《上清靈寶大法(二)》Vol. 15

Shangqing Lingbao Dafa (Great Methods of the Shangqing Lingbao), Scroll Fifteen, Section Six: A Modern Interpretation

Title of the Work: Shangqing Lingbao Dafa (Great Methods of the Shangqing Lingbao)

Fascicle: Scroll fifteen, section six (the sixth category of talisman diagrams)

Talismans Formed by Splitting Characters

Editor's Note: This section was compiled by the Dongxuan Lingbao fashi (Dongxuan Lingbao ritual master), the Nancao zhifa dianzhe (Director of Law of the Southern Bureau), and Quan Yunzhong, Right Assistant Administrator of the Quan Tong [rare character] Office.

Scriptural Statement (Key Points on Using Split-Character Talismans): The Daoist scripture says that when this method is first practiced, one should go to the altar and perform the talismans there. The character you (the tenth Earthly Branch) is used to cure all kinds of illness. The characters zi and wu (the first and seventh Earthly Branches) are paired with the Dipper Steps (dougang) to hasten birth, calm the fetus, and protect life. One should also invite the Perfected of Wondrous Conduct (miaoxing zhenren, a Shangqing formula said to ward off evil) to attend the altar.

The scripture further lists several talismanic phrases with their uses. "Liu Jing Yu Guang" (Flowing Essence, Jade Light), a mysterious text, treats dreams and ghostly visitations. "Wu Se Yu Bo" (Five Colors Surging Forth), a you text, treats shortness of breath. "Shen Feng Jing Mo, Shan Yue Cang Yun" (Divine Wind Still and Silent, Mountains Hiding Clouds), a zi text, treats rapid breathing. "Tian Wu Fu Yi, Si Qi Lang Qing" (No Floating Haze in the Sky, the Four Breaths Clear and Bright), applied with the middle finger's middle segment, treats ailments of the ear.

"Wu Se Shizi Xuan Zuo Kong Fu" (Five-Colored Lion Seated on the Dark Throne, Empty and Floating), written in a method of swallowing with the middle finger's middle segment, subdues a house and cures illness. "Xin Qi Bu Zu" (Insufficient Heart Qi) uses the chen text to treat liver disease. "Wu Se Xuan Long Xiao Ge Yong Yong" (Five-Colored Dark Dragon Roaring and Singing in Harmony) uses the you text to treat lung disease. "Wu Lao Qi Tu" (The Five Elders Set Out on the Way), applied with the middle finger's middle segment, treats spleen disease. "Qun Xian Yi Yuan" (Assembled Immortals Lend Their Wings) uses the yin text to hasten birth and protect the body.

The Great Spirits who Oversee Life and the Overseers of Deliverance from the World (jiansheng dashen and jiansheng dushi), invoked through the mao and you texts, hasten childbirth and rescue women from the dangers of labor. The "Western Dipper Records the Name" (xidou jiming, a you text) restrains malignant influences. The "Northern Dipper Drops the Dead" (beidou luosi, a zi text) delivers one from calamity. The "Central Dipper Great Leader, Overseer of All Spirits" (zhongdou dakui zongjian zhongling), using the zi and wu Dipper Steps, drives away evil ghosts and cures all illness.

"Ba Yuan Chou Bo" (Eight Primal Elders of the Ox, from the Wang Qing formula) treats sores and boils. "Fan Shan Liu Mu" (Six Eyes Overturning the Mountain, from the Yu Qing formula) treats eye disease. "Zi Hao He Yi, Zhu Tian Qi Gong" (Calling Oneself Radiant, Equal in Merit to All the Heavens, from the Shangqing formula) dispels evil. "Shen Gong Shou Ming, Pu Sao Bu Xiang" (Divine Merit Received by Mandate, Sweeping Away All Misfortune, from the Yu Qing formula) treats ghostly affliction.

"Tian Ding Qian Qu" (Celestial Guardians Lead the Way) protects the body. "Zhuo Huo Wan Li" (Hurling Fire Ten Thousand Miles) burns demons. "Liu Ling Ba Chong" (Eight Surges of the Flowing Bell, from the Yu Qing formula) subdues demons. "Tu Ge Gui Shuang" (Slaying the Ghostly Spirits) cures illness. "Qian Qian Jie Shou, Wan Wan Jian Xing" (A Thousand Heads Severed, Ten Thousand Forms Cut Apart) slays demons. "Ba Wei Tu Du" (Eight Majesties Spit Poison) treats poisoning. "Chi Zhi Di Qi" (Commanding the Earth Spirits) summons the spirits of the land and others to serve. "A Tuo Long Luo" (Atha Dragon Net) drives away evil creatures. "Si Xiang Xu Yun" (Four Images Sighing Together) treats yin-related spirit affliction. "Yuan Shi An Zhen, Fu Luo Wu Pian" (Primordial Beginning Calms and Settles, Spreading Forth the Five Sections) subdues a house.

Explanatory Note: In the original text, the parentheses beside each incantation phrase state a purpose, such as "character X (formula Y or body part Z) cures disease W," or simply "hastens birth," "protects the body," or "subdues the house." This is a Daoist practice of lie zi wei fu (splitting characters into talismans): ganzhi (the stems and branches), body locations, and the names of the Three Pure Ones formulas are broken apart and built into talisman forms, then combined with visualization (cunshen) and directional orientation. The modern vernacular version has folded the parenthetical content into the reading flow to make it easier to follow. For a line-by-line comparison with the talisman models, the parentheses in the original text remain the authoritative reference.

