The Triune Masters Liturgical Guide 洞玄灵宝三师名讳形状居观方所文

Originally attributed to Zhang Wanfu, compiler and collator — a Taoist priest of Taiqing Guan in Chang’an during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the the Tang Dynasty. In one volume, it is included in the Genealogy and Records Category of The Dongxuan Section of The Daozang.

There is a short preface by Zhang Wanfu at the opening of the text, stating that when Taoist priests recite and lecture on scriptures, practice the Dao and burn incense, enter meditation chambers and ascend ritual altars, they must first pay homage to their teachers and hold their thoughts in remembrance of them before performing Taoist rituals; otherwise, the true numinous spirits would never descend.

To pay homage to the teachers, one must know their abodes; to hold them in remembrance, one must clearly recognize their appearances and features. Therefore, Zhang Wanfu compiled and collated the ritual protocols for Taoists to pay homage to the Three Teachers, record their names and taboo appellations, their appearances and features, as well as the abodes of their residing abbeys upon receiving their teachings, for the convenience of consultation and reference.

The entire text is divided into seven sections: the Taboo Name of the Zhengyi Teacher, the Taboo Name of the Teacher of the Five Thousand Character Classic, the Taboo Name of the Divine Incantation Teacher, the Taboo Name of the Cavern God Teacher, the Taboo Name of the Shengxuan Teacher, the Taboo Name of the Cavern Mystery Teacher, and the Taboo Name of the Shangqing Teacher.

Each section briefly records the ritual protocols for a Taoist priest to pay homage and hold in remembrance the name, taboo appellation, appearance and features, as well as the abbey abode of one specific teacher when receiving a certain scripture.