Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism
The Taoist Golden Light Incantation comes from the Divine Incantations of the Three Grottoes of the Most High (Taishang Sandong Shenzhou) in the Zhengtong Taoist Canon, so its pedigree is impeccable.
1. The Importance of the Golden Light Incantation
The “Eight Great Incantations” are used extremely widely. Morning and evening liturgy, scripture recitation, averting calamity, praying for blessings, resolving misfortune, ascending the altar, drawing talismans, chanting incantations, performing rites, and so on all require the recitation of these eight incantations. The Golden Light Incantation in particular is not only widely used in Taoist liturgy and cultivation but is also used by many believers in daily life to seek safety and health.
The Golden Light Incantation is one of the Taoist “Eight Great Incantations” and the core incantation among them; every Taoist priest must learn it on entering the Taoist path and understand its meaning.
Taoists praise the Golden Light Incantation highly: “A scroll of the divine light incantation—forms and images appear in the void; recite the Golden Light Incantation, and all the gods fold their hands in salute.”
The Golden Light Incantation is an important part of the system of thunder rites and an indispensable incantation in summoning and refining thunder.
The Golden Light Incantation purifies body and mind and guards against the attacks of outer demons. Some people of the rivers and lakes practice this incantation to sense potential dangers in their surroundings; some ritual masters use it in talismans and incantations written on the palm, releasing spiritual light and spreading qi to drive out evil and cure illness for others. When entering the mountains, entering an ancient tomb, or passing a graveyard or other special place, one can first recite this incantation to drive away evil and ward off defilement.
The Golden Light Incantation can develop the unitary qi of prior heaven in the body, sublimating and consolidating the Three Treasures of “essence, qi, and spirit,” steadying the spirit and settling the soul, strengthening the will, and concentrating the mind. For practitioners, the Golden Light Incantation can help with cultivating perfection, driving out evil, averting calamity, protecting the body, and bringing divine protection. It can strengthen one's upright qi and protective power, and it has great energy.
People who recite the Golden Light Incantation over a long period usually experience many positive changes in body and mind, aura, fortune, and state of life. These changes appear mainly in the following dimensions:
1. Body and mind: Pure and clear, full of essence, qi, and spirit, with settled emotions and mind. Through focused recitation, distracting thoughts diminish and the mind is “gathered in,” effectively easing the inner drain of anxiety, depression, palpitations, and the like, and making one steady, clear, and peaceful. Harmonized qi and blood, raised yang qi: recitation together with natural breathing helps harmonize the qi dynamics of the five zang organs, replenish the body's yang qi, and ease yang deficiency and stagnation of qi and blood, so that one is full of energy, one's complexion improves, and the feeling of heaviness in the body lessens. Improved sleep: once the mind is settled, insomnia and excessive dreaming improve markedly, and the quality of sleep rises.
2. Aura and protection: Upright qi protects the body and resists negative energy, raising one's upright qi and aura. Long-term recitation cultivates a “vast, righteous qi,” making one's aura balanced and peaceful, like a built-in protective barrier, strengthening resistance to negative environments and negative energy, and reducing the anxiety of being “disturbed.” Warding off evil and protecting the body: on the psychological level, recitation strengthens one's courage and inner strength, dispels fear of the unknown (such as fear of the dark, ghosts, and monsters), and calms the spirit and settles the soul.
3. Fortune and state: Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, improving one's environment. Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: by improving one's inner nature and aura, one's overall fortune rises; one meets events with more composure and can better resolve negative events in life, achieving the effect of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune. Improving the aura of one's environment: the peaceful, bright aura generated during recitation subtly improves the aura of one's home, helping family harmony and reducing dark, evil qi.
4. Understanding and spiritual state: Illuminating the mind and seeing one's nature, open-minded and composed. Illuminating the mind and seeing one's nature: persistent long-term recitation helps break attachments and broaden one's understanding, lets one take gain and loss lightly, keeps the heart pure and open, and brings the peaceful state of being “clear and bright within and without.”
2. The Meaning of the Golden Light Incantation
The Golden Light Incantation
Mysterious ancestor of heaven and earth, root of the myriad qi. Cultivated widely through a hundred million kalpas, it confirms my divine powers.
Within and beyond the Three Realms, the Tao alone is supreme. My body holds golden light that covers and shines upon my person.
Looked at, it is not seen; listened to, it is not heard. It embraces heaven and earth and nourishes all living beings.
Recite and uphold it ten thousand times, and the body will have radiance. The Three Realms stand guard; the Five Emperors attend to welcome.
The myriad spirits pay court; thunder and lightning are at my command. Ghosts and demons lose their nerve; sprites and goblins lose their form.
