Morning and Evening Rites
The Origin of Morning and Evening Rites:
Morning and Evening Rites are one of the main forms of religious
practice for Taoists at temples. The " Rites" refer to reading
aloud Taoist scriptures, one of the routine assignments. They
require the Taoists to read aloud the texts of the scriptures in
the hall of the temple both in the morning and in the
evening.
No record was left about Morning and Evening Rites in early Taoism.
In the Northern and Southern dynasties, Taoists at temples
practised the Rites of Routine Practice, the rites and commandments
of the Four Assemblies and Three Grottoes can be practiced daily,
so they are called the Rites of Routine Practice.
The core of the rites is to be courteous to the Ten Directions,
which differs from the Morning and Evening Rites at later times,
which mainly consist in reading aloud Taoist scriptures,
exhortations, and incantations. But the forms of the two were quite
similar to each other. No scriptures mentioned the Morning or
Evening Rites in the Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong Era or in the
Supplementary Taoist Canon of the Ming Dynasty.
In the Essential Books of the Daoist Canon compiled in the Qing
Dynasty, there are two scriptures about them. One is the Qing Wei
Taoist Rites of the Great Discipline, the other is the Book of the
Supreme Taoist Rites. From the title we can see that it was handed
down from the Taoists of theQing Wei sect, and was probably written
before the Qing Dynasty.
It was not until the Ming Dynasty that the system of Morning and
Evening Rites was formed in Buddhist temples. And then the temples
of the Quan Zhen followed suit. So it can be estimated that the
Morning and Evening Rites of Taoism came into being in the middle
or late Ming dynasty. Until the end of the Ming Dynasty or early
Qing Dynasty, the main temples of Taoism adopted Morning and
Evening Rites as a form of practice.
The Contents and Functions of Morning and Evening Rites:
Taoists usually do the same thing during the daily Morning and
Evening Rites, mostly reading incantations, scriptures, and
mandates. However, the Rites are slightly different from sect to
sect and from place to place. For example, in the Morning Rites of
the Quan Zhen Tradition, the Taoists would read aloud the
Exhortations from the Five Patriarchs of the North, the
Exhortations from the Five Patriarchs of the South, and the
Exhortations from the Seven Perfect Ones.
In the Evening Rites of the Zheng Yi Tradition, the Taoists would
read the Treasure Exhortations of the Celestial Master and the
Treasure Exhortations of the Celestial Master of Emptiness.
At the Evening Rites of the Taoists of the Mt. Mao sect, the
Treasure Exhortation from the Perfect Sovereign of Mt. Mao would be
read. The procedures of the Morning and Evening Rites for all
Taoists were similar to one another as well. They usually began
with the Rhymes for Opening the Scriptures or with the Odes for
Offering Incense and ended with the Twelve Wishes and the Three
Conversions.
The Morning Rites consist of three parts:
1. Incantations (e.g. the Divine Incantation for Purifying the
Heart),
2. Scriptures (e.g. the Sublime Book of the Supreme Venerable
Sovereign's Teachings on Eternal Purity and Tranquility),
3. Exhortations (e.g. the Treasure Exhortation of Jade Clarity)18.
The Evening rites have two parts: scriptures (e.g. The Sublime Book
of the Supreme Numinous Treasure Pervasive Mystery for Saving from
Distress in the Ten Directions) and exhortations (e.g. the Treasure
Exhortation of the Big Dipper)
One of the aims of Morning and Evening Rites is to cultivate Tao.
Liu Shouyuan stated in the preface of the Qing Wei Taoist Rites of
the Great Discipline that the Golden and Jade Books of Taoism are
the access to the Tao while the treasure exhortations and the books
of elixirs are the access to Immortality.
If one finds the right way of practice, one can renew one's
original and perfect nature and refine one's eternal body. Thus
living in temples, Daoists attend to the incense by reading Taoist
scriptures from morning till night and practicing wherever they
are. They practice from morning till night, expecting to ascend to
Fairyland and approach the Sages and Perfect Men, and pray
sincerely for the blessing of the state. Another aim is to nourish
life. Liu Shouyuan said: "How can one nourish the Original Vital
Breath of harmony if not by practicing daily?"
Taoists often practise the Morning Rites from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. when
the Yang Vital Breath is rising and the Yin Vital Breath is
inactive. At that time no food is taken and the Vital Breath is not
in disorder. Conducting the morning rites will contribute to peace
of mind and clear the pulse as well as the apertures. The evening
rites are often conducted from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. when people feel
tired. At this time the Yang breath weakens whereas the Yin breath
becomes strong with unhealthy breath idling about. Conducting the
Evening Rites can make you relaxed, renew your energy, improve your
sleep, and make you calm down.
Therefore Liu Shouyuan said: "If one can concentrate on practicing
daily with perseverance, one will be strong enough to approach
Immortality. One can be free from worldly troubles, even if one
lives in the human world. Then one can enjoy longevity and
happiness, for one can go in and out of emptiness, at peace with
the world and oneself. Since one has realized that there is no
birth or death, one can transcend the Three Worlds, immune to any
desire except for one's perfect heart. If one can give up worldly
desire, one can be free from all the misfortune in the world. Thus
saved from the abyss of misery, one can be on the grand way to
longevity. Disasters will be dispelled and blessings will befall as
one wishes. No request would be discarded. There will always be
communication with spirits."
As for Lay Taoist at home, if one could recite basic Taoist
scriptures, it will be beneficial too. Such as the Qing Jing
Jing(Book of peace and tranquility) , Tai shang gan yin pian, Tao
Te Ching, Beidou Jing(Book of the North Dipper) and San Guan
Jing(Book of the Three Divine Officials).
It is important for Taoist, to understand these basic scriptures as
they convey the teachings of Taoism. By reciting them, one could
pray for blessings and at same time understand their meaning.
Heavenly blessings