Yujia Yankou
The Yujia Yankou rite, also known as the Yuqie Yankou rite, is an esoteric Chinese Buddhist ritual typically performed to fulfil several different goals, including to nourish and liberate hungry ghosts, to promote longevity and prolong the lifespans of the living, as well as to avert calamities and prevent disasters. The ritual is commonly performed during or at the end of regular religious temple events such as repentance rites, Buddha recitation retreats, the dedication of a new monastic complex or gatherings for the transmission of monastic vows. It is also widely performed as a post-mortem rite within Chinese society during funerals and other related occasions such as the Ghost Festival. While the ritual originated as a rite to feed hungry ghosts, or egui, certain traditional commentaries have expanded its scope and significance to include the nourishment and ultimate liberation of all sentient beings, including devas, asuras and humans. Due to the eclectic and non-exclusivist nature of Chinese Buddhism, where monks and nuns are usually trained in multiple Buddhist traditions and there is historically little to no sectarianism between the different traditions, the Yujia Yankou is practiced by monastics who are trained across all different traditions in Chinese Buddhism, such as Chan, Esoteric Buddhism|Esoteric], Pure Land, Tiantai and Huayan Buddhism.
The ritual combines features of Chinese operatic tradition, the recitation of sūtras similar to other Mahāyāna rituals as well as esoteric Vajrayāna practices. In particular, the usage of mantras, mudrās and maṇḍalas in the ritual correspond directly to the concept of the "Three Mysteries" in tantric Buddhism: the "secrets" of body, speech and mind. The ritual is one out of several esoteric Chinese Buddhists rites dedicated to the salvation of sentient beings, such as the Mengshan Shishi that is carried out in daily liturgical services. It is also usually performed as part of the more extensive Shuilu Fahui ceremony, where its function is to aid in the salvation of all sentient beings.
A similar ritual known as the Lingbao Pudu rite exists in Taoist traditions. It resembles the ritual program of the Yujia Yankou rite, but possesses numerous striking differences such as the invocation of deities and figures from the Taoist pantheon in place of Buddhist figures, the utilization of specialized Taoist mantras and fulu as well as the employment of a liturgy based on Taoist conceptualizations and understanding.
Etymology
The word yujia refers to the Sanskrit word yoga. The term is used in the Chinese Buddhist canon to refer to two different and unrelated corpuses of texts – the non-esoteric, exegetical texts of the Yogācāra tradition and a wide range of texts of the esoteric type. The esoteric texts with “yujia” in their titles can be further divided into two distinctive groups: Texts from the Vajraśekhara cycle of teachings and practices, and texts not directly related to the Vajraśekhara. Traditional commentaries on the term "yujia" glosses over it as the practice of the “mutual correspondence of the three actions", with the three actions referring to mental, verbal and physical actions.History
Tang dynasty to Yuan dynasty (7th - 14th century)
The Burning-Face Sūtra and The Flaming-Mouth Sūtra
The basic structure of the ritual was based on well-established templates stemming from the Sarvatathagatatattvasamgraha and its related cycle of texts. Two sources translated during the Tang dynasty were particularly influential in establishing its framework: The Burning-Face Sūtrawikisource:zh:佛說救面然餓鬼陀羅尼神咒經| which was translated by Śikṣānanda:zh:實叉難陀| between the years 700 - 704, and the Flaming-Mouth Sūtrawikisource:zh:佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經| which was translated by Amoghavajra between the years 757 - 770. The two texts are translations of two different recensions of a yet unstable Indian Buddhist sūtra that was already in existence no later than the seventh century which were widely circulating in China at the time. Of the two different translations, later ghost-feeding liturgies such as the Mengshan Shishi mostly relied on Amoghavajra’s Flaming-Mouth Sūtra, which overshadowed Śikṣānanda’s earlier translation due to its longer length as well as Amoghavajra's prestige as a Buddhist adept. Both texts center on the narrative of Ānanda’s encounter with a ghost king named either Mianran or Yankou that warned him about his impending death and rebirth in the realm of hungry ghosts which would happen unless he was able to give one measure of food and drink the size of a bushel used in Magadha to each of the one hundred thousand nayutas of hungry ghosts and other beings. The encounter prompted Ānanda to beg Śākyamuni Buddha for a way to avert his fate, at which point the Buddha revealed a ritual and a dhāraṇī that he had been taught in a past life when he was a brahmin by the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, who is known in East Asia as Guanyin. Part of the ritual involved the brief invocation of the names of four Buddhas. According to the sūtra, the performance of the ritual would not only feed the hungry ghosts but would also ensure the longevity of the performing ritualist. The sūtra ends with Ānanda performing the rite according to the Buddha’s instructions and avoiding the threat of rebirth into the realm of the hungry ghosts. Buddhist traditions hold that he eventually achieved longevity and attained the state of arhathood.The Method of Bestowing Drink and Food
