The ancient times of tokens

The comprehensive record of Taoist keepsake is Daofa Hui Yuan. In 57 volumes, there is a section about keepsake, which is to teach the reasons for using keepsake, how to make keepsake and the methods of sacrificing keepsake. "Five Thunder Dafa per Line" published a chapter, asking for rain, please stop the wind and snow, drive away ghosts and gods, clear away needs, treat diseases and send officials. If you don't announce your orders, you are not a general or a soldier. In the Five Thunder Dafa, if you don't obey the law, how can you exorcise ghosts and pray for sunshine, rain and snow? Going up will be mistaken for the law, and going down will be mistaken for the hope of life. "

That is to say, in the Taoist ideology, in the ritual activities of implementing the Five Thunder Method, whether applying to the gods for publishing articles, playing Taoist documents, praying for sunny weather, sheltering from the wind and praying for snow, or exorcising ghosts, sweeping away evil spirits, sending symbols to treat diseases, and sending officials, the mage must give orders with tokens. If not, it will be impossible to declare the decree, and the generals as gods will not act according to their families, and the officials and soldiers concerned will not purge their orders. Therefore, this paper emphasizes that if there is no mage to cast spells and give orders in the Five Thunder Dafa, ghosts and gods can't be driven away and good weather can be prayed for, which will violate the Supreme Law and lose the hope of life. Thus, the token is an essential instrument for implementing the Five Thunder Dafa described in Tao Fa Hui Yuan. The token mentioned here is actually the five-thunder token used in the thunder method. This article is about the method of making a pledge, and the content is like this: "Whoever wants to be a pledge, first choose an auspicious day, bathe in body and mind, listen to God's words, and announce his return." Use dates, pomegranates or cypresses, and the rest of the wood is not available. It is three inches long and two inches wide, with an upper circle like the sky and a lower circle like the ground. On the first day, Party A and Party B picked wood and made it in Geng Xin the next day. On the black book of Tian and Zhu Shu of Bing Dingtian, there are four words of five thunder orders. Every Sunday, the workers are ordered to fast and open it, which is wrapped in soap gauze. " (Note: Wei Qing School has a unique emphasis on the selection of wood) Taoist keepsakes are mostly made of wood or metal, rectangular and blocky, with characters and characters engraved or cast on all six sides. There are pictures and texts of five thunder tokens in Qing Ling Bao Da Cheng in Ming Dynasty. There is a dragon blade carved on the front of the picture, and a thunderous rune cloud on the back: the right token, which was struck by lightning from jujube wood, is five inches long, two inches wide and five minutes thick. Choose an auspicious day, make it according to the formula, announce 28 names around and fill in the tips. Taoist priests often slam tokens on the altar to represent gods or celestial masters, issue orders, call on the gods to send envoys, or come to the altar, or escort the dead, or exorcise evil spirits.

Taoist practice requires that God must use "tokens". This token applies to all laws. "Token" is equivalent to the "key lock" of driving, which is equivalent to the general law. When God calls the general, please arch the "token", tie the "token" with both hands or cranes, or put it in the account, otherwise the general God will have to listen to the order three times.

An instrument in Taoism in China

Token is one of the most important Taoist instruments in China. Taoist keepsakes are mostly made of wood, with a long shape, an arc on the top and a straight line on the bottom, which means "the sky is round". In the Ming Dynasty, the style of tokens was introduced in the book Qing Qing Lingbao Du Ji Jin Shu. The dragon blade is engraved on the front and the thunder rune is engraved on the back. And there is a text explanation: "The right token is lightning jujube, which is five inches long, two inches wide and five points thick. Choose an auspicious day, follow the formula, announce 28 names on all sides, and fill in the tips. " Translated into vernacular Chinese, it means: "The token is made of jujube wood struck by lightning, with a length of 16.5cm, a width of 8cm and a thickness of1.7cm. It should be chosen as an auspicious day on the yellow calendar and made according to Taoist rituals. The names of these 28 stars are engraved on the four sides of the token. After the production is completed, they should be kept in a toolkit. " It can be seen from this passage that Taoist respect for tokens should be kept respectful even in peacetime.

Its meaning draws lessons from the use of tokens in ancient military, and regards it as a symbol of ordering ghosts and gods to obey their orders when Taoist priests hold ceremonies. Raise the token and shout, indicating that they can summon the corresponding "heavenly soldiers and generals" to the altar for their own disposal; Putting down the token and slapping the desktop is giving orders to ghosts and gods. It is said that if a Taoist can't summon a god at the altar, he can clap his token three times. Usually, the summoned god will go to the altar to listen.

According to Taoist rituals, there should usually be at least six basic utensils on the altar: sword (peach wooden sword), command flag, command arrow, token, lotus ruler and altar wood. When orthodox Taoist priests hold ceremonies to confer Buddhist names and monks, they usually give Buddhist names and monks, and at the same time give them these instruments.

