(The ultimate "Golden Bottle Drawing" has a total of twenty-one legal procedures, and not a single one can be omitted. The ultimate "Golden Bottle Drawing" is not the conventional "Golden Bottle Drawing"; it is not performed by truly enlightened beings at the level of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Regardless of their high status, they do not dare to conduct the ultimate "Golden Bottle Drawing" due to insufficient virtue and cultivation.)
First Legal Procedure - Birth of the Drawing Person
In the Great Hero Hall, the ritual and chanting last for seven days, and the 21 Tara Sutras must not be omitted. On the eighth day, the public observes, implementing the visible hidden treasure, and electing the great saint to take the green Tara mirror platform treasure mirror (demon-revealing mirror) for purifying the altar. On the ninth day, the ultimate "Golden Bottle Drawing" officially begins, and the birth of the drawing person must be strictly compliant. The participants in the ritual, as many as there are, will knead that many paper balls and take out the marked papers numbered 1-13 for public viewing, then publicly knead them into paper balls and mix them with all the other paper balls. Everyone present draws a paper ball; those who draw the numbered paper balls from 1 to 13 are the 13 drawing persons. Among these 13, the person who draws the 13th paper ball seals the ritual text, while the remaining 12 conduct the drawing. After washing their hands, the 12 drawing persons begin to practice the drawing.
In the afternoon, the 12 drawing persons wash their hands again and sit at the drawing table set up outside the main hall entrance. At this time, all marked drawing papers, ivory drawing tags, drawing strips, drawing sleeves, and two types of ritual texts sealed in opaque black envelopes for decision-making are handed over to the drawing persons.
Second Legal Procedure - Define the Drawing Categories
If the presiding drawing person is a well-known great saint, the officiant should directly announce: "We respectfully invite the great saint to take the seat and teach!" If it is uncertain whether they are a saint, the officiant should announce: "Please have the presiding drawing person explain the drawing situation."
At this point, the presiding drawing person explains the drawing situation, indicating for which matter the "Golden Bottle Drawing" is being held. It is for deciding the correctness or deviation of a certain legal principle, the ultimate or secular nature of a certain legal text or verse, or for determining the authenticity of a significant Buddhist matter, or for certifying the true or false identity of a great living Buddha, etc.
Third Legal Procedure - Invite the Bottle into the Hall
The officiant announces: "Ring the bell, beat the drum, and blow the horn, let the ritual gong begin!"
The officiant announces: "Please bring the golden bottle into the hall!"
The crowd respectfully welcomes the golden bottle as it is carried into the main hall and placed on the ritual table.
Open the top door of the golden bottle pavilion and take out the golden bottle to offer on the ritual platform.
Fourth Legal Procedure - Secretly Seal the Ritual Texts for Offering
Place the subjects that need decisive selection, the ritual texts, and the procedures on the drawing table. For example, if today’s decision is about which traditional ritual text and which corrected restoration ritual text is correct, which is wrong? Which is the right law, and which is the evil one? Two different colored pure plates should be placed on either side of the same ritual table.
The officiant announces: "Once again, secretly seal the subject of selection and set up the pure plates on the left and right!"
At this time, the already prepared and sealed opaque black envelopes look identical on the outside, with no differences at all. No one, including the temporarily selected ritual text packager, can see the sealed contents. Under the supervision of the twelve drawing persons, the sealing person takes out 108 yellow envelopes from a wooden box and throws them into the air, scattering them onto the ground cloth, creating a chaotic scene. The packager does not stop and immediately runs to the center, randomly picks up two yellow envelopes, and puts the two black envelopes containing the ritual texts into these two yellow envelopes in front of everyone, sealing them on the spot to ensure that the presiding drawing person and anyone else cannot tell which is the traditional ritual text and which is the corrected ritual text. After this second sealing, everyone believes there is no difference, and according to the regulations, they are placed into the left and right pure plates. Throughout the entire process, neither the drawing persons nor the presiding drawing person is allowed to open the sealed ritual bags!!! All present, both saints and ordinary people, cannot distinguish which bag contains the traditional ritual text and which bag contains the corrected and restored ritual text. The presiding drawing person has the sole authority to perform the oath, indicating purity of heart, drawing, and teaching procedures; beyond that, they cannot participate in any other procedures, including the public, who must avoid the presiding drawing person while drawing outside the Great Hero Hall. The presiding drawing person cannot participate or even take a glance. When the presiding drawing person begins the drawing, all drawing strips have already been sealed multiple times and placed into the Longjuwangdan Vajra treasure bottle, with the lid closed.
