《法海遺珠》Vol. 45

Interpretive reading of “The Esoteric Book of the Purple Palace,” section 12, in Pearls Left Behind in the Ocean of the Dao, volume 45

One might say that nothing frightens people more than consumptive wasting disease, an illness once believed to be contagious and capable of weakening a person or even wiping out an entire household. Physicians and ritual specialists throughout the realm could not cure it, often because after one person fell ill, the disease spread through the family until none were left. Others dared not go near them. This was called “transmitted-corpse consumptive disease.” Some burned the bodies in the wilderness; others cast them into rivers, leaving them unburied. Their descendants died out, and husbands and wives were deprived of their companionship. It is truly tragic.

To treat this illness, one must first subdue and eliminate the Three Corpses and Nine Worms—Daoist beings believed to dwell inside the body and cause illness and premature aging. Without doing so, talismanic methods will not work. Can physicians and ritual specialists really cure it? This text presents a treasured secret method, to be taught sincerely only to those who can be guided toward salvation. Anyone who is not gentle in temperament and upright in conduct must not obtain the scripture and practice it on their own without a master’s instruction. To treat it lightly or disclose it carelessly would bring calamity upon nine generations of ancestors—a grave offense. This must be strictly heeded.

The method proceeds as follows.

Submitting a petition: The patient’s family writes a petition and presents it at the ritual altar. It states the patient’s birth details, when the illness began, and the current symptoms. Any nightmares or uncanny visions, such as seeing deceased relatives, should also be recorded as evidence.

Applying and testing the talisman: First, a talisman is given to the patient and used in a fumigation test to see whether there is any sign of worms—that is, a reaction indicating the presence of illness.

Reporting to the Supreme Emperor: The ritual specialist reports to the Supreme Emperor and the Patriarch, requesting that they dispatch generals and commanders to capture the ghosts responsible for the transmitted-corpse illness, along with the wrongfully dead spirits implicated in it. A prison is established to confine and interrogate them.

Driving out the corpse worms: Another talisman is given to drive out the corpse worms. Within about twenty-one days of taking it, the source of the illness will be expelled. The patient may sweat or feel a dry itch, as if worms were crawling over the body. They should immediately wipe themselves clean with clothing, then burn the garments in a fire. Alternatively, they may vomit worm-shaped forms, or suffer rumbling and pain in the abdomen, followed by diarrhea. The talisman uses the baleful energy of thunder and fire to burn and split the corpse worms, leaving no concern that they will escape and cause a relapse. The worms may take different forms. Once the source of the illness has been expelled, collect it in a vessel and place it in flowing water.

Administering the retribution talisman and restoring the body: The patient then takes a retribution talisman. Once the affected organ is identified, a restorative talisman is used to repair the damage and promote the circulation of Qi and blood. The patient must also remain calm, cultivate a balanced disposition, and avoid exertion. According to this method, treatment should last eighty days. For a complete cure, however, it is often said to require a thousand days; this is called “being reborn into the human world.” If the patient does not abstain from sexual intercourse and regulate desire appropriately, there is little assurance of longevity. The patient should generally be cared for like a woman recovering after childbirth. Without proper care, a recurrence of the illness could be dangerous.

Attributed to Tianpeng’s initiated disciple, Yan Daolong Zifan.

This text belongs to the Daoist esoteric method of treating consumptive disease known as “pursuing consumptive disease.” It treats the illness in conjunction with transmitted-corpse ghosts, corpse worms, and the Three Corpses and Nine Worms. It emphasizes transmission from master to disciple, the submission of a petition, reports to the Supreme Emperor and the Patriarch, the use of talismans and incantations, and behavioral prohibitions. It should not be taken as a basis for modern medical treatment.

Vernacular Explanation

(Continued from above) This is the true treasure. People who study the Dao today do not investigate the root; they seek only to align the external branches and twigs, vainly performing practices—what can that amount to? I first followed Mr. Wu Youkai, who received the transmission from Mr. Guo Daguan; Master Guo inherited it from Master Chen Cangxiu, and Master Chen in turn from Mr. Guo Huangxi—Huangxi was originally a disciple of Fanxuan.

After Yuanchang obtained this transmission, he often worried that root and branches were not complete, and doubt remained in his mind. My neighbor Mr. Xueya obtained the transmitted texts of Master Fanxuan and traveled through the rivers and lakes; in this field he can be called a pioneer, restoring the dead and reviving the dying countless times. When he returned home in his later years, I studied under him. How could such an enlightened teacher be easy to find? I served the master for several years, exhausting the labor of being driven and employed; clothing, food, and coffins were all borne by me. Fanxuan was pleased that I fulfilled a disciple’s duties, and so transmitted to me all the profound mysteries of the various methods. I wandered the rivers and lakes for more than forty years; the numinous responses of the masters and commanders were like a drum answering the drumstick. Though many admired the Dao, few were worthy of transmission. A proverb says: “It is easy for a disciple to find a teacher, but hard for a teacher to find a disciple.” This saying is not false. Moreover, among practitioners today, talismanic scripts are often erroneous and incomplete, and incantations and hand-seals often deviate. When applied to healing and exorcism, the responses are utterly absent—is it that the methods lack efficacy? In truth, it is because they have not obtained the true transmission. At seventy I met you; your bitter inquiry and strenuous study show an aspiration much to be admired. I ought to fully transmit the way of the master in order to spread the orthodox teaching. For later students of the Dao: unless they bring gold and treasures to demonstrate sincerity and covenant with Heaven and Earth before transmission, it is not permitted to divulge it lightly. This is my wish, and also the good fortune of the method.

Yuanchang merely kept to the master’s transmission; his practice and responses have long been known to others. Therefore I have made this one volume, to be a family treasure for saving the world. If later students obtain this textual treasure and practice it, the immortal ranks can be verified. To leak it lightly or treat it with contempt—the esoteric statutes are not light; the ancestral masters and spirit officers will examine this. Tianpeng’s fourth-generation descendant Tian Yuzhang; respectfully written by Yuanchang.

The Full Account of Tianpeng

Formerly, the patriarch Mr. Fang Pinle suffered from consumption. In a dream a spirit said: “You should go to the true immortals of Mount Hua; then your illness can be cured.” The gentleman then climbed the mountain and stayed for over two months, but his illness grew worse. The Daoist priests in the mountain feared he would die and would not allow him to stay, so he went down the mountain leaning on a staff. When he reached mid-slope, tired, he sat down. Just then he saw three Daoist priests come and say: “Why are you here?” Mr. Fang told them the whole reason…

(If the scripture has further text below, it may be pasted again so that the translation can be completed.)

After explaining the reason, the Daoist said, “Return to the mountain first. The prescription is beneath the seat of the Immortal Wang. You can take it to Lu Yanghao and have him submit a report. Your illness will soon be cured.” As soon as he had finished speaking, the Daoist suddenly vanished. The gentleman was astonished, so he returned to the mountain and indeed found the document beneath the Immortal Wang’s seat. Just then, Lu Yanghao came up the mountain, so the gentleman had him copy the document and submit the report on his behalf. His illness was cured at once.

The gentleman then put this method into practice among the people of the rivers and lakes, and it often proved efficacious. Many people who admired the Dao sought it out. In fact, this lineage came from the Four Generals of the “method of dispatching.” The Four Immortals of Shenxiang Mountain established its rules and practice to guide people, and it was called “Four Generals of the Purple Court.” It also made use of ordinary medicines such as Yiqi, which likewise proved effective.

At that time, Sun Jing’an, assistant prefect of Fuzhou, established a Daoist temple and invited accomplished Daoists from across the land. One day the gentleman arrived, and Sun welcomed him with great care. Jing’an’s younger brother, Fan Xuan, served him with particular reverence. The gentleman was pleased by his devotion and saw that he had the capacity to receive the Dao, so he transmitted this method to him. Fan Xuan’s practice was strikingly effective, but he never passed it on to anyone.

