《靈寶無量度人上經大法》Vol. 43

At the beginning of the great calamity, the Five Calamities divided and unfolded. Yuanshi—the supreme deity revered in Daoism—unrolled the celestial book, and the Red Writ was composed. Each character in the text was ten zhang tall, radiating light in all directions from its four corners. The golden, moist Qi descending from above condensed into the forms of the Nine Heavens.

Xiyuan Guishan was encircled on all four sides by the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, arranged in interlocking patterns. The thirty-two heavens revolved around the sun, moon, and five planets, meeting and crossing one another. On the mountain stood tier upon tier of golden towers and jade chambers, twelve in all. Within them dwelt the Dao Lord, the Azure Elixir Golden Mother, also known as the Queen Mother of the West of Xiyuan Guishan. Guishan possessed its own registers of the primordial source and governed the true writings and jade characters of the assembled immortals. In the mountain’s empty realm, the Dipper constellation revolved and passed through the Winnowing Basket constellation; the Five Constant Virtues turned in their cycles, while Qi in thirty-five divisions gathered at the Upper Origin.

At the Queen Mother’s western Jade Terrace stood the Jade Bureau, which governed the inner precincts and was called the Palace of Numinous Emptiness. The Palace of Numinous Emptiness also had a separate hall, where the presiding Great Lord was honored as the Jade Infant. The Queen Mother was called the True Immortal of the Nine Numinous Powers and held the office of the Nine Numinous Ones. She set the Dipper in motion, reached the light of dawn, presented petitions and submitted memorial tablets, sending documents up to the three Jade Gates of the Three Heavens within the thirty-two heavens. Without an immortal office in the Palace of Numinous Emptiness, documents could not be delivered; without the memorials of the Nine Numinous Ones, petitions could not be presented. The Great Lord was charged with recording these scriptures.

The Nine Dawn Stars of the Northern Dipper are the abode of the Nine Dawn Imperial Lords of the Central August One, Taiyi. They have nine traces upon which one may tread to soar through the air, assisting the Imperial Sovereign. The transformations of the stars are limitless, and their names and ranks are many, too numerous to record one by one. Among them is the August High Celestial Worthy of Taiwei. If one prays to any one of these stars, one may add a thousand million years to one’s life. One’s name is entered on a jade register, and all the spirits come to pay homage and gather for a feast. After seven years of cultivation, one can divide one’s form and transform the myriad things, merge oneself with the hidden realm, fly through the Great Void, and ascend to Jade Clarity.

The Great Cavern Jade Scripture says: “The rooms of jade and palaces of jasper, the jade towers and golden halls, lie far beyond the Three Realms and Nine Heavens, beyond the reach of ordinary people. Yet they are also near, within oneself, in the nine palaces of the Mudball Palace—the upper Dantian inside the head. With focused contemplation, one can cultivate into a perfected person. The Qi of Heaven joins with the Qi that naturally flows within oneself. Thus the scripture says: ‘Within the human heart there is a spirit; the spirit contains subtle wisdom, and wisdom can penetrate the causes of the Dharma Realm.’ From this cause and condition, thoughts arise; thoughts return to emptiness and stillness, and a response takes place within the Mudball Palace. In this way, contemplating oneself as joining in De with the Nine Qi is just like being within the Golden Gate, with no distinction between them. One’s name can then be entered in the jade registers of the immortals. Nine…

Visualize your own hun and po souls rising into the Niwan Palace, the cultivation chamber in the head. See that it contains nine chambers, like the golden palaces of the Three Realms among the Nine Heavens. Imagine the Heavenly Emperors seated solemnly above, while you remain below in the Dantian, as though at the bottom of a deep spring in a secluded valley. Then visualize the hundred spirits gathering and joining with you as one; let your body become still and settled like a lotus seed. The Great High One, the supreme Daoist deity, enters the Niwan Palace, as though ascending above the Nine Heavens to pay court before the emperors in the golden palace.

Carefully follow the instructions handed down by the lineage. The Three Caverns’ Profound Rites says: “Though the Celestial Worthy is far away, his wondrous efficacy is close at hand in the Niwan Palace. Its chambers are made entirely of the Seven Treasures, and its windows are naturally clear. The supremely true and ever-wondrous one rises at the appointed time, riding the scene, and soars aloft in a purple cloud.” This means that the Three Pure Ones within oneself correspond to the wondrous realm above: Heaven and humanity are linked, and Jing and Qi support one another as they flow through the nine chambers.

