《道門科範大全集》Vol. 56

This is the nocturnal liturgy (religious ritual) procedure from the Daoist Ritual of the Big Dipper for Prolonging Life and Warding Off Calamities, compiled by the eminent Tang dynasty Daoist Du Guangting (known as Master Guangcheng). The ceremony takes place during the quiet night hours, where priests follow specific procedures to beseech the Big Dipper Lords for calamity elimination and life extension.

The ritual begins with priests paying homage to ancestral masters, focusing their Shen (spirit) while silently reciting incantations. Next comes the chanting of the Guardian Spirit Incantation, summoning the powers of the Five Planets (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth Stars): the Water Star eliminates disasters, the Wood Star brings vitality, the Fire Star (Yinghuo) removes misfortunes, the Metal Star (Taibai) averts warfare calamities, and the Earth Star (Zhenxing) stabilizes the four directions, ensuring family and national prosperity.

The ritual master (referring to himself as "this humble servant") then strikes the ritual drum twenty-four times, symbolizing communication between heaven and earth. This summons the internally cultivated guardian generals like the "Three-Five Merit Officers" (Daoism teaches that practitioners develop protective deities within their bodies), including thirty-six each of: Left and Right Official Messengers, Incense-Carrying Dragon Riders, Golden Youths Attending Incense, and Jade Maidens Scattering Flowers - all properly attired to convey the petitions.

The master clarifies the purpose of this nocturnal ritual practice, imploring the sacred light of the Supreme Dao Ancestor to descend so his sincere heart may reach the celestial court. Special petitions are made to the highest deities including the Jade Emperor, Primordial Heavenly Worthy, while paying respects to the Seven Big Dipper Lords (who govern life and death), the Six Southern Dipper Offices (controlling lifespan), and one's Natal Destiny Star (personal guardian deity).

The liturgy concludes by affirming: The Yin-Yang energies of heaven and earth nurture all things, the transformations of the Five Phases (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) sustain living beings, and all life depends on the stellar lords who govern destiny. References to the "Jade Register" and "Imperial Chambers" denote celestial rosters, while "Five-Colored Cloud Canopies" describe immortal processions on auspicious clouds - with "Union with Dao in Perfect Truth" representing Daoist cultivation's ultimate achievement.

This scripture depicts a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual) ceremony, expressing devotees' sincere prayers for divine blessings through ritual practice.

First, it describes the supervisory role of Daoist deities: The Nine Heavens (the highest celestial realm in Daoism) and the Seven Palaces (the celestial abodes of the Big Dipper) govern human life, death, and destiny, meticulously recording all deeds, whether auspicious or inauspicious, virtuous or wicked. Both the fate of nations and the conduct of individuals are ultimately judged by the Great Emperor of the Northern Dipper (Douji Xuanqing Dadi), who governs the Six Heavens (six celestial realms) and rules over all directions. Meanwhile, the Jade Emperor extends boundless compassion, bestowing blessings upon the Three Realms (heaven, earth, and the underworld).

Next comes the officiant’s self-introduction: We, as cultivators of the Dao, have been graced by the teachings of the Dao and are fortunate to encounter this era of true Dharma transmission. Now, in accordance with the ritual protocols of Zhaijiao, we practice and pray with the utmost sincerity. We beseech the holy sages to manifest their mercy, allowing the Nine Heavens to descend blessings, pitying us mortals, descending upon the altar, and generously bestowing their grace as they heed our supplications.

Following this is the recitation of the prayer document: Upon careful examination of the petition, the sincerity of the devotees is evident. May the divine power fulfill their wishes, just as even humble offerings (such as wild herbs) can elicit a response from the benevolent virtue of heaven and earth. May auspicious Qi fill the skies, transforming into blessings; may the sacred winds sweep through the cosmos, spreading fortune far and wide, so that calamities cease and malevolent spirits no longer bring harm.

