《無上祕要》Vol. 17

Interpretation

General Meaning of the Scripture (in Plain Language)

This passage comes from juan 25 of the Wushang Biyao (Supreme Essentials), under the title “Essentials for Using the Three Sovereigns’ Writings.” It discusses the uses of the secret writings or celestial texts associated with the Celestial Sovereign, Terrestrial Sovereign, and Human Sovereign, along with their stages of practice and restrictions on transmission. It is framed as a dialogue attributed to the Yellow Emperor and other rulers, but is in fact a Daoist esoteric text.

The Celestial Sovereign’s Writing: Three Essentials of Qian, Yang, and Longevity

The Celestial Sovereign’s writing is described as the essence of Qian and pure Yang, corresponding to the light of the sun and moon and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions. The text lists three primary aims:

1. The first aim is to seek longevity.

2. The second aim is to seek concealment of one’s form—to remain hidden and unseen in the ordinary world.

3. The third aim is to avoid worldly honors—to keep distant from fame, rank, and wealth.

When these three aims are understood, the Dao can be attained. Longevity allows one to roam famous mountains such as Mount Hua; concealment of one’s form brings the blessings of Heaven; and abandoning honors and official income brings gold and jade from Heaven.

Those who wish to enter the deep mountains in search of the Dao should recite the Inner Scripture of the Qian Sovereign. The text says that this will surely bring them into accord with the Dao.

The Terrestrial Sovereign’s Writing: The Mother of Life, Wealth, and Rank

The Terrestrial Sovereign’s writing governs the birth and nurturing of all things and fosters everything without exception. A household that possesses this writing has the foremost source of wealth and rank; for those who seek immortality and undertake its disciplines, it serves as the mother. All transformations are received from the Earth. It can contain impurity and conceal what is hidden, and it is master of the soil—a secret meaning associated with the Earth, burial, and the governance of defilement.

The Human Sovereign’s Writing: Records of Life and Death, Ghosts, and Spirits

The Human Sovereign’s writing reveals the records of life and death, identifies the names of the hundred ghosts, and records the names of the myriad spirits. It corresponds to the large characters of the Three Sovereigns’ celestial texts.

The Yellow Emperor Receives the Spirit Diagram and Conditions for Cultivation

The Yellow Emperor received the Spirit Diagram and celestial characters. He learned the names of the Nine Heavens and the written names of the numinous beings of mountains and rivers. By following the texts to summon the various spirits, one could attain longevity. One could call upon the Director of Destinies to erase names from the register of the dead and remove a person’s name from it; then, by cultivating the Dao and seeking its arts, one could attain immortality.

The text stresses that one must sever Yin-Yang relations to seek an audience with the Jade Maiden and pursue ascension to immortality. Those unable to sever such relations can only summon the Plain Maiden to assist and protect them. She appears indistinctly in human form, and her presence is confirmed when the sound of music is heard. Thereafter, one may enjoy a lifespan extended by more than three hundred years.

This celestial text must not be transmitted recklessly. Anyone wishing to pass it on to their descendants must reflect inwardly for seven days and be free of fault before transmitting it within the family.

Those who seek to ascend to immortality should seek this text. By cultivating it, the truth of the myriad arts arises from the sovereign Dao, enabling one to bring Heaven and Earth under control. The spirits beneath the Nine Heavens, as well as those of the Five Sacred Peaks and the four great rivers, can all be consulted about good and ill fortune, poverty and wealth. One must perform the practice with purification and abstention, and approach serious matters with strict reverence; arrogance can bring harm upon oneself. A wrongful summons brings punishment upon one’s ancestors.

Beings Summoned by the Celestial Text: A Long List

One passage on the celestial text gives a general account: those who wish to summon the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths, the Five Sacred Peaks and four great rivers, the three rivers and four seas, the Great One and the Northern Lord, the spirits of the sun and moon, the Five Emperors, the father and mother, the ladies and maidens, the registrar officials, and the inspectors of wrongdoing all belong to this system.

