Taoist Thunder Magic (Ü.H'ü), Illustrated with the Example of the Divine Protector Chao Kung-ming

Illustrated with the Example of the Divine Protector Chao Kung-ming

By Florian C. Reiter , Berlin

Summary: Since the

century the term Thunder Magic [rituals] has been a label for a

great number of exorcist rituals that are constitutive parts of religious Taoism (T'ien-shih

tao /Cheng-i tao iL — it). The article first considers the emergence of Thunder

Magic in Taoist history and then focuses on the martial Thunder divinity Chao Kung-

ming in order to illustrate the intent, the ways and means of Thunder rituals. There is a wide range for the application of Thunder Magic, for example the expulsion of epidemics.

A presentation of crucial aspects of the spiritual standing of the priest leads to a discus¬

sion of the writing of Thunder amulets, which are the practical and visible highlights of Thunder rituals. A discussion of the world of Thunder divinities displays basic religious tenets that also pertain to all the preceding themes. The article presents a close description

of the genuine connection of Thunder Magic with Heavenly Masters Taoism.

The Emergence of Thunder Magic in Taoist History

The Heavenly Master patriarch Chang Yü-ch'u j{k W (1361-1410) presents

in his collection Hsien-ch'üan chi ^ detailed descriptions of the ori¬

gin and mutual relationship of historic Taoist groups or branches with their

supposed divine patrons. T y all are identified with the transmission of

sacred texts through most exalted divinities. In this context we find am¬

ple explanations about the Pure Tenuity branch of Taoism ( ch'ing-wei ííii)

that was formulated in the 14 th century. 1 Ch'ing-wei Taoism was claimed

to be the origin of Taoism and finally the reuniting force, merging the

branches Ling-pao 2 ff , Tao-te Itf if., and Cheng-i IL— that had developed

in the course of history. Their later reunion was again labelled Ch'ing-wei

1 TT 1311: 7.12 sq., especially pp. 13a -14. F.C. Reiter 1988, pp. 42-52. J.M. Boltz 1987, pp. 38 -41 ("Ch'ing-wei, Clarified Tenuity"). See Liu Chih-wan 1994. Liu Chih- wan, p. 67 lists various designations for Thunder Magic that also point to the historic

background and constituent elements, for example the term Wu-lei t'ien-hsin cheng-fa

JS.'J ^.^JL;ir, referring to the Heart of Heaven (una major) as the central position of

Thunder deities.

Taoism. 2 Ch'ing-wei Taoism with its exorcist concerns continued the older

traditions of Shen-hsiao ^ ff Taoism that was connected with the life of

the court Taoist Wang Wen-ch'ing (1093-1153) Shen-hsiao Taoism

and Ch'ing-wei Taoism represent large facets of individual and small scale

rituals of exorcism. Such rituals serve the daily needs of people who suffer

from epidemics, droughts, inundations and other molestations that seem to

reveal the clandestine presence of baleful demonic forces. Shen-hsiao and

Ch'ing-wei are two names of heavenly spheres where the divine patrons of

the rituals in consideration reside and send down their subordinate Thunder

generals with their spirit troops to execute in the world the ritual requests

and orders that Taoist priests ( tao-shih/fa-shih Itf-Jr/ had issued. The

titles of the respective rituals and the relevant canonical texts often show

Shen-hsiao or Ch'ing-wei as initial specification. 5

Canonical texts with the designation Shen-hsiao present, for example,

numerous amulets that could be used "to break up the hells of earth" ( p'o ti-

yii fu ¿/¿lè,#; ). Such amulets were allegedly revealed from the Court of the

Yellow Register ( huang-lu yüan -fífíJPx,) that is based in the heaven of Jade

Purity i>f . Chang Yü-ch'u explicitly acknowledges that the Ch'ing-wei

branch of Taoism continues the older Shen-hsiao traditions and informs us 6

that the True King of Jade Purity and Great God-emperor of Long Life in the

most exalted Shen-hsiao Heaven íí is the chief orga¬

niser of the thirty six heavens in the nine empyreans ( chiu-hsiao ÁjW ) where

thirty six Heavenly Worthies reside. 7 However, only the Great God-emperor

of Long Life comprehensively leads on <the signs of origin> ( yüan-hsiang

it $C). The deity dominates and has a firm grip of Yin and Yang. It is for this

2 TT 171 Ch'ing-wei hsien-p'u 11 b— 1 5b (hui-tao "t'ai), TT 1220 Tao-fa hni-yiian 2 .9b-10a. Huang Shun-shen -jr ^ (14 1*1ct.) was the historical protagonist of Ch'ing-wei Taoism, see above note 1, F. C. Reiter and J .M. Boltz.

3 Huang Hai-te/Fi Kang 1991, p. 21a.

4 The sources in TT 1220 do not attest any definite distinction between tao-shih ¡dídr HTídfa-shih as to their ritual profession in Cheng-i Taoism.

5 The most comprehensive collection of such rituals is TT 1220 Tao-fa hui-yiian A

Corpus of Taoist Rituals , see P. van der Foon 1979; K. Schipper/Yuan Bingling in:

K. Schipper/F. Verellen 2004, pp. 1105-1113. The 15 l11 century is suggested as the pe¬

riod of compilation. Feading Ch'ing-wei Faoists collected these materials. As to Chao

Kung-ming, we also find one set of ritual instructions with the specification Ch'ing-wei,

see FF 1220: 238.1a-4b: Ch'ing-wei hsi-ling ch'ung-ming tan- hua ta- fa ;iHäS I

where Chao yiian-shuai, Kung-ming, is a <leading marshal> ( chu -

shuai

6 FF 1311: 7.14a.

7 Fhere are nine empyreans called Shen-hsiao Heaven or Divine Empyrean. Compare

FF 147 Ling-pao wu-liang tu-jen shang-p'in miao-ching fu-t'u 2.5a, 5b.

reason that the government of Thunders and thunderclaps (fj is com¬

pletely attached to him.

Formerly, the deity Highest Lord of Origin (Wu-shang yüan-chün Ä_t

7tM) attained to the Tao of Nine-and-Five. The scriptures say that the one

[deity] that attains to the Tao of Nine-and-Five becomes the God-emperor for

Thunders and thunderclaps. 8

The Lords of the Five Thunders (Wu-lei chün received the Tao of

the Thunders and thunderclaps of Three-and-One (San-i lei-t'ing chih tao

The number three is the ancestral number of the East, and

[number] one is the number of life in the North. The immortal masters say

that the Great One, Lord of Origin (T'ai-i yüan-chün ja—70 3§") leaked this

[information] which is the most perfect truth, and in this way he proclaimed

[the Tao of] Three-and-Five in order to save the common folks." 9

It is easy to get bewildered by the array of emblematic numbers, suggestive

correspondences and cryptic statements about Yin and Yang and their bear¬

ing on human self-cultivation and salvation, which culminates in the return

to the Great Ultimate (kuei t'ai-chi If ¿vÜ) and to the True Origin ( chen -

yüan % tl ). It is said for this reason that coagulating the own, individual

divine force ( shen results in magic capacities ( ling 8), and assembling or

refining the vital energies ( ch'i ft) results [in attaining] the treasure (pao ff ). 10

The subsequent equation still surpasses the two statements, saying that the

divine force is being itself ( hsing 'Ii), and the vital energy is the very exist¬

ence ( ming ^). 11

We understand that Chang Yü-ch'u displays basic tenets of Heavenly Mas¬

ters Taoism and its ritual speciality that is called Thunder Magic (X'p/'ir).

The patriarch postulated in his tract Comprehensive Discussions of the Trans¬

mission of Rituals (Shou-fa p'u-shuo that in the kalpa Lung-han

(ft /H i)l) Lord Tao received from the [Heavenly Worthy of] Prime Origin ( 7L

■¿o[^-?f]) the Tao of the subtle mysteries of Pure Tenuity ( Ch'ing-wei miao-

8 No. five stands for the centre. Thunder and thunderclaps ( lei-t'ing H'®) hold the central energies of heaven and earth. Their appropriate name is: Five Thunders ( wu-lei ill'). As the circuit of the East reaches from jen-tzu i-f- to keng-shen iít ^ it covers nine

steps or stations which explains the number nine. The related theories are delicate and cul¬

minate in the insight that Three-and-One mean the same as Nine-and-Five, each express¬

ing the essential Tao of Thunder and thunderclaps ( lei-t'ing chih yao-tao Hi

see C hang S han-yüan General Discussion of All Methods ( Wan-fa t'ung-lun

in TT 1220: 67.3a-4a. F .C. R eiter 2004, p. 218, note 83, referring to TT 15 Lei-t'inv yii-chinv 4b. For these numbers in the context of Taoist ritual, see T. L agerwey 1987,

9 TT

1311: 7.14a-14b.

