《斋戒录》

To enter the quiet chamber for cultivation and to seek the true Dao (the Way), one must rely first of all on zhai (purificatory abstinence). Only by being careful in speech and examining one’s faults can cultivation of the Dao gradually deepen.

The Nanhua Zhenjing (that is, the Zhuangzi) records that Yan Hui asked Confucius about the Dao. Confucius said, “First observe the zhai, and then I will tell you.” Yan Hui replied, “My family is poor, and for a long time I have drunk no wine and eaten no meat.” Confucius said, “That is only the zhai observed before sacrifice, not the xinzhai (fasting of the mind). You must be single-minded and concentrated: do not listen with the ears, but comprehend with the mind; and do not merely comprehend with the mind, but sense with Qi (vital energy). Let thought grow clear and still, make the Shen (spirit) pure and lucid, set aside cleverness and deliberation, and then I will tell you. The Dao is profound and hard to put into words; I can only try to sketch its general outline.”

The Hunyuan Huangdi Shengji says that, according to the various Jing (scriptures), the methods of zhai fall broadly into three kinds. The first is the zhai of setting out offerings, through which one accumulates De (Virtue/Power) and dissolves faults by means of offering. The second is the zhai of dietary restraint, through which one harmonizes the Shen and nourishes one’s lifespan by moderating food and drink; this belongs to the zhai of sacrifice and is the method practiced by ordinary cultivators of the Dao. The third is the xinzhai, that is, clarifying the mind within, removing cravings and desires, cleansing the Shen and freeing it from defiling entanglements, blunting cunning and clever calculation, and cutting off disordered thoughts. Without stray thoughts, one can concentrate on the Dao; without cravings and desires, one can rest in the Dao; without defiling entanglements, one can unite with the Dao. When the mind harbors no second thought, this is called “yizhi” (a single, concentrated will). This is the method of zhai practiced by those of higher cultivation.

“Zhai” carries the sense of setting in order and making solemn. Only when the three activities of body, speech, and mind—bodily conduct, words, and thoughts—are made upright can one truly be said to observe zhai. If one merely keeps the rule of dietary restraint while the mind and consciousness remain unrectified, it is not enough; if one merely requires the will to be single while the mouth and belly still crave flavor, that too falls short. These two practices should be joined, the inner with the outer. The Dajie Jing says, “Make the mind calm and settled, concentrate on a single thought, take no food after noon, and let both inner and outer be pure, empty, and bright.” This is precisely the meaning. Although you know in a general way the practice of dietary restraint, you do not yet understand how to regulate the mind within; that is why I explain the method of zhai, so that you may be able to receive the great Dao.

As for later students, who among them can truly achieve an empty mind and single-minded concentration? If one looks down on the zhai of sacrifice, supposing that one already understands the principle of the xinzhai, this is in fact the fault of slackness and neglect. Even if one speaks of emptiness and stillness, yet without truly grasping what is essential in it, this is only self-praise.

The Dongxuan Lingbao Six Fasts and Ten Observances discusses the Daoist Five Precepts and Ten Virtues, the fasting days of the year, and related beliefs.

The Five Precepts of Daoism are: not to kill living beings, not to crave wine, not to speak words that go against one’s true mind, not to steal, and not to indulge in sexual desire. The Ten Virtues are: to be filial to one’s parents; to be loyal to the ruler and respectful to teachers and elders; to treat all things with a compassionate heart; to be tolerant of others’ faults; to remonstrate and contend so as to stop evil deeds; to diminish oneself in helping others and relieving hardship; to release living creatures, protect and nurture living beings, and plant fruit trees; to set wells by the roadside, plant trees, and repair bridges; to undertake beneficial works for people, remove sources of harm, and instruct those not yet awakened; and to recite the scriptures and precepts of the Three Treasures—the Dao (the Way), the Jing (scripture/classic), and the Master—regularly offering incense, flowers, and other gifts. If a person constantly practices the Five Precepts and the Ten Virtues, heavenly beings and good spirits will guard them, calamities will be dispelled, and they will long receive blessing and protection; what matters is to hold to these practices with firm resolve.

The six fasting days of each year fall in the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh months.

The ten fasting days of each month are these: on the first day, the Star Lord of the Northern Dipper descends; on the eighth, the Northern Dipper Lord Who Oversees Killing descends; on the fourteenth, the envoy of Taiyi (Great Unity) descends; on the fifteenth, the Celestial Emperor and the Three Officials—the Official of Heaven, the Official of Earth, and the Official of Water—descend together; on the eighteenth, Tianyi descends; on the twenty-third, the envoy of the Eight Spirits of Taiyi descends; on the twenty-fourth, Beichen (the northern pole star) descends; on the twenty-eighth, the Lower Taiyi descends; on the twenty-ninth, the Middle Taiyi descends; and on the thirtieth, the Upper Taiyi descends.

On the days when the Lower Taiyi, the Middle Taiyi, and the Upper Taiyi descend, the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, together with the various honored deities, all come down, tour the world, and examine the good and evil of human beings.

On the jiazi day, Taiyi inspects the gods and spirits; on the gengshen day, the Fushi—a deity in Daoist belief who records a person’s faults—reports that person’s offenses to Heaven; on the benming day, the sexagenary day corresponding to the year of birth, a person’s merits and conduct are examined; on the eight nodal days, such seasonal nodes as the four commencements, the two equinoxes, and the two solstices, the eight spirits record a person’s good and evil; and on the Three Yuan days—the Upper Yuan, the Middle Yuan, and the Lower Yuan—the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water verify a person’s sins and blessings.

