Keeping Bureau of the Southern Pole; the venerable deity of one’s natal Taisui and of Emolument and Horse; and all the divinities who have responded and come to the altar of the Zhaijiao (purification ritual).

We earnestly beg the deities, by the merit of the recitation and the power of our vows, to pacify and guard the southern station of Bing and Ding, Quail Fire—the southern celestial region corresponding to the stems Bing and Ding and to Quail Fire. We pray that the fortune of the state remain secure and its foundation firm, that blessings and auspiciousness be sent down, that lifespan be lengthened and life protected. We respectfully ask that the edict of the crimson celestial script convey the divine command, so that the ecliptic courses of the sun and moon may run smoothly. May the Lord of Upper Birth of the Southern Dipper bestow the blessing of long life and great age, and may the Sovereign Lord of Eastern Florescence register blessings and emoluments for humankind, so that all may enjoy peace and tranquility. May the people raise up the civilizing influence of ritual and music, and may the state practice governance that is cultured, clear, and upright. We knock our heads and take refuge, and we continue to circle the altar in ritual homage and praise.

Hymn of Wisdom

To cultivate the way of the immortals, one must cut off vain and showy thoughts. When thoughts accumulate one after another, they disturb the mind and Shen (spirit). When thoughts are in disorder, the mind and Shen grow restless, as if every kind of realm might be experienced. Stray thoughts must be cleared away, the mind settled in emptiness and stillness, so that in pure quiet one enters the realm of empty silence. One should seek the methods of the Jing as earnestly as the hungry and thirsty seek food and drink, and hold to one’s resolve as firmly as metal and stone. May you be protected on the mysterious path of ascent in flight, and may you attain deliverance through the Fulu (talismans and registers) of the Five Numina that confer salvation.

The Gaogong—the Daoist priest who presides over the Zhaijiao—performs a reverent rite in the South.

Your servant respectfully holds that in the remote Yankang era the sacred Jing (scripture/classic) had not yet appeared, and the true methods of the Dao (the Way) remained deeply concealed. When the time came for the orthodox Dao to be put into practice, the Lord of the Dao (Daojun) was born in the Jade Kingdom. The Primordial Supreme Lord (Yuanshi Shangdi) then bestowed on him the wondrous writings of the flying heavens and established him in the Purple Tenuity Palace of Upper Clarity (Shangqing Ziwei Gong). He charged him with oversight of the Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery) Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) teaching, a teaching profound, vast, and measureless, belonging among the Jing of the supreme grade.

Within it, one scroll in particular bears the name Dongxuan. Its profound principles and refined wording are the source of the many Jing of Shenxiao (the Divine Empyrean). The Great Dao is broad and lofty, and its successive layers of hidden meaning cannot be fully explained. Now your servant leads the officers and the congregation up to the altar and, for the third time, offers the revolving recitation of the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (The Most High Wondrous Jing of the Supreme Grade of the Lingbao of Dongxuan on Limitless Salvation), and pays homage to the Precious Invocations (Baogao). Relying on the power of the compassionate vows of the Unsurpassed Compassionate Worthies of the Three Treasures and of the great sages of the heavens of the ten directions, we jointly preside over and protect the merit of this recitation of the Jing. We respectfully invite the Golden Perfected (Jinzhen) to receive the slips and registers, and the Jade Maidens to open the cases, that together they may collate and set in order the Jing of the secret repository, so that the supreme methods of the Dao may be spread. May all beings, from the most minute places to worlds vast without bound, awaken. May the numinous, wondrous sound reach the human realm and also answer to the Jing of the heavens, jointly accomplishing the wondrous work of transforming and nurturing the myriad things. Bowing our heads to the Vacuous Sovereign (Xuhuang), we cultivate according to the methods of the Jing.

Chanted when the seats are laid out

When the recitation of the Jing is complete

Chanted when the seats are withdrawn

Dedication of Merit (Huixiang)

Your servant respectfully holds that the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) established the teaching and broadly opened the gates of the many wondrous methods; the Primordial Supreme Lord graciously displayed the precious pearl, leading beings of the ten directions to recite the Jing, so that all might together accomplish the wondrous work of transforming and nurturing the myriad things. Bowing our heads to the Vacuous Sovereign, we cultivate according to the methods of the Jing.

Chanted when the seats are laid out

When the recitation of the Jing is complete

Chanted when the seats are withdrawn

Dedication of Merit

The Celestial Worthy established the teachings and widely opened every gate of mystery. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning suspended and displayed the precious pearl, leading the holy hosts of the ten directions to ascend. This scripture is called the Limitless Supreme Grade, gathered into the foundational text that embodies the principle of wondrous existence. Its meaning penetrates the principle of the Twofold Mystery; its efficacy extends to all things, yet it claims no merit. By means of it the blessed fortune of the state may be secured, and the root of Heaven and Earth preserved. Supreme De (Virtue/Power) is difficult to put into words, and the principle of true mystery is unfathomably deep.

Just now I led the Daoist assembly onto the altar and recited the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing, the Most High’s Unsurpassed Supreme Wonderful Scripture of Universal Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery), and I dedicated the merit of the recitation to the Western Limitless Most High Lingbao Celestial Worthy; the Western Bagua (Eight Trigrams) Celestial Worthy Who Protects the Body; the Heavenly Lord of the Seven Qi (vital energy) of the Western Heaven of Great Simplicity; the Lord of the Western Dipper Who Records Names; the Lord Who Attends the Po-souls of the White Emperor; the Great Yin Sovereign Lord of the Moon Palace, of Yellow Efflorescence, Plain Radiance, and Primordial Jing (essence); the Star Lord of the Emperor’s Seat in the Celestial Enclosure; the Supreme Perfected Lord of the Dao (the Way), White Emperor of Lesser Yin and Great Simplicity, of the De of Metal; the Star Lord of Taibai (Venus); the Star Lord of the Stomach Lodge, the Heavenly Granary; the Star Lord of the Hairy Head Lodge, Tianqie; the Star Lord of the Net Lodge, the Heavenly Ear; the Star Lords of the arrayed lodges of the Zhao sector of You Palace; and the Honored God of the Golden Bull Palace; and also to the Western Limitless, Measureless-Rank, Ultimately True Great Yin White Emperor, Supreme Perfected Lord of the Dao; the Star Lord of Taibai; the Star Lord of the Stomach Lodge, the Heavenly Granary; the Star Lord of the Hairy Head Lodge, Tianqie; the Star Lord of the Net Lodge, the Heavenly Ear; the Star Lords of the arrayed lodges of the Zhao sector of You Palace; the Honored God of the Golden Bull Palace; and the Great Gods of Ultimate Truth of the Limitless, Measureless Ranks of the West. I likewise dedicated it to the Divine King Who Flies through Heaven, the Great Sage of Long Life, Lord of Limitless Salvation; the True Magistrates of the Office of Records of the Western Numina; the Honored Gods of natal destiny, Taisui, emolument, and the horse; and all the deities whose response was felt at the Zhai (purification) altar.

We pray that, by the merit of the recitation and the power of the vow, the western station of Daliang under the stems Geng and Xin (the western region indicated by the Daoist correspondence of star lodges and terrestrial fields) may be pacified and securely guarded, expressly so as to gather blessings, prolong auspiciousness, and bring peace to the state. May the sovereign’s achievements in government be fulfilled, and envoys from the four quarters come in succession to court. May names earned by good conduct be recorded in the jade characters and golden books of the Western Dipper, and may auspicious radiance appear in the sky like pearl-stars and a jade-disc moon. May the world long enjoy great peace, and may all beings attain clarity, stillness, and repose. Bowing the head to the ground in worship, we take refuge in the Great Dao, and then proceed in circuit with praise.