The officiating disciples declare: We cultivators rely on divine protection, gazing upon the stars day and night though we do not comprehend their movements. Only with the passage of time have we come to understand the necessity of performing Zhaijiao to express gratitude and dispel misfortune. Now, with incense, candles, and offerings prepared, we reverently bow before the throne of the Great Emperor of the Northern Dipper (Kuigang). We pray that throughout the year—its 360 days and 72 seasonal cycles—blessings may be granted, disasters melting like ice and snow, sins shattering like broken tiles. May our cultivation ascend to higher levels, and may all participants attain peace and auspiciousness.

Finally comes the incense-offering prayer: The presiding Daoist master leads the assembly in burning incense and paying homage to the Ten Directions’ Dao Treasures (the highest Daoist sages) and the Northern Palace’s Sacred Deities (the Northern Dipper). May these merits protect the officiants, resolving their inauspicious fate (the nine calamities, three disasters, ten sufferings, and eight difficulties) and dispelling the misfortunes caused by astrological misalignments. May all misfortunes scatter like wind dispersing clouds, may the fragrant smoke purify and renew, bringing a hundred blessings and dissolving a thousand calamities. Now, through this incense offering, we take refuge in the Great Dao, praying that in the future, upon attaining the Dao, we may transcend physical form and merge with the Dao in perfect unity (the highest state of spiritual realization).

During the nighttime Daoist ritual, my fellow priests and I held incense with reverence, paying homage to the scriptures of the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) and the Star Lords of the Northern Dipper (Beidou Xingjun, celestial deities venerated in Daoism). Through the merits of this ceremony, we pray to dedicate these blessings to the principal worshipper and the souls of their ancestors across seven generations. May the divine grace spread in all directions like the spring breeze, dispersing karmic obstructions, cleansing past transgressions, erasing names from the underworld's black register, and ensuring virtuous deeds are recorded in the celestial red register. We beseech continuous blessings to protect living relatives. At this moment, we burn incense in devotion, taking refuge in the supreme scriptures and sacred truths, aspiring that through spiritual cultivation we may transcend physical form and unite with the Dao.

Once again, as we offer incense in worship, we take refuge in the Most High Lord Lao and the Seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper. We pray for these merits to safeguard the principal worshipper: dispelling calamities from the northern Kan position (one of the Bagua trigrams), allowing the Water Virtue (one of the Five Phases) to bestow wisdom; stabilizing the foundation of spiritual nature and elevating conscious awakening; ensuring daily life remains free from malign Qi disturbances, with peaceful rest and perpetual freedom from illness. May misfortunes vanish forever and virtuous deeds multiply daily. At this moment, we burn incense in devotion, taking refuge in revered masters and sacred truths, aspiring that through spiritual cultivation we may transcend physical form and unite with the Dao.

During the repentance segment, we devoutly submit to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the highest Daoist deities), the Celestial Honored Ones of the Ten Directions, the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity (Ziwei Dadi, the North Star deity), the Seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper, the thirty-six divisions of scriptures, the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, the Five Directional Thearchs, and other divine beings. We deeply recognize: all things are born from the harmony of Yin-Yang energies and nurtured by the Five Phases (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth). Though humans differ in geography and status, all are observed by the celestial order. Often, due to ingratitude, neglect of cultivation, ignorance of cosmic laws, and disregard for divine protection, we recklessly devalue life and incur karmic debts. These transgressions shorten lifespans, invite heavenly retribution, and condemn souls to hellish realms—all stemming from forgetting life's origin and squandering the rare gift of human existence. As for sins like defying heaven and earth, harming living beings, disloyalty, unfilial conduct, and indulging desires...

This scripture describes the misfortunes befalling those who commit evil deeds, along with the Daoist ritual methods for repentance and disaster relief.