At the end of the original text there follows “six kinds of fasts,” after which the account of the benming day, the eight nodal days, and the Three Yuan days is repeated. The wording appears fragmentary, and so its sense is retained in keeping with the original.

The Daomen Dalun (Great Discourse on the Gate of the Dao) says that the Shangqing zhai (Upper Clarity purification retreat) is carried out in three ways. The first is to withdraw from other people, sit alone in stillness, regulate the breath, and quiet the mind, so that body and mind are not disturbed by the outside world. The second is to cleanse the retreat altar, set fellow practitioners in solemn order, and proceed according to the Taizhen rites. The third is the xinzhai (fasting of the mind): clearing and purifying the inner heart, washing the spirit, and bringing the state of mind to purity and stillness.

The Lingbao zhai (Numinous Treasure purification retreat) has six kinds. The first is the Jinlu zhai (Golden Register retreat), used to protect and stabilize the state. The second is the Huanglu zhai (Yellow Register retreat), used to save and deliver ancestors and clan kin. The third is the Mingzhen zhai (Retreat of Illuminating the Perfected), used to repent transgressions in the dark netherworld. The fourth is the Sanyuan zhai (Retreat of the Three Primes): at the festival times of the Three Primes—Shangyuan, Zhongyuan, and Xiayuan—one first confesses and seeks pardon for offenses against the precepts. The fifth is the Bajie zhai (Retreat of the Eight Nodes): at the eight nodal periods of the year one repents and washes away faults both long past and recent. The sixth is the Ziran zhai (Retreat of Spontaneity), performed to pray for blessings on behalf of the common people.

The Dongshen zhai (retreat of the Cavern of Spirit, Dongshen) takes simplicity as essential, withdrawing from worldly dust and turning wholeheartedly toward the gods. The Taiyi zhai (Great Unity retreat) takes reverent solemnity as foremost. The Zhijiao zhai (Retreat of Instruction) prizes clarity, stillness, and plain simplicity. The Tutan zhai (Mud and Soot retreat) takes diligent, painstaking effort as its work of cultivation.

From ancient times, all these kinds of retreat have required one to ascend the retreat altar and, before the gods, announce a covenant and swear an oath. A retreat may last three, seven, nine, or fifteen days. While it is held, day and night are divided into six periods for practicing the Way, reciting scriptures (Jing), worship, and repentance, and the rites are exceedingly solemn.

Apart from the solitary quiet cultivation, the stilling of Qi (vital energy) and the leaving behind of form, and the xinzhai within the Shangqing zhai, the remaining retreats were for the most part established for kings, the common people, and cultivators of the Dao, in order to deliver ancestors, to confess one’s own faults, or to pray that disasters be removed and blessings descend. As times have changed, rites in different places have been sometimes full and sometimes brief. Within the Lingbao zhai there is a simplified retreat rite lasting only half a day: the gods are not invited beforehand, nor is merit declared; repentance is made in only one or two periods; incense need not be offered three times; and both the buxu (the rite of pacing while chanting) and the veneration of the scriptures are omitted. Smaller retreat rites sometimes consist only of three prostrations and the making of a vow, kept or left aside according to the circumstances, so that the rite may be arranged conveniently. Such a rite does not belong to a large-scale retreat assembly; it is enough that the heart’s intention gets through.

At the end of the original text, the passage concerning the “two kinds of retreat” is repetitive and is mixed with fragmentary wording such as “the Benxiang Jing is also lacking,” so the meaning is incomplete and cannot be further explained on that basis.

The Benxiang Jing (Scripture of the Original Form) says that ritual fasting and abstinence takes two forms. One is zhengdao, “rescuing the Dao (the Way)”; the other is jidu, “deliverance.”

Zhengdao means arousing the mind to study the Dao and, from the very beginning through to the end, constantly keeping the fast and its precepts without ever turning back. It further divides into two. The first is zhixin, “the resolved mind”: from start to finish one concentrates the mind, and whether walking, sitting quietly, or in the midst of action, one keeps the inner state still, unmoved by outside things, like dead ashes or withered wood, sweeping away every distracting thought and remaining single-minded, without a second aim. The second is miexin, “extinguishing the mind”: the moment a thought arises one does not cling to it, but lets it disperse; mental activity is not caught or led along, the mind is brought back to stillness, and this cultivation is maintained all the way into the daochang, the ritual sanctuary.

Jidu means turning body and mind about and returning toward the Great Dao, looking up in longing to the mysterious and wondrous true Dao, and praying that blessings descend without interruption and that calamity is dispelled before it ever arises.

The scripture goes on to say that devout application of the mind is wholehearted sincerity: with the utmost sincerity one orients oneself toward the Dao, burns incense and bows in worship, and seeks the Dao with a single mind. The giving of material goods means purchasing incense and oil, every kind of rare delicacy and offering, preparing what is to be presented, and inviting Daoist priests to preside over the rite; ordinary household vessels may also be offered up. One who performs the fast should turn the heart to prayer and entrust nature and life to the supremely true Dao. Within, one lets go of attachment to the dusty realms of sound, form, and the rest; without, one regards all things equally. One settles mind and Shen (spirit) and quiets reflection, returning the spirit to the Dao. Only in this way can the fruit of the Dao be accomplished, and one accord for long with Wuwei (non-action), while also saving the living and the dead and uprooting disaster and suffering. According to the measure of what each person is able to do, corresponding blessings descend; merit may be light or heavy, and each has its proper time.

