《太上正一解五音咒诅秘箓》

A disciple named so-and-so, residing in a certain place and devoted to the Daoist teaching, reports: I was born in a certain year, month, day and hour, at the moment of birth illuminated by a certain star-lord of the Northern Dipper. Today I respectfully prepare ritual offerings of faith and, kowtowing, proceed to the gate of the Zhenren, the Successor Han Celestial Master (Tianshi) of Longhu Mountain, to receive with reverence one rank of the Taishang Jie Wuyin Zhouzu Lu (Most High Register for Resolving Curses of the Five Tones), a Fulu (talismans and registers) used for dispelling and resolving curses. May it thereby undo curses, eliminate nightmares and other evil disturbances, avert disasters and resolve misfortunes, and prolong life while increasing longevity. I shall reverently receive, hold and practice it, striving that the Fulu prove efficacious and correspond to the petition. Should I violate the Keyi (liturgy) precepts and covenants, I willingly accept punishment, all to be handled according to the Daoist Keyi statutes and commands.

The Jia-Yi Lord of the Nine Yi of the East, leading nine thousand troops, resolves curses throughout the three months of spring. The Bing-Ding Lord of the Eight Man of the South, leading three thousand troops, resolves curses throughout the three months of summer. The Geng-Xin Lord of the Six Rong of the West, leading seven thousand troops, resolves curses throughout the three months of autumn. The Ren-Gui Lord of the Five Di of the North, leading five thousand troops, resolves curses throughout the three months of winter. The Wu-Ji Lord of the Three Qin of the Center, leading twelve thousand troops, resolves curses in the transitional months of the four seasons.

The disciple so-and-so may have suffered an image drawn by an evil person who then stabbed its heart with a knife; or various curses may have been laid at roadside shrines and altars, in prisons, among mountain forests and stream valleys, beside wells or kitchen stoves, or in the presence of the River Earl, water officials, folk evil masters and other ghosts and spirits, thereby incurring disaster. We respectfully invite one million troops of the Taiyuan soldiers, together with one hundred thousand troops of the Overturning Lord, to descend as one and completely dissolve all these curses; to release the detained hun and po souls and forbid their further detention; to restore Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) to harmony and peace, and to eliminate disaster and peril. Swiftly execute this in accordance with the statutes and commands.

All the above Fulu are written in cinnabar.

Zhengyi Zhenren (the ancestral master of Zhengyi, or Orthodox Unity) said: I see that men and women in the world are often subjected to yandao (witchcraft prayers used to suppress others) by evil people. These evildoers denounce Heaven and Earth, invoke ghosts and spirits as witnesses, and perform all manner of curses. May the ghosts and spirits who have entered into covenants arrest and restrain them, so that the harmonious Shen Qi (spirit and vital energy) may be restored and disasters and perils may be dispersed. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

All the above talismans and seal scripts are written with cinnabar.

Zhengyi Zhenren said: I see that men and women of the world are frequently afflicted by yandao performed by wicked persons, who denounce Heaven and Earth, call upon ghosts and spirits to bear witness, and carry out various curses. Those ghosts and spirits bound by the covenants then arrest and constrain the victims, obstructing their actions so that they meet with hindrance at every turn, suffer restless sleep and troubled dreams, encounter inexplicable strange occurrences, and experience repeated eerie portents that cannot be resolved, sometimes even resulting in injury or death—truly a cause for pity. Therefore I journeyed to the Golden Palace of the Old Lord in the Taiqing Heaven (the celestial realm of Daoism), where I sincerely performed rites and offered prayers, requesting that the Palace of Purple Yang be opened and the Cloud-Brocade Casket (the precious repository of scriptures and registers) be unsealed, thereby obtaining the Wondrous Register of Taishang for Resolving Five-Tone Curses to transmit to the devout followers of the Dao in the world. Those who receive this register and wear it will be freed from these sufferings, live peacefully to the full measure of their natural years, and will neither die prematurely nor encounter misfortune. You ought to receive and practice it with reverence.

On a certain day the disciple, bearing ritual offerings (tokens of dedicated faith), respectfully approached the gate of the Celestial Master (Tianshi) and received one rank of the Secret Register of Taishang for Resolving Five-Tone Curses. After accepting and wearing it, he vows to honor the covenant; should he ever violate it, he willingly submits to investigation and punishment by the underworld authorities, neither daring to resent the Daoist teachings nor to blame his master, all to be carried out in accordance with the mysterious statutes and ordinances (the precepts and laws of Daoism).

