《上清靈寶大法(一)》Vol. 57

The Three Court Ceremonies imitate the rites held in the Golden Towers of the Jade Capital and the Purple Tenuity Upper Palace on the Mysterious Terrace of Seven Treasures in the Jade Clarity Heaven. There, at the hours of Yin, Wu, and Xu each day—roughly dawn, noon, and dusk—the ritual drums are sounded, and the gods and great divine beings of the heavens attend court before the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. The deities from below the Clear Tenuity Heaven also take part in the court ceremony. The “Three Court Ceremonies” performed in Zhaijiao are based on these rites.

At the court ceremony, the Senior Ritual Master, who presides over the Zhaijiao, first offers incense to express reverence and sincerity. Next, he opens the censer and announces the purpose of the purification rite to the deities, summoning the gods within the body and the local guardian spirits to convey the ritual’s purpose. Those present then each state their ritual rank, office, and name, and join in a sincere petition to the assembled saints. They explain why the rite is being held and recite the Blue Petition, a prayer addressed to the deities, expressing the sponsor’s wishes.

When performing the court ceremony and cultivating merit, one should first pray for the sovereign, then ask that blessings be bestowed throughout the realm, and then pray for the ancestors’ elevation. Prayers for the living come afterward. This is the order represented by the three incense pinches. When a purification rite is held for the dead, their sins in life must be taken into account; when praying for the living, their past transgressions must also be considered. If these offenses remain uncleared, they implicate the Three Realms in all ten directions—the domains of the heavens and earth and the spirits who govern them—and become sins recorded in the heavenly and underworld registries. However often one may pray for grace, its mysterious blessings can scarcely descend while the record of sins remains. One must therefore pay homage to the Celestial Worthies of the ten directions, repent and seek forgiveness according to each direction, and ask the spirits of the sun, moon, and stars, and of mountains, rivers, and seas, to pardon the offenses and erase them from the register. As for the divine officials in the Three Realms who keep records and conduct inquiries, the saints participating in the rite will jointly intercede with them.

The ritual proceeds as follows. Participants stand in order in the Hall of Concentrated Thought. The ritual master and the purification officials offer incense and perform three bows. The True Master then appears, and they make three obeisances. Next, they offer incense before the tent of the Mysterious Masters of the Six Curtains, bow three times, kneel, and present their petition. The cantor then leads the assembly in procession. They offer incense at the upper gallery tent, stand in order outside the central gate, ascend the outer altar, enter through the Earth Gate, and climb to the middle altar.

When entering the gate at dawn, recite this incantation. The same applies when entering at noon:

“Fourfold Luminosity Merit Officers, Messengers Who Reach the Real, Jade Youths Who Convey Words, and Jade Maidens Who Attend the Pure: please convey my message to the true deities of the Dao chamber. May the living Qi of the Upper Origin enter my body, so that everything I report may be communicated and heard in Heaven above.”

Stand to the left of the Earth Gate—the directional entrance leading into the inner altar—and silently recite the secret incantation while forming the Jade Clarity mudra, a Daoist hand gesture. Visualize the incense officials and envoys, together with the two Lords of the Dragon and Tiger, attending to the incense. One divine officer, one Fourfold Radiance Registrar of Merit, and one Envoy Who Communicates with the True each stand in attendance. Two Jade Youths of the Sanctuary and two Jade Maidens Who Convey Messages are arranged on the left and right.

Incantation for Entering the Gate at Night

“Four High Registrars of Merit, Dragon and Tiger Envoys, Orthodox Unity’s life-giving Qi, pure maidens who attend the sanctuary: at night, when there is a matter to report, I respectfully request an audience. May the way be opened and made clear. Youth and Maiden of the Highest Mystery, please enter the Yellow Chamber with me, so that all I report may pass through and reach the heights.”

Perform the rite as before, while visualizing one of each: the Four High Registrars of Merit, the Pure Maiden, the Youth, and the Maiden.

Enter through the Gate of Heaven and proceed to the inner altar. Burn incense to the ten directions, beginning in the east. At each direction in turn, hold the prayer tablet—a document bearing one’s name, status, and other information—announce one’s title, and pay reverence. At night, begin in the north; at noon, begin in the south.

Morning Visualization

At dawn, the Yin energy of night has only just withdrawn, and sunlight has not yet shone upon the earth. The Wood virtue, associated in the Five Phases with the east and spring, is flourishing. Azure Qi naturally arises and responds upward to Mysterious Qi.

The Essentials says: When performing the Way at dawn, visualize azure cloud Qi descending from above. Then circulate the Qi of the liver, causing it to rise from the crown of the head and merge with the azure cloud Qi, spreading throughout the purification altar. Four Azure Dragons are in front and four lions behind, all within the azure Qi, guarding the front and rear. This is the same in meaning as the visualization described in the scripture. The eight Azure Dragons and lions flank and protect the high seat, positioned in the four directions of Si, Wei, Chou, and Hai.

General Visualization for the Three Morning Services

Next, visualize the Immortal Youth Who Attends the Incense standing to the east on the left, and the Jade Maiden Who Waits upon the Incense standing to the west on the right. The attendants, officials, and troops of the Celestial Immortals wear flying robes and guard the Gate of Heaven to the east. Those of the Earth Immortals wear military uniforms and guard the Earth Gate. Those of the Flying Immortals wear feathered robes and guard the Gate of Heaven to the west. The officials and troops of the Sun Palace wear red and guard the Sun Gate; those of the Moon Palace wear pale yellow and guard the Moon Gate. The officials and troops of the constellations wear the colors assigned to their respective directions and are distributed among the four directions, the four seasonal beginnings, and the four seasonal positions. The troops of the Five Emperors each wear the color corresponding to their direction and guard their appointed positions; Wang Jian is responsible for the central direction.

Each of these forces numbers nine hundred million cavalry. The Supervisors of the Purification Retreat, the officials of the Three Realms, and their attendants stand in ranks to the left, right, front, and rear of the purification altar, encircling and covering the altar and the place where the retreat is held. Visualize as well the figures inside and outside the altar.

Next, close the eyes and contemplate the five viscera within. The lungs have seven lobes, are white, and lie beneath the throat. The heart resembles a lotus that has not yet opened: broad above and narrow below, purplish red, and situated beneath the lungs. The liver has five lobes, is purplish green, and lies beneath the heart. The spleen is a muddled yellow, like gold dust mixed with clay, and covers the Great Granary (the stomach). The kidneys are a pair, purplish black, facing the navel and set on either side. The five viscera correspond to the Five Sacred Peaks. Each of the five mountains rests in its own direction. Contemplate them at a distance, and see them clearly.

