《太上北极伏魔神咒杀鬼箓》

This document states that a devotee of the Dao (the Way) living in a certain place, named so-and-so, reports the year, month, day, and hour of his birth and declares that he belongs under a certain stellar lord of the Northern Dipper. On this day he respectfully prepares ritual tokens—pledges or gifts used in the performance of rites—kowtows, and proceeds to the establishment of the Hereditary Han Celestial Master (Tianshi) of Mount Longhu, there to receive in homage one rank of the Taishang Beiji Fumo Shenzhou Shagui Lu (the Supreme Northern Pole Divine Incantation Register for Subduing Demons and Slaying Ghosts, a Daoist register by which the recipient obtains the corresponding ritual office and the qualification to practice the rites).

The recipient of the register will assist the heavenly Dao in carrying out teaching and transformation, aid the state, and rescue the people; he will slay deviant Jing (essence), remove calamities, and pass through adversity. If he violates the covenant, he will fall into the underworld and suffer punishment. Everything is to be carried out in accordance with the mysterious statutes and ordinances—the laws and precepts of Daoism.

There follows a list of the divine generals and their hosts who, acting on the command of the Northern Pole, are charged with subduing evil demons or handling related affairs. Each divine general commands three hundred thousand troops, including the Great General Tianpeng of the Northern Pole, the Great General Black Killer, the Great Gods of the Eight Effulgences, the Great Gods of the Ten Heavens, the Great Demon Kings of the Ten Heavens, the Great Demon Kings of the Six Palaces, the Flying Thunder-and-Lightning Officers of the Yin Realm, the Great Generals of the Seven Primordials of the Huoluo Northern Dipper, the armored soldiers of the celestial outriders and the stalwart strongmen of Heaven, the strongmen of great power, the Great Gods Who Guard the Numinous, the Great Gods of Giant Beasts, the flying-dragon strongmen of great power, the great generals of the flying-dragon cavalry, the great generals of the flying-tiger cavalry, the Three-and-Five Generals, the Generals Who Break Evil, the Generals Who Retrieve Souls, and the Generals Who Cure Illness.

The Torch Emissary of the Northern Dipper (Beidou) of the North Pole (Beiji) commands three hundred thousand troops. The Ghost-Slaying Emissary of the Southern Dipper (Nandou) of the North Pole commands three hundred thousand troops. The Great Deities of the Six Jia (Liujia) of the North Pole, protective deities venerated in Daoism, command three hundred thousand troops. The Great Deities of the Six Ding (Liuding) of the North Pole, protective deities venerated in Daoism, command three hundred thousand troops.

Commissioned by the divine-spell edicts of the North Pole are one hundred and twenty Inspector-General Grand Generals, one hundred and twenty Primordial Yang (Yuanyang) Grand Generals, and one million two hundred thousand Heaven-Pacifying Grand Generals. The Great Deities of the Six Ding of the North Pole command three hundred thousand troops.

The Inspector-General Grand Generals commissioned by the divine-spell edicts of the North Pole, together with the Primordial Yang Grand Generals, the Heaven-Pacifying Grand Generals, the Flying-Heaven Grand Generals, the Dantian (energy center) Grand Generals, the Qi (vital energy) Grand Generals, the Water Grand Generals, the Fire Grand Generals, the Roaming-Spirit Grand Generals, the Spring-Breaking Grand Generals, the Soul-Summoning Grand Generals, the Blade-and-Weapon Grand Generals, the Spirit-Shrine Grand Generals, the Sword-Edge Grand Generals, the Stone Grand Generals, the Ghost Grand Generals, the Feishi (flying-corpse) Grand Generals, and the Illness Grand Generals, number one hundred and twenty each.

This passage enumerates the spirit generals and the troops marshaled by the divine spells of the North Pole. Chi refers to a command issued by a deity; Feishi, in the Daoist context, is the name of a malign entity associated with ghostly evil and corpse-qi. The source text contains repetitions and inconsistent figures; the rendering above follows, in order, the identifiable titles of the generals and the numbers attached to them.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole (Beiji) commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals Who Cut Off Pestilence.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of Poison.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of Calamity and Misfortune.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Tiger Great Generals.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Snake Great Generals.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Bee Great Generals.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of Insects and Scorpions.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of Evil Sprites.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of the Chimei (strange sprites of the mountains and forests).