10 This refers to the divine body that such exercises procure. The term transformation into a divinity describes the procedures, see below.

11 This summarizes TT 1311: 7.14b.

hsüan chih tao iS), which was passed on to Lord Lao whereupon an internal heavenly transmission evolved, reaching the deities Ling-pao t'ien-tsun ^ -If and Miao-hua t'ien-ti -j^Mt

¡f|. It occurred thereafter that T'ai-shang [Lao-chün] iv_ L[^èM~] entrusted "my ancestor, the Heavenly Master of the Han" (-§-$1}$ with the Tao of the subtle mysteries of Pure Tenuity. These subtle mysteries were orally transmitted (k'ou-k'ou hsiang-

ch'uan V V -f|t) and finally came to establish the Orthodox Line of Ch'ing- wei [Taoism]

IL ^

The female deity with the grand religious title, Pa¬

triarchal Ruler of Origin in Complete Radiance, Superior Assistant of Prime Origin (Yüan-shang shih-ch'en i-hui tsu yüan-chün

_t

l|î

allegedly lived in the world during the T'ang period with the personal proper name Tsu Shu iiilf

She is said to have brought together the various branches of Taoism

hui-tao it Si) and rearranged its unity. 13

A short and anonymous tract of Ch'ing-wei provenance entitled Discus¬

sions of the Mysteries of the Thunders

Lei-aopi-lun # Jlíiitim) and most likely predating the Hsien-ch'üan chi Chang Yü-ch'u, made similar statements about the origin of Taoism.

Again, the Discussions of the Mysteries use the name Ch'ing-wei in order to identify the Shen-hsiao ritual tradition. The text Discussions of the Mysteries also tell us that Ch'ing-wei is not just one method

amongst many other methods. We learn that Tao is the ancestor c all rituals but Ch'ing-wei, and by implication Shen-hsiao are the most subtle rituals that Tao had ever set . Accordingly, the Thunder deities are the honourable

ones in the spheres ( the Thunders. We are also told that the complete vital 3rc,es and energies of the Heavenly Wo thy of Prime Origin would be present in Thunder rituals, which certainly wants to explain the omnipotence of such rituals that allegedly control any other spiritual or divine orces. 15

Following these canonical sources we may be tempted to think that Thun¬

der Magic or Thunder rituals constitute the very kernel of religious Taoism.

We know that this is not the case. The extant scholarly studies of the Shang- ch'ing and Ling-pao 8 ff scriptures show a quite different picture of

12 YT 1311: 7.13a; Ch'ing-wei represented at the time of Chang Yü-ch'u the exorcist rituals (fa ;£) in Cheng-i Taoism.

13 Compare TT 171 Ch'ing-wei hsien-p'u lib (hui-tao which lists an even more

extended title for Tsu Shu that contains all the elements that Chang Yü-ch'u presented.

See TT 1220: 2.7b-8a, with a variant title.

14 TT 222 Ch'ing-wei shen-lieh pi-fa dates from the

ct., TT 1311 Hsien-ch'iian chi is dated 1407.

.C. Reiter in: K. Schipper/F. Verellen 2004, pp. 1102-1103,

pp. 941-942. A list of Ch'ing-wei rituals focussing on Chao Kung-ming gives J .M. Boltz 1987, pp. 267-268, note 80. We do not have any historic information about Tsu Shu.

15 YT 222: l.la-2b (Lei-ao pi-Inn). See the story of Wang Shan i-§- and Sa Shou-chien ft !& (fl- 12 1*1 century). The latter was a Taoist priest and Thunder specialist. Wang Shan finally served him as spirit commander, F. C. Reiter 1998.

Taoism, which does not seem to include the operative platform of exorcist

Thunder magic. On the other hand, we notice that Taoist hagiographie col¬

lections reveal a dense presence of exorcist rituals that work perfectly for the

well-being of Taoists and common folks alike. 16 Eventually, even imperial

courts resorted to the help of Taoists who performed rituals to weed out

demonic plagues, to take care of weather conditions and cause some other

miracles. Such rituals came to be labelled Thunder Magic by the 12 th century

when Taoist specialists like Wang Wen-ch'ing served at the court of emperor

Sung Hui-tsung % if* (r. 1100-1126). The performances of Thunder Magic

rituals at that time appear to have been independent of large scale ritual of¬

ferings ( chiao SU) that involve lots of people. Our sources for the study of

Thunder Magic in literary collections of the 14 th —15 th centuries, especially in

Tao-fa hui-yüan ( A Corpus of Taoist Rituals), often demand that

the respective rituals are performed in seclusion, and the ritual specialist

would be all alone on his own heeding absolute secrecy. 17

Chang Yü-ch'u claims that Ch'ing-wei or Shen-hsiao rituals are part of

the ritual tradition that his ancestor patriarch Chang Tao-ling ft had

started in the Han-dynasty, following his divine instalment as Heavenly

Master. It is important to keep in mind the statement of Chang Yü-ch'u that

"these subtle mysteries were orally transmitted", which reminds us of the

fact that Thunder rituals are not connected with a corpus of scriptures that

could compare in any way with the already mentioned Shang-ch'ing and

Ling-pao traditions. 18 Chang Yü-ch'u clearly points out the great impor¬

tance of oral instructions ( k'ou-chüeh ü ik) and secret traditions, which is

a familiar feature in ritual texts and in instructions for practices of internal

alchemy ( nei-tan M fl-). Now, what approach is suitable to describe the prac¬

tical workings of historic Thunder Magic or Thunder rituals? Which clues

do we find to understand the ritual speciality of Thunder Magic?

Thunder Magic: Illustrated with the Divine Protector

Chao Kung-ming

Attending rituals of the type "prayers for peace and honours for the con¬

stellations" ( ch'i-an li-tou í/f 'ic fa 4") in present day Taiwan, just to give an

example, we realize that major deities of the temporary ritual stage ( tao -

ch'ang iï ¿§) are astral divinities that also have rank and function in various

16

T 296 Li-shih chen-hsien t'i-tao t'tmg-chien and the subsequent titles.

17

C. Reiter 2004, and 2007a, pp. 5-9 ("The Biography of Yeh Ch'ien-shao").

18

C. Reiter 2005. Also see the same 2007b.

Thunder rituals, which the canonical sources document. 19 However, rituals

of the type "prayers for peace and honours for the constellations" have a

specific ritual set up and are definitely not understood to be Thunder ritu¬

als. 20 And yet, one of the deities that usually have a shrine at the ritual stage

is the renowned Thunder deity Chao Kung-ming M -fe a/j . The scrolls that

are used at the rituals show him as a bearded warrior and protective deity

who stands guard at the outer fringe of the ritual stage. 21 We can better ap¬

preciate the arrangement if we consider the veneration of Chao Kung-ming

in historic Thunder Magic which A Corpus ofTaoist Rituals documents. He

is presented in the canonical texts as Generalissimo Chao yüan-shuai M TL

with the religious title Cheng-i hsüan-t'an iL— i®. 22 The rather telling

name happens to introduce fine instructions concerning Chao Kung-ming

in Secret Rituals of Cheng-i hsüan-t'an, the Generalissimo Chao yüan-shuai

iL— i® M

1

The Secret Rituals contain the following entry

:

(p. la) Report on the Generalissimo Chao [Kung-ming]

The Generalissimo has the surname Chao and the personal name Lang 03

("bright"), another name being Ch'ang #&. His style was Kung-ming, and

he hailed from Mount Chung-nan shan íf-iíjJj. In the time of the Ch'in

he kept away from his contemporaries and [hiding] in the mountains he em¬

barked on a subtle self-cultivation to reach Tao. When his merits and suc¬

cess were complete, the Jade Emperor issued a decree to install him as Vice

Commander of Shen-hsiao [Heaven] ^ ff I 1] ê^. Examining the Generalissimo,

[we find that] he is the incarnation ( hua-sheng ibi) of Brahma breaths that

traverse the heavens, quickly enlighten Chaos and belong to the Empyrean

with the Bright Halls ( hao-t'ing hsiao tu-t'ien hui-chüeh hun-fan ch'i

S.3Ï-Ê- % $0- His position is in ch'ien $£, which is the emblem for the vital

energies of the combination of metal and water. The colours of his clothes, the

19 Concerning the ritual li-tou

see, for example, TT 606 Nan-yiieh tsung-sheng chi 7a, speaking about Liu Yiian-ching J

7G$j| who practices

ritual li-tou pu-kang jl to expel wild beasts ("tigers", et al.). Concerning the extension of life and rituals of the type li-tou ch'ao-chen + jt, see, for example, TT 750 T'ai-shang hsiian-ling pei-tou pen- ming yen-sheng chen-ching chu 1.1b.