In his later years, amid the upheavals of the age, Fan Xuan fell into poverty and moved to the foot of Huolu Ridge, in Lixian Township, Chongren, where he lived beneath a sweet osmanthus tree. He married a woman of the Zhao family and was fond of drinking.

Guo Xueya of Huangxi was an elder kinsman of the master’s family. He also studied alongside Fan Xuan and received the method of the Eight Generals. Xueya’s practice proved effective, so he went out selling talismans and declared, “I have studied Daoist methods throughout the land; in the Purple Court, I stand alone across the rivers and lakes.” Fan Xuan saw this and said, “That may be all right for me, but there is no end to it.” Because of this, Huangxi incurred the master’s displeasure. Yet Xueya stayed day after day at Fan Xuan’s door, serving and laboring for him no less than a servant, and in the end received the complete transmission.

When Fan Xuan became gravely ill, he said to Xueya, “I have four or five disciples, but none has served me as you have. I may die at any moment, and my only regret is that I have no clothes, bedding, or coffin prepared. What is to be done?” Xueya replied, “Master, do not worry. Your disciple will provide everything.” Fan Xuan was pleased and swore, “If you clothe me, I will surely see you clothed in brocade. If you provide the boards for my coffin, I will repay you with two coffins.” He then said, “Take down the box from the bed frame.” Together they searched through the books on the various methods, and he passed them to Xueya, explaining each one in detail and entrusting it to him. “But the method for expelling chronic wasting illnesses still contains secrets of the inner court, all of which are transmitted orally. I now entrust them to you as well.” Thus he passed on all his secrets.

After Fan Xuan died, they removed his clothes and placed him in a coffin made from the timber of the main hall.

An Informal Explanation of Fahai Yizhu

Xueya became well known in the martial world for this method. Though some of his disciples received the transmission, among the generation of my late father, perhaps only my father and “Shi Yuru” truly mastered it. Their families often exchanged letters, but the two men never met, and neither knew how far the other had advanced in his understanding.

When Xueya passed the method to my father, he said: “I have taught you all of it: a hundred ingots of ‘Purple Court’ and fifty ingots of ‘Flowing Currents’ and ‘Water White.’ My son cannot be taught, so I had not intended to pass it on again. If my grandson proves teachable, please pass it on to him in my place.” One day, my father prepared all the required tokens and presented them. Knowing Xueya urgently needed them, he hoped to take the opportunity to ask about every secret of the method. Xueya smiled and said, “The method has already been explained in full. There is no need to ask more. As for money, when you need it, I will answer; when I need it, you will answer. This gold can never be exhausted, and I will teach you how your descendants may benefit from it for generations.”

From childhood, I studied with my father how to dispel and treat lao disease—tuberculosis and other contagious wasting illnesses—for twenty years in all. After learning this method, I practiced it for more than twenty years, and it proved effective time and again. Relying on my father’s spirit in Heaven and the protection of generals and spirits, I often wondered: why is lao disease so difficult to stop from spreading and so hard to cure?

People speak of “concealing illness,” and there is truth in this saying. Those who contract the disease are often afraid others will find out or even mention it. Is it really because they “don’t know” that they say nothing? More often, evil influences mislead the patient’s family, who believe only certain things other people tell them. By the time they come to their senses and seek treatment, the illness is often already advanced. Some physicians know that it is lao disease and know it cannot be cured, yet say nothing and delay the family’s response. Even when the patient is near death, they still say, “It’s nothing serious.” In such circumstances, how can medicine and the method have their full effect?

The ancients grouped the causes of lao disease into five kinds: illness from drinking, sexual excess, overwork and depletion, emotional strain, and contagion. Their symptoms are similar, but contagious lao disease also involves “worms” and “evil influences.” It reaches into the bone marrow and is the hardest kind to eradicate.

There are also said to be five ways contagious lao disease can spread:

1. Through clothing: contracting the illness by wearing or using clothing and fabric from a household with lao disease.

2. Through utensils: contracting the illness by using the household’s utensils.

3. Through a dwelling: contracting the illness by living in a house where someone previously suffered from lao disease.

4. Through food: contracting the illness by eating food sent from an afflicted household, or by drinking its wine or eating its meat.

5. Through Qi: becoming ill after attending the funeral of someone who died of lao disease and encountering the corpse’s obstructive Qi. Sudden illness with no apparent cause is also called “flying corpse” or “wandering possession” and belongs to this category. Other causes include harmful speech and curses.

At the onset of the illness, common symptoms include alternating chills and fever, pain in the joints, vexing heat in the palms, soles, and chest, dry and scorched hair, dizziness and blurred vision, and coughing up phlegm or blood.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of Fahai Yizhu

The preceding passage says that when treatment of an illness is delayed too long, the patient may also develop swelling, diarrhea, spontaneous sweating or night sweats, thin and weak lower legs, a poor complexion, sore throat, wheezing and chest tightness, purplish lips, a flushed face, and blood spots on the skin. In men, Jing may be discharged involuntarily; in women, there may be a spontaneous flow of vaginal fluid or absent menstruation. Sores in the throat and other symptoms may also occur. All are considered extremely dangerous signs; often, “of ten people, fewer than one can be saved.”

Anyone suffering from such an unusual illness who comes for treatment must be completely sincere. They should write down their symptoms and the cause of the illness clearly, then follow the instructions to receive the talisman and undergo fumigation and examination. They should also submit a written petition asking the spirits to pursue and treat the harmful parasites, restore what has been depleted, and remove the illness. The patient must take proper care of themselves and avoid exertion that strains their strength. If they cannot observe the prohibitions, or are exposed to cold or heat, strong emotions such as joy, anger, sadness, or grief, excessive worry, irregular eating (overeating or going hungry), unrestrained drinking or sexual activity, or an unsuitable daily routine—and if they do not receive talisman treatment as prescribed and continue recuperating long enough—the illness may return, and recovery will then be difficult.

(Inscription at the end: Respectfully written by Zhang Shunlie, grandson of the fifth generation, on New Year’s Day of the Jia Shen year of Zhizheng.)

Order of Practice (Practical Steps)

Anyone who comes to the ritual altar seeking treatment should proceed as follows:

1. Prepare the talismans

Write three hand-washing talismans and seven brush-fumigation talismans.

2. Wash the hands

Have the patient wash their hands with soap and water, using a hand-washing talisman. Do not dry the hands with cloth, lest fibers cling to them; let them air-dry naturally.

(Some people say that medicinal substances are mixed into the talismans. Zhang states that no medicine is used in them: wash only with clean water and let the hands dry on their own.)

3. Inspect the hands

Rub the hands together, clap them clean, and carefully check whether the spaces between the fingers and other areas are clean.

4. Fumigate the brush

Light incense in an incense burner. Fold one brush-fumigation talisman and place it in the incense flame. The patient holds both hands over the smoke and fumigates them; burn one talisman after fumigating with it.

The effect may appear after fumigating with a single talisman, or it may take three to five before signs of harmful parasites and other afflictions become visible.

Note: This text belongs to the tradition of Daoist medical prescriptions and ritual procedures. The illnesses and symptoms it lists, along with practices such as “pursuing parasites” and talisman fumigation, reflect the use of folk healing alongside ritual liturgy from the Yuan and Ming periods onward. Today, it is best read as a source for the history of religious culture; medical treatment should follow modern medicine.

A Plain-Language Reading of Pearls Left Behind in the Sea of Methods

Testing by Incense to Identify the Hairs

Fumigate with incense, then cover the area and fumigate it again to test. Only when a “hair” appears—a foreign object resembling a strand of hair—can the illness be identified as chuánzhài, a form of consumption believed to be contagious. If no hair appears, it does not count as this illness.

The most important thing is to identify it accurately. If cloth lint sticks to the hand and is mistaken for a hair, the effort to dispel and treat the illness will be wasted.

Once a hair appears, examine its color and where it came from. Blue-green, yellow, red, white, and black correspond respectively to damage in the Five Viscera—the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Its location and color can indicate which organ is affected. Also examine its length, thickness, quantity, whether it extends or contracts, its softness or hardness, and whether it branches.

