《三天易髓》

Confucians call it “Taiji” (the Supreme Ultimate)—the fundamental state in which the myriad things have not yet divided and Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) have not yet been distinguished.

A Direct Pointer to the Fire Tally (a direct account of how the firing schedule is applied in refining the elixir)

The Cauldron and Vessel of Qian and Kun (taking Heaven and Earth as the cauldron and furnace)

Above, it receives Heaven; below, it bears Earth; this human body is itself the cauldron and furnace. Ah—once one knows where to begin, the work of cultivation is in fact simple and easy to practice.

Hidden Dragon: Do Not Act (when the dragon lies concealed, one should not rashly make a move)

Yang Qi (vital energy) has only just arisen. It is fitting to keep still and guard it, constantly preserving sincere intention so that the mind remains upright and settled. Ah—the dragon is hidden; do not advance rashly.

The Dragon Appearing in the Field (the dragon shows itself in the open country)

Rouse the wind of Xun (the breath or working symbolized by wind) and apply the work of advancing the fire. In the blink of an eye the furnace is filled with red light. This is “the dragon appearing in the field”: radiance shines throughout the void.

Vigorous All Day Long (diligent cultivation throughout the day)

Heaven and Earth conjoin, and Yin and Yang stand in balance. Of mercury (an alchemical term, often standing for the yin side) there are eight liang; of lead (often standing for the yang side) there is half a jin. Ha—the Lovely Maiden (Chanü, an alchemical term often referring to yin Jing, essence, and Qi) draws inward and lies quietly at rest, while the Infant (Ying’er, often referring to yang Jing and Qi) looks up and receives that Qi.

Now Leaping, Now in the Abyss (the dragon at times leaps up and at times lies hidden in the deep)

Use Water to control Fire, and Metal to overcome Wood (the Five Phases: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). At this point one should “bathe” (an alchemical term for pausing the advance of the fire and regulating the firing schedule). The graphs “囗十力” in the original appear to be corrupt or incomplete. The dragon sometimes leaps and sometimes hides; in cultivation one must hold to the center and the correct, remaining cautious and single-minded.

The Flying Dragon in Heaven (the dragon flies in the sky)

The five Qi (five kinds of primordial Qi) come to court, and the three flowers (the coalesced state of Jing, Qi, and Shen, spirit) gather together. Wood and Metal conjoin, and lead and mercury settle. Hōng! The flying dragon ascends to Heaven, cloud-Qi circulates, and sweet dew descends.

The Dragon That Flies Too High Has Regret (when the dragon flies too high, regret will follow in the end)

When body and mind reach a state of pure Yang and all six Yang lines are complete, one should stop applying the fire and not hesitate. If one cannot hold the fullness and draw back at the right time, excess will bring regret.

The Flying Dragon in Heaven

The five Qi come to court, and the three flowers gather together. Wood and Metal conjoin, and lead and mercury settle. Hōng! The flying dragon ascends to Heaven, cloud-Qi circulates, and sweet dew descends.

The Dragon That Flies Too High Has Regret

When body and mind reach a state of pure Yang and all six Yang lines are complete, one should stop applying the fire and not hesitate. Stop advancing the fire. If one cannot hold the fullness and draw back at the right time, excess will bring regret.

Treading on Frost until Ice (frost underfoot will in the end harden into solid ice)

Yin Qi has only just begun to sprout; do not move rashly. Hold fast and guard with care. Watch closely, lest subtle changes develop little by little—just as frost first appears underfoot and later hardens into ice.

Straight, Square, and Great (upright, foursquare, and vast)

On meeting “Six in the Second Place” (the name of a line position in the Yijing, the Classic of Changes), one should gradually withdraw and hold one’s ground. Yin Qi occupies the proper center, and Yang Qi lies hidden in its place. The original has the character “堑” here, whose meaning is unclear. Amid the blur of mist and rain, one gains naturally without deliberately setting out to study.

