《洪恩灵济真君集福午朝仪》

The ritual proceeds according to the prescribed ceremony.

The ritual masters, following the liturgical method, preserve and visualize Shen (spirit), contemplating the deities within the mind.

Please recite the divine incantation:

Crimson radiance circulates and shines; auspicious light like the numinous mushroom glows forth. The Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of the deities penetrate the dark and hidden realms, and numinous light spreads in all eight directions. The true talisman gathers primordial Qi and summons the Vermilion Lads, attendants of the deities. The three lights of sun, moon, and stars unfold in brightness, and their radiance pours into my Crimson Palace, the palace within the heart as spoken of in Daoism. The Red Spirit settles and stands guard, and jade-like fragrance fills the surroundings. Brilliance illuminates beyond the body, and both within and without radiate splendor. Within the body arise the Qi of water and fire, so that one may walk alone and ascend in flight. In chorus: Unite with the Dao (the Way) and merge with the True.

Strike the ritual drum twenty-four times.

Most High Mysterious Prime, Lord Lao of the Five Numina, I pray you summon forth from within my body the Three-Five Merit Officers, the divine clerks who transmit the commands of the spirits, together with the incense-official envoys of the left and right, the Golden Lads who attend the incense, the Jade Maidens who convey messages, the incense officials on duty, the merit-officer envoys, and the orthodox spirits of the Three Qi. I pray you swiftly submit the memorial and open communication, summoning the five great marshals Bian, Wei, Zhao, and Diao, the two marshals Yue and Xu, the celestial warriors and stalwarts, and the divine officials of the left and right.

I now ascend the altar to perform the rites, reverently carrying out the sacred decree, and conduct the Zhaijiao (purification ritual), praying for blessings upon the state and the people. What I sincerely set forth in my heart has already been recorded and reported upward. May the orthodox and true generative Qi, the pure Qi that gives rise to life, swiftly descend and flow into our bodies, so that the words of my memorial may rapidly reach the sacred presence of the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Golden Portal of the Nine Heavens and the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Jade Portal of the Nine Heavens.

Please proclaim the ritual office, announcing the identity of the one performing the rite:

I, your servant So-and-so, invested with ritual office, together with the officials present at the altar, the Daoist assembly, and the others, sincerely submit this memorial in unison:

To the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Golden Portal of the Nine Heavens, Great Immortal who Illumines the Dao and Attains De (Virtue/Power), Manifest in Numinous Power and Universally Succoring, of Qingwei and Dongxuan (one of the Three Caverns), Void and Penetrating, Wondrously Responsive, Compassionate and Kind, Protector of the State and Shelter of the People;

To the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Jade Portal of the Nine Heavens, Superior Immortal who Proclaims Transformation and Upholds the Teaching, Radiant in Numen and Broadly Succoring, Lofty and Bright, Vast and Tranquil, Profound and Limpid, Wondrously Responsive, Benevolent and Gracious, Assistant of the State and Guardian of the People;

And to the Holy Father, True Lord King of Qi, Loyal and Martial, Who Supports and Illumines.

The Immortal Consort of Benevolent Longevity and Virtuous Goodness (the immortal consort who receives offerings), together with the Lady of the State of Jing, Immortal Consort of Compliant Aid, Benevolent Kindness, and True Response, and the Lady of the State of Wei, Immortal Consort of Virtuous Aid, Kind Excellence, and Respectful Stillness; the holy elder brothers, the Prince of Tang, the Prince of Hong, the Prince of E, and the Prince of Guangling; the holy maternal uncles, the Duke Protector of the State and the Duke Who Serves the State; the holy sons-in-law, the Marquis of Wu’an, the Immortal Consort of Tranquil Kindness and True Response, and the Marquis of the State of Ning; the holy sons, the Marquis Who Preserves Greatness, the Marquis of Manifest Trust, the Marquis Who Preserves Trust, the Marquis Who Preserves Peace, and the Duke of Martial Tranquility; the holy nephews, the Marquis of Illustrious Virtue, the Marquis of Stable Peace, and the Marquis of Great Tranquility; the holy grandsons, the Marquis of Wuchang and the Marquis of Nanchang; and all the holy sons, holy grandsons, holy nephews, and dukes and marquises.