Common points of appearance include the Gate of Heaven, Tiger’s Mouth, Ghost Gate, center of the palm, beneath the fingers, back of the hand, and finger joints. The customary rule is left for men and right for women. Red or black hairs, or those that are excessively long or thick, curled, numerous, soft, branched, or strangely colored, are all unfavorable signs. The severity of the illness must be examined carefully: the hair’s appearance serves as a mirror of the condition.

Treatment by Others and Testing Again with Incense

Some people first ask someone else to dispel and treat the illness. If the incense test reveals a hair, they may pursue and attack the cause. If no hair appears, they return to their own altar and fumigate again. If it still does not appear, this is often because the other practitioner used the talisman incorrectly, or failed to follow the prescribed ritual procedure to command the generals to supervise the capture of the worms. The consumption worms may have escaped, entered the bodies of the patient’s family members, or hidden in the walls of the house. That is why the incense test shows no hair. They must be captured and confined according to the prescribed method, then driven into the patient’s old wounds or burrows. After a day or two, fumigate again with a talisman; the hair will often appear.

There are also cases in which treating this illness harms a worthy person: the incense test often reveals no hair, yet pursuing and attacking the cause brings worms into view. This, too, should be understood.

Ritual Procedures and Talisman Ingestion After a Hair Appears

When the incense test reveals a hair, prepare a record of the symptoms and a formal petition. Report the matter to this Emperor and the Northern Dipper, submit it to the Master’s Bureau, the Four Sages, and the Patriarch of Mount Hua, and issue documents for offerings and rewards. Then write talismans to pursue the worms.

First, use one general talisman and venerate it in front of the room. Then use forty-nine talismans, swallowing seven each day while awaiting a response.

When the worms are expelled, the signs are broadly like the sweating, vomiting, and purging described in medical practice:

• Three days, seven days, or half a month after taking the talismans, the body may become hot and sweat. Remain still and wait. Itching as though ants or insects are crawling over the body is often a sign that sweating is about to begin. Wipe the whole body clean with clothing. The clothing must be removed and boiled before it is worn again, and the sleeping mat should also be burned.
• If nausea arises and there is an urge to vomit, worms, foul phlegm, or food may be brought up; these often contain worms. This is expulsion by vomiting.
• If the abdomen rumbles or hurts and there is an urgent need to pass stool, do not use the latrine. Instead, collect it in a chamber pot. Whether the stool is loose or hard, it may contain worms.

These are the essential points for identifying illness through the hairs revealed by incense, pursuing the worms, and taking talismans. Practitioners should study them thoroughly and act with care.

This passage comes from a Daoist medical text. It mainly describes what to observe when expelling parasites (“worms”) from the body and what precautions to take when performing the methods. The following is a plain-language interpretation:

The appearance and forms of worms

Worms expelled in stool or vomit are easy to see when they are large. Worms expelled through sweating, however, are so small that they are difficult to notice.

Worms vary greatly in shape and size. Some are as large as infants, snakes, rats, loaches, eels, frogs, tadpoles, mosquitoes, flies, ants, or lice—among a hundred kinds of creatures. Others resemble tangled thread, worn-out cotton, lumps of flesh, hair, horsehair, palm fiber, grass seeds, hemp seeds, chestnut kernels, vital fluids, glue or lacquer, spoiled dough, coughed-up saliva, phlegm, or sheets of powder—among a hundred kinds of objects. Their forms are so varied that they cannot all be described. Whatever is expelled should be examined carefully and then burned, to prevent the worms from reproducing. If discarded outdoors, they may revive when exposed to rain or dew. Worms are especially afraid of fire: when driven by it, the small ones may die, but the large ones may survive and cause further trouble.

The consequences of sweating, vomiting, and purging

The fundamental methods for expelling worms in this tradition are three: inducing sweat, inducing vomiting, and purging. Their effects differ from the responses obtained through years of practicing ritual arts:

Some people recovered through sweating and purging. At first, their feet sweated; a day later, their legs began to sweat. Then the buttocks, arms, sides of the body, and head sweated in turn, and they recovered.

On another occasion, someone performed a ritual attack to expel the worms. There was no response for thirty-seven days, but later the person had a nosebleed. When the blood was rinsed and examined, a worm was found in it, as large as a shoe cord and more than six inches long.

In another case, after such a ritual attack, a centipede came out of the person’s ear.

In yet another case, sweating and purging caused worms to appear crawling across the person’s beard, eyebrows, and face. They were as large as ants.

Strange occurrences of this kind are endless. Without the correct method, the worms may escape by flying away.

Use talismans slowly; do not act in haste

When talismans are taken during a ritual attack to expel worms, they should be used gradually. Do not use the “Seven Ghosts” method, a powerful talismanic technique, or set a deadline or hour for the desired response. Trust the spirits and their officials to oversee and arrange matters.

If the talismans are used too urgently or intensely, the worms will disrupt the food being eaten and struggle violently. This can harm the internal organs, and the damage may be difficult to repair even after the illness is cured; the patient may die soon afterward. If the process is gradual, the worms are driven by the force of thunder, fire, and baleful energy. They dare not eat and gradually weaken until they die.

The talismanic methods for ritual attacks in this tradition include ways to restore and heal the body. Once the worms have been expelled, damage to the internal organs can be healed, so a slow approach is preferable. If the worms are expelled too early, the organs are said to be “empty” and the original Qi depleted, making recovery difficult. If they are expelled later, the organs are said to be firm and the original Yang not yet lost, making it easier to calm the spirit and recover. Other traditions focus on obtaining a rapid response, which is why they often fail.

Worm illnesses in a family and the worms’ capacity for movement

When this kind of illness affects a household, there are already many sick people in the family, and the worms are certain to be large. People have spiritual awareness, and worms, too, can emerge and move.

Pearls Left Behind in the Sea of Dharma: A Plain-Language Interpretation

1. On Corpse Worms

Corpse worms (parasites believed in Daoism to dwell inside the human body) enter the body and lie hidden in the organs. They spread toxins by moving through the body’s Qi, harming the person.

Sometimes a corpse worm leaves a sick person and enters someone who is not yet ill, feeding as it travels through the body before returning to the sick person. When someone’s illness is critical, it is because a fatal corpse worm is present among the Five Viscera. The worm emerges a month or half a month before the person dies, and the person then dies soon afterward. This is why it is called “the worm leaves, and the person dies.”

Some say that corpse worms must not be purged, because the person will die if they are. This is completely wrong!

When someone is critically ill, it is possible to nourish them first and then purge the worms. If the corpse worms are not pursued and expelled, they will continue feeding and spreading through the body. How could anyone survive that?

After pursuing and expelling corpse worms, you must immediately provide nourishing treatment; do not delay even one day. Take a pig’s leg bone, adding pig lung if the person has a cough. Boil them until soft, then add some rice and cook until done. Chop the ingredients finely and put fifteen talisman papers into the mixture. Stir frequently while chopping so the paper does not clump. Take it each morning at the fifth watch, before dawn. After taking it, do not go back to sleep, as this is especially harmful. Do not add salt.

After taking the talismans for four or five days, the abdomen should feel settled, food should taste good, and the person should eat more each day as the symptoms gradually subside. Even someone in critical condition may recover.

If, after taking it, the person feels nauseated, has a swollen abdomen, continues to have diarrhea, or feels like vomiting when eating, then even a mild case is dangerous. Dietary restrictions are essential: avoid pond fish, leavened dough, baked cakes, sesame cakes, beef, lamb, goose, pork, foods fried or grilled in clear oil, cured meats, alcohol, and cold or raw harmful foods. Take great care to protect and preserve the body. Do not overeat. Do not travel far, carry heavy loads, or strain the muscles and channels throughout the body; any such strain may cause the illness to return. Strictly abstain from sexual activity and take care for a year. For meat that has been damaged, use a combination of fresh and old meat. Once attached, it may be moved or handled as desired. Even in a mild case, the person must rest and recuperate for half a year, after which they will preserve their life indefinitely.

