《全真集玄秘要》

This commentary on the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (The Seal of the Unity of the Three) sets forth the fundamental principles of the firing times (huohou) in the methods of the elixir.

The wondrous operation of the Great Elixir takes Qian and Kun as its model—Heaven and Earth, which also refer to body and mind. “Great” means reaching the utmost extreme; “elixir” means complete and without defect. Chan Master Dadian once said, “Do you recognize this circle? Heaven and Earth cannot be greater than it, and the sun and moon cannot be rounder than it.” The sagely teacher said, “Original true nature is called the Golden Elixir (Jindan); borrowing the four provisionally compounded things as furnace and cauldron, one refines them into a single whole.” From this we know that the Great Elixir refers to true nature itself, and that “modeling on Qian and Kun” means emulating Heaven and taking Earth as the pattern.

When Qian and Kun operate, the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) differentiate. Here Qian and Kun refer to body and mind, and the Five Phases refer to Jing (essence), Shen (spirit), hun (ethereal soul), po (corporeal soul), and yi (intention). When body and mind operate, five modes of Qi (vital energy) activity arise.

When the Five Phases proceed in their ordinary sequence, they belong to the ordinary Dao (the Way), and therefore there is birth and extinction. The patriarch said, “When the Five Phases run forward, the dharma-realm is like a pit of fire.” That is, when the Five Phases move according to their normal course, they drive the growth and transformation of the myriad things; this way of the five constants belongs to the law of birth and extinction.

When the Five Phases proceed in reverse, the body of the elixir remains forever luminous and clear, constantly abiding without decay. The patriarch said, “When the Five Phases are inverted, the great earth is transformed into the seven treasures.” Reverse movement means gathering the Five Phases together and returning them to the Dao of true constancy; the Dao of true constancy endures and does not perish.

The “One” manifests form and substance out of emptiness and non-being. Laozi said, “The Dao gives birth to the One.” Emptiness, non-being, and spontaneity mean that the Dao gives birth to the One Qi (primordial qi) from within emptiness and non-being; in cultivation within the human body, this corresponds to emptiness transforming into Shen.

The “Two Modes” (Liangyi) open their foundation from the “One.” Laozi said, “The One gives birth to the Two.” The One Qi divides, and the Two Modes are thereby established; in the human person, nature and life (xing and ming) are thereby established.

The “Four Images” (Sixiang) do not depart from these two fundamental forms of the Two Modes. Master Shao said, “Two divides into four.” The Yijing (Classic of Changes) says, “The Two Modes give birth to the Four Images.” In the human person, this is likewise the transformation that follows once nature and life have been established.

The Eight Trigrams (Bagua) stand toward one another in a relationship of ancestors and descendants.

The Classic of Changes (Yijing) says, “The Four Images give birth to the Eight Trigrams.” By a relationship of ancestors and descendants is meant that Qian and Kun give birth to the six child trigrams, and that the six child trigrams in turn generate the sixty-four hexagrams. Qian and Kun are the ancestors; the other figures are the descendants. Those of penetrating understanding turn back to seek the root and grasp the principle from within themselves.

All things and affairs arise out of change.

When the Eight Trigrams change, the sixty-four hexagrams are formed. The moment a person’s mind stirs, every sort of causal condition and tangled thought arises along with it.

Good fortune, misfortune, regret, and distress therefore appear in profusion.

Zhou Dunyi said, “Good fortune, misfortune, regret, and distress arise from movement.” Alas—good fortune is of only one kind, while misfortune, regret, and distress are of many kinds. How, then, can one fail to be cautious? From this we know that good fortune, misfortune, regret, and distress all arise from change and from action.

The common people make use of these principles every day, yet do not know that they do so.

Nothing in the daily life of the common people fails to contain these principles. They employ them without knowing it because they are obscured by emotion and by ordinary understanding. Thus those who truly understand the Dao (the Way) of the noble person are few.

The sage is able to investigate the root and trace matters back to their source.

Looking up, the sage observes the patterns of Heaven; looking down, the sage examines the myriad things. Investigating the root and tracing back to the source, the sage discerns the Dao of Heaven and establishes norms, creates the hexagram images, and composes the hexagram statements. The Classic of Changes came into being in this way.

The principles of the Classic of Changes subtly display the substance and the functioning of cosmic transformation.

The Classic of Changes embraces the substance and the functioning of creation. It can thread through the changes of the world and settle the affairs of the world. At once exceedingly vast and deeply subtle, it is therefore called the Zhouyi.

Thus one borrows the hexagram images of the Classic of Changes to express these principles.

The principles of the Classic of Changes are vast and complete. Used in the study of Buddhism, they can illuminate the Buddhist teaching; used in the study of immortality, they can illuminate the way of the immortals; used in cultivating the self, regulating the family, ordering the state, and bringing peace to the world, they can illuminate these principles as well. Wei Boyang therefore borrowed the hexagram images to expound the Dao of the elixir and composed the Cantong qi.

The hexagrams Pi (Standstill) and Tai (Peace) symbolize the critical moment when Yin and Yang meet and exchange. In Tai, Yang Qi (vital energy) rises, and one should then guard against the danger born of excess fullness; in Pi, Yin Qi descends, and one should then hold firm and keep one’s ground.