There are also the queen of the Prince of Tang, the Immortal Consort of Bright Solemnity; the queen of the Prince of Hong, the Immortal Consort of Benevolent Mercy; the queen of the Prince of E, the Immortal Consort of Compliant Virtue; and the queen of the Prince of Guangling, the Immortal Consort of Auspicious Blessing; the holy daughters, the Immortal Maiden of Modest Virtue and the Immortal Maiden of Bright Virtue; and the holy wives, the Lady of Goodly Virtue, the Lady of Benevolent Gentleness, the Lady of Kind Compliance, the Lady of Illustrious Virtue, the Lady of Compliant Respect, the Lady of Clear Wisdom, the Lady of Respectful Virtue, the Lady of Tranquil Virtue, the Lady of Illustrious Reverence, the Lady of Kind Filiality, and the others.

We respectfully invite the officials and commanders who conduct the affairs of the various offices of the Register of the Great Cavern of Highest Clarity (Shangqing Dadong lu), the Court of the Celestial Mechanism, the Department of Thunder, the Court of Celestial Patterns, and the Earth Administration, together with the generals who expel evil and seize haunting spirits, transmit talismans (fu) and confer methods, dissolve calamities and relieve adversity, drive out the violent and the malign, guard the ritual altar, and patrol and apprehend evil. We also invite the Venerable God of the Grand Year (Taisui), the Generals of the Twelve Months, the stellar officials of the Original Chronogram of Natal Destiny (the stellar deities who govern the year and chronogram of each person’s natal fate), and the immortal hosts of the departments of Wind, Thunder, and Rain.

We respectfully invite the Counselors-in-Chief of the Left and the Right, the Grand Steward, the Junior Steward, the ministers and attendants of the Six Ministries, and the dukes and ministers of the Inner Treasury, as well as the Senior Stewards of the Left and the Right who record births and longevities and oversee emolument and blessing, the attendants and the secretaries for court communications, and the officials, dukes, and ministers attached to each bureau. We invite the clerks and directors of the Twenty-Four Bureaus who administer fortune and emolument, and the immortal officials who usher petitioners in; the ladies of the inner court ranked Lady of Compliant Fulfillment, Lady of Illustrious Splendor, Lady of Graceful Beauty, Lady of Cultivated Beauty, Lady of Cultivated Deportment, and Lady of Illustrious Deportment; the ladies charged with women’s work in the palace, with the weaving of silk and hemp, with storehouses, with ledgers and registers, and with finances; the female officers and female scribes of the women’s offices, the female invocators, and the female attendants; and the attendants of the inner halls together with the Ladies of the Inner Canon.

We respectfully invite, within the Hall of Festive Joy, the Divine Empress Tianyi Who Records Births and the Divine Empress Taiyi Who Supervises Births, who preside over procreation; the ladies who serve as senior ministers of the Office of Emolument and the Office of Destiny; the ladies who guard gestation and the birthing room; the ladies who protect the fetus and safeguard life, who give kindly instruction, who serve as guardians and tutors, who keep the registers, and who hold the seals; the ladies in the various palaces who nurse, carry and present, and nurture infants; and the midwife goddess who entrusts and transforms life.

We respectfully invite Marshal Cha, the resident military governor of Yong’an; Marshal Bian, the resident military governor of Wu’an; Marshal Wei, Military Commissioner and Left Supervisor of the Gates; Marshal Zhao, Commander-in-Chief of the Armies and Right Supervisor of the Gates; Marshal Diao, Inspector-General of the Armies and Vanguard; and the picked troops and fierce generals under these five marshals. We also invite the two marshals of the left and the right, Yue and Xu; the attendant officials of the traveling palace; and the bureau officers who administer salaries, merit, personnel, documents, farming, silk weaving, market goods, and artisans’ tools and materials. We invite the officers of the kitchens, the officers of the performers, and the officers of the musicians; the officers of Celestial Victory, Divine Victory, and Human Victory; the officers in charge of divination, of divinatory slips, of divinatory cups, and of planchette spirit-writing; the youth who transmits dreams; the section chiefs of the divine bureau; the incense-official envoys who keep watch over the halls and over talismanic mandates; and all the gods belonging to the Earth God of the Palace of Numinous Succor (Lingji Gong).