2. The Main Deities of the Mysterious Book of the Purple Palace (Upper Volume)

3. Immortal Origins of the Ritual Lineage

Note: The first half of this passage gives a nourishing prescription to follow after pursuing and expelling corpse worms: pig’s leg bone, pig lung, talisman paper added to porridge, and so on. The second half lists the principal deities in the upper volume of the Mysterious Book of the Purple Palace and the transmission of its ritual lineage.

Classic: Pearls Left Behind in the Sea of the Dao

Scripture:

Patriarch of the Verified Lineage

Perfected One Lu of Jinhua, who nurtured the vastness of the Dao

First-generation Patriarch Perfected One Fang, content in poverty

Patriarch Perfected One Yan of the Quiet Hermitage, Dao name Daoxing

Second-generation Patriarch Perfected One Yan of the Fan Pavilion, Dao name Daolong

Third-generation Master Perfected One Guo of the Snowy Cliff, personal name Yingxi

Fourth-generation Master Perfected One Zhang of the Celestial Firmament, personal name Yuanchang

Fifth-generation Scripture Master Perfected One Zhang of the Clear Stream, personal name Shunlie

Principal Generals

Marshal Zhao, Guangyuan, commander of the Primordial Response Grand Sovereign’s Palace, who seizes and slays ghosts and demons with the primordial Qi

(Depiction:) Three heads and six arms; on the left, commanding troops and holding a seal, a rope, a bow and arrows, a sword, and a fire bell

Marshal Mao, Wei, the great general who oversees and confines the Three Realms, commands demons, torments ghosts, and interrogates ghosts

Marshal Tong, Liyang, who commands the great demons, captures ghosts, and restrains ghosts

Marshal Xiong, Shisheng, principal general who swallows demons and devours ghosts

(Depiction:) Cloud-scroll crown, gold armor, wind sash, blue robe and black boots; wielding a great saber

Marshal Deng, Xingwen, who serves the Flame Emperor by drawing blood, tormenting ghosts, and illuminating ghosts

Marshal Li, Shijin, who shatters the remains of the Four Underworlds, beheads ghosts, and destroys ghosts

Marshal Gao, Tianzhen, commander in gold armor who flies and rides an eagle

Marshal Gao, Jiazhen, commander in silver armor who runs with and leads dogs

Deputy Generals

Li Guozhen, the Celestial General, an old man with four eyes

(Depiction:) Jujube-colored face, large eyes and four eyes in all; a gold-embroidered gauze cap, a blue-cloud crane-feather cloak, and black boots; holding an iron writing brush

Gao Bozhen, the Northern Elder with the High Saber

(Depiction:) Cloud-scroll crown, black robe, green boots, and wind sash; holding a great saber

Zhou Zhongda, the long-skulled giant beast

(Depiction:) Cap tied atop the head, black boots, green robe, and wind sash; holding a white staff

Liu Biwen, the three gods of the plain owl

(Depiction:) Cap with curved feet, yellow forehead band, gold armor, blue silk robe, wind sash, and black boots; holding aloft a three-legged, white-backed stork

Zheng Xianli, the Mighty Sword King

(Depiction:) Cap tied atop the head, gold armor, green robe, and red boots; holding a pair of swords

Zhang Xi, the one who leans across the body and drinks the wind

(Depiction:) Cloud-scroll crown, red robe, wind sash, gold armor, and green boots; holding a saber and spitting out a pair of swords (that is, reciting spells to drive away evil)

Liu Yi, the Celestial Steed who rouses wrath

(Depiction:) Cap tied atop the head, gold armor, black robe, and black boots; holding up a blue banner with both hands, bearing four beasts

Long Xu, emissary of the Flame Emperor who rends blood

(Depiction:) Red face, three eyes, fangs, red hair, Celestial Warrior’s crown, crimson clothing, and vermilion shoes; riding in a vehicle or upon a mount, as the text says, “rides.”

The Fire Wheel: Form the Violet Qi Hand Seal with the left hand and hold a fire sword in the right. Flames course around the whole body, and blaze fiercely at the sword’s tip.

Summon the High Heaven General Gao, who pursues consumption and attacks wasting disease; Marshal Li, who captures the possessing influence and restrains poison; Marshal Xiong, the Great General who pursues consumption; and the Great General who replenishes Jing and restores marrow. The thirty-six celestial generals and seventy-two talisman officers are summoned together for wondrous service.

The ritual master draws Qi from the north and spreads it over the body. Transform the spirit and forget the form; still all thoughts and close the eyes. Turn the inner gaze toward the bright light within the heart aperture. Next, direct the divine light of the right eye and write the nine characters before you. With both hands, swiftly trace the two Dipper constellations and send them forth, visualizing their stars shining brightly. The ritual master directs true Qi and exhales it, sending it bursting into the Dipper. It emerges from the nine apertures and transforms into the Lords of the Seven Stars, with unbound hair and swords in hand, clearly present on the altar.

Then recite the Tianpeng Incantation once and visualize Tianpeng’s true form: four heads and eight arms, each holding a halberd, spear, dagger-axe, or sword, along with the Emperor’s Bell and Seal, a fire lance, and a fire rope. Clad in a purple robe and golden armor, and wearing the Free-and-Easy Huayang cap, he appears within the Dipper, his face fierce with wrath, his might commanding Heaven and Earth, his whole body surrounded by the baleful Qi of thunder and fire. The ritual master draws in Qi and spreads it over the body. “I am the Emperor.”

Next, recite the Incantation for Purifying Heaven and Earth and the Tianpeng Incantation.

I respectfully summon: Marshal Zhao, the One Qi Commander of the Great Imperial Court of Yuan Ying, who seizes ghosts and subdues demons; Marshal Mao, who commands and restrains all demons and spirits across the Three Realms and examines ghosts; Marshal Tong, who oversees the great demons, captures spirits, and binds ghosts; Marshal Xiong, the chief general who devours demons and eats ghosts; Marshal Li, the old man with four eyes; Marshal Gao, the tall elder of the northern heights; Marshal Zhou, the long-skulled, giant beast; Marshal Liu, the three spirits of the plain owl; Marshal Zheng, the divine king of the mighty sword; Marshal Zhang, who stretches across the sky and drinks the wind; Marshal Liu, the fierce and violent Heavenly Steed; Marshal Long, envoy of the Flame Emperor’s searing blood; Marshal Gao, the golden-armored commander who rides the flying eagle; Marshal Gao, the silver-armored commander who sends forth hounds; Marshal Gao, who pursues consumption and attacks wasting disease; Marshal Xiong, the Great General who pursues consumption; Marshal Li, who captures the possessing influence and restrains poison; Marshal Qiu, the Great General who guards the rear; and the Great General who replenishes Jing and restores marrow. Thirty-six celestial generals and seventy-two talisman envoys, hasten at once to the altar. I have business to direct—come swiftly!

The ritual master forms the Living Luminary Hand Seal with the left hand, gazes toward the far northwestern heights, and draws the purple-black, golden light of the Supreme Mystery’s Qi, spreading it before him. The generals come from within the baleful Qi. Release the hand seal.

Plain-Language Explanation

In the Later Dipper, the true deities do not appear; only the various divine generals appear amid baleful Qi to carry out their duties.

In the “Later Dipper” rite, the true deities themselves do not take visible form. Only the various divine generals appear amid baleful Qi, obeying commands and carrying out their tasks.

General Command Talisman

The talisman on the right: Write the character sha (“baleful force”) using the Tianpeng Incantation, drawing the baleful Qi into the talisman. Add the words “Commander-in-Chief” above it, and place an auxiliary talisman over the sha character.

Inscription format (the wording written on the talisman):

With reverence, we invite the two Yuan commanders, the principal and deputy, Great Generals of the One Qi Commander-in-Chief of the Supreme Emperor’s Residence, Yuan Ying, together with the six great heavenly generals who pursue consumption. At this very moment, may they command all the troops and horses of their entire division to take up station wherever the talisman is placed, inspect the sickroom, guard the afflicted person, and seize and detain corpse worms and ghostly beings, allowing none to escape, as they await pursuit and punishment. We further invite them, day and night without pause, to seize and capture those who transmit the corpse illness, the deceased members of the family, the dead of consumption, and the ghosts of consumption, and to carry out punishment without interruption, in preparation for putting each measure into effect.