Within is the thunderbolt, where the thunder gods' names lie hidden. Penetrating wisdom shines through all; the five qi surge and rise.
Golden light, appear swiftly, cover and protect the Perfected.
By order of Lord Lao the Most High (Taishang Laojun): Swiftly, swiftly, as the law commands!
1. The Golden Light Incantation
Explanation: Golden light is the manifestation of the Tao, the divine light of the spirit. “Gold” means hard, strong, and indestructible. The one who seeks the Tao has profound and extensive mysterious attainment, with radiance shining outward, enough to drive off ghosts and goblins, cut down demonic qi, and command divine generals. Like a golden vessel, hard, strong, and unbending, blazing and resplendent—so it is called golden light.
2. Mysterious Ancestor of Heaven and Earth, Root of the Myriad Qi
Explanation: Heaven and earth are one yin and one yang; “mysterious” means the Tao, and “ancestor” is the root of all affairs and all things.
Thus, though the mysterious ancestor may be called vast and boundless, it is nothing other than what heaven and earth transform and generate, the embodiment of the Tao. “The myriad qi” sums up all affairs and all things, the changes of heaven and earth; do not get bogged down in “root” as merely a source. It means that all the many qi of heaven and earth are nothing but the work of the uniting and dispersing of yin and yang; this is heaven and earth as the root of the myriad qi.
3. Cultivated Widely Through Ten Thousand Kalpas, It Confirms My Divine Powers
Explanation: “Widely” means extensively. “Cultivated” means cultivating and upholding, that is, the work of refining the mystery. “Ten thousand kalpas” speaks of how many great kalpas the cultivation has gone through. For the one who refines the mystery cultivates and serves at all times, countless times over, as if cultivating cumulatively through ten thousand kalpas. “Confirms” means proves. “Divine powers” means spiritual illumination and numinous penetration. For divine powers are inherent in every person; common people lose them, while noble people preserve them. If the seeker of the Tao can cultivate and uphold through ten thousand kalpas, will not my divine powers be confirmed and expanded!
4. Within and Beyond the Three Realms, the Tao Alone Is Supreme
Explanation: The Three Realms usually refers to the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity; the three realms of the cosmos are the Ultimate of Nothingness (Wuji), the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji), and the Realm of Being.
The three realms of a person are essence, qi, and spirit: within, the five zang organs and six fu organs; without, the hands, feet, ears, eyes, and the like. This speaks of within and without heaven and humanity, above and below the Dharma realm. “Alone” means solely; “the Tao” is the mysterious and wondrous Great Tao; “alone is supreme” means that nothing surpasses it. For by the Tao heaven and earth are established, and by the Tao people and things are in accord; therefore it is called alone supreme.
5. My Body Holds Golden Light That Covers and Shines Upon My Person
Explanation: “Body” means the body of the Tao. “Golden light” is the qi of the golden Gang star. The Great Tao originally has no form or body; the body of the Tao contains and manifests golden light, and when it takes a person as its body so that there is golden light, it fills the inside and emanates outward. “Covers” means covers and shelters. “Shines upon” means shelters with its radiance. “My person” is the body of the seeker of the Tao. For if a person sets their will on the Tao, the Tao is not far from them; the body is the Tao and the Tao is the body. It refers to the golden light, perfected after cultivation, surrounding the body of the Tao.
6. Looked At, It Is Not Seen; Listened To, It Is Not Heard
Explanation: “Look” means gaze. In the world only what has form can be seen; the Great Tao is by nature void and ethereal, so looked at, it is not seen. “Listen” means to hear with the ears. In the world what has sound can be heard; the Great Tao is deep, silent, clear, and still, so listened to, it is not heard.
Laozi said: “Looked at but not seen, it is called the invisible; listened to but not heard, it is called the inaudible” (Tao Te Ching, chapter 14). This speaks of the practitioner reaching the selfless state of leaving the six dusts and cutting off the six sense faculties.
7. It Embraces Heaven and Earth and Nourishes All Living Beings
Explanation: Nothing is greater than heaven and earth, yet they can still be exhausted, while the Tao is inexhaustible. “Embraces” means that the Tao penetrates beyond the forms of heaven and earth. This speaks of the vastness of the body of the Tao. “Nourishes” means receiving its gestation and nurture. “All living beings” refers both to people and to all things, and a person's ears, eyes, mouth, and body, the three origins and six bowels, are also called “all living beings.” This means that although the Great Tao has neither form nor sound, it contains heaven and covers earth, and all living beings depend on it for nourishment.
