《玄圃山灵（匚金）秘箓》

The Secret Register of the Numinous Coffer of Mount Xuanpu is a work of remote and profound origin. Master Xiapi obtained it in a stone cave on Mount Tai and later transmitted it to several people. Of those who received it, some assisted the state, some withdrew to live among mountains and wilds, some transcended the secular world, and some practiced its methods in the world. The book was sometimes hidden and sometimes brought to light. At times it was handed down by an earlier holder, at times it was come upon by chance, and at times it was bestowed by spirits or taught by a master. Whether one obtains it depends on a destined affinity with Heaven. Once it is obtained and its methods are put into practice, they answer as an echo answers a sound and as a shadow follows a form. The responses are so extraordinary that people in the world cannot tell the cause, and some even suspect that the practitioner is no ordinary mortal.

Zhang Zifang received the book from Master Xiapi, and Li Guangli received it from Zhang Zifang. Fei Changfang received it from the Elder in the Gourd. Wang Guangbo obtained it at the temple of the King of Chu; Liu Huangong received it from Wang Guangbo, and Zhang Gongchao received it from Liu Huangong. Wang Zijin received it from a woodcutter of Mount Hua. Zhuge Kongming received it from the Master of Nanyang. A Daoist of Mount Mao received it from Master Changlu of Fuhu Crag. Zhang Jing obtained it from the mountain of the Zhang clan, while Lin Ziyao obtained it from within the belly of a temple spirit. Most who acquired the book did not pass it on. They commonly kept it hidden until old age, and once their affairs were accomplished they concealed their traces.

Only Zhang Jing transmitted the book to his descendants. Later, certain people divulged the secret methods, altered the facts, passed off false teachings as the true transmission, invented lineages together with the names of ten schools, and scattered the book through the world for profit. What people generally obtained was no more than writing carefully preserved, and the methods could not be practiced from it. Even when someone acquired talismans of the Dao (the Way) and incantations and tried to use them, a response seldom came. Only the Zhang line passed the book down from generation to generation. For that reason it alone grew illustrious, and its fame reached the court. The court named the mountain of the Zhang clan Mount Longhu, built abbeys, conferred titles, and repeatedly issued edicts. Generation after generation, the Zhangs were called Celestial Masters (Tianshi). Their stipends never ceased, and their reputation spread in every direction. It was a truly extraordinary matter.

Mount Xuanpu is called the ancestral vein of all the mountains under Heaven, and it bears four names: Xuanpu, Jishi, Kunlun, and the Western Mountains. It lies in the west of the world, where the rivers have their source. Ranges extend from it, and streams rise from it as well. It is the source of the transformations of Qian, Heaven, and the foundation of Kun, Earth, two of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). Winds and clouds gather and are stored there; water and fire meet there; ghosts and spirits dwell there; and every kind of sprite assembles there. The mountain towers into the clouds and cuts across a whole quarter of the land. Its peaks are precipitous, and its great caverns are deep and secluded. Clouds of qi (vital energy) veil the summit, while springs surge out below the mountain and run on so far that their end cannot be found. In the belly of the mountain a cavern stands clearly formed. It is a place where ghosts, spirits, and sprites collect. A spirit presides within it, named Xutuo. The Divine Lord has twenty-four generals, posted through the twelve provinces, who govern the responses of fortune and misfortune throughout the world.

What the title calls the “numinous coffer” is precisely the profound and marvelous working of the spirits of Mount Xuanpu. The numinous can command emptiness and hold the subtle and the wondrous. In itself it has neither form nor substance, yet through the methods it can produce a response. It is hidden and hard to fathom, yet it answers to things outside itself. It is empty to begin with, yet by the principle of emptiness it operates among the myriad things.

The shen (spirit) of the human body is the same. Where the body has qi and blood, there is the light of spirit-illumination; where qi and blood are absent, shen has nowhere to appear. The coming and going of shen cannot be seen. It arises within what has form, and it vanishes with what has form; it comes forth from the formless, and it returns to the formless. In ordinary movement or rest, when the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, and body are stirred, shen turns within. When shen moves, qi is set going; when qi is set going, the body moves in turn. A formless resonance thus acts upon what has form. This is just how the methods work when they are put into practice.

Thus the reciting of incantations, the drawing of talismans, the blowing of qi from the mouth, visualization in the mind, the closing of the eyes and the clicking of the teeth, together with the forming of hand seals and the pacing of the ritual steps, all use concrete actions to communicate with emptiness. When emptiness responds, things change with it. This agrees with the principle by which a stirring of the body sets the inner mind and nature in motion, and the body then gives that motion outward expression.

The graph for “coffer” means a vessel for keeping secret things. The two characters jiang and jin symbolize the storing away of objects. Here they figure the hiding of what is most subtle inside a great coffer, so that nothing leaks out. The variant characters used in the book are arcane graphs of another age. “Secret register” means that spirits transmitted this book to particular persons and that it was not to circulate through the world. Those who have obtained it, in ancient times and in recent ones, have mostly admired its efficacy and marveled at its strangeness without truly understanding its principles.

The whole work consists of three juan (volumes), with eight methods in each. The eight methods of the upper volume can take Heaven and Earth as their model, rouse thunder, alter the signs of Heaven, draw in yin clouds, block rivers, make frozen rivers close or fierce fire blaze, and command the qi of snow. The eight methods of the middle volume can overcome an enemy and secure victory, conceal troops, bring springs gushing forth, launch fire-arrows, summon yin clouds, transform men and horses, shorten the veins of the earth, and walk upon rivers. The eight methods of the lower volume can send forth radiance, hide the body, transform wealth and goods, enter souls and dreams, drive out malign poison, subdue flood-dragons, destroy sprites and demons, and bring fierce and baleful hauntings under control. The essentials of these methods are simple, but their effects come quickly. One who obtains the book may cultivate and regulate his own person and manage the affairs of a single individual, and may also bring peace to the people.

A superior adept who cultivates the book may ascend as an immortal and pass beyond the world. A middling adept may assist the state. A lesser adept uses the methods to delude the foolish. Master Xiapi, the Elder in the Gourd, Fei Changfang, Zhang Gongchao, Wang Zijin, the Master of Nanyang, Master Changlu, Zhang Jing, Lin Ziyao, and others belong among those who ascend as immortals and transcend the world. Li Guangli, Wang Guangbo, Liu Huangong, Zhuge Kongming, and others belong among those who assist the state. The Daoist of Mount Mao and the descendants of Zhang Jing belong among those who use the methods to delude worldly people.

I once served as Grand Administrator of Xunyang. After I was dismissed, I returned to Chang’an and did not go on to court. Instead I drank freely in the company of old friends. I gave no thought to my aged wife or to my children and grandchildren. I drank without measure, and once drunk I no longer knew where I was. I cared only to be at ease and unrestrained.

One morning I was sitting on the bank of the Wei River when I saw a man walking toward me over the water. I called out in surprise and demanded to know who he was. He came ashore and bowed to me respectfully. I bent forward and returned the courtesy, and he sat down opposite me. Looking closely, I recognized Lin Ziyao. Startled, I asked him, “How can you walk upon the water?” He answered, “I have long been skilled in this method. Seeing now that your aim is to live unrestrained and free of care, I have come expressly to find you. Do not doubt me. At dawn tomorrow we shall meet at Tianhui Terrace.” With that he left again, treading the surface of the water.

Although I suspected that it had been something like a dream, that night I still went out from Weicheng and lay drunk upon Tianhui Terrace, waiting for the next morning. During the night I dreamed that I drank freely with Lin Ziyao and that we traveled together to Mount Jishi. Just as we were about to turn back, I woke suddenly, rose, and sat on the terrace. The sky was already growing light. Before long Lin Ziyao arrived with a large gourd on his back, invited me up onto the terrace, poured wine, and drank freely with me. We talked of the changes of past and present and laughed without restraint. He brought out a scroll for me to see and charged me, “In time to come the world will fall into disorder, and I fear you will suffer insult and slander from the people of the age. Take this book, use its methods, withdraw to the mountains and wilds, and do not remain here.” I received the book with a bow. We then drank freely once more, and he mounted the qi of the clouds and departed into the sky.

A year later I took leave of my family, left Chang’an, studied the art of riding the clouds, and wandered among the famous mountains of the world. After three years I came to Shishi Crag on this mountain and found Lin Ziyao drinking in a round thatched hut, so I stayed and lived here. I have now sojourned in the mountains for ten years. Those who come to visit me each day are all noted men of whom I had heard in former times. Day after day I practice the methods with Old Man Feilai and Master Chongrong, and I also till the fields and fish. For the moment my days do not seem abundant, yet for the long term there is more than enough. I merely follow the mandate of Heaven at my ease. When I recall what I did before, it seems already a lifetime away.