The Twelve Fasts (Shier Zhai)

The Xuanmen Dalun (Great Discourse on the Gate of Mystery) says: “The first is the Golden Realm (Jinjing). Settle mind and spirit and quiet reflection, return the spirit to the Dao, accomplish the fruit of the Dao, and accord for long with Wuwei; save the living and the dead, and uproot disaster and suffering. According to each person’s capacity, corresponding blessings descend; as for whether merit is light or heavy, each has its time.”

Beneath the heading “The Twelve Fasts,” the original text lists only this single item, the Golden Realm.

The Xuanmen dalun states that there are twelve kinds of zhai (purification retreat). The first is the Golden Register Retreat (Jinlu zhai), used to dispel heavenly calamities and to protect and stabilize the sovereign. The Jianwen also says that it may be held for teachers, elders, and friends. The second is the Jade Register Retreat (Yulu zhai), performed chiefly for the common people. It is said that this form of retreat has not yet been transmitted in the world. The third is the Yellow Register Retreat (Huanglu zhai), used to rescue those burdened by sinful karma in the hells and to deliver seven generations of ancestors in the Nine Darknesses (the depths of the underworld). The fourth is the Shangqing Retreat, used to pray for immortality, to realize the true Dao (the Way), and to cultivate the bodily form while concealing one’s shadow. The fifth is the Retreat for Illuminating the True (Mingzhen zhai), by which practitioners rescue the souls of ancestors across countless generations who dwell in the long night of the underworld. The sixth is the Retreat of Instruction (Zhijiao zhai), used to pray for blessings and confess faults, to eliminate disasters, and to heal illness. The seventh is the Mud-and-Soot Retreat (Tutan zhai), used to uproot sinful karma, dissolve calamities, pray for blessings and protection, and prolong life. The eighth is the Retreat of the Three Primes (Sanyuan zhai), by which practitioners repent of their own offenses. The ninth is the Retreat of the Eight Nodes (Bajie zhai), by which practitioners confess their faults and pray to become immortals. The tenth is the Three Sovereigns’ Zi-Wu Retreat (Sanhuang Ziwu zhai), used to assist the sovereign and to guard and stabilize the territory of the realm. The eleventh is the Pure Chamber Retreat (Jing zhai), including the thousand-day retreat, the hundred-day retreat, the three-day retreat, the seven-day retreat, and others; these are methods of cultivation in the quest for the True. The twelfth is the Retreat of Spontaneity (Ziran zhai), used to save and deliver all the living and the dead; practitioners also cultivate according to it at the corresponding seasonal times.

Retreat of the Eight Nodes

Each of the days of the Eight Nodes is one of the eight occasions on which Heaven holds a grand assembly. On that day, the great sage-gods of all the heavens gather at the Numinous Treasure Mysterious Capital to save and deliver all the living and the dead.

Another passage on the Retreat of the Eight Nodes says that the Eight Nodes are days when Heaven holds grand assemblies and celebrations. The venerable gods of the various heavens gather at the Numinous Treasure Mysterious Capital and in the Upper Palace of the Jade Capital, to pay court and offer congratulations to the true gods of the heavens, to observe the precepts and keep the retreat, and to process about while reciting the scriptures (jing). Those who on this day practice the retreat, keep the precepts, and revere the celestial texts will all be recommended by the Five Emperors, and their names will be entered in the Jade Register (the roster of the celestial realm).

Fasting of the Mind

The Nanhua Zhenjing records that Yan Yuan sought instruction in the Dao (the Way) from Confucius. Confucius said, “First observe a fast, and then I will tell you.” Yan Yuan replied, “My family is poor, yet for a long time I have neither drunk wine nor eaten meat or pungent foods.” Confucius said, “That is only the fast of sacrificial rites, not the fast of the inner mind. You must be single-minded: do not listen with the ears, but apprehend with the mind; and do not merely apprehend with the mind, but respond through Qi (vital energy).

“Let your mind grow clear and set aside cravings and desires; cleanse your spirit and remove impurity and entanglement; cast off clever calculation and cut off scattered thought. Without deliberation, one can concentrate on the Dao; without cravings and desires, one can delight in the Dao; without impurity and entanglement, one can unite with the Dao. When no other thoughts remain in the mind, this is called ‘one intention’—that is, a single, concentrated will.”

The Scripture of the Inner Explanations of the Three Heavens says that in practicing the methods of the Dao, one must first observe the fast. Outwardly, one does not take on the dust of the world; inwardly, one makes the five viscera pure, empty, and still. Only then can one welcome true Qi, commune with the divine spirits, and unite with the Dao. Those who can maintain the fast over a long time will accord with the true Dao and will not violate the precepts. Therefore the Celestial Master (Tianshi) left this teaching: “To study the Dao without cultivating the fast is like walking at night without a torch in hand.” Fasting, then, should be the foremost practice in the study of the Dao.

If one wishes to pray to the spirits, make a report to the unseen realm, or perform a Zhaijiao (purification ritual)—Daoist ceremonies for invoking deities, averting calamity, and the like—one should first undertake the dispersed fast, that is, cleanse body and mind and avoid impure matters before formally entering the fast. Rank impurity must be eliminated so that the body is clean and untouched by defilement; only then may one enter the fast. Otherwise, even bathing merely washes away the grime on the surface of the skin. If rank impurity remains within the body, clear water cannot remove it.

The Sanyuan Zhai Pin says that on the day the fasting rite is held, one should present the “Credential of the Golden Perfected and Jade Light of the Nine Heavens” and place it before the Five Emperors, thereby summoning the spirits and eliciting a numinous response.