With reverence we pray that all the holy perfected beings will, in their compassion, look down and examine, and will graciously take notice of this entreaty.

Your servant has heard that the red primordial Qi (vital energy) of which Daoism speaks shines with splendor upon the numinous chart within Dongyang, the Cavern of Yang; flying clouds drift up into the cinnabar empyrean, the lofty heights of the immortal realm, and hang like a feathered canopy, casting shade beneath them so that one gazes upward. The earth deities of Lingji Palace discern what is hidden and subtle, and their awesome numinous power is illustrious. With reverence I pray that the holy perfected, in their compassion, look down and examine this place.

Your servant has also heard that the red Qi of Dongyang radiates brilliance upon the numinous chart; flying clouds ascend into the cinnabar empyrean and cast their shade over the feathered canopy toward which people look up. Principles deep and mysterious hold subtle wonders within them, and the gods of ultimate perfection appear in solemn majesty, as if they had come in person before our eyes. May favor bright as sunlight thaw into the warmth of spring, and may mist grow warm between the vermilion steps; following the rites of the court audience, we welcome the day, while a clear breeze comes gently from the Purple Pole, the celestial palace. May sympathetic response reach through to the workings of creation and transformation, and may the teaching of the immortals and perfected be spread abroad. Auspicious radiance dances and interweaves in the sunlight, and music like jade resounds among the clouds. We earnestly proclaim the teaching, holding a firm and reverent heart; gazing up at the holy perfected as if they stood before us, we trust that their descent to oversee and inspect us is not far off. Now our sincere hearts have been set forth in prayer, and, in accordance with the intent of the words of supplication, our reverence has been fully expressed. Our gratitude for grace and our earnest hope of a response in return are fervent, and we likewise pray urgently that the state may long continue in blessed fortune. The ranks stand in ordered succession, like egrets in a line, and from afar is heard the sound of the daytime water clock. Incense smoke warms the chi-dragon ornaments before the hall, and a harmonious clear breeze blows softly. We respectfully invite the holy perfected to examine and accept the offerings, so that the unseen realm and the human world may communicate with one another through mutual resonance.

The noon audience, the court rite held at midday, is now performed. We ascend the altar and practice the Dao (the Way)—that is, we mount the ritual altar and perform the Daoist rite. The ritual assembly present is asked to unite their minds and take up the first stick of incense. The assembly chants: The smoke of incense rises to Lingji Palace, spreads throughout the Golden Portal of the Nine Heavens, transforms into a flowery canopy, and is offered to the True Lord of Vast Grace (Hong’en) of the Golden Portal of the Nine Heavens. May this wisp of incense smoke be offered to the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Golden Portal of the Nine Heavens, and to all the perfected immortals and holy hosts of Lingji Palace. We, your servants, take refuge in the perfected immortals and holy hosts of the Lingji Palace of Vast Grace, and wish, by the merit of offering incense, to make offering to the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Golden Portal of the Nine Heavens and to the perfected immortals and holy hosts of Lingji Palace.

We, your servants, take refuge in the perfected immortals and holy hosts of the Lingji Palace of Vast Grace, and wish, by the merit of offering incense, respectfully to invite the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Golden Portal of the Nine Heavens, the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Jade Portal of the Nine Heavens, and all the immortal perfected nurtured by the Five Marchmounts and ranked among the Nine Heavens, to look down upon us. The immortal perfected are splendid as brocade and embroidery, their light flashing like the stars and the Dipper; their grace is as rain and dew, subtly turning the pivot of Heaven and Earth. We pray that they assist the imperial authority and shelter all under Heaven, so that grace may moisten every living being. Now, burning incense, we take refuge in the supreme and unsurpassed De (Virtue/Power) of the True Lords and the great holy hosts of ultimate perfection; may we, after attaining the Dao, endure together with Heaven and Earth. The assembly chants: May we unite with the Dao and become perfected.

At the hour of noon, amid the heralds’ calls, joy shows upon the face of the Son of Heaven. We discern his intent, attend to our duties with reverence, and voice our prayers through the rite of court audience. The noon court ceremony is now held: we ascend the altar to enact the Dao (the Way) and invite the ritual masters and the Daoist assembly to join in offering these two sticks of incense.