Hymn of Wisdom

May this scripture help me accomplish the practice of the Six Degrees (six methods of cultivation), and thereby become able to gain liberation from the three...

May I walk by the Six Perfections (six virtues of cultivation), and thereby escape the Three Nets (obstacles like layer upon layer of snares). Keeping the fast and revering Taisu (the pure and quiescent origin honored in Daoism), I nourish through breathing the “cloud sprouts” within the body (the Jing [essence] and Qi [vital energy] spoken of in cultivation). I roam freely through the Golden Palaces (the palaces of the immortal realm) and make Yujing (the celestial capital of Daoist legend) my home. The Seven Treasures arise of themselves, and everyone sits upright upon a lotus. Looking up, I chew the immortal fruit of Xuandu; looking down, I drink my fill of the melons and fruits of Kongdong Mountain. My countenance shines as bright as ten suns—why still count the years, months, and kalpas that have passed? The Dharma drum summons the assembled immortals; the bell calls forth the great demons.

The Gaogong (the ritual master who presides over Daoist Zhaijiao [purification ritual] rites) respectfully reads the documents toward the west.

The memorial is read aloud, and the documents are burned.

The opening text of the scripture for the fourth round is read aloud.

Your servant respectfully holds: Passing through the Five Kalpas (the stages of the opening and evolution of heaven and earth) to bring the myriad beings to transformation, all in the end return to the primordial source of the one Qi. The host of stars encircles the Northern Asterism, and the myriad phenomena of heaven stand in solemn array; the Six Heavens stretch across the northern way of heaven and command the host of demons. The Lingbao scriptural texts are the fundamental Jing (scripture/classic), and also the essential Way honored by Shangqing (an important Daoist transmission). Their power is sufficient to restrain the ordinances of the celestial realm, halting the course of the sun and moon and stilling the turning of the stars and the Dipper; they can also strictly overawe Beifeng (the northern realm of the underworld), so that demons and monsters lose heart and ghosts and sprites are destroyed. Therefore the Jing is transmitted through the ages to save people, and heaven and earth are thereby enabled to endure. Those who cultivate the Jing can attain the Dao (the Way) and become immortals, riding the clouds and roaming the four seas; those who practice the Jing can preserve the bodily form and remain long in the human world, passed on from generation to generation without end.

Your servant now respectfully carries out the mandate of the Son of Heaven, reverently establishing the Jinlu (a Daoist Zhaijiao performed to pray for blessings and avert calamity) and conducting the Great Retreat for Extending Felicity (a fasting rite for praying for fortune and longevity), over several days and nights. I now lead the officials and the assembly to ascend the altar for the fourth round of recitation of the Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters of Limitless Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery of the Most High (Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing), paying court homage to the Precious Invocations (texts in praise of the deities), and relying upon the compassionate honored ones of the Unsurpassed Three Treasures (the venerable deities of the Three Treasures of the Dao, the Jing, and the Master) and the great sages of the heavens of the ten directions, that by the power of their compassionate vows they preside over and protect the merit of this scripture recitation.

Your servant now leads the officials and the assembly to ascend the altar for the fourth round of recitation of the Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters of Limitless Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery of the Most High, paying court homage to the Precious Invocations, and relying upon the compassionate honored ones of the Unsurpassed Three Treasures and the great sages of the heavens of the ten directions, that by the power of their compassionate vows they preside over and protect the merit of this scripture recitation.

We humbly pray that Taizhen (a celestial female immortal) takes up the brush to record, and the Numinous Consort attends the carriage. May the jade characters (sacred writing) appear in the Great Void, and the jasper texts (precious scriptures) unfold from the secret scrolls. Raise the music of the Mysterious Gate, its profound melody clear and ringing like jade striking jade; stir the waves of the sea of the Dao, so that the grace of the Dao spreads without bound. Birds in flight, fish in the depths, moving creatures, and grasses and trees all receive this grace and multiply and grow. We bow our heads to Xuhuang (the honored deity revered in Daoism) and carry out the scriptural method.

Chanted when the seats are laid out.

The recitation of the scripture is complete.

Chanted when leaving the ritual seat.

The merit is dedicated.

I say with reverence: the scripture has now been recited four times. The mysterious and far-reaching principles within it are vast and profound; when praise and felicitation are offered to the divine spirits of the heavens, distant and ethereal hymns of praise resound in answer.

Just now I led the officiants and the assembly to ascend the altar, where in turn we recited for the fourth time the Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters on Limitless Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery of the Most High (Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing), and dedicated the merit of the recitation to the venerables of the Limitless Most High of the North: the Celestial Worthy of the Numinous Treasure, Limitless Most High of the North; the Celestial Worthy of the North Who Dispels Calamities and Resolves Adversities; the Heavenly Lord of the Five Qi of the Great Mystery Heaven of the North; the Star Lord of the Imperial Throne in the Purple Tenuity Enclosure of the North Pole; the Star Lord of Falling Death of the Northern Dipper; the Lord Who Courses the Blood under the Black Emperor; the Black Sovereign, Supreme Perfected Lord of the Dao, of the Yin Origin of Great Darkness and the Virtue (De) of Water in the North; the Star Lord of the Chen Gate; the Star Lord, Heavenly Maiden of the Woman Lodge; the Star Lord, Heavenly Minister of the Emptiness Lodge; the Star Lord, Heavenly Coin of the Rooftop Lodge; the Star Lords of the lodges arrayed through the divisions of the Zi Palace; the Venerable Spirit of the Precious Vase; the Great Gods of Utmost Perfection of the limitless and innumerable ranks of the North; the Lord of Limitless Salvation, Great Sage of Longevity and Divine King Who Flies Through Heaven; the Star Lord of the Office of Peril of the Northern Perfected; the Venerable Spirit of the Grand Year of Natal Destiny; the baleful stars of the Purple Hall; and all the perfected spirits summoned in response at the altar of purification (Zhai).

We pray that, by the merit of the recitation and the power of these vows, the gods will pacify and protect the celestial station Xuanxiao corresponding to Ren and Gui of the North (in ancient astronomy, a name for one of the divisions of the heavens). We reverently pray that the myriad sages descend before the altar and that all the heavens join in celebration, so that the emperor’s years may be lengthened and his life extended, enduring as long as heaven and earth, and so that the territory of the realm may be vast and secure, lasting as mountains and rivers last. May the states of distant lands come to present tribute, offering jade and silk. The assembly bows to the ground and takes refuge, then rises, proceeds according to the rite, and chants the verses of praise.

Hymn of Wisdom (Zhihui Song)

A numinous wind stirs the wondrous flowers, and the blossoms open in brilliant profusion. Layers of purple cloud-Qi (vital energy) well upward, and the assembled immortals play their jade zithers. Lofty hymns rise above the Three Heavens, and gracious favor spreads through the Forest of Jade Blossoms. Seven generations of ancestors thereby ascend into the Hall of Blessings, advancing along the sound of the mysterious immortal music.

If the De (Virtue/Power) accumulated in former lives is insufficient, this Jing (scripture/classic) is hard to encounter. If the mind that trusts in the Great Dao (the Way) is not steadfast, one who hoped to ascend in flight may instead sink and fall. Whether the Wuwei (non-action) Dao of the Most High can be made to flourish rests entirely with your intention.

The Gaogong (the ritual master who presides over the ceremony in the sacred arena) faces north and proclaims the document.

After the memorial has been read aloud, it is formally announced and then burned.

The Jing is recited three times.

After the recitation, all should together make this vow: may the minds of all who believe in the Dao remain firm and unwavering; if one hoped to ascend yet instead sank and fell, one should realize the Wuwei Dao of the Most High and promote it within the heart.

The Gaogong faces north and proclaims the document.

After the memorial has been read aloud, it is formally announced and then burned.

