Annotated Commentary on the Upper Clarity Arctic Celestial Heart Great Method (Part One)

The Celestial Heart method: from the time the Most High descended upon Crane-Cry Mountain and daily conferred upon the Celestial Master the book pointing to the northeastern pole, its purpose has been to repel demons and save the people. What was formerly transmitted as the Orthodox Celestial Heart Dharma consisted of only three talismans. The first is the Great Sage of the Celestial Mainstay Talisman; the second is called the Black Fiend Talisman; the third is named the Three Luminaries Talisman. Speaking of the Three Luminaries Talisman: above it binds the Three Sovereigns, its Dao responds to the Three Realms, its virtue embodies the Three Powers, and its authenticity issues from the Three Masters — therefore it is called the Celestial Heart. It is the source of the ten thousand ways, the ancestor of the many methods. Master Xujing said: there are two seals. The first is the Seal of the Arctic Court for Expelling Evil, also called the Seal That Summarily Governs the Ghosts and Spirits of the Three Realms; the second is the Seal of the Great Dharma Lord of the Capital of Heaven. It is simple and not complex, left to extraordinary people, that it might be handed down in the world.

Daozhang Sanfu's reading: The Daoist method of the Celestial Heart is the book pointing to the northeastern pole that the Patriarch Taishang Laojun conferred upon the Celestial Master when he came to Crane-Cry Mountain, used to ward off evil and deliver the world. The Orthodox Celestial Heart Dharma handed down from high antiquity contained only three talismans: first, the Great Sage of the Celestial Mainstay; second, the Black Fiend; third, the Three Luminaries. The Three Luminaries talisman communicates with the Three Sovereigns; the Dao responds to the realms of attainment; virtue represents the Three Powers. It truly issues from the Three Masters, and is therefore named the Celestial Heart — ancestor of all ways, ancestor of all methods. Master Xujing said: this method has two seals in all. The first is the Seal of the Arctic Court for Expelling Demons, also known as the Three Realms Ghost-and-Spirit Seal of the Capital of Heaven; the second is the Great Dharma Seal of the Capital of Heaven.

This method is simple and not complex; it was left for extraordinary people, that it might be transmitted in the world.

Method for a Ritual Master Entering an Afflicted Household: Transformation by Visualization
Whenever one enters a household stricken by illness, perform the Nine Steps of Dinggang; visualize yourself as the Primordial Celestial King.
From the south, the Nine Phoenixes spit true fire, burning the afflicted dwelling until all is ash on the wind.
One breath of the Zhen wind and all is purified, transformed into towers, halls, and chambers of golden splendor.
People and things are all transformed into celestial immortals; beneath the towers nine great ao-turtles soar.
Donning the terraces, all are wrapped in purple mist; ten thousand rays of golden light burst forth from Fusang.
On all four sides lie the vast sea waters; waves surge and boil without boundary.
Flooded swells for ten thousand qing, with neither boat nor oar — only then do I enter, activating the Celestial Mainstay.
I transform as the Primordial One and lead armored troops; the Orthodox One of the Mysterious serves at my side.
The Four Sagely Ones, the Three Officials, and all generals and officers; the Six Jia and Six Ding all descend together.
Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird; Dark Warrior, qilin, master lion, phoenix soar.
Thunder and lightning crash as all press forward; my body, the Five Dippers, conceals and holds the soul.
The red qi of the Celestial Mainstay opens the road ahead; iron nets cross and double above and below.
On ten faces and eight directions stand soldiers and generals; banners, canopies, and streamers array ten thousand troops.
Click the teeth, gather the spirits, activate the three qi; recite the spell, slay the ghosts — naturally efficacious.

Daozhang Sanfu's explanation: Whenever one enters a house afflicted by illness or disaster, one must use the "Dinggang" steps and transform into the Primordial Celestial King.

Then release the Nine Phoenixes of the south to spit true fire, burning away the evil qi in the sick house and reducing every polluted place to ash.