8. Receive and Uphold It Ten Thousand Times, and the Body Will Have Radiance
Explanation: The one who receives and upholds this incantation receives it from others and for oneself, and holds it in the heart. “Ten thousand times” means receiving and upholding it without slackening; “ten thousand” describes a great number. “The body” is the body of the one who upholds it. “Radiance” is golden light, shining clearly. It is like what the Great Learning calls virtue enriching the person.
9. The Three Realms Stand Guard; the Five Emperors Attend to Welcome
Explanation: For the Three Realms, see the explanation above. “Stand guard” means honoring and guarding the Tao. The Five Emperors are the Divine Lords of the Five Directions—the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. “Attend” means attending to their duties. “Welcome” means that when one comes, the other receives, as a host welcomes a guest. This means that when the practitioner preserves the golden light of the body of the Tao, all above and below in the Three Realms, the Five Elders and the Five Emperors, will come to welcome and wait upon them.
10. The Myriad Spirits Pay Court; Thunder and Lightning Are at My Command
Explanation: “The myriad spirits” are honored and many. In heaven they are the host of gods; in a person they refer to the whole of the person. “Pay court” means gathering together in assembly. For when the embryo congeals in the Purple Mansion and all the hundred parts of the body are complete, it is like the myriad spirits paying court to the Supreme Emperor. “Command” means that they obey its orders and nothing fails to be carried out. Thunder and lightning are the yang qi of heaven, able to awe the world. This means that every breath in and out of the one cultivating the Tao is nothing but the movement of true yang, able to wield the tremendous force of thunder and lightning.
11. Ghosts and Demons Lose Their Nerve; Sprites and Goblins Lose Their Form
Explanation: Ghosts and demons are those who turn against the Tao. “Lose their nerve” means they dare not run wild. The human body also has its ghosts and demons; when the qi of the Tao is present, all entanglements cease, which is no different from losing their nerve. Sprites and goblins are tree sprites and earth goblins. “Forget their form” means losing their true form. This refers to sensual pleasures, wealth, and gain; once one has entered the Tao, no such thoughts arise, which is no different from their forgetting their form. When the one cultivating the Tao has realized the golden light, ghosts, goblins, and evil influences lose their nerve and reveal their true forms.
12. Within Is the Thunderbolt, Where the Thunder Gods' Names Lie Hidden
Explanation: “Within” means within the body of the Tao. “Thunderbolt” is the sound of thunder. The power of golden light is very great; with one shock, mountains and rivers tremble and all things stand in awe. The majesty of the Tao is likewise. The thunder gods are the upright deities of the prior-heaven unitary qi. “Names lie hidden” means that the names of the thirty-six thunder gods are hidden. This means that although the Tao is majestic, its nature is by itself tranquil; the thunder gods stay hidden and subdue the sprites and goblins.
13. Penetrating Wisdom Shines Through All; the Five Qi Surge and Rise
Explanation: “Penetrating” means empty. “Wisdom” means numinous. Numinous penetration shining through all. The five qi are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth: the qi of the Five Phases shine upon one another, glimmering together so that there is nothing too subtle to be illuminated and nothing too hidden to be lit. The five qi are the qi of the Five Phases. “Surge and rise” describes the dazzling golden light and the upright qi of the Five Phases rising up.
14. Golden Light, Appear Swiftly, Cover and Protect the Perfected
Explanation: “Appear swiftly” means to manifest in reality, at once—like saying it comes forth in its proper time. Golden light is originally hidden in the ocean of one's nature; if today it appears swiftly, then what one has gained from ordinary practice runs deep. “Cover and protect” means golden light covering the whole body. “The Perfected” is how the seeker of the Tao refers to himself. To speak of the Perfected is to cover one's true nature and be worthy of the way of being human. This means the divine light protects the body and the golden light protects the Dharma!
3. The Method of Cultivating the Golden Light Incantation
The Golden Light Incantation is also called the Divine Incantation of the Great Golden Light Method. It is for paying homage to the True Lord of the Sun and gathering the golden light of the sun, and it is a wondrous, truly transmitted method of nurturing life and longevity. If one keeps up this wondrous method over a long period, the golden light protects the body and preserves life, and it can dispel illness, prolong life, and bring health and long life.
Golden light refers to the light of the “Tao” that gives birth to heaven and earth. The light that shines from the body of a golden immortal who has merged with the Tao is this very “light.”
The Golden Light Incantation itself conceals a method of cultivation. It centers on cultivating the heart and nature of the body of the Tao and advocates refining the golden light of the primordial spirit within to protect the body.
