Chanting Therapy in Folk Secret Religions in the Qing Dynasty (Part 3)
V. Cases of Masters Chanting Scriptures to Cure Illness
When masters of secret sects chanted scriptures to cure patients, they mostly held religious ceremonies, burned incense, and made offerings. Through rituals such as worshipping deities and reciting scriptures, they hoped to eliminate disasters and pray for blessings for the patients, thereby curing their illnesses. Taking the Hongyang Sect as an example, this sect was known for its large quantity and exquisite nature of scriptures, and its activities also placed great importance on religious ceremonies and setting up altars for chanting. Therefore, its masters often used the method of reciting scriptures to pray for blessings and cure illnesses for others. For instance, during the Kangxi reign, a master of the Hongyang Sect named Shen Zixiang was originally a household slave of Prince Pingnan, Shang Kexi. He went to the Haizhou area to spread the religion, worshipping ancestors such as Hunyuan and Piaogao, and chanted scriptures to cure illnesses for people.
Another example is from the 36th year of Qianlong (1771), when a villager named Hu Guangtai fell ill and invited masters Song Chengxiang and Li Hu from the Hongyang Sect to his home to chant scriptures twice to pray for recovery from illness.58 Similarly, in the 9th year of Jiaqing (1804), Hongyang Sect master Meng Liu and several people from the same village joined the Hongyang Society, learning to recite scriptures. Later, they went out to chant scriptures and cure illnesses for others. According to a memorial by Qing Dynasty Grand Secretary Cao Zhenyong: Meng Liu, Peng Hui, Kang Si, and the fugitive Pang Wu were all registered in Wanping County. They lived in Mengjiazhuang outside Guang'anmen and knew each other well. In the 9th year of Jiaqing,
Meng Liu, along with his wife Yang Shi, Pang Wu with his wife Liu Shi, and Peng Hui, Kang Si, etc., all took Gu Lao from the same village as their master and joined the Hongyang Society. Gu Lao's home housed an image of the Ancestor Piaogao. Every year on the 17th day of the fifth month and the 17th day of the ninth month, Meng Liu and others contributed over 100 cash coins to Gu Lao for burning incense, making offerings, and eating vegetarian food, reciting the Yuanjing and Mingxin Chan respectively. Meng Liu, Peng Hui, and Kang Si then went out to cure illnesses and chant scriptures for others, praying to the Buddha for diagnosis and prescription, etc. Using tea, Sichuan peppercorns, and other items to decoct and administer to people... Meng Liu, having cured the illnesses of Li Zhangshi, a civilian woman from Shenzhou, and Meng Fushi and Wang Pangshi's aunt, a civilian woman from Wanping County, Li Zhangshi and others took Meng Liu as their master and joined the society... Meng Liu then proposed to invite Peng Hui and others to join the society. In the 10th and 11th years of the Daoguang reign, on the 17th day of the fifth month and the 17th day of the ninth month, Peng Hui and others still gave over 100 cash coins to Meng Liu to burn incense and make offerings before the image of the Ancestor Piaogao, reciting scriptures such as the Yuanliu.
From Cao's memorial, it can be seen that Hongyang Sect master Meng Liu organized a cultivation group mainly focused on chanting scriptures, holding regular meetings to chant scriptures. Later, members of the society often went out to cure illnesses for others by chanting scriptures and using tea therapy, thereby attracting people to join the sect. Besides the Hongyang Sect masters often chanting scriptures to cure illnesses, masters of other sects also adopted this method as a basis for medical missionary work. For instance, during the 52nd year of Qianlong (1787), Dong Min, a master of the Shouyuan Sect from Lixian County, Zhili, adapted scriptures such as Shouyuan, Shouyuan, and jiulian Jiudu left by his grandfather into songs for recitation, thereby chanting scriptures for others to eliminate disasters and cure illnesses. At that time, the mother of villager Jia Liye, surnamed Wang, was old and often ill,
so she invited Dong Min and others to go to her home to chant scriptures and cure illness.
