The Taoist Yin Talisman School Discusses Taoist Talisman Diagrams

 In addition to characters, Taoist scriptures contain a considerable number of talisman diagrams. Talisman diagrams are also a type of talisman and ritual text; they have certain distinctions from talisman characters and talisman writings, yet maintain a close connection. The "Great Meaning of the Mysterious Gate of Dongxuan Lingbao" explains clearly: "Talismans generally draw upon the momentum of clouds, objects, days, and hours; writings specifically analyze the principles of phonetics and syntax; diagrams depict the shapes of spiritual transformations. Talismans contain writings, incorporating images; writings contain diagrams, using both form and sound. Thus, there are eight styles and six scripts, mutually revealing each other." This indicates that talisman diagrams and talisman characters/writings are not equivalent. Although the variety of talisman diagrams is not as complex as that of talisman characters, their content is quite rich. Based on their uses and characteristics, they can be divided into the following three major categories:
(1) Celestial Talisman Diagrams
These talismans express the movement and transformation of celestial bodies and the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang, relating to astronomy, constellations, meteorology, timing, seasons, and ecology. Taoism believes that talisman diagrams are condensed from the primal energy of heaven and earth, serving as a true representation of the universe. Through them, one judges heaven and earth, operates Yin and Yang, and depicts the schema of cosmic evolution. Many talisman diagrams depict various constellations such as the Big Dipper, Southern Dipper, Three Stars, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions, or images and texts of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. They are widely used in religious rituals such as summoning clouds, distributing rain, generating lightning, attracting thunder, praying for clear weather, praying for rain, and calling the wind.
The most representative among celestial talismans are the Lingbao series diagrams. The term "Lingbao" refers to the most primitive energy in the universe—spirit (Shen) and Qi. Volume 1 of the "Lingbao Du Ren Shang Pin Miao Jing Fu Tu" states: "Spirit descends to become Ling, Qi gathers to become Bao. When spirit descends and Qi gathers, substance and form are complete; nothing is not born, nothing is not illuminated, nothing is not established, nothing is not accomplished." This means that the Lingbao of spirit and Qi encompasses the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), boundless in scope, and all things in heaven, earth, and the universe are transformed by it. "Therefore, its way fills the myriad heavens, encompasses the ten earths, pushes the movement of Yin and Yang, harmonizes cold and heat, governs the Eight Trigrams, leads the Three Origins, commands ghosts and spirits, and nurtures people and things." The true carriers of Lingbao spirit and Qi are the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, people, birds, and beasts, while talismans are their symbolic images. Among the Lingbao series diagrams, the symbolic schemas expressing the evolution of the Three Powers are best represented by the Lingbao Shiqing Bianhua Tu (Diagram of Lingbao's Initial Blue Transformation), the Biluo Kongge Tu (Diagram of the Blue Sky's Empty Song), and the Dafulu Tu (Diagram of the Great Floating Li Earth).
The "Lingbao Shiqing Bianhua Tu" is traditionally said to be the first Lingbao talisman diagram depicted by the Heavenly True Emperor using purple script, after personally experiencing the primordial natural atmosphere when chaos first divided Yin and Yang. Its structure is unrestrained, transcending actual objects; its lines vary endlessly, flowing freely and vividly, displaying a free and unrestrained aura, permeated with the vitality of life and spirit. It is a highly harmonious yet full-of-life image of cosmic atmosphere, manifesting the significant characteristics of "the Qi of Lingbao and the images of transformation." This type of talisman governs the way of birth and nourishment for all things in heaven, earth, and the human world, giving vitality to people, animals, and objects, thus enabling one to "preserve life and prolong years, keeping spirit and Qi intact, thereby solidifying the Way of Life. Wearing it causes vital Qi to return to the body, reversing aging to infancy, and upon the time of passing, passing through the Great Yin, wearing and serving the Diagram of Initial Blue Transformation, the Emperor of Initial Blue ascends together with the bearer, wandering freely in the great void." Precisely because it symbolizes the form of the initial birth of heaven and earth, it is also a treasure for cultivation and true practice. Through quiet contemplation and meditation, one experiences the resonance of the unity of heaven and humanity, reaching a state of unity between subject and object.
