THE MORNING, EVENING AND NOON RECITATIONS

This work is the first complete translation of the Morning and Evening Altar Recitations, 玄門早晚壇功課經 (Xuanmen zaowan tan gongke jing) also known as “The Gongke”. The Gongke is the collection of liturgical scriptures recited at the altar at every Quanzhen Daoist Temple. These recitations occur in the early morning and in the evening, and can be as simple as a sole chanter or as complicated as the entire body of resident monks and nuns. There can be a simple accompaniment of a wooden fish bell, or the ornate accompaniment of the Daoist orchestra. Whether simple or complex, at the heart of these performances is the text itself. The corpus of texts is a fascinating journey through Daoist doctrine and practice. Prayers of purification, hagiographies of special deities, prayers of commitment, cosmology, meditation, theory, and much more all converge in this collection. It can be said that this is a pocket sized or mini Daoist Canon. Josh and Jack set about translating this as a response to a deep need to connect to the tradition and the most common practices as experienced in daily life at the temples. As Daoism continues to take root in the West, it is becoming more mature in its presence. The relationship to lineages in China is becoming the new norm. As such, there is a need to align with those practices that describe traditional lineage Daoism. The Gongke, and its recitation, is one such defining text. By having access to the translation and the original Chinese and pinyin pronunciation (all provided in this book), the English speaking person can now engage and understand this practice and the textual depth and meaning within.

This is a translation of The Profound Scripture of the Upmost Three Officials Who Bestow Blessings, Pardon Sins, Dispel Calamities, Avert Disasters, Prolong Life, and Secure Destiny, also known as The Scripture of the Three Officials, or the Sanguan Jing 三官經. This is the third of what will be a four-part series of translations of Daoist scriptures by Parting Clouds, which includes the previously published Morning and Evening Recitations, and the Beidou Jing 北斗經 (to be released at the end of this summer). These four textual bodies constitute the predominant share of the daily and monthly liturgy of the typical Quanzhen temple, the current translation of which is recited daily at noon (11-1 hour or 午時). The content of this Scripture concerns our activities, and speaks directly to the ramifications and repercussions of said actions. As such, from a Daoist doctrinal perspective, it outlines the basic nature of cause and effect. Sometimes called the Sanguan Ganying Miaojing 三官感應妙經, or The Three Officials’ Profound Scripture of Response to Causes, this text addresses seemingly similar issues covered in the Taishang Ganying Pian 太上感應篇, or Taishang’s Treatise on Response to Causes. However, the Taishang Ganying Pian was written primarily for a lay audience, the text being generally offered for free somewhere in the temple, often in small pocket-sized copies, for the visitor to take home. In the case of the Sanguan Jing, the content is geared towards, and is more applicable to, the initiated practitioner. The structure of the Sanguan Jing mirrors other altar recitations in which we find particular language, purification prayers at the beginning (e.g., the Bada Shenzhou), etc. Additionally, it should be noted that this is a Jing, or Scripture, and not a Pian, or Treatise. This, alone, demonstrates an important feature meant to separate this Scripture from its lay counterpart. So, despite some conceptual doctrinal similarities of cause and effect, the Sanguan Jing needs to be understood as a practitioner’s text, an attentive daily reading of which will reveal a surprising amount of doctrinal subtlety and bring the reader closer to alignment with the tradition.Within this Scripture, one can identify a few central themes: the bestowal of blessings, the absolution of sin, the dispelling of calamities, the prolonging and protection of life, and other such concerns. All of these themes reveal the functions of, and are predicated upon, the actions of the Three Officials of Heaven, Water, and Earth, and it is to these Three Officials to whom the noon recitations are directed. These Three Officials, their functions and activities, harken back to the very earliest roots of organized Daoism. The Wudoumi Dao 五斗米道 (Five Pecks of Rice), or Tianshi Dao 天師道 (Celestial Masters) movement’s central practice of written confessions relied heavily upon the relationship with these Three Officials as the recipients, and ultimate arbiters, of said confessions. The Sanguan Jing exemplifies the continued and on-going importance of understanding our actions and their effects, an integral component for the full understanding of Longmen 龍門 Daoism which elevates particular doctrines and practices central to the lineage, especially the following of precepts and the host of other ethical features of the tradition, in service of achieving realization.

Parting Clouds Daoist Press is thrilled to present its translation of The Beidou Jing, or The Perfected Scripture of the Upmost Profoundly Numinous Northern Dipper That Prolongs Life and Affects Fundamental Destiny.  As its title suggests, this Scripture allows a glimpse into the complexities of Daoist metaphysics, including time and space, as well as the nature of our existence and its causes. 

Through this Scripture we are presented with a clear view of the exciting dynamics of Daoist ritual text.  It proposes some of the finest nuances of Daoist doctrine, and answers some fundamental questions pertaining to cyclic rebirth, ethical development, and the soteriological efficacy of ritually performed Scripture.  It tackles the often confusing issues surrounding the implications of one’s astrology, and how that corresponds to karmically defined destiny and the effects of previous causes upon our lived experience.

The Beidou Jing expresses our relationship to, and reliance upon, the seven visible, and two invisible, stars of the Northern Dipper.  Through this, we see an illustration of this Daoist astro-deity, how these celestial bodies are deified, and how celestial position and movement play into the abilities and features of the deified forms.  It further provides us with a ritual reading and practice to be performed throughout the calendar year, on the allotted days, by which the practitioner can effect change in the events that lie just beyond the horizon.  As it states in the Scripture, “My destiny is none other than me,” meaning that a practitioner is not bound by, and can change, one’s life destiny.  By performing these recitations and heeding the doctrines herein, a practitioner has the tools to alter the outcomes that have been  set in motion in this life, as well as from previous incarnations.  

Lastly, the importance of this Scripture memorializing an interaction, many years ago in Chengdu, Sichuan, between Taishang Laojun and the Celestial Master, should not be overlooked.  At its heart, this bequeathment is the testimony of a means to salvation, a means to end suffering, and a means to improve our world, even when all appears lost.

The current Scripture, along with the Morning, Evening, and Noon Altar Recitations, form the main corpus of liturgical texts common to most Quanzhen Longmen Daoist temples.  They are known collectively as the Four Immortal Scriptures, and contain within their covers the predominance of the essential doctrines.  This translation completes this collection, and it is our sincere hope that they serve you well, that they are a comfort to you, and that they aid your practice.