《洞神八帝元变经》

The paths of the world are chaotic and obscure, making it difficult to distinguish benefit from harm. Before matters have yet shown gain or loss, people seldom perceive the signs of safety or peril. Therefore the various living beings often grope forward through hardships and obstacles, falling into distress precisely because they cannot foresee in advance life and death, existence and extinction, and thus plunge into danger. Whether sage or ordinary person, what all most treasure is life; whether worthy and intelligent or dull and foolish, all cherish their own bodies.

Sages cherish life, and so they establish teachings to prevent misfortune: they use laws and ordinances to restrain people’s errors, use rites and laws to guide people in respect and yielding, and use divination to remove doubts about right and wrong, fortune and misfortune. Although these methods differ, they can all help people settle themselves securely, maintain the teachings, and stop mistakes. It can be said that they arrive at the same end by different paths, each providing assistance.

In the important methods of nourishing life, nothing is more important than avoiding harm. To avoid harm, one must eliminate doubts; to eliminate doubts, nothing is more appropriate than divination; and divination takes the matters of ghosts and spirits as primary. The workings of ghosts and spirits sometimes manifest auspicious omens through celestial phenomena, sometimes reveal calamities through terrestrial features, and sometimes present fortune and misfortune in human affairs. The Book of Changes says: “One who understands the way of change probably understands the actions of the divine spirits.” The divine spirits can know the past and foresee the future, and enable the ten thousand things each to attain their proper place. Therefore, if a person can communicate with the divine spirits, they can respond correspondingly with them; this capacity can not only dispel disasters and increase wisdom.

The magical arts of summoning and employing spirits have been transmitted for a long time. Dongfang Shuo and Yi Feng once became famous by this in the Han dynasty; Jingchun and Han Ji also left extraordinary traces in the Jin dynasty. Those who secluded themselves in mountains and forests and benefited from this art are even more innumerable. However, such techniques have been passed down for a long time, the writings scattered and incomplete, their meanings difficult to know completely. Even if someone practices them with effect, they worry that leaking them will invite disaster, and thus are unwilling to transmit them. If it is not a close friend of deep friendship and matching interests, it is hard to speak out the true facts within. Only those who accord with the Dao (the Way) and can jointly undertake and apply this art may encounter a teacher and obtain the essentials.

The related writings circulating in the world are said to have been compiled by the monk Huizong. The contents of the spirit diagrams and medicines amount to no more than three pages, yet all the names of the medicines have been changed, making them unrecognizable, and they differ greatly from the records in the Bencao. From my youth I have been fond of the arts, unwilling to indulge in the mundane, wholeheartedly seeking the arts of the Dao, and I have never grown weary of studying these writings. Yet the chapters are erroneous and bizarre, difficult to investigate; this art is profound and subtle, and those who truly achieve results are few. Therefore I often sigh over having no close friends whom I can consult.

I have never given up my investigation, resolving to explore the profound and minute, seeking teachers near and far, until I finally met an experienced senior. I studied diligently day and night, respected the former transmissions, personally received oral instruction, resolved all questions, and also corrected the names of the medicines, clarified the methods of taking medicine, the use of Fulu (talismans and registers), as well as the Pace of Yu, the chi-ban, setting up altars for sacrifice, and various omens. The Pace of Yu is a stepping method in Daoist ritual; Fulu are the talismanic writings used in rites such as praying and summoning spirits; the chi-ban is a ritual implement used in ceremonies.

Now I have, based on this content, drawn analogies by categories and, according to practical needs, arranged it into fifteen chapters. Those who study this art must first become familiar with the sequence and key points, therefore I have listed the outline of the chapter titles at the head of the scripture. The first is an outline of the main points. The spirits each have different natures and functions, revealing the subtle and numinous communications that inspire longing, therefore the second chapter discusses the spirit diagrams and their functions. Performing the arts has different essentials, each with appropriate times; action and rest must all follow the days and hours, so the third chapter discusses the essential secrets of the seasons. The Pace of Yu and the incantations should be practiced beforehand; they are the crucial methods for summoning and obtaining response, therefore the fourth chapter discusses the Pace of Yu for attracting the numinous. Fulu and the techniques relate to verification; only when proficient can they be applied and take effect quickly, therefore the fifth chapter discusses ingesting the talismans to see ghosts. If the medicines are not suitable, the practitioner’s mind is not concentrated, and the spirits will not descend; prepare fresh, fragrant, and pure items, with a reverent heart, then the spirits may arrive, therefore the sixth chapter discusses taking medicines to communicate with the spirits. Cultivating the method must be performed in a spacious and quiet place, otherwise it is difficult to achieve results, therefore the seventh chapter discusses the arrangement of the spirit chamber. Light diet and simple, clean clothing help in communicating with the spirits; if one cannot restrain for a long period, it is also difficult to cultivate a cautious mind, therefore the eighth chapter discusses the clothing and food of those who cultivate the art. Only with purity and reverence can one summon the spirits; the blessings bestowed by the divine also depend on a person’s sincerity, therefore the ninth chapter discusses the cleanliness of offerings during fasting. Sacrificial food offerings must have rules and fixed quantities; if the offerings are unsuitable, the prayers and summoning of spirits may be improper, therefore the tenth chapter discusses spreading the seats and arranging the sacrificial items. Before the spirits appear there will be omens; if not known in advance, a person may become frightened, therefore the eleventh chapter discusses the verifications of manifestation. After already being able to communicate with the spirits, one must still prevent disturbance; if one wishes to propagate the art, one should not rashly reveal it, therefore the twelfth chapter discusses how to take and use cautiously. Those who employ the spirits often suffer harm, mostly because they do not control them according to the method, therefore the thirteenth chapter discusses holding to the laws and restraining the spirits. If a person, relying on knowing some of the arts, shows off everywhere and leaks them to those who should not receive them, they will certainly invite disaster, therefore the fourteenth chapter discusses being cautious of oneself and preserving life. Ordinary people often do not believe and moreover slander falsely; ignorant people may also slight and mock, therefore the fifteenth chapter enumerates the experiences and verifications of predecessors.

I have done my best to arrange this content, organizing the chapters according to places of similar meaning and principle. The meaning that the scripture intends to express is already clear and understandable, and the wording has also been arranged. Although I have not been able to include all the sayings, I consider that the required content is roughly complete, hoping that those with aspiration for this, who are intelligent and eager to learn, will study it.

The Yellow Emperor said: Among the assistants of the Southern Dipper (Nandou, one of the Daoist stellar deities) are eight great spirits known as the “August Heavenly Envoys.” They take turns on duty, descending to the human world, touring the mundane realm, and protecting those who cultivate the Dao (the Way).

For those who keep themselves pure, value the methods of the Dao, and serve these spirits with sincerity and reverence, they will surely manifest their traces and become intimate companions. Whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, they accompany the practitioner; they also give advance warning of auspicious or inauspicious events. Although various changes have not yet shown their first signs, the spirits know them beforehand, and thus they can prevent disasters that have not yet occurred and bring unseen blessings. This method is of inestimable value and must be carefully guarded.

If a person is compassionate, modest, loyal, and simple, does not pursue fame, rank, or official posts, cultivates their nature with detachment, outwardly appears completely unaware of these matters, and concentrates solely on personal cultivation toward the Dao, even such a person must still undergo an oath-taking ritual before the method can be transmitted. If the method is transmitted lightly to ordinary people in order to show off or sell the efficacy of magical techniques, thereby leaking the intentions of the divine spirits, neither the transmitter nor the recipient will obtain any benefit. One must be cautious and must not arrogantly leak it; otherwise it will instead invite misfortune.

The Yellow Emperor said: For those who practice the ritual arts, the first priority is to purify the mind and will and to concentrate with undivided attention, gathering all thoughts upon the object of one’s quest. Observe in stillness and cultivate according to the proper methods, never slacking day or night; restrain body and mind and cut off all disordered thoughts. When miscellaneous thoughts arise in confusion, the mind-spirit cannot become clear and luminous; if the mind-spirit is not clear, recognition of the realms remains indistinct; if recognition is indistinct, one cannot probe the subtle and profound, nor can one exquisitely illuminate formless images. How could those whose will is slack and whose actions are scattered ever communicate with external things?

Those who can refrain from clinging to their own life and instead devote themselves wholly to seeking the Dao (the Way) are like opening a water-source high in the heavens and pouring it into a valley a thousand fathoms deep—the task is easily accomplished. Those who have only a reputation for loving goodness yet lack a sincere and steadfast will are like drawing spring-water from a deep mountain ravine and trying to force it upward onto a peak that pierces the clouds—the task is exceedingly difficult. Even ordinary worldly affairs, if approached with slackness and without diligence, rarely succeed; how much more so the ultimate Dao, which is profound, mysterious, and remote? If one does not concentrate and strive, how could it be obtained with ease? One must make the effort; the essential point is diligent application of the mind.

All who practice the ritual arts must first train in the Yu Bu (the ritual pacing of Yu, the method of walking the Dipper according to prescribed steps in Daoist ceremony) and memorize the sacrificial texts together with the ritual formulas of the techniques, so that they can recite them fluently. The medicines and offerings presented must be of especially fine quality. One may enter the purification chamber on a Gengyin day to compound the medicines and write the Fulu (talismans and registers). Then, on the morning of a Gengzi day, before the Yin hour, one enters the chamber again to arrange the seats and prepare the hanging Fulu. After donning the Fulu, walking according to the Yu Bu, and ingesting the talisman-water and medicines, one takes up the wooden tablets (the ritual plaques used in the ceremony) and recites the sacrificial text while facing the altar to perform the offering. The wording of the scriptures must not be awkward or difficult to recite; otherwise the ritual’s efficacy may be delayed.

The foregoing is an outline of the procedures for practicing the arts, summarizing the essential sequence and indispensable items. The purification courtyard and spirit chamber should be quiet, still, and empty; they must be swept clean and made solemn with burning incense. Clothing, tables, and utensils should all be refined, clean, and splendid, and one’s deportment must be free of error.

