《無上玄元三天玉堂大法》Vol. 11

This scripture describes a Daoist ritual practice known as "prolonging life and averting calamities." It begins by lamenting how worldly people remain obsessed with fame and wealth, oblivious to the methods of nurturing life and avoiding misfortune. When ordinary people encounter disasters, they must perform specific rituals to resolve them. The Orthodox Unity (Zhengyi) liturgy transmitted through the Jade Hall Great Method (an important Daoist scripture) serves as a crucial means to help people dispel misfortunes and extend their lifespan.

The specific procedure is as follows: When someone suffers from severe chronic illness, prolonged legal disputes, or domestic unrest, they should sincerely pray to the Great Dipper Lords (important Daoist deities). One must select a pure courtyard, arrange an altar with four clean mats, and hang deity images on the northern wall. Seven lamps should be lit at the center of the altar, surrounded by offerings. The ritual should preferably be performed during the Three Primes festivals (Shangyuan, Zhongyuan, Xiayuan), the eight seasonal nodes (such as the Beginning of Spring), one's birthdate, or when the Great Dipper Lords descend to the human realm—but must avoid inauspicious "Imperial Severity Days."

One day before the ritual, a memorial must be submitted to invite the two immortal officials Qing and Tuo (guardian deities) to oversee the proceedings. The ceremony officially begins at midnight and requires complete devotion without distraction. Essential ritual items include: four mats, nine candles, two jin of sesame oil, nine portions of seasonal fruits, one jin of jiangzhen incense, three liang of eaglewood, half liang of frankincense, and other offerings. While none of these items should be omitted, their quantities may be adjusted according to individual circumstances.

This passage meticulously records the detailed procedures and required materials for Daoist calamity-averting rituals, demonstrating how Daoism employs specific ceremonial practices to help devotees resolve misfortunes through cultivation methods.

This scripture documents a lamp ritual from the Taoist "Jade Hall Great Method." The ritual master must arrive at the sacred site between Xu and Hai hours (7 PM to 11 PM), spreading white cogon grass on the ground to form the ritual altar, with a ceremonial table placed three meters away from the seating mat.

Required materials include: ginseng, poria mushroom, the Five Grains (glutinous rice, broomcorn millet, foxtail millet, wheat, and red beans), forty-nine yarrow stalks for divination, nine brushes, 7.2 meters of yellow silk, and twenty sheets of talisman paper. The lamp bowls must be uniform in size with identical amounts of oil and equal numbers of wicks—no arbitrary additions or reductions permitted.

The master lights the lamps using paper spills—starting from the Kui star (first star of the Big Dipper) in spring/summer, and from the Piao star (seventh star) in autumn/winter. While holding their breath, they place seven talismans beneath the lamps in sequence: black, yellow, red, white, and green five-color talismans, plus the Three Platforms Talismans within the lamps themselves (Upper Platform Spirit-Preserving Talisman, Middle Platform Soul-Calming Talisman, and Lower Platform Essence-Summoning Talisman).

When all seven stars' lamps are lit, the master recites: "As heaven and earth revolve, as sun and moon cycle, as the Five Planets move—by this altar I command ten thousand ghosts. With one swing of the divine blade, all specters scatter." Circling the lamps three times, they chant soul-stabilizing incantations before invoking the descent of the Big Dipper's seven stars.

Next comes the sequential burning of seven talismans: Life-Extending Talisman, Calamity-Transcending Talisman, Life-Preserving Talisman, Fortune-Adding Talisman, Disaster-Dispelling Talisman, Misfortune-Scattering Talisman, and Decline-Supporting Talisman. Finally, four stellar lords are invited: Prosperity Star (white-robed), Longevity Star (purple-robed), Wealth Star (blue-robed), and Destiny Star (black-robed)—each with corresponding surnames and jurisdictional territories.

This scripture meticulously records the ritual implements, arrangement methods, and talismanic applications of Taoist lamp ceremonies, constituting a vital rite for invoking stellar deities to dispel misfortunes and seek blessings.

This describes a Daoist ritual of lamp divination for averting misfortune, which consists of three main parts: summoning stellar deities, interpreting lamp phenomena, and dispelling inauspicious signs.

First, the ritual master summons several stellar deities governing different fortunes: Sima Lu (dressed in red) presiding over Zheng territory, Ji Qian (red-robed) over Wei territory, and Long Deng (green-robed) over Yan territory. Each deity corresponds to a lamp. For every lamp, the practitioner offers incense with three bows, circumambulates it three times while silently reciting a mantra forty-nine times.

