《金箓延寿设醮仪》

The radiance of the Five Stars shines separately upon the five directions and brightens the four quarters. Mercury can ward off disasters, and the Star of Wood’s De (Virtue/Power) brings prosperity; the Yinghuo Star dispels misfortunes, and the Taibai Star causes the calamities of war to withdraw; the Zhen Star guards the four directions, so that the state and the household remain peaceful and all goes smoothly. May the register of the ritual be engraved upon jade tablets, and the names recorded in the palace offices of the Celestial Emperor. May we ride the wind and turn into light, ascend into the Great Void, pass in and out of the dark and hidden realms, and travel through the ten directions; may the five-colored clouds become a flowery canopy, as we summon the Shen (spirits), command the winds, direct the myriad spirits, and guard the immortals and the Perfected.

Sound the ritual drum twenty-four times (strike the drum twenty-four times according to the rite).

O Most High Lord Lao of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens, of the three Qi (vital energy) of the Mysterious, the Primordial, and the Beginning (a venerated deity of Daoism), please summon forth from within this servant’s body the Three-and-Five Officers of Merit (divine clerks who transmit documents), the official envoys of the left and the right, the dragon-post riders of the left and the right who bear incense, the Golden Lads who attend the incense, the Jade Maidens who carry messages and scatter flowers, together with the direct talisman-officers of the Five Emperors and the incense-office envoys on duty for the day, thirty-six of each. Let those who are summoned compose their bearing and dress in full and proper order, with caps and belts and hanging tassels. Please announce to the earth god of this place and to the local spirits: this servant now establishes a jiao and undertakes court cultivation (setting up an altar to perform the jiao, paying homage and practicing cultivation), and reverently offers the utterly sincere prayers of the heart; everything sought has already been written in the documents. May the living Qi of the orthodox true ones of the Most High in the ten directions (the vital energy of life that comes from the orthodox deities of the ten directions) descend and flow into the bodies of this servant and those assembled, so that the sincerity set forth in this servant’s memorial may swiftly and directly reach the presence of the Supremely True and Limitless Great Dao (the Way), the Exalted Sages of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), and the Jade August Thearch of the Golden Portal, Most Venerable Sovereign of Vast Heaven.

Please declare your ritual offices.

I, your servant of the appointed rank, So-and-so, together with the officials and the Daoist assembly who have jointly established the altar, reverently invoke: the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning, Most High of the Limitless Great Dao (the Way), empty and spontaneous; the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, Void Sovereign and Jade-Dawn Lord of the Great Dao; the Celestial Worthy of the Dao and De (Virtue/Power), the Mysterious Prime Lord Lao of myriad transformations and primordial chaos; the Most Venerable of Vast Heaven, High Emperor of the Mysterious Vault; the Great Emperor, Heavenly Sovereign of the Upper Palace of Gouchen; the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity and the Northern Pole, stellar sovereign of the central heaven; the Great Emperor of Longevity of Jade Clarity in the Divine Empyrean; the Great Emperor of Azure Radiance of the Eastern Pole; the August Spirit of Sovereign Earth; the High Emperors of the Nine Heavens Who Give Birth to Spirit (Shen); the Emperor-Lords of the Thirty-Two Heavens; the High Emperors of the Five Numina and the Five Elders; the Celestial Worthy of Myriad Longevity of the Mysterious Capital; the Celestial Worthy of Great Peace Who Protects the State; the Celestial Worthy of Boundless Blessings and the Flourishing of Life; the Celestial Worthies of the heavens of the Great Canopy, together with the empresses and primordial ladies; the Stellar Lords of the Eleven Great Luminaries of Upper Clarity; the Stellar Lords of the Six Bureaus of the Southern Dipper Who Prolong Life; the Stellar Lords of the Northern Dipper; the ladies, inner consorts, and immortal kindred; the Stellar Lords of the Twenty-Eight Lodges; the Stellar Lords of the Twelve Palaces; the Perfected Lords of the Three Stars of Fortune, Emolument, and Longevity of Upper Clarity; the Stellar Lord of the emperor’s root destiny and the stellar officers who shine upon the imperial throne; the Perfected Lord, Upper Minister of the Three Departments of the Pivot of Supreme Mystery; the Great Emperors of the Three Officials of the Three Primordials; the Perfected Lords, the Four Saints of the Northern Pole; the Perfected Lords, the Five Masters of Numinous Treasure; and the Divine Lords of Immeasurable Longevity and Life of the Golden Register of the Nine Heavens; together with the Divine Kings who fly through the heavens of the ten directions; the Demon Kings of the Three Realms; the Perfected Lords of the Three Primordials in attendance at the gates of the Three Heavens; the Numinous Officials who usher in memorials and presentations; the exalted Perfected who preside over the rites in each bureau, court, and office; the Celestial Lords of the Three Offices of Thunder; the True Governors arrayed in ranks who attend the primordial court in the upper realm; the Perfected Lords, the Five Emperors of the Five Sacred Peaks; the Holy Emperors of the Five Heavens; the immortal officials of the oratories, lodges, parishes, and other places within the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands; the Great Emperor of Fengdu of the Mysterious Heaven of Northern Yin; the Great Emperor of Fusang of the Water Administration; the Masters of the Scriptures (Jing), Registers, and Ordination of this oratory and this lineage, and the various Perfected; the Four Great Marshals Ma, Zhao, Guan, and Wen; the City Gods, the spirits of the soil altars and local ordinances, the illustrious gods of the sacrificial canon, and the gods of the Five Domestic Sacrifices of the palace; and the host of gods upon the offering altar of the Three Realms, together with the awesome numina who keep watch over the void.