The Jing is recited three times.

After the recitation, all should together make this vow: may all beings forever eliminate every karmic offense, so that wholesome thoughts continually increase.

After the recitation, all should together make this vow: may all beings enter deeply into the methods of the Daoist teaching, take refuge, and faithfully accept and practice them.

After the recitation, all should together make this vow: may all beings forever cut off attachment and delusion, and constantly draw near to the orthodox teaching.

Vows are made.

The censer is gathered and closed (the rite of restoring the censer).

One descends from the altar.

Thanks are offered to the venerable masters.

Merit is dedicated in transfer (directing the merit of reciting the Jing and performing the rite toward all beings or a particular aspiration).

The Opening and Closing Rite of the Morning Audience for the Golden Register (Jinlu) Tenfold Salvation

The Opening and Closing Rite of the Noon Audience for the Golden Register Tenfold Salvation

After the purpose and intent of the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) have been proclaimed.

The Three Refuges.

The Hymn of Past-Life Destiny (a liturgical text praising the causal conditions of former existences).

The opening text of the Jing for the fifth cycle is proclaimed.

I will turn the text into plain language sentence by sentence according to the original context, while retaining scripture titles, ritual terms, and the necessary brief explanations. Where the character “this” stands in the original, there is a clear problem of sentence division or of textual transmission; I will treat it cautiously in light of the context and will not invent missing content. Your servant respectfully states: The region of Yulong Tengsheng transcends the Formless Realm (the realm without material form or visible appearance); the realm of Biluo Fuli is the Initial Azure Heaven. In former times, when the Vacuous Sovereign (a venerated celestial deity and perfected being in Daoism) was about to proclaim the great Dao (the Way), a ritual assembly was opened here and the scriptures (Jing) were specially expounded.

When the lion seat was first ascended to preach the scripture, if one could listen in the surrounding assembly through a full ten recitations, one might still hear the meaning of the scripture; but once the intent of the scripture entered the true realm, subtle as a grain of millet, who could recognize the supreme truth of the mysteries contained within it? This is what is called “beyond image there is still image”: one must grasp, within the mysterious, a mystery still deeper.

Your servant now respectfully carries out the edict of the Son of Heaven and holds the great Golden Register Retreat (a Keyi [liturgy] within Daoist Zhaijiao [purification ritual], used to pray for blessings and avert disasters), seeking that blessings continue without end through several days and nights. Your servant now leads the officials and the Daoist assembly up to the altar for the fifth revolving recitation of the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (the Most High’s Wondrous Superior Scripture of Limitless Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of Dongxuan, one of the Three Caverns), pays reverence to the Precious Declarations (prayer texts praising the merits of divine perfected beings), and, relying on the power of the compassionate vows of the Unsurpassed Three Treasures, the Merciful Worthies, and the Great Saints of the heavens of the ten directions, presides over and upholds the merit of the scripture recitation.

We humbly pray that the divine perfected beings open the secret writings of Ziyang and bestow the restricted books of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi), inspiring and instructing all living beings so that the radiance of the myriad things may appear. Let jade tones like clustered gems sound forth and naturally gather into the empty, far-reaching tones of the Dao; let the chapters of the scripture be spread abroad like the Cloudy Han of the Heavenly River, so that the Great Void displays a penetrating brilliance. All living beings possessed of feeling and awareness will be able to see and to hear. The assembly bows in refuge and cultivates the scriptural teaching.

Chant for Laying Out the Seats: the verses intoned when the seats of the scripture altar are arranged.

Recitation of the Scripture Completed: the recitation of the scripture is finished.

Chant for Releasing the Seats: the verses intoned when the rite ends and the seats are removed.

Dedication of Merit: the merit accumulated through scripture recitation and ritual is prayerfully directed back to living beings, or toward a particular vow.

The ending and the beginning of the myriad things are both bound up with the Gen direction, the northeast. Among the Five Phases (Wuxing—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), generation and completion ultimately return to Earth. When the Beginning of Spring arrives, it is precisely the time for vital energy (Qi) to rise. Within, Yang Qi gradually waxes; without, Yin Qi gradually wanes, and from this moment Yin-Yang begins to join and move in open harmony. For every being endowed with spiritual awareness and possessed of an innate nature, why should one fear that it cannot grow and flourish?

Just now I led the ritual officers and the assembly up onto the altar and recited, for the fifth time, the Most High’s Wondrous Scripture (Jing) of the Upper Chapters on Limitless Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery (Dongxuan), dedicating the merit of the recitation to the Limitless Most High Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy of the Northeast; the Celestial Worthy of Purple Clarity Who Bestows Blessings; the Heavenly Lord of Brahma-Qi of the Primordial Azure Heaven of the Northeast; the Stellar Lord of Heavenly Unity, Purple Qi, and the Radiance of the Dao (the Way); the stellar lords of the Tail, Winnowing Basket, Dipper, and Ox lodges; the stellar lords of the astral fields of Hao and Yan in the Chou and Yin palaces; the honored deities of the two palaces of Makara; the supremely perfected great gods of limitless and measureless ranks in the northeast; the Flying Celestial Divine Kings, the Great Saints of Long Life, and the Lords of Limitless Salvation; the honored gods of natal destiny, the Grand Year, emolument, and the horse; the officers of the Purple Hall and the spirit-balefuls; and every true numen who responded at the purification altar.

We pray that these deities, by the merit of the scripture recitation and the power of the vow, bestow blessings and good fortune and add to length of life and the reckoning of felicity. Reverently we pray that the light and colors of the Five Stars be harmonious and the courses of the Nine Luminaries proceed smoothly; that the auspicious radiance of the Purple Qi star shine upon the Dipper and Ox lodges, so that jewel-like portents appear on earth; and that the stellar officials of the east ride over the Winnowing Basket and Tail lodges, so that outstanding worthies may be enrolled among the celestial officers. May people, through doing good, lengthen their years and receive every kind of auspiciousness, and, by establishing the orthodox Dao and setting the guiding norms aright, widely confer the Five Blessings. Bowing with the forehead to the ground, we take refuge and reverently carry this out, then circumambulate the ritual altar, chanting in praise.

Hymn of Wisdom

To learn the Dao one must begin from firm faith, and one should honor one’s teacher as one would one’s own kin. Drawing in the radiance of sun and moon, even if one occasionally accords with the realm of clarity, stillness, and emptiness, one must still be diligent without cease and seek renewal each day. So long as the many have not yet been delivered, I will not seek my own deliverance first. When a vast vow is made, a profound blessed reward surely follows; De (Virtue) practiced in secret will in the end become manifest. If one does evil in secret, the burden of transgression is heavy, and when retribution comes due it arrives in unbroken succession, like the turning of the wheel of rebirth.

The Gaogong (the Daoist priest who presides over Zhaijiao [purification ritual] and Keyi [liturgy]) reverently faces the northeast and proclaims the documents, then proclaims the memorial and burns it, and next proclaims the opening text for the sixth round of scripture.

Your servant respectfully holds that, among the Nine Empyreans and the Thirty-Six Heavens, the most exalted are the True King Great Emperors; all sixty-one scrolls of the Duren Jing (Scripture of Salvation) take the Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (Wondrous Scripture of Limitless Salvation of the Highest Grade) as their root. Some of these scriptures expound one particular aspect, whereas this scripture comprehensively embraces the meaning of the One Vehicle (the complete and fundamental method of cultivating the Dao [the Way]). Cultivating immortality and studying the Dao can accomplish outstanding merit; defending the state and securing the household are likewise all contained within the orthodox teaching. Only when source and stream run deep do the waves spread wide; only when the root is great can the branches and leaves flourish.