The hexagrams Zhun (Difficulty at the Beginning) and Meng (Youthful Folly) symbolize movement and stillness at the start of cultivation. Reckoned by the seasons of the year, the six days after the winter solstice are Zhun, and the next six days are Meng; reckoned by the month, from the zi hour of the first day to the si hour is Zhun, and from the wu hour to the hai hour is Meng; reckoned by the body, the first arising of Tiangui (the physiological Qi bound up with reproductive function) is called Zhun, while a spring issuing from beneath the mountain is called Meng.

The hexagram Kan represents the middle son, and Li the middle daughter; they also symbolize water and fire. The union of Kan and Li is water and fire in After Completion (Yin and Yang brought into harmony). Pingshu said: “Take the solid Yang in the middle of the Kan position and use it to transmute the Yin within the belly of the Li palace.”

The hexagram Zhen symbolizes the dragon and the hun (ethereal soul), and Dui the tiger and the po (corporeal soul). In brief, they represent inner nature and emotion. The patriarch said: “Only when Metal returns to the beginning of its original nature can it be called the Reverted Elixir.” This is precisely the meaning here.

If one holds to the center and to what is correct, one attains “supreme good fortune in a yellow lower garment.” Guarding the center means neither leaning to one side nor to the other, neither going too far nor falling short. In the phase of withdrawing the tally (the stage of cultivation in which Yang Qi is gathered inward), when one reaches the fifth line of the hexagram Kun, one guards the center and proceeds from below, and so can avoid deviation; this is why it is called “supreme good fortune in a yellow lower garment.”

When one encounters the extreme of excess, one occupies a lofty and honored place yet has nothing to rely on. Here “excess” refers to the top line of the hexagram Qian, namely “the dragon in excess has cause for regret.” When the advancing of the fire (the stage of cultivation in which Yang Qi is driven upward) reaches that top line, one must know how to hold to fullness, keeping what is sufficient without letting it grow overabundant. If one does not know how to hold to fullness, all the work done before will have been in vain.

Jiji (After Completion) and Weiji (Before Completion) symbolize the firing process (the measured regulation, throughout cultivation, of advance and retreat and of movement and stillness) as its circuit reaches the end. The cycle closes and begins again; therefore one is told to regard with care the ending and the beginning of all things.

The hexagrams Fu (Return) and Gou (Coming to Meet) show the two Qi of Yin and Yang returning and joining. Qian and Kun are the gateway of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams); Fu and Gou express the coming and going of the two Qi of Yin and Yang among the sixty-four hexagrams. Yin and Yang go and return without cease, and from this the creative transformations take form.

The moon turns from waning to waxing and from waxing to waning, corresponding to the decline and flourishing of Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit), and this also shows that extracting and adding, and decrease and increase, should follow the proper measure.

The rising and setting of the sun and moon symbolize the shifts of cold and heat in the body’s Rong-Wei Qi (vital energy)—the Qi and blood that guard the body and nourish the whole person. Observing the rising and setting of the sun and moon can illustrate the principles by which the movement of Qi is nourished and brought into harmony. The waxing and waning of the moon, in turn, symbolizes the norms of extracting and replenishing, of increase and decrease, in the course of cultivation.

These words are meant to clarify the principles and to help people understand. What is called “establishing words to enlighten the uninitiated” means borrowing such things as Qian and Kun, and the crow and the hare, to explain the principles of cultivation. Qian and Kun refer to Heaven and Earth; the crow and the hare stand respectively for the sun and the moon, and are also often used as metaphors for Yin-Yang in alchemy.

Once the principle to which a metaphor points has been grasped, the metaphor itself may be forgotten. The Dao (the Way) of the Golden Elixir (Jindan) goes by many different names, and all of them are borrowed figures. To grasp the essentials, one should carefully ponder the text of the Jing (scripture); once it is understood, there is no need to cling to the wording. A metaphor is like an image used to indicate an intention: after one sees what it points to, one must go further and enter into the principle within it; when that principle has truly been realized, these images may be set aside. It is like using a raft to cross a river—once the other shore is reached, there is no need to go on carrying the raft.

Those of penetrating understanding know that the great Dao is supremely simple and easy. The Dao of Qian brings the myriad things into being, and its pattern is plain and easy; the Dao of Kun brings the myriad things to completion, and its working is spare and simple. From this they proceed to practice, and so are able to grasp the principle of ease and simplicity. The confused, by contrast, only make matters ever more complicated and find them ever more difficult. If one clings to outward images—setting up furnace and cauldron according to a diagram, or seeking a fine horse by following a picture—one will only make the undertaking increasingly complex and arduous, and may pass a whole life without attainment.

Therefore, those who resolve to cultivate the true should not, in reading the Cantong qi (a Daoist classic of alchemy), cling to its metaphors or to the literal wording. In reading this scripture, one should carefully ponder it and seek out what is profound and subtle within it; only then can insight arise. If one merely clings to words and images, what benefit can there be?

Explanation of the Diagram of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate)

Wuji, and thereby Taiji: the formless and imageless Wuji (the Limitless) thereby manifests as Taiji, which embraces Yin-Yang and is the root of the myriad things.

