The Jiao,醮 an ancient Chinese word for offering wine and incense, developed over two millennia of Daoist practice, to become a rite for renewing and re-uniting humans with the nourishing presence of Dao in nature. You may now watch this dramatic liturgy on YouTube, as well as on www.michaelsaso.org).
To prepare for the liturgy of renewal, the Daoist uses the I-ching 易經 (Yi Jing) to become aware of Dao, gestating (元 yuan), nourishing like a mother hen 亨(heng), emptying the mind (Li 利), and writing on the heart with flaming presence (zhen 貞). Years of meditation are needed to perfect “inner tranquility” awareness.
Daoists must also meditate on the “Yin-yang Five Element” 陰陽五行 philosophy, to understand nature’s eternally recycling changes, symbolized in Jiao renewal ritual.
Most important of all, the 81 Chapters of Laozi’s Daode Jing, and the Zhuangzi Inner Chapters must become an essential part of the Daoist’s life and practice.
A wide variety of elements, literate as well as folk culture in origin, are combined into the dramatic Jiao liturgy, so the men and women of China’s towns and villages can see and understand these symbolic meanings.
Scrolls which show the Daoist “Three Pure Ones” (Sanqing 三清) i.e., Dao as Gestating, Mediating, and Indwelling, are hung on the north wall of the Tan壇 sacred area, with military and literary officials to the left (west) and right (east) respectively. The scrolls showing this appear in Part One of the video.
The Daoist Master, with his/her cantors and acolytes, sings, dances sacred steps, and meditates in the very center of the Tan 壇 altar during the Jiao festival. Inner alchemy meditations (neidan內丹) accompany the Daoist Master’s Jiao liturgy.
The lay people in the temple, “orphan souls” in purgatory, and the unrefined, even impure spirits of the folk religion, watch from the south of the sacred Tan altar.
The Jiao rituals are shown here in 6 “five minute” video segments, as follows:
1.) Rites of entrance: Announce (fa biao發表) to the spirits of the 3 realms, heaven earth, and underworld, that a Jiao rite of renewal will take place. Invite (qing shen清神) the spirits to be present; and purify the sacred Tan altar (jin tan 禁壇) by using esoteric “5 Thunder-Vajra” chants 五雷法 and sacred “pacing the void” 步虛 dance . *
2.) The Daoist “plants” the 5 Lingbao Sacred writs, (An Lingbao zhenwen) 按靈寶五真文 to renew the “5 Elements” in the cosmos. The Daoists use the Ming tang 明堂 ancient Confucian “Book of Rites”, Monthly Commands chapter (Li Ji Yueling 禮記月令) as the model, for which reason Daoists were always appointed to the Board of Rites, to perform the rite for the emperors 5 times a year. The Daoist name for the Rite is “Su Qi” 宿啟 to hide its imperial origins from scholars and mandarins.
3) Fen Deng 分燈 “Lighting the (3) lamps with a new fire,” the Daoist master chants the 42nd chapter of the Lao-zi, “The Dao gives birth to the One” (lights first candle); “One gives birth to Two” (2nd candle); “Two gives birth to Three” (3rd candle); ”The 3 (feminine Dao, water, womb) gives birth to the Myriad Creatures.” At this point all of the lights in the temple are turned on; the brass bowl (yang) and wooden fish (yin) are sounded separately, then in union, rebirthing the world. The Dao of Wu Wei, now present, grants inner audience to the meditating Daoist.
4) Sending off the ShuWen 疏文 “Memorial Rescript” to the “Jade Emperor” in the Heavens (玉皇大帝),and to the “Three Pure Ones” (San Qing 三请), bringing the people’s petitions to the Jade Emperor, and to the Three Highest Daoist spirits in Daoist Heaven. The late 64th generation Celestial Master is seen performing the ritual; the drum represents “Taiji” (太極), the stringed instruments are Yang, and the hollow wind instruments are “Yin.”
5) Floating the Lanterns 放水燈 This colorful “folk religion” ritual is shared by Buddhists as well as Daoists throughout East Asia, including Japan, all of China, Korea, and the Chinese of Southeast Asia. The souls of the deceased are released from the punishments of the Buddhist – Daoist underworld, by lighting candles or oil lamps, and floating them out to sea.
6) The Dao Chang or Zheng Jiao 道場正醮 . The climax and meditative conclusion to the 3 day Jiao liturgy completes the meditative process of “returning to the Dao.” The Daoist sees the “Dao” as an infant, (chi zi 赤字) dwelling as a ruddy child within the “womb” center of the body. Union with the Dao is now achieved. A sacred rescript (shuwen) is carried down from the heavens by the “Du Jiang” Chief Cantor, and presented to the Master, who then performs the sacred dance called “Pacing the Void” Bu Xu 步虛 in thanks. “One with Dao” is now realized.
N.B., The Video does not show the Morning, Noon, or Night Audiences, when the “Three Fives” (East’s 3/wood + south’s 2/fire; Center’s 5/earth; west’s 4/metal+ north’s 1/water) are refined into the Three Life Principles, Qi, Shen, Jing ; nor does it show the final “Pu-Du” rite for freeing all souls from the underworld, then thanking, and seeing off the spirits. These rites will be posted soon.
Daoist Ordination Manual, “龙虎山师传法派“ 1868， Library of the 61st Celestial Master
15 folio pages; pg. 1 the 40 character poem that identifies a Daoist master of the “3 mountain Drop of Blood Alliance,” 三山滴血派 i.e., Mao Shan, Gezao Shan, and Longhu Shan; Wugang Shan Daoists add 10 more characters to the poem. One character is advanced for every generation that the ordination titles are transmitted; at present, the 29th and 30th characters “Da 大,” and “Luo 羅” are in use. The manual is preserved at Longhu Shan, Mao Shan, Wudangshan, and Baiyun Guan in Beijing .
Pg. 2. (Folio 32b and Folio 33a), the registers or “Lu”籙 transmitted by the 3 mountains;
Pg 3. (Folio 33b) the rules for transmission; immoral behavior (Fangzhong) and bad tempered disciples may not go higher than Grade 6, “xian guan” 仙官。
Pg. 4-8, samples of titles given to Daoists in the past, who came for ordination.
Pgs 9-15, the ordination titles, Tan altar, Gongcao 攻曹 Patron messenger spirit for each ordained Daoist, according to the year, month, day and hour in a 60 year Jia Zi 甲子 cycle; the “talisman” at the foot of each title is drawn with the tip of the tongue on the hard palate, beyond the upper teeth, and saliva “swallowed”, in order to summon the Jiazi Gongcao spirit.
This mijue 秘诀 manual may not be sold, used for profit, or ritual-meditative purposes, unless taught by and licensed from a recognized Daoist master.
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