Your servant now respectfully receives the imperial edict and performs the Jinlu Zhai (a Daoist purification rite for seeking blessings and averting disasters), so as to continue blessings and felicity, the retreat having been held for many days. At present your servant leads the assembled Daoist priests to ascend the altar for the sixth round of scripture recitation, reciting the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (the Supreme Wondrous Scripture of the Numinous Treasure of Dongxuan [one of the Three Caverns] on Limitless Salvation of the Highest Grade), offering court homage to the precious invocations, and reverently relying on the compassionate worthies of the unsurpassed Three Treasures and the great sages of the heavens of the ten directions, that by the power of their compassionate vows they may preside over and witness the merit of this recitation. We respectfully pray that Heaven open the orthodox Dao and that the Celestial Emperor guide the hearts of all; that people may at once realize the mysterious principles and gladly accord with the order of Heaven; and that, on hearing the numinous sounds of the six recitations, they may be as if ignorance were cleared away and understanding suddenly dawned. May blessings reach the state and the household, and may joy spread through the lands that shield the realm. May the ritual assembly present raise clear and wondrous voices of recitation, bow in prostration before Xuhuang (the supreme Celestial Worthy), and carry out the scriptural teaching.

The scripture seat is then arranged and verses of praise are chanted; when the recitation is finished, the verses for dismissing the seat are chanted, and finally the merit is dedicated.

I respectfully say: the southeast corresponds to the station of the Six Summons and belongs to the Xun trigram, one of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), symbolizing the southeast and wind, and its Qi (vital energy) accords with this as well. In terms of the season, it is just the beginning of summer, when the myriad things grow in even order; in terms of number and principle, the Qi of water has already taken form, and primordial Qi returns to the root.

In cultivating profound methods of the Dao (the Way) and setting their wondrous functions in motion, the essential point is to let the sweet spring circulate—Liquan, a term of Neidan (internal alchemy) for the saliva in the mouth. Thus, teeth that have fallen out and grow anew are the sign produced when the Qi of Yuye turns toward the Niwan, the place within the head where Shen (spirit) and Qi reside; and the turning of white hair back to black is likewise the effect of Jinjing, a Neidan term for Jing (essence) and Qi, as it travels to the region behind the elbows. If one can understand where this subtle principle comes to rest, one can realize the Dao of numinous and marvelous transformation.

Just now I led the officers and the assembly up onto the altar and recited, for the sixth time, the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Duren Shangpin Miaojing (the Most High Wondrous Scripture of the Uppermost Rank of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery, on the Salvation of Beings; Dongxuan is one of the Three Caverns). I specially dedicate the merit of reciting this Jing (scripture/classic) to the Limitless Supreme Celestial Worthy of the Numinous Treasure of the Southeast, the Celestial Worthy of Longevity and the Safeguarding of Life of the Southeast, and the Celestial Lord of Brahma-Qi of the Initial Azure Heaven of the Southeast; and further to the Star Lord of the Divine Tail, Ketu the Descending Luminary; the Star Lord of the Celestial Capital of the Wings Lodge; the Star Lord of the Imperial Seat of the Celestial Enclosure; the Star Lord of the Celestial Street of the Chariot Lodge; the Star Lord of the Celestial Gate of the Horn Lodge; the Star Lord of the Celestial Court of the Neck Lodge; the honored deities of the two palaces of the earthly branches Chen and Si; the stellar lords of the lodges allotted to the terrestrial fields of Zheng and Chu; the honored deities of the two palaces of the Balance and the Double Maiden; the great deities of ultimate perfection among the limitless and measureless ranks of the Southeast; the Divine Kings Who Fly through Heaven, the Great Sages of Long Life, and the Measureless Lords Who Save Beings; the honored deities of the Grand Year, the Emolument Star, and the Horse Star of one’s natal destiny; the host of officers of the spirits and baleful agents of the Purple Hall; together with the officials belonging to the Three Realms and the gods who respond and manifest their numinous power.

I pray that, by the merit of reciting the scripture and the power of the vow, the stellar stations occupied in the southeast by the Longevity Star and by the Quail’s Tail may be settled and securely guarded, bringing blessing and good fortune and increasing length of life and the allotted store of felicity. I pray further that the officers of the Three Realms and the true spirits who answer devotion will extend their protection, so that what is prayed for may be fulfilled.

I humbly pray that the Three Luminaries—the radiant images of sun, moon, and stars, as spoken of in Daoism—may shine forth in manifestation and turn to save and deliver the Five Constants (the five enduring ways, or the moral norms). In the stellar station of the Dragon’s Horn, the handle of the Northern Dipper shines bright, displaying auspicious omens; in the stellar region of the Quail’s Tail, the stars stand true in their places and spread abroad the root of blessing. Thereupon I bow my head to the ground in worship, take refuge in the deities, turn my body in ritual salute, and offer praise.

The Hymn of Wisdom

Cultivating the Dao (the Way) is truly arduous, so from morning until night one must tend the fields of merit and accumulate virtuous deeds. Accumulating De (Virtue/Power) is like planting a tree: only as the roots grow ever deeper can it at last rise into a high mountain. If you devote yourself single-mindedly to the mysterious and wondrous Great Dao, you may drift upward into the blue heavens. In practicing this way of clarity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action), one must also constantly form affinities with good deeds. The Taishang Zhiyin Shu is also known as the Chapter on Wisdom. The welfare of the state depends upon persons of talent and virtue, while one may transcend the mundane world by cultivating the Dao and attaining immortality. A bearing of innate spiritual grace is seldom seen in the world; it is like a lotus in a deep pool, bright and moving.

The Gaogong, the Daoist priest who presides over the rite, respectfully faces the southeast and reads the documents aloud.

After the memorial has been read, it is sent to the place where the deities dwell and burned.

The opening text of the seventh round of scripture recitation is proclaimed.

Your servant respectfully submits that the Lingbao Benzhang is a secretly treasured Jing (scripture/classic) of Xuandu, the celestial capital in Daoist legend. When its five chapters are set forth, they have the power to steady the heavens and guard the earth; when the myriad teachings unfold, they have the strength to guide the fortunes of the age and bring order to the world. Why does the aim of this scripture specially take the name “Duren,” the salvation of human beings? It is because human beings are the most spiritually endowed of all things, and if the world is to be orderly there must also be a sovereign to govern it. Among the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, the human being is the most exalted; without human beings, how could the intention of Heaven and Earth to generate and nurture the myriad things be made manifest? The scripture’s name is therefore fitting, and the principle it figures is far-reaching indeed.

Your servant now reverently obeys the emperor’s command and holds a great Golden Register fast, a form of Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual), praying that blessings may continue without end. The fast lasts several days and nights. Your servant now leads the officials and the company of Daoists up to the altar for the seventh recitation of the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing—the Most High’s Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters on Limitless Salvation, belonging to the Lingbao tradition of Dongxuan (one of the Three Caverns)—and for veneration of the Baogao, the texts that praise the deities. Relying on the compassionate honored ones of the supreme Three Treasures and the great sages of the heavens of the ten directions, we ask that by the power of their compassionate vows they preside over and protect the merit of this recitation. We respectfully wish to spread the transformative teaching of the Dao and greatly revive the spirit of the Mysterious Gate. May repeated study bring a silent realization of the subtle yet luminous wondrous principle, secure the fortunes of the state, and obtain auspicious blessings. May what is prayed for be accomplished of itself, without forced effort. Let the ritual assembly on the altar proclaim the numinous chapters in beautiful voices. Bowing to Xuhuang, a venerated deity of the Dao, we carry out the scriptural rite.

Hymns intoned when the ritual seat is set in place.

The scripture recitation is complete.

Hymns intoned when the ritual seat is withdrawn.

The merit is dedicated.