The symbol “○” designates the original substance of void spontaneity. It begins in a commencement that cannot be put into words; its name is established within the nameless, and language cannot explain it. Because it cannot be spoken, one can only provisionally call it “○.”

In order to display this principle to the world and to later ages, so that people might follow the course of change back to its source and not forget the root, the sages set up a symbol and left words behind, naming it “Wuji er Taiji” (Wuji, the Limitless, and yet Taiji, the Supreme Ultimate). This means that its utmost reach cannot be known, and yet it is truly the root of the myriad things; it is not something that can be understood by conjecturing from one’s own ideas. Nor does it mean that before Taiji there is some separate Wuji; the original substance of Taiji is itself Wuji. Those of penetrating insight need only attend to the word “er” (“and yet”), and they will naturally comprehend.

What Buddhism calls “the luminous wondrous source prior to the kalpas” (the bright and subtle origin before countless kalpas) is precisely this meaning; what Laozi calls “before the image of the Emperor” (before the Celestial Emperor becomes manifest) speaks of the same. Chan Master Dadian said: “Do you recognize this ‘○’? The greatness of heaven and earth is not enough to liken to it; the brightness of the sun and moon is not enough to liken to it. Drawn in, it is so small as to have no interior; opened out, it is so vast as to have no exterior.” Is this not the profound subtlety of Taiji?

Turning back to investigate it fully within oneself, the Limitless and yet the Supreme Ultimate is the transformation of emptiness into Shen (spirit). However great the things of the world may be, they still have boundaries in the end; only Shen is vast without limit, circulating in its movement with no fixed place, generating heaven and earth, and nothing can surpass it. Because it is wondrous beyond fathoming, it is called “Shen.” Shen, one may say, is the true substance of the Limitless.

Taiji moves and thereby produces Yang; when movement reaches its extreme, it turns to stillness. Stillness produces Yin; when stillness reaches its extreme, it turns again to movement. Movement and stillness are roots for one another; Yin and Yang differentiate from this, and the two fundamental forms (Liangyi, the Two Modes) are thereby established.

This speaks of the transformations of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate). Before Taiji has yet divided, the principles of movement and stillness already exist; when the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin and Yang begin to differentiate, the transformations of movement and stillness become manifest. Taiji stirs into motion and produces Yang—this is the transformation of Taiji. When movement reaches a certain point and turns to stillness, Yang is transformed into Yin; Yin arises within stillness, and when stillness reaches a certain point and turns again to movement, Yin is transformed into Yang. That Yin and Yang are roots of one another means that within Yin there is Yang and within Yang there is Yin. As movement and stillness alternate, Yin and Yang are thereby separated; clear Qi rises and turbid Qi sinks, and the two Qi of Yin and Yang are thus differentiated. What is clear and rises is called Heaven; what is turbid and sinks is called Earth. Heaven moves and Earth is still; the two Qi of Yin and Yang move and transform without cease, and their unfolding cannot be stopped.

Laozi said, “The gate of the Mysterious Female is called the root of Heaven and Earth.” The opening and closing transformations of this “Mysterious Female” (xuanpin, symbolizing the source of the creative transformations of Yin and Yang) give birth to Heaven and Earth; it is the pivotal mechanism of the transformations of Yin-Yang movement and stillness.

Turning back to examine this within oneself, one comes to understand: the void is transformed and gives birth to Shen (spirit); where there is Shen, there is sympathetic response. When Shen responds and stirs into motion, Qi arises—this corresponds to movement giving birth to Yang. When Qi gathers and produces Jing (essence), this corresponds to movement reaching its extreme and turning to stillness, and to stillness giving birth to Yin. When Jing is transformed and forms the physical body, this corresponds to stillness reaching its extreme and turning again to movement. Qi and Jing generate one another; nature (xing) and life (ming) are thereby established, and body and heart are thereby differentiated. Qi moving within the heart embodies the operation of the Dao (the Way) of Heaven; Jing presiding over the body embodies the establishment of the Dao of Earth. Therefore the body and the heart are like the two modes of Yin and Yang.

In the original text, the passage “Yang changes to stillness, and Qi is mutually generated; nature and life are established, and body and heart are distinguished…” repeats what precedes it and means the same. The transformations of Yin and Yang conjoin and produce the Five Phases (wuxing)—Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth; as the Five Phases proceed in sequence, the four seasons change in turn.

This is the principle of the transformations of the Two Modes (Liangyi)—that is, Yin-Yang. “Liang” means two. Why not say “two,” but “liang”? “Liang” carries the sense of mutual pairing. When Yin and Yang come together, resonance arises; once there is resonance, transformation proceeds freely and without obstruction. Yang Qi (vital energy) stirs into motion and Yin Qi joins with it; Yin and Yang resonate and intermingle, and thus the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) are produced.

Heaven’s One generates Water, Earth’s Two generates Fire, Heaven’s Three generates Wood, Earth’s Four generates Metal, and Heaven’s Five generates Earth. These are the generating numbers of the Five Phases. The Five Phases move and transform without pause, and the workings of generation and transformation never cease; therefore the four seasons succeed one another and the myriad things grow.