The scripture also says: “Neither born nor extinguished, if you seek birth, rely on the lotus to be born; transcend the Three Realms, and through compassion alone escape the worldly net.” This means that the mind’s original nature is a divine being emanated by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. Dwelling within the nine layers of divine membranes, it governs human life. When presenting a memorial, submit it as though delivering it to the nine chambers within yourself; the Qi of Flying Mystery joins with the Dao and examines the memorial’s text. Use spirit to illuminate spirit, and mind to discern spirit. When mind and spirit are clear and penetrating, even what lies hidden can be known. Do not harbor doubt or waver between intentions, or you will incur punishment from the numinous officials.

True Talisman for Reaching Heaven

This talisman is taken from the cypress wood used on the day of one’s birth year. Carve it to a length of five inches and a width of two and a half inches, measuring by the official ruler. Pierce a hole at the top, thread it with five-colored cord, and tie it behind the elbow: men wear it on the left, women on the right. It may be used only when presenting a memorial; at other times, do not let anyone see it. Keep it in a bag of red silk. On a night when the stars and moon shine brightly, place it beneath the Northern Dipper and make offerings to the Nine Mornings of the Northern Dipper, the two honored emperors, and the envoys of the talisman for reaching Heaven. Offer twelve portions each of incense, flowers, wine, fruit, pure water, and cypress decoction.

If you intend to present a memorial, you must begin taking the memorial talisman three days in advance and wear the talisman behind your elbow. Before putting it on, first fumigate it with incense, then recite the incantation:

“Heaven above assists without partiality; the celestial pattern penetrates what is hidden and obscure. No matter how dark or far away the place, it is sensed and known. Wearing talismans and bearing a register, I command the divine troops at will. My rank surpasses that of kings and lords; I ascend to the celestial capital. Hasten, in accordance with the ordinances of the Heavenly Lord and the Purple Tenuity Way.”

Recite the incantation thirty times. After fumigating the talisman with aloeswood, wear it behind your elbow. Then swallow the talisman, recite the memorial, and visualize it repeatedly until you are practiced. When the time comes to present the memorial, perform the rite in this way, and you will receive a response as though aided by the spirits. Whether you submit the memorial silently or formally present it, first complete the required transmission documents and sacrificial announcement.

Invoking Immortals and spirits or the chapter officials (divine officials who convey memorials) often brings a response very quickly. Keep the rite hidden from others, and do not let them see it. Responses may come as swiftly as a shadow following its form or an answer following a call. They often include auspicious clouds, unusual fragrance, phoenixes and immortal cranes, sweet dew, yellow mist, or auspicious winds. The weather may turn clear and mild; gathered dark clouds may suddenly disperse, and timely rain may nourish all things. Heavenly gods may appear to observe, the ashes of a memorial may rise into the air, or divine light may envelop the ritual altar. Such wondrous responses take a thousand forms and are beyond counting.

The Talisman for Opening the Heart and Dispelling Forgetfulness (a talisman to brighten the mind and aid memory; it appears in the third section of “Joining the Auspicious Period” in the fifth volume of the Zhen’gao, and is said to have been composed by Lord Wang. It is written in cinnabar. The original also includes traced talisman diagrams marked “Chief Secretary” and “Assistant.”)

Write this talisman in cinnabar at dawn on an Open Day, facing the direction of the King. When you have finished, bow twice. Then recite the invocation, and, when you have finished, swallow the talisman. Afterward, swallow your saliva five times and click your teeth five times. Do not let anyone see you. If you do not choose an Open Day, you may instead take it on the first, fifteenth, or twenty-seventh day of any month. Take it once a month, and it will take effect within a year. This is a secret method.

Invocation:

“Five Spirits, open my mind and make my hearing clear, cutting off all distracting sounds. Gather the vital essence of the Three Souls; focus and guard my cinnabar heart, so that I no longer forget. Let the Qi of my five organs flow freely and reach far.”

The Talisman for Communicating with the True and Reaching the Spirits, Opening the Heart, and Bringing Peace (a talisman for communicating with true spirits, opening the mind, and praying for peace; written in cinnabar on yellow silk.)

