《黄帝阴符经注(刘处玄)》

Preface to the Commentary on the Yellow Emperor's Hidden Talisman Classic

This scripture is named Commentary on the Yellow Emperor's Hidden Talisman Classic (Huangdi Yinfu Jing Zhu). It was written by Changshengzi Liu Chuxuan and completed during the Mingchang period of Emperor Zhangzong of the Jin dynasty. The entire work consists of one volume. The base text is collected in the Jade Instructions category of the Dongzhen (Dongzhen) section of the Zhengtong Daozang. The Zhonghua Daozang also includes this scripture.

The Yinfu Zhenjing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman, also called the Yinfu Jing) runs to just over three hundred characters. Its words are brief, yet its meaning is thorough, and its language is profound, yet its teaching is complete. The pivot between growth and decline in heaven and earth, the transformations of Yin-Yang (阴阳) and the principles by which the myriad things are created, along with subtle applications and methods of cultivation, are all contained within this one scripture.

Tradition holds that Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor, received this true scripture while resting in stillness and emptiness of mind amid the affairs of state. He then went to Mount Kongtong to seek instruction from Tianzhen Huangren and Master Guangcheng. Having grasped the true meaning of the text, he practiced it diligently, and in time he rode a fire dragon up to heaven from Tripod Lake. In this way the scripture came to be handed down in the world.

Later seekers of immortality and devotees of the Dao (道, the Way) who could quietly grasp its mysteries and probe deeply into its meaning were often able to rise beyond the dust of the world and ascend into the void. Such people were not few. Yet over thousands of years, very few have written commentaries on this scripture or explained it in plain language. Existing explanations often rely on many metaphors and wide-ranging, roundabout citations, without revealing its true meaning. Students of the Dao have thus been bewildered by the multitude of interpretations. Some toil over it into old age and gain nothing, and the more deeply they press, the more confused they become, so that countless numbers have given up halfway. Some have even called the immortals' scripture empty talk, which is truly regrettable.

The Perfected Man Liu Changsheng of Shenshan (Liu Chuxuan) was upright in conduct and broad in learning, well versed in matters ancient and modern, and had inwardly realized the principles of the Dao and De (德, Virtue). He devoted himself to study and explored its deep and hidden places, then wrote a commentary on this scripture. He made its principles clear and easy to understand, and easy to put into practice, so as to help students of the Dao in later generations. This may be said to embody the painstaking care of a benevolent person.

Bi Shouzhen of Jinan asked me, Fan Yi, to write a preface, hoping that this commentary would circulate widely and serve as a guide for students of the Dao. If students read this text carefully, they will be able to resolve their doubts and clear away their confusion. All of them will be able to free themselves from worldly bonds, enter the true realm of cultivation, and wander at ease in the boundless expanse of primordial chaos between heaven and earth.

Written on the sixteenth day of the second month of the xinhai year of the Mingchang era (1191) by Fan Yi (courtesy name Deyu), Instructor of the Ninghai Prefectural School.

The Upper Chapter on Immortals Embracing the One to Elucidate the Dao

To observe the Heavenly Dao and follow it in one’s actions is to attain completeness.

The “observing” spoken of here means that the five eyes are all perfectly complete and luminously clear. When one clearly perceives the five eyes of wisdom—the heavenly eye, the wisdom eye, the dharma eye, the Dao eye, and the spirit eye—and these five lights thoroughly penetrate, the Five Aggregates (the five categories of elements that constitute the human body and experience) return to emptiness, and thus one is able to see the Heavenly Dao. Within Heaven there is still a Heaven beyond Heaven, located above the earth. Pure Qi (vital energy) is Heaven; at its highest point, spanning eighty-four thousand li, lies the High Heaven. Each human body receives one Qi from Heaven, and this Qi varies in thickness and thinness: when Qi is harmonious and freely circulating, one may be born as a worthy person or a sage; when Qi is rebellious, chaotic, and dissipated, one sinks into becoming a ghost.

The Dao (the Way) is the empty, formless original substance that exists beyond Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things. When this is applied to the human person, if one can briefly glimpse the vast realm of emptiness and stillness and observe it with an empty mind, then human nature can unite with the Dao. “Holding” means to guard what is real and not to practice falsehood; it means to comprehend the correct Dao and not to follow deviant paths.

“Heaven” refers to that which gives birth to and nurtures the myriad things. Heaven gives birth to and nurtures all things yet does not possess them or make demands; it relieves the people of the ten directions and three realms (terms from Buddhist and Daoist scriptures denoting the levels of the cosmos) without expecting any reward in return. As long as sentient beings understand the principle of the Heavenly Dao, they have thoroughly grasped it. This requires that people neither hate nor favor any among the myriad things, remaining impartial like Heaven itself. Humans possess emotions; if they can realize that the Heavenly Dao is selfless and unbiased, this is to repay Heaven’s grace. If one does not follow Heaven’s principle and instead indulges in turbidity, wickedness, perversity, and lust, one will suffer many illnesses, die prematurely, sink into hell to endure all manner of suffering, and afterwards fall into the animal realm (beings other than humans), thereby losing the human body.

If one follows the Heavenly Dao and constantly practices good, Qi will become harmonious; if one constantly keeps the inner mind pure and still, the mind-nature will become bright and clear; if one can constantly forget the entanglements of private feelings, one can preserve life; if one constantly remains unstained by defilement, one can understand the Great Dao; if one constantly does not violate Heaven’s precepts, there will be no sin. Do not merely cultivate in search of worldly blessings and rewards; rather, embrace and hold fast to the Great Dao and preserve the true nature. Do not become lost in side-door minor methods; rather, suddenly awaken to the Dao of Wuwei (non-action). In this way, one can remain unconstrained by the three realms and attain liberation.

