《道法會元》Vol. 197

This passage from the Daofa Huiyuan (Compendium of Daoist Rituals) documents a Thunder Rites (Leifa) ceremony, describing the summoning of celestial generals to subdue demons and malevolent spirits.

The text first introduces three principal deities:

The Thunder Ancestor (Leizu), highest deity of the Thunder Ministry, manifests as the "Wondrous Dao Celestial Emperor" presiding over the ritual. With azure face and indigo body, he wears crimson robes tied with an immortal's sash. His left hand forms the Dipper Seal (Douyin), while his right grips a sword, standing astride a blue dragon amid swirling clouds.

Deputy Commander Liu Tong appears with black face and body, clad in dark garments with a blue skirt and immortal's sash. His left hand forms the Thunder Mudra (Leiju), his right wields a thunder hammer, riding a white tiger accompanied by howling winds.

Altar Master Tao Gongji displays a green face and body, dressed in black with red skirt and immortal's sash. Both hands brandish thunder hammers in a striking posture, wreathed in flames. All three deities share the features of eagle beaks and dragon claws.

Next come eight Ghost-Capturing Celestial Soldiers (Tian Ding) stationed at the eight Bagua (Eight Trigram) positions (Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui), each wearing colors corresponding to their trigram and bearing specialized ritual implements:

• Zhang Hong of the Qian Palace captures ghosts
• Huang Fu of the Kan Palace binds spirits
• Qiu Zhi of the Gen Palace shackles demons
• Li Ziming of the Zhen Palace conducts interrogations
• Zhao Feng of the Xun Palace executes decapitations
• Xu Yong of the Li Palace administers fiery punishment
• Lü Qing of the Kun Palace delivers freezing torment
• Yu Tong of the Dui Palace enforces suppression

The text then presents two summoning incantations:

The "Conjuration of Three Marshals" summons Thunder Ministry generals: "By decree of the Jade Purity Celestial Worthy (Yuqing Tianzun), we urgently summon ten thousand spirits—reaching the Nine Heavens above and penetrating the Netherworld below. Thunder reverberates through the eight directions, fire wheels encircle. We summon the Five Thunder Marshals and Eight Celestial Soldiers to search everywhere and seize demons. The Great Unity Deity (Taiyi) descends as thunder envoys and lightning mothers arrive roaring. Celestial generals immediately shackle ghosts and expel specters. When Thunder Rites activate, chant sincerely—subdue demons without delay, swiftly execute the Celestial Emperor's command!"

The "Conjuration of Celestial Physicians" calls healing deities: "The Black Emperor of the North (water virtue) and Wind-Thunder Gods of the South (fire virtue) shout in unison, shaking heaven and earth as the Eight Trigrams spontaneously manifest power. When heaven and earth darken, celestial soldiers capture ghosts without limit."

These passages demonstrate the Daoist Thunder Rites practice of visualizing divine forms and reciting specific mantras to mobilize cosmic energies in religious ceremonies.

This scripture primarily elucidates the talismanic incantations and application methods of Daoist Thunder Magic (a ritual technique for summoning lightning to exorcise evil forces). It encompasses several key components:

First, it describes the efficacy of ritual implements used by the Shenxiao lineage (an important Daoist school) - the banner and seal used during the Yin hour (3-5 AM) can be directed to the Fire Mansion (Southern Li Palace), while rituals performed at noon (11 AM-1 PM) take effect at the Jade Pivot City of Divine Empyrean (the central thunder bureau). The Zi hour (11 PM-1 AM) and Hai hour (9-11 PM) are optimal for healing and disaster relief. Violators of these ordinances face punishment from the Northern Emperor's Bureau (the administrative body governing the underworld).

Next comes the incantation for summoning thunder generals. The practitioner declares themselves a celestial deity descending to the mortal realm, employing Yu Steps (a distinctive Daoist footwork) to mobilize the energies of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua): summoning thunder from the Zhen Palace (East), igniting flames from the Li Palace (South), invoking deities from the Xun Palace (Southeast), ascending to Yang brightness from the Qian Palace (Northwest), and summoning rain to vanquish demons from the Kan Palace (North). The incantation emphasizes that violators will be pulverized by thunder magic.

The cultivation method emphasizes harmonizing Yin-Yang: absorbing the essence of sun and moon into the body, blending the heart fire (cardiac energy) with kidney water (renal energy), and refining these through Xun wind (Southeastern energy) and Kun water (Southwestern energy) to ultimately manifest thunder generals. During rituals, practitioners visualize these generals descending amid wind, thunder, and radiant flames.

Finally, it details the talismanic designs for three thunder marshals - Pang, Liu, and Tao: Marshal Pang's talisman requires writing the character "晅" (representing the sun) at the top with accompanying solar invocations; Marshal Liu's talisman bears "朒" (symbolizing the moon) with lunar chants; Marshal Tao's talisman features "炓" (denoting the Celestial Stem) with corresponding stellar invocations. Other generals' talismans alternate between solar and lunar characters depending on odd-numbered (Yang) or even-numbered (Yin) days.