20 -pX 1220 Tao-fa hui-yiian does not contain Thunder rituals with the title ch'i-an li- tou

21 Marshall Chao is part of a group of four marshals Wen, K'ang, Ma and Chao (¡»¿jl ,S;ii) who are represented at offerings

chiao

and other rituals. Chao Kung-ming was also venerated as divine protector against pestilence, see below and note 128.

22 This may mean: Black Altar of Orthodoxy and Unity. See TT 1220: 36.4b, where the title hsiian-t'an refers to Magic Agent Ma (Cheng-i ling-kuan Ma yüan-shuai iL— I

.Bj Tùêji). The title came to refer to the altars of the deified Heavenly Master of the Han.

23 TT 1220: 232.1 a-2b. The text could be the basis for the almost identical biography

in TT 1476 Sou-shen chi 4.10a-llb (Ming), which indicates the birthday of Generalissimo

Chao: the

day of the

month. Also see

C. Reiter 2007a, pp. 20, 84.

iron cap that he wears on his head, and the iron whip in his hand all show the breaths of metal meeting with water. His face is black. His moustache and beard are the breaths of the North. He rides a tiger which is the symbol of metal. Therefore, this [description] compares well with the phrase <metal is the centre of water>. His bodily essence

t'i ft) has Tao it, and its application

(

yung

(p. lb) materializes in the rituals (fa >£). As to rituals, if they are not [operating] the Thunders and thunderclaps

lei-t'ing fííH) they do not have any means to make their might manifest. The department [of Thunders and thunderclaps] is at the Western Platform T'ai-hua jt,

and the Gener¬

alissimo is in charge of it. He [also] uses the appellation Golden Wheel

Chin - lun Im), which again is

symbol of the West and metal. 25

The Generalissimo [Chao Kung-ming] respectfully received the order from the Gate of Heaven to keep in order

and put to service the three realms, to patrol and inspect the five directions, and to supervise the nine provinces [of China] being the Great General for Palace Maintenance and Attending Censor of the Utmost North

Chih-tien ta chiang- chiin pei-chi shih yü-shih jLlsLAílf

When the Han ancestral Heavenly Master [Chang Tao-ling] elaborated the great elixir

ta-tan A^), he had a divinity soar up [to heaven] with

petition for the God-emperors, asking them for a mighty and fierce divine emissary who would give him protection all around. Thereupon the Generalissimo re¬

spectfully received the decree from the Jade [Emperor] to fulfil the function of Generalissimo at the Heavenly Altars of Orthodoxy and Unity iL

¡¡Jilt it

.

"Orthodoxy"

cheng JE) means that any wicked elements

wan-hsieh

27 do not interfere. "One" (i —) means unity, one entity

t'ung-i

—), and there are not two of them. Therefore, the duty and the job of [Chao] Hsüan-t'an are exceedingly important.

Since the Heavenly Master ascended to heaven [Chao Kung-ming, Hsüan- t'an,] is eternally guarding the Mountain Lung-hu shan fililí.

Today, at rituals of salvation under the patronage of the Three Primordial Ones

san - yüan k'ai-t'an ch'uan-tu (p- 2a) the Generalissimo controls all those who strive to do well, establish merits and repent mistakes, and [also]

those who are stupid, sinister and do not improve their ways. Therefore, there is the one office at Mount Lung-hu shan, where [Chao] Hsüan-t'an ensures that the [appropriate] rewards and punishments are realized.

His staff comprises the fierce generals of the eight kings AifiJ If who cor¬

respond with the eight trigrams

pa-kua A.^). There are six poisonous great 24 For a similar concept see TT 99 Chiu-t'ien ying-yiian lei-shen Jt'u-hua t'ien-tsun yii-shu pao-ching chi-chu 1.12b.

25 "Metal" is one of the five elements

wu-hsing

I t).

26 Compare TT 1476: 4.10b.

27 This could also refer to unorthodox teachings or masters that are called hsieh-men ÎK1-

28 Mount Lung-hu in Kiangsi province was home for the patriarchal Chang family.

Huang Hai-te/Li Kang 1991, p. 250b.

divinities, who correspond with the killing breaths ( sha M) of heaven, of earth,

of the year, the months, the days, and the seasons. The Thunder divinités (lei-

shen hF -HO of the five directions and the fierce troops of the five directions are

present, corresponding with the five elements { wu-hsing 3L 4t)- The twenty

eight generals correspond with the twenty eight stellar divisions ( erh-shih-pa

hsiu The two Generals [named] Harmony of Heaven and Union

of Earth ( t'ien-ho ti-ho erh-chiang if) represent the opening and

closing of the Gate of Heaven and the Window of Earth. The two Fortifying

Generals of Water and Fire (shui-huo ying erh-chiang #) represent

the cyclic recurrence of birth in spring and killing in autumn. 29 Discharging

Thunders and employing lightning, causing rain to come and calling in the

wind, expelling epidemics and cutting down wicked spirits, containing ill¬

nesses and praying when catastrophes occur, all the merits of Generalissimo

[Chao Kung-ming] just cannot be bigger than that. His merits extend to the

case that someone faces a lawsuit and is unfairly oppressed, and the divinity

can cause the case to be resolved. Just commercial endeavours and any other

striving for property and profit (p. 2b) must be harmonious and based on con¬

sent. Only absolutely just and correct activities can be explained vis-à-vis the

divinity and the respective prayers will be fulfilled as wished. If one prays for

matters that are useless and not correct, the divinity will certainly hand down

punishment. Do venerate the divinity without remiss!

We note that Chao Kung-ming is said to have been a divine entity, incorpo¬

rating and embodying Brahma breaths. He lived on earth, evaded the Ch'in

(^-) administration and accomplished Taoist self-cultivation. Chao Kung-

ming showed virtues and abilities which later gave him access to a career in

the divine, transcendent establishment. It is easy to find similar careers that

combine worldly and divine forms of existence. There is, for example, the

career of the Thunder divinity with the proper name Teng Po-wen §P íí)

who helped Huang-ti J[ -fr to defeat Ch'ih Yu '<% jL- Teng Po-wen eventually

ascended to heaven and became the martial Great Divinity of Blazing Fire

(Yen-huo ta-shen icAit)- Blazing Fire was the major divinity that Wang

Wen-ch'ing presented in his expositions concerning Thunder Magic. 30

Generally speaking, the canonical sources for Thunder rituals define the

abstract divine force throughout the world and cosmos in terms of Thun¬

der divinities ( lei-shen Ü'í'f'). The respective rituals fulfil a wide range of

exorcist tasks. The cure of illness, the protection against injustice at court

or catastrophes in nature, notably epidemics and droughts, are typical tasks

for Thunder rituals. The various Thunder rituals address and dispatch such

Thunder divinities to execute specific orders. The divinities have martial

ranks and appearances, being generals, emissaries or troops. A Corpus of

29 Compare TT 1220: 232. 3a-5b.

30

C. Reiter 2004, pp. 210, 222, 224. See the same 2007a, pp. 19, 26, 32-34.

Taoist Rituals documents that Generalissimo Chao Hsüan-t'an (Kung-

ming) is a mighty spirit general who commands Thunder troops. The same,

of course, can be said about the Great Divinity of Blazing Fire that reput¬

edly meets a comparable range of duty but represents a different string of

Thunder Magic traditions.