Alas, a human life between Heaven and Earth is as brief as an arrow in flight. If one can be free of the toil of the dusty world, unbound by favor and disgrace, loosed from the net of custom, cut off from worldly intercourse, and awakened to true joy, that is the state in which a true man keeps himself pure and lofty, stands beyond the world, and gains the greatest happiness between Heaven and Earth.

In the learning by which the world speaks of transcendence and immortality there are the writings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, but those books transmit only the highest principles and do not disclose the concrete arts. Among military methods there is Master Lü’s Six Secret Teachings. People mostly employ the stratagems in it that can be seen, while the illusory and wondrous methods are kept hidden. The arts of wizardry likewise have secretly transmitted writings that belong to them, but the essentials have been lost and only the diagrams remain. Later students of the Dao obtain the coarse portion but not the essence. They obtain the implements but do not understand their use, and as the texts are copied from hand to hand they gradually become corrupt and lose their truth. Thus profound and mysterious principles are held with rigid attachment and cannot be applied with freedom, and methods that depend on resonance fail when they are practiced. People grasp only what has form and lose the root in emptiness, so the arts of the world are confined by fixed rules. When danger comes, disaster is still hard to escape, and one cannot free oneself.

It is a pity that students of the Dao today turn against their own nature and principle and do not understand how to use the methods, while those skilled with troops can only scheme and do not understand transformation. Such people know only how to keep what has already been achieved, and when affairs arise they readily lose their composure. If one can study the writings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi and be adept in using their arts, grasp the essentials of the Six Secret Teachings, and also understand the arts of illusory transformation, then one can take the formless as one’s guide, control movement by stillness and overcome hardness by softness, remain rounded and penetrating amid change, and pass in and out between being and non-being. In this way one may both preserve one’s own person and bring peace to the state. That is a complete capacity.

I am now nearly ninety. My sinews and bones are still strong, but life and death cannot be foreseen. I fear that in time this book will be left among valleys and rocky caverns, and that those who find it will not know where it came from. I have therefore examined the records of earlier men and written this preface, in the hope that those who later obtain the book may understand its origin.

Preface written by Huangfu Peng, recluse of Mount Shang, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the first year of Zhoutong.

Contents

The upper volume contains eight magical arts: Falai (Unleashing the Pipe-Sounds), Zhenpei (Shaking the Torrents), Fouxing (the Jar Star), Jueyun (Parting the Clouds), Yongshui (Damming the Waters), Ninghe (Congealing the River), Miehuo (Extinguishing Fire), and Yuyun (Riding the Clouds).

The middle volume contains eight magical arts: Zhenzhen (Shaking the Battle Array), Fushen (Subduing the Branch Shen), Chuquan (Calling Forth a Spring), Huojian (the Fire Arrow), Jie Huayin (Binding Huayin), Caomu Huaren (Transforming Grasses and Trees into Persons), Zuochi (Sitting and Racing Afar), and Shuixing (Traveling upon Water).

The lower volume contains eight magical arts: Qiguang (Raising Light), Yinzhi (Concealing One’s Substance), Bianwu (Transforming Things), Fumeng (Attaching to Dreams), Qudu (Dispelling Poison), Jinshen (Restraining the Mirage-Beast), Zhanyao (Slaying Demons), and Fu Jingang Zha (the Vajra Talisman Slip).

Upper Volume

Presiding Deity of the Method

The Great Imperial Lord Xutuo—of the Brahma-Immortal Great Dao, who penetrates the Mystery, attains the utmost subtlety, and resonates with the True—wears a ritual robe of red silk and a skirt of green silk, a Yunzhi crown, a gui-shaped crown ornament of bluish jade, and red shoes. He is heavily built and tall. His face is crimson touched with a jade hue; he wears a white beard, with a little whisker at the temples.

Generals and Officers on Duty at the Altar

Tong Yingtong, Marshal of Orthodox Response in the Clear Void, wears a blue-green robe under a black outer shirt painted with five-colored patterns, a yellow forehead band, and red boots. His complexion is swarthy and his build slightly lean, and he holds a golden mallet.

The great general on duty at the altar, Marshal Xia, whose personal name is Guoze, wears a red robe over golden armor, a yellow forehead band, and red boots. His complexion is swarthy and his build slightly lean, and he holds a golden mallet.

The great general on duty at the altar, Marshal Xia, whose personal name is Guoze, wears a red robe over golden armor, together with a yellow headcloth and a golden belt, a green skirt, and black boots. His face is large and pale; he wears a beard, with a little whisker at the temples, and he holds an iron staff.

The Twenty-Four Generals

The Twenty-Four Generals originally had no names. They were formed by the condensation of the twenty-four Qi (vital energy), which Daoism understands as the breaths of heaven and earth, or as primordial vital energy. Their titles, in order, are Zhou Shiming, Gui Xingxiang, Guan Yuanbai, Yang Deyu, Liu Cheng, Yu Te, Tong Yingtong, Yu Tianzhen, Ci Daoming, Zhang Qianzhen, Qiu Yusheng, Lang Su, Ban Gongwang, Zhou Yingji, Peng Zhenyou, Ma Wu, Yang Chao, Fang Yude, Gao Yuan, Lu Xingdao, Zha Guoming, Xing Ziqi, Tao Zhenxun, and Hang Yingtao.

Metal on Year Duty

Coalescing into form.

When writing, face the northwest and recite the incantation “Luoluniyou” three times.

Wood on Month Duty

Coalescing into form.

When writing the talisman: Qi, Tao Zhenxun, and Hang Yingtao.

Metal on Year Duty

Coalescing into form.

When writing, face the northwest and recite the incantation “Luoluniyou” three times.

The month corresponds to Wood (Mu), gathering form. When writing the talisman, face east and recite the incantation “Shuoluoxianluozi” three times.

The day corresponds to Water (Shui), gathering form. When writing the talisman, face east and recite the incantation “Yudanyuluodulu” three times.

The hour corresponds to Fire (Huo), gathering form. When writing the talisman, face south and recite the incantation “Tulong tulong heyi” five times.

The embryo corresponds to Earth (Tu), gathering form. When writing the talisman, with the back to the north and the face to the south, bend forward and recite the incantation “Wanxuanxutuoyuanyixing” seven times.

When the writing is finished, spread the register (lu)—a Daoist ritual document in which talismanic spells, names, and the like are written—on the ground, lie face down upon it, and prostrate for a quarter of an hour. Then roll up the register and rise, taking it with you.

To write this register, one must choose a Metal (Jin) year, a Wood month, a Water day, and a Fire hour, and each must coincide with auspicious stellar lodges. Before the altar is built and the register written, a memorial must be prepared three days in advance and submitted to the Imperial Lord, stating the circumstances clearly and inviting the Twenty-Four Generals to take their places in sequence. The memorial and the secret words are written on yellow paper, in cinnabar ground with water from a gushing spring.

On the day of writing, sweep an open space clean and sprinkle it with water. Build a three-tiered altar of yellow earth, set out twenty-four pure vessels, and place a wine goblet at the center of the altar. Burn incense and respectfully invite the Great Imperial Lord Xutuo—of Penetrating Mystery, Utmost Subtlety, and Resonance with the True—of the Great Dao (the Way) of the Brahma Immortals of Wanxuan Cavern on Mount Xuanpu, and then summon the Twenty-Four Generals. When the summons is complete, bow twice and pour the wine. Wait a moment; if a violent wind rises, remove the wine vessels. Then concentrate in visualization, let down the hair and hold a sword, close the eyes, and form the ritual gesture.

When ascending the altar to write the register, spread a length of yellow silk three chi and six cun wide. Take gushing-spring water from the four directions to grind the cinnabar, face the four directions, recite the incantations, and write the register. First write the Twenty-Four Generals, so that the Fulu (talismans and registers) encircle the four directions, six generals to each direction, beginning with the general of the character “wan” in the west and proceeding around in sequence. Only after all Twenty-Four Generals have been written does one write the central portion, beginning with the character “jin” and ending with the character “tu.” When this is finished, press the face down upon the register and prostrate for a quarter of an hour; then roll up the register and stand, reciting the incantation nine times: “Wanxuan yuyu lunjiugang, fenyan yunli chanyu yunhuang.”

The ritual objects and implements required at the altar should all be prepared in advance and kept ready for use at the appointed time.

