《太平经合校》Vol. 10

Those who heed these admonitions and put them into practice will see the Way flourish day by day. Take harmony with the age and the seasons as your aim, align with what Heaven and Earth favor, and thus you will be auspicious. When Yin and Yang run in proper order and wind and rain come in season, myriad aberrations and evils are removed; this is verified by talismans and written attestations. I do not praise myself—it is because I truly know this, not empty talk—that you should put it into effect without delay. Do you understand, Perfected One?” “Yes, yes.” “Go, go. Refine it and examine it closely, and the Way will come of itself.” “Yes, yes.”

Men should do the same and should take it as a model without delay. Do you understand, Perfected One?” “Yes, yes.” “Go, go. Refine it and examine it closely, and the Way will come of itself.” “Yes, yes.”

Secret of Male and Female Reversed Forms (No. 159)

“I wish to ask one thing more. In the writings the Celestial Master formerly granted to me, your unworthy student, there is mention of ‘male and female reversed forms.’ I would hear its meaning.” “Ah! The book already touches on it—you could grasp it. Why ask again?” “Your disciple’s mind is dull and blocked, hard to open; I rely only on the Celestial Master’s oral key to ask.” “Very well. Sit at ease; I will tell you. Heaven and Earth by nature: Yang inclines toward Yin, Yin inclines toward Yang. Therefore Yang ought to transform into a yin-form, and Yin into a yang-form. In every matter of Yin-Yang, it is so. Mutual affinity opens the path, so refinement and transformation grow swifter day by day—but one must disclose step by step according to rank and secret formulas; one must not show the whole at once to teach people, or they easily enter a crooked path. Listen closely: the yang person, by his form, reverses to the yin-form; the yin person, by her form, reverses to the yang-form—you must take your own body as the other person’s appearance; you must not grasp it outwardly for external use, or you easily fall into perverse error.” “Yes, yes. I seem partly to understand, yet doubt remains.” “Ah! Why is it so hard to show you? Simply take your own body as the other’s form: if you are yang, [regard yourself] as a yin person’s body; if you are yin, [regard yourself] as a yang person’s body.” “Yes, yes.” “You know it now. Go; the matter will clarify itself.” “Yes, yes.”

Right Collection · Difficult-to-Resolve Vernacular Texts · Formulas · Weighing Worth and Fault · Embodying Yin-Yang and Reversed Forms to Attain the Dao

Secret of Wrapping Heaven and Earth and Guarding Qi Without Ceasing · No. 160

The disciple said: “I wish to ask the Celestial Master one thing and then stop.”

The Celestial Master said: “Speak—what is your doubt?”

The disciple asked: “In general, the Dao can wrap heaven and wrap earth—who is it that sustains the qi between heaven and earth (the breath of life, the circulating vital force)?”

The Celestial Master said: “Deep, far, and subtle is what you ask. What did you see that moved you to ask this?”

The disciple said: “I have seen and witnessed the Dao of heaven and earth; I only do not know its end, and so I find it strange and come to ask.”

The Celestial Master said: “Good—your words already enter the finest meaning. Heaven and earth endure because they guard qi and do not cut it off. Heaven relies on qi alone to fix fortune and misfortune; the ten thousand things all take this as their model—without qi they ultimately die. If you do not wish to reach a dead end, take qi as the mysterious female (in Daoist usage, a image for the Dao or the source that nourishes, like a mother or a valley—holding and never exhausting), and act in heaven’s way—how could you die? Yet this cannot be done in one leap. You must first complete a secluded chamber (a quiet room, a sealed place for retreat and cultivation): enter the room and ponder the Dao, no longer relying on ordinary food, but joining with qi. Then you accord with the principle of heaven, earth, and the numinous; you no longer mix in the governance of the mundane world. Going further, you align with Taiyi of Heaven (the supreme deity, the god at the cosmic center), attend at the central pole, receive talismans and act, and circulate through the six directions and the eight far reaches (the four quarters, above and below, and the distant domains)—without end. Reflect carefully on the scripture’s words and you will grasp it; that is the ladder to seeing the spirits. To leave the world, ascend, and govern is no longer to appear among people. If you wish to know clear proof: people cannot long dwell in this world and rule it alone; therefore those who obtain the Dao should fly up to heaven—that too is leaving the world. Those who will not fully practice the Way, when dead, go straight down into the earth and cannot long remain in this “middle realm” of humanity. Since heaven and earth were opened, the worthy have often withdrawn from the world; sacred writings have long survived while their authors are unseen—that is the proof. Those who do not die but obtain the Dao should ascend; the dead go down into the earth and cannot linger and obstruct the path of central harmony (the right way in which heaven, earth, and humanity are aligned). Having received this text from me, you should probe its meaning deeply: if you only wish to enjoy dwelling in the upper realm, to live long and remain, to share heaven’s heart, and to eat and drink from offerings made to you throughout the four seasons under heaven—know that this is defilement of the true teaching (staining the real Way, borrowing the name for profit). You must strive for the true Dao and must not act thus.

If one does not take joy in “remaining long in the world” but instead takes joy in “death,” that is to abandon the Dao and drift with custom; such a person will also sink into the earth and cannot long behold heaven, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the calendar. The scriptures I (the Celestial Master) transmit will not be wrong by a single character in ten thousand.

That is why the sages and worthies of old have all departed and none are seen today—that is the plain outcome of this choice (abandoning the Dao and rejoicing in death).

Think it through for yourself: if you delight in rising, you rise; if you delight in sinking, you sink. I will not force your intent.

Therefore I (the Celestial Master) have formulated laws and standards for the Taiping Virtue Lord, without limiting instruction to a single person.

When Great Peace qi (Taiping qi) is about to arrive, if even one person remains wronged and cannot obtain what he desires, the Supreme Imperial Great Peace qi (shanghuang ping qi) cannot all arrive together.

So Heaven has commanded me to open the way broadly, so that people may follow their own will and choose for themselves what they may do.

Those who are wise and bright and wish to rejoice in staying alive may study my texts, ponder their meaning, enter the chamber and accomplish the Dao (rushi chengdao), and thereby gain long life. Those who are gentle and yielding and wish to rejoice in assisting the sovereign in governance may act according to my texts and thereby bring about Great Peace (Taiping). Those who only wish to rejoice in managing the household, governing livelihood, and amassing property may reflect on my texts and may complete their allotted years and die a natural death.

Thus each obtains the wish he seeks, without great self-inflicted wrong; only then can Great Peace qi come beforehand.

The word “ping” (peace/level) means level and even, without wrong or grievance—hence it is called ping.

Therefore when the Virtue Lord governs by the Dao, Great Peace qi is established and comes at once. The reason is that under Heaven there are no people who wrong themselves; each obtains the joy he seeks. That is why Heaven has commanded the Zhenren (Perfected Person) to entrust the Dao to the sovereign of highest virtue (shangde zhi jun).

The sovereign of highest virtue must be benevolent, worthy, and clear-sighted. The clear-sighted ruler does not seize what people desire; he is sure to win the hearts of all under Heaven, receive Heaven’s intent, and return all to the Dao.

“Yes, yes.” (The Zhenren replies.)

The Perfected One (a cultivator sent by Heaven to convey celestial intent) admonished: hold this teaching firmly—govern so that administration mirrors the way Heaven moves.

When Heaven moves, it does not strip people of what they ought to do or what they ought to receive; when Earth moves, it likewise does not strip people of what they ought to do or what they ought to receive. A enlightened ruler should take Heaven and Earth as models and not strip people of what they ought to do or what they ought to receive. Only by resembling Heaven and Earth can rule endure alongside them and align with the heart of Heaven and Earth.

The disciple replied: Yes, yes.

If Heaven turns toward evil, that year brings great calamity—it often harms the harvest, people have no grain to gather, the year is famine-stricken and cold. If Earth turns toward evil, it harms what people raise; when roots are not firm, sickness follows, the harvest fails, many are injured, and the people fall into want. A corrupt and wicked ruler brings such disasters: he appoints officials without regard to what each person can actually bear in office—this is called deliberately disturbing the celestial offices, violating Heaven’s prohibitions, and losing Heaven’s proper order. He repeatedly presses charges and adds guilt without examining where strength falls short—where human capacity falls short. It is like suddenly ordering a ruler to walk a hundred li on foot, fearing he cannot finish and will stop halfway—human capacity falling short is exactly like that. Therefore, to grant office without choosing the right person is called making the people suffer and endangering the state; it is called chaotic government and failed government.

Heaven and Earth are supremely numinous, yet even they dare not strip people of what they ought to do or what they ought to receive; if they did strip them, the year would be greatly inauspicious—how much more so for human rulers? Does the Perfected One see clearly whether there is confusion or not?

The disciple: Yes, yes. If one can truly teach according to each country’s circumstances through the transmission scripture (shishu), show the local customs, instruct, clarify, and explain so that people understand—

Main point: This chapter takes “Heaven and Earth do not deprive people of what they ought to do and obtain” as its theme and discusses selecting officials and assigning duties according to ability—appointments must match what each person can bear; one must not demand beyond capacity. Otherwise it is like going against Heaven’s intent and statecraft will surely fall into disorder.

(Master) Go. You can be counted among those who understand how things work—Heaven does not withhold what is rightfully in a person’s heart. When you act uprightly, you naturally bear Heaven’s mandate; as your years increase day by day, how could there be an end to that?

You study the Way not to hold high office or enjoy worldly glory—why seek further outside yourself? You are already increasing your lifespan in accord with Heaven’s intent.

I have made myself clear to you. Can you now speak of your own understanding?

(Disciple) I can. Having received your gracious teaching, my heart is full of joy; I have no remaining regrets. I only worry that my strength is limited and my practice insufficient—if I were to teach others exactly as the Master’s scriptures instruct, I fear I could not get through it all in a single day.

(Master) Why must you finish it all in one day? As long as you keep at it without stopping, it is like a boat going downstream—it will not take long.

(Disciple) Yes, yes. I respectfully accept your strict instruction and dare not step outside the rule by half a step.

(Master) You already grasp the meaning; I will not admonish you further. Go—this short passage is finished; the matter is concluded. If you have doubts later, come and ask again.

(Disciple) Yes, yes.

(Section note) Right: Great Collection of Difficult Questions—a passage that sets questions about heaven-and-earth climates, auspicious and inauspicious conduct on the Way, and related admonitions to disciples. As above: when a short passage of text is finished, the matter is concluded; if there are doubts another day, come again. The disciple answers yes, yes, in deferential assent.

Plain-Language Exposition

(Title of the Scripture and Fascicle Numbering)

This section belongs to the right-hand corpus of the Great Collection of Difficult Questions, treating whether the climate of heaven and earth accords with the Way or not, auspicious and inauspicious signs, and whether rulers’ appointment and placement of officials succeed or fail; it is fascicle ninety-nine, part fourteen of the ji division in the collated Taiping Jing; Taiping Jing, fascicle ninety-nine; Illustration of Riding Clouds and Driving Dragons, number one hundred sixty-two; collated Taiping Jing, fascicle one hundred, part fifteen of the ji division; Taiping Jing, fascicle one hundred; Illustration of the Eastern Wall, number one hundred sixty-three; attributed to the Eastern Wall.

(Main Themes of the Text)

In high antiquity, divine persons admonished disciples and later students: take goodness as the pattern. Concealed patronage (yin you—hidden protection and blessing) that benefits others brings lasting good fortune, and such merit multiplies.

Open goodness (yang shan): people praise one another face to face, question and answer in mutual response, and all can see it.

Concealed goodness (yin shan): the spirits of heaven and earth know it, so merit increases twofold.

Accumulating merit: the wealthy cherish this practice, and goodness comes to them day by day. What people praise, ghosts and spirits praise likewise, and thus they lend their aid. Those who cherish the Way live long; they share the cares of yin and yang, follow the conduct of the August Celestial Spirit (huang ling—the spirit of the Heavenly Sovereign), and accord with the nature of heaven and earth. Whoever grasps the mean of this is blessed by heaven; whoever loses the Way falls into disorder, and heaven does not protect them.

Seek goodness with goodness—there is nothing strange in that. Learn and obtain it through benevolence (ren)—that is the beginning of the Way; obtain it through virtue (de)—that is the middle harmony of the Way; obtain it through the Way (dao) itself—that is the summit of the Way.

Alas! Be cautious, be cautious again—act without recklessness. Ponder this book to the utmost: heaven does not bless those who act rashly. Transmit it to later generations and it need not cause harm; as it turns with the four seasons, that is the height of the Way.

The good flourish of themselves; the evil sicken of themselves. Auspicious and inauspicious events all arise from the person; like calls to like, and one does not lose oneself. The Way of Heaven is without partiality—it only accords with what one actually does. Hence there are disciples ahead and a tide of goodness behind; hurry to study without ceasing, and let life attain yang’s smooth course. Some gain long life and bodies that do not decay—therefore be good. Then spirits within and without in turn remove harm for you; the disciple goes before, and the master answers for them. Things have their spontaneity; affairs under heaven each follow their kind.

Note: In the source, bracketed markers indicated paragraph boundaries from the editor; the closing segment overlapped the middle section, so they have been merged in this rendering to avoid needless repetition.

In ancient times, divine persons and perfected ones warned later generations of Daoist practitioners: do not follow the pattern of “doing evil” in the illustrations, and do not harm people in secret; do not go against the natural order and human affairs, and instead envy and injure others, thereby inviting fatal disaster.

The way of Heaven cannot be seized by force or plunder. If one forcibly robs and steals, one will surely bring upon oneself military defeat, loss of authority, and death—even to the point of social collapse, the severing of the Great Dao, and the invalidation of divine books. What was meant to gain benefit turns into calamity—this is precisely the warning of aligning with the nature of Heaven and Earth. One must grasp the moment when natural convergences meet, carefully hold the center, and preserve the body through joy, so that one may endure. Do not delight in harming others; goodness rises of itself, evil destroys itself. Contemplate these two images (the diagrams of good and evil) and weigh benefit against harm.

All affairs under Heaven each return to their kind; not even the space between hairs should be in error. It is only that people refuse to refine their spirit and clarify their faults; once guilt is established, nothing can be done. Those who do not keep to the root still have sins remaining after death. When one does evil within, perverse influences are summoned from without. Thus there is the harm of prison and punishment ahead, and the pressing pursuit of evil ghosts behind; they come together to struggle, and one cannot stop it—therefore one loses one’s life. Hence these images were painted to show later generations; the wise take them as a great warning. The foolish do not believe in the Dao and still act as they please; yet what the scripture describes is not empty—a single word, not a hair’s breadth, is false.

Those who keep to softness and yielding live long; those who love contention are hard to preserve. All things follow their kind; once one enters the path of evil it is hard to turn back; though one repents, it is of no use, for ghostly afflictions already cling to the body. When you see the warning, wake up and turn back in time. If you have not yet been greatly harmed, you may still become a good person again. In the good, qi rises; in the evil, qi sinks. The way of Heaven is without partiality; there are natural laws of their own—this method cannot be violated, and its verification is like that of spirits.

Hang on the west wall

(This diagram or this verse) should be hung (or pasted) on the west wall.