Fifth Legal Procedure - Open the Bottle and Explain the Dharma Meaning
The officiant announces: "We respectfully invite the presiding drawing person to open the bottle and explain the Dharma meaning!"
The presiding drawing person explains the contents marked on the twelve drawing papers for the public to understand.
Sixth Legal Procedure - Check and Certify the Four Types of Drawing Items
The 12 drawing persons place the four types of drawing items (marked drawing papers, ivory drawing tags, drawing strips, and drawing sleeves) into their respective independent plates set up on the drawing table outside the Great Hero Hall.
The officiant announces: "The public may come forward to respectfully verify!"
At this time, the public comes forward to verify the specific images and contents of the four types of drawing items. They check what is written on the drawing paper, the ivory drawing tags, the drawing strips, and the drawing sleeves. They assess whether these four types of drawing items are consistent and whether there are any foreign objects inside the sleeves.
Seventh Legal Procedure - Invite the Vajra Bottle to Descend to the Ritual Platform for Public Respect
The officiant announces: "We respectfully invite the Vajra bottle to descend and take its seat at the drawing table!"
At this time, the presiding drawing person takes the Vajra bottle from the center of the golden bottle. One of the 12 people respectfully receives and places the Vajra bottle on the drawing table.
The officiant announces: "The public may respectfully observe!"
At this moment, everyone respectfully observes, gently handling the Longjuwangdan Vajra bottle for viewing, ensuring that there is no pollution or scratches on the bottle; otherwise, it would generate negative karma.
Eighth Legal Procedure - Group Sorting
The officiant announces: "The twelve drawing persons shall be grouped and sorted!"
The 12 drawing persons are grouped into three groups of four based on the sequence number of the paper balls they drew.
The three groups then draw numbered paper balls 1, 2, and 3 to determine their order.
Ninth Legal Procedure - Secretly Stick the Drawing Tags and Perform the Oath
The officiant announces: "Among the three groups of drawing persons, the first group takes their place at the drawing table, while the second and third groups retreat into the public!"
The first group of four, under the watchful eyes of the public, respectfully and seriously, uniformly and without discrepancy, stick the marked drawing papers (which have the same nature, meaning both sides of a drawing tag are good; or both sides are bad) onto the ivory drawing tags. After sticking each drawing tag, they recite a word of the Vajra mantra while rolling it into the ritual paper. Once all twelve drawing tags are rolled, they become invisible; at this point, one person from the first group takes all the ivory drawing tags wrapped in the ritual paper and the twelve drawing strips, placing them together in one plate to be offered on the ritual platform. No one, including the presiding drawing person, is allowed to open the rolled ritual paper to see the drawing tags.
At this moment, it is particularly serious and important; regardless of the high status of the presiding drawing person, they must, in front of the attending public and the twelve causal protectors, swear before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, declaring their dual purity of heart: "I hereby declare my heart clearly, as the drawing person, I am of such and such identity. I confess my first purity of heart: I have not deceived the Buddhas, the mothers of Buddhas, the Vajra beings, the Bodhisattvas, or the protectors; I confess my second purity of heart: I have not deceived the world, and in my actions, I have committed no evil and practiced all good, having not transmitted evil teachings, only the lawful secular and ultimate principles, teaching the Dharma, the overall principle is right teaching, right law, right precepts, right conduct, but I may have inadvertently made mistakes in speech. I have not performed false empowerments, only genuine empowerments according to the law. As this drawing person, I, so-and-so, hereby clarify my virtue, swearing before all Buddhas and saints, expressing my heart's intention. If the above statement contains falsehoods, the drawing should not be valid; if there are no falsehoods, the protector of the main deity should respond to the ultimate 'Golden Bottle Drawing' and the selected Dharma meaning should be accurately defined. The drawing person, so-and-so, clearly expresses their heart, sincerely praying and fulfilling the oath." (Note: This is a declaration made at the highest standard—taking the Buddha and equal enlightened Bodhisattvas as the drawing great saints. Regular drawing persons do not possess this virtue, so they must omit the content that the presiding drawing person has not done; otherwise, it would be public falsehood before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and the drawing would naturally not be valid!!! If one is a regular drawing person, they must also declare their dual purity of heart: the first purity of heart, whether they have deceived the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and the second purity of heart, whether they have deceived the world, including transmitting false Dharma. Their actions must benefit the public and be in practice. During the declaration of the heart, they must speak in detail and publicly declare it; they cannot mutter silently, otherwise, the drawing will not be valid.)
