Why is the Maoshan Shangqing Talisman so effective?

Maoshan Shangqing Sect Altar, famous all over the world for its talisman spells, whether in film and television works, or in real life, Maoshan talismans have helped countless good believers.

Why is the Maoshan Shangqing Talisman so effective, today I will talk about our Maoshan mysterious Shangqing Talisman.

The origin and development of Taoist Talisman culture

The Taoist rune culture originated from the worship of natural gods in the early days of human beings, and under the inspiration of ancient insect books and seal books, natural objects such as clouds, birds, and beasts were copied and recorded, and they were recorded on a specific item and material with unique symbols and graphics, and gradually formed a huge and complex rune diagram and text of the rune system. Its contents not only represent the will and decree of the gods, but also give people a great deal of hope, prayer, and worship.

Talisman is a combination of fu and talisman. Symbols refer to symbols and graphics written on yellow paper and silk with bent strokes, words that resemble words but not words, and pictures that do not appear to be pictures; Talisman refers to the secret text of the name of the gods recorded in the talismans, and is generally written on yellow paper and silk. Talisman  art originated from witchcraft, first seen in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there are "charms, spells, seals, fights" four key tips. The talisman is the decree of the gods and the list of the gods, and its function is to serve the ghosts and gods, drive away evil spirits and subdue demons, and pray for peace.

The Taoist book says: "Fu has no positive form, and it is spiritual with qi." That is to say, it was formed at the beginning of the beginning, it took the form of the clouds and stars in the sky, and using the laws of nature, it was originally an empty scene, but it was transformed into various shapes and shapes of words. Like language, characters have the same nature and play a role in human communication. But what is more advanced than language is that it not only communicates with people, but also communicates with gods, and only with the help of charms can humans communicate and interact with gods.

The rise of Maoshan Talisman  culture

Since the Zhang Daoling, Taoism has two major factions, Danding, Zhang Ling's fourth grandson Zhang Sheng in Jiangxi Longhu Mountain first "Zhengyi Altar", the inheritance of the heavenly master Fu Gong; Successors Yang Xi and Xu Mi built the "Shangqing Altar" in Maoshan, Jiangsu; Ge Xuan  built the "Yuan Shi Zong Altar" in Jiangxi Linjiang Army's Pavilion Soap Mountain. These are the three major factions of Taoist talismans. It can also be understood in this way that the talisman is mainly a spell of the Zhengyi faction and has nothing to do with the Quanzhen faction. The Quanzhen Dao cultivates the essence and qi through the inner pill to form the three-flower gathering top and the five-qi dynasty to produce the acquired supernatural powers.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty and the beginning of the Song Dynasty, the Heavenly Master Dao and the Shangqing and Lingbao sects in Taoism respectively took Longhu Mountain, Maoshan Mountain and Gesoap Mountain as the activity center to form the famous "Three Mountains Fugong". That is, the Shangqing urn of Maoshan Mountain, the Lingbao urn of Gesoap Mountain, and the Zhengyi urn of Longhu Mountain, which are called the three sects of Fu Gong. In the fourth year of Song Zhezong's Shaosheng (1097 AD), the imperial court ordered that Longhu Mountain, Maoshan Mountain, and Gesoap Mountain be enshrined as the "Three Mountains of Jingjing". Hongzhi's "Jurong County Chronicles" also contains, "And the shape of Zishan is better than the favor of the past dynasties, and the gift of the master is true."

After generations of inheritance and development, Maoshan Shangqing Fu Gong inherited the calligraphy and painting skills of Tao Hongjing, Zhang Tianyu and other masters, and is simply a combination of runes or words, but a collection of calligraphy and various styles as a whole, a sacred calligraphy and painting work in one go. It "runs through the essence of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, medicine, and martial arts." Contains the essence of yin and yang, five elements, wind angles, stars, mountains and rivers, square objects, etc., and the skills of Ronggong brush, landscape painting and other techniques are wonderful, which is the superb expression of Chinese calligraphy and painting art", and its appreciation and artistic value, religious education function are incomparable with other calligraphy and painting works.

After thousands of years of historical inheritance, Maoshan Fu Gong culture has been integrated into many aspects of people's lives such as clothing, food, housing, transportation, crowns, weddings, funerals, etc., and has become a symbol of auspicious symbols and Taoist spells.

