Collection of Gods

Chapter 961 Universal Ceremony
Surrounded by the crowd, Tang Yuan and others walked towards the top of the mountain.

Along the way, Xia Guotao and others were full of praise for the exquisite temples and palaces along the way, but due to time constraints, Xia Guotao and others did not stop.

After more than half an hour, the group finally reached the top of the mountain.

Looking around, there are altars everywhere and flags fluttering, which looks very spectacular.

Today is the opening day of Tianmu Taoist Temple, and it is also the fifth day of the Taoist Taoist calendar, the Daode La Day. Since Tang Yuan is determined to build Tianmu Taoist Temple into a global Taoist cultural holy land, he naturally has to make a concerted effort to push its momentum directly to the peak. Therefore, Tang Yuan had already made preparations a long time ago.

Today, Tianmu Taoist Temple will hold the most solemn event in Taoist fasting and offering ceremonies:
Grand Ceremony of All Heavens!

There are three main rituals in Taoism, namely fasting, altar offerings and ceremonial duties. The most solemn rituals are fasting and altar offerings. However, since ancient times, Taoism has always combined fasting and altar offerings together, so the two are often referred to as altar offerings.

Jiao means setting up an altar for sacrifice and prayer, which is a Taoist ritual to worship the Three Pure Ones, the Four Imperial Gods and the Five Stars. Jiao can be divided into two categories, one is the Qingjiao and the other is the Youjiao. The former is to pray for rain, eliminate disasters, cure diseases and prolong life, protect the country and the people, and celebrate Christmas, while the latter is to summon the souls of the dead, break the prison and the lake, and refine the souls and offer food.

In addition to these two categories, there is the grand ceremony.

Because the sacrificial rituals held in the Da Jiao were too grand and lavish, in ancient times only the royal family of the dynasty could afford to hold it, so the Da Jiao was not included in the two categories.

There are three grand ceremonies, namely the Putian Grand Ceremony, the Zhoutian Grand Ceremony and the Luotian Grand Ceremony.

Even the smallest Luotian Dajiao requires three altars for the worship of 1,200 deities, while the largest Putian Dajiao requires nine altars for the worship of 3,600 deities, and its many rituals are extremely complicated.

Since the Tang Dynasty, the Luotian Grand Ceremony has occasionally been held whenever there is a major event or disaster in the country, but the Putian Grand Ceremony is almost extinct, as its scale is so grand that it is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people to host.

Although the three kinds of grand ceremonies are different in methods and scales, their purposes are exactly the same. One is to protect the country and the people, two is to prolong life and save the dead, three is to eliminate disasters and ward off misfortunes, and four is to pray for blessings and express gratitude. At this point in time, the Universal Grand Ceremony organized by Tang Yuan is indeed more appropriate.

At this moment, in the square in front of the three holy statues of Yuanshi Tianzun, Daode Tianzun and Lingbao Tianzun, the three altars in the sky, the three altars in the middle of the Zhoutian and the three altars in Luotianxia are all ready. In front of the many altars, the Taoist priests in charge of presiding over the rituals wear at least red robes. The Taoist priests standing in front of the three altars in the sky wear purple robes.

On the altar, there are incense burners, candlesticks, vases, and incense tubes.

In the hands of many Taoist priests, there are a dazzling array of magical instruments such as court tablets, ruyi, jade books, jade seals, magic swords, command flags, command arrows, tokens, Tianpeng rulers, and altar-suppressing wood.

The whole scene was extremely solemn.

When Xia Guotao and others arrived at the top of the mountain and saw such a grand scene, they all stopped talking tacitly and their expressions became solemn and serious.

You may not believe in God, but you must respect Him.

"Mr. Xia, please..."

Tang Yuan also looked solemn. He extended his right hand towards Xia Guotao, motioning him to walk in front as a sign of respect.

Under this circumstance, Xia Guotao did not bother to be polite with Tang Yuan. He strode in front, and then Tang Yuan and Gao Zhiguo walked behind, and then Fan Chongzheng, Shen Wenxu and others. They walked forward in a triangular formation.

“Everyone——” “Burn incense and offer sacrifices to the gods!”

The high priest standing on the altar saw Xia Guotao and others standing in position. He thought the auspicious time had arrived, and he immediately sank his energy into his dantian, and his loud voice spread in all directions.

In the fasting and offering ceremony, Taoist priests, each with certain titles and duties, are collectively called deacons, that is, the altar deacons, and Gaogong is the head of many deacons. According to the "Jinlu Dazhai Buzhi Shuochengyi", if one wants to take on the position of Gaogong in the Putian Grand Offering, the person in charge must be "full of morality within, dignified and majestic without, the gods and ghosts must look up to him", and in the ceremony he must "fly like the morning star, carry on the face and spread the virtues, benefit the three realms, and be more polite than all other officials".

For those who practice Taoism, having the honor of serving as a high priest in the Universal Ceremony can be regarded as the fulfillment of life.

As the high priest's voice fell, the deacons of the other eight branch altars also followed suit and shouted loudly, followed by the other Taoist priests guarding the nine altars. Their loud voices were mighty and echoed among the mountains and temples.

Under this circumstance, Xia Guotao, Tang Yuan and others lit the Taoist incense in their hands, put their hands flat, and held the Taoist incense in front of them.

"I bow, and wish the country peace and prosperity!"

"Second bow, may the rivers and seas be peaceful and tranquil!"

"Three bows, may the people be healthy and prosperous!"

"Four bows, may disasters and misfortunes be warded off!"

……

As the high priest announced the message in a clear voice, Xia Guotao, Tang Yuan and others bowed in worship.

Worship is the most common ritual in Taoist altars. It is usually performed in the form of knocking the head or bowing. Both Taoists and believers must worship in front of the statues of gods inside or outside Taoist temples. This is the first and most fundamental step in becoming a Taoist believer.

However, given the status of Xia Guotao and others today, it is definitely inappropriate to kowtow, so Xia Guotao and Tang Yuan and others all bowed and saluted.

The fragrance was lingering in the air and the scene was silent.

According to historical records, the grand and magnificent Pu Tian Da Jiao before our eyes was probably the only fasting and prayer ceremony that could reach the scale of the Pu Tian Da Jiao since the Tang Dynasty. Many of the monks present were so excited that their faces turned red, but they dared not even breathe, for fear of affecting the ceremony.

Xia Guotao, Tang Yuan and others bowed and kowtowed successively. After nine consecutive bows, the incense burning ceremony came to an end. However, for the Pu Tian Da Jiao, this was just the beginning.

There are 3,600 deities to be worshipped in the Universal Ceremony, and these deities can be found in many temples of the Tianmu Taoist Palace. Just as Xia Guotao, Tang Yuan and others were burning incense and worshiping in front of the nine altars, Taoists were also burning incense and worshiping in front of the statues in all the temples of the Tianmu Taoist Palace, and everyone's movements were almost completely synchronized.

Under this circumstance, numerous incense sticks were burning, causing green smoke to float in the sky above the entire fasting and offering ceremony scene and even the entire Tianmu Taoist Temple. After the green smoke spread out of the temple, it slowly floated upwards and then gathered around the three holy statues, making the fasting and offering ceremony scene look more solemn and dignified, and the three holy statues look more majestic, as if they were alive.

Such a mysterious and spectacular scenery made tourists far away in the Tianmu Taoist Temple Tourism Resort exclaim in amazement. Some people took out their mobile phones to take pictures, and some even started live broadcasts, making the Tianmu Taoist Temple, which was already a very popular topic on the Internet, even more popular...

(End of this chapter)