Then contemplate the Five Planets in turn: Mars of the south above the forehead, Saturn of the center before the heart, Mercury of the north between the knees, Jupiter of the east at the left elbow, and Venus of the west at the right elbow. Let the five planets shine brilliantly. Next, contemplate the Five Emperors of the five directions, each dwelling in its own quarter, with the central Emperor at the very center. Once their positions are fixed, all the Emperors wear imperial crowns and robes in the colors corresponding to their directions. They guard the body within, their lights and shadows reflecting one another like a canopy of flowers.

After making the ritual bows, visualize the body transforming into gold. Set the Qi of the five directions in motion. Gather it up from behind the lungs and within the kidneys, then exhale it through the nostrils. It rises like clouds to the crown of the head. The Qi of the four viscera, except the spleen, then turns back and circles around before rising again, spreading over the whole body and filling the ritual altar, inside and out. A round aureole appears above the head, bright as the sun and moon, illuminating the ten directions. The body within becomes transparent and utterly clear, visible inside and out. My body rises lightly with the Qi; it is no longer a fleshly, impure body, but is golden all over.

The following explains the passage above. The Celestial Immortals, Earthly Immortals, and Flying Immortals mentioned earlier are the immortal beings and their troops invited to descend. The Five Emperors are the Five Emperors of the five directions. They govern the vital Qi of the five directions, preside over the changing seasons and seasonal periods, command troops, and protect the ritual altar. These are their duties. The officials named in memorials—the Two Mysterious Ones above the Way, the Three Origins, and the Four Beginnings—are all spirits of the seasonal periods and complement them. The five viscera, Five Sacred Peaks, and Five Emperors contemplated here are not outside the body but within it. They correspond to the five viscera in the body, as diagrams in the alchemical scriptures show. The troops of the Five Sacred Peaks mentioned earlier are forces sent by the spirits of mountains, peaks, rivers, and streams to guard the ritual site; these are external spirits. Yet every ritual practice requires correspondence between the inner and outer. The Five Emperors described here are in fact the Qi of the five viscera within the body. When Qi becomes numinous, it gives rise to spirits. This is what the Scripture of the Cavern means when it describes the Five Emperors appearing through visualization.

The Scripture of the Cavern is now classified within the Heavenly Treasure lineage, whereas this method belongs to the Numinous Treasure lineage, so it is not cited here. The material on the five viscera appears in the Scripture of the Yellow Court’s Inner Scene and should be consulted carefully. When ascending the altar to perform a purification ritual, one cannot avoid adopting simplified procedures.

The general principle is this: After ascending the altar, first visualize the Three Venerable Ones (San Zun), the supreme deities of Daoism, seated within the Heavenly Treasure Terrace on Mount Jade Capital of the Mysterious Metropolis. To the left are the Venerable Scriptures of the Thirty-Six Departments; to the right stands the Great Master of the Mysterious Center. They appear solemn and dignified, as though present before your eyes. The Ten Perfected, the Five Emperors, and the assembled immortals attend on either side, as at a court audience. Next, visualize the Three Venerable Ones descending on clouds, as in the scene of them preaching the scripture within a millet-sized pearl. Then visualize the Perfected Great Spirits of the Ten Directions, boundless and immeasurable, along with the many perfected spirits, arriving through the air. On either side are dragons and tigers, the ritual supervisor and attendants, and perfected spirits from the Three Realms. A thousand chariots and ten thousand riders surround and attend the Three Venerable Ones, while the myriad spirits stand ready to protect them. In this way, the formation of the Mysterious-Spirit Immortal Court is established; then proceed with the rites in order. Use this visualization for all three court rituals, but with a different Qi for each.

Visualization for the Midday Court

The midday court is held when the sun’s shadow is nearing its midpoint and Yang Qi is at its height. The Spleen belongs to Earth, and Earth Qi corresponds to all four seasons. Earth takes its place through the Li Trigram, which belongs to Fire and occupies the south; thus the Spleen’s Earth Qi arises in the south. Above, it corresponds to primordial Qi; below, it reaches and communicates with the body. Do not continue past the midpoint of the Wu hour: after the fourth quarter following the Si hour and into the Wu hour, descend from the altar.

The general principle is this: When performing the rite at the Wu hour, visualize red clouds in the heavens, their Qi descending from above like gold. Then stir the red Qi within the heart and make it surge from the tongue like clouds, joining with the red Qi in the heavens. Let it encircle and cover the Mysterious Altar and rise to the Mudball (the upper Dantian in the head). Light and Qi intertwine. Within are four-headed Vermilion Birds; outside are four-headed phoenixes. The music of the heavens resounds with every sound, which gathers within the red Qi. The Vermilion Birds and phoenixes stand on either side of the high seat, making eight heads in all, positioned in the four directions of Yin, Chen, Xu, and Shen. Then visualize the celestial immortals, earthly immortals, flying immortals, the sun, moon, and stars, the armies of the Five Emperors, and the immortal youths and jade maidens, following the same visualization ritual as at the morning court.

Visualization for the Evening Court

For the evening court, ascend the altar before the sun has set. At this time, Qi has not yet turned fully Yin; white Qi is gradually growing stronger and corresponds above to initial Qi, so visualization should accord with it. Within the body, initial Qi belongs to the lower Dantian; the Lungs, in turn, are the mother of Water. At dusk, Lung Qi is abundant, signaling that Water Qi is about to arise. Thus, the white Qi in the Lungs responds upward and mingles with the white Qi in the heavens.

The general principle is this: When performing the rite at sunset, visualize white clouds and pure mist in the heavens, their Qi descending from above. Then stir the white Qi in the Lungs and make it surge from the nose like clouds, joining with the white Qi in the heavens and spreading throughout the Mysterious Altar. Four-headed White Tigers are within, and four-headed qilin are outside; they dwell amid the white Qi and guard the four directions. Together, the two kinds of divine beasts make eight heads, positioned at…

First, at the four directions of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You, use the visualization method practiced during the morning rites to imagine that the immortal youths, jade maidens, and officials and troops of every rank are present. Then face the offering table, where the main incense burner is placed.