Types of Maoshan Talismans

There are many kinds of Maoshan talismans, especially talismans, as many as tens of thousands of kinds, and their functions are carefully and clearly, and it is impossible to understand the connotation without strict teacher transmission. Even the simplest calligraphy has to abide by a series of rules, such as the key to calligraphy, the key to chanting mantras, the ten precepts of calligraphy, the three taboos of calligraphy, the spirit of chanting, the stroke order of calligraphy, the paper used for calligraphy, the color of calligraphy, etc.; Different types of talismans have different rules for usage, such as swallowing talismans, burning talismans, burying talismans, wearing talismans, etc. As mentioned in the tips of calligraphy, calligraphy is by no means anytime, anywhere, and can be done at will.

Maoshan's talismans, peace talismans, Kuixing talismans, harmony talismans, fortune talismans, birthday talismans, etc. are all more influential talismans among the folk.

丨The most common ones are the "talismans" with folk meanings such as avoiding evil and avoiding plague, avoiding evil and protecting the body, seeking good fortune and avoiding evil, entering and exiting safely, eliminating disasters and solving difficulties, and having no taboos;

丨There are also "fortune charms" with folk meanings such as fortune and treasure, good luck and blessings;

丨It has the "peace charm" with folk meanings such as the five elements of symbiosis, yin and yang balance, avoiding evil and protecting the body, seeking good fortune and avoiding evil, entering and exiting safely, no taboos, and all the best;

丨It has the "Kui Xing Fu" with folk meanings such as balancing the body and mind, stabilizing emotions, learning progress, and the title of the gold list;

丨There is also a kind of "harmony" with folk meanings such as marriage harmony, husband and wife harmony, father and son harmony, mother and son harmony, and family harmony.

These talismans have been identified and inherited by history and have been listed as intangible cultural heritage of Jiangsu Province.

The process of drawing the Qing Ling talisman on Maoshan Mountain

There are many taboos when drawing talismans on Maoshan Mountain, and drawing talismans and reciting mantras is not something that ordinary Taoist priests can do; It must come from the hands of the highly trained masters, so that it can be considered to be a magical talisman, and it has not been ordained, has no support, and has no power to make all spirits, and cannot draw talismans.

The Taoist will strictly abide by the procedures for drawing the talismans, and it will only work if he draws according to various drawing methods and requirements, which is a moral requirement for the person who draws the talisman, and must be complied with, otherwise the talisman is invalid.

Draw the Ten Precepts

(1) Quit greed for money. Draw a person, solve problems for others, collect some property, when there is nothing to blame, can not be used to collect money, insatiable, in addition to food and clothing, excess departments should be dedicated to the palace.

(2) Do not hesitate to make a decision. When drawing talismans, you should make a quick decision, and "a little aura" can be done in one go.

(3) Do not engage in recklessness and be in a hurry. You should be in a calm mood and act in moderation.

(4) Abstain from leave, public and private. Abstain from using palace utensils and items to make a fortune for yourself.
(5) Abstain from blasphemy.
(6) Abstain from unassisted killing.
(7) Quit lustful and alcoholic.
(8) Abstain from extravagance.
(9) Abstain from being a traitor.
(10) Refrain from indiscriminately accepting apprentices, passing on others to others, and revealing heavenly secrets.

Eight taboos for drawing

(1) Avoiding women's menstruation.

(2) Do not see the color and move the heart, in the name of the symbol, do things of clouds and rain.

(3) Avoid being delirious and drawing talismans when you are sick or drunk.

(4) Draw talismans during the honeymoon to avoid newlyweds.

(5) Avoid taboos and get rich through art, and move the anger of the gods.
(6) Avoid taboos and do not save when you see death.
(7) Do not draw talismans for non-thieves, and politely decline.
(8) Do not elevate your value and seek fame and status.

Draw the talisman step

Before making talismans, you need to fast and bathe, then burn a pillar of incense, prepare rice paper, inkstone, brush, cinnabar, and place it on top of the incense table.

When drawing the talisman: burn incense to invite God, recite the water mantra, recite the paper mantra, recite the ink mantra, recite the pen mantra, and then hold the pen and write the talisman, while holding the mantra, and then the talisman gall, after the book is finished, recite the edict mantra, cover the talisman, and then urge the edict to chant the talisman, and finally throw the "Zheng" for accuracy, if the quasi (holy Zheng) then this talisman has a spirit to use. In the whole process of practice, in addition to drawing talismans and reciting mantras, it is also necessary to meditate (visualize), beat the hand (mudra), pause (after reciting the mantra, you have to pause your feet, and the left and right feet are different), Dharma water, incineration talismans, or swallow the whole sheet.