In the human being, once body and mind are established, Jing (essence) and Qi circulate within the body; when the five viscera take form, the five spirits are likewise complete. Heaven’s One generates Water, and Jing is stored in the kidneys; Earth’s Two generates Fire, and Shen (spirit) is stored in the heart; Heaven’s Three generates Wood, and the Hun (ethereal soul) is stored in the liver; Earth’s Four generates Metal, and the Po (corporeal soul) is stored in the lungs; Heaven’s Five generates Earth, and Yi (intention) is stored in the spleen. In the scripture, an earlier sentence—“Heaven’s Five generates Earth; intention, and the five spirits are complete”—is incomplete in meaning; when the later text repeats the enumeration, it reads “Yi is stored in the spleen.” As the Five Phases turn, the various emotions and the activities of body and mind all become manifest from this. One who understands this principle can accord with the changes of the times and proceed by following the Great Dao (the Way).

In the final analysis, the Five Phases are one Yin and one Yang; in the final analysis, Yin-Yang are Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate); and the root principle of Taiji is Wuji (the Limitless).

Heaven’s One, Heaven’s Three, and Heaven’s Five belong to the Yang numbers, while Earth’s Two and Earth’s Four belong to the Yin numbers; therefore it is said that the Five Phases revert to Yin-Yang. Yang is the movement of Taiji, and Yin is the stillness of Taiji. Movement and stillness are not two origins separate from each other; once this is understood, one can return to the root, and so it is said that Yin-Yang revert to Taiji. To return to the root is to join the emptiness and stillness of the primordial beginning; hence it is said that Taiji is rooted in Wuji.

The practitioner sets Qi turning so that it cycles round and round, while Shen remains unchanged. Precisely because Shen does not change, generation and transformation can be endless. What gathers the Five Phases is Shen, and what brings Yin and Yang together is also Shen; the original substance of Shen is emptiness and stillness. Refining Jing into Qi, refining Qi into Shen, and refining Shen so that it returns to emptiness—this is called returning to the root and reverting to the origin. To return to the root and revert to the origin is to return to Wuji.

Once the Five Phases have been generated, each possesses a nature of its own.

“Each of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) has its own nature” means that Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth each possesses a Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the origin of the myriad things. Add five to each of the generating numbers of the Five Phases, and they become completing numbers: Heaven’s number one generates Water, and with five added, Earth’s number six completes Water; Earth’s number two generates Fire, and with five added, Heaven’s number seven completes Fire; Heaven’s number three generates Wood, and with five added, Earth’s number eight completes Wood; Earth’s number four generates Metal, and with five added, Heaven’s number nine completes Metal; Heaven’s number five generates Earth, and with five added, Earth’s number ten completes Earth. This is to say that each of the Five Phases is further endowed with the principle of the Five Phases in its entirety.

What was said earlier—“the Five Phases alike come forth from one Yin-Yang, and Yin-Yang alike comes forth from one Taiji”—concerns the substance of the Five Phases: fundamentally, the Five Phases all belong to a single Taiji. What is said here—“each of the Five Phases has its own nature”—concerns their function: each manifests a Taiji. Substance is a return to the source and a reversion to the original beginning; function unfolds into every kind of transformation and expression. Understanding substance requires tracing backward; understanding function requires inferring forward. Tracing backward shows where things begin; inferring forward shows how things develop to their end. To know only the beginning and not the end is to be unable to grasp transformation in its full breadth; to know only the end and not the beginning is to be unable to exhaust the source in its subtlety.

Trace matters back to their beginning, and the myriad things, still an undifferentiated whole, coincide with Wuji (the Limitless). Follow them through to the end, and the myriad things ceaselessly generate and transform without limit. When backward tracing and forward inference supplement one another, one knows that beginning and end are originally not two. Between the manifest and the hidden there is no divide, and nature and principle interpenetrate throughout. This is the realm in which substance and function are both complete and one accords with the Dao (the Way).

The true nature of Wuji wondrously conjoins and coalesces with the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin and Yang and the quintessence of the Five Phases, and from this the myriad things are formed.

“The true reality of Wuji” refers to the genuine, wondrous functioning inherent in Wuji (the undifferentiated origin, formless and without image)—that is, the subtle operation of the Yuanshen, the luminous Shen (spirit) innate from before birth. “The Jing (essence) of the Two and the Five” refers to the subtle convergence of the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang and the essential Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). When they converge and coalesce, they transform and give birth to the myriad things.

How great is the original reality of Wuji! It is the source of the myriad things prior to Heaven, the root of Taiyi (the primordial Qi of which Daoism speaks), the mother of the Three Origins (the three origins of Heaven, Earth, and Water), and the venerable master of every mysterious transformation. It does not change with the above and below of Heaven and Earth, nor does it perish with ancient times and the present. When Heaven obtains it, Heaven firmly establishes its position; when Earth obtains it, Earth peacefully assumes its form. When Qian (symbolizing Heaven and Yang) establishes its position, the myriad things thereby receive their beginning; when Kun (symbolizing Earth and Yin) assumes its form, the myriad things thereby receive birth and nurture.

How supremely wondrous is the essential Qi of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases! It can be said neither to exist nor not to exist; it is neither turbid nor clear—dim and elusive, yet ever present. Through it Heaven and Earth each rest in their places; through it the sun and moon move; through it the One Qi (the unified Qi that penetrates and links all things) circulates and transforms; and through it the myriad things are generated. It is profound and hard to fathom, marvelous in having no fixed form, and accords with a realm to which nothing in the world can be compared.