Divine Person’s Preface on Publishing the Scripture, Diagrams, and Vestment-Color Instructions, number one hundred; its matters are as if divine.

The divine person (the “spirit” who dialogues with the scripture’s patron and transmits the text) personally composed a preface explaining the need to “publish the scripture” (issue or circulate the scrolls), as well as the instructions in the text on its illustrations and vestment colors (colors of ritual garments); this is the hundredth item (or hundredth section) of such content, and what it describes is profound and hard to fathom—almost like divine wonder.

Taiping Jing Hejiao (Collated Taiping Scripture), juan 102, section 17 of the Ji part

Collated edition of the Scripture of Great Peace, scroll 102, section 17 within the “Ji” division.

Taiping Jing, juan 102

Scripture of Great Peace, scroll 102.

Divine Person’s Preface on Publishing the Scripture, Diagrams, and Vestment-Color Instructions, number one hundred sixty-five

Title: Divine Person’s Preface on Publishing the Scripture, Diagrams, and Vestment-Color Instructions (item/section one hundred sixty-five).

When I was young I began studying the Way and never stopped; these teachings stayed on my mind and often moved me to tears. After long persistence, by the generous favor of August Heaven I was fortunate enough, in a wild place, to meet someone of the Celestial Master’s lineage. At first my learning was still shallow, and what I asked was mostly minor, branch-and-leaf, surface glitter. I only sought the method of guarding the One and nurturing nature—altogether three hundred pieces. Later, when I heard the Celestial Master speak of the Way of the Limitless (Wuji), I dared to ask: can a human body endure long in the world?

(Before that) because I had not yet heard the Celestial Master on the Limitless, I only dared ask small affairs of governance; once I had seen the Celestial Master speak of the Limitless, I dared ask in detail: since heaven and earth were opened, emperors have succeeded one another generation after generation, yet they bear accumulated sorrow and distress, while heavenly disasters and strange omens never cease—how can these be removed? Moreover, the host of spirits for no reason join in harming people so they cannot live out their natural years—by what means can this be stopped? Now, after receiving the Celestial Master’s strict teaching and deep precepts, at what time should this book that stops deceit and falsehood and revives the Way of heaven and earth be transmitted outward?

Answer: In the yisi year it is to be released, handed to postal couriers (messengers charged with carrying documents), who will pass it through the regions. Later ages must wait until the xuanjia year before it appears. Xuanjia is the head of the ten heavenly stems and the foremost of the upper cycles; it aligns with the beginning of primordial Qi (yuanqi). At that time, give this book, front and back, to the state, and the accumulated baleful convergences handed down since heaven and earth were first opened can be resolved. As for what character shall serve as the mark at delivery and how its text is to be accumulated—you alone should know this deeply; do not let harmony with August Heaven above (huangtian shanghe) and the Way of the First (diyi zhi dao) leak outward. Transmit them only to those able to go and deliver, and who can jointly distinguish and explain. When the xuanjia year comes, if under heaven there are those who seek this book, grant it to them with “guarding the One and putting aside empty show first” (shou yi fuhua wei qian) as the condition.

Question: It has already been given to postal couriers and fangshi (ritual specialists), to be handed up to a ruler above who possesses supreme virtue—what is meant by a ruler of supreme virtue?

Answer: Whoever obtains this book and can guard and carry it out—that person is the one. Whoever does not know how to carry it out is not that person. True Persons (zhenren) must on no account transmit it ahead on their own. Moreover, when heavenly authority is enraged, it will instead harm people. My admonitions end here. … (In sincerity) “hand it up to a ruler above who possesses supreme virtue”—what is meant? Just as stated above.

Note: In the original, passages marked “□□” are lacunae; the stretch “yisi release … year after year in later ages” overlaps with “now having received the Celestial Master … yisi release.” The vernacular rendering above merges them by sense.

Those who can grasp the teaching and carry it out with care are fit for the task; those who do not know how to follow it are not. True persons must not be the first to divulge these words. And when Heaven’s majesty is provoked to anger, the result is harm to people. My warning ends here—for one must truly stand in awe that Heaven may speak.

Today the Celestial Master (Tianshi) instructs and commands this dull disciple; inwardly I am reverent and afraid, as if understanding a little, and dare not fail in my duty. I ask sincerely: in the illustrations, when one paints divine garments, how should they be painted?

All must follow the law of Heaven, not custom. People today who do not understand Heaven’s law paint size and pattern as they please and dress the figures as they imagine. Garments must be matched to the colors of the Five Phases (Wuxing): let the “mother” contain the “child,” placed within, with colors arranged in order. For the greatest weight of robe, five layers; for the middle weight, four layers; for the lesser weight, three layers; for the subtle weight, symbolizing Yin-Yang, two layers. The robe of great assembly is six layers of mixed hues. I wish to hear: what does the greatest weight symbolize? It symbolizes the merging of the qi of the Five Phases. What do four layers symbolize? The four seasons turning and generating one another. What do three layers symbolize? Father, mother, and child—Yin and Yang in harmony. What do two layers symbolize? The king’s qi and the minister’s qi reaching each other. What do six layers symbolize? The mixed hues of the six directions. Hence there are mixed colors under Heaven—this is the meaning.

Excellent, excellent!

Go, paint with care and guard the secret text strictly.

Yes, yes. Your disciple is utterly dull and lowly; by grace I have long applied the Celestial Master’s text, and matters are gradually settled. I wish to ask further about the meaning of the mixed hues of the six directions. Hence there are mixed colors under Heaven—this is the meaning.

Excellent, excellent!

Go, paint with care and guard the secret text strictly.

Yes, yes. Your disciple is utterly dull and lowly; by grace I have long applied the Celestial Master’s text, and matters are gradually settled. I wish to ask about one remaining doubt.

Speak—what is it?

Since Heaven and Earth were opened, written texts have appeared one after another in more than one form, accumulating ever more; the He-Luo (River Chart and Luo River Writing) portents also once brought forth writing. Why does this book not need to emerge by way of the He-Luo?

Excellent, excellent! Your question is difficult, yet Heaven moves you to ask—it may be said you have caught the meaning.

Heaven now wants me to speak for emperors and the common people and set out as fully as possible what must be gathered and made clear about chengfu (the principle that the good and evil of forebears are borne by descendants). The documents pile up like mountains; they cannot all be issued one by one through Heluo (heaven-sent writings such as the Hetu and Luoshu).

What should appear in Heluo writings was already plentiful; when cewen (memorial-style, policy-like articles) multiply, relying on those alone cannot make people understand everything. So Heaven borrows a human mouth to expound what chengfu must meet and what must be borne—documents accumulate too high to all come out of Heluo.

Heaven knows me through and through and has me speak in its place, and also knows that asking face to face until every point is exhausted is hard; so it turns things around and has you and me together transmit the yaoyan (essential words).

You also know yourself to be still learning, yet have not yet attained daoxin (the mind aligned with the Dao)—why has the zhenren (perfected person) come? Today people are foolish and blocked in darkness and do not know themselves (their own limits).

Today, Heaven wants me to speak for emperors and the common people and to say as much as possible of what chengfu gathers and what ought to be made clear; the paperwork stacks too high to rely on Heluo (writings tied to the river chart and Luo writing—heaven-revealed texts) to release it line by line.

In Heluo documents what should appear was already many; when cewen (numbered memorials and policy-style clauses) pile up, those alone cannot let people grasp the whole. So Heaven uses a person to speak what chengfu must accord with and what must be borne—documents accumulate too much; not all can come from Heluo.

Heaven knows me deeply and has me speak as proxy, and knows that questioning in person until everything is exhausted is difficult; so it reverses the relation and has you and me jointly transmit the essential message.

You know yourself to be studying, yet still lack daoxin—why has the zhenren come? Now foolishness and obstructive darkness prevail; one does not know oneself (one’s own blindness).

Right Question: On Sealing Away and Releasing the Illustrated Scriptures, Vestments, and Writings; Rank Order in Transmission; and the Formula That Illness Follows When Transmission Is Cut Off — Number 166

The disciple asked the Celestial Master: How should one understand the formula concerning sealing up the illustrated scriptures, ritual garments, and written texts, transmitting them according to rank and order, and the teaching that if transmission is sealed off and broken, illness will follow?

〈Opening〉 The disciple said: “Your disciple has come from Heaven to seek learning and resolve doubts; it is Heaven that bestows the Way upon your disciple.” “I wish to hear the essential points within this—how may one truly understand? And by what may it be further verified?”

The Celestial Master replied: “When a ruler of virtue today obtains my book, grasps it in heart and puts it into practice, and deliberates together with all the worthy, using it to transform the people, he will necessarily resonate and respond with Heaven—this is clear proof. My Way takes admonition as its root; it does not deal in falsehood; word and deed already have their fixed measure.” 〈Close〉

The disciple: “Yes, yes. Your disciple is unworthy and constantly worries about the Celestial Master (the teacher Heaven has appointed)…”

The Celestial Master: “You are unwilling to ask well, so naturally you cannot know. 〈Opening〉 I have borne this learning long without finding anyone with whom to speak, and so cannot transmit it on schedule. Now people cannot tell black from white—the fault lies with me. Today a True Person comes to ask; my joy is beyond measure, like ascending a terrace in spring and stepping out to meet the sky—nothing else compares. Now people cannot tell black from white—the fault lies with me. Today a True Person comes to ask; my joy is beyond measure. Resentment in Heaven runs deep; illness and change come one after another without end—precisely because channels are blocked and closed. To be able to speak with you also gladdens me. Why does the Celestial Master not go in person to transmit? Rank and order do not allow it. My charge is in Heaven; the True Person’s charge is on Earth. Earth gives birth to the myriad things; what Heaven generates, Earth nourishes—therefore I transmit the Way to the True Person. Earth gives birth to rulers, common people, and the ten thousand kinds of things; all receive the gift of Yang qi and take form from Yin—therefore you, the True Person, can transmit the Way to people.” 〈Close〉

The disciple: “Excellent, excellent! This foolish student is greatly astonished that he may receive this. Had he not questioned the Celestial Master with full effort, he could not have known; it is only because of doubt that he dares this bold question.” “Well said! This is called understanding the matter clearly. Nor is it entirely your merit—it is truly Heaven that has put this in your heart and moved you to ask. Now blockage without self-knowledge and without practice—today you are made to know yourself deeply, bright as sun and moon. 〈Opening〉 If you do not believe my words: though Heaven wishes to show something, without speaking to people the truth is hard to know. My book carries Heaven’s command; it is as clear as painted vermilion. 〈Close〉 If you act otherwise—now privately hiding and sealing my writings, not releasing them on time—Heaven will send illness upon your children and disaster upon your line. If you still hold back and do not transmit, your children are already in peril. This is Heaven sending you to study and serve as clear proof, so that the True Person may transmit outward and make people believe. Excellent, excellent! The True Person must guard and heed this with utmost care.”

The disciple: “Yes, yes. As the Celestial Master’s charge is in Heaven, and moreover under unavoidable constraint… I wish to ask one doubt again.” “Do you dare not speak?” “Speak. As for all affairs under Heaven today—are they all what the Heavenly Envoys (Tianshi) arrange and entrust? Or is it only the Celestial Master and this foolish student, the two of us?”

The Celestial Master: “Alas! You grow more foolish—do you not know that the myriad things under Heaven are all Heavenly Envoys, each with its charge, together completing the Dao of Heaven? When one thing is not whole, the Dao of Heaven has a place that is not whole. How can you not know? How deep is this obscurity!”

The disciple: “In dullness and ignorance I was unopened; thanks to the Celestial Master’s explanation it is now plain.” “…”

Note: The original has 〈Opening〉 and 〈Close〉 section markers, repeated passages, and lacunae; the above follows the surviving wording in continuous vernacular translation. The closing segment in standard editions may connect with surrounding discourse on Heavenly Envoys and charges; here it ends at “plain” per the text supplied. Terms: Celestial Master (Tianshi)—teacher who speaks for Heaven; True Person (Zhenren)—one Heaven appoints, who on Earth receives and passes on the Way; rank and order (weici)—the sequence Heaven–Earth–Human in transmission; sealing/hiding and cutting off (bicang/bijue)—failing to release scriptures on schedule, taken as opposing Heaven and inviting illness and calamity.

(Teacher–Student Dialogue)

“If you act in this way, you will understand it easily. This is the Dao. If even one thing is not complete, there is incompleteness in the Way of Heaven. How could you not know? How profound it is within!”

“We are dull and ignorant and could not grasp it; only thanks to the Celestial Master’s explanation have we suddenly seen clearly.”

“If you act in this way, you will understand it easily. You must strive to practice. The people each have their allotted roles; they are also sent by Heaven to carry out tasks—how dare one rely on personal whim alone and leave everything to nature?”

“We dare not, we dare not. Your disciple will go at once.”

Scripture on the Correspondence of Section Counts · No. 167

〈Opening〉 This is the beginning of the “Heavenly Numbers.” Before Heaven and Earth were separated, one Qi gathered and fused into a single whole, then divided into two, forming a pair of Yin and Yang. The Qi of Heaven descended upon Earth; in the hidden depths it gestated, and its name was “Jiazi.” The root of Qi was spread in the northeast (corresponding to the earthly branches Chou and Yin); it first appeared at the Mao hour and fully sprang forth in the southeast (Chen and Si); branches hung toward the south and were nourished at the Wu position; aged in the southwest (Wei and Shen); matured in the west and set at You; and was fully stored in the northwest (Xu and Hai). Therefore counting begins at one and stops at ten. Ten is the start of the Ten Heavenly Stems and the root of the Five Phases; multiplying one by ten, it reaches one hundred and is complete. Thus Heaven gives birth to the myriad things, and within the body they end after one hundred days. Therefore the Northern Dipper “establishes” its stars at Chen and “breaks” them at Xu. “Establish” means to stand up—the myriad things are about to live here; “break” means to decay and perish—the myriad things all die here. Number follows the eight directions of Heaven and Earth and is complete at ten; Yin and Yang have establishment and breaking, and thereby go back and forth and return to the former state. It also follows the direction indicated by the Dipper of Heaven to clarify principle. This book aims to remove harmful Qi, so it takes celestial phenomena as its norm.〈Closing〉

Above: Questions to the Celestial Master—Writings on Faith and Clear Understanding

People live by receiving mandate from Heaven, and their lifespan has its own allotted measure and law.

Heaven and Earth have an additional “privately granted” span of about thirty years, like the intercalary month in the cycle of sun and moon—this is siming (private allotment of life). Those who outlive the ordinary term and enjoy this extra span should be regarded as immortals (xianren).

Heaven’s mandate for lifespan is graded: shangshou (supreme longevity) at one hundred twenty years, dishou (earthly longevity) at one hundred, renshou (human longevity) at eighty, bashou (hegemonic longevity) at sixty, and wushou (premature longevity) at fifty. Those who fall below these grades and exhaust their allotted years with nothing left often suffer disaster and accountability through chengfu—the burden of ancestral or personal wrongdoing passed down to descendants.

