《上清六甲祈祷秘法》

In former times, when the Great Emperor of Eastern Flourishing (Donghua Dadi) attended court before the Supreme Sovereign of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Shangdi), the Most High Lord of the Dao, Lord Lao (Taishang Daojun Laojun), the Jade Emperor (Yudi), and the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity (Ziwei Dadi) were likewise assembled in the celestial palace of the Stomach mansion (Wei) of the Bingyin lodge. Before the holy worthies, the Imperial Lord of Eastern Flourishing (Donghua Dijun) rose and said, “I possess a Heavenly Book of the Six Jia (Liujia Tianshu) in three scrolls, and I wish to transmit it to the human world for people to cultivate and put into practice. I see that in the world to come there will be the calamities of war and disorder; the common people will lose their livelihoods, fathers and sons will be scattered, and none will be able to save one another. I hope to transmit this book to persons of virtuous conduct, so that they may cultivate and apply it in order to assist the state and bring disaster and turmoil to an end.

“This book can command the spirits of the Six Jia and the Six Ding, summon the Twelve Stream Maidens of Heavenly Roaming and the Five Celestial Maidens of Nayan, and also employ the spirits of yin and yang (Yin-Yang). It further records three great generals, each commanding a million ghost-soldiers. I now present the three scrolls and ask that they be transmitted according to the proper method.”

After the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) had examined what the Imperial Lord of Eastern Flourishing set forth, he entrusted the heavenly book to Lord Lao of the Mysterious Prime (Xuanyuan Laojun) and charged him to transmit and circulate it in the world. Later, Lord Lao passed the book to Master Yin Xi, and from him it reached the human realm. From that time on, people of the world obtained the Heavenly Book of the Six Jia.

From ancient times to the present, those who copy this book have often omitted the names of the Six Ding and the Six Jia, the Twelve Stream Maidens of Heavenly Roaming, the Celestial Maidens of Nayan, and the great generals of the Three Primes (Sanyuan); for this reason it proves ineffective when put to use. If one obtains this book, it must be transmitted by one’s own master in the altar precinct according to the rite before it can be practiced. The book states that cultivating this method can assist the state, quell disaster and turmoil, aid those in peril and distress, relieve the sufferings of the people, and also enable the ancestors of nine generations to ascend as immortals.

The scripture further declares that this book can command the spirits of the Six Jia and the Six Ding, summon the Twelve Stream Maidens of Heavenly Roaming and the Celestial Maidens of Nayan, and direct the three great generals of ghost-soldiers together with a million ghosts and spirits. It can call forth wind, clouds, thunder, and rain, break open military encampments, and set wooden oxen and wooden horses in motion. It can make figures painted on a wall move, and cause the hundred plants to blossom in winter. It can pursue and seize the ghosts and spirits beneath the earth and seek out buried treasures. It can also enable the practitioner of the method to fly a thousand or ten thousand li, avoid water, fire, and armed force, withstand an enemy host of a million, and strike the mark with every arrow. It can summon the spirits of the stars and the moon to appear in person, and invite the Imperial Lords of the Five Directions, together with the Three Officials (Sanguan) and the Five Stars, to descend into the human world. Whatever one seeks can be obtained as one wishes.

The appellations of the Six Jia yang Shen (spirits) are as follows. The Jiazi Shen has the courtesy name Qinggong and the personal name Yuande; the Jiaxu Shen has the courtesy name Linqi and the personal name Xuyi; the Jiashen Shen has the courtesy name Quanheng and the personal name Jielüe; the Jiawu Shen has the courtesy name Ziqing and the personal name Chanren; the Jiachen Shen has the courtesy name Gunchang and the personal name Tongyuan; and the Jiayin Shen has the courtesy name Zimi and the personal name Huashi.