After writing the inscription, recite the Tianpeng Incantation in the forward direction and apply it in the forward direction; recite the reverse incantation and apply it in reverse. Draw in the Qi from the Taixuan method of the “elbow and back,” apply it within the strokes, and direct it upward. Then add a covering mark of three times seven strokes.

Xueya says: This talisman commands all the generals. Whenever an incense fumigation shows a response, the sick person’s family should make offerings of incense and lamps at the place where the patient lies, so that corpse worms will have no chance to escape.

When writing a talisman, first recite the Tianpeng Incantation and mentally transform yourself into the Emperor. Recite the Tianpeng Incantation again and draw in the Qi of thunder and fire; then recite the incantation of the Black Emperor of the North and draw in dark Qi. Next, draw the Qi of thunder and fire into the brush. Visualize blazing flames on a fire sword. Let the paper stand for the sick person, and use the sword to kill and destroy the corpse worms. Then summon true wrath, using it to enact the destruction of baleful forces. If carrying out pursuit and punishment, wait until you are still and settled, then use the image of life arising.

Qi Commander-in-Chief Talisman

(The talisman often bears written titles or images such as: Yan Emperor / Fiery Blood; Four Luminaries / Shatter Bones; Tianyou / Destroy the Kind; Divine Blade / One Strike; Ten Thousand Ghosts / Collapse on Their Own; sha—Heavenly Sha, Earthly Sha, Year Sha, Month Sha, Day Sha, Hour Sha, Calamity Sha, and Tribulation Sha; when the myriad ghosts encounter the talisman, they are destroyed by the Sha. On the left are the Six Ding; on the right, the Six Jia. Names include Mao Gong, Wei Tong, Li Yang, Li Shijin, Deng Xingwen, Zhao Guangyuan, Gao Tianzhen, Gao Jiazhen, and others.)

The talisman on the right: After writing the names and titles with the Tianpeng Incantation, draw in dark Qi. Then turn your gaze toward the Kun direction and summon the Commander-in-Chief to enter. Next write “Li Zi Zhuang Ni,” and add “Sha Sha” for the principal and deputy.

With reverence, we invite the heavenly general to descend directly into the body of the afflicted person, [name]’s body, to destroy the corpse worms and ghostly beings, pursue and punish them clearly, drive them out from the body’s fields, make the response plainly manifest, treat the injury, and restore balance.

Notes to help with the original text

• Tianpeng Incantation: A Daoist incantation commonly used for protection, exorcism, and talisman writing, often associated with the Northern Emperor and Marshal Tianpeng.
• Corpse worms: In traditional ideas about illness, contagion, and debility, these are wormlike spirits believed to inhabit the human body and cause disease or spread infection.
• Pursuit of consumption, corpse transmission, and consumption illness: These terms generally refer to illnesses resembling tuberculosis, contagious disease, or physical debility, as well as the associated beliefs about spirits.
• Talisman inscription: The wording written on a talisman to give instructions for inviting deities, taking up station, seizing and capturing, and related actions.
• Mentally transform yourself into the Emperor: Before writing a talisman, visualize yourself as the Northern Emperor, or the relevant presiding deity, in order to perform the rite.
• Xueya: Likely the title of a teacher or commentator who transmitted this method.

(Earlier section: healing responses and summoning generals to capture ghosts)

Diseases of a certain kind are dispelled through Qi and blood, with effects as described earlier. As for ghosts, one says, “I respectfully beseech the Celestial Generals to capture and restrain them.” Ghosts of corpse-transmission consumption—malignant spirits said to infect people and spread from one person to another—as well as spirits of one’s clan and kin may appear in the afflicted person’s dreams and give a detailed account of the cause of the illness. The disease will then rapidly worsen.

The talisman of the chief and deputy Eight Generals, which summons eight divine generals for protection: Gao Bozhen, Li Guozhen, Zhou Zhongda, Liu Biwen, Zheng Guangli, Xiong Shisheng, Zhang Xi, and Liu Yi.

To treat flying corpse disease, a corpse pestilence said to “fly” from person to person, use the Plain Owl Talisman. For wandering affliction, in which pathogenic Qi travels and roams through the body, use the Giant Beast Talisman. Other talismans may also be added, and the method described earlier may be performed with the Tianpeng Incantation.

The Five Fires Talisman, also called the Flame Emperor Talisman

The talisman lists: Heavenly Fire, Earthly Fire, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, the True Fire of My Heart, the True Fire of the Sun, and the Wandering True Fire of the Five Thunders in the Four Seasons.

For each character meaning “fire” that is written, draw in Thunder Fire Qi. At the hours of Yin and Wu, exhale toward the Dipper—the Northern Dipper—and gather it into the Fire of the Five Thunders. The fire enters the talisman through the seven orifices. Keep the eyes directed toward the Xun direction, the southeast, to help the fire rise.

(The talisman’s meaning: “Open—arrive—break—behead the ghosts; break the head and feet of the ghosts.”)

Recite the Flame Emperor Incantation without pause, summoning the fire to enter the talisman swiftly.

When it must be used urgently: visualize fierce blood inside a fireball in the Dantian. With the intention of the brush, split open the Dantian fireball. When the fierce blood appears, use the jue hand gesture to set it in motion, convey it to the heart, the heavens above, and the eyes, and send it forth in front. Then draw the fierce blood into the Central Palace—the chest center—and blend it there. Use the jue gesture to propel it to the Niwan, the upper Dantian. Let the ears make the sound of thunder, and direct the three generals into the talisman.

Visualize the fierce blood amid raging flames. In a fit of anger, exhale Thunder Fire Qi to strengthen it.

Apply the ink in an angry manner through seven turns, reciting:

“On the first turn, Heaven and Earth tremble; on the second, the sun and moon grow dim; on the third, the Kui and Gang stars stir; on the fourth, thunder and fire arise; on the fifth, thunderclaps resound; on the sixth, corpse spirits and malevolent ghosts are subdued; on the seventh, capture all who defy Heaven and lack the Dao, all corpse-transmission and hidden afflictions, and every malign spirit. By the command of my talisman, come and submit to death; do not move or act.”

Apply the ink with an angry motion to capture the corpse worms, malevolent parasites said to dwell within the body. Then add the chief and deputy generals’ Mysterious Qi and summon them into the talisman. One may also add the commanding gesture for subduing and directing malevolent forces. When fumigating the brush, add this invocation:

“Capture by Heaven, capture by Earth, capture by year, capture by month, capture by day, capture by hour. I respectfully beseech the Celestial Generals to descend with the talisman and pursue and capture the affliction within [name]’s body. If this person has indeed contracted corpse-transmission consumption, zhu toxin, or zhu Qi, I beseech the Celestial Generals to draw out the worms through the afflicted person’s hands.”

Note: This text describes Daoist methods of talismanic incantation, visualization, summoning generals, and healing. It includes traditional disease names such as corpse-transmission, wandering affliction, and corpse worms, as well as ritual terms such as Celestial Generals, the Flame Emperor, the Five Thunders, the Dipper, and Xun. These procedures are to be performed according to the liturgy by someone trained in the relevant lineage. This is a clarification of the text only, not medical advice or instructions for ritual practice.

An Excerpt from Pearls Left Behind in the Sea of Daoist Teachings (Modern Rendering)

Testing Efficacy and Heat in the Chest

If a talisman’s effects appear clearly and distinctly, this may be taken as proof that the healing has answered and that an urgent matter has received a response.

After completing the incantation, burn the talisman. Pronounce the rhyming words such as “Xuan” and “Gang” according to the oral instructions of this lineage. After pursuing and subduing evil, if the chest and heart feel hot, this is a sign of “false surging.” Write a talisman in cinnabar to dispel the fiery Qi of the “Three Lü” (a class of beings like the Three Corpse Worms). Knead the talisman into a pill. At dawn, mix cinnabar with the first-drawn well water; face north, inhale the smoke of aloeswood, and swallow the pill.