As for the Yuandun Sect master Xu Wenxiu, he regularly gathered believers for meetings on the 8th day of the fourth month, the 15th day of the seventh month, and the 15th day of the tenth month every year, worshipping Maitreya Buddha and chanting the ten-character Buddha name "Ji Namo Tianyuan Taibao Amitabha" and scriptures such as Huangji, hoping to pray for blessings and eliminate disasters for others. In the 12th year of Jiaqing (1807), a resident of Wanping County, Zhili, named Han Xing, fell ill and went to Xu Wenxiu's home to beg him to chant scriptures, which cured him. Another example is from the 17th year of Jiaqing (1812), when the Hunyuan Sect master took over the religious affairs, bringing back the statue of the Hunyuan Ancestor and scriptures for worship. Zhang Jingshan cured illnesses for people by chanting scriptures and making offerings, and his meeting activities were also quite large-scale, often mobilizing his subordinates to perform various duties, including the "Lingzhong" who led the congregation in bowing, the "Tanzhu" responsible for incense and candles, the "Jingwen" who arranged scriptures, the "Guanzhong" who disciplined the crowd, the "Diao zhong" who managed the vegetarian diet, the "Gongshang" who purchased sacrificial items, and the "Cuizhong" who urged people to prepare offerings.
The case of Zhang Jingshan shows that his sect was organized, attracting many participants, and he could receive remuneration from curing patients. Similar cases of secret sect masters chanting scriptures to cure illnesses and receiving offerings from patients can be cited. For example, in the 39th year of Qianlong (1774), Fan Mingde, a farmer from Luyi County, Henan, obtained scriptures such as Hunyuan Dianhua Shu and Taizi Wendao Jing during his medical treatment, so he founded the Hunyuan Sect, recruited people to join, and agreed to hold gatherings with believers to chant scriptures on the Qingming Festival, the 15th day of the fifth month, the 10th day of the ninth month, and the 1st day of the twelfth month every year. Therefore, some believers each contributed 50 cash coins to ask Fan Mingde to chant scriptures and cure illnesses.
Fan's ability to cure illnesses by chanting scriptures was highly affirmed by believers. For example, the Governor-General of Anzhen reported: In March of the 39th year of Qianlong, Ding Hongqi and Zhang Ju went to Qiujiaji in Luyi County, Henan, near the border of Bozhou, to sell straw hats, staying at Fan Mingde's home. Seeing Fan Mingde chanting scriptures every night, they asked him about it. Fan Mingde replied that true scriptures were passed down by immortals, and if recited with sincerity, one would avoid hell and be reborn as a good person after death, and he claimed that if someone asked him to chant on their behalf, it could also bring blessings. Ding Hongqi and others were deceived by him and asked Fan Mingde to chant for a night... In September
of that year, Zhang Ju's cousin Lu Wei, whose mother surnamed Zhang had a neck ulcer, was told by Zhang Ju that Fan Mingde was good at chanting scriptures for blessings. Lu Wei went to Fan Mingde's home, gave 200 cash coins, and Fan Mingde chanted for him and gave him powder for treatment, and his mother recovered quickly. On the 18th of October, Ding Hongqi and Zhang Ju each prepared 3,000 cash coins and went together to Fan Mingde's home, gave the money, and bowed to him as their master.