The Talismans of the Twenty-Four Generals are set out according to the solar terms and the provincial territories, and each general has a corresponding “Form-Gathering Incantation,” a spell for summoning and assembling bodily form. The first general belongs to the Beginning of Autumn and to Yanzhou; the Form-Gathering Incantation is wan luo you lun. The second belongs to the End of Heat and to Yanzhou; the incantation is ju wan fu yan. The third belongs to White Dew and to Yuzhou; the incantation is ju ta long ni. The fourth belongs to the Autumn Equinox and to Yuzhou; the incantation is wan ting ju gao. The fifth belongs to Cold Dew and to Youzhou; the incantation is zhen tuo yun zi. The sixth belongs to Frost’s Descent and to Youzhou; the incantation is shen luo huo qiu. The seventh belongs to the Beginning of Winter and to Yangzhou; the incantation is yan long yu yu. The eighth belongs to Minor Snow and to Yangzhou; the incantation is yu lun yun chuan. The ninth belongs to Major Snow and to Qingzhou; the incantation is hu yuan ju guang. The tenth belongs to the Winter Solstice and to Qingzhou; the incantation is yu qi he jing. The eleventh belongs to Minor Cold and to Bingzhou; the incantation is huo yu nü gang. The twelfth belongs to Major Cold and to Bingzhou; the incantation is shi long yu dan. The thirteenth belongs to the Beginning of Spring and to Xuzhou; the incantation is xuan lü gou ling. The fourteenth belongs to Rain Water and to Xuzhou; the incantation is yuan lun zhen shan. The fifteenth belongs to the Awakening of Insects and to Jizhou; the incantation is qi yun tian hui. The sixteenth belongs to Major Heat and to Jizhou; the incantation is yang yu ju yan. The seventeenth belongs to the Spring Equinox and to Liangzhou.

The scripture arranges the solar terms, the provincial territories, and each general’s incantation in corresponding order. The incantations given here are the specialized spell texts used in the ritual.

The Juxing Zhou (Gathering-Form Spell) is an incantation used to summon and assemble forms or spirits. The eighteenth section corresponds to Clear and Bright (Qingming) and belongs to Liangzhou; its incantation is “kun you shen jie.” The nineteenth section corresponds to Grain Rain (Guyu) and belongs to Yongzhou; its incantation is “song nü lun hong.” The twentieth section corresponds to the Beginning of Summer (Lixia) and belongs to Yongzhou; its incantation is “dou lu xuan yun.” The twenty-first section corresponds to Grain Full (Xiaoman) and belongs to Yingzhou; its incantation is “yue yu chong shen.” The twenty-second section corresponds to Grain in Ear (Mangzhong) and belongs to Yingzhou; its incantation is “yu lie bi yi.” The twenty-third section corresponds to the Summer Solstice (Xiazhi); its incantation is “hong wei ju ding.” The twenty-fourth section corresponds to Lesser Heat (Xiaoshu); its incantation is “tuo xu yu lun.”

There is also a talisman, accompanied by a talisman envoy (an emissary who carries out affairs in accordance with the talisman). The Zhifu envoy Xiao De recites “yu lie bi yi.” He wears a yellow headcloth, a celestial-talisman robe, and black boots; his face is dark, his eyes are large, and he has a beard, and in his hand he holds a guduo (a club-like weapon). Whenever one writes Fulu (talismans and registers), the talismans drawn in Daoist ritual, one should first set the altar in place, burn curcuma incense, prepare one vessel of wine and five kinds of fruit, and draw a fire-dragon horse. After respectfully inviting the envoy Kangdi Liefeng Xuanchi, one performs the double bow, pours the wine, and burns the horse that has been drawn. The ritual officiant wears black clothing, lets the hair hang loose, and goes barefoot; after reading the memorial and the petition, he burns one each of a drawn dragon carriage, phoenix carriage, qilin carriage, and lion-and-rhinoceros carriage, together with twenty-four fire-dragon horses, and then places these, along with the talisman and the talisman-envoy talisman, on the altar ground to be incinerated. Apart from this, no other offerings are prepared. The spell is recited three times, and its text is: “xuan lie yu lu ying yu wan xuan.”

After the Fulu (talismans and registers) have been completely burned, the wine and fruit are removed from the altar. One sits in silence before the altar with eyes closed in visualization for a time. Before long the sound of wind suddenly rises, and one then leaves the altar place. On the third day, when the Fulu have been written according to the method, they are rolled into a small scroll, wrapped in red cloth, and placed on the altar in the chamber of abstinence to be offered. Each dawn one burns yujinxiang and proceeds according to the rite, writing the script of Kun, visualizing the Qi (vital energy) of Kun, and reciting the incantation fifteen times. The incantation is: “Kunlun wanxuan, jufan luyu, yuyu lingxuan tuomolu.” After it is recited, one taps the teeth seven times.

One observes this abstinence for thirty-six days. If at night one dreams of golden light filling the room, it means the art is efficacious. When this method is carried out, wine and fruit, carriages and horses should be prepared, and one should practice abstinence and cultivation according to the rite established by Zhang Jing.

Dietary Taboos

Among birds, one must not eat owl, wild goose, wild duck, or kite; among beasts, one must not eat bear, dog, fox, or rabbit; among creatures of the water, one must not eat “dianchu,” carp, or otter; among foods that grow in the earth, one must not eat scallions or chives. All of the above are things that violate the taboos once they are eaten.

The Seven Precepts

One must not give rise to selfish desires and deviant thoughts, must not covet the belongings of others, must not kill living beings without cause, must not speak falsely, must not exalt oneself and look down on others, must not be insatiably greedy, and must not rely on magical arts to deceive the world. These seven precepts are to be carefully observed for thirty-six days. One must not approach women, must not provoke or violate tabooed things, and must not speak of impure matters.

The Method of Casting the Sword

Take nine jin of iron from Liangzhou, make a furnace of red clay and a sword mold of yellow earth, and with a fierce fire melt the iron into molten iron. Facing south, assist Tianguan above…

Take nine jin of iron produced in Liangzhou. Use red earth to make the furnace and yellow earth to make the casting mold. With a fierce fire, melt the iron into molten iron. Face south, pray for the aid of Heaven above, recite the incantations of the twenty-four perfected generals, and write out twenty-four talismans (fu). Knead cinnabar and wine into a single pellet; after the furnace is opened, cast it into the molten iron, then pour the molten iron into the mold. After a time, pare away the clay mold and place the sword in a large fou—a large pottery vessel—filled with welling spring water. When the water resounds like thunder and the sword gives out a sobbing sound, the casting has been wrought marvelously. The sword is three chi and two cun long, the hilt eight cun long, and the blade and hilt are cast together as one piece. The welling spring water must be taken from the west of the dwelling.

Seals are to be carved from wood that has been struck by lightning.

Concealed within the wood is a snake-and-spider spirit. This spirit-being is numinous and harms dragons. Thunder can destroy its Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), and for this reason such wood must be split apart. This wood is extremely numinous and is the material used for the ritual seal of the Upper Prime (Shangyuan); only cypress that has been struck by lightning is used.

Eight Methods of the Upper Scroll

The First: Falai (Raising the Force of the Wind)

This method can disperse scorching heat, set fierce fire in motion, make boats travel swiftly, and strengthen an army’s momentum.

What is called lai is the formless Qi between Heaven and Earth, that is, the force of the wind. Its form cannot be seen. It suddenly arises and suddenly ceases, and different winds take shape as Qi changes. There are whirlwinds, fierce winds, warm winds, and cold winds; they blow from the eight directions and change with a single thought.

When the method of raising the lai is performed, one goes barefoot with hair unbound, holds the precious sword, grasps the seal in the left hand, and faces west. Following the ritual, one knocks the teeth and carries out the method, closes the eyes, and assumes the ritual posture. A violent wind then rises at once. If the wind is to blow toward the west, a west wind arises, and its force subsides only after some time. Knock the teeth nine times, recite the incantation eight times, raise the sword toward the desired direction, brandish one talisman, point once with the seal, close the eyes and form the ritual posture, and give a single laugh; a violent wind will then come at one’s will. Afterward recite the incantation eight times. The incantation is: “Cuan yu lie yu yu tuo shen yu.”

Pinching the Tiangang Seal means forming the “Tiangang Seal” (Tiangang yin) with the fingers, a hand mudra used in Daoist ritual techniques.

“Scattering the form” and “gathering the form” mean causing the bodily form to disperse and then to gather again. They refer to the steps of transformation employed in the technique.