The "Biluo Kongge Tu" is a diagram of the transformation of heaven and earth's primal Qi, simultaneously expressing the relationship between celestial phenomena and the human body; it is also a diagram of human meridian talismans. Taoism believes that the Lingbao Qi in the universe combines with the Shiqing Qi to produce the Biluo Qi; heaven and humanity share the same body, with the primordial Qi of the beginning as their common root. The Biluo Qi, in heaven, condenses into stars and coagulates into the Dipper; in humans, it evolves into threads, veins, and meridians, penetrating through like a circle, "generating 360 pulses, 360 meridians, 360 collaterals, and also producing subtle collaterals, branch collaterals, silk collaterals, and [missing character] collaterals, with the great fan Qi as its origin, knotting this text to form the diagram." This diagram of interconnected meridians, embodying the unity of heaven and humanity, vividly portrays the close connection between humans and nature.
The "Dafulu Tu." "Fu" means floating or insubstantial, named so because it is void and not solid; "Li" means black, referring to something dark and lightless; "Li Tu" is the name for the primordial true earth, meaning that at the time when the universe was in chaos and unopened, the true earth of Fulu pervaded the great void. After enduring many kalpas, Yin and Yang transformed, heaven and earth were separated, and the Li earth coagulated to form the world. Therefore, the Heavenly True Emperor fixed the writing with a purple brush, "using blue for the earth, yellow for the text, and red for the boundary, sealing this diagram as the Fulu Earth, which encompasses the locations of myriad apertures. The Qi of the Supreme Clear and Pure of the Middle Yellow swirls and evolves, preserving the locations of palaces and towers within the domain." In terms of the human body, "this diagram governs the spleen and stomach, nourishing the Great Harmony," thus it can be used for health preservation and longevity.
(2) Terrestrial Talisman Diagrams
Terrestrial talisman diagrams are the product of the Taoist combination of rational observation and mystical experience of natural environments such as mountains, rivers, and Feng Shui, exploring the harmonious relationship and optimal state between celestial phenomena, mountains, rivers, architecture, environment, and human survival and development. Starting from the concept that all things have spirits, Taoism believes that mountains, rivers, heaven, earth, and all things are living entities with spiritual sensitivity. The terrestrial talisman diagrams drawn from this belief "contain all wondrous responses, whether heaven or humanity, mountain or water, flying or sinking, literary or substantial, all are the true essence of faith, collectively called talismans." Therefore, "receiving and wearing the talisman, wondrous Qi enters the body, wisdom becomes accessible, disasters are eliminated, and aversions removed; essence becomes subtle, subtlety causes spirit to descend, and all wishes are fulfilled." (See "Record of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains")
Terrestrial talisman diagrams, also known as geographical talismans or Feng Shui talismans, are widely used in various fields of environment, architecture, production, and life, having a profound impact on Feng Shui geography. For example, the "Five Sacred Mountains House-Protecting Talisman Method" recorded in "Huangshi An Zhai Hu Fu Fa" includes talismans for suppressing the Five Sacred Mountains, suppressing the earth treasury, saving the house, suppressing temples and observatories, and the talisman applied by the Martial Emperor. The "Supreme Lord Lao Hunyuan Three Parts Talisman" includes talismans for purifying filth, settling the house, repelling fire, repelling earth, stopping loss, suppressing strange phenomena, repelling plagues, field planting, benefiting silkworms, and seasonal talismans, totaling thirty-nine categories, all evolved from terrestrial talisman diagrams into Feng Shui geographical talismans. In Eastern traditional culture, nature and environment hold high spiritual symbolic significance. Introducing ancient philosophical propositions such as "the unity of heaven and humanity" and "the resonance between heaven and humanity" into human life, it emphasizes seeking organic order and universal harmony within the entire natural world and ecological environment, maintaining a close, symbiotic relationship with all things in heaven and earth, thereby achieving self-development and spiritual tranquility, reaching the beautiful realm where heaven, earth, and humanity coexist as one, known as the harmony of heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and human effort. This idea of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, whether in the past, present, or future, remains an eternal theme in human development models.
