《上清靈寶大法(二)》Vol. 33

To make a ritual staff—a bamboo staff used in cultivation and ceremony—choose a pure and numinous place, such as a famous mountain or blessed sanctuary. On an auspicious day, take a clean bamboo stalk that has grown facing south. It should be five chi and five cun long, with nine joints. Set the staff in a clean place, and make it on a Jiawu, Bingwu, or Dingmao day, or on the third day of the third, fifth, seventh, or ninth lunar month.

At the first joint, bend the staff slightly to the left, then slightly to the right. Make a hole on each of its four sides below the third joint, and place inside the secret names of the Four Sacred Mountains. Then make a hole in the center of the top of the staff and place inside the secret name of the Central Sacred Mountain. Next, insert the middle section of the Scripture of Numinous Writing into the staff and seal it securely with wax. If the staff is intended only for dedicated wearing and cultivation, the Five Emperor talismans may be placed inside instead. Make a bag from silk patterned with yellow designs, sized just large enough to hold the bamboo staff.

When performing rites, hang a small yellow pennant below the second joint. It should be seven cun long and bear the name “Celestial Worthy Who Relieves Suffering in the Ten Directions” and the “Talisman of the Mysterious Transformation of the Ten Directions.” The pennant may be left off when carrying and using the staff in daily cultivation. Another method is to make a staff that is not bent. During prayer rites, carry it with you at all times, whether sitting, lying down, or going about your daily activities. If you enter a place where it is inconvenient to carry, set it in a clean place.

After cultivating with the staff for a long time, point it toward the sky, and the celestial spirits will bow; point it toward the earth, and the earth deities will come to welcome and attend you; point it toward the northeast, and all ghosts will be bound in form. Cultivate diligently over a long period, keeping the bamboo staff covered by a garment and carrying it with you wherever you go. Whenever you perform a technique, click your teeth thirty-six times. At the same time, visualize one Divine Official of Direct Command for each of the Five Emperors, each wearing the color that corresponds to their direction. Also visualize one Jade Maiden of each of the Five Emperors guarding the ritual staff nearby. Five-colored radiance flows and shines around the staff. Then recite softly:

“Mountain of the Sun, primal essence above;

You opened Heaven and spread out Earth.

Sweet bamboo, attuned to the numinous.

True talisman, guarded by officials;

divine troops, arrayed as protectors.

Five-colored light flows;

red fire and golden bells resound.

Assist the Highest Zhen;

enter and leave the netherworld.

Summon Heaven, and Heaven shows reverence;

gather Earth, and Earth comes to attend.

Point at ghosts, and ghosts vanish;

demons and monsters are bound in form.

Numinous talisman, divine staff,

your might commands the eight directions.

May you accomplish this together with me;

may you endure forever together with me.

After passing through ten thousand kalpas,

take the place of my bodily form.”

Subdue my body, and cause the gods of the five forms of liberation to ascend to Shangqing (the Daoist celestial realm of the highest tier). Of all the spirits who receive talismanic commands and hear admonitions, none fail to listen with reverence and obey.

After reciting the incantation above, draw in the True Qi of the Five Directions—the subtle energies of the east, south, west, north, and center—and swallow it thirty-six times in all, then stop. You may also invite and receive True Qi for cultivation on the Eight Festivals of the Three Primes (the Upper, Middle, and Lower Primes), on your natal day, or on your birthday. When performing the rite, burn incense and pay your respects. You may also practice every morning and evening, reciting the incantation with single-minded sincerity and unwavering persistence. In this way, the spirits will appear, and the ritual staff will be able to carry a person through the air. Once your practice is complete and your De (Virtue/Power) perfected, the form transformed through the ritual staff will enable you to become a perfected person in an instant.

Five Sacred Peaks Talisman

• East: Write it in cinnabar on blue paper. Face east when putting away the ritual staff.
• South: Write it in yellow on red paper. Face south when putting away the ritual staff.
• West: Write it in black on white paper. Face west when putting away the ritual staff.
• North: Write it in blue on black paper. Face north when putting away the ritual staff.
• Center: Write it in white on yellow paper. Face the center when putting away the ritual staff.

