The White-Feathered Black-Plumed Spirit-Flying Jade Talismans 白羽黑翻灵飞玉符
Paul PengShare
The White-Feathered Black-Plumed Spirit-Flying Jade Talismans
The White-Feathered Black-Plumed Spirit-Flying Jade Talismans (Baiyu Heihe Lingfei Yufu) was originally titled The White-Feathered Black-Plumed Flight Feather Scripture (Baiyu Heihe Feixing Yu Jing).

It is one of the early classics of the Shangqing School, presumably dating to the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties (317–589 CE).
Volume 5 of Zhengao (The True Declarations) states: "In the Dao of immortality, there are white feathers and black plumes for soaring across the eight directions"; Catalogue of the Shangqing Great Grottoes True Scripture (Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing Mu) records the entry "Scroll of the Shangqing White-Feathered Black-Plumed Flight Feather Scripture"—both references refer to this text.
The surviving version in the Daozang (Taoist Canon) consists of one scroll and is included in the "Divine Talismans" category of the Dongzhen (True Grotto) Section. According to the scripture, the Primordial Heavenly Lord (Yuanshi Tianzun) descended, riding a carriage drawn by white mythical birds (bailuan). A phoenix with black plumes carried The Flight Feather Scripture in its beak and presented it to divine lords such as the Supreme True Venerable Elder (Taizhen Zhangren); hence, the scripture is named "White-Feathered Black-Plumed" (Baiyu Heihe).
The scripture discusses "the way of ascending into the void and the chapters of hidden transformation." It contains five Spirit-Flying Jade Talismans (Lingfei Yufu), namely the Upper Spirit-Flying Talisman, Lower Spirit-Flying Talisman, Left Spirit-Flying Talisman, Right Spirit-Flying Talisman, and Great Spirit-Flying Talisman. It is claimed that practitioners who write and wear these talismans in accordance with the prescribed method for seven or nine years will be able to fly through the air.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is one of the curators of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
Read his full story →