Reading Notes

Concept	Meaning
Essentials for Using the Three Sovereigns’ Writings	Instructions for using the secret writings of the Celestial, Terrestrial, and Human Sovereigns
Concealment of one’s form / avoiding worldly honors	Cultivating in concealment and keeping distant from fame and rank
Severing Yin-Yang relations	Abstaining from sexual relations in the ordinary world as a prerequisite for seeking ascension and an audience with the Jade Maiden; otherwise, one may summon only the Plain Maiden to prolong life
The Director of Destinies erases names from the register of the dead	A ritual conception of changing one’s fate and removing one’s name from the register of the dead
Reflecting inwardly for seven days	Reflecting for seven days before transmitting the teaching; it may be passed on only if one is without fault

Taken as a whole, this is a catalogue of advanced esoteric teachings. It lays out the Three Sovereigns’ writings and the Spirit Diagram and celestial texts, the summoning of spirits and alteration of destiny, and distinct levels of ascension to immortality and life prolongation. It also stresses that the texts must not be transmitted recklessly, that they must be practiced with purification and strict observance, and that wrongful summons may bring punishment upon one’s ancestors.

Does your copy contain further text after “the registrar officials and inspectors of wrongdoing”? If so, you can share it to complete the end of the list of beings summoned by the celestial text.

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Interpretation

A Plain-Language Reading of The Supreme Secret Essentials

Prohibitions and General Rules

Officials at every level should summon the spirits according to this method. It may be carried out when there is illness, an epidemic, or an urgent matter of public business.

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Summoning Texts, by Length and Recipient

Thirty characters (the seal text of the Nine Heavens)

This is the seal text of the Nine Heavens. Do not touch it carelessly or speak harshly to it. It can summon the “Clerks of the Nine Heavens who Inspect Affairs and Expose Treachery,” divine officials charged with investigating and exposing wrongdoing. They may be summoned only when someone is ill.

Twelve characters

Summon the Director of Destiny of the Central Palace.

Twenty characters

Summon the exalted deities of the Nine Heavens: their fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens.

Ten characters

Summon the fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens of the Five Emperors.

Ten characters

Summon the fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens of Taiyi.

Ten characters

Summon the fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens of the Northern Lord.

Five characters

Summon the fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens of the Five Sacred Peaks.

Ten characters

Summon the fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens of the Four Rivers—the divine powers of the great waterways, including the Yangtze, Yellow River, Huai River, and Ji River.

Five characters

Summon the fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens of the Three Rivers.

Nine characters

Summon the fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens of the Three Dukes.

In any urgent crisis, one may summon the fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens of the deities of Heaven and Earth as spiritual guarantors. This can avert troubles for the rest of one’s life.

Four characters

Summon the Queen Mother of the West.

Five characters

Summon the King Father of the East.

Seven characters

Summon Laozi, also known as Lao Peng.

Fifteen characters

Summon the Generals of the Sun and Moon, together with their fathers and mothers, ladies, and jade maidens.

Ten characters

Summon the Lord of the River to ask about water matters and floods.

Nine characters

This is the text used for the names of the Nine Heavens.

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First Method of the Celestial Emperor Text

Eighteen characters

Summon the Celestial Emperor to resolve an urgent crisis. Write the text on crimson silk, draw a circle one foot in diameter, and place it in a suitable spot facing west. Join your palms, close your eyes, and regulate your breathing for fifty breaths. The Celestial Emperor will surely appear. Do not be afraid; respond calmly and slowly. If you are in urgent trouble or ill, ask for aid and you will surely be delivered.

Eighteen characters

Summon the celestial spirits to rescue someone facing difficulty with the law or imprisonment. If you are legally liable to punishment or imprisonment, ask for aid according to the method above, and good fortune will surely follow.

Nineteen characters

Summon the High Exalted One. If someone in the household is seriously ill, or has offended a celestial spirit without knowing it, and the sick person feels heaviness in the limbs and impeded Qi, summon the High Exalted One and ask for aid. Face north and follow the method above; good fortune will follow.

Seventeen characters

Summon the Lord Taiyi. If a family seeks higher rank or an official title but has been unsuccessful year after year, summon Taiyi and ask for advancement. Write the text in black and white and follow the method above; good fortune will follow.

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Interpretation

《Wushang Biyao》: A Plain Language Interpretation

(Continued from the previous passage) Write the characters on black silk and draw a circle two chi in diameter. Face north and follow the method for Taiyi described earlier. Silu, Pingtian, and the others will grant official rank and titles.

Fifth method (eighteen characters): Summoning the Lord of the North

Those who fear floods or water-related illness should summon the Lord of the North using the method for summoning Taiyi. The Lord of the North will surely come. Follow what he says, and you will be safe from harm. You may also write just the two characters “Lord of the North” and carry them on your person. You can travel ten thousand li by boat without storms rising or the boat sinking—try it and see.