The Practice and Efficacy of the Divine Diagrams, Part Two

These eight ghosts and spirits are all the subordinate officials of the Southern Dipper (Nandou, the system of deities in southern stellar mansion beliefs) and the spirits of the various stellar lodges. If a practitioner sincerely studies the Dao (the Way), with pure thoughts and actions, enjoys ingesting talismanic medicines, and is familiar with the Yu step (Yubu, the stepping method of treading the Dipper in Daoist rituals), these eight spirits will come forth to serve him, constantly protecting him as they would a heavenly official, ensuring the encampment remains stable and the guardianship unceasing. When good and ill fortune have not yet become apparent and blessings and calamities have only just begun to emerge, the spirits can perceive them beforehand and come to issue warnings, so that the practitioner regularly receives these aids.

Nevertheless, the manners in which the various spirits display their numinous efficacy differ from one another; each has its particular strengths, and the skills they exercise and the functions they fulfill are likewise not the same. Some are able to drive off military calamities and compel respect and submission, as well as to dissolve enmity and take vengeance upon foes; some can fetch medicinal substances for people to consume, enabling them to accomplish the immortal Dao; some can assist people in obtaining official positions, washing away slander, and bringing joy together with material wealth; some can allow people to behold Zhenren (True Persons) and spirits and to discern jingguai (essences and monsters); some can transform misfortune into blessing and fetch food to succor the hungry; some can practice medicine to cure illness, foresee life and death, enable those separated by a thousand li to communicate with one another, and moreover render people intelligent and widely obtain wealth with which to support those who study the Dao; some can cause the yields of fields and silkworms to increase twofold, so that precious objects arrive in their entirety; some can help people travel by night, ward off thieves, drive away tiger infestations, and pursue fleeing enemies. These efficacious manifestations touch upon many domains; were one to recount them all in detail, the written words would scarcely suffice. Here we merely give a brief account of the functions of each spirit and append the images of the deities in accordance with the order of the scripture.

Clad in a pale cyan robe and a pale red skirt, the first ghost-spirit of the Qian position (one of the directional positions of the Bagua [Eight Trigrams]), named Xingwen, is able to help people avoid military disasters. People commonly regard with reverence the places through which he comes and goes. He can avenge grievances on behalf of others, travel back and forth to eliminate harm for them, and can also drive back yin-evil affairs. The image of the spirit wears a round crown bearing three rays of flame; it is dressed in ancient-style garments bound with wheat-straw rope and girded with a leather belt at the waist; the right hand grasps a knife while the left hangs naturally at the side.

Clad in a pale red robe and a pale yellow skirt edged in cyan, the second ghost-spirit of the Kun position (one of the directional positions of the Bagua [Eight Trigrams]), named Xingcheng, is able to fetch immortal medicines that confer longevity without death. The image of the spirit binds ancient-style garments with land-ropes and wears a leather belt at the waist; the right hand grasps a knife while the left hangs naturally at the side.

The second spirit of the Kun position (one of the directional positions of the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams) is named Xingcheng. It is able to obtain the immortal elixir that confers ten-thousand-year undying life. In terrestrial caves there exists a fish one chi in length, which Xingcheng can fetch; once a person consumes it, they attain longevity with a lifespan reaching ten thousand years. In former times four masters of the arts, named Zhang Yong, Su Jing, Xing Bian, and Dong Xuan, all had Xingcheng fetch this fish for them to eat and thereupon attained the Dao. They still dwell today in Yangsui Mountain, remaining able to eat the five grains yet enjoying long life.

Attire markings: wears a blue-green robe and blue-green skirt, the garments edged in black.

The third spirit of the Zhen position (one of the directional positions of the Bagua) is named Xingsong. It can confer wealth and honor so that one is enfeoffed as a marquis generation after generation; it eliminates slander and calumny so that one is not implicated in faults; it causes all affairs to proceed smoothly with constant joy in the heart; it doubles the harvest of planted crops and brings all evil matters to a halt. Whatever one seeks proceeds according to one’s wishes.

Attire markings: wears light-yellow clothing and a light-red skirt, the garments edged in black.

The fourth spirit of the Xun position (one of the directional positions of the Bagua) is named Xingming. Simply by reciting this text for three years, without practicing the Yu Pace (a ritual stepping method in Daoist liturgy) and without taking medicines, one naturally comes to perceive ghosts and spirits with complete clarity. All manner of ghosts in the world, together with the essences of trees, water and earth, mountain forests, doorways, wells and latrines, dwellings, oxen, sheep, pigs, dogs, insects, birds, wolves, tigers and the like, as well as more than two hundred forty kinds of strange beings whose names are recorded in the scriptures, can be seen in their true forms. Without ingesting talisman-medicines, merely by reciting this text, after three years one becomes realized (one who has attained the Dao).

Attire markings: wears a purple robe adorned with green borders, paired with a yellow skirt.

The fifth of the Kan position (one of the directional positions of the Bagua) is listed in the original text as “wolves and tigers.” All manner of essences, charms and strange beings in the world, as well as more than two hundred forty kinds whose names are recorded in the scriptures, can be seen in their true forms. Without ingesting talisman-medicines, merely by reciting this text, after three years one becomes realized.

Attire markings: wears a purple robe adorned with green borders, paired with a yellow skirt.

The fifth spirit of the Kan position is named Xinger. If a person suffers injustice, is harmed without cause, or finds their own situation untrue and is subjected to deception, Xinger can cause the ruler to change his mind, turn calamity into blessing, and enable the person to extricate himself until the matter is verified. Should the world encounter crop failure and famine, it can likewise fetch food, drink and grain for people to take and use, seemingly without exhaustion.

Attire markings: wears light-red clothing and a light blue-green skirt, the garments edged in black.

The sixth of the ghost-spirits of the Li position (one of the directional positions of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams)) is named Xingxu. He enables those who cultivate the arts to become physicians or shamans and to know in advance matters of life and death. If someone in a household is ill, he can cause one to understand whether the condition is improving or worsening, together with the omens of life or death; he can also inquire on one’s behalf into news and the details of affairs a thousand li distant. He can further render a person’s ears and eyes exceptionally acute and fetch gold, silver, and valuables to place in the home. This method must be kept strictly secret.

He wears a pale cyan upper garment and a pale yellow skirt, the garments trimmed with black borders.

The seventh of the ghost-spirits of the Gen position (one of the directional positions of the Bagua) is named Xingjin. He enables people to obtain doubled harvests from farming and sericulture, and can fetch precious and marvelous objects to place in the home; he can also obtain fish, meat, and other foods at once. He can summon women, even if the woman is a thousand li away, summoning her at will. This method must not be transmitted to others and must be strictly kept secret; it is said to double the harvest from silkworms, bring precious items and food, and summon distant women. It must not be revealed to others, nor shown even if worth ten thousand in gold.

He wears a plain-colored upper garment and a cyan skirt, the garments trimmed with cyan borders.

The eighth of the ghost-spirits of the Dui position (one of the directional positions of the Bagua) is named Xinggao. He enables one to walk at night without fear and without encountering robbery or theft; he can drive away twenty-seven kinds of inauspicious and evil matters, command tigers and wolves, and enable a person to run faster than a galloping horse. The utmost caution and secrecy are required.

These eight great ghost-spirits are divided into four pairs, two in each pair, and they come to the human world according to the sequence of their duty days, rotating every three days in successive cycles. Those who receive this method should, at the corresponding time of duty, fast and purify themselves as required by the Jing (scripture), set up a seat and offerings indoors near the western door-pivot, and call the names of the ghost-spirits. The Jing states that the ghost-spirits will then respond to the summons at the proper time without error, a result verified through repeated trials. The former worthies and later sages of antiquity transmitted this method through the generations; would they have written empty words out of nothing in order to deceive later students? What benefit would that confer upon the accomplished persons of former ages? Worthies who delight in the arts of the Dao should offer sacrifice with sincere heart and reverent care, and it will respond in a timely manner, arriving almost in an instant.

Discussion of Seasonal Essentials, the Third.

When the two forces of Heaven and Earth, Yin-Yang (yinyang), begin to operate, this is called “Great Creation” (the process by which Heaven and Earth generate the myriad things). For Great Creation to be completed it necessarily depends on Yin-Yang; the circulation of Yin-Yang in turn follows the sun and moon. The movements of the sun and moon form the four seasons; each of the four seasons manifests its particular function—this is the Way of change. Change drives the generation of things, and the myriad things all grow in accordance with the action of the seasons. The benefits of the seasons are vast, enabling all categories of things to take form and causing the myriad things to display different shapes. The sprouts of the myriad things lie hidden within change and gradually grow when the timing is suitable; as various things flourish they also transform with the succession of temporal cycles.

Therefore time can gradually guide things into taking form, yet the things themselves do not know they are being formed; time can cause things to change, migrate and decay, yet they remain unaware of their own decay. The workings of time are subtle and profound, yet they inevitably occur. All living beings depend upon it and experience it every day, yet they often fail to notice; only those who are thoroughly versed can discern the patterns within. By grasping this principle in advance one can achieve results in one’s actions, and therefore one must not miss the opportune moment.

Whatever action one undertakes cannot be separated from timing. The function of timing is vast and boundless, and the myriad affairs and things all take it as their basis. When the timing of Heaven is disordered, wind and rain lose their balance; when the Qi (qi) of the Earth does not circulate freely, the myriad things between Heaven and Earth find it difficult to grow; if human society lacks restraint, ethical order declines. The wise and accomplished person, whether taking office or withdrawing into seclusion, remaining silent or speaking, must observe the timing and examine the changes before acting with composure.

Yao said, “Reverently accord with Heaven above, and carefully grasp and confer the agricultural seasons.” Lü Wang said, “The opportune moment does not come twice.” Timing is difficult to encounter yet easy to lose; affairs are difficult to accomplish yet easy to ruin—this is precisely what is meant by timing. Thus timing can influence Heaven and Earth, communicate with ghosts and spirits, and bring human affairs to completion; it may be called the marvelous power that enables the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth and Humanity to function and that penetrates the Six Directions (Heaven, Earth and the four quarters).

The fundamental principles followed by the arts of the Dao, and the endeavors to which practitioners devote themselves, consist entirely in taking Yin-Yang as a model and acting in accordance with the seasons. When practicing these arts one must select auspicious months and days. Failures typically arise from excess or insufficiency. This is the great calamity of missing the timing, and also the essential foundation for accomplishing meritorious work. A discrepancy of a hair’s breadth can result in a difference of a thousand miles. Therefore those who wish to establish accomplishments must concentrate wholeheartedly on waiting for the suitable moment and gather their spirit to seize the opportunity; they pursue it with single-minded diligence, even at the cost of exhausting their mental energy and injuring their bodies, placing all their thought upon this matter.

