I. Chanting the Gatha
The human mind is all scattered and confused; with a single thought, it becomes pure and true. If you wish to seek the supreme Tao, let the assembly invoke the Heavenly Worthy.
II. The Invocation
The Heavenly Worthy of Thunder (Leisheng Puhua Tianzun), Who Responds to the Primordial of the Nine Heavens.
After the invocation, return to the altar and kneel to recite the Hymn of the Central Hall.
In reciting the scriptures just now, every thought held to sincerity. A thousand Perfected listened respectfully; ten thousand sages communed with the numinous. Responding to the Primordial, uniting the qi; universally transforming, dividing his forms. The Nine Heavens have given command; the Three Realms obey and carry it out. Dissolving calamity and repenting of sins, praying for blessings and prolonging life. Merit complete and practice fulfilled, one ascends into covenant with the Great Tao.
III. Reciting Patriarch Qiu's Litany of Repentance
The vast power of the merit of the scriptures is inconceivable; we dedicate it to the host of sages in the ten directions.
May they see our true hearts seeking repentance, and may our sins and obstacles, countless as the sands of the Ganges, all be dissolved.
We repent: from past kalpas until this present life, we have borrowed fire, wind, earth, and water to form our bodies, and clung to smell, taste, sight, and sound in contact with phenomena. Greed, anger, jealousy, harsh speech, and false words; killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, indulging our passions and giving free rein to desire. We have defied and insulted our parents, and rebelled against and betrayed our sovereign and teachers. We have not revered the gods of heaven and earth, and have cursed the wind and railed at the rain. We have not believed in the cause and effect of sin and blessing, obscuring principle and deceiving our own hearts. Thus we have met with retribution, rising and sinking, turning round and round in the cycle of rebirth, suffering all manner of pain and affliction without rest. All this comes from a single mistaken thought, which obscured and deluded our own nature, so that we falsely took the illusions of the six dusts as real and sank in the river of love. Now that we have obtained a human body and been privileged to draw near to the orthodox teaching, is this not the good fortune of a thousand lifetimes? Having encountered it at last, we should reflect upon our hearts and seek early to transcend the world. If we drift and wander as before, in the end we will lose our original nature; once we fall onto the dark road, we will be transformed into other kinds of beings.
Therefore, mindful of the suffering of sinking and drowning, we raise a pure heart and take refuge in and serve the sages and Perfected, specially seeking to repent and reform, and begging pity for our ignorance. May you pardon our sins, release the grievances of retribution, and remove the obstacles of demons, in the hope that our lives meet with prosperous fortune and our names be entered at the Cinnabar Terrace; that we meet a true master and personally hear the supreme Tao; that we diligently cultivate wondrous conduct and increase the sprouts of goodness; that we devote ourselves fully to the Mysterious Gate and delight our spirits in the true realm. On another day, when our time comes to pass away, may our own nature not be clouded; may we be born directly into a family of the ten good deeds, able to know our past lives, and realize once more the Tao of the highest vehicle, to serve the Void Sovereign.
We further vow: that the country be at peace and the people prosper, the seasons be harmonious and the harvests abundant; that the true wind be widely spread and the transforming power of the Tao flourish; that the fierce and wicked be transformed into the worthy and demons return to the right; that weapons and punishments be laid aside and the prisons stand empty; that those sunk and stagnant ascend and enmities be reconciled; that students of the mystery enter the Tao and attain perfection; that our kin of all past kalpas receive ritual deliverance of the dead; that our teachers and friends of all past lives together realize the true and constant; that all our family and connections increase in blessings and wisdom; that all creatures we have harmed soon be born among humans and gods; that we abstain from wine and meat and do no killing; that we keep ourselves upright and never tread the path of sexual misconduct; that we break all stinginess and greed and remove all harshness; that our words be free of wildness and falsehood and our conduct value sincerity; that we humble ourselves and forgive others, quietly bearing enmity and anger; that with a compassionate heart and lowered qi we respect all beings; that we not fall among the peoples of the borderlands nor follow heterodox views; that we befriend immortals and dwell in pure emptiness; that our wisdom be opened and our divine powers expanded; that we broadly practice skillful means and universally aid all living beings; that we forever cut off delusion and return to the supreme Tao. The kalpas of dust may come to an end, but our vows are without end (three times).
We earnestly look to the Emperors and Perfected to condescend to save and deliver us; we take refuge and give thanks to the spirits.
The Supreme Void Sovereign, the Most True Three Treasures.
First, that the One Person have blessings; second, that the two luminaries shine together; third, that the three kinds of farmers delight in their work; fourth, that the four seasons be harmonious and peaceful; fifth, that the five sacrifices be secure; sixth, that the six directions be clear and pure; seventh, that the seven stars shine down; eighth, that the eight festivals be tranquil; ninth, that the nine springs open in peace; tenth, that the ten kinds of beings flourish; eleventh, that blessings remain with the good and faithful; twelfth, that the Great Tao flourish and prevail.
May all divine light shine everywhere; may all the host of sages extend their grace; may all sentient beings rely on goodness; may all right fruits attain perfection. May all under heaven rejoice together, and the four seas share one spring. Having heard the scriptures, sins are extinguished and blessings arise (three times).