People know only that they are born of Heaven and Earth, yet do not know that form and Shen are also endowed by the original reality of Wuji; they know only that they take their stand between Heaven and Earth, yet do not know that the body is condensed from the essential Qi of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases. If the subtle reality of Wuji cannot be transformed into a numinous function, it is not sufficient to generate the formless; if the essential Qi of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases cannot wondrously unite into Qi, it is not sufficient to transform the bodily form. Therefore, to cultivate the Yuanshen one must first preserve the original reality; to make the body firm one must first nurture Jing and Qi. When reality and Jing do not leak outward, Qi becomes stable and Shen becomes luminous; when both form and Shen attain the realm of subtle wonder, one unites in reality with the Dao (the Way). The cultivation that a sage can complete goes no further than this.

The Dao of Qian (the way in which Heaven and Yang operate) generates the male; the Dao of Kun (the way in which Earth and Yin operate) generates the female. The two Qi of Yin and Yang interact and give birth to the myriad things; as the myriad things continually grow and change, and form and Shen both attain the realm of subtle wonder, one unites in reality with the Dao. The sage’s cultivation is thereby complete.

The Dao of Qian generates the male; the Dao of Kun generates the female. The two Qi of Yin and Yang resonate with one another and give birth to the myriad things; the myriad things bring forth life without cease, transforming without end.

The circle “○” represents the fundamental root and the ultimate perfection of the human being. At birth, one who receives the Dao (the Way) of Qian—the yang and firm Qi (vital energy) of Heaven—becomes male, while one who receives the Dao of Kun—the yin and yielding Qi of Earth—becomes female.

Viewed through the images of the trigrams, the lowest line of the Qian trigram joins with the Kun trigram to form the Zhen trigram, and Zhen represents the eldest son. The lowest line of the Kun trigram joins with the Qian trigram to form the Xun trigram, and Xun represents the eldest daughter. The middle line of Qian joining with Kun forms the Kan trigram, and Kan represents the middle son. The middle line of Kun joining with Qian forms the Li trigram, and Li represents the middle daughter. The uppermost line of Qian joining with Kun forms the Gen trigram, and Gen represents the youngest son. The uppermost line of Kun joining with Qian forms the Dui trigram, and Dui represents the youngest daughter. These six child trigrams—Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui—all arise through the mutual transformation of the two trigrams Qian and Kun. When the six children combine with one another, the sixty-four hexagrams are formed. The transformations of the sixty-four hexagrams are endless, and the myriad things are thereby continually generated and transformed without cease.

In the human body, Qian corresponds to the head and Kun to the abdomen, symbolizing Heaven and Earth each settled in its proper place. Li corresponds to the eyes and Kan to the ears, symbolizing water and fire each following its own course without conflict. Zhen corresponds to the feet and Xun to the hands, symbolizing thunder and wind stirring one another. Gen corresponds to the nose and Dui to the mouth, symbolizing the breath of mountain and marsh in mutual communication. This is to view the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) within the human body from the perspective of physical form.

If one looks instead from the perspective of disposition and inner nature, Qian and Kun correspond to body and mind; Kan and Li correspond to Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit); Zhen and Dui correspond to the hun and the po; and Gen and Xun correspond to intention and Qi. The eight trigrams are arrayed within the human body, and spiritual illumination moves and operates within them. The formless and the formed blend with one another, the inner and the outer respond to each other, and every kind of causal condition and deliberation arises from this. In these transformations, it is as though the myriad things were all contained within a single human body. The Xici (“Appended Statements”) of the Yizhuan says: “Heaven and Earth commingle in fertile vapor, and the myriad things are transformed and brought to ripeness; male and female unite their essence, and the myriad things are transformed and come into being.” This is precisely the principle at work. Heaven and Earth give birth to the myriad things, and their movement and transformation never cease; the myriad things are therefore generated and transformed without end. The circle “○” is the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) of the myriad things—the fundamental root of their coming into being.

Only human beings are endowed with the most refined and excellent numinous Qi between Heaven and Earth, and therefore possess the greatest spiritual nature. Once the human form has taken shape, essence and spirit give rise to awareness. The Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) resonate with one another; good and evil thereupon become clearly distinguished, and the myriad affairs arise from this.

Heaven is above and the earth is below, and human beings and the myriad things stand between heaven and earth. Heaven and earth are the parents of the myriad things. Among the myriad things, human beings are the most spiritually intelligent, for they are endowed with the balanced and upright Qi (vital energy) of heaven and earth. Thus a person’s Shen (spirit) and the Dao (the Way) form one undivided whole and have never been separated.

Heaven and earth each occupy their proper place, while change and transformation move between them. Once a person’s body and mind are established, Shen moves within them as well. Heaven and humanity were originally without any barrier, yet people often feel themselves to be insignificant. Why is this? Because they do not know their own source. Tracing that source, before birth a person was embraced and nourished in the Great Beginning (the primordial state in which heaven and earth had not yet divided and the myriad things had not yet come into being), pure and complete, never departing from the source even for a moment. After birth, Qi, the vital energy that constitutes the life of human beings and the myriad things, transforms and becomes bodily form. When the body is formed and Qi gathers, spiritual clarity manifests as perception.