The representative work of terrestrial talismans is the "True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains" (Wuyue Zhenxing Tu), which was widely popular during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. The "Dongxuan Lingbao Wuyue Guzhenxing Tu" states: "The true forms of the Five Sacred Mountains are the images of mountains and rivers. Winding and turning, the momentum of hills and mounds, high and low, uneven, long and short, rolling and stretching, the waves flow like vigorous brushstrokes, the sharp points extend like cranes on the ridges, the clouds and forests are dark yellow, resembling the shape of written characters. Thus, the Heavenly True Dao Lord looked down upon the rules, imitated the vertical and horizontal directions, followed the rhythm of characters, and named the mountains according to their forms." This diagram is highly valued by Taoism and holds an important position in Taoist talisman diagrams. "Baopuzi Neipian · Xialan" states: "Among the important things of Taoism, nothing is more important than the Inner Text of the Three Emperors and the True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains." Taoism believes that the "True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains" symbolizes numerous living beings and immortal true beings, serving as a token for communicating with spirits and reaching the divine, and a magical treasure for cultivation and protecting the body. As the "Dongxuan Lingbao Wuyue Guzhenxing Tu" says: "If you have the form of the Eastern Mountain, it makes the spirit peaceful and life prolonged, preserving the body for a long time; entering mountains and traversing rivers, hundred herbs naturally appear; if you have the diagram of the Southern Mountain, the five plagues do not add to you, repelling firelight, those who plot evil against you will return harm to themselves; if you have the form of the Central Mountain, everything you do is beneficial, accumulating great wealth, all wishes are fulfilled without laboring the body; if you have the form of the Western Mountain, it eliminates the five weapons, entering blades without injury, respecting and welcoming the revered spirits of mountains and rivers; if you have the form of the Northern Mountain, entering water repels disasters, hundred poisons are extinguished, commanding dragons and jiaolong, enjoying blessings and longevity for a long time; if you possess all the forms of the Five Sacred Mountains, spanning heaven and earth, filling the four directions, I am joyful, and human and divine spirits are the same."
The "True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains" collected in the "Daozang," besides the Five Sacred Mountains, also includes Huoshan, [missing character] Mountain, Lushan, and Qingcheng as the Four Auxiliaries, each having two true form diagrams: one with textual explanation and one with a list of talisman characters. Daoist texts call the one with text the "Upper True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains" and the one without text the "Lower True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains." According to the "Dongxuan Lingbao Wuyue Zhenxing Guben Zhenxing Tu," the original was a three-color diagram: "black for mountain forms, red for water sources, and yellow dots for cave entrances. Drawing small makes hills slight, drawing large makes ridges majestic; Ge Hong said height follows form, length takes image." However, only black-and-white woodblock editions have survived, using black curved rectangles to represent mountain bodies, black curves within the black mountain bodies to represent water flow, and blank spaces to represent observatories and grotto-heavens for cultivation and seclusion. The diagram uses text to indicate the terrain, height, scope, water source, products, caves, observatories, and transportation of each mountain. Obviously, this is a planar map of ancient mountains with certain practical value. From this, a school within cartography emerged, whose geographical and cartographic value has been fully affirmed by domestic scholars. Japanese scholar Professor Takiji Ogawa compared the "True Form of the Eastern Mountain" in the "True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains" with the modern contour map of Mount Tai, believing they are very similar (see Takiji Ogawa's "China Maps Before Modern Western Influence" in Japanese Journal of Geography, No. 258). (3) Human Figure Talisman Diagrams
Human figure diagrams, also known as human body talismans or essence talismans, are the application of the Taoist philosophical concept of Qi as the basis in talisman magic. "Qi" is the core of traditional Chinese culture; many philosophical schools view Qi as the medium of mutual interaction between humans and nature, the node for realizing the resonance between heaven and humanity. For example, the theories of the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, Humanity) and the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) all hold this view, and the Taoist theory of heavenly resonance is no exception. Ge Hong in "Baopuzi Neipian · Zhili" states: "Humans are in Qi, and Qi is in humans; from heaven and earth to all things, nothing does not require Qi to be born." Taoism not only established its own