Each of the Six Jia yin Shen belongs to one jia xun: the Dingmao Shen belongs to the Jiazi xun, the Dingchou Shen to the Jiaxu xun, the Dinghai Shen to the Jiashen xun, the Dingyou Shen to the Jiawu xun, the Dingwei Shen to the Jiachen xun, and the Dingsi Shen to the Jiayin xun. A xun is one segment of the sexagenary cycle of days formed by pairing the ten Heavenly Stems with the twelve Earthly Branches, and each xun lasts ten days.

The personal names and courtesy names of the Six Ding yin Shen are given separately. The Dingmao Shen is named Wenbo, with the courtesy name Rengao; the Dingchou Shen is named Wengong, with the courtesy name Renxian; the Dinghai Shen is named Rentong, with the courtesy name Renhe; the Dingyou Shen is named Wenqing, with the courtesy name Renxiu; the Dingwei Shen is named Shengtong, with the courtesy name Rengong; and the Dingsi Shen is named Lianlie, with the courtesy name Renjing.

The forms of the Six Jia Shen can change in countless ways. Sometimes they have a single head, and sometimes three heads; sometimes they are clad in golden armor, and sometimes they descend wearing brocade robes. Each Shen is dressed differently, and their divine powers must not be offended.

True Lord Jiazi Qinggong Yuande wears a red brocade robe, with multicolored green streamers and a golden sash. He stands two zhang and one chi tall, and his complexion is crimson.

True Lord Jiaxu Linqi Yixu wears a green robe, with streamers and a sash made of horsehide. He stands two zhang and one chi tall, has five eyes, and his face looks as though it had been dusted with white powder.

On the Jiashen day, the Perfected Lord Quanheng Jielüe (a Daoist deity) wears a white battle robe patterned with sunflowers and a blue-green leather garment. He stands two zhang and one chi tall, has three eyes, and a yellow complexion.

The Celestial Book of the Sixty Jiazi

When people cultivate the celestial patterns of the Six Jia—Daoist methods connected with the Six Jia and with the heavenly stems and earthly branches—they must summon the five Nayan celestial maidens. According to the annotations of the Great Thearch-Lord of Donghua, their names are recorded in the Book of the Six Jia. These five goddesses possess vast power. They can assist the state, pacify disorder, and rescue the people. If one can penetrate the great Dao (the Way) within this practice, one may summon the stars of heaven to descend.

The Sacred Names of the Five Nayan Celestial Maidens

The first celestial maiden has the style name Qizhi and the personal name Rende. The second celestial maiden has the style name Jianzhi and the personal name Renya. The third celestial maiden has the style name Gangzhi and the personal name Renxi. The fourth celestial maiden has the style name Zhenzhi and the personal name Renxian. The fifth celestial maiden has the style name Shizhi and the personal name Renliang.

The Attire and Appearance of the Celestial Maidens

The first celestial maiden wears her hair in two buns. She is radiantly beautiful, stands five chi and three cun tall, wears a red robe and an immortal skirt, and descends holding written characters.

The second celestial maiden wears her hair in two buns. She stands five chi and two cun tall, wears a blue-green robe and an immortal skirt, and descends holding written characters.

The third celestial maiden is radiantly beautiful and wears a crown of the Seven Stars. She stands five chi and three cun tall, wears a white robe worked with gold and an immortal skirt, and descends holding written characters.

The original text then repeats the designation “fourth celestial maiden.” It first records that she is radiantly beautiful, wears a crown of the Seven Stars, stands five chi and three cun tall, wears a white robe worked with gold and an immortal skirt, and descends holding written characters. It then records another fourth celestial maiden, graceful and dignified in appearance, her hair dressed in two buns, five chi and two cun tall, wearing a green robe patterned with clouds and cranes, who descends holding immortal greens.

The fifth celestial maiden has a proper and composed countenance, wears a crown of the celestial beings, stands five chi and five cun tall, wears pale yellow clothing, and descends holding immortal flowers.

These five celestial maidens, when a sacrificial rite is held on a Jiazi day, may descend together with the twelve stream maidens. During the rite, if one recites the Incantation of the Stream Maidens and summons them, they swiftly appear and meet with the person. Whatever is sought may be explained to them one matter at a time, with a request that they bring events to the desired outcome. After a time, they depart riding the clouds.

