《太平经合校》Vol. 4

Plain-Language Reading of the Scripture of Great Peace (Taiping Jing)

On the “One Register” and the Record of Good and Evil

Each year the previous year’s “one register” (yitong)—the document Heaven uses to record good and evil—is handed in and examined for how much good and evil it contains. A new register is then set up for the coming year to continue recording that year’s deeds. The memorials submitted from below and what is written above must match each other. This is called Heaven’s verification and the tally of seals (tian zheng he fu)—Heaven’s test and the human record fit together like matching halves of a talisman.

By this Heaven urges officials and common people to turn their hearts toward good. If they follow Heaven’s intent, what they submit should show more good; if policy changes greatly, good should increase sharply. If policy stays the same and hearts do not change, what is submitted stays as before; if wrongdoing continues unchecked, evil in what is submitted should grow—meaning officials and people have deeply deceived Heaven and provoked it, and recorded evil will mount quickly.

Thus the “one register” is like a bright mirror in which Heaven sees the human heart, leaving nothing out, used to scrutinize how officials and people govern and behave.

Heaven and Earth Respond Like Echo and Shadow

Heaven, Earth, and human beings correspond: like a shadow following a body, an echo following a sound—they move with the person and do not separate.

Perfected One, you have this good intent; strive to the end and act with care. Though you come to ask these things, if the asking does no good, Heaven will observe inwardly in silence; what you say with your mouth—how can words alone prove it?

When people speak, if the meaning is thorough and good, others respond with good, and the echo responds with good; if words are fierce and ill-omened, people respond with ill, and the echo responds with ill. Whatever mutually responds in things is driven by Heaven.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes.”

Why Heaven Does Not Speak Directly to People

“Heaven is high and far, supreme in dignity—how could it descend in person to speak with people at every turn? So Heaven’s way always works through natural correspondence. Is your heart open to this now?”

“Yes, yes. I understand; I still hope the Celestial Master will grant one more word.”

“Speak on.”

“In the middle antiquity there was no writing; if there were not ‘threefold mutual communication,’ how could the realm be settled?”

“Well said! This was the season of Heaven (tianshi): people then were plain and direct, everyone holding the Dao and single in faith; they only passed word mouth to mouth and exchanged news, all wishing utmost sincerity and alignment with Heaven’s heart, so no one deceived another. Ruler, ministers, and people joined strength and heart and communicated with each other, and so could together govern the realm.”

Plain-Language Interpretation

If the people are not of one mind yet are forced to be governed as one household, the realm falls into disorder. People today bear chenfu—the accumulated faults of ancestors passed down to descendants—while documents pile up like mountains. Officials take turns deceiving one another and use paperwork to cover wrongdoing, still favoring flowery empty language. Only when worthy scholars can join their strength in one heart and truly communicate with one another can they govern together; if they lack one mind yet are forcibly merged into one household, disorder follows just the same.

Today even worthy scholars are alike lost, together missing Heaven’s intent. Heaven has already sent down authentic scripture; one must not let idle rumor spread unchecked. There should be solid verification—establish what matches reality. When the threefold correspondence (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity aligned in one Way) holds, Heaven’s qi settles into balance.

Heaven’s law may run to hundreds of millions or tens of thousands of forms; it shifts from age to age, and each era’s governance has what fits it; methods differ accordingly. Now the qi of Great Peace is about to arrive; the text must return to yuanzheng zhi zi—the original, correct meaning of the characters—before one can align with Heaven’s mind.

You still cannot yet distinguish: since Heaven and Earth began their work, governance has had countless branches; what is done and wholly receives Heaven’s response is right; what fails to receive Heaven’s response is wrong—that is the proof and effect of the great bright heavenly covenant. Do you understand?

“We hear and obey.”

“Go. Do not ask again. It is not that the full record of everything since Heaven and Earth began, with every word in the world parsed and explained, cannot be given to you—but to add more text would make it too hard to hold in memory, unusable for real talent, of no benefit to the king’s governance; therefore only the essential Way is pointed out and spoken. When governance fails to be put in order, the root lies in tianwen—the patterns Heaven sets forth. This is the great illness recorded by Heaven and Earth, jointly hated by sages of old. Hence the Dao appears for rulers who possess De; they dare not pile up literary ornament—all are made to return to what is solid, seek the root, guard the origin; then Heaven’s Way can be ordered, and the state steadies itself. Though the Perfected One loves to question, do not demand more text; go and reflect.”

“We hear and obey.”

Above: Enfolding primordial qi; naturally, all affairs of Heaven and Earth unite in threefold correspondence, join strength in one heart, the bright heavenly covenant harmonizes, and the imperial method of Great Peace governs.

(Taiping Jing Hejiao, juan 49, Part Bing section 15; Taiping Jing, juan 49, Jixue Zhenfa section 66)

Question: Celestial Master, when good and wholesome qi arises together in the world, people ought to wander freely and not be entangled in miscellaneous affairs. What should one use to clarify the inner mind and set right one’s intentions, so that one suddenly forgets doing evil and day by day delights in goodness, not knowing where to turn? If one wishes the sovereign to rule at ease with folded hands and the realm to need scarcely any heavy governance—so that the court is full of persons of supreme goodness, with the loyal, the trustworthy, and the filial all complete—what must one rely on to achieve this? The Celestial Master has a nature that rejoices in goodness and often urgently longs for the sovereign to govern through non-action (wuwei) and for the court to be full of the worthy and good. By what method can this be done? The Celestial Master has a nature that rejoices in goodness and often urgently worries on behalf of the Dao of Heaven; one ought to refine oneself diligently—please explain the principle in full.

Answer: It can be done. One need only urgently study true Dao, true De, and true Ren (benevolence).

Question: Why must one study true Dao?

Answer: Dao can transform and guide the myriad things; it has no prior limit and loves life without measure. Where there is true Dao, that is the name of supreme goodness; where there is no Dao, that is the name of utmost evil, decline, violent wrongdoing, and death.

Question: The Celestial Master speaks only of true goodness; I have nothing to add. Why must one study true De?

Answer: When a person has true De, they can embrace and nourish; their name reaches the boundless. Without De, that is the name of the most inferior, the impoverished, and the petty person.

Question: Excellent! The Celestial Master’s words—I again have nothing to add; it is truly so. Why must one study the Way of Ren?

Answer: The benevolent person can cherish and include without exception, delighting only in giving; their name reaches the infinite. The unbenevolent person loves virtue in name yet hates canonical norms—that is the name of great greed and baseness, flowing in the same stream as birds and beasts, with no way to distinguish themselves.

Question: Excellent! The Celestial Master speaks of only these three matters; I have nothing to add. Ought people today to learn to do good and not do so?

(The scripture continues here with “one ought not turn to evil”; the sense is: one should learn goodness and ought not learn evil.)

This passage is a dialogue between a True Person (a title for one who has attained the Way) and a disciple, on why one should strive to do good, and what good and evil signify.

The disciple asks: Should one strive to learn and perform good deeds? When doing good, are there no fixed names and meanings—might one go astray?

The disciple adds: I still do not understand clearly; please, Master, explain.

The True Person says: To do good is to align with the Heart of Heaven (the will of Heaven, the way of Heaven) and not to violate people’s rightful wishes—that is what is called good. Good is unobstructed, without a higher limit, and shares the name of the Dao; it is cherished by Heaven and nourished by Earth. It is what rulers should treat as most urgent, and what officials and sovereigns should join in promoting with one mind.

Evil is what goes against the Heart of Heaven and often harms people’s intentions; it favors going against the Dao and not following the four seasons, so that spirits and numina loathe it—it is also what people do not wish to see. Toward parents it is great harm; the noble person grieves over it. It is the most ruinous and most perilous name in the world.

Therefore in human conduct, once one loses the auspicious, one enters the inauspicious; only by leaving the inauspicious does one enter the auspicious. One auspicious and one inauspicious, one good and one evil—if one cannot keep them pure and single-minded, one is a mixed, impure person—do you understand?

The disciple: Yes, yes.

The True Person: In the True Person’s view, how ought ordinary people conduct themselves day to day?

The True Person says: Nowadays people do not strive to learn the Dao, yet claim there is no Dao to know—they call themselves persons of non-Dao. A person of non-Dao is among the most evil and most inauspicious. Nowadays people do not strive to cultivate De, so there is no De to know; those without De who delight in harming others are signs of peril and ruin. Nowadays people do not strive to learn benevolence (ren); they are already unbenevolent. An unbenevolent person walks the same path as beasts; the human heart draws near to beasts—barely better than death. Nowadays people do not morning and evening strive to do good; once good is lost, one enters evil. Evil is where death and the inauspicious dwell. Therefore, if ordinary people do not strive toward the auspicious, they enter the inauspicious; the inauspicious is the name of evil in the world.

The disciple: Excellent! The disciple has entered deeply into the True Dao and will not turn back to evil. The True Person has long held wisdom yet feigns foolishness—why?

The disciple: I dare not act rashly.

The True Person: Since you are here—if ordinary people do not strive toward the auspicious, they enter the inauspicious; the inauspicious is the name of evil in the world.

Note: The editorial markers qi and zhi in some editions indicate where a passage begins and ends in variant texts; the sense is already woven into the explanation above and need not be reproduced word for word in plain language.

This passage is a dialogue between the Celestial Master (Tianshi) and a disciple on what it means truly to enter the “true Dao” (zhen Dao), and why the ancients so fiercely rejected people who were “without the Way,” “without De,” and “without benevolence.”

The Celestial Master said: “Good! You have gone deep into the true Dao and will not turn back to do evil. Disciple, you have long held wisdom yet appear dull—why is that?”

The disciple answered: “I dare not act arbitrarily.”

The Celestial Master said: “You have that capacity; say as much as you wish. I am pleased. Having come this far, could you have heard my teaching only to give up halfway and go no further?”

The disciple answered: “I dare not. Seeing the master repeatedly urge me to speak, I still feel I cannot say everything completely and dare not finish.”

The Celestial Master said: “You speak well; you have always been humble.”

The disciple said: “Now that I can speak of the gate of the true Dao, I ask the Celestial Master to record and show what I have not yet been able to say.”

The Celestial Master said: “Good. What you said just now is all correct. Therefore the great sages of old, the Three Sovereigns (San Huang), strove day and night to learn the true Dao. When they saw people who did not earnestly learn the true Dao, they called them ‘people without the Way’ (wu dao zhi ren). The conduct of those without the Way has no countable standard; Heaven heavily blames them. Those without the Way—originally Heaven did not wish to cover them, Earth did not wish to bear them, and spirits, jing, and ghosts did not wish to protect them; all under Heaven suffered because of them. Sages, worthies, and gentlemen therefore deeply hated people without the Way. Thus in the age of the ancient High Sovereign (shang huang), everyone learned clarity and stillness (qing jing), deeply knew the utmost truth of Heaven and Earth, and therefore all learned the true Dao—only then could they align their hearts with Heaven and Earth. One who does not strive to cultivate De (wu de zhi ren) is called a person without De. Those without De—Heaven does not love them, Earth does not delight in them, and people do not wish to draw near; their actions often lack De, and they bring harm to rulers and disaster to gentlemen. Ghosts and spirits, obeying Heaven’s teaching, do not long stay with them or manage affairs for them. Therefore ancient worthies, sages, and great ru, when they saw people without De, did not converse with them. One who does not strive morning and evening to practice benevolence (ren) neglects conduct and becomes ‘without benevolence’ (bu ren). Those without benevolence—when they speak they contradict all matters and wound hearts, contrary to Heaven’s intent, and resemble beasts; therefore ancient sages and worthies did not walk the same path with them.”

Brief note: The whole section uses the Celestial Master’s question-and-answer form to stress that learning the true Dao, nurturing De, and practicing ren are not slogans but alignment with the “utmost truth of Heaven and Earth”; those without the Way, without De, and without benevolence were shunned even by Heaven, Earth, ghosts and spirits, and sages and gentlemen—negative types to be cleared away in the ideal of Great Peace (taiping). The line that the “true person long holds wisdom yet acts foolish” is the common Daoist theme of “great wisdom appears as foolishness” (da zhi ruo yu): having entered the gate of the Dao, one no longer flaunts cleverness or acts willfully.

People today who neither seek a teacher nor earnestly cultivate goodness remain dull and benighted: they do not even know what counts as good, yet indulge an ignorant mind and lightly do evil.

The wicked, the deeply foolish, and those sealed in darkness act in ways that do not accord with the Way of Heaven and Earth. Even when employed as men of standing, they still bring ruin on their parents and grief on their kin, and their conduct lacks measure. Ghosts and spirits serve Heaven’s heart as envoys; they take no pleasure in such people, and the harm they do is severe in three degrees—by the law, such persons deserve execution. The ancient sages regarded this as a grave offense. So the ancients truly examined their learning: it had to align with Heaven’s heart, and their actions did not overstep moral virtue and benevolence; what they did had to match the heart of Heaven and Earth, without ornate empty speech. Otherwise they lost Heaven’s law; losing it meant entering a path of misfortune and short life, or bringing disaster on later generations. The Way of Heaven does not err; it has its own ge fa—normative criteria. Those who do not strive to learn the great auspicious Way but instead treat themselves lightly and casually will surely fall into danger.

Misfortune is what Heaven, Earth, humankind, and the myriad things jointly hate and cannot long endure; it is the root of great calamity and the gateway to disaster. Once you fall into it, you die with no chance to repent and turn back. Everyone under Heaven knows this, yet lower scholars are deeply foolish and often laugh together; they do not know how to keep the Dao and avoid harm early, passing foolishness from generation to generation, each burdening the next. Later generations grow more foolish and dark than those before. Thus the true Dao is blocked and does not circulate, so people each take it lightly and cannot live out their full span; great blame and fault often arise from this. When the perfected ones see my book, they should think deeply, be careful not to hide it away, and entrust it to the worthy, gentle, clear, and penetrating—so that they may awaken.

Therefore the ancient Way upheld Heaven’s heart and followed Earth’s intent.