While the Burning-Face Sūtra and the Flaming-Mouth Sūtra contained the basic structure and framework of a simple rite, they lack more complex elements necessary for them to function as liturgical texts. The earliest known work which attempts to turn the ritual elements contained in the two translated sūtras into a practice anchored on a written liturgy is the Method of Bestowing Drink and Food which is conventionally dated to the late 8th century to 9th century period, although some scholars have pointed out strong evidence linking it to an earlier date. This text is traditionally claimed as instructions from Amoghavajra himself, and a Dunhuang manuscript of the text refers to itself as the “oral instructions of the ‘Translator of Great and Broad wisdom’”. The text incorporates the ritual and dhāraṇī taught in the two sūtras, while adding an array of other hymns, spells, recitations and mudrās, the name of an additional Buddha and specific instructions on visualizations and other related ritual-acts. The ritual structure and content of the Method of Bestowing Drink and Food later became the basic template for later ghost-feeding rites in Japan, with various further indigenous alterations and adjustments. In China, this text also became the prototype for further development and more esoteric elements were added to it, which eventually lead to the creation of the Yujia Yankou rite.Flaming-Mouth Liturgy Sūtra
Another text that was influential in the development of the Yujia Yankou rite is the Flaming-Mouth Liturgy Sūtra, which is also traditionally attributed to Amoghavajra, and its contents is mostly based on the Flaming-Mouth Sūtra. The earliest extant version of this text can be found among the Fangshan Stone-carved Sūtras, dating to the Jin dynasty. Like The Method of Bestowing Drink and Food, this text contains a liturgical section with more developed and complex ritual elements which made it utilizable as a ritual manual. The text frames the practice of ghost-feeding within standard Mahāyāna rhetoric of universal liberation of all sentient beings, and also insists that the performers of ghost-feeding rites have to been properly initiated into esoteric practice by a qualified ācārya and the instructions for the construction of a special altar or platform known as the “Samaya-platform” for the performance of the ghost-feeding rite. Notably, this text makes reference to the ghost that Ānanda encounters using the term "Dashi", meaning "mahāsattva" or "Great Being", a term that is usually used to refer to bodhisattvas. This reference is instrumental in the identification of the ghost in Chinese traditions as a manifestation of the bodhisattva Guanyin, and he is referred to in Chinese Buddhist practices as Mianran Dashi and in Taoist practices as Jiaomian Dashi. The text also explicitly situates itself in the mainstream Chinese Esoteric Buddhist tradition through the encouragement that performers of the ritual should be taught and initiated into the teachings of the ritual by a qualified master through the conferment of an esoteric empowerment or abhiṣeka.Song Tiantai Ghost-Feeding Texts
In the Song dynasty, while the Method of Bestowing Drink and Food and the Flaming-Mouth Liturgy Sūtra were still in circulation, new ghost-feeding texts were also composed and compiled by monastics of the Tiantai tradition based on both the Burning-Face Sūtra and The Flaming-Mouth Sūtra. Two extant collections of Song Tiantai ghost-feeding are the Golden Garden Record by the monk Ciyun Zunshi:zh:遵式| and the Survey of Food-Bestowal Rites by the monk Zongxiao. Each text contains several different fascicles regarding the rites and liturgies of ghost-feeding rituals. Notably, one of the fascicles in the Golden Garden Record, the Food-Bestowal Liturgy, not only refers to the ghost that Ānanda encountered as a "Dashi", but also further specifies his identity as a ghost king. The text also gives greater importance to his role as a central figure in the performance of the rites. However, key one characteristic that these ritual liturgies lack is the execution of mudrās and visualization sequences that are present in the Method of Bestowing Drink and Food and the Flaming-Mouth Liturgy Sūtra, as well as the finalized liturgical text of the Yujia Yankou rite.Flaming-Mouth Food-Bestowal Rite