If one summons them again later, it is not necessary to wait for a Jiazi day. One need only display the divine seal of the Six Jia spirits (the seal-credential of the Six Jia deities), recite the incantation of the Six Jia spirits, and call their names twice, and they will appear at once. At that time, one or two of them may come and descend, or a golden lad may present the food that has been offered and give it to the ritual officiant (the person presiding over the rite) to eat.

Incantation of the Stream Maidens

O Kuigang, O Kuigang! Descend by command of the Lord of the Nine Qi (vital energy). Descend before the celestial scripture of the Six Jia. I hold the divine seal of the Six Jia spirits and summon the celestial maiden Nayan together with the twelve stream maidens who roam the heavens, to come at once before the altar and meet with me. Upon hearing the call, come immediately; once summoned, descend at once upon the clouds and assist me in performing the rite. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

Method of Sacrificing to the Celestial Maidens and the Twelve Stream Maidens

Prepare four new mats, four cloths for sacrificial use, incense and flowers, and five kinds of vegetables, together with clear wine, dried meat, fine tea, sugar cakes, oil cakes, dried venison, refined foods, “baideng,” two sheng of jujubes, and wood-ear fungus, seventy-two portions in all; also prepare twenty lamps and two mirrors, each two chi and three cun in diameter.

On the jiazi day, at the mao hour, enter the chamber and burn incense. Holding the Six Jia divine seal, recite the Six Jia divine incantation five times, then place the seal on the incense altar. Burn incense again at the wu hour; when the hai hour arrives, call the names of the Stream Maidens and the Nayan Heavenly Maidens. Take the Six Jia divine seal, stamp it five times on paper, burn the paper to ash, mix the ash with clear water, and wash the right eye with it. Holding the seal and facing the direction proper to that day, stand before the incense altar. When an extraordinary fragrance is heard filling the chamber, open the eyes; it is said that one will see twelve Stream Maidens, the Nayan Heavenly Maidens, and other divine maidens seated each in her own place. Then perform the rites and bow, greet them softly five times, sprinkle purifying water, and pinch incense. If the Stream Maidens and the other divine maidens bid one to sit, one may sit and set forth the matters one seeks. The Jing (scripture) states that the use of this seal-document of the Six Jia divine Heavenly Maidens brings great spiritual power.

The Heavenly Maiden Seal is the Six Jia seal. This seal is made from the heartwood of a jujube tree struck by lightning and fashioned to a measure of one chi, both square and round. On a Sanyuan day—the days of the Upper Yuan, the Middle Yuan, and the Lower Yuan—or on the fifth day of the fifth month, choose a clean chamber, burn incense, and carve the seal, while reciting the Stream Maiden incantation five times and calling the names of the Han Maidens and the Heavenly Maidens. When the prayer is finished, complete the carving before noon and place the seal on the incense altar before the images of the divine maidens as an offering. When the offering is complete, make a box of planted wood to hold the seal, wrap it in a bag of gauze and brocade, place it in the box, and on that same day present offerings before the divine maidens. When the seal is needed, take it out again. The Jing states that the spiritual power of this seal is beyond conception and that it can bring every kind of affair to fulfillment.

In spring the rite is held on the Shangyuan day (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month); in summer, on the eight nodal days (fasting days associated with the solar terms); in autumn, on the Zhongyuan day (the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month); and in winter, on the Xiayuan day (the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month).

A quiet and secluded place is chosen. One may also wall off an open area outside one’s own gate to form a courtyard. In accordance with the requirements of the rite, the ground is sprinkled and swept clean and kept pure, with no dung or filth. Chickens, dogs, and women are all to keep away. Donkeys, horses, and other livestock are likewise to be kept at a distance, lest they make noise and disturb the ritual.