In antiquity there was the Way of Great Truth, and people were routinely taught to cultivate the Way, virtue, longevity, goodness, prudence, auspiciousness, antiquity, peace, and long life. Goodness is spoken of so fully because Heaven’s law keeps the “gate of the Way” open; Earth’s law keeps the “door of virtue” open; and the law of ancient sages keeps the “path of benevolence” open. Those sages aligned their hearts with Heaven and their wills with Earth, sharing in long life and nurturing the myriad things—numbering twelve thousand kinds. When they passed down virtue and benevolence, the myriad things flourished; when they passed down a vicious heart, the myriad things dwindled day by day.

Where virtue and benevolence are thick, good people multiply; where they are absent, people grow fewer and governance grows poorer—this is the fixed measure Heaven and Earth hang over the world. Someone who possesses the utmost Way, bright virtue, and a benevolent heart corresponds to the stars’ cycles above, and the spirits witness his conduct. Hence ancient sages always wished to do good without limit, doing their utmost and never taking the path of cruelty.

The lowest and most foolish have hearts that stay shut and truly lack understanding; one must not rashly heap decay and disaster upon them by forcing the evil road—they do not know they have already lost Heaven’s Way, yet they follow wrongdoing until it becomes habit; once custom is set, it is hard to turn back on their own. Therefore I reverently received the teaching and command of the celestial scripture, following Heaven’s heart in opening the way, widely opening the road to the ancient age of Great Peace, so that people delight in doing good and no longer know the arts of evil.

People’s aspirations are often lofty, yet what they achieve usually falls short of those aspirations and fails to match what their hearts intend. Thus the superior person (shangshi)—the highest grade of human being—burns with hatred of death and love of life, goes to learn immortality, and cultivates diligently until he can attain long life. Such a shangshi stands foremost and holds the highest aspiration.

Among those of middling resolve, some are heartbroken because ancestors died young; they turn angrily to seeking the Dao and learning longevity, practicing diligently, only hoping to live out their natural lifespan—this is the first grade of “determined” middling practitioners.

The second grade often fall ill and live in unease; discontent drives them to learn the Dao to stop their suffering. If they apply themselves, they sometimes recover to normal health. But many do not study until minor illness becomes serious; by then it is often too late.

The third grade wait until they are critically ill before desperately seeking self-saving Daoist methods—by then the person is often already dead.

So this scripture teaches people with the gift of Heaven’s method of long life: you must work at it morning and evening yourself before you can barely secure ordinary peace. If you only follow “ordinary, everyday” approaches to learning, ordinary people are already heading toward danger.

Foolish people do not know: what most people in the world want is to elevate themselves and pursue goodness and heights they cannot reach. So the scripture raises the goal high: at the top one may reach immortality; at minimum one can still preserve the natural lifespan.

The great worthy vows with full ten-tenths resolve and must accord with the Daoist books. The middling worthy vows ten-tenths but often slackens halfway, achieving only five-tenths—enough to answer their aim somewhat—so the goal is also raised for them: to the utmost, the path of immortality; at minimum, preserving the natural lifespan.

The petty person vows in the morning and forgets by evening. Therefore the aim must be set high so that upper, middle, and lower alike can act according to their own resolve.

People of later ages are too foolish and too far from the true Dao. Only by striving to learn the orthodox method of Heavenly Orthodoxy (Tianzheng) can one avoid falling into fraud; if one learns only “ordinary” rhetoric, that is already great deception; if one learns flowery speech and habituates to empty words, great falsehood and cunning arise.

Heaven takes the emperor as its child and detests the lower deceiving the upper. If those below often practice wicked falsity, there is no moral sovereign above to trust, and the people below have nowhere to turn for their fate.

One should morning and evening teach people with the true Dao; only by striving to practice the good Dao does one obtain the “even” Dao. If one learns only the even Dao, one has already entered showiness; once in showiness, the world falls into great confusion and great poverty, onto the road of great calamity—the emperor is anguished and the realm hard to govern.

If a True Person (zhenren) wishes to understand what “faith” (xin) means, one might use this analogy: it is like a household with loving parents who day after day teach their children to walk the upright path; yet if the children instead sink into flashy vanity, ordinary people become deeply confused and chaotic, reduced to destitution, and in the end take the road of great evil and harm. The sovereign grows anxious over this, and the realm cannot be governed.

If a True Person wishes to understand “faith,” it is also like kind parents who daily instruct their son to do good, scrimping and going without food or proper clothing yet still providing for their elders—while the son stubbornly keeps doing wrong. How much more so when ordinary people teach one another with flashy, false writings? They do not believe my book. Those who do see my book should each examine what they themselves have lost.

From the middle antiquity onward, people of the Way have often warned one another: hide the true method and refuse to pass it to disciples, while using flashy false texts to teach instead. As this piled up over time, the Way of Heaven has come to the great disorder of today. Heaven and earth show calamities and anomalies; the ten thousand things know no peace. Worthy scholars ought to reflect on this deeply (the original text is defective at this point).

Though I do not live among ordinary people morning and evening, I already know clearly: the world suffers greatly, and so I have been made to write these words to inform you—what I say is not empty talk. A True Person should be especially careful, or there will be heavenly punishment.

The disciple replied: “Yes, yes—we dare not. Every time we hear the Celestial Master (Tianshi) speak, we are both startled and afraid.”

The Celestial Master said again: “Pass my words along—I am not speaking in vain. True Persons must be cautious; there is heavenly punishment.”

The disciple: “Yes, yes—we dare not. Every time we hear the Celestial Master speak, we are often startled and fearful.”

The Celestial Master: “You speak rightly. Heaven will also be greatly pleased on that account and will not harm you.”

The disciple: “Yes, yes.”

The Celestial Master said further: “Even if ordinary people study hard morning and evening and are taught only true De (Virtue/Power), at best they attain only ‘ordinary, middling De’; once they study that middling De, they have already slid toward false and crooked De; study false and crooked De, and fools become too many to count. Without true De, they act on whim and recklessness—this is precisely the great harm to the noble person.

Study hard at upper-level benevolence (ren), and one barely achieves middle benevolence; study middle benevolence, and conduct becomes merely ordinary—in truth it cannot be called benevolence at all; study non-benevolence, and fools have already become bandits, not knowing themselves how many they have killed or wounded. Acting as one pleases without regard for principle is precisely what draws the resentment of Heaven and the blame of Earth and makes one a great thief among humankind.”

This passage mainly explains that there are levels in learning the Way, and learning the wrong thing leads step by step into danger; people in the world are benighted and deceive the simple, so Heaven must use Daoist scriptures to set things right; and reading the classics also yields superior, middle, and inferior kinds of understanding and results.

On the “auspicious path” and the “inauspicious path”

If day and night one studies the greatly auspicious Way, what one actually gains is often only middling auspiciousness; if one studies only middling auspiciousness, what one gains is often only slight auspiciousness; if one is content with slight auspiciousness, one has already entered the inauspicious path; once one devotes oneself to the inauspicious path, recovery is no longer possible.

The masses are sunk in great darkness, knowing nothing, yet prattle about the Way of Heaven and speak contrary to truth, deceiving only those who are simple and trusting. Their minds are foolish and their mouths reckless; they offend against celestial patterns above and disorder the earth below, bringing calamity upon the people. Therefore my Daoist scriptures were originally written for ordinary people, so that they might study them with full effort: those who can learn thoroughly may take rank among True Immortals; even if they do not reach True Immortal status, they may at least seek peace and safety, and not cause virtuous rulers to worry on their account. True Persons (Zhenren) should ponder these words deeply and not turn around and find them strange.

Chengfu and revelation

“Now I speak on behalf of Heaven; I ought to explain fully the chengfu (inherited burden of guilt and retribution linked to one’s line) that people have accumulated since Heaven and earth were opened; yet I cannot fully unfold the methods of the Great Way, great De (Virtue/Power), supreme longevity, and supreme goodness. People have lost clarity; for long they have trusted foolish, obscured hearts; they do one another harm and cannot restrain themselves, and still cannot resolve the banished faults and censures (zheguo) imposed by Heaven and earth through chengfu. True Person, can you understand my words?”

Superior, middle, and inferior aspirants, and ordinary people

When sages and lofty worthies see the writings and study them, they will match my books without the slightest deviation; middle aspirants, half understanding in intent, will obtain half; inferior aspirants, relying on their own effort to study diligently, can avoid violating the teaching, and thus the people under Heaven may be broadly led (duhua).

Among ordinary people, at every level above and below, as long as they do not depart from the norms, all may obtain the correct Way, each cherishing the body and not daring to act rashly and invite great disaster.

Superior aspirants who obtain my Way study without stopping and may become fine ministers of the state; with long study they can grasp the essentials and transcend the world (dushi)—passing beyond birth and death and enduring—no longer contending or coveting rank and power.

Middle aspirants who study my Way may become good and worthy minor officials and may complete their natural span of years (jintiannian).

(The original text contains repeated passages; the gist is the same as above: slight auspiciousness already enters the inauspicious path; the inauspicious path cannot be saved; benighted deception of the faithful harms the people; superior aspirants become fine ministers and, grasping the essentials, may transcend the world, and so on.)

This passage from the Taiping Jing mainly explains how those who study the Dao ought to conduct themselves, and how people in later ages turned away from the “goodness” that heaven and earth originally possessed.

Plain-Language Interpretation

If petty people study our Dao, they can long remain cautious: fathers kind, mothers kind, sons filial, elder brothers friendly, younger brothers obedient, husband and wife united in purpose and not harming one another, with no resentment even unto death. Their hun and shen (soul-spirits) can still endure long in the netherworld and will not again be recorded as “wayward offspring”; they will not meet untimely death or die by violence.

In ancient times, when primal qi gave birth to people at heaven’s behest, everyone wished to study the Dao and become immortals, yet not all could live long; they were only made to fear death each in their own way and not dare violate the penal code.

People in later ages were deeply foolish. Instead they passed on empty show to one another and studied together what could not prolong life. While alive they were muddled, yet imagined they would not die; they egged one another on, no longer knowing how to cherish life, and together did violent deeds. They spent more effort on the dead than on the living—life belongs to heaven, death belongs to earth, yet they served earth more than heaven. This is great harm.

I therefore used “conduct” (xing) to test them and knew they had long been benighted: not one truly understood. When calamity gathers, ghosts run rampant and together press people toward early death; people cannot fulfill the lifespan heaven allotted them.

Strive to study the true Dao, and one barely gains a little of the spurious Dao; strive to study true De, and one still gains only a little spurious De. How much more so for people in later ages, who instead study flashy writings from one another and drift further from the Dao! Driven to such poverty that they can no longer restrain one another, they instead teach one another memorials and statutes, using eloquence and cleverness to compete over who is right.

When you teach people to be humane, you still worry they will not be humane; yet you teach them paths that are inhumane. Heaven sets down laws for people; heaven calls itself “Dao,” earth calls itself “De.” Why? Heaven and earth are the parents of the ten thousand things and the chiefs of all affairs, so they always guide people toward good and dare not openly and prosperously guide them toward evil—how much more so for human beings? People are heaven’s sons and ought to model themselves on heaven in their actions. Now they have lost the law, so people are hard to govern. One should teach them with Dao and De, so they gain insight and know how to respect themselves, cherish themselves, love themselves, and govern themselves.

In times past, rulers turned instead to penal law for governance. That made people cease to care about death, prize brute courage, and treat life lightly. Each side tried to control the other through harsh punishment, so they only trapped one another and harmed one another all the more—hence the people were hard to rule. One ought to teach through Dao and De, so that people gain insight and learn to respect themselves, cherish themselves, love themselves, and govern themselves. Yet now penal law is used to open people’s hearts, so that they welcome death, hold life cheap, and exalt courage. Each side governs the other by law, they only entangle one another, and they harm and rob one another all the more, passing misery back and forth—so that under heaven no one truly loves his neighbor. The root of great calamity lies here. Do the Realized Ones know this? Be careful. “Yes, yes.”

They exhaust themselves teaching people to practice benevolence (ren), yet people still groan that they cannot be benevolent. The people of later ages, by contrast, teach one another to read all sorts of written texts—already far too shallow. Mutual hatred never ends. They exhaust themselves teaching people to seek good fortune, yet people still groan that fortune does not come. The people of later ages, by contrast, urge one another to study funeral gear and prepare for death in advance, waiting for misfortune—so that before their allotted years are up they die, and whole families are nearly wiped out. Yet they do not know their own fault. At the last moment they cry to heaven and wail that they are wronged, saying the king’s rule is unjust and that it cost them their lifespan—claiming they only got what the law deserved. Fools do not guard the root; only when guilt is fixed do they regret. Without caution there is no help; though they shout until they die, nothing can be mended.

Therefore I now exhaust myself teaching by the great immortal scripture and the Way, so as to open the stairway of longevity; teaching people through De so that they may have benevolence; teaching people through benevolence so that they may keep themselves in peace and safety—so that they dare not rob one another of goods. When people learn only “peace and safety,” they have already lost the Way; when they learn only “law,” they have already lost the point of not harming one another; when they learn mutual harm, they have already entered the great martial realm. To enter the great martial realm is for the people already to cheat though guilty of no crime, and in want and hardship to become bandits.

Therefore I take up the Way and law of heaven, open the gate of great good fortune, shut the path of evil, and open the stairway of the Great Peace of heaven—so that every person may recite it, each be careful in himself, and nothing further need be governed.

Plain reading

For the seasons to turn in their proper order, the ruler must be able to remain at ease for a long time—able to wander and rest without being buried in routine affairs. That is why this scripture examines the root of all things with care: only by first grasping the root can one hold to the middle way; if one only studies the middle way, one has already slipped to a shallower level; and if one goes further down to imitate what fools do, the realm would have fallen into great disorder long ago.

By the late ancient age, even when a sovereign had the virtue that draws all people to him and a humane heart in accord with Heaven’s intent, disasters still kept coming. This is because of chengfu (inherited burden)—wrongs and debts accumulated by forebears or by oneself, passed to the present like a load on the back, which must be dissolved through virtue and remedial action; it cannot be wiped away at once by humane government alone.