The Flaming-Mouth Liturgy Sūtra was heavily influential as a template for the composition of another liturgical prototype known as the Flaming-Mouth Food-Bestowal Rite during either the Yuan dynasty or the early Ming dynasty. This text contains all the spells and most of the prose and verses that were included in the Flaming-Mouth Liturgy Sūtra, with the addition of more complex ritual elements and textual elaborations. The most notable element incorporated into the Flaming-Mouth Food-Bestowal Rite is the self-identification of the celebrant, referred to as the guru of the rite, with Guanyin through a meditation-ritual. This type of self-identification with a Buddha or bodhisattva is a form of deity yoga and is often regarded as one of the hallmarks of “esoteric” Buddhist practices. In this way, the performer of the rite visualizes himself or herself as Guanyin using her powers to feed and liberate hungry ghosts. Other incorporated elements include an extensive list of mantras and mudrās.Ming dynasty to Present (14th - 21st century)
Huashan Yankou liturgy
By the late Ming dynasty, Yujia Yankou rites were so popular that numerous different versions of the liturgy, each based on the earlier prototypes, began to circulate. In response, the Eighth Patriarch of the Pure Land tradition Yunqi Zhuhong re-codified an edition of the liturgical text for the Yujia Yankou which was meant to standardize the rite. In Zhuhong's liturgy, he presents his edition as remaining close to the original intent of the rite. He attempted to shorten the text, but at the same time he also added more esoteric material such as purificatory and empowering spells. One of the most notable material found in Zhuhong's re-codified liturgy is the ritual presentation and offering of a maṇḍala. In this sub-section, an ideal universe based on the Buddhist cosmology found in Abhidharma texts, such as the Abhidharmakośa, is “created” by the celebrant by the power of his visualizations, the spells recited and the corresponding ritual-acts and presented as an offering to the guru of the rite, the Three Jewels and all other enlightened beings. The re-codified text still maintained most of the text and rites from the Flaming-Mouth Food-Bestowal Rite. Zhuhong's biographies indicated that he performed the Yujia Yankou rites numerous times himself, likely using his own liturgy, for reasons that ranged from offering repose to souls, to abating plagues and droughts and to pacifying disturbances caused by tigers attacking humans.In the Qing dynasty, Zhuhong was admired by the early Qing emperors for his endeavor to emphasize and encourage strict monastic disciple, and his legacy was promoted by the imperial family. Around the same period, the Longchang Temple located on Mount Baohua in Jiangsu province was gaining a reputation as a pre-eminent monastic center after the construction of a new ordination platform under the patronage of the emperors. In 1693, the third abbot of the temple, Deji Ding'an eventually received Zhuhong's re-codified version of the Yujia Yankou rite. Under his supervision, Zhuhong’s version was reworked and more material was incorporated into it. Ding'an's reworked version was subsequently known as the "Huashan Yankou” liturgy. The prestige of Longchang Temple at the time meant that monastics from various parts of China were travelling in great numbers to be ordinated at the temple. While post-ordination training was not compulsory, records show that most monks who received their ordination chose to stay in the temple afterwards and received training, which mostly focused on the study of liturgy and ritual. This included the pronunciation of the hanzi used to transliterate Sanskrit names and spells, the learning of the complex mudrās used for performances of the Yujia Yankou rite, ritual details related to a whole repertoire of post-mortem rites and finally, ordination ritual and procedure. Most monks returned to their home temples while others took up residence and administrative responsibilities in other monasteries in the different parts of China. In this way, Ding'an's finalized version of the Yujia Yankou rites, taught to the monks who were receiving training at Longchang Temple, came to become the dominant liturgy of the rite throughout China, resulting in a more or less standardized form of the liturgy. In addition to the main liturgical text, the current ritual manual also includes important notes and commentary on the liturgy that were later added by Shengxing Zongzeng, the fifteenth abbot of Baohua Monastery who lived during the mid-nineteenth century.