(While writing the talisman, recite the Incantation of the Flame Emperor.)

Visualization, Thunder Fire, and Writing Talismans

The master first settles into stillness and focuses the mind on the Dantian (the place below the navel where the mind is held). Visualize “fierce blood” moving from the Dantian up to the heart, passing through the spirit chamber of the Mud Pill (between the brows/the upper Dantian), then emerging and being inhaled into the “central palace” (the chest). Recite the incantation of the seven turns, beat the Qi, and let anger flow through the brush. Draw thunder fire from the Xun direction (southeast); guide the Fierce-Blood General with the eyes and arrange the thunder-fire formation. Breathe Qi into the talisman and visualize it filled with raging flames. Then add the force of baleful subjugation: use the forward “Peng” method to brush outward and the reverse “Peng” method to brush from outside inward. Sweep the brush straight down and recite “Divine Blade” once. Visualize a fire sword and fierce baleful forces, burn the corpse worms (the Three Corpse Worms), and drive out the cold. Write Fierce-Blood according to the prescribed form, enter the name of the principal marshal, and recite the incantation to send the marshal out from Xun. The master inhales the thunder-fire Qi from Xun, seals and contains it until it surges to fullness, then flashes the eyes like lightning and receives the principal marshal below, placing a dot in the talisman… Use the finger gesture and the incantation of the seven turns to guide the brush, set the thunder-fire formation in motion, and draw fire from Xun into the talisman. Then write the two characters “Subdue,” without using the character for “baleful force.” For the third talisman, use the Seven Ghosts method to bring Fierce-Blood inward. Bring the inner fire into the two “Subdue” characters, and visualize thunder fire bursting forth in the talisman, filling the afflicted room and pressing upon those within with fiery Qi. When the heat in the body reaches its height, the master sends his own vital impulse to the affected place, then makes a dot and shouts to stop it, adding the title and reviving and restoring the talisman’s efficacy.

(Breathe out red light to guide heart fire downward; blow out black Qi to guide kidney water upward; by the command of the Most High.)

The Fierce Officer’s Silver-Toothed Talisman and Writing Talismans by Drawing in Qi

The Fierce Officer’s Silver Teeth protect and support upright Qi and sweep away calamity and evil. Thunder fire and Heavenly Dipper: breathe in the three Qi of Xun.

For the talisman above, use a sheet of yellow paper with six rows and six openings. First gather the spirit and settle the mind. Sit suspended with the legs fully extended; press the baleful script with the left hand and grind ink with the right. Recite the Incantation of Tianpeng (an incantation for Marshal Tianpeng, commonly used in Dipper rites) and draw in thunder fire, breathing it into the ink. Recite the northern incantation to bring in Xuan Qi; recite the Six Palaces incantation to bring in Feng baleful force; recite the Golden Light incantation and exhale the five Qi into the inkstone. As before, draw in the Qi in sequence and spread it across the paper. Then draw in Qi and spread it across the brush. Recite the Incantation of Tianpeng again, draw in Xun Qi, and breathe it onto the brush tip, producing a ray of golden light. When the light moves and surges in all directions, begin writing. After finishing…

Notes for Reading the Original

• Pursuing and subduing: a ritual for pursuing, capturing, and subduing malevolent spirits.
• False surging: here, a reaction after subduing spirits, such as heat in the chest and an upward surging of Qi; it is treated with a talisman pill.
• Peng method: a specific method of guiding the brush and distributing Qi while applying a talisman, with forward and reverse directions.
• Principal marshal: the chief general (marshal deity) venerated at the ritual altar. His name must be written on the talisman, and the deity must be sent forth through visualization.
• Seven Ghosts, baleful subjugation, and revival and restoration: terms for ritual taboo characters, steps of the Dipper pacing rite, and methods of reviving or restoring efficacy; they are used in the sequence prescribed by the complete text.

First, gather the various energies (qi) from all directions and use a brush to delineate the central boundary once, then gather energy again to establish the left and right boundaries twice. Simultaneously recite the incantation: "Heaven and Earth connect, where true qi arrives, all malign influences disperse." When drawing the talisman (fulu), there's no need to count strokes, but the brushwork must be strong and continuous. At the same time, visualize thunder, fire, and lightning with focused spiritual intent, allowing the true qi to coalesce into a unified energy field.

Master Xueya (a Daoist practitioner) explains: This talisman regulates qi and blood circulation in men and harmonizes menstrual flow in women. It specifically treats imbalances of qi and blood, irregular menstruation, yin-yang disharmony, and stubborn cold-heat sores or toxic ulcers. After drinking the talisman-infused water, the true qi will dispel pathogenic influences. Sometimes, thunder-like rumbling may be heard in the abdomen—it is especially effective for treating cold damage disorders.

Next is the method for creating the Tonifying Talisman:

Begin by producing the five exhalation sounds: "He, Chui, Xu, Xi, Hu." Recite the spell: "The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) mutually generate, the mind's intent flows unimpeded, true qi is the root of all methods. May the afflicted area heal instantly, and the Supreme Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) descend to relieve suffering."

Then describe the functions of the five viscera: The liver stores the ethereal soul (hun), the lungs store the corporeal soul (po), the heart stores qi, the kidneys store willpower, and the spleen stores intention. Pray: "May the numinous energies of Heaven and Earth nourish and protect longevity. Guard the true essence, and may the deities of the five viscera each reside in their proper places." Conclude with the phrase: "Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances."

Specific procedure: After reciting the Golden Light Incantation, slightly open the mouth with the tongue touching the palate, gathering the energies of the Five Phases along with the thunder-fire golden light and celestial yang qi, guiding them into the "Flower Pool" (the mouth). Close the mouth and wait until saliva fills the cavity, then grind ink while chanting. Swallow the saliva blended with true qi, directing it with intention to the dantian. In meditative stillness, visualize the qi condensing into an infant-like "Great General" residing in the dantian.

Use thin paper to prepare talismans marked with the Five Phases and five "eyes" (symbolic apertures). When inscribing the talisman, maintain unwavering focus, blending and infusing the Five Phases' energies into the script. After completing each talisman, hold it with both hands forming the "sword fingers" mudra, using intention to activate its energy. Repeatedly chant the incantation to channel the golden light and celestial yang qi into the talisman until its energy glows vividly like rouge.

Finally, invoke the deities: "Respectfully summon the Great General Who Fills the Essence and Replenishes the Marrow, the Great Deities Who Tonify the Five Viscera, and the Direct Talisman Generators of the Three Origins and Five Virtues to descend and divide their true qi into this talisman swiftly." Complete the consecration by illuminating the talisman with your own divine light.

Wishing to Sit Within the Golden Light Talisman; the Master Then Folds and Puts It Away

After completing the incantation, visualize yourself seated upright within the Golden Light Talisman. The ritual master then folds the talisman and puts it away, carrying it inside the robe according to whether the person is male or female. Cut the talisman into small pieces with fine scissors and mix them into the food to be eaten; it must contain meat, but no salt may be added. If meat is not used, pound ginseng, taro, or similar ingredients, such as ginseng or poria, and mix in their natural juice.

For Women: Carry It Inside the Robe; Cut It Small and Mix It into the Food with Meat, but Add No Salt

(The above has already been translated.)

Then Pound Ginseng and Astragalus, and Add Their Natural Juice

(As above.)

Xueya Says: Use the Flavors of the Five Grains and Meat to Embody and Supplement the True Qi; After Eating

Xueya, a member of the Daoist community, says: “Use the flavors of the Five Grains and meat as a vessel for the True Qi—the primordial Qi.” After taking the talisman,

Do Not Sleep at All; Sleep Injures the Spleen. It Is Best to Take It Before Dawn and at Noon

Do not sleep at all—sleeping injures the spleen. It is best to take it before dawn and at noon.

