The Method of Emperor of the North to Subdue Ghosts

First, tap your teeth thirty-six times, then recite the incantation as follows:

"Heavenly Canopy, Heavenly Canopy, The Nine-Yuan Vanquisher of Evils, The Five Ding Commanders, Lord Gao Dao of the North, The Seven Righteous and Eight Numinous Spirits, The Supreme Vanquisher of Ferocity, The Long-Skulled Giant Beast, Holding the Imperial Bell in hand, The Three Spirits of Su Xiao, Riding the Kui Dragons in solemn procession, The Divine Sword King, Chopping down evil and erasing its traces, Violet Qi ascending to the heavens, Crimson Clouds surging with might, Devouring demons and consuming ghosts, Standing tall and breathing the wind, The Old Man with Azure Tongue and Green Teeth, Four Eyes, The Heavenly Ding Warriors, Warding off ferocity with power in the South, The Heavenly Charioteer rousing resolve, Bearing blades with might in the North, Three hundred thousand celestial soldiers, Guarding my ninefold realm, Clearing a path a thousand li wide, Dispelling inauspiciousness, If any petty ghost dares To show its form, The Heavenly Great Axe shall strike, Executing ghosts with the Five Punishments— Emperor Yan splitting their blood, Emperor of the North scorching their bones, The Four Bright Ones shattering their skeletons, Heavenly You eradicating their kind; At the slash of the Divine Sword, Ten thousand ghosts crumble on their own."

For every four-character line (thirty-six lines in total), tap your teeth once to mark the rhythm (thus, thirty-six tooth taps for thirty-six lines). This incantation can be recited regularly, whether at night or during the day—there is no fixed time. You may chant it whenever you have free time for practice, at dawn or dusk, or in places that feel doubtful or dim; when reciting, speak in a soft voice.

If a ghost is subjected to this incantation three times, its eyes will rot and it will perish. (This refers to ghost-subduing spirits, evil ghosts, and the malevolent, powerful spirits that lurk in the darkness of heaven and earth—they die upon hearing this incantation. It does not apply to the "ghosts" that are the lingering souls of deceased humans. Even such evil ghosts have eyes, so when their eyes rot, they perish.)

All the divine names mentioned in this incantation are those of officials in charge of subduing ghosts. (The incantation includes Fengdu [the underworld] and the positions and names of various deities; hence, ghosts tremble and die upon hearing it. It is said that the deity "Warding off Ferocity in the South" commands a thousand southern celestial soldiers. "Emperor Yan" here refers to the Great Emperor, and "the Four Bright Ones" refer to various noble divine lords.)

The Emperor of the North kept this method secret. (When ghosts that harm humans encounter this incantation, they can no longer do harm—thus, the method was kept secret.) If ordinary people obtain this incantation and recite it regularly, it becomes a way to avoid death. (People die because they are harmed by various ghosts; if ghosts can no longer harm them, they will no longer die.)

Men and women, young and old—all can practice this method. (The only problem is if they do not know the incantation. A wise person who uses it secretly is not restricted by age or gender. It is said that when the head official’s family suffered from lingering illnesses, practicing this method cured them immediately. When harmful thoughts and ghosts flee, how could the illness not be cured?)

When tapping your teeth, you should close your eyes and focus your mind on your five viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys). Once the five viscera are visualized clearly, the five visceral spirits will naturally reside within you. (This means: when tapping your teeth thirty-six times initially, you should close your eyes and visualize your internal organs, imagining each one in sequence until all are clear in your mind. Only when the spirits of the five viscera are fully present within you can you uphold righteousness, resist evil spirits, and subdue ghosts.)

This incantation is kept secret in Fengdu. Now, recite it silently—do not reveal it to those who are not virtuous. Ought we to keep it secret together? (Though this is not the most noble and supreme scripture, it is the foremost technique for subduing ghosts. Once ferocity and evil are eliminated, righteous qi can be connected. Moreover, it is an essential method for subduing evil and guiding practitioners. Yet many people belittle it as trivial, often leaking it; this makes the divine incantation ineffective and its power unexercised. Such behavior is truly blameworthy.)