philosophy with "Qi" as the core but also specifically applied it to Qi methods, alchemy, talisman spells, and magic. In alchemy and true cultivation, one must first focus on the connection between the human body and the Qi of heaven and earth; when writing talismans and chanting spells, one must also take essence and Qi as the foundation and primordial spirit as the function. In short, whether internal or external alchemy, talismans and spells, everything must center on Qi, achieving harmony between heaven, earth, and humanity, and essence, Qi, and spirit. Human figure talisman diagrams are precisely the application of this Qi-centered philosophy in talisman diagrams. The "Yunji Qiqian" states: "All things do not use essence and Qi for nothing; thus, the Two Powers and Three Lights all have Qi moving within them, and all things also have essence and Qi moving within them. Therefore, the Five Elements and Six Things all have essence and Qi. Distributing the Dao's essence and Qi onto bamboo slips and ink, gathering the essence and Qi of things to repel evil and falsehood, assist the true and real, summon and gather spirits, control life and death, maintain kalpas, and stabilize the five directions. However, this talisman originates from knotting the void, the Supreme True looks up to write the celestial patterns, placing them in directions, distinguishing the differences between image diagrams and writings." Thus, it is said that Taoist talismans, especially human figure talismans, combine the human body with the Qi field, integrating the heaven and earth Qi field, human body functions, talisman spells, and magic into one, with principles, methods, and formulas, allowing people to understand the content of talisman magic and grasp its mysteries. Those who have made significant contributions in this area are mainly the Jingming, Qingwei, Tianxin, and Lingbao schools during the Song and Yuan dynasties. The "Jingming Huangsu Zhenwen" collects thirty-one talismans, clearly indicating they are all diagrams of true cultivation where internal Qi circulates and spirit transforms into condensed elixir.
The representative works of human figure talisman diagrams are the "Huangsu Zhenwen Tu" and the "Wuzang Zhenxing Tu" in the "Jingming Huangsu Zhenwen." The "Huangsu Zhenwen" consists of eighty-one talisman seals, clearly indicating the trajectory of the transformation of heaven and earth's Sanskrit Qi and the inhalation and exhalation of the human body. Volume 1 of this book states: "Anyone who wishes to learn immortality must know the True Text. The True Text is the Sanskrit Qi of heaven and earth." "If the human body does not obtain the Huangsu, the True Text will not arise; it is all the ancestral Qi of Tianbao, Lingbao, and Shenbao. The ancestral Qi knots to form characters, and combines to form humans." "The eighty-one characters of the True Text are the Qi of the spleen and kidneys. The Qi of heaven and earth's Five Elements, specifically the Qi of earth and water. From one to eighty-one, exhaling it reveals its exit, swallowing it reveals its entry, each three inches long and three inches wide." The "Wuzang Zhenxing Tu" is also a diagrammatic method for cultivating the true forms of the five viscera. The talisman bearer, according to the diagram, concentrates thoughts and envisions, entering from essence to spirit, then the body spirit can be seen, and true cultivation is achieved. The five viscera of humans each have their own spirit; "spirits each have forms, rains each have Qi, Qi is the root of spirit, form is the body of Qi, and the form of the spleen resides in the center of the upper part; this is why people have not yet understood its principle. To regulate the five viscera, one must first know their spirits, knowing that spirits prolong life, making them also have a way, and envisioning them also has a method."
In addition, the Shenxiao, Qingwei, and Tianxin schools also extensively use talismans to assist internal cultivation of Qi. There are many talisman diagrams used for refining Qi, nourishing spirit, true cultivation, and proving the Dao. The Shenxiao school has talismans for divine light, Yin and Yang two Qi, Nine Yang Qi, brain, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, essence, and blood; the Qingwei school has talismans for Qi universe, opening meridians, communicating with truth, ingestion, inhaling Qi, illuminating nature, and illuminating eyes; the Tianxin school has talismans for the Three Lights' Righteous Qi, Heavenly Emperor Protecting Life Talisman, True Fire Nine Rays Talisman, True Water Ten Rays Talisman, Initial Yang Red Radiance Talisman, Huasheng Internal Landscape Diagram, Shenguang Supreme Void Clear Internal Landscape Diagram, Suhua Initial Origin Internal Landscape Diagram, Jinguang Clear Void Containing True Internal Landscape Diagram; the Lingbao school has talismans for Five Sprouts True Text, Jade Infant Divine Transformation Talisman, Sun Soul Talisman, Moon Soul Talisman, Tiangang Righteous Qi Talisman, Green Emperor Protecting Spirit Talisman, Red Emperor Nourishing Qi Talisman, White Emperor Attending Soul Talisman, Black Emperor Connecting Blood Talisman, Great Cavern Eighteen Jade Talismans, Twenty-Four True Talismans, Twelve Meridian Talismans, Eighty-One Grade Talismans, etc.