The Huashan Yankou version of the liturgy, known as the Yujia Yankou Shishi Yaoji, remains the most widely utilized version in contemporary Chinese Buddhist practice throughout China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and other overseas Chinese communities. Furthermore, the Huashan Yankou in turn has its own variations between different Chinese communities. Although its variations are not liturgical, variations do exist regarding the performative aspect of the ritual. For example, in the case of Taiwan, at least two sub-traditions of the Huashan Yankou exist – the Gushan tradition and the Haichaoyin tradition.
Cantonese Yankou liturgy
Another version of the liturgy that is also practiced in certain contemporary Chinese Buddhist temples to a lesser extent is the "Cantonese Yankou” liturgy. This version originates from Qingyun Temple located in the province of Guandong. The temple was founded by the monk Liji Daoqiu, who also served as its first abbot. Daoqiu was a close associate of Zhuhong, with whom he studied with for a significant period of time, possibly until the latter's death in 1615. One of Daoqiu’s biographies claims that Daoqiu “inherited Zhuhong’s robes and bowl", an expression that normally refers to being a successor of a previous master. Daoqiu was heavily influenced by Zhuhong's teachings, especially his focus on Pure Land practices that are based on Huayan and Chan understandings of the mind as well as his emphasis on strict monastic discipline. Extent documents by Daoqiu explicitly states that he ran Qingyun Temple, “according to the way and style of Yunqi Monastery" and that Zhuhong's portrait occupied a central position in the temple's lineage hall. In addition to the other teachings of Zhuhong, Dinghu also brought Zhuhong's re-codified Yujia Yankou liturgy to Qingyun Temple where it continued to be passed down to succeeding monastics of the temple and was subsequently known as the "Cantonese Yankou". Aside of the addition of a few passages at the beginning of the rite, the Cantonese Yankou liturgy is identical with Zhuhong’s re-codified version. At one point, usage of this liturgy spread from Qingyun Temple into surrounding monasteries in the Guandong area, until its popularity became eclipsed by Ding'an's reworked version. In contemporary Chinese Buddhism, only Qingyun Temple and its branch monasteries in other areas such as Hong Kong still practice the Yujia Yankou rites using the Cantonese Yankou liturgy, with the vast majority of Chinese temples using the Huashan Yankou liturgy instead.Ritual
Ritual Outline
The Buddhist version of the rite involves assembling beings from all of the six realms of saṃsāra, which involves an assault on hell followed by a banquet for the egui. There are two types of Yujia Yankou rites: the "yin yankou" which is usually held for the benefit of the recently deceased and ancestors, and the "yang yankou" which is usually held for the longevity and general blessings of the living as well as for warding off disasters. The process of carrying out the ritual is termed "fang yankou", which literally translates to "liberating the flaming-mouths".The entire ritual can be structurally divided into two main sections: the “upper section” and the “lower section”. The upper section unfolds with the purification and consecration of the altars and the ritual space, followed by the invocation of enlightened beings, including the Five Tathāgatas, Guanyin, Cundī and the Wisdom King Mahācakra via means such as the chanting of mantras, execution of mudrās as well as visualization of seed-syllables associated with them. The officiating monastics also makes use of tantric ritual items during this process, such as vajras and ghantas. The lower section mainly involves the use of mantras to assemble the egui, to open the hells and the eguis’ constricted throats, to eliminate their karmic obstructions, and to multiply the offerings of