Is it not lamentable? Each person has a heavenly reckoning with a fixed norm, yet today many fail to live out their full count. Unused surplus remains in the heavenly reckoning (tiansuan); when people do good, their years are increased—the increase comes from this surplus.

To grasp the full effect, imagine ten households in one li, each with a thousand acres of fields. Nine households do evil and perish entirely; one household does good and inherits all nine households’ land and holdings—the principle of increased lifespan works much like this.

Do not expect others to reward you in secret while you help them; that accords with the Way. If one has not yet accumulated enough allotted years yet still expects heaven’s reward (tianbao), one will often fail to receive it.

If you eat at someone’s table today and treat them to a meal another day, that is not called feeding others—it is called jiliang (lodging grain on credit). If you drink from someone today and treat them to drink another day, that is not called giving drink—it is called jijiang (lodging drink on credit). If you carry a load for someone today and have them carry yours another day, that is not called bearing another’s burden—it is called jizhuang (lodging a load on credit). If you lend your strength to help someone today and expect them to repay another day, that is not called helping—it is called jiaogong (exchanging merit). If you praise and recommend someone today and they praise and recommend you in return, that is not called honoring talent—it is called diedixiangcheng (taking turns boosting one another).

There are countless examples of this kind; they cannot all be recorded. In every such case—where giving and receiving are traded and return is expected—there is no heaven’s reward.

Yet when others do not help you and you alone help them in secret, without seeking return, Heaven rewards that person.

This passage teaches that when others treat me badly, I do not copy their wrongdoing but keep doing good; Heaven then rewards such a person.

When others treat me unkindly and give me nothing in return, I am still glad to do more good and show more kindness—and Heaven rewards this person. When others will not feed or drink with me, I am still glad to supply others—and Heaven rewards this person. When people mostly practice hypocrisy and fraud and harm one another, I teach others to turn toward good and keep utmost sincerity and trust—and Heaven rewards this person. When people say Heaven and Earth know nothing, I secretly revere and serve Heaven and Earth—and Heaven rewards this person. When people secretly wish to deceive their ruler and superiors, I secretly protect and benefit the ruler and dare not deceive—and Heaven rewards this person. When my parents do not love me, I still love and protect them—and Heaven rewards this person. Cases like these are too many to count; the True Person (the cultivator who has attained the Dao) can reflect on them in detail.

Seeking recompense also has levels: the superior person seeks Heaven’s recompense; the middling person seeks human recompense; the lowest fool gives nothing yet goes and demands return anyway. A person of highest goodness receives Heaven’s recompense—meaning the great reward of liberation (transcending, becoming an immortal, and the like). A person of middling goodness receives human recompense, so people cherish and help him, even serve him. The lowest fool demands return without merit; Heaven, Earth, and people all dislike and punish him.

Therefore the supreme Heaven’s qi descends fully to nurture life, the qi of Hou Tu (the earth spirit) rises fully to nourish, the qi of the Five Phases works together, the qi of the four seasons harmonizes, the three luminaries (sun, moon, and stars) shine brighter, and all under Heaven shares one heart. The nature of Heaven, in conduct, is most honored, weightiest, most loving, most protective. When Heaven’s nature is good, it generates the myriad things and abandons none; when Earth’s nature is good, it nourishes the myriad things and abandons none. When sages gladly govern Heaven and Earth, the myriad things receive their merit. Greatly good spirits, True Persons, and immortals assist Heaven and Earth in their course and dare not afflict themselves; they are one with primordial Qi and aligned with the heart of Heaven, and so alone gain lasting auspiciousness. When Earth’s nature is good it nourishes the myriad things without abandoning any; when sages order Heaven and Earth the myriad things receive their merit; greatly good spirits, True Persons, and immortals assist Heaven and Earth in their going and do not afflict themselves—the same meaning as above, repeatedly stressing the nature of Heaven and Earth, the retribution of good and evil, and the harmony of Heaven, Earth, and humanity.

When one can align with yuanqi (the primordial vital energy of heaven and earth) and accord with tianxin (heaven’s intent and standard), one may long remain fortunate and avoid misfortune.

In antiquity, sages and worthies planned far ahead and thus grasped heaven’s true aim: they devoted themselves to good and dared not do evil. They clearly saw huangtian’s explicit prohibitions, while those below often violated and transgressed them; their learning was shallow and they did not trust heaven’s bans, so change was hard and loss of the Dao meant early death.

What follows sets out lifespans: tianshou (heaven’s lifespan) one hundred and twenty years, dishou (earth’s lifespan) one hundred, renshou (human lifespan) eighty, bashou (hegemonic lifespan, associated with autumn and the White Tiger) sixty, and wushou fifty.

The three orthodox beginnings (calendar and new-year reckoning) start in the east, as heaven’s opening; the count of years reaches its term in the northeast as heaven’s pole. Heaven’s lifespan number leans “hard” or yang: the northeast is where the myriad things begin, and the year’s great reckoning closes there, so one hundred and twenty symbolizes heaven.

Earth is yin, always receiving and bestowing; the northwest is utmost yin. Yin governs killing, yang governs life, so hai (the last of the twelve branches) is the “kernel,” yin exhausts at the northwest corner. The northwest is disiming (the office that governs earth’s lifespan), hence earth’s lifespan is one hundred years.

(The text repeats: earth as yin, northwest as utmost yin, hai as kernel, northwest as earth’s fate-office—matching the rationale for earth’s hundred-year lifespan.)

Eighty-sixty and the like mark where yang qi stops and yin qi rises, right at liqiu (Start of Autumn). Autumn belongs to white qi; the White Tiger presides, hence hegemonic fate. Fifty is when yang qi waxes above while yin qi hides below—yin concealed, yang transforming—hence wushou fate. Below that, all are called wuchangming (fates outside fixed lifespan categories). How deep the knots of injustice!

For now, one layer of meaning: the essentials by which one may, from antiquity to the present, reach utmost longevity through self-nurture must not be forgotten.

To remove harm, keep distance from disaster, and gain long life, one should preserve one’s understanding, cherish oneself, treat oneself well, and keep close to oneself—using these to nurture the body, then misfortune can be avoided. When the body is long preserved, food and drink are regulated in season, neither excess nor lack, that is self-love and self-nurture. Closing doors and windows, dwelling within without mixing in worldly affairs, is also self-love and self-nurture. (The text again stresses timely eating and closing the door to avoid vulgar business—the same method of self-nurture.)

Study need not have a fixed endpoint; being at ease in poverty, content with a humble place, and free of worry in the heart—that is how one cherishes and nurtures oneself. What was said earlier, if it runs counter to this, misses the mark.

“Self-cherishing” (zi’ai) must be lived, not only talked about: truly protect and preserve yourself, always aware of your own shortcomings, feeling even with eyes closed that it is not enough, never letting that thought slip for an instant. From that reflection comes concern, even to the point of not eating yet feeling satisfied in the heart—such a person is one who truly cherishes himself.

“Self-regard” (zihao) means constantly holding in mind the whole bodily form, visible from head to foot; with genuine, unceasing fondness for it, the face naturally gains a clear brightness, never forgotten day or night, taken as daily practice. From this one may grow stronger, even toward the legendary effect of “flesh taking flight”—that is the path of self-regard and self-cherishing.

Now all are commanded—men and women, young and old, worthy or not—to assemble and submit memorials upward, so that the ruler may become penetrating and wise. The ruler is like the North Pole star (beiji): silently holding his place while the other stars come to report—large stars in front, medium ones in the middle, small ones behind. If even one star cannot get through, the flow of qi is cut off and the motion of heaven is harmed. Stars are the refined light of the people and of things under heaven; when one person cannot reach the ruler, it is like one star that cannot report—heavenly qi goes awry and earthly qi turns contrary.

Therefore officials and common people, high and low, are all to submit memorials upward, to align heaven’s qi, stabilize the stars and the calendar, remove heaven’s afflictions, and lift the ruler’s burden of chenfu (inherited cumulative guilt and responsibility). Orders are given for memorials to travel by three routes in writing: lest a single route be blocked, each may use what is convenient—the district magistrate records disasters in cities and walls, the itinerant preacher records disasters in markets and roads, the field observer records disasters in the open countryside; each supplements the others’ gaps, passes word along, and all strive to report upward. Magistrates must see that memorials go up; townspeople must see that memorials go up; travelers must see that memorials go up—magistrates fear the people will report above them, the people fear travelers will report above them, travelers fear magistrates will report above them. Hence people are made to sit together in assembly, and then they compete to get matters reported upward (mutual urging until everyone wants to submit memorials).

When rulers appoint trustworthy officials and common people and treat them fairly, officials and subjects willingly serve. The ruler then appears wise, acts in the spirit proper to kingship, and keeps himself secure over the long term; officials and the people can honor Heaven and Earth and suffer less sickness and disaster; Heaven, Earth, and the four quarters all gain, so auspiciousness lasts—these principles can serve as a model for all ages.

This teaching should be given to rulers whose hearts fit kingship and to rulers of superior De (virtue), so the people grasp Heaven’s intent, can find peace and wholeness on their own, and are not misled.

In the great gathering of orthodox scripture, one traces back to the root of Heaven and Earth to remove heavenly dread, earthly blame, and harm to the state, and to establish the Dongji Jing (Scripture of Penetrating the Utmost).

[Preservation] (Visualization cultivation): In this visualization, the divine person wears feather robes, ascends to heaven in a carriage drawn by nine dragons, with phoenixes, cranes, and lesser immortals attending left and right, and multicolored clouds massed before them—as if taking leave in the mind and escorting them upward.

Opening and reaching without blockage or cutoff: Penetrating without obstruction, not sealed off or severed, in accord with heaven and earth’s original mind; turning heaven-and-earth’s calamities into smooth flow, and heaven-and-earth’s intent into full passage; so that people each keep their place and the myriad things suffer no harm. Hence heaven sends down written mandates so that communication can reach ten thousand li, and words can be transmitted—to clear the path for the good, distinguish the wicked, and untie knots of grievance. Thus emperors dwell deep within the palace precincts (within a hundredfold enclosure) yet can long remain at peace, with insight reaching distant places. From the Grand Supreme and the middle antiquity onward there have already been such documents, enabling speech across ten thousand li of separation—to smooth the way for the good, know the wicked, and resolve grievances—so that emperors in deep palaces govern long and wisdom reaches the four quarters.

From the Grand Supreme and middle antiquity onward, many people betrayed heaven and earth and jointly deceived their superiors, so disasters increased daily and the dead could not be counted. Emperors worried for long ages, unable to restrain the people’s fraud and falsehood below; hence heaven issued the Threefold Way Documents (three categories of writing and essential paths sent down from heaven) as a response.

Let qi circulate through; take joy in knowing gain and loss; let upper and lower harmonize and combine, so remonstrance reaches the four directions and the lowly, leaving no tied grievances, matching the heart of the August Heaven—rejoicing to see calamities removed and not provoking heaven’s anger.

In later antiquity people’s hearts are crooked and blinded, unlike the age of the Three Sovereigns in utmost and high antiquity: then hearts were plain and simple, intent fixed on unity, each gladly aligning with heaven’s heart, loyal and trustworthy without deceiving those above—so rule without written law was possible. In later antiquity petty people are foolish and blocked, twisting words and phrases, deceiving heaven and earth and falsely claiming before emperors—so heaven and earth are often angry and send down calamities. When heaven and earth’s afflictions are cleared, emperors are secure and long-lived, the people each rest in their place, the myriad things receive their heaven-allotted years, without resentment; yin and yang run in order, the host of spirits greatly rejoice and are glad—therefore this is the essential path (the fundamental great way).

The Chamber of Emptiness (Admonition on Emptiness, Non-Action, Naturalness, the Way, and Perfect Completion)

Emptiness (xu) means fullness within while seeming empty without—having yet appearing not to have. Return to the state of a fetus in the womb and dwell with the Dao; hold only to the original heart, gathering spirit undisturbed like a suspended dragon. Then the heart becomes the chamber where spirit is stored and the emptiness of the Dao is gathered. One moves only together with qi, and for that reason it is called empty; what matters is only qi and spirit, and everything else is released. With the heart as master, one is not thrown off by stray thoughts; ponder the scripture’s meaning carefully and do not forget the true teaching. To attain the Dao is to be delivered and to wander long with the Way. Why not strive diligently toward the Dao, instead of drifting with the foolish? When disaster strikes, great calamity follows; cast off true simplicity and one becomes ashes. Whoever is wise enough to read this book should take warning—again and again.

Wuwei (Non-Action)

Wuwei is not doing nothing; it is that nothing is left undone, linked to the Dao. Like an unborn infant going ahead, one can enter where there is no gap; reach the Great Beginning and return to the source; when heaven and earth first open, yin and yang take their start from there. Enter the method of wuwei, and the body can be kept whole; leave the root and grasp the branch, and that is the Dao’s ruin. Stray too far from the Great Beginning and preservation is hard; stray far from birth and one draws near the gate of death. Delight in worldly busyness and one harms the hun and damages the shen; cling only to the “two” and forget the “one,” and the original nature is lost. How could one fail to be careful? This is the root of the Dao. If you single-mindedly guard the “one,” that is the wellspring of the benevolent and wise. The Way of Heaven acts through the “one,” and so comes to completion; the way of earth acts through the “two,” and stands beside ghosts and spirits. Truly know wuwei, and you are most deeply united with the Dao in spirit; think it through in detail—the true person comes first. Shut your “golden gate” (a figure for the essence pass and vital aperture); do not let awareness race outward with desire. In silence and stillness, spirit can be long nourished; when shen and qi are complete, that is the gate of the immortal Way. The Great Dao is in truth plain and easy; there is no need for fuss. The Way of Heaven does not play favorites—it turns only toward the benevolent and wise.

Opening

What is called the method of ziran (naturalness) is a principle that connects with the Dao (the Way): hold to it and you find good fortune; turn against it and misfortune follows. It is like the ten thousand things being complete from birth: one root, myriad branches—there is no separate “spirit” running things from outside. Ponder the meaning carefully and the Dao will make itself clear: all share one source in primordial undifferentiation (hundun), emerge through the Mysterious Gate (miaomen), neither added to nor subtracted from—only guard ziran.

Whatever grows has its own shen (inner vitality and inner law); among the eighteen hundred kinds of beings, humans rank highest and could, in principle, avoid death and long endure as immortals. Early death comes from losing ziran. Even birds and beasts can live out their allotted span—how much more so humans? The foolish only multiply arbitrary action and refuse to simplify, and so cannot keep ziran.

The foolish treat the Dao lightly and set their hearts on what is low, and so they stay tied to earthly qi; the humane and wise value the Dao, and in an instant they connect upward with the Celestial Gate (tianmen). The way of spirit (shendao) does not die; the way of ghosts (guidao) must end. If you wish to practice this way, be like a ring without a break—turn and return without ceasing. Take care not to show off strange powers and invite illness; do not rashly leave the correct path and bring death on yourself or others.

