Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Ritual, Repentance, and Liturgy
Daoist liturgies, repentance rites, stellar scriptures, Lingbao rules, hymns, and ritual praise texts.
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Texts
Dongxuan Lingbao Daoxue KeyiThe Lingbao Standards for Daoist Study — a Tang-dynasty monastic rule attributed to the Perfected One of the Great Ultimate and Great Void, governing all aspects of ordained Daoist life from speech and study to death rites and the disposition of property. Thirty-five articles across two fascicles. DZ 1126, Taiping Division of the Zhengtong Daozang. First English translation.Five Stars PraiseDaoist astrological praise hymn to the Five Celestial Planets — Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury — attributed to Han astronomer Zhang Heng. Each planet governs political affairs, natural omens, and fate according to its position in the lunar mansions, with moral counsel and ritual remedies for malefic configurations.Morning ConfessionMorning Aspiration and Confession — nine-movement Daoist morning liturgy comprising three purification mantras for speech, body, and mind; incense and merit-officer invocations; a grand summoning of the celestial assembly; dedication of merit; a long confessional prose section with twenty-one vows; and a closing thanksgiving. DZ 1453, KR5h0022. First English translation.Songs and Praises of the PerfectedSongs and Praises of the Perfected (諸真歌頌, Zhuzhen Gesong), DZ 0980 — a collection of celestial hymns, scripture-praises, and spirit-songs from the Shangqing (Supreme Clarity) tradition of Daoism. Approximately seventy poems attributed to celestial lords, perfected beings, immortals, and divine consorts — praising the Shangqing scriptures, singing of the celestial palaces, and exhorting mortals toward transcendence. Drawn from the Maoshan revelations received by Yang Xi (330–386 CE). First English translation. Translated from Classical Chinese.The Golden Cabinet Jade Mirror RepentanceA Daoist repentance liturgy from the Zhengtong Daozang — cosmological preface, three rounds of confession, stellar invocations to the Five Planets, Rāhu, and Ketu, elaborate seven-stage bathing ritual with verse incantations, and ethical teaching on cherishing life. First English translation.The Precious Repentance of the Azure Mystery for Salvation from SufferingA Daoist funerary repentance liturgy from the Zhengtong Daozang, addressed to Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, confessing nine categories of transgression on behalf of a departed soul and praying for their release from hell and ascension to heaven.The Precious Repentance of the Merciful LordA Daoist funerary repentance liturgy from the Zhengtong Daozang (DZ 0540), dedicated to the Great Unity, Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering. Three rounds of confession for body, mind, and speech karma, seeking the salvation and ascent of the departed soul.The Precious Repentance of the Purple Subtle StarFirst English translation of this Daoist stellar repentance liturgy from the Continued Canon (DZ 1450), invoking the complete Chinese astrological pantheon — the Purple Subtle Star Emperor, Five Planets, Nine Stars of the Northern Dipper, Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, Twelve Zodiac Palaces, and over ninety stellar deities — in a ceremony of confession and purification.The Scripture of the Northern DipperOne of the most widely recited scriptures in living Daoism — the Lord reveals the names and powers of the seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper, who govern human destiny according to one's year of birth. First freely available English translation from Classical Chinese. Good Works Translation.Three Caverns Praise, Numinous ChaptersShangqing liturgical anthology of praise songs, chapters, and hymns organized by celestial direction, cosmic eon, and the Five Emperors — translated from Classical Chinese.