amrita to slake their thirst. As part of the ritual, the assembled beings are also inducted into Buddhism via the transmission of refuge, then the bodhisattva precepts, and eventually the esoteric samaya precepts in order to qualified them to listen to the esoteric Buddhist teachings. There are three types officiating monastics who play the main role in every performance of the ritual. The first is the main celebrant, who will take on the role of a jingang shangshi, or vajrācārya, during the ritual. The second type is called the weina, who will play the role of the lead cantor. The third type is called the yuezhong, who will play the role of the assisting cantor. The weina and the yuezhong typically sit on the left and right of the main celebrant. The remaining monastics help in facilitating the ritual's proceedings, such as by singing the chorus and playing percussive instruments. The number of main celebrants during a rite can be either singular or plural. If there are more than one main celebrant during the same ritual, the number of main celebrants chosen is traditionally an odd number.
The upper section consists of the following subsections:
- Ascending the seat
- Entering samādhi
- Purification
- Taking refuge
- Visualizing the daochang
- Presenting the maṇḍala
- Universal offering
- Entering samādhi
- Inviting and summoning
- Exoteric food bestowal
- Eliminating impediments
- Esoteric food bestowal
- Transference of merit
Opening
In modern performances of the Yujia Yankou rite, the opening of the ceremony is marked by the offering of incense and the singing of several eulogies to the accompaniment of percussive instruments played by the assisting monastics at the main altar of the rite, known as the Yujia Altar, or alternatively, as the Yankou platform. The Yujia Altar is where the officiating monastics will later sit and perform the majority of the ritual after the opening section, while the patrons face the monastics. In general, the seat of the main celebrant of the rite is positioned on the Altar such that it is facing the patrons and audience of the rite. The seats of the remaining monastics are typically positioned on both sides of the Altar, facing each other. A statue of Guanyin or Dizang may also sometimes be enshrined in front of the seat of the main celebrant. Other items that will later be used during the ritual are also typically prepared and arranged on the Altar in front of the seat of the main celebrant before the rite begins, such as vajras, ghantas, a maṇḍala plate, offerings as well as instruments like a wooden fish.After the opening eulogies, the participants, consisting of the main celebrant, the assisting monastics, the patron and other participants then proceed to a second altar known as the Mianran Altar, which enshrines the deity known as Mianran Dashi, a ghost king who is regarded as a manifestation of Guanyin. At this altar, the participants chant homages to Mianran Dashi and recite various sūtras and dhāraṇīs, including the Heart Sūtra and the Pure Land Rebirth Mantra|Amitābha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra]. Verses regarding transfer of merit as well as cadences paying homage to the Buddha Amitābha, who is known in Chinese as Amituofo, are also sung.After this, the participants then proceed to a third altar known alternatively as either the Rebirth Altar or the Pure Land Altar, which enshrines the triad of Sukhāvatī, consisting of the Buddha Amituofo as well as the bodhisattvas Guanyin and Dashizhi. In performances of "yin yankou", placards bearing the name of names of the departed ones who are the direct recipient of the merit of the rite are written on yellow placards and placed on this altar. In performances of "yang yankou", there is no Rebirth Altar. Instead, there is a Lengthening-Life Altar where the names of living persons who should receive the merit of the rite are written on red placards and placed on the altar.