Heaven has Five Thieves; those who are able to see them clearly will prosper.

Heaven has the “five thieves.” Here the word “thief” does not refer to worldly robbers, nor to the “six thieves” of the human body (a term commonly used in Buddhist and Daoist traditions for the six sensory desires that disturb the mind and spirit). What, then, does it mean? Heaven possesses the orthodox Qi (vital energy) of the five directions (the pure and upright Qi circulating through the five directions of heaven and earth), which within the human body is the root of Shen (spirit). It circulates with the heavens, naturally operating, waxing and waning through the twelve double-hours, its mysteries inexhaustible; this operation may be described as the formless “Wu” (non-being).

Yin-Yang Qi is transmitted between heaven and earth, and from this the refined and outstanding Qi generates the myriad things. Humans eat the five grains to nourish the body; the essence of the five grains remains within the body and becomes the root that sustains life. When life is nourished by nature (the inner essential nature), it can endure; when nature finds support in life, longevity is attained. The so-called “life” is like the turtle of the North Sea; Ding Weng constantly embraces it, and thus it is able to take form. Here the turtle and Ding Weng serve as a metaphor, illustrating that the true Yang Qi must be nurtured in order to condense and take shape.

The so-called “five thieves” are the true Yang Qi within the human body. When Heaven’s true Yang meets true Yin, the five thieves can obtain the treasure of the North Sea. If one can guard this treasure, life will flourish, just as the myriad things grow by drawing upon the Qi of heaven and earth.

The five thieves reside in the heart and operate in accordance with the Dao (the Way) of Heaven; the cosmos of heaven and earth seems as if held in one’s own hands, and the transformations of the myriad things arise from oneself.

The so-called “five thieves in the heart” means that the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) have reversed their course within a person’s body and mind. If they follow their proper principle, the true water in the heart can ascend; if their movement is inverted, the orifices of the heart become blocked and the kidney water flows downward, which is the path toward death. All people in the world who do not understand the Dao (the Way) of the sages and do not cultivate the Dao are in this situation.

Since ancient times, the worthy and accomplished individuals who have realized the Dao have often held differing views; worldly people each cling to their own opinions and distinguish superiority and inferiority among themselves. The orthodox Dao can accommodate heterodox teachings, yet heterodox teachings frequently slander the orthodox Dao. I regard those heterodox methods as comparable to the faint glow emitted by fireflies. In the dark of night this faint light can still be seen; but if the radiance of sun and moon illuminates the ten directions and three realms (a term from Buddhist and Daoist scriptures referring to the vast cosmos), can one still see the fireflies?

The sages grasp the laws of cosmic Yin-Yang transformations, causing Heaven and Earth to unite in harmonious smoothness, with all myriad changes arising from themselves and manifesting into form. Among all things, only humans are the most honored. If a person can seize the mechanism of creation, cultivate inwardly, and accomplish a “body beyond the body” that transcends the physical flesh, this is called attaining the Dao. If they can comprehend all myriad transformations, outwardly rescue all beings and pity sentient creatures, and understand that worldly glory is like golden cangues and jade fetters (shackles), flint-sparks (fleeting flashes of fire), and wind-lamps (lamps flickering in the wind, easily extinguished), they can then keep far from turbidity and evil and draw near to purity and goodness. Outwardly they observe human ethics, inwardly they cultivate the Dao of the Most High, realizing the true essence transmitted by the patriarchs and the Buddhist school, causing all methods to return to one principle; dwelling in the dusty world yet with originally pure nature, like a lotus emerging from water, this is called preserving De (Virtue/Power). This is the lucid and penetrating realm of the zhi-xian (cultivators of the immortal Dao) who comprehend all myriad transformations.

The nature bestowed by Heaven is the human being; the human heart is the pivotal mechanism that initiates transformations. Only by establishing the standards of the Heavenly Dao can the human heart be stabilized.

People's innate natures differ in goodness and wickedness, and in degree as well. Each longs for the civil or the martial, the Daoist or the worldly, the noble or the humble, the high or the low. Since ancient times, people have been reborn again and again, changing bodies and forms, circling endlessly like ants going round in a ring. The activity of the human heart shifts from day to day: some are clever, others clumsy; some upright, others crooked; some deep, others shallow. There are the kind and the cruel, the filial and the disobedient, the generous and the narrow-minded, those with strengths and those with shortcomings, the clear and upright and the murky, the wise and the foolish, each with their own loves and hatreds and their own judgments of right and wrong. By observing a person's thoughts and conduct, one can come to know their temperament.

Follow the Dao of Heaven (the pattern by which heaven and earth operate and bring forth the myriad things) in order to govern the world. The Dao of Heaven seems utterly unknowing and never displays its own kindness; yet it makes spring mild, summer warm, autumn cool, and winter cold. The four seasons change without cease, nourishing the myriad things and sustaining human life. Wealthy households wear brocade and eat fine food, while poor and humble ones eat coarse grain and wear rough cloth, each living according to their circumstances. The Dao (the Way) gives birth to the myriad things, and its unadorned qi (vital energy) disperses to become all manner of objects, which also adorn the human world, making life like a profusion of flowers and embroidered silk and bringing joy to the people. This is how the Dao of Heaven arranges all things in the world.