Containing Excellence, One May Remain Correct (holding virtue within, one keeps to the right and so proceeds)

White snow congeals, and the yellow sprout grows (both symbolic expressions in the cultivation of Neidan, internal alchemy). Guard them firmly, and do not speculate rashly. Draw in the firing schedule so that Yang Qi is made firm within the elixir furnace—this is “containing excellence, one may remain correct.”

Tie the Sack: No Blame (cinch the bag tight, and one may avoid fault)

Mercury—in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), a class of medicinal agent representing the yin and the nimble—wants to fly; lead, representing the yang and a class of medicinal agent that is congealed and stable, wants to run off. When this moment arrives, one should hold and guard with care. With a single shout, tie up the bottomless pouch and draw its mouth tight.

Yellow Lower Garment, Supreme Good Fortune (Huangshang yuanji)

The whole host of yin has been entirely exhausted, and the work of refining the elixir is already complete. Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) gather and coalesce, and primordial Qi—the pre-heaven original Qi—returns to stillness. With a single shout, collect what has been obtained and draw it back into the Central Palace, the site of Neidan cultivation at the center of the body. This is “a yellow lower garment, supreme good fortune,” symbolizing peaceful adherence to the center and the correct, and thus auspiciousness.

Dragons Battle in the Wild (Long zhan yu ye)

Yin Qi has already withdrawn into hiding, and Yang Qi is generated anew. At this stage one must be even more on guard. Take care: if Yin-Yang contend, as though battling in the open wilderness, the scene of “their blood dark and yellow” will appear, meaning that Yin-Yang cross and interweave and the impulse of Qi surges and clashes.

Warmly Nurturing the Spirit Embryo (Wenyang lingtai)

Make the heart and Shen (spirit) empty and still, and make the belly full; abide peacefully in quietude and wait for Yang Qi to recover. In a single instant, the work of circulating the celestial circuit (zhoutian) is already complete.

The Mysterious Pearl Takes Form (Xuanzhu chengxiang)

At this time one must still be on guard. Take care: if Yin-Yang contend, as though battling in the open wilderness, the scene of “their blood dark and yellow” will appear.

Warmly Nurturing the Spirit Embryo

Make the heart and Shen empty and still, and make the belly full; abide peacefully in quietude and wait for Yang Qi to recover. In a single instant, the work of circulating the celestial circuit is already complete.

The Mysterious Pearl Takes Form

Overturn the cauldron and kick over the furnace. This means that the work of refining within the furnace and cauldron is already complete, and from it arises the Mysterious Pearl, symbol of the round and luminous attainment of Neidan. Thereafter one returns to the root and restores the life-mandate, embraces and guards the root, and reverts to emptiness and stillness.

The fifteen hymns above are arranged according to the number of the “three and five.”

The Golden Elixir (Jindan) of Which Daoists Speak

The Golden Elixir is as firm as gold and as round and complete as an elixir pellet; the more it is refined, the brighter it becomes. “Golden Elixir” is therefore used as a metaphor for original nature. The “elixir” spoken of here also refers to the furnace and cauldron and to the medicinal agents.

Hymn

From ancient times to the present, this thing has been without form and without substance. It lacks nothing and has nothing in excess, and it never ceases. It is as hard and keen as gold, and its radiance is red like the sun.

The Elixir

Buddhists call it the Mysterious Pearl, Confucians call it Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), and Daoists call it the Golden Elixir. Though the names differ, the fundamental reality to which they point is one and continuous. It lies right before the eyes; only the people of the world have not recognized it. What is spoken of is precisely this, and there is no need to doubt further.

Diagram of the Golden Elixir Made Lucid (Jindan liaoran tu)

The diagram and the nine quatrains set forth the function of taking “life” (ming) as the elixir; the hymn verses annotated beneath the diagram make manifest the fundamental reality of taking “nature” (xing) as the elixir.

1. Setting to Work

When one first sets to work, the foundation of the elixir must be firmly established, and one need not cling to hours such as the zi hour or the wu hour. The very moment that any stirring appears within quiet concentration is the time when gui-water—in the art of Neidan, the sign that the medicinal agent has been aroused—arises.