Purpose: After entering the ritual altar, stand at its center and imagine that this place lies beneath the Golden Palace. Step forward with the left foot and walk the Bugang (star-stepping pattern). As you walk, imagine the star pearls shining. Proceed to the main incense burner and form the Yuqing mudra.

Bugang incantation:

“Yuqing and Chisu, the Great Brahma’s currents branch and flow. The primal celestial framework unfolds in flowing patterns; the star pearls pass through all around. Swiftly, swiftly, by command of the Supreme Emperor Yuanshi.”

Form the Zi-character mudra with the left hand, then extend the middle finger straight. At the Wu position, turn the eyes slightly and open them a little, imagining the sun and moon appearing.

Incense offering incantation:

“Jade radiance spreads its light; the nine Qi condense into smoke. Clouds of incense fill the air and reach the nine heavens. Attendant Incense Golden Youth and Message-Bearing Jade Maiden, please convey this intention before the Emperor, so that I, your servant, may attain long life and become an immortal in every lifetime. I respectfully report these matters and make these requests; please grant them all as stated.”

Imagine the Jade Maiden, Golden Youth, and divine generals of the Dragon and Tiger guarding the incense burner.

Incantation for pinching incense three times:

“The first pinch of incense reaches the Yuqing realm; the second reaches the Shangqing realm; the third reaches the Taiqing realm.”

“May numinous light and Brahma Qi descend upon my body. May the incense smoke ascend before the throne, joining the Dao and the imperial court. Swiftly, swiftly, by command of the Supreme Emperor Yuanshi.”

Form the Three Palaces mudra with the left hand. Burn in the main incense burner a talisman inscribed with the true characters of Yu. Recite:

“The ancestral Qi of Yuanshi gathers all numinous writings. Without writing, nothing can be transformed; without writing, nothing can shine. The Red Script and Jade Casket display luminous dragon-shaped seal script. I now burn this talisman, causing it to transform and appear as it ascends to the Jade Chamber. Swiftly, swiftly, by command of the Supreme Emperor Yuanshi.”

Form the Yuqing mudra with both hands and bring forth the Seven-Treasure Golden Tower. Imagine the tower, inside and out, above and below, shining with clear brilliance like crystal and fine jade. Within it, the Supreme Venerable Emperor Xu stands seated inside the Jade Chamber. Then imagine yourself using a single Qi to draw in and join with the ancestral Qi of Yuanshi, breathing it out and dispersing it throughout the Dark Altar, so that immortals and ordinary people meet and communicate. The entire ritual altar is like crystal glass, radiating golden light that fills the ritual grounds.

Burn the talisman for summoning spirits and inviting their descent in the main incense burner, and recite:

“The talismanic command of Yuanshi summons all spirits. Numinous light shines everywhere; the Three Realms are clear and bright. The jade talisman flies down and joins with the imperial court, enabling me, your servant, to present this memorial to Yuqing. Clouds and rosy mists rise to carry the report, without a moment’s delay, straight up to the Jade Palace, joining the Dao in perfect truth. Swiftly, swiftly, by command of the Supreme Emperor Yuanshi.”

“Shangqing Lingbao Yuxu summons the spirits. Divine light works its wondrous transformations; myriads upon myriads of spirits descend together. Swiftly, swiftly, by command of the Supreme Emperor Yuanshi.”

First, use the “Ten-Day Formula” to draw a circle in the air, then from its center point upward toward Shangqing and trace the Wu pattern. Imagine the talismans and registers in the furnace transforming into smoke, rising into rosy clouds and bright, translucent patterns like brocade. Then visualize the Three Heavens arranged one above another, forming golden towers adorned with the Seven Treasures and jade halls suspended before your eyes. Next, make the “Three Palaces Mudra” and visualize the vital energy of life giving rise to the myriad spirits. The spirits arrive together in chariots, surrounding and paying homage to the Most High and Supreme One.

Next, visualize the Supreme One appearing, his body radiating a stream of golden light like the sun. The light falls straight down before the furnace and transforms into a golden staircase. To go and pay your respects, direct your spirit upward along this staircase. Kneel before the furnace, offer incense, and silently pay homage to the Lord on High.

Then return to your place and perform three bows. Kneel, hold the hand censer, offer three sticks of incense in succession, and silently recite the secret incantation:

“The Dao is learned through the heart; the heart is carried by incense. I hold the jade censer in my hands, my heart present before the Emperor. May the true spirit look down; may the immortal banners arrive at the palace. I submit my petition; may it travel directly to the Nine Heavens.”

The secret incantation must not be spoken aloud. The ritual practitioner directs the body to assume the posture of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, knocks the teeth together three times, and swallows the saliva in the mouth three times. Then, stir the saliva around the mouth with the tongue and swallow once more. Visualize a stream of primordial Qi rising from the Cinnabar Palace, the place of inner cultivation within the body. It surges upward past the root of the tongue, passes through the Twelve-Storied Tower, a Daoist term for the throat and other inner parts, and rises to the Muddy Pellet, an inner-cultivation site in the head, reaching the area above the neck.

Next, visualize the perfected person within the Cinnabar Palace ascending on primordial Qi through the Twelve-Storied Tower to the Muddy Pellet, where he faces and pays homage to the Supreme One of the Myriad Treasures. Then visualize your own primordial Qi as golden light bursting from the apertures throughout your body and spreading out in countless fine threads to form the radiance of Nine-Colored Miro. Standing on the golden staircase, pay homage to the Supreme One and silently present the matters in your heart. At this point, do not stir the saliva in your mouth or speak aloud.

After presenting your petition, gaze toward the compassionate face of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. Visualize him appearing gladly and sending golden light and Brahma Qi, sacred primordial energy, downward to infuse your body. Then stir the saliva in your mouth again and swallow it, drawing the true Qi back into the Cinnabar Palace. Hold your breath and gather your spirit; only then open your eyes and look toward the ritual altar. Rise, bow three times, and continue the ritual.

Each of you should pay respects to your own venerable master and perform the visualization according to the prescribed method.

First, visualize the direction where the Scripture Master is located. Pay homage three times in your heart and pray: “May my venerable master attain the immortal Dao and ascend to the realm of exalted spirits. May my venerable master help me cross over, so that all beings may attain the true Dao and I myself may also be delivered.”

Next, visualize the direction where the Register Master is located. Pay homage three times in your heart and pray: “May my venerable master attain the state of a flying immortal and ascend to the realm of exalted perfected beings. May my venerable master open the way for me to deliver seven generations of ancestors and my parents, so that they may soon be born in heaven. May I attain the true Dao and ascend to the realm without form.”