When taking the talisman, recite the incantation:

“By taking in this divine talisman, I communicate with and behold the true spirits. I command the hundred gods and discern the truth within the heart. The divine generals of the Six Jia stand guard and protect, deep and still. The primordial Qi of the Five Phases is obscure and far-reaching; all things conceal their traces and take chaos as their origin. Hearing a voice, I know its name: this is the wondrous scripture of Heaven and Earth. This talisman is called ‘Opening the Heart.’ By taking it, one enjoys peace, reaches the principles of nature, and ascends to the Purple Court (the heavenly realm). Quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!”

When you have finished reciting the incantation, click your teeth three times, place the talisman in your mouth, then visualize and swallow the Qi.

Format of the Memorial for Examining the Heart (a memorial format for examining one’s intentions and presenting a petition)

Your servant, holding the position of [title], bears the surname [surname].

I, [name], am presently a resident of [place], [township], [district], in the Great Ming. I was born in the [year], on the [month], [day], at the [hour]. (Write the content of the purification and petition here.) For this matter alone, I submit one memorial to [the relevant Treasure], to be presented before the Jade Emperor in the Court of Void and Naturalness. I humbly request approval of my petition.

I know that I am an ignorant mortal, with an impure and unrefined body, and a troubled state of mind; I have not yet attained clear insight into the mysterious truth. I fear that, when I personally perform the rite at the altar, I may be unable to transmit the memorial immediately.

Therefore, I respectfully fast, bathe, and purify body and mind beneath the Jade Steps of the Golden Palace of Mysterious Origin in the Great Clarity (the celestial palace where the revered gods of Daoism dwell). On an auspicious day and hour in the [month], I enter a quiet chamber, burn incense, and present one memorial of the Great Mystery, composed according to the prescribed form.

First submit a petition before the sacred presence of the numinous lords of the Five Palaces of one’s natal destiny (deities associated with one’s personal destiny who govern the Five Palaces). Earnestly ask them to use their divine power to help convey one’s sincerity. Tonight is an auspicious time to submit a petition directly before the throne of the Jade Emperor, Primordial Sovereign of Void and Nature, a revered Daoist deity: Will the matter petitioned by a certain person be approved? How will the Celestial Bureaucracy handle it? Tonight, within the Dark Altar sanctuary, a quiet chamber where an altar is set up for prayer, earnestly ask that these matters be disclosed in advance. Look up to the most numinous deity and ask for an efficacious response, so that I, your servant, may know. I respectfully submit this petition.

On [year, month, day, and hour], a person of the [surname] family, [name], submits a petition.

A “heart petition,” a written statement of one’s wishes to the deities, should be written on paper four inches long and two and a half inches wide. In spring, use green paper; in summer, red; and in autumn, white. Write on all three with cinnabar. In winter, use black paper and write with white pigment. During the eighteen days set aside in each season, apart from the final seventy-two days of that season, use yellow paper and cinnabar.

When writing a heart petition or a Taiping talisman, face the direction that is flourishing in the current season. To take one, wash it down with clean water. First place the talisman on the tongue, tilt the face up toward the east, and inhale green Qi through the nose, visualizing its color remaining in the mouth. Then look up to the sky and inhale red true Qi through the nose, letting it merge with the green Qi in the mouth. Next, look down at the ground and inhale yellow Qi through the nose. Visualize the three colors of Qi joining in the mouth as one, perfectly blended and luminous like the sun. Then visualize the talisman transforming into a small pellet within the light, and finally swallow it with water. To take a heart petition, burn the written petition to ash and put it in the mouth; follow the other steps used for taking a talisman. Only after a response has truly been received, and it is known whether the matter has been approved, may the petition be formally presented. Take great care and do not disclose it lightly. After presenting the petition, check it again; only once it has been confirmed correct may it be reported to the ritual supervisor.

The invocation for communicating with the spirits, recited when taking a petition, is:

“Numinous Lord of the Elixir of my heart, three inches tall and seven fen wide, clad in vermilion robes and a deep red skirt. May you manifest your awe-inspiring power and respond numinously without hindrance; may you reach the workings of creation and the utmost truth, and dwell always in my heart, never leaving my body. If an urgent matter arises, come swiftly and tell me. May the heart petition ascend to the sacred illumination of the Most High. Whether the matter is approved or not, please report it to me.”