May repeated study bring a silent realization of the subtle yet luminous wondrous principle, secure the fortunes of the state, and obtain auspicious blessings. May what is prayed for be accomplished of itself, without forced effort. Let the ritual assembly on the altar proclaim the numinous chapters in beautiful voices. Bowing to Xuhuang, we carry out the scriptural rite.

Hymns intoned when the ritual seat is set in place.

The scripture recitation is complete.

Heaven and Earth nurture the myriad things, and the human body ultimately returns to the earth. The Great Fire is condensed from the seven Qi (vital energy), while a person’s spirit is governed and nourished by the heart-spirit (Shen, the lord of the heart). Inner cultivation has its methods for regulating the breath, and outer care likewise has its ways of protecting and nurturing the body. Even when old age brings thinning hair and falling teeth, a ruddy complexion can be restored; bones, sinews, and vessels that were once soft and weak can now become strong and vigorous. This is the wondrous efficacy manifested by reciting and expounding the scripture (Jing), and it is also the expression of the holy teaching’s universal bestowal of benevolence.

Your servant has just led the assembly of ritual officers to ascend the altar and recite, for the seventh time, the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters on Limitless Salvation, of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery of the Most High). The merit of this recitation is now dedicated to the Limitless Most High Heavenly Worthy of the Numinous Treasure of the Southwest, the Heavenly Worthy of Limitless Blessing and Birth of the Southwest, the Heavenly Lord of the Brahma Qi of Shisu Heaven of the Southwest, the Star Lord of the Imperial Seat of the Celestial Enclosure, the Star Lord of the Hidden Luminary Taiyi Yuebo, the star lords of the lodges Zui, Shen, Jing, and Gui, the honored deities of the two palaces Shen and Wei, the Supremely Perfected Great Spirits of the limitless and boundless ranks of the Southwest, the Flying Heaven Spirit Kings, the Great Sages of Long Life, and the Lords of Limitless Salvation, the honored deities of one’s natal Taisui, emolument, and horse, the officers of the divine sha of the Purple Hall, and the true numina belonging to the Three Realms who come in sympathetic response.

We pray that, by the merit of reciting the scripture and the power of the vows, they will pacify and securely garrison the various deities of the Southwest, the Flying Heaven Spirit Kings, the Great Sages of Long Life, and the Lords of Limitless Salvation, the honored deities of one’s natal Taisui, emolument, and horse, the officers of the divine sha of the Purple Hall, and the true numina belonging to the Three Realms who come in sympathetic response. We pray that the station of Chunwei in the Southwest (one of the ancient stellar stations) be pacified and garrisoned, that nature and life be preserved and the span of years extended, and that auspiciousness be welcomed and blessings gathered.

Reverently we pray: may auspicious Qi appear in the starry expanse like the Heavenly River, its radiance shining upon the human world. May the lodges Jing and Gui guard the lodge Fang, so that its stellar position proceeds along the degrees of longitude; may the lodges Zui and Shen preside over the stars and the Dipper, subtly turning the Heavenly Pass. May blessings and auspicious signs gather in the Palace of Destiny, and may honor and emolument ever support a person’s fate. The assembly knocks the head and takes refuge, then circumambulates in praise.

Hymn of Wisdom (a hymn praising wisdom)

Each person’s path is different, yet all are bound up with the merits accumulated in former lives. One should cultivate De (Virtue/Power) early, and not hesitate to make a vow of goodness. Good and evil alike bring their corresponding results; the principle that fortune and misfortune depend upon each other is profound and hard to fathom. The wise follow what the Jing (scriptures/classics) and the methods teach, and they also know not to cling to names and appearances or to fixed views. To be freed from attachment is great wisdom, and thereby one may ascend and become Taiji Gong (Lord of the Supreme Ultimate).

A jeweled canopy is joined to the jade carriage, and when it sets out, nine dragons draw it. Immortal youths hold aloft golden ceremonial arms, bear the Dongjing (Cavern Scriptures), and attend with incense burners in their hands. Songs of whistling spread throughout Xuandu (the Mysterious Capital); the sound of jade pendants answers the jasper bells.

The Gaogong—the Daoist priest who presides over the Zhaijiao (purification ritual)—respectfully faces the southwest and reads out the documents.

The memorial is solemnly read aloud and then burned, as the rite by which it is conveyed upward to the deities.

The Bajiong Kaijing Wen (Scripture-Opening Text of the Eight Far Reaches) is read aloud.

Your servant respectfully holds that the scriptures transmitted by Yuanshi, though their chief aim is the broad salvation of all living beings, also contain, within the immortals’ learning of inner cultivation, the efficacy of casting off the mortal embryo and transforming into the realized. Ever since the precious pearl of five zhang was suspended on high, the mysterious principle of the ninefold reverted elixir of gold and mercury—the Golden Elixir (Jindan)—has already been fully present within them.

When sun and moon seem to still their radiance, that is precisely the time to draw the light inward and keep silent stillness; when the mountains conceal their cloud-Qi (qi), that is suited to long and subtle regulation of the breath. Once the Three Corpses—the three impure forces which Daoism says lodge in the human body and obstruct cultivation—are extinguished, the spirits of the Three Realms stand guard; once the Five Qi (wuqi), the five primordial energies that constitute the person and the workings of heaven and earth, are harmonized, the Great Emperors of the Five Directions come to receive one.

When the Mysterious Pearl—a term symbolizing Neidan (internal alchemy)—is refined to completion and the efficacy of cultivation is fulfilled, the sacred embryo is likewise achieved. Salvation of life bestowed through the Golden Chamber allows one to ascend the Golden Portal and take a place among the ranks of the immortals; with the name engraved upon the jade slips, one may go to feast and wander in the immortal realm of the Jade Capital.

Your servant now respectfully carries out the edict of the celestial realm, solemnly establishing the Golden Register purification rite and holding the Great Zhai (zhai) for Extending Blessings over a span of so many days and nights. At this moment your servant leads the officials and the assembly of Daoists to ascend the altar for the eighth cycle of recitation of the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (the Supreme Scripture of Limitless Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery), paying court homage to the precious invocations, and, relying on the power of the compassionate vows of the Unsurpassed Three Treasures, the Compassionate Worthies, and the great saints of the heavens of the ten directions, presides over and bears witness to the merit of this scripture recitation.

I humbly pray that the cultivator may ride the clouds of the Three Pure Essences, with the mark of nine-colored radiance appearing above the crown; that the essences of sun and moon gather within a single chamber, and that lions and immortal cranes guard the four quarters. Now, reciting with the mouth and contemplating in the mind, we enter the vast and mysterious realm; as Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit) meet and the mind awakens, we discern the profound mechanism of utmost stillness and Wuwei (non-action). May all sentient beings together realize the pure realm free of outflow. Members of the dharma assembly at this altar, please intone with wondrous numinous voices. We bow in reverence to the Vacuous Sovereign and carry out the scriptural method.

Hymn for Setting the Seat: the verse of praise sung when the scripture seat is put in place.

Recitation Concluded: the recitation of the scripture has ended.

Hymn for Removing the Seat: the verse of praise sung when the scripture seat is taken down.

Dedication of Merit: transferring the merit gained through reciting and cultivating the scripture, with the prayer that it be directed to living beings or to a particular recipient.

Heaven and Earth take the generating and nurturing of the myriad things as their fundamental intent, and when their work is accomplished they do not claim the merit. Lingbao—the scriptures and methods revered in Daoism—takes the salvation of all beings as the foundation of its teaching, and for this reason the grace of the Dao (the Way) is inexhaustible. Thus, when the merit of scripture recitation is brought to completion through eight repetitions, it accords precisely with the pattern of the Way of Qian, the Way of Heaven: cycling round and beginning again, ever generating and ever transforming. Since the myriad things each rest secure in their own nature and life, all ought to receive nurture and fulfillment. Whether high or low, great or small, no living being that has form and appearance is left out; whether born from the womb, from the egg, from moisture, or by transformation, none need fear that they cannot be preserved whole.

