Over long periods of religious practice, Chinese Daoism (Dào jiào 道教) developed a set of distinctive techniques (dào shù 道术). Among them are the hand seals (shǒu yìn 手印).
Thousands of years ago, ancient humans invented symbolic gestures as a kind of language. Through long-term refinement, these were selected, distilled, and standardized by Daoism, transforming them into hand seals with a special ideological and spiritual meaning. Daoist hand seals in China were secretly passed on and practiced within the Daoist community, and their unique underlying ideas could only be deeply understood by Daoist practitioners. The hand seals are formed by arranging the fingers of both hands according to diagrams orally transmitted by Daoist masters . Each hand seal carries a specific meaning and has a fixed name. Different seals are only used in designated ritual contexts, because they communicate specifically with certain deities (shén líng 神灵).
Exploring the Subtle and Mysterious, Silently Directing the Primordial Energy — The Uses of Daoist Hand Seals (shǒu yìn 手印)
Early Daoist hand seals were also called “jué” (诀), indicating that they showed secret formulas passed down by the masters. The Daoist Canon (Dào Fǎ Huì Yuán 道法会元 · Míng Guāng Shū Yào Mù 明光枢要目) states:
“The master must pass down the list of jué. They explore the subtle and hidden (tōng yōu dòng wēi 通幽洞微), summon spirits (zhào shén 召神) and control ghosts (yù guǐ 御鬼). The key lies in grasping the jué. They silently move the primordial emptiness (mò yùn xū yuán 默运虚元), and thus these are called jué.”
This passage reveals two important points about the meaning and role of hand seals or jué:
- “Summon spirits” (zhào shén 召神) — hand seals express utmost sincerity toward the spirits.
- “Control ghosts” (yù guǐ 御鬼) — hand seals possess the power to subdue malevolent forces.
- “Carry the Way” (zài dào 载道) — by means of hand seals, Daoist priests demonstrate that they can “explore the subtle and hidden” (tōng yōu dòng wēi 通幽洞微) and “silently move the primordial emptiness” (mò yùn xū yuán 默运虚元), attaining spiritual powers through their practice.
Daoist hand seals are numerous. Here is a rough classification of their basic uses into five major types:
1. Hand seals required for ritual ceremonies
In Daoist purification rites and other ritual events, various preparations are needed, such as arranging the altar (dào chǎng 道场), offering fruit, flowers, lamps, requesting ritual orders (qǐng lìng 请令), requesting water bowls, rice bowls, and incense. All these have designated hand seals to show the priest’s (dào shì 道士) sincerity and discipline. During rituals, actions like taking up a sword, holding it while ascending the altar, burning petitions, performing ritual steps (bù gāng 步罡), writing sacred names (shū huì 书讳), lighting the incense burner, or scattering rice, each have fixed hand seals that cannot be carelessly altered. When the ceremony ends, closing and securing the altar space also involves seals as part of the etiquette. In short, every movement, every use of ritual implements, from summoning orders to burning petitions, must follow the hand seals passed down by the masters.
2. Hand seals for summoning spirits
Different hand seals are used to summon different spirits during the ceremony. The hand seals serve as tools for communicating information between humans and deities (shén líng 神灵). When inviting the Three Pure Ones (sān qīng 三清), the Four Sovereigns (sì yù 四御), Thunder Patriarch (léi zǔ 雷祖), spirit officers (líng guān 灵官), Xuanwu (xuán wǔ 玄武), and other divine beings, these hand seals are taught in secret. The Daoist priests who master them know the divine names and their temperaments, and can respectfully summon them according to the ritual schedule, with the hand seals as credentials.
3. Hand seals for subduing malevolent spirits
The purpose of Daoist rituals is to help the people by removing disasters and granting blessings. Daoism believes that disasters often arise because malevolent spirits (yāo mó guǐ guài 妖魔鬼怪) secretly cause harm. Expelling them is an important task in saving people from suffering. Many talismans (fú 符), incantations (zhòu 咒), and ritual implements are specifically used to restrain evil spirits. Hand seals are no exception. Thus there are hand seals like the “Ghost Catching Seal” (zhuō guǐ jué 捉鬼诀), the “Ghost Binding Seal” (fù guǐ jué 缚鬼诀), the “Demon Subduing Seal” (xiáng guǐ yìn 降鬼印), the “Demon Subduing Fan Seal” (xiáng guǐ shàn yìn 降鬼扇印), the “Hungry Ghost Seal” (è guǐ yìn 饿鬼印), and so forth.
4. Hand seals for praying for blessings
People believe in Daoism in order to obtain happiness and well-being. Daoist rituals aim to protect people by subduing demons and supporting them. One method of support is to help the deceased parents and ancestors of living people to gain rebirth and relief from suffering, thereby allowing their descendants to receive blessings.
5. Hand seals guiding believers toward cultivation
For example, the “Tai Chi Seal” (tài jí yìn 太极印), the “Nine-Colored Lotus Seal” (jiǔ sè lián huā yìn 九色莲花印), the “Five-Petaled Lotus Formula” (wǔ pǐn lián huā jué 五品莲花诀), the “Seven-Treasures Forest Formula” (qī bǎo qiān lín jué 七宝骞林诀), the “Compassionate Master Seal” (cí zūn yìn 慈尊印), and the “Facing Heaven Seal” (cháo tiān yìn 朝天印). By using these seals, the practitioner can calm the mind, broaden the heart, reduce selfish thoughts, restrain the six desires (liù yù 六欲), unite the mind with the Way (dào 道), and after long practice, achieve spiritual attainment.
The fundamental Daoist thought behind hand seals is the belief that all things have spirit (wàn wù yǒu líng 万物有灵) and the concept of resonance between heaven and humanity (tiān rén gǎn yìng 天人感应). It holds that heavenly spirits have will, purpose, and a sense of responding to good or bad; that they sympathize with human suffering and care for human happiness, giving appropriate responses based on people’s good or bad deeds — good deeds bring good outcomes, bad deeds bring bad outcomes.
Hand seals are considered to be passed down by the spirits, specialized in communicating with them. “If you have sincerity, it will work” (yǒu chéng zé líng 有诚则灵). Don’t question whether it works or not, don’t focus on testing it, don’t stir up thoughts; the spirits will respond if you earnestly ask. This is the fundamental belief that underlies all Daoist techniques, and hand seals are no exception.
The International Daoist College hosting an Online course teaching the Daoist Hand-seals to the public for the first time. Learn the fundamentals and methods to learn Hand-Seals for internal cultivation, ceremony, ritual, talisman, healing and more.
More information and registration at www.daostudies.com
Written and translated by Xuan Men Jun玄门君 (German Daoist Association)