The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets: A National-level Taoist Rite You May Not Know
paulpeng
The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets: A National-level Taoist Rite You May Not Know
Taoism is a native religion in China, influencing all aspects of social life. In ancient China, great importance was attached to sacrificial rituals. As the saying goes, "The most important affairs of the state are sacrifices and warfare." In many dynasties, Taoist rites were an integral part of the highest-level sacrificial activities of the state. Besides the well-known Golden Register Retreat and Yellow Register Retreat, there was another important Taoist rite frequently adopted by emperors, which was the Taoist Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets.
The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets is a Taoist fasting and offering rite. The core part of it is to throw golden dragons and jade discs into the precipices or deep lakes in the Taoist paradises and blessed lands. The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets originated from the worship of the Three Officials in Taoism. As early as the founding of Taoism, Zhang Tianshi had already introduced the belief in the Three Officials. The Three Officials are the Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official, and the Water Official. In Taoism, there is a saying that the Heavenly Official bestows blessings, the Earthly Official pardons sins, and the Water Official relieves misfortunes.
When the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice treated the believers' illnesses, it often used the method of praying with talisman water. Specifically, the patient's name was written on the talisman paper to express the intention of confessing sins. Three such talisman papers were made at a time. One was sent to the sky and placed on the top of a high mountain; one was buried in the ground; and the other was sunk into the water. The Way of the Five Pecks of Rice called it "The Handwritten Notes of the Three Officials".
The principle of the Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets is the same as that of the "The Handwritten Notes of the Three Officials" of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice. Taoists tied the written petitions with the wishes of the petitioners to eliminate sins, along with jade discs and golden dragons, together with black silk, preparing three copies, named respectively as the Mountain Petition, the Earth Petition, and the Water Petition. The Mountain Petition was thrown on the top of the mountain to report to the Heavenly Official of the Upper Prime; the Earth Petition was buried in the ground to inform the Earthly Official of the Middle Prime; and the Water Petition was thrown into the water to notify the Water Official of the Lower Prime. The purpose was to pray to the Great Emperors of the Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials to protect the safety of all living beings and the state.
The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets was not simply a casual throw. Its operation process was quite complicated. For example, before formally throwing down the dragon petitions, corresponding incantations had to be recited in the five directions of east, west, south, north, and center. The incantation for the east was: "In the blue sky of the Nine Qi, the Great God of the Bright Stars. Shining brightly on the eastern village, illuminating the nine gates. Turning the candle of sunlight, sweeping away filth and miasma. The Enlightened Boy, guarding my carriage. Capturing demons and binding goblins, facing the Emperor of the Gods above. Following the righteous path, the red-lettered jade scriptures. The edicts of the Nine Heavens, summoning the dragons to convey messages. Pacifying the whole heaven, and I can become an immortal." Corresponding blessings had to be chanted in the other directions as well.
In the Tang Dynasty, Taoism was the state religion, so the Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets was very popular in the Tang Dynasty. The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets in the Taoist fasting and offering in the Tang Dynasty was to hold a Grand Offering of the Luo Tian with 1,200 star positions during the Golden Register and Yellow Register Retreats. After the retreat, the Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets was held to give thanks to heaven and earth. The places for throwing the dragons were usually famous mountains and great rivers such as the Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Great Rivers. The Huayang Cave on Mount Mao, the Yujing Cave on Mount Tiantai, the Tianshi Cave on Mount Qingcheng, the Zhuling Cave on Mount Hengshan in the South, and the Shengzhen Cave on Mount Wuyi were the most common places for throwing the dragons.
Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty especially revered Taoism. On the one hand, he suppressed Buddhism; on the other hand, he himself received the Shangqing Talismans on Mount Mao and became a disciple of the Shangqing School of Taoism. As a Taoist believer, Emperor Xuanzong vigorously promoted Taoist fasting and offering and had held many Ceremonies of Throwing the Dragon Tablets. There was a Throwing Dragon Pool in the Zhaoxian Temple on Mount Hengshan in the South. According to historical records, Emperor Xuanzong once threw the dragons here. There is a poem that says: "In the Kaiyuan period, the golden dragons were thrown, and the heavenly music could be heard from the bottom of the water."