As a medium for the resonance and unity of heaven and humanity, and as a connecting channel between the Dao, heaven and earth, and the human body, human figure talisman diagrams are the display trajectory of heaven and earth's creation and the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang, as well as a holographic photograph of the unity of heaven and humanity. This talisman art, based on the essence, Qi, and spirit of the human body, integrates talisman spells, Qigong, and alchemy methods, with internal observation and cultivation externalized into talismans, having certain effects, thus gaining widespread use in various fields of people's lives and having a significant social impact in history.
3) The Influence of Daoist Talismans on Langzhong Talisman Art
Zhang Ling founded the Dao, establishing the Twenty-Four Administrations, with Langzhong as the Seventeenth Administration, namely the Yuntai Mountain Administration. The Yuntai Mountain Administration is the head of the Lower Eight Administrations and is one of the important dioceses of the Tianshi Zhengyi School. According to Volume 28 of "Yunji Qiqi": "The Yuntai Mountain Administration is in Cangxi County, Bazhou, twenty li east of the city, on the mountain. It takes ten days and eight li to reach the foot of the mountain, and it is 1,370 li from Chengdu. Celestial Master Zhang took 370 disciples to reside in the administration, teaching for two years, and ascended to heaven in broad daylight. A year later, the Celestial Master's wife also ascended to heaven. Thirty years later, Zhao Sheng and Wang Chang again obtained white clouds and ascended to heaven in broad daylight. Before the administration is the Great Water of Bazhou. There is a peach tree on the mountain, flowering every three years, bearing fruit every five years, the tree seventy zhang high, with a bottomless valley below; only Zhao Sheng and [self] threw themselves to obtain the peaches, others were unable to take them. The administration corresponds to the Stomach Constellation, having a human form, the master's people govern it for fifty years." Langzhong has peach trees and cinnabar, both important raw materials for drawing talismans. The Ming Jiajing edition of "Baoning Fu Zhi" states that the Yuntai Temple on Yuntai Mountain was first built during the "Yongshou period of the Han Dynasty." Zhang Ling came here to spread the Dao and wrote two poems, saying, "How many secret recipes are known in red writing? Clearly understood before your eyes." Whether this poem was written by Zhang Ling cannot be definitively verified, but the "red writing" mentioned here undoubtedly refers to talisman writings drawn using cinnabar as a raw material. Langzhong is rich in cinnabar and was an ancient holy land for alchemy in the Taoist Golden Elixir School. Drawing talismans with cinnabar can treat various diseases. "Yunji Qiqi" also states: "In Yuntai Mountain, there are jade maidens riding white cranes, immortals riding white deer, and again immortal masters coming to welcome the Celestial Master, and the myriad people saw him ascend to heaven in broad daylight." This immortal master who came to welcome the Celestial Master, according to Wang Chunwu's successive speculations, may refer to Zhang Xiu. The Yuntai Mountain Administration was originally the administration of the Ba people, and early on was a base for Zhang Xiu and others to spread the Dao. The "Book of Later Han · Annals of Emperor Ling" note cites the "Records of Emperors Ling and Xian" saying: "At that time, the shaman Zhang Xiu of Ba Commandery treated illnesses, those who were cured paid five dou of rice, called the Five Dou Rice Master." The Dao transmitted by Zhang Xiu was originally the shamanic religion of Ba Commandery. In the first year of Zhongping (184 AD), the Way of Supreme Peace launched the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the north. Zhang Xiu accepted the uprising guidelines of the Yellow Turban Army, led troops in Ba Commandery to respond, and called upon the Way of Supreme Peace, being deeply influenced by it. However, the talismans and spells he transmitted still maintained the style of Ba shaman ghost talismans. Daoist talisman seals unearthed in Langzhong and