Following this, the participants then returns to the primary Yujia Altar where several more eulogies are sung by the weina and prostrations are made towards the altar. At the end of the eulogies, the main celebrant and several assistant monastics will ascend the Yujia Altar while the rest of the assembly chants homages to the Buddha Rocana continuously until the celebrant has finished ascending the altar. After the celebrant has ascended to the raised-platform of the altar, the other monastics similarly move to their respective places at the altar, arranged to the left and right of the celebrant, facing outwards towards the Mianran Altar. The lay patron and other people will remain below the stage throughout the rite, forming the audience, and they may later be called upon to enter the performance of the ritual at different junctures.
Upper Section
Ascending The Seat
On the altar, the main celebrant performs a symbolic cleansing by wiping his face with a wet towel before sitting, this also has a practical function, in that cleansing his head prevents the crown from falling off mid-ritual. The celebrant then adorns a Five Buddha crown, or Vairocana-crown, which is a crown with five pointed-leaves bearing the images of the Five Tathāgatas : Piluzhena Fo, Bukong Chengjiu Fo, Amituofo, Achu Fo and Baosheng Fo, who are the five Buddhas that feature prominently in tantric literature. At this point in the ritual, the five pointed-leaves are fastened until the next sub-section of the rite. Once the celebrant has put on the Five Buddha crown, he uses a fachi, which is a gavel-like percussion instrument consisting of a small block of wood, to give a signal prompting the assisting monastics to play a short solo using bells and drums. The celebrant then delivers a passage expounding the inner significance of the incense offered before he and the assistants begin an antiphonal singing of a quatrain extolling Śākyamuni Buddha’s physical virtues and the four immeasurable minds of benevolence, compassion, joy and equanimity.Entering Samadhi
The chorus sings a hymn praising the Five Tathāgatas while the celebrant begins empowering himself by first blessing the five-pointed leaves of the Five Buddha crown and then fastening the leaves. According to Zhuhong's commentary on the liturgy, not only are the Five Tathāgatas present in the crown, but the entire maṇḍala of the Thirty-seven Deities in the Diamond Realm described in the Vajraśekhara Sūtra is installed in the crown and will also confer their blessings and powers on the celebrant.Using mudrās, mantras and visualization techniques, the Five Tathāgatas as well as Cundī are invoked by the celebrant into the ritual space, with the celebrant and his assistants rising from their seats to welcome Piluzhena Fo to the ritual. A special hymn with various Sanskrit syllables embedded within is then sung which describes the various attributes of each of the Five Tathāgatas, while the celebrant performs further visualizations. This section then closes with specific offerings being made to the Buddhas through the recitation of offering mantras.
Purification
The celebrant enters into samādhi where he or she meditates on transforming himself or herself into the form of Guanyin via seed-syllables in Siddhaṃ characters. After doing so, the celebrant maintains the “pride of Guanyin”, which is a term used to refer to the divine pride which is common in tantric practices that accompanies the identification of oneself with an enlightened being, as opposed to the mundane definition of pride as arrogance. While in this state, the celebrant will then visualize himself universally feeding all those in hunger. At the same time, the weina and the yuezhong start to antiphonally deliver passages expounding on how the non-dual nature of cause and effect is grounded in one’s own Mind. The passages further elucidates how the twin acts of “benefiting oneself and others” are accomplished through universally nourishing all those in hunger within a fleeting moment. Immediately after the delivery of the passage is finished, the main celebrant responds by clearly and loudly declaring, “This is the Way.” followed immediately with the hitting of his fachi on the table.Following this, the weina and the rest of the chorus chant an antiphonal quatrain espousing the Huayan doctrine of the interpenetration and interfusion - known as yuanrong - of all phenomena. The purification process then begins with the recitation of two specific mantras, after which the celebrant delivers two quatrains praising the wisdom, eloquence and purity of Guanyin as well as her powers to dispel illnesses and aeons of calamity before requesting Guanyin to turn her attention towards humanity by manifesting herself. According to Shengxing's commentary, these quatrains supplicate Guanyin to emerge from her samādhi so that she can empower the water and transform it into ganlu, meaning amrita or ambrosia. The celebrant and his assistants then rise up from their seats as they exclaim:
