《道門科範大全集》Vol. 29

This is a liturgical text from a Daoist "Grand Rite for Praying for Offspring" (Qisi Dajiao), a major purification ritual for seeking progeny. As the ceremony begins, the ritual masters ascend the altar platform according to prescribed protocols, silently recalling the teachings of their patriarchs.

The master first recites the "Guardian Spirit Incantation" (Weiling Zhou), which summons the power of the Five Planets (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water): Mercury dispels calamities, Jupiter brings prosperity; Mars (Yinghuo) eliminates disasters, Venus (Taibai) wards off military conflicts, and Saturn (Zhenxing) stabilizes the four directions, safeguarding both households and the nation. The master's name is recorded on the celestial jade registers, granting passage between heavenly realms. Riding wind and clouds, they traverse the ten directions, commanding five-colored auspicious clouds to summon deities and dispatch countless divine beings to protect the immortal truths.

The master then strikes the ritual drum twenty-four times, symbolizing communication between heaven and earth. This is followed by reverent invitations to the highest Daoist deities—the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing: Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun)—alongside the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi) and other celestial beings. The master declares their sacerdotal identity, joining all participating officials in devout supplication.

The text enumerates key Daoist divinities: the Jade Emperor who governs all heavens, the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity (Ziwei Dadi) who commands the constellations, the Earthly Sovereign Houtu Huangdiqi who rules the land, and the Universal Transformation Heavenly Worthy of Thunderclaps (Leisheng Puhua Tianzun) who oversees thunder phenomena. Each deity presides over distinct domains, and the master respectfully invites them all to descend upon the altar and receive offerings.

Through meticulous liturgical procedures, the ceremony harnesses divine power to pray for progeny and national peace. The master maintains bodily and mental purity throughout, employing visualization techniques (cunxiang), incantation recitation, and incense offerings to commune with the divine.

This scripture passage describes the liturgical prayers used in major Daoist zhaijiao (purification rituals) when making supplications to various deities. It enumerates the important pantheons within Daoist belief systems:

Foremost are the highest-ranking Thirty-Two Heavenly Sovereigns and the Five Directional Sovereigns (Wulao Shangdi), including principal deities like the Eastern Florescence Wood Lord (Donghua Mugong, or Dongwanggong) and the Western Numinous Metal Mother (Xiling Jinmu, or Xiwangmu). Next are the deities of sun, moon, and stars, such as the Solar Emperor Lord (Taiyang Dijun), Lunar Empress (Taiyin Huangjun), the Five Virtue Star Lords (Wude Xingjun), Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, and the Big Dipper and Southern Dipper Star Lords. Also included are deities governing human destiny like the Ninth Heaven Director of Honors Zitong Emperor (Wenchang Dijun) and the childbirth deity Ninth Heaven Defender of the Womb Primordial Mother (Jiutian Weifang Shengmu Yuanjun).

The "Three Primes and Three Officials Great Emperors" (Sanyuan Sanguan Dadi) refer to the Heaven Official, Earth Official, and Water Official who govern human fortunes and misfortunes. The "Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor" (Beiyin Fengdu Dadi) presides over the Daoist underworld, while the "Fusang Danlin Great Emperor" is a revered deity of the eastern celestial realm. The text also mentions the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, mountain and river deities, as well as local tutelary gods like City Gods (Chenghuang) and Earth Gods (Tudi).

During the ritual, the presiding priest (self-referenced as "your servant") prepares an altar of jade platforms (qiongxi yaotan) to reverently welcome the deities' descent upon cloud chariots and wind steeds (yunche fengma). Through offerings of ritual foods (pin fan zhi jian), incense burning, and flower scattering ceremonies, they beseech divine blessings upon humanity—praying for familial prosperity (bao chonglü er xi qing) and universal grace upon all creation (pu fu kanyu).

The concluding phrase "first flower scattering at the descent of the sacred" marks the ritual's sacrificial phase, where priests present floral offerings to express devout reverence toward the sacred powers. The entire passage manifests the Daoist belief in "cosmic resonance between heaven and humanity" (tianren ganying), demonstrating the religious practice of divine-human communication through solemn ceremonial observance.

This scripture describes the complete procedure of a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual), primarily praying for divine blessings upon the imperial lineage's prosperity and national stability. The ceremony invokes multiple supreme deities of Daoism:

The ritual begins by paying homage to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) - Yuanshi Tianzun (Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning), Lingbao Tianzun (Celestial Venerable of Numinous Treasure), and Daode Tianzun (Celestial Venerable of Dao and Virtue) - along with the Jade Emperor. The text explains that while the Dao is profoundly mysterious, its true spiritual presence permeates heaven and earth. Since cosmic inception, the orderly movements of sun, moon and stars have jointly safeguarded all living beings.

The presiding ritual master (jiaoguan) expresses concern over the imperial family's lack of heirs, recognizing that life is not personal property but a gift bestowed through the harmonious union of heaven-earth Yin-Yang. Selecting an auspicious date for this ceremony, they prepare incense, candles and ritual offerings, sincerely inviting immortal beings to descend. The prayer seeks protection from the Six Jia deities (Daoist guardian generals) and the Three Officials (heaven, earth and water deities) for safe childbirth, with myriad spirits collectively supporting the continuity of life.

