《黄帝阴符经注(沈亚夫)》

Commentary on the Yellow Emperor's Scripture of the Hidden Talisman (Huangdi Yinfu Jing Zhu) is a one-fascicle annotated edition by Shen Yafu, written around the Northern Song period. It is recorded in the "Treatise on Arts and Literature" (Yiwen lüe) of the Tongzhi. The work is included in the Yellow Emperor's Scripture of the Hidden Talisman section of the Zhonghua Daozang (Chinese Daoist Canon), which takes as its base text the version found in the Yujue category of the Dongzhen (Three Caverns: Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) division of the Zhengtong Daozang (Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong era).

The Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) is only three hundred characters long, and at bottom it speaks of one thing: the Dao (the Way). Most people cannot grasp its profound meaning. Some interpret it as a treatise on the Dao, on warfare, or on managing human affairs, but none of these readings is correct.

The Taixuan says that Yang Qi (vital energy) drives five kinds of blessing and makes them grow in turn: long life, wealth, health, peace, love of virtue, and a natural death at the end of one's years. Yin Qi, by contrast, brings down six kinds of misfortune in sequence: disaster, early death, disability, illness, sorrow, poverty, wickedness, and decline.

The sages explained how Heaven and Earth bring forth the myriad things: Heaven's number is one, Earth's number is two, and when the three Qi unite, the myriad things are born. All things arise by receiving the same primordial Qi, the root of life. Cultivation therefore begins with nurturing the mind, so that mind accords with one's nature. Next one nurtures one's nature, so that it accords with primordial Qi. Primordial Qi then accords with emptiness, and finally with the substance of the Dao itself. Only then can one act in harmony with the Way of Heaven: observing the celestial signs and modeling oneself on their principles, probing the mysteries of the "Three Essentials" (the key stages emphasized in cultivation), refining the upright Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), harmonizing the Qi of sun and moon, secretly circulating Kan and Li (trigram names from the Yi, commonly used in Neidan, internal alchemy, to stand for water and fire), discerning how Yin-Yang create and transform, and understanding the laws by which Heaven and Earth generate all things.

The Jing (scripture) says: "The sun and moon move according to fixed measures, and their greater and lesser changes follow set rules; from this the sages' achievements arise, and the workings of the spirits become manifest." How magnificent this is! Probe deeply into its subtle meaning and see thoroughly to its true source: one who grasps it can attain long life, and one who loses it will take life lightly.

From this we can see that the three terms "elaborating the Dao, elaborating the method, and elaborating the technique" each have a definite meaning. The ancient sages preserved them as secret teachings, for they are Heaven's mysteries and must not be revealed lightly. Here I offer only a brief commentary to guide readers toward the subtle points, valuing directness and clarity so that the general meaning is easy to understand.

The highest level is the immortals' embrace of the One in order to elaborate the Dao. "Elaborating the Dao" refers to the practice of the Returning Elixir and the embrace of the One: one circulates primordial Qi along its inner pathway, upward to the Niwan (the Daoist Neidan term for the region of the head), like a pellet of Qi revolving and rising to pay homage to Heaven. When a person's primordial Qi travels to the head, this is the meaning of the character for "Dao" (道, with its radical for walking and its "head" component). The Xianjing says: "Unaging and long-lived, return the essence to nourish the brain." The Taiqing Yujue says: "When you reach the place of the River Chariot, gold will fill your house." This is what they mean.

The middle level is elaborating the method, which enriches the state and brings peace to the people. "Elaborating the method" means casting out the mind's wicked thoughts and desires, so that the heart-spirit rises and returns to the pure water of Kan (which in Neidan symbolizes water). The heart is like a ruler: if it calmly holds to the One, the laws are set upright, and one can enrich the state and pacify the people. The Taiqing Yujue says: "When you reach the ford of the brown river, make white, and store the true." This is what it means.

The lowest level is elaborating the technique, which strengthens the army and secures victory. "Elaborating the technique" means making Wood generate Fire. In the trigram Li the middle line is empty and represents water, while in Kan the middle line is solid and represents fire. By setting the heart in motion, one makes true water and true fire restrain one another and settle into harmony, which is the meaning of the character for "technique" (术). The Taiqing Yujue says: "When you reach the Purple Essence Elixir, immortality is not difficult." This is what it means.