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of the Wangliang (strange sprites of the waters or the mountains).

The First Divine Spell of the Most High (Taishang) Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of Insects and Scorpions.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of Evil Sprites.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of the Chimei.

The Divine Spell of the Northern Pole commands one hundred and twenty Great Generals of the Wangliang.

The First Divine Talisman of the Most High Northern Pole

Wearing this talisman, it is said, can enable a person to enjoy long life and enduring sight (to remain alive for a long time and to lengthen one’s years), to avoid corpse-evil (shixie) and destroy demons and monsters. Posted inside a house, the talisman can drive off all kinds of evil spirits and spectral beings.

The Second Divine Talisman of the Most High Northern Pole

This talisman is the Divine Talisman of Fengdu and Shangqing (Highest Clarity) of the Northern Pole, also called the Great Register for Warding Off Corpse-Evil (a Fulu, that is, talismans and registers, used to drive away corpse-evil).

The Third Divine Talisman of the Most High Northern Pole

This talisman is used to treat all kinds of illness. Wearing it can protect the body and one’s life (xingming), help a person pass through disaster and calamity, and prolong life. It can also bind and restrain all kinds of ghosts and monsters, slay deviant gods, and eliminate disasters.

The Fourth Divine Talisman of the Most High Northern Pole

This talisman is the Jade Script of the True Writ of the Northern Pole, also called the Divine Register for Warding Off Corpse-Evil. It is used to cure the people’s various illnesses and calamities and to execute evil ghosts. Worn on the head, it is said to ward off corpse-evil and keep it a thousand li away. If sprites (jingmei, spectral beings) are present in a place, posting the talisman there will make them disappear.

The Fifth Divine Talisman of the Most High Northern Pole

This talisman is used to expel and slay the feishi (in ancient legend, corpse-evils that harm people), ghostly specters, and evil sprites. If a household is in the midst of a funeral and may be harmed by these baleful influences, wearing this talisman can protect the person and bring peace and good fortune.

The Sixth Divine Talisman of the Most High Northern Pole

This talisman can ward off calamities such as floods and fires. It is suitable for wearing on the person, and it may also be affixed to a door. If someone in the household has died, it may be used; a person who has suffered misfortune may wear it as well and receive its protection, turning toward good fortune and away from harm.

The Sixth Divine Talisman of the Most High Northern Pole

This talisman can ward off calamities such as floods and fires. It is suitable for wearing on the person, and it may also be affixed to a door, so as to guard the courtyard, its significance being auspicious.

The Seventh Divine Talisman of the Most High Northern Pole

This talisman can dispel epidemics and miasmic poisons. Once it is worn, it is said to make body and life peaceful and enduring, and to cause ghosts and specters to disperse.

The Eighth Divine Talisman of the Most High Northern Pole

This talisman can cleanse away defilement and keep evil at a distance. Once it is worn, it is said to protect the person, bringing safety and good fortune, so that no malign spirit dares to intrude.

The eight talismans above are those used by the Northern Emperor (Beidi)—in Daoism, the exalted deity who presides over the north and over ghosts and spirits—to rescue the people and dissolve every kind of peril and calamity. Worn together, they are said to keep one far from all disasters for a long time; their efficacy is not to be taken lightly.

The Great Ghost-Slaying Talisman of the Northern Emperor

The Talisman of the Northern Emperor for Driving Away Ghosts and Destroying Evil Demons

The Talisman of the Northern Emperor for Expelling Ghosts and Demons

All of these Fulu (talismans and registers) must be written in cinnabar. “Danshu” means writing talismans with red pigment, and ordinarily refers to drawing them in cinnabar.

Names of the Six Palaces of Fengdu of the Northern Pole

Mount Fengdu lies in the northern Gui region, the northern quarter marked by the ancient system of stems and branches. The northeast is called the “Ghost Gate,” and is the source of the Qi (vital energy) of death. The mountain rises 2,600 li and measures 30,000 li around. Beneath the mountain is a cavern-heaven (dongtian) 15,000 li in circumference; both upon the mountain and below it stand the palaces and chambers of ghosts and spirits.