When a person is deluded by the Six Thieves (the six sensory desires of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind), they become arrogant and disrespectful, defying their master’s teachings, envying the virtuous, taking pleasure in others’ suffering, greedy and cruel, holding grudges, deceitful and harmful. Such wickedness brings calamities in this very life: one may encounter bandits and robbery, be haunted by demons to the point of death, injured by insects or beasts, punished by the authorities, suffer plague deaths in the household, or fall victim to malevolent spirits that drain wealth. These disasters arise because the ghosts of the Six Heavens (the six heavens of the desire realm) and the deities of the Five Sacred Peaks take advantage of human transgressions to inflict harm.

These misfortunes follow one after another, even implicating ancestors who face punishment in the underworld, their names erased from the merit registers, leaving no escape. Many die unjustly, their souls rejected by the underworld officials, their spirits left wandering with no resting place. Understanding this cause and effect, one should repent sincerely.

Now, a devotee has prepared offerings (faxin) and, following the liturgical rites (keyi), prays to the deities. With utmost sincerity, they beseech the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing: Jade Pure, Upper Pure, and Supreme Pure), the Great Emperor of the Purple Subtlety, the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, and many other divine beings, hoping for their compassion and acceptance of repentance.

Since beginningless time, this devotee has lost their true nature, bound by fame and profit, straying from the Dao and sinking into false views. They are consumed by the Three Poisons (greed, hatred, and delusion), as fleeting as foam and as swiftly falling as flowing water. Stubborn in their views, indulging in desires, they have abandoned loyalty and filial piety, forsaking benevolence and righteousness for personal gain. Blurring right and wrong, they revel in cruelty and killing, slandering the virtuous, defying heavenly principles, and living in debauchery and extravagance.

This scripture describes how people incur calamities by violating the principles of Yin-Yang and transgressing taboos. Engrossed in material pursuits year after year, they never engage in self-reflection or repentance, nor do they understand how to resolve transgressions through Daoist purification rituals (xiurang).

On critical days like Gengshen and Jiazi (considered in Daoism as dates when human transgressions are recorded), people instead compound their misdeeds; during their birth zodiac year and on birthdays, they deplete their lifespan rather than accumulate blessings. This leads to the binding of their hun and po souls, inviting successive misfortunes—protracted illnesses, demonic afflictions, or persistent hardships.

Ancestral graves may provoke disputes, and deceased relatives become implicated. These calamities arise either as celestial punishment or through malicious accusations by malevolent spirits, accumulating over time into manifold misfortunes. Now, through fasting (zhaijie, a Daoist practice of purifying body and mind) and introspection, we cleanse distracting thoughts to seek forgiveness, hoping to dissolve all transgressions and resolve karmic grievances.

The scripture invokes the protection of the Seven Northern Primordial Star Lords (personifications of the Big Dipper in Daoism). These deities govern cosmic creation and oversee the Three Officials (Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials) and Five Emperors (sovereigns of the five directions). Imbued with compassion, their grace permeates the world. Sincere supplication will surely bring their illuminating radiance, granting absolution and dispelling disasters.

Though adversities are too numerous to detail, the Great Dao (Dao) extends boundless salvation. By establishing the ordinances of the Celestial Supreme Ultimate (Taiji), it becomes a merciful vessel to ferry beings through tribulations. With devout reverence, we express contrition, praying for celestial benevolence to heed our pleas: eradicate transgressions, dissolve enmities, and permanently nullify a thousand calamities while ten thousand misfortunes vanish of themselves.

May blessings extend to parents and kin, bringing glory to entire lineages. May ancestors be inscribed in the Purple Registers (Daoist immortal rolls) and descendants attain realization. May prosperity endure and lifespans lengthen. For all ritual participants, may Daoist resolve awaken and wisdom perfect—washing away worldly afflictions, dispelling delusions, gradually attaining wondrous fruition, and reestablishing transcendent merit (xuangong).

Ultimately, may names be enrolled in immortal registers to merge with the Supreme Void (Taixu, the source of Dao), becoming awakened adepts who benefit both living and deceased, with virtuous deeds pervading watery and terrestrial realms (symbolizing Yin-Yang domains). Eternally transcending worldly bonds, may we ascend to the Golden Gate (immortal realm), safeguard the Truth of Perfect Oneness (Zhenyi), and comprehend the Ineffable (Xiyi, Daoist profundity). Upon realization, form and substance dissolve into unity with the Dao.