Take care not to misread these words. Spring flowers and the autumn moon, pink peach and white plum, the scorching heat of high summer, and driving snow in the dead of winter are all merely scenes before the eyes. If one asks what ought to be done in summer, there is truly nothing to say. Ah—doubt no longer.

In the twelfth month the plum holds buds like jade; beneath frosty skies the chrysanthemum opens golden flowers. When the wind rises, one hears the roar of the waves; after the moon has risen, one watches the tide come surging in.

2. Settling the Furnace

Outer forms may be taken as the furnace and cauldron—the furnace and tripod used in alchemy—while the medicinal ingredients within them stand for the materials of elixir refinement. If one can truly gather these materials and keep them properly in hand, the spiritual embryo, the Neidan (internal alchemy) accomplished through cultivation, or the root of life, will form at once.

Elixir

Plant hemp and one harvests hemp; by the Dao (the Way) of Wuwei (non-action) one sets up the furnace and cauldron. Amid what is elusive and formless one installs the furnace fire, and the furnace and cauldron grow firm of themselves, with no need of deliberate effort. Ah—in the state that is empty and yet not empty, one cooks and refines the supreme treasure; within Wuwei, where there is no place, one refines True Suchness, the nature that is real and not false.

The white snow has not yet melted, and already the yellow sprout has set its fruit. If one wishes the infant, symbol of the elixir embryo, to be born, one must first let the lovely maiden, symbol of the Yin side of the alchemical Qi (vital energy), withdraw.

3. Gathering the Medicine

Mercury is to be gathered on the southern mountain, and lead is to be sought in the northern sea. To harmonize them one relies on Kun-earth, symbol of Earth and of yielding Yin Qi; to subdue them one relies on Qian-metal, symbol of Heaven and of firm, vigorous Qi.

Elixir

What, after all, is one gathering? To seek mercury on the mountain top and lead at the bottom of the sea is like scooping the moon from the water or looking for heaven underground. Ha—if one does not know what the true seed is, one only wastes effort in cooking and refining.

Go down to the sea to catch the flood-dragon, the legendary divine beast of the waters, and by skill seize the sun and the moon. Send them into the cauldron to be fired, and refine them into a single mass of quintessence, pure as snow.

4. Carrying Out the Work

The fire timing—the mastery of the strength of the fire and of the moment in elixir refinement—is not especially complicated; what matters is only wisdom and firm vigor. Wood and Metal, alchemical terms for the matched Qi of Yin-Yang, remain joined throughout, and the supreme treasure grows ever brighter.

Elixir

Be careful not to let the eyes grow dazzled and confused. The so-called means of severity and decisive judgment rest entirely on steadfast firmness and strength. Seize the knot of doubt and cut it in two with a single stroke. Ah—civil fire is used to nurture the embryo, and martial fire is used to strike down what rebels.

One who knows how to employ the “fire that burns the mountain” can raise the “wind that scrapes the earth.” Once the clouds, thick as mist, have been swept clean away, a single red sun alone appears.

5. Holding to Fullness

If the fire is too fierce, the furnace can hardly remain steady; if too much lead is added, the cauldron is in danger of overturning. To keep to the proper mean is best; do not go to an extreme. Once the elixir has been refined, the mercury can remain full and suffer no loss.

Going beyond the proper measure, or falling short of it, is in either case unsuitable. Knowing how to make something is not as good as knowing how to put it to use; taking in a great deal is not as good as letting little be spent. If from day to day one keeps a thief’s intent, sooner or later one will steal what belongs to others. One should understand that if wealth and goods are stored without care, thieves will be drawn in; and if one’s appearance is dressed up too ostentatiously, licentious and corrupting matters are easily invited as well.

Close the door and sit quietly in the room, and misfortune will naturally be lessened. The hidden dangers within oneself are the hardest to guard against, and one must not on that account grow careless and self-satisfied.