Because this incantation is so widely used and its ritual power so great, it is a secret incantation, a divine incantation of the Taoist tradition, and the methods of cultivating it differ among the schools. Folk Taoist sects also have many secret methods concerning this incantation: some use it to form the golden light seal as a talismanic command; some refine the golden light of the primordial spirit within to protect the body and refine it into the elixir; some awaken to the Tao and cultivate perfection, guarded by the thunder gods, subduing demons and defending the Tao; some use it to empower ritual treasures, to sink into the earth and steal from heaven. The golden light method is an especially convenient practice and cultivation method for cultivating the self, warding off evil, purifying a site, and so on.
To cultivate the Tao, first understand the principle of cultivating the Tao. “All things depend on the sun to grow” is a very plain and clear saying. It tells us that without the shining golden light of the sun, neither people nor any other thing could survive; our lives and the lives of all things are given by the True Lord of the Sun. To cultivate the Great Method of the Golden Light Incantation, we must first set our thoughts and faith straight, love the sun, respect the Divine Lord of the Sun, and worship the Divine Lord of the Sun.
Every day in the early morning, at the Mao hour (5–7 a.m.), stand facing due east (sitting upright is also fine). Before practicing each day, first wash your hands and rinse your mouth, recite the Incantation for Purifying the Mouth and the Incantation for Purifying the Body, and take a deep breath in through the nose (in winter breathe in slowly, since cold air entering the abdomen can cause discomfort). Store this breath in the lower dantian and hold the breath, letting it flow naturally throughout the body. With your own true spirit, imagine yourself riding on five-colored auspicious clouds and arriving in the Palace of the Sun in the flash of a thought.
First bow three times to the True Lord of the Sun, kneel before his seat, silently recite the Golden Light Incantation, and at the same time draw the Golden Light talisman, using the one-yang finger to draw it.
While reciting the incantation and drawing the talisman, you need not hold your breath; recite and draw with natural breathing. This is done entirely with the intention of the true spirit, silently reciting and silently drawing. When the silent recitation and drawing are finished, take another deep breath through the nose. As you breathe in, the True Lord of the Sun gives you golden light; imagine the warm golden light in your abdomen being brought back with your deep breath.
Draw this talisman on the palm (men draw it with the sword-finger of the right hand on the left palm; women draw it with the sword-finger of the left hand on the right palm), and one can avoid being disturbed by evil qi.
You will feel your lower elixir field and kidney palace, and your lower body, waist, and legs, all grow warm, as if shone on by the golden light of the sun. All the chronic ailments of your body are dispelled; your heart fire descends and your kidney water rises; your head is clear and your eyes bright; your five zang organs are cool and your six fu organs well regulated; your whole body is at ease and your strength is ample. This is the true work of the union of water and fire, and it is precisely gathering the upright qi of heaven and earth and refining the essence of the sun and moon.
In practicing this way, the one breath is the work on nature: your own heart and spirit rise into the Palace of the Sun to gather the true treasure, silently reciting the Golden Light Incantation and drawing the Golden Light talisman. When recitation and drawing are done, you take another deep breath; this is the work on life, because you have gathered the true treasure given by the True Lord of the Sun—is this not the true treasure of life? Breathe in this way, recite the Golden Light Incantation, and draw the Golden Light talisman once; do this five times in a row, for a total of ten deep breaths. When the practice is complete, the qi and blood of your whole body circulate and your strength is ample. Practice every day without interruption, and over time you will naturally be healthy and long-lived, free of the suffering of illness, a happy living immortal in the human world.
Once you know this incantation by heart, you can practice even without the sun. During standing meditation (zhan zhuang) or seated meditation, recite this incantation while visualizing the divine light all around you, purifying heart, body, and intention, uniting body, mind, and intention into one, embracing the origin and guarding the One—guard the One and all things are accomplished. This is the best method of entering stillness: the mouth recites the incantation, and the hand draws the Golden Light talisman.
This method is what the Complete Methods of Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Bifa), transmitted by the two patriarchs Zhongli and Lü, describes: “To see the eldest son of the Yang Lord, you must take in much and let out little.”
Here the “Yang Lord” refers to the Qian trigram: Qian is the old father, called the Yang Lord. The eldest son of the Yang Lord is the Zhen trigram: Zhen is the eldest son, and Zhen is the east. The sun rises in the Zhen direction at the Mao hour, and this is exactly the eldest son of the Yang Lord. Practicing at this time achieves twice the result with half the effort, so it is said that one must gather the radiant divine qi of the rising sun at the Mao hour, taking in as much of the upright qi of nature as possible and drawing it deep into the lower dantian.
Zhuangzi said: “The Perfected breathe from their heels.” Taking deep breaths regularly prolongs life. If we all understand this principle and regularly use the Divine Incantation of the Great Golden Light Method, we can all be healthy and long-lived.
