《太上黃籙齋儀》Vol. 37

This scripture describes the morning ritual procedures of the "Yellow Register Retreat" (Huanglu Zhai) in Daoist practice—a grand purification ceremony for the salvation of departed souls. When Daoist priests enter the altar at dawn, they must follow specific ceremonial protocols:

First, they pay homage to the patriarchs according to established rites while maintaining focused meditation. Next, they recite the "Guardian Spirit Incantation" (Weiling Zhou), which roughly translates as: "May the azure Yang Qi (the nascent vital energy) illuminate heaven and earth; may the Divine Tiger (a Daoist guardian beast) expel malevolent forces; may the celestial generals shake golden chimes to suppress wickedness, binding countless demons. The Nine Heavenly True Lords (high-ranking immortals) inspect the Three Realms, while the Eight Directional Mighty Deities (guardian generals) gather vital essences. Hosts of perfected beings examine records of good and evil, as the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water (Sanyuan) purify all realms."

Through visualization (Cunxiang), they then summon inner deities: the Central Yellow Sovereign (a deity of the five viscera) stands to the left, the Six Ding Generals (yin spirits) to the right. The "Seven Revolutions and Eight Harmonies" (representing cosmic cycles) align with the Dao, and the sagely virtue manifests magnificently. The threefold Dao-Qi (Jing, Qi, and Shen) flows smoothly, with auspicious clouds converging into the Yellow Court (Dantian).

Next, they strike the ritual drum twenty-four times (symbolizing the twenty-four solar terms) to reverently invite the appearance of the Supreme Dao Lord. At this moment, they visualize thirty-two inner deities—including the Three-Five Merit Officers (inner guardians), Golden Boys and Jade Maidens, and the Five Directional Thearchs (Wudi)—each fulfilling their roles to assist in presenting petitions to the celestial court. Local earth gods (Liyu Zhengguan) are also summoned to witness the ceremony.

The presiding priest leads the assembly in offering this petition: "Today we devoutly cultivate this retreat, repenting transgressions and beseeching blessings for the faithful. May the Dao-Qi from the Jade Pure Realm (the highest heaven) and the wondrous light of Numinous Treasure descend upon body and mind. May the gates of the Purple Tenuity Star Palace (abode of immortals) open wide, may the Five Thearchs stabilize our foundation, and may myriad deities safeguard our true nature—ensuring our prayers swiftly reach the celestial court."

Finally, all participants, according to their respective ritual roles (Fawèi), collectively venerate the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing): the Primordial Celestial Worthy (Yuanshi Tianzun) of self-so emptiness, the Supreme Dao Lord, and the Supreme Elder Lord, along with the Ten Directional Salvation Deities, Thirty-Six Heavenly Thearchs, and other perfected beings. Special mention is made of these sacred ones dwelling in the Jade Capital's Golden Towers (celestial palaces) and the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity, presiding over the Thirty-Six Sacred Scriptures (the canon of Daoist texts). The assembly declares having received the revelation of the Great Dao's true texts, with the Primordial Celestial Worthy expounding wondrous teachings—thus they reverently present their petitions.

This scripture records part of the ritual procedures from the Daoist Yellow Register Zhaijiao (purification ritual for redeeming the deceased and delivering all beings). The ritual master refers to himself as "your subject," indicating his adherence to Daoist mystical teachings and his responsibility to aid the world and deliver humanity.

At dawn, the ritual master leads participants in offering incense three times. The first offering is made to the "Supreme and Most True Treasure of the Dao" (the highest truth of Daoism), dedicating the merit to the nation and the imperial ancestral temples, so that past sages may wander freely in the celestial realms of the Great Void. It also invokes blessings for the emperor’s boundless grace, for civil and military officials to uphold governance, and for reclusive cultivators to attain enlightenment and immortality.