The second technique is called Zhenpei (“Stirring the Downpour”) and is intended to summon thunder and rain. The scripture says that it can relieve severe drought, extinguish great fires, and defuse warfare.

“Zhen” means to set in motion, and it refers to the arising of thunder. The Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang steams upward and knots together; its force rises; the winds of the eight directions and the Qi of the five directions suddenly converge, shaking in the upper sky, and a great rain then falls.

When the Zhen method is performed, one digs three chi into the earth with a sword, probing the depths, kindles a fierce fire, and heats the sword until it glows red-hot. Facing the fire pit, with the hair unbound and the precious sword in hand, one recites the spell fifteen times. The spell is: “Xuan yu tao yu chen yu mo.”

One then carries out in sequence the steps of “scattering the form,” “gathering the form,” and the like, and writes the Five Thunder talismans in cinnabar—Fulu (talismans and registers) devoted to thunder ritual. The scripture next repeats its account of digging the ground, heating the sword, reciting the spell toward the fire pit, and writing the talismans.

After these five talismans have been written, they are placed in wine; the talismanic wine is then poured into the fire pit, and a spell is recited three times: “Ben lu ben lu tuo yu.”

The third technique is called Fouxing (“Jar Star”). The scripture says that it can benight the other party and expose them, place oneself under concealment, and allow one to draw near while avoiding the sunlight.

The stars are phenomena of the heavens and also the guiding order by which the earth moves. They originate in Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the primordial source of the cosmos, and their motion never comes to an end. In the sky there are stars that symbolize sages, stars that symbolize ministers, and stars that symbolize generals, as well as stars of blessing and stars of decline. They are recorded in Xuantian, the deep and secluded celestial realm, and they govern the destinies of human beings.

The sage’s star is bright and clear; the minister’s star casts a broad radiance; the general’s star is a glaring red brilliance; the auspicious star of good fortune is deep and pure white; and the star that signifies poverty and low station is dim and minute. They appear or withdraw according to a person’s talent and virtue. One skilled in reading the stars can discern the sage’s good or ill fortune, the minister’s rise to prominence or retreat into obscurity, the general’s advancement or stagnation, and the flourishing or decline of fortunate and inauspicious destinies. If one wishes to darken the stellar images and observe auspicious portents, they may be concealed by means of a ritual art.

In performing the rite, one takes a new earthenware jar, a vessel of pottery, writes a fu (talisman) in cinnabar, and affixes it at the exact center of the jar’s base. One puts on ritual robes, lets the hair hang loose, and holds a precious sword, so as to assist the turning of Tianguan, the gateway of the celestial realm. The incantation is recited once; one draws in a breath and blows it into the jar. The ritual force is then projected nine times in succession, after which the jar is inverted upon the ground, and the stellar images are thereby concealed. If one wishes the stars to become manifest and hidden stellar traces to appear, one should not write the two characters “yuan kou,” and the starlight will of itself grow bright. The incantation is recited nine times, and one also exhales nine breaths. The incantation is: “Wan xuan ju jing mo lu mo lu.”

“Sanxing” (dispersing form) and “juxing” (gathering form) are the names of steps in the ritual art. The fourth formula says that this method can avert flood disasters and, while one is traveling, enable one to accord with the seasons of Heaven.

Clouds are the Qi (vital energy) of the Yin-Yang of Heaven and Earth. They gather and lie stored among mountains and rivers, then rise into the upper air, now coalescing and now dispersing, with no fixed form. When cloud-qi ascends, it often brings heavy rain; if the cloud-qi remains pent up and does not disperse, the rain will continue for a long time. Prolonged rain causes the hundred streams to overflow, so that the rainwater which originally nourishes the myriad things becomes instead a calamity.

In performing the rite, one recites the incantation seven times and, with the sword, draws a talisman upon the ground. When the drawing is complete, one brandishes the sword with force and slashes through the talisman on the ground; then one turns and brandishes the sword toward Heaven, shouting “Ji!” It is said that a powerful southeast wind will thereupon arise and scatter the clouds and mist. When prolonged rain is encountered, or when man-clouds—thick layers of cloud that will not break up—refuse to disperse, this method may be performed. The incantation is: “Yu li ju tuo.”

“Sanxing” and “juxing” are likewise the names of steps in the ritual art.

Here a method of the Dao (the Way) is introduced. Aboard a boat, the practitioner lets the hair hang loose, bends forward while holding a sword, and prepares a vessel of wine. Facing east, the practitioner recites an incantation twenty-four times, inhales Qi (vital energy) twenty-four times, and blows Qi into the wine; then takes a mouthful of the wine and spits it back into the vessel, calls out loudly, “Yutuo Xuan,” and finally pours the wine into the water. The scripture says that the surface of the water will resound like wind and rain, the current will thereupon swell and dam up, waves will surge and churn, and the river will reverse its flow, so that the boat may swiftly cross the rapids. This art is called “borrowing the tide” (jiechao). The incantation is “Shenluo yanluo taoyonglu,” recited twenty times.

“The Fifth: Damming the Waters” (yongshui) is the name of this art. It is said to free a person from obstruction and to carry that person across perilous passages. “Qunwu” refers to a company of people traveling together. From “When Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) first divided” onward, the text speaks of the generation and movement of water. Clear Qi forms Heaven, turbid Qi forms Earth, and the Qi in which the clear and the turbid mingle and fuse is transformed into water; these three are called the Three Powers (sancai). Once the Three Powers are complete, the myriad things arise from them. Water is the root upon which the myriad things depend in order to come into being, and it circulates between Heaven and Earth. Clouds are the wondrous transformations of water, and the moon is the pure essence of water. Water flows out from the mountains and gathers into the sea; it is then discharged through the Weilu—the place where, as the ancients said, seawater drains away—and collects in the Yin Palace, that is, the deep, yin mansion of the waters. Water changes with the four seasons, rising and falling between morning and evening. In spring and autumn the color of the water is wholly clear and bright, while the tides rise and fall according to the pattern of the month’s end and the month’s beginning. Springs well up in the southwest, and rivers spread throughout the world. In the water there are water spirits, and also the lun-creatures, numinous beings of the water.

“The Sixth: Congealing the River” (ninghe) is said to relieve the suffering of fierce heat, to ferry people and horses across, and to help people escape great calamity. What is called “congealing” is water solidifying into a firm substance.

Ning is the state in which water freezes into ice. When Yang Qi (vital energy) diminishes and Yin Qi grows strong, the Eight Winds and the Five Qi between heaven and earth change violently, and water congeals. This Qi is called the Yin Wind, and it lies hidden in the palace of the earth. When the Yang Qi of heaven weakens, the Yin Wind appears; as soon as the wind blows, water turns to ice.

For water to freeze with the seasons of heaven, one must wait until the Qi of the Five Yins has gathered. Six Yin and one Yang is the coldest time of all. In spring, summer, and autumn ice does not readily form, but if the bitterly cold Yin Wind is set in motion, water can still be made to congeal.

To perform the method of congealing water, slaughter a sheep and take one fou, a vessel, of sheep’s blood. Write a talisman (fu) and cast it into the blood. Then dig three chi into the ground, recite the incantation nine times, pour the blood into the pit, and cover it with soil. After that, take a sword in hand and point it toward the surface of the water while reciting, “Ming leng lie ding ji.” A cold wind will suddenly rise over the water, and before long the water will freeze. The incantation is: “Lie ning du lu yu Xun.”

Cinnabar-written talisman in dispersed form.

Gathered form.

The seventh is extinguishing fire. It may be used to put out a fire.

Fire is formed by the transformation of Yang Qi between heaven and earth. Its essential Qi (Jing, essence) comes from the sun; its nature is stored in grasses and trees; its color is red; and it flourishes in the south. In heaven it manifests as Yang, while on earth it manifests as harmonious Qi. When objects strike one another, fire is born, and once the blaze spreads it consumes all things. People of the world kindle fire from every kind of plant and wood in order to cook and thereby sustain life. But if fire escapes control, ashes fly and houses are destroyed; it may burn through mountains and forests and become, instead, a calamity.

The method of extinguishing fire is this: no matter where a fierce fire breaks out or how far away it is, one has only to face the direction of the blaze, recite the incantation nine times, take a mouthful of wine, and spray it into the air. Rain will then fall upon the fire as if in a sudden downpour, and the flames will go out at once. The incantation is: “Suo yu suo yu jie tuo suo yu.”

The eighth is harnessing cloud-Qi. One may drive the cloud-Qi so as to fly over high and distant places, leave hardship behind, forget the dusty world, and ascend to the realm of the immortals.