The "Gates of Ambrosia", known as Ganlumen, appears in Buddhist scripture as a metaphor for the Buddhist teachings. Ganlu, the sweet nectar which bestows immortality, is often used as a metaphor for Nirvana, so the Buddhist teachings is likened to the gateway to obtaining ganlu. The chief lay sponsor also rises and makes three prostrations to receive Guanyin. The celebrant then delivers more quatrains praising the qualities of the purified water as well as a passage which describes the power of the water in detail. The celebrant then pronounces that: “There is a spell in the teachings that should be recited diligently.”, to which the weina responds by leading the rest of the monastics in a recitation of the Dabei zhou, a dhāraṇī closely associated with the Thousand-Armed manifestation of Guanyin. After this, several more other mantras are chanted by the monastics in order to purify and empower both the ritual-space and the various ritual implements. A hymn is then sung praising the majestic powers of the vajras and ghantas and their ability to destroy ghosts and ghouls, turn Māra-demons away from their old ways and ultimately banish all inner and outer negativity. The hymn is sung to the accompaniment of percussions instruments while the celebrant makes ritual use of the ghantas. This section then ends with the recitation of another mantra.
Taking Refuge
With the intonation of various esoteric mantras, the celebrant, the performing monastics and the lay-sponsors all take refuge in the Three Jewels as well as the celebrant himself, now referred to as the jingang shangshi, who is identified with Guanyin and who takes on the role of a tantric guru or ācārya. The term "jinggang shangshi" itself is a literal Chinese translation of the term "vajra guru". Rice grains are used to symbolize offerings to the Three Jewels, and the assisting monastics also sing several gāthās extolling the Buddhist teachings as well as the ritual space. The account of the origins of the ritual from the Burning-Face Sūtra and the Flaming-Mouth Sūtra is then recited by the celebrant. This section closes with a hymn in praise of the Three Jewels.Visualizing The Daochang
The celebrant recites another set of dhāraṇīs while performing different mudrās and visualizing Sanskrit syllables to banish demons of Mara from the ritual space as well as setting up a boundary around the ritual space, or daochang. The daochang is visualized by the celebrant as dissolving into emptiness, and Sanskrit syllables are visualized as turning into offerings. The chorus plays the percussive instruments and sing mantras relating to the offerings while the celebrant forms the different mudrās corresponding to the offerings. In this subsection, the mantra "Oṃ maṇi padme hūm̐" is also recited up to 108 times, with 108 being regarded as a sacred number in Buddhism. This is often the portion where everyone in the assembly, monastic and laypeople, participate in unison.Presenting The Maṇḍala
The celebrant recites other sets of esoteric mantras, such as the mantra of the Wisdom King Mahācakra, while practicing more visualizations and other ritual acts using a maṇḍala plate. An ideal universe based on the Buddhist cosmology found in Abhidharma texts such as the Abhidharmakośa, is “created” by the celebrant by the power of his visualizations, the spells recited and the corresponding ritual-acts and presented as an offering to the jingang shangshi, the Three Jewels and all other enlightened being. The assisting monastics also sing verses describing the ideal universe and recite mantras corresponding to its aspects during and after the period where the celebrant is visualizing the maṇḍala. The celebrant then administers the refuge and bodhisattva vows to all those assembled at the rite, both the living and the dead. After generating bodhicitta, the celebrant leads the assembly in inviting the various enlightened beings and guardian gods to appear at the daochang out of compassion for all sentient beings.Having invited the enlightened beings, the celebrant performs the rite of manifesting an altar through mudrās and invites the jñānasattva associated with Guanyin to enter the daochang. The subsection then closes with the assembly reciting more mantras and quatrains, such as the Thirty-five Confession Buddhas, to the accompaniment of percussion instruments.