Ordinarily one chooses the first month of spring, the first month of summer, and the middle and last months of autumn. The new-moon days (the first of each lunar month) in these three periods are all suitable as superior times. In spring the Wood Qi (vital energy) is vigorous; the De (Virtue/Power) of Wood corresponds to benevolence, and benevolence brings auspicious good fortune. Among the four seasons nothing is better than the bright and beautiful spring. Spring is the beginning when the azure Qi rises and the mysterious Qi recedes, and it is also the season when all things renew themselves together.

The spring light is brilliant, the seasonal energies plentiful; days are quiet, nights clear and bright, cold and heat perfectly balanced, the climate harmonious, the scenery unfolding, and people’s hearts relatively gentle. This is truly suited to cultivators nourishing their minds and aspirations.

Cultivators may go to spacious gardens near villages, to level open plains, or enter the quiet and secluded famous mountains. At this time the grasses and trees of the wilderness are lush and green, the seasonal scenery fresh and lovely; bamboo shade covers the stone steps among the mountains, plants meet at the eaves of thatched cottages, and flowers emit a rare fragrance. The plants display every variety of form, their leaves of differing hues, a thousand postures in all. Ponds lie beside garden pavilions, ornate buildings follow the mountain ridges; some dwell at leisure in secluded chambers, hidden amid wreathing mists; tall roof-ridges rise on the mountain summits, half-hidden among the clouds. Birdsong is melodious and can be heard upon the wind; the sound of flowing water is stirring, as if a long river were rushing in from the sea.

On such a morning one may ride dragons and phoenixes, mount cranes and luan birds, take a cloud chariot to ascend the Mysterious Court, or drive a colorful carriage up to the Purple Culmination. How much more, then, when merely performing a lesser art—how could it fail to succeed?

Therefore summer is counted a secondary time, and autumn and winter inferior times. Spring is ranked as the superior time not only because the climate is mild and the season auspicious, but also because it is then suitable to obtain fresh bird eggs and compound them into medicines. In the middle and later part of summer there are still late-hatched chicks and eggs, so it is ranked secondary. Autumn and winter are poorer out of concern that eggs stored too long will spoil, and that the potency of the medicines will weaken from insufficient freshness, causing the arts to take effect more slowly.

If circumstances make it impossible to wait for the superior or secondary times, one may first collect the bird eggs and dry them, then perform the arts in autumn or winter. They may still be used in this way and will not hinder communication with the spirits. The scripture says: “Only De is the true fragrance; millet and sorghum are not the true fragrance; the spirits partake of De.” Therefore sincerity and reverence are not manifested solely in sacrificial foods or in the materials used for compounding medicines.

Before entering the spirit chamber (the quiet room used for making offerings and summoning spirits), one must first observe a purification fast according to the method of purification days. This may begin forty-nine days in advance (seven times seven days), or, according to circumstances, from a shorter period such as seven or fourteen days. Cleanliness must be maintained throughout the fast, and only on a Gengzi day may one enter the spirit chamber to inspect it.

Before compounding the medicine, the ingredients must be prepared in advance and the same period of fasting observed, with entry into the spirit chamber for inspection on a Gengzi day. When formally compounding the medicine, a Gengyin day is chosen and one enters the spirit chamber at the Hai hour of human stillness (the deep quiet of night). The grinding and blending of the ingredients are completed, and the writing of the Fulu (talismans) is finished.

To take the medicine, one enters the spirit chamber on a Gengzi day before the Yin hour. First the Yu Bu (the ritual pacing of Daoist ceremony) is performed and the Fulu ingested, after which the medicine is taken. Documents are then recited and the sacrificial rites carried out. The dates for making the Fulu follow those of compounding the medicine and therefore need not be repeated here.

Sacrificial times are of two kinds: the morning sacrifice is held at dawn, before the Yin hour; the evening sacrifice is held after the Hai hour of human stillness.

The eight spirits each have fixed days of descent: Xingwen and Xingcheng descend upon households on Yin, Mao, and Chen days; Xingsong and Xingming on Si, Wu, and Wei days; Xing’er and Xingxu on Shen, You, and Xu days; Xingjin and Xinggao on Hai, Zi, and Chou days.

These eight spirits each have their appointed days of descent. Those who wish to summon them begin on a Gengzi day, calling the spirits’ names within the spirit chamber and summoning them through sacrifice. After respectfully sacrificing for fifteen days according to the prescribed dates and time limits, the spirits will manifest their forms, converse with the person, and leave traces. Thereafter one may inquire of them or command them.

The time of the spirits’ manifestation may be before the Yin hour, after the Hai hour, or at midnight. Although the exact moment is not fixed, it does not fall outside these three periods; the practitioner must also choose a suitable time according to his or her own natal destiny and the calendar.

All methods of commanding spirits and ghosts belong to the secretly transmitted writings of the Mysterious Cavern (Xuandong). The time of manifestation may likewise be before the Yin hour, after the Hai hour, or at midnight. Though it varies without regularity, it never departs from these three periods, and the practitioner must select the time according to his or her natal destiny.

Methods for commanding spirits and ghostly beings largely belong to the secret teachings of the Profound Cavern (Dongxuan), that deep and mysterious realm of which Daoism speaks, and they are also techniques by which Daoists seek immortality. Some people of upright conduct and pure mind revere the Great Dao (the Way), prefer quiet cultivation and leisurely seclusion, and set their aim on nourishing life. They dwell in hidden retreat, cultivate in secret, seek neither fame nor rank, remain unstained by the mundane world, rest content in silence and emptiness, and have no dealings with external things. Those who devote themselves wholly to such study will certainly attain the Dao, gaining far more than mere insight into the subtle and the evident.

There are also gentlemen who cherish benevolence, keep faith, practice righteousness, and act with loyalty. Though their resolve to seek the Dao is profound, they cannot withdraw from the world and remain amid the dust of ordinary life; even they may cultivate these methods. Yet they must be cautious: they should not disclose matters that have not yet become manifest, nor rashly announce good or ill fortune. Still less should they, when harassed or coerced by spirits, resort to false speech to deceive the common people. Those who fall into such misfortunes rarely escape the calamities of weapons and slaughter. For this reason these arts are not suitable for ordinary people to take up at will. If one truly aspires to them with a single heart, it is still unwise to begin in youth; only after the age of forty may one undertake the practice.

Should one force the cultivation in the prime of life, it may well bring error and regret. If, however, a person of genuine and substantial learning who is able to keep the secret methods hidden concentrates upon the study, perhaps he may avoid entanglement. One who can accomplish this may be called a bright mirror between heaven and earth, a mind of clarity amid the four quarters and the six directions. Later chapters will set forth in detail the earnest requirements and the bonds of sincerity and trust; they need not be repeated here.

The Pace of Yu for Summoning Spiritual Response, Section Four: employing the Pace of Yu (Yu Bu), a ritual gait that imitates the stepping of the stars in Daoist ceremonies, to call forth spiritual responses.

The Pace of Yu (Yu Bu), a specific stepping method used in Daoism to summon spirits, is traditionally regarded as a magical technique created by Yu of the Xia dynasty for summoning and commanding spirits. It is seen as the foundation of all magical arts and the essential key to employing mysterious principles. Legend has it that when the Great Yu was regulating the floods, he found it difficult to judge in advance the depths of the waters and the heights of the terrain, so he set up black measuring instruments and observed them repeatedly in order to calculate the flood-control works. When he encountered hidden springs, boulders, and other things invisible to the eye, he would summon Hairuo, Hezong, the mountain gods, and the earth deities, inquire of them, and only then reach a decision.

Later the Great Yu came to the southern seashore and saw a bird performing a binding spell that could cause large stones to turn over. This bird, when working its magic, often walked a particular stepping pattern. The Great Yu observed and imitated its steps, incorporating them into his arts. From that time onward the Pace of Yu was said always to prove effective. Because it was traditionally created by the Great Yu, it is called “Yu Bu.”

In later generations many people cultivated the Dao, and seekers of the Yu Bu method appeared in succession, deriving many different practices. After Liu An, Prince of Huainan of the Han dynasty, Wang Zinian compiled the related writings and the monk Huizong arranged and continued the compilation, expanding them by categories until more than ninety kinds of stepping methods had gradually taken shape, each differing in the manner of lifting the feet and in the incantations used. After examination and verification, the most effective method is first to raise the left foot, take three steps, and leave nine footprints arranged in the shapes of the Li and Kan trigrams. The so-called “pacing the guideline and treading the traces” (bugang nieji) consists in stepping according to the nine stars of the Northern Dipper, taking this as its model. Apart from this there are no other verified stepping methods of unusual efficacy that are worth further inquiry.

If one wishes to summon gods and see ghosts, the Pace of Yu is the crucial magical method. Both the stepping method and the incantation texts must be practiced fluently at all times: when performed smoothly the spirits will arrive; if there is any error, contact will be lost. Therefore the verified efficacies, texts, and diagrams are set forth below.

The method of performing the Pace of Yu is as follows. Indoors the practitioner lays out the space in front of the ritual altar, facing the spirit altar. Using the chi measurement of the Xia dynasty, three chi are measured out as the distance between each star position. The star chart and the directions of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) are drawn with pure white ash. The practitioner stands at the Earth Door (Dihu, the position corresponding to Xun), sits facing the spirit altar, then strikes the Heavenly Drum (a Daoist term for producing sound by striking or tapping in a prescribed manner) fifteen times, immediately holds the breath, and begins to step.

First raise the left foot and tread upon the Li position, one of the directional stations of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). The right foot then treads the Kun position, the left foot the Zhen position, and the right foot the Dui position. Next, bring the left foot together beside the right, landing upon the Dui position. From there, step forward with the right foot onto the Gen position, the left foot onto the Kan position, the right foot onto the Qian position, the left foot onto Heaven’s Gate (Tianmen), and the right foot onto Human Gate (Renmen). Then close the left foot beside the right and step out from the Dui position. Advance once more in the same manner: the right foot treads Gen, the left treads Kan, the right treads Qian, the left treads Heaven’s Gate, and the right treads Human Gate. Finally bring the left foot together beside the right and stand upon Human Gate.