The assembly responds in chorus: May this incense smoke rise to the Palace of Numinous Succor (Lingji Gong, the temple dedicated to the Perfected Lords of Vast Grace and Numinous Succor), spread through the Jade Palaces of the Nine Heavens (the palaces of the celestial realm), and turn into a precious canopy offered to the Perfected Lord of Vast Grace of the Jade Palaces of the Nine Heavens. May this incense smoke be offered in sustenance to that Perfected Lord and to all the perfected immortals and holy assembly of the Palace of Numinous Succor.

We, your servants, take refuge in the perfected immortals and holy assembly of the Palace of Vast Grace and Numinous Succor, and through the merit of this incense offering we pray blessings for His Majesty the Emperor: may he rest secure upon the throne and long shelter all under Heaven. May the rivers and mountains stand firm and the fortune of the state endure, so that his longevity knows no bounds; may he embrace all as the great sea and nurture the people as the spring breeze, so that the myriad people rejoice. May the borders be free of war, and the people in the fields plow and raise silkworms; may worthy and virtuous men assist the court, so that all under Heaven is pure, peaceful, and at ease, government and moral teaching flourish, and the age of great peace continues long.

Therefore we burn incense and take refuge in the Perfected Lords and in the utterly true and unsurpassed De (Virtue/Power) of the great holy assembly. May we, once cultivation of the Dao is accomplished, abide forever in Heaven and unite in truth with the Dao.

(“Offering incense in two pinches” means taking up incense in ritual reverence; “ascending the altar to enact the Way” means mounting the altar to perform Daoist Keyi (liturgy).)

The myriad saints together manifest their light, and its brilliance shines everywhere. The sun of grace shines broadly down upon the Cinnabar Prospect (the abode of immortals, or a vision of the celestial realm), while the light of compassion may be seen by looking upward into the Numinous Palace (the temple in which immortals are enshrined). Today the midday audience is held. We ascend the altar and practice the Dao (the Way), and the ritual assembly present is invited to offer incense together by pinching the incense three times.

The assembly chants in unison: the smoke of incense rises to Lingji Palace, spreads through the palace towers of the Nine Heavens, and turns into a canopy of cloud, offered in worship to the perfected immortals and holy multitude of Lingji Palace. May this incense smoke be offered to the Hong’en True Lord of the Golden Portal of the Nine Heavens, the Hong’en True Lord of the Jade Portal of the Nine Heavens, and the perfected immortals and holy multitude of Lingji Palace.

We, your servants, take refuge in the perfected immortals and holy multitude of the Hong’en Lingji Palace, and we wish to transfer the merit of this pinching of incense to the heir apparent and the princely bulwarks, to the chief ministers and officials of the court, to the common people of the realm, and to all living beings in the world. We respectfully pray that the De (Virtue/Power) of the Three Goods may flourish ever more and assist the myriad affairs of government; that the De of sagely brilliance may shine forth in manifest glory, and that sagely learning and the accomplishment of De may be renewed day by day; and that, cherishing sincerity and good faith and penetrating what accords with principle, self-cultivation and the conduct of affairs may all conform above to the heart of Heaven. May a hundred blessings descend one after another and a thousand auspicious signs gather; may troubles not yet apparent be forever laid to rest, and celebrations yet to come arrive in succession; may we enjoy the blessing of benevolent De and long life, and broadly receive the blessing of peace and security.

Incense is therefore burned, and of our own accord we take refuge in the supremely true De of the True Lords and the great holy multitude. May we, after attaining the Dao, forever preserve long life. The assembly chants in unison: united with the Dao, merged with the True.

The sung verses (stanzas used for chanting in the rite).

The verses of repentance (stanzas used for the rite of repentance).

The first and second invocation texts (writings that invite the deities).

The triple salutation (obeisance performed three times).

The ritual office is proclaimed once more (the point in a Daoist rite at which one declares one’s ritual rank and identity).

Your servant of the stated rank, So-and-so, together with the officers and the assembly at the altar, with solemn sincerity and reverence once again addresses the holy thrones above. Your servant has heard that the Great Dao—here called the “Great Potter’s Wheel,” the power that transforms and nurtures the myriad things—spreads all beings abroad and sets a vast vitality circulating without cease; and that utmost sincerity can move the divinities and bring about communion with them. We therefore hope, with sincere hearts, to look upward and seek a response. Just at the quarter of Xi….