A Corpus of Taoist Rituals contains a large number of different traditions

and practices of Thunder rituals. Each of these traditions claims to represent

the totality of ritual efficacy and spiritual legitimacy. It does not come as a

surprise that there are different ritual traditions which have Chao Kung-

ming as divine patron. The differences may have resulted from divergent

regional origins and transmissions which the Preface to the Great Rituals of

Cheng-i lung-hu hsüan-t'an (i — ft Jn!, A/"ir ^) seems to show 31 :

(p. la) Formerly, the Heavenly Master of the Han concocted the great elixir at Mount P'o-yang shan 4ßl%iJj.

When he had completed the elixir but did not yet consume it, he sealed and enclosed the elixir in the furnace. Suddenly one day there was

Mountain-deity

shan-shen ili^) who stole and consumed the elixir, and made it known what he had got. The Heavenly Master became very angry and performed a ritual to employ and summon heavenly divinities to behead the Mountain-deity. However, the head [of the Mountain-deity] grew anew, and so the Heavenly master addressed him saying: <This is not due to your strength but it is the merit of my divine elixir>. He then obliged by oath the Mountain-deity to live as an inferior demon for eternity. Today a blood eating type [of demon] has the special designation Great King Whose Head Sprang Up [Again] (Yung-t'ou ta-wang

Ai), which means exactly this deity.

When the Heavenly Master passed again Kuei-hsi

33 in Hsin-chou

it H 34 he saw rock walls and cliffs that were precious and absolutely marvel¬

lous. He therefore said to his disciple, the perfected Wang [Chen] i [jl-]

:

31 yT 1220: 236.1 a-2a. The text on Chao Kung-ming in TT 1220: 232.1 a-2b did not give any geographic indications concerning his worldly life.

32 Since the T'ang period mountain P'o-yang shan is the name of an island in lake P'o- yang (Kiangsi). Earlier names for the mountain are Mount Stalwart (Li-shih shan

drjj) which in terms

feng-shtíi (Jll^ji.) could indicate an auxiliary function of the island vis-

à-vis Mount Lu, the dominant Mountain in the area. Another name is Mount Rock Seal (Shih-yin shan

Jj), which again is suggestive, see Chnng-k.no ku-chin ti-ming ta tz'u- tien. Taipei 1972, p. 1203c. TT 1463 Han t'ien-shih shih-chia 2.2b; for an encounter with a divine person who called himself Chao Kung-ming. Concerning TT 1463, see K. Schip-

per/Yuan Bingling in: K. Schipper/F. Verellen 2004, pp. 1105-1113, pp. 898-899.

The text was published in 1607.

33 Chnng-k.no ku-chin ti-ming ta-tz'u-tien p. 944c points to Kiangsi, the circuit of Yü- chang.

34 Chung-kuo ku-chin ti-ming ta-tz'u-tien p. 578c, the location is most certainly in Kiangsi.

35 TT 296 Li-shih chen-hsien t'i-tao t'ung-chien 19.1a, 2a.

<The mountain is very special and the waters here are beautiful. [This is a place where] tigers crouch and dragons coil, and I again can concoct my great elixir.>

(p. lb) The Master and his disciple entered the mountain where they built a

hut and elaborated the divine elixir. Examining carefully the fraud which he

had suffered earlier, 36 the Heavenly Master had a divinity soar up [to heaven]

to explain the situation vis-à-vis the Perfected King of Shen-hsiao [Heaven]

-ftlfji-i- [The Perfected King] then sent the Assistant Escort Guard and

Great Divinity (I-wei ta-shen i-SfliÀ-ît) Chao Kung-ming to lead on all the

twenty eight generals, the fierce emissaries of the eight kings, the troops of

the Divinities of the Five Thunders (Wu-lei shell and others in order

to keep guard at and protect the area of the altar [of the Heavenly Master].

Consequently, [the Heavenly Master] was successful [in elaborating the elixir

a second time]. The Heavenly Master said to his disciple: <When I consume

my elixir, I can conveniently ascend [to heaven] but I do not have [achieved]

any merits for the people. Some other day when I would again serve the Three

Pure Ones would I not be ashamed of myself?> Thereupon he took his disciple

along the way to enter the region of Shu Jg where he received orders from the

supreme God-emperors to battle the demons at Mount Ch'ing-ch'eng shan

if" 1$, Jj. He established the Halls of Blessings ( fu-t'ing %§51.) and the twenty four administrative centres (chih >#). 37 Later, [the Heavenly Master] received

the order from the God-emperors to ascend [to heaven] in bright day light.

After this event, the title of honour [of Chao Kung-ming] was Lung-hu hsüan-

t'an MÊ.'ê'fi». 38 For all ages he supports and assists ritual performances 39 and

attacks and kills the wicked goblins ( yao-mo hfiM L) in the world. This really

began since his time at Mount Lung-hu shan.

The Heavenly Master, however, had taken a stone box that he sealed and hid

(p. 2a) in the Cave Meditating-Perfection (Ssu-chen tung S-jtjlf) at Mount

Kuei-ku shan Later, a Taoist initiate ( feng-fa chih shih hap¬

pened to encounter the Heavenly Master who in a dream entrusted to that

Taoist initiate [the stone box], and consequently this transmission is current

in the world. 40

36 We add: "at the hands of the mountain-deity".

37 The religious institutions chih (;'#) are connected with temples.

C. Reiter 1990, pp. 107-117 (referring to TT 1139 San-tung chu-nang 7.1a-15a). The standard source is:

TT 599 Tung-tienfu-tiyueh-tu ming-shanchi, dat. 901. See:

C. Reiter in: K. Schipper/

F. Verellen 2004, p. 423.

38 The Chinese diction is ambiguous. The title could refer to the Heavenly Master which, however, does not make sense in the light of the following statements. See TT 1220:

236.2b for the religious title of the Leading Marshal

chu-shuai Chao Kung-ming.

39 Hsing-ch'ih is an opaque term that can also point to internal self-cultivation which precedes any further ritual activities in terms of Thunder Magic, see TT 1220:

69.11a-14a

Wang Shih-ch'en ch'i-tao pa-tuan chin See F.C. Reiter 2007a, pp. 24, 27, 114, and note 125.

40 We may suppose that the box contained the elixir that the Heavenly Master had not

yet eaten while remaining in the world. The story makes better sense if the box contained

the instructions for the current Thunder rituals.

The [spirit] generals and emissaries [who are at the command] of General¬

issimo [Chao Kung-ming] are mighty, heroic and absolutely fierce. They let

clouds appear and rain fall. They revive what had been torched and dried out.

Secondly, they crusade against temples ( fa-miao iXM ), put wicked elements to

death, and sweep off cruel and monstrous beings. 41 Their other [activities like]

the petitions for the administration to dissolve lawsuits [at court], the arrest

of thieves and the pursuit of hun-souls (^) have splendid results that <turn

heaven and cover earth>. They have the power to dam the seas and shift moun¬

tains. Their divine merits spread out in a gigantic way, which any written and

oral reports can hardly cover.

Whoever gets [a hold of these methods] must keep them completely secret.

I have diligently told the whole story and reported it at the very beginning of

the compilation [of the Great Rituals] in order to inform the coming genera¬

tions. The Preface was respectfully written by Chan-jan tzu, 42 the Heir of the

Ritual Tradition of The Origin of Immortals îfâiïÉi

An Example of the Application of Thunder Magic

The Report and the Preface focus very much on the activities of the Heavenly

Master Chang Tao-ling and in this context connect Chao Kung-ming with

Cheng-i Taoism which is a most important matter. The initial lines of the

Preface introduce Chao Kung-ming as a divine and martial authority. We

learn that he commands omnipotent spirit forces. The Report and Preface

actually introduce different registers of Thunder divinities in chapters 232

and 236 of A Corpus of Taoist Rituals, but they all put Chao Kung-ming in a

prominent position. In each case, a divine patron ( chu-fa i ;'¿c) holds the very

first rank and presides over the rituals. 43 Chao Kung-ming always holds the

next position of Leading General ( chu-chiang ¿L ;]f) or Leading Marshal ( chu -

s

huai i

). He has extended titles of honour that indicate his vast range of

competence. 44 The following lists of divine forces reflect the structure of his

spirit troops which comprise the fierce generals of the eight kings / v JLIII;]f

and, to give one more example, the Twenty Eight Generals -j~ / v ;]f . ' s

41 These are basic occupations for Thunder specialists. See: F. C. Reiter 2007a,

pp. 54sq., 109sq.