The Shangqing Lingbao Great Methods (II): A Plain-Language Commentary

General Rules for Writing Talismans

When writing a talisman, first use the light of the talisman to draw in true qi, then breathe into the brush. Once the talisman is complete, silently recite the Great Brahman secret phrases (the esoteric Sanskrit-sound incantation) once more, then gather qi and blow it onto the talisman. According to the deity on duty that day, summon the Flying Heavenly Divine Kings and their subordinate envoys, who carry the talisman away to carry out its work.

Names of the Talismans and Their Uses

In each entry, the "right-hand" instruction refers to the usage given for that talisman. The Talisman for Curing Emptiness is cast into water, and its incantation is recited three times. The Talisman for Curing Blurred Eyes is used to wash the eyes with water. The Talisman for Curing Recurring Illness is burned in front of the patient. The Talisman for Curing Epidemics is worn close to the body as a protective charm or swallowed. The Talisman for Curing Evil Influences may be worn or taken. The Talisman for Curing Adverse Forces is worn or swallowed. The Talisman for Curing a Hundred Evils is swallowed or worn, and a second form of the same name is likewise worn or swallowed. The Talisman for Curing Ancestral Harm is burned and given to the patient or the relevant person. The Talisman for Curing Illness is used to gently supplement true qi. The Talisman for Restoring Vigor of Spirit should be worn, as should the Talisman against Ruling Stars Shining Upon One. The Talisman for Lacking Shen is taken in the seven-origin form, in connection with the seven-origin talisman or the seven-day Yuan liturgy. The Talisman for Repelling a Hundred Evils is swallowed, and the Talisman for Curing a Hundred Ailments is likewise swallowed. The Rain-Prayer Talisman is written on an iron tablet and cast into a dragon pool. The Talisman for Subduing All Spirits is used to secure a place. The Talisman for Subduing Demons should be worn. The Talisman for Curing a Hundred Essences is written on peachwood and nailed in place to hold it fast, and a second form is treated the same way. The Talisman for Curing Deafness is swallowed. The Talisman for Curing Muteness is swallowed, though in the original text it appears at the end. The Talisman for Establishing Prisons is used to pursue ghosts and bind them in place. The Talisman for Curing Epidemic Disease is affixed to hold it down and is swallowed. The Prayer-for-Clear-Weather Talisman is burned, and the Talisman for Curing Wind Illness is swallowed.

General Rules for Forming Talismans

All of the talismans above take their characters from the middle section of the scripture and are drawn in the seal-script form known as Heavenly Seal (tianzhuan). Originally they had no fixed names. For self-use, one heals with the upright character, meaning its direct, face-value sense. To help another person, one follows the method described for the talisman above: breathe qi onto the talisman and then give it to them.

Commentary by Yunzhong

Yunzhong respectfully notes that the practice of Lingbao arises entirely from the scriptures, and its methods are established according to them. For this reason, the sentences of the scripture serve as incantations, and the characters appearing in the scripture serve as talismans.

Vernacular Explication of the Shangqing Lingbao Dafa (Part Two), Juan 15

At the outset, one must examine the underlying principles thoroughly and only then make talismans (fu) and apply their methods accordingly. Some of these principles can be understood, while others remain difficult to grasp. Yunzhong (Yunzhong), the compiler or annotator, has consulted the views of various masters, and these views are broadly similar. Most say that a particular character "governs" a particular affair, yet none has set out a complete system of talisman entries. Such statements number roughly fifty or more. If one grasps their subtle principle, applying them is more than sufficient. If one cannot comprehend their inner mechanism, then even tens of thousands of words are merely decoration.

Looking at the ancient methods, every character in the Duren Jing (Scripture of Salvation) could form a talisman, yet in actual use only a few were employed, which shows that the ancients had deeper intentions of their own. The Tiantai (Tiantai) lineage has forty-two categories, each taking four characters as a talisman name. The names are numerous, such as the Talisman of the Azure Void Song and the Talisman of Divine Wind Stillness, but many of them lose the original intent of the scripture, in which the upper and lower parts link together and each part has its own order. Later people believed that although the scripture had been rendered into ordinary writing, it could still be regarded as heavenly sound, sufficient to subdue yin demons and strange phenomena, and so they wrote it down with restrictions. In truth, such talisman names probably did not exist at that time. The saying that heaven sent down these talismans only means that they may be followed, not that their workings may be fully known. In governing ghosts, one must be especially cautious and secretive. Nowadays, when characters are stacked to form talismans, their forms are often concealed, yet the names and entries are made public, so the secret mechanism (jijian) has already been revealed. Moreover, these entries disagree with the old methods and with the various common editions under heaven, so the Tiantai lineage has formed a school of its own.

Here Yunzhong records only what the ancient classics and what is commonly transmitted in the world have preserved. Yunzhong is willing to bear the slander of the Tiantai prefectures, and in doing so avoids offending the people of later generations. Those who do evil will be few, and those who rejoice will be many. Evil mostly arises from private motives, while rejoicing arises from public judgment. If so, even if one suffers slander, what harm is there?

Note: In this text, "Yunzhong" is the compiler or annotator. "Tiantai fa" refers to the Tiantai school or the talisman methods of the Tiantai lineage within the Daoist canon. "Duren jing" refers to the Lingbao Duren Shangpin Miaojing (Wondrous Scripture of the Upper Grade on Salvation). "Fu" refers to Daoist talismans, which perform their rites through characters or images with text. "Jijian" refers to hidden mechanisms or secret essentials.