The first and second invocation texts.

The triple salutation.

The ritual office is proclaimed once more.

The ministers whose ritual office is designated So-and-so, together with the officers presiding over the ceremony at the altar and all those assembled, reverently and with sincere hearts present this memorial to the Holy Perfected. We have heard that the power of creative transformation spreads over the myriad things, so that the impulse of life reaches everywhere; so long as utmost sincerity moves the spirits, and one hopes to petition upward with a sincere heart, a numinous response may be obtained. Just as the sun rises to mid-heaven, we set our ranks in order and reverently perform the rite of court audience. The altar space displays light of nine colors, illuminating the ten directions; luan bells answer the chanted hymns, and from this the myriad ritual forms unfold.

We reverently carry out the charge, and by this rite repay grace and kindness, conducting ourselves with reverence according to the liturgy of the jiao. Though the offerings are meager, they solemnly express ritual respect; the descent of the divinities is not far off. Incense and flowers are arrayed with solemn dignity in the altar space, and we carefully address our words to the Holy Perfected. Gazing up toward the jade steps, the company stands in ranked attendance. Although we have passed through ten thousand kalpas, we have still been unable to eliminate ignorance and karmic conditions; nor do we understand the true meaning of the Three Vehicles of which Buddhism speaks (the three paths of cultivation: the hearer, the solitary awakened one, and the bodhisattva). Though our resolve for the Dao (the Way) is diligent, it remains inadequate. We first beg the Holy Perfected to pardon us, hoping to pray with the whole of our sincerity.

We pray that the foundation of the imperial dynasty be broad, and the destiny of the state secure and enduring; that the ancestral temple and the altars of soil and grain flourish through the generations, and that all under heaven be united and at peace. We pray that the heir apparent possess mild and refined De (Virtue/Power) and assist in the affairs of the court; that the princes of the imperial clan diligently aid in government, so that auspicious blessings continue for a hundred generations. We further pray that the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) proceed in due order, and that the six Qi (vital energy)—the six kinds of climatic change in the natural world—be harmonized; that every person may hold a heart of compassion, and that the myriad things each grow in fitting accord. May the teachings be made manifest and the transforming work of the Dao flourish, so that all sentient beings may bring seed-wisdom to fulfillment (accomplishing the way of the Buddha and being fully endowed with wisdom). In this way the greatly compassionate teaching of Hong’en Zhenjun, the True Lord of Vast Grace, may be displayed, and the sincerity with which we dedicate our lives and take refuge may be answered. Respectfully we submit this memorial.

The Twelve Vows

Visualizing the Spirits and Burning Incense

Envoys of the Incense Officers, Lords of the Dragon and the Tiger on the left and the right, and all the numinous officers who attend the incense: we ask that you cause the place where we, your servants, earlier ascended the altar at the noon audience to practice the Dao spontaneously to bring forth auspicious signs such as golden liquid, cinnabar and azure, and the flowering essence of the zhi, and that the hundred spirits and the host of the Perfected all gather before this incense burner. We pray that sincere hearts may reach the Holy Perfected, that blessings and prosperity grow ever more abundant, that the divinities long protect and uphold us, and that both family and realm attain purity and peace.

We respectfully ask the immortal youths and jade maidens of the ten directions to receive and attend the fragrant vapor of orchid incense, and to transmit upward the words of prayer that we, your servants, previously memorialized, swiftly delivering them before the holy presence of the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Golden Portal of the Nine Heavens and the True Lord of Vast Grace of the Jade Portal of the Nine Heavens.

Hymn for Leaving the Hall

Depart from the hall.

The Liturgy of the Noon Court Audience for Gathering Blessings of the Perfected Lords of Vast Grace and Numinous Salvation (Hong’en Lingji Zhenjun Jifu Wuchao Yi) is also known as the Liturgy of the Noon Period for Gathering Blessings of the Perfected Lords of Vast Grace and Numinous Salvation (Hong’en Lingji Zhenjun Jifu Wuqi Yi). Here, “noon court audience” (wuchao) refers to a rite of paying court held at midday, while “gathering blessings” (jifu) means praying that blessings and favor may converge. The entire liturgy is used to pay court to the Perfected Lords of Vast Grace and Numinous Salvation and to pray that blessings be sent down.