The site is laid out more spaciously according to regulation, and curtains are set up. Twenty bamboo-and-straw mats are spread on the ground, and twenty new mats are placed on top of them. Four long tables are set out, or tables are stood in place. Twenty-three wooden spirit tablets are arranged, and fifty pieces of fruit and ten candles are prepared and set out in two rows. Light is provided from a raised platform. Various flowers and plants are displayed, placed in vases.

Fifteen cups of fine tea, fifteen cups of jujube broth, and twenty-five portions of vegetarian food are offered. Five hand towels and two towel stands are prepared, and a large basin filled with water is placed on each side. Another table is set up and covered with an embroidered brocade cloth. The Liujia divine seal (the seal credential used to summon the Liujia deities) and the Heavenly Maiden seal are laid face upward on the table, together with two cups of clear water and the Qingci spread open—the document used in a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) to set forth the content of prayers before the deities.

Twelve sheets of crow-blue paper and eight sheets of Qingci paper are prepared, to be used in making the tablets of the Emperors of the Five Directions, the Three Officials (the Official of Heaven, the Official of Earth, and the Official of Water), and the Five Stars. With a new cinnabar brush, the names and titles of the Emperors of the Five Directions, the Three Officials, and the Perfected Lords of the Five Stars are written out. The inscribed papers are then fitted over the tablets and arranged in order.

The Azure Emperor of the East, Heavenly Lord of the Nine Qi (vital energy): surname Chan, given name Liu, courtesy name Shougong.

The Red Emperor of the South, Heavenly Lord of the Three Qi: surname Wen, given name Zhong, courtesy name Sousao.

The White Emperor of the West, Heavenly Lord of the Seven Qi: surname Peng, given name Ye, courtesy name Zhaozhi.

The Black Emperor of the North, Heavenly Lord of the Five Qi: surname Ge, given name Xian, courtesy name Yonglang.

The Yellow Emperor of the Center is the celestial lord who governs the twelve Qi (vital energy). His surname is Dai, his given name is Chu, and his courtesy name is Yuandu.

The titles of the Three Officials (Sanguan) are as follows: the Heavenly Official of the Upper Prime of the Nine Qi Who Bestows Blessings, in charge of bestowing blessings; the Earthly Official of the Middle Prime of the Seven Qi Who Pardons Sins, in charge of pardoning offenses; and the Water Official of the Lower Prime of the Five Qi Who Resolves Calamities, in charge of dispelling disasters and hardships.

When praying to the stellar lords of the five directions, one invokes them respectively as the True Lord of the Year Star of Eastern Wood De (Virtue/Power), the Stellar Lord of the Dazzling Deluder of Southern Fire De, the Stellar Lord of Great White of Western Metal De, the True Lord of the Chronograph Star of Northern Water De, and the True Lord of the Quelling Star of Central Earth De.

First take a piece of agarwood weighing two jin, place it in a large incense burner or stand it upright in a silver basin, and slowly kindle it so that it burns. Once everything has been properly arranged according to the rite, draw and set up a star altar. At the beginning of the second watch, set out forty-nine lamps, lighting them in two stages between the first watch and the second.

The practitioner enters the room, closes the door, and does not go out, sitting quietly only in the darker place inside the door and not being permitted to speak. With the eyes closed, he sounds the celestial drum (gently tapping behind the ears with the fingers), clicks the teeth fifty-two times, then holds the saliva, rinses the mouth, and swallows it. In the original text this passage appears once again, and the later sentence about swallowing the saliva is also corrupt.

When the second watch arrives, it is said that a scene of this kind may appear: light suddenly shines in the darkness, or moonlight brightens the place, and an extraordinary fragrance is heard coming from outside the door. At this moment one must on no account speak, nor put on shoes and walk about, lest any sound disturb those who have come. The practitioner should go quietly to the window and look out through the window opening. He may see the Five Thearch Lords each seated on a dragon throne, and the Three Officials likewise seated in turn on dragon thrones; the Five Stars do not sit, some walking and some departing. He may also see several hundred immortal sovereigns and jade maidens, their features only faintly discernible, each holding a different object. No sound may be made. The Introducing Envoy kneels, holding in both hands a qingci (a written petition addressed to the deities), and presents it before the Five Thearch Lords.