The nature of Heaven and Earth holds ziran alone as precious: each thing follows its own course and dares not oppose it. The Dao flourishes in wuwei (non-action), empty stillness and ziran—the lofty delight in this, the lowly resent it. Study carefully with a teacher, yet do not speak rashly: with a teacher the Dao is clear; without one it is hard to transmit. Without a master’s oral transmission of the secret formulas, the noble person does not lightly open their mouth. Arbitrary action brings disorder; embellishing the outer form while abandoning what is genuinely natural brings misfortune on oneself. When the Dao is fully complete, one becomes ziran itself.

Closing

Right: Admonition on the Completion of the Dao

(In volumes 104, part two of the geng section, and 105, sections such as “Let the honored ones have no further literary embellishment,” specialized liturgical phrasing is omitted in translation according to the original editorial note.)

Volume 106 (Chapter 171: Restitution Text on Virtuous Conduct and Auspicious Prosperity)

This chapter bears the title “Restitution Text on Virtuous Conduct and Auspicious Prosperity.” It belongs to the fourth part of the Geng division. Its theme is the way of moral conduct and flourishing good fortune. The body is largely cast as a fuwen—scripture rewritten in a fixed pattern—and consists mostly of specialized talismanic graphs; that material is omitted here.

Volume 107 (Chapter 172: Restitution Text on Divine Protection)

This chapter is titled “Restitution Text on Divine Protection.” It is the fifth part of the Geng division and centers on protection by divine powers. As in the previous chapter, the main text is mostly specialized talismanic graphs and is omitted here.

Volume 108 (Chapter 173: Nineteen Essential Points)

General rules for practice (entering the chamber and verification marks)

For those who cultivate the Way, whether inside or outside the rushi—the sealed quiet room used for retreat—the method requires performing pi (recording verification, annotating, or placing the prescribed marks). When the allotted days are complete, open the door and enter to inspect. If verification has already appeared on its own within the room, there is no need to go in again to look. If no spontaneous verification appears, someone who volunteers may enter to look. After opening the door and inspecting, one may leave whenever one wishes.

The three-track brush document

Those who prepare the sandao xingshu—documents written in the three-track form prescribed by the tradition—follow the same rule: when the day-count is fulfilled, open the door and enter to inspect. If there is self-generated verification inside, one need not enter to look; if not, a willing person may enter to look. When the inspection is finished, one may come out at will.

Three-track documents and heavenly warrant

To write the three-track document, one must take the method from jiyi (a joint assembly for deliberation) and treat that as tianxin (heavenly warrant—a sign recognized by Heaven on which one may act), establishing it lawfully on a suitable person.

Authenticating the spirits

To set straight and confirm whether the spirits have truly descended, take the method from the dongming (penetrating clarity) shared by the multitude and use that as heavenly warrant.

Collating ordinary writings

To correct mundane texts without error, take the method from juxiao (checking and collating texts and conduct) as heavenly warrant.

Faith in the Way and correspondence

For those who gladly wish to know this Way and exchange letters, take the method from diligent and urgent practice of the teaching, and align with tianxiang (heaven’s response and resonance): good increases day by day and evil decreases day by day—this serves as heavenly warrant.

Appointing capable good people

To appoint and place capable good people in office, take the method from the jiu ren (nine persons who verify or participate) as the basis.

Whether chamber retreat has succeeded

To know whether chamber practice has succeeded or not, take the method from dongbai (clear inside and out, nothing hidden): when conduct leaves no concealment, that is heavenly warrant.

Achieving the Way without death and deliverance of the world

To know whether the body has achieved the Way and lives on without dying, take the method from shen yi cheng shen (the body already showing the signs of having become spirit); one may then dushi (cross beyond birth and death and endure in the world)—this is heavenly warrant.

These entries summarize a pattern in the Taiping Jing: many kinds of action—entering the chamber, writing documents, rectifying spirits, collating texts, appointing the worthy, and so on—must obtain tianxin through fixed methods of “taking the formula” (qujue) before they count as legitimate, trustworthy, and fit to carry out within the community of the Way.

Those who wish to truly grasp the meaning of this scripture should read it through from beginning to end; clarity will come of itself and doubt will fall away—and once understood, it is hard to let go.

Those who wish to follow this scripture and distinguish true from false should use it to govern the realm and move day by day toward Taiping (Great Peace), taking that as Tianxin (Heaven’s Trust—the criterion of credibility that heaven accepts).

Those who wish to know whether they can attain long life should, after Taiping is achieved, take their method from the corresponding secret instructions. If the realm is not yet at peace, calamities left by earlier ages will still harm people, and it will be hard for longevity to truly manifest—this too counts as a revelation of Tianxin.

Those who wish to understand what Taiping is should take their method from the instructions associated with You Duan Jin (By Severing Metal).

Those who wish to use the power of fire and water to crush treacherous ministers and demonic evil so they cannot rebel should take their method from the instructions tied to You Duan Jin Shuai Shi Jiu (By Severing Metal, Declining Market Wine).

Those who wish to obtain the great flourishing method of the Dao of Heaven should take their method from Ju Jiao Zhong Wen (Collating and Verifying the Collected Texts) and from the secret formulas meant for ordinary people.

Those who wish to obtain efficacious medicine should take their method from collating the various technical writings on formulas and putting them into practice.

Those who wish to achieve Taiping as soon as possible should take their method from fully publishing the true texts and thoroughly removing false and corrupt writings.

Those who wish to stop people from killing and harming women, so each keeps their proper place, food and clothing match their capacity, and parents are no longer worn down by grief and turned against—should likewise take their method from the corresponding instructions on dwelling and restraint.

Those who wish to remove illness and open the way of the Dao wide should take their method from the secret instructions of Dan Shu Tun Zi (Swallowing Characters Written in Cinnabar—visualization and ingestion practices using cinnabar script).

Those who wish to know the Ji Xing Shu Jue (Collected Practice of Script Instructions) should heed the scripture’s repeated admonitions and strict constraints: practice it for one day and a hundred kinds of crafty, devious mind can be dissolved; once transformation occurs, the realm turns upright—take that as Tianxin. (End.)

Someone asked, “May I ask what the name ‘Rui’ refers to?”

The Celestial Master replied, “Why do you ask in that way—does it not seem dull-witted?”

The questioner answered, “I do not dare to feign foolishness; my learning is truly insufficient. I beg the Celestial Master not to disdain me and to illumine me in a single phrase.”

The Celestial Master said, “Very well—sit in peace. What is called rui—an auspicious omen—is clarity, stillness, uprightness, correctness, single-minded focus, and unity: the heart in communion with Heaven and Earth, not going against the seasons and the constant norms.”

The person asked again, “How then does one know that the heart is clear, still, upright, and single-minded?”

The Celestial Master said, “Well asked. The nature of Heaven and Earth, from antiquity to the present: the good draws the good, the evil draws the evil, the upright draws the upright, the perverse draws the perverse—this is the natural order, and there is no need to find it strange. Therefore when the human heart is upright, clear and still, and utterly sincere, it can move Heaven above; without malicious intent, auspicious signs and things will appear. If you wish to believe this more deeply: the great sages and worthies of old all kept their hearts clear, still, and single-minded, and so they could draw auspicious responses. Those with deviant hearts, deceitful and false—none of them had good responses; this is the clearest evidence from Heaven and Earth. Do you understand?”

The answer came, “I understand. Do evildoers also have responses?”

The Celestial Master said, “They do. The perverse draws the perverse—that too is a response. The discordant draws discord, the harmonious draws harmony; this is the clear effect of Heaven’s response.”

The questioner said, “Good! Good! Your dull student understands.”

Someone asked, “If a person does good—as a filial son above, a loyal minister, or as an obedient younger brother below—how should one reflect in the heart and mind?”

The scripture records that after hearing this, the dull student said, “I understand.”

On Loyalty and Filial Piety: Offering Extraordinary Reports (Section 175) — Plain-Language Commentary

Question: When people do good and wish to be loyal subjects, filial children, and obedient disciples at the highest level, what should they offer in return to their ruler, father, and teacher?

Answer: They should present yiwen (extraordinary reports)—sights and writings that are rare and wondrous in the world—only such things are worthy of being offered “upward.”

Question: Loyal subjects, filial children, and obedient disciples could act in other ways; why not offer tongwen (what everyone already knows) instead of yiwen?

Answer: Rulers, fathers, and teachers already possess tongwen; why present it again?

Question: (The student) is dull and does not understand the principle.

Answer: Let me make the truth clear: things that come from all under Heaven and are treasured—if they have never been seen and are offered to the ruler as precious gifts, that is being a loyal subject at the highest level; delicacies never tasted, offered to parents, are being a filial child at the highest level; fine teachings never heard, offered to the teacher, are being a good and obedient disciple at the highest level. Do you understand?

Question: Yes, yes. I wish to ask: if what is offered is something the ruler (father, teacher) already has, yet one still offers it again and again, why?

Answer: Such conduct is all perfunctory compliance (still offering though the other already has it); guilt cannot be removed.

Question: Why is it called “chong” (repeated/heavy)?

Answer: You probably still do not grasp it: sheng (life, vitality) is something everyone has; chong (repetition, excess) makes people weary—why offer it upward again? Stop—what those above find wearisome is called guyi shang ye (deliberately offering again what they already have). To offer below what those above already possess—do you think punishment is deserved?

Question: This dull student has understood.

Answer: Therefore when one obtains auspicious responses, good things, and rarely seen treasures, those should be offered to ruler, father, and teacher; what those above already possess on their own must never be offered again. Hence qi (rise/beginning)—from antiquity to the present, great sages in settling all affairs always remove the common and take the extraordinary; that accords with Heaven and Earth’s intent; that is the meaning. Stop—do you understand?

Question: Excellent, excellent!

Key Terms

This section uses question-and-answer to explain: true loyalty and filial piety are not sending again what the other already has, but offering upward rare auspicious responses, yiwen, and fine teachings. That matches the scripture’s emphasis on transformation through the extraordinary, auspicious responses, and qu tong qu yi throughout the Taiping Jing.

Calamity and illness as proof: whether to stay hidden or go out

Someone asked the Celestial Master: “From the scriptures, how do you know when something calls for going out and acting, and how do you know when it calls for staying hidden and not stepping forward?”

The Master answered: “Do you want to understand? Use calamity and illness as proof. When one ought to go out but hides instead, the person falls ill—that is Heaven’s intent that one stay concealed. When one ought to hide but forces oneself out, the person also falls ill—that is Heaven’s intent that one travel or go forth.”

They asked again: “How do you check this a second time?”

He answered: “Heaven, through the qi of the four seasons, nourishes and generates the ten thousand things, all in accord with Heaven’s will. When things are naturally meant to emerge yet turn to hiding, that is greatly inauspicious; when they are naturally meant to hide yet insist on coming out, that is also greatly inauspicious. Both go against Heaven’s mandate; afterward great calamity is sure to follow. You must know: Heaven is pleased when people act and go forth—it is not that illness is used as divination. Do you understand, perfected one?”

“Yes, yes.”

The Celestial Master continued: “So from antiquity to the present, when affairs are not carried through completely and the Way of Heaven is violated, there arises chenfu—the burden whereby later generations bear the faults of those before them. Therefore in ages without the Way the people are still governed, together disturbing Heaven’s upright Way; each person pursues his own politics, so the people and the ten thousand things suffer wrong in great number.”

They asked again: “Lawlessness without the Way is originally a capital offense. Why does Heaven not establish heavy penalties and death laws and punish each person according to his crime?”

He answered: “Affairs under Heaven today ought in the first place to be settled according to each person’s guilt. Today the Master does not punish the whole capital crime of lawlessness without the Way—why?”

“It cannot be done.”

“Why?”

“Forebears only slightly strayed and lost the Way— that still does not reach the level of a fixed guilt. The excess accumulated through chenfu by those born later is what counts as fault. Though some commit capital crimes and practice false and empty ways, those born later all follow the forebears; though they lose the Way of Heaven and govern the world without the Way, it is master teaching master, each instructing the other—not fault made by one person alone, so one cannot uniformly apply heavy punishment. Reflecting that the ancients’ guilt all deserved death, yet the sages and spirits in making law cannot at once impose heavy punishment and wipe out humankind. Therefore Heaven sent me down to change their conduct and remove their burden of responsibility, not to broadcast and chase old accounts, so that Heaven, Earth, and humanity govern together and the spirits use illness and calamity as discipline. When later people see this verification, they will know that what I receive is Heaven’s teaching. Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Good. The words are finished; Heaven’s charge is complete—transmit this to a ruler who possesses De.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Go; ask no more.”

“Yes, yes.”

Editorial note on structure

This passage states that everything in this section that counts as “jue” (oral formulas and essential methods) and “ruiying” (heaven-sent omens and signs of verification) has already been fully covered below in this juan.

Title of the juan

Juan 109 of the Taiping Jing Hejiao (Collated Scripture of Great Peace), part seven of the Geng division.

Closing dialogue (end of the heaven–human Q&A)

The disciple answered again and again: “Yes, yes.”

(Heaven or the scripture master) said: “Go. The words are finished; heaven’s command ends here—transmit the meaning of the scripture to the de jun (virtuous ruler: one who follows the Way of heaven and saves the people).”

The disciple: “Yes, yes.”

Again: “Go; do not press further with questions.”

The disciple: “Yes, yes.”

Another entry title in the same juan

Taiping Jing, juan 109, includes a piece titled “Liangshou Ce Zi Yao Ji” (Essential Notes on Characters Held in Both Hands on Divination Stalks), the 177th item in the series. It explains how to write and recognize character formulas while holding ce (divination stalks or similar implements) in both hands—material of the fangshu (technique) and verification type, consistent with the note above that “jue and ruiying are said to be completed below.”

Brief background

• Weiwei: A respectful reply to a superior or a deity in antiquity, equivalent to “understood” or “as you command.”
• Yu jing tian ci jue: Marks the end of this round of heavenly revelation or scripture teaching; one should not keep asking at will.
• De jun: In the Taiping Jing this usually means a ruler—or ideal ruler—who governs by the scripture and relieves the people’s disasters and hardships, not a vague honorific.

Heaven has two hands that constantly work together to accomplish all things. If one hand is diseased or corrupt, things are hard to achieve. Heaven deeply resents this, and earth treats it as taboo; disorder under heaven and failure to succeed often come from one hand being corrupt and unable to join forces with the other. When affairs are not put in order and the six directions are unsettled, that too often happens because the two hands are diseased or corrupt and cannot combine their strength. Good and ill fortune, safety and danger—all depend on these two hands.

Do perfected persons (cultivators who have attained the Dao) truly know this in depth? Not fully. Only the Celestial Master (Tianshi), the teacher who transmits the Way, opens up the essential meaning so people can know it; otherwise one would remain in darkness forever with no way to know. The teacher is the root of heaven and earth’s teaching and transformation in all affairs; though it is difficult, how could one fail to speak?

Excellent! The perfected person’s question. Did the envoy of heaven ask the lord to question thus? The words are essential and precise. Yes. Sit at ease; I will explain the meaning fully for all perfected persons; when the world takes it as a model and acts on it, there will be no more disorder and chaos. The spirits of heaven are called the “two-hand strategy” (liangshou ce); their written name is an essential record: when the state follows it, it endures; when ordinary people follow it, they long prosper. The essential Way is about to emerge—it is close at hand in the body of every person. Now I will explain it separately for all perfected persons.

