The Ritual of Invoking Light and Distributing Lamps in Taoism
Paul PengInvoking Light and Distributing Lamps (请灯散灯) is a vital component of the Daoist ritual system. Du Guangting, in Tai Shang Huang Lu Zhai Yi (The Rituals of the Supreme Yellow Register Retreat), Volume 56, stated: “When performing retreats and practicing Taoist ceremonies, burning incense and lighting lamps are the most urgent tasks. Incense conveys sincerity and faith, reaching out to the true spirits above; lamps dispel darkness and illuminate the obscure, bringing light to the netherworld below.” Strictly speaking, Invoking Light and Distributing Lamps were originally two separate ritual segments — but since both embody the Daoist ideology of revering light, they came to be referred to together.
The Chinese nation has always been a people who reverence light and pursue harmony. Since Suiren Shi (the legendary inventor of fire by drilling wood) created fire, China has maintained a tradition of fire worship. The incorporation of Invoking Light and Distributing Lamps into Daoist rituals began during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. When Lu Xiujing, a prominent Daoist master of the Liu Song Dynasty, formulated ritual retreats and ceremonies, there were already records of Invoking Light and Distributing Lamps.
Among the six ritual roles established for Daoist retreats — High Priest, Preacher, Supervisor of the Retreat, Incense Attendant, Scripture Attendant, and Lamp Attendant — a dedicated Lamp Attendant was established, whose duties were defined as: “Facing the west, preparing lamps and utensils, arranging them in accordance with the method, keeping the flames burning brightly, and ensuring constant illumination.”
After the Song Dynasty, Invoking Light and Distributing Lamps developed rapidly, and almost all large-scale collections of ritual texts included it — such as Jiang Shuyu’s Wu Shang Huang Lu Da Zhai Li Cheng Yi, Wang Qizhen’s Shang Qing Ling Bao Da Fa, Jin Yunzhong’s Shang Qing Ling Bao Da Fa, and Lin Lingzhen’s Ling Bao Ling Jiao Ji Du Jin Shu. According to the chronological order of these ritual collections, the content gradually became more complex: in the two Song Dynasty versions of Shang Qing Ling Bao Da Fa, the only main deity was Yuanshi Tianzun (the Primordial Heavenly Lord); by the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the main deities had become the Three Pure Ones.
Volume 320 of Ling Bao Ling Jiao Ji Du Jin Shu specifies: “For all lamp-distributing rituals, one should use a yang sui (a concave mirror) to ignite fire at noon — this is called the ‘True Fire of the Sun.’ Then, use oil lamps to sustain the flame until nightfall. At dusk, invoke the descent of the Supreme Precious Light, blend it with the existing flame, and light lamps inside and outside the ritual altar; in an instant, the light will fill the Ten Directions.”
“The Lamp-Distributing Ritual” in Volume 20 of Jin Yunzhong’s Shang Qing Ling Bao Da Fa provides the most detailed surviving description of the ritual process. The steps proceed in order:
1. Ritual roles are announced
2. Deities are invoked
3. Ritual intent is declared
4. Practitioners chant The Mantra of the Primordial Vital Energy
5. The High Priest approaches Yuanshi Tianzun of the Jade Purity Realm
6. The High Priest uses a talisman to ignite a flame before the Jade Purity altar
7. The High Priest lights two attendants’ torches — all three hold lit torches
8. The Mantra of Opening the Red Light Diagram is recited
9. The High Priest silently chants: “The Dao gives birth to the One; the One gives birth to the Two; the Two gives birth to the Three; the Three gives birth to all things…”
10. Attendants distribute light to all practitioners; every lamp around the altar is lit
11. All lamps are gathered and burned before the Jade Purity altar — the ritual ends
During the Qing Dynasty, Lou Jinyuan reorganized the rituals of Invoking Light and Distributing Lamps, placing the Light-Invoking Ritual first in the order of retreat rituals — before Fetching Water, Purifying the Altar, and Dispatching Memorials. The light invoked was now that of the Three Luminaries: the Sun Emperor, the Lunar Sovereign, and the Great Divine Lord of Tiangang (the Big Dipper).
- Three mantras used: Sun Palace Mantra, Moon Palace Mantra, and Tiangang Mantra
- Main deities expanded from Yuanshi Tianzun alone to the Three Pure Ones
- Increased role of the lamp scepter, inscribed with talismans of the Three Luminaries
- Mudras of Mao (Rabbit), You (Rooster), and Chen (Dragon) formed in sequence
- Lamps of Jade Purity, Upper Purity, and Great Purity Realms lit one after another
- A question-and-answer exchange added: “Is the lamp light bright?” — “The lamp light is bright.”
- Practitioners draw a Taiji (Yin-Yang) symbol on each lamp with the scepter
- Final act: inhale the light into the abdomen through the nose, visualizing the altar glowing brilliantly