At the fourth point of the second watch, those who came suddenly depart, and outside the door it is once more silent and empty. Others must not be allowed to go out; only the practitioner himself may go out alone. First examine the table on which the seal was placed: it is said that five-colored rays of rosy light will reach straight to the sky, and that there will be five pellets of elixir. After bowing to the five directions, the practitioner takes the medicine and swallows it. The cold water in the basin must not be poured out, but should be stored and covered.

Next, clear away the food, fruit, and tea that were offered; these must not be given to others to eat. If they are not consumed, pour them into a long, flowing river. Then gather what has been left on the ground; it is said that among it there will be gold, silver, and jewels, even treasures rarely seen in the world. Search everywhere round about, and then collect the remaining objects and valuables. What is obtained should be used to relieve the poor and must not be squandered at will. It should be divided into three portions: one to sustain one’s own life of cultivating the Dao (the Way), one for setting up a jiao (performing a Daoist sacrificial rite) to thank the deities, and one to be given in aid of the poor. Only by doing many good deeds that benefit others can one be considered worthy of enjoying these possessions.

As for the two basins of pure water, it is said that they have received the true Qi (vital energy) of the sages—the primordial breath of which Daoism speaks—and possess the power to communicate with the numinous, so that they may be used for bathing. The scripture says that after bathing the body becomes light, and that after the elixir is swallowed one can become an immortal living in the human world. The practitioner can also command the spirits of the Six Jia and the Six Ding, the Twelve Stream Maidens, the heavenly maiden Nayan, and three great generals. If the water is not used for bathing, it should be kept in a cool, shaded place and must not be casually discarded. The scripture further says that after it has been left for a hundred days, the water may undergo a numinous change and become sweet dew.

What follows is the scripture’s account of the efficacy of this water: it can cure every kind of illness. For those who are old, whose hair has turned white, whose teeth have fallen out, who are deaf, whose sight is dim, and whose bodies are wasted, washing the head with it will cause black hair to grow; those whose teeth have fallen out, if they rinse the mouth with it, will grow fine new teeth; wrinkles on the face will smooth out; if the deaf put the water into their ears, their hearing will be restored; and if those with eye disease wash their eyes with it, their sight will return. Every illness that no medicine can cure is healed by drinking two mouthfuls. Blade wounds and arrow wounds washed with it leave no scar. At a tattooed place, first rub it with a cloth and then wash it with this water, and the tattoo will disappear. If half a cup of the water is poured into the throat of someone newly dead, it is said that the person can return to life.

If a pregnant woman drinks half a cup of this water, the scripture says that should she bear a boy, he will be intelligent and wise, and should she bear a girl, she will be proper in demeanor and beautiful. One who suffers from cold damage yet does not sweat will sweat and recover after drinking one or two mouthfuls. If someone is possessed by an evil ghost and the ritual master cannot drive it out, let the patient drink one mouthful of the water, and then let the practitioner drink two mouthfuls and sigh; the scripture says the ghost will speak its name and ask to depart, and if it is then sent off with clear gruel and cold rice, it will leave. Malignant sores washed with this water can be cured, and one who has been poisoned will also have the poison resolved upon drinking it. This water is called the “Sweet-Dew Water of the Assembled Saints of Heaven for Restoring the Soul.”

When the practitioner uses this method to treat the sick and save people, it is strictly forbidden to accept even a single coin from anyone; accepting food, drink, and the like does no harm. If money is taken, there is no merit in the practice. One who can observe these precepts may ascend to heaven and become an immortal.

If one wishes to summon the Five Thearch Lords, the Three Officials, and the Five Stars, or to pray that ancestors may ascend to heaven, or to obtain the elixir, this altar may be used. Within three years it may be summoned only twice and must not be held often.