Yes, yes.

• Heaven and earth: the two hands that chiefly create life and complete all things.
• The four seasons: the two hands that chiefly nourish and sustain all things.
• The Five Phases (Wuxing): the two hands that chiefly transmit, complete, and hand on all things to one another.
• Husband and wife: the two hands that chiefly transmit and harmonize heaven-and-earth Yin-Yang.
• Teacher and disciple: the two hands that chiefly transmit teaching, connect all affairs, and pass on scriptures and De (Virtue/Power).
• Ruler and minister: the two hands that chiefly transmit governance of all affairs, the people, and the myriad things.

These six topics only sketch the main threads and beginnings; they cannot all be written out. Whatever must rely on one another to be accomplished is accomplished by two hands. In heaven this is called chonggui daju (overlapping compass and square—rules that match and align); all should correspond to one another.

One hand turns to evil and the two hands cannot exert equal force—then nothing can be accomplished. In Heaven, this is called a “great disorder in governance”; throughout the eight directions and the far reaches of the world, it shows up as widowers, orphans, and lines cut off with no heirs, with decline day by day. The root of failure to get things done lies in these two hands not joining their strength in one mind.

Someone asked again: “Why does Heaven use the name ‘two hands’ specifically for this situation?”

The answer was: “Well asked! You have hit the point. What ‘two hands’ means is that both sides are aligned and cooperate with combined force—not ahead, not behind, not left, not right—only then can the matter succeed; if the two hands cannot combine their force, the task cannot be done. So in handling any affair, one must be like these two hands: each finds the right person and joins strength in one mind. If they can combine force like the two hands, the qi of Supreme Sovereign Great Peace (Shanghuang Taiping) will arrive at once; if they do not combine like the two hands, not in hundreds of millions of years will the qi of Supreme Sovereign Great Peace appear.”

“The qi of Great Peace was always meant to manifest, just as Heaven was always meant to be regulated by these two hands. If regulation is neglected for long, blockage and obstruction follow; governance in the world grows anxious and blameworthy, and the fault lies in these two hands not being in tune. When both hands are evenly adjusted, the qi of Supreme Sovereign Great Peace emerges, succeeding one another in sequence without having to wait on each other.” (This passage in the original repeats the same point for emphasis.)

“Excellent! Excellent! Therefore: if Heaven and Earth do not combine their force, nothing among the myriad things and affairs can come into being; if the four seasons do not combine their force, the myriad things cannot grow; if the Five Phases (Wuxing) do not combine their force, the myriad things cannot be brought to completion; if ruler and minister do not combine their force, the myriad affairs cannot be governed; if husband and wife do not combine their force, children and grandchildren cannot be reared and the household way cannot be established; if teacher and disciple do not combine their force, nothing undertaken together can be resolved, De (virtue/power) cannot rise, obscuring mist (dark ignorance) cannot be cleared, and the great transformation of the six directions and eight reaches cannot be carried out. Thus all should combine force like the two hands before there can be thorough penetration; unlike the two hands combining force, one drifts day by day toward peril.”

Even if you try to remedy things and “heal” the situation, it will not help—you still cannot succeed, and you will only suffer long, empty worry. The great Dao is vast in its nurturing and transforming power, yet in such a state it cannot be put into practice.

So in all things there must be joint effort, like two hands working together—only then can affairs go smoothly. If they do not unite in purpose like two hands, days will slip toward danger one by one; however much you try to fix it, nothing will work, and people will only fret in vain while danger grows daily.

Whatever follows this principle of “two hands helping each other,” choosing the worthy and appointing the able must mean choosing the right people. Choose wrongly, and the gods in heaven will say the state or the Way is half dead—one hand working alone: how can anything succeed?

The True Person (one who conveys the attained Dao) comes from afar on heaven’s behalf to inquire into affairs; whenever there is doubt, you should ponder this meaning deeply with a sincere heart: the heart belongs to Fire among the Five Phases; you must also return your true heart to what Fire symbolizes—that is, govern and protect the people with the heart of Fire’s virtue—then you may extend life and be secure beyond error. I do not deceive you. Show these words to a virtuous ruler, and to ordinary people as well; each worthy person should take them to heart and not dare to go against them. Act accordingly, and that is called enriching and nurturing yourself; fail to act accordingly, and that is called heaping worry and bitterness on yourself.

How marvelous! What I speak of as the Dao is entirely heaven’s intent. One may only go forward, not retreat; one may only follow, not oppose. Following aligns purely with heaven’s heart; opposing throws affairs into disorder. Disorder brings surging calamity—the human will turns west while heaven’s will turns east: that is what it means to be out of step with heaven’s intent.

“Excellent, excellent!”

“Go—you may be said to have awakened.”

(The scripture marks “stop” here, indicating this section is closed.)

O Realized One, when ordinary people today recommend worthy persons to the emperor and have them put in office, roughly how much good fortune comes from getting the right person, and roughly how much misfortune from not getting the right person? What can be achieved when the fit is right, and what is ruined when it is wrong? Realized Ones, please explain in detail.

It is so. When you get the right person, there are four kinds of good fortune; when you do not, four kinds of misfortune. When the fit is right, the six directions and the eight extremes of Heaven and Earth are at peace; when it is wrong, they are not at peace.

We wish to hear the essentials.

First kind of good fortune when you get the right person: Above, one can assist the ruler in governing by principle; undertakings succeed and stay secure, day by day benefiting the sovereign.

Second kind of good fortune: Those recommended can fill their posts and become usable talent.

Third kind of good fortune: Once they are usable talent, they can make their teacher’s Way shine forth, and grace can also return to the teacher.

Fourth kind of good fortune: Those recommended are reliable and effective in their work, and the ruler trusts and employs them.

All pull together with one heart; what is done succeeds more each day, shines clearer each month, flourishes more each year. Heaven and Earth rejoice; good responses appear together, and harmful things hide away. When Heaven and Earth are pleased once, the host of spirits rejoice too. Hold fast without loss: above, one can transcend the world; in the middle, one can put the realm in order; below, one can preserve life and exhaust one’s natural span. When recommendation gets the right person, the benefit is like this; Heaven too makes clear this tally of continued life (the fu-ming sense tied to prolonging dynastic fortune and personal lifespan).

Question: Why is the negative name “Talismans That Cut Years and Shorten Life”?

Answer: The meaning of Talismans for Continuing Life is this: when recommended talent is truly fit, danger turns safe, chaos turns ordered, defeat turns victory, ill fortune turns good, and dead ends turn into new life. Above, one may deliver the age and attain long life; in the middle, all under Heaven may be at peace; below, one may enjoy a full span and keep body and name intact.

If the person recommended is not fit: above, no benefit to the Son of Heaven; the realm’s order and disorder stay unsettled; the ruler grieves; Heaven and Earth are displeased; bandits and every kind of disaster multiply—this is the first great calamity.

The one raised cannot govern; flattery and fraud grow daily; long in office yet never at rest; cannot preserve a full lifespan—or suffers harm from Heaven, Earth, and spirits, or is killed by people, disgracing oneself—still the first great calamity (the text stresses it twice).

The one raised cannot govern; flattery and fraud grow daily; long in office yet never at rest; cannot preserve a full lifespan—or suffers harm from Heaven, Earth, and spirits, or is killed by people, shaming parents, evil name passed to wife and descendants, everyone knowing the fault and calling them wicked—this is the second great calamity.

Once the person is wicked, what they learned is cast off, defiling the work of former teachers and sages, calamity reaching their masters—the third great calamity.

The recommender is also unfaithful, jointly deceiving the ruler, presenting the wrong person, disturbing celestial instruments and measures, soiling the ordered hosts of stars (stars in Heaven were thought to answer human affairs); Heaven afflicts, Earth resents, the ruler detests, sages condemn—such are great flatterers and liars in the world; they should receive this retribution; if Heaven, Earth, and spirits do not execute them, people will harm them, disgracing ancestors, calamity on wife and descendants—the fourth great calamity.

Commit these four great calamities, present the wrong person, and the ruler grieves and governance is chaos. When baleful qi stirs, it cannot be stopped; those before suffer, ancestors are shamed, wife and descendants harmed—still the four calamities. Violate the four, present the wrong person, ruler grieves, governance like mist and cloud. When baleful qi rises, it cannot be stopped; before and after do not align; they turn on each other. Heaven and Earth rage greatly; the host of spirits battle; the six directions (four quarters plus Heaven and Earth) are displeased; eight distant regions go awry; never ordered through the ages—therefore in Heaven it is named Talismans That Cut Years and Shorten Life.

Question: Why “short-life talismans”?

Answer: Governance should be long-lasting, yet is made short; years should increase, yet are reduced; deeds meet misfortune, no benefit to the body; Heaven and Earth displeased, accounts struck, years cut—hence in Heaven the name short-life talismans.

Answer: Excellent, excellent! Your humble student has heard and accepts.

Answer: Yes—you may be said to understand. Carefully show this Heaven-text to virtuous rulers, to all worthy ones, down to the common folk. A ruler seeking officers must examine closely; a minister presenting talent must be loyal. Later ages who transmit and recite this text, binding it in the heart—if in urgency they raise officers without following this, Heaven and Earth will no longer rejoice. Knowing yet deliberately violating—the fault is heavier still! Perfected One, be careful.

End

Answer: Yes, yes—we truly receive instruction and dare not violate taboos; the rest we will earnestly practice.

Answer: You may be said to handle affairs with care and have received Heaven’s mandate.

Volume and Section Notes

Volume 110 of the Taiping Jing Hejiao (Collated Taiping Scripture), belonging to “Geng Part 8”; this is Volume 110 of the Taiping Jing itself.

Title of the Precept Text

The 179th precept: Dagong Yinian Shu Chu Suiyue Jie (Precept on the Book of Great Merit and Added Years, Issued by Month and Season).

Main Text

The ancients cultivated themselves and rectified their conduct; only when they dared not violate the rules recorded by the spirits could they petition the Heavenly Sovereign for life and longevity—and they dared not indulge themselves, for fear they could not fulfill every requirement. Day and night they pondered how to extend life, serving the spirits as subjects serve a ruler: this was how they showed their true intent to their peers. They hoped to hear words of complete loyalty and uprightness, so that the spirits in charge of each domain could clearly distinguish right from wrong; only then could they trust whether the Way was straight or crooked. Which moment could they afford to forget, even for an instant? Above, there are those who can divinand; they know entirely what is right and wrong—what could be concealed? What could fail to be believed? Therefore one could put one’s conduct in order, reflect on the root, and never let even the slightest small evil be forgotten for a moment—above, the diviners know all; what is there to hide, what not to trust? Thus one could regulate oneself, recall the foundation, and never cross the line of “the least small evil.”

They valued only having received a human body and relied on primordial Qi to become living, moving beings—yet they did not perceive calamities and portents. But when people break their vows, neither side trusts the other, so unease fills the heart. Between the harmony of Heaven and Earth and between above and below, each level has its covenants; people do not know the essentials—how then can one speak only of human good and evil in isolation? Calamities and portents all arise from this.

Humans receive the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and eat; they take in everything, depend on everything, act through everything—yet alone they fail to follow ancient methods, know the ancients, and carry forward what people have told one another down to today. This is called abandoning good and following evil, leaving the mandate incomplete—why should it be so? Therefore the Heavenly Sovereign says: there is good and there is evil; good can bring people together in goodness. The reason is to give people discrimination and forbid arbitrary action: good should be promoted upward, evil should be punished—how can it be put on a par with good? Judging by human intention, one can also know that there will be one who holds the scales of justice. Hence “evil” is established to clarify the intent of Heaven and Earth, the four seasons, and the Five Phases, so that people know how vital it is to “preserve life” (chengsheng) and thereby add years to their span; when people grasp the principle of generation, they receive and observe its prohibitions and precepts and dare not violate taboos.

Note

This passage belongs to the “month-and-season precepts” (suiyue jie) type in the Taiping Jing: it stresses self-cultivation, covenants of trust, the judgment of good and evil, receiving Qi and keeping prohibitions, and extending life. Titles in the heading such as “hand tally,” “talismans,” and “prophetic phrases” are mostly catalogue entries from the same volume or names tied to ritual protocols; the main text does not spell out talismanic practice item by item.

If that is so: Heaven knows that dull-witted people have shallow insight and often fail to grasp that “good and evil must each receive their due retribution,” and instead go against the patterns Heaven operates by—testing and resisting Heaven’s work, and stirring up disorder and wrongdoing among people. Sometimes it looks as if good and evil were reversed—the worthy who ought to live long suffer disaster, while the wicked who ought to be punished live at ease—but sages understand how yin and yang correspond and meet; worthies sort out right and wrong, untie what people cannot understand, and let each person know their own station and limits so they do not blame one another.

Those who do good naturally deserve long life; those who do evil naturally deserve short life—what is there to doubt or complain about?

Are human beings worth less than the six domestic animals, birds, beasts, and creatures of the water? Do they seem “without form” or without value? In fact Heaven arranges it thus: Heaven likewise wants people to turn toward good and does not want them to do evil; only the feeling of good and evil in pleasure and pain sometimes looks much the same. Wealth, rank, and long years are all arranged from above; it is not that Heaven cannot tell beauty from ugliness, but that some ignorant people rise for a time, swagger, and say, “I am just like the rest of you.” Since you do good, why rely on such comparison? So one should go further and do more good, seeking to live long; shallow people often stop at being “like everyone else.”

Those whose evil shortens their lives and nearly costs them their lives only then want truly to repent: when they see good they follow it, when they see evil they withdraw; day and night they examine themselves and make up what they owe. Thus even a humble person can be like others: though they cannot become an immortal and save the world, they can at least use up the lifespan they were given and not die before their time—and that is enough.

What ordinary people fight over is often only the moment before their eyes; not thinking of living long, they never rise to being “knowers of the Way” (zhishi)—people who understand how things work. Those who seek long life therefore refuse to do evil—Heaven sees their good conduct and lets them do it in peace, then they may seek wealth and descendants; though not everything may be fulfilled, there is still hope. Why do evil and fall into lasting ruin while imagining you can live out a full lifetime? They do not know that Heaven sends spirits to record: wrongs great and small, Heaven knows them all; when the registers of good and evil are full… (Later lines repeat themes of seeking wealth and descendants and listing good and evil in transmission—the gist remains: the ledger of good and evil exists; do not deceive yourself.)

Ledgers of Good and Evil and the Reduction of Allotted Years

Heaven records each person’s good and evil in ledgers, reconciled year by year, month by month, and day by day. When wrongdoing does not cease, years are struck from one’s allotted lifespan, deduction upon deduction; when wicked conduct cannot be stopped, one soon stands before the Gate of Death.

After death, earth spirits summon the person to account: whether words and deeds in life matched. People often suffer as they reflect and amend themselves, and only then admit their guilt. The name is reported to the Office of Destiny (Ming Cao), the agency that governs lifespan; when allotted years are used up, one must go into the earth. Sins can also reach one’s descendants—is that not all summoned by doing evil?

