《道門科範大全集》Vol. 52

This is a liturgical text for the Evening Court ritual in Daoist practice, documenting the joint ceremonial procedures for the Northern and Southern Dippers compiled by Du Guangting (Daoist name: Master Guangcheng). Before the ritual begins, the Daoist priests must ascend the altar platform according to prescribed protocols, silently recalling their masters' teachings while maintaining a state of devout concentration.

The ceremony commences with the recitation of the "Guardian Spirit Incantation" (Weiling Zhou), a protective mantra invoking divine blessings. The incantation depicts a scene where the Five Stars shine brightly as auspicious Qi flows freely. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, the supreme deity in Daoism) summons all divine beings, creating harmony between heaven and earth. Through ritual implements like jade talismans and precious registers, malevolent forces lurking in darkness are subdued, causing myriad demons to disperse while the righteous Qi permeates all directions. Divine light dispels darkness as ten thousand deities descend to the mortal realm, allowing all beings to receive the grace of the Dao's teachings.

The ritual master then strikes the ceremonial drum twenty-four times, symbolizing communication with the divine. This is followed by the invocation of thirty-six guardian spirits residing within the practitioner's body (including merit officials, messenger deities, golden boys and jade maidens). These properly attired and dignified spirits assist the master in activating the altar and announcing the forthcoming ceremony to local deities like the Earth God.

With utmost piety, the master prays for the authentic Qi of the Ten Directions' Great Dao to descend, enabling his petitions to swiftly reach the celestial court and directly approach the Jade Emperor (Yu Huang Shangdi, the supreme celestial ruler). The formal invitation then extends to various honored deities: the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) including Yuanshi Tianzun and the Supreme Venerable Sovereign (Taishang Laojun), the Jade Emperor, the Nine Heavens' venerable deities, along with numerous stellar deities such as the Northern Dipper Lords (Beidou Xingjun), Southern Dipper Lords (Nandou Xingjun), and Destiny Star Lords (Benming Xingjun). Also invoked are all immortals residing in grotto-heavens, blessed lands, and throughout the three realms.

This scripture fully presents the sacred tableau of a Daoist Evening Court ritual. Through meticulous ceremonial procedures and devout prayers, it facilitates communication between humans and deities while seeking divine protection for all beings. The ritual incorporates distinctive Daoist elements like stellar veneration and the concept of body deities, embodying the Daoist cultivation principle of "harmony between heaven and humanity" (Tianren Heyi).

This scripture describes the complete procedure of a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual). The Great Emperor of the Purple Tenuity (a revered Daoist deity governing celestial bodies) and other exalted immortals oversee all creation and observe human virtues and transgressions. The presiding Daoist priest establishes an altar according to Keyi (liturgical protocols) for a household, preparing the ceremonial space to sincerely invoke divine presence.

The ritual begins with the priest presenting the purpose to the deities: on this auspicious day, encountering the celestial liturgy, they humbly invite the sacred beings to descend. Following ceremonial standards, incense offerings are prepared, hoping the deities will not disdain worldly simplicity and partake of the offerings in the Purple Tenuity Heavenly Palace. During the night's ritual procession, the master leads the congregation in the first incense offering (initial ritual burning), its smoke ascending to venerate the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing - the supreme Daoist trinity: Jade Pure, Upper Pure, and Grand Pure) and all divine beings of the ten directions.

Prostrating deeply, the assembly relies on the sacred power of the Southern Dipper's Six Chronograms and the Northern Dipper's Seven Stars to dedicate merits to imperial ancestors and land deities. They pray the emperor may embody the virtue of sage-kings Yao and Shun, the empress display wisdom, and princes assist governance to bring universal peace. The second incense offering follows, its smoke venerating Daoist scriptures and all sacred beings, transferring merits to the host family's ancestors and all departed souls—hoping to cleanse their underworld transgressions, enroll them in the Southern Palace's immortal register, and extend blessings to living descendants.

Finally, the congregation collectively vows: upon attaining the Dao, to transcend physical form and merge completely with the Great Way. Through incense burning, scripture recitation, and prayers, the entire ritual bridges human and divine realms, beseeching calamity relief and blessings.

This passage describes the incense-offering and prayer segment in Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual) ceremonies. At the quiet hour of night, priests light three bundles of incense (a specific number used in Daoist rites), the rising smoke symbolizing the transmission of devotees' sincere intentions to the venerable deities.

They first take refuge in the Supreme Three Teachers (the highest Daoist divinities: Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun) and the Ten Directions' Sacred Assembly, surrendering body, mind, and destiny to the divine. Then they kneel in veneration to the Southern Palace's Sixfold Record (the Southern Dipper's six stars governing lifespan) and the Northern Dipper's Seven Primes (the Big Dipper's seven stars overseeing life and death), beseeching these stellar lords to transfer merit to the devotees. Specific petitions include: longevity extension, calamity removal, fortune accumulation, family well-being, household harmony, neighborly respect—keeping malevolent forces at bay while increasing virtuous connections daily, ensuring domestic tranquility and harmonious dragon spirits (guardian energies of dwellings).

