《道門科範大全集》Vol. 57

This is the liturgical procedure (Keyi) of the Northern Dipper Life-Extending Rite from Daoist tradition, compiled and revised by the eminent Tang dynasty Daoist master Du Guangting (known by his religious name Guangcheng Xiansheng). It describes a ritual worship of the Northern Dipper Deities (Beidou Xingjun) performed by Daoists to pray for longevity.

Before the ceremony begins, the Daoist priests first pay homage to their ancestral masters according to protocol, calming their minds for visualization. They then recite the "Guardian Spirit Incantation" (Weiling Zhou), which summons the power of the five directional stars: Mercury (Water Star) dispels calamities, Jupiter (Wood Star) brings prosperity, Mars (Yinghuo) eliminates misfortunes, Venus (Taibai) averts military disasters, and Saturn (Zhenxing) stabilizes the four directions—all safeguarding household and national peace. The incantation mentions that the practitioner's name is recorded in the celestial jade registers, enabling them to ride the pure winds through the cosmos, freely traversing between heaven and earth.

The ritual master then strikes the ritual drum twenty-four times, symbolizing the connection between heaven and earth. Next comes the invocation of internally cultivated "body deities" (Shen Shen)—including thirty-six guardian spirits such as merit officials (Gongcao), divine messengers (Guanshi), and incense-bearing jade maidens (Xiangtong Yunü). These fully adorned deities assist the master in mediating between celestial and earthly realms.

During the quiet night, the master offers devout prayers, beseeching the numinous Qi of the Supreme Dao Ancestor (Taishang Dao Zu) and auspicious light to descend upon them, ensuring their petitions reach the celestial court directly. Sequential obeisances follow to the highest Daoist deities: Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun), Supreme Elder Lord (Taishang Laojun), the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi), and other celestial divinities, along with the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, the Six Offices of the Southern Dipper (Nandou Liushi), and the Destiny Star (Benming Yuanchen Xingjun) associated with lifespan—as well as all immortals from sacred grotto-heavens (Dongtian Fudi) across the three realms.

The ceremony concludes by emphasizing three rare attainments: the difficulty of obtaining human birth, the rarity of being born in the Central Land (Zhongtu, referring to China), and the scarcity of encountering the true Dharma (Zhengfa)—hinting at the extraordinary karmic conditions for performing this life-extending ritual. Through visualization, incantation, and celestial petitions, the entire ceremony establishes communion between heaven and humanity, beseeching the Northern Dipper Deities to bestow longevity and well-being.

This scripture records the liturgical text used in Daoist zhaijiao (purification rituals for blessings and disaster relief). The general meaning is as follows:

The spiritual states described in Daoist scriptures cannot be attained without profound cultivation of the Dao. Those capable of awakening sincere devotion to the Dao must have accumulated virtuous karma from past lives. The supreme Dao we revere (the primordial source containing all existence) is the true sacred origin. The mysterious Dao possesses sublime virtue and majestic power—those who admire and follow it may transcend life and death, while devoted practitioners can prolong their years. This profound and mystical Dao is inexhaustible; all beings, whether living or dead, eternally depend upon it.

The devotees participating in the ritual focus their minds, eliminating distractions as they express gratitude to Heaven and Earth for generating all things, and acknowledge the nurturing grace of Yin-Yang. With reverence and diligence, they present memorials (documents addressed to deities) according to ritual procedures, confess transgressions following established norms, demonstrating deep faith and strict ceremonial propriety. They pray with utmost sincerity, hoping to receive divine response.

They beseech the sun and moon to bestow illumination, implore Heaven and Earth to preserve their accumulated merit, and pray for blessings as widespread as rain and dew, with fortune as vast as mountains and rivers. May all participating devotees immediately dispel calamities and attain peace, eternally fulfilling the scripture's promises while remaining in harmony with sacred incantations. May the Three Platforms (three principal stars of the Big Dipper in Daoist cosmology) and the Five Planets (Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn) extend compassionate aid, with countless sacred beings offering protection and support.

The ritual then proceeds to the invocation of sacred beings: First, tea is offered as initial tribute, followed by scattered flower offerings. The presiding priest leads all devotees in solemn supplication, inviting the highest deities including the Primordial Heavenly Worthy of Void and Non-Being, the Great Lord of the Dao, the Most High Lord Lao, the Jade Emperor of the Vast Heaven, the thirty-six divisions of sacred scriptures, the Dipper Lords of the Northern and Southern constellations, guardian deities of natal hours (benming yuanchen), sacred grotto-heavens and blessed lands, and all divine officials of the Three Realms to descend upon the ritual assembly.

