《太上助國救民總真祕要》Vol. 5

The fifth volume of The Supreme Secret Essentials for Assisting the State and Saving the People, compiled by Master Dongyou Yuan Miaozong, records five types of demon-subduing talismans (fulu). Among them, the "Five Prisons Talismans" utilize the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) to construct five distinct containment spaces specifically designed to capture various malevolent spirits and ghosts. By selecting the corresponding talisman according to seasonal influences and the waxing phases of the Five Phases, one can effectively exorcise evil.

Earth Prison Talisman (drawn with cinnabar on yellow paper; first secure nails in the containment space, then spread ash):

When drawing this talisman, first visualize a messenger descending from heaven—his forehead marked in red, head wrapped in black cloth, clothed in crimson robes, and wielding an iron rod. Then imagine the brush transforming into a yellow dragon, its mouth exhaling radiant Qi that forms the talismanic strokes. Before the first stroke, recite the incantation seven times, followed by seven repetitions of Earth Star's true name "Kuntari." Upon completing the final stroke, chant "Kuntari" three more times, then recite "Three Bindings" seven times. The complete mantra is: "Oṃ khara prasanna yāya dhātā agnite jvalite hūṃ hrīḥ svāhā (inhale)." Note: "Kuntari" is the true name of the Earth Star, while "Three Bindings" are crucial words to recite when finishing the strokes.

Wood Prison Talisman (drawn with cinnabar on blue-green paper; place in the containment space before spreading ash):

While drawing, visualize the Wood Star (Jupiter) descending from the east, transforming into azure Qi that pours into your crown. Imagine yourself wearing a star-adorned crown, clad in blue-green robes, with red shoes, holding a blue-green jade scepter (yu gui) in your left hand while painting the talisman with your right. Envision the brush as a blue-green dragon, its mouth exhaling cyan light to form the talisman. Recite the incantation seven times before beginning. When writing "Supreme" (太上), chant "By the decree of the Supreme Lao Jun" and exhale breath; for "Seven Commands" (七统), say "By the decree of the Seven Stars" and exhale; for "Slay Ghosts" (煞鬼), separately intone "Celestial Slayer, Earthly Slayer, Annual Slayer, Monthly Slayer, Daily Slayer, Hourly Slayer," exhaling seven times after each; for "Urgent Summons" (急召), recite "Urgently summon all lawless ghosts under heaven—by the azure divine Qi of the east, seize them!" and exhale.

Fire Prison Talisman (drawn with ink on red paper; place in the containment space before spreading ash): The ritual likely involves analogous visualization steps: envisioning the Fire Star descending, adopting corresponding attire (e.g., red garments), and transforming the brush into a fire dragon exhaling luminous Qi. Specific mantras and ceremonial details would align with the Fire phase of the Five Phases.

This scripture details the Daoist method for crafting five types of "Prison Talismans" (Fulu) used for exorcism and demon suppression, including the Fire Prison Talisman, Water Prison Talisman, and Metal Prison Talisman. Each talisman's creation requires specific visualization techniques, incantations, and ritual procedures.

For the Fire Prison Talisman, the practitioner must first visualize the True Fire Qi from the southern direction flowing like ribbons into their eyes, circulating throughout the body until it emanates fiery radiance. Then imagine transforming into a deity with three heads and four arms, visualizing the brush as a flame-spewing dragon. Before inscribing, recite the mantra seven times: "Om Dingluo Dannuo Daluo Yeye Wei Bozha Hong Poha." Finally, draw upon the Crimson Numinous Qi (red fire-element spiritual energy) from the south.

The Water Prison Talisman requires cinnabar inscription on black paper. Begin by visualizing the Mysterious True Qi (black water-element energy) flowing from the north into the ears, enveloping the body in dark radiance. Imagine transforming into a celestial general, holding a sword in the left hand and a brush (visualized as a light-spewing black dragon) in the right. The incantation is: "When the Morning Star appears, ten thousand ghosts hide... By the urgent command of the law." Conclude by summoning the Northern Mysterious Numinous Qi.

For the Metal Prison Talisman, use cinnabar on white silk. Visualize white metallic Qi entering through the nostrils, bathing the body in moonlight as you assume the form of the Venus Star Deity (Taibai Jinxing), wearing a starry crown and white robes. The left hand forms the Ghost-Subduing Mudra while the right wields a brush visualized as a white dragon. Chant: "The Great White Radiance captures evil forces..." and gather the Western Plain Numinous Qi.

The text concludes with instructions for arranging the Five Prisons: place the talisman at the center, then walk backward while tracing the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions pattern. Application follows the Five Phases' generative and restrictive cycles—water talismans used once, fire talismans twice, etc. These talismans can either be burned for medicinal ingestion or arranged ritually to form demon-expelling healing arrays.

When establishing the Five Prisons (five types of demon-suppressing boundaries in Daoist exorcism rituals), all petition documents must follow the protocols of the Tianxin (Celestial Heart) and Tianyu (Celestial Prison) methods. The arrangement follows the same procedure as before: the prison altar must be circular, with a diameter of thirty-six inches to conform to ritual standards.

