This is the excerpt from last week Advanced Faqimen lessons:
I’ve written an extra commentary:
The Six Ding and Six Jia, whose names are derived entirely from the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, evolved from the gods on duty for each day. After becoming deities, the Six Ding and Six Jia gradually took on human-like forms. Due to different Taoist priests naming them differently over time, various names have been passed down, leading to inconsistencies in different texts.
The most common version is the one recorded in the Sancai Tuhui, compiled by Wang Qi and his son Wang Siyi during the Ming Dynasty. According to this work:
The Six Ding gods are: Ding Chou God Zhao Ziyu, Ding Mao God Sima Qing, Ding Si God Cui Yuqing, Ding Wei God Shi Shutong, Ding You God Zang Wengong, and Ding Hai God Zhang Wentong.
The Six Jia gods are: Jia Zi God Wang Wenqing, Jia Yin God Ming Wenzhang, Jia Chen God Meng Feiqing, Jia Wu God Wei Yuqing, Jia Shen God Hu Wenchang, and Jia Xu God Zhan Zijiang.
Although they hold a minor divine rank, the Six Ding and Six Jia are the main deities in Taoist talismans and are extremely important in Taoism, often being summoned by Taoist priests for various purposes.
Their main magical abilities include:
Exorcising Evil Spirits: Volume 14 of the Yunji Qiqian states, “To ward off evil spirits, one writes the talismans of the Six Jia and Six Ding and carries them. Calling out to Jia Yin will make all ghosts and spirits scatter and flee.”
Entering Formations and Avoiding Soldiers: The Secretly Transmitted Six Jia Heavenly Book claims that the Six Ding and Six Jia gods “can avoid water, fire, and weapons, can fight against a million people, and can shoot arrows.”
Protecting the Nation and Fighting Bandits: The Ding Jia Heavenly Book’s Secret Transmission of the Ten-Mile Ear-Whispering Method says, “The Six Ding and Six Jia are the ancestors of the Five Elements. Those who know their names can protect the nation from above and fight bandits from below.”
In addition, the Six Ding and Six Jia are also said to be able to predict good and bad fortune, summon wind and rain, use fire to refine elixirs, abstain from grains for a lighter body, become invisible, and perform divine travel to shorten distances.
The Six Ding and Six Jia (六丁六甲) are divine beings whose names are derived from the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. They evolved from the gods who preside over certain days. After becoming deities, the Six Ding and Six Jia were gradually personified. Due to different Taoist priests giving them different names, various traditions and names have been passed down, leading to inconsistencies across different texts.
The most common explanation comes from the Sancai Tuhui (三才图会), a Chinese encyclopedia compiled by Wang Qi and his son Wang Siyi during the Ming Dynasty. It records:
The Six Ding Gods are: Ding Chou God Zhao Ziyu, Ding Mao God Sima Qing, Ding Si God Cui Yuqing, Ding Wei God Shi Shutong, Ding You God Zang Wengong, and Ding Hai God Zhang Wentong.
The Six Jia Gods are: Jia Zi God Wang Wenqing, Jia Yin God Ming Wenzhang, Jia Chen God Meng Feiqing, Jia Wu God Wei Yuqing, Jia Shen God Hu Wenchang, and Jia Xu God Zhan Zijiang.
Although their divine rank is small, the Six Ding and Six Jia are extremely important in Taoism as the main gods on Taoist talismans, and they are frequently commanded by Taoist priests.
Their main magical abilities include:
Driving away evil spirits: The Yunji Qiqian (云笈七籖) states, “If you wish to drive away evil spirits, write the talismans of the Six Jia and Six Ding and carry them with you, and also call upon Jia Yin. All ghosts and spirits will scatter and flee.”
Entering battle formations to avoid soldiers: The Secretly Transmitted Six Jia Heavenly Book (秘传六甲天书) states that the Six Ding and Six Jia gods “can avoid water, fire, and soldiers, defeat a million people, and deflect arrows.”
Protecting the nation and suppressing rebels: The Ding Jia Heavenly Book’s Secretly Transmitted Ear Reporting Ten Li Method (丁甲天书秘传耳报行十里法) says, “The Six Ding and Six Jia are the ancestors of the Five Elements. Those who know their names can protect the nation from above and lead troops to suppress rebels from below.”
In addition to these abilities, the Six Ding and Six Jia can also predict good and bad fortune, summon wind and rain, create fire to refine elixirs, perform Bigu (abstaining from grain) to lighten the body, become invisible, and travel vast distances in an instant.
As the main gods on Taoist talismans, the Six Ding and Six Jia can be commanded by a practitioner, but this must be achieved through a ritual. The process involves two steps:
Reciting the “Divine General Manifestation Incantation”: The incantation is: “I call upon the six divine generals, the primordial Yang Jia Zi rulers. Come quickly, and may you aid my body. As commanded by the law of the Grand Supreme Laozi, hurry, hurry!”
Writing the talismans to summon the Six Ding and Six Jia: The talisman for summoning the Six Jia has an incantation: “The great general of the Jade Purity, the Six Jia are to act. The true talisman quickly summons them to the altar.”