Since calamities and disorder have long persisted without being resolved, people worry and suffer and turn things over in their minds, yet still struggle to find a single thread of principle running through it all. Strange omens, bandits, and the like, as well as foreign peoples pressing into the Central Plains, all stem from former kings losing the Way in government—they are not something one person alone can bring about. One should deeply grasp this root. Therefore Heaven has sent me to publish this book, so that emperors may be released from the burden of inherited guilt. If a perfected person (Zhenren) says my Dao does not accord with Heaven’s intent, then as long as one acts according to my written words without the slightest deviation, response will come at once. My words are utterly trustworthy; if one does not earnestly practice them to untie grievances and karmic knots, how could the Way of Heaven respond in silent emptiness alone?

The foolish do not love learning—how can they become worthy? The poor do not plow—how can they harvest? Through learning one daily advances toward worthiness; through plowing one has a crop. To practice my book is just like that. I guarantee it: without study do not expect worthiness; without plowing do not expect a harvest—do you understand?

(Response:) Yes, yes.

The true Dao lies in rectitude; great De flourishes through benevolence (Ren), each in its proper place. When the realm is governed in peace, nothing fails to receive its fitting share. Do you understand, perfected one? If you wish to repay Heaven and Earth for their bounty and attain long life, you must strive to keep faith in the Dao and never slacken.

(Response:) Yes, yes. This foolish student wishes to ask again and dares not finish abruptly.

(Celestial Master:) Speak freely.

(Question:) How does the Celestial Master today know that people are greatly lacking in Dao, De, and Ren?

(Answer:) Excellent is your question—it depends on how people speak and act.

(I would hear the details.)

(Celestial Master:) For example: if one sees a person of the Dao yet angrily opposes them, one may know their inner mind is wholly without the Dao; if one sees De yet does not detest those without De, one may know they are greatly lacking in De; if one sees benevolence (Ren) yet criticizes it, one may know they are deeply wicked and unbenevolent; if one sees careful practice of good yet criticizes it, one may know they are careless and not good. Such is human nature: those of like purpose respect and cherish one another; those of unlike purpose detest one another. Good people also suffer from the wicked, and the wicked also suffer from those who love goodness, benevolence, and De. (Following the sense of the text, by observing their attitude toward Dao, De, Ren, and goodness, one can know what they fundamentally lack.)

On human nature: People who share the same aim draw close; those whose aims differ push one another away. Even the good may suffer on account of the wicked, and the wicked may be pained on account of the good. Did the True Person understand? “Yes—yes.”

How the ancient sages read people: When the sages of old met someone, they did not rush into conversation. They watched carefully and weighed what that person liked and disliked, and so came to know their character. It was like holding up a mirror to conduct—nothing was missed. “Excellent!”

Dao, Heaven, Earth, benevolence (Ren), and the sages: The Dao shares one root and one lineage with August Heaven; therefore the Way of Heaven hates killing, and one who delights in killing builds a great grievance with Heaven. Earth shares one root with De (Virtue/Power); when the wicked harm the ten thousand things, they build a great fault with Earth. Benevolence shares one root with the sages: the sages love to practice Ren and hate plunder; one who loves seizure and lacks Ren builds a great enmity with the sages. The ancient sages therefore knew deeply how these three—Heaven, Earth, and Ren/sages—govern, and when they set down laws and institutions they did not dare violate true Dao, De, and Ren.

Aligning with or going against the four seasons, the Five Phases, Earth, and Ren: The motion of Heaven and the four seasons act with one mind and one strength—Heaven moves qi, the seasons move qi, and they are of one heart; to go against the four seasons is to build resentment with Heaven. Earth and the Five Phases act with one mind and one strength, and with the four seasons together they nourish the ten thousand things; those things ought not to die before their time—when they are harmed, one builds a great fault with Earth. The sages and Ren act with one mind and one strength, so they always honor the Dao and value De and rely on Ren in how they live; one who loves plunder and lacks Ren makes the sages an enemy.

Fire, wood, the heart, and Ren: Fire stands for the heart, and the heart stands for the sage. Fire always depends on wood to endure; wood stands for Ren and holds the heart. Fire gives light and can tell right from wrong; the heart of the sage is bright. Thus the great sages of old always relied on Ren and clarity in conduct and attached themselves to rulers who possessed Dao, De, and Ren.

A warning about passing on this book: I entrust this book to a ruler who has Dao, De, Ren, and clarity. Such a one will delight in this Way, grasp its meaning deeply, and put it into practice—no different from the spirits; I do not say this to boast myself. When it is practiced, there will be a response, sure as nested squares and circles fitting together. In later ages, people of decadent times will also recite my words. “Yes—yes.”

(The upper realm or the divine teacher says to the recipient:) “Act accordingly, exert yourself fully, and devote yourself to cultivating Dao and De (taking the Dao as root and De as conduct) and ren (benevolence—loving others, being generous, and not harming sentient beings). Beyond this, you need not spend thought on other matters. Spread the purport of this scripture; practice in this way, and you will align with the Way like chonggui heju (two pairs of compass and square laid one on the other—meaning complete fit with no gap whatsoever). Only then will people of xiagu (later ages, the final era) earnestly take my words to heart.”

(The recipient answers:) “Yes, yes.”

(Further instruction:) “Go, strive in practice, and fix your mind on Dao, De, and ren; do not do more than this. Publish this book to the world; do not keep it hidden.”

(Answer:) “Yes, yes.”

Note (purpose of this passage)

What is recorded on the right is chiefly meant to shine again upon the hearts of the worthy and to resolve the doubts of the benighted; those who doubt points in the scripture should take their essential keys from here.

Title and fascicle

Taiping Jing Hejiao (Collected Collated Scripture of Great Peace), fascicle 50, part bing, section 16; the same fascicle also lists the piece “Qu Xie Wen Fei Ming Gu Jue” (Ancient Formula of Flying Brightness in the Text for Removing Heterodoxy), number 67.

The True Person Liu Duan bowed respectfully and reported: “We venture to ask the Divine Person of the Supreme Sovereign: we wish for peace between Heaven and Earth, for yin and yang not to fall into disorder, for things always to run by the right Way, and for disasters not to arise wantonly. Need the king only roam and observe governance day after day, taking the Scripture of Great Joy (Dale zhi jing) as his guide? Though our questions about affairs above and below are many, can you explain further for us?”

The reply: “Well asked, and asked to the depth! What you ask is penetrating and fine-grained; it strikes the vital point. Do you mean to enter deeply into the utmost Dao and keep far from heterodox writings and heterodox talk?”

Answer: “Yes.”

“Then I will try now to make it as clear as I can. You have accumulated goodness in Heaven; how could I conceal anything? Today, cherishing your good heart, I clarify the mind of the divine—if I did not speak, it would not do, for fear of going against Heaven’s intent. If Heaven has specially sent you to ask, I will set it out item by item for you; listen as you go and record it, and be sure not to omit anything. If the emperor can act according to my book, disasters can be removed in a single morning, all under Heaven will rejoice, and people will all wish to become persons of De (virtue and moral power); later generations will take earlier ones as models, old and young will rise together, and all will the more seek authentic writings and collate their affairs, so that the wind of empty show will depart. When the heart can communicate with the spirits and gods, the king will have not a day’s worry—why then could he not roam and observe governance every day? Thus the myriad affairs of Heaven and Earth will each find their place, the hundred spirits will therefore rejoice, the king will deeply accord with Heaven’s intent, the utmost Dao will come to protect and bless him, and every day will be auspicious, with not one baleful event. My words, sentence by sentence, are solid; there is no error. I only fear that once the book is obtained it will not be put into practice, that many heterodoxies will tangle together, and that strange omens and empty show will become the great illness of Heaven, Earth, yin, and yang; if a great illness is not treated, how can it be cured?”

Someone comes to ask about a matter—this is Heaven using your mouth to pass on a message. You must carefully grasp the meaning of each section above and below in my book, keep utmost sincere heart, and not interpret wildly or improvise at will.

Answer: Yes, yes.

If you can truly return and settle in peace, pondering day and night, receive the transmission and hold it fast, sort it through again and again and explain it layer by layer, you hope it will flow to ten thousand generations and never be lost. Since Heaven and Earth were opened, speech and writing have linked one age to the next; qi of the same kind and affairs of the same kind can illuminate one another. Seek what is of one kind and gather it in one place, and the great Dao will grow clearer day by day and will not decline. From antiquity to now, all sages alike have spoken for Heaven; worthy men’s words and intent match one another as they jointly plan for the emperor—the precious son of Heaven. The son inherits the father’s teaching and should follow it in order, to ease Heaven and Earth’s cares; thus he receives protection, and so he always thinks and acts with strength.

My Dao… (the original text is defective) when you see a matter you should perceive it; if you do not perceive it, Heaven, Earth, and the spirits will also warn you. You must ask again: in billions upon billions, in thousands upon thousands, in tens and ones, every single thing must correspond (xiangying); only then may you adopt it with care. If it does not match, you must urgently ask again; look among its brothers and its kind—what still corresponds and does not lose unity is what may be used. Every affair should be handled thus. How do you know whether there is correspondence? What corresponds is when you examine inward in the heart and outward with the spirits; near and far stir together, and you use the matter to test what lies below—what fits is so; what does not correspond, its sayings are all wrong. Be careful not to speak rashly, lest you leave people without posterity.

It is so because empty talk without substance cannot last, and so it leaves people without descendants. The way of governance declines daily; perverse and alien doctrines are not the true path—they all disorder the patterns of Heaven and geography and do not accord with the sage’s heart; the spirits cannot be commanded. Therefore whoever speaks should first examine inward the feelings and hearts of people, and only then outwardly align with the spirits. In this way one conforms to weighing gain and loss and to the celestial admonitions.

Section 1

Gather scriptures by category and bring many worthies together; from among them select material that fully corresponds—point for point—and that accords with human hearts and the intent of the spirits, and compile it into authoritative scripture so that all may trust it with peace of mind. Then verify it by the method of “covering below”: rules established in this way cannot be changed for ten thousand generations; this is the discipline of celestial writing.

Gather scriptures by category; the worthies jointly arrange them and pick out what is “ten-by-ten corresponding”—aligned with human hearts and the divine— and set it down in writing to settle people’s minds. Use covering-below divination: when you consult it, it responds; when you apply it, it takes effect. Only when it reaches that degree can the method of celestial scripture be completed. This is truly the great art for harmonizing yin and yang and stabilizing emperors and kings. Thus misfortune can be turned into blessing and the people can enjoy long life. Why? When celestial and terrestrial patterns are correct, yin and yang each hold their place; when yin and yang each get what belongs to them, the spirits are greatly pleased; when the spirits are pleased, they protect the people—so emperors and kings stay secure for long ages and the people live long. How could one not strive to put this into practice?

Section 2

“Feiming” (Flying Brightness) is a lesser class among the three luminaries (sun, moon, and stars); all are linked below to the earth and also hang suspended from heaven. Their motion corresponds and harmonizes with earth, people, and the myriad things—this is the warrant for scriptural divination. When its writing is used to consult affairs, it must be “a hundred hundred, ten ten corresponding” to be correct; what does not correspond and harmonize is wrong. Use this method to raise measures and set standards, and heterodox texts and books can be wholly removed. Take past events to verify present ones; act along with what the Dao of heaven permits, rise when celestial signs show it is time to rise, do not disturb celestial writing, and join strength with the Dao of heaven—then one may be called long-lasting and auspicious. Heaven may only be followed, not opposed; where one follows it for benefit, people flourish; opposing it makes people decline, lose heaven’s intent, and end in destruction.

"Yixing Shiyan Lei Xiangying Zhan Jue" (Divination Formulas for Migration Trials and Correspondence), Section 68 — Plain-Language Explanation

Migration and changing one's path (moving house, changing place, or setting out on a long journey) rely on writing that belongs to the tianshu (Heavenly script)—documents sent down from Heaven and aligned with the Dao of Heaven. Once Yin-Yang have joined and the patterns of Heaven are complete, rulers, common people, and the ten thousand things should all act within li (principle)—each in its proper place according to the division of Heaven and Earth. Grasp the true meaning and the outcome is auspicious; turn away from it and the outcome is inauspicious. Affairs may run with or against the flow; one cannot fail to be careful and examine them closely.

To know fortune and misfortune for certain, you may test with the twenty-five matters (five times five): take twenty-five past cases and twenty-five households that once did this act; record in detail the year, month, day, and hour, how the matter arose, and which category their wuyin (Five Tones—the five pitch qualities matched to the stems and branches, directions, and the like) belongs to, and from that divulge whether the result is lucky or unlucky. “A hundred times a hundred, ten times ten in correspondence”—when every hundredth and every tenth trial matches—counts as verified. When examination shows the division of Heaven and Earth’s principles to be settled, the ruler need not doubt, ministers and people do not lose their roles, and the ten thousand things each find their place.

If one does not act as this book says, luanxie zhi wen (chaotic, heterodox writings that violate Heaven’s Way) must not be adopted. To “measure” a text with a sheng (standard grain measure)—a metaphor for passing off empty human talk as Heavenly books—is wen that misleads people; whoever dares use it will have no descendants in later generations. The reason is that harming the people and disturbing each thing in its proper place violates the fenbu (each domain’s allotted share) of Heaven and Earth—Heaven and Earth preside over generation, yet people overturn their Yin-Yang, and so they are cut off from posterity.

In antiquity there was no writing, and Heaven again restored the root; once tianshu appeared, everyone could know Heaven’s intent, yet those who still knowingly violated it mostly did not live long and met misfortune—exactly in line with this principle.

(This passage belongs to the zhanjue (divination formula) genre: it teaches that migration and travel must accord with Heavenly script and the division of Yin-Yang, tests outcomes with the twenty-five matters, wuyin, and related methods, and stresses that chaotic, misleading texts must not be used, lest Yin-Yang be harmed and lineage end.)

