1/ Some days ago I posted an image of several fu-talismans in a Chinese almanac. The image showed the spell for consecrating the talismans. In this post I will translate the spell: (Marked No. 2 in the post)
2/ here is a closeup, and a transcription of the spell:
書符法〇口齒三通。含淨水一口向東噴之。〇咒曰：赫赫陰陽。日出東方。敕書此符。盡掃不祥。口吐三昧之火，眼放如日之光。捉怪使天篷之力士破疾，用鎮煞金剛，降伏妖怪化為吉祥。急急如律令！
書符法〇口齒三通。含淨水一口向東噴之。〇咒曰：赫赫陰陽。日出東方。敕書此符。盡掃不祥。口吐三昧之火，眼放如日之光。捉怪使天篷之力士破疾，用鎮煞金剛，降伏妖怪化為吉祥。急急如律令！
3/ Translation:
"To write the fu: Click the teeth thrice. Fill the mouth with clear water, and spray it towards the east...."
"To write the fu: Click the teeth thrice. Fill the mouth with clear water, and spray it towards the east...."
4/ Transl. Cont'd (numbers in bracket = notes)
" The spell: Brightly, brightly, Yin & Yang, / the Sun comes out from the east/ I respectfully 敕 write this talisman/ to completely sweep away all that is inauspicious/ the mouth spews the 3 Kinds of fire[1] ...
" The spell: Brightly, brightly, Yin & Yang, / the Sun comes out from the east/ I respectfully 敕 write this talisman/ to completely sweep away all that is inauspicious/ the mouth spews the 3 Kinds of fire[1] ...
5/ " ...Catch all the demons, let Tianpeng’s (2) strongmen break the illness/ using a sha(3)-suppressing varja (金剛)/ Descend, suppress the monsters and demons, converting them into auspiciousness. / Swiftly! Swiftly! As ordained by the statutes and ordinances! (4)"
6/ Notes: (1) “Three kinds of Fire” refers to the Fire contained in Wood, Rocks and the sky, or alternately, to the fire of the Gods神, vassals 臣 and ordinary men.
baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%89…
baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%89…
7/ However, it is also interpreted as “Fire of the Samadhi” (三昧, Sanwei = Three flavors” being one of the transcriptions of the term Samadhi into Chinese. ) zhihu.com/question/20188…
8/ (2) Tianpeng : A god of the Northern Dipper. One of his specialties is catching evil spirits. Readers familiar with the Journey to the west will recognise him as the true form of Zhu Bajie.
(3) Sha is the term used to refer to an evil force in general.
(3) Sha is the term used to refer to an evil force in general.
9/ (4) The sentence “Swiftly etc” is the stock phrase that ends such ritual incantantations, cf. the Wiccan “So mote it be”.
10/ It belies the fact that these fu-talismans are considered a kind of warrant or writ, that instructs the spirits not to molest the wearer/do certain things. In fact some fu are headed with the very words 敕令: “BY ORDER” (eg & )
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11/Note: A similar (but not identical version) of the spell is also found in the 玉匣記, as indeed, many of the amulets shown on that page.
12/ Such is my attempt at translating this spell. If anyone spots any errors, or has anything to say about it, I will be most glad to hear from them.