Every day at the Zi, Wu, Mao, and You hours—approximately midnight, noon, dawn, and dusk—visualize a deity in the heart, appearing like a newborn infant, clad in red robes and a deep red skirt. Then recite this invocation as many times as desired. Also make offerings to this heart deity on one’s natal day and regularly take the talisman for warding off forgetfulness, which, according to this passage, is used to support memory or prevent forgetting, in hopes of manifesting numinous efficacy and spiritual powers.

Eight Radiant True Talismans: On the fifth day of the fifth month, the third day of the third month, or the ninth day of the ninth month, write with cinnabar the character Kui…

Write the eight characters “Gui, Yu, Xing, Bi, Si, Piao, Chi” one on top of another as a talisman. Roll it into a pill and place it inside an empty eggshell, then have a hen incubate it. Once the chick has hatched, take the pill out and swallow it.

Recite these words every day, and you will be able to sense and hear the spirits. The divine incantation is:

“Dou, Lu, Li, Wei, Cui, Deng, swiftly deliver the message here.”

“[Four characters], swiftly deliver the message here.”

“[Six characters], swiftly deliver the message here.”

Begin reciting the incantations on a Liu Jia day. Recite each of the ten directions ten thousand times. Once you have completed the prescribed number, recite them forty-nine times each day thereafter. Whenever you write a petition, submit a memorial, or report a matter to the spirits, recite all three incantations. After a while, if you hear a faint, indistinct sound in your ear, you may silently tell the spirits what you are doing. If you become very angry, the spirits will leave.

Ascending with the Spirits and Entering the Mysterious

I respectfully note what has been handed down by the masters: the spirit rules the body. When the spirit dwells peacefully within, the body is stable; when the spirit disperses, the body grows weak. Most people in the world concern themselves only with caring for the body, and do not understand how to preserve Jing and nourish Shen.

The Scripture of the Western Ascension says: “The spirit can reach the Dao, and the Dao can endure forever. The spirit can make the body fly, and can also move mountains.” Nothing is more precious to the spirit than the “Three Ones.” The Three Ones are children of the Dao, ancestors of the myriad spirits, and the root of the mysteries of all the perfected ones.

Practitioners who wish to move the spirit, unite with the luminous forms, soar through the mysteries, join with the Dao, or communicate through petitions; who wish to go to the Golden Palace to pay court to the Lord on High, or silently pay court in Ascending Mystery, should first bathe, enter a quiet chamber, refine and nourish the body, and guard the spirit. With sustained practice, they will naturally come to reach the Great Dao and be able to go wherever they wish. If they wish to pray to or pay respects to the spirits, they should prepare to ascend to the Court of Great Clarity and submit a petition according to their request. This is the most essential method.

Bathing to Leave the Dust Behind

Choose a day when the Moon passes through the Eastern Well constellation for bathing. At dawn, draw pure water from the corresponding direction, boil it with peach bark and bamboo leaves, and bathe in the resulting infusion. This is called “refining the corpse.” Although the immortals come and go in the mundane world, they also use this bathing method.

Bamboo is hollow and white; peach wood wards off evil and removes defilement. These two ingredients are therefore used to cleanse impurities from the body. This method appears in the Supreme Scripture of Nine Transformations and Ten Metamorphoses, Renewing the Old and is also recorded in the third section, “Auspicious Times,” of the Declarations of the Perfected. If you have a five-fragrance bathing infusion at home, bathing with it can cool the five viscera and wash away dust and grime.

The ingredients are white peach bark, bamboo leaves, white sweetflag, fragrant white angelica, nard, and green costus root. Use any quantity; boil them in water and bathe. When entering the quiet chamber for daily scripture recitation and practice…

When practicing this method, you may use these talisman-infused waters to rinse your mouth. However, although the talisman water can be used, it is still not as effective as this method. This is also called “Bathing in the Clear Fragrant Five-Section Decoction.” To determine a “Dongjing Day” (a day when the Well lunar mansion is in charge), proceed as follows: for example, in the first lunar month, begin with the Room mansion on the first day, then count to the left through the sequence of mansions. A day on which the Well mansion is in charge is a Dongjing Day. The tenth day of the first lunar month is one such day; calculate the other months in the same way.

Entering the Quiet Chamber and Settling the Spirit

At midnight each day, between eleven at night and one in the morning, enter a quiet chamber and sit upright facing the direction associated with that day’s flourishing energy. Knock the teeth together thirty-six times, then hold the breath for thirty-six counts. As you exhale, direct the breath in your mind to a point above the navel; as you inhale, direct it to a point below the navel. Let the breath flow long and unbroken, its coming and going fine and subtle.