Six. Warm Nurturing

When mind and nature are settled, the golden sand—a symbolic term in the cultivation of Neidan (internal alchemy)—can congeal; when the heart within is empty and clear, the infant, a figure for the pure original spirit (Shen) nurtured in practice, can be brought to maturity. One must also sit quietly in the room often, and misfortune will naturally be lessened. The hidden dangers within oneself are the hardest to guard against, and one must not on that account grow careless and self-satisfied.

When mind and nature are settled, the golden sand can congeal; when the heart within is empty and clear, the infant can be brought to maturity. One must also warm and nurture it continually, so that the moment it appears it shines with clear light.

Hold fast to the Danyuan, the source of the elixir, and keep warming and nurturing it, just as a hen broods upon her eggs. The slightest deviation, and the result may differ by a very great distance. Observe with care, steady the foundation, and at the same time open the heart and mind.

To rear and support this “child”—the original spirit formed through cultivation—one must rely on that “mouthless old woman,” a figure for the inner work that guards in silence, without a word. If there is even a thread of negligence, the attainment may vanish in an instant, like a sparrowhawk flying past Silla, a distant land, and leaving no trace.

Seven. Regulating the Spirit

When Qi (vital energy)—the energy of life spoken of in Daoism—is abundant, the infant-like original spirit undergoes its transformation; supporting its growth depends entirely on the “mother,” a figure for the work of guarding and warmly nurturing the original spirit. It must be nurtured to completeness, so that in going out and coming back there is no obstruction.

Do not move recklessly. One reckless movement, and one receives thirty blows of the staff—a warning that one must not act lightly. As the original spirit enters and leaves the formless realm, it can move freely in every direction. Send it forth and draw it back; the mind remains empty and clear, without clinging to anything gained. It can be as fine as a mote of dust, and as vast as all of heaven and earth.

Once the infant has passed the Heavenly Pass, a symbolic barrier in cultivation, it can come and go in freedom. In a brief moment it roams the farthest reaches of the eight directions, and in the turning of an eye it crosses the three immortal mountains.

Eight. Shedding the Embryo

On the day when practice is fulfilled and the work is accomplished, spiritual powers and wondrous functions are beyond measure. Coming and going meet with no hindrance, and within meditative absorption one may even pay homage to Xuhuang, a revered deity of Daoism.

Stand firm on your feet: the root comes before the sprout, and the fruit comes after the flower. After the flowers fall, the fruit ripens, and one may share the longevity of the clouds and the sky.

Only when the stone splits does one meet with jade; only when the sand and soil are washed away does one obtain gold. When the water clears, the fish appear of themselves; when the clouds part, the moonlight shines bright.

Nine. Bringing the Work to Completion

Kick over the cauldron that burns the heavens, and overturn the furnace that boils the seas. Split the void itself open and force a passage through—the root comes before the sprout, and the fruit comes after the flower; when the flowers fall and the fruit ripens, one may share the longevity of the clouds and the sky.

Only when the stone splits does one meet with jade; only when the sand and soil are washed away does one obtain gold. When the water clears, the fish appear of themselves; when the clouds part, the moonlight shines bright.

Kick over the “heaven-burning cauldron,” overturn the “sea-boiling furnace,” split open and crush even empty space itself—and what at last stands revealed is nothing but one true, unchanging nature.

The Elixir (Dan)

What cultivators call “the family ruined and its members gone” means letting go of attachment to body, mind, and the self. In the end, if one can understand this single root, every matter is brought to a close. The ground of the mind becomes utterly clear and bright, as if within the void a stark, solitary realm suddenly appears. With a shout, the single-horned fire dragon soars into the sky, startling forth a thunderclap like spring thunder.

When true awakening comes, everything is perfectly clear. To call it “nothing” is not to fall into vacant nonexistence. Once neither awakening nor vacant nonexistence is clung to any longer, body and mind merge as one with the vast Great Void (Taixu, the boundless emptiness).