Then regulate the breath until it is even, and recite the incantation:

“Qian Heaven is honored and noble, radiant with numinous brightness; Kun Earth is yielding and compliant, circulating within and without. The Two Modes of Heaven and Earth intersect and unite in harmony, joining with the Correct Dao (the Way); they coordinate Heaven and Earth so that all may remain long at peace, solemn, still, and clear. Responding to the Qi (vital energy) of the dark and yellow, Heaven serves as the upper garment and Earth as the lower skirt. The four trigrams Zhen, Li, Kan, and Dui assist and support; the four trigrams Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun walk like tigers and soar like dragons. Heaven’s Gate, Earth’s Door, and Human Gate are the keys of communication and circulation. Who is it that guards me? It is the lofty and vast Heaven above. Today I perform the Pace of Yu (Yubu, the ritual stepping according to specific directional positions in Daoist ceremony), responding above to the stellar net of Heaven, causing ghosts and spirits to submit and withdraw, and driving inauspicious forces downward and away. All that is sought shall accord with one’s wish, and the numinous light shall appear in due time. Those who do not comply shall all be subdued beneath the net of the Dipper and must not move recklessly. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands of the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun).”

Ingesting the Talisman to See Ghosts, Fifth

The talisman (fu) is the written sign by which celestial immortals summon and command spirits; it is also a numinous secret treasure that practitioners carefully preserve. In every kind of ritual technique, talismanic writing serves as an important basis. Therefore the incantation says: “Must not move recklessly; swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands of the Most High Lord Lao.”

Ingesting the Talisman to See Ghosts, Fifth

Talismans, it is said, are the written characters used by celestial immortals to summon and command spirit beings, and they are also the numinous and efficacious secret treasures cherished by those who cultivate the Dao. In all forms of ritual arts, talismanic writing is regarded as fundamental. The ancients believed that unusual phenomena appearing in the heavens foretold the rise and fall of rulers, while omens on earth indicated the survival or demise of the common people; when strange events revealed their first signs, a household might experience good or ill fortune; when tortoise shells and yarrow stalks displayed portents, divination could determine fortune or misfortune. Once the talismanic writing has manifested, ghosts and spirits can no longer conceal themselves.

The numinous writings, supreme tablets, true writings, and large characters spoken of in the Daoist tradition, together with the capital registers and ghost talismans, are all secret texts used to command spirit beings, and they also constitute the canonical ordinances for cultivating immortality and the Dao. None of the hidden essential formulas transmitted by the Perfected Ones fail to rely upon Fulu (talismans and registers). The purported efficacies of talismans include summoning the gods of heaven and the deities of earth, driving away sprites, goblins, and ghosts, attaining deathless longevity upon ingestion, and obtaining prominent rank upon wearing them. Were one to recount every efficacy in full, even a written account could never be exhaustive; therefore only the essential points are outlined here, in the hope that those who study the Dao will devote themselves diligently to their study.

The Qian talisman, first among these, is the one transmitted by the immortal Xingwen. It is hung in the Qian position of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), that is, the northwest. The Qian spirit is surnamed Liu, with the courtesy name Bosheng; this talisman may be ingested. The Kun talisman, second, is the one transmitted by the immortal Xingcheng Zhuxia. It is hung in the Kun position, that is, the southwest. The Kun spirit is surnamed Zhu, with the courtesy name Jiangmeng; this talisman may be ingested. The Zhen talisman, third, is the one transmitted by the immortal Xingsong Jiangang. It is hung in the Zhen position, that is, due east. The Zhen spirit is surnamed Liu, with the courtesy name Liangqing; this talisman may be ingested. The Xun talisman, fourth, is the one transmitted by the immortal Xingming Xuanjing. It is hung in the Xun position, that is, the southeast. The Xun spirit is surnamed Zhang, with the courtesy name Caolong; this talisman may be ingested. The Kan talisman, fifth, is the one transmitted by the immortal Xinger Dajian. It is hung in the Kan position, that is, due north. The Kan spirit is surnamed Jiao, with the courtesy name Junzi; this talisman may be ingested.

The Li trigram talisman of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), listed sixth, is the “Sun Essence Talisman” transmitted by the immortal Xing. Hang the talisman in the Li position, due south. The method of drawing the Li talisman is the same as those given earlier. The spirit of Li is surnamed Feng, with the courtesy name Maxu; ingest this talisman.

The Gen trigram talisman, seventh, is the “Sun Origin Talisman” transmitted by the immortal Xing. Hang it in the Gen position, in the northeast. Its drawing method is likewise the same as before. The Gen spirit is surnamed Wang, courtesy name Yuping; ingest this talisman.

The Dui trigram talisman, eighth, is the “High Great Mystery Talisman” transmitted by the immortal Xing. Hang it in the Dui position, due west. The drawing follows the previous method. The Dui spirit is surnamed Liu, courtesy name Mengyuan; ingest this talisman.

The Yellow Emperor said: Those who wish to summon the Eight Scribes, communicate with the spirits, and command ghosts and deities must choose a Gengyin day in the profound stillness of night. In the zhai purification chamber, take a paulownia-wood board three cun on each side, split open on the reverse, with the obverse facing the Jian direction (the orientation determined by calendrical numerology). Coat the board with vermilion, then, holding the breath, write upon it in ink so that the eight talismans are completed together at the prescribed moment. Afterward place it in the spirit chamber. On the Gengzi day set it beside the altar, arranged according to the positions of the eight directions; on that same day also draw the Bagua talismans in cinnabar and ingest them. Once the spirits have been seen, one may cease.

The Yellow Emperor said: These talismans are the methods practiced by the Zhenren (Perfected Ones) and the immortals. Practitioners who remain concentrated and resolute, observe the precepts, cultivate with reverence, prepare them strictly according to the methods of the Jing (scripture), and maintain purity will, after hanging the talismans, be able to see ghosts and spirits; the instant a thought arises, the ghosts and spirits arrive. Once the spirits have been seen, one may stop.

The Yellow Emperor said: These talismans are the methods practiced by the Zhenren (Perfected Ones) and the immortals. Practitioners who remain concentrated and resolute, observe the precepts, cultivate with reverence, prepare them strictly according to the methods of the Jing (scripture), and maintain purity will, after hanging the talismans, be able to see ghosts and spirits; the instant a thought arises, the ghosts and spirits arrive. Taken over a long period they can even enable one to ascend in broad daylight and become an immortal; the efficacy of these talismans is by no means limited to communicating with spirits.

Ingesting medicines to communicate with spirits, sixth.

Medicines have extensive and important uses. All beings possessed of life, spirituality, and the capacity for perception rely upon medicines to sustain their existence. Therefore the refining of the Returned Elixir and Jade Fluid constitutes a secretly transmitted method of cultivation among the immortals, while rare herbs and lingzhi serve as vital paths for the nourishment of life. Medicines may be regarded as the very foundation of sustaining life and are also that upon which sages and those of penetrating understanding concentrate their efforts.

Regarding the efficacy of medicines, some can raise clouds and bring rain, heal diseases, communicate with spirits, overawe tigers and wild beasts, and ward off military disasters; they can likewise avert calamities and suppress bandits. Some render a person’s hearing and vision more acute, while others transform a person’s temperament and spirit. Gold vermilion, for instance, can prolong the years, silver filings can benefit longevity, gypsum can induce sweating, euphorbia can cause diarrhea, ephedra can enable one to see ghosts, and henbane can make a person pick up a needle. These are the distinctive properties of the various medicines; their effects are endlessly varied and reach everywhere. The functions of medicines may be set on a par with Heaven and Earth and can also rival the transformations of the four seasons; their efficacy is inexhaustible and cannot be fully recounted.

One part of Ghost Soldiers, also called Ghost Arrow and nowadays known as Ghost Arrow Grass. Chop it finely, take its feather-like portions together with the outer bark, and use them; roots, leaves, branches and stems are unnecessary. This medicine can be gathered in the mountains, should be collected according to the proper season, and may be used as soon as it is obtained.

One part of Ghost Fan, which some formulas simply call Fan. It grows among mountain marshes where the plant is abundant, and therefore needs no further description.

One part of Ghost Roller, also named Stone Roller. This medicine grows on the shady side of mountains where flowing water passes over stones; it is the aquatic moss upon those stones. Wherever stones on a mountain’s shady face have water flowing over them, it can usually be found. The stone moss resembles moss that grows in water.

One part of Ghost Sprout. Another formula employs the sprouts of Ghost Supervisor, likewise calling them Ghost Sprout; in actual use they also possess therapeutic effects.

Take two fen of guijiu; if using a single plant, take one fen. The root of the ghost-fan is also this medicine. It is commonly found in the world and easy to identify, so it is not described in detail here.

Take five zhu of true cinnabar. This medicine originates from within realgar, yet differs slightly from realgar: its color is yellow, bright, and moist, superior to realgar, and it lacks the strong fumigating odor; even so, it still belongs to the category of realgar.

Take three fen of crow eggs. This item is easy to recognize, so little further explanation is given. In the second and third months of spring, collect undamaged eggs from bird nests; these are more suitable. If compounding the medicine, use the eggs while they are still fresh and moist. Alternatively, take about fifteen eggs, pour the yolks and whites into an earthenware vessel, dry them in the sun, scrape them off, wrap them in paper, and store them for use in autumn and winter. They are dried in advance because crow eggs are readily obtained only in specific seasons, thereby guarding against the difficulty of finding them when needed. When the time comes to take the medicine, soak the dried eggs in spring water to restore their moisture, then blend them with the other medicines to form pills.

The method of compounding: first assemble all six medicines, ensuring that all six flavors are complete and that each is fresh rather than spoiled. Select a Gengyin day according to the scripture and store the medicines cleanly. At the hour of Ren (when the night is deep and still), work in the purification chamber, with the back toward the Po position and the face toward the Jian position. Combine the medicines, pound them fine, and sift them; then add the crow eggs, holding the breath while blending them into pills. No one else may see or know of the compounding; it is to be managed solely by the practitioner. If the matter is leaked, the efficacy is lost and the effort wasted, so caution is essential.

When taking the medicine, select a Gengzi day according to the scripture and enter the spirit chamber (a room used for cultivation or sacrificial rites) before the Yin hour. First hang the Fulu (talismans and registers) and wear them on the person, then walk the Yu steps (the ritual pacing used in Daoist ceremonies). After ingesting the talisman water or talisman medicine, proceed with the sacrificial rites. Before the morning sacrifice take one talisman and one dose of medicine; do the same before the evening sacrifice. Thus two talismans and two pills are taken each day, each pill the size of a parasol-tree seed, and this is observed as the daily measure.