Then visualize the direction where the Initiation Master is located. Pay homage three times in your heart and pray: “May my venerable master be delivered and ascend to the realm of exalted immortals. May my venerable master open the way for me to deliver those afflicted by the Five Sufferings and Eight Hardships…”

The name is entered in the register of immortals, and one thereby becomes a Perfected Person forever.

Next, visualize the three masters in heaven—that is, the three Perfected Persons—descending from the Heavenly Gate into the ritual space amid the blue, yellow, and white Qi.

Incantation of the Five Directions

With eyes closed, look inward at the five organs, the five stars, and the Celestial Emperors of the five directions, and ask them to guard you. Then visualize the blue, yellow, and white Qi filling the Mysterious Altar, the Four Spiritual Creatures standing guard, and the myriad spirits arrayed in orderly ranks. Look within and see golden light illuminating the whole body, which turns golden. The light first issues from the lungs, rises to the crown of the head, and forms a halo that shines in all ten directions. Everything inside and outside the body is clearly visible. (For details, see the section “Establishing the Altar.”)

Sounding the Ritual Drum

Sound the ritual drum twenty-four times at the altar to summon the three divisions, eight luminous aspects, and twenty-four spirits within the body. The divine Perfected Ones descend, and demons and spirits from the outside world disperse. Visualize the divine Qi as pure, clear, and unobstructed. Guide the blue, yellow, and white Qi within the body through the five organs and then upward to the Muddy Pellet Palace, the inner cultivation site in the head. There, it joins with the Mysterious, Original, and Primordial Qi of the Heavenly Gate and coalesces into a jeweled palace of colored glaze. The highest sages dwell within the palace, with their attendants standing in ranks on either side. (For details, see the preceding text.)

Opening the Incense Burner and Sending Forth the Spirits

Burn the talisman of the Spreading and Falling Divine Perfected Ones to summon the spirits and various talismanic envoys. Visualize yourself within clouds of the three Qi, surrounded inside and out by deep, dim obscurity. (Form the hand seal with the middle finger.) Declare: “The Mysterious, Original, and Primordial Qi of the Three Supreme Heavens descends into the bodies of your servants.” (Form the seals in sequence at the positions from Chou and Yin through Shen.) The Three-Five Officials (Mao and Chen), the Left and Right Officials (Si and Wu), the Left and Right Incense-Bearing Officials (Wei and Shen), the Incense Attendants and Messengers (You and Xu), the Five Emperors (Hai), and the gods on duty each appear in groups of thirty-six. Visualize them riding horses, wearing red robes and black headcloths, accompanied by merit officers, boys, incense officials, and others, as they descend from the Heavenly Gate.

The courier officers and mounted officers within the body emerge from the brain and join these spirits, standing in attendance on either side. (Perform the hand seals according to the instructions.) They proceed first to the local Earth Deity and then to the imperial presence. (Perform the hand seals according to the instructions.) Visualize the mounted officers receiving the documents and lifting the incense before departing.

Secret Incantation

Within, there is light; outwardly, there is a direction of intention. Inside and out, all is bright and clear, without any other distracting thoughts. Wait in stillness, and the forms of the spirits will appear.

First Morning Audience: Sending Forth the Officials

The ritual master and the assembled officials each bow three times. Kneeling upright, they click their teeth twenty-four times, then summon the divine officials.

Before sending forth the officers and troops—the divine soldiers commissioned to carry out ritual tasks—first visualize a vermilion gate at the center of the forehead, one foot and eight inches wide. This is the Gate of the Brain. The officers and troops enter and leave through the vermilion gate. First visualize the Four Spirits and the three generals emerging to guide and guard you from the front, back, left, and right. The sun, moon, and five planets cover the crown of your head, while the Northern Dipper encircles your body. Next visualize blue Qi surging from the liver and spreading throughout the Dark Altar, the place where the altar is set up and the ritual performed, shining as brightly as the sun and moon. Form the Dipper mudra and the mudra for returning to the Supreme Emperor, then respectfully declare: “I summon the Heavenly Soldiers and Mighty Warriors within my body to set forth.” Then visualize the various deities within your body emerging in turn and lining up on either side. Next, visualize them proceeding from the middle finger to the base of the ring finger. Return them to the upper part of the finger, then snap your fingers to notify them. After this, prostrate yourself and recite the incantation:

“The body is originally empty, still, and serene. Where could there be an exit, or an entrance? Take this as the ritual: between one breath and the next, it is accomplished.”

Then strike the ritual drum three times, swallow saliva three times, and set up the fast. Only on the first morning audience of the first day is it necessary to summon the officials—the rite of presenting petitions to the deities and inviting the ritual officials and divine generals. This is not needed at other times. If a petition is to be presented or a formal address recited, first summon the officials and proceed according to the ritual. Those who recite the address at the ninth morning audience should summon the officials again at that audience to give thanks. For a Jiao ritual, summon the officials after the incense burner is activated in the Jiao liturgy. When setting up an altar to present an address, the officials may also be summoned during the altar-establishment liturgy. The rituals and visualization methods for presenting petitions are covered elsewhere and are not discussed here.

Conducting the Proclamation Rite

The practitioner stands upright and visualizes becoming a perfected person, occupying the position from which the ritual is proclaimed. Then the practitioner proceeds according to the liturgy.

Proclaiming the Address

The “address” here means the formal declaration recited each day, not a Green Memorial. It is usually conducted over seven days and nights, with an address proclaimed three times daily: morning, midday, and evening. A Yang Jiao is performed to seek forgiveness for the living and avert disasters; a Yin Jiao is performed for the dead, to repent and cleanse their transgressions. Such a rite may also be held to pray for harmony in wind and rain on behalf of the state, to dispel calamities such as unusual celestial signs, drought, or locust infestations, or when local officials take the lead in confessing their faults.

After offering incense, the practitioner kneels for a long time during the three audiences and silently presents the petition. The fasting official kneels before the incense burner and reads the confession. Those confessing may form a group of three, five, or nine. They step forward, kneel for a long time, and recite the address before the emperor. They should bow whenever they reach one of the Supreme Emperor’s honorific titles.

Offer incense three times.

Whenever morning cultivation before the deities is conducted according to the liturgy, one should first offer blessings for the sovereign, pray that all beneath Heaven receive its blessings, and pray that nine generations of ancestors may ascend. Only then should prayers be offered for the living. This is the purpose of the rite. The incense attendant and the fasting official offer incense three times according to the liturgy, bowing three times on each occasion.