Taoist tokens are usually made of jujube wood after being struck by lightning. They will be engraved with various symbols, symbols and pictures related to thunder, and usually indicate the function of this token, such as "imperial edict". Also known as "five thunder orders" or "five thunder tokens". In Taoist literature, the Taoist keepsakes are recorded earlier and more comprehensively in the book Hui Yuan of Taoism. The fifty-seventh volume of this book has a section on keepsakes, which teaches the reasons for using keepsakes, how to make keepsakes and the methods of offering them. Its cloud:

Anyone who practices the Five Thunder Method will apply a chapter to pray for good weather, stop the wind and pray for snow, exorcise ghosts, sweep away evil spirits, cure diseases and send them to officials. Without instructions, generals can't do it, and officials and soldiers won't be punished. In the Five Thunder Dafa, if you don't obey the law, how can you exorcise ghosts and pray for sunshine, rain and snow? On the one hand, it is wrong to be too high, and on the other hand, it is wrong to look forward to life.

That is to say, in the Taoist ideology, in the ritual activities of implementing the Five Thunder Method, whether applying to the gods for publishing articles, playing Taoist documents, praying for sunny weather, sheltering from the wind and praying for snow, or exorcising ghosts, sweeping away evil spirits, sending symbols to treat diseases, and sending officials, the mage must give orders with tokens. If not, it will be impossible to declare the decree, and the generals as gods will not act according to their families, and the officials and soldiers concerned will not purge their orders. Therefore, this paper emphasizes that if there is no mage to cast spells and give orders in the Five Thunder Dafa, ghosts and gods can't be driven away and good weather can be prayed for, which will violate the Supreme Law and lose the hope of life. Thus, the token is an essential instrument for implementing the Five Thunder Dafa described in Tao Fa Hui Yuan. The token mentioned here is actually the five-thunder token used in the thunder method. This paper introduces the method of making tokens, cloud:

To be a token, you must first choose an auspicious day, bathe your body and mind, listen to God, and announce where the thunder will return. Use dates, pomegranates or cypresses, and the rest of the wood is not available. It is three inches long and two inches wide, with an upper circle like the sky and a lower circle like the ground. Wood was picked in the days of Party A and Party B and made in the days of Geng Xin. The words "five thunder orders" were written in Tian's black book and Bing Dingtian's Zhu book respectively. Every Sunday, the workers are ordered to fast and open it, which is wrapped in soap gauze. First, choose an auspicious day to fast and bathe, so that the body and mind can be clean, and then tell God about the token making, and explain the subordinates of Thunder and their whereabouts.

Second: choose the wood for making tokens, which is limited to jujube, pomegranate and cypress, and nothing else can be used. It is stipulated that the token is three inches long and two inches wide, and the shape of the card is below the upper circle to symbolize heaven and earth.

Third, make clear the date from wood picking to wood carving. Party A and Party B will select the wood on the first day, and Geng Xin will make the token shape on the second day. The next day, Gui Ren and Ding Bing will write the words "Five Thunder Orders" on the cards respectively. The former is an ink book and the latter is a Zhu book. The above is the program designed by Taoist priests. The sculptor should fast to open the plate every Sunday, and the prints should be wrapped in soap gauze. After the completion of manufacturing, but also sacrifice tokens, its cloud:

Take Wuzi, Wuyin, Chen Wu, Wuwu, Wushen and Wuxu as the Six Dragons Meeting Days, and offer sacrifices to the plateau or Han people. Use a pair of big chickens, first pick the clean ground, insert five bamboo poles and five clouds. If there is no bamboo, you can use wood. Soap money, not much, hung on five-sided bamboo. Five pairs of clean lamps and five sides of clean plates are arranged in five directions. Use a black snake. If there is no snake, make a snake with soap paper. Divide the handle into five sections and put it under the pentagonal soap money, but stab the blood of the cockscomb with a sword and drop the wine into a pentagonal cup. The mage and Thor swore that the five parties would be thunderous, burn incense and drink properly, bury sacrifices under the ancestral altar, burn soap money, and be willing to send Thor away and take away the cards so that they can be offered in the altar. This is a complete record of the earliest Taoist token sacrifice, which is divided into four points.

First, the choice of issuing time and place. You need to choose six days, namely Wuzi, Wuyin, Chen Wu, Wuwu, Wushen and Wuxu, because they are the Six Dragons Festival, and the place of sacrifice should be on the plateau or in a sparsely populated place.

Second: sacrifice. There are roosters, five bamboo poles or five wooden poles, soap money, five pairs of clean lamps, five clean plates, a black snake or a soap paper snake, swords, wine and so on.

Third: the way of sacrifice. Choose a clean place, put bamboo poles or wooden poles, lamps and plates on five sides, hang soap money on the poles, split the black snake or soap paper snake into five sections, put the soap money below, pierce the cock's comb with a sword, and drop blood into the five-sided lamps filled with wine.