Ritual Words for Requesting the Register

The ritual invocation for requesting the Secret Register of Taishang Zhengyi for Resolving Five-Tone Curses:

In such-and-such a year, under such-and-such a Tai Sui, in such-and-such a month, on such-and-such a new-moon day (the first of the month), at such-and-such an hour, a believer in the Dao, native of such-and-such a township and presently residing here, presents this ritual statement requesting the register.

The ritual words for requesting the Secret Register of Taishang Zhengyi for Resolving Five-Tone Curses.

In such-and-such year, the year of such-and-such Tai Sui, in such-and-such month, on such-and-such day (the new-moon day), at such-and-such double-hour, the Dao-honoring devotee So-and-so, of such-and-such native place and residing at such-and-such location, declares himself to have been born, according to his natal destiny, in such-and-such year, on such-and-such month, day, and hour, and that his fate belongs to such-and-such Star Lord of the Northern Dipper. Today, having carefully prepared the ritual tokens of faith, he kowtows in reverence and proceeds to the gate of the Han-succession Celestial Master (Tianshi) True Person at Mount Longhu, to receive in homage one rank of the Taishang Secret Register for Resolving Curses of the Five Tones, and to make offerings to and venerate this register.

Reflecting that natural disasters and epidemics are ordinary occurrences in this dusty world, the punishment of humans by ghosts and spirits is nevertheless, one would think, not something the human heart desires. The secular world calls this “curses,” while Daoist scriptures call it “grievance and enmity”; though the names differ, the principle within them may well be the same. Some people cannot dissolve their resentment for a long time, and it is passed down from generation to generation; when they hear admonition they hate all the more, and even skillful persuasion cannot make them understand. Only our Great Dao (the Way) takes pity on such people, giving rise to a heart of compassion, supporting the upright and restraining the deviant, and deploying Fulu (talismans and registers)—Daoist tokens used for prayer, exorcism, and driving out evil—to still the sharp edges and resolve disputes, so that all may dwell together in harmony, the heart of anger and hatred naturally subside, wrath no longer arise, and they turn instead to plead for mercy and repent. This humble student has failed to perceive his own faults, and respectfully kowtows before the Master, hoping the Master will look down with pity to rescue and instruct. So-and-so earnestly beseeches, and hereby presents this statement.

Verified at the gate of the Celestial Master: Disciple So-and-so has come bearing the ritual tokens of faith to enter the Dao and present this statement, seeking to receive one rank of the Taishang Secret Register for Resolving Curses of the Five Tones, and requesting to be told the True Master’s precious taboo name (the honored appellation of the Master), vowing to hold and honor it with reverence for the rest of his life. Now, on the basis of the statement presented, on this day we announce the covenant to Heaven and Earth, swear an oath before the Three Officials (the Heavenly Official, Earthly Official, and Water Official venerated in Daoism), and in accordance with the Keyi (liturgy) break the tally and divide the ring (separating the tokens of faith to signify that the covenant is established), transmitting and bestowing according to the ritual statutes as follows.

Seeking to receive one rank of the Taishang Secret Register for Resolving Curses of the Five Tones, and requesting to be told the True Master’s precious taboo name, vowing to hold and honor it with reverence for the rest of his life. Now, on the basis of the statement presented, on this day we announce the covenant to Heaven and Earth, swear an oath before the Three Officials, and in accordance with the Keyi break the tally and divide the ring, transmitting and bestowing according to the ritual statutes as follows.

Bestowal of One Rank of the Register

The Taishang Secret Register for Resolving Curses of the Five Tones

The Ritual

Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Essential Instructions for Cultivating Perfection

The Jade Taboo Names of the Three Masters: the Ancestral Master, the Mysterious Master, and the True Master

Ancestral Master: Great Ritual Master Who Upholds the Teaching of the Three Heavens and Assists the Origin; Zhengyi True Lord of Penetrating Mystery, Divine Transformation, Serene Response, and Manifest Protection, Zhang Daoling.

Mysterious Master (Successor Master): True Lord of Supreme Clarity Who Expounds the Teaching of the Wondrous Dao, Zhang Heng.

True Master (Lineage Master): True Lord of Supreme Clarity of Illustrious Transformation and Broad Virtue, Zhang Lu.

The Dharma Names of the Three Masters of Scripture, Register, and Ordination

Scripture Master: Perfected Gentleman of the Southern Bureau of the Shangqing Scriptures and Registers of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen), Senior Minister of the Jade Bureau.