Paying Homage and Repenting Before the Ten Directions

According to the liturgy, when paying homage to the Ten Directions to deliver the dead, one should consider that they may have accumulated transgressions during their lives…

When performing a Yangjiao (a purification ritual to pray for the blessings of the living), one must be concerned about the wrongs the living have committed in their daily lives. If their transgressions have already been recorded throughout the Ten Directions and Three Realms—the various heavens, worlds, and divine realms spoken of in Daoism—and entered into the registers of the celestial and terrestrial offices, how can their records of evil be erased, even through earnest prayer for grace? How can the wondrous blessings descend? For this reason, one pays homage to the Heavenly Worthies of the Ten Directions and offers penitential thanks in each direction. One also asks the sun, moon, and stars, and the mountains, rivers, and seas, to pardon transgressions and remove entries from the registers of sin.

The ritual instructions state that those assembled at the altar guide the High Priest in offering incense toward each direction. After three bows, he kneels and silently submits a petition, seeking to atone for the deceased’s transgressions. The penitential text is read according to the liturgy. The ritual official kneels, holding the incense burner, and performs the rite in each direction.

Commanding the Demons

Guangcheng says: The ten Songs of Pacing the Void come from the Scripture of the Lingbao Mysterious Capital and Jade Capital Mountain. They are verses praising the cultivation of the Dao, sung as the sages of the Ten Directions’ heavens gather around the mountain of the royal capital. The scripture says that, when a fast is established and the Dao is practiced, the four Heavenly Emperors ride flying-cloud green carriages and jade chariots adorned with the Eight Radiances. Perfected Ones and jade maidens lead the way, carrying flower banners. Phoenixes sing, followed by the resonant calls of the white cranes of Jun Heaven and the lions. The assembled gods burn incense and scatter flowers as they descend from the sky. They gaze upon the altar, pay homage, circumambulate it, and watch and listen to the sound of the Dao.

Thus, even when there is no time to send documents and request the gods’ descent, the gods arrive while the Songs of Pacing the Void are performed and the altar is circumambulated. The great divine beings of the Heavenly Realms descend from the sky, whether near or far. Therefore, one must first command the demons, bringing clarity and peace to Heaven and Earth.

In this rite, the High Priest secretly employs divine light and respectfully proclaims the Dao’s decree. In accordance with the Most High’s command, he summons the Northern Emperor and orders him to proclaim an edict to the demon kings: they must inspect and restrain, and subdue, violent spirits and monsters, cutting off the roots of evil influences. Then the divine writ descends, the Three Heavens move in clear order, the teachings of the Correct Dao spread, the Way of the Immortals flourishes, the way of ghosts recedes, Yin energy wanes, and the influence of the Six Heavens comes to an end.

Within the Six Directions, the Qi of the Dao fills all space, rising to the Nine Heavens and reaching throughout the myriad lands. Countless holy beings descend from the sky to watch and listen to the sound of the Dao. The key to calling forth these responses lies in the High Priest’s breathing and regulation of the breath, and in cultivating embryonic breathing within. His mind must become truly still, and the Mudball Palace—an inner alchemical divine residence in the head—must grow luminous and clear. With this thought, divine light shines forth. Then, with the aid of the Most High’s incantation and command, the demon kings accept their orders and carry out the Emperor’s decree, sweeping away impurity and disorder throughout Heaven and Earth. The assembled sages, too, descend from the sky to hear the Songs of Pacing the Void.

Thus, summoning the sages is not confined to a single altar or limited to those holy beings who arrived at the altar in advance. That is why the rite of commanding the demons follows homage to the Ten Directions and repentance.

This ritual is performed before “Scattering Flowers” and “Walking in the Void” (the chanting and processional walking rites in a Daoist ritual arena).

I believe that the ancient fasting rites for commanding demons—that is, ordering demon kings to protect the ritual arena—are recorded in the writings of Lu Xiujing (courtesy name Jianji), Du Guangting (courtesy name Guangcheng), and others. They all follow ancient liturgical practice: demons are commanded at all three morning services, and each time the officiants recite the Walking in the Void Scripture ten times and circle the ritual arena. There is no doubt about this.

The Rite in Prescribed Form, compiled by Jiang, quotes Zhao Daosheng as saying that in the Yellow Register Rite, demons are commanded only at the midday service. This practice follows the Golden Register liturgy of the Zhenghe era. But the Imperially Commissioned Golden Register Liturgy for the Xuanhe Ritual Arena stipulates that demons are to be commanded and the Walking in the Void rite performed at all three morning services, with the rite for dispersing the altar performed only after the offerings have been made. This liturgy was probably written by Yang Jie. Daoism was flourishing at the time, and the liturgies had been carefully examined and revised, so many liturgical texts continued to follow ancient practice.

Jiang also quotes Zhang Qingdu as saying that before the Celestial Worthy preached the scriptures, the demon kings of the heavens roamed through the vast expanse, displaying their power and spreading harm. After the Celestial Worthy preached, the demon kings were transformed by the teaching and became the forerunners of the Celestial Worthies, holy beings, and perfected ones of wondrous practice. At their command, they drove the chariots, cleared the way, and swept away defilement. Therefore, before the holy beings set out, the demons must first be commanded to clear their path. The scripture says, “The demon kings respectfully receive their charge”; thus they are able to appear before the heavenly beings. From this, it would seem that before performing the Walking in the Void rite in the ritual arena, one must first visualize (contemplate inwardly) and command the demons.

On closer examination, Zhang Qingdu’s account says that after the Celestial Worthy preached, the demon kings were transformed by the teaching and ordered to clear away inauspicious influences; when the Heavenly Emperor went on a progress, he likewise commanded the demon kings to clear the way ahead. This is an explanation in its own right. But using it directly to prove that demons must be commanded before the Walking in the Void rite is not sufficiently justified. When the Heavenly Emperor goes on a progress, it is indeed fitting to command the demons to clear the way first. Yet when the officiant offers incense to the Ten Directions Above, they have already visualized the Three Worthies (Daoist deities) seated within a jeweled pavilion. When they invite the holy and worthy beings, recite the invocations, bow, and offer penitence and thanks, they are already acting before the Supreme Emperor and visualizing the gods within the ritual arena. If so, the demon kings should clear away defilement and perform their duty as soon as the Supreme Emperor arrives at the ritual arena. Why wait until just before the Walking in the Void rite to command them? The reasoning is surely not as simple as this.