Why People Do Not Cherish Life

People plainly wish to live—so why will they not live well? Because they do not see the outcome, they come to this pass; whom can they blame? Like a child born in the tenth month (weak from the start, unlikely to endure)—why still refuse to stop evil? If evil does not stop, how can life last long? The fool’s reckoning—why not agree even with a little good?

It is also said: doing small evils that do not seem urgent, each person counts only for himself and thinks all is well; in whatever he touches or violates, he tries to gain at others’ expense, while others too refuse to be cheated. Profit from small evil lasts only a moment; from great evil, not much longer—for evil cannot long remain in the world. Do Heaven and Earth not know?

Angels let people live so they may turn toward good; people instead do evil, so the demon that presides over evil follows them for long. At the slightest lapse, other demons come forward to make trouble, so they stay with the person and will not let go. Do Heaven and Earth not know?

Scripture and Self-Examination

This book first exhorts good and then warns against evil—the same principle in ancient times and today. People who will not take the road of long life and turning toward good, but insist on the evil road, leave Heaven and Earth no remedy; the ghosts too cannot receive a “clear” reckoning.

One who has faults is like what has no real form in the ears—name without substance, the spirit unsettled—not knowing where the fault lies or whose fault it is. A person should examine himself closely: how to be secure, and not do what ought not to be done. Speech that repeats and circles—because there is more than one thing to say, it seems heavy and redundant.

Destiny Rests on Oneself

Human destiny is upon your own person—why only beat your breast and cry to Heaven? With a body, yet not keeping yourself pure—on whom can you rely to be pure? With a body, yet not cherishing yourself—on whom can you rely to be cherished?

(Later passages repeat the above.) Human destiny is upon your own person… what is spoken is not a single matter alone, so it reads as repetition.

With a body, yet not clearing yourself—whom should be cleared? Whom should be loved?

Note: The source has broken sections, repetition, and editorial markers such as “begin” and “end”; this vernacular rendering follows the usual sense in continuous English. Specialized terms are glossed in parentheses at first occurrence.

This passage chiefly teaches that you must first answer to yourself—do not expect others to pay your debts or return your favors on your behalf.

The four self-questions

Given this body, if you do not cherish it, whom can you truly love?

Given this body, if you do not repair and align it with the right path, whom can you truly help to fulfillment?

Given this body, if you do not hold it in mind, whom can you truly hold in sincere regard?

Given this body, if you do not hold yourself accountable, whom can you rightly hold accountable?

When these questions are taken to heart, you will not blame ghosts and spirits—for the retribution that arrives often begins on your own side.

Good and evil must be spoken truly

When you see good, call it good; when you see evil, call it evil—do not blur the two or smooth everything over.

The words are few, but the principle must be kept: if small evils never cease, the underworld’s registers (ledgers of faults) will not stop; they only cease when the person dies. From this we know: doing evil is above all shortchanging yourself, not first shortchanging others—do you understand?

Heart and mouth must agree

Speech and action must follow what the mouth has declared.

Once the heart leaves the upright path, it is a lost cause, hard to set right again—

as if you were kin to ghosts; how then can you live well?

To intend life and walk the path of life is true understanding;

evil must run its course and cannot long endure—do you understand?

Do not forget heaven and earth’s grace

More simply: living between heaven and earth, to be born human is already great fortune—

how can one forget heaven and earth’s vast kindness?

If one stays foolish at this point and still will not change, what is there left to hope for?

If you wish for heaven’s response, you must first reproach yourself: with sincerity, compassion, even tears in your eyes as you act.

Say: I received grace and became human, unlike the myriad things;

heaven made humans able to speak and reason, to discern beauty and ugliness, to know good and evil and what must not be done—

one ought to be cautious on one’s own.

If the mouth utters words that defy heaven and refuses submission, that is great rebellion against the Way (Da Dao)—

how can heaven long share the task with you?

Punitive spirits, seizure of the soul, and turning from evil

Therefore heaven appoints punitive spirits (deities who especially chastise the wicked), visible since antiquity:

if people still do not change as warned and do not incline to good on their own,

the Celestial Lord says: the registers of old have not ceased; the chief officer (the deity who oversees capture) will descend to take the soul,

the flesh and bone are handed to the earth lord (the deity who governs the subterranean realm and burial)—there is no need to wait for the hour—

the wicked must not be allowed to hear of their evil again and again; hence heaven itself restrains its awesome wrath,

yet returns to refined teaching (guidance through culture and moral example),

so that they change their evil and gather many goods to fix within—to place goodness in the heart and carry it in conduct.

The spirit says: … (the following text continues with “changing their evil,” and the like, in the same vein as above.)

Overall meaning: In the Taiping Jing, the stress falls on self-love, self-fulfillment, self-regard, and self-accountability; clear distinction of good and evil; unceasing small evils mean the netherworld never stops writing; a heart off the upright path is like keeping company with ghosts; as humans one must remember heaven and earth’s grace, reproach oneself and turn from evil, and not speak against heaven—only then can one hope for the path of life and heaven’s response.

I carry out the Heavenly Heart’s teaching decree, governing in accord with people’s hearts and daring not to slacken even slightly. For good and evil alike, the attendant spirits take it to heart. The spirits’ words grow ever more sorrowful; with fortune and misfortune still unknown, I fear I have been placed among the ranks of the wicked. Day and night I turn inward, setting the heart upon the heart.” The spirits said again: “

I act under the Heavenly Heart’s teaching decree and must align with human hearts, with no room for the least lapse. The spirits at our side keep good and evil in mind. As their words grow more grievous and the outcome stays unclear, I dread belonging to the evil ranks. Night and day I examine myself, not knowing how I ought to stand, so I dare not harbor unwholesome intent and only hope the gods will grant leniency so I may reproach myself; if I am punished for failing the divine admonitions, I will not resent it.” The Heavenly Sovereign sent a great spirit with a message: “This person repents and blames himself and does not violate what is forbidden—grant him provisional reprieve; if evil appears again later, it will not be too late to reclaim his allotted years.” Hearing the spirits’ words, I sigh long through day and night, fearing my bodily faults are not fully cleared, that I have long been cut off from solar Yang qi and remain in the death ranks, and the burden feels heavier still, not knowing what to do.

Having received the decree yet unable to penetrate it fully, I withdraw in quiet to examine myself, taking responsibility for wrongs I bear, and give thanks to Heaven and Earth, the four seasons, the Five Phases, and the spirits of every department. The Heavenly Sovereign listens and bids me reflect on my own. The ancients all had discernment: they dared not transgress prohibitions, cultivated and corrected themselves, and feared any slip—for a single misstep they treated as defiance of mandate and loss of life-years. Therefore they dared not ease up even slightly. When they erred, punishment fell at once; hence they knew themselves, cherished themselves, revered taboos, and did not dare to miss the mark. When questioned and reproved again, the heart always trembled with fear; breath and spirit sank in despondency, and they failed the Heavenly Heart. If words fell even slightly short, it counted as verbal offense and was verified in earnest inquiry. What one says must be trustworthy before one may gain reputation; without integrity in the person, life-years are drained over time. So I turn my thoughts again, not losing my true heart, cut to the quick with dread, not daring to rest easy. I live while “releasing qi,” yet constantly cling in longing, greedy to walk together with Heaven and Earth, the four seasons, and the Five Phases under one cosmic order, not daring the smallest error.

Over time, human years are lost. So I reflect again, not losing my heart, deeply terrified, not daring to be at ease.

This passage reflects the tone of early Daoist canon such as the Taiping Jing—“upholding the Dao, receiving Heaven, self-admonition in seeking preservation.” The speaker places himself within the great order of Heaven and Earth, the four seasons, and the circulation of the Five Phases, daring no lapse, intent only on continuing Heaven’s mandate and keeping life intact.

He says that though he has set aside selfish desire and acts according to the law of Qi, he still clings to life; craving life yet fearing death, he can only try to join Heaven and Earth, the four seasons, and the Five Phases in carrying on that lineage, not daring the slightest fault. In his heart he constantly warns and reproaches himself, knowing Heaven’s utmost intent before and after, holding steady without change; mindful of Heaven’s grace, he dares not turn from what is solid and true; greedy for life and hoping to endure, how could he let the least small evil become known above? Body and duty are one continuous whole—how dare he slacken or grow idle? He only fears falling short of what is required from above, and his heart grows more startled and urgent. Heavenly longevity is hard to meet; once lost it cannot be regained. Long separated from the world, he again fears being broken midway, and must still regard those below—hence melancholy, and he can only command himself and tremble in self-restraint. He constantly fears that one day, great or small, things will not accord with intent and he will be cast aside; gloom blocks his heart as he blames his own faults. Having received Heaven’s favor and been allowed to extend his former allotted span, he dares not forget hunger and thirst—he asks only to keep living.

The various dashen—exalted spirits dispatched by Heaven to oversee human affairs—show pity in examination and record the myriad people. Humans receive qi from the Tianchu (Heaven’s storehouse, the source of nourishing qi sent from Heaven) and move riding the breath of Heaven; what they practice is still thin, and the prohibitions they must keep are many—nothing may be lost in the slightest. Though the body is lowly and not worthy of honor, it is not because of unworthiness that suspicion falls on him. This person truly seeks advance and pleads for a path of life, only hoping the great spirits will forgive and examine his words, so he may know how the four seasons and Five Phases generate and transform, and know how hard it is to repay the grace of sun and moon—fearing above all being abandoned halfway. Those of the zhengying—sincere keepers of precepts serving within the Daoist community—dare not keep their distance; some even lean body on pillow and mat, exhausting courtesy in utmost sincerity.

The great spirit said: “This person has been shaped by his teacher to such a degree—would he still fear lacking protection?” And again: “In the past there were also such people; Heaven favored them with support and pity, always near at hand. They are still here now, long in service, planning much and thinking deeply—whatever they say never misses what the Heavenly Lord’s heart intends.”

This passage from the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace) is framed as a dialogue: a “Sheng”—someone who studies the Way and receives teaching—reports to Heaven while conversing with a “Great Spirit” (a celestial envoy), with the Heavenly Sovereign (Tianjun) also intervening.

Summary in plain language:

The student of the Way weeps prostrate and speaks in report: he only follows the ancients, placing a loyal heart in all he knows and does; whatever he hears he holds in his breast, and how could he compare himself to those who came before?

The Great Spirit says: Those who can hold this faith speak with one another so that all may take each other as models in cultivation; yet some still cannot maintain it at every moment.

The Sheng says: The Great Spirit’s teaching is clear; though we are many, we alone receive special regard, which opens our minds—your grace is immense. When can we ever repay the Great Spirit?

The Great Spirit says: That wish to repay arises from within; to earnestly reflect and return it in action is enough.

The Sheng says: He reflects that he does not know what to offer Heaven; though there are rare treasures above, he would wish to offer them again. To receive instruction and respond with earnest reflection is what makes one fit to receive grace. This is not repayment in polished words, but pondering day and night without the slightest slackening.

The Great Spirit says: Much has been admonished, and the counsel given is not for one person’s questions alone. To converse in this way for long shows that the Sheng are held in special esteem; in the words one sees deep compassion and exceptional care.

The Heavenly Sovereign hears and summons the Great Spirit, asking: Why have these students been able to raise such a heart that you speak to them with distinct meaning?

The Great Spirit says: Seeing these students’ exceptional sincerity, the difficulty or ease of the teaching is adjusted to the person.

The Heavenly Sovereign says: When you see what is good, guide them until they reach that level—that is as it should be.

The Great Spirit adds: What the Heavenly Sovereign inquires about is these sincere Sheng.

The Sheng says: He dares not hope to stand at Heaven’s left (near the Heavenly Sovereign’s place); he only wishes, in a position without rank, to do his utmost in loyalty.

The Great Spirit says: All should receive fitting arrangement.

(Where the text repeats, the sense is the same:) The Great Spirit again says the Heavenly Sovereign inquires about the sincere Sheng; the Sheng again says he does not seek high rank but only to be loyal without office. The Great Spirit says: All should have appropriate leaders and roles (buzhu), so that trust is visible in principle.

Note: In this context “Sheng” usually means a student of Heaven’s teaching who addresses Heaven; “Great Spirit” is a deity who conveys Heaven’s word and opens teaching; “Heavenly Sovereign” is a higher celestial authority. The whole passage stresses sincerity, earnest repayment, not seeking a place at Heaven’s side but only doing one’s loyal best, and Heaven’s special regard and arrangements for those of “utmost faith” (youxin).

The previous speaker said: “To receive instruction with such sincerity is already a great blessing; I dare not fall the slightest bit short of what that name entails.” The great spirit said: “When this person receives instruction and can be like this, they should go further still—they can approach the ancients.” That person said: “I dare not advance further; long life is what people desire.” The great spirit said: “That is Heaven’s will.”

That person said: “I rely on the great spirit’s protection and dare not violate the great spirit’s precepts.” The celestial lord saw how the two admonished and encouraged each other and was especially pleased, and had them teach one another.

Reflect on how the sages of old practiced the Way—all from naturalness. Understanding Heaven’s governance in their hearts, they said:

Opening

In antiquity, sages cultivated the Dao as something that arose from nature itself. In their hearts they understood the Way of governance in Heaven; in what they did and chose, they often knew beforehand what would come. When sound and intention were fully aligned, they could know form and appearance; when they looked into their own minds, everything was clear. They knew what needed saving and what would meet them—good and ill fortune coming together—and saw it plainly in the chest, glad in heart, knowing they had received Heaven’s gift of blessing. They could see what had gone before, always with warnings and admonitions, penetrating without error. They thought with gratitude that they had been favored and met with the Six Gods (gods who divide heavenly duties and guard practice)—long in their company, often taught and warned, so that body and life were not endangered. Looking through the four quarters, above and below, they saw through without obstruction and felt pity for all living beings all the more. Glad in heart, they again gained extended life, even to what they had never heard— all of it the transforming nurture of the Heavenly Lord and Great Gods (supreme lords and great gods of the celestial realm). The Great God said: All the gods know it—those who extend life have a destiny, and the Registers (Heaven’s rolls of names and records) are true. Before they were born, their year, month, day, and hour were already written in advance in the Bureau of Long Life (the celestial office that keeps lifespan), the count of years to be added; then their names were passed on, under the True Person of the North Pole (the perfected one in the northern heaven who oversees realization). Bone and body were transformed; the body grew light, moist, and luminous; at the hour when dusk brings the elixir, essence was completed. Wherever they changed, nothing failed; out of darkness into darkness, in the space between a single hair, nothing was closed to them.

Closing

The sage said: It is truly so—from custom one becomes food that follows the earth; the yin spirit goes out—how could one not be heavy? To change into lightness and ascend—that is transformation. Thanks for the Great God’s grace cannot be exhausted; merit is great and grace is deep—thought cannot reach it. In the interval of receiving renewed breath, grace is already profound; words cannot repay it.

The Great God also said: This is Heaven conferring human destiny, salary and fate in accord—it is not the Great God acting at will. To see goodness and recommend it is the gods’ share of blessing—why need thanks? Lest people later doubt and think it is those who impose prohibitions and fixes— that too cannot be fully repaid in words.