After the house is burned, blow with a gust of wind; the house becomes a beautiful towered palace, resplendent with gold and jade, a scene of dazzling splendor.

The people transform into immortals. Beneath the towers nine giant turtles circle; above, purple mist enshrouds the terraces, and golden light rises in the east.

The four directions become a vast ocean, waves fierce and endless, without shore or boundary; not a single boat can cross those swells.

Operational essentials: Transform into the great sea. Use the hand seal for the sea, pulling upward toward the nameless finger, middle finger, and index finger. Flick outward to become the great sea — boundless and vast, waves without rest; the houses in all four directions become sea. Next comes the secret formula for the Imperial Terrace: use the thumb to pinch Chou, pull upward to Wu, and flick outward to transform into dwellings — the prefectures of the divine officials — performing the twelve steps of Dinggang. Drink water three times, call out three times, close the eyes and nourish the spirit; the dwellings become twelve towers and terraces. Flesh and bone all transform into gods; jade maidens feast at the left; below, giant turtles carry people to and fro; the depth of the sea is unfathomable. Next, use the secret formula for the boat: with the thumb pinch Yin, turn to Hai, and flick outward to nourish the spirit. Without a boat on the sea, ghosts and spirits have no path.

Under these conditions I then enter the dwelling, activating the Celestial Mainstay, transforming into the Primordial Celestial King, and leading the Four Sagely Ones, the celestial officials of the Three Realms, and their retinues of the Six Jia and Six Ding — Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Dark Warrior, qilin, lion, and the Nine Phoenixes — all descending together amid thunder and lightning, with overwhelming force.

Then I conceal the soul within the Five Dippers and use the red qi of the Celestial Mainstay to open a road. Before me, on all sides, iron nets are strung — capable of binding every evil ghost in the world. Everywhere are troops and horses; banners and flags, an army of thousands upon thousands.

Operational essentials: The Heaven-Linking Iron Barrier is activated from all sides, forming a thin screen that joins heaven and earth, blocking evil spirits and forbidding them entry. If the master goes out through the pass, he rides a black cloud across the sea, transforming the iron wall into an iron rampart that opens in front and closes behind — that is, feet standing together, opening forward and closing behind.
Hand seal of the Heaven-Linking Iron Barrier: raise the right hand, cover with the left. With the nail of the right index finger pinch the base of the left index finger; with the left thumb pinch the right middle finger; the fourth finger is grasped from the back of the right fourth finger via the middle finger; the fifth finger grasps the back of the left fifth finger; the right index finger flexes and extends.

Then click the teeth to gather the primordial qi, activate the three qi, recite the spell, and annihilate demons and ghosts.

Note: Why are there nine ao-turtles beneath the towers?

In the myths of high antiquity, the ao-turtles bore up the great mountains and the earth; whenever an ao moved, there would be earthquakes, or the seas would turn to mulberry fields and the rivers and mountains would change. East of the Bohai Sea, hundreds of millions of li distant under the governance of the Heavenly Thearch, there had originally been five spirit mountains; but the roots of the five spirit mountains were not joined, and they often rose and fell with the tidal waves, never a moment at rest. The divine beings and sages all detested this and reported it to the Heavenly Thearch. The Thearch (this title is already attested in documents as early as the Shang) feared that the spirit mountains would drift to the western pole, break the balance the cosmos already possessed, and rob the mountains' inhabitants of their dwellings. He therefore dispatched Yuqiang, god of the North Sea, to drive fifteen giant ao-turtles — divided into five groups — to prop the spirit mountains with their heads, to be relieved once every sixty thousand years. Only then did the five spirit mountains stabilize and cease to drift. But a giant of the kingdom of Longbo raised his foot and in a few steps reached the place of the five spirit mountains; with a single hook he fished up six of the giant ao-turtles. Because the Longbo giant carried off the six ao, Daiyu and Yuanqiao lost the turtles that bore them; each drifted to the northern pole and sank into the vast ocean. From that time only three spirit mountains remained, and only nine ao-turtles were left.