Similarly, Zhao Daosheng and others interpret commanding the demons entirely as inward visualization. This amounts to saying that the Most High never leaves the Niwan Palace (an inner landscape site in the head). They also say that the perfected beings reside within the body and that the command to the demons likewise takes place within the body, just as one silently pays homage to the Supreme Emperor and reports one’s intention to observe the fast in the Upper Dantian (the upper field). Such accounts fail to grasp the scriptures’ original meaning, mistake the fundamental point, and are seriously in error. As for the nine chambers of the Niwan…

The body already possesses the hundred spirits. Could they really not exist? The Three Vehicles of Tianbao, Lingbao, and Shenbao, the three kinds of Daoist teaching, all include practices for cultivating and making use of what is within the body. Some focus on inner cultivation; others teach that the inner and outer should correspond.

Sitting upright in a private chamber and cultivating body and spirit within oneself is inner cultivation. Ascending the altar to pay homage, then setting up a purification offering after completing the rites, is an outer practice: the sincere devotion of ordinary people is made to resonate with the Lord on High. Presenting memorials and petitions, and sending spirits aloft to pay audience on high, means that the spirits of the body leave it and rise to the highest heavens. Paying homage to the perfected and the sages, confessing and atoning for wrongdoing, performing the Way and burning incense, bringing down the Five Qi (the five primal energies) to purify the ritual space, joining the Three Essences (the three kinds of vital essence in Daoist teaching) through visualization to keep the Great Dao in mind, and even commanding demon kings, purifying the Six Directions (heaven, earth, and the four quarters), and going to Jade Capital, the Daoist heaven, to chant “Pacing the Void,” a ritual hymn praising the celestial realm: all these are methods by which inner and outer correspond and resonate with one another. How can “commanding demon kings” be regarded as nothing more than a practice performed within the body?

Some also say that Yang energy begins to arise at the hour of the Rat, while Yin energy begins to arise at the hour of the Horse and continues until the hour of the Rat. At the hour of the Snake, the Six Yang energies reach their height; at the hour of the Horse, the first Yin is born. As Yin encroaches upon Yang, demon kings seize the opportunity to interfere, disturbing practitioners’ Dharma bodies in the ritual space. The hour of the Horse corresponds to the Li trigram, which is hollow at its center and symbolizes pure Yang energy. Yin therefore intrudes upon Yang as Yin and Yang cross, so demon kings must be commanded during the midday audience. This explanation, too, has no basis. It is merely an interpretation shaped by an attachment to inner cultivation.

If the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) and the Jade Emperor are all within my body, and the thousand perfected beings and ten thousand spirits also dwell entirely within me, why ascend the altar, set up a purification offering, or write memorials and petitions that spell out their provisions? The ritual official could simply read the documents aloud to me. Since I already know them, would the Mudball Palace—the dwelling of a spirit within the head—not know them too? On that reasoning, all memorials, documents, and Zhaijiao purification rites could be abolished. This would run entirely counter to the intention of the sage masters who established the rites to save and aid the people.

The twenty-seven grades of purification rites and the forty-two ranks of offerings each have their own levels and distinctions. How can one devote oneself only to inner practice while neglecting scriptures, registers, and purification rites? As for matching Metal with Wood, joining Kan and Li, congealing mercury and solidifying lead, and bringing down the dragon and subduing the tiger, these are practices within the body, not outer rites. But neither are they public purification rites performed according to grand ceremonial procedures. Those who study and practice should understand the origins of inner cultivation and outer refinement alike. Those who uphold the teachings and perform liturgy should also understand their foundations. Only then will they avoid mistaking east for west and turning things upside down.

If commanding demons is said to be entirely an inner practice, with demon kings and all the spirits living within my body, this is very difficult to explain reasonably. If the demon kings never leave the body and the various heavens dwell only in the head, then the demon kings…

If practitioners devote their efforts only to the Dantian (the abdomen’s inner alchemical site), then worship the Heavenly Emperor at the Niwan (the head’s inner alchemical site), when their allotted years come to an end they will be no more than ghosts clinging to their corpses, not true immortals.

Those who practice methods of visualization—that is, contemplating deities and inner landscapes in the mind—must not confine their practice to the body, from beginning to end. Only by ascending to the Mysterious Palace and serving the Three Realms (the three celestial heavens in Daoist teaching) can one become a true immortal. One must cultivate the ability to rise lightly within the body and also ascend through the heavens: this is the state described in the Scripture of Pacing the Void.

The fourth section of the Scripture of Pacing the Void says: “Bowing and looking upward, I contemplate the Most High; radiant splendor blooms in the Dantian. Turning left, I summon Yuyi; glancing right, I take Jie Lin in hand. The Six Degrees crown the Brahman practice; Dao and De renew themselves day by day.” This means constantly contemplating the Most High, the supreme divine being, and practicing in accordance with the movements of the sun and moon, so that one’s realization of Dao and De is renewed each day. This work is cultivated within the mind, while its effects appear outwardly.

The scripture also says: “Heaven has endowed one with gifts beyond the ordinary; one delights in reciting the chapters of the Subtle and the Inexpressible.” This means that without abilities beyond the ordinary, it is difficult to grasp the meaning of the “Subtle and Inexpressible”—the Dao, hidden from sight and beyond words. Only by penetrating the scripture can one truly understand its wondrous principles.

It also says: “The clear and empty Qi of Great Harmony: exhale and inhale, circulating the rosy fluid. With embryonic breathing, quiet the hundred passes; in stillness, investigate the Three Bian. The scene within the Niwan shines through, and thus one becomes an immortal of Golden Radiance.” This means grasping the scripture’s profound meaning and practicing breathing methods, including embryonic breathing—a method of inner cultivation that makes the breath fine and settled, as though one were breathing in the womb—so that all the body’s gateways become still. By deeply observing the Three Bian, a technical term in cultivation, one can illuminate the inner landscape within the Niwan and ultimately become an immortal of Golden Radiance. This passage describes becoming immortal through inner cultivation: the key lies in one’s own practice, not in external things.

Once this state has been attained, even the demon kings of the heavens will respectfully accept orders. They do more than sponsor the practitioner: the practitioner can also attend court in the heavens. Hence the scripture says: “The demon kings respectfully accept their charge; thus one can attend court in the heavens.”