Explained as Perfect Awakening (Yuanjue)

Direct Pointer to the Heart Scripture (Xinjing Zhizhi)

Layman Ji’an (a householder who cultivates the Dao, the Way) had long revered and upheld the Prajna Heart Scripture (Bore Xinjing; the Heart Sutra). One day he came to visit me and asked me to explain the meaning of the scripture. I said, “Before this scripture has even been opened and expounded, its true meaning can already be grasped—why add any further explanation? To force a commentary onto it is like setting another head upon one’s head.”

Ji’an said, “That may be so, yet beginners still cannot enter deeply into its purport. What is more, explanations from the various schools are many, and learners can hardly avoid doubts arising in the mind. I beg you, sir, out of compassion, to point the way and resolve my questions.”

I said, “When the World-Honored One (the Buddha) first proclaimed this scripture, it was to guide and transform living beings, directly indicating the profound and essential principle within it. From beginning to end, nothing that is said departs from the single word ‘emptiness.’ The scripture again and again employs skillful turns of language, exhorting and explaining over and over, precisely so that learners may grasp it easily.

“It is a pity that later people clung to the written word. Some were bound by form and appearance; others clung to a view of emptiness; and in the end none could penetrate the mysterious essential point. The ancestral masters of earlier generations, having no alternative, added commentaries and established all kinds of expedient approaches, teaching each according to capacity, so that people of the world might enter by whatever way they were able to understand. This arose entirely from an earnest wish to instruct, yet it may also pile doubt upon doubt for those of higher capacity. As the old saying has it: with those of middling capacity and below, one does not discuss profound principles.

“That you now come with questions to seek instruction shows precisely that you already have the foundation for awakening and entry. I can only say a few words more; listen carefully.”

The Heart Sutra of the Great Perfection of Wisdom (Mahāprajñāpāramitā; meaning “the heart-essence of great wisdom that reaches the other shore”) speaks of a path that leads directly to seeing one’s nature. In general, cultivating great wisdom and reaching the other shore is the Dharma method for recognizing original nature, and it is also a shortcut that everyone can walk.

To practice this path, one must constantly turn back and observe oneself in daily life, carefully watching the thoughts of the mind, so that wisdom and contemplative awareness never break off. After long practice, when one’s skill has matured, one gains freedom and unobstructed understanding, and is no longer bound by the transformations of nature. Thus, when the scripture says “when the bodhisattva practices deep prajñāpāramitā,” it means the time of deeply practicing this path. When the practice is deep and one’s power is ample, wisdom becomes perfectly integrated and thoroughly penetrating, accords with original nature, and enters the realm of perfect sudden awakening, transcending the distinction between ordinary people and sages. This is called “reaching the other shore.”

On reaching this realm, one can illuminate and see that the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, which constitute the human body and experience) are all empty. Once the five aggregates are empty, the myriad things are no longer clung to as truly existent, and one is therefore able to deliver all suffering.

“Śāriputra” is here explained as “the seed-child within the house.” The “child” is like the master of the house, referring to the pure Dharma-body (the pure and unchanging original nature). Form is not different from emptiness, and emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. Feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are likewise. When the scripture says that the five aggregates are all empty, it means that the empty aspect of the myriad dharmas is of one substance with empty space and will not be destroyed even through long ages. “Neither arising nor ceasing” means that it has no coming or going; “neither defiled nor pure” means that it is not subject to stain; “neither increasing nor decreasing” means that it has neither excess nor lack.

Therefore, within emptiness there is no form, nor feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness; there are no six sense faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, and no six sense objects of form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharmas. In the original aspect of emptiness there are no five aggregates and no six consciousnesses, and naturally no six sense objects either. According to this text, when the six faculties, beginning with the eye-realm, meet their objects, discrimination and defilement arise; once these discriminations exist, there are the five aggregates, the six faculties, the six consciousnesses, and the six sense objects. Since there is no eye-realm and the rest, there is no basis for speaking of sense objects and consciousness, and so it says “up to and including no realm of consciousness.” The “realm of consciousness” refers to the eighteen realms mentioned above.