On the mountain, ten upper palaces command the hosts of ghosts; beneath the mountain, twelve lower palaces govern the hosts of spirits, each palace one thousand li in circumference. Six palaces stand to the left and six to the right of the upper palaces, and likewise six to the left and six to the right of the lower palaces, making twenty-four palaces in all.

The six upper palaces are as follows. The first is the Zhoujue Yintian Palace; the second, the Taisha Liangshi Zongtian Palace; the third, the Mingchen Naifan Wucheng Heaven Palace; the fourth, the Tianzhao Zuiqi Heaven Palace; the fifth, the Zongling Qifei Heaven Palace; and the sixth, the Gansi Lianwanlü Heaven Palace.

Of the six lower palaces, the first is the Xiuming Zongling Dongtian Palace.

The second palace is called the Xuansi Chongzheng Zongling Heavenly Palace, the third the Tongxian Shengling Xiwei Heavenly Palace, the fourth the Zhengzhen Shaoling Wansi Heavenly Palace, the fifth the Yunlou Yuji Mingchen Heavenly Palace, and the sixth the Chongxu Chiying Yunqu Heavenly Palace. All of these are names of the palaces and bureaus of the ghosts and spirits of Mount Fengdu.

A cultivator of the Dao (the Way) who knows well the names of the ghost palaces above and below Mount Fengdu will, according to tradition, be someone whom ghosts and demons dare not offend or harm. When going out at night, one sits facing north and knocks the teeth in sequence: seven times on the left, five times on the right, and three times in the center, and then knocks the teeth three times more. This is taken as the rite of addressing the divinities, after which one recites the “Spell for Restraining Ghosts and Spirits.”

Spell of the Six Palace Gates for Restraining Ghosts

I am a disciple of the Most High (Taishang), and I command the palaces and bureaus of the Six Heavens (Liutian) and the Six Caverns (Liudong). These places lie under my jurisdiction, and all of them were brought into being by the Most High. I know the names of the palace gates of the Six Heavens, and therefore I am able to attain long life. If anyone dares to offend you, the Most High will slay you. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances (jiji ru lüling)!

When the spell of the six palace gates has been recited, one next recites the “Divine Spell of the Northern Pole” (Beiji shenzhou).

Spell of the Northern Pole for Subduing Demons

Juejue marks the Thearch’s dawn; Liangshi meets the layered slopes. Flaming like smoke in the upper sky, surging like the splendor of radiant light. Wucheng bears the divine blade; Tianzhao swallows the clear river. The Changhe Gate overlooks the cinnabar well; the Cloud Gate rises dense and towering. Qifei opens onto a wondrous canopy; Lianwan likewise spreads forth demons. The Six Heavens lie across the northern road; this is the home of ghosts and spirits.

Spell for Summoning the Demon Kings of the Six Heavens

Biqian the Poison King, Ghost King of the Six Heavens, Zhenshi Luoling, Demon King of the Northern Pole, Xiaoxiao of the Four Heavens, Ghost Minister of Fengdu, Bayuan Choubo, and Registrar-General of the Nine Heavens: you hold overall command of the myriad ghosts. If any ghost or demon dares to disobey, it is to be punished. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

After the passage above has been recited, visualize the Grand Marshal Tianpeng of the North Pole (a divine general of the North Pole) appearing in person. He has three heads and six hands, and he holds six weapons: a battle-axe, bow and arrows, a sword, a clapper-bell, a zhan, and a snare. He stands fifty zhang tall, wears black robes and a dark crown, and is clad in golden armor, commanding three hundred and sixty thousand divine troops. Then tap the teeth thirty-six times and softly recite the incantation.

