《黄帝阴符经注解(原題邹欣)》

The Dao (the Way) differentiates out of Heaven to become Heaven and Earth, and Heaven and Earth in turn differentiate into the myriad things. Among all things, human beings are the most spiritually endowed, sharing with Heaven and Earth the same origin and the same substance. Yet the inborn nature that people receive from Heaven and Earth varies in purity and coarseness. For this reason, one must observe the Way of Heaven and follow its operation if the Dao is to take root in oneself. The scripture speaks only of "Heaven" and not of "Earth," because Earth is already contained within the principle of Heaven.

The "Five Thieves" refer to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). All good and evil in the world arise from the workings of the Five Phases, which is why they are called "thieves" from the opposite perspective. The Five Phases exist between Heaven and Earth and are also the fundamental forces that constitute them. Within a person, they are manifested in the heart-mind. If one can understand the principle at work in them, one can bring oneself into accord with the movement of Heaven and Earth and let the power of creation and transformation act within oneself. Hence it is said: "One who sees through them will flourish." The scripture's statement that "the universe lies in the hand, and the myriad transformations arise from the body" likewise means that, once these principles are mastered, one can grasp the laws by which Heaven and Earth change.

Zhu Xi said that the Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) is concerned with how five kinds of things generate and overcome one another. "The Five Thieves are in the heart" means that five forces dwell within the human mind; "they operate through Heaven" means that they move in accordance with the qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). If one regards them with an improper state of mind, they will all seem to be "thieves." Here the "Five Thieves" refer to five virtues endowed by Heaven, and "operating through Heaven" means that, between heaven and earth, they appear as the qi of the Five Phases.

Human nature comes from Heaven. The heart-mind is the pivot from which action is set in motion. Only when the Dao (the Way) of Heaven is established can human conduct become settled.

The nature of heaven and earth is still and profound, reaching a state of utmost emptiness, and it cannot be seen directly. What the human heart-mind receives is this nature endowed by Heaven, which is why it is said, "Heaven's nature is the human." Human thoughts arise spontaneously, and people often do not know why they arise as they do. This pivot of spontaneous arising is called the "mechanism" (ji), and it is also the mechanism on which Heaven's motion and Earth's stillness depend. This "mechanism" exists in every person's heart-mind and can lead people down very different paths: one may become a worthy ruler like Yao or Shun, or a tyrant like Jie or Zhou. Whether one becomes a Yao or Shun or a Jie or Zhou, it is the same heart-mind that sets things in motion. Only by establishing one's standards in accordance with the Dao of Heaven will the human will become settled and wisdom thereby manifest; once deviations and errors are removed, the principles of things become clear.

When Heaven unleashes the mechanism of killing, the positions of the stars shift and change; when Earth unleashes the mechanism of killing, dragons and snakes appear on dry land; when humans unleash the mechanism of killing, it is as though heaven and earth were turned upside down. When Heaven and humanity act together, the root of the transformation of all things is established.

The "mechanism of killing" refers to a momentum that has developed to excess. Once the qi of heaven and earth becomes excessive, abnormal changes appear, even to the point of omens such as dragons and snakes coming ashore. Once human thoughts become excessive, willful imaginings multiply, as though heaven and earth were overturned along with them. "Heaven and humanity act together" means that the place where the Dao becomes manifest is also the place toward which Heaven's will and human feeling converge. Yet Heaven has its constant order and norms, and Heaven has the ranks and rites that must be observed; this is also embodied in the fundamental ethical relationships that people are bound to uphold among themselves. Some doctrines regard these norms as a net that ensnares the world and wish to cast them off decisively; but they cannot shake these fundamental orders, because the foundation of the transformation of all things has already been established and cannot be lightly changed.

Chu Suiliang (a Tang-dynasty calligrapher of the early Tang) obtained an annotated edition attributed to the Taiji Zhenren (Perfected Person of the Supreme Ultimate) from the household of Zhangsun, Duke of Zhao. The commentary appears to come from several hands: the first two lines are marked "Spoken by the Holy Mother and Qibo," the next four are marked "Spoken by the Heavenly Perfected Sovereign," and most of what follows is labeled in the same way. This edition differs occasionally from others. For example, it reads: "When Heaven unleashes the killing mechanism, stars shift and constellations change; when Earth unleashes the killing mechanism, dragons and serpents rise upon dry land; when Humanity unleashes the killing mechanism, Heaven and Earth are overturned." Other editions omit the eight characters "stars shift and constellations change" and "when Earth unleashes the killing mechanism," so the version Chu Suiliang saw should be taken as authoritative.