Your servant has heard that the Dao existed before Heaven and Earth, gathering light within the Chaotic Cavern. Its transformations proceed together with Yin-Yang; when the primeval mist had not yet divided, it subtly nurtured and brought forth the myriad beings. The Dao embraces all that Heaven and Earth reach, and it also covers what is boundless and without limit. Soundless and formless, dim and minute, hard to discern, it stands above all else. Mysterious and primordial, its station is exalted and beyond measure. Looking up to it, one finds it indistinct and beyond words; looking down upon it, one finds it deep and unfathomable. Of all that lies within the creative fashioning of Heaven and Earth, nothing can pass beyond its scope.

We, your servants, are of ordinary capacity and shallow talent and virtue. We dwell in the dusty world, and our bodies are defiled. Following the illusory life of the mundane realm, our days flee as swiftly as a white colt flashing past a crevice; looking back upon the years, we feel all the more that time vanishes in an instant, like a rabbit at full gallop. We have resolved to amend our faults and urge ourselves to do good and establish merit. We hope to apply ourselves with concentrated diligence and to study until we attain the state of the Perfected, and we also long to hold fast to right mindfulness and receive instruction.

Your servant respectfully carries out the emperor’s decree, solemnly performs the sacrifice, carefully observes the ritual standards of the Daoist teaching, and gravely conducts the rite of court audience. With sincere hearts we look up in devotion, as mallow and bean leaves turn toward the sun, and with offerings of duckweed, white artemisia, and the like we express our reverence. We earnestly beg the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning to bestow blessing, and the supreme sages to send down their light. May the cortege descend, the vermilion phoenix drawing the carriage, with green palanquins and cinnabar chariots; may the dark dragon serve as the mount, with jade wheels and feathered canopies in attendance. May the divinities of the Three Realms escort the sacred procession, and the myriad true gods come forward to receive their charge.

We earnestly beg you to examine and accept the sincerity we have stated again and again, and not to overlook even the least fraction of our wishes. We respectfully await the descent of sacred grace, in reverent awe and earnest sincerity.

On this day, the perfected deities of the Three Realms and the holy perfected enshrined upon the altar of the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) have all been respectfully invited; surely they have received the holy light and descended. May the divine perfected array themselves in the immortal ranks and together reverently welcome the Celestial Emperor.

Respectfully Inviting the Holy Perfected to Descend

The cloud carriage (the vehicle ridden by immortals) has arrived, and the luan chariot and crane conveyance draw near before the altar. May the perfected deities taking part in the Zhaijiao rite, in accordance with the ritual, pay court homage to the holy seats of the two ranks.

On this day, the perfected deities of the Three Realms and the holy perfected enshrined upon the altar of the Zhaijiao have all been respectfully invited; surely they have received the holy light and descended. May the divine perfected array themselves in the immortal ranks and together reverently welcome the Celestial Emperor.

Respectfully Inviting the Holy Perfected to Descend

The Cloud Carriage

The luan chariot has arrived, and the crane conveyance has already approached the altar. May the perfected deities taking part in the Zhaijiao rite pay court homage according to the rite. When the homage is complete, may the holy perfected descend to the ritual seats. The ritual officers offer incense, set forth the wine offerings, and perform the first presentation (the first offering of wine).