Interestingly, during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, the actual object of the dragon petition thrown by Emperor Xuanzong was actually discovered in the Zhuling Cave. On the rectangular dragon petition, it was full of prayers: "Li Longji, the Kaiyuan Shenwu Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, was born on the fifth day of August in the year of Yiyou. Having been fond of the true way of Taoism since childhood, I wish to obtain the method of immortality from the immortals. According to the Shangqing Spiritual Texts, I throw this petition into the Zigaixian Cave. Although I hold the position of the emperor, I have not been able to pay my respects in person. I hereby order Taoist Sun Zhiliang to carry this petition to make it known, only relying on the golden dragons to convey messages. The report was made on the 27th day of the sixth month in the year of Wuyin, with the first day of the month being Xuxu."
However, the actual copper dragon petition discovered in the Zhuling Cave on Mount Hengshan in the South was made of copper, not gold. It is not known whether it was originally like this or had been secretly replaced. However, actual gold dragon petitions have also been discovered. In 1982, a farmer discovered a pure gold dragon petition in the crevice of the stone on the Junji Peak at the top of Mount Song in the Central Sacred Mountain while collecting herbs. This is also the only existing cultural relic belonging to Empress Wu Zetian. The content of the gold petition was: "Empress Wu Zetian, the Lord of the Great Zhou Kingdom, is fond of the true way of Taoism and desires immortality. I hereby go to the gate of Mount Song in the Central Sacred Mountain and throw a gold petition, begging the Three Officials and Nine Prefectures to remove the sins of Empress Wu Zetian. On the 7th day of the seventh month in the year of Gengzi, Hu Chao, a minor envoy, bows and kowtows again and again and respectfully presents this report." This is a sin-removing petition, which shows that the Ceremony of Throwing the dragon Tablets was highly valued by Empress Wu Zetian.
Du Guangting, a prominent Taoist in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties period, sorted out Taoist rites. In the "Rite of Throwing the Dragon Discs" in his "Supreme Yellow Register Retreat Rite", it is said: "The Great Tao uses one qi to give birth to the three talents and molds all things. Therefore, it divides the departments of the three primes to be in charge of sins and blessings, that is, the Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials, who are actually in charge of the three primes. People's life and death, longevity and shortness of life, sins and virtues, good and bad luck are all related to them. The texts of the three registers are also the canonical forms of the three primes." The Three Officials are in charge of "people's life and death, longevity and shortness of life, sins and virtues, good and bad luck are all related to them". Probably this is the reason why the Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets was valued by various dynasties.
Taoism is a native religion in China, influencing all aspects of social life. In ancient China, great importance was attached to sacrificial rituals. As the saying goes, "The most important affairs of the state are sacrifices and warfare." In many dynasties, Taoist rites were an integral part of the highest-level sacrificial activities of the state. Besides the well-known Golden Register Retreat and Yellow Register Retreat, there was another important Taoist rite frequently adopted by emperors, which was the Taoist Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets.
The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets is a Taoist fasting and offering rite. The core part of it is to throw golden dragons and jade discs into the precipices or deep lakes in the Taoist paradises and blessed lands. The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets originated from the worship of the Three Officials in Taoism. As early as the founding of Taoism, Zhang Tianshi had already introduced the belief in the Three Officials. The Three Officials are the Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official, and the Water Official. In Taoism, there is a saying that the Heavenly Official bestows blessings, the Earthly Official pardons sins, and the Water Official relieves misfortunes.
When the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice treated the believers' illnesses, it often used the method of praying with talisman water. Specifically, the patient's name was written on the talisman paper to express the intention of confessing sins. Three such talisman papers were made at a time. One was sent to the sky and placed on the top of a high mountain; one was buried in the ground; and the other was sunk into the water. The Way of the Five Pecks of Rice called it "The Handwritten Notes of the Three Officials".
The principle of the Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets is the same as that of the "The Handwritten Notes of the Three Officials" of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice. Taoists tied the written petitions with the wishes of the petitioners to eliminate sins, along with jade discs and golden dragons, together with black silk, preparing three copies, named respectively as the Mountain Petition, the Earth Petition, and the Water Petition. The Mountain Petition was thrown on the top of the mountain to report to the Heavenly Official of the Upper Prime; the Earth Petition was buried in the ground to inform the Earthly Official of the Middle Prime; and the Water Petition was thrown into the water to notify the Water Official of the Lower Prime. The purpose was to pray to the Great Emperors of the Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials to protect the safety of all living beings and the state.