Incantation of Marshal Tianpeng

O Marshal Tianpeng, O Marshal Tianpeng—Slaying Lads of the Nine Primordials; Five Stalwarts of the Directorate; Lofty Blade, Elder of the North; Seven Governors and Eight Numina; Most High White Ferocity. The long-skulled giant beast holds the Thearch’s bell in its hands. The three spirits of the white owl set the carriage in strict array and drive the kui-dragon. Divine King of the Awesome Sword, cut down evil specters so that their traces vanish. Purple Qi (vital energy) rises to heaven, and cinnabar clouds blaze brightly upward. Devour demons and devils, and set the body crosswise to meet the wind—an old man with a gray-blue tongue, green teeth, and four eyes. The stalwart gods and strongmen of heaven, together with the sword-bearing divine king, cut down evil and remove baleful influences so that their traces vanish. Purple Qi rises to heaven, and cinnabar clouds blaze brightly upward. Devour demons and devils, and set the body crosswise to meet the wind—an old man with a gray-blue tongue, green teeth, and four eyes. The stalwart gods and strongmen of heaven overawe the south and ward off malign evil. The Tianzou (a divine beast of heaven), swift and fierce, garrisons the north, gripping a keen blade in its mouth. Three hundred thousand troops and horses guard my ninefold heavenly realm. Make corpse-evil retreat a thousand li, and drive away every inauspicious thing. If any petty ghost dares to show itself, sever the ghost’s form with the great axe that cleaves open heaven. With the blazing blood of the Flame Emperor and the fire of the Northern Dipper, burn its bones; Siming shatters its remains, and Tianyou (a divine general of the North Pole) destroys its kind. At one sweep of the divine blade, the ten thousand ghosts scatter of themselves. Carry this out at once, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

When this has been recited, go on to recite the Great Incantation of the Fire Bell.

I am a minister of the Imperial Lord, and my name is entered in the registers of Jade Clarity. Under my authority is the Ghost Palace of the North Pole in the Six Heavens. All there are camps that belong to me and that I command—what ghost would dare to work mischief? On the right I wear the Huoluo; on the left I carry the Fire Bell. I cast flame that reaches ten thousand li, and by my awe I subdue the myriad spirits. Those who invade are put to death; those who offend are punished. The Imperial Lord has given the order: seize them at once; they may not linger. The light of heaven shakes, and the hosts of demons have their bodies bound. Ghosts, monsters, and demonic evils are cut off, and I attain long life. Carry this out at once, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

Whenever this incantation is recited, one should purify mind and spirit and recite it silently with single-minded concentration. In this way one can call down the various numinous officers of Grand Mystery of the North Pole to descend and protect oneself. Every kind of calamity disperses, and the hosts of demons are restrained; thereby one gains long life and lasting vision, and in the end becomes a divine immortal.

The North-Pole Seal for Slaying Ghosts and the Fengdu Seal for Summoning Ghosts and Spirits

Each of the two seals measures three cun in length and two cun and one fen in width.

Of these two seals, one is called the “Beiji (Northern Pole) Seal for Slaying Ghosts,” and it is said to treat all kinds of illness; the name and function of the other are not fully stated in this passage.

Beiji Seal for Slaying Ghosts and Fengdu Seal for Summoning Ghosts and Spirits

The two seals are each three cun long and two cun and one fen wide. The first is called the “Beiji Seal for Slaying Ghosts” and is said to treat all kinds of illness. The second is called the “Beiji Fengdu Seal for Summoning Ghosts and Spirits”—Fengdu being the city of the dead—and is said to summon ghosts and spirits. If people are harassed by evil ghosts, mountain sprites (shanxiao), or strange spectral beings, so that they rave incoherently or even rush into water or fire, the seal is pressed on the patient’s chest over the heart. The scripture (Jing) says that the patient will then be able to speak the name of whatever is causing the affliction and make it cease its harassment, and that the illness will quickly be cured.

Beiji Tianpeng Seal and Divine Seal of the Celestial Stalwarts

The two seals are each three cun long and two cun and one fen wide. The first is called the “Beiji Tianpeng Seal” and is said to subdue Yin demons and treat illness. The second is called the “Divine Seal of the Celestial Stalwarts” (Tianding) and is said to dispel ghostly hauntings and treat illness. The scripture states that wearing these two seals is auspicious.

Beiji Divine Seal for Supervising Slaying and Seal of the Imperial Lord

The two seals are each one cun and two fen in both length and width. The first is called the “Beiji Divine Seal for Supervising Slaying” and is said to command and govern all kinds of deities and spirits, demons and monsters, and ghostly hauntings. The second is called the “Seal of the Imperial Lord” (Dijun) and is said, when worn, to win the respect of others, so that demons and ghosts dare not harass the wearer.