Cloud Qi (vital energy) is by nature an insubstantial and unreal thing. It drifts across the blue sky, now gathering, now scattering, able both to lie hidden and to spread. The surging of cloud and rain, the rushing of the wind—are these wholly without pattern? There are magical methods by which they can be mastered.

When the method is performed, the left hand forms the “Botenglong Seal,” a kind of hand seal. One recites the incantation thirty-six times and, gazing up into the sky, visualizes. When it feels as though someone were supporting one beneath the feet, one steps forward and walks upon the void, both feet clear of the ground, letting the cloud Qi bear one up from below. One must not lower the head and look down. In a short while one can cross perilous places ten thousand ren high and pass over a hundred li of open wilderness. Where both feet come to rest on the ground is the place one meant to reach.

Before this method is carried out, one first takes thirty-six pills of the elixir. The elixir is made from four zhu of rose and seven stalks of dragon-rising zhi. These are placed together in a jar and calcined over a fierce fire. After three days they are taken out and ground to a fine powder; Yongquan yuan is then added, and the mixture is formed into pills the size of. They are calcined for another three days and divided into four doses. Each dose is taken with one cup of Yongquan water, in the early morning, facing west. After four days of taking it, the method will take effect. The incantation is recited thirty-six times. The incantation is: “Yun luo mo wei mo yu yu xuan.”

Tenglong Seal

When the incantation has been recited, the body can rise aloft and arrive at its destination.

This zhi grows on the mountains and plains of the world, and it is also found on Dragon-Stone crags. It flowers in spring. Its leaves are green and thick, with white hairs upon them. On clear days the leaves curl up; in cloudy and rainy weather they are blue-green. Once it has grown luxuriant, it is gathered in the spring.

One who wishes to practice this method must first take thirty-six pills of the elixir. The elixir is prepared from rose.

Secret Register of the Numina of Mount Xuanpu (Xuanpu shan ling milu), Middle Scroll

The First Zhen Formation

This formation can defeat a powerful enemy army and win without joining battle.

Whenever one seeks to bring the calamity of war to an end, the essential thing is to occupy favorable ground. When the ground one holds is secure, one’s military strength is strong; when military strength is strong, one can overcome the enemy army.

To hold an enemy army in check, the essential thing is to occupy favorable ground. When the position is advantageous, the army’s momentum is strong; when that momentum is at its height, it can overpower the enemy. When troops are sent out to give battle, one’s own side must first be encamped in a favorable place, so that the formation is firm and vigorous, and only then should one observe where the enemy is about to encamp. If the enemy’s position is on a par with one’s own, the method of intimidation is applied first.

To carry out this method, thirty-six talismans (fu) are written, and thirty-six people are sent, each bearing one talisman. Dressed in black, with their hair hanging loose, swords in hand, and their faces smeared with cinnabar, they set out on horseback, each carrying a drum on his back. At night they leave their own formation, rush suddenly to the place where the enemy is about to encamp, dismount, and dig pits three chi deep with their swords. The talismans are buried one by one and covered over with earth. They then face the enemy, shout “Xia sha” three times, and beat the drums for a spell. This is done three times; the horn is sounded three times, and the drums are beaten again. When all of this is finished, they shoulder the drums, take up their swords, mount their horses, and return swiftly to their own formation.

It is said that thereafter, when the two armies join battle, if the enemy encamps where the talismans were buried, at night they will see flames rising on every side and hear thunder crashing in their ears; they will also see uncanny men and horses and hear shouts. The soldiers will seem to be slaughtering one another, and this will continue through the night until dawn, so that the enemy army is utterly defeated.

The thirty-six talismans are written in cinnabar. Over each talisman the incantation is recited three times, and one breath is blown upon it. The incantation is: “Xuan mang zhuo π.”

Dispersing form (sanxing) means causing the bodily form to scatter and vanish. Gathering form (juxing) means causing the bodily form to coalesce and appear. The second concealment of armor (fujia) is the second art of hiding troops and their armor.

In the use of weapons, what is valued is that their traces not be perceived: forms change and tracks disappear, now gathering and now scattering, their substance like clouds. The wording of “di’er fujia, keyi bi sheng zuo yong tu bi chou jin” is difficult to construe as a continuous sense. On the text as it survives, it can only be understood to mean that the second method of concealing armor can screen troops and armor; the meaning of the following phrase, “sheng zuo yong tu bi chou jin,” is unclear.

The wondrous use of arms lies in keeping others from seeing their true form. The essential point is the power to change shape and erase all trace of them, now gathering, now scattering. Their bodies are like clouds, and their ranks cannot be fathomed. They may alter their size and move forward or back, across or along, so that whoever comes out to meet them is sure to be defeated, and whoever pursues them cannot catch them. This is the wondrous Way (Dao) of those skilled in the use of troops.

If a commander can deploy troops and armor by magical arts, then even after the imposing presence of ten thousand men has been revealed, he can still work a method to conceal them. In performing it, he writes out a talisman (fu), affixes it to the helmets of the armored soldiers, recites an incantation, and splashes wine upon the horses’ mouths. A million men and horses may be hidden in ten places, and a hundred thousand may likewise be hidden in ten places, dispersed among valleys, earthen mounds, and open wilds. Men and horses make no sound, and the clouds of the formation do not appear; seen from afar, there is no trace at all. When the enemy is at hand, the drum is beaten to summon them, and the troops and horses mass like clouds in an instant, sweeping the enemy away as dust. The incantation is recited twenty-five times: “Shuo hu fu ju lu.” Twenty-five breaths are then blown into the wine, after which the wine is splashed upon the horses’ mouths.

The talisman for dispersing form is written in cinnabar.

Gathering form.

Third, causing a spring to gush forth.

It may be used to quench thirst, and is of great advantage.

Spring water is the veins and channels of the great earth, circulating and moving through the soil. Paths may be open or blocked, and sources may be shallow or deep. Some well up from low ground; others gather beneath thick earth. In spring the water channels are active, and in autumn they lie still; opening the ground may set a spring flowing. Springs include warm springs, cold springs, and gushing springs. When an army is encamped where the soil is deep and there is neither river nor water source, one may, within the ranks, look up to heaven and recite in silence, draw in nine breaths of Qi (vital energy), and then recite the incantation nine times. When the recitation is finished, one blows forcefully upon the edge of the sword, pierces the ground with it, shouts aloud “Swiftly!”, and pulls the sword free with full strength; a spring can then be made to gush forth. The incantation is recited nine times more. It runs: “□ yu yi rui wu li.”

Fourth, fire arrows.

They may be used to break what is solid and destroy what is weak, and also to weaken a strong enemy and cripple its momentum.

In warfare, if one’s own side is short of troops and lacking in provisions, the enemy must not be taken lightly. When the enemy’s walls are strong, their grain and fodder abundant, and their men and horses vigorous, battle would surely end in defeat, and one should not rashly open hostilities. First use the method below to weaken the enemy’s advantage, and only then engage them; victory can then be gained with ease.

The arrow method: Take one basin of wine and one ge of cinnabar (a traditional mineral pigment). After grinding it, dip a brush and draw thirty-six talismans (fu) on the surface of the wine, recite the incantation thirty-six times, and then blow into the wine thirty-six times. Next kindle a fierce fire in a brazier, heat the heads of five arrows until they glow red, and quench them in the wine thirty-six times. That night, ride alone close to the enemy formation, suddenly shoot the five arrows, and then withdraw at once. The scripture (jing) says that where the arrows strike, firelight will flare and fierce flames will scatter; once grass and trees catch, the blaze grows great and may even be hard to extinguish, and the enemy’s once-powerful formation will thereby be weakened.

The incantation is recited thirty-six times. Its words are: “Cuan yan yu lie he yi.” There then follow ritual phrases such as “disperse the form,” “gather the form,” and “the fifth, binding Huayin.”

This method is said to avert the afflictions of exhaustion and burning thirst. When one campaigns in the height of summer and the weather is fiercely hot, soldiers may collapse or even die from extreme thirst and intense heat. For this, recite the incantation sixteen times; its words are likewise: “Cuan yan yu lie he yi.” The same ritual phrases—“disperse the form,” “gather the form,” and “the fifth, binding Huayin”—are then likewise set out.

When an army takes the field in high summer, the weather is fiercely hot. Soldiers may faint from lack of water and the summer heat, suffer burning thirst, or even die, and the army may be defeated as a result. This is a grave error in the use of troops, caused by failing to accord with the seasons of Heaven. To avoid it, one may work a method to raise clouds, so that the sky fills with dark clouds and shade forms: the summer heat then eases, and the open wilderness can serve the army as a place to encamp and rest.