42 Unfortunately we could not identify the name of honour.

43 This is the deified Heavenly Master of the Han, Chang Tao-ling Jft.xt.PjF, see below

"The World of Thunder Divinities".

44 We note that his divine title in iL — MJÉ'£lÍÁ-}írJf- (TT 1220: 236.2b) is more elabo¬

rate than in iL— 7C é1! (TT 1220: 232.2b-3a) and very likely postdates chap¬

ter 232. Ch. 232 indicates the birthday of the divinity: 15 1*1 day of the 3 rd month which TT 1476 SoH-shen chi 4.10a-llb repeats as already stated.

45 TT 1220: 232.2a, corresponding with the eight trigrams and twenty eight stellar

divisions.

The Preface finally notes the competence of the spirit troops of Chao

Kung-ming and states at which occasion the Thunder deities may be sum¬

moned to help. We certainly would like to see how this could be realised.

Illnesses and epidemics are the most common molestation in human life,

and therefore we present as a fine example the Method to Control Epidemics

( Chih wen-ifa /'é-;/iíí./'Ír) 46 :

(p. 19b) In all cases when an epidemic has to be brought under control, and

you enter the house of an ill person you first use the <method of conceal¬

ing [yourself]> ( chao-fa Jp.} ¿ r). 47 When you [prepare to] enter the door of the

house, you first order the [spirit-] generals to enter the door. You turn your

left hand towards your body, drawing back the thumb and the four fingers

pointing upwards. The right hand opens and has the five fingers absolutely

relaxed. You have the doors and windows closed and obstructed. The poem

Deputing the Generals to Clutch and Arrest (Wei chiang ch'in-chuo shih #i|f

says: (p. 20a) <Let the fire penetrate, and all the heavens will shine red.

Generalissimo and your divine forces be omnipresent. Black clouds and black

mist cut off the trails of demons and divinities>. In this method you behold

your own body as a tree that had dried out for one thousand years, or as wood

that had dried out for ten thousand years. You put forth the mûdras Five-Fires

( Wu-huo chiieh S-jCsfc), [meaning the] Heavenly Fire which begins at yin

since fire is born at yin. The Earthly fire, [is born at] mao 5p. The Fire of the Thunderclaps, [is born at] ch'en Jfc. The Fire of the Sun, [is born at] ssu EL. The

Perfected-Fire-of-Samâdhi in-the-Cave halts at wu which says that fire

flourishes at wu.

Obviously, the five types of cosmic fires extinguish any epidemics when the

five positions or patterns are consecutively pointed out and impressed on

the palm. The cosmic fires are procured by the five mûdras representing the

five earthly branches ( ti-chih üfeJO that were just indicated. And yet, there is

still another step that can be made in order to avert the recurrence of the re¬

spective epidemic, and this is the Method of Controlling Epidemics and Cut¬

ting off Later [Recurrences] ( Chih-wen tuan-hou chih fa

(p. 20a) You visualize that the five fires burn your body to ashes. You raise

the wind of [the direction] sun H- and blow it over the ashes just to see two

[black] dots within the ashes. The two dots combine to become the infant that

gradually grows up to become adult and to be exactly the Perfected One of

the Own Life ( Pen-ming chen-jen K). Your both hands start forming

the White Crane mûdra ( Pai-hao chiieh (p. 20b) and you hide them

in your sleeves. You squat down on the earth with the two hands relaxed and

46 TT 1220: 232.19b-20a.

47 See below, TT 1220: 232.21a ( Chao-fa jp-iir). This refers to the protective veil of heav¬

enly light that enshrouds the Taoist healer, see below. Also compare TT 1220: 198.13b.

48 TT 1220: 232.20a-21a.

open. Visualize that your body rides a white crane that flies away through

the clouds. You put forth the Five-Times-Black mûdra. The five fingers are

tightly clutched together and you must not relax them. 49 If your attitude is in

a way remiss, you do not cut off the trails [of the demons]. Take the breaths of

the black killer (,hei-sha chin ch'i ,W, WíZ - ÍÍL) and let them move upwards from

the two passes of your spine [to reach] your brains. Afterwards you visual¬

ize that the black breaths move to obstruct, and starting from the fringe of

the hair drizzling mist and blurring darkness are all around. Your right hand

forms the Sword mûdra ( chien-chiieh that you point towards your body.

Thereafter you make one horizontal movement [with the hand] demarking an

interruption that transforms into the Ch'ang-chiang -Jfcji- with a length of ten

thousand miles. Demons, divinities, men and creatures cannot cross it at all. 50

Your body bends the two knees as to ride on a white crane that soars up into

empty space and disappears. On your way back you see from afar the site of

the altar in the house [of the ill person]. You display the Golden Bridge mûdra

(ichin-ch'iao chüeh that all the way points towards (p. 21a) the site of

the altar in that house. You visualize yourself riding the white crane that fol¬

lows the Golden Bridge [mûdra] and so you return to the site of the altar. You

thank your teacher masters and quit.

The Method of Concealing [Oneself] ( Chao-fa is subsequently ap¬

pended:

(p. 21a) Heavenly web conceal. Earthly web conceal. Urgently conceal, speed¬

ily conceal, rumbling thunders and lightning do conceal! You visualize that

your whole person ( ch'üan-shen ^$¡) faces the Gate of Heaven that lets golden

radiance come down to conceal your body, and then you recite the three sen¬

tences just stated. 51

We did not translate, for the sake of brevity, the abundant instructions

for the mûdras in the three texts Method to Control Epidemics, Method of

Controlling Epidemics and Cutting off Later [Recurrences], and Method of

Concealing [Oneself]. Meditative visions, recitations and mûdras combine

to constitute the ritual effort. The Taoist produces the cosmic fires on his

palm to dispatch them and cut off the tracks that wicked spirits may follow

to cause epidemics. 52

49 The commentary speaks about the gestures of the left hand only.

50 This movement ensures the banishment of demons and bars the recurrence of the

respective illness.

51 -pT 1220: 232.21a. Compare note 47.

52 The transformation into a divinity is implied as in all rituals, see the instructions in TT 1220: 232. 5b-6a.

The Spiritual Standing of the Priest

The spiritual standing of the performing priest is the crucial aspect to qual¬

ify Thunder Magic as proper part of the Taoist profession. How do the ca¬

nonical sources understand and describe the actual status of the perform¬

ing priest? Studying numerous paragraphs with the titles Summoning and

Uniting ( chao-ho Q &), Transformation into a Divinity ( pien-shen Ü#) or

Assembling the Divine Force ( Lien-shen we understand the religious

meaning of the divine potential that human life is endowed with. The Taoist

realizes and sets to use his divine potential in Thunder rituals, which the

following statements document 54 :

(p. 5b) The Practical Application of Summoning and Uniting

First you recite the Spell Triple Purity ( San-ching chou {,), then recite the

Spell Purifying Fleaven and Earth ( Ching t'ien-ti chou jf-Ä. 14.5t,). Your left hand

forms the mûdra Seal of the Dipper ( tou-yin -^Ep). Your right hand forms the

mûdra Sword ( chien-chiieh ^'Jtfe), and so you recite [the following magic spell]:

... 55 The one breath is [now] complete all around in [your] three [spheres]. 56 You

wait until the water of the flowery pool fills up your mouth. You swallow the

water and recite (p. 6 a) the names of the seven ¿>'o-souls (éfe): <... 57, quickly make my physical body ( wu hsing -H-fli) invisible>, and then you do the ritual [steps]

Soaring to tzu and wu (fei tzu-wu tou You recite the Dipper Spell (Tou-chou ^ j

) as to hide your body: <1 diligently implore you, divine agents

flying in the dipper, divine agents flying in the dipper - the Great Dipper may

conceal my body. All the evil forces must not discover my appearance. Speedily, speedily do act as decreed> ... do assist me turning divine to be the Perfected

One, the Patriarchal Fleavenly Master (Tsu t'ien-shih chen-jen A.). 5S

You recite the Spell of the Palace Attendants (Kung-ts'ao chou $ j L ): <Fleaven

is pure, Earth is at peace. Fleaven and Earth do connect and unite. Palace At¬

tendants, let speedily appear your true apparitions. Speedily come forward to

the front side of the altar. There is a task that I depute you to care of.> (p. 6b)

Now, you think of the palace attendants as they arrive from the Northwest. 59

53 The word lien means: to refine or sublimate. The process of refinement results in assembling energetic potentials and forms the apparition of the divine alter-ego, and so we translate "assemble". Compare: H.A. Giles f972, nr. 7f52.