Seal of the Imperial Lord of Taiwei

The seal is one cun and two fen in both length and width.

Divine Seal of the Celestial Emperor

The seal is one cun and two fen in both length and width. The scripture states that wearing the “Seal of the Imperial Lord of Taiwei” (Taiwei, Grand Tenuity) makes all beings fear and submit, and summons deities and spirits; wearing the “Divine Seal of the Celestial Emperor” (Tiandi) can confer long life and the protection of immortals (xian).

Seal of the Great General of Beiji and Seal of the Emissary Who Treats Illness

The two seals are each one cun and two fen in both length and width. The first is called the “Seal of the Great General of Beiji” and is said, when worn, to subdue fierce insects and beasts and to overcome enemies in battle. The second is called the “Seal of the Emissary Who Treats Illness” and is said, when worn, to ward off every kind of disease and cure all illnesses. Of epilepsy, the scripture further says that this seal may be swallowed and the illness thereby cured.

Tiangang Seal and Divine Seal of the Celestial Emperor of Taixuan

The length and width of each of the two seals are …. The scripture is unfinished at this point.

Of the two seals on the right, one is called the “Great General Seal of the Northern Pole” (Beiji), the ritual seal of the divine generals of the Northern Pole. Worn on the person, it can subdue ferocious evil spirits and help one overcome an enemy before battle. The other is called the “Seal of the Healing Envoy,” a divine seal used for treating illness. Worn on the person, it can ward off every kind of disease and cure a hundred ailments; if someone suffering from epilepsy swallows it, it is said that recovery follows at once.

The Tiangang Seal and the Divine Seal of the Heavenly Emperor of Taixuan

Each of the two seals measures one cun and two fen in both length and width.

Of the two seals on the right, one is called the “Tiangang Seal.” On a jia day or a yi day, it is impressed on clay or wax and then buried in the direction belonging to the patient’s natal destiny; it is said that the illness will then be cured. The other is called the “Divine Seal of the Heavenly Emperor of Taixuan.” Whenever a matter is to be memorialized to the deities, this seal is used; it can also treat every kind of illness. If it is impressed over the patient’s heart, it is said that the illness will be cured immediately.

All of the seals above must be carved from the heartwood of jujube wood that has been struck by lightning. A jiazi day, the fifth day of the first lunar month, or a bingwu day in summer is chosen, and only after sacrificial rites have been performed three times may the seals be used.

Incantation Empowering the Beiji Seal

The divine spirit of the Most High was formed by the transformation of the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of the Flame Emperor. Its radiance is like rosy clouds and its speed like lightning, illuminating the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three supreme deities venerated in Daoism and the realms associated with them. Fierce flames stream for ten thousand li, and ghosts and specters have nowhere to hide. At a single impression of the divine seal, evil spirits and goblins are subdued and destroyed. The Generals of the Three and Five, together with the Huoluo officers and troops—divine generals and divine soldiers who act upon command—pacify heaven and earth and slay ghosts and specters without pause. Fulu (talismans and registers) race forth, the divine seal is put into effect, and the Five Stars rest upon the head; flames are cast out, slaying the ten thousand ghosts and the thousand spectral essences. The ghost-bandits of the Six Heavens are all delivered over to Bing and Ding, here referring to the deities of fire, or to the power of fire. The True Elders of the Five Numina are my original masters. Divine power meets no obstruction, and the myriad spirits submit. Evil ghosts are annihilated, and whatever is inauspicious is surely pursued and removed. The Central Yellow Nine Paths, a system of divine ways or directions in Daoist ritual arts, spread their awesome might through the four quarters. Not a trace of hidden malign Qi is overlooked. The Five Pestilences and the Seven Afflictions, a general term for plagues and contagious diseases—all of these I can destroy. What ghost dares resist, and what spirit dares harm me? Fengdu, the underworld, beheads the ghost’s body; the Northern Dipper cuts away the ghost’s corpse. At a single stroke of the divine blade, the ten thousand ghosts disperse. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