Earth Qi Responding and Kind with Kind

Where there is giving among “brothers” and the like, things gather by kind and qi responds by kind. The five sacred mountains stand thousands of li apart, yet their qi still answer one another. If people examine with utmost sincerity and single-minded intent, good aligns with good and low with low; high and low, many and few each take their proper place, and among ten thousand cases not one errs. One should regularly follow the qi-number of “five-five twenty-five,” matching twenty-five households and twenty-five hillocks; documents correspond to “ten hundred”—this is earth prophecy (signs shown by earthly images). Compare and add their qi-numbers, and that is “brother earth”: the people of that land share likes and dislikes. Birds, beasts, and plants of the same category belong to the same qi. From this it is clear that earth qi, when scrutinized, responds. What is not “brother” in water qi—such as fish and turtles near one another—can be used in divination to distinguish where things come from; the ten thousand things and affairs can be known thereby. When the image is the same, the form is the same; when the image differs, the form differs—whether divination is legitimate depends on whether it fits this principle.

Formula of Dand Mingyao for Warding Off Evil (Sixty-Ninth)

“Dand Mingyao” is writing carved by Heaven, usable to correct deviation and repel evil.

What “ten-ten correspond and heal” belongs to heavenly documents, matching true spirit clerks, hence effects like spirits; what “nineteen heal” belongs to earthly documents, harmonizing with yin spirits; what “eighteen correspond and heal” belongs to balanced human writing. By these tests, most of the rest are heterodox texts and must not be used rashly—such writing meant to ward off evil ought to respond with spirits; if it cannot heal people, it misleads them and cannot rescue in urgent peril. Sometimes there is writing sent by ghosts and spirits; though one cannot know it all yet it still heals—if it is truly heterodox writing forged by people, it still must not be used. Again, some appoint themselves chiefs of heterodoxy; others cannot use their documents. If a crowd gathers to carve and copy documents, is that heterodoxy? One may only carve and then place them all in wild places where no one goes; such documents should be sought one by one—one cannot expect to obtain them all at once.

Plain-Language Reading of Caomu Fangjue (Chapter 70) from the Taiping Jing

This chapter explains caomu fang (plant-based remedies): using plants that possess de (virtue), accord with the Dao, and carry an official rank to treat illness. Such plants are called shen caomu (spirit plants).

I. Spirit Plants and Immortal Plants

• Instant cure: effective as soon as applied—drawn from divine plants of heaven, growing on earth.
• Life extension: can prolong life—drawn from immortal plants of heaven, also growing on earth.
• Instant-cure formulas: recipes that work immediately.
• One-day cure formulas: recipes that take effect within one day.
• “Hundred-hundred, ten-ten mutual response and cure”: numbers that match and correspond bring cure—these plants have spirit and can act on one another, and they bear official rank.

II. Grades by “Mutual Response” (What May Be Used)

This is a method to save lives on the brink of death; one must distinguish carefully and must not use plants at random.

III. Names by Speed of Effect

• After blending, instant cure → record the plants used; name it instant-cure formula.
• One day to cure → one-day cure formula.
• Two days → two-day formula.
• Three days → three-day formula.

IV. Who Does the Healing: Heavenly Spirits, Earth Spirits, Human Ghosts

• One-day cure formula: healed by heavenly spirits (heavenly spirits: gods who preside over affairs in heaven).
• Two-day cure formula: healed by earth spirits.
• Three-day cure formula: healed by human ghosts (human ghosts: ghosts and spirits tied to human affairs and the hidden realm).

If it is not this kind of formula with spirits and ghosts healing by the day, but only the plants nourishing life on their own, sometimes it cures, sometimes it does not—such recipes are called await-death formulas—equivalent to waiting for death; one must be extremely cautious.

V. Summary

This is a technique to save human life; it must not be changed casually, and it must be examined in detail. Whether plants have de, Dao, and official rank, and whether they can achieve ten-ten, nine-ten, or eight-ten mutual response—using the wrong plant harms people.

Taiping Jing (Collated Edition) · Method of Living Beings and Moving Essence, Section 71 · Plain-Language Explanation

On “Living Beings That Carry Essence in Motion”

“Living beings that carry essence in motion” means birds, quadrupeds, insects, and other creatures that walk or fly—beings whose bodies can bear formulas for healing illness. Within fowl there is divinely granted medicine; Heaven makes them move according to the round-and-square pattern of the cosmos.

Three “Cure Ratios” and Their Corresponding Levels

• Ten treated, ten cured: the formula of the celestial deity resides in the body.
• Nine treated, nine cured: the formula of earthly essence resides in the body.
• Eight treated, eight cured: the medicine of human essence and the harmonizing spirit resides in the body.

These three are the moving formulas of Heaven, Earth, human beings, and harmonizing Yin-Yang. They are called “envoys for treating illness.” They are like people on earth who are called “envoys”—that is, divine persons and divine teachers. They are employed by the essences of Heaven, Earth, and humanity and by ghosts and spirits. If one obtains such formulas and ten cases yield ten cures, a hundred cases yield a hundred cures, those are divine formulas used by emperors and supreme sovereigns.

• Nine treated, nine cured: divine formulas for kings and feudal lords.
• Eight treated, eight cured: divine formulas for ministers, commoners in white (those not in office), and persons of utmost virtue living in seclusion.

Each appears according to rank and duty; use these standards to distinguish them, and you will not miss once in ten thousand.

All three kinds heal illness by deploying the moving divine medicine of Heaven, Earth, and humanity. Heaven makes each kind receive the mandate of its ancestors and attach to “natural arts”; the efficacy within cannot be arbitrarily stripped away. It is like the phoenix and qilin, whose virtue is in their bodies; like bees and scorpions, whose venom is in their bodies—that is the idea.

Why One Must Understand the “Essential Text”

One should deeply grasp the meaning of Heaven’s Dao’s utmost essentials before one can clarify the nature of Heaven’s Dao, benefit the governance of emperors, and keep people from confusion. If one does not know the essential text and merely says that all documents under Heaven can be used, that is wrong.

Why Levels Below Seventeen Are Deviating

Therefore efficacy levels below the seventeenth all belong to deviating formulas. They do not correspond to the “Three Auspicious Signs,” and the harm is very deep. Hence:

• Ten treated, one harmed: one does not obtain Heaven’s intent;
• Ten treated, two harmed: one does not obtain Earth’s intent;
• Ten treated, three harmed: one does not obtain human intent;
• Ten treated, six or seven harmed and below: all are chaotic treatment.

Yin-Yang then turn contrary, and numinous powers contend with one another.

The Practice of Ancient Sage-Kings

Therefore ancient sage-kings and emperors, though they dwelt in inner chambers, still pondered Heaven’s intent deeply, seeking to preserve themselves wholly and attain long life.

Structure of This Book and How to Read It

The phrases in this book are gathered from above and below and woven together into text; the wise reader can supply what connects between them. This is to rescue the confused, so people may long enjoy good fortune and keep far from calamity. Each person should morning and evening reflect on its utmost meaning, to preserve the whole of oneself.

Songs and Divine Writings

The children’s songs and poetic ballads that common people have performed from ancient times to the present are Heaven’s transformations making them speak. Divine writings appear at their appointed times—Heaven transmits their discourse and entrusts it to persons of utmost virtue, to remedy the failures of the age.

Favoring Life and Abhorring Killing

Heaven’s Dao abhorrs killing and favors life. Even wriggling creatures have perception; one must not lightly kill and use them. If there are those that may be harmed or are in the midst of transformation and taking form, one may use them only because the matter requires completion—when there is no alternative may one then use them.

The Root of Life and the Role of Human Beings

Thus the myriad things teem abundantly: life depends on Heaven, root lies in Earth, and what makes use stable lies in human beings. Those who obtain Heaven’s intent live long; those who lose Heaven’s intent perish. All things together with Heaven and Earth form the constant pattern; the human being is their sovereign. As ruler of people or as elder, one cannot fail to examine and discern this with care.

To grasp the true intent of popular Daoist documents and scriptures, one should treat a single character as if it were a whole passage: take the two characters “Jiazi”—what does each one actually denote? First let one person state the basic meaning; then have the assembled worthies compare notes and speak from their strengths—some who excel in celestial patterns may carry the discussion up to the limit of the Way of Heaven; some skilled in terrestrial matters may carry it down to the limit of the earthly way; others may follow the four quarters in motion and speak to the limits of the four directions; some may discuss remaining centered and unmoving and speak of the center; some may trace origins and excel in the essence of the ten thousand things and speak of all things; some investigate inward, some outward. When root, trunk, branches, and leaves are all seen clearly, names are assigned through various metaphorical images. The original meaning of affairs and the writing of Heaven-and-Earth and Yin-Yang can then appear in broad outline; head and feet are complete, upper and lower linked, and categories of things have their own order. On this basis each character’s meaning is settled and each forms a sentence; sound views are gathered into one fixed formulation. Thus the sage, to obtain the heart-meaning of the Way of Heaven, harmonizes Yin-Yang, steadies the king, brings peace under heaven, and satisfies all spirits—only then choosing the finest from among the worthies and fixing it as the constant norm, unchangeable for ten thousand generations.

Today the original intent of the Way of Heaven is lost because one worthy’s single opinion often opens only one side; the whole is not seen, and meaning cannot run through the six directions; inward and outward seven loci cannot be fully traced, nor can the essence of the ten thousand things be exhausted—so each speaks differently, and the heavenly book loses its original text and confuses people. The root of the disease lies here. Whatever is to be corrected has its own basis that can be pursued to the end; Yin-Yang need not be altered again—all should proceed by this method.

“Bu” (not / one-sidedness) refers to someone speaking alone in isolation, insisting on their own words alone, unable to grasp the true meaning of the scriptures, and heeding only one person’s account—this is what is called pianyan (one-sided, partial speech).

The inherent nature of Heaven and Earth is such that no one but a sage can fully expound the intent of Heaven on their own. If such a person is allowed to speak of the Dao: inwardly they cannot exhaust the mind of Heaven; outwardly they cannot explain the patterns of Heaven, culture, and geography; when used for divination and prediction they are not accurate, and spirits will not be moved to serve them. Straying from the correct path, they instead follow confusion and disorder—hence it is said that they pursue surface show and cannot align with the root meaning. The fault lies here: those who keep to simplicity lose their foundation, the Dao of Heaven loses its rectitude, Yin and Yang each sicken within, disorder and mutual harm arise, portents recur again and again, rulers are anguished, and inwardly they cannot stop themselves—transformations of qi follow one after another, and the people do not live long. Taking this as a great calamity, even the wise together lose the mind of Heaven.

Again: the sages have long departed, and so one can no longer obtain their proper distinctions—this is called luan dao (the Dao in disorder). The reason is that the Dao as recorded in written texts is jumbled front and back; it was originally discourse belonging to Heaven and Earth. The beginning of all affairs is the root of the spirits. Therefore those who can grasp the original meaning find that the spirits no longer grow angry and harm people; malign qi is shut away and hidden, bandits are cut off; when bandits cease, barbarians withdraw and submit, wind and rain each come in season—clear signs that Heaven is pleased. When Heaven is pleased it loves its children, and so rulers extend their lives, grace flows down to the people, even to the six domestic animals and birds and beasts, and to plants and trees; when harmonious qi appears together, evil qi perishes and correct qi shines brighter—this is the natural method of Yin and Yang. It is like the day being active while the night rests and hides; when petty people flee and conceal themselves, the noble person walks the Dao.

Some people approach these words with a cunning, manipulative mind. The original intent is actually to extend life, clarify the principles of yin and yang, and explain the role of Shen (spirit). If you think my book does not mean that, you should test it through walking the Dao in practice—only then will you know what holds up and what does not.

Try copying out a book and placing it before a crowd, letting many worthy scholars each explain it against the original meaning—each understanding differs, each interpretation diverges. From this you can see: relying on one person’s account alone is plainly not clear enough; how could that regulate yin and yang, keep the ruler at ease in pleasure, and leave the realm undisturbed?

Therefore, when those who hold to the root are few and those who spin empty talk are many, there is no end to it and things only grow more confused; when those who hold to the root are many and those who spin empty talk are few, the Dao becomes solid. If you stay on the surface and keep explaining shallowly without stopping, disorder arises; when disorder does not stop, yin and yang fall out of balance and deviant qi rises.

So the sage king should honor the root, and the noble person should set the beginning straight—then nothing under governance fails to go well. If you do not honor the root and do not set the beginning straight, all affairs lose order, the ten thousand things fall into chaos, and it becomes hard to restore proper discipline. When essential meaning is made clear and principle is distinguished, misleading heterodox books and sayings can naturally be set aside.

Plain-Language Reading of Taiping Jing (Collated Edition), “Astronomical Records and Formulas,” Section 73

Main Idea of the Passage

Heaven and earth follow fixed laws, without the slightest deviation. Near and far, all things operate by the same set of rules: like kinds of Qi resonate with one another, without fail. This record is called “astronomical notation” (tianwen ji), also known as “heaven’s book” (tianshu).

I. Cycles and the Jiazi (Sixty Stem–Branch Cycle)

Numbers may run to hundreds of millions, ten thousands, thousands, hundreds, or tens; a twelve-day cycle returning to “zi” works this way, a twelve-year cycle returning to “zi” works this way, a sixty-year cycle returning to “zi” works this way, and a one-hundred-twenty-year cycle returning to “zi” works the same way. Sometimes countless “zi” moments align together, sometimes ten thousand, thousand, hundred, or ten “zi” align together—all forming periods like the Jiazi cycle (sixty stem–branch pairs).

Yet when Qi differs, affairs differ, wording differs, and songs and verses differ too—even when all fall in Jiazi, if the Qi has not completed a full cycle, how things appear will differ. Classify by category and image: only when good and evil, same Qi, same wording, and same affairs align does one complete a full cycle.

II. Carefully Examining Ancient and Present Heavenly Dao

To study and compare these carefully is to illuminate antiquity and also clarify the present; to clarify the present and then infer antiquity in reverse. From this one knows Heavenly Dao runs as usual, and the principles of Yin-Yang are clear to the bottom.