Sixth method (ten characters): Summoning Siming

If someone in the household suddenly becomes critically ill and is near death, write the characters on paper and place it on the ground facing southeast. Then put a strip of five-colored silk, five cun wide and two chi long, in front of the paper. Before long, Siming will surely come. Follow his instructions, and all will go well.

Seventh method (fourteen characters): Summoning Silu

If you wish to become an immortal and obtain “traveling provisions”—so that you need not worry about food while away from home—write the characters on blue silk and draw a circle two chi in diameter. Face northeast and follow the method for summoning the Celestial Emperor. Silu will come. If you seek heavenly rewards, traveling provisions, or to withdraw from the world and become an immortal, observe purification and fasting for one hundred days, and you will obtain traveling provisions and become an immortal. Those who cannot obtain an official salary will surely receive one if they make this request.

Eighth method (twenty characters): Summoning Siwei

If there is discord in the household, with quarrels, mutual suspicion, and division between those inside and outside the family, write this text on paper on a “day of harmony” and summon Siwei using the method for such a day. Siwei will surely come; the family will be at peace and free of trouble, and the country—or the household—will suffer no hardship. It is also auspicious to use this for an individual.

Ninth method (three characters): Summoning the Celestial Chancellor

Write the characters on silk and draw a circle nine cun across. Place it in a favorable spot. If you have violated the laws of the heavens or your prayers have gone unanswered, you can also summon the Celestial Chancellor by this method, and your request will surely be granted.

Tenth method (thirteen characters): Summoning the Six Dings

If someone in the household suffers from an evil illness, nightmares, spiritual affliction, stabbing pain in the heart or abdomen, or “flying corpse” spirits entering the organs, write this method on paper and summon the Six Dings. Ask what they intend. The Six Dings will bow and treat the person. They will subdue the likes of the pavilion chief, and peace will naturally be restored. This is auspicious.

Eleventh method (twelve characters): Summoning the Generals of the Sun and Moon

If a family member suddenly becomes deaf or blind, write these characters on paper. Put it in sunlight during the day and moonlight at night; it will not work if there is no sun or moon. The Generals of the Sun and Moon will come and ask what you want. They will surely treat the person, who will recover.

Twelfth method (eleven characters): Summoning Feilian

If a child in the household suddenly falls ill or suffers from a prolonged illness, write this method on paper, face west, and summon Feilian. Ask what he intends, and the illness will surely be cured.

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Interpretation

Vernacular Explanation of Relevant Passages from The Supreme Secret Essentials (Wushang Biyao)

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Earth Sovereign Text, First Method (continued)

The 137th Character: Summoning the Sun Wanderer (Riyou)

If the wet nurse in the household suddenly falls ill, write this method on paper, summon the deity Riyou to come and consult its will, and the illness will be cured.

The 141st Character: Summoning the Censor (Yushi)

If one must travel far, avoid inauspicious malevolence, or finds the road impassable, write this method to summon Yushi and consult its will, and the road will immediately open. The remaining characters can summon the General (Jiangjun) and the Monthly Killer (Yuesha): if a household, dwelling, or burial has offended the General or the Monthly Killer, write this method to summon them and consult their will; then there will be auspiciousness and no trouble.

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Earth Sovereign Text, Second Method

First: Eleven Characters—Summoning Lord Earth (Tugong)

If someone in the household has jaundice, bodily swelling, or if one needs to break ground for construction, write this method on yellow cloth, two chi in diameter, written in ink; Lord Earth will arrive in a moment, and if one consults his will, it will be auspicious.

Second: Eighteen Characters—Summoning the Altar Lord (Shegong)

If the household has a matter of offending the She altar deity, or another household has an altar and needs to move the altar tree or fell the altar tree, write this method on paper, face west; in a moment the Altar Lord will come; command him, and it will be auspicious.

Third: Five Characters—Summoning the Director of Yin (Siyin)

If the household has a hidden yin illness, or others secretly plot to harm oneself, write this method on paper to summon Siyin and consult its will; then it will be auspicious.

Fourth: Twenty Characters—Summoning the Pavilion Chief of the Field Paths (Qianmo Tingzhang)

If there is a clash in roaming agitation (traveling out) and one suddenly falls ill on the road, write this method on the road; the Pavilion Chief of the Field Paths and Youji will immediately come to be consulted, and it will be auspicious.