The Sanyuan Zhaipin says that if one’s study of the methods of zhai (purification) is still incomplete, everyday conduct and ritual etiquette will often fail to accord with proper norms. The Jinsuo Liuzhu Jing (Scripture of the Golden Lock and Flowing Pearls) says that in ancient times zhai was called “she” and “hui,” whereas it is now called “zhaihui” (purification assembly).

The Taishang Taizhen Kejing (Scripture of the Codes of the Most High Great Perfection) says that one should set aside worldly affairs and cultivate through the three aspects of body, mouth, and mind. The essential point of zhaijie (purification and precepts) is to purify the three activities and to guard the “One” (the single-minded concentration and preservation of the true spoken of in Daoist practice); zhaijie is the foundation of cultivation. “Zhai” means orderliness, purity, and uprightness.

Practicing zhai does not require one to perform the rite of walking the Way in all six periods of every day, or to lecture and recite in all three periods. What matters is to maintain visualization and mindfulness day and night, to examine oneself and repent, and to pray for blessings. If one merely busies oneself with outward formalities, one will instead lose the root of cultivating zhai.

One who can guard the One can gather in the three activities of body, mouth, and mind. One who can gather in the body can sit upright and composed, undisturbed by the outside world. One who can gather in speech can silently comprehend, with the mind clear and luminous within. One who can gather in thought can bring the spirit into accord with the Dao (the Way). Taking this as the foundation of cultivation, one can realize the sage, the zhenren (perfected person), and the immortal.

Those who cannot yet do these things may cultivate by rectifying body and mind and paying homage to the deities, keeping far from killing, theft, and sexual misconduct; by reciting scriptures so as to gather in speech, avoiding false words, clever and flowery talk, the sowing of discord, and abusive speech; and by preserving Shen (spirit) and guarding mindfulness so as to gather in the inner mind, removing greed, resentment, and delusion. When the ten evils are removed, the ten goods naturally arise. When evil thoughts cease and good conduct increases to the utmost, one can become one with the Dao and return to the true.

The Shizhai (Explanation of Zhai) sets forth nine methods of diet.

According to the Xuanmen Dalun (Great Discourse on the Mysterious Gate), fasting methods (zhai) fall broadly into nine kinds: coarse food, vegetable food, measured eating, the ingestion of Jing (essence), the ingestion of ya, the ingestion of light, the ingestion of Qi (vital energy), the ingestion of primordial Qi, and embryonic feeding.

Coarse food means eating hemp, wheat, and the like; vegetable food means eating vegetables; measured eating means taking food at set times and in fixed quantities. The ingestion of Jing is the taking of talisman water and elixir bloom, substances of the kind that make up the refined essence of alchemical medicines. The ingestion of ya is the taking of the cloud-sprouts of the five directions, the refined essences of the cloud-qi of the five directions as described in Daoism. The ingestion of light is the absorption of the essences of the sun and moon, the Seven Primordials, and the Three Luminaries, the qi of stars and radiance in Daoism. The ingestion of Qi is the drawing in of the qi of the six perceptions, together with the wondrous qi of Great Harmony (Taihe) in the four directions. The ingestion of primordial Qi is the drawing in of the qi of the Three Primes (Sanyuan) that all things receive, namely the Jing of Great Harmony, which exists within the Great Void (Taixu). Embryonic feeding takes, as the root of the embryonic envelope, the harmony of the primordial Jing obtained within one’s own person; clear, vacuous qi descends and replenishes the four limbs, and one no longer depends on external things.

The original text then turns to the transformative effects of these fasting methods. The explanatory wording for coarse food is damaged and cannot be interpreted with certainty. Measured eating can remove vexation and turbidity. The ingestion of Jing can fill out body and spirit and bring forth a radiant bloom. The ingestion of ya can transform a person into “ya.” The ingestion of light can transform a person into light. The ingestion of the six qi can transform a person into the six qi, roaming through the ten directions. The ingestion of primordial Qi can transform a person into primordial Qi and unite that person as one body with Heaven and Earth. The ingestion of embryonic qi, continued over a long time, can return one to a state like that of an infant and blend one into unity with the Dao (the Way).

These transformations arise continually and change by successive degrees; one need not wait to abandon this body and receive another, passing through the cycle of birth and death. As understood today, these methods do not necessarily refer only to food and drink; they may also include such practices as medicinal formulas and massage, and room remains for further inquiry.

The above is an explanation of the miscellaneous fasting methods.

The Scripture of the Graded Precepts of the Three Primes (Sanyuan pinjie jing) says that the seventh day of the first lunar month is the day on which the Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official, and the Water Official—known together as the Three Officials—conduct their inspection and assessment, and that a purification fast may be held on this day. The Sacred Annals (Shengji) records that the seventh day of the first month is called the “Purification Assembly for Promotion and Reward,” the seventh day of the seventh month is called the “Mid Purification Assembly for Celebrating Life,” and the fifth day of the tenth month is called the “Great Purification Assembly for Establishing Life.” The assemblies of the Three Officials examine people’s good and evil and their merits and faults; by observing the fast and submitting memorials and prayers on these days, one may seek blessing and protection.

The Code of Illuminating Truth (Mingzhen ke) says that the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh months are the six fasting months of the year. If one can practice the purification fast during these months, the three celestial emperors on high will command the envoy of Taiyi—a divine messenger acting under orders—to remove ten kinds of suffering for people and to bestow blessing and protection.

The Mingzhen Ke (Code of Illuminating the Perfected) says that the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh months are the six Zhai (purification retreat) months of the year. If one can practice the Zhai in these months, it may reach upward to the Emperors of the Three Heavens, who will then command the envoys of Taiyi (Grand Unity)—messengers of the Shen (spirits) of the Dao (the Way)—to remove ten kinds of suffering on a person’s behalf.