The case of Hunyuan Sect's Fan Mingde chanting scriptures to cure illnesses shows that as long as the chanting master can demonstrate medical effectiveness, the villagers will naturally spread the word by word of mouth and go to seek medical treatment, allowing the master to collect money and attract people to join the sect. Another example is from the Jiaqing reign, when a secret sect master named Teng Yong'an was also able to chant scriptures to cure illnesses and received thanks from many patients. For example, the Governor of Shandong, Ji Lun, reported:
Zhu Qizi was from Zhangqiu County. Teng Yong'an went to visit him, claiming he could cure illnesses by burning incense and chanting scriptures, and indeed, he was cured. Zhu Qizi, who had injured his leg in childhood and often suffered from arm pain, also asked him to cure him. Teng Yong'an orally instructed scripture words, telling him to recite them. Zhu Qizi believed and recited them. Teng Yong'an then gave him a copy of Sanfo Yingjie Zongguan Tongshu and Xianming Ce, claiming they were taught by the deceased county resident Su Bingyi, and instructed him to study them but not to pass them to outsiders... In the 10th year, Teng Yong'an used the pretext of curing illnesses to incite people and collect money. Every month on the 1st day of the third and ninth months, he worshipped Buddha at home to attract people to pray for blessings. Villagers such as Zhang Ma... each had relatives or themselves fall ill, and they invited Teng Yong'an to chant scriptures and cure them, offering remuneration of 100-200 cash coins or 1-2 sheng of grain. Teng Yong'an then took the opportunity to teach scriptures and mantras.
Since secret sect masters could receive remuneration from patients for chanting scriptures to cure illnesses, some people falsely claimed the name of chanting scriptures to cure illnesses to deceive money from patients or families hoping for recovery. For example, in the 17th year of Daoguang (1837), a villager from Shandong named Wang Li falsely claimed the name of Hongyang scriptures, attempting to gain economic benefits by chanting scriptures to cure illnesses. According to a memorial by the Governor of Shandong, Jing Ebu: Wang Li, who was currently arrested, went to the home of Liu Fubao (who was then dead) in the fourth month of the 16th year of Daoguang to idle around. He saw a copy of scriptures such as Hunyuan Taishan, which contained
the names of evil deities such as the Ancestor Piaogao. He asked Liu Fubao about them, who claimed they were left by his deceased father, who had served as a Taoist priest at Taishan Temple. Liu Fubao did not know where he got them. Wang Li borrowed them to read and specifically kept them without returning them. On the 7th day of the second month of the 17th year, Wang Li remembered that the sentences in the scriptures were fresh and could stir up the ignorant villagers, so he planned to invite his acquaintances Wang Yi, Zhao Kuan, and Liu Qing, who were currently arrested, to set up an altar in the Guanyin Temple in their village to practice chanting, hoping to collect money for use. On the 12th day, villager Liu Delin's son fell ill. Not knowing that Wang Li's chanting was from evil scriptures, he provided food and asked him to chant to eliminate disasters, without giving any money or goods.
From this memorial, it can be seen that Wang Li was not a member of the Hongyang Sect. He only set up an altar and chanted scriptures after obtaining Hongyang scriptures from elsewhere, yet he was still able to attract patients' families to request chanting to eliminate disasters and pray for recovery, showing that ordinary folk still believed quite strongly in the efficacy of chanting scriptures to cure illnesses. Due to the people's belief in the scriptures, some people deliberately created new secret sects, using chanting scriptures to cure illnesses and holding meetings as a call, taking the opportunity to attract people to join the sect and deceive money. For example, as mentioned earlier, in the 38th year of Qianlong (1773), Zhu Hong, a master of the Sunjing Sect, newly established this sect name because he cured himself by chanting scriptures, using the pretext of chanting scriptures to cure illnesses to attract people to join. According to a memorial by the Governor of Henan, He Wei: "His sect involves people chanting the Sunjing to eliminate disasters and gain blessings, agreeing to bring money every season of the year, regardless of the amount, to Zhu Hong's home to worship the gods".
Zhu Hong's self-created new sect attracted the participation of neighbors and residents, and he received 1,300 cash coins for incense and items such as rice and beans from it.68 Another example is from the 18th year of Jiaqing (1813), when Wang Taiping, the leader of the Lulin Hui Hunyuan Sect, created his own sect. He used a found scripture to claim to the public that holding meetings and chanting scriptures could cure illnesses, eliminate disasters, and gain blessings. He seriously set up an altar and held meetings, actually attracting over a hundred people to join. As described above, when secret sect masters chanted scriptures to cure illnesses for others, they could not only attract people to join the sect but also receive remuneration from patients. Therefore, similar chanting activities in rural society were often seen. Generally speaking, the names of scriptures chanted by masters were very diverse, not only including the exclusive treasures of the sect but also covering scriptures of other sects, showing that ordinary people had a strong belief in the efficacy of scriptures and were not confined to the scriptures of a single sect.
