《道法會元》Vol. 28

The twenty-eighth volume of Dao Fa Hui Yuan (Compendium of Daoist Rituals) records a series of Daoist talismans (fulu, mystical diagrams used in ritual practices) and their methods of application. These talismans are primarily employed in Daoist ceremonies such as petitioning deities, purifying altars, summoning divine beings, exorcising evil, and healing illnesses.

First listed are several foundational talismans: the "Entry Talisman" is used for self-purification when entering sacred spaces; the "Water Basin Talisman" and "Altar Purification Talisman" are for cleansing ritual tools and altars; the "Three Incense Talismans" relate to offering incense to deities. The "Shangqing Purple Forbidden Boundary-Opening Talisman" may be used to open sacred spaces, followed by several summoning talismans specifically designed to invoke certain divine envoys, such as the direct emissaries of the Dipper Ministry (the system of the Northern Dipper deities), including the "Sheep-Slaying Divine General," the "Dharani Divine General," and the "Yang Jie Divine General."

The text particularly documents eight talismans corresponding to the seven stars of the Northern Dipper (Greedy Wolf, Giant Gate, Prosperity Store, Literary Curve, Pure and Upright, Martial Song, and Army Breaker) along with the two auxiliary stars. These must be used alongside invocations beginning with "Your servant [name] humbly petitions..." Also included are the "Harmony Talisman" and three "Wine Offering Talismans" for ceremonial libations, as well as the "Incense Blessing Talisman" for fumigation and prayer. The "Lamp Lighting Talisman" requires recitation of the "Mu Shun Dan Ling" incantation, while the "Heart Petition Talisman" and "Communication Talisman" are used for submitting memorials.

The "Water Basin Response Talisman" must be traced over water with the sword mudra (a Daoist hand seal) while reciting the "Heavenly Spirit Incantation" and the "Seven Perfected Incantation." Subsequent sections list talismans linked to one’s natal star deities, as well as advanced talismans like the "Heaven-Shaking Chapter Talisman" and the "Purple Palace Summoning Investigation Talisman," the latter explicitly noted for vanquishing malevolent forces.

The final section details various functional talismans: the "Shangqing Pivotal Thunder-Fire Talisman" must be burned and ingested; the "Sealing Bundle Talisman" requires specific inscriptions on its reverse; the "Safe Birth and Fetal Protection Talisman" aids in stabilizing pregnancy; the "Dipper True Salvation Talisman" incorporates the secret names of the Three Heavens (the esoteric titles of the highest triad of deities). There are also talismans for divine communication, disaster relief, blessing bestowal, epidemic expulsion, qi absorption (energy cultivation), calamity resolution, and enlightenment—each serving distinct purposes. The "Mysterious Ultimate Auspicious Jade Talisman" and the "Evil-Clearing Talisman" are respectively used for invoking blessings and exorcising evil.

These talismans exemplify the Daoist tradition of communicating with deities through specific diagrams and texts to achieve goals of disaster prevention and fortune-seeking. Their use must be accompanied by prescribed ritual procedures, including incantations and hand seals.

This text documents a complete Daoist liturgical procedure (Keyi) for dispelling misfortunes and seeking blessings, comprising three distinct ritual documents:

The first is the Misfortune-Dispelling Incense Talisman Ceremony. The ritual master (referring to himself as "your subject") establishes an altar in the petitioner's home at night according to the Qingwei School (a major Daoist lineage) protocols, featuring the Supreme Purity Purple Light Star Lamp (a special ritual lamp believed to dissolve calamities). By burning vermilion-inscribed talismans (Fulu), the master presents the ritual sincerity to two guardian generals of the Northern Dipper Star Palace—General Zhaohui Fuyuan and General Mingshang Huishen—requesting them to transmit the petition to the Nine Emperor Lords of the Dipper (the seven stars of the Big Dipper plus two auxiliary stars). The ceremony specifically invokes these generals to guide the celestial presence, while assigning deities from the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions and Twelve Zodiac Palaces to neutralize directional inauspicious forces and life-palace misfortunes respectively.

The second component is the Heart Memorial Submission. The master seals the prepared prayer text (Heart Memorial) formally, entrusting it to the Swift Ashen Flame Courier Yang (a divine messenger specialized in document delivery) for urgent transmission to the Dipper Star Palace. The text emphasizes unlocking the Celestial Gate's mechanisms to ensure unimpeded passage of the memorial.

Accompanying this is the prescribed form of the Celestial Gate-Opening Talisman—the Purple Emperor's Primordial Elixir Talisman of the Mysterious Pivot for Summoning Truth. This specific talisman addresses the Celestial Lords guarding the Purple Ultimate's Luminous Gateway (considered the heavenly portal in Daoism), requesting them to open the celestial gates according to the talismanic command and guide the memorial's ascent to divine hearing.

The entire document concludes with an authentication note: it must be signed and sealed by a properly ordained master (whose lineage is traced through Lady Shu, Patriarch Wei Huacun, and Celestial Master Zhang Daoling) at specific celestial dates and hours. This reflects Daoism's strict transmission systems and spatiotemporal cosmology in ritual practice.

This scripture describes the ritual procedure for using a Daoist talisman (fulu, written documents employed for divine communication and exorcism) called the "Wall-Opening Talisman." The talisman is delivered by a divine general (protective deity in Daoism) named "Swift Celestial Yang, the Blazing Flame Talisman Emissary of the Nine Heavens."

The process begins by recording the precise date and time of issuing the talisman, followed by its reverent preparation. The talisman is carried by the divine general Yang Jie, the Swift Flying Blazing Flame Emissary of the Nine Heavens, who delivers it with stellar radiance and fiery speed to the Purple Ultimate Response Palace (abode of Daoist deities). This particular talisman serves to beseech the Dipper True Lord (the deified Northern Dipper) for grace and blessings on behalf of a petitioner, commanding the divine general to swiftly ride the clouds without delay and immediately await the deity's response.

The text concludes by restating the issuance time, noting that the ritual is performed by an ordained Daoist priest (designated as "your subject") under divine mandate, followed by the listing of relevant immortal masters' titles (consistent with earlier references). A five-inch blank space is left in the middle of the scripture for inscribing the talisman's symbolic patterns.

This passage demonstrates the complete liturgical protocol for Daoist talisman use, encompassing temporal documentation, divine envoy dispatch, delivery destination, petition contents, and practitioner identification. It reflects the meticulous standardization characteristic of Daoist ceremonial practice.