When consciousness does not arise, there is no ignorance. What is said here, “there is no ending of ignorance,” means that ignorance no longer arises; it does not mean that every thought is utterly extinguished. If thoughts are completely cut off, one falls into inert emptiness. Neidan (internal alchemy) texts say, “Stilling thought is nurturing the fire,” and this is precisely the principle they describe. Ignorance is the root of birth and death. The Neidan texts also say that the place where thought arises is the “Xuanpin” (the mysterious female, the subtle source of life), and that the gate of the Xuanpin is the root of heaven and earth. This likewise shows that thought is connected with the root of birth and death.

Therefore, without ignorance there is also no aging and death, nor the ending of aging and death; there is no suffering, accumulation, cessation, or path, nor wisdom or folly, and still less anything attained. Since nothing is attained, nothing is lost either, and so both mind and dharmas are empty. Understanding the dharma of the mind is called bodhi; understanding that the myriad dharmas are all empty is called sattva. When beginners cultivate according to prajñāpāramitā, the mind has no obstruction. This is a process of entering nonbeing from being, and of advancing from the coarse and shallow to the subtle and wondrous: great wisdom arises, folly is broken through, and a pure mind accords with original nature. In the end the mind is like the Great Void, open and vast, without obstruction.

When there is no hindrance in the mind, there is no fear, and one can also leave behind inverted thoughts and delusive dreams. The mind of delusive dreams is dim confusion and disorder; once that confusion is removed, the Dharma-body is pure, and one can therefore reach ultimate nirvana. The buddhas of the past, present, and future, together with the ancestral teachers of successive generations, all cultivated by relying on prajñāpāramitā and thereby realized “anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi” (unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening). Those of later ages who truly study the Buddha’s way should also cultivate in this manner, give rise to the six kinds of wisdom, accord with original nature through a pure mind, and realize unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening. Therefore, prajñāpāramitā is the principle expressed by these four lines of mantra.

“Mahā” is the great divine mantra; it refers to the solid body formed by the four great elements (earth, water, fire, and wind), whose transformations are marvelously unfathomable. “Prajñā” is the great bright mantra; it refers to wisdom that is perfectly penetrating, vigorous, and luminous. “Boluo” is the unsurpassed mantra; it refers to accord with original nature and belongs to the highest Dharma method. “Miduo” is the unequaled mantra; it refers to perfection at its utmost, with no higher realm. Only by understanding these four levels of meaning can all suffering be removed. This is a principle that is true and not empty.

The World-Honored One utters the prajñāpāramitā mantra in order to explain, by means of the mantra, the meaning of the four phrases above. “Gate” refers to the emptiness of the person; the second “gate” refers to the emptiness of dharmas; “pāragate” means that, on reaching the other shore, both mind and dharmas are empty; “pārasaṃgate” means that one has already reached the shore and no longer needs the ferry. These four occurrences of “gate” correspond to the four great elements within the body. When the four great elements are all empty, the true and constant nature is revealed, and therefore it says “bodhi svāhā.” “Bodhi” is the beginning, and “svāhā” marks the end. When beginning and end are one, this is holding fast to the root and returning to emptiness, surpassing the realm that even buddhas and ancestral teachers can reach.

Even so, the essential point transmitted to Ji’an lies in straightening the spine and concentrating the gaze, so as not to miss the comprehension of the present moment. Only if, in everyday life, one can truly recognize one’s original face when meeting with affairs and undergoing their collisions will one come to believe that the principles of this scripture are not obtained from outside.

It is not this one fascicle of the Heart Sutra (Xin Jing) alone: all the scriptures of both the Buddhist and Daoist traditions, together with the teachings of the Hundred Schools, can, at a single shout of inquiry, be penetrated thoroughly from beginning to end. If one has not yet reached this state, then investigate the point indicated by “○”: this is the crux; doubt no further.