The second offering is made to the "Supreme and Most True Treasure of Scriptures" (Daoist sacred texts), dedicating the merit to the nine generations of the sponsor’s ancestors and the souls of the deceased. It seeks to absolve their karmic burdens in the underworld, resolve grievances with creditors and adversaries, and liberate them from suffering so they may ascend to blessed realms and hear the teachings of the Dao. Finally, it prays that all living beings may receive blessings.

After each incense offering, homage is paid to the "Three Supreme Venerables" (the highest Daoist deities, the Sanqing), with praises for the virtues of the masters and realized sages, and prayers for union with the Great Dao. Through solemn acts such as incense burning and scripture recitation, the ritual connects with celestial and earthly spirits, fulfilling its religious purpose of redeeming the dead and protecting the nation and its people.

At dawn during the zhaijiao (purification ritual), participants solemnly hold three incense sticks in devout offering. May the fragrant smoke rise straight to the celestial realms as an offering to the supreme Sanqing (Three Pure Ones: Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun). With utmost reverence, all bow deeply in prostration, dedicating the merit to the patron family of the ceremony—praying for calamities to dissolve, blessings and longevity to flourish, and auspicious harmony for the household, while extending these blessings to all sentient beings.

The ritual continues with incense offerings and prostrations to honor the perfected immortals who have attained unity with the Dao. Through cultivation, one transcends physical limitations to achieve this state of perfect harmony. Following liturgical protocols, participants then make ceremonial bows to the four directions, repenting transgressions while visualizing the jiuse xiangguang (nine-colored auspicious lights, a meditation technique in Daoist practice). They swallow saliva (a neidan/internal alchemy technique) and silently recite esoteric incantations to subdue demonic obstructions.

During the "Pacing the Void" chant, the assembly circumambulates the altar, intoning profound Daoist truths: When heaven and earth first separated, the pure and light qi ascended to form the sky. Those who cultivate the supreme Dao may attain the body of a true immortal. At the culmination of practice, one may achieve longevity spanning forty thousand years. The mysteries of the Golden Elixir (jindan) are recorded in celestial archives, transmitted orally by the Heavenly Venerables themselves.

The scripture extols the sublime states of the Sanqing (Jade Pure, Upper Pure, and Great Pure) and the Five Elderly Lords of the Five Directions—realms so profound they surpass verbal description. It depicts the celestial court where immortals gather: amid auspicious clouds, transcendents clad in ethereal ritual robes ride phoenixes in ascent, attending feasts at the Jade Pool before returning to their grotto-heavens. The vision culminates at the Fusang Divine Tree, the mythical sunrise location, where they bathe in solar radiance.

The assembly again performs the triple bow to the Three Treasures of Daoism (Dao, Scriptures, and Master): the first to the supreme Dao, the second to the thirty-six sacred scriptures (collective term for all Daoist classics), and the third to the ancestral masters who transmitted the great methods. Finally, the presiding priest (fashi), representing all present, reverently petitions the Sanqing, celestial emperors, perfected immortals, and guardian deities. He declares his commitment to studying the arcane teachings, upholding liturgical traditions, propagating Daoist truth, and practicing in perfect accordance with the scriptures' guidance.

This scripture records the invocation text for the Daoist "Yellow Register Retreat" (Huanglu Zhai), a ritual for delivering deceased souls. It explains the principles of salvation through Zhaijiao (purification rituals) and details the prayer contents.

The passage first clarifies that the fundamental purpose of establishing such rituals is the salvation of all beings. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), one of Daoism's supreme deities, opened various cultivation methods to save sentient beings—like building bridges for crossing. Whether souls submerged in the Nine Springs or wandering spirits trapped in darkness, all may bathe in the compassionate nectar of the Celestial Worthy and attain deliverance. Even souls burdened with grave sins or enduring kalpas of suffering can find peace through this ritual.

The retreat master (the ritual sponsor), concerned about the deceased's plight, seeks their liberation through this ceremony. Considering how the deceased might have been entangled by the Six Desires (sensory cravings) and Ten Fetters (afflictions) during life, indulging in transgressions; or how the Six Emotions and Three Karmic Actions (of body, speech, and mind) may have created offenses against heaven, earth, and the deities—recorded in the underworld registers and confined in shadowy hells, unable to see light again.