54 TT f220:232.5b-6b. F. C.Reiter 2007a, pp. f9-32.

55 The magic spell is a line of eight unintelligible magic Chinese characters or pseudo- Sanskrit.

56 The three spheres of the body most likely are situated around the three cinnabar-fields.

57 We omit seven binominal names.

58 Compare TT f220: 234.6a (... ts'un-shen chu meng-weichiang-fn cheng-i kuan ju

tsu t'ien-shih chuang ^ M M'S. ííK^M.S í -— which represents the deified

Chang Tao-ling.

59 Another spell follows that welcomes and organizes the arriving forces, led on by

Generalissimo Chao.

The message is clear enough. The acting priest adopts the spiritual iden¬

tity with the Heavenly Master of the Han, having ritually hidden his pro¬

fane body with the connected body souls. The Taoist communicates with

the Thunder divinities on the basis of his transformed identity. 60 The con¬

nection with the Generalissimo Chao Kung-ming (religious title: Lei-t'ing

chu-shuai cheng-i lung-hu chin-lun ju-i chih-fa Chao yüan-shuai H' Ü ± È<\>

-Œ- — is well established in two other spells. Chao

Kung-ming leads on a large pantheon of Great Thunder Divinities, Thunder

generals and subordinate forces that arrive at the site of the ritual. 61

The spiritual identity of the priest and Thunder specialist varies in ac¬

cordance with the Thunder-register that he holds. The Sung-Taoist Wang

Wen-ch'ing, for example, promoted the adoption of the identity with the

Great Divinity of Blazing Fire 62 :

Assembling the Divine Force 63 :

(p. 2a) Let the divine forces congeal and sit quietly in meditation. Concentrate

on the one most shining point in the Kidney Palace. Within a short moment fire

arises, gradually engulfing the own body all around. Blow out one mouthful of

breath, and the ashes are altogether blown away. Concentrate on the breaths in

the five colours of the five directions which mix and combine to shape one united aura of radiant shining in purple and golden colours, and this transforms itself

into an infant that gradually grows big. [The apparition] shows the beak of a

phoenix, silver teeth, red hair and a body like a quail. Both eyes let fiery shining penetrate [a distance] of ten thousand chang 5^.. Both wings also have [the shin¬

ing of] fire. A head with eyes emerges on both forelegs, and they also emit fiery shining. The belt has the colour of gold. The left hand clutches a fire auger, and the right hand clutches a mallet with eight angles. There is a fiery dragon around

the body. Thereupon, concentrate your vision on this Divine General of the Five

Thunders. Flis head touches the heaven, and [he himself] is standing on the earth.

Fiery clouds close around him and wrap up his divine and fierce might of blazing

fire. This is Blazing Fire, the Fleavenly Lord Teng (Teng t'ien-chün who

is the ruling and commanding divinity in the system of fire chariots. 64

60 TT 1220:232.6a.

61 TT 1220: 232.6b-7b.

62

C. Reiter 2002, p. 172 ("Assembling the Divine Force"). And the same 2007a, pp. 38-40.

63 yt 1220: 124.1b-2a. A translation with slight variants gives F. C. Reiter 2002, p. 172.

64 For example compare TT 1220: 57.15a-16a; ch. 80.1a-45b; ch. 131.4a-6a. TT 1266

Teng t'ien-chün hsiian-ling pa-men pao-ying nei-chih allegedly is a revelation by Teng

t'ien-chün to FIsii Shen-weng

itli"- See: Jen Chi-yü 1991, p. 1001, nr. 1254. The text was written after the Northern Sung Period. K. Fukui 1983, vol.

p. 234, shows two amulets

of Marshal Teng and an Amulet of the Divinity FIsin A similar description of the

divinity is TT 1220: 124.2b (Chao-hopi-fa -3 #-/"£). Also see

.M. Boltz 1987, p. 48.

The five colours and the five directions all refer to the internal bodily spheres

and the viscera The transformation into the divinity Blazing Fire is realized

through a specialized and practical application of internal alchemy. We com¬

plement the picture and present the following statements of the tract Subtle

Application ( miao-yung -i&ffl) in the collection Cheng-i lung-hu hsüan-t'an

chin-lun chih-fa ju-ipi-fa JL— ;%#/"£. The title shows

a variant name of honour of Generalissimo Chao Kung-ming 65 :

(p. 12a) ... you must first purify your heart and fix all your considerations, and

being perfectly motionless you become one body with Great Void. In a little

while some sentiment is present that you direct towards the Southeast ( hsiin

ft-). You let flare up nine times the radiance of your eyes [towards that direc¬

tion]. In your thoughts the wind, the clouds, thunders, rain and lightning start

at once and equally manifesting themselves. The Wind Elder (feng-po JIL-fé), the

Rain Master ( yü-shih pfijfep), the Thunder Lord ( lei-kung H •£-), the Mother of

Lightning ( tien-mu IE#), and the God of the Clouds ( yün-shen they all

enter my heart, my liver, my spleen, my lungs and kidneys. I let the fire of my

heart ( hsin-huo jQ descend and unite with the water of the kidneys. These

five divinities transform then to become five times Hsüan-t'an ij). 66 Concen¬

trate your meditation on the Southeast and the Jade Department of Shen-hsiao

Heaven (shen-hsiao yii-fu where the Generalissimo [resides]. The

colours of his garments become clearly discernible. A black tiger crouches in

front of him. A second time you cause the breaths of your kidney palace to rise

(p. 12b) and unite with the fire of the heart. They form one part of purple and

black clouds that depart from you through your left eye and rush straightaway towards the East. You see face to face the Generalissimo who shows an imposing rage. Heaven is blurred and earth is black [all around]. The Generalissimo rides the killing breaths ( sha-ch'i M Ü) to descend and enter the centre of your heart.

The six divinities 67 mix and unite as to become one divinity who resides in the

central palace ( chung-kung t'a") [of your body]. The kidney palace houses

the black tiger that mounts the water of the kidneys to ascend. The Generalis¬

simo just rides that tiger. The ritual master ( fa-shih /'iriïjî) uses one thrust [of his hands forming] the killing-mûdra ( sha-chüeh Mtfc) to order [the Generalissimo]

to come forth and be present at the front side of the altar [where he awaits his]

deployment as needed in the course [of the ritual]. It is your task that you are

utmost sincere, and so the response [of the ritual] will be extraordinary.

65 Compare above. See TT 1220: 234.12a-12b.

66 Hsiian-t'an indicates five simultaneous bodily apparitions of Chao Hsüan-t'an (Kung-ming) that unite with the sixth apparition of the cosmic Generalissimo Chao Kung-ming. Compare TT 1220: 232.8a, which shows the same indication referring to an internal reality and vision. Compare the spell Hsiian-t'an shih-chou (~£JL) in TT 1220: 232. llb-12a.

67 See above. These are the five Generalissimos that are already within the body, plus

the cosmic Generalissimo who just descended. This clearly shows the possible multiplicity

of divine entities and the ritual union of the external and internal identity of the divinity.

The osmosis of man and the divine as represented by a specific deity is the

condition for any further ritual procedures. Another set of ritual instruc¬

tions that focus on Generalissimo Chao Kung-ming provide the following

information 68 :

(p. 7b) You concentrate your meditation on the sound of Thunders that arises terrifying at the Window of Earth. Concentrate in meditation on the General¬

issimo [Chao Kung-ming] who from the Gate of Heaven descends and stands on the Window of Earth. In the following procedure you swallow down the fire of the heart and let it unite and wed with the water of the kidneys in the Central Palace. Concentrate your meditation on the ancestral breaths

tsu-ch'i

Jit) that rise upwards following the spine, up to the Mud Pill Palace (Ni- wan kung /TjLAjli) where they visit the God-emperor of Shen-hsiao Heaven (Shen- hsiao ti-chün

You expel then these breaths that resemble a pearl of fire that is really big and appears to have the shape of a wheel of fire. You apply the Sword mûdra (chien-chiieh to cut open [the pearl of fire], and you see a blaze of fire peeling off which unites the Generalissimo who is stand¬

ing on the Window of Earth with (p. 8a) your own, personal Generalissimo (tzu-chiyiian-shuai ê

it êt) as to become one entity.