As for the types of diseases treated by folk secret sect masters chanting scriptures for patients, as shown in the appendix data, besides unclearly described illnesses, they can generally be categorized into skin diseases such as neck ulcers and leprosy; body and limb pain such as foot diseases and arm pain; infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis; and mental/psychological abnormalities such as madness. These illnesses reflect the expectations of many rural people for the efficacy of chanting, trying to seek treatment from secret sects regardless of the type of disease. If we further explore the efficacy of chanting, according to the 25 cases collected by the author, there were 5 cured cases (including malaria and leprosy), showing that chanting scriptures through secret sects could allow patients to achieve psychological balance and physical recovery, thus there were many cases of seeking medical treatment.
VI. Reasons for People Seeking Medical Treatment and Cultivation Activities
If we explore the reasons why sick people sought medical treatment from secret sect masters, hoping to cure their illnesses through chanting and prayers, it is related to factors such as the medical environment, channels for seeking medical treatment, the medical process, economic conditions, and literacy levels. In terms of the medical environment, the medical conditions in rural society were relatively insufficient, with fewer doctors opening pharmacies to treat villagers,71 so secret sect masters with medical abilities became their objects of求助. When people themselves or their family members fell ill, they inevitably sought medical treatment everywhere. When they encountered secret sect masters by chance, they were easily persuaded to accept the claim that they must join the sect and chant scriptures to cure the illness. For example, in the 3rd year of Jiaqing (1798), Lu Jinshi, a resident of Yugan County, Jiangxi, who worked as a barber, contracted a foot disease. He was persuaded by the Dacheng Sect master Liu Pengwan to join the sect, eat vegetarian food, and chant scriptures, promising that he could guarantee recovery. Lu Jinshi therefore took Liu Pengwan as his master, studied scriptures such as Tianyuan and Shibao, and learned the Five Precepts and the Twelve-Step Teaching Method.
In the Jiaqing reign, there were also Dacheng Sect masters in the Jiangxi region who persuaded people to join the sect by claiming that chanting scriptures could cure illnesses, and who passed on disciples, causing the number of believers to surge. For example, Bahabu reported: Peng Shanhai was from Xiangyin County, and Xu Debinn was from Gao'an County, Jiangxi, both engaged in small trade. In the 2nd year of Jiaqing, Xu Debinn went to Sixu, Jishui County, Jiangxi, to buy iron goods. He met Huang Mingwan, a person from Qingjiang County, Jiangxi, who had a shop there. Xu Debinn mentioned that he had always suffered from hemoptysis and medical treatment was ineffective. Huang Mingwan told him that he was a disciple of the Dacheng Sect, with the Dharma name Puchou. His sect passed down a twelve-step skill. If one joined the sect and learned it, one could eliminate disasters and prolong life. Xu Debinn believed it to be true and took Huang Mingwan as his master. He was taught the scripture words of the first to third steps, given the Dharma name Wuci, and given scriptures, posters, paper drawings, Guanyin images, and an iron Buddha statue. Xu Debinn took them back to worship day and night, ate vegetarian food, and chanted scriptures, and then passed the scripture words of the first and second steps to his clansman Xu Jinyi and neighbor Zheng Guangcheng, giving them copies of the scriptures. In April of the 17th year... (Xu Debinn) rented a residence at Liu Tianming's home... Xu Debinn told him that he had taken Huang Mingwan as his master to learn the Dacheng Sect, eat vegetarian food, and chant scriptures, and his chronic illness was cured. He persuaded him to join the sect to gain blessings... Peng Shanhai) also took Xu Debinn as his master, learned the scripture words of the first and second steps, borrowed scriptures and posters from Xu Debinn to copy, ate vegetarian food, and chanted scriptures... In the 1st month of the 20th year of (Jiaqing), Peng Shanhai, having no business, took scriptures and posters to Ningyuan County for trade and stayed at Ou Qikun's home. He told Ou Qikun the reasons why learning the sect and eating vegetarian food could bring blessings. Ou Qikun believed it, and then introduced Ou Hongde and Tan Yifeng, who together took Peng Shanhai as their master, copied the scriptures,
took them back to eat vegetarian food and recite. Peng Shanhai then went to Lanshan County and met Liang Wenxing... ten people, telling them about their mothers' illnesses. Peng Shanhai then told them to join the sect and eat vegetarian food, but did not pass on scripture words or teach the steps.