Divine Incantation of the Tianding of the Northern Pole

The Great Dao (the Way) has a spirit named Tianding, a divine general of the Northern Pole. Who dares harm one who serves the deities? Fengdu beheads the ghost’s body; the Northern Dipper cuts away the ghost’s corpse. At a single stroke of the divine blade, the ten thousand ghosts disperse. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

The Great Dao (the Way) has a spirit named Tianding. He carries out the commands of the Nine Heavens and accepts the commission of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three highest deities revered in Daoism. He descends into the human world to cut down demons and evil. When the Divine King grows angry, even the Five Marchmounts collapse and topple; he summons and binds the hosts of demons and dispatches ghost soldiers. Myriads of demons are beheaded, and crowds of wicked beings are cut away. How would Luofeng, the netherworld mansion of ghosts spoken of in Daoism, dare to run riot and do harm? The Northern Capital, the underworld court of the north, likewise sends out troops to punish them. The vicious are slain, and the good are allowed to live. The souls of the dead in the Six Heavens, the six realms of ghosts and spirits spoken of in Daoism, are registered one by one by name. Those who defy the Great Dao must die; those who follow the Great Dao obtain life. How would roaming spirits of calamity dare to throw the netherworld into disorder on their own? All must obey the statutes and carry them out at once.

The above is the Marvelous Register of the North Pole, a Fulu (talismans and registers) conferred by the spirits of the North Pole. It is a ritual register secretly stored in the Northern Mystery and revered by the supreme sages. One who receives and wears this register should set up a true image of the North Pole and prepare offerings according to the rite. Each year one offers sacrifice on the third day after “Dragon Travels,” the fifth day after “Horse Halts,” the seventh day after “Monkey’s Station,” the ninth day after “the xu establishment,” and also on jiazi days and gengshen days. These dates use the day-and-hour terminology of the Daoist calendar; the specific choice of days should follow the Keyi (liturgy) being performed. Every morning one should purify body and mind and recite the incantations of the various spirits. When the recitation reaches ten thousand times, the practice may be counted as accomplished; the ritual arts one performs will meet with a response, and the key lies in single-minded sincerity. When reciting, the voice should be low; if it is too loud, one fears startling the spirits. One should avoid matters of mourning and burial; if stained by impurity, one must remove one’s clothes and wash. Practitioners are to observe this with reverence.

The Perfected of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) says: Devout men and women of the world who believe in the Dao, after receiving and wearing the Marvelous Register of the North Pole and cultivating according to the regulations, can destroy sprites and evil influences and subdue demonic beings and monsters. They can carry out transformation on Heaven’s behalf, aid the state, and relieve the people. On the day their merit is complete, they can transcend the dusty world and lengthen their years, have their names entered in the register of immortals, and cause seven generations of ancestors to ascend as well, while they themselves take their place among the immortals of the heavenly realm. If one treats this secret text lightly, calamity will extend to one’s ancestors. Those who cultivate the Dao should strive to follow it.

Disciple So-and-so, on this day, bearing the ritual pledge, respectfully goes before the Celestial Master (Tianshi), the Perfected, to receive in homage one rank of the Most High North Pole Divine Incantation Register for Subduing Demons and Slaying Ghosts. After receiving and wearing it, the disciple swears to observe the precepts and covenants of the liturgy. Should the oath one day be broken, the disciple willingly accepts punishment under the heavenly law and dares not resent the Great Dao or lay blame upon the master. All is to be carried out according to the liturgies and statutes of the Mysterious Gate.

Formula for Requesting the Method

Formula for requesting the method of the Most High North Pole Divine Incantation Register for Subduing Demons and Slaying Ghosts:

In the document, a devotee of the Dao (the Way) from a certain locality and a certain village, named so-and-so, states the year, month, day, and hour of his birth and declares that he stands under the illumination of a certain star lord of the Northern Dipper. On this day he reverently brings a dharma token—a pledge offered when seeking transmission, to show his sincerity—kowtows, and goes to the gate of the Celestial Master (Tianshi), Successor to the Han, at Mount Longhu, to request transmission of one rank of the Register of the Supreme Northern Pole for Subduing Demons and Slaying Ghosts by Divine Spells, swearing to uphold it with reverence and to cultivate in accordance with the register.