How wondrous and extraordinary—the mysterious grace is vast and without bound. Just now I led the officiating officers and the assembly to ascend the altar and recite, for the eighth time, the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing, the Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery of the Most High, for the Limitless Salvation of Humankind. I now dedicate the merit of this recitation to the Limitless Most High Lingbao Heavenly Worthy of the Northwest, the Heavenly Worthy of the Nine Palaces Who Wards Off Calamity of the Northwest, and the Celestial Lord of Initiating Mystery and Heavenly Brahma-Qi (vital energy) of the Northwest; and also to the Stellar Lord of the Imperial Throne of the Celestial Enclosure, the Stellar Lord Shenshou Luoqiangyao, the Stellar Lord of the Heavenly Granary of the Shi mansion, the Stellar Lord of the Heavenly Market of the Bi mansion, the Stellar Lord of the Heavenly General of the Kui mansion, and the Stellar Lord of the Heavenly Prison of the Lou mansion. I further invite the stellar lords of the Lu and Wei astral fields corresponding to the Xu and Hai palaces, the honored deities of the palaces of Aries and Pisces, the supreme true great spirits of limitless rank in the boundless Northwest, the Flying Celestial Divine Kings and Great Sages of Long Life, the Lords of Limitless Salvation, together with the honored spirits of one’s natal Taisui, emolument, and horse, the officers of the Purple Hall and the spirit-influences, and all perfected numina who have responded and gathered at the altar of the zhai, the purification rite.

I earnestly beseech these deities, by the merit of the recitation and the power of the vow, to settle and guard the Jianglou and Juzi stations of the Northwest—the ancient divisions pairing constellations with regions—to keep people’s lives secure, to lengthen years and increase longevity, and to bring auspicious blessings. I humbly pray that divine talismans stand guard over the Lu and Wei astral fields, and that the starry images of heaven shine upon the Kui and Bi mansions. In the palaces of each person’s life, destiny, and allotted fortune, auspicious signs ever abide; whatever is adverse among the year, month, day, and hour is turned to free and smooth passage. All who have something to uphold and something to accomplish may remain far from calamity and harm. The assembly bows and takes refuge, and then continues with ritual homage and praise.

Hymn of Wisdom

The bodily form is lifted high and rises through the void, passing beyond the light and shadow of sun and moon and ascending to the immortal realm of Purple Clarity. May one preserve the original source and hold to the proper measures, roaming the mysterious and wondrous realm and often giving rise to good deeds and auspicious signs. Every adversity in the year, the month, the day, and the hour is turned into smooth passage and good fortune. All who keep a firm hold and earnestly practice good are spared disaster and harm. In reverence one kneels, bows, and takes refuge, circumambulates in worship, and offers praise.

Hymn of Wisdom

The bodily form is lifted high and rises through the void, passing beyond the light and shadow of sun and moon and ascending to the immortal realm of Purple Clarity. May one preserve the original source and hold to the proper measures, roaming at ease within the mysterious realm. Ten thousand kalpas seem no more than last night, and a thousand years pass as briefly as the dawn. The towering immortal realm lies wrapped in clouds and colored mists, and one need only reach out to pluck branches from the jeweled groves. Incense smoke arises of itself, and the steps leading into the mysterious realm rise with it, mounting straight into the heights. The spirit banners—banners used in Daoist ritual to summon, convey, or mark the deities—scatter on the wind, and tangled thoughts likewise subside in their season. Discriminating cleverness that calculates distinctions is cleared away, and the state of being seamlessly one with the myriad things is set forth. With a mind of Wuwei (non-action), one sings a hymn of purity and clarity.

In the northwest, the Gaogong—the Daoist priest who presides over the rite—respectfully reads the documents aloud.

The memorial is read out and then burned.

The scripture is recited three times.

Vows are declared.

The incense burner is restored—in the rite, the incense burner and the other ritual implements are returned to their places.

One descends from the altar.

Thanks are offered to the masters.

Huihui—a ritual expression as it stands in the source text.

Opening and Closing Liturgy of the Noon Court for the Ten Recitations for the Salvation of Humanity of the Golden Register

Opening and Closing Liturgy of the Evening Court for the Ten Recitations for the Salvation of Humanity of the Golden Register

After the statement of intent for the purification liturgy has been read aloud.

The Three Refuges—taking refuge in the Three Treasures: the Dao (the Way), the Jing (scriptures), and the masters.

Hymn of Former Destiny

The matter of former destiny does indeed have its principle, yet those who have lost their original nature do not know it. Everyone wishes to see it at once with their own eyes; no sooner have they looked than they find it distant and unreal. The great worthy deeply understands the teachings of the Dao and feels compassion for the ignorant and obstinate. Never forgetting the sufferings of living beings, and diligent without weariness, he is ever filled with care for them.

The ninth reading of the text that opens the scripture is proclaimed.

I say with reverence: the Red Writ of Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery)—a name in the Daoist classics for secretly transmitted scriptures—is written on paper of a clear blue-green hue, in purple characters. The scripture shines with the radiance of ninefold roseate clouds, and every character is as precious as spines of gold and corners of jade. Eight dragons further form its chapters, and the writing seems carved from jade and cast in gold. It is kept hidden within the immortal realm of Shangqing, the lofty celestial realm spoken of in Daoism.

(In the source, the words “Now then. With lingering care I dwell on your suffering; with tireless diligence it fills me with sorrow” repeat the closing lines of the Hymn of Former Destiny above, and “Proclaim the ninth pass of the text opening the scripture” appears again afterward. This is presumably a duplication that arose in the copying or arrangement of the liturgical text.)

I, your servant, respectfully hold that the Red Writ of the Cavern Mystery (Dongxuan Chishu) was written in purple characters upon an azurite-blue ground, its radiance like the glow of ninefold auroral clouds; each character is as precious as golden rays and jade corners. The Chapters Formed by the Eight Dragons are likewise writing engraved in jade and cast in gold. They are treasured in the Hall of Cold Numinosity within the immortal realm of Highest Clarity, set out upon a suspended stand, and covered with a frost-colored silk cloth.

The sun and moon follow these scriptures (Jing) in their courses and never cease; when emperors revere them, they can secure the realm and bring lasting peace to the world. How grand are such scriptures—truly nothing surpasses them.

I now respectfully carry out the decree and perform the Golden Register Retreat, a grand Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual) for praying for blessings, delivering the dead, and the like. An altar is established and a great retreat is observed, and blessings and protection are sought over a number of days and nights. At this time I lead the officials and the Daoist assembly to ascend the altar for the ninth recitation of the Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters of Limitless Salvation of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery of the Most High, and to pay court homage to the Precious Declarations, sacred wordings of worship and praise. We rely upon the compassionate worthies of the Unsurpassed Three Treasures and the great sages of the heavens of the ten directions, that by the power of their compassionate vows they may preside over and protect the merit of this recitation. We pray that the mysterious true Dao (the Way) may grant illumination, and that the supreme sages may compassionately reach down to guide and raise us.

May the radiance of the divinities illuminate the root of wisdom, so that the Qi (vital energy) of the Dao—the primordial breath of which Daoism speaks—flows freely through the Numinous Residence, the seat of spirituality within body and mind. Let us study with single-minded attention and reflect deeply, not content merely to grasp the general sense of the scripture; we must also inquire into its hidden and profound places until we thoroughly understand the ultimate principle within it. May this merit extend to all beings of water and land, and may these good deeds benefit the state and the people. I knock my head before the Vacuous Sovereign, the supreme deity revered in Daoism, and carry out the methods of the scripture.