The wise understand the principle of the Dao of Heaven and quietly act in accordance with the Dao; without proclaiming it, they still do good. They follow the De (Virtue) of harmony and do not let others know what they have done; their vast blessings seek no repayment. When people act according to the Dao of Heaven, they can use their own virtue to help others and settle their hearts. Within, one must also hold penetrating wisdom, understanding the countless transformations and grasping the many principles; toward the myriad things one harbors no selfish thought, and amid the clamor of the world one remains untainted. Nature is connected to life, life to Heaven, Heaven to the Dao, and the Dao to Ziran (spontaneity, naturalness). One who preserves the Dao within and preserves De without is called a sage of virtue.

When the Dao of Heaven reveals its moment of lethal severity, dragons and snakes appear on dry land; when people stir up thoughts of killing and conquest, heaven and earth likewise turn over and are thrown into upheaval.

When Heaven and Earth stir the Qi (vital energy) of autumnal severity and killing, the climate changes: when summer heat reaches its extreme, it turns to coolness; coolness then becomes the autumn wind. Autumn Qi turns into the cold Qi of winter, and the myriad trees wither and fall; the dragon coils in the depths of the great sea, and the snake hibernates in a deep, secluded cave. At the winter solstice, Yang Qi begins to sprout, and warming Qi gradually increases; by the spring equinox, the myriad things begin to germinate, and dragons and snakes emerge from their places of hibernation onto the land.

When a person stirs the “killing mechanism,” this refers to the fact that human original nature is originally pure Yang and spiritually luminous, yet the human heart often greedily clings to the myriad things of the world, sinking into this dusty realm—this “house of fire” (a metaphor in Buddhist and Daoist texts for worldly life filled with affliction). Drawn by affection and the seven emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire), people contend for fame and profit and become infatuated with the various pleasures of wine, sex, wealth, and anger. These passions and desires have no end; thought follows upon thought, and all of them belong to Yin Qi.

When original nature is drawn by Yin Qi, downward the golden tortoise in the sea of the kidneys (here a cultivation term referring to a symbol associated with the Jing-Qi of the kidneys) leaks outward; upward the jade mercury in the layered towers (a designation for the throat) is consumed (a cultivation term referring to symbolic Jing-Qi). In this way the spirit-soul becomes confused and disordered, the essence-soul scatters and is lost, and true nature loses its mastery. When external Yin Qi is vigorous, internal Yang Qi weakens; as a person pursues external things, they ultimately head toward decline and death, sinking into the Yin realm.

If a person can suddenly awaken to the ultimate Dao (the Way), thoroughly seeing through the formed appearances of the myriad things, this is called “Yang killing its Yin”—that is, using the luminous Yang nature to eliminate the domination of Yin desires. At this time, original nature is as bright and pure as the full moon, the mind-state is as clear and empty as the sky without a cloud for ten thousand li, and light naturally appears, illuminating the densely arrayed myriad phenomena.

When a person stirs this “killing mechanism” and completely disperses the assembled Yins, the hun-spirit naturally becomes clear and bright, the jing-po naturally becomes settled and stable, and Yin-Yang accordingly transform; Heaven and Earth seem to invert, and creation is generated anew. Once the three elixirs (a cultivation term for the successive stages of condensation of Jing, Qi, and Shen) have formed, the person can then escape the bodily shell of Heaven and Earth, slough off the old form, and manifest the true body beyond the physical body (the true body spoken of in cultivation scriptures, which transcends the constraints of form).

When Heaven and humanity jointly stir transformation, the foundation of the myriad changes is thereby laid.

"Heaven and humanity" (tianren) means that a person's nature is in communion with the Dao (the Way) of Heaven. When a person responds and stirs in resonance with the myriad things, the mind throws itself entirely into external objects. Yet if one can understand the many circumstances of the human world, one will see that flourishing and decline, favor and disgrace, success and failure, fortune and misfortune, joy and sorrow, life and death are all changes common to past and present alike.

If one can penetrate the principle of Heaven, one will understand that true flourishing never declines, true favor never turns to disgrace, true success never fails, true fortune never invites calamity, true joy never turns to sorrow, and true life never perishes. This is to understand the constancy of the great Dao, which never changes. The Dao is constant, yet it runs through ten thousand transformations; by holding fast to the root of one's nature, one can move freely through change. When one's nature reaches its greatest depth, it is no longer bound by external things, and all transformations flow through it naturally. It is like the many branches of a stream, which in the end all empty into the Yangtze, the Yellow River, the Huai, and the Ji, and then flow on into the sea, merging into one. This is called "deep penetration."

Human nature includes both cleverness and clumsiness, and both can be gathered in and concealed.

The ancients who awakened to the Dao were inwardly clever by nature, skilled at adapting to circumstances, offering expedient help, and showing compassion for others; outwardly, however, they appeared clumsy and unwilling to display themselves, hiding their inner brilliance rather than flaunting it. Heshang Gong said that this is like fine jade hidden within stone, or a bright pearl concealed in a mussel shell. Birds, too, show such differences: the clever parrot can speak yet is shut up in a cage, while the clumsy turtledove has a dull call yet moves freely among the branches. Thus when people deliberately display cleverness, they often invite many misfortunes; those who preserve their genuineness and appear clumsy gain instead the blessing of tranquility.

Heaven does not speak, yet it turns and transforms of its own accord; Heaven has no private feelings, yet it endures without decay. If a person wishes to understand the Dao of Heaven, they should forget speech, and so probe the mysteries of creation and transformation; they should forget emotional attachment, and so grasp the original state that has existed since ancient times. The more a person desires, the more cunning they become, and the more faults they commit; the deeper their attachments, the more sorrows they suffer. Forgetting worldly entanglements and severing attachment is an essential means of delighting in cultivation of the Dao and preserving one's life.