To look up and observe the Dao (the Way) of Heaven, to grasp the laws by which the celestial bodies move, and to act in accordance with those laws: this is enough.

The exemplary person looks up and observes the Dao of Heaven, sees that it moves ceaselessly, and so conforms to the seasons of Heaven according to its laws. In this way they preserve their life, nurture body and mind, and grasp the principle by which the numbers of Heaven revolve.

Heaven has the "Five Thieves," and those who understand them will flourish.

The "Five Thieves" refer to the Five Phases (Wuxing): Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The sun belongs to Fire; Fire is born of Wood, and Wood in turn overcomes Earth. The moon belongs to Water; Water is born of Metal, and Metal in turn overcomes Wood. By observing how the Five Phases generate and overcome one another, one can understand the alternation of cold and heat. Hence it is said that those who understand these laws will flourish.

The "Five Thieves" refer to the Five Phases. The sun belongs to Fire; Fire is born of Wood, and Wood in turn overcomes Earth. The moon belongs to Water; Water is born of Metal, and Metal in turn overcomes Wood. By observing how the Five Phases generate and overcome one another, one can understand the alternation of cold and heat. By looking up to observe the "Five Thieves" in the heavens, and grasping the laws and sequence of the Five Phases in their forward and reverse courses, one's heavenly mandate can flourish and continue. This is the essential root of long life.

The Five Thieves reside in the human heart, and their workings are also manifest in the movements of the heavens.

Heaven has the five planets, and humans have the five organs. The five organs correspond to the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and heart. The heart is the master of the Five Thieves. By observing the movements of the five planets, one can perceive the connections among all phenomena. When Heaven and Earth, the outer and the inner, act upon one another, one can grasp the Dao of Heaven and walk in accordance with it.

The universe seems to rest in one's hands, and the transformations of all things seem to arise from oneself.

When the exemplary person understands the fundamental principle, they will realize that Heaven and Earth seem to be held in their hands, and that the work of creation seems to issue from their own heart. Such a person knows that all things receive the same Primordial Qi (vital energy), the original root energy of Heaven and Earth at the beginning, and are formed from it.

Heaven: grasp the Dao of Heaven and walk in accordance with it.

The universe seems to rest in one's hands, and the transformations of all things seem to arise from oneself.

When the exemplary person understands the fundamental principle, they will realize that Heaven and Earth seem to be held in their hands, and that the work of creation seems to issue from their own heart. Such a person knows that all things receive the same Primordial Qi and are formed from it.

What Heaven bestows on a person is their nature, and the human heart is the pivot of change. Establishing the Dao of Heaven is for the sake of settling human life.

What the mandate of Heaven bestows on humans is called "nature." The human heart can respond flexibly to circumstances and infer the workings of creation and transformation, and so can follow the Dao of Heaven steadily, without error.

When Heaven sends down the moment of slaughter, dragons and serpents rise up from the earth.

In the months of the Three Yang (San Yang, when yang qi is at its height), Yin-Yang merge and water and fire act upon one another. Heaven then reveals its killing intent: thunder and lightning, wind and rain shake the world, dragons and serpents emerge and stir, and the myriad things begin to sprout. From this we can see that Heaven and Earth already hold in full the power over both life and death.

If a person stirs up killing intent, the order by which Heaven and Earth move will be overturned.

The ordinary person's thoughts must not be stirred rashly; once they are, good fortune and misfortune, regret and anxiety follow. The "reversal of Heaven and Earth" spoken of here does not mean that Heaven and Earth literally turn over. "Heaven" refers to the sage, and "Earth" refers to the way of the subject. "Reversal" refers to compliance and defiance. If the six paths of compliance and the six paths of defiance lose their proper regularity, the result is an order turned upside down. When the sage does not rashly stir the mind, he can accord with the mandate of Heaven; when the petty person acts against what is right, he cannot fully conform to the fixed measure of the Dao (the Way).

When Heaven and humanity act together, the pivot of all transformations is settled.

The sage is in accord with the Dao and holds the pivot of change in things, so that his judgment does not err. His mind is thereby stilled, and so he is able to hold to the One (shouyi, single-minded guarding of the root).

Human nature differs between the clever and the dull, yet both can be gathered in and stored away.