Fifth: Nine Characters—Summoning the Gate Assistant and Door Guard (Mencheng and Huwei)

They are the chiefs of the hundred evils. Write it on paper facing north; in a moment the Gate Assistant and Door Guard will come. Command them and the hundred evils: “Protect my house,” and it will surely be auspicious.

Sixth: Twenty-Eight Characters—Can Summon the Hundred Birds

Seventh: Thirteen Characters—Can Summon Snakes, Vipers, Insects, and Rats

Each has a name in the celestial writings.

Eighth: Four Characters—Summon the Western Marchmount (Xiyue)

Ninth: Ten Characters—Summon the Northern Marchmount (Beiyue)

Tenth: Eleven Characters—Summon the Southern Marchmount (Nanyue)

Eleventh: Twelve Characters—Summon the Central Marchmount (Zhongyue)

Twelfth: Six Characters—Summon the Eastern Marchmount (Dongyue)

Thirteenth: Five Characters—Summon the Four Watercourses (Sidu) (the deities of the Yangtze, Yellow, Huai, and Ji rivers)

Fourteenth: Twelve Characters—Summon the Three Rivers (Sanhe)

The remaining characters can summon the lords of the hundred beasts and the qilin; wherever they may be, all will arrive. The essentials are in the celestial writings.

Anyone who wishes to know the location of ancient corpses or funeral sites should ask the Pavilion Chief of the Field Paths, and then the location can be known.

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Human Sovereign Text, Third Method

(This section’s heading only lists “Third Method”; the specific character-count provisions are not expanded in the original text at this point. It connects with the end of the preceding Earth Sovereign Text, Second Method, “the essentials are in the celestial writings,” indicating that more detailed provisions are to be found in the “celestial writings” section.)

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Note: In the above, “characters” refers to secret talismanic character methods written according to the number of characters and the directions; “asking the will” and “commanding it” mean, after summoning a deity, asking about auspicious and inauspicious outcomes and issuing orders for protection; Riyou, Yushi, Tugong, Shegong, and the others are all names of deities or functional deities in Daoist canonical belief.

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Interpretation

The First Set of Twelve Characters: Summon the Hundred Ghosts and Subdue the Six Ding

The first set of twelve characters can summon the Hundred Ghosts and command the Six Ding, a class of Daoist guardian generals.

The Second Set of Twelve Characters: Summon the Director of Destinies, the Director of Records, and Taiyi Tianyi

The second set of twelve characters can summon the Director of Destinies, the deity who governs lifespan; the Director of Records, who governs registers of names; and Taiyi Tianyi, one of the titles of the Heavenly Emperor.

The Third Set of Twelve Characters: Summon the Hundred Spirits Beneath the Earth, and Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, Jade Discs, and Precious Stones

The third set of twelve characters can summon the many kinds of spirits beneath the earth, as well as treasures such as gold, silver, copper, iron, jade discs, and precious stones. If asked, they can all clearly tell where they are. One may take them if one wishes, or leave them alone.

The Fourth Set of Twelve Characters: Summon the Souls, Ghosts, and Officials of the Eight Prisons in One’s Home

The fourth set of twelve characters can summon the souls in one’s home, ghosts, various officials, and the attendants of the Eight Prisons, the jails of the underworld.

The Fifth Set of Sixty-Two Characters: Summon the Record-Keeping Officials of the Nine Heavens to Erase the Register of the Dead

The fifth set of sixty-two characters can summon the Record-Keeping Officials of the Nine Heavens, who manage the heavenly registers of life and death, and command them to erase one’s name from the register of the dead and remove it from the records of the departed. Notes on the remaining characters appear in the “Celestial Writings.”

Inner Sounds of the Three Sovereigns

The Talisman of the Vermilion Officials and Azure Embryo

This talisman was received by the Parents of the Nine Heavens, revered celestial deities, from the Queen Mother of the West. On the first day of a long month, one should swallow the Red Script; on the first day of a short month, one should swallow the Black Script. In either case, first spend the preceding evening burning incense and performing the rites, then take the talisman. It can keep a person from hunger, nourish Jing and replenish the brain, make the body light and the complexion radiant, and extend life without limit. Daoist practitioners who undertake Qi practices and the Way without seeing this text merely endure hardship for nothing.