The golden light method is practiced daily and runs through any other practice. Upholding the incantation ten thousand times, the body generally produces golden light within twenty-one days. As the days pass and the practice deepens, a purple radiance arises outside the circle of golden light; no evil can invade, and it even guards against injury by weapons. Fellow practitioners can observe it during practice. Moreover, one's power of perception greatly increases; even in sleep one can sense the situation and movements nearby. Practitioners can often use this to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune and be warned in advance, avoiding disturbances beforehand whether from society or from the spirit realm. Its wondrous uses you will come to know yourself after long practice.
Once the golden light of this method is achieved, the heart fire descends and the kidney water rises; the head is clear and the eyes bright; the five zang organs are cool and the six fu organs well regulated; the whole body is at ease and strength is ample. This method helps protect the practitioner's body and mind and can protect the body and avert misfortune. This is the true work of the union of water and fire, and it is precisely gathering the upright qi of heaven and earth and refining the essence of the sun and moon.
The Scripture and Formulas of the Most High Perfection Grotto on Concentrating the Spirit in Practice records: “Golden light envelops the body so that others can hardly look upon it; the immortal music of the Nine Heavens rings out all together; riding the clouds and mist one goes to pay court to the Origin, soaring straight up to the capital of the Nine Empyreans.” Through constant recitation, the practitioner is clothed in golden light and no evil can invade; moreover, by the power of the incantation one can communicate with the myriad qi of heaven and earth, raise one's own level of cultivation, open the gate of divine powers and wisdom, and reach the state of “merging with the Tao in perfection.”
4. Points to Note When Cultivating the Golden Light Incantation
As with many Taoist incantation practices, there are some things believers should note when upholding the Golden Light Incantation. For example, observe a fast and bathe beforehand, keep body and mind pure, avoid the five pungent vegetables, set aside distracting thoughts, and concentrate on reciting the incantation.
The effects of practicing the Golden Light Incantation accumulate day by day and month by month. One must keep a sincere and constant heart, not become attached to illusory visions or supernatural powers, and treat it as a daily way of cultivating the heart and nurturing one's nature; only then can one achieve the best results.
During practice, first do a short spell of seated meditation and adjust the breath. If you still cannot become pure and still, silently recite the Incantation for Purifying the Heart for added support, then with an upright heart recite and uphold the Golden Light Incantation, either aloud or silently.
Avoid the three most common misconceptions:
Misconception 1: Reciting it will give you superpowers. The “divine powers” Taoism speaks of are not flying through the sky or sinking into the earth, but the clarity of “a mind that understands the Tao and a body that accords with the Tao”; put plainly, living with understanding and inner strength.
Misconception 2: It works only if you form hand seals while chanting. “The incantation issues from the heart, and the heart is revealed through the incantation”; sincerity matters more than anything. If you recite it while scrolling through short videos, ten thousand recitations will do no good.
Misconception 3: Golden light is golden-colored light. The “golden light” spoken of by Taoists is in fact a metaphor for pure yang upright qi, not a light visible to the naked eye. Pursuing the sight of light can easily lead one astray into obsession.
For further practice of the Golden Light Incantation, there are also visualization methods, accompanying hand seals, and so on, performed at special times. But for ordinary devotees this is somewhat beyond the syllabus, so we will not go into it here.
In short, the Golden Light Incantation is not only one of the methods of practice for disciples of the Taoist tradition, but also a spiritual practice that connects to the “mutual resonance of heaven and humanity.” It not only carries the philosophy and belief system of Taoism but also offers people a practical tool for protection and practice. Whether used to drive out evil and avert calamity or to raise one's inner energy, the Golden Light Incantation has its own unique value and significance.
Note: The Golden Light Incantation is for paying homage to the True Lord of the Sun and gathering the sun's “golden light,” which is not a light seen by the eye. It is the most solid protective “shield” of Taoist practice, a Taoist version of a “system firewall plus antivirus software for the mind.” Its core logic is very simple: “When upright qi is kept within, evil cannot intrude”—it is not some “killer move.” You can understand it like this: “Mysterious ancestor of heaven and earth, root of the myriad qi” first connects you to the signal of the universe, linking you to the positive-energy base station of the Great Tao; “My body holds golden light that covers and shines upon my person” builds an invisible protective energy shield around you; “Ghosts and demons lose their nerve; sprites and goblins lose their form” is not really fighting or killing ghosts, but means that once your heart is bright, negative emotions, anxiety and fear, and wild imaginings (what the ancients called “inner demons” and “outer evils”) naturally dare not come near.