This passage records a dialogue between sheng (those still living in the world), dashen (great spirits), shengren (sages), and tianjun (heavenly lords). Its theme is how, after receiving precepts, one must remain humble, must not zijie (interpret the precepts on one’s own or twist their meaning), must earnestly carry teaching to completion, and how the great spirits and heavenly lords encourage and admonish the sheng.

The dashen said: Fearing that later generations would still harbor doubts, for those who needed shijingu (precepts imposed and binding constraints strengthened), they had the shengren grasp the intent of the teaching and precepts, so that later people could know and follow it—nothing more. The sages already possessed wisdom of their own and did not need further commands.

The shengren said: Retribution has already been received; though one’s name is entered on the shengluji (the register of the living, the name-roll of those still in the world), there will always be moments when instruction cannot reach everyone or care cannot cover every case.

The dashen said: That this sheng speaks with such humility is fitting.

The sheng spoke again: Having stated my case once more, what needed to be said from beginning to end is complete. It all depends on the dashen to fulfill their gracious intent. When the sheng meets people and assigns roles among them, I dare not explain things on my own, yet there is still a heart prone to pride and sloth. I ask to exert myself again in a quiet place (to seek instruction further). Whatever the dashen teach and bestow, may they keep in mind those sheng who have not yet fully understood.

The dashen said: What was said before and after is already clear; nothing further need be enjoined. After parting, each should act according to what was said earlier.

The sheng said: From the day of receiving the precepts I have not dared relax for an instant, fearing only that I cannot see it through to the end. I only hope to be upheld and supported, so that I may still draw breath and have hope of renewal. My heart is tilted with anxiety; I only wish the dashen would remember me always, teaching and commanding—such grace would be no small thing.

The dashen said: What this sheng has said deserves praise.

The sheng said: Yes, yes. I dare not rely on myself for self-protection (self-assurance or self-defense).

The dashen said: One who has made a name for himself gains from diligence; the bingbing buzhu (the chief who unifies and oversees the various divisions) is not limited to a single person.

When the tianjun heard this, the dashen admonished the shengren regarding their exchange of words: Toward those with wisdom, one must not treat them lightly or zijie (arbitrarily reinterpret). Life may extend to wuzi zhi shou (a lifespan free from reproach and slander). Each returns to his own division; when you see good conduct, you should advance it to the dashen.

The shengren said: We equally receive the tianjun’s teaching and exert ourselves to good effect; since it is effective, we dare not slacken in the matter of days and seasons.

The tianjun said: For an adult, becoming complete is becoming complete by oneself.

All said: Yes, yes.

In antiquity, even those who had already attained the Dao still had to observe certain regulations. Before a person was born, their name was already recorded in heaven; these records were kept in documents associated with long life. When the day came for ascension, the roster would be transmitted to Zhongji (the pole at the center of heaven and earth). Zhongji is also called Kunlun; the department head (the spirit clerk in charge of the registers) there would register that person’s name without omitting anything.

Spirits would come repeatedly, making the person’s limbs shake and flex, twisting and turning, teaching and urging again and again; they would bend the body according to divine intent and have the person take medicine so that the joints opened and were refined. Even when they did not meet face to face, they could know whether this person could succeed and whether they were resolute, showing that their aspiration would not fail. People cling to life and fear death yet wish to walk the path of heaven’s immortals; spirits would come many times to verify this, and only after a fixed number of years were they allowed to receive the “text of insufficiency” (secret writings that supply what is lacking). Whatever was said in the heart or spoken from the mouth had to be known to them regarding precepts and taboos to be kept, and then passed on to those who study the Way. If one did not use the divine texts but only claimed to have finished reading the scriptures on one’s own, the spirits knew; they would also speak to the person face to face, and this often dragged on for many months and years. Only when the tally reached one thousand three hundred twenty days would they be taken together to pay homage to the great spirit, connect with primordial qi, and practice the natural Way.

The Heavenly Sovereign (chief deity of the celestial realm) inspected the registers and saw the secret edicts; what was checked and what was done must not be privately believed in or changed in intent—actions must not err. The great spirit said: The items borrowed and received from the various spirits had already been reckoned; on the last day of the eighth lunar month, the registers of what was received and issued at the various mountains, seas, mounds, pools, waterways, river bridges, Huai, Ji, rivers, lakes, and the like were entered separately, each clearly distinguished. When the Heavenly Sovereign granted labors and rewards, there were also ledger offices; before the Heavenly Sovereign they were counted again and stored in the Golden Chamber Office. Those who sincerely wished to study the Way had to manage what the Heavenly Sovereign inquired about, should uphold what they were taught without slackening day or night. Those belonging to the chief chamber must not lose track of the department they were assigned; moreover, those who should receive them had to be known as worthy persons, according to the fixed record book.

(This section mainly explains: before attaining the Dao and ascending, there is a heavenly name register, registered by the clerk at Zhongji Kunlun; during cultivation spirits come to teach, medicine refines the bones, and only after 1320 accumulated days does one see the great spirit; the Heavenly Sovereign’s inspection of registers strictly forbids private belief; the great spirit on the last day of the eighth month totals the in-and-out registers of mountains, seas, rivers, and so on; the sincere must uphold the teaching without ceasing and take the fixed record book as authority.)

The Heavenly Lord should have the spirits assigned to register names exclusively and to oversee affairs from above and below. For one hundred days beforehand, everything must be written in the documents, with nothing omitted. If the documents do not match or the registration office fails to report upward, those involved shall be punished together. There was an earlier edict: the divine writings must not be violated. After this book is circulated, three years and eight months must pass before it may be shown to lay people; if there are people who hold the Way and are trustworthy, it may be shown to them more fully.

The Heavenly Lord ordered: This person had previously borne inherited burden (chenfu)—old offenses left by ancestors that descendants must answer for. He was commanded to have the spirits release him from it and register and store [his merit]; what had not yet been stored must be stored by supplementary rite.

The great spirit said: This person has long been poor and distressed, his household empty, and he may hardly keep himself; only because the Heavenly Lord trusted him were the spirits commanded to store his blessings for him. If those in charge do not store them in time, I fear it will not be as promised. A request has already been made by edict to bow and give thanks for grace; though the term of sun and moon has not arrived, all matters should be made known to him one month in advance.

The Heavenly Lord said: The spirits, officers, and hosts under the lower department who are in the fields must not miss the season; store [blessings] on schedule, establish his name for them, and make the earth lords reverent and careful, so that the spirits may come and go. If there are those with sincere intent who seek things, comply with them. Do this only for those who are sincere and reliable; afterward be still more careful.

The great spirit said: If so, it will surely be heard throughout the realm, and those who love the Way will support one another in serving and revering this.

The Heavenly Lord said: Those who have merit should also be respected by others.

The great spirit said: This person’s years are not yet complete and the term has not arrived; please wait until the term to teach him to report thanks. At that time he had not yet been promoted; his house was empty and he had no clothes. Those who hold the Way supplied food and drink until the term ended.

The Heavenly Lord said: This is a small matter; let the celestial officers supply his household—whoever has a home and a sincere heart will suffice.

The great spirit said: Please act according to what has been said.

By edict the celestial officers shall give what he is due: he supplies his own clothing and food; those who hold the Way supply food and drink until the term ends. The Heavenly Lord also said: This is a small matter; let the celestial officers supply his household—whoever has a home and a sincere heart. The great spirit said: Please act according to what has been said.

Heaven decrees the celestial officers to deliver to such a person the portion due to them, and not to leave them long empty and in want. The great deity said: Command the celestial officers and celestial gods to supply according to the registers—no one must be left without their allotment. The Celestial Sovereign said: Good.

People of high antiquity often received Heaven’s response: where there was trust, success could follow; bearing Heaven’s mandate, they were watched over by the spirits, who feared any loss or breach, and therefore kept watch day and night. When they saw someone do good, they would help them rejoice; they did not wish to hear of evil done, and constantly placed them in the Longevity Bureau (office in charge of extending life), turning the heart toward good and away from evil thoughts, and urging them to advance in goodness—with filial, loyal, and compliant hearts. What they received and what they practiced, they dared not follow their own whim; they only acted as instructed. Outsiders might call them foolish, yet Heaven knew they were good.

If someone had done another great kindness and often cherished sorrowful remembrance, striving with all their might to cultivate themselves toward good—it was like one long caught in doubt and indecision, especially afraid of being destroyed by disaster first; so they restrained and abased themselves, fearing to offend the wicked, anxious day and night, not knowing what would come. Heaven gave humans knowledge of good and evil; doing good with trust—Heaven does not wish a person’s evil name to be broadcast, so people are born loving life and hating death, and also dare not break prohibitions, as if fearing harm to themselves. Therefore, in accord with Heaven’s seasons they could exchange words with a “communicator” (one who aligns with Heaven’s intent and transmits the Way), knowing human feelings and intentions; seeing anything not good, they would withdraw and blame themselves, fearing that documents would record their name and a stained name remain in the registers of the netherworld. If at the time they had harmed someone, they truly dared not argue face to face; they could only blame their own conduct.

When things did not go as wished, excess evil was too much to purge entirely. So when such a person came, regret arose easily; the situation then was urgent, and they thought life might be regained—yet unexpectedly Heaven sent a great deity to investigate, and especially hated their conduct. Once they had “entered the earth” (fallen into dire straits or the brink of death), they could only comfort themselves, endure in silence, and not dare bear an evil name. The formula’s wording was slightly imperfect; yet having received Heaven’s grace, they were granted a brief moment, recovered breath, and long had hope of life—all of this was allotted by Heaven’s departments. Thus they had only an allotted span of life and could not endure long. Therefore shame and remorse only increased.

Those who wish to see celestial deities, earnestly ask the gods to descend with admonitions, clarify what they still do not understand, and guard in advance against misfortunes that may come must align with the Heart of Heaven (the intent of the highest heaven and the norm by which the Dao runs). Only then is there any chance of gaining even a small measure of what they pray for.

Those whose minds are full of greed and who are always scheming for advantage, mixing good and evil thoughts, often fail to receive the divine injunction (the celestial permission or directive that one may “be granted an audience”) and therefore cannot see the gods. Those who can see the great deities (high-ranking spirits of great authority) are mostly people who have tasted life’s joys and sorrows and awakened to truth through their own life journey; those who chase only worldly profit and rank find it hard to get their wish. Hence one must cultivate and correct oneself (refine one’s conduct and set the mind upright on one’s own).

Great deities sternly make up what such people lack, rousing them to vigilance, and hope they will keep the precepts and guard against heterodox and crooked paths; the great deities also pity those still searching for a way out in life. The great deity said: “Why be stingy about observing the prohibitions? You should deeply know what matters, and each speak the truth plainly. I fear only that your words and hearts do not match; ponder again—plans arise from the heart; think them through again and again.”

The seeker said: “We are already grateful and afraid; since calamity may fall on us, how dare we not obey from the heart?”

The great deity said: “Since you vow thus, return again to a quiet place, think with single-minded attention, and where you fall short, ask for teaching again.”

The seeker said: “I know my knowledge is scant; I have not yet received the precepts in full clarity, and only by prostrating myself to seek instruction dare I come before you.”

The great deity said: “If you wish to exhaust sincerity and spirit, merit can be achieved and you can reach the goal in the end. Strive to reflect: from birth until now the merit you have accumulated and the good you have done—can it resolve ancestral burden (Chengfu: liability inherited from ancestors or from one’s own past, like a debt of karmic retribution)? When burden is lifted, faults exhausted, you may also ascend—why doubt and fear? Still you must be careful in speech and not give rise to outward thoughts (other-mindedness, stray thoughts).”

The seeker said: “Having received the injunction and seen the precepts, I dare not fail to do good with all my strength; if after doing good one turns to evil again, that is to make sport of one’s own fate.”

The great deity said: “Even the good must further restrain and bend their own will; though there are times of toil of heart and bitterness of life, at the moment it may feel slightly bitter—if the mind cannot yet understand, blessings may still come later.”

(Where the later text repeats the earlier, the meaning is the same: after receiving the precepts one must strive to do good; to do good and then do evil again is to jest with one’s fate; the good should bend their will and endure hardship, and blessing will follow in time.)

(Someone) “Having received the edict, I return in sincerity to a place of quiet, reflect on my faults, and blame myself.” The Great Spirit said: “When thoughts arise from within, the celestial spirits all know—do not slacken.” (Stop) “Live until the end of one’s allotted years, then stop.” The Great Spirit said: “If you act thus, what is there to fear about not advancing?”

When the Heavenly Sovereign heard this, he again strictly charged the Great Spirits: for those who wish to rise, examine their words and deeds, accumulate merit day by day and month by month, and assign each to the proper category; those with merit should be promoted, and vacant ranks must be filled. People of antiquity matched heart and mouth; all understood human feeling and could govern without ornament; inside and outside, surface and depth, they kept faith with one another and did not fail each other. Heaven has weighty ordinances; violators bear especially heavy guilt and are at once questioned and held to account for their faults. Hence people today are all the more fearful and uneasy—they must keep faith inside and out and not betray one another. Heaven has essential commands; offenders are especially shameful and are immediately questioned and blamed for their errors. Hence they are all the more alarmed, deeply mindful of the grace Heaven has shown in allowing them to remain human and to know right from wrong; because of such deep gratitude they do not know how to repay it—they can only resolve to advance, with loyal sincerity in all they do, carrying out Heaven’s mandate without the slightest lapse, lest the host of spirits report them and they be punished above and fail to complete their years. Hence they grieve and worry all the more, dare not excuse themselves, and long only to repay what was done for them. They truly cling to life and, with the celestial spirits, jointly uphold Heaven’s heart: small good deeds may erase small faults and allow one to finish one’s years; if there is great merit, years are added and extended, one serves the primordial Qi, aligns with essence and refinement, and sees as one knows—then receiving great grace again, words cannot repay it; inwardly one knows not what to do. One can only hope the Great Spirits will together pity and accept one, not wait for teaching and admonition, grant insight and forethought, and make one know that Heaven’s prohibitions and taboos are many and must be passed down in order without failure. One can only hope the Great Spirits know one’s inadequacy, see the admonition and dare not forget the great allotment, receive grace and not forget the meaning of the gift of life.

The Great Spirit said: “Among the people there are those who understand principle of themselves—why teach at length? Only follow what Heaven does; do not go against Heaven’s heart.”

This passage mainly explains how to follow Heaven’s Way, how to receive precepts in speech and conduct, and how heavenly reward and punishment relate to humans and spirits.

Following Heaven and receiving precepts

When you see teachings or precepts from Heaven or from spirits, you must act on them at once, without neglect or violation—that is what it means to accord with Heaven’s intent. Reward and punishment are not empty forms; they are tied to whether one truly receives grace and does not forget the debt of being nurtured and given life.

