《道門科範大全集》Vol. 27

This is a liturgical text from the Daoist Grand Rite for Praying for Offspring (Qisi Dajiao), a religious ceremony primarily conducted to beseech for descendants. The ritual is performed at midday, with Daoist priests following a fixed sequence of procedures as they ascend the altar to perform the rites.

First, the participating priests reverently pay homage to their lineage masters, maintaining focused intention throughout. They then recite the "Guardian Spirit Incantation" (Weiling Zhou), a powerful mantra describing imagery such as the vermilion flames in the alchemical furnace and the revolving crimson wheel—symbols representing the power to dispel malevolent forces and summon divine beings. The incantation mentions how golden talismans (Fulu) can summon celestial dragons, and how the descent of deities brings peace to the four directions.

Next, the ritual drum is sounded twenty-four times, a common element in Daoist ceremonies symbolizing the gathering of divine spirits. This is followed by the invocation of various Daoist deities, including the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing: Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun), the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Shangdi), the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity (Ziwei Dadi), the Earth Queen (Houtu Huangdiqi), as well as thunder deities such as the Universal Transformation Heavenly Worthy of Thunder (Leisheng Puhua Tianzun). These deities are all associated with fertility and life.

The priests refer to themselves as "your servant" (chen), showing reverence to the deities, and pray for the descent of the Supreme Dao's Qi (Taishang Daoqi) into their bodies, enabling their petitions to swiftly reach the celestial court. The ritual specifically invokes the "Blue Mystery God of Birth from the Eastern Extremity" (Dongji Zhusheng Qingxuan Shangdi), the deity presiding over fertility. The entire ceremony is solemn and dignified, employing incense burning, mantra recitation, and deity invocations to beseech heaven for the gift of offspring.

This scripture demonstrates the meticulous liturgical procedures in Daoist rituals, from preparation to deity invocation, all strictly prescribed. It reflects Daoism's emphasis on fertility issues and its unique religious approach to resolving them.

This scripture enumerates the numerous deities and perfected immortals within the Daoist cosmological system, primarily including:

At the highest celestial level are the Thirty-Two Heavenly Sovereigns, the Five Directional Sovereigns (Wulao Shangdi), the Eastern Florescence Lord of Wood (Dongwang Gong, leader of male immortals), and the Western Numinous Golden Mother (Xiwang Mu, leader of female immortals). Next are the deities of sun, moon and stars: the Solar Palace Emperor of the Great Yang, the Lunar Mansion Empress of the Great Yin, the Five Virtue Star Lords (representing stellar deities of the Five Phases), the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions Star Lords, the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper Perfected Lords, and the Six Offices of the Southern Dipper Perfected Lords.

The text also mentions deities governing various functions: the Supreme Unity Perfected Lord (one of the highest deities), the Three Officials Great Emperors (Heavenly, Earthly and Water Officials), the Thunder Ministry deities of the thunder system, the Nine Heavens Life-Granting Perfected Lord who oversees childbirth, and the Zitong Emperor in charge of official positions. Additionally, it includes deities of mountains, rivers and water palaces (Five Peaks Great Emperors, Dragon Kings of the Four Seas), the underworld ruler (Fengdu Great Emperor), and local protector deities (City Gods and Earth Gods).

The latter part recounts ancient stories about praying for offspring: Legendary rulers like Emperor Yao obtained numerous descendants through devout sacrifices, Confucius' parents prayed at Niqiu Mountain to conceive him, and the births of virtuous Zhou dynasty ministers Shen Bo and Fu Hou were all connected with divine responses. These examples demonstrate that since ancient times, people have believed procreation is intimately connected with cosmic creation, requiring sincere prayer to receive divine blessings.

The text particularly emphasizes how the Dao of Heaven secretly aids virtuous people—though invisible, it resonates with all beings. Ordinary people should concentrate their minds in praying to deities, just as ancient sages obtained descendants through pious worship. These accounts prove that procreation pertains to the principles of cosmic creation, beyond what human effort alone can achieve.