When ingesting the medicine, hold one pill in the mouth for a time so that it dissolves before being swallowed; it must not be swallowed the moment it enters the mouth, or the spirits will not descend. Take it with concentrated reverence according to the prescribed method. The scripture claims that within fifteen days the eight ghosts and spirits will appear in person and converse with the practitioner, and all inquiries will prove accurate.

If there is concern that the communications from the ghosts and spirits may be false or deceptive, wrap one pill and bury it at the spot where the spirit was first encountered. The scripture states that the summoned ghosts and spirits will then be unable to lie to people. This method is said to possess the power of suppressing and controlling ghosts and spirits and has proven efficacious upon repeated use; without taking the medicine the spirits cannot be seen. Only by ingesting the medicine can one communicate with the spirits, question them, and command their service. The scripture regards taking the medicine as the most essential element of this ritual technique.

Practitioners of the Dao often say that Zhang Lu, the leader of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, was the first to claim that the Daoxian Jing consisted of forty volumes totaling eighty million characters. Upon careful examination of the secret methods and actual practices contained therein, one finds that they differ: some methods employ medicines that are precious and hard to obtain, requiring abstinence from grains and not eating, yet cultivating immortality is not necessarily easy; other methods allow one to eat grains as usual and take ordinary medicines, and it is said that these too can confer long life and enduring vision. This is so because the sages each had different transmissions and assertions, and therefore their methods were not the same. One should frequently copy immortal formulas; when encountering unrecognized medicines, one may inquire of ghosts and spirits. The ghosts and spirits will identify them of their own accord and inform people of auspicious or inauspicious outcomes; the responses of the ghosts and spirits have evidence and are not empty words.

Seventh: The Vacant Place of the Spirit Chamber

The arts of commanding spirits require as their key the selection of an open and quiet place in the mountains. If it is inconvenient to seek out distant mountain crags and forest groves, one may also, near a settlement, locate a spacious and secluded garden residence, establish a zhai courtyard (a venue for conducting Zhaijiao purification rituals and liturgical ceremonies), and avoid households that are holding funerals.

The spirit chamber (the room in which the arts are performed and the spirits are housed) is best newly built; if this is not possible, an old house may be used. The interior, however, must never have held a corpse, nor contain the filth left from livestock giving birth. The floor should be plastered with fragrant mud and thoroughly sprinkled and swept clean; the room must not be allowed to become unclean, or else the efficacy of the arts will be delayed. To prevent the arrangement of the spirit chamber from failing to meet the requirements of the classics, a diagram of its form is drawn below.

As a site for sacrificial rites, the precinct should be enclosed with walls or a palisade, made tight enough that the interior cannot be seen from outside; this is sufficient for use. The courtyard ordinarily measures twenty paces on each of its four sides; if conditions are limiting, the dimensions may be adjusted according to circumstances.

Four paces inward from both the southern and western walls of the courtyard, construct the spirit chamber, divided into three rooms, each one zhang six chi in depth. In the eastern room, floor matting is laid against the wall for the ritual specialist (the person who conducts the rites) to recline upon, with the head pointing north. The middle room has its door opening to the south. The western room has a door on each of its southern, western, and northern sides. Inside the western room, an altar is placed among the three doors: it is built of earth, three cun high and eight chi square, with two steps on each of the four sides. White clay and powdered fragrant white herbs are then mixed with water, pounded thoroughly, and used to plaster the altar until it is pure white and aromatic. The altar must be dried before the rites; it must not become damp or soiled, lest it be impure when the ceremony approaches.

To the east of the spirit chamber, a purification chamber is built, one zhang square. At the southeast corner where the two chambers adjoin, a connecting door is opened and hung with a thick mat curtain so that the interior remains hidden. The spirit chamber is also given a window one chi square, papered over to admit light.

North of the purification chamber, another room is added, likewise one zhang square. A door at the eastern corner of the purification chamber’s north wall leads into this room; a further door at the western corner of this room’s north wall serves as the ritual specialist’s entrance and exit. Ritual implements and miscellaneous items are all stored here. Every door is fitted with a leaf and hung with a curtain: the spirit chamber uses screens woven of bamboo or reeds, while the other rooms use mat curtains.

The Ritual Specialist’s Attire and Diet (Section Eight)

Clothes can be used to ward off cold and dampness, and they can also express ritual propriety and respect. When clothes are worn and tattered, a person easily shows an expression of shame and withdrawal; putting on new clothes generates a vigorous, forward-looking spirit. Wearing a hanging tassel on the head and sounding jade at the body displays an elegant demeanor; donning armor and holding a spear reveals martial valor; wearing coarse hemp mourning clothes shows feelings of grief; wearing a kudzu-cloth cap and straw sandals can display a firm heart directed toward the Dao (the Way). Emotions change with clothing, and the mind also shifts according to circumstances. Outer attire and inner feelings resonate with each other; when inside and outside correspond, they can move the practitioner’s mind and cause the spirits to approach.

Those who seek the Dao and cultivate goodness should nourish their nature and life, and pay attention to extravagance or frugality in diet. Eating much meat and refined meals easily fosters arrogance and dissipation; eating vegetables and simple fare helps settle the Shen (spirit) and bring inner stillness. Clothing and food are important matters of daily life, so the precepts of the Daoist tradition first require that they be treated with caution. Wearing clothes that have strange odors or are soiled is unsuitable even for ordinary secular life, still less for practitioners who emphasize purity and solemnity and who therefore must not neglect their attire.

What is essential is to eliminate luxury and honor frugality, taking simplicity and elegant correctness as the standard. One may wear a kudzu headcloth or deerskin cap, a skirted robe or skirted jacket, a silk forehead-band or felt boots; all of these may be used. Clothing should be kept neat and clean. If one goes out as a guest or travels far and it is truly unavoidable, secular clothing may also be worn; clean new clothes are likewise acceptable.

The practitioner should spread felt, bedding, or mats beneath the eastern wall of the spirit chamber; any of these may serve as a mat.

The practitioner may eat two meals a day, and may drink porridge and take salt, or eat grain and fruit. Diet should be taken in small amounts, never to fullness. The scriptures hold that when the body is somewhat weak, the spirits more easily descend, whereas a robust body makes it harder to summon the spirits. One may prepare in advance the mixed water, food, vegetables, and the like needed for fifteen days, having everything fully ready. One must not violate taboos, nor frequently associate with people from afar, still less create clamor and disorder; the most important thing is to maintain clear emptiness and stillness.

Purity of Offerings During the Zhai (Ninth): Offerings and purity during the period of the purification ritual (Chapter Nine).

In dealing with people and handling affairs, nothing is more important than reverence. To cultivate reverence, one must first honor ghosts and spirits (Shen). Therefore a respectful manner can inspire trust in others, while sincere reverence in the heart can connect with all things. When praying, first prepare the grains for offerings. To perform the ritual of summoning ghosts and spirits, one must first fast and purify. One should visualize the arrival of the spirits, contemplate their powers, and hold in mind the places where the spirits dwell. It is enough to purify the inner heart, still miscellaneous thoughts, and keep the mind-spirit from scattering; there is no need to mix in other thoughts.

Those who practice the method should, starting twenty-one days before a Gengyin day, enter the fasting chamber (a room for fasting and quiet cultivation) and bathe to purify the body. Bathe once every seven days. Do not come into contact with impurities, drink alcohol, eat meat, or consume spicy and pungent foods, nor become angry, and so on. Especially one must not leave the fasting chamber to converse casually with others; remain alone in the chamber, keeping stillness, diligently and single-mindedly visualizing the forms of the spirits, without slackening or oversleeping that would give rise to arrogance. If one can maintain a pure fast for one hundred days, the method will take effect more quickly.

From twenty-one days before the Gengyin day until before the Gengzi day, remain in the fasting chamber keeping purity. On the Jihai day bathe with fragrant soup; at the fourth watch that night (around 1 to 3 a.m.) enter the spirit chamber (the place for the spirit-summoning ritual) and set out the sacrificial implements. Enter the spirit chamber before the Yin hour and offer sacrifice according to the ritual method. After entering the spirit chamber to sacrifice to the spirits on the Gengzi day, be even more reverent and solemn, not rushing in and out, nor doing anything that would disturb the mind-spirit or offend the spirits’ majesty. Once the mind’s thoughts become chaotic, visualization will not be concentrated and the method will be delayed in taking effect.

This is like drilling wood to make fire: the key is that the mind’s thoughts rapidly become concentrated. Concentration allows timely effect; delay makes success difficult. By analogy other matters are the same. After sunset in the spirit chamber light a lamp with oil of perilla seeds (zǐsūzǐ). The light need not be too bright, just like ordinary lamplight. Place the lamp under the south wall of the practitioner’s sleeping place. The wick should be as fine as the tip of a hairpin and covered with silk so the light is faint and hazy, like the light at first dawn. Too bright a light makes ghosts and spirits uneasy; too dark a light makes seeing impossible. Consider the proper measure and adjust the oil so the lamp burns until dawn. Do not let the lamp go out at midnight and then rise to add oil, lest it disrupt the practitioner’s concentration and offend the spirits. The most important thing is a still mind: better more oil than less; better dimmer light than brighter. All of the above must be carried out according to the scripture (Jing) without error.

The tenth chapter, “Arranging Seats and Setting Out Offerings,” explains how to place the spirit seats and arrange the sacrificial offerings. If the mind is scattered during the sacrifice, it will offend the spirits; one should concentrate and still the heart. It is better to have more oil in the lamps so that the light is dimmer rather than too bright. Every step must follow the scripture (Jing) without any error.

The various spirits each have their own jurisdictions and each has an appropriate position, so the offerings must be arranged according to the directions, just as the celestial fields are partitioned, lest the ritual become disordered. Different colors and forms each have their distinctions and must not be mixed. Among the methods of prayer, sacrifice is the most important; one must present offerings to the deities and pray for their protection, and the food offerings likewise cannot be treated lightly. Yet if the intention is not sincere the assembled spirits will not descend; if the offerings are not clean and fine, even when set out they are in vain. What matters most in sacrificing to the spirits is a sincere mind and pure, refined offerings.