At the center of the prison altar, place a talisman covered with fine ash, approximately two fen thick. For a Water Prison, use a brand-new, clean basin capable of holding three dou of water without leaking, filled to seventy percent with purified water. Place a large bright mirror (zhaozi) in the center of the basin, inscribed with cinnabar characters for the "Mountain Spirit and Wild Specter Talisman" (illustrated in later chapters). Float a long-burning lamp on the water’s surface (ensure the oil is replenished as needed). Lay a ritual sword horizontally above the basin and cover it with a piece of black silk gauze (or black silk).

Prepare a bundle of spirit money for the Five Directions and five paper effigies of walking horses, suspended in the air forty-nine inches above the basin’s rim. For the Wood, Metal, Earth, and Fire Prisons, simply place the mirror on the ash, light a lamp, suspend the mirror above it, and stand the sword upright beside the lamp. Decorate with colored silk corresponding to each direction’s symbolic color—all other steps remain the same.

Format for the Five Prisons Proclamation

Title: Proclamation of the Northern Pole Exorcism Bureau (an official notice issued by the Daoist exorcism institution)

Content: This informs the relevant divine generals, judges, and officers that on [date] at [time], this bureau has submitted a petition to the Celestial Court and reported to the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak (Dongyue Dadi) and the City God (Chenghuang), requesting the dispatch of divine generals, judges, and soldiers to capture the haunting spirits afflicting a certain household. These spirits are to be escorted to this prison, where their forms will be revealed, their motives investigated, and retribution exacted. All concerned divine officers are to take note for further action.

Closing: This proclamation is issued to inform the divine generals, judges, officers, and soldiers—all must take heed.

Issued on [year] of the Grand Jubilee (Taisui), [month], [day].

[Signature of the ritual master (with half-title)]

Diagram of the Prison Altar

(After completing the prison, burn the Ghost-Chasing Talisman—see the Tianyu method chapter for details.)

Invocation Ritual for Establishing the Prison

Once the prison is set up, the ritual master must burn incense, undergo spirit transformation (assuming a divine state), and pace the Seven Stars (Qixing) steps as before. While stating the reason for establishing the prison, form the Dujian Hand Seal (a mudra) and silently summon the City God (Chenghuang), the household’s Stove God (Siming), the Five Paths General (Wudao Jiangjun), the local Earth God (Tudi), and nearby shrine deities. Issue clear instructions that the divine officers must capture the offending spirits within the allotted time, deliver them to the prison for manifestation and retribution, and prepare them for subsequent expulsion. Any negligence or disobedience will result in punishment for the responsible deities.

Here are several Daoist ritual procedures for exorcism and healing:

The first concerns establishing the "Five Prisons" (a Daoist ritual space modeled after the underworld courts) to track down malevolent spirits. If no results appear within two days, one must send another petition to higher deities. The incantations used for establishing the Five Prisons are identical to those for the Celestial Prison, and the methods for detecting ghostly traces remain the same.

Next is the method for drawing talismans (fulu) to summon mountain spirits and wild demons: Use cinnabar to inscribe the talisman while forming the "Dark Warrior Hand Seal" (a specific mudra). Visualize yourself transforming into the Perfect Warrior Emperor (Zhenwu Dadi), with disheveled hair holding a sword, treading upon a turtle and snake. Then form the "Heavenly Soldier Seal" to summon the celestial warriors (Tianding) and the four guardian generals of the day. Begin the ritual by scattering ritual rice (doumi), then chant toward the direction of spiritual activity: "By the authority of Lord Lao's seal, swiftly come to perform your duties. Deploy divine power to behead demons and slay evil. The Six Ding and Six Jia spirits, the four guardian generals of the day—report for duty immediately!" After chanting, visualize these divine generals hunting down the spirits and bringing them before the altar.

When encountering sudden demonic winds on the road (considered manifestations of evil spirits), form the Heavenly Soldier Seal to transform into a celestial warrior, then create the "Heavenly Gang Demon-Slaying Seal." Visualize the four guardian generals subduing the rampaging spirits. Use the Yin Dipper (a ritual implement) to stabilize the demonic wind, then employ the Golden Blade Seal to cleave it apart—the wind will either disperse or fall to the ground as blood.

For rainmaking rituals: On Ren-Gui or Zi-Chou days (specific heavenly stems/earthly branches), set up an altar and perform the Yu Steps (a special ritual walking pattern). Visualize yourself transforming into a red-robed celestial warrior, then call upon the appropriate timekeeper deities (Gongcao) for the current hour. Inscribe a cinnabar talisman on an iron plate and cast it into a river—rain will naturally follow.

A crucial reminder: When performing these talismanic rituals for healing and exorcism, one must maintain ritual purity through fasting and ablutions, with solemn reverence. All these techniques require precise combinations of hand seals, visualizations, and ritual movements to complete.

When preparing for a Daoist ritual, the following preliminary arrangements must be made: First, prepare clean ritual vestments and set up an altar for the zhaijiao (purification ceremony). Before formally submitting memorials to the celestial court, one must ingest a purification fu (talisman) to cleanse body and mind.

