《道門科範大全集》Vol. 11

This is the complete liturgical procedure of the Lingbao Taiyi Rain-Praying Rite from Daoist tradition, compiled and edited by the renowned Tang dynasty Daoist priest Du Guangting (Daoist name: Master Guangcheng). The entire rain-praying ritual consists of the following core components:

First, the ceremonial altar (a Daoist sacrificial space) is established according to specifications, where the ritual officially commences with the ascension to the altar. The dujiang (ritual director) guides participants in paying respects to the founding masters while maintaining a reverent state of mind. The gaogong (chief ritual master) recites the Weiling Zhou (Guardian Spirit Incantation), which summons the powers of the five directional stars: Mercury dispels calamities, Jupiter (the Wood Virtue) brings vitality, Mars (Yinghuo) eliminates disasters, Venus (Taibai) averts warfare, and Saturn (Zhenxing) stabilizes the nation. These stellar deities are all recorded in the celestial jade registers and can command wind and clouds while traversing the ten directions.

Next, the dujiang strikes the ritual drum twenty-four times (in Daoism, twenty-four corresponds to celestial cycles), while the gaogong performs the falu (incense-offering) ceremony—a crucial Daoist ritual that reports the proceedings to the Sanqing (Three Pure Ones: Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun) through incense burning. The ritual master summons internal guardian deities: the sangong gongcao (three-five merit officers), left and right official messengers, golden boys and jade maidens—thirty-six of each—who don solemn attire to assist in communicating between heaven and earth.

The purpose of the rain prayer is presented via qingci (special Daoist petitions): detailing how a certain region has suffered prolonged drought since spring (in summer versions, this becomes "scorching summer drought," while autumn versions cite "autumn dryness"). A twelve-tiered Taiyi rain-praying altar is specially erected to beseech the Great Unity Celestial Emperor (an important Daoist deity residing in the Purple Tenuity Jasper Palace) to send merciful rains to relieve the people.

Finally, the gaogong presents the falu (Daoist ordination credentials) to verify their authority, once more summoning the internal five-body true officials, merit officers, and other guardian deities to assist in delivering the memorial. Through this rigorous liturgical procedure, the ritual mobilizes the powers of celestial, terrestrial, and aquatic deities, embodying the Daoist cosmological principle of "resonance between heaven and humanity."

This is a Daoist memorial document used in the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) where the ritual master petitions the celestial deities. The master leads a ceremonial procession in orderly formation, flanked by protective spirits on all sides: to the left stands the Yang Spirit Judge (divine official overseeing worldly affairs), to the right the Yin Spirit Judge (supervising underworld matters), with divine generals like the Wolf Officer and Tiger Guard responsible for rectifying misconduct. Celestial cavalry, armored soldiers, and mighty warriors of heaven all heed the incantations recited by the master.

After reporting to the local Earth God and the cyclical deities of the sexagenary cycle, the master formally addresses the Supreme Great Celestial Emperor (one of Daoism's highest deities) in the Purple Tenuity Jasper Palace of Shangqing (one of the supreme heavenly realms), along with other potent spirits governing Yin-Yang. The master declares his lifelong devotion to the true Dao, presenting this petition with utmost sincerity. Due to abnormal weather patterns causing prolonged drought and widespread distress among the people, he has established this solemn ritual altar with pure offerings, praying for divine response.

Now that the dignified Keyi (liturgy) has been completed and fragrant sacrificial offerings remain displayed, the master trusts the deities will descend to bear witness. He implores the various divine messengers like the Merit Officers and Flying Dragon Riders to swiftly convey this sincerity to the celestial court. With profound reverence and trepidation, the master kowtows to present this memorial.

The Dujiang (ritual director) then announces the commencement of the "Declaration of Ritual Status" phase. The chief officiant and all participating ritual officers jointly petition not only the Supreme Great Celestial Emperor, but also numerous deities including: the Immortal Dragon Kings flanking the Jasper Palace, the True Official of Supreme Unity Heavenly Compliance Lord, the Supreme Unity Pure Numinous Treasure River Perfected Being, the Benevolent and Sagely Emperor of Eastern Peak, the Luminous and Responsive Majestic King of Broad Origins from the River Duchies, as well as the Inner Court Duty Messengers, Daily Duty Merit Officers, and local Earth Gods.

The master declares: "The transformative powers of Heaven and Earth embody supreme benevolence, nurturing all creation to flourish. When common people suffer and cry out to heaven, they ultimately seek celestial response. Now we gaze toward the Purple Tenuity Northern Dipper Enclosure and trace our devotion to the Jasper Shangqing sacred realm. With utmost mortal sincerity, we pray for abundant rainfall. We implore your sacred compassion to heed our plea for timely salvation, forgiving our audacity in troubling your divine ears. May you descend upon your precious throne to witness our heartfelt devotion. We prostrate ourselves reverently beneath the celestial steps, awaiting your immortal arrival." All present are filled with awe at the prospect of beholding the sacred countenance, offering repeated kowtows in worship.