If the Symptoms Recede, This Shows That the Talisman’s Power Has Been Received; Though the Condition Was Critical, the Patient May Recover. If the Symptoms Worsen, It Is Difficult to Treat

If the symptoms subside, this is evidence that the talisman has been received—that its power has entered the body. Though the condition was critical, the patient may recover. If the symptoms worsen instead, the illness will be difficult to treat.

Treat

(Continues from the preceding passage.)

Treating Pain That Runs from the Back to the Heart

To treat pain that runs from the back to the heart:

Recite the Tianpeng Incantation, a protective exorcistic spell associated with Marshal Tianpeng, and summon the Four-Eyed Old Man, an image of a subordinate general of Tianpeng. Call forth the primordial Qi, then use the tip of an iron writing brush—the brush dipped in ink for writing talismans—to subdue baleful Qi. Gather the Qi and direct it onto the brush through visualization.

Take a breath of Qi from the tip of the Great Marshal’s Brush and blow it into the talisman, drawing the poison—the illness—into the talisman’s “emptiness,” its blank space. Then settle into the prescribed turning movement and circulate the Qi.

“Respectfully we summon the Four-Eyed Old Man, Marshal Li Yuan. Lead the officials and soldiers of Taixuan, stern enforcers of death, swiftly into the talisman, and immediately quell the pain running from the back to the heart of the patient, so-and-so.”

The ritual master again draws in the brush’s Qi and blows it onto the talisman, then gives a sharp command: “Stop!” He adds the Gang energy by performing the prescribed steps, then urgently performs the “three-seven” sequence and spreads the Great Heavenly Qi. Mix flour with water to make a paste and use it to attach the talisman over the painful area.

Talisman for Treating Ghost Intercourse

Write the talisman below using the Tianpeng Incantation, in inverted characters. Add the title Commander-in-Chief and the following instruction:

“Summon the Heavenly Generals to slay and subdue the hidden corpse, and put an end to demonic dreams and illness.”

This talisman is used when someone in a household dreams of intercourse with a deceased spouse—for example, a widow longing for her husband or a widower longing for his wife—or dreams of sexual intercourse with a hidden corpse, a corpse’s Qi or an evil Yin force taking the form of a corpse. This includes cases described as “mutual affliction,” involving Yin debts or marital ill fortune. Attach the talisman to the foot of the bed, close to the ground. To put an end to the problem permanently, choose a day associated with the hidden corpse, inform the master, write the talisman on iron, and nail it to a favorable spot at the foot of the bed, beside the doorway or window.

Talisman for Treating Coughs

After finishing the Tianpeng Incantation, form the Yin-Yang Dipper mudra with both hands. Bring forth the Dipper from within the body and clearly join and separate its forms in front of you. For a hot cough, add the title Commander-in-Chief; for a cold cough, add the Five Fires. The names of the principal and assistant generals may also be added.

“Respectfully we summon the Lords of the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper. May the true essence of the Seven Stars descend into the talisman, enter swiftly into the body of the patient, so-and-so, and flow into the Five Viscera. May the Metal of the lungs arise, all the spirits be at peace, and the myriad ghosts lose their forms. May the illness be removed…”

Visualize the Dipper’s true spirits standing in solemn array on the altar. Draw in the Qi from the Dipper and breathe it into the talisman. Then visualize a hazy white Qi in the west; draw it in through the nose while making the “si” sound. Next, visualize the hazy Water Qi of the north and blow it in. Then summon Xuandi and the essence of the numinous Dipper constellation; may the Primordial Emperor command the Nine Stars to descend…

A Plain-Language Interpretation of The Pearl Bequeathed by the Dharma Sea

General procedure for applying talismans

After reciting the incantation, guide your intention with your gaze, gathering the Seven Stars into a single sphere as large as a cartwheel. Then inhale through the nose and draw golden stellar Qi in through the mouth. Breathe it onto the talisman, then write it in the prescribed order. If you recite the Tianpeng Incantation forward, apply the strokes slowly and draw the power inward in the forward direction. If you recite it in reverse, apply the strokes quickly and draw the power inward in reverse. Once the talisman is written, lift it up. Begin with the Bugang step from the Si position, brush over the talisman with a writing brush, form the Thunder Bureau hand seal with your left hand, and press down upon it. Swallow a mouthful of saliva and guide it to the Dantian (energy center). Take the efficacy you sense within yourself as confirmation, then add the seal mark to close the talisman.

Treating vomiting of blood

Write the talisman while reciting the Tianpeng Incantation, then add the “Five Fires” to it and use the Yin-Yang Dipper method (bring the dipper out from within the body and join the dipper). Once you have visualized the dipper stars clearly, recite:

Northern Dipper Star Lords, true essence of the Seven Origins, descend into the talisman, swiftly enter the patient’s body, and flow into the five viscera. May Liver Wood flourish and thrive, may the hundred spirits be at peace, and may ten thousand ghosts be destroyed.

Visualize the Qi of the Seven Origins in the north as dense and solemn, with misty Water Qi. Invite the Qi into the nose, draw it in through the mouth, and blow it onto the talisman. Then visualize the lush Qi of Wood in the east; draw it in through the nose and mouth, hold your breath, and softly exhale it into the talisman. Next, summon Fire Qi in your visualization and let it mingle with the first three kinds of Qi without dispersing. Then recite:

Numinous Xuantian, essence of the Dipper constellation, by command of the Primordial Sovereign, may the Nine Stars descend.

When the incantation is finished, guide the Seven Stars with your gaze and gather them into a mass of golden light. Use your gaze to draw it into the talisman, add the left and right drawing-in gestures, form the Thunder Bureau seal, and press downward into the talisman, holding the brush in place. Take out the talisman and swallow the water of the Flower Pool—the saliva in the mouth. Take the efficacy you sense within yourself as confirmation, then add the seal mark to close the talisman.

Stopping diarrhea

Recite the Tianpeng Incantation while writing the talisman, and add the Primary and Secondary Sha. When the Sha moves forward, draw it in with Peng moving forward, applying the strokes from the outside inward. Call out, “Stop, stop!” Then draw it in and move Peng in reverse, again from the outside inward, pressing down with the brush as you call, “Stop, stop!” If the condition is one of “stopping,” perform the ritual action called “spitting out the ghost’s feet,” swallow the Qi, hold the brush in place, and await a sign of efficacy. If the condition is one of “diarrhea,” inhale and seal off the body’s Ghost Gate; hold the brush in place and add the seal mark.

Stopping tidal fever

After adding the Primary and Secondary Sha to the Commander-in-Chief talisman, add the Xuan Sha, Yang Sha, and Tuo Sha. Visualize the three kinds of Qi pressing coldly upon the talisman without dispersing. Write the talisman using the incantation of the north, drawing in Qi twice: apply strokes from the outside inward, then from the inside outward, then once more from the outside inward. Brush straight downward and use the Thunder Bureau to press down repeatedly, so that the hot Qi exits from below. With the third talisman, do not lift the brush. Visualize the Sha Qi pressing coldly and condensing, filling the entire space within the talisman. The ritual master applies their own cultivated skill; when a response is sensed, hold the brush in place at the center and add the command mark. The talisman may be taken internally or affixed to the body.

Note: The original is a practical mnemonic for Daoist talismanic rites, involving Bugang steps, visualization of the Seven Stars, drawing in Qi to apply talismans, and the Thunder Bureau hand seal. These procedures require instruction from a teacher to perform. Terms such as “Primary and Secondary Sha,” “drawing in,” and “adding the seal mark” are translated here according to their literal meanings; the precise ritual procedures depend on the Daoist lineage.

(1) The Tianpeng Incantation and Writing Talismans

On the right, write the characters upside down using the Tianpeng Incantation, a spell transmitted by Marshal Tianpeng, a Daoist guardian deity. Write Commander-in-Chief above it; this is the talismanic position for the leader of the generals. Make the hand gesture known as separating Yin and Yang, using the fingers to distinguish the two forces.

Facing the four Dipper seats—the four images of the Northern Dipper or the four Dipper-shaped talismanic forms—recite:

“Essence of Great Yin, formed by Metal and Water: hear my summons and swiftly enter the talisman.”