Whether scriptural wording has errors and whether earlier and later parts match should be mutually supplemented; when songs, tones, sounds, and affairs all correspond, that is what is meant by the law of the great cycle, middle cycle, and small cycle. Grasp the meaning, put the affairs in order, and use them to harmonize Yin-Yang and stabilize the king—then this is a book one may take as model for Heaven’s constant law. It is like spring, summer, autumn, and winter: one will no longer mistake the seasons.

III. Why Later People Cannot See the Full “Three Cycles”

People of later ages have short lives; they have not seen a complete cycle, so how could they know that within great, middle, and small there are still three cycles each? Were the signs of the divine Way (Heaven’s verification) in antiquity really like this? Then they stray from the right path—they see only a brief moment, and without mastering ancient and modern divine texts, they cling to partial phrases and take themselves to be right.

It is like someone born in spring who dies in autumn—they never see autumn’s affairs; someone born in summer who ends in winter—they never see winter’s affairs. Those who speak of principle each saw only what was before their eyes at the time, so even after ten rounds of debate, they still cannot truly understand—the reality within is not as they say.

IV. Why Astronomical Records Fail to Verify

If the astronomical records and formulas do not prove true, the reason lies here (seeing only fragments, not following the full cycle). Affairs do not appear in empty abstraction; there are texts of order and disorder for each age. Dao does not spring from nowhere; it follows the movement of the times.

Therefore the works of ancient poets were all Qi flowing from Heaven, so their words were not empty.

V. Sage Kings Following Qi and Calamities

Ancient sage emperors and kings: seeing the subtle, they knew what was coming, acting according to what was fit, following the Qi, they thereby gained Heaven’s heart, and so long-lasting good fortune.

To go against this brings flood and drought, Qi out of step, accumulated flowing disasters, transformations and strangeness that cannot be stopped—called calamities and portents (zaiyi). Many worthies were confused, not knowing it was only because of going against the Qi and not following the affairs of the time—this cannot be treated lightly.

Summary

This passage explains: Heavenly Dao has great, middle, and small “cycles” and Jiazi-like periodicity; before Qi completes a cycle, wording, affairs, and songs differ; one must study carefully and unite ancient and modern to clarify Yin-Yang’s constant course; scriptural wording, songs, and tones should mutually complete one another; later people with short lives who have not seen one full cycle lose the right path; when astronomical records fail to work, this is related; poetry speaks of Qi flowing from Heaven; emperors and kings who follow Qi gain fortune; going against Qi produces calamities and portents.

[Supplementary note] Celestial signs sometimes seem not to “come true” because the world has its phases of order and disorder; the Great Dao does not manifest without cause. In antiquity, rulers could discern the subtle and act with the times, aligning with the qi of Heaven and Earth, and thus accord with Heaven’s intent and enjoy lasting good fortune. When they went against that intent, water and drought fell out of balance, the flow of qi turned contrary, calamities piled up, and strange omens did not cease—this is what is meant by “anomalous calamities” (zaiyi). Many worthy people were confused and did not understand the way of accord and opposition.

Heaven makes later ages keep written records because people of earlier times knew the span of life and knew nature, entered the way of emptiness and stillness, and therefore understood that the Dao of Heaven turns in cycles like the four seasons. Later generations grew shallower in qi and learning, drifted far from the essential scriptures, and forgot the “commands” handed down from former ages; only a sacred person could foreknow the end and beginning of a cycle. So Heaven again sent down scriptural writings for people to record, passed from one to the next, so that knowing them would bring peace of mind. In an age of Great Peace (taiping), one may rule with ease; in a moderately stable age (zhongping), one may do one’s utmost in action; in a less than peaceful age, one should support oneself with the Dao and prepare in advance—like preparing for heat at the summer solstice and for cold at the winter solstice: that is the idea. The Dao of Heaven runs by constant law and does not change because of human affairs. Accord brings prosperity; opposition brings ruin and loss of life. If people violate the Dao of Heaven and contend in strife, lives are harmed; if sun and moon lose their measure, the stars wander off course; to know how to harmonize with the qi of the season, so that sun and moon keep their measure and the stars move in order, is Heaven’s clear proof. Whoever can use this Dao should urge themselves to practice it and not hide it away; take care not to harm or steal from others; Heaven’s secret writings belong to the humane and worthy, so that above and below may understand, and each may find their own stability.

On Moxibustion and Acupuncture

Moxibustion and needling are methods for regulating and stabilizing the three hundred and sixty vessels throughout the body, for keeping yin and yang qi flowing smoothly, and for expelling pathogenic influences.

These three hundred and sixty vessels correspond to the three hundred and sixty days of the year: each day one vessel holds sway, moving with the four seasons and the Five Phases; vessel qi circulates outward through the whole body and gathers at the crown of the head, while inwardly it links to the five viscera.

The waxing and waning of the vessels shifts with the four seasons. When illness appears, the vessels no longer match as they should; their cycles and exchanges go wrong—binding, stagnation, damage, or flow against the proper order—so treatment is required.

Moxibustion belongs to the essence of the sun: it stands for fairness and clear light, and is used to detect hidden wrongdoing and remove harm. Needling belongs to the essence of lesser yin: like the light of Taibai (Venus), it is used to judge by principle and cut down pathogenic influences.

If a hundred cases treated yield a hundred cures, that accords with the Heavenly Meridian Prophetic Scripture (tianmai jing chen shu): when this truly matches the pulse signs, the spirit assembly will be moved to assist. If nine of ten cases succeed and one fails, that accords with the yin vessels and the refined assembly will assist. If eight of ten succeed, that falls within the Human Way Scripture (rendao shu), driven by human intent. Below that level one should not treat, lest one instead harm the spirit.

To treat vessel A when vessel B is diseased is called “confusion”—not knowing vessel doctrine and damaging the terminal vessels alone.

Therefore, if you wish to delight in knowing the Way of Heaven, whether the spirits are efficacious and responsive, you may set one patient before you; their pulse signs are like the Meridian Root Text (mai ben wen)—as if the root scripture of the Way. Let the assembled worthies sit in circle and discuss the illness: some pathogenic qi lies more above, some more below; each of the three hundred and sixty vessels has what can be seen. Record the methods each person is usually best at and can cure with—only when all ten of ten hit the mark is it the true formula; what misses does not count. Collect the experience of all in healing and fix it as scripture, and there will be no illness treated that cannot be explained.

(End)

Heaven’s Way governs the vessels, whether outside or inside; it cannot all be exhausted in theory. Where one treats, only when ten of ten hit the mark is it the true formula; otherwise it does not count. Gather the effective treatments of the many into scripture, and every case treated will have its explanatory formula.

Note: In transmitted texts, the passage beginning “The needle…” partly repeats what comes before and after; this vernacular reading treats the meaning as one continuous account of the vessels. Terms such as Heavenly Meridian Prophetic Scripture, Human Way Scripture, and Meridian Root Text are Taiping jing ways of pairing pulse diagnosis with “astronomy—calendar—scripture”; they relate to but are not identical with later Huangdi neijing pulse doctrine.

Stop

Heavenly Dao governs the pulse qi of the human body. The pulse has an exterior and an interior; one cannot exhaust every nuance of its theory. Where treatment must be applied, the method is grasped completely — at the place where pulse qi gathers and the responding acupoints lie. People differ in size and bodily measure, yet pulse grades are comparable; one must constantly align them with the proper divisions among the acupoints.

In the scriptures, ancient and modern schools heap up explanations that do not agree — this is what is meant by “confused pulse” (luan mai). When the yang pulse is out of balance yet one treats the yin pulse instead, the person invites blame, as when robbers harm good citizens, and cannot attain long life. Pulse answers to heaven, earth, and the myriad things; it rises and falls with qi, cycles and returns, and in the end comes back to the beginning. Those who grasp its numbers and patterns use this to nurture their nature, know whether seasonal qi has arrived or not, and where there was originally disharmony, can settle it first.

The ancient sages lived in quiet clarity, felt their own pulse, watched the degrees of its coming and going, and thus knew the gains and losses of the four seasons and the Five Phases; reflecting inward, they inferred their own decline or vigor — so they could stabilize the realm, nurture the body, and preserve life in full. How could one fail to be cautious!

People in the world are deluded: they moxa and needle at random, injure the correct channels, harm upright qi, go against the four seasons and Five Phases, and invite calamities and portents. Harm to a large person is great; to a small person, small. There are also times when movement is allowed yet one does not hold the proper position — that is the natural order. Hence the ancient sages treated this as weighty: the sage king in his place waits on the pulse’s course and degrees to read fortune and misfortune in the six directions — what is called knowing the far from the near and the outer from the inner is the essential way of spirit.

Note: In the received text, “great horn” is likely a copyist’s error for “great calamity”; the closing passage repeating random moxibustion and needling that harms upright qi may be duplicate material from a conflated edition — the interpretation above treats it as a single argument.

Divine Incantation Procedures (Seventy-Fifth)

Opening

In heaven there are fixed, sacred formulas of words, sent down to people at the right time so that spirit officers may respond and act in harmony with the flow of qi. When the people receive these phrases, they call them “divine incantations” (shen zhu). What is meant by zhu is that they hit the mark ten times out of ten, a hundred times out of a hundred—such incantation texts are originally the scriptural phrases transmitted from the divine originals in heaven.

Some incantations can command the spirits to remove illness for people; those that truly “hit ten out of ten” and gather effective power, when used, leave nothing uncured.

Closing

To heal by words alone is the language of heaven’s divine prophecies; it is also scriptural phrasing from heaven’s divine originals. Those that can command spirits to remove illness and hit ten out of ten—wherever they are applied, nothing fails to be healed.

Good teachers and rulers are especially suited to adopt them; collected into volumes, they are therefore named “Books of Prophetic Incantations.” Their function lies precisely in assembling and dispatching the host of spirits, hence the tenfold cures.

Levels of efficacy

• Nineteen out of nineteen: the highest true spirits do not come; middle-ranking spirits come, and great ministers (mid-level spirits) are present.
• Eighteen out of eighteen: human spirits come, specializing in affairs of the common people.

Authenticity and transmission

These are originally heaven’s divine speech, meant to summon the spirits; names and titles sometimes leak down to earth, and when Daoist practitioners learn them they pass them mouth to mouth—thus they can heal with them. If they were like ordinary words spoken at random, they could not cure illness.

In disorder and sudden crisis, human power alone cannot finish the work in an instant. Heaven values human life; fearing that rare prescriptions may fail, that great physicians may miss the channels, and that the great matter of life and death may go unconnected, it therefore keeps the essential way on people’s lips—this is the method of emergency rescue.

How to tell the true formulas

If you wish to obtain these essential words, place a sick person directly before you and use that person as the text of the incantation; also first recite in advance the secret phrases hidden in your mouth. If there is immediate cure, it is the real thing; if not, it is entirely false—deceptive speech, not to be taken as law.

Sometimes one person uses a certain incantation alone and is cured, while others who use it do not get steady effect—such phrases must not be memorized; they are the chiefs among ghosts and spirits, used by the person alone, called “solitary words”—not the true way of summoning spirits.

Though humans are far from heaven, if you wish to know whether the way is true: when what is said and what is not said respond and harmonize, as if matching tally halves, it is true; otherwise it is not.

Zangzhai Jue (Formula on Burial and Residence), Section 76 — Plain-Language Commentary

Burial means laying the ancestors to rest on hills and mounds—the phrase is “first planting the root-seed”: putting the root in the right place. Residence (zhai) here means the land itself; the hun-soul and spirit should be able to return here and from here nourish later generations. When the land is good, their return protects and blesses descendants; when the land is bad, their return becomes a source of harm.

After the qi of five generations of ancestors is exhausted, they may be born again as human beings. The way of Heaven takes qi as its law; it turns in cycles and returns to the beginning.

How to test the land: Scatter small, humble seeds into the soil. If later they grow lush and fine, that is “great living earth.” Scatter superior, large seeds; if they later grow poorly instead, that is “contrary earth.” If things daily decline and grow ever fewer, that is “depleted earth.”

Take twenty-five mound sites, five times five, and match them against what happens: if every one of ten tens and hundred hundreds corresponds, that is the Yin-earth precious book text (diyin baoshu wen); nineteen correspondences make the Yin-earth precious record (diyin baoji); eighteen correspondences make disordered earth writing (diluan shu)—not to be relied on as a constant rule; below that lie heterodox texts and writings that harm the common people.

To tell true from false, one must remember the past and fix the matter, using what has already happened to verify what is to come—only then can one sort the genuine Yin treasure records from the spurious. (Eighteen correspondences count as disordered earth writing, not for regular use; below that are heterodox harmful writings—the principle is the same.)

Thus the intent of this classic is like Heaven having its jia and Earth its yi: for ten thousand generations it cannot be changed. The weight of the matter lies in verification and in the place where the living dwell—do not alter it casually. If, after affairs are settled, heterodox writings are used to confuse matters, disaster follows: strange calamities multiply, and both the worthy and ordinary people suffer deeply.

Therefore, high or low, whoever wishes to know whether descendants will pass the line down generation after generation must examine whether the chosen mound and hill are appropriate, understand the reason, and thereby read what lies ahead. Take twenty-five mound sites as the main text; investigate according to what has already come to pass, record the past to test the present, and use what went before as proof to gauge what is coming. A true master should ponder the classic above and below, resolve people’s confusion—this method is called zhanyin fuwen (occupying Yin and covering with text): by it one knows the ancestors and benefits posterity, passed down for ten thousand generations; take care not to block or seal off its meaning.

(Continuation of the preceding text)

Everyone should keep future affairs in mind. A true master should read the scripture carefully from beginning to end, using it to dispel confusion and delusion. This method is called zhanyin fuwen (“reading the covered yin text”)—through it one may know the affairs of ancestors and benefit posterity, so that it can be handed down for generations; it must not be sealed away and kept secret.

