《太上泰清皇老帝君运雷天童隐梵仙经》

The reciter prays that the divine generals and awesome spirits of wind, fire, and thunder will manifest and grant protection. May August Heaven and Sovereign Earth, the sun, moon, and stars, together with the host of immortals, the Controller of Fate, Taiyi, Yuchen, the Three Officials, and the Five Emperors jointly uphold me. May the Heavenly Official transmit spiritual power, the Earthly Official send down a decree, the divine generals of the Thunder Ministry attend and guard me, the Water Official issue commands, the Qi (vital energy) of fire come to meet me, and the dragons obey orders, so that my prayer may ascend to the Jade Clarity realm (Yuqing), the celestial realm of which Daoism speaks.

The Five Generals of All Heaven swallow thunder and give voice, carrying out the Jade Emperor’s decree. The spirits of the Southern Asterism and the Northern Dipper, the Golden Lads and Jade Maidens, and the Six Jia and Six Ding all come to assist me. The Gate of Heaven opens for me, and the Door of Earth is made passable; mountains, streams, and rivers receive me and help me on my way. Thunder and lightning follow me, the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) obey my command, the Nine Palaces conceal me, Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) support me, and the course of the four seasons brings my purpose to fulfillment.

One intones “an hong gu zha,” lets the hair hang loose, and each reveals a true form. May Marshal Tianpeng shine upon me with his precious seal, Marshal Tianyou stand guard with his halberd, Perfected Lord Lingsheng keep watch with his sword, and Zhenwu of the Dark Heaven assist with water and fire. The Four Rivers—the water deities of the four great rivers—the Nine Dragons, sweet rain, thunder-fire, lightning, and the twenty-four wheel generals of Qi (divine generals associated with the Qi of the twenty-four solar terms) all come to protect me. My body gives forth divine light, like the sun and moon in the void, and I swear by Heaven.

One then recites a series of spells for summoning deities and expelling evil, inviting the gods of the Nine Heavens to descend and using thunder rites to seize and subdue baleful spirits. May the Duke of Thunder and the Mother of Lightning strike forth with the sound of the drum. May the divine generals display their fierce forms—flying fur, bronze teeth, and iron claws—and spread through the four directions. Let the Qi of the Yellow Center be harmonized and darkness disperse; let thunder shake the region between the Dipper and the Ox, spirits gallop, and ghosts and demons take fright. Commands are issued in sequence so that baleful spirits are blocked and driven back, the Metal God rides forth, and the great deity Mulang follows in attendance.

May water surge against the Mysterious Portal, fire descend upon the high and bright, and earth settle the Five Palaces, so that the sun and moon shine clear, dragon and tiger conjoin, and wind and rain rise at command. Rivers reverse their flow, mountains collapse, heaven is pierced and earth is broken, and majestic power towers ten thousand zhang. Whatever is sought is obtained, every direction faced brings success, what is wished accords, and what is planned is fulfilled. The Great Sage Tiangang and the venerable deity Hekui transform without end and unite in truth with the Great Dao (the Way). There is no spirit that cannot be commanded, and no order that cannot be carried out.

On the left is the Azure Dragon, on the right the White Tiger, in front the Vermilion Bird, and behind the Dark Warrior. Above, the Floral Canopy shelters me, and my feet tread the Kui star. Divine power is radiant and majestic, and its awe shakes the ten directions. May those who care for me live in peace, and may those who treat me with ill will, plot against me, or hate me meet with calamity. Numinous lads and divine maidens, vajra guardians who shatter evil, and the host of three thousand six hundred spirits ever attend at my side, holding tallies and traveling with me.

May the divine spirits of the Most High gather and summon radiance, so that all under heaven is greatly auspicious and flourishing. The twenty-four generals correspond to the positions of the stars and to the stellar reckoning; they bring down dragons and subdue tigers, and capture, overcome, and cut away demons and evil. Any who defy the command are handed over to the thunder for punishment. Swiftly carry out the decree.

The incantation syllables in the scripture—“Om, Chen, Tianzha, Bangmingluoye, Asongtuoning, Chenlingye”—call upon the Northern Emperor and the Black Sha (the northern sovereign and the black baleful spirits spoken of in Daoism). Please manifest your majestic divine power, shake the heavens, and overawe and subdue malign spirits with thunderbolts.