The perversities that arise from the nine orifices (the nine openings of the human body) hinge on the "three essentials" (commonly understood as the eyes, ears, and mouth), which can be regulated by setting them in motion or stilling them. The original text goes on to say that the nine orifices are the passages through which Yang qi (vital energy) flows; when they are not open, it is as though they were blocked by Yin malevolence. The human heart-mind is by nature empty; if external things are allowed to fill it, many sorrows will take root.

The nine orifices are nine Yang passages that connect a person to the outer world; if they are not opened, they become nine places blocked by Yin and malign influence. The human heart-mind may seem an empty, formless space within a single square inch, yet it holds a spiritual luminosity. A person of the highest kind has nine apertures in the heart, a person of middling kind has seven, and a person of the lowest kind has five. One with no apertures of the heart at all is called a fool.

Malign Yin clouds and muddies a person's inborn nature; when pure Yang qi (Qi) rises, the spirit (Shen) becomes clear and bright. The key lies in the "Three Essentials" (the three points that must be grasped in cultivation). The light of heaven comes from the sun, moon, and stars; the treasures of earth are gold, jade, and precious things; and the true substances that the Dao (the Way) reaches and penetrates are lead and mercury. From this one can come to understand movement and stillness: when heaven moves, the sun, moon, and stars shine; when earth is at rest, its treasures appear; and when one reaches a realm of subtle clarity, the Three Spirits coalesce.

"Movement" here refers to the activity of the body, while "stillness" refers to the steadiness of one's inborn nature. The sages of old withdrew from the world to live in seclusion; even when they mingled with ordinary life, their hearts were not disturbed, and even when they dwelt in the mountains, they did not cling to outward quietude. They understood that one can remain inwardly still amid turmoil, and that one can remain open and unaffected by clamor within the peace of Wuwei (non-action). When one no longer clings to either movement or stillness, one can appreciate the wonder of the constant Dao.

Fire arises from wood, and once calamity breaks out, it brings harm. Treachery breeds within a state, and when the moment arrives, the state collapses. Only one who understands these principles and cultivates accordingly can be called a sage.

Fire symbolizes the thoughts of the mind, which keep shifting whenever a person comes into contact with the world. Human nature is not originally as easily consumed by evil thoughts as firewood is by flame. But once ignorance (wuming: confusion and dullness of mind) arises, the fire of the heart burns and wounds one's original nature. Calamity begins here: the lines of the hexagram come into conflict, good fortune turns to danger, and blessings are lost, inviting disaster. What is called "conflict" (ke) is the harming and wounding of one's true nature.

When treacherous people appear in a state, the Taishang Jing (Jing, the scripture) says: "To govern a state without cleverness and scheming is the state's blessing; to govern a state with cleverness and scheming is the state's curse." If sycophantic and deceitful people hold power, it is hard to keep the people at peace, and once circumstances shift, the state is bound to collapse. Foolish people who act against principle and disturb the world will in the end suffer punishment. If a ruler governs not through cleverness but through purity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action), the people will be settled and the world at peace.

The cultivation spoken of here does not mean smelting the five metals and eight minerals (the Waidan, or external alchemy, of refining metals and ores). It means cultivating one's nature and life. Through it one comes to understand the principles of things and grasp the profound mystery, which the Three Teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism) all call awakening to the Dao (the Way). To keep always a heart that wishes to rescue all beings and pities the people of the world, and to know to be grateful for the grace of Heaven, is called accumulating De (Virtue).

It is said that after the Yellow Emperor awakened to the Dao, he left behind the Yinfu Jing. In the Zhou dynasty, the Golden Wheel King awakened to the Buddha's teaching and left behind the Diamond Sutra (Jingang Jing); having become a Buddha, he was called Shakyamuni Buddha. The Diamond Sutra is divided into thirty-two sections that expound its principles, aiming to dissolve the notions of self, of others, of sentient beings, and of lifespan (attachment to oneself, to others, to living beings, and to life itself). When these four notions are eliminated, the mind is free of all faults. It is like a sky without clouds: the nature is clear as the bright moon, and the complete, luminous original nature naturally appears.

The nature of the mind is like the root of a tree, the body is like the form of the tree, and the various methods and rules are like its branches and leaves. The principles of creation and transformation taught in the Yinfu Jing are like the blossoming of flowers and the bearing of fruit. When people of the world study the Dao, some feel they cannot fully understand its principles, so each clings to one part, whether root, tip, branch, leaf, flower, or fruit, considering themselves right and condemning others as wrong. As long as the four notions have not been removed from the mind, such practice belongs to the side paths (pangmen).

The operational laws of creation unfold like a flower that blossoms and then bears fruit. People who study the Dao often believe they cannot fully grasp all of its principles, and so each clings to a particular aspect—the roots, the tips, the branches and leaves, or the blooming and fruiting—insisting that they themselves are right and others wrong. Those who still harbor these four attachments in their hearts belong to the heterodox side paths.

In the chapter “Expounding the Method of Enriching the State and Pacifying the People”:

That which causes the myriad things to grow also causes them to perish; this is the law of the Dao (the Way). Heaven and Earth take from and make use of the myriad things, the myriad things take from and make use of human beings, and human beings take from and make use of the myriad things. When these three modes of taking and using among Heaven and Earth, the myriad things, and human beings each attain what is appropriate, the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity can be at peace.

Here the “Three Powers” refer to Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, while the “Three Thieves” describe the relationship of mutual taking and using, of reciprocal interaction, among Heaven and Earth, the myriad things, and human beings.