The Badao Miyan (Secret Words of the Eight Ways) says that the first, third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh months are the nine true Zhai months. The first, fifteenth, and twenty-ninth days of each month are the three Zhai days within the month. The first day of the first month is called the Heavenly La, the fifth day of the fifth month the Earthly La, the seventh day of the seventh month the La of the Dao and De (Virtue/Power), the first day of the tenth month the La of the People’s Year, and the festival of the twelfth month the La of the Marquises and Kings. All five of these La days are suitable both for practicing the Zhai and for sacrificing to the ancestors.

The Mingzhen Ke further says that the first, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of each month are together called the Ten Upright Zhai Days. On gengshen days, jiazi days, and the Eight Nodes—Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—the Eight Spirits of Taiyi descend to inspect people’s faults. Practicing the Zhai can bring joy to Taiyi. On a gengshen day, the Hidden Corpse within the body, in Daoist conception a spirit that records and reports a person’s faults, ascends to Heaven to report that person’s offenses. On the day of one’s root destiny, the divine officers and soldiers within the body of one who has received the teachings—spirits who protect the cultivator and supervise that person’s conduct—also ascend to Heaven to reckon the person’s merits and faults.

The Sandong Fengdao Ke (Code for Revering the Dao of the Three Caverns, Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) records the various Zhai days. The first day of the first month is the Presenting Longevity Zhai; the seventh day of the first month is the Extending Shen Zhai; the eighth day of the second month is the Fragrant Spring Zhai; the eighth day of the fourth month is the Opening Summer Zhai; the fifth day of the fifth month is the Prolonging Life Zhai; the sixth day of the sixth month is the Clearing Summer Heat Zhai; the seventh day of the seventh month is the Welcoming Autumn Zhai; the first day of the eighth month is the Expelling Evil Zhai; the ninth day of the ninth month is the Extending the Allotted Years Zhai; the first day of the tenth month is the Accomplishing Blessings Zhai; the fifteenth day of the eleventh month is the Opening Blessings Zhai; the La day of the twelfth month is the Hundred Blessings Zhai; and the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth month is the Welcoming the New Zhai.

The seasonal nodes of the four seasons likewise each have their own Zhai names. At the Beginning of Spring one practices the Establishing Goodness Zhai, and at the Spring Equinox the Extending Blessings Zhai; at the Beginning of Summer the Promoting Goodness Zhai, and at the Summer Solstice the Vermilion Brightness Zhai; at the Beginning of Autumn the Long Years Zhai, and at the Autumn Equinox the Confessing Faults Zhai; at the Beginning of Winter the Following Goodness Zhai, and at the Winter Solstice the Broad Celebration Zhai. Each such Zhai rite has its corresponding procedures and rules as prescribed in the Jing (scriptures/classics). Thus, if a student of the Dao does not practice the Zhai and its precepts, then even living for years in the mountains and forests is effort spent in vain.

In practicing the Zhai, what matters is that the heart within be pure and calmly at peace, that one treat others with humility and reverence, and that one be cautious in every circumstance, as if walking on ice or beside a deep ravine, and as if facing a stern ruler. One’s mind must also be utterly sincere and humble, praying for a response from the Shen, while both inner and outer conduct are restrained so that the surroundings do not become noisy and disorderly.

Those who take part in a Zhai rite must avoid filial sons observing heavy mourning, women who have newly given birth, women whose menstruation has not yet ended, and people suffering from malaria, sores, scabies, and similar illnesses. Such persons may not enter the Zhai hall, the courtyard, or the altar ground. If they wish to join the Zhai rite and ask that their faults be dissolved, they may submit a written statement, and a Daoist priest may confess and apologize on their behalf, but they may not enter the hall. When the ritual service is held, they should also be seated separately. One must furthermore avoid the six kinds of domestic animals. The Jing hold that these conditions cause the place to be assailed by impure Qi (vital energy), so that the perfected spirits and worthy sages will not descend, and the Zhai rite will then be hard pressed to take effect.

Whenever a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) is held—a Daoist ceremony for praying for blessings and offering sacrifice to the gods—the patron of the rite should be sincere at heart, and the ritual officers (those who preside over or assist in the Zhaijiao) should be grave and correct in bearing. Even if the incense and the lamps have not all been prepared, this still counts as negligence and omission. A Zhaijiao is, at root, an important rite of petition to the holy perfected (the sacred beings and perfected persons revered in Daoism). If unclean things are allowed to offend the true spirits, the worthies and sages will not descend, and the Zhaijiao will have no effect.

Whenever a Zhaijiao is held, the patron should be devout, and the ritual officers should be solemn and orderly. If the incense and lamps are not fully prepared, this likewise counts as negligence and omission. Nothing is more important than opening the rite and invoking the holy perfected. Of incenses, sinking agarwood and sandalwood are the finest. According to the Shangqing tradition, incense should be blended and formed into round pellets, and shell operculum and musk must not be used. The key to inviting the true spirits to descend lies in concentrated sincerity. Daoists who live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, cultivating and studying the true Dao (the Way), are poor and cannot furnish all the supplies for a Zhaijiao; even so, they should offer a small amount of incense to express their sincerity, and should not omit it entirely. If one uses only “nipple” incense (a kind of aromatic so named in the original text), it is not the incense employed by the Daoist tradition.