The Inner Talisman for Dispatching Troops from the Nine Heavens

This begins with the seventieth character in the section on the Human Sovereign. The talisman can be used to subdue fierce beasts such as tigers, wolves, and leopards. If a Daoist practitioner enters the mountains without carrying it, wild beasts will not fear people and may attack.

The Inner Sound Talisman for the Spontaneous Arrival of Golden Light

This begins with the sixty-fifth character in the section on the Celestial Sovereign. It is the foremost sign of Dao Qi and stellar essence. The Qi of the Five Planets and the essence of gold and jade enter a person’s body; the essence enters the bones, and the body becomes like gold and jade, like the stars. A Daoist practitioner who takes these substances without swallowing this talisman will never attain immortality.

The Inner Talisman for the Soaring Waters of Heaven

This begins with the ninety-third character in the section titled “Great.” Heaven has a fixed cycle: once every three thousand years, a great flood occurs. Daoist practitioners who have registers of immortality cannot pass through it without this talisman. If they carry it on their heads during the flood, they can enter numinous mountains, rivers, and streams; the spirits and essences of sacred mountains will clear the way for them, and they will surely pass through the peril. Take it once a year. On a Renzi day, write it in ink on a sheet of paper one foot square and swallow it with water; this will keep one from hunger. Write the date of the great flood on the talisman. Once the flood has passed, remove it.

The Great Warrant for Ascending to Heaven as an Immortal

This begins with the sixty-eighth character in the section on the Human Sovereign. This warrant is received together with a seal. Without receiving the Great Warrant of the Three Heavens, one cannot take possession of the waters over which it grants authority; the Three Officials and the spirits of mountains, rivers, and lands … (The meaning continues with the warrant’s uses. According to the original scroll, it governs passage under the warrant and the rules for receiving its authority.)

Note: In several places, terms such as “twelve characters” and “sixty-two characters” refer to the number of characters in a talisman or the name of a set. “Human Sovereign,” “Celestial Sovereign,” and “Great” are names of talisman categories or source volumes in the Daoist Canon; they are retained here literally, with brief explanatory notes.

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Interpretation

Plain-Language Interpretation of the Wushang Miyao (Supreme Secret Essentials)

Even if one fears no one and acts suddenly, yet keeps something concealed—or recklessly performs a method of sealing and prohibition—this can bring calamity in return.

Without a tally, the method cannot be carried out. Even with a tally, if it is not received according to the proper rules and used in accordance with the prescribed method, it will still fail.

Secret Text of the Inner Book of the Three Sovereigns

The first essential instruction for an immortal is to summon and command the myriad spirits: issue an authoritative command to summon the gods, and they will all obey.

Summoning method: Write with cinnabar on white silk. Observe a hundred days of fasting and purification, refrain from sexual relations with others, and remain alone in the mountains and forests. At night, make the summons and spread the document on the ground, facing north. The Daoist wears the Nine Heavens Mobilization Talisman. After about the time it takes to eat a meal, the myriad spirits will arrive. Ghosts usually come from behind, while proper gods usually come from in front. At that moment, understanding will also arise naturally in the mind.

Transmission Text of the Three Sovereigns

A Daoist who does not possess this transmission text is not permitted to meet immortals.

Yin Talisman of the Five Sacred Peaks

Also called the Scripture of the Womb Born in the Colored Heavens. Even if someone possesses a diagram of the Five Sacred Peaks, without this Yin talisman the Five Sacred Peaks will not dispatch the Five Spirits to protect them.

Talisman of the Great One’s Eternal Presence

This comes from the middle section on celestial patterns in the Scripture of the Great One. On the fasting days at the Eight Seasonal Nodes, at dawn, write the talisman with cinnabar and swallow it. After taking it for three years, the Elder of the Great One will remove your name from the register of the dead and deliver you to eternal life. A Daoist listed in the registers who lacks this talisman may study Daoist arts in vain and still cannot escape death.

Talisman from the Lower Section of the Large Characters

A Daoist who wishes at dusk to seek every blessing, meet immortals, or know good and ill fortune in advance should write a three-inch-square talisman in cinnabar, swallow it, then lie down in quiet contemplation. This will reveal the good or ill fortune of the following day.