In performing this Yin method, one uses a small iron pot and prepares five talismans (fu), filling the pot with wine and concealing the talismans inside. When one wishes to gather Yin clouds, one first heats the pot over a fire, then drips water over which the incantation has been recited into the pot fifteen times. A warm breath at once wells forth, and five kinds of cloud Qi (vital energy) rise in answer to the summons. Before long a great mass of Yin cloud forms; for a hundred li all around, the sky grows dim and dark, the summer heat disperses, and a cool wind blows in. The incantation is recited fifteen times. Its words are: “Long yu lu mo xuan.”

What follows records “fifteen drops of incantation-water for dispersing form,” and repeatedly lists “gathering form” and “dispersing form.” “Gathering form” means assembling form; “dispersing form” means causing form to scatter. The scripture here seems to be recording the steps of shifting between gathering and dispersing while the method is performed.

Next comes “the sixth: transforming grasses and trees into persons.” This art of transformation need not be carried out; one may also transform grasses and trees into human beings, into smaller forms, to take the place of people in bearing labor and service.

By this means one may command three thousand six hundred soldiers and sweep away an enemy host of a million. Using the method of emptiness, one presses ghosts and spirits into service, so that sentient beings are driven to obey and even insentient things are stirred into motion. Poisonous creatures of every kind appear one after another, and all manner of strange prodigies manifest together; however numerous the enemy troops may be, none can withstand them.

When this method is carried out, as the day of battle draws near, one must let the hair hang loose and take a precious sword in hand, write out the talismans of the Twenty-Four Generals together with the secret words, then recite the incantation and blow Qi (vital energy) toward the five directions; the spell is recited three times. The three thousand six hundred soldiers each ride their mounts, hair unbound and faces painted with vermilion, swords at their sides and war drums hung upon them, all dressed alike. When the lines are formed, one brave warrior is sent charging out of the ranks to engage the enemy; in the central army the Fulu (talismans and registers) are burned, a great shout is raised, and gongs and drums are struck together, after which the pursuit presses forward. Venomous insects and fierce beasts chase the enemy formation; the grasses and trees of the surrounding wilds all turn into men and horses and suddenly join the pursuit as one. The enemy hears only a roaring like swift thunder, sees flames flickering in confusion before the eyes, and beholds giants several zhang in height and chariots and cavalry vast as mountains rolling up from behind. At once they panic and flee, until men and horses fill the rivers and choke the valleys, and the army is utterly defeated. Once this display of force has spread forth and then been drawn back in, one must immediately lead the troops in return. To set this single array in motion can break nine-tenths of the enemy. The incantation is recited three times; the spell says: “Wan xuan hua ju suo you li.” The spells of the five directions are then each recited three times, with one breath blown toward every direction.

Wood is carved into the shapes of men and horses to bear loads in place of people, and they are driven into motion. They look as though alive, and may be used to transport heavy grain; they can also make the column move with lightness and speed. Soldiers are set to watch over and escort them, a red banner leading the way in front and a metal mallet urging them on from behind. If a wooden figure, bearing its load, will not advance, or if the ranks are not in order, strike its head with the mallet and it will then stride as swiftly as flight. The method of making them is this: shape the four limbs, bore a hole through the middle of the wooden body, and pass cords through the joints to link them; write the talismanic spells, sprinkle wine upon the wooden figure’s face, and further write the talismans of the Twenty-Four Generals and the talismans of the five directions. For each direction the incantation is recited three times, and one breath of Qi is blown.

To make the wooden men and wooden horses disperse and move, carve the timber into the forms of men and horses and construct them with jointed limbs; the Fulu must be written in blood.

Gathering the forms.

The spell for enchanting the wine is: “Wan yu yin yu yu.” Rub and wipe nine times, and blow nine breaths of Qi into the wine; write the red-banner talisman so as to draw the water onward, and set one person in motion.

Dispersing the forms.

Gathering Form (juxing)

Seventh: Seated Gallop (zuochi)

This method allows one to rise and depart, to escape a predicament as confining as a net, and to turn the place where one is into a site of safety and stability.

Whenever one meets with urgent danger and wishes to get far away at once, this method may be used. Silently recite the secret names of the Twenty-Four Generals, tread the Gang steps of the Five Directions (a gait of walking according to prescribed orientations), close the eyes, and visualize; the eyes must not be opened. Only after the sound of wind and rain has ceased may one open the eyes. It is said that by then one has already reached the destination, and that at night one can travel a thousand li.

Pacing the Gang (bugang)

Face north. First step the left foot toward the east; then return to the center and step to the left; from the east step the right foot toward the south; then from the south step the right foot toward the west. While stepping, silently recite the secret names of the Twenty-Four Generals. Set out from the center, and at the end return likewise to the center; then set the body upright and sit in stillness.

Eighth: Traveling on Water

This method is said to avert disaster by flood, to guard against the perils and obstacles of sea islands, and to keep the way of travel open and unimpeded.

Whenever one wishes to cross water alone, whether river or ocean, near or far, one may write a Fulu (talismans and registers) and practice according to this method. Affix the talisman to the soles of both feet, form with the left hand the “Bo Flying-Substance Seal,” silently recite the incantation nine times, then lift the feet and wade, as though walking on level ground. It is said that wherever the feet go, the waves do not rise. The incantation is: “Yu mo yu mo xu yu.”

Flying-Substance Seal

Seal of Dispersing Form and Substance. Silently recite the incantation nine times, lift the feet and wade as though walking on level ground; it is said that wherever the feet go, the waves do not rise. The incantation is: “Yu mo yu mo xu yu.”

Dispersing Form

Gathering Form

End of the middle fascicle of the Secret Register of the Numen [character 匚+金] of Mount Xuanpu

Secret Register of the Numen [character 匚+金] of Mount Xuanpu, lower fascicle

First: Raising Light

This method is said to cast the other party into illusion and bewilderment, to bring knowledge of transformation, and to subdue troops.

Light is the purest of substances, and it is also the form in which radiance appears. Its root is the Jing (essence) of the sun, in which the most refined Qi (vital energy) is gathered. When yang Jing joins with things, it makes them firm and solid. The light of the sun is crystalline and of the utmost yang; the moment it appears, every other radiance grows dim.

The various kinds of radiance include crystalline light, the light of fire, and Shen (spirit) light. Shen light is an illusory light, dazzling yet without a solid body, and a person can also cause this light to appear. The method is to write a talisman, affix it to the Niwan Palace at the crown of the head—what Daoism calls the upper Dantian (energy center) of the head—close the eyes, and sit upright. In an army there sometimes appears a blaze of fire shooting up into the sky, and within it there is also Shen light. People do not know where it comes from, and so are all overawed by this strange sight.

Dispersing form.

Gathering form.

Second, concealing substance (hiding one’s own bodily form).

This art can avert the harm of enemies and free one from grave danger. “Substance” means the original body, the substantial entity. Once the bodily form is trapped, it is constrained by external affairs; if one can make the form disappear, outside things have no way to injure it. In a crisis, when disaster is about to strike, one may work the method to hide oneself: recite the spell three times, blow one breath into the palm of the left hand, and at the same time form the Jutao seal (a Daoist hand seal). The bodily form can then be concealed and vanish in an instant. One can see the other person, yet the other cannot see oneself.

The spell is recited three times: “Wanluo hu.”

The Jutao seal.

Third, transforming things (changing objects).

It is said that one can thereby transform the myriad things.

Transformation is the conversion of things into one another. Once form and substance have changed, the original appearance is no longer the same. When one and the same Jing-Qi (essential Qi, the fundamental Qi that constitutes the myriad things) shifts and transforms, it gives rise to forms of every kind. Thus the formless may become the formed, and the formed may also become the formless; what rises may turn into what sinks, and what sinks may also turn into what rises. When Jing-Qi transforms within, form and substance change without.

Transformation includes celestial transformation, the transformation of things, and spiritual transformation. Celestial transformation is the surging of wind and cloud and the alteration of mountains and rivers. The transformation of things is the kun becoming the peng, the pheasant becoming a shen, and the wangxiang (a water monster of legend) becoming stone. There are also many subtle transformations of things, too numerous to list one by one. What is in the water may rise into the air and fly, and what is in the air may also sink down into the water. This is because Jing-Qi shifts, and visible form changes with it. Spiritual transformation is appearing and vanishing in illusion, transformation free of restraint.