Subsequent invocations emphasize humanity's privileged status among all creatures and the vital importance of lineage continuation. Specific petitions include: the empress bearing royal heirs, the crown prince's position being secured, and the imperial genealogy flourishing. The ceremony further prays for harmonious ruler-minister relations, peace across the realm, cultural prosperity, and benevolent influence extending throughout the world. Final blessings extend to all ritual participants and their descendants.

The liturgy incorporates multiple ritual segments: incense offering, wine libation (secondary offering), flower scattering, and others. The text references cosmic operational principles: the Three Luminaries (sun, moon, stars) illuminating the cosmos, the Northern Dipper governing all spirits, the cyclical interactions of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and seasonal transitions. Eleven Celestial Luminaries (sun, moon and nine planets) influence human fortunes, while Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (four times seven constellations) govern lifespan determinations.

This passage vividly portrays the solemnity of imperial blessing ceremonies in Daoism, integrating its cosmological vision, pantheon beliefs and cultivation philosophy. Through specialized rituals, it establishes heaven-human communication to beseech national prosperity and lineage continuity.

This Daoist liturgical scripture is a prayer text recited by priests during zhaijiao (purification rituals) when making supplications to the deities. The main content consists of two parts:

The first part petitions for the harmonious operation of heaven and earth. The text expresses wishes for the "Taijie" (celestial phenomena) to remain stable, for winds and rains to be properly balanced, for the movement of Mars to follow its ordained course, for the solar year of 365 and a quarter days to maintain perfect accuracy, and for all 11,520 stars to move in accordance with their appointed times. Through these precise astronomical and calendrical references, it conveys prayers for cosmic harmony. The section concludes with a request that this sincere devotion be conveyed to the "Southern Palace" (in Daoist cosmology, the southern fire realm governing human lifespan), hoping the family may inherit virtuous traditions and receive divine revelation.

The second part focuses on blessings for the human realm. It begins by praising the marvelous creative power of mountains and rivers, noting how different regions produce outstanding talents (such as virtuous scholars from Ruying or literary geniuses from Bashu) due to their auspicious geomancy. Then it makes specific petitions for the jiaoguan (ritual officiants): relief from illness and suffering, flourishing descendants, avoidance of legal disputes, and protection from negative influences caused by construction projects. The prayer asks the Yangtze and Han rivers to manifest their spiritual power, for mountains and marshes to circulate qi harmoniously, and for deities to perceive sincerity as subtle as an ant's devotion while accepting humble offerings. Finally, it seeks tranquility across the four seas, stability of the earth, blessings for both yin and yang realms, forgiveness of transgressions, prosperity for future generations, flourishing of family rituals and music, and harmony among the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind).

The frequent use of "chen" (your subject) represents the priest's humble self-reference before deities. "Buxu" refers to the celestial music chanted during rituals, while "sanhua" denotes the flower-offering ceremony. These elements demonstrate how Daoist rituals employ cosmological principles—including celestial patterns, geomancy, and yin-yang theory—to seek earthly blessings.

This passage describes the Daoist ritual protocol for respectfully sending off deities at the conclusion of a zhaijiao (Daoist purification ceremony). It first enumerates the highest Daoist deities: the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) of the Jade Pure realm, the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Tianzun) of the Upper Pure realm, and the Celestial Worthy of Dao and De (Daode Tianzun, also known as Lord Lao) of the Great Pure realm—collectively known as the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)—along with the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Shangdi) and other deities of the Three Realms (heaven, earth, and water).

The presiding Daoist priest (referring to himself humbly as "your servant") expresses contrition: though he has prepared the six daily offerings (liushi zhaigong) and ritual provisions of clear water (xuanjiu) and meat broth (dàgēng), and completed the threefold offering ceremony (sanxian), his mortal form may have inadvertently defiled the sacred. He confesses his imperfect Daoist practice, frequent lapses in discipline, and ritual improprieties, earnestly seeking the deities' forgiveness.

He then prays for the celestial beings (gaozhen) to return to their jade palaces and the earthly saints (zhongsheng) to their divine stations. He implores blessings to dispel calamities, restore cosmic harmony, and sustain the vital Qi of life. The priests gaze intently at the departing divine processions, their minds attuned to the void, lamenting their mortal inability to retain these sacred presences.

The concluding "returning to the incense burner" (fulu) segment summons the incense officials, the Dragon-Tiger Guardians (Longhu Jun), and attendant spirit officers, praying that golden elixir (jinye) and divine fungi (danbi zhiying) might spontaneously manifest at the ritual site. May the assembled deities gather before this sacred burner, and may celestial maidens swiftly convey the priests' devotion through the incense smoke to the supreme Jade Emperor and other exalted beings.

The entire text exemplifies the reverent send-off protocol in Daoist liturgy, encompassing confession, supplication, and divine farewell—embodying the core Daoist principle of "sincere reverence to commune with the divine."