The overall host of Daoist methods was the forty-second-generation Celestial Master (Tianshi) of Han ethnicity, Zhang Zhengchang. His transmission master was the transmitter of the Shangqing Three Caverns Jing and Fulu (talismans and registers), the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) law-enforcing true sovereign, Lingbao leading-teaching perfected one, overall host of Daoist methods, and forty-third-generation Celestial Master of Han ethnicity, Zhang Zichu. His ordination master was the transmitter of the Shangqing Three Caverns precious Fulu, the Lingbao leading-teaching mysterious-transformation perfected one, southern cao law-enforcing immortal official, overall host of Daoist methods, and the succeeding forty-fourth-generation Celestial Master Zhang Yuqing. The attending-altar master (dharma name …), the witnessing-covenant master (…), the supervising-ordination master (…), and the recommending master (…).

Celestial Master Zhengying said that the Ziyang Precious Proclamations (texts praising the deities) and the Yunji Lingwen (Daoist classic literature) can resolve the entanglements brought by curses and dispel the disasters caused by nightmares and covert harm.

The witnessing-covenant master (…), the supervising-ordination master (…), and the recommending master (…).

Celestial Master Zhengying said: The Ziyang Precious Proclamations and the Yunji Lingwen can resolve the entanglements of curses and break the disasters caused by nightmares and secret harm. These contents were originally transmitted in the sage’s own hand, recorded in the mysterious Jing, and then passed down to the people of the world in order to eliminate various unforeseen calamities. Therefore the Most High established the teaching methods so that they would circulate in the world and be available for study. Successive generations of Daoist perfected ones have revered and proclaimed these precious teachings, continuously guiding those with affinity, and the transmission has never been interrupted.

Owing to the accumulated blessings of my ancestors I have for generations received the grace of the state, inherited the school name of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) lineage, and revitalized the ancestral vein of the Celestial Master tradition. Yet because the Fulu have circulated for so long I selected skilled craftsmen to carve and print them as books so that the transmission might endure. As for observing the prohibitions and precepts, upholding the regulations, harboring a compassionate heart and performing acts of mercy, the accomplished cultivators of antiquity have always regarded these as indispensable. All good believers who ascend the altar should purify their thoughts and accumulate meritorious good deeds. Only then may the wishes that are sought be fulfilled, and thereby one may transcend the mundane world and enter the mysterious realm. The oaths and covenants are perfectly clear; how can they not be treated with caution?

Celestial Master Guangweizi said: My family has relied upon the Fulu of the Most High to save and ferry the beings of the human and heavenly realms and to protect the national destiny for already more than one thousand five hundred years. The ancestral instructions are exceedingly clear and require no extra praise. As for the teachings transmitted by the preceding true lords that I have inherited, facing this circumstance, how can one not treat it with caution?

Celestial Master (Tianshi) Guangweizi said: Our lineage has, for more than fifteen hundred years, employed the Fulu (talismans and registers) transmitted by the Most High to deliver the sentient beings of the human world and the heavenly realms, to protect the nation and to stabilize the fortune of the state. The admonitions left by the ancestral masters are perfectly clear and need no further praise. Our ancestor, the Celestial Master Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Perfected Lord, had the good fortune to meet with a sagely dynasty; after the unification of the realm he was the first to receive honor. The Daoist priests of Jiangnan, whether they wore the ceremonial cap or the brown robe, all came under his authority.

Since I inherited the teaching I have passed through three reigns and have repeatedly received the court’s gracious favor. Now, as we respectfully greet the accession of a new sovereign, the court has specially conferred a distinguished title, praising a rigor comparable to that of Perfected Xujing and a solemnity approaching that of Perfected Chonghe. Following the old Tang precedent, an official post was granted together with a fief, and I was advanced to Duke of Liu. We ought to perform good works and transmit the registers of the law so as to continue the enterprise of our ancestors; to pray for blessings on behalf of others and to remove the calamities of the common people, carefully carrying out the emperor’s instructions. In praying that Heaven prolong the fortune of the state, how could I dare not be diligent and dutiful? In conferring and transmitting Fulu we should all the more make the teaching manifest: above, to repay the illustrious decree of the Son of Heaven; below, to extend imperial blessing to the people. May all still hold a heart of sincere reverence and receive this vast protection.

The recommending preceptor of the Zhengyi Primal Altar (the ritual arena of the Zhengyi school): a certain master of the Shangqing Three Caverns scriptures and registers recommends the Daoist devotee so-and-so to receive the Taishang Secret Register for Dispelling Curses of the Five Tones (used to dissolve curses enacted by means of the five tones), that he may take refuge, wear it upon his person, and uphold it. The altar has already entered the relevant matters in the register and has personally requested the Zhengyi Celestial Master Perfected One, successor to the teaching, to report them to the Ancestral Celestial Master, the Zhengyi Perfected Lord, and to transmit the register according to the Keyi (liturgy). This document is hereby issued as a credential, so that the recipient may follow the teaching and put it into practice; should he violate the covenant, he will bring upon himself the punishment of Daoist law.