The master exhales a stream of golden light, forming a bridge suspended in the air. In the mind, visualize the two attendants in the Dipper: Qiangyang, who supports a ram-shaped figure or deity, and Tuoluo, possibly the name of a guardian called Duluo. They look like beautiful women, their bodies veiled in a murky black vapor, and descend along the golden bridge. The master inhales the Qi of the two attendants and blows it into the talisman, then draws in Qi three more times and breathes it into the talisman, stopping when the teeth feel cold. After performing two acts of gathering and empowering, write this instruction on the talisman:

“Summon the Heavenly General to withdraw at once; the patient’s body is flushed with fever.”

If the patient suffers from heat and agitation in the five centers—the palms, soles, and chest, a condition often associated with Yin deficiency or spiritual disturbance—mix cinnabar with cold water and have the patient swallow it. Alternatively, have the patient sniff aloeswood smoke while facing north, then swallow it.

(2) Scorching Ghosts

In the rite of scorching ghosts—a liturgy that uses fire, talismans, incense, and similar means to force ghosts and harmful spirits to appear and subdue them—first summon the Commander-in-Chief and the five generals who scorch ghosts to the altar. After writing the Commander talisman, turn its tail upside down so that it points upward. Write “Five-Thunder General Suppression of Malign Spirits,” “Corpse-Ghost Longxu,” and other names inside the talisman. Form it according to the Five Fire talisman pattern, associated with the Five Phases or the fires of the five directions, and shape it into a twisted paper wick. In a single breath, ignite one point at the tail of the talisman, then place it beneath the patient’s bed. Next add the Earth God’s shrine, followed by the household of the Director of Destinies, the deity who presides over lifespan and the home.

First, have someone listen for signs and report what they hear. If the burning is caused by the breath of bones, there will be a smell of ancestral hair; for a female ghost, a smell of blood; for a ghost of a woman who died in childbirth, the smell of roasted meat; for a transmitting corpse—a corpse plague spirit that spreads disease—various kinds of incense; for an outside malign influence, the smell of wine and vinegar; for a connected relative, the smell of sulfur and orpiment; for Yuanyou, possibly a type of evil spirit, the smell of flames; for an ancient spirit, the fragrance of lotus; for Buddhist or Daoist spirits, the metallic stench of copper and iron, or the animal stench of weapons and beasts; and for relatives connected through an aunt or uncle, the smell of grass. There may also be various sprites or the smell of dung, or a contagious wasting disease spreading among neighbors. The spirit may also give an account in the patient’s dreams, reporting what has happened; someone should listen for this report as well. Afterward, the rite may be performed as desired.

(3) The Seven Ghosts, Four Brightnesses, and Breaking the Corpse

When writing this talisman to pursue and attack, invoke the master, or summon generals, first declare one’s intention and send the three Qi into the brush and ink. Retain and apply this intention, then write the talisman.

On the right, write the talisman using the Tianpeng Incantation. Place the Nine Malign Forces—nine types of malign Qi or nine positions of malign influence—in their designated positions: Ding on the left, Jia on the right.

The master visualizes a ball of fire in the Dantian and imagines the brush as a fire sword. With one stroke, the fireball splits open and the Marshal appears. The master holds the breath and maintains the inner state, directing power from the Niwan, the Dantian at the crown of the head, as it bursts into both eyes. When the eyes open, thunder and lightning move; fire blazes in the talisman before the master. Visualize the stars shining clearly, and recite: “I respectfully summon the Seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper and seven thousand divine generals to descend into the talisman, destroy the malign force and corpse ghosts, and swiftly seize them so they appear in their true forms.”

Visualize the Dipper’s true forms entering the designated area with disheveled hair and swords in hand, setting the Five Thunders in motion and sending them into the talisman.

Note: The source is an operational liturgical text written in esoteric language. Many technical names—such as Commander-in-Chief, Five Fire, Director of Destinies, and the Nine Malign Forces with Ding and Jia—vary across manuscripts. The translation here follows common usage in the Daoist Canon; if the characters differ in the reader’s copy, the critical edition should be treated as authoritative.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of Related Passages in Fahai Yizhu

This passage describes a ritual for drawing talismans and inviting deities into them. Its central method is to draw on the power of the Great Emperor of the North Pole and Purple Tenuity, marshals such as Tianpeng and Tianyou, and divine generals such as the Great Emperor of Fengdu, to “gather star Qi and troops into the talisman.” The talisman is used for subduing baleful forces, corpses, ghosts, and similar beings. The tone is stern throughout: the practitioner must feel genuine anger and act with utmost sincerity, and must never use the rite casually.

Gathering Qi and Visualization

Gather Qi from the center of heaven and earth into the Mysterious Pass, the point of focused awareness, such as between the eyebrows or at the Dantian. Then blow it toward the farthest heights of the northwest.

Visualize the Purple Tenuity Emperor Star as large as a cartwheel, its light illuminating the earth. Form hand seals and issue commands to the Northern Emperor, ordering divine generals such as the Baleful Force Seizing Kui and Gang to stir into action, and commanding the Baleful Force to seize the Two Dippers, such as the stellar deities of the Northern and Southern Dippers, and open the Purple Tenuity Enclosure, the celestial palace where the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity resides. Suddenly, the Northern Emperor, the Great Emperor of the North Pole and Purple Tenuity, appears above, riding a white horse with a red mane, surrounded and guarded by the Four Sages: the marshals Tianpeng, Tianyou, Yisheng, and Yousheng. Draw the star Qi into the talisman and recite a prayer whose meaning is: “I, your servant, respectfully invite the Great Emperor of the North Pole and Purple Tenuity to enter the talisman in his imperial chariot and personally lead the campaign to subdue baleful forces.”

The ritual master concentrates the spirit and guides the Great Emperor into the talisman with the gaze.

The Xu Xu Incantation and the Four Sages Entering the Talisman

Following the Xu Xu Incantation, respectfully invite the marshals Tianpeng, Tianyou, Yisheng, and Yousheng to lead their troops into the talisman. Visualize the Four Sages and the troops from the four directions entering the talisman, then empower a key stroke on it.

During the rite, among the Four Sages, use the Pojun gesture to shoot toward the northeast, the direction of Gen, and the Ghost Gate.

The Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity summons the Three Origin and Three Officials Emperors to lead troops into the talisman and subdue baleful forces, then places the Three Officials within the talisman.

The Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity summons the Great Emperor of Fengdu to lead troops into the talisman and subdue baleful forces, entering the talisman from the north.

The Six-Cavern Kui Kings and the Deity Who Pursues Consumptive Illness, obeying the emperor’s command, lead troops to subdue baleful forces. They carry wolf-toothed clubs and enter the talisman from the northeast.

In turn, command the Three Officials Emperors, the Great Emperor of Fengdu, the Six-Cavern Kui Kings, and the others to seize and destroy baleful forces. Recite the Northern Incantation, rise, and carry out the rite; direct Qi inward three times. Then, following and reversing the Peng method, move into the left and right, gather anger, apply it to the talisman, and complete the stroke. The Four and the Three Sovereigns then seal and dispatch it, meaning that the talisman is sealed and stamped.

Intention and Prohibitions

Whenever this talisman is written, the practitioner must be filled with great anger to manifest the authority of Heaven; only then can it subdue baleful forces.

Never use it casually, and do not show disrespect to the Great Emperor. This talisman is said to have the power to restore the dead to life. Without true sincerity and genuine anger, how could one establish spiritual communion?

Note: Terms such as “subduing baleful forces,” “corpse ghosts,” “Kui and Gang,” and “Two Dippers” belong to Daoist talismanic practice and Northern-school ritual methods. The figures mostly belong to the divine systems of the North Pole and Purple Tenuity, the Four Sage Marshals, Fengdu, and the Three Officials. The source text contains gaps and corrupt characters; the plain-language interpretation has been clarified according to common readings in the Daoist Canon, without adding further doctrinal interpretation.