《道門科範大全集》Vol. 5

The fifth volume of the Daomen Kefan Daquanji (Comprehensive Collection of Daoist Liturgical Norms) records the "Ritual for Repentance and Healing of Illnesses" as revised by Master Guangcheng (Du Guangting) for noon ceremonies. This scripture details the complete procedure Daoist priests follow when performing midday healing rituals.

First, the priests ascend the altar according to established protocols. The dujiang (ritual director) leads the assembly in paying respects to the patriarchs while maintaining a state of focused meditation. The presiding high priest recites the "Weiling Zhou" (Guardian Spirit Incantation) — a protective mantra depicting sacred visions like cinnabar flames and crimson solar discs, which serves to exorcise malevolent forces and summon celestial generals. The incantation concludes by emphasizing union with the Dao.

Next, the dujiang strikes the ritual drum twenty-four times, symbolizing communion between heaven and earth. The high priest performs the "falu" (incense-offering) ceremony to invoke the deities. He first reverently recites the names of the highest Daoist divinities, including the "Three Qi (Breaths) of the Supreme Three Heavens — Mysterious, Primordial, and Beginning." Then he summons thirty-six guardian spirits from within his own body: merit officials, divine messengers, golden boys, and jade maidens, all arrayed in majestic attire to assist in delivering petitions.

The priest declares the purpose of the noon ceremony — to beseech the numinous Qi (energy) of the Supreme Daoist Patriarchs to descend, ensuring his prayers swiftly reach the celestial court. The dujiang guides the assembly in declaring their respective fowei (ritual ranks), indicating their levels of spiritual attainment. All participating priests then devoutly invite the highest Daoist deities in sequence: the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Supreme Lord of the Dao, the Jade Emperor, along with the Thirty-Six Celestial Rulers and the Four Directional Honored Gods to descend upon the altar.

This passage comprehensively demonstrates the core elements of Daoist calamity-averting rituals: purifying the altar and self-protection, offering incense to summon deities, and submitting petitions with sincere devotion. Through meticulous liturgy and sacred incantations, the priests construct a bridge between humans and the divine, beseeching healing for devotees.

This scripture describes the complete procedure of a Daoist purification ritual (Zhaijiao), divided into three main sections:

The first part involves the invocation of deities. The ritual masters reverently summon various Daoist divinities, including the Northern Dipper Star Lords, the Three Officials (Heavenly Official, Earthly Official, and Water Official), the Five Directional Thearchs, the Sixty Jiazi Destiny Star Lords from the celestial realms, as well as terrestrial immortals like the Eastern Peak High Minister True Lord of Life and the Western Extremity Sovereign True King, along with all realized beings dwelling in sacred mountains and grotto-heavens. The text emphasizes that although these deities reside in profound and distant realms, sincere prayers can make them responsive to human suffering.

Next comes the recitation of prayer petitions. The devotees, afflicted by illnesses caused by imbalances in the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and disharmony of the six climatic energies, establish this ritual arena with devout hearts. Following the "Three Origins" (Upper, Middle, and Lower Origin) liturgical framework of Daoism, they make nine formal appeals for divine descent. The masters guide participants through purification fasts and ablutions, modeling the ritual movements after cosmic patterns while making reverent prostrations to the celestial pantheon.

The final segment is the incense offering. During the noon audience ceremony, the masters light devotional incense, praying its fragrance may ascend to the heavenly court as an offering to the "Supreme Treasure of Ultimate Truth" (the highest reality). They dedicate the ritual merits to the nation and ancestral spirits, wishing the departed may be reborn in the Purple Mansion paradise to shine alongside the stars. Simultaneously, they seek blessings for the living - that the deities may bestow grace widely, ensuring imperial stability and universal prosperity for the people. The entire ceremony embodies the Daoist principle of "cosmic resonance between heaven and humanity," using meticulous liturgy (Keyi) to facilitate communication between mortals and the divine.

This scripture describes the liturgical procedures (Keyi) of the noon court ritual (Wuchao) in Daoist practice. Through incense burning and ceremonial prostrations, Daoist priests express their devotion to the Three Treasures of Daoism: the Dao (the Way), the Jing (scriptures), and the Shi (masters).

First, the priests light incense, offering its rising smoke to the supreme and perfect treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters. With utmost reverence (prostrating fully), they pray to the Three Pure Ones (Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun) and the sacred beings of the ten directions.