From the above memorials, it can be seen that ordinary people strongly believed in the saying that reciting scriptures could eliminate diseases and disasters. Regardless of whether they were sick or not, when they were told about the many benefits of chanting scriptures through word of mouth, they were willing to learn the sect, copy scriptures, and the number of people joining the sect continued to surge. In addition, some patients actively took masters and joined the sect to seek recovery from illness, learning to recite scriptures. For example, the Dacheng Sect master Zhang Dong'an was from Heze County, Shandong. He had previously taken Wang Youxian and Zhang Luyan as his masters, reciting scriptures such as Hudao Bangwen and Kuxing Wudao Jing.74 In the 16th year of Jiaqing (1811), a resident of the same county, wanting to recover from illness, took Zhang Dong'an as his master, hoping to cure illness by chanting scriptures. According to a memorial by the Governor of Shandong, Chen Yu: In the 16th year of Jiaqing, Zhang Luyan died. Meng Guangzhu and Ji Huamin, who were from the same county as Zhang Dong'an, and the deceased Li Yi and Liu Zhen, all suffered from chronic malaria and wanted to take Zhang Dong'an as their master to chant scriptures and cure illness. Zhang Dong'an agreed. Meng Guangzhu and Ji Huamin each went to Zhang Dong'an's home to make offerings and worship the gods, burning incense and kowtowing, and took Zhang Dong'an as their master to join the sect. Zhang Dong'an then orally instructed the mantra: "The sea of bitterness has no bounds, sentient beings are greedy; I now ferry you to the other shore; First, repay the grace of heaven and earth covering and supporting; Second, repay the grace of the sun and moon shining upon us". Ji Huamin also recited scriptures. Meng Guangzhu, being illiterate, did not recite scriptures. Zhang Dong'an had little literacy and did not know how to explain, nor did he finish reciting the scriptures. He only remembered the repentance words in the scriptures such as "Wusheng Fumu Benlai Zhongkong Neng Bianhua, Ben Shi Jiaxiang Neng Bianhua".
This case shows that several people in Heze, Shandong, due to "chronic malaria not recovering", suffered from illness for a long time, and under the circumstances of having no way to seek help, turned to join secret sects, hoping to pray for recovery through chanting. Some people, on the other hand, actively sought treatment from secret sects after hearing news of masters curing illnesses by chanting scriptures. For example, as mentioned earlier, Hongyang Sect master Chen Jin and Sunjing Sect master Zhu Hong both cured their own illnesses by chanting scriptures. Hunyuan Sect master Fan Mingde cured patients' ulcers by chanting scriptures, etc.
These examples of curing illnesses by chanting strengthened people's belief in the efficacy of chanting, so they went to seek medical treatment or directly took masters and joined the sect.
As for the reasons why sick people begged secret sects to chant scriptures on their behalf, some factors were related to the patients being illiterate and unable to recite scriptures. According to relevant data, many secret sect believers were illiterate and thus difficult to understand the content of the scriptures. For example, the female believer Zhu Wangshi of the Hongyang Sect had collected scriptures such as Hongyang Yuhua Zhenjing, Hunyuan Hongyang Jing, and Zhibing Fushu passed down by her master, but because she was illiterate, she could not recite the scriptures.78 Another Hongyang Sect believer, Cao Qigong, stated: "I and Wu Wenhuan, Cao Wensheng, and Yongxin Monk copied a copy of the Liaoyan Jing. I and Wu Wenhuan were illiterate and only knew how to beat the gong and cymbals. When there were funerals in the village, we confessed for people's families."
