Incantation for Beheading the Upper Corpse
The Upper Corpse, born of green desires, names itself Peng Ju.
It takes nine shifting forms, with raven's head and serpent's frame.
Chaotic and without constant heart, it drifts between sinking and rising.
Greedy for sensory pleasures, it dwells in splendour and lust.
It wanders, unsettling the human soul; the essence records its transgressions.
Severing the root of life, it scatters the breath and unsettles the spirit.
Rampant through the Three Palaces, this lesser pest knows no fatigue.
The Perfected Ones of the Heavenly Stems write numinous talismans.
Carnal desires are now severed; the path to death is cut away.
By the decree of the Primordial Matron, I call to behead the Corpse.
Under the watch of the Three Platforms, swiftly emerge — do not remain!
Uproot and exterminate its seed, leave no remnant behind.
✨ Recommended Taoist Talismans
Discover powerful talismans for your spiritual journey
Let the departed refine into Perfected; let the Three Palaces be purified and empty.
The Five Emperors descend in radiance; the Great One fixes the decree.
On this auspicious day, I cleanse and bathe, don robes and headdress, pacing the sacred field.
Soaring across the celestial realm, riding the flowing light in a jade carriage,
Chasing the light into the Highest Clarity, roaming the clouds in boundless flight.
Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!
Annotation
This incantation centers on the Daoist practice of "beheading the Upper Corpse." The Upper Corpse, rooted in human desire and transgression, manifests in shifting forms and embodies greed. It disrupts the spirit, consumes vital energy, and undermines the foundation of life.
Through rituals such inscribing talismans by the Perfected, ceremonial bathing, and robing, the practitioner seeks—under the supervision of divine beings—to completely eradicate this parasitic corpse. The aim is to sever sensual attachments, purge karmic faults, and purify body and mind into a state of clarity and emptiness. The ultimate goal is to enable the departed soul to refine into its true nature, pacify the Three Palaces, and—aided by the power of deities such as the Five Emperors and the Great One—ascend to the celestial realm, attaining transcendence in the Highest Clarity and wandering eternally among the clouds.
The original Chinese text
斩上尸咒
上尸青欲，自号彭琚。
变化九种，乌头蛇躯。
混沌无心，或沉或浮。
贪欲滋味，华色自居。
走作人魂，魄司过咎。
断人命根，气散神游。
放荡三宫，小虫无劬。
真人甲乙，书篆灵符。
色欲巳断，死路已除。
元姑有命，请斩尸头。
三台监形，速出无留。
灭根绝种，勿使余遗。
亡者炼真，三宫清虚。
五帝临映，太一定书。
吉日沭浴，冠带行畴。
飞度天界，流景玉舆。
逐景上清，乘云遨游。
急急如律令。