You visualize that the Generalissimo carries above his head a golden script with eight characters

7!

The [eight] characters come forth separately and clearly, to be visible above the incense altar. You can copy down the eight characters and use them as an amulet. One half of [the amulet] is burnt in the incense burner. You apply the other half of the amulet on yourself

tzu-fu à

72

There are many texts that seem to be less demanding. They feature the spir¬

itual self-identification with the Heavenly Master of the Han, Chang Tao-

ling, as to enable the priest to act ritually with the identity of the Heavenly

Master. The following text documents in this sense the intimate link be¬

tween Thunder rituals and Heavenly Masters Taoism 73 :

(p. 6a) You visualize that your own body shows a likeness with the patriar¬

chal Heavenly Master (ju tsu t'ien-shih chuang $i), [wearing] the red garment of the Covenant and the cap of Orthodoxy and Unity

cheng-i kuan

68 YT 1220: 234.7b-8a

Cheng-i lung-hu hsiian-t'an chin-lun chih-fa ju-ipi-fa

ft árlwíil/'Ério Í ii/'ir). The translation begins right after the spell in pseudo-Sanskrit.

69 Here, the divine empyrean is the Ni-wan Palace.

70 This means the union of the cosmic Generalissimo with the internal, bodily Gen¬

eralissimo.

71 We omit the pseudo-Sanskrit.

72 Tzu-fu i

may mean that one part of the amulet is consumed by burning it and swallowing the ashes in amulet-water. However, any other practical application also seems to be feasible.

73 TT 1220: 234.6a-6b.

iL— t E). The two perfected ones, Wang [Chen] i[ jfc] and Chao [Sheng] it[lf-] 74 are on your side, serving and protecting you. You inhale one draw of Brahma breaths of Shen-hsiao Heaven {shen-hsiao fan-ch'i itff ft íl) an d let it return to your heart where the breaths mix and unite. Exhale them, and they appear as clouds and vapours that conceal your body. Visualize how they oscillate either as light clouds tinged in red colours or as heavy fog. Visualize the four divine creatures

ssu-ling

1ë) that keep guard all around you. Your two hands start showing the two mûdras Yfra-Dipper and Yang- Dipper

yin-yang tou

as to conceal your body. Your left hand shows then the mûdra Jade-pattern

(

yii-wen iic), and the right hand the Sword- mûdra

chien-chiieh In¬

ternally reciting you speak the summons:

<1 respectfully receive the decree and order from the Perfected King [in Shen-hsiao Heaven] ([Shen-hsiao] chen-wang [^ ff]jfcjL)

and the true amu¬

lets of the Jade emperor

yii-ti chen-fu and pass on the message to the patron Hsüan-t'an (Hsüan-t'an chu 'iTilli).

I carry on my left belt the huo-luo [-amulets] (f§and on the right side the Shen-hsiao statutes (Shen-hsiao yü-chang ^ ff jpr). In the morning I recite the scriptures of the most exalted immortals

t'ai-shang hsien-ching and at night I recite the precious writings that penetrate the mysteries

t'ung-hsüan pao- ch'ien j£). I am the Immortal Ruler at the Most Elevated Five Holy Mountains (T'ai-shang wu-yüeh hsien-chu who with the first turn [of his brush] issues the decree to summon the war horses of the Nine Heavens, with the second turn [of his brush] summons the war horses of the Five Holy Mountains, with the third turn [of his brush] summons the war horses (p. 6b) of the Three Caves of Hsüan-t'an (Hsüan-t'an san-tung ping-ma

The stars may get in a hurry, their fire may become pressing, and clouds may assemble to reach the altar. I summon urgently and respect¬

fully the Generalissimo Cheng-i hsüan-t'an Chao yüan-shuai iL

^ ij.it êt to come to the altar just like fire that urgently, as there is some cause I must direct him to take care of ..

78

74 TT 296 Li-shih chen-hsien t'i-tao t'ung-chien

a,2a. The two Taoists were fol¬

lowers of the Heavenly Master who eventually turned immortal. Compare TT 1463 Han t'ien-shih shih-chia 2.5a-5b.

75 Concerning this divine name see TT 1219 Kao-shang shen-hsiao yii-ch'ing chen- wang

-shu ta-fa, hsii la-2a, and 6.18a-18b ( Shen-hsiao chin-shih it T TT 1219:

9.4a-20a has

series of amulets under the patronage of this deity. Amulets on pp. 14a, 18a address Thunder generals or forces. See below, the quotation from Shen-hsiao chin-huo t'ien-ting ta-fa #

76 Hsüan-t'an chu means literally <patron of the Dark/Heavenly Altar>, which in this case is Chao Kung-ming.

77 These important amulets have along history in Taoism, see J. Lagerwey 1981, p. 124 (les talismans dévastateurs des sept principes

t/c), and p. 204 (... qui permettent d'ouvrir la Barrière céleste).

78 The following spell

nien-ch'i ch'ing-chou extends his title: iL— írft#

These short paragraphs describe the adjustment of the divine and the human

identity to coincide. This preparation precedes any Thunder rituals. e

Taoist attains the capacity to work out the desired results like the imprison¬

ment or annihilation of wicked demons, the expulsion of drought demons

and, eventually, the destruction of shrines where baleful spirits lodge, just to

name a few of them. 79 Whatever ritual services the faithful clients may have

demanded, the Thunder amulets were the decisive and final means to deploy

divine Thunder might and achieve the desired results.

The Writing of Thunder Amulets as Culmination

of Thunder Rituals

The practical tools of Thunder rituals vary greatly, but they most certainly

comprise mûdras, ritual steps, spells and amulets, the latter being the mate¬

rial and spiritual pledge of might of the Thunder specialist. Magic characters

may be visualized and copied down on paper or other materials, for example,

on iron plates to be used as amulets. We learnt that the turn of the brush can

count as a summons, while writing out an amulet. We concentrate our study

on amulets that have the form of graphic designs but keep in mind that magic

characters may be written with the sword on the ground, with the tongue on

the palate and even with the hand or the head being moved like an imaginary

writing brush, which results in invisible amulets. Following the documenta¬

tion in A Corpus of Taoist Rituals we can say that all the registers of Thun¬

der divinities, all the instructions and prayers finally culminate in detailed

descriptions of amulets, which describes the material evidence of Thunder

rituals. The amulets are presented in their dissolved form ( san-hsing in

order to help the practitioner to memorize all the significant details and their

meaning. The combined form (chü-hsing a¡í ) of the amulet finally shows

what the respective amulet should look like. 80

The emblematic nature of Chinese characters is omnipresent in reli¬

gious Taoism. 81 We are not surprised to find that A Corpus of Taoist Ritu¬

als presents the surname of Generalissimo Chao Kung-ming as a Thunder

amulet. The performing priest combines each stroke of the character chao

with visions, with invocations and prayers. We read the religious identifica¬

tion of the graphic components of the character in their proper sequence,

doing justice to the dissolved form of the character or amulet. Our text gives

79 Compare the spell quoted above, TT 1220: 234.6b.

80 Concerning the drafting of amulets, see F. C. R eiter 2007b, pp. 190-198.

81 L.

edderose 1984, pp. 267-278, and esp. pp. 254, 256, 268, 269.

C.

eiter 1996,

pp. 139-155, esp. p. 142.

key words only but hardly phrases any complete sentences. T1 : title of the

paragraph reads: The Practical Application of the Character Chao ( Chao tzu

tso-yung ffl )• Each single slash in the following translation demarks

the space where the unknown author puts in the individual, single strokes

of the character ^t 82 :

(p. 13b) / True void - subtle and mysterious Lord Chao of Shen-

hsiao Heaven Discharge the Thunders, speedily like lightning

IS IF If! %! Make fire go and wind blow Fierce generals of the eight

kings AifiJ If 83/ Unlimited and divine omnipresence ji/ Divine

troops, completely unite — %■/ Fill all around the empty space

Which divinities do not serve? Which demons dare to oppose?

