《黄帝阴符经》

Upper Chapter: Immortals Embracing the One to Expound the Dao

Observing the operating laws of the Dao of Heaven (the Way) and acting in accordance with the Dao of Heaven, the entire principle is contained therein. Heaven has the “Five Thieves” (referring to the forces in heaven and earth that facilitate change); those who clearly discern them can flourish. The action of the Five Thieves is initiated in the human mind and then carried out according to the Dao of Heaven. The cosmos seems as though it is held in one’s hand, and the transformations of the myriad things seem as though they arise from oneself.

The original nature that Heaven bestows upon humans is human nature; the human mind is the hub from which transformations are set in motion. Only by establishing the standards of the Dao of Heaven can human affairs be made stable. When Heaven’s killing mechanism (the force that causes things to perish) is activated, the stars shift their positions and the constellations change; when Earth’s killing mechanism is activated, dragons and snakes emerge from the ground; when the human killing mechanism is activated, heaven and earth undergo drastic changes as if overturned. When Heaven and humans act in concert, the foundation for myriad transformations is thereby laid.

Human nature may be clever or dull, yet both can be gathered in and concealed. The deviant delusions generated by the nine orifices of the body (the openings of the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and so forth) have their key in the three essentials (generally the eyes, ears, and mouth); whether these are made active or kept still, they affect the person’s body and mind. Fire arises from wood; once disaster strikes, it often turns back to injure oneself. Treachery and evil arise within the state; once the timing is set in motion, the state will collapse. Those who understand these principles and cultivate them are called sages. The Dao of Heaven can both generate and nourish the myriad things and cause them to perish; this is the law of the Dao.

Middle Chapter: Enriching the State and Pacifying the People to Expound the Method

Heaven and earth take from and use the myriad things, the myriad things take from and use humans, and humans take from and use the myriad things. If the relationships of taking and using among these three—heaven and earth, the myriad things, and humans—each attain their proper measure, then the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity can be at peace.

Therefore it is said that when eating and drinking accord with the proper seasons, the various parts of the body can be in harmony; when one grasps the crucial point at which transformations are initiated, the transformations of the myriad things can be made stable. People know that there is something marvelous in the marvelous, yet they do not know that things which appear ordinary and unmarvelous are precisely the source from which the marvelous arises. The sun and moon follow regular patterns in their movements, and things both large and small each have their fixed destinies. The accomplishments of the sages arise from this, and the workings of the spiritual and divine also become manifest from this.

The “stealing mechanism” (the key to the mutual taking and using and the transformations among the myriad things) that is hidden within is unseen by the people of the world and difficult to know. When the gentleman comprehends it, he can firmly preserve himself; when the petty person comprehends it, he treats life with contempt.

Lower Chapter: Strengthening the Army and Winning Battles to Expound the Technique

The original text of this chapter is not provided.

The blind are often more skilled at hearing sounds, while the deaf are often more skilled at observing things. If one can cut off any thought of gaining benefit from a single source and concentrate the mind’s energy in one place, the effectiveness of one’s actions can exceed that of ordinary people tenfold; if one can repeatedly contemplate and refine this day and night, the effectiveness can exceed that of ordinary people ten-thousandfold.

Thoughts of the mind arise because of external things and likewise perish because of them; the crucial point lies in what the eyes see. Heaven appears to show no partiality, yet it is precisely for this reason that all things receive its grace. When swift thunder and lightning and violent gales strike, there is nothing among the myriad things that is not startled. At the extreme of joy, one’s nature still retains a surplus; at the extreme of stillness, one’s nature appears pure and upright. The operations of Heaven seem most partial, yet their actual functioning is most impartial.

The key to subduing birds and beasts lies in Qi (vital energy; here referring to breath and imposing presence). Life is the root of death, and death is also the root of life; blessings may arise from harm, and harm may also arise from blessings. Fools regard the patterns and principles of heaven and earth as sagely illumination, yet I consider that observing the sequences of time and the laws of things constitutes true wisdom. Others appear intelligent by relying on conjecture and clever tricks; I appear wise by not employing such tricks. Others hope to become sages; I do not deliberately pursue the title of sage.

Therefore, if one disregards the laws and insists on placing heavy objects into water or throwing combustible materials into fire, one only brings about one’s own destruction. The natural Dao (the Way) is originally still, and thus heaven, earth, and the myriad things are able to come into being. The movements of heaven and earth have their gradual processes, so Yin-Yang alternate, each having periods of flourishing and decline; as Yin and Yang press upon and shift one another, change unfolds smoothly. Therefore the sage, understanding that natural laws cannot be violated, accords with them and puts them to use. The deepest Dao of stillness cannot be fully measured even by calendrical systems.

From this arise wondrous implements, and the myriad phenomena appear accordingly. Within the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and the Jiazi (a system of recording hours and years by means of the heavenly stems and earthly branches) are contained marvelous mechanisms and hidden transformations. The principle of Yin and Yang mutually restraining each other, waxing and waning in turn, is clearly manifested in the forms and transformations of the myriad things.