Heaven can give birth to the myriad things, and it can also bring them to decline and death. In spring the climate is mild, and so all things grow. By late autumn, when the metal wind (the autumn wind) blows, all things wither. This is the stern, killing power of Heaven. The principle of life and death is simply the natural operation of Heaven and Earth, and does not arise from any deliberate design.

The myriad things of Heaven and Earth follow the changes of the four seasons and take part in the work of creation and transformation, and through this all things come into being. Within them is stored the essential qi (Qi, vital energy) of Heaven and Earth and of Yin-Yang (Yin and Yang), and the myriad things rely on this essence to grow. Human beings draw what they need from the myriad things, and in doing so they also take up the essence within them, consuming the vital energy that Heaven and Earth have bestowed.

If a person dispels desire, keeps to stillness, and guards their life, they can avoid excessive depletion. But people covet the beauty of the myriad things: the eyes chase after every color, the ears are lost in every sound, the tongue craves every flavor, and people revel in rich, pungent foods and in eating to excess. To indulge wayward thoughts and sink into desire is to injure one's life, and when joy reaches its extreme, it may turn into sorrow. If one can take worldly affairs lightly and grasp the principle within them, so that the heart is not drawn along by external things, then external things cannot rob one of one's essence (Jing).

When Heaven, Earth, and humanity each take what is fitting, the supreme treasure of creation and transformation that can be obtained is without limit. Its preciousness cannot be measured even by ten thousand hu of pearls. When the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and humanity) are settled, one takes refuge in the Three Sages, understands the teaching of the Three Vehicles, and grasps the Way of the Three Sovereigns. One then sets the Three Lights (sun, moon, and stars) in motion, reverses the Three Carts, and tills and refines the Three Fields (the upper, middle, and lower Dantian, or energy centers in the body). The three fires circulate through the celestial cycle, the Three Elixirs condense within the furnace, and the spirit (Shen) and qi manifest the Three Yangs and ascend to the Three Heavens. In this way one can reach a state of true immortality, living without perishing, and in the end become one with the Dao (the Way), body and mind at peace.

Therefore it is said: eat in accord with the seasons, and the parts of the body will be harmonized; seize the moment when things are set in motion, and the myriad transformations will be settled.

People know that the numinous can manifest its numinous power, but they do not know that what seems formless and without action is the very root from which that numinous power arises.

Eating and drinking should follow one's natural inclinations. When hungry, do not cling to fine dishes when they appear, and do not scorn coarse fare. Sleep when tired, sing when at leisure, and chant verses when the heart is at ease. Sit when you wish to sit, lie down when you wish to lie down, stay when you wish to stay, and walk when you wish to walk. Let the body be unconstrained and free to stretch, and every part of it will come into harmony. Throughout the twelve double-hours of the day, whatever scene you face, keep the true mind clear and still. The body may move along with external things, but the mind must not be moved by them. Only when the luminous true nature shows itself within does the body act in response to outer things.

What is called "the pivot" (ji) is named "wisdom" by sages and gentlemen, "strategy" by generals, "the pivot" by ordinary people, and "slipping away" by petty people. The wisdom of the sage is empty and bright, penetrating the profound principles of the Dao (the Way), though most people can hardly grasp it fully. Sages hold a subtle wisdom, and their words answer each situation at the right moment. Those who believe follow them, and the good comply, and so they understand the order of things and transform the multitude. If one can awaken suddenly, the mind settles into stillness, and the Dao arises from this.

People know that spirits have a wondrous quality, yet they often take spirits to be merely external deities, supposing that carved wooden or molded clay images are the gods. The foolish do not understand that each fault they commit invites a measure of misfortune. They slaughter pigs and sheep, burn great quantities of paper money and paper horses, and pray to the gods: they ask for safety when ill and for blessings when in trouble. They do not realize that the true root of the spirits' efficacy does not lie in such outward rituals.

Nor do they understand that the Dao, supremely Yang and supremely divine in the heavens, has its own stations and secretly observes the good and evil of the human world. When people do good, within three years, or even before a thousand days have passed, they will receive good fortune. When people do evil, within a thousand days, or even before three years have passed, they will meet with disaster.

People do not realize that the most spiritually bright and penetrating of all things is in fact the self. A person's original spirit (yuanshen, the inner primordial spirit) possesses a radiance that reaches through heaven and earth. The sages and worthies of old all passed from the ordinary state into sagehood by awakening to the Dao and cultivating the truth. From the first Buddha of the Western Heaven (the Western Pure Land of Buddhism) down to the twenty-eighth generation, all were ordinary beings before they practiced. Later they purified the six roots (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind), perfected the five eyes (the five kinds of wisdom-sight in Buddhism), and eliminated the four marks (attachments to self and to external things), and for this reason they were called Buddhas.

The Buddha is the nature of the human being. Nature is Shen (spirit), and Shen is nature; only the names differ. The Buddhist school speaks of eliminating the four marks and calls the result a Buddha, while the Daoist school speaks of forgetting the four marks and calls the result an immortal.

The sun and moon each move according to their own pattern, and things great and small each have a fixed measure. The sage follows the Way of Heaven to accomplish great works, and from this, spiritual and wondrous effects become manifest.

The sun and moon each move according to their own pattern. At the summer solstice, daytime lasts sixty ke, then gradually shortens; this is when Yin qi begins to arise. At the winter solstice, daytime lasts only forty ke, then gradually lengthens; this is when Yang qi begins to arise. In the mao hour the sun rises from the Eastern Sea, and in the you hour it sets behind the Western Mountains. The Qingjing Jing (Classic of Purity and Tranquility) says: "The Great Dao has no partiality; the sun and moon move according to its rule." The "sun" mentioned here refers to the movement of wisdom-light, which waxes and wanes, each with its fixed measure; the "moon" is a metaphor for human life.