Master Xu Xi, of the Liu family, said: "When Heaven and humanity set the killing mechanism in motion together, this is a fortune still in chaos and not yet clear; when the mechanisms of Heaven and humanity coincide, the situation will be settled."

Human nature differs between the clever and the dull, yet in both cases it can be restrained and concealed. The human body has nine orifices (the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and other openings), and from these evil thoughts arise. Three of them are the most critical, and they can be regulated through movement and stillness.

The nature of the sage can take its place alongside Heaven and Earth, whereas ordinary people cannot do this, because their cleverness and dullness vary. Yet if one knows how to restrain and conceal, even the dull can become sharp. People are able to restrain and conceal because they understand that the nine orifices give rise to evil thoughts. Although there are nine orifices, the crucial ones are three: the ears, the eyes, and the mouth. One who knows how to regulate the movement and stillness of these three, and restrains them again and again, will keep the nine orifices from producing evil thoughts. The eyes must see, the ears must hear, and the mouth must speak, so they cannot remain still at all times; the key is that, though there is movement, one does not depart from stillness. Stillness does not mean complete absence of movement; only in this way can one speak of movement and stillness.

Fire is born from wood, and when the time comes it must consume the wood; treachery grows within a state, and when the moment arrives it must bring about ruin. One who understands this principle and cultivates accordingly is called a sage.

Fire arises from wood and will in the end burn the wood; treachery grows within a state and will in the end bring about its collapse. The operation of the "Five Thieves" (the five mutually interacting forces mentioned in the scripture) follows the same logic. Who but a sage could understand these principles and cultivate them? The method of cultivation is simply what was described above: regulating movement and stillness, restraining and concealing.

Commentary and Explication of the Yellow Emperor's Scripture of the Hidden Talisman (Huangdi Yinfu Jing zhujie)

Annotated by Zou Xin, Daoist of Kongtong

Middle Section

Heaven gives birth to the myriad things, and Heaven also destroys the myriad things; both are the law of the Dao (the Way).

Birth and killing are laws that appear of their own accord once the Dao has been realized in Qi (vital energy; the energy that constitutes Heaven, Earth, and all things), and they cannot be escaped.

Heaven and Earth are the "thieves" of the myriad things, the myriad things are the "thieves" of humankind, and humankind is in turn the "thief" of the myriad things. Only when these three relationships of mutual taking and mutual influence are rightly arranged can Heaven and Earth, humanity, and the myriad things each rest in their proper place.

Heaven and Earth give birth to and nourish the myriad things, yet they also bring about their decline and death. The myriad things sustain humankind, yet they may also harm it. Humankind makes use of the myriad things, yet in turn damages them. Nourishment and extinction of life so often go hand in hand that the relationship is called "stealing" (dao). What is said here is close to the teaching of the "Five Thieves." If generation and destruction are both appropriate and measured, the relationships among the three kinds of "thieves" will be harmonious; Heaven and Earth will each occupy their place, and the myriad things will be able to grow and multiply.

Hence it is said: "When one eats and drinks in accord with the seasons, every part of the body is harmonized; when one acts in accord with the moment of transformation, the changes of the myriad things are settled."

Among Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things, humankind is central. If people eat and drink in accord with the seasonal rhythms of Heaven and Earth, the body will be in harmony; if they grasp the moments at which Heaven and Earth turn and change, the transformations of the myriad things will be settled. This is what is meant here by the "Way of Stealing" (dao zhi dao). "Season" (shi) refers to the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, as well as the hours of morning and evening; "moment" or "pivot" (ji) refers to the critical points of change in growth, decline, nourishment, and the like.

Xuhan Liu said that "eating and drinking in accord with the seasons" is like what the Liezi calls "stealing the harmony of Heaven and Earth," that is, conforming to the harmonious Qi (vital energy) that moves through Heaven and Earth.

People recognize as "spirit" (Shen) those things that seem uncanny and beyond measure, yet they do not know why ordinary things can also reveal a marvelous quality.

"Spirit" (Shen) refers to what is uncanny and unfathomable, while "non-spirit" refers to things that seem ordinary: Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, mountains and rivers, plants and animals. People tend to regard the uncanny as marvelous, but they do not understand that the myriad things of Heaven and Earth, which are seen every day and fall within the reach of eyes and ears, possess their own marvelous quality as well.