Treatise on Various Music, Ancient Texts, and Right and Wrong (Seventy-Seventh)

“Various music” (zhule) means the kinds of music used to connect with sound, to resonate with and transform the qi of the six directions and eight quarters. When qi is harmonious, what responds is favorable and good; when it is not, what responds is adverse and evil.

Each sound has its proper domain: east, west, south, north, and jia, yi, bing, ding, and the like—the twenty-five qi each have their home. Sometimes many sounds gather and combine into words and phrases, so one can know them by sound. Listening closely to sound reveals subtle messages and divines fortune and misfortune. Raising a tone and testing it against a plucked hair (the “hair-on-string” method of tuning) shows how the strings of zither and lute relate to gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu (the five pitches), and how near or far things are in the six directions—and from this one judges names, surnames, and whether people are good or evil.

One who is thoroughly skilled can see their shen (spirit) come forward to meet the matter. Hence the ancient sages tuned music to resonate with things, harmonize Yin-Yang, and fix the four seasons and Five Phases. When Yin-Yang are in harmony, the sound is pleasing; when they are not, when they clash and go awry, the sound is harsh.

The strings must also be tuned: one should arrange the silk strings in the “nine-nine” sequence so that loud and soft tones match. The sages tuned music to resonate with things, harmonize Yin-Yang, and fix the four seasons and Five Phases. When Yin-Yang are tuned, the sound is easy on the ear; when they are not, it is unpleasant. The strings too must be tuned—arrange them in the nine-nine order so large and small sounds accord. Thought and attention applied in this way do not harm the hidden shen in the viscera; if tuning is neglected, the dance is chaotic, there is no correct pitch, it cannot be listened to, and it injures the hidden shen in the viscera. Then deities, auspicious responses, and marvelous things do not come.

Therefore when one has the right person, they can undertake the task: only one skilled in sound can then harmonize Yin-Yang and bring transformation. How is this known? When one performs it, spirits respond, auspicious signs and things gather—and that person is the one; otherwise it is all disorderly noise, unable to move anything, so nothing comes.

Thus in all affairs one must have the right person—it is like dealing with spirits; without the right person, it is like empty talk. With the right person, nothing is too hard or too easy to do; without the right person, nothing great or small can be done. Hence the ancient sages valued conduct and sought the worthy, leaving nothing hidden—this was how antiquity was achieved. With the right person, there is order; without the right person, there is chaos.

Ancient texts are many and cannot all be written down. Without the right person, nothing great or small can be accomplished.

For this reason, the sages of high antiquity placed extraordinary weight on elevating worthy talent and seeking out capable people—whether in reclusion or in public life, they had to find the right persons before they could realize the “ancient” Way: that is, to restore and carry on the good governance and teaching of the remote past. Gain the right people and the realm is well ordered; lose them and the realm falls into great disorder. The classical writings are vast; it is impossible to copy and exhaust them all. The sages used the method of “inferring ten things from one, a hundred from ten, a thousand from a hundred,” expanding layer by layer without end. Each kind of affair belongs to its own category; in each case the original text for that affair is placed first, so that those who can grasp the root meaning hold the essential point, and those who can apply it over the long term expound from it. See whether things answer and fit one another—what fits is correct; what neither agrees nor hits the mark is not the right path.

To know whether the writings and Way of the ancient sages are genuine and reliable, you can use a comparison: it is like calling someone—only when surname and personal name are right will the person answer. Ghosts and spirits are the same: without the correct names they will not respond; even if you wish to correspond with them, without the proper affinity you cannot reach them, so there is no response. Therefore the ancients called learning “going deeply into the past”—“deep” means to think finely on those images and events and turn the phrases over and again; exert the mind on this book and the key to the myriad affairs is within it. The sections above and below are many, each treating its own topic; they should be read in detail and supplement one another before the full meaning can be grasped. If one cannot go deep and seize the main intent but stays at the surface of the words, the Way will not show practical effect, and when change comes one cannot resolve the conflict and opposition between yin and yang.

My book is written for humane and worthy persons and is transmitted to those of virtue; one who has virtue and receives it should treat it as a great treasure. To receive it yet not read and use it well, and instead say it is not the Way—that cannot bring peace to oneself or remove trouble and cancel calamity. When the Great Way is about to manifest, is it not as if without flavor? In use, is it not inexhaustible and unstoppable? Do the many worthies trace it back—can it harmonize hard and soft and exhaust the positions of yin and yang? Once the various writings are fixed and each in its place, is there no longer confusion and vexation? Are evil affairs all gone, the High God greatly pleased, and the people free of harm from malign influences? Does grace reach the subtle, and the myriad things flourish without losing their qi? Can it return to the Great Beginning, heaven and earth each secure in their places? Once heterodox writings are dispelled, can one then guard the original qi?

“The One” is the general outline of the Dao.

(I) The Net of the Dao and Order versus Chaos

“One” is the overarching thread of the Dao; “two” is the Dao spreading widely through the world; if “three” is already in disorder, it can no longer be explained clearly or upheld as orthodox canon, can it? Does grace reach even the most minute things, so that though the myriad beings are in turmoil each still keeps its qi? Can there be return to the Great Beginning, with Heaven and Earth each in their proper places? With heterodox and false writings already removed, can one guard and hold the primordial qi?

It is also said: One is the net of the Dao; two is the Dao’s broad circulation; if three is already in disorder, it should not be spelled out further.

(II) Jiazi, the Five Phases, and the Structure of the Scripture

〈Opening〉 My Dao takes jiazi and yichou as its starting point; the six jia follow in succession; the Five Phases turn and follow one another, and the four seasons cycle without end. Though the scrolls are many, each scroll has what should be recorded. It is like the human body: head and feet, each part driving the others. Sometimes one character drops away and the next begins anew; the wise restore the sequence in order. Yin-Yang principle is matched to the wording, inner and outer correspond, like compass and square.

At first reading it may seem plain; only after long recitation does its flavor appear. If one recites without understanding, fulfillment is hard to obtain. When calamity leaves the body and spirit and qi gather again, and people themselves are careful, good, and free of wicked offspring, this is called “no punishment”—the beauty of Dao transformation at its utmost.

With the intent of clear discernment, follow my text to ward off blame and disaster; the harm of treachery and heterodoxy stops by itself, and the people naturally attain long life. (In some transmitted versions this passage overlaps with what follows; the gist is: upholding the correct canon removes disaster, and the people are secure and long-lived.)

(III) The Numbers of “Correspondence” and the Various Scripture Types (Uses for Warding off Heterodoxy and Discerning Texts)

Ten–ten correspondence—text of the Great Yang;

Nineteen correspondence—text of the Great Yin;

Eighteen correspondence—text of central harmony;

Seventeen correspondence—text of breaking disorder;

Sixteen correspondence—text of meeting the center;

Fifteen correspondence—text of unknowing; it may be called a text half auspicious and half inauspicious;

Fourteen center—heterodox text;

Thirteen center—text of great disorder;

Twelve center—discarded text;

Eleven center—text of layered center;

Ten–ten center—below this it cannot be used; it is text that misleads people.

According to how it is wrongly applied, it harms people in greater or lesser degree and can turn back upon the user; if used wrongly for long without stopping, the lineage of the method is cut off and descendants are extinguished—these are the mistaken texts of “ten–ten.” 〈Close〉

(IV) Section Title and Scroll Number

The above is the method of warding off heterodoxy and restoring the correct text.

This scroll is volume fifty-one of Taiping Jing Hejiao (Collected Collated Taiping Jing), seventeenth of Part Bing; Taiping Jing volume fifty-one, collated as “Xie Zheng Fa” (The Correct Law against Heterodoxy), section seventy-eight.

Plain-Language Commentary

Chun bowed with the utmost reverence—kou shou, the full prostration with forehead to the ground—his whole body trembling, and performed this bow twice in succession.

The master asked: “What else do you wish to ask?”

Chun said: “Disciple, today I have met the enlightened master who corrected the various scriptures. These are the Tian Tan (Heavenly Discourse) sent down from Heaven. I am both alarmed and afraid. I do not know how to grasp the sequence and order within them, nor what I should do, so that I can truly comprehend the genuine meaning of this scripture.”

(Note: Kou shou was the most solemn form of obeisance in antiquity, with the forehead touching the ground. In the Taiping Jing, Tian Tan often denotes heavenly revelation—sacred utterance distinct from ordinary worldly writing. “Truly attaining the substance of this book” means genuinely grasping the scripture’s authentic teaching, not stopping at the surface of the words.)

(Answer) If you want to grasp the real principle, compare the words of sages from upper, middle, and lower antiquity and read their terms together with how they acted—you will understand. Do the same with Daoist books of those three periods: bring the three kinds together and let what belongs together answer to one another, and you will see clearly.

(Question) Nowadays writings all say they come from the Way of Heaven (tiandao)—why is rule of the world sometimes still chaotic and still unfair? I want you to explain plainly.

(Answer) When speech is set right and writing made clear, principle holds; when it is not right and not clear, there is disorder. Correct, careful words lead to good; crooked, ill-omened words lead to evil. You keep asking—I am glad to say: to reach the good, straighten the root first; when the root is straight, one should match the signs of heaven and align with the sages’ words; then turn to the patterns of earth, a third turn to human affairs, a fourth to the ten thousand things. When any one of the ten thousand things is off, showiness appears; showiness leads to ruin. Celestial writings and sacred books appear in their season to test and correct the beginning, drop what is false and fix what is real; ordinary books that express clear principle count as the Way of Heaven. Whoever holds correct speech aligns with Heaven’s intent; the crooked draw crooked qi, heaven and earth fall out of tune, the ten thousand things mostly lose their proper place, rulers grow anxious, and disorder returns. So examination and correction must be urgent. From old times to now the documents are there; the trouble is mixed collections, things piled in together and confused, so the wise doubt together and do not know whom to trust, lose Heaven’s deepest intent, and each go their own contrary way. That is far from the subtle teaching of the Way of Heaven—all of it is crooked speech and crooked writing; such writing cannot set yin and yang right, disasters follow one after another, and the fault lies within.

I see you pressing the question again and again, and I cannot set it aside, so I have repeated the meaning in full. In all things, if one only grasps the principle but cannot apply the mind steadily to practice, there is little benefit; only if one acts accordingly can great guilt and great calamity be avoided.

When celestial patterns and human affairs fall out of order, it is like a person stricken with grave illness—who would not wish to cure it at once? Yet you still behave as if dulled yourself; do you truly not understand? Grave illness left untended drags on to death; when astronomy and human affairs are not set right, disorder rises to the extreme—the four seasons lose their proper qi, the Five Phases clash against one another, sun, moon, and stars lose their due brightness and stray from the correct path, and the myriad things decay and fail. The people are driven from their homes; the old and weak bear burdens in flight; half die before their time; the state grows confused and deluded; the supreme Dao and virtuous De are cut off from one another; the worthy withdraw and do not emerge, unable to rescue one another—is this not the great grave illness of the world? Therefore one must exert force to set it upright.

Today foolish people daily study empty, floating words, contradicting one another and vying over rank and argument. They do not deeply know that this is a great harm; they treat it as a small matter, not knowing that within lies the great illness of Yin-Yang, Heaven, and Earth! That the world cannot be well governed—the root of the disease lies here.

The spirits and divinities also suffer affliction; that is why they sent you to question again and again. When you see these words, you should ponder morning and evening, day and night, the essential purport within them. You must not treat them casually or seek your own ease, failing to weigh them seriously on behalf of August Heaven.

Now the emperor’s heart has no proper orientation, and the guilt is extremely great. Though I speak face to face with only the two of you, on the surface it seems a small matter, yet inwardly it is to set forth upright words and upright judgment on behalf of August Heaven. I dare not speak emptily at random; if there is any falsehood, the blame is mine, and it cannot be lightly removed.

This passage is a dialogue between the Celestial Master (Tianshi) and a disciple, along the following lines.

The Celestial Master said: When divine beings (spirits of Heaven and Earth) impose punishment on people, it is not like when ordinary people offend someone and can simply flee far away and be done with it. Yet you, my disciple, dare to follow my words with careless, flippant speech, like laypeople bickering and competing for superiority. The disciple replied: Yes, yes—I dare not. Having heard the Celestial Master’s words, I am both awed and glad, and will give my utmost in hope of aligning with the intent of the divine beings, relieving the world’s anxieties, stabilizing the ruler’s governance, and letting the ten thousand things each find their proper place—which is precisely what this disciple desires.

The Celestial Master said again: How is it that your wish matches mine so completely, as no one else’s can? I constantly keep good intent because what I have learned was originally obtained on the basis of good intent; while others mostly die of old age, I alone have obtained long life; the descendants of those who came before are no longer here, yet I alone have obtained freedom from death. Having truly received such a weighty mandate, I feel ashamed and fearful in my heart and do not know how to repay it. I always wish to exhaust my strength, yet I do not know with what I can offer my life in service. When I see Heaven and Earth out of harmony and wind and rain not in their proper seasons, I know it is a great illness of the world and compassion often arises in me.

The disciple continued: Now, having received guidance from a divine person, I am greatly awakened and wish even to risk my life in service to Heaven—to resolve this great illness, settle the geography of the land, and further establish the enterprise of the ruler, so that the ten thousand things each find their place—in order to repay Heaven’s great merit; yet I do not know whether I can achieve this and wish to ask again, fearing I may fall short of the enlightened master.

The Celestial Master answered: Excellent—well said. Seeing you speak thus, I am still pleased. Why speak at length of Heaven? My book (referring to teachings such as those transmitted by the Celestial Master, in the tradition of the Taiping jing) does not miss one part in ten thousand. You need only strive and unceasingly act according to the principles in the scripture, and you can restore Heaven’s merit—do not doubt further. If a ruler acts in this way, he gains power at once; how much more so for you?

(Note: bracket markers in the source indicate section boundaries; a few characters are corrupt or repeated—the sense follows the usual scholarly reading.)