Tenth Legal Procedure - Mix the Drawing Tags
The officiant announces: "The first group of drawing persons retreats into the public, and the second group takes their place!"
After the oath and prayer are completed, the drawing tags cannot be opened, and after placing the drawing tags on the drawing table, they must also cover them with an opaque yellow satin cloth, hiding the drawing tags and drawing strips.
The officiant announces: "The second group retreats into the public, and the third group takes their place at the drawing table!"
One person from the third group walks to the drawing table, blindfolded, reaches into the satin cloth, and cannot uncover the satin cloth. They must feel for the end of the ritual paper containing the drawing tags, shaking it to scatter the twelve drawing tags, naturally mixing them up inside the covered plate, then withdrawing their hand from the yellow satin cloth, removing the blindfold, and returning to their seat.
Eleventh Legal Procedure - Mix the Drawing Tags Again
The officiant announces: "Please have the third group come to the drawing table to mix the drawing tags!"
At this time, the public, from behind the covered yellow satin cloth, uses their hands to stir and confuse the drawing strips, still without uncovering the satin cloth.
Twelfth Legal Procedure - Legal Drawing Tags into Strips
The officiant announces: "The third group of drawing persons retreats into the public, and the second group of four takes their place at the drawing table to insert the legal drawing tags into the strips!"
The four drawing persons sequentially take a drawing strip from the plate covered with long yellow satin cloth, then with the other hand, reach into the plate containing the mixed drawing tags. At this time, they must not uncover the yellow satin cloth or look with their eyes; instead, they must carefully place the drawing tags into the 2mm wide opening of the drawing strip by feeling under the cloth. After placing it in, to prevent the drawing tag from falling out, they must seal the end with their fingers under the satin cloth before taking it out of the cloth plate, ensuring that the drawing tag is completely hidden from view. They then use white tape or clean adhesive tape to seal the end where the drawing tag was inserted. Throughout this process, the person inserting the drawing tags into the strips has no chance whatsoever to see what the contents of the drawing tags are. Once all twelve drawing strips are sealed and cannot fall out, they are placed standing in the same plane in a plate for everyone to see whether the twelve drawing strips are of equal length and size without discrepancies.
The officiant asks all the Buddhist disciples in the hall: "Can you distinguish which drawing strip is the ultimate ritual text and which is the secular erroneous one? Do not guess; speaking based on guesses constitutes great false speech karma, which will surely lead to bad retribution!"
The crowd responds:
At this moment, if someone claims they can distinguish which drawing strip is which, the officiant must inform the public: "The drawing strip you identified will be mixed into the twelve drawing strips; you must accurately draw out the drawing strip you identified from the twelve to prove your claim is true; otherwise, you are merely using the public's presence to create a spectacle based on guesses, attempting to deceive the public into worshiping you as a fraud, which will surely lead to bad retribution!"
Thirteenth Legal Procedure - Insert Drawing Sleeves into the Bottle
The officiant announces: "The second group retreats, and the third group of four takes their place to insert the drawing strips into the sleeves!"
The third group of four must not open the sealing of the drawing strips; they directly insert each drawing strip into the yellow satin drawing sleeves. When inserting the drawing strips into the sleeves, the inserter can decide whether to insert them upside down or right side up, but they must not tear the sleeves. Although the drawing persons cannot make different marks, to prevent the presiding drawing person from seeing the drawing strips inside the sleeves, they must place the end of the inserted drawing strips facing the bottom of the golden bottle, ensuring that no trace of the internal drawing strips is exposed above the mouth of the bottle, meaning the sleeves completely cover the drawing strips, and what is seen from the bottle's mouth is all uniform sleeve strips. Once the twelve drawing strips are completely identical without discrepancies, they are again placed upright in the Vajra bottle for the public to check whether each inserted drawing strip is of equal height. If any differences in length are found, they must be immediately taken out, unwrapped, and checked to see if there are any foreign objects like cotton causing the discrepancy. If there are differences, they must be corrected on the spot until they are equal and perfect before being placed back into the Vajra bottle. The lid of the golden bottle is then placed on the drawing table before being sent to the Great Hero Hall for the drawing ritual platform. At this time, the presiding drawing person is also not allowed to open the lid of the Vajra bottle, directly placing the Vajra bottle in the golden bottle, waiting for the sixteenth legal procedure of the drawing.
