《太上老君太素经》

Taisu (the primordial state before the formation of heaven, earth, and the myriad things) is vast, luminous, and pure; this state is called the Dao (the Way). At the time of Taisu, Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) begin to circulate, and from this the Dao generates the myriad things. When the myriad things manifest their forms, the Dao then bestows upon them life and order, enabling them to take shape. Thus heaven and earth acquire physical form, and Dao and De (Virtue/Power) become manifest, becoming the principles elaborated in the scriptures (Jing).

The Dao takes naturalness as the greatest, while De takes the prolongation of life as the highest. The Dao produces the One, the One produces the Two, the Two produces the Three, and the Three in turn produces heaven and earth. All things between heaven and earth fill to overflowing; when fullness reaches its extreme they diminish, and after diminishing they return to the root. Therefore heaven covers all things universally, earth supports all things universally, and the sun and moon illuminate all things universally.

To know only the One without understanding that within the One are contained the transformations of the myriad things is an incomplete knowledge. Only by not clinging to the One as the sole answer can one truly comprehend the Dao that has no fixed distinctions. The marvelous workings of the Dao can be penetrated by the worthy and practiced by the sage; therefore they cannot but be understood. The Dao is vast and without form, deeply concealed and without name: beyond heaven and earth it is profound and unfathomable; within heaven and earth it fills the myriad things. There is nowhere between heaven and earth that the Dao is absent; it is not present only here with me, nor does the Dao favor any particular place; likewise it does not uniquely appear in me because I differ from others.

Life is to be cherished, death is to be feared. Plants and trees grow by relying on their roots; if they leave the soil they wither and die. Fish and turtles live by water; if they leave the water they perish. Human beings live by their physical form and also rely on Qi to sustain life; when Qi disperses, the person dies. Therefore the sage understands the importance of Qi to life and regards Qi as a treasure for nourishing the body.

The Great Dao displays the most fundamental laws under heaven, the scriptures state the most important principles under heaven, and those who penetrate the Great Dao take this as sufficient. What others love may be precisely what I worry over; what others cling to may be precisely what I abandon. Only the sage understands the reason for this.

Those of great De are able to bear the greatest infamy under heaven; those of great aspiration are able to bear the greatest humiliation under heaven. Only by being able to endure infamy is it possible to receive the honored emoluments of the world; only by being able to endure humiliation is it possible to become a person of true honor in the world.

The human mind is like water in a vessel: when left still the surface is level and even; when shaken it tilts; when stirred the water becomes turbid, and when allowed to settle it becomes clear again. Governing one’s thoughts is like governing water: if you block it, it stops; if you dredge it, it flows; if you lead it westward, it flows west; if you lead it eastward, it flows east. Therefore the human mind also requires restraint, just as governing water requires dikes and embankments.

The Yi (Book of Changes) has Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate, the fundamental state of the transformations of all things). Taiji is also called Taiyi. Taiyi is the initial state of change; it is vast and clear, with nothing prior to it, and may be described as pure, luminous white Qi. Thereafter comes Taichu, referring to the beginning of Qi; Taishi, referring to the beginning of form; and Taisu, referring to the beginning of material substance. These stages together are called “Yi,” that is, the process of change.

Yi changes into the One, the One changes into the Three, the Three into the Five, the Five into the Seven, the Seven into the Nine. Nine indicates that change has reached its extreme; after the extreme it returns to the One. Here the One refers to Heaven. The light and clear Qi rises upward to become Heaven; the heavy and turbid Qi sinks downward to become Earth; the Qi that occupies the middle and is harmonious forms human beings. When the Qi of heaven and earth intermingle, the myriad things are thereby transformed and generated.

Here ends the Taisu Jing (Scripture of Grand Simplicity) of Taishang Laojun (the Most High Lord Lao).