When a man reaches the age of sixteen, the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) in his kidneys are full, like obtaining "two-eights true gold" (a metaphor for the age of sixteen and a state of abundant essence and qi). If he does not awaken to the truth that the Great Dao is without feeling and unmoved by desire, his Jing and Qi will gradually be depleted: one tael lost every three years, until the essence and qi of eight times eight years, corresponding to the sixty-four hexagrams, are exhausted, and the kidney's essence and qi dry up. With excessive desire, life is cut short before the essence and qi are even used up; with reduced desire, longevity is aided. When essence and qi are full and then decline, a person dies; one who can preserve fullness and not allow it to diminish can prolong life.

Great and small each have their fixed measure. The great is the Great Dao; the Great Dao is vast and encompasses Heaven and Earth. The small is the subtle principle: probing its fine wonders, one can penetrate to the tiniest hair-tip. When it moves, even Heaven and Earth cannot measure it; when it acts, even ghosts and spirits cannot see it. It rests naturally within the square inch (referring to the heart-mind, or the body and mind as a whole), and from this the sage's achievements arise; this is the working of the Way of Heaven. The Way of Heaven bestows its grace widely, causing the myriad things to grow, while also aiding people and nurturing their bodies. Through this sacred Way, the sage accomplishes great works and helps people cultivate their true nature, and the wondrous effects of Shen (spirit) appear accordingly. When hidden, the Shen (spirit) roams through the three palaces (in Daoist inner cultivation, often referring to the upper, middle, and lower palaces); when manifest, supernormal powers reach the farthest corners of the eight directions.

This function of stealing the pivot of creation and transformation cannot be seen by anyone in the world, nor can anyone know it.

When the junzi (superior person) obtains it, they can remain at peace amid hardship; when the xiaoren (petty person) obtains it, they come to treat life lightly.

This passage explains that "stealing the opportune moment of Heaven and Earth's creative transformation" means following the laws by which all things grow and change. The Qi (气, vital energy) of Heaven and Earth nourishes the myriad things, yet people often cannot see this grace, and may not understand it. The foolish believe they simply feed themselves, and do not realize that Heaven and Earth sustain all things and bring them to flourish through spring planting and autumn harvest, summer growth and winter storage, and through frost, snow, rain, and dew.

Those who can sense the favor of Heaven are clear and open in mind and nature. Even in hardship, the noble person holds to the right path. By investigating principle thoroughly and understanding it, such a person comprehends the workings of Heaven and Earth, and through them the transformations of all things, reaching a state of spiritual illumination (shen ming). Responding to change as the moment requires, they nourish all things just as Heaven and Earth send down frost, snow, rain, and dew in their proper seasons. The noble person holds fast to singleness and never departs from the Dao (道, the Way), quietly cultivating their true nature and returning to simplicity.

The petty person who gains this power, however, holds life in contempt. When powerful, such a person deceives Heaven and Earth, shows no reverence for the sages and worthies, disregards the laws of the state, and acts without benevolence or righteousness. Concerned only with their own strength, they harm others, injuring both the myriad things and other people. When their offenses have accumulated to the extreme, they will in the end suffer Heaven's retribution. The noble person values their inborn nature and so attains the way of the sages and worthies, while the petty person despises life and finally falls into rebirth as an animal (a non-human being).

"Chapter on Strengthening the Army and Winning Battles: Demonstrating the Art, Part Two"

The blind hear acutely, and the deaf see keenly. If one cuts off the pull of a single sense and gathers the strength of the mind into one source, then the use of military force will achieve ten times its effect; applied repeatedly day and night, its effect can reach ten thousand times.

The blind hear acutely because the eyes are like windows through which the five organs observe the outside world; when the breath flows freely, one can see external things. If one blocks the line of sight, as when a paper screen or mat holds back the wind, one becomes like the blind and cannot see outside things. When external scenes no longer enter the mind, one can concentrate strength within the inner realm of emptiness and stillness, and bring forth a ten-thousandfold effect.

The blind are sometimes, on the contrary, good at listening to sounds. The eyes are like windows through which the five viscera look outward, and only when Qi (vital energy) flows freely can one see things outside. If paper or a mat blocks one's sight, one is like a blind person and cannot see external things. When outer scenes do not enter the mind, the mind can hear the clear sounds within emptiness and stillness, that is, it becomes skilled at hearing the sound of silence.

The deaf are sometimes, on the contrary, good at observing. Yet when worldly habits reach the ear, a person's mind becomes as if deaf; if the mind holds thoughts of the Dao (the Way), then even when it hears wicked and deluded words, it remains undisturbed, as though it had heard nothing. By using right principle to discern and choose what is good, the ear's openings become unobstructed. This is like cutting through a wall so that light may shine in from outside. To see what has neither form nor image is precisely to understand the subtle and profound principle of the indistinct and obscure.

"Cut off profit at its single source" means severing the mind that covets gain, so that the heart becomes tranquil and balanced. It can also be understood as ceasing to hoard wealth, and instead reducing one's surplus in order to help those in need.

"Employ the army tenfold" means that the effects and benefits gained from deploying troops or laboring forces should be weighed at double their measure. The scripture goes on to say that reaching Tianming (a state of quiet and luminous clarity) brings tenfold effect, and that benefiting all beings and cherishing others likewise brings tenfold blessings.