The scripture (Jing) says that the practitioner may turn a bodily form into a flying bird and a solid body into cloud-Qi; may also turn insubstantial Qi into firelight, turn earth and stone into treasures and then turn those treasures back into earth and stone, and make things suddenly appear or disappear. There is a corresponding method for carrying out transformation: with the right hand form the “Boxuan Seal” (Boxuan Yin, a kind of hand mudra), press it upon the gaoyu (the place on the chest between the two breasts), concentrate the mind in cunxiang (contemplative visualization), recite the incantation three times, and then shout “Ji,” so that the shape of the object changes accordingly. The incantation is: “Ana xuanyu.”

The method of forming the “Xuan Seal” is as follows: bend the little finger of the right hand and place it behind the other four fingers; bend the second finger and place it behind the middle finger; interlock the second finger with the fourth finger, then interlock them with the middle finger; interlock the thumb with the ni finger and press them upon the second finger.

“Fourth: Attached Dreams”: this method can convey messages separated by great distance and hard to deliver, and can also relate matters that are not easy to communicate.

A dream is a scene that appears in the mind's realm after the Shen (spirit) and the soul are stirred by events. When one's mood is cheerful, dreams are peaceful and pleasant; when the heart is troubled, dreams turn frightening and uneasy. Once the Shen is disturbed, the corresponding situations and scenes appear. If one wishes to convey a confidential message within a dream, or to learn of events a thousand li away, there are methods suited to the purpose.

To perform the rite, write a single Fulu (talisman). First picture in the mind the place where the other person is. Then close the eyes and lie on one's back, concentrating on that place. One will then dream of arriving there and seeing the people who are present, as though traveling in person. The other person will likewise see you in a dream, and the two of you can converse and discuss matters, communicating without any obstruction.

Dispersing the Form (making the body scatter and vanish)

Gathering the Form (making the body reassemble and reappear)

Fifth, Warding Off Poisonous Harm.

This method protects against all kinds of poisonous harm. The poisonous creatures meant here are the harmful insects and beasts of the mountains and rivers, such as viper-like snakes, locusts, scorpions, tigers, wolves, and bears, all of which injure people. If troops are stationed in a remote, uninhabited wilderness where such creatures may appear, they can be driven off by this art. Take a yellow banner and write upon it the Five Ding Talisman (a Daoist Fulu), then raise it in the central army camp. All wild beasts will retreat, venomous insects will vanish, and every poisonous creature will be kept away for a thousand li.

Five Ding Talisman for Dispersing the Form

Gathering the Form

Dispersing the Form

Gathering the Form

Dispersing the Form

Gathering the Form

Dispersing the Form

Gathering the Form

Dispersing the Form

Gathering the Form

Sixth, Restraining the Shen (Giant Clam Spirit).

This method is used to restrain the shen, a creature said to be a strange being of the waters. When the earth's qi turns stern and withering, it lies hidden; when the earth's qi is mild and warm, it emerges. When fierce winds arise and the waters surge, its temperament turns violent, and it then reveals its form.

Subduing the shen (蜃) means overpowering this strange creature of the waters. When the Qi (vital energy) of the earth is bleak and lethal, the shen lies hidden and does not emerge; when the Qi of the earth is mild and warm, it appears. If it meets violent winds and towering waves, its temperament turns fierce, and it may smash city walls and burst dikes, becoming a great calamity in the world.

The method for subduing the shen is as follows. Take an iron plate one chi in length and one chi in width, and two cun thick. Grind cinnabar with leopard’s blood and write a Fulu (talismans and registers) upon the iron plate. Go out on the water by boat, hold the Fulu, recite the incantation, and then cast it into the deep pool where the shen lies concealed. So long as the iron plate has not dissolved, the shen dares not come forth. To recognize the deep pool in which the shen lurks, look for places where the water is deep and there are no fish. When the invocation is recited, the talisman is cast into the water. The incantation is: “Wan xuan yu mo ju you fu.” The method of the Upper Prime requires only that one write the talisman for subduing snakes.

Dispersing the Form: Reciting the Incantation of the Four Emperors

Gathering the Form

The Seventh: Beheading Yaoguai

This method can drive out evil demons and protect the common people.

Yaoguai are the spirit-essences of mountains and rivers. Animals such as the si-tiger, the wildcat and the ape, the white snake, the red tortoise, the centipede, and the mountain pheasant, after lying hidden for many years and absorbing the numinous Qi of heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, can change their bodily forms, wield uncanny spiritual powers, and bring forth all manner of strange appearances.

At times they transform mountain caves into splendid dwellings; at times they turn themselves into fine jade; they also conjure earth and stone into beautiful women so as to delude the people of the world. Those who are deluded often do not know where they are, and believe they have already ascended to immortality. At times the yaoguai suddenly give out strange cries, raise violent winds at night and set objects whirling, and they also carry off the goods and wealth of the human world. If they are not driven out, they grow ever more numerous, mingle among people, and bring great harm upon the common folk.

The method for beheading yaoguai is as follows. Take a piece of red silk two chi and four cun square, write a Fulu upon it with sheep’s blood, and hang the red silk on a pole. Holding the pole and facing the four directions, recite the incantation thirty-six times; then roll the red silk into a scroll, lay it on the ground, give a great shout, and cut it in two with a sword. The text says that in this way one can sever the heads of all the yaoguai in the corresponding direction. The incantation is recited thirty-six times. The spell is: “Wan na yun yu ni li mo.”

Dispersing the Form

Gathering the Form

The Eighth: The Vajra Tablet

This method can bind powerful evil spirits and put an end to the disturbances caused by ghosts and malign beings.

“Jingang” (Vajra) are the Sanskrit deities who can subdue and destroy demons. When one encounters a powerful evil spirit, seeking blessings is of no effect—it brings only calamity—and ordinary methods cannot deal with it either. Once this set of ritual arts has been used to bring it under control, the evil spirit no longer causes trouble.

If the sprites, ghosts, and spirits of the mountains and rivers make mischief in the human world, they manifest all manner of strange phenomena and strike terror into the people. Some possess fierce beasts and burst into the markets; others possess human beings and drive them mad: at times their appetite becomes astonishingly great, and at times they eat nothing for ten days. When the fit comes on, they suddenly have inexhaustible strength, uprooting trees a hundred years old and lifting loads of several jun. If the frenzy does not cease, the person may die. If a woman is beguiled by an evil spirit, she laughs without stopping and behaves abnormally, singing and shouting at no fixed time. When the affliction is severe, there is also heaven-shaking intoning and roaring in the wilds, and howling by night through the streets, markets, and settlements. If these are not dealt with according to the method, they will cause grave harm in the world.

When the rite is performed, take thirty-six liang of hemp, dye it red, and make it into a cord. When the evil spirit breaks out, recite the incantation eight times, then fling the cord into the air. The cord will ensnare whatever is causing the trouble: if the evil spirit has attached itself to a person, it binds the person; if to a beast, it binds the beast; if to plants or trees, it binds the plants or trees. The more the evil spirit struggles, the tighter the rope binds; the longer the time, the tighter it becomes as well, until the spirit pleads without ceasing. One then questions it closely about the reason for its mischief, makes it confess its guilt and swear an oath, and then releases it according to the method, after which it dares not offend again. In performing the rite, the incantation is recited eight times. The text of the spell is: “Yu, yi yun bian ju you fu.” If the binding is to be undone, the incantation is recited three times. The text of the spell is: “Chu yu chu yu suoli.”

In these ritual arts, the incantations are the language of the Sanskrit deities; Fulu (talismans and registers) are the primordial forms of divine Qi (vital energy); finger mudras are the means of visualizing the divinities and employing the wondrous method; and hand seals govern the whole application of the arts and receive the methods that have been transmitted. They must not be performed rashly when the moment is not fitting.

Dispersing the Form: One should use finger mudras to commune with the spirits and to draw talismans. This is the mysterious name of the Imperial Lord: above, it corresponds to the Mysterious Heaven; below, it subdues the dead.

Gathering the Form

Separate Collection

The First Unobstructed Method

It may be carried out directly facing a wall, a table mat, or the ground. To draw a talisman (fu) that communicates with the spirits, one should draw it according to the finger method. This is the mysterious name—the esoteric title—of the Imperial Lord (Dijun): what stands above symbolizes the Mysterious Heaven, and what stands below subdues death.