The brightness and stability of the flame indicate fortune: steady bright flames signify good omens, while dim or flickering lights portend misfortune. Different flame colors represent distinct calamities - blue indicates corpse-possession by evil qi, red signals wandering vengeful ghosts, white foretells legal disputes, black signifies severe illness, and yellow relates to epidemics. Abnormal occurrences like unlit lamps or overturned oil dishes all presage approaching disasters.

For dispelling inauspicious signs: Prepare black garments (robe, belly-wrap, and socks) for the master to inscribe with talismanic characters (fulu). The affected person must wear these secretly without others' knowledge. Special averting mantras are recited while forming the "Northern Emperor" hand seal (beidi jue), invoking the Great Supreme Divine Lord to expel misfortunes and prolong life.

Ritual precautions: Maintain mental purity during divination, avoiding disruptions from poultry, dogs, cats, or the presence of Buddhist monks/nuns and women near the altar. The ritual follows the seven-lamp configuration symbolizing the Big Dipper. The text concludes with mantras to Zi Xin Yuanjun, the Daoist deity governing soul manifestation who aids in discerning fortune amidst darkness.

This scripture records a set of talismanic incantations (Fulu, the ritual documents used in Daoist invocations) and cultivation practices from the "Jade Hall Great Method" (Yutang Dafa) tradition. The content is divided into several key components:

First are six sets of incantations, each containing specific petitions. The first chant seeks the merging of one's soul with the "Majestic Radiance of True Qi" (the primordial vital energy), bringing peace to body and mind. The second invokes nourishment for the spiritual essence of the spleen. The third petitions for eternal extension of one's "Life Register" (the celestial record of lifespan). The fourth offers blessings for all sentient beings, while the fifth seeks natural longevity. The sixth calls upon the Black Emperor (the northern deity) for protection to attain the highest state of cultivation. Each incantation begins with the character "zi," corresponding to the temporal and spatial orientations of Daoism's "Six Ding and Six Jia" celestial guardian generals.

After recitation, specific ritual actions follow: burning a talisman, performing a full prostration after each chant while forming the "Northern Emperor Hand Seal" (a mudra gesture). This is accompanied by "Pacing the Dipper" (Bugang, the ritual walking of the Big Dipper constellation pattern), culminating in presenting a memorial document (a petition to deities) before the altar.

Practitioners must first concentrate their Shen (spirit), then perform nine grand prostrations while tracing the Big Dipper's seven-star pattern. Next comes "Dispatching the Officials" (activating internal divine energies within the body). During subsequent star-pacing, one visualizes the primordial Xuanhuang Qi (the energy of heaven and earth at creation) enveloping the body, while the Five Viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys) emit their essential energies to form a golden cloud bridge reaching the Nine Heavens. Emissaries in embroidered robes (celestial messengers) then arrive to receive the memorial.

The successful practitioner experiences golden light suffusing their being as the Nine Emperor Stars (the deities of the Big Dipper constellation) descend from their stellar palaces. Crimson radiance pours through the crown, illuminating the entire body with translucent light while generating heat and redness in the head and face—these are the classic signs of successful "Herb Gathering" (harvesting primordial energy) in Neidan (internal alchemy) practice. The entire process exemplifies Daoism's characteristic integration of talismanic arts, visualization techniques (Cunxiang), and Qi cultivation methods.

This scripture expounds upon the paramount importance of the Northern Dipper Star Lords (Beidou Xingjun, the deified Seven Stars of the Big Dipper) in Daoist devotion. It reveals that the Northern Dipper is actually the Central Dipper (according to Daoist cosmology, there are three celestial dippers: upper, middle and lower), with the Great Chief Star of the Central Dipper (Beidou's primary star) governing all deities between heaven and earth. Whether celestial immortals of the heavenly realms or spirits and ghosts of the earthly domain, all fall under the Northern Dipper's jurisdiction. Moreover, the lifespans and destinies of ordinary humans are likewise governed by the Northern Dipper. Therefore, when facing calamities and dangers, how could one neglect to supplicate the Northern Dipper for deliverance from misfortune?

The scripture particularly emphasizes that this section's longevity methods (extending lifespan and dispelling misfortunes) meticulously record the proper protocols for petitioning the Northern Dipper Star Lords. Daoist practitioners who master these methods will possess a powerful instrument for saving the world and aiding humanity. The author solemnly reminds cultivators to approach these sacred methods with utmost reverence.

(Supplementary note: In Daoist belief, the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper are venerated as crucial celestial deities governing human life, death, fortune and misfortune. The "Northern Dipper Petition Ritual" (Zoudou), involving the submission of memorials to the Star Lords, constitutes a vital component of Daoist zhaijiao purification rituals and keyi liturgical ceremonies.)