The practitioner should enter the spirit chamber on a Gengzi day (one of the days in the sexagenary cycle) and begin the arrangement from the room on the west side of the doorway. White thatch grass is spread on the altar as a mat, after which the spirit seats are placed. The seats of the two spirits Xingwen and Xingcheng are set on the east side of the altar, facing east and positioned directly opposite the stairway, the two seats more than two chi apart; the remaining spirit seats are arranged in the same manner. The seats of Xing Song and Xingming are set on the south side of the altar; those of Xing’er and Xingxu on the west side; those of Xingjin and Xinggao on the north side.

White incense is burned and used to anoint and sprinkle the spirit altar; the same incense is used when arranging the altar and when sweeping. Whenever ghosts and spirits are summoned or employed, or when prayers are offered, this incense is used. The scripture says that ghosts and spirits delight in this incense, and other incenses are not suitable here. People of the world also call this incense “mao”; it is used at spirit altars in the fields as well as in various sweeping rites.

All invocations for summoning and employing ghosts and spirits, as well as prayers to the deities, require the use of this incense. Ghosts and spirits delight in and respond to this incense, and no other incense is suitable. Ordinary people also call this incense “mao,” and the grass grows abundantly in the fields. It is produced in greatest quantity in the Jinyang Mountains, and livestock such as cattle and horses do not eat it.

White thatch (baimao) is used to lay out the seats of the deities. The seats of the eight deities are all made by twisting white thatch into bundles, formed into the shape of straw mats resembling a dustpan, and then secured with cords woven from thatch grass. The scripture (Jing) stipulates that the thatch mats used in sacrifice must not be made of hemp and should measure one chi square. When gathering the thatch, it is best if one can find the three-ridged numinous thatch; if not, it is sufficient to select fresh and clean thatch grass. It must not be carelessly soiled or placed in a filthy location, lest the deities fail to respond.

The thatch mats serve as the seats of the deities (shenming), and therefore the seats of the eight gods must be arranged with especial incense in a solemn manner. Thatch mats are placed on all four sides of the altar, two mats on each side; the mats must remain inside the altar and must not extend outside it. Each pair of mats is two chi apart, and each mat is two chi from the corner of the altar. Yellow silk handkerchiefs are also prepared, each one chi eight cun square. One is placed before each deity’s seat, all arranged on the eastern side of the seats so that the deities face east to receive the offerings. Once the handkerchiefs are set out, the food offerings are placed upon them.

On each handkerchief are placed two wine cups, which must be filled to the brim with wine and not left lacking. The wine should be rich and clear, and must not be mixed with water containing ash. The wine ought to be brewed by oneself; only in the last resort should it be purchased from outside.

On each handkerchief is placed dried venison (cut pieces of deer meat), which must be fresh and clean, not spoiled, and slightly roasted. Two pieces, each cut one cun square, are placed. If dried venison is unavailable, beef, mutton, pheasant, or rabbit meat may be substituted.

On each handkerchief are placed four jujubes. Those produced in Dongyang of Qingzhou are best; they must be carefully washed, whole and undamaged, free from insect damage or decay, and dry and fragrant-sweet in order to be suitable for offering. If Dongyang jujubes are lacking, locally produced ones may be used. When performing the She sacrifice (ritual offering to the earth god) in the seventh and eighth months, fresh jujubes may also be offered.

On each handkerchief are also placed four chestnuts, preferably fresh ones produced in Gu’an of Youzhou, which must not be rotten. The chestnuts are roasted until cooked and peeled so that they become yellowish and glossy with a rich fragrance. If Gu’an chestnuts are unavailable, those from other places may be used.

On each handkerchief are further placed four white cakes. The white cakes must be fresh and clean, without decay; after roasting they are peeled so that they become yellowish and glossy with a rich aroma. The scripture further states that the white cakes should be steamed, not cooked with grease, one cun in diameter, and made solely from white flour. The flour must be milled from that year’s new wheat, not stale or moldy; preparation must be kept clean, filthy utensils must not be used, and they must not be made by women.

Deity seats are established on all four sides of the altar, with handkerchiefs spread on the eastern side of the seats; on each handkerchief the offerings are arranged according to the prescriptions of the scripture, and the quantities must not be increased or decreased. The sacrificial items must include meat; they cannot be set out only once and then offered repeatedly again, lest reverence be lost. The offerings that are withdrawn are suitable for the ritual practitioner to consume; the scripture holds that this will cause the deities to descend more swiftly.

The prayer text is written in ink on a paulownia-wood tablet. When reciting it, one must kneel and proclaim it toward the tablet. The tablet is one chi wide and one chi two cun long. This prayer text is to be recited at both the morning and evening sacrifices. The invocation is as follows:

I take the identity of the Southern Dipper (Nandou Xingjun), patrolling all under heaven, dispelling every kind of inauspicious affair, and binding myself to you in friendship. From east to west, my comings and goings meet with no obstruction. I constantly offer you the finest fare, and you in turn ought to obtain gold, silver, and valuables for me, as well as reveal to me hidden matters, good and ill fortune, and events of past and future, so that I may know them in advance. Whatever delights my heart, you must bring it to fulfillment; you must not go against your promise or fail in your trust toward me.

Now I present offerings of fine wine, fragrant jujubes, sweet preserved meats, and the like, hoping that the aroma of these sacrificial gifts will fill the air; I wish that you will stoop to drink and eat your fill until you are intoxicated and sated. You must come promptly to attend me and never depart; I shall depict your form and bind myself to you in friendship, and neither of us shall abandon the other.

Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances (a concluding formula of Daoist decrees, indicating that the command must be executed without delay).

Chapter Eleven: Manifesting Efficacy and Revealing Form (chapter title, meaning “displaying numinous verification and appearing in physical form”).

From this point onward, responses will occur: sometimes the Shen (spirits) appear in person, sometimes unusual things manifest in dreams. As long as the mind remains upright and undisturbed, persisting for fifteen days, all the summoned Shen will appear.

When about to encounter the Shen, the practitioner will become mentally tense, fearful and uneasy at heart, with hairs standing on end all over the body, the body turning alternately cold and hot, in a daze and bewildered. These are all omens preceding the manifestation of the Shen, and certain signs that the verification is about to arrive.

Upon first seeing the Shen, one merely performs the etiquette of host and guest meeting; there is no need to kneel and bow. When the Shen first appear, their form is extremely minute, becoming gradually distinct only in the blink of an eye. If the form of the Shen is still indistinct, there is no need to converse with it; one should concentrate even more intently and simply remain diligent in the offerings. After a short while, the form of the Shen will be revealed, clear and evident. When the practitioner wishes to inquire in his mind, the Shen will answer and state its own name. Thereafter, the Shen will accompany the practitioner and no longer depart.

However, the way of humans differs from the way of ghosts and Shen, and the principles of the netherworld differ from those of the human world. When first seeing the assembled Shen, they often appear angry and majestic, inspiring fear and oppression; therefore one especially needs to be resolute and courageous, and must not panic. After conversing with the Shen for a brief time, the mind will naturally settle, and from then on the Shen will accompany one, becoming a constant source of assistance. The practitioner will thereby obtain subtle revelations, the capacity to discern matters, and inexhaustible insight; the brightness of perception will also gradually emerge.

After the technique is completed, one must prepare complete offerings on the altar and conduct an all-night Zhaijiao (purification ritual, the Daoist ceremony of setting up an altar to sacrifice to the Shen). During the offering, one drinks wine freely, allows the dishes to scatter at will, and sings and dances to the fullest until dawn; one should respect this verification, harbor joy, so that both humans and Shen feel delighted. For the subsequent seven days, one must still reside in the spirit chamber, performing offerings frequently at any time, and not act casually as in ordinary times. After seven days, daily movements will no longer be restricted.

If official duties entangle one and one truly cannot avoid going out, one should first report the reason to the Shen, and only then leave the place of zhai fasting. Even upon leaving, one must restrain oneself, attend carefully to all matters, with mild speech and expression, composed bearing, as quiet and slow as possible, so as not to startle the Shen. When the Shen have just attached themselves to a person, it is like training a falcon or riding a horse, requiring attentive care and constant caution. Even in dealings with worldly people one ought to show greater respect; how much more so when commanding Shen and employing ghosts and spirits—how can one be rash?

When first receiving the assistance of the Shen, the practitioner should avoid seeing people for about ten days. This is because, upon first communicating with the Shen, the practitioner becomes immersed in conversation with them, concentrating on experiencing the words of the Shen, and moreover feels joy at the verification of the technique, sensing that all difficulties can be resolved. Such excitement arises from fascination with novel things; one must exercise self-restraint and not indulge in it, lest one fall into heterodox delusion and instead deviate from the correct Dao (the Way).

These signs should be made known to the practitioner in advance, so that he takes ample precautions, cultivates body and mind, and does not treat the due regulations lightly; otherwise he may be suspected of practicing heterodox left-path arts, which gentlemen hold in contempt. Within one hundred days after the divine art is verified, the practitioner may experience mental daze and difficulty in settling, giving rise to various thoughts: wishing to toil for wealth, to study for fame, to seek official rank, or to abandon family property and retire to the mountain forests, and so forth. Upon encountering such situations, one especially must restrain and endure, not following the desires of the Shen or of oneself, rashly making various arrangements; if one cannot hold back and forces action, disaster will certainly be invited. After one hundred days, purity and stillness will be restored, both humans and Shen will be settled and upright, and strange omens will vanish forever. Those who cultivate this art should understand these circumstances beforehand and guard against them cautiously.

Shallow Taking and Light Use, Chapter Twelve

After receiving transmission from the spirits, those of shallow resolve who fear they cannot withstand the tests are unable to restrain themselves or still their mind and Shen (spirit). Instead they flaunt what they have learned and leak omens of good and ill fortune everywhere. Some remain at the side of emperors, others amid worldly human feelings and affairs; relying on the secret methods granted by the spirits, they disclose the verifications (marvelous portents and their fulfillments). Such people often suffer in return the calamities of war and slaughter. From ancient times, persons of this kind have not been few.

Therefore, if one has only a rough understanding of these principles and does not intend to claim friendship with ghosts and spirits, one should follow the teachings of this chapter: take only a small quantity of the shallow methods of verification, enough to comprehend and to transmit. Used in this way, one can thereafter avoid disaster, preserve oneself, and retain the arts as well. Is this not excellent?