The Great Spirit (heavenly being) says:

Those who are already endowed with understanding need little instruction; they need only follow the law of Heaven’s operation and not go against Heaven’s heart. To see a precept and put it into practice without error is to gain Heaven’s approval. Whether reward or punishment is light or heavy, it must be carried out in reality, without mistake. When one has received even a small measure of precept, speech must be all the more careful: think clearly before you speak, so that what you say can actually be lived. If there are minor faults, examine your heart against the standard and reflect on yourself, turn toward good and amend—that is called minor precept. What goes deeper is that throughout life, words and deeds must keep the great precepts, so as not to violate the spirits’ intent.

The one receiving teaching (Sheng) says:

I know myself to be like Tongmeng (a child not yet initiated)—I have not grasped the great portion (the essential point of the Great Dao). That is why the Great Spirit layers precepts upon precepts; what is illumined is vast, the scope of wisdom great, nothing excluded. I hope to receive that virtue, not go against what is said, and only dare to bow and listen, awaiting the weightier precepts.

The Great Spirit says:

This can be understood thus: what Heaven bestows, what Earth knows, and all parallel categories of beings correspond like law and ritual (falu), without discrepancy. Those who teach one another should follow their own master (zhishi) and not rebel—that is enough.

Sheng says:

I myself know I ought to receive precepts; though the law is the same for all, it is hard for the heart to match Heaven’s intent completely—Heaven’s heart is hard to know in its secret key.

The Great Spirit says:

All of this is sincere, without deception. Those who anticipate the Celestial Lord’s (Tianjun) intent and act as the Celestial Lord acts are first among the highest and may stand at the Celestial Lord’s left hand. Merit earns reward; one must be humble and not dare to take the full measure of bounty, yet also exhaust heart and strength, with meticulous intent as the greater part. Therefore the Celestial Lord repeats the command face to face—that is the living person’s blessing. Though what is governed is many, go forward with a level heart and quiet breath, and things will settle aright.

Sheng says:

I dare not hope to stand at the Celestial Lord’s left; to live and to receive these teachings and precepts is enough.

Practitioners of the Way devote themselves solely to loyalty and filial piety (xiao), fulfill their allotted roles according to heavenly principle (tianli), and do not lightly accept rich rewards, for fear they have not yet attained genuine skill. When they achieve even a little progress, they feel the body grow luminous and life lengthen. In mind they never dare relax; once they receive gentle instruction, they are content, feel themselves in the company of the great spirits (dashen), and turn against stray thoughts so they no longer indulge in idle imaginings.

They truly receive grace (ende): whether going out or staying in, they are watched over above and below; from time to time they receive a small hint—all of this is the favor of the great spirits, which cannot be thanked in words along the way; they can only keep gratitude always in the heart and dare not set it down. The Heavenly Lord (Tianjun), having heard, knows this person’s conduct; nothing fails to accord with their wishes. They often reproach their own faults and resolve not to do evil; the great spirits also instruct and warn them, so that they may ascend without growing weary.

Superior good persons (shangshan) arise from what is natural; they are recorded in the registers, their names written in the Register of Good People (shanren zhi ji). In ordinary life they do good and bear no evil name; in going out and in conduct, what they meet is mostly goodwill—hence they are called good persons. In every movement and stillness they wish to benefit others; even what ordinary people cannot see reaches the honored ranks above. When the honored see them, they may delight in their words, or value their good conduct, sincerity, lovableness, filial piety and loyalty, or their long constancy and trustworthiness in speech—all of this is “good within good,” and therefore they are called good persons.

They are often favored with glory; they also long for lasting ease and freedom, for becoming immortals (xian), for a deathless station, for commanding the host of spirits—these are what good persons desire in heart, yet what they covet is the good of the Great Dao (dadao). In action they look up to and follow goodness; they accord with the faith of the four seasons and the Five Phases (wuxing); the spirits love one another; those with knowledge instruct one another; those with rare texts and unusual stratagems show them to one another; when there is a vacancy they recommend and protect one another. Where there is a small divergence they admonish one another in speech; when there is something rare and precious they give it to one another as a gift.

All together the assembly presented offerings to the celestial deities, wishing with reverent hearts to receive the precepts, examine their faults, and fear lest anything fall short of what the great deities of Heaven intend.

Day and night without slackening, with single-minded intent; when they saw good they followed it and longed to hear words of goodness; they kept hearts loyal and upright. As persons in wholeness they cherished life and the years allotted them, ever fearing that in a single morning all might change, down to the least thought of ill. When they heard that another had done wrong, they helped that person repent. If the one presiding had insight and offered good counsel in remonstrance, they accepted his words and made his honor known; he was skilled at teaching and admonishing people in the way to seek life and preserve life—this is the utmost of those who do good. They sought only to establish merit and dared not go against the divine intent, thinking always of helping others repent. If the presiding officer had insight and offered good counsel in remonstrance, they accepted his words and made his honor known; he was skilled at teaching and admonishing people in the way to seek life and preserve life—this is the utmost of those who do good. They sought only to establish merit and dared not go against the divine intent, longing for long endurance in the world and yet able to fulfill what human beings ought to achieve.

Only the great deities of Heaven understand speech and inspect what is commanded to be done and what is forbidden; toward small faults they grant lenient tolerance so that people may ponder their meaning.

Heaven’s grace is vast; it watches over and pities in many ways, enabling people to reflect, repent, and have their allotted span extended—this is the bestowal of the portion Heaven assigns (dafen). They feared only that they might not see it through to the end yet still receive gracious indulgence; they wished only that the great deities would excuse what fell short. They hoped to receive precepts that did not blame them harshly, so that they could find joy in reflection, broaden their aims, and think only of receiving the admonitory precepts again with full weight.”

The great deity said: “In the upper realm Heaven and Earth each have their patterns and principles. To know how to use what came before yet not know how to withdraw—this is natural; it is not stinginess or protective withholding of the precepts and refusal to teach. When you see that good people no longer doubt, why admonish again? You need only reflect carefully on what was said and align with it. This is the wish of good people; it is fitting to explain it once more.”

“Sheng” said: “I myself am not worthy; my conduct is not pure, so I draw near to those whom the great deity forbids and warns against. Time and again I have received great favor; impulse after impulse thoughts arise, and the reason is plain, so I have come again—I do not know contentment; it is the angel who makes it so.”

The Great Spirit said: “What people receive is the endowment given at birth. When Heaven sends someone to question you, it is to see whether your intentions are aligned—what is there to doubt? Those who come in secret seeking instruction speak from the heart; they rarely use flowery words, and their words come from what is truly within. Only those who can set their heart-mind right are few, so there are gaps that need correction—life is already short, and one must be all the more careful and not slacken.”

Sheng said: “My nature is dull; I am always a step slow in thinking. I can only restrain myself with the written precepts, and I beg the Great Spirit for compassion.”

The Great Spirit said: “This too shows some understanding: knowing good, then do good; knowing trust, then keep trust; knowing loyalty, then be loyal; knowing compliance, then stay compliant; knowing filial piety, then practice filial piety—then evil thoughts can no longer get the upper hand.” (He stressed again:) “The precepts are taken so seriously precisely so that people may understand for themselves.”

Sheng spoke earnestly and with regret: “What I have heard are all words of great goodness. Among them are important precepts as well; what the Great Spirit has spoken is truly thus—how could I dare to slacken or be negligent again? This is the way to preserve life; having received such grace, I do not know how to repay the Great Spirit.”

The Great Spirit said: “When you look at these matters, they are not enough to count as the whole body of precepts; only think of what should be done and go do it, and the reputation that should be achieved can be achieved—the upper realm will not harbor doubt. When you have acted, harvest comes of itself—what thanks need be offered? Speak straight and that is enough; there is no need to pass messages back and forth or pry into one another.”

Sheng said: “These precepts give me a path to live and hope. Where I still do not understand, please reflect again on what you have said.”

The Great Spirit said: “You must know: your words must not depart from the inner heart; those who came before and after to ask and learn were all the same.”

Sheng said: “Who else would still teach people in this way?”

The office of Sheng Luming (which oversees the fortune and lifespan allotted to each life) reported to the Great Spirit: the Great Spirit was greatly pleased that all preparations had been completed on schedule and in proper order, yet still felt they fell short of repaying Heaven’s grace and was ashamed, not knowing how to comport himself. When the Celestial Lord heard this, he said: “This is already goodness within goodness, and especially rare. You may jointly carry out the affairs of the various departments—see that nothing is neglected.” The Great Spirit turned to Sheng Luming and said: “The Celestial Lord has issued this command and shown such favor and honor; you must not go against it.” Sheng Luming answered again and again, “Yes, yes.”

A person of supreme De stands between Heaven and Earth and ought to accomplish the work of transformation and nurturing, so that the ten thousand things each obtain what they desire. (Section opening.) The good person upholds the civilizing teaching of goodness, does not stray from the constant Way, and does not go against the timely order—that is supreme De. Nothing fails to succeed, nothing fails to come to fruition; brightness is not obscured, reality is not lost; there is no violation of the Yin-Yang principle of generation and transformation, no violation of the coming and going of the qi that governs growth through the four seasons, no violation of the Five Phases as they complete their cycles, no violation of the sun, moon, and stars or their measured degrees, no violation of the appointed times of fortune and misfortune, no violation of the signs of calamity and anomaly, no violation of the records of flood and drought, no violation of the meaning of human lifespan—long or short—and the fullness or thinness of the stars under which one is born. These are all what a person of supreme De should practice. Therefore it is said that the person of De illuminates nothing without illuminating it and sees nothing without seeing it; above and below are in harmonious balance, and each thing follows what is fitting; as to their de-nature, each keeps its proper name. This is the meaning of the text on following the constant and long life: none fail to receive honor and favor.

The ten thousand things break soil like sprouts and shoots, spread branches and leaves to serve as clothing; mist, dew, frost, snow, and timely rain serve as drink and food; they grow and complete themselves, cover themselves with leaves and bear fruit, and supply nourishment for the great earth among people—called the “mother of water”; among the people it is called the gourd (gua). In the heat of midsummer it serves as cooling drink and pulp; the whole world relies on it, and people young and old all eat it. This is how the person of De inherits Heaven’s order and completes Heaven’s form, providing food for the people from the land, practicing kindness and bestowal, so that none are not moistened by that de and do not naturally become full and satisfied—this is Heaven’s grace, not something human effort alone can accomplish.

The transformation and nurturing that Heaven bestows is vast. If one does not follow Heaven’s mandate yet speaks only of “the natural” and refuses to acknowledge Heaven’s grace, that is perverse talk and rebellious doctrine.

This passage mainly teaches that those who possess De should align with Heaven’s intent in educating the people, and that if people defy Heaven, indulge their own desires, and fail to repay kindness, calamity follows; if they turn toward goodness, keep the law, and harmonize with the Way of Heaven, Heaven protects them and extends their lives.

The gist is as follows:

Therefore one should enable the “person of De” (someone of moral cultivation who can penetrate the Way of Heaven) to understand Heaven’s intent from above and teach the people to live in the correct manner, without going against Heaven’s heart. By nourishing and completing them, people gradually grow full and mature until they can stand on their own as human beings—this cannot be explained merely as “how things naturally are”; it is Heaven’s grace. If one instead claims everything is “simply natural” and does not follow Heaven’s mandate, that is harsh to the ear and rebellious toward Heaven.

Thus the person of De must still know Heaven’s intent from above, teach the people to act according to the law without losing Heaven’s heart, nourish them until they mature and can truly be human, and further help them grasp principle and norm (wenli) so that virtue is fulfilled and they can ascend to ranks such as “celestial officer” (tianshi). In Heaven too, merit has its distinctions.

The person of De must also oversee affairs on earth so the people have something to rely on. Heaven repeatedly bestows favor, yet people cannot repay in due time—this too is a problem. The person of De spreads orthodox Qi (zhengqi) on Heaven’s behalf, linking above, below, and the center. If things do not obtain their proper place (what should proceed does not, what should stop does not), and people instead slight Heaven’s actions, Heaven’s anger will not cease, spirits will no longer cherish humanity, lifespan and mandate (nianming) will be encroached upon (years cut, life taken), and people will blame not themselves but Heaven—this is extreme folly.

Therefore the celestial spirits send down written decrees, causing people to dwell in guard, receive commands, and enforce prohibitions, firmly binding and restraining them so they do not transgress. Only by foreknowing what is to come, shunning evil and turning toward good, and not violating the prohibitions can one again behold how the Dao of Heaven takes its teachers and transforms people—none fail to follow this transformation.

Hence people are also made wings (support and guidance) for the ruler, instructing from beginning to end, completing the “walls and moats” (order and institutional framework) of what is done so that it is clear and knowable. To know what reaches upward to the great transformation (dahua), to regulate primal Qi (yuanqi), and also to understand human affairs—this too belongs to those who have emolument and mandate (you lu you ming); many of them foreknow in advance. Following each person’s transformation, one may gain an extension of life; Heaven also loves them, benevolent spirits accompany and protect them so they are not struck by evil. When the heart turns toward good, evil cannot compare. Therefore Heaven greatly values goodness, enabling people to fulfill their wishes without invasion or oppression, each obtaining their proper place. If one surpasses ordinary goodness, Heaven again adds to years and life so one does not fall into right-and-wrong entanglements—this is great grace. Why doubt that it should be repaid? If one previously performed great good and one’s conduct matched Heaven’s heart, drawing near to the left side (where benevolent qi gathers), evil qi does not come, dare not face its majesty directly, and life extends without end—such grace is hard to repay. Repayment lies not in rare treasures but in aligning with Heaven, doing good, and keeping the prohibitions.

To write the heart into utmost sincerity means truly holding faith within—then what you say will never fail to come true, and only then can you receive a response. Knowing to treat good as good and to act on faith and righteousness when you see them is what people ought to do well; you must also often examine yourself and not raise doubts on your own. Those who kept faith in the past lived so long that their years had no end; later they transformed into spirits. Everything that should be complete was complete—all from accumulated merit. Do you understand this? Therefore people of virtue and insight find their attainments continually rising; Heaven greatly cherishes them. Do not fail the written admonitions and commands sent down from Heaven. Know your fate and do not resent it; align yourself with them in practice and do not doubt yourself—those who kept faith before enjoyed boundless life, became spirits, and had all things made complete through merit; you must grasp this principle.

Each person must be careful in what they do and must not commit crooked or improper acts. Teaching people toward good and aligning with Heaven’s intent naturally extends life. All affairs issue from the Heavenly Lord; you must not on your own withhold or delay them. Ordinary people are hard to transform—use gradual methods, not sudden harshness. Speak with thorough care so you are not recorded in the register of faults. Each keep to your own duties; documents and ledgers have their fixed terms and rules—do not overstep one another. When you see good, push it one step further; when you see wrongdoing, correct it—do not hesitate. Those who cling to life and cherish it will not forget what Heaven does; therefore to value these teachings is truly to cherish human life. When the mind turns toward good, good returns; long life need not be doubted. The Heavenly Lord cherishes faith and righteousness—do you know this? Examine the divine texts carefully and do not trust your own opinion; what should be changed, change—do not doubt. Those greedy for life do not forget Heaven’s actions; to take these seriously is truly to love people’s lives. Turn the mind toward good and good follows; long life can be trusted without doubt.