Also, Wang Tingzhao, a believer of the Bailianjiao in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Hubei, confessed: "The scriptures I carry on my body were originally left by my grandfather... I always carry them with me. I am illiterate and do not know what the scriptures say".
Under the circumstances of insufficient knowledge levels among the people, they had to rely on secret sect masters to chant scriptures for them. For example, the four villagers Zhao Fuxing and others from Daxinzhuang, Shandong Province, as mentioned earlier, were illiterate and contracted malaria, so they begged the Hongyang Sect master Chen Jin to chant scriptures on their behalf.
Similarly, in the Jiaqing reign, the villagers Meng Guangzhu and others from Heze County, Shandong, as mentioned earlier, were also illiterate and suffered from malaria, so they begged the Dacheng Sect master Zhang Dong'an to recite scriptures on their behalf.
Furthermore, since the method of secret sect masters chanting scriptures to cure illnesses was relatively simple, saving the inconvenience of the patients' treatment process, it was also one of the factors促使ing people to be willing to seek medical treatment. When secret sect masters chanted scriptures to cure illnesses for others, the masters or patients mostly only needed to prepare offerings such as vegetarian food, incense, and candles. Before the spirit tablets or statues of deities written on yellow paper, they would burn incense, worship, and pray sincerely, and then the master would recite the scriptures (sometimes requiring multiple recitations to increase efficacy), and the treatment procedure was considered complete. In this process, people did not have to endure the pain of surgical operations in traditional medicine, nor did they have to drink bitter medicinal decoctions, only
having to follow the master in praying and chanting, so people were also willing to try this therapy to seek spiritual comfort. In addition, when people begged secret sect masters to chant scriptures, they did not have to bear too much medical expense, which was also their economic consideration for seeking medical treatment. Generally speaking, the money offered by people in the process of seeking treatment to the masters mostly belonged to the costs of offerings at meetings, remuneration for masters chanting scriptures, and礼金 for joining the sect and taking a master. Basically, there was no fixed amount for these medical or sect-joining fees, but the amount was limited, and some even only provided food without
offering money,
so it would not cause an economic burden on the people. For example, the Sunjing Sect chanting meetings mentioned earlier were "agreed to bring money every season of the year,
no matter how much"; when Hunyuan Sect master Fan Mingde chanted scriptures for others, patients only contributed 50 or 200 cash coins; a certain sect master received remuneration from patients of 100 or 200 cash coins or 1 or 2 sheng of grain, etc. As for patients or their families taking a master to study scriptures, the most common examples of money offered to the master were 100, 200 cash coins to several hundred cash coins, approximately equivalent to the wages of 1 or 2 days for a farm worker at that time,88 which did not significantly affect their livelihood.
When people sought medical treatment from secret sect masters for various reasons, it was an opportunity for the sect to expand. Some patients accepted the master's persuasion to take a master and join the sect when seeking medical treatment, while others, due to personal contact or rumors about the efficacy of chanting scriptures, realized the magical power of religion and the assistance of deities, and were willing to participate in cultivation activities, even forming a vegetarian chanting group in the local area, going around to chant scriptures and cure illnesses for others to earn a living. For example, as mentioned earlier, when Hongyang Society master Meng Liu chanted scriptures to cure the illnesses of several women, they took him as their master and joined the sect; Hunyuan Sect master Fan Mingde chanted scriptures to cure illnesses, attracting Ding Hongqi and Zhang Ju to join the sect; another Hunyuan Sect master Zhang Jingshan, after curing the illnesses of Xiao Cheng and Wang Guoxi's parents, the two also offered money and participated in the offering activities at the meetings.
