The altar of six generals
is a famous altar set up a Maoshan Taoist must master before he/she can perform
advance Taoist magic rituals and to control spirits. Straightly speaking, this
is the altar for worshipping Chinese 12 zodiac animals. Taoist further
subdivided the zodiac into 6 Yang generals and 6 Ying generals:
·
Yang generals:
Rat, Dog, Monkey, Horse, Dragon and Tiger
·
Ying generals:
Cow, Rabbit, Snake, Goat, Chicken and Pig
First, a Taoist must set up
an altar as shown above, prepare required materials such as pen, paper, ink
etc. Then he/she must perform below incantations 7x, twice a day, once in the
morning and once at night:
“The heart is the master of
my body, my left is the green dragon liver, to my right are the white tiger
lungs, in front is the red bird kidney, and at my back is the tortoise asshole.
My soul likes to enjoy and my Po is restless. I see with my eyes, I hear with
my ears, I smell with my nose, my mouth and my tongue likes to talk good and
bad things. The 36 divisions are my teeth, the mountain and jungles are my
hairs, the 9 rivers and 8 streams are my intestines. My stomach becomes the
lakes and oceans, all my ligaments and joints become the gates of cities. My
hands float in the air while my legs sink in to the earth. Millions and
millions of body hairs and my bile stays within my 5 organs. My spirit, my chi
and my soul whatever belongs to me returns to Tao. I train myself to become god
and break all the karmic bonds, breaking the boundaries of the sky; into the emptiness.
If I have troubles, please protect me; if I have a job, please help to
accomplish it. As my will and according to the order of master Shanshanjiuhou so
mote it be.”
After the incantation, the
Taoist should meditate for as long as he/she can. One of the generals will come
and meet the Taoist to set up a pack. Finally the ritual is ended with “star
walk” as below:
Ideally one should perform the above ritual for 49 consecutive days as his/her foundation practice. Only after that, his/her magic will work.
Both walks are to be done? In the first walk, do you take a step back before going to the next step, or do you go straight to the next step? In the second walk after you walk the first line do you step back to do the second? Third? I'm curious because even though I'm a member of a Taoist Temple here in the Philippines, there's still so much I don't know (I'm kinda embarrassed to ask the priest about this.)
ReplyDeleteHmm... It's a little difficult to describe...
DeleteThe first walk (the triangle, face front):
Center -> lower right -> center -> lower left
(turn facing back)
lower right->lower left...
Continue with the second walk:
(face front & step backwards)
Start with 贪->巨->禄->文->廉->午->破.
The '午' is missing in the diagram. It should be half way between the 廉 and the 破.
I hope I have not confused u...
BTW... There are many star steps for various purposes, the above are just two of the classic examples..
Yes, I know there are many star steps. I know a few, basic ones that my master taught me.
ReplyDelete