The true reality of original spiritual awareness is the true reality of Wuji (the undifferentiated fundamental reality, without form or image). When the Five Qi—the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water)—stir in response, the inner true and wondrous function manifests outwardly. When the Qi of Jing (essence) responds in the ears, it becomes hearing, corresponding to “the earthly six completes Water.” When Shen responds in the mouth, it becomes speech, corresponding to “the heavenly seven completes Fire.” When the hun responds in the eyes, it becomes sight, corresponding to “the earthly eight completes Wood.” When the po responds in the nose, it becomes smell, corresponding to “the heavenly nine completes Metal.” When intention responds in the body, it becomes movement, corresponding to “the earthly ten completes Earth.” These numbers and this language of the Five Phases explain how the Qi of heaven and earth transforms into the human senses and activities. Once the True Mechanism (the numinous stirring inherent in life) appears, the upright and the deviant divide from this point, and the myriad affairs arise from here.

If a person can gather in body and mind, dissolve emotion and discriminating consciousness, collect the Qi of the Five Phases, and harmonize the Three Powers (heaven, earth, and humanity); if one can embrace and guard original Qi, concentrate Shen with single-mindedness, withdraw the gaze, turn hearing inward in inner contemplation, close off the breath, and regulate respiration, so that external scenes do not enter the mind and inner distracting thoughts do not scatter outward; and if one lets the One Qi return to emptiness and stillness and lets Shen lie hidden in silence, then distinctions between good and evil have no occasion to arise.

Going further, one embraces the two Qi of Yin-Yang together with the quintessence of the Five Phases, contains and nourishes the Qi of Great Harmony, returns to the true reality of Wuji, and reaches the realm of emptiness and nothingness. This is called returning to the origin and restoring the source, returning to the root and recovering one’s mandate. Yuchan (a Daoist figure) said, “Before our parents had yet given birth to us, there was already inexhaustible vital potency; after body and mind cease their deluded agitation, the true and wondrous function of Wuji appears once more.” What he said is precisely this principle.

The sage inquires into principles that lie deep and obscure, and traces out the patterns of affairs that reach far ahead; in acting, he is sure to follow what is correct. Principle exists between Heaven and Earth, and nothing can stand against it. Therefore, in cultivating De (Virtue/Power) and bringing one’s undertakings to completion, one must first take the investigation of the principles of affairs as the foundation; and the key to investigating those principles is first to take centrality, correctness, humaneness, and righteousness as the foundation. Thus the sage, by means of centrality, correctness, humaneness, and righteousness, establishes the standard and sets up moral teaching.

Centrality and correctness are the nature that leans neither to one side nor the other; humaneness and righteousness are the outflow of inborn nature. They are the key that runs through Heaven and Earth and sets the myriad things in motion. When the mind within is silent and unmoving, and in the face of the myriad things one never departs from the standard, this is called “centrality.” To be open and magnanimous, level and upright, gentle and smoothly compliant, at ease in the constant Dao (the Way), and to take stillness as what presides, so that in meeting affairs one can respond with composure—this is called “correctness.” To restrain selfish desire and return to ritual and law, to bestow benefit widely and render aid universally, to bring others to completion and handle matters with thorough care, and to meet people and things without partiality—this is called “humaneness.” Whether advancing or withdrawing, speaking or remaining silent, to respond to things and move in accord with the situation, benefiting both oneself and others, and not contending with the myriad things—this is called “righteousness.”

“Centrality” is the root of the myriad things under Heaven; “correctness” is the most fitting standard under Heaven; “humaneness” is the most impartial intent under Heaven; “righteousness” is the most harmonious principle under Heaven. The Wenyan (Commentary on the Words) says: “What benefits things can bring moral principle into harmony.” It also says: “To benefit the myriad things is sufficient to bring moral principle to completion.” From this one may know that humaneness and righteousness are the essentials for cultivating De and accomplishing one’s work, while centrality and correctness are the essentials for investigating the principles of affairs and giving full play to inborn nature. Centrality, correctness, humaneness, and righteousness embrace Heaven and Earth, set the myriad things in order, and bring all things into harmony.

If one cultivates the self by centrality, correctness, humaneness, and righteousness, the person can be brought to complete cultivation; if one uses them to order the state, the state can be made secure. They can thread through all under Heaven and harmonize Heaven and Earth, so that whether a matter is great or small, minute or vast, it can be properly settled. If the gentleman who cultivates the Dao and advances in De can indeed turn these principles over in his mind day and night, with attention undivided, then, as I see it, accomplishing the work of the Dao will not be difficult.

And, taking stillness as what presides, one establishes the fundamental standard for conducting oneself in the world.

What is called “stillness” is not complete immobility. If stillness were understood as not moving at all, then soil and stones could all become sages. The Tongshu says, “Within movement there is nothing that is truly unmoving.” What is meant is stillness within movement, and only this is true stillness.