Finally, special supplications are made to the Seven Dipper Lords, beseeching their majestic presence to grace the ritual and accept the offerings of pure water (yuan wine) and utmost sincerity from devotees. May these simple offerings reach celestial awareness, establishing mystical communion between humanity and the divine.

This scripture depicts a Daoist ritual (Zhaijiao) ceremony, primarily offering prayers to the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper (Beidou) for blessings and disaster relief. During the ceremony, the Daoist priests devoutly praise the majestic virtue (De) of the Dipper Stars, beseeching their divine protection for the ritual patron to fulfill their wishes.

The text first extols the selflessness and compassion of Daoism's supreme deities, who perceive all things and universally deliver sentient beings. The priests then recite the sacred incantations of the Seven Dipper Stars, invoking each stellar sovereign by name—Tanlang (Greedy Wolf), Jumen (Giant Gate), Lucun (Prosperity Preserver), Wenqu (Civil Artistry), Lianzhen (Pure and Chaste), Wuqu (Martial Might), and Pojun (Army Breaker)—praying for their blessings of prosperity, wisdom, safety, and protection for practitioners' health, immortal register enrollment, and demon expulsion.

Through ritual protocols including incense offering, wine libation, and flower scattering, the priests renew their supplications to the Seven Luminaries of the Northern Dipper. They affirm the Dipper Stars' cosmic function in harmonizing celestial movements and facilitating universal transformations, urging the patron's sincere resonance with the divine to dispel misfortune and attract blessings. The ceremony concludes with longevity incantations praising the Nine Celestial Luminaries (the seven stars plus two auxiliary ones, Fu and Bi) as cosmic governors who regulate Yin-Yang, while invoking the Primordial Sovereign's righteous Qi for protection, the Celestial Stem Star's guidance, and the Three Platforms Stars (Xujing, Liuchun, Qusheng) for bodily safeguarding.

The entire passage exemplifies Daoist cultivation practices that commune with stellar deities through specific rituals, reflecting ancient veneration of the Northern Dipper constellation and the belief in harnessing celestial forces to transform destiny.

This scripture is a prayer text used in Daoist zhaijiao (purification rituals), where priests devoutly beseech celestial deities for protection. It begins by paying homage to the highest Daoist divinities—the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing: Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, Celestial Worthy of the Supreme Dao, and Celestial Worthy of Supreme Laozi), the Jade Emperor, and the Seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper among other sacred beings.

The text explains that conducting solemn ritual spaces requires preparing the "three offerings" (ceremonial tributes presented three times), using the beneficence of the Seven Primordial Star Lords (the Big Dipper) to purify worldly hearts. The priest petitions on behalf of the ritual sponsor (jiaoguan) for the continuous descent of the Northern Dipper's grace—to eliminate calamities and karmic obstructions, prolong life, increase blessings, and ensure that sincere prayers resonate with the divine to manifest tangible protection.

The latter portion contains the "Northern Dipper Salvation Mantra," enumerating various misfortunes the Seven Primordial Lords can resolve. These include: the three disasters (flood, fire, wind); four malignant qi (seasonal imbalances); Five Phase (Wuxing) disharmony; six harms (types of injury); seven damages (emotional excesses); eight adversities (forms of distress); and nine stellar afflictions (unfavorable planetary influences). Domestic troubles like marital discord, infertility, or difficult childbirth are addressed alongside natural threats—epidemics, evil hauntings, or predatory beasts—as well as human-caused misfortunes: theft, imprisonment, untimely death, or curses. This incantation demonstrates Daoism's belief in the Northern Dipper's formidable power to dissolve misfortunes.

(Note: In Daoism, the Big Dipper is venerated as the "Seven Primordial Disaster-Resolving Star Lords," individually named: Yang Brilliance Wolf Lord, Yin Essence Giant Gate Lord, True Man Salary Preserver Lord, Dark Mystery Literary Curves Lord, Cinnabar Origin Pure Integrity Lord, North Pole Martial Arts Lord, and Celestial Pass Breaker Lord—each specializing in neutralizing specific calamities.)