The sun and moon move according to fixed patterns, and their greater and lesser cycles have set numbers. From this the accomplishments of the sage arise, and from this the workings of the marvelous become manifest.

Although the sun and moon are constantly seen, people do not necessarily understand the patterns within them. The sun completes one cycle of motion in three hundred sixty days, and the moon completes one cycle in three hundred sixty "hours" (chen). The changes between Heaven and Earth never depart from the number three hundred sixty. That the sage is able to establish accomplishments depends on understanding this pattern, and the manifestation of the marvelous workings comes from it as well.

"Stealing the opportune moment" (daoji, 盗机) refers to the Five Thieves (wuzei)—the workings of the transformations of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) as they circulate between Heaven and Earth. This is the same as the "numbers of the sun and moon's movement" mentioned above. Its operation is extremely subtle: no one under heaven can see it, and no one can fully comprehend it. If one can both perceive and understand it, the three kinds of "stealing" (the relations of mutual taking and transformation among Heaven, Earth, and humanity) will be harmonized, and the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and humanity) will be settled and secure.

When a person of noble character grasps this principle, they guard themselves with care; when a petty person grasps it, they may hold their own nature and life in contempt. The Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun understood and applied this Dao (the Way), and so won renown and long life. Su Qin, Zhang Yi, Shen Buhai, and Han Fei likewise applied it, and so brought on their own deaths and the destruction of their clans. Both outcomes spring from the application of one and the same principle. The saying, "the common people can be made to follow the Way, but need not be made to understand why," is a profound one indeed.

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

Annotated by Zou Xin, Daoist of Kongtong

Part Two

The blind hear acutely and the deaf see sharply, because their minds are single-pointed and undistracted. Concentrating on one point can bring results ten times those of ordinary people. Practicing three times over the course of a day can bring results ten thousand times greater.

"The blind are good at hearing, the deaf are good at seeing" means that when one concentrates without scattering, focusing on a single place lets one do the work of ten. The "three returns" (sanfan) refer to the ears, eyes, and mouth; "return" means going back to the original source. Day and night represent the movement of Yin-Yang. When the ears, eyes, and mouth all return to the origin, one can transcend the constraints of Yin-Yang's turning, pass through day and night, and no longer be divided by life and death. Such single-mindedness can achieve the effect of one against ten thousand. The phrase in the Yijing (Book of Changes), "divinely martial yet not killing," likewise means prevailing through marvelous power rather than through slaughter.

Zhu Xi said: "The blind hear acutely and the deaf see sharply," showing how focused they are. "Cutting off profit at a single source" means abandoning the many desires that scatter the mind's strength and holding fast to one root source. "Cutting off profit" means severing side pursuits; "a single source" means devoting oneself wholly to the origin. "Three returns through day and night" means examining and practicing again and again. This applies not only to the use of troops but to anything one undertakes. The "times" here refers to a multiplication of effect. Zhu Xi also said that "three returns through day and night" can be understood as the practitioner performing the work at set hours such as the Zi hour and the Wu hour: doing so today, and again tomorrow, the more practiced one becomes, the more evident the effect.

Xu Han Liu said: "Three returns" means repeated self-examination.

The mind arises because of external things, and it also perishes because of external things; the key lies in the eyes.

The heart-mind is stirred by external things, and it can also be lost in pursuing them; the key lies in the eyes. The heart-mind manifests through external things, which is what is meant by "the heart-mind is born of things." But if one pursues external things blindly, the heart-mind becomes lost, which is what is meant by "the heart-mind dies of things." People make contact with the world through nine sensory openings, three of which matter most, and of these three the eyes matter most.

Laozi said: "If one does not look at what stirs desire, the heart-mind will not be disturbed." When Confucius spoke of restraining the self, he too placed the eyes first. In the Buddhism of the West, which speaks of the six sense faculties and six consciousnesses, the discussion always begins with the eye and form (the object the eye sees). All of these concern the relationship between the mind's thoughts and the senses.

The Dao (the Way) of Heaven seems to bestow no kindness, yet from this arises the greatest kindness. When thunder roars and fierce winds rage, there is nothing among the myriad things that is not moved.