After the Beginning of Winter, the myriad things close up and store themselves away and enter winter; this is called “stillness.” The sun, moon, and stars never cease their motion—can one say they are completely unmoving? On the day of the winter solstice one closes the gates, and by this people are taught to quiet the mind and await the coming of change. This shows that there is stillness within movement and also movement within stillness, and this is precisely the pivot of the transformation of the myriad things. When stillness reaches its extreme, the incipient impulse of movement appears, and the original mind of the Heavenly Dao (the Way) can be seen. Confucius said, “In the Fu hexagram—the hexagram symbolizing the return and rebirth of yang Qi (vital energy)—one may perhaps see the original mind of Heaven and Earth.”

From this we know that, of the foundations of the myriad things, stillness is the most important. By continually quieting the mind and returning the spirit to what is proper, one can investigate the principles of things to the utmost and fully realize one’s innate nature, and then penetrate the Mandate of Heaven, transcend the ordinary, and reach the realm of the sage. This is what Laozi meant by “clarity and stillness are the standard of the world.” The Great Learning says, “First settle the mind and will; only then can one become still.” That human beings take stillness as their root is so by their Heaven-endowed nature.

If someone takes quieting the mind as the foundation of cultivation and earnestly practices it in daily life—gathering in the restless mind, removing delusive thoughts and emotions, regulating the breath and rectifying proper Qi (upright, pure, and harmonious vital energy), and nourishing primordial Jing (essence, the vital energy that is the root of life)—then, amid silent immobility, one will naturally resonate and interconnect with the myriad things. At this stage, one is of course still when at rest, and can also be still when in motion; even while acting and responding to external things, the inner substance constantly preserves quietude. This is called true stillness.

When true stillness has endured, luminous subtlety arises; when the mind is luminous and subtle, it becomes clear and transparent; when it is clear and transparent, it becomes spiritually penetrating and free of obstruction. To be clear and spiritually penetrating in this way, with nothing obstructing the ten directions—all around, together with above and below, referring broadly to all space—is called the supreme clarity and stillness. When the mind is clear and still, the body too becomes clear, still, and settled; when one person’s body and mind are clear and still, this can extend to many others; when many are clear and still, the mountains and rivers, the great earth, and all things also become clear and still. After the myriad things are clear and still, the world naturally returns to uprightness.

The scripture says, “If a person can constantly remain clear and still, Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things will all come and submit.” This is the principle being spoken of. The ancient sages said that in conducting affairs one should take stillness as primary, for only thus can the fundamental standard of human beings be established. This is the efficacy with which the sages teach and transform people. If one cannot observe the incipient mechanism of return and rebirth and understand the principle of change, who could reach such a realm?

Therefore, the sage can accord with the De (Virtue/Power) of Heaven and Earth, accord with the brightness of the sun and moon, accord with the order in which the four seasons proceed, and also understand the good and ill fortune portended by ghosts and spirits.

The sage’s relation to all under Heaven is like Heaven’s relation to the myriad things. Thus the sage shares De with Heaven and Earth, shares brightness with the sun and moon, accords with the four seasons in their proper order, and accords with the laws by which nature’s creative transformation operates. The sage embodies the principle of the movement of Yin-Yang and fully grasps the patterns of things; this is “preceding Heaven”—acting in accord with the natural principle of Heaven. The noble person takes the sage as the standard and acts in obedience to Heaven’s timing; this is “following Heaven”—not daring, of himself, to go against the Dao (the Way) of Heaven. The Wenyan says: “If he acts before Heaven’s timing, Heaven will not go against him; if he acts after Heaven’s timing, he then follows Heaven’s timing.” If even Heaven does not oppose him, how much less will human beings and ghosts and spirits?

The noble person cultivates himself and accords with Heaven’s principle, and so meets with good fortune; the petty person violates principle and moral rightness, indulges desire and chases delusive thoughts, and so is often in peril. The key to cultivation lies in according with the timely moment, and the key to according with the timely moment lies in clarity and stillness. When mind and Shen (spirit) are clear and still, one can respond to every kind of affair; when capacity is inexhaustible, its limit is hard to fathom. Only by reaching this realm can one accord with the sage, and then understand the Dao of “preceding Heaven” and return to the original beginning.

Guangchengzi said: “Do not look or listen wantonly; guard Shen and keep to clarity and stillness, and Shen will naturally become upright. You must be clear, still, and lucid; do not weary the body, and do not stir Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). Shen will guard the bodily form, and only then can the form endure.” From this we know that clarity and stillness are the foundation for entering the realm of the sage. Zhou Dunyi summed up the essentials of cultivation in a single sentence and advocated clarity and stillness; he may truly be called a teacher, for all generations, of both the human world and Heaven.

Therefore it is said: to establish the Dao of Heaven, one speaks of Yin and Yang; to establish the Dao of Earth, one speaks of the yielding and the firm; to establish the Dao of humanity, one speaks of humaneness and righteousness.

The principle of Heaven is Yin and Yang (yinyang); this is Heaven’s Dao (the Way) of Qian and Kun. The principle of Earth is the soft and the firm; this is Earth’s Dao of Qian and Kun. The principle of humankind is benevolence and righteousness; this is the human Dao of Qian and Kun. This is what is meant by the Three Powers (sancai)—Heaven, Earth, and humankind—beginning to take form. Each contains a heaven and earth of its own, each possesses a Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the root of the transformations of the myriad things, and each has changes of its own. Trace them back to their source, and at root they all arise from one and the same Taiji. Turn back and examine oneself, and one finds that the Dao of the Three Powers is fully present in a single person.