Fourteenth Legal Procedure - Report the Ritual Texts to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
The officiant announces: "The saint requesting the decision will read and report the contents of the ritual texts to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, respectfully inviting the main deity protector to determine the nature of the ultimate 'Golden Bottle Drawing'!"
The saintly Dharma king, or the saintly living Buddha, or the great Dharma master, will present the prepared copies of the two different meanings of the ritual texts that need ultimate decision in the hall, reciting them before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. After reciting, they will burn them in the altar furnace, praying for the main deity protector to decide whether the two legal principles are the true laws of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, whether they are ultimate or secular in nature.
Fifteenth Legal Procedure - Perform the Ritual and Chanting
The presiding drawing person performs the ritual, praying for the main deity protector to determine the nature of the ultimate legal principles or secular legal principles based on cause and effect.
Sixteenth Legal Procedure - Ultimate "Golden Bottle Drawing," Dividing the Drawing into Plates
The officiant announces: "According to the law, draw the paper ball to decide whether the first drawing belongs to the right plate's ritual text or the left plate's ritual text!"
At this time, one person from the 12 drawing persons (the welcoming person) draws a paper ball, indicating whether the first drawing belongs to the left plate or the right plate. Only then can the presiding drawing person, under the supervision of the attending Buddhist participants, open the lid of the Longjuwangdan Vajra bottle, stir the drawing strips, and draw the first drawing, immediately handing it to the welcoming person, who places it into the plate determined by the paper ball. If the paper ball indicates that the first drawing belongs to the left plate, the second drawing naturally belongs to the right plate. This process continues, drawing one from each plate until eight drawings are drawn; at this point, there are four drawings in each plate, and the drawing person stops drawing. These eight drawings belong to the main deity's management, and the lid of the Vajra bottle is immediately closed (the officiant should remind the presiding drawing person to cover the lid of the Vajra bottle).
Seventeenth Legal Procedure - Public Opening of Drawings for Witnessing
The officiant announces: "The 12 drawing persons will come up to open the drawings, and the public will come forward to observe, witnessing the correctness and authenticity of the eight selected drawings!"
The 12 drawing persons, under the watchful eyes of the public, take the drawing strips from the sleeves, uncovering the top adhesive, directly pouring the drawing tags from inside the drawing strips into the plate, without using their hands to approach the drawing tags, allowing the public to witness whether they are uniform or mixed up. The drawing tags poured out from the drawing strips must not be incorrect; all four drawing tags belonging to the main deity's defined ultimate ritual text must be ultimate texts. Conversely, all four drawing tags belonging to the secular ritual text, or those with faults or evil teachings, must be defined as having faults or evil teachings. If one drawing is incorrect, it indicates that both types of ritual texts have issues, differing only in the degree of faults.
Eighteenth Legal Procedure - Rigorous Re-Drawing
The officiant announces: "The eight drawings have been verified, and they are not of conventional virtue; as a great saint, we respectfully request the great saint to select the four protective drawings!"
The twelve drawing strips have selected eight, which belong to the main deity's defined drawings, leaving four drawings unselected, which are managed by the protector of the selected subject.
At this time, another paper ball is drawn to determine which plate the first drawing belongs to. After determining, the great saint must take out the Longjuwangdan mantra wheel Vajra bottle containing the four drawings from the golden bottle, placing the bottle on the ritual platform, or directly holding the bottle up in the air, or placing it on the ritual platform. The great saint then draws two drawings from the bottle, placing all four drawings into their respective plates.
The officiant announces: "Open the drawings for verification, with all Buddhist disciples observing!"