Then close the eyes and quietly visualize the sun and moon lighting the entire room: the sun is in the east, and the moon in the west. Next, visualize the Lord of the Sun emitting nine streams of red luminous Qi, which pass through the whole body and circle to the left. The Lord of the Moon emits ten streams of white luminous Qi, which pass through the whole body and circle to the right, making the body transparent within and without, with no place untouched. If you are ill, you may repeat this visualization many times in the hope that the illness will recede.

Refining the Form with the Sun and Moon

First visualize your body turning into a withered tree. Then visualize red luminous Qi transforming into fire. Visualize fire arising in your heart and, together with your body, becoming flames that consume the withered tree. In an instant, the tree is reduced to ash. Smoke rises from the ash and naturally transforms into the Qi of the Five Regions. This Qi swirls and gathers within itself, becoming an infant whose appearance resembles your own.

Visualize the Supreme August Sun Emperor Lord within the sun, dressed in crimson robes and wearing a crown, seated inside the sun. Also visualize the Five Emperors, dressed and crowned in garments corresponding to the five directions, seated in attendance beside him. Clench both hands firmly, with the thumbs tucked inside the fists, and face the sun. Inhale through the nose nine times, imagining the Qi entering the heart. Then visualize the image of the sun in your heart emitting fiery light, as large as a bushel measure. Nine rays of purple light penetrate the Three Fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian—and the Mudball Palace, a cultivation site in the head. The Three Fields and the Mudball Palace fill with sunlight, which illuminates and purifies the whole body, making it transparent within and without and setting the Qi inside it in motion.

Enter the quiet chamber, close your eyes, and sit upright. Visualize the moon in the direction of Dongjing. Clench both hands firmly and visualize a lady within the moon, breathing out ten streams of white light, like bands of pure white silk, clear and bright. Gradually imagine these streams of white light turning into water and bathing the infant. Once the infant has finished bathing, gradually visualize it returning to its original form, becoming a perfected person dressed in robes and a crown. Open your mouth and inhale the water of Yellow Flower, along with the yellow luminous Qi within the moon, then blow it throughout your body. After some time, when you feel yourself surrounded by yellow luminous Qi and refreshed by its coolness, take this as a sign that True Qi has entered the body. Let the yellow luminous Qi and Yang essence spread through the limbs, the five organs, and the hundred channels, cleansing the body within; then summon the myriad spirits to descend.

The practitioner visualizes the light between the eyebrows as the “Three Heavenly Gates.” Three fen inward from the left corner of the brow, penetrating to the bone, there is a vermilion terrace with a green chamber. Three fen inward from the right corner, also penetrating to the bone, there is a yellow tower gate with a purple door. These terraces and gates resemble the towers and gates before the palaces of lords and kings in the human world, and are made of green and yellow jade.

One cun inward from between the eyebrows is the Palace of the Bright Hall. Three divine beings dwell within its gates; all are emanations of the Emperor-Lord of Long Life. Two cun inward is the Palace of the Grotto Chamber, where the Yellow Emperor-Lord resides, an emanation of the Most High Lord Lao. Three cun inward is the Palace of the Dantian, where the Heavenly Emperor-Lord of the Upper Primordial Mud-Pellet resides, an emanation of the Dao Lord Yuchen. Four cun inward is the Palace of Supreme Quelling. Five cun inward is the Palace of Jade Clarity, where the Divine Mother of Jade Clarity dwells. The emanations of the Three Palaces of Great Clarity, Highest Clarity, and Jade Clarity all reside within the Mud-Pellet.

The practitioner chooses an auspicious day among the Six Jia days to begin the visualization. First, they visualize the Heavenly Worthies seated solemnly above the Mud-Pellet. Next, they visualize their body as a lotus seed in the lower Dantian, as if dwelling in a deep ravine. They then slowly rise into the middle Dantian, pass through the Canopy and the Tower of Many Stories, and go through the Golden Gate and Jade Door, reaching the Mud-Pellet. There they pay their respects to the deities, present their reports, and ask for guidance. Afterward, they travel through the various places and return to the lower Dantian. They practice this every day. When presenting a memorial—a document addressed to the deities—they may examine and review it, then wait for a sign from the deities to learn what remains unclear. If this method is disclosed carelessly, the practitioner’s ancestors for seven generations will sink forever into Beifeng, the Daoist realm of the dead, and remain trapped there through countless kalpas.