the folk-circulated "Luan Ba Talisman Spells" have significant differences from the talisman writings compiled in Daoist books. Luan Ba was also a Ba person, a folk Daoist in the Han Dynasty,享有盛誉 (highly renowned), revered by later Daoist disciples, with a biography in the "Book of Later Han." After Zhang Ling, his son Zhang Heng was called the System Master, and his grandson Zhang Lu was called the Successor Master, inheriting the Dao lineage. After Zhang Lu surrendered to Cao Wei, he occupied Hanzhong, establishing a political and religious regime in northern Sichuan and southern Shaanxi for 31 years, laying a deep social foundation for the development of Taoism. To unify Daoist sects, Zhang Lu killed Zhang Xiu, who had played an important role in the development of Taoism, and brought the Way of Supreme Peace under the Tianshi Zhengyi School. From then on, Taoism took Tianshi Zhengyi as the orthodox lineage. Langzhong talisman writings were also based on the transmission of the Tianshi Zhengyi School. Besides Zhang Ling and Zhang Xiu, there was another immortal named "Potter" (Hugong) on Yuntai Mountain, skilled in drawing talismans and water for treating illnesses. According to Volume 9 of Ge Hong's "Biographies of Immortals": "All the talismans for summoning armies and talismans for summoning ghosts and spirits to treat illnesses in the world today, totaling twenty volumes, all originate from Hugong, hence collectively named 'Hugong Talismans'." The Eastern Jin Daoist theorist Ge Hong made significant contributions to the compilation of the Daoist pantheon and talisman writings. There are many legends about him in Langzhong, but whether he ever visited Langzhong cannot be verified. Yuntai Mountain has the Xiyi Shrine, worshipping the Northern Song Daoist philosopher Chen Tuan, which is one of the earliest Chen Tuan shrines built in the Northern Song. Chen Tuan, courtesy name Tunan, pseudonym Fuyaozi, was bestowed the title "Xiyi Xiansheng" by Emperor Taizu of Song. He was originally from Chongkan, Western Shu (now Anyue County, Sichuan Province), long resided in seclusion at Wudang Mountain, later moved to Yuntai Temple on Mount Hua and the stone cave on Shaohua Mountain, authored the "Diagram of Non-Being" and the "Diagram of Prior Heaven," and his transmitted Taiji Diagram had a huge influence on later generations.
Taoism has an indelible historical merit in the continuation and artistic sublimation of talismans. However, Taoism separated talismans from text, calling characters in clerical, seal, running, and regular scripts "secular texts" for worldly communication; calling talismans "divine talismans" exclusively for Daoist groups to cultivate and reach spirits. Through continuous processing, organization, and refinement, they became mysterious religious tokens, becoming more mysterious, superstitious, and religious, and constantly sublimating in calligraphic form, reaching the peak of talisman art. However, it is precisely because of this that talisman art fell from its peak to its valley. With the change of dynasties and the development of science, when Taoism was suppressed and science was advocated while opposing religious superstition, the reasonable cultural connotation of talismans, like a baby in a bathtub, was thrown out with the dirty water by foolish women. The inseparable bond between talismans and Taoism constitutes a tortuous history of their simultaneous rise and fall. Speaking of this, it is not surprising that talisman art, as a folk art, was almost lost in modern times, leaving people feeling unfamiliar with it today. Taoist philosophy and Taoism have intricate and flesh-and-blood connections with the traditional culture of the Chinese nation. To promote Chinese traditional culture, Taoism, as the root of Chinese culture, is receiving increasing attention. Prosperous times revive Taoism. This is a historical law, also determined by the essence of Taoist culture. In chaotic times, on the difficult journey of life, with a dim future, people despise life and the world, placing hope in the appearance of a second life. In peaceful and prosperous times, people always cherish beautiful lives immensely. Taoism is a religion that grew natively on the Chinese land,