Thus, the retreat master sincerely repents, establishing the ritual altar according to Keyi (Daoist liturgy), preparing offerings of colored silks, fragrant oils, lamps, flowers, and more, earnestly seeking the Celestial Worthy's response. They pray that the Celestial Saints of the Ten Directions may extend great compassion, dispatching celestial beings to transmit pardons according to the Three Registers' documents to Mount Tai, Fengdu's Thirty-Six Hells, and the Five Marchmounts' Earth Offices (underworld administrations), enabling the deceased to be freed from retribution, escape darkness, and enter blessed realms.

The deceased souls will bathe in numinous light at Danhuo Palace (a Daoist paradise) and cleanse their sins at Dongyang Mansion (another paradise), purifying their forms. Liberated from suffering, they will hear the Dharma's sound and attain Dao-fruits. Simultaneously, prayers extend to the living family's peace and health, with blessings spanning both yin and yang realms, so all beings may share wondrous joy and together realize Wuwei (non-action, the highest Daoist state).

The text concludes with fourfold vows: First, that the retreat master's ancestors for seven generations may transcend suffering and ascend to heaven; second, that the nation may prosper, teachings flourish, and peace prevail; third, that the presiding masters perfect their merits and accomplish the immortal path; fourth, that fellow practitioners may soon attain the Dao and support one another. This embodies Daoism's cultivation ideal of "self-salvation while saving others."

This passage contains the prayer text and furnace-closing ritual from the Daoist Yellow Register Purification Ceremony (Zhaijiao), presenting ten virtuous thoughts practitioners should cultivate during the ritual, along with the concluding prayer addressed to the deities.

The ten virtuous thoughts are as follows: First, one should contemplate harmonious relationships among all nine grades of kin, upholding the Dao of benevolence and righteousness (Ren-Yi), valuing material wealth lightly, and becoming a moral exemplar through conduct. Second, one should aspire to self-sacrifice by providing for Daoist priests and those suffering hunger and cold, enabling all people under heaven to find their proper place. Third, one must extend care to all creeping and wriggling creatures, praying they may attain deliverance. Fourth, one should seek absolution for karmic transgressions from past and present lives, atoning through meritorious deeds. Fifth, one prays for family prosperity, with ancestral temples maintaining continuous incense and each generation producing virtuous talents. Sixth, one must reverently honor scripture-transmitting masters without negligence, maintaining equanimity while universally delivering sentient beings. Seventh, one aspires to cultivate supreme immortality (Shangxian), ascending in broad daylight to behold the Supreme Dao Lord (Taishang Daojun), attaining the fruition of a perfected being (Zhenren), and merging with the Dao while riding clouds and cranes.

The "Returning to the Furnace" section contains the closing prayer: "May the Incense Official Messengers, the Left and Right Dragon-Tiger Lords, and the Serving Incense Numinous Officers (Lingguan) bless this altar so the petitioner's (self-referenced as 'your servant') worship space may spontaneously generate golden nectar, cinnabar hues, and numinous mushrooms of immortality, where a hundred perfected spirits may gather before this incense burner. May the petitioner's body radiate golden light, severing karmic roots from the womb, enabling seven generations of ancestors to transcend, all meridians to flow unimpeded, the death register to be erased, and the original spirit (Yuanshen) to dwell peacefully in the Muddy Pellet Palace (upper Dantian). May the immortal youths and jade maidens from the Eastern Florescence Palace (Donghua) come to receive this incense smoke, swiftly conveying the petitioner's prayers to the celestial court, directly reporting to the Supreme Ultimate Great Dao's Most Honored Golden Tower Jade Emperor—that formless, nameless sovereign of natural emptiness."

The concluding "Exiting the Altar" mark indicates the end of the thirty-seventh scroll of this ritual sequence, signaling the priest's permission to leave the ceremonial space.