Further supplications address multiple Daoist deities: the Three Pure Ones (Yuanshi Tianzun, Supreme Lord of the Great Dao, and Supreme Elder Lord), the Jade Emperor, the Southern and Northern Dipper Star Lords, and one's Benming Yuanchen (natal year guardian star). The scripture reveals these deities impartially protect all beings like the sun, moon, and stars illuminate creation—the Southern Dipper governs life while the Northern Dipper oversees death, maintaining cosmic order from primordial chaos to the present in accordance with heaven-earth operational principles.

Finally, devotees acknowledge their ancestors' accumulated merit enables divine protection, yet mortal forms remain vulnerable to disturbances from the Six Qi (wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, fire) and the Five Emperors' (directions' celestial sovereigns) bestowed innate nature easily becomes obscured, necessitating divine guidance. The passage culminates in the chanting refrain "uniting with the Dao in perfect truth," expressing adepts' ultimate aspiration for mystical union with the Great Dao.

This scripture is a liturgical text (Keyi) used in Daoist repentance rituals, describing how devotees eliminate karmic transgressions through confession and seek divine protection.

In human life, it's inevitable to accumulate sins through past and present actions. These transgressions are recorded by the Five Thearchs (Wudi) in the registers of the Three Officials (Sanguan: Heaven Official, Earth Official, Water Official). Without timely repentance, these karmic burdens remain unresolved. People fear that inauspicious stars (Xiuyao) may bring misfortune in certain years, or that intentional/unintentional harm to others creates karmic debts. Violations of cosmic laws through evil thoughts or deeds, transgressions against Yin-Yang taboos, or offenses against deities create boundless sins that require repentance for absolution.

Daoism teaches that the Southern Palace (Nangong) governs Yang virtue (De) and nurtures all beings, while the North Pole (Beiji, the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity) oversees life, death, and fortune. Devotees sincerely repent in purified ritual spaces, expressing remorse before the deities. They beseech the Six Palaces' deities (including the Director of Fate and Keeper of Records) for mercy and the Seven Celestial Sages (the Big Dipper Lords) for compassion. They pray for auspicious clouds to descend, deities to grace the ceremony, and celestial officials to bestow blessings that dispel cosmic and earthly calamities.

Specific petitions include: resolving misfortunes from conflicting Five Phases (Wuxing), Nine Palaces, and Eight Trigrams (Bagua); dispelling disasters from malignant stars; averting punishments from the Ten Directional Deities; pacifying fate's destructive clashes; obtaining forgiveness from household deities; exorcising evil spirits; preventing the decline of the Six Jia and Five Phases; avoiding Heavenly Stem-Earthly Branch conflicts; eliminating demonic poisons; thwarting malicious plots; settling disputes at the Three Officials and Five Thearchs' courts; and liberating wandering souls.

Final blessings seek: fortune gathering like clouds while misfortunes scatter like mist; absolution for all transgressions of body, speech, and mind (the Three Karmas); divine protection and nourishment from primordial Qi (Zhenqi); and frail human bodies receiving health and longevity. These demonstrate both the Heavenly Worthy's compassion and fulfill devotees' sincere devotion.

The concluding "Twelve Vows" and "Returning to the Brazier" are ritual procedures—the former expressing twelve ceremonial aspirations, the latter marking the altar's closing.

This passage describes a crucial segment in Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual) ceremonies. The ritual master (referred to humbly as "this subject") offers incense to the deities during late-night meditation and spiritual practice.

Several divine beings are first invoked: the Incense Official Emissary (the deity overseeing incense offerings), the Left and Right Dragon-Tiger Lords (guardian generals), and various Attendant Incense Spirit Officials (divine beings responsible for incense). The master prays that these deities might cause the sacred space where incense is currently being burned to spontaneously generate Golden Nectar (a Neidan term denoting precious elixir), Cinnabar-Jade (vermilion-hued elixir), and Mushroom Essence (the quintessence of lingzhi fungus). He further beseeches that perfected immortals from all directions may gather before this incense burner.

A specific supplication follows: that the Jade Maidens and Immortal Youths from the Ten Directions (attendants from all celestial realms) may receive and convey the incense smoke, swiftly delivering the practitioner's devout prayers to the supreme source of the Dao—the sacred presence of the Jade Emperor of the Vast Heaven (one of Daoism's highest deities).

The concluding phrase "exit chant upon leaving" refers to a procedural step where the master, having completed the recitation, departs from the ritual altar. This text vividly illustrates the sacred communion between humanity and the divine through incense offerings in Daoist ceremonial practice.