The principle of Heaven is Yin and Yang, corresponding to Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) within the heart-mind. The principle of Earth is the soft and the firm, corresponding to Jing (essence) and the po, the corporeal soul, within the body. The principle of humankind is “seven and righteousness,” corresponding to emotion and innate nature within intention. Once body, heart-mind, and intention are settled, the three flowers—Jing, Qi, and Shen—gather together, and the efficacy of cultivation can be brought to completion.

Trace the origin of the myriad things, and then observe their final destination, and the principle of life and death becomes clear.

Tracing their origin, the myriad things all emerge from one Taiji; following them to their end, the myriad things ultimately return again to one Taiji. Turn back and examine oneself, and one comes to know that original Qi (yuanqi)—the source-energy of life—is the beginning of the body. Follow original Qi back to the root of life, and the principle of life and death can be understood.

From the standpoint of the origin of the myriad things, all things alike emerge from a single Taiji (Supreme Ultimate); from the standpoint of their end, all things ultimately return to Taiji. Inquiring further inward into the root of oneself, Yuanqi—the innate, original Qi (vital energy)—is the beginning of the body. Traced back, Yuanqi is born before Heaven and Earth, yet it persists among the myriad things of the acquired world; it moves through the four quarters of Heaven and Earth, fills the eight extremities (the farthest reaches of the eight directions), links Heaven and Earth, penetrates metal and stone, and by it the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity are established.

When the sage comprehends and personally realizes Yuanqi, the sage can return to the root, restore the original condition of life, and go back to the place where innate nature begins. Amid the elusive and the obscure, all things come into harmony, and a Perfected Person (Zhenren) is naturally brought to completion. Every thing that has form grows when it obtains Yuanqi and perishes when it loses Yuanqi. When Yuanqi contracts, it seems hidden in the most minute of places; when it unfolds, it fills the Great Void (the vast and boundless emptiness), embraces the myriad things, and is so immense that it cannot be measured. Traced to its source, it exists before Heaven and Earth, which cover the ground and bear the myriad things; undifferentiated and whole, it naturally becomes real, and it is the root of the body. Because it is the beginning of the myriad things, it is only by necessity called “Yuanqi.”

The human body becomes a physical form because there is Qi. Form changes, and there is life; life changes, and there is death. Life is Qi gathered together: the myriad things emerge from the fundamental mechanism of generation and transformation. Death is Qi dispersed: the myriad things return into that fundamental mechanism of generation and transformation. Birth and death, one gathering and one dispersal, are precisely the pivot of Taiji’s alternation of movement and stillness. What moves must return to stillness, what appears must return to its source, and life must in the end proceed toward death. Therefore, by tracing the beginning and examining the final return, one can understand the principle of life and death.

Only Shen (spirit) has a beginning that is hard to fathom and an end that cannot be known. Through thousands of myriads of ages it neither changes nor shifts; it draws no distinction between past and present, and it neither arises nor perishes. Precisely because it does not change, it can impel change, generate and transform the myriad things, and continue without cease. What is called Shen is a presence sacred, wondrous, and unknowable. One who understands this principle sits in stillness to nourish Shen, rests at ease to nourish Qi, brings feeling and thought back to quietude, and lets the mind sink down to the root; in this way one can comprehend the Dao (the Way) of long life and lasting vision.

The principles elucidated by the Yijing (Classic of Changes) are truly vast and profound, reaching the very utmost.

The transformations of the Yi (the Zhouyi) extend throughout the world; there is not a single moment without change and generative transformation. The myriad things continually grow, transform, and cycle without cease—this is precisely the subtle mystery of the Yi. Its numinous, marvelous working has no fixed position, and the transformations of the Yi have no fixed form. What can thread through every kind of change under Heaven is the Yi; what can exhaust the changes under Heaven is Shen (spirit). The Yixi (the Xici of the Yizhuan) says: “The Yi possesses Taiji (Supreme Ultimate); from Taiji the Two Modes are born; the Two Modes give birth to the Four Images; the Four Images give birth to the Bagua (Eight Trigrams); the Bagua determine good and ill fortune; and good and ill fortune in turn bring great undertakings to completion.”

Taiji is the beginning of change; the Two Modes are the change of Taiji; the Four Images are the change of the Two Modes; the Bagua are the change of the Four Images; and good and ill fortune are the change of the Bagua. The sixty-four hexagrams, together with all affairs and principles in the world and all sentient beings, may be regarded as extensions of the transformations of the Bagua. What runs through the myriad changes while itself remaining unchanged is the Yi. Precisely because it has an unchanging root, change is endless.

Tracing the origin of the myriad things, it is one Qi (vital energy)—a primordial, unified breath—that transforms and gives birth to the myriad things. Following them through to their end, the myriad things return to the One Nothing (return to emptiness). What remains unchanged from beginning to end is Shen. Precisely because Shen does not change, it can keep transformation in ceaseless motion. What disperses the One Nothing into the myriad things is Shen; what gathers the myriad things and returns them to the One Nothing is likewise Shen. The principle of Shen and the Yi is vast and profound.