When one first enters the zhaijing (the quiet chamber or altar place used for a Zhaijiao), one should observe the smoke of the burning incense. If the smoke moves toward the east, south, west, or north, or rises straight upward, this indicates that the Five Emperors (the deities who respectively govern the five directions) are coming according to the direction of the smoke. The Dengzhen yinjue says: “Incense is the medium by which the celestial perfected communicate and respond, and the pathway by which the earth spirits (gods of the earth) convey tokens of trust.” Whether for the purity of fasting and abstinence, or for prayer and cunsi (concentrated visualization of the deities), one must burn incense at one’s side. The Golden Lads Who Attend the Incense (immortal youths who serve the deities and have charge of incense) will, on one’s behalf, summon the true spirits and convey one’s intentions. The Dengzhen yinjue further says: “The perfected (the immortal perfected who have attained the Dao) gather the light of the sun to give illumination, and employ the radiance of the moon to brighten the darkness; therefore one kindles the subtle lamps of ninefold light, so that their light shines upon the long night of the eight directions.”

The Siji mingke (a Daoist text of the class of Zhaijiao Keyi (liturgy) and precepts) says that burning incense is for summoning the true spirits and conveying one’s intentions. The Dengzhen yinjue further says: “The perfected gather the light of the sun to give illumination, and employ the radiance of the moon to brighten the darkness; therefore one kindles the subtle lamps of ninefold light, so that their light shines upon the long night of the eight directions.”

The Siji Mingke (Illustrious Code of the Four Extremes) records that at the Beginning of Spring and the Spring Equinox one lights nine lamps in the courtyard; at the Beginning of Summer and the Summer Solstice, eight; at the Beginning of Autumn and the Autumn Equinox, six; and at the Beginning of Winter and the Winter Solstice, five. On the Benming day—the day corresponding to the year of one’s birth—one lights twelve. One then states what is sought, praying that faults be pardoned and that blessings and grace be granted. The concrete way of lighting lamps in the courtyard, and the number prescribed, is set down separately in each kind of Zhai rite (purification rite).

When the rite is finished, one faces, according to the directions given in the text, the Heavenly King proper to that season; only on the Benming day does one face Taisui, the deity of the Grand Year. One clicks the teeth twenty-four times and then recites the incantation:

“Most High and Supreme Perfected, Emperors of the Myriad Sages, Jade Officers of the Five Emperors, Overseers of the Immortals and Supervisors of the Perfected—exalted deities of the Daoist pantheon and the gods who govern immortals and perfected beings—today we meet an auspicious hour of the Eight Nodes. May you, on my behalf, set forth my yang offenses and yin examinations, that is, my manifest transgressions and the reckonings imposed in the unseen realm, so that the calamities of the Nine Yin may from this time be forever extinguished. Deliver my ancestors of seven generations, freeing them from the fiery prisons and removing them forever from the Mountain of Knives and from the Three Paths and the Five Sufferings, and do not let these disasters and sufferings entangle my person. May I endure together with Heaven and Earth and long retain the blessings of the Imperial Dawn; and as for all that is prayed for in the Five Vows and the Eight Assemblies, may every wish be fulfilled.”

When the incantation has been recited, one removes the headcloth and knocks the head one hundred and twenty times, merely letting the forehead touch the ground and not striking so hard as to cause pain. Afterward one puts the headcloth on again, looks up to the sky, and reflects that today one has received Heaven’s grace, so that the bodily form may be restored, life received anew, and one may become a flying immortal. One then raises the head and swallows Qi (vital energy) twenty-four times, and the rite comes to an end. Cultivated in this way for three years, the offenses and calamities accumulated in the past can all be eliminated, and the body can come into accord with the Perfected.

Examining the methods of Zhai in the various scriptures, one finds that they fall broadly into three kinds. The first is the Zhai of setting out offerings, by which merit is accumulated and faults removed through the arrangement of sacrificial gifts. The second is the Zhai of moderating food, that is, restraining the diet so as to harmonize the spirit and preserve the lifespan. This belongs to the Zhai of sacrificial worship and is practiced by cultivators of the middle rank. The third is the fasting of the heart: clearing and washing clean the inner heart and removing cravings and desires; cleansing the spirit and casting off defilement and entanglement; restraining artful cleverness and cutting off the train of thought. This likewise belongs to the Zhai of sacrificial worship and is practiced by cultivators of the middle rank.

When there is neither thought nor deliberation, one can concentrate wholly on the Dao (the Way); when there are neither cravings nor desires, one can delight in the Dao; when there is neither defilement nor entanglement, one can unite with the Dao. Because the heart no longer harbors stray thoughts, this is called “single-mindedness,” and it is the method of Zhai practiced by cultivators of the highest rank. The scriptures have already explained this in detail.

“Zhai” means to set in order and to bring into harmony. Only when body, mouth, and mind have all been regulated and made upright does it count as true Zhai. If one merely restrains the diet while the heart remains unregulated, then what is called single-mindedness amounts only to the mouth not craving fine flavors. The inner and outer practice of the method of Zhai ought therefore to complement one another. The Dajie Jing (Scripture of the Great Precepts) says: “Make the heart calm and silent, fixed upon a single thought; after noon, take no food; let both the inner and the outer be pure and free of admixture.” This is precisely the meaning.

Although you have some slight understanding of moderating food, you do not yet understand how to regulate the heart; these methods of Zhai are therefore explained in order to guide you in cultivating the Dao. Yet among beginners, who is truly able to be empty of heart and single-minded? To look down on the teaching of sacrificial worship and to suppose that one has already grasped the principle of the fasting of the heart is in fact a fault born of slackness and disrespect. Even if one speaks of stillness with the mouth, if the heart has no corresponding realization, it is only self-praise. The Yijing (Classic of Changes) says: “The sage therefore fasts and practices abstinence.”

