《道法會元》Vol. 223

This passage documents the Numinous Treasure (Shangqing) tradition's method for summoning Marshal Ma and his generals during Daoist exorcism rituals. Marshal Ma, fully titled "True Lord of Fiery Radiance and Crimson Brilliance, Great Marshal Who Commands the Southern Palace," serves as a guardian deity in Daoism, leading the fire department's divine troops.

The text first enumerates Marshal Ma's principal commanders: General Ma Chong who wields a white serpent and commands thunderbolts, General Ji Xin who has no facial features, the four spirit generals including Wen Zan responsible for capturing souls, along with Mei Fu who governs the five directional souls and Supervisor of Souls General He Ruobi—sixteen divine envoys in total, each overseeing specific duties such as soul retrieval, karmic retribution, soul confusion, and fire control.

When commencing the summoning ritual, the priest burns incense and beats a drum while reciting incantations to invoke Marshal Ma and his generals to swiftly attend the altar. The specific method involves: the priest facing the northwestern Heavenly Gate direction, inhaling Qi (vital energy) through the nose while visualizing it transforming into a golden bridge, simultaneously silently reciting the heart mantra "Om □ hum trak □ hum trak om hum svaha saha."

This is followed by chanting three secret incantations: the first "Om yun tra li she" primarily serves to summon deities; the second sequence including "Om ga lo tra gi lo tra lo" contains syllables with special spiritual power; the third repeats the first incantation to amplify its efficacy.

The ritual concludes with praise verses extolling Marshal Ma's majestic virtue: he manifests as a great immortal radiating golden light while riding a fire rhinoceros, governs the Thirty-Six Heavens, and was appointed by the Jade Emperor (Daoism's supreme deity) as the celestial inspector. Endowed with powers to seal mountains, destroy caves, and shake the Nine Heavens, he serves as the protective lingguan (numinous officer) of the Orthodox Unity (Zhengyi) tradition.

Note: Characters like "Om" (唵), "Hum" (吽), and "Trak" (吒) are common in Daoist mantras with special religious significance; "Qi" (炁) refers to primordial life force; the "altar" (法坛) denotes the sacred space for Daoist ceremonies.

This scripture primarily discusses the methods of summoning celestial generals through Daoist talismans (Fulu), divided into several sections:

First, it describes the incantations for invoking deities. The "Celestial True Northern Emperor's Divine Official Fifth General" refers to a martial deity under the command of the Purple Tenuity Emperor of the North Pole, wielding a divine sword sharp as frost. The "Dingjia Generals" denote the Six Ding and Six Jia celestial warriors, all capable of subduing evil spirits. Through reciting these mantras, the ritual master requests these deities to swiftly descend to the altar for assistance.

Next, it explains the responsibilities of the ritual master. Upon receiving ordination, the master takes an oath to uphold the Dao (Way) on behalf of heaven, protecting the nation and saving the people. Whenever petitioners seek help at the altar, deities are summoned to ensure proper retribution for good and evil. After the summoning ritual concludes, the master may either draw talismans or invite spirit possession according to circumstances.

The text then meticulously records the methods for drawing two types of talismans:

The "Great Power Talisman" is used for exorcism and healing. When drawing it, the master forms the Noon Mudra (a specific Daoist hand seal) while visualizing fire enveloping the patient's residence. The talisman contains names of deities like the "Great Power Divine Official" and "Celestial Ding True Lord," combined with esoteric mantras such as "Om Ka Lou Zha" to swiftly expel demonic influences.

The "Fire Character Talisman" and "Fire Gourd Talisman" specifically target malevolent spirits. The drawing process involves four brushstrokes, each with distinct symbolism: opening the celestial gate, closing the earthly door, preserving the human portal, and blocking the ghost path. The mentioned "Marshal Ma" is a renowned Dharma-protecting deity in Daoism, whose "Fire Gourd General" subdues demons using a fiery gourd ritual implement.

All these talismans emphasize the phrase "urgently urgent as by divine decree," indicating immediate execution of celestial commands. The entire ritual exemplifies the traditional Daoist approach of invoking deities through talismans and incantations for exorcism and healing purposes.

This scripture describes a Daoist exorcism and healing ritual, primarily involving several divine generals and the application of fire-based magic. Marshal Zhu and General Yan wield swords capable of releasing Samadhi True Fire (a sacred flame attained through Daoist cultivation), specially designed to incinerate and slay all manner of ghosts and demonic entities.

The incantation "Om Ming Lun Ni Gui Bu Du Zha Ji He" must be recited in conjunction with the Samadhi True Fire. The Fire Wheel Divine General rotates his flaming wheel, reducing malevolent spirits to ashes, dispersing wind-borne afflictions with the breeze, and dissolving qi-related illnesses with the vital energy. Plague toxins, fevers, and chills swiftly dissipate, restoring peace to the afflicted.