Finally, the presiding Daoist master and all ritual participants bow thrice in solemn supplication, expressing utmost devotion.

This scripture is a confessional petition (shuwen) used in Daoist purification rituals (zhaijiao) and liturgies (keyi) to repent before the deities. It begins by enumerating the highest pantheon of Daoist divinities: the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, the supreme deity of Daoism), the Great Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun), the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) — collectively known as the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) — along with the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi), the Seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper (Beidou Qixing Jun), the Six Star Officials of the Southern Dipper (Nandou Liusi Xingjun), and other celestial and terrestrial deities.

The text then expresses the myriad transgressions of mortals in the mundane world: We ordinary beings dwell in this turbid realm of dust, failing to comprehend the profound truth of the Dao (the Way), and often neglect our spiritual cultivation. Whether in thought or deed, we frequently violate celestial principles and offend the divine. The karmic burdens from past lives remain unresolved, while new transgressions continuously accumulate in this present existence — all recorded in the registers of Fengdu (the Daoist underworld) and the ledgers of the earth prisons.

Detailed enumerations follow of potential calamities one might encounter: the malefic influence of inauspicious stars in one's destiny, the afflictions brought by flying stars in the Eight Trigrams (Bagua); offenses caused by willful actions that anger the deities; karmic debts incurred through killing. Unless these transgressions are repented promptly, they will lead to unpredictable disasters, filling one's days and nights with dread.

The text concludes by beseeching the Jade Emperor, the Northern Dipper Lords, and other venerable deities for mercy through the zhaijiao ritual: petitioners beg for deliverance from inauspicious fate configurations, disasters caused by conflicting Five Phases (Wuxing), interpersonal conflicts, slander and disputes, theft and violence, and misfortunes arising from violating geomancy taboos. May the deities descend to the ritual altar (jiaotan) to grant mortals the opportunity for repentance, eliminating both ancient and recent calamities, and clearing all obstacles from life's path.

This scripture primarily describes Daoist rituals for averting disasters and dispelling misfortunes. When encountering various calamities, individuals may seek deliverance by petitioning the corresponding Northern Dipper Star Lords based on their birth hour.

The text enumerates seven common types of misfortune: transportation accidents during travel (involving boats, carts, oxen or horses); legal entanglements caused by karmic creditors; ancestral grave-related misfortunes; neighborhood disputes bringing calamity; household disturbances; loss of property; and spectral disturbances causing family decline.

According to one's birth hour, different Northern Dipper Star Lords are invoked for resolution:

• Those born during the Zi hour (11pm-1am) petition the Greedy Wolf Star Lord
• Those born during Chou (1-3am) or Hai (9-11pm) hours petition the Giant Gate Star Lord
• Those born during Yin (3-5am) or Xu (7-9pm) hours petition the Salary Preserver Star Lord
• Those born during Mao (5-7am) or You (5-7pm) hours petition the Civil Arts Star Lord
• Those born during Chen (7-9am) or Shen (3-5pm) hours petition the Pure and Chaste Star Lord
• Those born during Si (9-11am) or Wei (1-3pm) hours petition the Martial Arts Star Lord
• Those born during Wu hour (11am-1pm) petition the Army Breaker Star Lord

Through such ritual petitions, practitioners may achieve protection from disasters, tranquility of spirit (Shen), resolution of karmic debts, immunity from epidemics, while simultaneously increasing blessings, prosperity and longevity—benefiting both living relatives and deceased ancestors.

The latter portion contains the concluding invocations, where incense officials and celestial messengers are asked to convey the devotee's sincerity to the supreme Jade Emperor. The "Twelve Vows" and "Returning to the Brazier" represent standard liturgical (Keyi) procedures marking the ritual's successful completion.