Conducting the Ritual Service

Once More Proclaiming the Ritual Office

I, your servant so-and-so, invested with ritual office, respectfully address the supreme sages of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the exalted perfected of the Ten Extremes, the emperors, empresses, and immortal perfected within the vault of heaven, the divine officers who administer affairs in every quarter, and all true spirits within and beyond the Three Realms.

We, your servants, have received this grace: the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) (the classification of Daoist scriptures) transmit their light, and the Jade Bureau (a symbol of Daoist texts and sacred institutions) records the rites for prolonging life; the Nine Clarities (the celestial realms) carry out their teaching, and the precious cases (precious Daoist scriptures) preserve the Jing (scripture/classic) that increase the span of life. Since chaos first opened, scriptural teaching has been transmitted from generation to generation, and the four quarters of heaven and earth have thereby been opened to instruction. Grace extends throughout the Yellow Murk (the state at the opening of heaven and earth, when chaos was not yet divided) and moistens the Clear and Subtle (the pure and lofty celestial realm).

Now, as we reverently meet the approach of the sacred birthday, we carefully express our praise with the Three Blessings of Huafeng (the ancients’ wishes for long life, wealth and honor, and many descendants). We servants look up to heaven in earnest supplication and bow down to the earth in devout prostration. We constantly hold in mind the method of the Nine Returns for governing Qi (vital energy) (a Daoist cultivation practice for nurturing the breath), and we wish to seek the art of the Seven Reversions for prolonging the true (a cultivation practice of returning to the root and reverting to the true, so as to lengthen years and increase life). Now, relying upon the great Dao (the Way), we pray that vast blessings be increased, that the profound and wondrous scriptural texts of the Golden Register (the Keyi (liturgy) used when Daoism performs the Zhaijiao to pray for blessings and avert calamity) be broadly opened, and that the supreme sages of the Jade Capital (the celestial realm) be universally welcomed. May the sages come, riding auspicious clouds along the Yellow Path, and may their precious carriages halt at the jasper altar. May heavenly grace be filled with joy, and may the sacred lifespan grow ever longer.

The foregoing supplications are respectfully set forth and submitted in prostration for hearing.

Reading Aloud the Prayer

With reverent wording we respectfully set forth this statement, relying upon the clear discernment of the mysterious and wondrous heavenly Dao (the Way). Broomcorn millet and foxtail millet are not in themselves fragrant; we respectfully offer them as pure sacrificial gifts. Even wild greens such as duckweed and white mugwort may be presented in sacrifice, and so, following the ancient rites, we arrange the ceremonial offerings. We humbly pray that the deities of Heaven may ever descend to partake of the sacrifice, and from on high clearly discern all things.

The sacrificial vessels are set out in alternating array, and the musicians sound their melodies. Broomcorn millet and foxtail millet are not in themselves fragrant; we respectfully offer them as pure sacrificial gifts. Even wild greens such as duckweed and white mugwort may be presented in sacrifice, and so, following the ancient rites, we arrange the ceremonial offerings. We humbly pray that the deities of Heaven may ever descend to partake of the sacrifice, and from on high clearly discern all things. The zun and yi, ritual vessels for holding wine, are placed in varied positions, and the musicians perform a suite in nine sections. The bian and dou, bamboo and wooden vessels for holding the offerings, are clean and orderly, and the precious talismans and ceremonial regalia cast forth a ninefold radiance. Our sincerity is earnest and our ritual reverence complete. We hope the deities will send down the power of their protection, so that the blessings of peace and harmony may long endure. We, your servants, offer incense and present the secondary libation, the second offering of wine.

Petition Submitted

We have heard that although Heaven is high and remote, it can hear the voices from below, and that so long as the human heart is sincere, there is no barrier between human beings and Heaven. When people pray for long life with earnest supplication, Heaven’s intent will surely respond unseen. Prayer and response follow one another as closely as shadow follows form, and answer one another as the drumstick strikes the drum.