(Translation of a Daoist rain prayer liturgy from zhaijiao rituals, where the priest petitions deities as a subject. Modern vernacular interpretation follows:)

We, the officiating priests conducting this ritual, present this memorial with utmost sincerity to the Celestial Emperor of Great Unity (Taiyi, a supreme Daoist deity) residing in the Purple Tenuity Jade Palace, along with all exalted immortals: Though heaven and earth nurture all things with impartiality, the workings of yin-yang through the four seasons may occasionally deviate. Witnessing the toil of farmers during this prolonged drought, with crops withering and granaries facing emptiness, how can we not despair? Poverty breeds banditry; displaced families may see parents and children separated. Are these signs of disrupted yin-yang evidence of heaven's cruelty? Perhaps flawed governance and errant officials share the blame. Humbly examining our faults yet still hoping for divine mercy.

We implore the Celestial Emperor's discernment and the descent of true deities. May the Six Ding Divine Generators (Daoist guardian spirits) mobilize the celestial river's waters, joining the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to send life-giving rain, alleviating the people's suffering. Our entire assembly bows reverently, offering incense and the first ceremonial wine while playing the Jade Clarity immortal music (Daoist ritual music).

In ancient times, loyal ministers kneeling at wells could summon springs, and filial sons' mourning brought courtyard dew. If such sincerity could move the divine, how much more when multitudes suffer? The numinous response echoes swiftly—how dare we lack reverence? May boundless virtue restore ancient abundance where "three years' farming yielded nine years' stores," and renew the harmony of "rain every five days, wind every ten." All petitions shall be truthfully conveyed as we now read the green-paper prayer (qingci memorial).

(After recitation, additional supplication continues:) Though fearing to trouble celestial ears, we recall how clouds and rain follow creation's unpredictability—droughts and floods being no fixed destiny. While heaven's will cannot be forced, perfect sincerity moves cosmos. Grain sustains life's foundation; yin-yang shifts mirror human affairs. Drought warns of governance misalignment, urging fearful self-reflection and wholehearted prayer.

May crimson sincerity reach the divine. The Celestial Emperor's virtue nurtures all things—we beg compassion for the destitute, shelter for widows and orphans. Harmonize yin-yang for timely winds and rains; expel the drought demon (hanba) and bring abundant harvests. Full granaries foster ritual propriety; quelled banditry enables moral transformation. We seek not merely immediate relief but enduring peace. Our assembly bows again, offering incense.

This scripture records the complete procedure of a Daoist rain-praying ritual (Zhaijiao), a religious ceremony to beseech rainfall. With utmost reverence, the presiding Daoist priests petitioned Taiyi the Great Celestial Emperor (a supreme Daoist deity governing natural order) and other immortals.

The ceremony began with priests performing solemn bows, offering incense and fine wine while playing the sacred Shangqing celestial music. They reported to the deities: the mortal realm suffered severe drought—cracked earth stretched for miles, farmers were helpless, and local deities couldn't alleviate the disaster. Thus this ritual was specially conducted to implore Taiyi's divine power for merciful rain.

Vivid metaphors depicted the drought: crops withered as if scorched by fire, farmers filled with anxiety. The priests entreated the deities to temper their majesty with compassion, showering timely rain like during the Yellow Emperor's era (referred to as "great-grandson" in the text), ensuring abundant harvests. The ceremony involved repeated bowing, incense offerings, wine libations, and performances of Taiqing celestial music.

Finally, the priests read the memorial (a formal petition to deities), citing the proverb "Mount Tai rejects no clod of earth; the vast sea refuses no tiny stream" to emphasize their sincere devotion despite humble offerings. Following the principle "ritual values sincerity over extravagance," they concluded with repeated prostrations to respectfully send the deities back to heaven.

This passage comprehensively presents the standardized rain-praying liturgy in Daoist Zhaijiao rituals, embodying the Daoist cosmology of "heaven-human resonance" and the religious spirit of "moving heaven with sincerity."

With utmost reverence, the ritual officials and I bowed deeply to the divine beings, offering fragrant water as tribute. As the bell-master chanted the hymn for sending off the deities, all participants maintained focused awareness while burning incense in prayer.

The chief ritual master (Gaogong) completed the final furnace rites, praying that the Incense Official Messengers, the Dragon-Tiger Lords flanking the altar, and the Serving Incense Numinous Officials might manifest auspicious signs of Golden Liquid and Cinnabar Azure (symbolic alchemical substances in Daoist practice) within the sacred space. May all celestial beings and perfected immortals gather before this incense brazier, beseeching heavenly blessings to shower grace upon the entire region.

The jade maidens and immortal youths from the Ten Directions will receive the incense smoke, swiftly conveying our memorial petitions to the throne of the Great Emperor of Supreme Unity in the Purple Tenuity Jasper Palace (a celestial realm in Daoist cosmology). At this moment, we invoked the sacred title "Heavenly Worthy of Perfect Jeweled Blossoms" while burning spirit money to complete the wealth-transformation ceremony.

Finally, we dedicated the merit to these divine beings: the Perfected Being of Supreme Unity's Clear Numinous Treasure River, the Heavenly Accord Lord of Supreme Unity's True Officials, the Left and Right Immortal Dragon Kings within the Purple Tenuity Jasper Palace's inner court, the Benevolent Sage Emperor of Eastern Peak Heavenly Balance (the sacred mountain deity of Taishan), and the Vast Source King of River Deities. Note: When performing this ritual in southern regions, the River Deity may be replaced with the Southern Peak deity; in other areas, the River Deity remains as the recipient of offerings.