The Hymn for Spreading the Seat is the liturgical verse chanted when the scripture seat is laid out.

The recitation of the scripture is concluded.

The Hymn for Removing the Seat is the liturgical verse chanted when the scripture seat is withdrawn.

The Dedication of Merit is the prayer by which the merit of reciting the scripture is transferred to all beings.

This subject respectfully states: Nine is the ultimate of the Yang numbers within Yin-Yang, and is therefore suited to summon the true immortals of the heavens; the Dui trigram of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) belongs to Metal among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and so can bring forth the treasures concealed in the earth. Heaven does not begrudge the great Dao (the Way), and thus charts and writings appear in the world; Earth does not begrudge its treasures, and thus gold and jade are revealed. In former times, when Lord Lao descended upon the land of Shu, the earth responded and the Jade Bureau welled up; when the Void Sovereign journeyed in the West, the great earth of itself presented gold. All these are the results of divine power and sympathetic resonance coming into accord—how could numinous efficacy be of only one kind?

This subject has just led the officiating officers and the assembly to ascend the altar and recite, for the ninth time, the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing (the Most High’s Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Chapters of the Numinous Treasure of Limitless Salvation of Dongxuan, one of the Three Caverns, Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen; Jing, scripture/classic), and has dedicated the merit of the recitation to the Limitless Most High Lingbao Celestial Worthy above, the Celestial Worthy Who Preserves Life and Protects the Body, the Stellar Lords of the Celestial Enclosure and the Imperial Seat, the stellar lords of the Purple Tenuity Enclosure, the Seven Primordial Stellar Lords of the Northern Dipper of the Central Heaven, and the stars of the Three Platforms, the Canopy, and the Central Palace, together with the supremely true great spirits of the limitless and measureless ranks above, the Flying Celestial Divine Kings, the Great Sages of Long Life, and the Lords of Limitless Salvation, the honored spirits of Personal Destiny, the Grand Year, Emolument, and the Horse, the officers of the divine baleful agents of the Purple Hall, and all the perfected numina who have responded and come to the purification altar.

We pray that, by the merit of reciting the scripture and the power of our vows, they will settle and guard the celestial regions of the Purple Tenuity and the Yellow Path of the Central Heaven, protect life in peace, lengthen years and increase longevity, usher in auspiciousness, and gather blessings and joy. We respectfully wish to offer writs carved in jade and cast in gold, and to manifest auspicious signs such as linked pearls and joined jade discs; to set the Seven Governors—the sun, the moon, and the five planets—securely in their stations at the Jade Transverse, so that their courses do not err; and to turn the single Qi (vital energy) of the Primordial Beginning, open a blessed realm of long life, and bring all beings into the fashioning of creative transformation. May blessings shelter the state, and grace extend throughout the four seas. We bow our heads and take refuge, and then chant the hymn of praise.

Hymn of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate)

Note: “Dedication of merit” means directing, through prayer, the merit accumulated by reciting scripture toward particular deities or recipients; the “Seven Governors” are the sun, the moon, and the five planets of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth; the “Jade Transverse” here refers to a stellar position connected with the movements of the heavenly bodies. The latter part of the original contains repeated wording and what appears to be a disordered slip; the above follows the content that can be made out.

The Great Dao (the Way) is originally without mind or desire, yet people may seek the Dao with sincere intent. The Lord of the Dao abides for a time in the empty and mysterious realm, looking back upon the vast sea wrapped in darkness. His realm of pure clarity lies beyond the Three Realms, and in clear stillness and solitude he roams the Jade Capital (Yujing, the celestial capital of the immortals in Daoism). Unless one is innately gifted with mystery and one’s destined course accords, who can comprehend such profound principles? The River of Heaven is clear and boundless; between a glance upward and a glance downward, the myriad things all return to emptiness, stillness, and gentleness.

The hidden souls of the ancestors of seven generations (what Daoism commonly calls the “Seven Mysteries,” Qixuan, meaning seven generations of forebears) are scattered through the dark night, yet they may return to the root and reenter the womb, yielding to the changes of sinking and rising. If wholesome affinities can be gathered in the unseen realm, then even on meeting the calamity of Yang Nine (Yangjiu, a disastrous cyclical fate in Daoist reckoning), there is no need for fear. Seeing the gathering and scattering of life and death as they come and go, who would still cling to remaining? By forgetting the self, one can instead preserve true nature; true immortals will in the end meet those who share their aspiration and their Dao.

The Gaogong (the ritual master who presides over the ceremony) respectfully proclaims the documents upon the altar.

The memorial is read aloud, then transmitted and consumed by fire.

The Opening Text of the Scripture for the Tenth Cycle is read aloud.

Your servant respectfully states: the Scripture of Salvation of the Upper Grade is a classic treasured in common by all the heavens. Within it the true Dao is clearly set forth, and by regulation it could be transmitted in the world only after forty thousand kalpas (an exceedingly long succession of cosmic ages). Later the true scripture descended into the human world, and all under heaven were transformed by it. After the two ancestral masters Xu and Ge transmitted it in succession, the liturgical system, Keyi (liturgy), of the Lingbao tradition gradually became complete. The two ancestral masters Lin and Wang then appeared, and the teachings of the Shenxiao tradition were made manifest once more. Thereafter, methods of ingesting Qi (vital energy) to nourish life, and arts for protecting the state and securing the household, also appeared one after another. Each had its own order; they accorded with one another, and their content was broad and thorough, omitting none of the essentials of the Great Dao. The methods of the Dao being so vast, even a sage—what could he add?

Your servant now respectfully carries out the decree, performing the retreat rite of the Golden Register (Jinlu, a grand liturgy of prayer for blessings within Daoist Zhaijiao, purification ritual), establishing an altar to pray for blessing and protection over several days and nights. Today your servant leads officials and the faithful to ascend the altar and conduct the tenth cycle of recitation of the Wondrous Scripture of Limitless Salvation, Upper Grade, of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery (Dongxuan) of the Most High, to pay homage to the precious invocations, relying on the power of the compassionate vows of the unsurpassed Compassionate Worthies of the Three Treasures and the great sages of the heavens of the ten directions, and inviting them to preside over and protect the merit of this scripture recitation.

We earnestly beseech the support of the Great Dao and of the illustrious lofty perfected, so that the merit of these ten recitations may be brought to completion, and so that the principles of the entire scripture, from beginning to end, may be fully carried through. May the eight directions and the six quarters all be bathed in benevolent grace; may every span of earth and every reach of sky under heaven receive the moisture of the rain of the Law. May the pure assembly of this altar recite together the wondrous sounds of the scripture, bow before the Void Sovereign (Xuhuang, an honorific in Daoism for the supreme Celestial Worthy), and practice the methods of the scripture.

The scripture seat is set out, and there is chanting.

The recitation of the scripture is completed.

The scripture seat is withdrawn, and there is chanting.

The merit is dedicated and transferred.

The Gaogong performs meditative visualization according to the rite already set forth.

I respectfully hold that reciting the Supreme Marvelous Scripture must reach a full ten times before one count is complete, and that cultivating the sacred embryo—the pure embryonic origin spoken of in Neidan (internal alchemy)—requires ten months to accomplish. The cauldron and vessel, the conditions of cultivation by which Neidan figuratively describes body and mind, take their model from Qian and Kun, while the firing times follow Fu and Gou, hexagram names in the Zhouyi used to indicate the stages in which Yin-Yang waxes and wanes. Thus the Mysterious Pearl, a Neidan term for the internal elixir obtained through cultivation, manifests its form, and the Jade Tones, the clear and lofty sounds of the celestial realm, come into being. Cultivated within oneself, this practice returns one to one’s original destiny and to the root, filling the body with the Qi (vital energy) of pure Yang; extended to others, it can lengthen life and preserve one’s allotted span. The merit of the scripture and the cultivation of Neidan are in the end one and the same in principle. Students of the Dao (the Way), and those who possess the Dao, will come to realize this for themselves through practice.