We now respectfully carry out the imperial command, establishing the altar and performing the Jiao rite (jiaoyi, a Daoist ritual of setting up an altar to present offerings and pray to the deities for blessings), and have already received the compassionate regard of the deities. We pray that blessings be granted and life prolonged; surely this sincere supplication can be fulfilled. We humbly pray that the foundation of the imperial dynasty remain forever secure, and that the sovereign enjoy a myriad years of peace and health; that new joys continually increase, and that we may gladly see a lifespan as enduring and flourishing as the toon tree and the pine; and that the wishes of former days be made manifest as we face the radiance of the Ji and Yi lodges, constellations that signify auspicious omens. May life last as long as Mount Hua and Mount Song, and may blessings be as vast as the rivers and the starry river of Heaven. May the governance of the world attain the clarity of the ages of Tang Yao and Yu Shun, and may society be harmonious, peaceful, and at ease, filled with the pure and generous ways of the age of Fuxi and of Vast Heaven.

Next, we pray that we, your servants, may dispel the obstructions of affliction and be freed from worldly entanglements; that, in transmitting the methods of the Dao, our aims may accord as closely as a bond sealed in gold and orchid; and that, in guarding silence and preserving sincerity, our integrity may be as steadfast as ice and frost and as the bitter cork tree. Whatever we pray for, we rely wholly upon the protection of the deities.

Further, we pray that the vault of Heaven be clear, lofty, and luminous, and the earth settled and pure; that the mountain spirits present auspicious signs, and the river spirits manifest tokens of good fortune. May wind and rain come in their proper seasons, and the hundred grains yield abundant harvests, through the nourishment of the soil; may the stars proceed in their courses and the four seasons succeed one another, ever receiving the grace of Heaven above. May script and cart-tracks be uniform throughout the world, and the people harmonious and of one heart; may every person be prosperous, secure, and long-lived. As hawks soar and fish leap, the myriad things ceaselessly generate life within the nourishment of the one primordial Qi (vital energy); as the hundred beasts dance and the phoenix comes in stately attendance, the myriad things everywhere accord with the transformations of creative power and grow and change. May all sentient beings possessed of spiritual awareness come to realize the Dao of Wuwei (non-action). We, your servants, respectfully pay homage and present the final libation, the last offering of wine.

The Ritual Service

Declaring the Ritual Office Once More

I, your servant of established rank, So-and-so, once again reverently announce to the supreme sages, the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing); the exalted Perfected of the Ten Extremities; the sun, the moon, the stars, and the Dipper; the Star Lord of fundamental destiny; the gods and spirits of heaven and earth; the sovereigns of Yin-Yang; and all the perfected spirits, within the Three Realms and beyond them, that respond to sincere appeal.

Your servant has heard that when the myriad emperors attend court, even the counsel of the careless is weighed with care, and that when the hundred officers sit in attendance, no slight offering is passed over. The three rounds of presentation and reciprocal offering are now complete, and the libation and sacrificial feast have likewise been carried out to the utmost with a single mind of sincerity. Now the Jade Dipper turns across the sky, and the Milky Way gradually inclines toward the west. The moonlight grows pale; the eight luan birds that draw the carriage have already risen lightly into the air. A clear breeze comes on, and the nine phoenixes sway as they fly toward the heights. Carriages wreathed in mist speed away to one side, and the divine dragons amid the clouds withdraw far off. We, your servants, cannot prevail upon them to remain; we can only gaze upward in haste and follow after them, our hearts reluctant to part. Together with the officers and all assembled at the altar, your servant carefully knocks the head and bows again, reverently seeing off the sacred cortege.

Hymn for Sending Off the Holy Ones (a hymn of reverent farewell to the deities)

Visualizing the deities and burning incense

Envoys of the Incense Officers, Dragon Lords and Tiger Lords of the left and the right, and all the numinous officers who attend the incense: pray let the altar where your servant formerly established the Zhaijiao (purification ritual), paid court, and cultivated practice of itself bring forth golden liquor, cinnabar, blue-green jade, and numinous lingzhi. May the hundred spirits and the host of the Perfected gather here. May the foundation of the realm prayed for before the incense burner remain forever secure, and may the sovereign enjoy sage longevity in peace and health. May the immortal lads and jade maidens of the ten directions come to attend, bearing on the smoke of orchid incense the sincerity your servant has already set forth, conveying it swiftly and presenting it directly before the Most Perfect and Limitless Great Dao (the Way), the supreme sages the Three Pure Ones, and the Most Honored Jade Emperor of the Golden Portal of Vast Heaven.

Dedication of Merit (turning the merit of the ritual service toward those for whom prayer is offered)

Heretofore, …