The Northern Chronogram, the Pole Star, occupies the midst of the celestial images and administers the ordinances of the Purple Tenuity court. The Great Emperor resides at the center and manifests vermilion talismanic script upon the Jade Dipper, the stellar dipper of the heavens. He can destroy demon-sprites and execute the wicked, command wind and thunder, and issue statutes and decrees. Breathing and moving Qi (vital energy) in accord with the moment, he sends the divine generals of the Six Jia throughout the Six Heavens; directing them by spells, he summons and gathers the myriad spirits from within the myriad Qi, the primordial breath that fills heaven and earth. Thirty-six generals charge and strike in every direction, and numberless troops of soldiers guard, escort, welcome, and see them off. His majesty and merit can hardly be told in full. Should one violate the strict statutes, one willingly accepts punishment in the underworld; should one devote oneself wholly to their observance, one quietly awaits the master’s command.

Disciple so-and-so earnestly petitions and submits this document to the gate of the Celestial Master. Bearing the token, he comes to enter the Dao and set forth his plea, requesting transmission of one rank of the Register of the Supreme Northern Emperor for Subduing Demons and Slaying Ghosts by Divine Spells, and asking to receive the precious taboo-name of the True Master—the honored designation of a deity or of a master in the line of transmission, as used in Daoist ritual—to be reverently upheld for life. Upon receiving this petition, the gate of the Celestial Master that very day announces the covenant to Heaven and Earth and swears before the Three Officials, the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water venerated in Daoism. In accordance with the rite, the covenant tally is broken and the ring divided, the joining and parting of the token signifying that the oath is established. Transmission and delivery then follow the provisions of the liturgy (Keyi), as set out below.

One rank of register: the Register of the Supreme Northern Emperor for Subduing Demons and Slaying Ghosts by Divine Spells.

The rite: the program of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Essentials for Cultivating the True.

The jade taboo-names of the three masters—Ancestral Master, Mysterious Master, and True Master. Ancestral Master: Great Ritual Master Who Upholds the Teaching of the Three Heavens and Assists the Primordial Origin; True Lord of Orthodox Unity, Penetrating the Mysterious, Divinely Transforming, Quietly Responding, and Manifestly Protecting—Zhang Daoling. Mysterious Master, the master who transmits the ritual lineage: Successor Master, True Lord of Great Clarity Who Expounds the Teaching and the Wondrous Dao—Zhang Chong.

The True Master (the patriarch who transmits this method) is the Lineage Master (Xishi), True Lord of Great Clarity Who Illumines Transformation and Vast Virtue (Taiqing Zhaohua Guangde Zhenjun), Zhang Lu.

The Names of the Three Masters Who Transmit the Scriptures, Confer the Registers, and Bestow Ordination

Scripture Master (Jingshi, the master who transmits the scriptural texts): True Officer of the Southern Bureau of the Scriptures and Registers of the Three Caverns (Sandong) of Highest Clarity, Senior Minister of the Jade Bureau, Great Ritual Master of All Heaven, Forty-second Generation Celestial Master (Tianshi) succeeding the Han, Zhang Zhengchang.

Register Master (Jishi, the master who transmits the ritual registers): True Arbiter Who Upholds the Law of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) for the Scriptures and Registers of the Three Caverns of Highest Clarity, Perfected Who Leads the Teaching of the Numinous Treasure, Great Ritual Master of All Heaven, Forty-third Generation Celestial Master succeeding the Han, Zhang Yuchu.

Ordination Master (Dushi, the master who confers ordination in the methods): Perfected of Mysterious Transformation Who Leads the Teaching of the Numinous Treasure of the Precious Registers of the Three Caverns of Highest Clarity, Immortal Arbiter Who Upholds the Law of the Southern Bureau, Perfected of the Great Ritual Teaching of All Heaven, Great Ritual Master of All Heaven, Forty-third Generation Celestial Master succeeding the Han, Zhang Yuchu.

Ordination Master: Perfected of Mysterious Transformation Who Leads the Teaching of the Numinous Treasure of the Precious Registers of the Three Caverns of Highest Clarity, Immortal Arbiter Who Upholds the Law of the Southern Bureau, Great Ritual Master of All Heaven, Forty-fourth Generation Celestial Master succeeding the Teaching, Zhang Ningqing.