Just now I led the officiants and the assembly up to the altar, where we recited for the tenth time the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing, the Most High’s Dongxuan (Cavern Mystery) Numinous Treasure Supreme Marvelous Scripture of Limitless Salvation, and dedicated the merit to the Limitless Supreme Numinous Treasure Heavenly Worthy of the lower direction; the Heavenly Worthy of the Lower Direction Who Raises Great Power of Blessing; the Central Sovereign, Perfected Lord of the Dao, of the Ancestral Qi of the Virtue of Earth; the Perfected Lord of the Garrison Star; the Great Chief Star Lord of the Central Dipper; the limitless and measureless ranks of supremely perfected great spirits of the lower direction; the Flying Celestial Spirit-Kings, the Great Sages of Longevity, and the Lords of Limitless Salvation; the honored spirits of the natal year-star, emolument, and horse; the host of spirit-officers of the Purple Hall; and all the perfected numina who have responded and come to the altar of the Zhaijiao (purification ritual).

We pray that, by the merit and vow-power of reciting the scripture, the lands governed by the twelve celestial divisions of the lower direction—the twelve sectors of antiquity, apportioned according to regions of the sky and corresponding to regions of the earth—may be settled and securely protected. We reverently wish that the Central Dipper preside over the host of spirits, and that the Garrison Star stand guard from the four quarters. May the assembled stars, each resting in its place, move according to the degrees fixed by the circuit of heaven; may Heaven and Earth broadly receive and bestow their grace, so that auspicious signs descend upon the world; and may all living beings look up to this bright and manifest favor.

We further reverently wish that the wondrous teaching reach every quarter, and that auspicious events arrive one after another; that the ten directions all receive the teaching of the sacred Dao, and that the myriad states all return to supreme benevolence. Whether minute insects or beings conceived and nurtured in the womb, may all receive this grace. The assembly bows and takes refuge, then turns to offer the rite of praise.

Hymn of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate)

The purport of the profound and wondrous Great Dao (the Way) is far-reaching and inexhaustible, and the clear Heavenly River shimmers in boundless light. The myriad things pass away and replace one another, as if cycling round and round; only the branches and leaves of the chun tree remain evergreen, never changing their former appearance. Quieting the mind, one concentrates solely on the Dao of Ultimate Truth, accords with the shifts of Qi (vital energy) and fortune, and leaves behind the net-like entanglements of the dusty world. The resonance between human beings and the Dao is, by the ordinary pattern of things, already mutually open; the consciousness of Shen (spirit) likewise proceeds there of itself.

When heart and spirit, plain and detached, roam freely, at first there is no limit; teeming thoughts, for their part, can reach the cloud-auroras of the Nine Heavens. When the root source scatters, the mysterious branches and leaves fall away with it; principle at last returns to the origin, and there is nowhere else for it to go. So long as one often recites the Jade Chapters (Jing, the scriptures revered in Daoism), the wondrous sound of recitation can carry through to the clouds above.

When the great flood descends in the jia-shen year, one may spread one’s wings and fly to the abode of the Queen Mother of the West. From then on one forever enjoys years without end; how then would one know how many calamities and turnings of the years still remain in the world?

The Gaogong (the ritual master who presides over Daoist Keyi, liturgy) respectfully reads the documents aloud at the foot of the altar.

After the memorial has been read aloud, it is sent into the fire and burned.

The liturgical text universally praising the scriptures is read aloud.

The Dao (the Way) is originally without form and without words; yet if one does not rely on language, its principles cannot be conveyed. Scriptures did not originally exist for the sake of recitation; it is through reciting them that people gradually come to grasp the principles within. When, in remote antiquity, primal chaos had not yet taken shape, how could there have been chapters and written characters?

Speaking with reverence: the Daluo Yuanshi Yuchen Daojun, a revered deity of Daoism, condensed Fanqi—sacred primordial Qi (vital energy)—within emptiness and nonbeing, and through long kalpas refined it into true writ. He then proclaimed this Dongxuan Lingbao Jing, the Numinous Treasure Scripture of the Mysterious Cavern (Dongxuan), in the realm of Shiqing Fuli. He suspended a single grain of millet in the midst of heaven and led the host of perfected immortals into the pearl, broadly transmitting principles of the utmost subtlety and teaching and transforming living beings.

The Hundong Chiwen first recounts the marvels by which the various heavens are generated and transformed; the Yuandong Yuli further clarifies the efficacy of guarding and restraining the cycles of the kalpas. The scripture is set forth in five chapters and proclaimed over and over, ten times. Thereafter appear the Hidden Language of the Great Brahma and the Middle Chapter of the Numinous Writ, their light illuminating the ten directions, each character a full zhang in length. These characters are all the secret sounds of the inner names of the Supreme Thearch, most difficult to investigate and understand. Later the Huangren, the August Person, by command of the Celestial Worthy, composed explanatory glosses for them.

This scripture can, above, settle the celestial realms and secure the earth, and below, nourish the myriad things and bring well-being to the people. It was originally kept secret in the celestial palaces and not transmitted in the human world. Only after Emperor Wu of the Han received it from the Queen Mother of the West did this line of transmission begin to circulate; later Perfected Xu passed it on to Immortal Elder Ge, and the scripture thereby spread widely.

This Wuliang Shangpin Jing, the Limitless Scripture of the Supreme Grade, is the general framework of the many scriptures. Now we Richen, Daoist priests who take part in Zhaijiao (purification ritual), respectfully carry out the proclaimed command, cultivate and uphold the great methods of the Daoist teaching, and, in accordance with the rites of the Jinlu Dazhai, the Golden Register Great Retreat, perform the ceremony of saving beings and revolving the scripture. May the Daoist abbeys throughout the world and all the perfected immortals jointly protect and commend us. We pray that the jade lads and jade maidens of the Five Thearchs guard the sacred scripture, and that the golden tigers and golden dragons of the Eight Awes protect the scripture scrolls and precious cases. May five-colored auspicious Qi rise in tokens of good fortune, and the Qi of the four seasons be clear and harmonious; may the Dao of Heaven proceed in due order, and the sun, moon, stars, and five planets each follow their orbits; may the land be secure and the Nine Provinces and Four Seas at peace.

May the emperor’s blessed fortune endure and the people prosper. All who hear and recite this scripture may dispel calamity, obtain salvation, and ward off the inauspicious, receive the protection of Heaven, and gain renown, emolument, and long life. Further, may kin within the five degrees of mourning and the six classes of relatives all be safe and well, and may subjects and neighboring realms across the Nine Provinces and Four Seas all enjoy tranquility. May grasses and trees sprout and grow, each dwelling at ease in the world of generation and transformation; may fish, armored insects, birds, and beasts all live in freedom. May beings with affinity in the Three Realms together turn toward the supreme One Vehicle of the Great Dao. The ritual assembly devoutly rolls up the scripture in accordance with the ritual procedure.

After the Gaogong (the Daoist priest who presides over the ritual) finishes reciting the Jing (scripture), he chants the hymn for closing the scripture. The scriptural text is proclaimed three times. The scripture scrolls are set in place, and the incense burner together with the other altar furnishings is restored. He descends from the altar and offers thanks to the divine kings, then offers thanks to the venerable masters, and dedicates the merit to all living beings. This is the Jinlu Shihui Duren Wanchao Kaishou Yi, the Keyi (liturgy) for opening and closing the altar in the evening-audience rite of the Golden Register’s tenfold salvation of humankind.