This scripture is a Daoist prayer text from the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) liturgy, beseeching the Seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper (revered in Daoism as seven celestial beings governing life, death, fortune, and misfortune) for disaster relief. The general meaning conveys:

The Seven Great Sage Star Lords of the Northern Dipper can dissolve all calamities—whether celestial snares, disasters of fire and water, or the chaos of warfare. By devoutly invoking these seven spiritually attuned Star Lords, sentient beings may overcome suffering. Should anyone face imminent peril, reciting this scripture brings peace, accumulates blessings, aligns with the harmony of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), stabilizes the three Hun souls (Daoism teaches humans possess three Hun and seven Po souls), and wards off malign influences.

When the authentic Qi from the Five Directions (east, south, west, north, and center) descends, manifold blessings naturally gather. Through sincere veneration of the Northern Dipper stars, one transcends the Eight Major Calamities (in Daoist cosmology, including drought, flood, and warfare) and attains longevity. Life after life, purity of body and mind is preserved—virtuous thoughts as clear as shadows under sunlight, spiritual resonance as swift as mountain echoes. The Three Primes (Shangyuan, Zhongyuan, and Xiayuan, the three celestial deities) jointly protect, while myriad sages collectively watch over, shielding devotees from misfortune and eternally nurturing their devotion to the Dao.

The text then transitions to the formal invocation by the Daoist priest during the ritual, enumerating the sacred titles of numerous Daoist deities: Yuanshi Tianzun (the supreme deity of Daoism), Taishang Daojun, Taishang Laojun, the Jade Emperor, and other exalted divinities, alongside the Seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper, the Southern Dipper Star Lord (governor of lifespan), the Benming Yuanchen (one’s birth-year guardian star), as well as the spirits of the Grotto Heavens and Blissful Realms, and all divine beings of the Three Realms (the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm).

The conclusion expresses repentance: In antiquity, human nature was pure and simple, but now the world has grown shallow and decadent. Grateful for the compassionate descent of the celestial deities, the ritual follows the prescribed Keyi (liturgical procedures) to cleanse the mundane heart. Though the offerings are as humble as wild grasses and the wine less than refined, the sincerity is profound. Through the solemn repentance rite, the aspiration is to restore innate purity and be absolved of transgressions. Though the ritual concludes and the deities prepare to return to the celestial realms, blessings are entreated to flow endlessly, safeguarding all beings and further flourishing the transformative Virtue (De) of Heaven and Earth.

This scripture serves as a prayer text used in Daoist Zhaijiao (purification rituals), containing petitions for blessings, disaster relief, ancestral salvation, and deity farewell ceremonies.

The prayer first invokes blessings for the ritual officiant: May the Southern Palace (divine bureau governing human fortunes) bestow prosperity, and the Northern Office (divine bureau overseeing calamities) dissolve misfortunes. It seeks flourishing households, abundant descendants, protection from epidemics, deliverance from flood and fire disasters, and smooth resolution of both public and private affairs. Simultaneously, it prays for ancestral spirits to be liberated from karmic debts, enabling their ascent to celestial realms. All these petitions rely upon the boundless grace of Wuji Dao (the Supreme Ultimate Way of Daoism).

The ritual master then confesses personal shortcomings: Acknowledging his mundane nature with lingering impurities, he admits incomplete purification of body and mind. His external demeanor lacks full solemnity, while internal focus remains imperfect. Fearing these deficiencies might obstruct auspicious responses or even invite transgressions, he earnestly beseeches the Seven Luminaries of the Northern Dipper (stellar deities governing life, death, and fortune) and other divine beings to pardon his ignorance and absolve his offenses.

The deity farewell ceremony follows: With reverent bows, participants send off the deities' cloud-borne departure, expressing heartfelt reluctance. The ritual master and officiant gaze upon the sacred procession, offering devout parting words.

The concluding "Twelve Petitions" section instructs the Incense Officer Messengers (deities overseeing ritual smoke), Dragon-Tiger Guardians (protector deities), and other divine functionaries to manifest golden elixirs (xian medicines), cinnabar blossoms (celestial herbs), and luminous ganoderma (divine mushrooms) within the ritual space. It prays that immortal youths and jade maidens may guide the incense smoke, swiftly conveying the master's sincere supplications to the supreme Jade Emperor of the Vast Heaven (one of Daoism's highest deities).

The complete text demonstrates the standard Daoist ritual sequence of "deity invitation - blessing petition - deity farewell," embodying the sacred protocols of human-divine communication.