This state is attained through purification and the long accumulation of merit. The section therefore concludes: “All begins with purification; accumulated merit binds the fated connection. Soaring through the air, one rises beyond the vast sky, borne aloft with the highest immortals.” Soaring means that the body rises lightly; this goes beyond cultivation within the body alone.

Today, during rites at a purification altar, before the ritual master commands the demon kings, the master first visualizes the sun and moon entering the nostrils, then contemplates the Radiant Chamber—the divine sanctuary within the head’s inner landscape—appearing in light. This is because the scene within the practitioner’s own Niwan has not yet become naturally clear, so visualization is used to carry out the rite. Since the practitioner is not yet a true immortal, they cannot immediately command the demon kings; instead, the ritual is performed by invoking the Most High’s decree.

This ritual is closely connected to the principles in a section of the Scripture of Pacing the Void. For example, the tenth section says: “Scattering flowers, I set forth my wish; grasping the tally, I summon the demon kings…”

This scripture says that the classics speak of becoming an immortal naturally, while rituals performed at an altar express this state through ceremonial practice. Once fetal breathing—a breathing method used in internal cultivation—has been mastered, and the visions within the Mud Pill—the head’s site of internal cultivation—have appeared, there is no need to visualize the sun and moon: radiance can illuminate the ten directions. There is no need to recite secret incantations: the demon kings will obey and carry out commands. Someone who has reached this state will certainly neither perform purification rites at the altar in person nor seek fame in the secular world. The ritual procedures listed in the scripture belong to the methods of purification rites, so they are explained here in detail.

In general, the key to paying homage to the true immortals and meeting the holy perfected ones is to focus the mind and gather one’s thoughts. If the mind is not upright, delusions arise and attract external demons. Only by holding fast to an upright mind and dispelling delusions can one sweep away confusion, as hot water melts snow and a bright torch illuminates darkness. Only then can one concentrate the spirit and pay homage to them.

Instructions for the Demon of Destiny, the Primordial Sovereign

The rays of light are nine colors—blue-green, black, yellow, red, white, green, deep red, jade-blue, and dark—arranged in order from one to nine. Absorb the Qi of the Primordial Sovereign, so that your own Jing and Qi unite with the righteous Qi. Radiance will then arise from the seven orifices. After nine years of cultivation, when your practice is complete, you will be able to enter the Palace of the Nine Mornings and serve there.

Another set of instructions

One and three unite; three divides and reveals light. Within the nine palaces, the Palace of Li, which represents the sun’s position, shines like the blazing sun. If you do not trace things back to their source and seek the One Supreme (the highest source, the One Qi), the six demons will mock you for indulging in wild imaginings.

The first light to appear is blue-green, born from the Celestial Origin. Next comes white light, born from Human Mystery; after that comes yellow light, born from Earth. The Qi of Heaven, Earth, and humanity are distributed among the Three Fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian. This is “the One gives birth to the Three,” or “one-three.”

The dark Qi of the lower Dantian rises and joins with the white Qi of the middle Dantian. The white Qi of the middle Dantian then rises and joins with the blue-green Qi of the upper Dantian. The three Qi—Dark, Origin, and Beginning—gather in the Mud Pill, no larger than a grain of millet, without fixed color or definite form. They transform and give birth to nine Qi. This is “the Three and One divide the Mystery and reveal light.” The nine Qi come into being and each takes its place among the nine Qi positions; the Palace of Li then shines with a light like the blazing sun.

A superior adept who has achieved mastery must understand the source of the nine Qi. If you do not trace the lineage back to its ancestral source and seek the mandate of the One Supreme, you will not understand how the nine Qi come into being, or what gives them their radiance. The six demons will therefore mock your nine-colored mysterious visions. Reflect on this carefully.

The Nine Heavens

The nine colors of light are azure, red, blue-green, green, yellow, white, purple, jade-blue, and dark.

The Rounded Forms of the Nine Colors

The first is called Red Cavern, the second White Pattern, the third Blue-Green Brightness, the fourth Green Brilliance, the fifth Yellow Purity, the sixth Azure Mixture, the seventh Purple Fusion, the eighth Jade-Blue Essence, and the ninth Black Diffusion.

These colors are arranged from the inside outward, from the first to the ninth.

Diagram of the Transformation of the Five Qi into the Nine Qi

Ritual manuals usually record only the Five Qi—the energies of the five directions—and match the Five Emperors to those directions. Yet above the head is also a round radiance composed of nine colors. Unless the methods by which it enters, emerges, and changes are clearly explained, one cannot reach the realm of truth or summon the spirits. The correspondences are shown here:

Yi and Geng unite to become green Metal;

Ding and Ren unite to become blue-green Wood;

Jia and Ji unite to become yellow Earth;

Wu and Gui unite to become purple Fire;

Bing and Xin unite to become red Water.

The Essentials say: When a senior ritual master presides over a rite to subdue demons, he should circle to the left, proceed to the Ghost Gate, and stand facing west. The attendant should go to the Gate of Heaven, stand facing east, and chant. Each of them visualizes the nine-colored round radiance, whose light shines upon the ten directions. They then swallow the saliva in their mouths, silently recite the secret incantation for subduing demons, click their teeth three times, and swallow saliva three times.

Visualize the sun on the left and the moon on the right, directly opposite you and raised slightly, nine feet from your face. The sun emits a purple-red radiance with nine rays; the moon emits a white-yellow radiance with ten rays. Their light shines directly upon your face and enters through your nose into the Golden Flower Palace of the Cavern Chamber, an inner landscape palace located between the eyebrows. The light enters inward three fen from between the eyebrows, forming the paired Dantian. It then penetrates three fen farther, to the bone boundary, forming the Terrace and Gate. It continues inward for seven fen: on the left is the Green Door, and on the right the Purple Door.

Three cun inward from between the eyebrows is the Dantian Palace, also called the Niwan Palace. Four cun inward is the Flowing Pearl Palace. Five cun inward is the Jade Emperor Palace, also called the Golden Flower Palace, located south of the Cavern Chamber. From the center, proceeding straight upward one cun, is the Heavenly Court Palace. From the Cavern of Yang, proceeding straight upward one cun, is the Palace of Utmost Truth. From the Dantian Palace, proceeding straight upward one cun, is the Mysterious Elixir Palace. From the Flowing Pearl Palace, proceeding straight upward one cun, is the Great Sovereign Palace. These palace names and locations appear in the Great Cavern Scripture of Perfect Truth.