Qianyuan Jiujing (wording of the original whose precise meaning is hard to determine) commands the fierce officers who bear the wind and the envoys who pursue the wind to obey. The Earl of Wind displays his divine might, urges on the dragons and rides the mist, so that wind and clouds rise swiftly. The envoy who leads the thunder makes the lightning flash: the wind blows up from the Xun direction (the quarter of the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams, that represents wind); the Gang stars are arrayed like the Ji lodge; and the star-lords of the Three Terraces protect and assist me. Flying thunder crashes and resounds; the Earl of Wind and the Master of Rain at once bring down dark clouds. The Thunder Lord brandishes his lightning, and wherever he goes the way lies open. Enter the sea, and the Gate of Heaven opens; enter the river, and the Door of Earth appears.

By edict of the Nine Heavens, the Commander-in-Chief of All Heaven (the divine general who leads the Thunder Department) is commanded: “Om—sudden fire, obey the order!” The Thunder Lords of the Five Emperors, the Yin-Yang Thunder Lords, the Thunder Lords of the Four Commands, the Thunder Lords of the Six Jia, the Thunderbolt Lords, the Thunder Lords who release water, the Thunder Lords of the Eight Winds, the Thunder Lords of the Ten Rains, and the other thunder deities are sent forth, so that the River of Thunder surges out from the Door of Earth.

By edict of the Nine Heavens, the Commander-in-Chief of All Heaven again orders the host of the Thunder Department to act upon the command. The Thunder Lords of the Five Emperors, the Yin-Yang Thunder Lords, the Thunder Lords of the Four Commands, the Thunder Lords of the Six Jia, the Thunderbolt Lords, the Thunder Lords who release water, the Thunder Lords of the Eight Winds, the Thunder Lords of the Ten Rains, the Thunder Lords of the Six Paths, the Thunder Lords who draw lightning, the Thunder Lords who raise the wind, the Thunder Lords who bring the rain, the Thunder Lords of the Five Sacred Peaks, the Thunder Lords of the Four Great Rivers, the Thunder Lords of the Eight Seasonal Nodes, the Thunder Lords of the Six Seasonal Divisions, the Thunder Lords of the great streams, the Thunder Lords of the ravines and valleys, the Thunder Lords of the rivers, the Thunder Lords of the Four Seas, the Thunder Lords who sound the drums, the Thunder Lords of the rumbling wheels, the Thunder Lords of the fire chariots, the Thunder Lords of the fire wheels, the Thunder Lords who move mountains, the Thunder Lords who send stones rolling, the Thunder Lords who raise clouds, the Thunder Lords who sprinkle rain, the Thunder Lords who drive the snow, the Thunder Lords who spread the frost, the Thunder Lords who strike down plague, the Thunder Lords who expel evil, the Thunder Lords of light, the Thunder Lords of darkness, the Thunder Lords of the fire seal, the Thunder Lords who break battle arrays, and the Thunder Lord of the golden-jade abundant fire-wheel—all must heed the summons and submit to being dispatched.

Whatever is sought must be delivered. All the precious treasures of the world are gathered by me. All the ghosts and spirits under heaven are subject to my command. Any who do not submit are swiftly struck down and punished with the thunder-axe. Great Spirit of Bright Li, on the day you establish merit your name will be entered in the registers of Shangqing (the pure celestial realm revered in Daoism). The spirits within the body will of themselves grow clear and still; Taixuan will recommend you, and a place for your name will also be found among the jade ranks. Strong warriors open the way in front, and celestial soldiers guard behind, driving the thunder and thunderbolts and the flying fire-bells. The City God and the altar commanders (spirits in charge of the walled city and of the local soil altars) must not linger or stand in the way.

“Om luo □ zha” sets in motion the celestial soldiers, the envoys of the five directions, and the great spirits of the thunderbolts. The commands above must be carried out. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances of the Supreme August Elder Emperor-Lord!

The Scripture of the Hidden Brahma Immortals of the Thunder-Moving Heavenly Youth of the Most High Imperial Elder Lord of Great Clarity (Taishang Taiqing Huanglao Dijun Yunlei Tiantong Yinfan Xianjing) ends here.