《元始八威龙文经》

The beginning of the Dao (the Way) cannot be defined by any name; what can appear in form is only the residual trace brought forth by the Dao. To know the beginning of the Dao is to accord with the Primordial Ancestor; to know these manifestations is to match the pivot of Yin-Yang transformation. Fuse the two into one, and one can respond in harmony with Heaven and Earth.

When chaos first opened, it contained a vast emptiness. Profound and mysterious, it is hard to fathom; where its subtle functioning begins is equally hard to explain. After Heaven and Earth had only just been divided, an unfinished residue still remained; in a haze of elusive vagueness, it seemed as though a true presence dwelt within.

The empty valley allows Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) to abide, and Shen and Qi pass in and out through the gate of life and death. In cultivating and refining oneself one must not grow slack; only by guarding with care can one hold fast to the root.

When the Mysterious Female (Xuanpin, the source that generates the myriad things) unites, Qi blends together, and from this Shen condenses into a form of its own. How could one grow distant and cast aside the root that lies nearest? One ought to abandon the false and follow the true. One who understands the source of the ceaseless engendering of creative transformation can bring change within oneself. Heaven descends and Earth ascends; sun and moon circle about; thunder stirs into motion. Who can fathom the principle of their working? Without a word, it benefits all living beings; this functioning serves the shared vitality of the world.

Within elusive vagueness, Shen is born from fire; within deep darkness, Jing (essence) is born from water. Fire flames upward and, passing through the “seven returns,” gives birth to Shen; water flows downward and, returning to the “six abodes,” gives birth to Jing. When Shen and Jing meet, they can commune with the numinous subtlety of Heaven and Earth.

Hearing a jumble of clamor depletes the emptiness and stillness within; gazing upon beautiful forms dissipates Jing and Qi. One who understands this turns back and gathers the self inward.

Note: After “the sixth” in the original, a passage on water and fire and on Shen and Jing, identical with the fifth, is repeated; the above retains its sense according to the original. The sentence “One who hears a mingled resonance…” likewise has repeated wording mixed into it, and the translation has been rendered continuously according to the sense of what precedes and follows.

Hearing a clamor of mingled sounds depletes the emptiness and stillness within; seeing forms of beauty consumes Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). One who understands this turns back and restrains oneself, not letting Shen (spirit) follow where desire leads. Only then can one hold fast to oneself and not be easily changed; preserve the bodily form, nurture life, and not allow thought to rush about without rest. When reflection is disordered, one forgets oneself and life is worn away. How, then, can one fail to guard one’s original nature with care and preserve the honesty within?

Yang Qi stirs and Yin Qi lies still; only when these two aspects of Yin-Yang answer one another, above and below, are the myriad things brought into being. If there is stillness alone and no activity, how can the myriad things grow? If there is activity alone and no stillness, how can there be repose? The firm and the yielding work together; without deliberate action (Wuwei, non-action), they nonetheless bring the myriad things to completion.

Seven

Only when it is empty and not full can fire arise; only when it is still and unmoving can water become clear. One who understands this, with temperament at peace, can commune with Shen (the inner spirit); when the mind is tranquil, Qi (the vital energy of life, as Daoism speaks of it) can circulate smoothly.

These words reach far in meaning. One who understands knows that guarding the body is not equal to guarding the spirit: by letting Shen govern Qi, and then bringing Qi into accord with the true Dao (the Way), such a person is called a perfected person (one whose cultivation has reached a high realm), like a child and its mother who are never parted.

Eight

Bring the beginning into accord with the end, and gather the myriad things back into the One. The mystery of gathering and dispersal can enable one to understand the changes of emptiness and substance between Heaven and Earth. In this way, fire cannot burn the body, nor can water drown it.