This kindness, which seems not to give yet in truth brings all things to fulfillment, is the hallmark of the Dao of Heaven. Only by not deliberately bestowing kindness can one achieve true benevolence; only by not acting recklessly can one accomplish anything. The same holds for the use of arms: to achieve an effect ten thousand times greater, one must pass through the "three returns," that is, examine oneself repeatedly three times.

Note: the Chu edition adds three characters here: "control lies in qi."

When one reaches the utmost joy, one's disposition becomes generous and at ease; when one reaches the utmost stillness, one's disposition becomes pure and upright. The Dao of Heaven seems to act only for itself, yet its actual effect is supremely impartial. Creatures are controlled by Qi (vital energy).

"Utmost joy" means that nothing weighs on the heart-mind, so the disposition is generous and at ease, able to "worry before the world worries." "Utmost stillness" means that the heart-mind is untouched by external things, so the disposition is pure and upright, able to share the world's burdens with everyone. This is the way of the "three returns" and the highest realm of Wuwei (non-action), like the practice of Yang Zhu, who would not pluck even a single hair. Yet the Dao of Heaven, though it seems to act only for itself, has a supremely impartial effect; thus utmost joy and utmost stillness are not inaction, but the very foundation for accomplishing action.

So it is with the myriad things as well. An animal that can be caught is called a "qin" (creature). That the myriad things restrain and subdue one another is not by deliberate arrangement but by the natural working of Qi. That tigers and leopards hold the qilin in check, or that hawks and falcons startle the phoenix, is not because they have greater ability or are better fighters, but because of the force of their Qi. By examining oneself three times over, tirelessly day and night, one can reach the realm in which one stands against ten thousand.

Note: the Chu edition lacks the five characters "creatures are controlled by qi."

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

The principle is the same for life and death, kindness and harm. Frost and snow ravage the myriad things, yet in doing so bring profound blessing; dew and rain nourish the myriad things, yet may therefore bring great harm. Pushed to its furthest point, the change between being and non-being, between movement and stillness, is always a mutual transformation, going back and forth without end. Hence words that accord with correct principle sometimes sound as if they were saying the opposite.

Fools see order displayed in heaven and earth and conclude that heaven and earth possess wisdom; I perceive the wisdom of heaven and earth in the changing of the seasons and the patterns of the myriad things.

People see the signs in the heavens and the patterns on the earth and conclude that heaven and earth have wisdom, yet they do not know why heaven and earth have it. I recognize the source of this wisdom in the changes of the four seasons and the order of the myriad things. The signs of heaven are manifest in the sequence of the seasons, and the patterns of earth are manifest in the myriad things; to understand the Dao (the Way) through them is called "wisdom" (zhe). Speaking of the constant state of heaven and earth, the principle is simply so; viewed from the standpoint of change, it is likewise so. This is how one observes the Dao of Heaven and grasps the laws of its operation, comes to understand the alternation of day and night, and merges with the transformations of nature, so that neither action nor stillness runs counter to it.

Liu of Xuxi says: "Seasonal things" are coarse and close to the everyday.

Note: The commentary editions of the Old Mother of Mount Li and of Cai end the entire book with the line "I take the seasons and the patterns of things as wisdom." The editions of Chu and of Zhang continue for a further twenty-one lines, one hundred and fourteen characters in all. It was precisely this portion that Zhu Xi especially admired. The Chu edition is adopted here as the base text.

People use cunning to fathom the sage; I do not use cunning to fathom the sage. People expect the sage to display marvels; I do not expect the sage to display marvels. To sink into water or throw oneself into fire only brings about one's own destruction.

Note: The Zhang commentary edition reads: "People use cunning to guess at the sage, and so take the sage for a fool; I do not use cunning to guess at the sage. People expect the sage to be miraculous; I do not expect this of the sage." The meaning is that people try to fathom the sage through cunning and end up regarding the sage as a fool, whereas I do not fathom the sage through cunning. People hope the sage will show miraculous powers; I do not hold this hope. Hence the text says: "Moreover, to cast oneself into water or fire only brings about one's own destruction."

The Dao (the Way) of nature abides in stillness, and so Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things are able to come into being. The patterns by which Heaven and Earth move shift gradually, and therefore Yin-Yang waxes and wanes, one rising as the other recedes. Yin and Yang drive each other onward, and change is able to proceed smoothly.