• To summon Gao Shang Tai He using the name of Gao Shang: it will appear in bodily form after the time it takes to eat a meal.
• To summon Si Ming using the name of the Celestial Emperor: write it in blue, observe seven days of pure fasting, and perform the practice in a courtyard. After the time it takes to eat a meal, Si Ming will appear, and you may ask about good and ill fortune.
• The name of the High Heavens can summon Si Lu.
• The name of the Great One can summon Si Yin. Wearing this talisman can ward off weapons and war.
• The name of the August Heaven can summon Si Wei: write in red on blue paper and place it in a room. Si Wei will arrive at once, and you may ask about good and ill fortune.
• The name of the Azure Heaven can summon the Mountain Spirit: write the talisman in cinnabar on five inches of white silk and place it in a room.
• The name of the August Sovereign can summon the River Earl: place it in water, and the River Earl will arrive at once. You may ask about matters concerning water.
• The name of the Supreme Emperor can summon the Heavenly Chancellor: write in cinnabar on yellow paper and place it in a room. The chancellor will arrive at once, and you may ask whether a course of action is suitable.
• The name of the Celestial Emperor can summon the Parents of the Nine Heavens: write it in cinnabar and ask about the afterlife and your wishes. Wearing it protects against illness and injury.

(From the Scripture of the Grotto Spirit.)

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Interpretation

The Essential Secret of the Dao, Volume 25

The Daoist Canon describes the “Ritual of Fasting to Avert Calamity.” It may be performed together with the fast of the Yin-Yang Bright Hall, the construction of an altar and purification rites, the chanting of scriptures and offering of rites, and the practice of the Way. If no taboos have been violated during the year, one may choose any one of these fasting rites to practice. If taboos have been violated, several kinds of fasting rites must be performed together.

If the Yang Qi concealed in the celestial signs and the day’s earthly branch are free of transgression, and the Yang Qi concealed in the terrestrial signs and the earthly branch governing the year are also free of transgression, one may focus on sitting in fasting for a single day, gathering in one’s attention and withdrawing from external concerns. There is no need to build an altar, chant scriptures, or practice the Way; one need only sit in fasting with focused intention.

If the Yang Qi concealed in the heavens and the day’s earthly branch have been transgressed, and the Yang Qi concealed in the earth and the earthly branch governing the year have also been transgressed, a night-long fast must be held. An altar must be built, scriptures chanted, the Way practiced, and an offering rite performed according to the liturgy.

If the terrestrial signs coincide with a year of famine, or if residual stellar Qi remains in the compartment of the measure that divides the degrees of Heaven and Earth, a fast must first be held for half a day. Only afterward may the night hall—the venue for rites held throughout the night—be established.

When auspicious stars such as the Star of Auspiciousness, the Heavenly Grace Star, or the Virtue of the Year Star appear, the fasting rite of the Central Kingdom should be performed, following the ritual procedures of the Central Plains. In such cases, there is no need to perform the star-gazing rite; the rite of dividing the degrees may simply be practiced together for half a day.

When performing rites to avert calamity and overcome misfortune for another person, the Rite of Fasting for Release from Calamity need not include the full set of procedures for all five grades of fasting rites.

The fasting rites of the Eight Assemblies and the Primordial Assembly likewise need not include the full set of procedures for all five grades of fasting rites.

In ancient times, Yuchen descended to Turtle Mountain, where the Golden Mother, the Jade Radiance Primordial Lady and Immortal Mother, transmitted this fasting rite. The Immortal Mother said, “In the Golden Palace of Heaven, I received the teachings of the Primordial Heavenly Worthy. I now transmit them to you. This method is called the Scripture of Hidden Wisdom, and it contains eight kinds of fasting rites.”

The eight kinds of fasting rites are the one-day fast, the seven-day fast, the thirty-day fast, the ninety-day fast, the one-year fast, the three-year fast, the seven-year fast, and the nine-year fast. Choose the duration according to the importance of the matter being prayed for, and perform the rite on an appropriate day.

The procedures for the outer altar are as follows: open the furnace, burn gold, offer incense, bow in homage, chant scriptures, practice the Way, and present offerings in a ritual. Follow the prescribed sequence without disorder.

During seated fasting, purify the mind, reduce desires, cut off external concerns, and wholeheartedly take refuge in the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters. Repent for past offenses and vow to cultivate the Way. Then the spirits will take notice, calamities and misfortunes will be dispelled, and blessings and wisdom will grow.

—The above is a modern explanatory account of the sequence and essential practices of fasting rites in this volume. It follows the ritual structure of the original and briefly explains specialized terms in context.

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