Name of the Ritual Master presiding at the altar:

Master Who Witnesses the Covenant:

Master Who Supervises the Ordination:

Master Who Sponsors the Candidate:

The Celestial Master, Master Zhengying, said: The azure empyrean condenses numinous Qi (vital energy), and the Purple Pole sends forth its radiance. The scriptures (Jing) record the norms of the four quarters of heaven and earth and can gather the power to subdue the host of demons. To divulge them rashly or to treat the teaching with negligence brings misfortune; to receive them with reverence and to cultivate them with diligence brings good fortune. These principles do not change whether hidden or manifest, and both human beings and spirits rely upon them. The Most High therefore established the teaching and passed it on to students of later ages. From that time forward, the masters and perfected of successive generations—masters who had attained the Dao (the Way)—have spread this precious instruction and guided those with an affinity for it, handing it down from generation to generation without interruption.

I have been fortunate to inherit the blessings of my forebears and, generation after generation, to receive the grace of the state, succeeding to the office of master in the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) school and continuing the ancestral line of Tianmu. Because the ritual registers have circulated for so long, skilled artisans were chosen to carve the blocks and print the books, so that they might endure. As for observing the precepts and keeping compassion and mercy in the heart, all who have attained the Dao from ancient times to the present have done so. Every faithful devotee who ascends the altar to receive the teaching should purge distracting thoughts, contemplate with a concentrated mind, accumulate good deeds and merit, and strive to meet these requirements. Then the aspirations they have formed may be realized, and they may pass from the ordinary toward the mysterious. The covenants and agreements are written out in full clarity; how could one fail to observe them with care?

The Celestial Master Guangweizi said: Relying on the Fulu (talismans and registers) of the Most High, our family has rescued and delivered beings of the human world and the celestial realm, protected the state, and safeguarded the destiny of the nation for more than one thousand five hundred years. The ancestors’ admonitions are perfectly clear, and there is no need to add further praise. It is simply that the True Lords of our earlier generations were fortunate to encounter a sage and enlightened court, so that all under heaven was brought to unity. The covenants and agreements are written out in full clarity; how could one fail to observe them with care?

Note: In the source text, some master titles, personal names, and generation numbers are repeated or broken across lines; the above follows the original order. Entries such as “Ritual Master presiding at the altar” were left unfilled in the original.

Celestial Master (Tianshi) Guangweizi said: For more than fifteen hundred years, our house has relied on the Fulu (talismans and registers) transmitted by Taishang (the Daoist honorific for the supreme deity) to save and deliver the beings of the human world and the celestial realms, to protect the state, and to secure the fortunes of the nation. The admonitions of our forebears are perfectly clear; there is no need to praise them any further.

Our ancestral Perfected Lord (Zhenjun) alone met with an age of sagely enlightenment and, after the realm was unified, was the first to be honored. The Daoists of Jiangnan, whether wearing the ceremonial cap or clad in coarse hemp robes, all came under his authority. Since I inherited the teaching, I have passed through three reigns and have repeatedly received the favor of the court. On the accession of the new emperor, His Majesty specially conferred a distinguished title, commending me as exacting and rigorous like the Perfected One of Xujing (Void Tranquility, a Daoist honorific), and as reverent and solemn like the Perfected One of Chonghe (Balanced Harmony, a Daoist honorific). Following the old precedent of the Tang dynasty, he further granted me office, bestowed a fief, and advanced my rank of nobility.

The emperor charged me to do good works and to transmit the Fulu, so as to carry on the undertaking of our ancestors; he also charged me to pray for blessings and to ward off calamities among the people, and I have carefully obeyed the imperial command. In praying that Heaven protect the lasting fortune of the state, how dare I be anything but reverent and diligent? I deliver people and confer registers, and I transmit the methods of talismans, so that the teaching may be made all the more manifest: above, I answer and proclaim the illustrious mandate of the Son of Heaven; below, I extend to the common people the blessings bestowed by the emperor. If all cherish sincerity in their hearts, they will be able to receive the vast blessings sent down by Heaven.