The Daoist priest presiding over the zhaijiao (purification ritual) spoke with reverent trepidation: "I am acutely aware of my shallow virtue and heavy karmic burdens, having pursued worldly gains that bred resentment and strayed from the benevolent path of Dao. Having now offended heaven's will, I fear being unable to bear the consequences. Should the ancestral bloodline be severed—who would perform the rites if our clan perishes? I dread sudden death, ashamed to face our forebears in the underworld."

He described himself clinging to life like a guttering candle in the wind, advanced in years yet trapped in dire straits like a hungry ghost begging for survival. These thoughts made him tremble with fear, compounded by concerns about underworld litigation. Thus he solemnly prepared this sacred ritual space, offering precious sacrifices to seek deliverance.

The priests declared their adherence to the golden precepts (Daoist commandments) and cultivation through precious registers (esoteric scriptures), regularly reciting the Scripture for Monitoring Births to pray for offspring. Having studied the path of immortal transformation recorded in the Supreme Grade Scripture, they now sought to convey these sincere petitions to the celestial court.

The formal invocation began: "The ancients taught 'among unfilial acts, leaving no heir is gravest,' for the Dao of life springs from cosmic creation." They erected a three-tiered jade altar to welcome descending immortals, arranged the ritual space with the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams formation, and lit lamps symbolizing the Five Dipper constellations. By burning vermilion-inscribed petitions (Daoist documents), they hoped the assembled immortals' power would grant abundant progeny.

At the noon ritual hour, the assembly offered incense with this prayer: "May this smoke rise straight to the nine heavens as offering to the Celestial Worthy of the Supreme Dao in all directions." Prostrating fully, they dedicated the merit of this incense: "For the emperor—may celestial patterns align orderly, the nation prosper, and calamities disperse. May imperial descendants multiply like fertile katydids, the royal concubines flourish as plantain herbs." Final incense was lit to reaffirm their devotion to the heavenly Dao.

This scripture describes the complete procedure for the Taoist noon ritual (a religious ceremony performed at midday), with its core focus on offering incense to various deities and seeking their blessings. During the ceremony, Taoist priests demonstrate devotion through three incense kneading gestures (the act of pinching powdered incense with fingers):

During the first incense offering, participants pray for the fragrant smoke to ascend to the celestial realm as an offering to the Ten Directions' Supreme Scripture Treasure Celestial Lords (sacred embodiments of Taoist scriptures). Prostrating fully with "five limbs to the ground," they hope the merit from this incense offering will liberate devotees' ancestors across nine generations, delivering departed souls from the Ninefold Nether Darkness (the Taoist concept of the lowest hell realms) to be purified in the Vermilion Mansion of Flames (a sacred realm for refining souls), ultimately ascending to immortal realms. Simultaneously, they pray for living family members to be freed from calamities and enjoy enduring blessings.

The second incense offering is presented to the Ten Directions' Supreme Teacher Treasure Celestial Lords (sacred embodiments of Taoist lineage transmission). Here, the focus shifts to blessings for the living—may their spirits be purified, absorbing the Yin-Yang Qi of heaven and earth to circulate through all hundred meridians (a Taoist cultivation term describing energy flow within the body), achieving the state of "Eight Luminosities Mystically Merged" (a state of perfect harmony between body-mind and nature). Special prayers are made for children's healthy growth, adults' successful endeavors, and the extension of blessings to all beings.

After the third incense offering, participants chant repentance texts (confessional scriptures), formally invoking the deities three times with threefold prostrations. The ceremony culminates in solemn petitions to supreme deities including: the Jade Emperor who governs the celestial realm, the Purple Tenuity Emperor who commands the stars, the Earth Queen Hou Tu Huang Di Qi (Taoist earth mother goddess), and the Divine Empyrean True King who presides over longevity. Through this rigorous ritual sequence, practitioners realize the ultimate pursuit of "uniting with Dao in truth" (complete merging with the supreme Dao).

All celestial deities between Heaven and Earth, I have heard that in this vast cosmos where all things take form, the mysteries of creation for every living being remain unfathomable. Though the world distinguishes between "being" and "non-being," all remains enveloped in primordial chaos. Only the two vital energies of water and fire nurture the ceaseless power of life. Every creature born into this world owes its existence to the creative transformations of the immortal realms.