These elements exemplify the distinctive characteristics of Daoist Thunder Magic, which integrates celestial correspondences, internal cultivation, and ritual sorcery. Through specific ceremonial practices, it facilitates communication between heaven and humanity to achieve divine summoning, demon expulsion, and healing purposes.

This scripture describes the specific methods for drawing and employing thunder talismans (fulu) in Daoist Thunder Rituals (Leifa), belonging to the secret transmission of incantation techniques recorded in the Compendium of Daoist Rituals.

The procedure begins with drawing specific thunder patterns on ritual paper while reciting summoning mantras. First, one draws the doubled trigram Zhen (the Thunder trigram from the Bagua superimposed upon itself), then transforms it into the character "雷" (thunder). Above the Qian position (northwest direction), the names of eight thunder generals like Zhang Hong are inscribed, while the seven-character phrase "敕天轰雷霹雳摄" (By imperial decree, capture with heaven-shaking thunderbolts) is written in overlapping strokes. The practitioner chants while painting, simultaneously visualizing deities entering the talisman. Alternatively, one may summon the Five Thunder Generals according to their directional correspondences: Tianlei General Tian Wenjia (Heaven Thunder), Dilei General Liu Yan (Earth Thunder), Longlei General Cui Ziwen (Dragon Thunder), Yuelei General Tao Gongji (Mountain Thunder), and Shelei General Gao Mai (Community Thunder).

The four corners of the talisman invoke other thunder deities: Thunder Duke Jiang Hechong, Lightning Mother Xiu Wenying, Wind Earl Fang Daozhang, and Rain Master Chen Huafu. The seven-character phrase "天皇枷耶霹雳摄" (By the Celestial Emperor's fetters, capture with thunderbolts) is again written in overlapping strokes at the center while chanting and visualizing divine infusion. The ritual master then visualizes himself as a celestial deity descending, sealing the ghost gate by tracing from Kun palace (southwest) to Gen palace (northeast). Making three clockwise circles with the brush, he declares imperial mandate, warning that violators will be "shattered to dust."

At the Gen position (northeast), the brush strokes inward within the circle before sealing with a "敕" (decree) character, signifying authorization from the Thunder Ancestor (supreme thunder deity) and the Mysterious Dao Sovereign. Adding the characters "延由" while chanting the Empowered Mandate incantation, the practitioner channels Primordial Qi (the foundational energy of Daoist cultivation) into the talisman. This stage involves visualizing underworld guardians: the mythical beast Bì'àn, dark smoke and fog, bronze snakes and iron dogs, and ox-headed jailers.

The Tao lineage's thunder talisman follows similar principles but employs the Northern Black Thearch's mantra. Here, the doubled Li trigram (Fire) transforms into the "雷" character, with five generals like Ma Yulin inscribed above the "田" field radical. The central mantra "唵呼吽叱咭噉摄" (Om hu hum chi jie dan capture) is written in layered strokes. Pang and Liu lineage talismans feature double wings, while Tao lineage versions show quadruple wings, all accompanied by Five Fire Generals resembling the Flashing Fire Thunder Duke.

The text emphasizes activating these talismans with the Hundred-Word Spell, Great Awesome Virtue (Da Weide) incantation, and Thunder-Summoning chant. Particularly potent versions include the character "煞" (slay) inscribed with eight destructive forces: celestial, terrestrial, divine, demonic, annual, monthly, daily, and hourly slaying energies. These operations strictly follow liturgical protocols, exemplifying how Daoist Thunder Rituals integrate talismanic art, visualization, incantation, and trigram symbolism into a unified practice.

This scripture describes the specific procedures and rituals for drawing the "Celestial Warrior Talisman" (Tianding Fu) in Daoist Thunder Magic (Leifa), a practice for summoning thunder deities to perform magical rites.

When drawing the talisman, one must first arrange the Thunder Formation (Leiju, the energetic field cultivated in Thunder Magic practice) around the body while reciting an incantation to summon the deities. The talisman begins with the "Layered Heaven Zhen Trigram" (a specific talismanic structure based on the Zhen trigram from the Bagua, representing thunder), followed by modified strokes of the character for "thunder" (雷). This must be done on an "Auspicious Day" (Zhirì, a Daoist calendrical term designating a favorable time for rituals), and the practitioner’s name should be inscribed within the talisman.

Next, the seven-character secret command "勑天轟雷霹靂攝" (an esoteric mantra to summon thunder and lightning) is swiftly written while chanting and visualizing the descent of divine spirits (Cun Shen). After completing the lower section of the talisman, the entire process is repeated to finalize it.

For daily cultivation, the practitioner should practice morning and evening, reciting the "Golden Light Incantation" (Jinguang Zhou, a protective mantra) to empower the talisman. Finally, the talisman must be enshrined with reverence to maintain its spiritual efficacy.

This passage comes from Volume 197 of The Collected Essentials of Daoist Rituals (Daofa Huiyuan), an important Thunder Magic text transmitted during the Yuan dynasty, documenting the talismanic and incantatory methods of the Qingwei and other Daoist lineages from the Song and Yuan periods.