Confucian and Buddhist principles are cited here to corroborate the Dao (the Way) so that students may understand that the Three Teachings are originally of one source, and may not give rise to views that set them in opposition to one another.

Direct Pointer to the Yin Fu Jing

The Yin Fu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) speaks of the crux of the mutual accord of Yin-Yang, that is, the principle that circulates universally between Heaven and Earth.

The wording that follows the line “observing Heaven” repeats the earlier passage “if this is not yet so…”; transcribed according to the original, its meaning is: if one has not yet comprehended, then investigate the point indicated by “○”; this is the crux; doubt no further.

Confucian and Buddhist principles are cited here to corroborate the Dao so that students may understand that the Three Teachings are originally of one source, and may not give rise to views that set them in opposition to one another.

Direct Pointer to the Yin Fu Jing

The Yin Fu Jing speaks of the crux of the mutual accord of Yin-Yang, that is, the principle that circulates universally between Heaven and Earth.

Observing the Dao (the Way) of Heaven means observing the signs that Heaven manifests and discerning from them what is auspicious and what is inauspicious; the sage acts on this basis. To grasp the regularities by which Heaven moves—to achieve this—is already enough. Heaven and Earth are in continual transformation, and the sage models himself upon Heaven and Earth.

Heaven has the “Five Thieves”: five kinds of Qi (vital energy) can bring the myriad things into being and can also deplete them. One who understands this can flourish. It is like seeing that the Five Aggregates, the five constituents of a person’s body and mind, are originally empty, and thereby being freed from all suffering and distress. The Five Thieves lie hidden in the heart-mind, and the pivot of transformation also lies within oneself. Grasp this pivot, and one’s actions can accord with the Dao of Heaven and not go against the principle of Heaven.

The cosmos seems to rest in one’s hands. Master the regularities of Heaven’s movement, and the myriad transformations arise from oneself; Heaven and Earth then come into communion with oneself. What Heaven bestows on a person is that person’s innate nature; the human heart-mind is the pivot that sets transformation in motion. When the heart-mind activates this pivot, one can master transformation by means of the heart-mind, so that the myriad transformations are born from oneself.

To establish the Dao of Heaven is to settle human life. Heaven displays and transmits its norms, and on this basis the sage institutes teaching and moral transformation. When Heaven sets the killing-mechanism in motion, the disclosure of Heaven’s mechanism does not originally arise from selfish intent, and so within killing there is also a mechanism of life. Dragons and snakes lie dormant in the earth, still, settled, and without desire, and therefore they can accord with the opportune moment and rise as the time requires. When a human being sets the killing-mechanism in motion, it is the human heart-mind setting transformation in motion, and thus latent power can be brought forth. The transformations of Heaven and Earth turn back and forth in ways hard to fathom; this is the wondrous working of the mechanism. When Heaven and humanity set things in motion together, and the human heart-mind accords with Heaven’s mechanism, the foundation of the myriad transformations can be established. When that foundation is established by the heart-mind, transformation has something to follow.

Human nature differs in quickness and dullness, and the myriad things likewise differ from one another, yet all these differences can be drawn inward and concealed; one need not cling to distinguishing the skillful from the clumsy. If even one of the nine orifices—the two eyes, the two ears, the two nostrils, the mouth, and the two lower orifices—is unsettled, the other orifices are drawn into disorder as well. The crux lies in the “Three Essentials” of body, heart-mind, and intention. When body, heart-mind, and intention are settled, all nine orifices become open and unobstructed. Fire arising within wood is like the Five Thieves hidden in the heart-mind: if the heart-mind is injured by them, once calamity breaks out it is hard to contain. When treachery and deviance breed within a state, the transformations of the state are corrupted along with them. The human body is the pivot at which the myriad transformations occur; if it is set in motion at the wrong time, collapse and disorder are sure to follow. One who understands this and cultivates it is like a person skilled in governance who carefully tends the fire and guards against treachery; such a person is called a sage. One who makes the state prosperous and the people secure may likewise be called a sage.