The prayers consist of three main parts: first, a wish for the emperor's reign to remain stable and the world to be at peace; second, blessings for the devotees (a specific household), hoping their deceased ancestors attain liberation while the living family members avoid calamities; and third, a plea for all relatives to receive divine favor, with departed souls finding tranquility in the underworld.

After each incense offering, the priests repeat the invocation: "Upon attaining the Dao, may they abide eternally, in harmony and union with the Dao," emphasizing the ultimate goal of merging with the Dao. The ritual concludes with the "Three Prostrations and Three Homages," demonstrating sincerity to the Three Pure Lords and other deities, beseeching them to bear witness to the devotion of this ceremony.

The entire ritual reflects Daoism's characteristic of connecting heaven and humanity through liturgy. It encompasses prayers for both the state and society, as well as blessings for individual devotees and their families, embodying the religion's compassionate mission to aid the world and deliver beings.

This scripture describes the complete procedure of a Daoist Huanglu Zhaijiao (a major ritual for redeeming the deceased and dispelling misfortunes). It begins by invoking the sacred ceremony through the "Eight Books of Universal Transformation" (fundamental Daoist texts) and the "Three Caverns True Scriptures" (the highest Daoist classics), preparing to perform rites for the salvation of departed souls.

The participating devotees (referred to as "disciple so-and-so") engage in self-reflection: having lived in the mundane world, their words and deeds often stray from the right path, with unrepented sins from past lives and deep-seated faults caused by the six emotions (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) and three karmic actions (body, speech, and thought). These have led to present afflictions of illness and misfortune, bringing physical discomfort. Thus, they sincerely establish an altar (a sacred space for Daoist rituals), prepare incense and candles, and construct the Eight Scenes Altar (a ritual platform symbolizing the eight directions of the cosmos) according to immortal standards, confessing their wrongdoings and seeking blessings from the deities of the Jade Pure Realm (the highest Daoist celestial abode).

The prayers include: beseeching the Longevity Director (the deity governing lifespan) to open the Danlu (immortal register of life) and extend their years; imploring the Calamity-Dispelling Deity to bestow blessings through sacred purple texts; stabilizing the deities of the five viscera (Daoism holds that each organ houses its own spirit); harmonizing the Qi flow in the three Dantian (upper, middle, and lower energy centers); requesting the Northern and Southern Dipper Lords (deities overseeing life and death) to increase fortune and erase records of death; and asking the Queen Mother of the West (supreme female immortal) to inscribe their names. They also pray for physical health, elimination of disasters, freedom from haunting spirits, harmonious relationships, safety during their birth year, and the attainment of divine elixirs for swift recovery.

Finally, the ritual's merits are dedicated to: safeguarding the nation's prosperity, peace at the borders, cessation of war, and absence of plagues; redeeming all souls suffering in hell; securing the protection of dragon deities for local tranquility; and ensuring all beings are bathed in the grace of the Dao. As the ceremony concludes, the high priest (chief ritual master) performs the "Returning to the Brazier" rite (closing segment), praying that golden elixirs, jade-like medicines, and miraculous herbs may spontaneously manifest from the incense smoke, and that deities from all ten directions may gather here. The entire ceremony comprises twelve prayer segments, with the cantor (ritual chanting priest) presiding over spirit-visualization (Shen-cun) and incense-offering rituals.

This passage depicts a scene from Daoist Zhaijiao (purification rituals). Immortal youths and jade maidens (celestial attendants serving the deities in Daoism) hold incense burners, their fragrant smoke carrying the devotees' sincere prayers upward.

These supplications swiftly ascend to the supreme source of the Dao, reaching the divine presence of the Sanqing (Three Pure Ones—Jade Pure, Upper Pure, and Supreme Pure, the highest Daoist deities) and the Jade Emperor (the supreme ruler of the Three Realms and Ten Directions in Daoist cosmology).

During the ritual, the zhiqing (the Daoist priest in charge of striking the qing chime) raises the ritual instrument, leading the congregation in chanting the Buxuci (hymns of pacing the void, sacred poetry used in Daoist ceremonies). The procession moves from the main hall, guiding participants to the Liumu Hall (a designated space within Daoist temples for specific rites). This text comes from the fifth volume of the Daomen Kefan Daquanji (Comprehensive Collection of Daoist Liturgical Norms), documenting the standard procedures of grand Daoist Zhaijiao ceremonies.