Having heard again and again what you say, I dare not hold back (I will teach you everything). Although I am your teacher, my aspiration is not as great as yours. Now you and I alike stand between Heaven and Earth; I wish to join with you in settling the empire. I had meant to say no more, yet I fear that if I speak too little I would bear a heavier guilt than you and again suffer Heaven’s punishment. Please listen carefully once more; I will again explain the Dao to you clearly and in detail.

The proper text (zhengwen) embodies Heaven and Earth’s original heart; it is the root of guarding the rites and protecting primordial Qi. In antiquity, sacred books appeared at their appointed times; people examined and collated from the primordial origin and corrected the written words, and the Way and its meaning were passed on in turn, each generation receiving from the last. When the essential brief sayings (weiyan)—concise, pivotal phrases—are unfolded, they are all key points of primordial Qi. Turned once more, they become hidden phrasing (mici, cryptic wording); turned thrice, chapter-and-verse form; turned four times, flowery writing; turned five times, each branch splits into its own meaning and each side clings to what deviates; turned six times, they become mutually deceptive texts. Chapter-and-verse still counts as a small standard and stays near the root; further down lies great illness—it makes the Way of Heaven lose the correct path, leaves rulers long in sorrow, and blocks deep understanding of the principle. The crux is here.

If you wish to repay Heaven’s grace and restore Heaven’s weighty merit: Heaven does not delight in people offering money, curios, or false goods; it delights only in people jointly putting scriptures in order and guarding them so they are not disordered. When I first saw you come to study, I thought you would ask one or two things and leave; I did not expect you wanted to exhaust the Dao of Heaven. If my words are not correct, the Dao of Heaven can hardly appear. If you wish to set Heaven and Earth aright, take the essential brief sayings, then examine in reverse (youkao—from the end trace back to the root) until they match the primal origin (yuan, root meaning); then you obtain Heaven’s heart and can settle the empire. Collate the texts of high, middle, and late antiquity; summon them by category and join them in mutual accord. Those who grasp the root, though each has a special skill—in all collation of books and texts, matching the primal origin means obtaining Heaven’s heart and being able to settle the empire.

Gather the writings handed down from high antiquity, middle antiquity, and late antiquity, sort them by category, and let them accord with and confirm one another. For each original text there should be only one custodian; each person relies on his own copy of the base text. Every book and document has its own line of transmission. Let ordinary people each bring their strengths and sit together to explain them jointly. The main points, wording, and factual content in the base text should as far as possible emerge naturally from each person’s own original; then gather the essential phrases and use them for explanation—this is called commentary and phrasing (zhangju). Only then does one grasp the heart of the true Dao.

One may say: this relieves Heaven’s worries and great calamities can be removed; one may say: this removes the earth’s afflictions; one may say: this makes the ruler’s conduct accord with Heaven’s mind; one may say: this lets the myriad things each find their place. When these are achieved, nothing is lost. I see what you say… I know you are a messenger of Heaven; I dare not deceive you. To deceive you would in name be to deceive Heaven. That would displease Heaven, shorten my lifespan, be called failing myself, bring shame before August Heaven, benefit the people not at all, and be a very great fault. Study this carefully; I only record and dare not hold back effort.”

“Yes, yes. Hearing the master’s words, my heart is filled with dread. Since this is questioning Heaven for the benefit of the myriad people, the fault is very great. Study this carefully; I only record and dare not hold back effort.”

“Yes, yes. Hearing the master’s words, my heart is filled with dread. Since this is questioning Heaven, I dare not delay or linger; I must see it through to the end. I beg the master to forgive my limited strength and show what is easy and what is hard; therefore I dare ask in detail for the reasons.”

“Now the documents pile up; to know true from false, it is still as you asked the other day. When ten or a hundred items correspond to one another, they are true; otherwise none are. Governing the country and receiving Heaven’s response is true; otherwise all are false practice. To obtain verification, the people and officials must all be good, loyal, and trustworthy. Why? When children are worthy and good, parents are often at peace and each gets what they deserve; when wives are worthy and good, the husband is without fault and gains their support; when officials are worthy and good, the state enjoys long peace; when ruler and people are all good, Heaven sends no disasters or anomalies—the correct principle is here. Do you understand? Do you not understand?”

This passage records a question-and-answer exchange between master and disciple on how to read and apply Daoist scriptures.

The master asks whether the disciple can extract the essential points from the books and whether he has truly read through and grasped them.

The disciple says he is still young and dull, and has not yet fully awakened to their meaning.

The master asks him to try stating his own understanding, so as to see whether he has genuinely comprehended the teaching.

The disciple replies that he intends to integrate the contents of the various chapters and use them together, with upper and lower sections complementing one another; to arrange the items according to rule, matching one hundred entries against one thousand and one thousand against ten thousand, cross-checking them against each other to see whether the account can be made complete; if that cannot be done, he fears he will be unable to explain the full intent of the ancient text.

The master approves: What you say is correct. What you recorded earlier is exactly what the book describes—using one to compare with ten, ten with a hundred, a hundred with a thousand, a thousand with ten thousand, and ten thousand extending to a hundred million: this is the method of progressive analogy and mutual comparison.

Someone asked respectfully: “We would like to hear: to whom should the task of collating this classic be entrusted?”

The answer: “Each should find the right person for the job. Those who truly grasp the root rely on holding to the root; those skilled in insight and application gather to discuss and spread the word, so that from emperors down to commoners, old habits are easily changed and all consult together. Those of lesser insight first confer among themselves, then their views are gathered into middling insight; middling insight is gathered into superior insight; superior insight is gathered to the emperor. Then the assembled worthies deliberate together, leveling and stabilizing the wording—this is called planning that reaches the lower levels, with nothing missed, no empty talk, and no discarded text. Lesser worthies collate together and hand up to middling worthies; middling worthies collate and hand up to greater worthies; greater worthies collate and hand up to the emperor. Thus a complete, sound authoritative text is formed, without error, truly aligned with Heaven’s intent (tianxin), clearly distinguishing the principles of Yin-Yang. Emperor and ministers all know its true meaning; only then is it issued to the people so that all under Heaven can recite the authoritative text. Then the weather is harmonious, Great Peace arrives, the upper harmonizing qi comes, songs of praise rise, the ten thousand things long endure in peace, and the people no longer speak rashly. When ministers together know its truth, the authoritative text goes down to the people; when all under Heaven recite it alike, Heaven’s favor is gained, Great Peace comes, the upper harmonizing qi arrives, praise resounds, the ten thousand things long abide in peace, and the people fall silent. False and spurious writings naturally vanish; Heaven’s afflictions are removed, the earth’s ailments perish; the emperor can roam in security; Yin and Yang rejoice in each other; evil qi is deeply hidden; bandits are cut off; the Central Kingdom flourishes and may be called on a par with the Three August Ones; the barbarians withdraw; the ten thousand things thrive; great fortune fills the realm—and all cry ‘Long live the emperor!’ Do not block or hide this meaning of my teaching!”

The reply: “Yes, yes—we dare not conceal it. Having received the master’s instruction, we truly ought to repay it; if we hid it we would fear becoming guilty of a grave offense.”

“Good—you speak well. You are now aligned with Heaven’s intent; your name shall be ‘One who has repaid Heaven’s great merit.’”

“Yes, yes. I wish to withdraw to a quiet place, to ponder this utmost meaning, and dare not slacken.”

“Go—and do not doubt again.”

(The later passages repeat question and answer in much the same sense: having gained Heaven’s intent, repaying Heaven’s heavy merit, withdrawing to leisure to ponder the meaning, departing without doubt.)

Right Scroll: Textual Verification Key Points

Diagram on Embryo-Nourishment, Yin-Yang, Norms, Correct Conduct, and Elimination of Evil

When divine beings speak, the perfected person turns inward in practice; if you can grasp this, you must apply “loss” (sun)—cutting back selfish desire and reckless action—on your own person; only then have you understood the true meaning. Outer affairs will naturally align; close your eyes and look within, and you may resonate with the numinous. There is no need for many words; merge with the Dao. Yin and Yang cover and protect each other—this is the law sealed by Heaven.

The method of long life lies in opening the eyes to inner clarity. You need not be stubborn or overbearing; gentleness and breadth are better. Heaven and Earth uphold this great harmony; a person who, like one blind and deaf, does not heed or speak rashly, can respond in kind. To grasp the meaning, think of the fetus in the womb: for ten months it does not eat, yet its qi and spirit stay linked with the mother’s body.

The way of nature has nothing above it. Though the eyes do not look outward at random, qi still dwells in the “twelve layers” (twelve levels in the body, or the twelve realms shown in the diagram). Therefore returning to the state of an infant brings no calamity; when the old return toward youth, they connect with the Dao. Hence the picture marks the “twelve layers”: the upright receive good fortune; the unworthy alone bear misfortune.

The Dao of Heaven always endures and does not vanish without cause; its movement is like the four seasons in cycle, ending only to begin again. The old returning to the beginning—therein lies long life. You should ponder the meaning without straying; exhaust yourself in accumulating virtue and repeatedly walking the Way, and you will mature in the practice. Yet it is better still to put your full effort into “that person”—the one who unites with the Dao.

If the person is not fit, the Dao will not move in vain or be transmitted rashly. The Dao is like wind, silently present at one’s side: use it and it is there; do not use it and it seems absent. The worthy have where they belong (their community); the unworthy also have their allotted place (their locale); life and death rest in the person—one must constantly hold fast and fix one’s conduct. This passage repeats: the Dao is like wind, dwelling silently beside you; in use it exists, in disuse it seems gone; worthy and unworthy each have their destination; life and death are in oneself—steadily determine your path.

Heaven itself is without fault; people bring loss and ruin upon themselves. Ponder the meaning carefully—you must not act rashly either. Heaven entrusts long life to those who keep the Dao and earnestly practice; when people refuse, they choose death. Keep these admonitions in mind: transmit the Dao only to suitable persons, and it will be easy to carry out.

In antiquity, sages who transmitted the Dao once drank blood to seal their oath (a sign of solemn pledge). The Dao of Heaven is weighty and deep; fools treat it lightly. The Dao is the model for the ten thousand things: obtain it and you are clear; lose it and you are lost. Though Heaven and Earth are vast, they do not err by a hair’s breadth; the wise and worthy nourish themselves well and can almost speak with the numinous. This is the thread of Yin-Yang and the pivot of Heaven and Earth.

The ancient sages knew this well, so they set it forth plainly to show the heart of the Dao of Heaven: inwardly to cultivate the person, outwardly to dispel calamity. If you do what you ought not and force it, you share Heaven and Earth’s sorrow.

Note: In the original, lines such as “The Dao is like wind…” and “life and death in the person, constantly fix conduct” appear more than once; the translation above merges them without changing the sense.

Plain-Language Interpretation of Taiping jing, Scroll 53: “The Four Methods of Governance” (Section 79)

The Perfected Person bowed with reverence, his body trembling, and said: “Your disciple now wishes to ask about one more matter—not entirely about cultivating the Dao. When the Bright Master explains, nothing is unclear; therefore I dare to ask again: there is one thing I do not understand—what is it?”

The Celestial Master said: “Speak. I will explain it to you now.”

The Perfected Person said: “When emperors appoint ministers, should they always use the elderly? The young are not, by nature, the ones meant to govern the world.”

The Celestial Master asked: “Why do you ask this? I observe the timeliness of Heaven: lately things have not gone smoothly in succession. Sometimes the fault lies with those in power—ministers whose names and reality do not match, so the seasons and climate fall out of tune; the ruler is not clear-sighted, disasters appear together, and those who study the Dao are dragged down with them. Even Heaven, Earth, the sun and moon, and the three lights still suffer illness because of this—so when government is not upright or clear, where can a Dao-person hide and alone escape harm? Therefore, though I alone have received Heaven’s special favor and been able to live long, I often dare not feel at ease.”

The Perfected Person said: “From youth I have followed my teacher and asked about matters, but I have not understood everything. Now, not presuming on your patience, I ask the Celestial Master again to explain the essentials thoroughly—for I fear there may never again be a chance to know them.” (Stop.) “It all depends on the Bright Master’s further guidance; I have no choice but to ask the Master to teach what your disciple has not yet fully grasped.”

The Celestial Master said: “Good! You speak well. Hearing you today, I know that the governance of Great Peace is about to arrive. Good—I will explain as fully as I can; follow along and record it carefully.”

The Perfected Person said: “Governing the world has four methods: there is governance by Heaven, governance by Earth, and governance by Humanity; when the three Qi reach their extreme, then comes the governance of insects, beasts, plants, trees, and all other things. I wish to hear their meaning.”

The Celestial Master said: “Governance by Heaven means: the minister is old in years, yet the ruler treats him as he would a father—honoring him—and as he would a teacher—revering him.”

A Plain-Language Reading of the Scripture of Great Peace

When the minister’s rank is low, yet the ruler serves him

A minister’s station is naturally below the ruler’s—so why should the sovereign still treat him with the reverence due to a teacher? Because rank may be low while De (Virtue/Power) deserves honor: what the ruler serves is the minister’s moral worth. Ruler and minister should share one mind and together bring peace to the realm.

Earth-style governance: treating ministers as friends

In a model of rule patterned on Earth: the ruler treats ministers as friends—aligned in purpose, sharing the same cares. Earth is yin and soft, kin to the mother-principle; they feel the same and worry together. Though the minister’s place is humble, his virtue harmonizes, and the ruler’s governance settles into peace.

Human-style governance: belittling their role

In a model patterned on humans: the ruler undervalues what ministers do, treating them as too light and too cheap—like a father who has a son still too young to counsel him, so governance stays small and troubled.

Governance patterned on all creatures that walk on feet

In a model patterned on every living thing that walks on legs: the ruler sees ministers like dogs or like grass and trees—no longer choosing the worthy, appointing whoever happens along. This is called “the image of a person” (xiangren): the shape of a human without human understanding. Why? The xiangren is only the look of property, the shell of a person—empty inside, never planning for the ruler—so strife comes easily.