Heaven causes the myriad things to live and also causes them to die. It propels their transformation and does not share the sage’s anxieties; this is the regularity of the Dao. Ceaseless generation and transformation are the constant principle of Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth can generate the myriad things and can also deplete them; the myriad things can nourish human beings and can also harm them; human beings can bring the myriad things to completion and can also deplete them. When the “Three Thieves”—Heaven and Earth, the myriad things, and human beings—each obtain what is fitting, a person can transform external things and return the workings of the three to their proper course, and the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity are thereby settled. Hence it is said: when eating and drinking accord with the season, the parts of the body come into harmony; when action corresponds to the timely moment, the myriad transformations can be settled.

People know that certain functions appear marvelous, yet they take them for mysterious powers and thus mistake the thief for their own child. They do not know that what is truly wondrous also comes from a root that seems ordinary and is Wuwei (non-action). Manifested forms—the appearances that are presented—are not originally fixed and unchanging forms; one only provisionally calls them manifested forms. The sun and moon move in definite cycles, and waxing and waning, growth and decline, each have their fixed measures. The myriad things differ in size, and each has its determinate form. From this the sage’s achievements arise, and from this too the luminous working of Shen (spirit) appears. When the movements of the sun and moon come into accord, the working of Shen is made manifest.

The pivot of that transformation lies within the space of a square inch, that is, within the human heart-mind. Everyone in the world can see the forms in which the myriad things appear, yet very few truly understand it. It is like meeting face to face and still possibly failing to recognize one another. When the noble person comprehends this principle, he can hold fast to himself and act fittingly; when the petty person comprehends it, he may slight nature and life and act without restraint.

The blind hear keenly because their attention is concentrated in the ears; the deaf see sharply because their attention is concentrated in the eyes. Cut off the pull of one sense, and Shen can withdraw into the interior. When one employs military force with Shen undivided, efficacy can increase tenfold. When, day and night, one repeatedly contemplates, listens inwardly and examines oneself, and turns back to seek within, attaining honesty free of falsity, efficacy can increase ten-thousandfold. The heart-mind gives rise to every kind of thought because of external things; when the heart-mind does not cling to external things, those thoughts subside. The pivot of transformation lies in the eyes. One reaches a state free of discriminations such as eye-consciousness, and even refrains from clinging to the realm of consciousness.

Heaven seems to bestow no grace, yet when it sets the killing-mechanism in motion it can bring great grace, allowing each of the myriad things to complete its growth. Thunder crashes in urgent peals and violent winds rise, just as the Classic of Changes (Yijing) speaks of successive claps of thunder. The noble person is therefore struck with fear and alertness and examines himself. The myriad things, too, are all shaken. Thus one sees that a stern warning can also bring blessing. Supreme joy comes from the fullness of innate nature: one constantly harbors ease and joy and keeps the heart-mind clear and still. Reaching utmost stillness, one can be pure and restrained—utterly still when still, and frugal when moving.

What is most partial in Heaven is that it both gives life to the myriad things and brings them to death; yet when it employs this transformation of life and death, it is supremely impartial and shows no favor. The crux of seizing and controlling—of subduing external things—lies in Qi, that is, in harnessing the Qi of one’s own person. Life is the root of death: when Qi is excessively vigorous, spiritual consciousness grows dim instead. Death is also the root of life: when Qi returns to deep stillness, spiritual consciousness becomes lively. From within grace, harm arises; if one stops and turns to look within, wisdom can increase. From within harm, grace also arises; by subduing external things and achieving results, one can capture the “mechanism of theft” within them.

The foolish take the patterns and regularities of Heaven and Earth to be sacred, yet they cannot follow Heaven’s principle. Those of penetrating understanding know that the principles of Heaven and Earth are complete within themselves, and so they can act according to the seasons and the regularities of the myriad things, taking this to be wisdom. In sum, to observe the Dao of Heaven and to master the regularities of Heaven’s movement is enough.