The pattern text of the Qing Ling Fu on Maoshan Mountain

Take the peace and fortune calendar scrolls drawn by the mages of our country as an example.

丨Peace Calendar Scroll: From the top of the upper end, it is similar to a "eight" character, which is the opening of the drawing symbol, which is the meaning of the edict, because this is the will of the gods; In the middle of the upper part is written "town house to drive away evil spirits", the meaning is self-evident, the lower end of the talisman is painted is Zhong Kui, Zhong Kui is the blessing of the town house in Chinese folklore, born with a leopard head and ringed eyes, iron face and sideburns, and ugly appearance; However, he is a talented, well-endured and romantic person, who is usually upright and not afraid of evil. Therefore, this peace calendar scroll is for people to move to a new house or to seek protection in the natal year.

Peace Scrolls

Fortune Scrolls

丨Fortune calendar scroll: the upper end is the edict, and the upper middle is written in the middle of the "fortune into the treasure" of the combined word, the fortune into the treasure itself is a symbol, which means to attract the introduction of wealth, treasure, from the second fold of Yuan Liu Tangqing's "Descending Mulberry": "Fortune into the treasure Zhen Jiarui, the family has no worries about security." "This is a symbol of good luck.

The pattern at the bottom part depicts Zhao Gongming, the god of martial arts, wearing an iron crown on his head, holding an iron whip in his hand, with a face like black charcoal and four beards. Cross the Black Tiger and confer a marshal of the Xuantan. It can drive thunder and electricity, call for wind and rain, remove plague and malaria, and dispel diseases and disasters. Therefore, the fortune calendar scroll can drive away the plague and ward off evil spirits, attract wealth into treasure, buy and sell for wealth, and seek harmony with each other, all of which are unsatisfactory.

The materials used in the Qingling talisman on Maoshan Mountain

In the "Zhu You Thirteen Branches", it is said: "The calligraphy characters are made of cinnabar, and they are written on yellow paper. ”

Cinnabar is the pure yang qi of heaven and earth, and drawing talismans with cinnabar can increase the power of the talisman and make it more powerful. In the "Shennong Materia Medica", it is said: "Dansha, sweet and slightly cold, the main body of the five organs and all diseases, nourishing the spirit, calming the soul, benefiting the qi and bright eyes, killing the essence and evil ghosts, serving the gods for a long time is not old", "Da Chi is the color of the pure yang of heaven and earth, so it is enough to ward off yin and evil", he believes that cinnabar is "the essence of the five elements of heaven and earth to become its quality, the human body is not outside the five elements of yin and yang, and its essence is collected to supplement the true element, then the gods are clear and the shape is solid!" Therefore, you can enter the Heart Sutra and requiem God.

In the folk, the color of cinnabar red is said to have obvious anti-evil effects.

Yellow paper is a special rune paper made of special turmeric dyeing. "Turmeric", pungent in taste, bitter and warm, into the heart, spleen, liver meridian. It has the effect of breaking qi and stasis, passing menstruation and relieving pain. It can treat all kinds of blood stasis and qi stagnation, chest and abdominal distension pain, flank stinging pain, wind paralysis arm pain, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, bruises, carbuncle and other diseases.

"Yellow paper", also known as yellow table paper. It is a must-use product for the treatment of Daomen calligraphy, and its functions are many, not only to promote blood circulation and eliminate blood stasis, reduce swelling and relieve pain, but also to gynecological diseases, vicious sores and ulcers have miraculous effects.

According to the "Thirteen Branches of Zhu You": "Whenever a patient is encountered, please ask for help, judge his symptoms, and be merciful to save people's hearts." The cinnabar calligraphy is used to help people, and its merit is very great. Regarding the function and function of paper, the "Compendium of Materia Medica" says: "All paper, sweet, flat, non-toxic; Paper, ash, antiemetic blood, hemorrhage, blood collapse, gold sore bleeding; Straw paper, twisted ...... the most plucked pus; Hemp paper, stop bleeding. ”

Therefore, since ancient times, rune paper can cure diseases, and there is a certain scientific basis