The cultivation of the lesser method may be practiced according to the greater method described earlier, following the same steps throughout, except that one need not ingest any medicines. After completing the Yubu (Pace of Yu, a Daoist ritual pace of treading the stars of the Dipper), place one medicinal pellet beneath the hair bun, insert two pellets into the ears and two into the nostrils, and use one further pellet to anoint the teeth, lips, eyes, and navel. Perform the sacrificial rites according to the prescribed liturgy for two consecutive periods of seven days (fourteen days in all), and one will be able to behold the spirits and to discern good and ill fortune.

Although the forms of the spirits can thus be seen, they remain rather indistinct. If one wishes the medicines to exert their true efficacy, one should ingest them according to the greater method previously set forth and seek verification; within fifteen days the efficacy of this art will certainly reappear, and all one’s undertakings will succeed without obstruction. The only concern is that a practitioner might prove hasty and incautious, or might display and traffic in the method while behaving with wild arrogance, recklessly pursuing the arts of the Dao and immortality, and thereby invite calamity instead.

If one can comprehend worldly affairs yet remain cautiously silent; if one foresees safety and danger yet conceals it in the heart without divulging it, seeking only personal nourishment of life and tranquillity, then one may stay far from the disasters of war and unforeseen misfortune, ultimately become an immortal, and enjoy the lifespan ordained by Heaven. Treasures, estates, and exalted official ranks may likewise be obtained in short order.

Yet a Daoist ought to take purity, emptiness, and stillness as the proper concern. Those of far-reaching insight should abandon worldly cravings and preserve inner quietude—how then could they covet wealth and office or calculate worldly gain? For this reason only the essentials of the art are sketched here, lest someone apply it recklessly before having cultivated. When the method is employed it appears capable of anything; these matters are recounted in order to guide beginners toward the root of the meaning of the Dao.

Chapter Thirteen: Holding the Shen (spirit) and Subduing

The Yellow Emperor said: Human nature is capable of communicating with ghosts and spirits, yet the principles followed by spirits and by humans are not the same. Spirits can inform people of good and ill fortune, but the paths of humans and the forms of ghosts and spirits differ from one another. The sages therefore compiled complete charts and diagrams, exhaustively investigating human nature and the most subtle principles. In this way they revealed hidden and obscure matters and made their functions manifest, in order to guide the common people and transmit various techniques, enabling people to command ghosts and spirits, thereby obtaining benefit and further accomplishing the way of immortality.

Those who cultivate and study, if they have already attained sagehood, naturally comprehend and awaken in their hearts without needing to rely on any other conditions. As for those who have not yet become sages, and even ordinary people, even if they are intelligent and talented and skilled at probing the profound and hidden, they are suited only to handling daily affairs and understanding human sentiments and worldly conventions. The insight of ordinary people is ultimately limited; relying solely on what the physical eyes can see, how could they in advance comprehend the important scriptures and the teachings transmitted by the spirits, and thereby foresee the unfathomable?

Therefore the sages left written teachings transmitting the methods of commanding ghosts and spirits, hoping that cultivators of the Dao might foresee the signs of events that have not yet appeared, know distant matters while sitting at ease, nourish life and avoid harm, and thereby obtain benefit. This may be called the kindness of the benevolent, whose advantages are extremely widespread.

Yet the human way and the ghost way, one hidden and one manifest, are not of the same kind; to bring them into correspondence and allow their principles to communicate is necessarily difficult. Consider the relations of father and son or ruler and minister: when father and son are at odds, ominous signs of rebellion often appear; when ruler and ministers suspect one another, how can there fail to be injury and slaughter? How much more so when formed, worldly people attempt to command ghosts that lurk in the netherworld, formless and without trace. This principle is both subtle and arduous, and to control ghosts and spirits is by no means easy. Therefore the scripture here briefly sets forth the essential methods of holding the spirits and commanding ghosts and spirits, relating them for later generations, in the hope that worthy persons who sincerely wish to realize the Great Dao (the Way) may cultivate accordingly and obtain benefit.

Whenever one summons ghosts and spirits to accompany oneself, they should be treated as brothers and interacted with as friends. One must keep them in mind throughout life, always maintaining reverence, and must never neglect or abandon them. Otherwise the spirits will grow cold-hearted, and the teachings they transmit will become empty and insubstantial. As a result, the human mind will find it hard to remain at peace; when the spirits detect this they will become angry. Discord will arise between humans and spirits, and the spirits may use disasters such as warfare to harm people. One must never be lazy or negligent in offering reverence, lest calamity be invited.

Whenever ghosts and spirits have been summoned, they must not be treated with excessive courtesy or indulgence, nor should one blindly obey their words. Overindulgence will make the ghosts and spirits arrogant; once arrogant they will treat humans with disdain. Humans will then become angry, and the spirits will likewise grow dissatisfied. Discord will form between humans and spirits, which may ultimately bring harm. Violating these rules may invite disaster.

In associating with spirits, one must not commit too many unwholesome deeds, such as killing, sexual misconduct, flattery, theft, or speaking falsely in the name of the spirits, or using the spirits to intimidate others and demand wealth. These acts are impure and detested by the spirits. When a person becomes resentful because the spirits detest them, enmity will arise between humans and spirits, and the spirits may thereby bring harm. If one acts according to the principles of loyalty and good faith, blessings and good fortune will increase and all matters will proceed smoothly.

Those capable of communicating with ghosts and spirits may at times notice changes in their own temperament: they may become robust, prone to anger and impatience, addicted to lust, or greedy for wealth. This occurs because the ghosts and spirits they encounter possess different temperaments and endowments. One must carefully observe and, after gaining clear understanding, actively restrain and compose oneself. One must not arbitrarily believe the spirits' words, lest human relationships be disrupted, speech and conduct stray from the ordinary, and disaster ensue.

Some ghosts and spirits have temperaments that desire only to speak widely of fortune and misfortune and to spread various matters in order to display their efficacy and boast of their powers. When this occurs, one must exercise restraint and patience and must not casually disclose such things. Only when the spirits' words can be trusted should one act upon them, lest human relationships be disturbed, the ordinary course of life be altered, and disaster be invited.

The nature of ghosts and spirits is simply to announce widely both the auspicious and the inauspicious, to circulate all manner of affairs, and to display their efficacious power while showing off their supernatural abilities. For this reason, one who cultivates the Dao must exercise restraint and patience, never leaking such matters at random. They may be known in the heart, but they must not be spoken aloud. To speak them invites armed calamity; to leak them brings harm. The matter is like a shadow that follows the body or an echo that answers a sound; one must therefore remain especially quiet and cautious, so as not to suffer ominous misfortune.

When dwelling with the spirits, ghosts and spirits often wish people to publicize their efficaciousness, to manifest miracles, and to exhibit supernatural power. If a person holds back and does not speak, the ghosts and spirits may at times come instead to disturb and deplete that person: they may cause excessive drinking and wild, boastful display, or they may render the spirit dull, confused, dazed, and uneasy. Provided one remains firmly patient and refuses to publicize them, after a short while things will settle once more.

Among one’s closest kin, however, or among intimate and trustworthy friends, the intentions of the spirits may be conveyed with cautious secrecy. The recipient must be a worthy and kind person capable of keeping a secret. One may employ as a pretext such means as divination, dreams, observation of complexion, medical prescriptions, or pulse diagnosis, slightly following the indications of the spirits in the retelling; yet what is conveyed must be true and must genuinely benefit people. In this way the intentions of the spirits are unblocked and the spirits themselves are gladdened; at the same time the matter is set forth accurately and clearly, so that people receive insight and aid and thereby remain long free of illness. To convey, in accordance with the spirits’ intent, what is both true and beneficial incurs no blame from the spirits, while also helping people escape hardship, rescuing them from crisis, benefiting all beings, and offering assistance to the world; this may be called an approach to the conduct of a sage. If one can go further and love the people of the world as parents love their children, and broadly succor all beings as a Zhenren (Perfected One) does, what merit could surpass this? This is the method of first enduring labor and afterward receiving benefit; only the intelligent and penetrating person can put it into practice with the heart.

In all methods of employing ghosts and spirits, one must not set them to divine and speculate upon trivial, unimportant matters; this is called unreasonably mobilizing the spirits. Nor may one deliberately inquire about affairs that need not be doubted and that ordinary reason can already judge; this is called troubling the spirits. The spirits may thereby become displeased, and when they are displeased they may bring ominous misfortune upon a person. Only when one inquires with a respectful heart into matters that truly concern the auspicious and the inauspicious is there no harm.

Anyone who wishes to command ghosts and spirits must maintain a tranquil mind, act with caution, be sincere and honest in character, thorough in all deeds, and compassionate at heart. First restrain and discipline one’s own body and mind, and only then may one command ghosts and spirits. Acting in this way, even when inquiring into fortune or misfortune, there will be nothing unfavorable.

Anyone who wishes to command ghosts and spirits must be tranquil and cautious, sincere, thorough, and compassionate; first restrain body and mind, then one may command ghosts and spirits. In particular, one must neither neglect the spirits (Shen) nor overly indulge them; one may only make slight, veiled movements and employ pretexts to convey the will of the spirits. What has been said above constitutes the basic outline for commanding the spirits. As for the specific sequences and items, one must firmly remember every admonition and remain cautious in all circumstances. The most essential points are to revere the spirits and to keep the methods strictly secret. Should the techniques be leaked, disaster will immediately descend, and death by the sword will be hard to avoid; one must therefore be thrice cautious. Hence the sages say that regretting after the fact is inferior to taking precautions beforehand; these teachings are by no means empty words.

Admonition on Guarding the Body and Preserving Life, the Fourteenth: this is the fourteenth chapter that warns practitioners to act with caution and to preserve their own lives.

The Yellow Emperor said: What sages value most is the preservation of life; nothing is more important than body and mind. Nothing harms body and mind more than good and evil, both of which originate from the inner mind. The mind’s activity never ceases; it constantly clings to and pursues various things. The objects the mind pursues are called “realms,” and that which can pursue and perceive these realms is the “mind.” Therefore, among the arising of all things, nothing has a greater function than the mind.