The specific method is as follows: Face the designated direction in meditative stillness, hold your breath, and click the teeth three times. Using cinnabar, inscribe two talismans—one to be burned and mixed into ablution water for physical cleansing, the other to be placed in purified water and swallowed. This purifies the internal organs and clears defiled Qi from both body and surroundings.

Next, form the Santai hand-seal (a specific mudra) while reciting incantations and inscribing the Dujiang talisman. When chanting, sequentially invoke the three Santai star deities: Xujing, Liuchun, and Qusheng. Continue the incantation: "As heaven and earth revolve, as the sun and moon's essence illuminates the four seas—may all evil be severed, all demonic afflictions expelled, making the body radiant. With this divine water complete, ten thousand calamities disperse. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes!" Immediately take up the brush to inscribe the talisman upon completing the chant.

The Dujiang talisman comes in yin and yang variants: use cinnabar on odd-numbered days (yang days) and ink on even-numbered days (yin days). Each session requires two talismans—one to be burned and mixed with purified water for ingestion, the other placed beneath the memorial table. The inscription must be performed without bystanders.

Regarding the protocol for submitting memorials (petitions to the celestial court): The ritual master, wearing formal vestments, performs the Gangbu steps (cosmological pacing) before the altar table, positioning the body at the "dipper's mouth" while placing the memorial on the table. Visualize transforming into an emissary of the Exorcism Bureau, prostrating while meditating on two attendants holding ritual swords and seals, with the four directional deities (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Dark Warrior) guarding the surroundings. Imagine sunlight and moonlight illuminating your eyes, the five planets (Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn) above your head, and three-colored Qi (azure, yellow, white) encircling your body as a nine-hued halo shines behind your head, illuminating your entire being.

Next, visualize the Upper Prime Tang Zhenjun holding a talisman at the front left, Middle Prime Ge Zhenjun holding a halberd at the front right, and Lower Prime Zhou Zhenjun holding a ceremonial tablet at the center. Envision the retinue of divine officers—merit officials, left and right emissaries, golden boys and jade maidens—along with the deity-generals corresponding to your internal organs and the celestial troops from your ordination registers forming concentric protective circles. Finally, visualize riding a cinnabar chariot upon crimson auspicious clouds rising from the northwest, first traversing the realm of harsh winds where sun and moon shine upon the smooth Yellow Path, then entering five-colored auspicious clouds to ascend through successive celestial realms.

This scripture describes the sacred process of a Daoist practitioner (or ritual master) presenting a memorial petition (zhang) to the celestial deities.

The practitioner arrives at an immortal realm where the path is flanked by lush forests of seven treasures, caressed by spiritual winds that produce natural harmonies. Passing through the Yellow Path (the celestial conduit), they behold purple clouds forming a canopy, and in the distance, the golden gates of a palace inscribed with "The Supreme Clarity Supreme Ultimate Palace." At a hundred paces from the gates, the practitioner dismounts, and their accompanying guards halt, leaving only the Jade Maidens of the Heavenly Cycle to carry the memorial and the Jade Youths bearing the petition case to swiftly lead the way through the palace gates.

Entering the second set of golden gates, inscribed "The Gate of the Supreme Three Heavens," the practitioner does not proceed further but instead turns westward toward the Gate of the Great Primordial Capital. Passing through and heading north, they arrive at the Celestial Pivot Courtyard, where they kneel in the great hall before Celestial Master Zhang Daoling (the founding patriarch of Zhengyi Daoism) to explain the purpose of the memorial. Receiving the Celestial Master's approval, the practitioner exits eastward from the hall, then turns north to await beneath the Phoenix Tower. Soon, a Jade Youth clad in red robes and a black crown emerges from the gate, takes the petition case, and presents it before the Supreme Lord (i.e., Laozi, the highest deity in Daoism).

Next, the Attendant of Immortal Guidance escorts the practitioner into the presence of the Supreme Lord. Seated majestically in the main hall, the Supreme Lord wears the Nine Virtues Crown and a nine-colored cloud robe, flanked by two Perfected Ones and surrounded by numerous celestial guardians. The Great Unity Deity (Taiyi), robed in red, stands before the throne. As the Supreme Lord reviews the memorial, the practitioner privately reiterates its contents. The Supreme Lord commands Taiyi to inscribe the character "Approved" (yi) beneath the Jade Throne of Supreme Clarity, after which the petition is handed to the celestial officials on duty at the right steps of the Jade Hall. With the matter concluded, the practitioner bows in farewell to the Supreme Lord, takes leave of Celestial Master Zhang, and joyfully returns with the same celestial retinue as before.

The entire procession resumes its initial formation as the practitioner returns to the altar, announcing "it has been heard" (yi wen)—signifying the petition's delivery to the heavens—before bowing again and withdrawing.

This passage vividly illustrates the sanctity of the Daoist memorial ritual, emphasizing the celestial hierarchy, the majesty of the deities, and the solemnity of the practitioner's communion with the heavenly realms.