Daoist Ritual

Traditionally speaking, Daoist ritual is divided into two broad categories: jiao 醮 ("offerings") and zhai 齋 ("purification") rites. In contemporary Zhengyi 正一 (Orthodox Unity) Daoism, the former is sometimes referred to as "cosmic renewal rites." Most contemporary Daoist ritual has roots that go back to the Lingbao 靈寶 (Numinous Treasure) movement. Zhai-rituals frequently involve confession or expiation and involve the purification of the body through bathing and fasting, the purification of the heart through confession of transgressions or moral impurity, and a communal feast celebrating the re-established harmony between human community and the spirit world. Usually, the zhai-ritual is a large-scale public affair carried out in the open air around a temporary Daoist altar (daotan 道壇) established for the occasion by the priests (daoshi 道士). Jiao-rituals are acts of communal renewal, which are the main rituals carried out today. In contemporary jiao-rituals an altar is erected, written invitations are sent to the gods, the gods descend into the sacred space around the altar, incense is offered and an audience takes place between the sponsors of the ritual and the gods. The ritual can last from one day to several weeks. These Daoist rituals can have diverse aims.

In terms of contemporary Quanzhen 全真 (Complete Perfection) liturgy (gongke 功課), communal chanting is done before the main altar, usually dedicated to the Sanqing 三清 (Three Purities), in the morning and in the evening. This is supposed to be performed daily, but often only occurs on the new and full moon, seasonal nodes, and major festival days. The centerpiece of the evening altar recitation and "merit undertaking" is the Eight Great Spirit Invocations (ba da shenzhou 八大神咒), which are ordered sequentially as follows: purifying the heart, purifying the mouth, purifying the body, purifying the earth, purifying the cosmos, offering incense, [activating] the golden light, and opening the scriptures in obscurity. Here one notices a movement from the innermost place in one's body to the outermost place in the cosmos and then back again. Emphasis is placed on self-purification and cosmological attunement. View liturgy.

Daoist ritual consists of both an external performance and an internal attentiveness. This microcosmic/macrocosmic relationship informs the Daoist understanding of daily practice as a form of ritual activity. It is expressed most simply in reverence for the external Three Treasures of the Dao, the scriptures, and the teachers. It is expressed by bowing and prostrating before altars and one’s fellow adherents.