《道法會元》Vol. 220

This is a record of a plague-dispelling ritual from the Daoist Shenxiao School. At the beginning of the ceremony, the ritual master (Fashi) first performs specific sacred steps (Buxu, Pacing the Void) while reciting incantations to purify the ritual water, then enters silent meditation.

Next, incense is lit to announce the ceremony to the deities: "In the Nine Heavens, the Dao is most revered; among all methods of practice, offering incense is the foremost duty." The curling smoke from the incense burner rises upward to reach the sacred realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) and the Ten Celestial Realms, while descending to penetrate the Eight Gates and Nine Earthly Domains. This smoke transforms into auspicious clouds and radiant mists that fill the void, or spreads throughout the Dharma Realm as dazzling celestial hues. With just a single stick of incense, the myriad spirits can perceive all with perfect clarity.

The presiding ritual master (a registered disciple of the lineage) and the devotees seeking blessings and disaster relief (petitioners) reverently light precious incense, offering prayers to the following deities:

• The highest deities of the Shenxiao School: the Jade Clarity True King, the Great Emperor of Longevity, and the Great Emperor of the Cavernous Abyss
• The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Worthy and the lineage patriarchs and perfected lords of the Shenxiao tradition
• The Thunder Department deities: the Three Offices of Thunder Perfected Lords, the Four Saints of the North Pole Perfected Lords, and others
• The stellar deities: the Nine Imperial Lords of the Northern Dipper, the Six Offices of the Southern Dipper Perfected Lords, and others
• The Thunder Department generals, including the Great Sage of the Heavenly Gang
• Key patriarchs of the Shenxiao School: Perfected Lord Wang the Fire Master, Master Lin Lingsu, and others
• Earthly Department deities, such as the Golden Cauldron Marvelous Transformation Master Huangfu, and other perfected beings
• Patriarchs of transformative arts: the Thirty-Six Transformations, Twenty-Four Transformations, and other lineages of magical practice
• Auxiliary deities: the Patriarchs of River-Opening and Channel-Creating, the Patriarchs of Shielding the Front and Cutting Off the Rear, and others

Finally, special invitations are extended to the Year Guardian Deity, the Martial Radiance Venerable Spirit, the Earthly Department Commander Marshal Yin, and other protective deities, along with the Seventy-Two Seasonal Spirits, the Twenty-Four Solar Term Deities, and other nature spirits, to descend upon the ritual altar and receive the incense offerings and prayers of the human world.

(Note: The Shenxiao School was an important Daoist lineage during the Song Dynasty, specializing in Thunder Rituals (Leifa). "Buxu" refers to the sacred steps imitating the gait of immortals in Daoist ceremonies. The "Three Realms" denote the Three Pure Heavens—Jade Clarity, Upper Clarity, and Great Clarity. The "Eight Gates and Nine Earthly Domains" represent the various directional layers of the cosmos.)

This passage describes a Daoist ritual for dispelling epidemics, which unfolds in several key stages:

First, the ritual master burns incense and offers prayers to summon various deities for assistance. These include: the Yellow Banner and Leopard Tail Divine Lords (Daoist protector deities), the God of Virtue and Blessings, the underworld deities of Fengdu, the mountain gods of the Five Sacred Peaks, the City God (Chenghuang), the Earth God (Tudi Gong), along with guardian generals who protect doorways and messenger officials who transmit communications. The master presents fragrant tea offerings to these deities as an expression of sincere devotion.

Next comes the tea offering ceremony, during which the master enters deep meditation to commune with the deities. The ritual is performed for specific individuals or communities, seeking relief from calamities. A "magnificent boat" (a symbolic vessel for sending away epidemic influences) is constructed, and the troublesome spirits identified through divination are respectfully invited aboard. The master petitions ancestral masters and underworld officials for invisible assistance in opening water pathways for the boat's departure, thereby facilitating the patients' recovery.

The assembly then chants in unison the sacred name "Celestial Worthy Whose Divine Might Pacifies Distant Realms," while placing the ritual boat in the patient's room or main hall, accompanied by wine and food offerings. Amidst swirling incense smoke, the master again burns incense to summon deities—inviting the venerable ones of the Shenxiao tradition, ancestral masters and generals, along with the household's Kitchen God—to witness the epidemic-dispelling ceremony.