Thoughts and actions arising from the mind are called “deeds”; what these deeds manifest is good and evil. Indulging desires leads to evil, while stilling greedy desires constitutes good. Performing good benefits worldly life and can also help one transcend the mundane world; doing evil corrupts De (Virtue/Power) and stains one with defilement. Thus, sages understand that although the mind is formless, they can employ the mind to act. The physical form cannot move of its own accord and must be driven by the mind; yet if the mind does not rely on the body, it cannot manifest or function; if the body lacks the mind’s governance, it will perish and become inactive.

Therefore, although body and mind differ in nature, their principles interconnect: they operate through various good deeds and ultimately converge in the same direction. Inner and outer, body and mind, cooperate mutually; movement and stillness sustain each other. The body cannot act independently but must be driven by the mind. If the mind is impure and merely clings to desires, the body will keep chasing without end, and actions will have no limit. Thus, the mind is the root of both ordinary people and sages, while the body is the gathering place of suffering and joy. Sages know that calamities arise from the mind and faults are self-caused, so they purify the inner mind to eliminate calamities and rectify their will to correct errors.

Worldly people, however, are not like this. They indulge passions and desires without realizing that desires originate from the inner mind; they are arrogant, conceited, extravagant, and unrestrained without knowing that arrogance comes from themselves. They only flaunt strength and willfulness, disregarding their own safety, and thus gradually invite calamities. Even when in peril, they fail to remain vigilant, unconsciously heading toward danger day after day.

Wise and penetrating people pity the ignorant and therefore establish teachings, hoping that cultivators will still miscellaneous thoughts, cut off the roots of calamity, restrain bodily conduct, and check the sprouts of greedy desire. Establishing rites and propriety serves to educate the worldly; proclaiming the immortal Dao (the Way) serves to enable transcendence of the mundane world. Only when both ritual teachings and the immortal Dao are clearly set forth can they assist the people of the world.

Sages also comprehend the principle of returning to emptiness: by returning to emptiness, one can foresee things not yet manifested. Thus they practice secret arts, summon and command ghosts and spirits, hoping to foresee life and death, survival and perishing, to know benefits and harms in advance, enabling people to avoid danger and approach safety, thereby accomplishing the immortal Dao. Those of lofty aspiration admire the methods of the Dao in order to preserve life; those who prefer stillness purify their Shen (spirit) to reduce disturbances. If insight has not accumulated in the inner mind, and if verbal and miscellaneous thoughts are allowed to disturb the heart-spirit, how could one command the multitude of spirits and preserve a long life? The above briefly sets forth the essential points of cultivating the body and observing precepts.

Anyone who commands ghosts and spirits finds this matter extremely difficult. One must remain pure, still, and cautious, reduce social interactions and comings and goings, and avoid becoming overly entangled with emperors or prime ministers. People often cannot help speaking of what they know, thereby leaking the efficacious manifestations of ghosts and spirits; once leaked, the ghosts and spirits lose control and cause chaos, with deaths following one after another. Therefore this must be taken as a warning, and one must be sure to remain cautious.

Anyone who commands ghosts and spirits must never, throughout their entire life, tell others that they are able to command ghosts and spirits. Once this is leaked, it brings the calamity of being slain, and one may perish in an instant. Even between father and son one should not let the other know, still less ordinary commoners or unrelated persons. One ought to keep one’s mouth closed for life and not leak it lightly; once leaked, disaster descends, and one may even be killed by the sword. This is an admonition for oneself, and one must be especially cautious.

Anyone who commands ghosts and spirits, if they rely on their own abilities to do evil as they please—for instance, fabricating or altering the words of the deities in order to frighten others and extort wealth, or taking advantage of others’ misfortunes and adverse circumstances to peddle magical arts for profit, or using all manner of means to deceive and invent falsehoods—the faults are too numerous to recount. Just as a person who occupies a high position by means of unrighteous things will soon meet with disaster. The deities observe clearly and will certainly impose severe punishment. These are all matters that should be repeatedly warned against; how can one not be cautious?

Verified Examples of Former Adepts, Chapter Fifteen (Examples of Spiritual Efficacy from High Adepts of Previous Generations, the Fifteenth)

Ji Kang, courtesy name Shuye, was a grandee of the Jin dynasty. The people of that time...

Ji Kang, courtesy name Shuye, was a high official of the Jin dynasty. His contemporaries grouped him with Shan Tao, Xiang Xiu, and others of the same generation as the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.” Ji Kang possessed deep learning; he was thoroughly versed in the classics and had extensively studied the historical records. He composed treatises on nourishing life, collated the wording of the scriptures, and also delighted in writing essays, excelling especially in poetry and rhapsodies. He was intelligent yet modest, outstanding in talent and broad in insight. He deeply researched the Huang-Lao teachings of emptiness and void (the Daoist thought that honors quietude and Wuwei (non-action)) as well as the books of the mysterious caverns and secret essentials, and thoroughly assimilated them.

Later Ji Kang copied this text without ever slackening. For three consecutive years he practiced long whistling (emitting prolonged whistling sounds) while calling the names of the Eight Spirits; the Eight Spirits then manifested their forms and submitted to his command. He could foresee events that had not yet occurred and could remain seated while summoning the myriad things. The Eight Spirits also transmitted to Ji Kang a qin melody, the “Guangling San,” a piece that remains famous to this day.

In reality Ji Kang never personally performed the Steps of Yu (the ritual pacing of the Dipper according to a specific gait in Daoist ceremonies) nor ingested any medicines. He merely copied the writings concerning the Steps of Yu and the taking of medicines, carried them with him, and repeatedly pondered them; thereby he was able to behold the spirits and repeatedly to command and question them.

The śramaṇa (Buddhist monk) Hui. In reality Ji Kang never personally performed the Steps of Yu nor took medicines; he only copied the writings concerning the Steps of Yu and the taking of medicines, carried them with him and repeatedly contemplated them, and was thereby able to see the spirits and to command and inquire of them many times.

The Buddhist monk Huizong, whose origins are unknown, simply loved this art and copied this text. He had not yet formally received the transmission, yet he was already practicing the summer retreat on the summit of the Central Peak. Before the retreat period had ended, he personally beheld the host of Shen (spirits) and could command them at will.

Zhongshu once ordered a shaman to burn himself with fire; Linzong possessed the ability to discern people's character; Fotudeng predicted that the Zhao kingdom would certainly perish; Shi Dao'an predicted that Qin would certainly be defeated. Examining these cases, they were able to accomplish this entirely by relying on this art. Without this reliance, how would they differ from ordinary people?

Yet when worldly people study this art, they often give rise to fear and doubt. This is because ghosts and spirits are not things ordinary people can see; thinking that they themselves might encounter the Shen (spirits) in advance, they also worry about being startled or harmed as a result, and thus they harbor suspicion and fear, finding it hard to believe and accept. In this way, worthies who aspire to explore profound principles are instead clouded by doubts and find it difficult to grasp the reasoning within. Although nominally it is to avoid harm, in reality they fail to escape disaster; although they have the wish to nourish life, ultimately there is no real effect of extending longevity. This is all because they are obstructed by the art of commanding ghosts and spirits, turning instead to self-protection.

I have often regretted this, and so I have cited examples already verified by former worthies, compiling them in these chapters, hoping that worthies who aspire to investigate the hidden and seek the Dao (the Way) will cultivate it diligently.

In the first year of the Yongping era of the Wei dynasty, three men of Youzhou named Liu Zhu, Gao Rongzu, and Yan Etou had been studying the Dao (the Way) in the Western Mountains of Youzhou for seven years. Suddenly a heavy snow more than one chi deep began to fall, and an immortal appeared who called himself Huyan, courtesy name Daoseng. He taught Gao Rongzu to cultivate “Shangbei,” taught Yan Etou to command ghosts and spirits, and taught Liu Zhu to command the Eight Gods.

Later, Liu Zhu and Zhu Tianzhu jointly set up a ritual enclosure of curtains. When Zhu Tianzhu was in Luojing (the Luoyang region), he appointed Liu Zhu as Pushe (an official title) and shortly afterward as Regional Inspector of Youzhou. Liu Zhu transmitted this body of arts to Yue Chongxin; Yue Chongxin transmitted it to the Daoist Wang Xu of Yanmen; Wang Xu transmitted it to Jingzhe of Yongtai Temple; Jingzhe transmitted it to his disciple Sengru; and Sengru in turn transmitted it to Liu Hui and Zu Ji. Zu Ji obtained the oral formulas once more from Sengru and thus came into complete mastery of these arts, which he now transmits. In order that the immortal arts may be handed down without interruption, he regularly imparts them to those who sincerely wish to learn, and it is said that they never fail to prove efficacious.

Zuo Yuanfang, Zheng Siyuan, Ge Hong, Gongming, Jingchun, Bu Xu, and others also received this body of arts. Some people have seen the related techniques, but they cannot all be listed here. The jing (scripture) states that these documents, diagrams, and secret spells for summoning and commanding immortal gods, ghosts, and spirits are used to corroborate the classics; the rites must be performed on the days of “Eastern Well bathing” in order to command and summon ghosts and spirits. Without these methods, it cannot be done.

The rites are performed at the hai hour on the tenth day of the first month, the xu hour on the eighth day of the second month, the you hour on the sixth day of the third month, the shen hour on the fourth day of the fourth month, the wei hour on the first day of the fifth month, the wu hour on the twenty-seventh day of the sixth month, the si hour on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month, the chen hour on the twenty-second day of the eighth month, the mao hour on the twentieth day of the ninth month, the yin hour on the eighteenth day of the tenth month, the chou hour on the fifteenth day of the eleventh month, and the zi hour on the twelfth day of the twelfth month.

The dates and hours listed above are those when the Eastern Well star region in the heavens is hidden, at which time the bathing ritual is held and ghosts and spirits are summoned. The jing further states that all such summonings may be performed at the mao hour on the tenth day; they may also be conducted at the yin hour on the eighteenth of the tenth month, the chou hour on the fifteenth of the eleventh month, and the zi hour on the twelfth of the twelfth month.

When the Eastern Well star (Dongjing, a constellation name) in the heavens is hidden, using the method of ritual bathing to summon ghosts and spirits will cause them to come as one wishes and submit to being employed. Bathing and summoning on this day is said to be invariably efficacious; it can also confer wealth and honor, allow frequent association with celestial immortals and sages, and extend one’s years. This is an important method of nourishing the spirit with the Qi of the Dao in pursuit of long life and lasting vision, and it should be kept secret, not transmitted lightly.