The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets was not simply a casual throw. Its operation process was quite complicated. For example, before formally throwing down the dragon petitions, corresponding incantations had to be recited in the five directions of east, west, south, north, and center. The incantation for the east was: "In the blue sky of the Nine Qi, the Great God of the Bright Stars. Shining brightly on the eastern village, illuminating the nine gates. Turning the candle of sunlight, sweeping away filth and miasma. The Enlightened Boy, guarding my carriage. Capturing demons and binding goblins, facing the Emperor of the Gods above. Following the righteous path, the red-lettered jade scriptures. The edicts of the Nine Heavens, summoning the dragons to convey messages. Pacifying the whole heaven, and I can become an immortal." Corresponding blessings had to be chanted in the other directions as well.
In the Tang Dynasty, Taoism was the state religion, so the Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets was very popular in the Tang Dynasty. The Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets in the Taoist fasting and offering in the Tang Dynasty was to hold a Grand Offering of the Luo Tian with 1,200 star positions during the Golden Register and Yellow Register Retreats. After the retreat, the Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets was held to give thanks to heaven and earth. The places for throwing the dragons were usually famous mountains and great rivers such as the Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Great Rivers. The Huayang Cave on Mount Mao, the Yujing Cave on Mount Tiantai, the Tianshi Cave on Mount Qingcheng, the Zhuling Cave on Mount Hengshan in the South, and the Shengzhen Cave on Mount Wuyi were the most common places for throwing the dragons.
Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty especially revered Taoism. On the one hand, he suppressed Buddhism; on the other hand, he himself received the Shangqing Talismans on Mount Mao and became a disciple of the Shangqing School of Taoism. As a Taoist believer, Emperor Xuanzong vigorously promoted Taoist fasting and offering and had held many Ceremonies of Throwing the Dragon Tablets. There was a Throwing Dragon Pool in the Zhaoxian Temple on Mount Hengshan in the South. According to historical records, Emperor Xuanzong once threw the dragons here. There is a poem that says: "In the Kaiyuan period, the golden dragons were thrown, and the heavenly music could be heard from the bottom of the water."
Interestingly, during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, the actual object of the dragon petition thrown by Emperor Xuanzong was actually discovered in the Zhuling Cave. On the rectangular dragon petition, it was full of prayers: "Li Longji, the Kaiyuan Shenwu Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, was born on the fifth day of August in the year of Yiyou. Having been fond of the true way of Taoism since childhood, I wish to obtain the method of immortality from the immortals. According to the Shangqing Spiritual Texts, I throw this petition into the Zigaixian Cave. Although I hold the position of the emperor, I have not been able to pay my respects in person. I hereby order Taoist Sun Zhiliang to carry this petition to make it known, only relying on the golden dragons to convey messages. The report was made on the 27th day of the sixth month in the year of Wuyin, with the first day of the month being Xuxu."
However, the actual copper dragon petition discovered in the Zhuling Cave on Mount Hengshan in the South was made of copper, not gold. It is not known whether it was originally like this or had been secretly replaced. However, actual gold dragon petitions have also been discovered. In 1982, a farmer discovered a pure gold dragon petition in the crevice of the stone on the Junji Peak at the top of Mount Song in the Central Sacred Mountain while collecting herbs. This is also the only existing cultural relic belonging to Empress Wu Zetian. The content of the gold petition was: "Empress Wu Zetian, the Lord of the Great Zhou Kingdom, is fond of the true way of Taoism and desires immortality. I hereby go to the gate of Mount Song in the Central Sacred Mountain and throw a gold petition, begging the Three Officials and Nine Prefectures to remove the sins of Empress Wu Zetian. On the 7th day of the seventh month in the year of Gengzi, Hu Chao, a minor envoy, bows and kowtows again and again and respectfully presents this report." This is a sin-removing petition, which shows that the Ceremony of Throwing the dragon Tablets was highly valued by Empress Wu Zetian.
Du Guangting, a prominent Taoist in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties period, sorted out Taoist rites. In the "Rite of Throwing the Dragon Discs" in his "Supreme Yellow Register Retreat Rite", it is said: "The Great Tao uses one qi to give birth to the three talents and molds all things. Therefore, it divides the departments of the three primes to be in charge of sins and blessings, that is, the Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials, who are actually in charge of the three primes. People's life and death, longevity and shortness of life, sins and virtues, good and bad luck are all related to them. The texts of the three registers are also the canonical forms of the three primes." The Three Officials are in charge of "people's life and death, longevity and shortness of life, sins and virtues, good and bad luck are all related to them". Probably this is the reason why the Ceremony of Throwing the Dragon Tablets was valued by various dynasties.