Finally, special invitations are extended to deities specifically governing epidemics: Master Puzhao of Sizhou (a Buddhist Chan master incorporated into Daoism as a plague-pacifying deity), Real Person Kuangfu, Healing Master Zhao Hou, and the Celestial and Earthly Mandate Marshals. They are entreated to oversee the boat's departure and monitor the plague-dispelling process. Through these layered stages of deity summoning, offerings, and ceremonial dispatch, the ritual seeks to expel epidemic influences and ensure communal safety.

Note: This forms part of the Daoist "Sending Away the Plague Boat" liturgy. Ancient people believed epidemics resulted from plague deities' mischief, requiring ceremonial escort beyond community boundaries. The ritual synthesizes Daoist talismanic practices (Fulu), Buddhist elements, and folk beliefs, embodying Daoism's religious function in disaster prevention and crisis resolution.

This scripture describes a Daoist ritual for dispelling epidemics and averting disasters, where the priest burns incense to devoutly summon various deities to receive offerings. The invocation is structured according to directional and functional divisions:

First, the Five Thearchs of the cardinal directions are summoned—the Green Emperor of the East, Red Emperor of the South, White Emperor of the West, Black Emperor of the North, and Yellow Emperor of the Center—along with their retinues to descend upon the ritual vessel. Subsequent invocations include: the Taisui (Grand Year) deity governing annual fortunes; various plague spirits responsible for epidemic transmission (such as the twenty-five celestial and terrestrial pestilence deities, twenty-four celestial and terrestrial venom spirits); disease-controlling deities (like the thirty-six consumptive lords); and specialized spirits overseeing ailments (including deities for sore throats, red eyes, or diarrhea) from the seventy-two seasonal envoys and twenty-four solar term assemblies.

The ritual then summons malevolent stellar and terrestrial spirits, including the White Tiger spirits (celestial and terrestrial variants active at different times), funeral chariot deities, tomb spirits, and entities causing supernatural disturbances (such as dream-manifesting spirits or plant-possessing haunters). Finally, it calls upon potentially mischievous object spirits (like animate gold, silver, copper, or iron items, or possessed household objects) and animal manifestations (such as transformed spirits of livestock or poultry).

The entire ceremony employs incense burning and prayers to invite these disaster-governing spirits aboard the "magnificent vessel" (a symbolic ritual boat in Daoist liturgy) to receive sacrificial offerings. The recurring phrase "receive the command and depart after feasting" (受令辞饯) signifies the spirits accepting offerings before withdrawing. Through this sacrificial appeasement, the ritual aims to pacify these deities and beseech the elimination of plagues, illnesses, and calamities.

This scripture describes a Daoist ritual for dispelling pestilence and invoking blessings. The general meaning is as follows:

In human life, accumulated grievances and karmic debts from past and present lives—including curses and resentful energies from all directions, disturbances caused by household deities, or covert collusion with local earth gods—manifest through ominous dreams and strange occurrences to bring misfortune. The restless spirits of fallen soldiers, wronged ghosts, lonely souls who died far from home, and female ghosts trapped in the Blood River (Daoist belief holds that women who die in childbirth fall into this realm) all contribute to the chaos.

Now, an ornate ritual boat (paper vessels used in Daoist ceremonies to send away plague deities) is prepared to escort these pestilential spirits away. With sincere devotion, offerings of fragrant carriages, precious horses, colorful banners, and ceremonial regalia are presented to invite various deities to descend upon the altar. Premium tea is reverently offered, hoping the gods will accept this heartfelt tribute.

The text further explains: The Great Sage deities, carrying the Mandate of Heaven, descend to inspect the human realm with the purpose of guiding the people. Mortals now earnestly pray for divine blessings, humbly submitting their memorials (formal petitions to the gods). The celestial pantheon judges according to human virtue and vice, manifesting in diverse forms to observe the wisdom and folly, goodness and wickedness of humanity. The shifting climates of the four seasons bring varying epidemics and ailments—originally intended to prompt moral reform, not because Heaven delights in destruction.