Dispersed Form

Gathered Form

The First Unobstructed Method

One may draw a diagram on a wall, a table mat, or the ground, with two doorways in the picture. Form a hand seal with the right hand and trace the drawing, recite the incantation five times, then point the hand that forms the seal toward that door, and one may enter. When one wishes to return, form the hand seal with the left hand, close the eyes and click the teeth five times, then turn and go back. Recite the incantation five times. The incantation is: “Xuanluo Huiyu Suoli.”

With the right hand, first bend the thumb, then bend the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger.

The Second Method of Spirit Travel

Draw two talismans in the same manner, tie them below both knees, and recite the incantation eight times. When stepping, one should move as swiftly as wind and cloud; if one wishes to stop, release the hand seal. The hand seal is the same as the one given above. Recite the incantation eight times. The incantation is: “Yulun Sulu Moyouli.”

Dispersed Form

Gathered Form

The Suofu Seal (name of the hand seal)

With the left hand, bend the middle finger and press the middle finger’s nail with the thumb, not allowing the nail to show.

The third, fourth, and fifth items: the original text only marks the titles and does not record any specific content.

The Sixth: Taking a Fish from a Basin

Prepare a porcelain basin, recite the incantation nine times, then draw a fish, nine times in all, tie the fish’s head with a thread, and place it in the basin. Call out once, “Yulong,” and it is said that one can then lift the fish; lifting it ten times yields ten fish. Recite the incantation nine times. The incantation is: “Suofu Lunjielunzi.”

The Seventh: Boiling Water and Stone

Prepare a vermilion basin and grind cinnabar with wine. The procedure described from this point on is the same as in “Taking a Fish from a Basin”: recite the incantation nine times, draw a fish nine times, tie the fish’s head with a thread and place it in the basin, and call out once, “Yulong.” It is said that one can then lift the fish, and lifting it ten times yields ten fish. Recite the incantation nine times. The incantation is: “Suofu Lunjielunzi.”

Grind one ge of cinnabar with wine. Take a jar of water from a gushing spring, dip a brush in the cinnabar, and, while silently reciting the secret formulae of the Twenty-four Generals, write twenty-four talismans on the surface of the water. Then prepare a furnace of fierce fire, put a piece of rock into the fire, and calcine it until it is burned through and glows red. Strike the stone into the jar twenty-four times. When this is done, wrap the stone in paper. Whenever something in the water harms people and no other means can subdue it, bind the stone with a rope and cast it into the pool or cavern where the harmful thing appears. The water of the pool will grow as hot as boiling broth, and the harmful thing will in an instant be scorched and rotten.

Eighth: text missing.

Ninth: The Method of Feigned Death.

A person dies because original Qi (Qi, vital energy)—the vital energy of life—is exhausted. When original Qi is exhausted, the four limbs and all the vessels grow cold. In cultivation, if one visualizes the breath of Qi circulating to the Crescent Moon, the Qi of the kidneys is stored and hidden there. The four limbs and all the vessels grow cold for a time, the skin loses its color of blood and becomes like earth, and the nine orifices are all stopped, only the orifice of the ear remaining open. At this moment, if one slowly presses with the hand upon Gaohuang (Gaohuang, an acupuncture point on the back), one can return to life. Recite the spell of breath-retention and sipping: “Mie luo wang xuan he yan.”

Tenth: The Method of Flying Aloft and Halting.

Recite the spell nine times, blow one breath, and then cast the object forth; it will come to a halt. If you wish it to fly far, recite the Spell of Free and Easy Wandering three times; once cast forth, it can fly a thousand li. To make it stop in midair, recite the Spell of Dwelling in the Void nine times. The spell is: “Xu lu xu luo zhi.” Then recite the Spell of Free and Easy Wandering three times more. The spell is: “Mo yu shi yu.”

Eleventh: The Method of the Flying Paper Crane.

Recite the sipping spell of feathered transformation seven times, blow three breaths, and cast the paper crane forth; it will then rise into the air and fly. The spell of feathered transformation is: “Ti quan—feathers soar, fly, and are transformed. Spirit-Heaven, Emissary of the Vermilion Lake, in accordance with the decree: swiftly summon it to come before my Dao (Dao, the Way). You must not disobey the command. If you disobey, let it be according to the Statutes and Ordinances of the Most High—exhort.” After reciting the spell seven times, the incantation is: “Suo li □ lou bi li chi fan zhou.” Then recite again: “Swiftly summon it to come before my Dao. You must not disobey the command. If you disobey, let it be according to the Statutes and Ordinances of the Most High—exhort.” Recite the spell seven times. The incantation is: “Suo li □ lou bi li chi fan zhou.” Recite the spell seven times more. The incantation is: “Sa mo he.”

Twelfth: The Elixir Method of the Iron True Body

Take one piece of shehanshi (snake-holding stone, a mineral), one jar of wine, and one ge of cinnabar ground with water from the Stone-Liquid Spring. Write twenty-four talismans (fu) and recite the secret utterances of the Twenty-Four Generals. Dip the brush once for each talisman you write. When the talismans are finished, heat the shehanshi red in a fierce fire and quench it in the wine. This may be repeated any number of times, until the wine is used up.

Grind the quenched stone into powder, drip in Stone-Liquid Spring water, and mix it into pills. Take eight pills at a time. At dawn, swallow them with one cup of Yongquan spring water while reciting the secret utterances of the Twenty-Four Generals, facing north. In a crisis, recite the incantation three times and draw in one breath; the body, it is said, will then become hard.

Write the talismans into the wine. Just before use, recite the incantation three times. The incantation is: “Mo yu ju wan ju li yi.”

Thirteenth: Entering the Jar

Write one talisman of illusion and transformation, cast it into the jar, and recite the incantation five times. Then assume the ritual posture, leap into the jar, and recite the incantation five times more. The incantation is: “Xuan yu xuan yu you li.”

The Talisman of Illusion and Transformation

Bend the fourth finger of the left hand backward. Hook it with the second finger behind the middle finger, and clamp the tip of that second finger with the thumb. When you are to come out of the jar, use this hand seal.

Seal Forms

The upper, middle, and lower seals may be taken up and used as needed.

There are three seals in all. Each is two cun and four fen wide and one cun and two fen thick. They are best made from huai wood that has been struck by lightning; xiang wood may also be used.

The Mysterious Seal

The face of the seal is square, three cun and six fen wide and one cun and five fen thick. When the rite is performed, first stamp it on the altar ground, so that the spirits within the altar dare not disobey the command.

The Five Officers’ Seals

There are five seals: the Wind Officer Seal, the Qi Officer Seal, the Water Officer Seal, the Fire Officer Seal, and the Thunder Officer Seal. Each is two cun wide and one cun thick, and all are made from lightning-struck huai wood.

When the rite is performed, first grind cinnabar with Yongquan spring water and stamp the seal of the presiding ritual officer on yellow paper. Then join a bundle of gold cash to the stamped paper. Once this has been prepared, it is what is burned when the rite is performed. When swift thunder rites are carried out, use the Thunder Officer Seal.

Whenever ritual arts are performed, one first grinds cinnabar with water from a gushing spring, then stamps on yellow paper the seal of the ritual officer who presides over the ceremony. A bundle of gold coins is taken and, together with the sealed paper, cut and fashioned into a talisman, to be burned when the rite is carried out. If the matter must be handled in haste, the paper talisman may be omitted; it is enough to click the teeth five times.

Comprehensive Talisman for Summoning the Twenty-Four Generals

With this talisman one general may be summoned; when the matter is urgent, two may be summoned.

Form for Building the Altar

Indoors, build an altar of yellow earth in three tiers: the lowest seven chi wide, the middle five chi wide, and the uppermost three chi wide, the three tiers together three chi high. Shape the earth into the rising and falling forms of mountain ridges, imitating the layout of the empty chambers of a grotto residence. Grind cinnabar with water from a gushing spring and, following the diagram, write the name of each place separately.

At the center of the altar establish a circular area called the “Emperor-Lord of Wanxuan Grotto,” two cun and four fen in diameter and three cun and six fen deep. Within it set upright a Fulu (talismans and registers) marked with the signs of the “Register of Primordial Destiny,” and empower it according to the ritual regulations. Then write a “Talisman of Great General Wanhuang Youyu,” affix it in the chamber where the assembled generals are stationed, and forbid anyone else to enter. The twenty-four generals are distributed among the twelve provinces.

Correct Pronunciation of the Incantation

Qin dan chan xuan yuan xi sun biao biao yan yun rui hui yi yi bi hua zhu^ yi ji tong yi yang.

Diagram of Mount Xuanpu

Lower fascicle of the Secret Register of the Numina of Mount Xuanpu (匚金).