Daoist priest Wang Zuan was a native of Jintan and lived on Maji Mountain. He often did good in secret and came to the aid of living beings, showing care even for the smallest creatures.

In the last years of the Eastern Jin, war swept the Central Plains. Famines followed one upon another, epidemics spread, and poisonous miasmas appeared again and again, so that many people lost their lives. The villages lay desolate, and corpses covered the ground. In his quiet chamber Wang Zuan burned incense, set out a jiao offering, and submitted memorials to petition the heavens. For three nights in a row he prayed, weeping without cease.

On the third night the room grew as bright as day, and auspicious winds and colored clouds gathered in the air. Suddenly a rare fragrance and celestial music descended from above. More than thirty warriors in armor, weapons in hand, came into the courtyard and formed ranks to wait. Then a pearl-adorned processional guard and splendid banners appeared in turn. Four azure lads held flowers and incense, and serving women stood by bearing vessels. Brocade mats were spread on the ground, and a great screen was raised in front. Dragons and tigers, generals, attendants, officers, and soldiers—about two thousand in all—stood guard in files on either side. Twenty-six great generals in golden armor and ten divine kings were likewise drawn up in orderly array.

Before long the sound of pipes and flutes came from the northwest, and strange five-colored flowers shone in brilliant hues. An envoy wearing a sword and holding a tablet stepped forward and told Wang Zuan, “The Most High Lord of the Dao has arrived.” A magnificently adorned precious throne then descended from the sky. The Most High Lord of the Dao sat upon a five-colored lotus seat, with two Perfected and two Celestial Emperors in attendance at his left and right. Wang Zuan bowed in welcome and knelt prostrate on the ground.

The Most High Lord of the Dao said to him: “You have pitied the people and, in your memorials and jiao rites, have prayed with a sincere heart and spent all your strength. You have moved the unseen realm, and the offices of earth have already recorded your name. The growth and transformation of the myriad things are driven by the working of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). The Five Phases constrain one another, and each has its flourishing and its decline; their cycle of succession never stops. Thus life continues without break, and generation after generation is never cut off. Those who receive life unite with the Qi (vital energy) of pure Yang and ascend to heaven as immortals; the dead sink into the Qi of ultimate Yin and remain underground as ghosts. Ghosts, too, differ in rank and strength, in firmness and yielding, in good and evil—no different from the human world.

“The Jade August Celestial Worthy, fearing that ghosts and spirits might act as they please and harm the people, regularly commands the Five Emperors and the Three Officials to restrain and govern them by statutes and penal law, and the codes are most complete. Yet the ways of people in this latter age are shallow, fickle, and false. The honest and generous Dao (the Way) has gradually faded, and crooked deceit has sprung up in its place. Some are disloyal to their ruler and unfilial to their families; they cast aside the teaching of the Three Bonds and the Five Constants and walk of their own accord toward death. Then the stale Qi of the Six Heavens, demons and devils, and the defeated armies and dead generals of successive ages band together in parties. Riding the wind and rain, they work mischief when the age declines and people grow careless of defense, producing every kind of disease and injuring many. Some, because of this, do not live out their allotted years and suffer a violent death.

“I once compiled, in the Palace of Duyang, the Scripture of Divine Incantations (Shenzhou jing) and gave it to the Perfected Tang Ping, charging him to spread it in the world and rescue the people. In the related accounts that circulate among the folk, some see the names of famous generals such as Wang Jian and Bai Qi and take them for inventions. In fact, the generals of successive ages commanded troops while alive, and after death some became commanders of ghosts. Those with merit rise to become officials of the Yin realm; those who slaughtered living beings remain among the demons. Riding the declining Qi of the Five Phases, they cause people to fall ill or to recover. Yet if one overawes them with the majesty of Yang and then subdues them with divine incantations, they will of themselves draw back.”

The Most High Lord of the Dao further bestowed on Wang Zuan the Scripture of Divine Transformation (Shenhua jing) and the Scripture of Divine Incantations, ordering him to practice according to the texts so as to save the people. He then had an attendant lad open the precious case that held the scripture scrolls of ninefold radiance, and gave Wang Zuan the Scripture of Divine Transformation together with the ritual formulae of the Great Retreat of the Three and Five, saying, “Cultivate them diligently and carry them out with care; accumulate hidden virtue, and you may hope to enter the rank of the Perfected.”

When he had finished speaking, the Most High Lord of the Dao rose into the air toward the northwest amid a host of carriages and riders, and passed on to the realm of Highest Clarity (Shangqing). Wang Zuan followed the purification liturgies set out in the scriptures and transmitted these rites and methods to Jiangnan. Thereafter the epidemics subsided and the people lived in peace. From the Eastern Jin down to the present, those who have received this blessing are beyond counting.

Once there was a Daoist priest who observed the fast—abstaining from food for a prescribed period and keeping the corresponding precepts—and recited scriptures (Jing). An ordinary man was hired to repair and tidy the fasting hall for him. Seeing that the man worked with care, the priest invited him at noon to share a meal. After they had eaten, the priest said to him, “Today you have observed the fast together with me, and the merit is very great. You may wait until noon tomorrow before eating anything again. Do not break the fast and the precepts, or it will all have been in vain. If you can do this, you may perhaps be spared the hardships of the world.”

The man bowed to the priest, received the precepts, and departed. Returning home in the evening, he told his wife what the priest had instructed. His wife did not understand and grew very angry. Unable to resist her, he broke the fast and the precepts and ate together with her.