í'TAíÜíí t / Divine tiger, bite them [dead] at once — "^t/ All demons have

their tracks extinguished Orthodoxy and unity issue decrees and

summons iL — / Speedily descend into the central palace 4* 1?/ Kung-

ming -¿-8^—1 respectfully implore Chao Kung-ming to let descend his true

magic being, like fire that speedily Urgently, urgently, this is like an order by

the venerable patriarch and Heavenly Master HfjHjli jt Jg

If we heed the proper sequence of the individual strokes of the character

chao ^t 85 and learn by heart the interspersed statements about their inner

meaning, we would write the surname Chao and at the same time address

the deity Chao Kung-ming. We would command him to descend with all

his divine might. We especially note that the divine rank of the acting priest

is called <venerable patriarch and Heavenly Master>. Having read the short

text The Practical Application of the Character Chao we understand that the

amulet <character Chao has a demon quelling capacity. The majority of

amulets are much more complicated. A magnificent example is the Personal

Amulet of Generalissimo Chao ( Chao shuai pen-shen fu fô) that

shows the apparition of a fierce demon wielding an iron whip as his weapon.

There are legions of similar anthropomorphic Thunder amulets, and the

Personal Amulet of Generalissimo Chao is a representative example. The

components of the amulet convey the following meanings 86 :

82 TT 1220:232.13b.

83 TT 1220: 232.3a-3b. Compare TT 1220: 236.3a-3b.

84 The word/« fit means to fall prostrate and yield. We understand the word in the sense

fu-shih ^ "waitupon/to serve", see: H.A. Giles 1972, nr. 3691.

85 H.A. Giles 1972, nr. 498.

86 TT 1220: 236.11 a-12a. Brackets <...> mark the single graphic component. The

brackets always precede the explanatory statements and so structure the presentation.

(p. 11a) <A drawing of a circle with a dot in its centre>

Great Yang

be powerfully active and let appear the Golden Wheel.

ít-¿-

^

Chao Kung-ming/

Kung-ming, Kung-ming, show speedily your true form. jt^/

Decree $£/

Respectfully receive the decree from the supreme God-emperors (p. lib) to arrest the wicked spirits

Kill W

Heaven - kill, earth - kill, year - kill, month - kill, day - kill, times - kill.

Hsüan-t'an presents the order to kill all wicked demons - they must be killed

at all M a M

M -àrilitêt+ÂM — %1íW

H assistance/

Heaven - assist, earth - assist, earth - assist, heaven - assist. Demons and di¬

vinities without Tao - they all must get arrested Ä £&#/

a

/

Open the Gate of Heaven. Close the Window of Earth. Take care of the Gate of Man. Obstruct the Way of the Demons. Pierce the heart of the demons.

Crush the belly of the demons Hfl H

ith/ 5

AH

<Drawing>

With your left [hand] hold the iron whip as to shake and stir up the cosmos, wind, thunders, lightning, radiance and rumbling that may assist AÎMiUS-jt

<Drawing>

With your right [hand] hold up the iron chain and assist to arrest as the utmost fierce spirit troops of the divine twenty eight stellar divisions do. Recollect the complete row of symbols of the twenty eight stellar divisions

+/M s#£/

<Drawing>

On your front side you discharge Thunders and lightning. On your backside you raise wind and clouds i&Ä®/

<Drawing>

T'an #, chü É, lu #, wen X, lien wu p'o ..

89

<Drawing>

87 The three characters are in bold print - denoting that Chao Kung-ming is the golden wheel. See above his religious titles.

88 The graph only resembles the character for the word "field"

t'ien ®). In fact, the graph combines six strokes of the brush that represent the following six statements (Six Instructions liu-chiieh The graph must not be read "t'ien" or "field".

C. Reiter 2007b, p. 198, note 62.

89 These are the seven stars of una major (Great Dipper). A second column has the

seven religious taboo names {hui if"). All are written with the radical kuei (demon).

(p. 12a) Fierce generals of the eight kings, lead on the cohorts of all the divini¬

ties to enter speedily the centre of the amulet, and so the response will become

clearly manifest + 4HM <drawing>

Deities of Wind and Fire, you must be terribly fast at chasing and arresting.

Act most urgently like having the decree from the Perfected King of Shen-

hsiao Heaven ff

<A drawing of an empty circle>

[Chao Kung-ming,] your radiant halo is brilliant, and its shining defeats the

hordes of demons J] •

The text Secret Ritual Instructions of Hsüan-t'an, Generalissimo Chao (Hsüan-t'an Chao Yüan-shuaipi-fa #/"£■) contains another spell with an almost identical title: Personal Amulet of the Generalissimo

Yiian -

shuai pen-shen fu £f). It is worthwhile reading the descriptive text

:

(p. 10b) <ritual form of the character huang Ü, "brilliant">

God-emperor of Great Yang 91 decrees, Chao Kung-ming decrees

<Extended Decree ch'ang-ch'ih éaÂ> 93

Being in control of the ritual Chao Kung-ming decrees that the generals of the

ritual come forth and speedily reveal their apparition iMi/

<Decree ch'ih $c>

God-emperor of Cave Subtlety and Mysterious Perfection in Shen-hsiao

Heaven, let your holy decree pass through the bright spheres and let it descend

to summon the Thunder divinities IT'f* Pf"! l#í-& fí#/

<Fire huo sk>

Great Divinity of Law and Order, Heavenly Lord Teng, your rumbling Thun¬

ders and fire must cremate demons and deities JJ ^

A#/ 94

< Fire huo X>y

Fierce Emissary with Silver Teeth, Heavenly Lord Hsin, your rumbling

Thunders and fire must cremate demons and deities í{Uf & fi M fF ^

ífcjl.#/

< Fire huo X>y

Soaring and Rapid Fire and Thunders, Heavenly Lord Chang, your rumbling

Thunders and fire must cremate demons and deities fF ^

ífcjl.#/

90 TT 1220: 233.10b-lla.

91 We understand that the Great Emperor issues a decree that Chao Kung-ming passes on.

92 T'ai-yang "Great Yang " most certainly points to the sun, as T'ai-yin iiFJi

means the moon. See below concerning the divinity Heavenly Ting.

93 These characters are in oversize and bold type.

94 Concerning the Heavenly Lord Teng, see above.

<Drawing>

Radiance of lightning covers soaring over ten thousand miles; Thunders and

fire must cremate the unorthodox deities in the world of man 31 'ii-ii '/C

<Drawing>

(p. 11a) First turn [of the brush]: the bar of heaven. Second turn [of the brush]:

the pivot of earth. Third turn [of the brush]: divinities wail and demons cry

- # *. M it# %LM> "A/

<Drawing>

General who ties up firmly, Chao Kung-ming, do tie up firmly, tie up firmly

and still further more do so, do tie up firmly % it '¿"8^

The drawing of the amulet shows the indication of a head and a

body with the big character ch'ih |É ( decree ) in its centre. The

amulet is to be drawn on the belly. Its graphic presentation may

be enriched with four characters that are written on the amulet,

and another two ritual characters are added above the head of

the Generalissimo Chao Kung-ming. We learn that the amulet is

used to heal illness, expel wicked influences, avert calamities,

dismiss law suits and bring about harmony. Again, we learn to

appreciate the fantastic usefulness of an amulet. Amulets cer¬

tainly crystallize all the divine might and spiritual engagement

of the performing priest.

We know that in more recent times the superb and compli- -1 | ■ p 9 q .

cated anthropomorphic amulets showing soaring and fierce dei- 233.11a

ties that often resemble bird-men were printed from wood blocks

on demand. The priest would seal and so consecrate them with divine might.

It is very well possible that this also applies to Sung times. In any case, there

was a meaning to all the constituent components of such amulets as de¬

scribed above. 95

The various chapters in A Corpus of Taoist Rituals concerning Chao

Kung-ming are individual traditions that share a common platform which is

the intent of Thunder rituals and their common spirit patron, Chao Kung-

ming with his entourage of 1 under forces. The various lists of Thunder

divinities constitute the registers that a practitioner receives, together with

instructions for rituals and the writing of amulets. We have already observed

and emphasize again that each tradition and each set of Thunder rituals is

complete in itself and, of course, omnipotent which attests the independence

95 Compare W ang C h'iu-kuei 2007, vol. 10, p. 746a, concerning the amulet of mar¬

shal Chu (Chu yiian-shuai JjtTùêji) in Lii-shan p'ai (Till liJfc) exorcism (Ch'ing-dynasty, Fukien),

*