Two of the twelve drawing persons come forward to open the drawings, and the public witnesses the results again. Any pure ultimate ritual text must have the last two drawings consistent with the first four; all six must be unified to be defined as ultimate in nature. Conversely, any drawing that has been altered by demons or evil teachers into a mixture of right and wrong, or evil faults, must also have all six drawings unified in their definitions without discrepancies.
If the selected drawings are mixed up, such as placing an evil drawing among the right ones, they must be sealed again in public and re-drawn for a second round. If the second round matches the first round, it proves that the virtue has successfully selected the ultimate twelve drawings, confirming that the presiding selector is indeed a great saint of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Although the drawn definitions may not belong to the ultimate ritual text, the faults of the selected ritual texts are defined. In such cases, the ritual texts must be revised and corrected, and the ultimate "Golden Bottle Drawing" must be held again on a later date until the first round of twelve drawings are unified. At this point, the twelve drawing tags must be placed into the drawing strips, uniformly inserted into a cloth bag, and then the great saint will re-draw a second round, ensuring that the twelve drawings are unified, pure, and without discrepancies, matching the previous round, to be the ultimate ritual text. The above is an example of using twelve drawings to decide the morning and evening ritual texts.
If the contents of the second round do not match those of the first round, the nature of the selection will not be established, indicating that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do not recognize it, and thus the presiding drawing person does not possess the virtue of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or is merely a Dharma king, master, or great teacher within the realm of high monks, absolutely not a great saint like the Buddha or equal enlightened Bodhisattvas, or just an ordinary teacher. As long as there are errors in the selected ritual texts, the ritual texts must be revised and corrected until six drawings of right and wrong are unified, pure, and without discrepancies, to be the ultimate ritual text confirmed by the main deity, the true Dharma of Buddhism!!!
If both ritual texts have faults, the great saint must be respectfully invited to revise the ritual texts until they meet the ultimate standards, with six drawings consistently defined as ultimate. If it is not possible to invite equal enlightened Bodhisattvas, it is the fortune and karmic conditions of sentient beings, and there is nothing that can be done, as the selected texts are morning and evening rituals, and their main deities are all Buddhas, equal enlightened Bodhisattvas, Vajras, and great protective saints.
Nineteenth Legal Procedure - Definition
The officiant announces: "We respectfully invite the great saint to announce the final decision of today's ultimate 'Golden Bottle Drawing' Dharma assembly!"
The great saint's decree declares: The ultimate "Golden Bottle Drawing" decision is that the left side is..., and the right side is...
The officiant announces: "The public may respectfully express their gratitude!"
The requester of the decision, all ordained monks and nuns, and the attending Buddhist disciples express their gratitude to the great saint for benefiting sentient beings, thanking the main deity for descending and the protector for manifesting the truth of cause and effect.
The public comes forward to respectfully observe and offer, at this time freely expressing admiration and conversing with one another, but they must not touch the sacred drawing tags or other ritual objects with unclean hands.
Twentieth Legal Procedure - The Great Saint Teaches, Explaining the Selected Ritual Texts' Meaning
The officiant announces: "We respectfully invite the successful great saint of the ultimate 'Golden Bottle Drawing' to compare and explain the meanings of the two types of ritual texts!"
The presiding great saint explains the meanings to the public, discussing the distinctions between the ultimate and secular ritual texts, where they are correct and where they violate the true meaning of the Buddha's teachings; where they align with the teachings.
Twenty-First Legal Procedure - Dedication and Sending Off the Saints
The officiant announces: "Dedication and sending off the saints!"
The presiding great saint performs the ritual and expresses gratitude, reciting the dedication verse: "This action of virtue draws the golden bottle drawing for the benefit of practitioners selecting the right Dharma. May all sentient beings possess the connection to the saints and cultivate the ultimate to attain enlightenment."
Reciting the "Sending Off the Saints Mantra" once, respectfully sending off the 21 Taras, the Eight Classes of Deities, the Sky Dancers, and the Protectors, while making a record for reference. The original treasures of the selected ultimate legal principles are received and offered by the requester, and printed according to the original text of the selected ultimate ritual text, to be solemnly and widely transmitted for the benefit of sincere practitioners of Buddhism.
The assembly concludes, and the public joyfully celebrates with offerings.
World Buddhist Headquarters
August 3, 2020