"Three reversals of day and night" means practicing three times, day and night, in repetition. The first corresponds to Shangyuan (the Upper Origin, the office of the deity who bestows blessings): blessings are received, and the breath descends and becomes clear and harmonious. The second corresponds to Zhongyuan (the Middle Origin, the office of the deity who pardons sins): offenses are forgiven, and the Shen (spirit) becomes numinous and penetrating. The third corresponds to Xiayuan (the Lower Origin, the office of the deity who dispels calamity): calamities dissolve, one's fate flows freely, and Yin energy turns into Yang energy.

The scripture also says, "Employ the army ten-thousandfold." When people trade goods, they endure every hardship and still may not secure even a single measure of profit. By contrast, awakening to the Dao and cultivating truth can make one's nature and life whole, bringing boundless fortune and longevity, a dwelling in immortal palaces and treasure realms, and the riches and honors of heaven. Compared with seeking worldly gain, such blessings exceed ten thousand times over. The scripture uses the images of "seas turning into mulberry fields" and "dwelling forever in the land without night" to describe their endurance and splendor.

The mind arises because of external things, and it also perishes because of them; the crux lies in what the eyes see and the thoughts that follow from it.

Once the mind is stirred by external things, it clings to them and forgets to return to the original mind that lies beyond them. If the mind can bring its attachments to rest, it can commune with the numinous. Ordinary people seek only to live, and in doing so drive their nature toward a dead end. Those who understand the Dao (the Way) can abide calmly in the principle of life and death, and so their Shen (spirit) roams within the vital stirrings of life. The Dao and the common world treat life and death in different ways, and the two stand opposed. The crux lies beyond the eyes: the eyes see external things, and the mind moves in response. Chasing profit may invite disaster, and greed readily provokes strife. When one observes the numinous with the eye of wisdom and understands the celestial mechanism (the key to the workings of heaven and earth), one can grasp the subtlety of the Dao and forget both self and things. The cleverness of the world benefits oneself at others' expense, whereas a mechanism in accord with the Dao costs oneself something and benefits others.

The Way of Heaven seems to bestow no favor, yet from this it brings forth vast beneficence. When sudden thunder crashes and fierce winds rise, there is nothing among the myriad things that does not stir in response.

The Way of Heaven spreads primordial Qi (vital energy), the root energy from which heaven and earth generate all things, to transform and bring forth the myriad things, yet it does not claim them as its own. For this reason it seems to give no favor, and yet it accomplishes vast beneficence. Without the Qi of heaven and earth, the myriad things could not be transformed and take on form. Heaven's beneficence is vast, yet it seems to give none, because it expects nothing in return from the myriad things. Human kindness, by contrast, is often visible, and the one who bestows it may expect repayment. Heaven's favor and human favor are not the same.

When thunder sounds, sweet rain follows, and the myriad things between heaven and earth sprout and grow. When fierce winds blow, drifting clouds disperse, and the sky clears for ten thousand miles. All beings that live and move, whether born from the womb, from eggs, from moisture, or by transformation, equally receive a single Qi from heaven and are born. How much more so the myriad things without life, which also depend on the Qi of heaven and earth for their existence.

The greatest joy arises from the fullness of one's nature; the greatest tranquility arises from the uprightness and restraint of one's nature.

One who constantly delights in the Dao's (道, the Way) nature as complete and without lack grows weary of the superfluous entanglements of worldly existence. If one has no joy of one's own, one has no sorrow; when others celebrate, sorrow often accompanies their celebration. To realize tranquil simplicity and Wuwei (无为, non-action) is to attain the true and constant Dao; to indulge in sensual pleasures is to lose the Dao, as though falling into an illusory dream.

At the utmost stillness, one's nature and emotions become pure and upright. When the mind reaches perfect quiet, it can perceive all things everywhere; when one's nature is clear and upright like a lotus, it is not stained by the dust of the world. One who has penetrated the great Dao lives in the world without being defiled, and remains free of desire even when facing desire. It is like polishing a precious mirror: the forms of all things appear within it, and what harm could that do?

Some people do not know how to hold to the Dao's balance of centrality and evenness. Seeing only a faint glimmer of light, they mistake it for the Dao itself. They take utmost stillness to mean discarding every form and clinging to emptiness, and they arbitrarily distinguish what to accept and reject, what is high and low, boasting that they have grasped the mysteries of attaining the Dao. People like this in the world are as numerous as tangled hemp. As the Taishang Daodejing (太上道德经, the Daodejing) says: "One who speaks well is not necessarily ornate in speech; one who is ornate in speech does not necessarily speak well." The true words of the correct Way are often unadorned, while the false transmissions of heterodox methods are frequently pleasing to the ear. Those of shallow insight love ornate language, and so they easily cling to heterodox teachings and cannot reach the great Dao.

The Way of Heaven appears supremely partial, yet in its operation it is supremely impartial.

Heaven bestows its favors without letting people know, which may be called the utmost secrecy; yet in nurturing all things and rescuing humankind, it is utterly impartial. A person who has the Dao is like jade hidden in stone: ordinary worldly eyes cannot see its worth, and only through repeated polishing, once the work is accomplished, will the "body beyond the body" (身外之身, the body that transcends physical form, as spoken of in cultivation) appear. Like an uncarved jade, it can become a great vessel once worked. A person without the Dao is like a tree eaten through by worms: the Heavenly Eye (天眼, the eye of Heaven's Way that discerns good and evil) will one day see it felled by axe and saw, and it will quickly rot and collapse, so that people are terrified, their souls scattering from fright, and their defiled nature at last sinks into the realm of darkness.