Ten Heavens’ Mysterious Transformation Talisman

The talisman lists the honorific titles of several Heavenly Worthies and perfected beings, including the Heavenly Worthy Taiyi Who Relieves Suffering, the Heavenly Worthy Who Hears Cries and Relieves Suffering, the Heavenly Worthy Who Frees the Guilty from the Nine Depths, and the Heavenly Worthy Who Grants Life in the Vermilion Mound. It also bears titles such as “Widely Delivering Those Who Sink,” “Relieving Suffering and Freeing the Guilty,” and “Granting Rebirth According to One’s Wishes.” The talismanic command further instructs the Three Officials, Five Emperors, Nine Offices and Four Departments, the Five Sacred Peaks, the Nine Depths, Six Grottoes, Ten Palaces, and the Ruler of Fengdu—the deity who governs the underworld—to carry out deliverance and salvation everywhere, so that all departed souls may escape the prisons of hell and be reborn in heaven.

Joining the Forms

Eastern Azure Emperor Talisman: Write it in cinnabar on blue paper.

Song of the Azure Emperor

Pay homage from afar to the east, O Jade Emperor, Azure Sovereign!

The numinous wind stirs the bellows, bringing forth the myriad beings and bestowing the primal energy of spring.

Cloud dragons draw the chariot in a solemn procession; jade trees encircle its wheels, adorned with precious stones.

Withered plants sprout anew and receive abundant nourishment; your great kindness is impartial.

The myriad immortals sing of the Great Dao, gently admonishing the people of heaven and the human world.

The human heart is confused and often stubbornly resistant; yet with reverent prostration, one may receive your boundless benevolence.

Southern Red Emperor Talisman: Write it in yellow on red paper.

Song of the Red Emperor

Vast radiance opens the Jade Pivot, and the palaces of the grotto-heavens open their golden gates.

The shade of trees in the cold woods falls across steps paved with jade,

as red phoenixes tread upon jade trees.

The jeweled hall is splendid and is called “Qu Li”; its gleaming jade ornaments are the dwelling place of spirits.

Flying on a celestial tour, one passes along the cloud-way and guides people to raise their eyes toward the True Capital, the abode of immortals.

The daylight stretches long, and the sun shines without setting…

Dense smoke envelops the green sanctuary, the Daoist altar or meditation chamber. The Most High issues his command. The seals, official documents, headcloths, tables, and registers are all arranged according to ritual rules. To assist the celestial wind and establish the wondrous teachings, one must be sincere and diligent, sparing no effort.

Talisman of the White Emperor of the West: The talisman paper is white, and the script is written in black.

Song of the White Emperor

Lu Jia, the divine general, cradles the Golden Que. The Seven Luminaries—the Big Dipper, the sun and moon, and the five planets—guard the sacred altar. The flowing bells are cast out and become flames; a mighty sword coils like a giant dragon. In that distant realm of Su Ling, the western heavens, the laws of light shine forth. Who would dare to trespass?

Bind and subdue the demons, ghosts, and monsters, and make them fall in terror. The winds high in the heavens are cold; now that the chill, shadowy Qi has been quelled, the myriad heavens are at once at peace. All the immortals and perfected beings, sheltered by this power, bow their heads in celebration and sing together in joy.

Talisman of the Black Emperor of the North: The talisman paper is black, and the script is written in green.

Song of the Black Emperor

The formless Dao governs all things with form. Deep indeed is the heart of the Lord on High! When the Dao does not stir or appear, the subtle workings of transformation lie hidden within it. The only fear is that your thoughts may not be pure: dark ideas can suddenly take root and spread, causing you to circle in the boundless sea of suffering and drift ever farther from the Dao.

For ten thousand years, you must always keep to the rules and remain vigilant. Once you let your guard down, you will sink of your own accord. If you do not cultivate stillness and Wuwei (non-action), you will fall into the realm of ghosts and suffer calamity and punishment—burdens too hard to bear.

Talisman of the Yellow Emperor of the Center: The talisman paper is yellow, and the script is written in white. These five talismans together are the “True Writings of the Five Sprouts.”

