On the Origin of Seed Life Base: Discussing the Role of Soul Vases and Soul-Sealing Arts

 To avoid being labeled as promoting feudal superstition, this description is presented in a more cultural tone.

 In Daoist magic, similar to the 'Hanging Soul Art,' there is another technique called the 'Soul-Sealing Art.' The Soul-Sealing Art has a very close connection with the Seed Life Base. To discuss their origins and principles, we must first talk about burial customs.

 Many tombs from the Tang and Song dynasties have unearthed a large number of burial soul vases. Literature points out that this burial custom stems from a legend: At the end of the Shang Dynasty, the brothers Bo Yi and Shu Qi, after failing to persuade King Wu of Zhou to invade Zhou, retreated to Mount Shouyang to live in seclusion. They vowed not to eat Zhou's grain and eventually both starved to death. When their hometown elders buried their bodies, they specially placed items such as 'grain jars' and 'five-grain bags' in the tomb to comfort the hungry souls of the deceased, thus forming the ritual of burying soul vases.Therefore, soul vases were used as mingqi (burial objects for the dead).

 I do not know whether the research of these experts and scholars is reliable or not. However, from the various classics collected by the Yin Fu Sect, many texts mention a magic art for avoiding disasters and seeking refuge, namely the Soul-Sealing Method. Based on the descriptions within them, the actual function of these soul vases from the Tang and Song dynasties was to store souls, which was their original purpose.

 To understand this purpose, one must first understand the ancient way of thinking: When a person dies, the soul has no support, and the soul and spirit must have a vessel. The physical body will rot, so there must be a container to hold it. The basic characteristic of a container that can hold souls must be hollow, such as bamboo tubes (hence the 'Bamboo Tube Hanging Soul Method'), bones (usually ox bones, as they are easy to obtain), etc. However, bamboo tubes and bones cannot withstand the ravages of time. The most durable material is stone, but stone processing is troublesome, so ceramic bottles were used. On one hand, they can be designed with many exquisite ornaments; on the other hand, cultural meanings can be endowed according to the different beliefs of the deceased. For example, those who believed in Daoism during their lives were often accompanied by patterns of immortal mountains, while those who believed in Buddhism often had images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

 After the soul enters the soul vase, it is not just about having a place to stay; there are other additional benefits. Therefore, the internal space of a soul vase is usually like a female uterus. The soul is protected, nourished, and grows inside, just like a fetus in the womb. The five grains or other items placed in the soul vase are nutrients provided to nourish the soul.

 China has always had the tradition of worshipping ancestors. Through sacrifices, besides expressing respect, many people hope to receive the protection of their ancestors. Soul vases provide this possibility, allowing the soul to be preserved in this spatial domain. At the same time, the arc structure can better gather energy. This projection of religious belief exists in other religions as well. For example, the feng shui structure of Christian churches often uses the intersection of two circles, placing Jesus' cross where light can be seen, symbolizing Jesus' gestation in the Virgin Mary's womb. This metaphor is actually a means of collecting faith. Similarly, the stupa for ashes in Buddhist temple cemeteries also has the same function from a feng shui perspective.

 The above discussion mainly explains the relevant concepts of soul vases. Once this is understood, it becomes easier to understand what the Soul-Sealing Art and the Seed Life Base are about.

 The Soul-Sealing Art, in a straightforward sense, involves taking a part of a person's soul and hiding it in a soul vase, then burying it underground or placing it in a palace altar. Only the dead have their souls collected in bottles and sunk underground. From the perspective of Yi Jing imagery, this means 'the soul has already reached the underground.' This is a technique of deceiving heaven, indicating that the person has passed away, so future disasters will no longer come.

 To truly achieve this effect, a part of the person's soul needs to be separated into the soul vase. Because the soul has the characteristic of self-perfection, as stated in the article 'Discussing the Hanging Soul Art', the soul will not always remain in a separated state. Therefore, after drawing out a part of the soul and placing it in the soul vase (some directly use newly taken hair, nails, blood, etc., which carry some soul energy), corresponding talismans must be pasted to seal it, preventing the soul from coming out of the soul vase. Only then can the effect of soul-sealing be achieved.

 However, there are two major problems with this. The first problem is that although this can avoid some great disasters, great joy is usually absent as well, putting the person into a mediocre state. The second problem is that the soul cannot be separated for too long. Because it is sealed with talismans, only the soul in the vase cannot come out, but the soul on the person's body will still gather towards the soul vase. If the time is too long, the person undergoing soul-sealing may become confused and foolish. Therefore, the Soul-Sealing Art is usually implemented for a period of one year, half a year, or a quarter, after which it needs to be opened to reunite the souls before performing the soul-sealing again.

 So, what is the Seed Life Base? The steps for creating a Seed Life Base are basically the same as those for the Soul-Sealing Art, as it originally evolved from the Soul-Sealing Art.

 As mentioned earlier, the vase soul has a nourishing effect like a uterus. So, what happens if the soul vase is buried in a feng shui treasure land? Naturally, blessings and protection for ordinary people will appear. So, going back to the previous point, it was already stated that the Soul-Sealing Art causes the living person's soul to leave the living body, leading to foolishness. How is this solved?

 Creating a Seed Life Base generally does not use soul-sealing talismans. Instead, hair, nails, blood, etc., are directly buried. After a certain period of time, the soul attached to these items will gradually dissipate and return to the living person. During the process of the soul dissipating and returning to the body, it can bring the spiritual energy and protection of the feng shui treasure land to the living person. Thus, it can attract blessings without causing the living person to become foolish due to soul separation.

 It needs to be pointed out that there is a saying that the more hair, nails, and blood placed for the Seed Life Base, the better. This view is largely inferred from the proportion of the soul amount carried by the physical body, which has some merit. However, the reality is: this is like putting a cup of hot water and a cup of cold water in a freezer to freeze (note that this effect only occurs with sealed containers with lids). You will find that the hot water freezes first. Therefore, an appropriate amount is sufficient; there is no need to deliberately pursue a large quantity.

 So, how long can a Seed Life Base bring protection and influence? How long does it take for the soul to dissipate? These questions are left for fellow Daoists to think about.