The clever and the dull in human nature can be explained through Kan and Li (the trigrams in the Yijing representing water and fire). Cleverness is like "Already Crossed" (Jiji, water and fire joined), while dullness is like "Not Yet Crossed" (Weiji, water and fire not yet harmonized). Therefore both should be gathered in and stored in the Dantian (energy center), the place in Daoist cultivation where Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) are gathered and nourished. The Dantian is the root of Jing and Qi.

As for the disturbances that afflict the nine orifices of the body (the two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, the mouth, and the front and rear passages), the key lies in the three essentials; the three essentials can make a person move, and can make a person still.

If the mind is upright, the evils of the nine orifices cannot enter. The "three essentials" refer to the correct number of yang; three times three makes nine. When yang qi is full, then in movement or in stillness, perverse and deluded influences find no opening to exploit.

Fire is born from wood; if it is not restrained, disaster will surely follow. Treachery grows from within the state, and once the moment arrives and it is set in motion, the state collapses. One who understands these principles and cultivates accordingly may be called a sage.

Fire is born from wood. When yang qi is excessive, one must guard against strife and desire, and not allow treachery to grow. The noble person cultivates the self and tempers conduct, and only then governs the state and brings peace to the people; such a person is truly a sage and worthy.

Chapter Two: On Expounding the Method (Yanfa Pian)

Heaven and Earth are the takers from the myriad things, the myriad things are the takers from humanity, and humanity in turn takes from the myriad things. When all three of these relations of mutual taking are in place, the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity are at peace. Hence it is said: eat and drink at the proper times, and the parts of the body will be in harmony; the key to setting things in motion, ...

Heaven and Earth draw upon the myriad things, the myriad things draw upon humanity, and humanity in turn draws upon the myriad things. When all three "thefts" (san dao) of Heaven and Earth, the myriad things, and humanity are in place, the "Three Powers" (san cai) of Heaven, Earth, and humanity each find their stability. Hence it is said: eat and drink at the proper times, and every part of the body will be in harmony; seize the right moment to act, and the transformations of the myriad things will settle.

The myriad things are born from "three" and contain pure Yang. Once the "One Qi" (Yi Qi, a single stream of primordial Qi) has circulated and been drawn upon, it passes through seven days of repeated cycles, and the Three Powers can then unite as one and become complete. Humanity draws upon the root of the myriad things, yet uses it every day without knowing it. Those who understand this principle can attain long life, their bodies will not decline, and the transformations of the myriad things will naturally settle.

People know the wondrous function of spirit, but they do not know why that which appears to have no spirit is able to produce such wondrous function.

The human body holds thirty-six thousand rays of divine light, so excessive desire exhausts the spirit and prevents its wondrous function from emerging. The Book of Changes (Yi Jing) says that the transformations of Yin-Yang are beyond measure, and this is called "Shen" (Spirit). Only by guarding the Way of singleness and nourishing the Shen can its wondrous function be realized.

The sun and moon each follow fixed patterns in their movement, and each has its set measure of size. The achievements of the sages arise from this, and the workings of divine illumination are revealed through it.

The sun is the essence of Fire and travels one degree in a day and night; the moon is the essence of Water and travels twelve and a half degrees in a day and night. Therefore the noble person draws upon the patterns of Water and Fire in motion and turns with the greater and lesser measures of the sun and moon, and so can accomplish extraordinary sage-like merit and reveal the radiance of Shen.

The key to grasping these movements and transformations cannot be seen or known by the people of the world. When the noble person obtains it, they secure themselves; when the petty person obtains it, they treat life (ming) lightly.

Therefore, the principle of stealing the Heavenly mechanism and mastering the workings of creation cannot be seen or known by the foolish. When the noble person grasps the key of these transformations, the people of the world neither see nor know it; when the noble person obtains it, they secure themselves, while the petty person who obtains it treats life lightly.

Therefore, the principle of stealing the Heavenly mechanism and mastering the workings of creation cannot be seen or known by the foolish. The noble person who obtains it returns to the original truth, while the petty person who goes against it will lose their life.

Chapter Three: On the Art of Elaboration (Yan Shu Pian)

The blind are good at hearing, and the deaf are good at seeing. When the convenience of one sense is cut off, the mind's strength is gathered together, and the effect can equal ten times that of ordinary people.

The blind and the deaf are respectively good at hearing and seeing because they have cut off certain sources of sensory convenience. If a person can concentrate wholeheartedly and not stray from the path of centered rectitude, the benefit gained will be ten times that of ordinary people, even beyond their reach.