Next, the ritual summons the Southern Blazing Planet Lord (the deity of Mars) to descend with celestial commands. The golden wheel's rotation ignites heavenly flames, within which dances the three-legged golden crow (the solar divine bird)—these fires consume evil ghosts without harming righteous spirits. The Supreme Emperor of Celestial Origin is then invoked to bestow true fire, followed by the Southern Celestial Warrior (a thousand-zhang tall general with five glowing eyes) who unleashes the Samadhi True Fire.

After chanting the three-fire incantation, the ritual master forms the "noon seal" (a specific hand mudra) while drawing talismans. Adjustments are made according to the illness: fire qi (fire-element energy) is added for cold ailments, while water qi (water-element energy) is incorporated for heat conditions.

The White Snake Talisman section depicts the Celestial True Yang Sovereign of Primordial Qi (the supreme yang deity): his left eye illuminates the northern realms, his right eye emits thunderbolts, his open mouth darkens heaven and earth, and his exhaled flames reduce vegetation to ashes. This thousand-zhang tall deity crushes demons, his power sufficient to shake Mount Kunlun.

The final part contains the Commanding Exorcism Talisman's spell, describing how the White Snake Deity's might eclipses the sun and moon, withers plants, and annihilates evil spirits upon hearing. No matter where demons hide, they are captured and brought before the ritual altar. This talisman serves multiple purposes—healing, exorcism, personal protection, and household safeguarding.

These elements showcase Daoist religious ceremonies that employ divine summons, sacred flames, talismanic drawings, and incantations to expel evil and cure illnesses. The ritual integrates stellar deity worship, Five Phases theory, and talismanic magic—hallmark features of Daoist practice.

This scripture records multiple incantations from Daoist exorcism rituals, primarily belonging to the Northern Emperor tradition (a Daoist sect venerating the Great Emperor of the North Star as its central deity). These spells are used in various stages of ritual seal activation—including opening, wielding, and closing the ceremonial seal—as well as for summoning deities and expelling malevolent forces to cure illnesses.

The Seal-Opening Incantation is chanted when activating the ritual seal. Its essence conveys: this celestial seal embodies the authority of the Jade Emperor, carried and operated by the celestial warrior guardians (Tian Ding Li Shi). Evil practitioners hearing it will tremble in fear, while the sick seeing it shall be instantly healed. Wrongdoers will face retribution, and the virtuous will receive blessings—swiftly manifesting like decrees issued by the Great Emperor of the North Star himself.

The Seal-Wielding Incantation elaborates on the seal's power: this divine instrument of the Celestial Emperor can transform towering mountains into vast seas, turn solid rock into quagmires, wither trees, and split the earth asunder. Whether above or below, within or without, before or behind, all malevolent entities shall be subdued. Ghosts will dissipate, ailments vanish, and ominous energies from burial sites retreat automatically as righteous deities descend to protect. It concludes with "urgently as by imperial decree" (Ji Ji Ru Lü Ling), demanding immediate execution of the North Star Emperor's command.

The Seal-Closing Incantation marks the ritual's conclusion: the celestial warrior guardians withdraw the seal, grinding demons into dust—again ending with the imperative decree formula.

The Illumination Invocation summons the manifestation of the Kui Spirit (the Deity of the Big Dipper), who by the Northern Emperor's mandate protects the people. It specifically calls upon Marshal Ma—a blue-faced, golden-eyed guardian deity—to distribute luminous Qi and follow the talisman to a designated household, subduing its disruptive spirits.

The Fire Department Spell convenes the Fiery Rhinoceros General (deity governing flames) and the Ding-Jia Divine Officers (the Six Ding and Six Jia guardian spirits) to capture ghosts. Its concluding syllables "Om Hun Zha Li She" constitute esoteric mantras with special spiritual potency.

The Mighty Power Incantation summons the Celestial Warrior of Supreme Strength to aid the ritual master in apprehending supernatural entities. Ten thousand ghosts scatter spontaneously as evil influences flee human bodies. The Divine Officers will interrogate these beings, compelling them to reveal their origins.

Finally, the Fire Enclosure Spell invokes the primordial Fire God to deploy iron nets and golden snares—creating an impenetrable celestial web igniting sacred flames across all directions to capture malevolent forces. These incantations collectively exemplify the Daoist exorcistic principle of "using divine authority to subdue ghosts," employing higher spiritual powers to suppress negative entities.

This scripture passage describes a Daoist exorcism ritual technique. The ritual master summons the Fire Department deity Zhao Yuanzhu to bind malevolent spirits, employing fiery punishments (fire bonds, fire cangue, and fire interrogation) while beating the fire drum to amplify spiritual power. The command (imperial decree) demands the evil spirits immediately confess their misdeeds, concluding with the standard Daoist incantation phrase "urgently and swiftly as the law decrees," indicating immediate enforcement akin to legal statutes.

"Fire bonds and fire cangue" refer to restraints formed from flames to shackle evil spirits, while "fire interrogation" denotes questioning under fiery torment. Zhao Yuanzhu is a deity in Daoist belief who governs the Fire Department, specializing in capturing malevolent entities. The entire passage exemplifies the typical Daoist practice of summoning divine power for exorcism, emphasizing the subduing and interrogation of harmful spirits through the elemental force of fire.