Song of the Yellow Emperor

The myriad heavens gather around the central celestial court, which steers the source at the Jade Pool. The pivot stands high, linking the cycles of time across millions of years. With penetrating clarity, it opens the gates of heaven in all four directions. The Great Being of Primordial Yellow, represented by the Yellow Emperor of the Center, commands the souls of the stars; without the Emperor’s Dao in motion, heaven and earth could not be sustained.

When wrathful, he is stern and deadly as autumn frost; when benevolent, he is gentle and warm as spring sunshine. Through him the earth comes into being, and the guiding principles of the primordial beginning are held in his grasp. His beneficence is received with reverence, vast beyond measure.

Yunzhong heard his master’s teaching: There are many ways to cultivate the Dao and its methods. Wielding a staff is one way of using an object to embody divine power. The Perfected Dong achieved his work with a divine ruler, which belongs to the same category. In daily moments of leisure, one should continue to carry and uphold the ritual staff, diligently reciting its incantations without interruption. With this practice, the highest achievement may be to undergo corpse-liberation and leave behind one’s mortal form; at the least, it can bring urgent aid and dispel calamities.

When performing Zhaijiao (purification rituals) and other rites, use the staff to break open the underworld prisons, and draw on the spirit talismans of the Lord on High to increase its power. In this way, one hopes to reach the unseen realms and illuminate the gates of darkness. Recently, many people have not carried the staff in their daily lives, but only come before their master to request one when a rite is at hand and a prison must be opened. This is contrary to the rules.

Those formally initiated into the secret registers of the Central Alliance and entrusted with the transmission of the Lingbao Great Method use the Five-Spirit Staff as a ritual implement belonging to this method and its registers. It should therefore be made according to the rules on an auspicious day, then placed on the ritual altar in accordance with the liturgy. During the morning lesson each day, one should hold the staff and recite its incantations according to ritual; when performing rites, one should use it in the prescribed manner.

There is no longer a petition for descent before the Venerable Master. Anyone who has not attained the rank associated with this set of Fulu (talismans and registers, credentials of ritual office and transmission of ritual arts conferred by Daoist teaching) should not presume to use it. In ordinary circumstances, if one is not carrying the Fulu, one cannot offer prayers before the Lord on High (the celestial sovereign revered in Daoism), asking to perform the True Talisman for Breaking Open the Prison (a talisman for opening the gates of the underworld prison). One may pray that generative Qi from the ten directions and the numinous Qi of the Five Sacred Peaks descend and infuse the ritual staff used by the master, so that the gates and barriers of the underworld open in peace and the deceased may ascend beyond them. The method of performing this rite is the same as the usual practice of receiving and upholding the formula.

This is originally a ritual that the ritual master performs inwardly through visualization and silent practice. In recent times, formal liturgies have been established and invocations read aloud to make the ceremony appear more complete and to reassure the officials overseeing the purification rite that every detail has been carefully addressed. But if a liturgical text is not appropriate in principle, it should not be added merely to accommodate worldly expectations. Such rites are suited to being performed privately and should not be staged in public.

Therefore, when conducting the ritual for breaking open the prison, the Daoist assembly should be instructed to follow the liturgy, while the High Merit master sits upright in silence and visualizes inwardly. This may bring some benefit. People in the world also believe that hell lies far below and that symbolic structures set up on the ground cannot produce any effect. Judged only by outward appearances, this does indeed seem impossible. But since the liturgical instructions originally include such a rite, the High Merit master need only focus the mind, sincerely petition the Great Dao, and ask the Lord on High for compassion and assent. Why worry that the prison gates cannot be opened? In breaking open the prison, what matters is making a wholehearted petition to the Lord on High.

Since the ritual staff is used to break open the prison, the prison-breaking rite may proceed afterward. In ancient times, the ritual staff was used first and foremost for self-cultivation, not specifically for Zhaijiao (purification ritual) ceremonies, so the rite for breaking open the prison is listed separately as its own grade.

The Great Method of the Numinous Treasure of Highest Clarity, juan 34