Fourth: communicate with ghosts and gods. The mage and Raytheon swore to invite the five parties to thunder, burn incense and drink, and then buried the sacrifices under the ancestors of the sacrifice site, burned soap money to wish Raytheon farewell, put the tokens away, put them in bags and put them in the altar for support.

There are also records of "holding orders" and "cursing to clear the way" after the 57th volume of On Tokens in Tao Fa Hui Yuan, which are about the procedures and spells of using tokens. Its cloud:

First, save yourself as the Five Thunder Ambassadors, then call Zhang as my left, White Tiger Prison Soldiers as my right, Suzaku Lingguang as my front, Xuanwu as my back, and save the four gods with their own fireboats, and then set up their left and right sides, silently cursing: Destroy the mountain and turn it upside down. Zhi Nuo, the god of gods, calls for saints and immortals. Dare to have a demon who ordered disrespect, destroyed Huang Yue and beheaded the sky. Hold order in your hand and you will always be in power. As urgent as God's law (giving orders in words).

The meaning of this passage is that when the mage uses the token to give orders, he must first remember that he is the messenger of the Five Thunder, and then summon Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu to stay with him, remembering that the four gods hold their own steam wheels. Then say a mantra, which means to express one's divine power. If the devil doesn't listen to orders, it will be cut off. Holding an order in hand and exercising power forever means holding a token and always having the right to give orders. The note of "command by word" means that when you recite a spell "as urgent as God's decree" and pronounce it with the last "decree", the mage will slam the bill with the token in his hand and make a sound, which is called command. When the mage recites the Tao-opening mantra, he must first save Vulcan as the Tao-opening God in the former law, and its cloud: a flaming bird, a phoenix-billed dragon forest. Fly ahead and cut off the demon atmosphere. Dare to have Uber, break the Sect and destroy the shape. Great power is everywhere, and ghosts swallow essence. As urgent as law. Li said to me for the second time: I have two officials riding in my body, two ambassadors riding post horses and two officials riding dragons. The former is in front of me, the latter is behind me, the left one is in my left, and the right one is in my right fifth thunder courtyard. They hold envoys to preach incense for me, and call a certain god and a certain land god in the courtyard to live under my altar and listen to my call.

The second time, I told the gods to make a cloud: I asked the gods, and I listened to the oath. Since the Middle Ages, Guangdong has been illuminated by the emperor. Since I came to earth, I dare to make a fuss, and I don't hide my books. All I can think about is Sichuan source, which caused the epidemic and made people sick. Shangqing mourned, enlightened, helped the world, pretended to be a real person, spread Taoism and dispelled evil spirits. People are things and exotic, but they are endowed with fresh virtue, and the law is the shore. Whatever you say, don't take it to heart, for fear of going against God's will. Anyone who is accused is afraid to take it to heart for fear of being punished by God. I was afraid of Wei Ming, and I really gave it to myself. I have many people. The God selected by Xian Lei gave me the gift, and I dare to be lazy. However, you are firm, loyal and upright, and you are arrogant and arrogant. Is to destroy the mountain and change the situation. You don't have front and side domains, or you can help your brother resist. When you meet the enemy, you should do as you are told. You should not act rashly, stop, be angry privately, disturb, have ulterior motives or vent your anger. Dare not bow, dare not be bad. Oh, what a pity! If you die, you can't cover it. If you don't use your life, you will not be forgiven. So, you have to listen.

Although the passage quoted above is called "Daofa Hui Yuan", it is actually three contents.

The first is to cast a spell, that is, fly ahead and cut off the devil's breath.

Second, it is trance and the command to summon God. What comes out is the god in the mage, and what comes in is the god in Wuli College, the god of the city god and the god of the earth. Is to call these gods under the minefield and obey the mage.

Third, it is the mage's order to quit the gods, which has the nature of swearing with the gods he created, that is, the so-called "consult the gods and swear after listening clearly." On the one hand, the order warned the gods that they must obey the orders of the mage, that is, the so-called "being ordered to help" and "being ordered not to act rashly"; On the other hand, the mage told the gods that he was carrying out his destiny and had no selfishness, that is, "tell him not to be private" and "tell him not to be private".

We should know that the application of "token" is extremely solemn, that is, we should face the highest heaven, take the right shape, master the combat tactics, and go to Yaotai. When incense burns, it is hot in the furnace. Ruiqi floats like a tall elephant, waving a hundred refined seven-star sword, sprinkling the fountain of the galaxy, holding the power of heaven and law, practicing heaven and law, dense luck, boiling mountains and rivers, breathing like thunder. The law says that ghosts fear God and Qin, and soldiers obey orders.

As mentioned above, the preparation of tokens can only be completed under the guidance of meticulous programmers. Therefore, when Taoist priests play their roles, teachers must give legal objects, which is the inherent system of Taoist legal system. "