Wuchengzi cites the “Nine Palaces Formula,” which says: Five cun inward is the Jade Emperor Palace, also called the Golden Flower Palace. Visualize all nine palaces as already open, each one cun across. As you visualize, guide the Nine Qi upward into the Jade Pillow at the back of the head. The Nine Qi emerge from the great vertebra behind the brain, shine brightly above the neck, and form a nine-colored round radiance. Visualize the nine colors of Qi appearing in front of you, while the two points at the back of the head also emit light, filling the space with the Nine Qi, like the round halo behind the neck of the Primordial Heavenly Worthy. The halo circulates and shines through the ten directions. Its radiance fills the body from top to bottom and moves in rotation as I turn.

Next, visualize my body transforming into the True Primordial Heavenly Worthy. From my heart, I then project a perfected being, who rides the Qi outward and walks among the mysterious pearls and stars. The stars revolve around the Heavenly Worthy in homage. Then click the teeth three times, swallow saliva three times, silently recite the secret incantation in the heart, burn the talisman for subduing the demon of one’s life, chant “Pacing the Void of the Jade Capital,” and circle according to the Ding Pole Star steps, visualizing the Five Emperors…

Commanding the Celestial Troops, Driving Out the Demon Kings, and Performing the Ritual

Secret Incantation for Summoning Demons

Use the Qi of the Yellow Center to activate spiritual power, destroy the ranks of demons and evil spirits, subdue the violent demon clans, and cut off the traces of wickedness.

The Most High has issued an order and bestowed it upon my person. I urgently summon the Northern Emperor to proceed to the Mysterious Palace and pay court.

The local earth spirits and ghosts and deities of the mountains and forests, though different in appearance, must all obey the authoritative command and proclaim it to the demon kings.

The Qi of the five directions grows abundant and clashes with the talismanic mandate. Once the secret jade text has been put into effect, clouds rise and gather.

The fortunes of the Three Heavens flourish; those of the Six Heavens come to an end. O worthy one!

When burning the “Talisman for Commanding the Demon King,” first visualize the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning descending into the empty mystery. Then silently recite the secret incantation and visualize the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning sending down golden light. The golden light enters the body through the crown of the head and reaches the Crimson Palace, around the heart, where it congeals into an elixir of golden liquid. Its radiance fills the eight directions, illuminating the body inside and out, while all the deities come to pay their respects. Thus the Three Realms become clear and peaceful.

Three Prostrations to the Scripture

At the beginning of a liturgy, teachings are established through the scripture. After completing the steps through the void and the ritual circumambulations, one should, according to ritual propriety, pay respect to the scripture.

The scripture says, “Even the celestial demons will revere and protect it, and in every generation one will receive great blessings.” This is because people follow the scripture, uphold its precepts, recite the Dao, and rid themselves of desires, thereby receiving such blessings. For this reason, one praises the scripture’s virtue and pays homage to it.

The scripture then says that when the scripture and the Dao’s teachings spread widely, families and states will prosper and flourish; through continued cultivation, one can enter the path of the Great Vehicle. In this way, the practitioner’s seven generations of ancestors may ascend to Heaven, and the practitioner may also rise beyond the mortal realm.

By honoring the scripture and experiencing the Great Dao, one can ultimately accompany the Dao. By steadfastly cultivating the body and transcending the Three Realms, one may also escape the suffering of hell. The foundation of every accomplishment in merit lies in the scripture, so the rite concludes with three prostrations. This is the meaning of “Three Prostrations to the Scripture.”

Ritual essentials: The ritual practitioner visualizes the presiding deity within the heart, pays homage upward, and performs three prostrations.

Great Thanksgiving

Now the ritual officiant confesses sins to the ten directions and beseeches blessings from the upper realms. After praising the scripture’s virtue and paying homage to it, the officiant offers thanks and pays respect to the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scripture, and the master. Then, facing the Gate of Heaven with reverence, the officiant makes a general confession and gives thanks. This is why the rite is called the “Great Thanksgiving.”

Afterward, one prays for the deities to return to the incense burner. The reason for this is clear.

Ritual essentials: The ritual practitioner states their ritual rank, kneels upright, and recites. After reciting, they bow three times; then they rise and perform the “Return to the Burner,” sending the deities summoned during the rite back into the burner.

Burning Talismans, Offering Incense, and Welcoming the Deities Back

Ritual essentials: Holding the hand censer, the ritual practitioner invites the incense officials and messengers, together with the various spiritual officials, to come forward in turn. From the Zi hour through the Hai hour, the sequence of the rite is arranged according to the Jade Instructions. After making the announcement before the imperial presence, the practitioner visualizes the deities returning to their places, draws in and swallows the breath, and gathers it in the Dantian (energy center), silently reciting the secret incantation:

The Five True Officials within my body, the meritorious officers, generals, functionaries, and attendant deities summoned earlier…

Enter through the wondrous gate. If you entered from the left, return by the left; if you entered from the right, return by the right. Then summon the spirits and bring them together once more. Proceed with the ritual as usual.

Visualize the Supreme God, the Celestial Perfected, and the officials of the Three Realms ascending together into the heavens. Only the officers and soldiers of the Five Emperors remain at the altar to guard it. Then visualize all the gods entering through the crown of your head and gathering in the Three Palaces within the body, where they merge into one.

Descend through the Gate of Heaven and exit through the Earthly Portal.

Morning Departure Spell (also used at the noon court):

Leave the shadowed realm and enter the realm of Yang; may all the spirits open the way. Once the matter has been reported, please close the Yellow Chamber, the inner room referred to in the ritual. Jade Maidens who serve the Purified Chamber, take care to close the spirit palace.

Evening Departure Spell:

On high in the darkness, the Eight Windows open and light appears. Please open the matter just reported; the Maiden makes the way clear and brings a response. Let transformation arise in accordance with the heart’s intent, and settle the Yellow Court, the inner palace within the body. When the matter is finished, let each return to its place and all the spirits be at peace.

Visualize the officials and Jade Maidens conveying the sincerity of the purification rite, then dispersing to their respective places. Next, leave the altar and go before the curtain of the Mysterious Master to pay your respects.

The officiant (zhao) offers incense, bows three times, kneels to present the report and give thanks, then rises after bowing three more times. The ritual supervisor monitors the proceedings and corrects any errors according to the prescribed rules.

Return to the Purified Chamber. The officiant offers incense and pays respects to the True Master. The assembled officials each return to their stations.