Where the six stars of the Southern Dipper (key constellations in Daoism) reside lies the heart of the Taiwei Enclosure (celestial administrative district), governing the two pivotal departments of Celestial Pivot and Celestial Mechanism. Here, the venerable deities—the Director of Fate and the Keeper of Records (gods overseeing lifespan and merit)—preside: the Great Lord of Longevity (deity of immortality) intervenes to prolong life and increase blessings, while Marshal Han (deity governing life and death) documents merits and faults during resurrections. This place manifests the hierarchy of all beings and is called the "Upper Palace of Southern Prosperity," capable of liberating souls from the Three Wretched Paths (hell, hungry ghosts, and beasts) to be purified in the Crimson Mansion of Fire (realm of refinement). To transcend the underworld's tribulations, one must first bathe in the Celestial Pool, listen to the Hidden Words of the Eight Heavens (celestial secrets), receive the Three Caverns' (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) soaring mysterious Qi (sublime energies from the Three Pure Realms), and undergo refinement through Jade Eyes (ocular cultivation) and purification through Golden Blossoms (bodily cleansing) before returning to the human world reborn.

All human sins and merits ascend to the celestial court, where deities record them in vermilion ink with absolute fairness—distinguishing good from evil and classifying them by degree. Those who perfect eight hundred virtuous deeds attain the Dao and achieve immortality, while those who commit three thousand offenses must atone through meritorious acts. The Three Officials (Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials) inscribe these records under the constant supervision of myriad sages, day and night, with flawless order. Only the supreme merit of the Cinnabar Heaven (immortal realm) can offer universal protection. For all beings liberated through the Dao's grace, their past three lifetimes' karmic causes are traced to determine their present fate.

The Jade Register (celestial archives) examines the auspicious signs of one's birth month, while the Auspicious Clouds open the gates of transformation, granting cultivated souls new life. Some are reborn into impoverished families, others into households of accumulated virtue—all meticulously calculated and rigorously selected. Parents and children becoming family results from the convergence of virtuous affinities across lifetimes. Nourished by the Nine Qi (essences of Heaven and Earth) and shaped by the dual forces of Yin-Yang, the Divine Emperor (sovereign deity) decrees destiny, and the Holy Mother (creator goddesses like Nüwa) establishes cosmic order. The Dao bestows one's countenance, Heaven grants physical form, Yang generates the Hun (ethereal soul), and Yin coalesces the Po (corporeal soul). Limbs and bones take shape under the protection of the Six Jia and Three Origins (spatiotemporal deities), while ten thousand harmonizations occur over ten lunar months and nine cycles (possibly trimesters) of gestation—until rebirth is perfected under the witness of the Nine Heavens (highest celestial realm).

This liturgy (Daoist ritual protocol) describes a zhaijiao purification ceremony for praying for prosperous offspring. The ritual master first expresses concern over the family's decline, hoping to communicate with the deities through physical and spiritual purification to obtain blessings of fertility.

The ceremony specifically invokes the Nine Heavens Holy Mother (goddess governing childbirth) to descend upon clouds, with the Eight Directional Fetal Deities (divinities overseeing embryonic development) each leading their retinues to infuse the petitioner's Mingmen (Gate of Life) with primordial Qi. At the auspicious hour, deities from the Three Realms are entreated to assemble their protective powers, ensuring the fetus' complete physical and spiritual formation while the family receives celestial blessings.

Through twelve formal petitions, the master prays: first for incense smoke to ascend to the upper realms, cleansing past transgressions; second for ancestors to resolve karmic debts and swiftly ascend to immortal realms; third for the fetus to establish firm foundations while the family attains benevolent longevity. Finally, immortal youths and jade maidens are respectfully summoned to convey these petitions directly before the Jade Emperor (one of Daoism's supreme deities).

The ritual incorporates standard sequences including furnace closure (concluding the altar) and hall departure hymns. The entire process emphasizes how bodily-spiritual purification and sincere prayer secure divine protection for family lineage. This liturgy typically demonstrates Daoism's integration of fertility beliefs with cultivation theory, maintaining that fetal formation requires both parental Jing-blood and the infusion of primordial Qi.