Fortune and calamity are never predetermined; they arise from human actions. By repenting and renewing oneself, misfortune can transform into blessing. Following the Dao (the Way) brings auspiciousness, while defying cosmic principles invites disaster. Now, a ritual boat woven from sacred grass stands ready at the crossroads to ceremoniously send away the plague deities. Sacrificial offerings of livestock and wine are presented with utmost reverence to beseech peace. Simultaneously, the ritual summons divine generals from this lineage’s spiritual tradition, the Marshal of Earthly Offices (deity overseeing local affairs), and the Six Household Guardian Deities to jointly steer vessels of light and shadow—the Five Phoenix Immortal Boats—gathering all pestilential ghosts and malignant forces from the four directions. Whether lurking before men, behind women, or in house corners, every plague-bearer is collected onto the ritual boats. Let these spirits board the magnificent vessels, partake in the farewell feast, and depart the human realm. May this act honor Heaven’s virtue of compassion for life below, witness mortal repentance above, turn calamity into fortune, and transform hostility into harmony.

This passage describes the complete ritual process for sending off plague deities in Daoist practice. First, the ritual master (fashi) must adjust his robes and regulate his breathing, summoning divine soldiers and generals (erlang zidi) carrying medicinal gourds to board the painted spirit boat. Participants collectively journey toward the misty immortal realm, singing melodies like "Immortal by the River" (Linjiangxian) while passing thirty-six river bends. The City God (Chenghuangye, local protector) and Earth Deity (Tudishen) arrive to escort the deities safely back to the immortal paradise of Luoyang.

During the ceremony, incense is burned as prayers explain that these deities are fundamentally impartial—sincere devotion alone can invoke their response. Special offerings of wine and food are prepared for the Plague Department deities, beseeching them to eradicate calamities and bestow abundant blessings. The master sprinkles purified water over the offerings while reciting the "Food Transformation Incantation" (Huashi Zhou) to infinitely multiply the provisions, ensuring sufficient sustenance for all invoked spirits.

The offerings—along with paper boats, prayer banners, and spirit money—are all burned as sacred offerings. The liturgy includes prayers for celestial and earthly talismanic decrees (fulu) to return to their proper stations, for the twenty-four solar terms (ershisi qi) to dispel toxic epidemics, and for the Lunar General (Yuejiang) and Annual Sovereign (Nianwang, time deities) to remove yearly and monthly misfortunes. Finally, the master visualizes the six stars of the Southern Dipper (Nandou, stellar deities governing life and death) blazing brightly like flames while chanting send-off incantations. Through incense burning, offerings, incantations, and visualization, the ritual respectfully escorts plague deities away from the human realm while invoking peace and auspiciousness.

Note: The "seventy-two pentads" (qishi'er hou) refer to the ancient phenological calendar dividing the year into five-day periods. The "twenty-four qi" are the solar terms of the traditional calendar. "Yuejiang" and "Nianwang" are deities presiding over temporal cycles. The "Southern Dipper" (Nandou) denotes the six stars of Sagittarius, revered in Daoism as arbiters of longevity.

This passage describes a Daoist ritual practice known as "Fire Bells" (huoling), a ceremonial implement that emits fiery radiance with the divine power to exorcise malevolent forces and purify impurities. The scripture states that the Fire Bells' blazing light illuminates all directions, summoning protective deities to permanently sever all inauspicious influences.

The incantation phrase "Swift as the golden fire-bells flowing through crimson heavens, by the cosmic decree" employs a standard Daoist imperative formula. Here, "crimson heavens" (dantian) symbolizes the red celestial sphere, while "flowing gold" (liujin) depicts flames resembling liquid radiance—indicating immediate efficacy.

During cultivation, practitioners visualize all spirits and deities riding the Fire Bells' radiance back to the realm of emptiness, returning all phenomena to primordial stillness. The ritual concludes with tooth-tapping (kouchi, a Daoist practice of lightly clicking the teeth during meditation) to exit the meditative state. This passage originates from Volume 220 of the Daoist Canon's Comprehensive Essentials of Daoist Methods (Daofa Huiyuan), a pivotal text documenting Daoist ritual traditions.