Practicing three times repeatedly through day and night can yield an effect equal to ten thousand times that of ordinary people.

The noble person practices with single-minded devotion, repeating the practice day and night; when they continue their practice without interruption during the times of the "Three Yang" (san yang, the periods when Yang energy is strong), the benefit gained can exceed that of their teacher ten-thousandfold.

The mind is born from external things and also perishes through external things; the key lies in the eyes.

When the mind's thoughts have fallen as still as ashes and the gaze no longer chases after the outer world, when attachment to life and death is cut off, one has truly forgotten the cunning of contrivance.

The Dao of Heaven (Tiandao) seems to bestow no kindness, yet from this very fact arises the greatest kindness.

The Dao of Heaven does not speak, and the sun and moon travel their courses without partiality. If a person can draw upon the essence of heaven and earth and master the art of long life, the blessings received are boundless, and this is the greatest kindness.

Thunder crashes fiercely and the wind rages violently, and among the myriad things none is left unshaken. But one whose will is single-minded, simple and unadorned, and who makes no display of cleverness, can remain at ease and unmoved before thunder and wind. Supreme joy fills one's nature to the full, and utmost stillness leaves the mind clear and level.

When one's nature is at peace, it can embrace all things. If a person can draw upon the essence of heaven and earth and master the art of long life, the blessings received are boundless, and this is the greatest kindness.

Thunder crashes fiercely and the wind rages violently, and among the myriad things none is left unshaken. But one whose will is single-minded, simple and unadorned, and who makes no display of cleverness, can remain at ease and unmoved before thunder and wind. Supreme joy fills one's nature to the full, and utmost stillness leaves the mind clear and level.

When one's nature is at peace, one becomes generous, tolerant, and unhurried. When the heart is quiet, the transformations of all things appear harmonious and orderly.

The Dao of Heaven seems utterly partial, yet in its actual operation it is perfectly impartial and free of selfishness.

The Dao of Heaven displays all manner of signs and portents. When a person can take them as a model and put them to use, it may look as though that person alone reaps the benefit. This is "supreme partiality." Yet the Dao of Heaven gives birth to the myriad things without favoritism, and this is "supreme impartiality."

The key to governing the myriad things lies in Qi (炁, the vital energy that circulates between heaven and earth). Life is the root of death, and death is the root of life.

People are born through Qi and die through Qi; the myriad things are born from the earth and die in the earth. If a person can grasp and employ the true Qi of heaven and earth, they obtain the very root of immortality. The word "capture" (qin, 禽) carries the sense of seizing and restraining.

Kindness arises from harm, and harm also arises from kindness.

The myriad things sprout in spring and grow in summer, which is kindness; autumn brings withering and winter brings storage, which is harm. A person is born through a woman, which is kindness, yet may also lose their life because of a woman, which is harm.

The foolish take the patterns and regularities of heaven and earth to be sacred and sagely teachings, but I seek wisdom by observing the changes of the four seasons and the order of the myriad things.

Heaven's patterns and earth's contours embody the timing of Heaven and the advantages of Earth. One who can observe the movements of the celestial bodies and establish laws accordingly may be called a sage; one who can act in accord with changing circumstances may be called a worthy. The foolish cannot discern the timing of Heaven or the affairs of humankind. One who can harmonize with the way Heaven and Earth generate and nourish the myriad things, and who teaches in keeping with the times, is a sage and a worthy.

The Dao (the Way) is the root of stillness, and stillness is in turn the pivot on which the Way of Heaven turns. Once things begin to move, one must observe their changes; once change appears, one must discern the signs by which it manifests. Thus the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth contain both movement and stillness, and Yin-Yang (yin and yang) shift and give way to one another. Only by according with the course of the Way of Heaven can one avoid error in its principles and its numbers.

The Taixuan says: "At night, observe the yin; by day, observe the yang." The sage understands the profound and subtle principle and can firmly grasp the principle of nature and life (xing and ming). The sage quietly follows the essential mechanism of change without presuming to rule over it, and so what the sage expounds is inexhaustible. To interpret this passage today as a teaching on the art of war or the conduct of human affairs—is that not far off the mark?

Commentary on the Yellow Emperor's Scripture of the Hidden Talisman (Huangdi Yinfu Jing Zhu)