Token

The token is a commonly used ritual implement in Taoist fasting and sacrifice ceremonies. The origin of the Taoist ritual token lies in the tiger tally used by the ancient Chinese army to issue commands. The "Dao Shu Yuan Shen Qi" has an entry on "tokens," stating, "The 'Rites of Zhou' mentions that ivory璋 (ya zhang) was used to raise military forces. The Han copper tiger tally was round on top and square on the bottom, engraved with five-tooth patterns resembling hanging dew. The back featured a sitting tiger, with inscriptions on the side saying: 'Like the ancient ya zhang, made into a tiger tally. Recently, tokens are used to summon generals; this is the method.'"

Taoist tokens are mostly made of wood or metal, rectangular and block-shaped, with patterns and text carved or cast on all six sides. The Ming Dynasty text "Shangqing Lingbao Jidu Dacheng Jin Shu" contains images and text of the Five Thunder Command Token. The front of its image features a dragon coiled around the sword body, and the back has thunder command talismanic characters: "Right token, made from lightning-struck jujube wood, five inches long, two inches and four fen wide, five fen thick. Choose an auspicious day, manufacture it according to the pattern, engrave the names of the Twenty-Eight Mansions around the four sides, and store it in a brocade pouch. During ritual ceremonies, Taoist priests often strike the token vigorously on the ritual altar to represent heavenly deities or the Heavenly Master, issuing commands to summon wind and rain, summon gods and dispatch generals, or descend to the ritual altar or escort departed souls, or dispel evil and subdue demons.

In Taoist cultivation, when summoning gods and dispatching generals, one must use the 'token.' This 'token' is applied in all rituals. The 'token' is equivalent to the 'key' for driving a car, similar to an imperial decree. When summoning gods and dispatching generals, the 'token' is held up, with both hands forming the Dipper Mudra or the Double White Crane Mudra to clamp the 'token,' or it is placed on the altar. If the gods and generals have not yet arrived, the token can be struck three times on the altar, and ordinary gods and generals will come to listen to orders.

Since ancient times, the 'token' has been considered one of the secrets and has never been public. Only high-ranking masters who have received ordination possess 'tokens.' Tokens are also classified into grades, depending on which heavenly palace or sect they belong to, with significant differences among them.

According to immortal masters, there was once an old master with many years of cultivation and profound Daoist practice. He favored a young disciple,认定 him as the successor to his lineage. Thus, he made the 'token' according to the ritual and consecrated it for over twenty years, preparing to pass the 'ritual document' to the disciple on the day he began his independent practice.

However, this disciple initially performed well but later acted contrary to the Dao, deeply disappointing the old master. Finally, the old master returned the 'token' to the immortal masters, showing that the token is regarded as a magical treasure for lineage succession. (Words of Jihui Daoren)

In Taoist literature, the "Dao Fa Hui Yuan" provides an early and comprehensive record of Taoist tokens. Volume 57 has a section titled "On Tokens," which explains the reasons for using tokens, how to manufacture them, and the methods for consecrating them. It states:

Whenever practicing the Great Five Thunder Ritual, submitting documents to the heavens, praying for clear weather or rain, stopping wind or praying for snow, commanding spirits and ghosts, dispelling demonic energy, using talismans for healing, or dispatching talismanic officials, if commands are not clearly issued, generals will not act, and officials and soldiers will not be disciplined. In the Great Five Thunder Ritual, if the laws and commands are not received from a master, how can one command spirits and ghosts, pray for clear weather or snow? Above, it would violate the laws of the Supreme Emperor; below, it would disappoint the hopes of living beings.

This means that in Taoist ideology, during ritual activities involving the Great Five Thunder Ritual, whether submitting Taoist documents to the divine realm, praying for clear weather or rain, stopping wind or praying for snow, commanding spirits and ghosts, dispelling demonic energy, issuing talismans for healing, or dispatching talismanic officials, the master must use the token to issue commands. If not, commands cannot be clearly issued, gods and generals will not act according to the rites, and relevant officials and soldiers will not be disciplined and obedient. Therefore, this text emphasizes that without the master using the token to issue commands in the Great Five Thunder Ritual, spirits and ghosts cannot be commanded, clear weather or rain cannot be prayed for, above it violates the laws of the Supreme Emperor, and below it fails the hopes of living beings. Thus, it is clear that in the "Dao Fa Hui Yuan," the token is an indispensable ritual implement for practicing the Great Five Thunder Ritual. The token mentioned here is actually the Five Thunder Token used in Thunder Rituals. The text describes the method of manufacturing the token, stating:

Whenever one wishes to make a token, first choose an auspicious day, fast and purify body and mind, report to the Supreme Emperor, and submit a petition to the Thunder Department regarding the place of service. Use jujube wood joints, pomegranate wood, or cypress wood; other woods cannot be used. It should be three inches long and two inches and nine fen wide, round on top to symbolize heaven and square on the bottom to symbolize earth. Harvest the wood on Jia or Yi days, manufacture it on Geng or Xin days, write "Five Thunder Command" in black ink on Ren or Gui days, and in red ink on Bing or Ding days. On a Ding day, the craftsman should fast and begin carving, and once carved, store it in a black gauze bag.

This describes the procedure for making the token.

First: Choose an auspicious day, fast, and bathe to purify body and mind, then report to the Supreme Emperor the matter of making the token, and specify the Thunder Department subordinates to be served and their destinations.

Second: Select the wood for making the token, limited to jujube wood joints, pomegranate wood, and cypress wood; others cannot be used. The token is specified to be three inches long and two inches and nine fen wide, with a round top and square bottom to symbolize heaven and earth.

Third: Specify the dates from harvesting to carving. Harvest wood on Jia or Yi days, manufacture the token shape on Geng or Xin days, write "Five Thunder Command" on Ren/Gui days (black ink) and Bing/Ding days (red ink). The above is the procedure designed by the Taoist priest; the craftsman must fast and begin carving on a Ding day, and once carved, store it in a black gauze bag. After manufacturing is complete, the token must be consecrated, stating:

Choose Wu Zi, Wu Yin, Wu Chen, Wu Wu, Wu Shen, or Wu Xu days, which are the days of the Six Dragons Meeting, and consecrate it on a high plateau or in a rarely visited place. Use two large chickens, first choose a clean place, insert five bamboo poles in the five directions. If no bamboo is available, wood can be used. Hang black coins, regardless of the amount, on the five bamboo poles. Place five pairs of clean cups and five clean plates in the five directions. Use one black snake; if no snake is available, make one from black paper, tear it into five pieces by hand, and place them under the black coins in the five directions. Then stab the chicken's comb to let the blood drip into the five cups and mix with wine. The master makes a vow with the Thunder God, invites the Five Directions Barbarian Thunder, offers incense and wine, then buries the sacrificial items under the Tai Sui direction at the consecration site, burns the black coins, dismisses the Thunder God, collects the token and bag, and ensures no one sees it, placing it in the ritual altar for worship.