Zhu Xi said: "These four lines are superbly put. Stillness can give rise to movement, and this is gradual change. Things slowly decline and slowly grow; the movement of Heaven and Earth is likewise so, and this is the constant Dao. In writing it this way, the Jing (scripture) shows the principle to people." He also said: "The word 'gradual' (浸) is the best choice here. How could Yin and Yang between Heaven and Earth suddenly separate into strong and weak?" And he said: "The line 'the Dao of Heaven and Earth is gradual' is excellent. The Dao of Yin-Yang is never for a moment without this mutual waxing and waning, advancing only bit by bit: when one side yields a measure, the other gains a measure. Unless the utmost stillness is reached, Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things cannot be brought forth. 'Gradual' means 'little by little.' Because the Dao of Heaven and Earth waxes and wanes step by step, the firm and the yielding take turns holding sway, and this is also the principle by which fortune and misfortune turn into one another, each following its own fixed rule. The Yinfu Jing is especially well written in passages like these."

Thus the sage, understanding that the Dao of nature cannot be defied, follows it in ordering and governing. As for the principle of utmost stillness, neither musical pitch nor the calendar can fully match it. Hence wondrous instruments came into being, and through them the myriad images are made manifest. Within the Bagua (Eight Trigrams, symbols of the transformations of all things between Heaven and Earth) and the Jiazi (the sexagenary system of timekeeping, formed by combining the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches) lie subtle principles and hidden, marvelous transformations. The rules by which Yin and Yang wax and wane in turn are plainly displayed in the images of the world.

The Gaoshi Weilüe says: "Cai Duanming said that the Yinfu Jing written by Liu Gongquan is the finest of all his calligraphy, skilled at concealing the brush's point within the strokes." In my view, this book not only embodies Liu Gongquan's brush technique, but its strokes are also vigorous and tightly knit, entirely unlike his other works.

Note: the latter part of the original contains repeated quotations, and the closing line "Zhao zhao hu jin hu xiang yi" ("Clearly, it advances to the level of images") also appears a second time, probably due to copying errors or the splicing of typeset text. The above has been translated following the passages where the meaning runs coherently.

According to the Gaoshi Weilüe, Cai Duanming said: "Liu Gongquan's transcription of the Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) is the most exquisite of all his calligraphic works, and it is especially skilled at concealing the brush tip." Looking at this piece myself, I find that not only does the brushwork derive from Liu Gongquan, but the strokes are also vigorous and tightly composed, quite unlike anything else he wrote. The preface before the scripture was written by Zheng Han, and it is especially marvelous and outstanding. It says: "Thunder and rain are above, and the canonical norms spread to all sides; later their pure essence flows forth as intelligence." These four lines are supremely subtle and do not read like the prose of Tang writers. The preface also says: "The encounter at Panxi, the profound secrets of the golden casket, and the deep reflection of Marquis Liu and Marquis Wu upon their utmost reaches are all the more able to bring out the function of the Yinfu Jing." This means that Jiang Taigong's meeting with King Wen of Zhou at Panxi, the profound principles stored in the golden casket, and the thorough inquiry of Zhang Liang and Zhuge Liang into these principles are all sufficient to illuminate the workings of the Yinfu Jing.

Turning to the closing lines of the scripture, their meaning is hinted at but never stated outright, much like a strange vessel that conceals deep mysteries; what is meant by the "myriad phenomena" mentioned there is not known specifically. "The Eight Trigrams (Bagua) and the sexagenary cycle, the spirit's mechanism and the ghosts' concealment" probably refers to something in the nature of numerology and divination. These principles must be grasped silently by the individual and put to good use.

Let me further cite Wei of Heshan: Li Jiayou (a Tang scholar) read widely in the classics and the writings of the various philosophers, and had especially deep knowledge of the Yijing. In his later years he grasped the principle of "concentrating qi to attain softness" (focusing the vital energy with singleness of purpose so that body and mind return to gentleness), compared it against the Yinfu Jing, examined it broadly and studied it carefully, and trusted it firmly to the end without doubt. From this we can see that those who truly understand the Way (Dao) are also good at putting such classics to use.

Wei of Heshan is cited again: Li Jiayou was thoroughly versed in the classics and the writings of the various philosophers, and had made a deep study of the Yijing. In his later years, after grasping the teaching of "concentrating qi to attain softness," he cross-referenced it with the Yinfu Jing, examined it broadly and studied it closely, believing in it firmly and without flagging. From this we can see that those who understand the Way (Dao) should naturally combine the Yinfu Jing with the Yijing in their understanding and practice.