Later this man died, and the Heavenly Emperor assigned him to become the spirit of a thousand-year-old tree on Mount Shu. He often supplied food to the spirits within the tree, so that the trees grew lush and flourishing. In the blazing heat of summer, three worthy men advanced and diligent in cultivation passed by and rested beneath the tree. They sighed and said, “The shade of this tree is cool, yet the sun is nearly at noon. Where are we to find a meal?”

The person within the tree then said, “I will prepare a noon meal for you worthies; there is no need to worry.” Before long the food was brought, and the three ate together. After the meal they said, “We are seeking the Great Dao (the Way). Where is the Dao? Food that comes to us so naturally as this is, we fear, not yet the Dao.” They then asked the tree, “Might the great spirit appear for a moment and allow us to see him once?”

The person within the tree answered from the empty air, “I cannot cause anyone to attain the Dao. I can tell you my name and my dwelling. Formerly, when I was a Daoist priest, I once urged a man to observe the fast, but his wife spoiled it, and the merit was never brought to completion. Therefore the Heavenly Emperor punished me by setting me to guard this tree, and I cannot free myself. In the past I once ate a meal in the fasting hall; now, every day when noon arrives, the Heavenly Emperor supplies me with the food of the fast. I am busy eating, with no leisure and no chance of promotion. I wish to ask you gentlemen to go to my home, tell my family of my circumstances, and hold a three-day fast on my behalf. Then I shall be able to ascend to Heaven.”

The worthies were moved by his intent. They found his home and relayed these words to his family. The family at once arranged a fast, invited Daoist priests, burned incense, and recited scriptures, holding the rite of fasting and precepts for three days in succession, and thereby repented and acknowledged fault on his behalf. The person within the tree was then able to rise in flight, enter among the clouds, and, in the high and distant heavenly realm, receive appointment as a scattered immortal.

Therefore the merit of observing the fast is exceedingly great, and it must not be left uncultivated. This man observed the fast for only half a day; one day after his death he at once left his former body, and in less than a year he was able to become an immortal. This shows that the celestial court records human merit and fault with clear distinction, omitting and slighting nothing. Those who cultivate the Dao should diligently observe the fast and keep the precepts, in hope of calling forth a response from the unseen realm. Those who can persist in their practice will surely obtain the opportunity to be raised up and become immortals.

Miscellaneous Yin-Yang Zhai Days

The Three Assembly Days: the seventh day of the first lunar month is called the “Jujian Shanghui Zhai” (Assembly Zhai of Promotion and Reward); the seventh day of the seventh month is called the “Qingsheng Zhonghui Zhai” (Mid-Assembly Zhai for Celebrating Life); and the fifth day of the tenth month is called the “Jiansheng Dahui Zhai” (Great Assembly Zhai for Establishing Life). The Three Assembly Days are days of resonance and communication with the netherworld. Those who can cultivate the Zhai on these days are said to be certain of gaining the opportunity to ascend as immortals and be raised aloft.

Another account holds that the Three Assembly Days are the days on which the Three Officials—the deities in Daoism who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water—examine merit and fault. They are suitable for receiving Fulu (talismans and registers), observing the Zhai fast, and submitting memorials, in prayer for auspicious fortune and protection.

The Five La Days: the first day of the first lunar month is called the “Heaven La Zhai”; the fifth day of the fifth month is called the “Earth La Zhai”; the seventh day of the seventh month is called the “Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue/Power) La Zhai”; the first day of the tenth month is called the “People’s Year La Zhai”; and the festival day of the twelfth month is called the “Marquis and King La Zhai.”

On the Five La Days one ought to sacrifice and make offerings to deceased forebears. One who does so may be called a filial child, and is said to obtain measureless blessed reward. Sacrifices offered on all other days count as sacrifices that do not conform to the proper regulations. The Five La Days, together with the three Yuan Days that precede them—Shangyuan, Zhongyuan, and Xiayuan—are collectively called the “Eight Jie Days” (Eight Days of Release), and all are suitable for setting out pure offerings and praying for blessings and protection.

The Mingzhen ke says: midnight on the jiazi day and dusk on the jiaxu day are the moments when the True Officials of the Heavenly Sovereign, divine officers of the celestial realm, descend; the shen hour on the jiashen day and midday on the jiawu day are the moments when the True Officials of the Earthly Sovereign descend; and mealtime on the jiachen day and the first hour of the ordinary day on the jiayin day are the moments when the True Officials of the Human Sovereign descend.

If one cultivates the Zhai on these days, the divine lords of the Five Marchmounts and the Four Waterways—the mountain gods of the Five Marchmounts and the gods of the four great waters—will each, according to the quarter in which they reside, inspect good and evil and report the circumstances upward.

The later portion of the scripture lists further times: sunrise on the dingmao day and cockcrow on the dingchou day are the moments when the True Officials of the Heavenly Sovereign descend; sunset on the dingyou day and the deep stillness of night on the dinghai day are the moments when the True Officials of the Earthly Sovereign descend; and the time when the sun has shifted westward on the dingwei day and the approach of noon on the dingsi day are the moments when the True Officials of the Human Sovereign descend.

After the words “the jiachen day and the jiayin day,” the original text contains a defective or repeated passage—“and again, one hour of the day; the above are the days on which the True Officials of the Human Sovereign descend”—and then once more repeats the statement about cultivating the Zhai and about the divine lords inspecting and reporting upward.

On the day of the purification fast, one practices the method of the zhai. The Perfected of the Five Marchmounts (the immortal perfected beings who govern the Five Marchmounts) each dispatch five spirits to come and stand guard, and they enter the name of the one who practices the zhai in the immortal registers (the registers that record the names and ranks of the immortals).