Method of Making Offerings to the Perfected One Danyuan

The Perfected One Danyuan is an emanation of the practitioner’s own Divine Origin Emperor. He descends into the body as primordial Qi and becomes its presiding deity of life. On the day corresponding to the practitioner’s birth, they should prepare vegetarian foods they enjoy, fragrant tea, wine, and fruit, and enter a clean, quiet chamber. They should take their position according to the four directions and visualize three divine beings, like ritual masters, bowing to one another in turn. Then they may partake of the offerings as they wish, burn incense, and pray:

“The Perfected One Danyuan guards the numinous Qi, keeping what is within and without pure and true. On both my left and right, deities in groups of three and seven come to my aid, so that I may attain the Dao of Heaven. Swiftly obey the command of the Lord of Primordial Yang.”

After reciting the incantation, gather the mind and sit quietly, then burn one offering each of paper money and cloud horses. Thereafter, regularly visualize the Perfected One Danyuan at your sides: wearing a sword and holding an axe, or carrying a flowing-gold fire bell. When walking, he is in front; when stopping, behind; when sitting, on the left; when standing, on the right. Persist for one hundred days and the practice will take effect. When you become angry, others will keep their distance.

Practice the Way of the Perfected and enter a state of meditation.

The Dao appears to be Wuwei (non-action), yet nothing is beyond its accomplishment. The human mind can embody the Dao, but ordinary intellect alone cannot know it. What is meant by “knowing”? And what, indeed, is “knowing”?

Follow wisdom while letting go of attachment to it, and embody the Dao in emptiness and stillness. The mind should accord with emptiness and stillness; only through them can one reach the Dao. All things return to the One. The One is their root and the gateway to all things, and all things ultimately return to the One. The One abides forever and contains nothing false. Hold fast to this emptiness and stillness, and the Dao will naturally endure. Realize impermanence, and you will understand how the Dao can last. Remain inwardly detached and self-contained, and De (Virtue/Power) will grow ever fuller. Keep the inner depths concealed, and De will reveal itself naturally in your conduct. Forget the body and its outward appearance, letting thoughts and distinctions between things gradually dissolve. In stillness, the mind becomes more settled. Meet fragrance and stench, sweetness and bitterness with the same calmness, so that body and mind accord with emptiness. Even as body and mind change, let them go as you would set down a physical object, and cling to nothing. Keep the will unharmed, the thoughts undisturbed, and the mind and spirit constantly settled. Then upright Qi (vital energy) can be fully put to use, reaching the boundless. In the end, even the methods of cultivation are no longer objects of attachment, like forgetting the fish trap once the fish has been caught.

First burn incense to gather the mind and spirit, then sit upright. Regulate body and mind through “the child guarding the mother”: Shen (spirit) is the child of Qi, and Qi is the mother of Shen. With every breath, use the intent of Shen to guide the breath, letting Qi circulate up and down, in and out, subtly and at length. During the day, draw in the ears and close the eyes; at night, open the eyes and block the ears. Whenever a thought arises, whether it concerns something within or outside yourself, use your mind to stop it and tell yourself, “I will do nothing about this matter, nor will I follow this thought.” Then focus on counting the breaths.

At first, the mind is easily stirred, and moments of stillness are few; be patient with every circumstance. In the second stage, the mind gradually quiets, though distracting thoughts remain plentiful. Gather the mind and spirit and bring them to stillness. In the third stage, movement and stillness in the mind are roughly equal. In the fourth, stillness grows more frequent and distracting thoughts diminish. Continue practicing until mind and spirit unite with Qi, breathing accords with embryonic breathing, and the mind remains pure and still.

Only then may you allow a thought to arise, and even so, you must first practice silent homage. Silent homage means paying reverence inwardly, without words. In the morning, hold to the Way of the Three Ones. Once your practice is proficient, whether offering silent homage, performing a memorial petition (a Daoist ritual document recited and presented in reverence), or wearing a mind-inscribed ritual robe used in purification rites, you should pay homage silently. When entering meditation to present a memorial petition, offer silent homage as well. You may then see visions and receive the will of the Emperor. This is the manifestation of the Celestial Worthy within yourself; why exhaust your spirit by looking upward and outward?