One who cultivates the Dao in a declining age may suffer now, but bitterness will in the end give way to sweetness; those who commit evil deeds exhaust their fortune, and every calamity will fall upon them. The workings of Heaven's will often seem to run against the grain when they follow it, and seem to follow it when they run against the grain. When a noble person occupies a high position, and the worthy esteem Dao and De (德, Virtue), Heaven's retribution first appears in subtle form, and finally moves from the hidden to the manifest, arriving at impartiality. When petty people occupy low positions, and ordinary people contend for sensual pleasures and wealth, Heaven's retribution first appears as openly visible outcomes, and finally turns from the open into hidden calamity.

"The control of birds lies in Qi (炁)" means that the form and nature of birds are governed by Qi. Each kind of bird has its own strengths, and among them the Red Phoenix is especially numinous. It communicates with the light and clear Qi, and its nature is keenly responsive, so it can ride the wind up into the nine heavens; if the Qi where it dwells is turbid, it sinks to the ground. When Qi is clear it rises, and when Qi is turbid it descends, because the Qi below is turbid and the Qi above is clear. The turtle draws in the Qi of the Northern Sea and exhales the light, clear primordial Qi (Yuanqi), which reaches a height of eight hundred and ten zhang. Eight hundred and ten is nine times nine multiplied out, a number symbolizing Yang. Within a bird's chest, three cun of harmonious Qi joins with the primordial Qi and does not disperse. Qi connects with Shen (spirit), Shen connects with the Dao (the Way), and the Dao connects with the natural.

Life is the root of death, and death is the root of life; kindness may arise from harm, and harm may arise from kindness.

People of the world pursue long life single-mindedly, but with too many desires and too much greed for gain, they end up harming themselves and walking toward death. Those who know how to hold to the Dao without clinging to the pursuit of life are deep in De (Virtue), and so can preserve themselves and walk toward life. The deluded, by day, covet the world's treasures, yet by night lose what is precious within; the awakened forget worldly entanglements, and in stillness guard their inner true nature, not losing it even in dreams.

The tenderness born of the seven emotions is sometimes only a false kindness, which in secret harms a person's genuine nature; and what seems harmful may in fact bring benefit. Wisdom that harms people is like a sharp sword cutting through love and desire; those who understand kindness are those who have penetrated the great Dao and grasped the grace bestowed by the Way of Heaven. "Kou eating" (鷇食) refers to fledglings waiting in the nest for their parents to feed them, used as a metaphor for not seeking recklessly and not actively inviting misfortune; "quail dwelling" (鹑居) refers to the quail living contentedly in simplicity, used as a metaphor for a plain, frugal life that does not breed excessive passions. In this way, a person suffers less harm from external things and is not bound by worldly sentiment.

The foolish regard the patterns and transformations of heaven and earth as sagely brilliance; I, instead, perceive wisdom in the patterns of things that change in accord with the times.

The foolish mistake the patterns and laws of heaven and earth for the sacred Dao (the Way). They do not know how to preserve life, and can only pray to Heaven for peace. In ordinary days they pile up one fault after another, and when trouble comes they beg the sacred beings for blessings. The wise know how to preserve life, and so the spirits naturally appear; their own persons bear no guilt, and so the blessings of the Dao are naturally vast.

When human hearts are foul and wicked, heaven and earth send down calamity; when human hearts are upright and good, the sages and worthies bestow good fortune. The living beings of this world keep creating karma yet refuse to mend their ways, and even if they pray to the sages and worthies, they cannot escape misfortune. If the men and women of China would all revere the true Dao and resolve to practice cultivation, they would have no need to petition heaven and earth, and goodness and blessings would visit them constantly.

I use the twelve double-hours of the celestial cycle (the twelve shichen of a day) to investigate the transformations of all things; through patterned beauty I make plain the flourishing of the myriad things, through principle and method I clarify how all affairs come to be understood, and through wisdom I probe deeply into the changes of all things. All of these return to the natural, the pure and still, and Wuwei (non-action). The natural is the Dao; purity and stillness are the condition of heaven and earth; "non-" means that human nature shares the same substance as the Dao; and "action" means bestowing kindness without seeking reward.

The creative transformation of the myriad things is no different from that of human beings. Heaven and earth circulate Primordial Qi (the fundamental qi that constitutes heaven, earth, and all things), and through it the myriad things interpenetrate and change. To refine lead in the jade cauldron means to refine mercury in the golden furnace; after seven returns the spiritual nature becomes fully penetrating, and after nine reversions the elixir is formed. The Maiden (an alchemical term for yin-natured qi) returns to the Li Palace, and the Infant (an alchemical term for yang-natured qi) enters the Kan position; the tortoise and serpent coil together, like the dragon and tiger roaring. Before them the Vermilion Bird (one of the four images, symbolizing the fire of the south) advances, and behind them the Dark Warrior (one of the four images, symbolizing the water of the north) follows; the Old Man of Metal guards Geng and Xin (metal qi), while the Yellow Dame keeps company with Jia and Yi (wood qi).

To dredge gold from the great sea is like chiseling fine jade from the Kunlun Mountains. When the yellow sprout grows, white snow appears; when the jade flower opens, the golden lotus forms. When the Three Lights (usually the sun, moon, and stars) shine, the Seven Treasures become manifest; the Two Eights suffer no loss, and the Six Threes lack for nothing. When metal and wood are set apart, water and fire are able to meet. In the midst of the indistinct and elusive, the manifest and the hidden are beyond measuring — this is the working of the Dao.