In addition, some secret sect masters, in order to expand the sect, would gather the patients they had cured, making them jointly participate in the sect's chanting and meeting activities, which in turn could attract people to join the sect. As mentioned earlier, Hu Changsi, the leader of the Shanxi Qiaohui Sect, used this method to recruit believers. In the 17th year of Qianlong (1752), the Governor of Shanxi, Asiha, reported:
(Hu Changsi) After believing in Buddha, he chanted and worshipped Buddha every year after turning thirty, and chanted scriptures for others to cure illnesses. There were also people who were cured. Every year on the 29th day of the first month, he gathered cured men to chant scriptures, and on the 30th day, he gathered cured women to chant scriptures. Each brought several sheng of grain as offerings. After the crowd had eaten, the remainder was kept for bridge repair expenses. He also raised silver money to build several tea houses to serve tea, and there were people who had been cured by him, such as Wang Cengu... and others, who were willing to become disciples and join the sect. Initially named the Wujiao Sect, it was later renamed the Qiaohui Sect after being banned.
Another example is that some patients, after taking a master and studying scriptures, were also able to chant scriptures to cure illnesses for others, recruit disciples, and upgrade to masters in the sect. For example, as mentioned earlier, Han Xing, a resident of Wanping County, Zhili, fell ill and was cured by the Yuandun Sect master Xu Wenxiu chanting scriptures. Although he did not immediately take Xu as his master, he often went to his home to chant scriptures and hold meetings. It was not until the 15th year of Jiaqing (1810) that Han Xing formally took a master and joined the sect. Afterwards, he often persuaded people to join the sect and recruit disciples. According to a memorial by Qing Dynasty Grand Secretary Cao Zhenyong:
In the following year (the 13th year of Jiaqing), in October, Xu Wenxiu died, and his disciple Song Zhangshi took over the religious affairs. In the 15th year, Han Xing took Song Zhangshi as his point master
…… In April of the 25th year of (Jiaqing), Han Xing met Li Hongde. After asking about the condition of Li Hongde's mother, Shi Shi, he persuaded her to join the sect to ensure her mother's safety. Li Hongde agreed. Han Xing told her the date of the meeting. Li Hongde went to Han Xing's home in October to join the sect, gave 500 cash coins, and Han Xing passed on the ten-character Buddha name to her... In the 7th year of Daoguang, Li Hongde's wife, Wu Shi, went to Han Xing's home to make offerings and make vows before the Buddha due to illness. Han Xing again persuaded her to join the sect and passed on the ten-character Buddha name to her.
From this memorial, it can be seen that Han Xing was originally just a patient seeking medical treatment from a sect master. After being cured by the master's chanting, he gained confidence in the sect and frequently participated in its internal gatherings. Therefore, when he encountered people whose family members were ill, he enthusiastically preached to them, thereby expanding the development of the sect. Another example is from the 16th year of Daoguang (1836), when Yuan Ai, a resident of Longguo County, Guizhou, who had joined the Bao'en Hui, contracted tuberculosis and silently copied and recited the Kaishi Jing. Later, he adapted this scripture into the Sangui Wujie Zhinan Ge, had people copy it, gave it to patients to recite, and recruited disciples from it.
In short, folk secret religions provided ordinary people with a convenient channel for seeking medical treatment by chanting scriptures to cure illnesses. When people themselves or their relatives fell ill and sought medical treatment everywhere, based on the persuasion of secret sect masters or rumors of their healing abilities, and then because they were illiterate and had to rely on others to recite, and based on factors such as simple treatment courses and low costs, they were willing to participate in the secret sects' chanting and blessing activities, hoping to recover soon. In this chanting process, some people fortunately recovered or continued to participate in the sect's meeting activities after recovery, making them deeply experience the benefits of learning the sect. Not only did they take masters and join the sect themselves, but they also spread the sect and recruited people to join, allowing the sect to expand its influence and take deeper root in the lower society.