Heaven-patterned governance

In a model patterned on Heaven: every minister under heaven is the ruler’s teacher—so the sovereign should treat them as a father treats a child. When people cherish their children, when do those children fall into grave peril? A teacher can lift a disciple out of trouble from all directions—when would timing fail?

Earth-patterned governance

In a model patterned on Earth: every minister under heaven is the ruler’s friend. Same intent, joined counsel, shared anxiety, wishing together to secure each one’s place. Earth is yielding and bears what is above; it fully receives Heaven’s will and keeps Heaven’s heart—when would there be a time of unrest?

Human-patterned governance

In a model patterned on humans: one attains qi of central harmony—the harmonious can advance or retreat and is hard to pin down—like a son still young who cannot think deeply for his father and so deceives him; like a minister still “young” in wisdom who cannot plan deeply for the ruler and so deceives the sovereign.

Structural summary

In Heaven-rule, ministers are honored as teachers and the realm stays safe. In Earth-rule, they are friends in shared purpose and the throne stays steady. Where rule mimics merely human pettiness or treats ministers as empty shells, governance falters—small chaos and betrayal follow.

Governance through “less”: Those who use little of the sun and moon’s light and whose learning is shallow are not worth fearing in themselves, yet they are often deceived—hence small disorder in the realm.

Governance modeled on crawling creatures and the myriad beings (qixing: insects and beasts that crawl): Creatures of this kind have no ritual and righteousness; what the myriad beings know is limited, and there is no real talk of virtue and the Way. Their nature is to make no distinction between high and low and only to struggle for strength and victory—so governance falls into disorder and ruin.

Governance modeled on Heaven: Benevolence, cherishing life, not harming others.

Governance modeled on Earth: Following what is good to accomplish things, with occasional minor harm.

Governance modeled on human beings: Mutual scheming for profit, many desires, frequent mutual injury, deceit, and neglect.

Again on governance modeled on crawling creatures and the myriad beings: In the end it cannot succeed; regardless of size, they seek only to win—that is all.

〈Stop〉 From these ways of governing, one can see that the timing of Heaven, the relation of above and below, and the central pivot have not yet entirely lost their proper order.

In seeking joy, the first priority is to model Heaven, the second Earth, the third human beings, the fourth the myriad creatures.

Modeling Heaven: One alone attains great longevity and aligns with Heaven’s heart. Heaven has three channels of writing and three clarities—the sun, moon, and stars in their array: the sun observes yang, the moon yin, the stars the center; hence one should practice writing in three channels and strive to become clear and intelligent. When writing arrives, it is for what is to come; having a master’s name is enough—there is no need to keep asking “who is the one who communicates.”

Modeling Earth: Writing in two channels.

Modeling human beings: Writing in one channel; something may still barely remain.

Modeling crawling creatures and the myriad beings: Words are only just set up, then there are no documents again.

That things are like this now—is it because Heaven has made them so?

This is not entirely of human making; more often it is the turn of the times.

Even so, the way an emperor governs is tied to the great trend of the world. When an age of Great Peace (Taiping) is about to arrive, the ruler should act in accord with Heaven, taking Heaven’s likes and dislikes as his standard and modeling governance on the Dao (the Way) of Heaven. When a period of moderate stability (zhongping) is coming, he should model himself on the thick virtue of Earth that carries all things. When minor disorder is looming, he must rely on human rites and institutions. When great chaos is at hand and commands no longer hold, each thing acts on its own; one can only respond for a time according to how the myriad beings naturally run their course. Why is it so? And what should be done now to set things right?

When the Dao of Heaven is about to raise up some undertaking, when some dynasty or De (Virtue/Power) is about to rise, auspicious portents (ruiying) appear and wondrous scriptures (wenqi)—heavenly books—are also revealed and entrusted to the right person, so that people awaken deeply and the Dao is passed on. When decline is near, Heaven hides these writings and they no longer appear; people also lose the will to seek the Dao.

Does a worthy minister need only be old in years? No. “Old” here means a venerable elder (qijiu) long seasoned in De (Virtue)—one who, like Heaven, keeps to the correct path without the slightest deviation, and so can steady the ruler and the realm. If one is merely aged and knows nothing, he is of no use.

What boundaries should master, friend, child, and myriad things each observe? Serving a master is like serving a father: as a son studies under a strict father, as a disciple receives instruction from a clear-sighted master, one must obtain the secret stratagems, hidden words, and sacred texts within the heart, to settle the realm, comfort the ancestors, and offer in the ancestral temple—repaying Heaven with De and acknowledging its great merit. Only then can one win the hearts of all under Heaven, harmonize Yin and Yang, and dispel disasters. Toward friends, one should be loyal and trustworthy, planning together and probing deeply what is good or evil, easy or hard. Toward a child, a father has hidden matters he dare not tell fully; a child has faults he dare not report fully to his parents—each side must keep measure and not deceive one another completely, or the order of relationships will collapse. As for myriad things, in great chaos their numbers are endless: species vie to live in spring and summer and to die in autumn and winter, unwilling to yield even slightly to one another.

(Chun bowed twice and said: The questions are too many and indeed too heavy—not quite fitting; to the master they have been asked excessively.)

I dare not hide this text away. To see it yet not act accordingly would fear offending Heaven—where then should I properly place this book?

Since you have come to ask, you ought to exert yourself all the more in practice. When you meet someone who can understand it, entrust it to him, that he may deliver it to a sovereign of virtue; if the ruler takes it as the standard for governing the realm, the effect will be nearly miraculous. To obtain it yet not reflect deeply and apply it earnestly—Heaven will not overlook you either.

“Yes, yes—I dare not go against my teacher’s words.”

Yet my words must not be greatly violated either. It is because Heaven and Earth desire Great Peace for the world that the ultimate Dao is revealed, sending you from afar to inquire in detail into this method; a celestial messenger has me speak and convey these words to you—I do not speak in vain. Heaven does not wish to say much; if I without cause divulge Heaven’s essential Way, I ought to suffer punishment. Take my words and deliver them—there is no harm, no cause for doubt. I tell you in utmost sincerity: Heaven will further entrust the ruler with weightier commission, hence this admonition. Heaven’s course has its fixed timing for fortune and misfortune; whoever receives and practices it will meet with good fortune—do not doubt it.

(He asked again) May I ask the name of the person who practices this Way?

The Dao of Heaven bestows upon the myriad things—nothing may be privately claimed. Whoever inquires and first delights in practicing—that is the person. The Great Dao is supremely precious and must not be employed in secret; to practice brings good fortune, not to practice breeds doubt.

(He asked again) What exactly do Heaven and Earth see and hear, that they would set forth everything together in this age?

There truly is that which can be seen and heard—it is not empty talk. Heaven delights in safety and peace, in freedom from disease, in supreme peace; therefore it would have the people all at rest, without evil cries, not contending with one another.

When all things rest in their proper places, there is no calamity, only joy; then heaven speaks through human beings and does not speak in confusion. If yin and yang turn upside down, fight and clash, violate one another, and harm each other, so that the myriad things cannot each rest where they belong, the sun and moon cannot shine clearly, and the stars wander out of course, then heaven too falls “ill,” troubled and unable to find relief. If what ought to be said is not passed down, that illness cannot be cured—hence confused speech appears. Small disorder brings small talk; great disorder brings great talk. Thus the spirits, perfected ones, and sages of past and present are all emissaries sent by heaven: they receive the heart of heaven and speak on behalf of heaven and earth. Since heaven and earth first established their work, this has been the constant rule in every age, so sages in every generation speak and act for heaven.

What do they speak of? Mainly what heaven and earth find grievous and painful. Where the text is damaged or cannot be understood, that is the “substance” (zhi) of the Dao; where there is substance yet it still cannot be explained, that is the “refinement” (wen) of the Dao. Hatred of evil belongs to the Dao’s uprightness and goodness, and aims to awaken people.

Heaven and earth are supreme as spirits, spirits can see clearly, and their station is beyond all rank—so why do they not remove the illness themselves, but instead borrow human mouths to transmit their words? Because heaven and earth are the parents of the myriad things. However good the parents may be, if their children in the middle do evil and rebel, stirring both upper and lower governance into chaos, however good the parents remain, that household is still a bad household. Earth is likewise the mother of the myriad things, and the principle is the same.

It is like a son who ruins his father, a minister who disturbs his ruler, a disciple who rebels against his teacher, or a wife who ruins her husband—they harm one another and fall into great disorder, so goodness can no longer show itself. Heaven and earth, the people, and the myriad things originally share one governance together: in good times they rejoice alike, in misfortune they suffer alike, and so they share the same cares. If they did not share this governance together, they would not take turns bearing one another’s worries.

This passage mainly explains that when yin and yang each keep their place, heaven speaks “correct words” through sages; when order is reversed and chaotic, heaven too is “ill,” and the heart of heaven must be conveyed through spirits, perfected ones, and sages. It also uses the analogy of parents and children to show that heaven and earth are good by nature, while calamity comes from people in the middle who rebel and create disorder; the myriad things are governed as one, sharing the same worries and the same joys.

Therefore, if heaven and earth are to remain long at peace and move toward good order, they are sure to send forth divine true sages—people moved by heaven and earth who can convey heaven’s intent—to speak on their behalf and bring out divine writings (documents bearing heaven’s will) to inform one another. It is like a ruler who wishes to govern well needing sound institutions for good teaching; that is the idea.

If you wish sincerely to grasp the heart of Heaven (Heaven’s will and what it favors and rejects), to repay heaven’s merit (respond to heaven and earth’s grace and finish what should be done), and to dispel calamitous qi (inauspicious qi that brings disaster), my book was written for this purpose. Once you receive it, cherish and reflect on it well, and the heart of Heaven can become clear to you.

The disciple said repeatedly, “Yes, yes—we dare not be careless. We beg the master to instruct us again, even one or two sentences more.”

The master said, “So it is. To repay heaven’s merit and dispel calamitous qi, my book is the method; once you have it, reflect on it properly, and the heart of Heaven will be known.”

The disciple said again, “Yes, yes—we dare not be careless. We beg the master to instruct us again, even one or two sentences more.”

The master said, “So it is. Good and evil each settle on the person: those who do good benefit themselves; those who do evil harm themselves. You already have sincere good intent flowing freely, and you also grieve that heaven and earth are disordered as if sick and that the ruler is unsettled—your merit is already very great. Yet you must think carefully: in doing good you are nearly unmatched; do not stop or let this mind weaken. Keep thinking on the good and acting in accord with the constant Dao.”

The disciple said, “Yes, yes—we dare not slacken, we dare not slacken.”

Note on this section (original fascicle)

The facing column also gives a classificatory scheme for entries such as “resentment and distinction,” “governing what is appropriate,” and “signs of safety and danger.” This book is Taiping Jing Hejiao, fascicle 54, section Ding 3, essay title Shi Neng Wu Zhengsong Fa (Method for Enabling the Absence of Strife and Litigation), number 81.

The disciple said: “I have already asked many questions. When I listen to the Celestial Master (Tianshi), I always feel refreshed, yet your words seem never to run out; my questions feel as if I could never ask enough. I respectfully beg you to say another line or two.”

The Celestial Master said: “Very well—speak.”

The disciple said: “I now wish to understand heaven and earth, Yin-Yang, the people, and every creature that can move—how the mind-intention applies to the myriad affairs and principles: how to let them long abide in joy and goodness, spend their days in ease without burdensome official duties, each keeping the body upright, no longer mutually grieving and suffering or mutually blaming one another for faults. May I hear you on this?”

The Celestial Master said: “Tell me: which sentence felt especially refreshing and unlike the rest? Which question was especially good and without peer?” (The disciple did not answer; the Celestial Master continued:) “In any case, what you ask must still be explained clearly, following each affair and each principle in turn.”

The Celestial Master also said: “Tell me…” (After repeating the question, he continued:) “What you ask must still follow each affair and each principle so that each obtains what suits the heart; according to each person’s capacity and what they can manage, one must not turn around and force them to do what they cannot. In this way everyone obtains what they seek, each attains their desires, and there is no mutual affliction; each obtains their mind-intention—this may be called roaming at leisure without official duties.”

Between heaven and earth, if people are constantly made to do what is not within their capacity, forced into what lies beyond their reach, and pressed into what they cannot manage; if one constantly sees them unable to act or unable to speak, yet does not pity and instruct them but instead punishes, making grievances knot up and contention and lawsuits multiply, so that the people are bitter, impoverished, and trapped—they then look up and cry to August Heaven: “Truly wronged, truly wronged!” Resentful qi moves the six directions. Thus calamities and anomalies arise in succession; accumulated ills are not one alone and cannot be cleared away at once; the harm is extremely deep—this is losing the mind-intention of all under heaven. In the end there is no success; strange transformations never cease—whence comes the qi of Great Peace (Taiping)? Thus Great Peace cannot be achieved; the blame lies precisely here.

“Though one wishes to be called ever tranquil, yet within there is disorder—how can governance become clear?”

The disciple said: “I ask this now because I wish to know it in full detail—is that so?”

The Celestial Master said: “The nature of heaven and earth: each of the myriad things has what suits it. One should let each employ what it excels at and what it can do; one cannot force what it cannot do.”

(The closing line shares the same point as the passage above on “each obtaining the heart” and “according to capacity and ability”: follow nature and employ capacity, do not force what is difficult—this is the foundation of Great Peace.)

People and the myriad things should each be allowed to bring out their strengths and do only what lies within their power; what they cannot do must not be forced upon them. Though all things receive the breath of Yin and Yang, it is like fish and water: on a high mountain without water they cannot live; once water is present, they can swim whether the ground is high or low, deep or shallow. Great trees likewise depend on earth and cannot grow in the rivers and seas. Therefore the sage kings and enlightened rulers of old, when assigning duties, took from each of the five directions’ soils what was suitable (the Five Phases matching the five directions, each with what fits it), so that products were abundant, each thing flourished in its place, the state grew rich, the flavors of offerings for the ancestral temples were full, the realm was at peace, suffering ceased, and harmful influences stopped and no longer did harm.

If people plant without first examining whether the land is suitable, the myriad things cannot live out their natural span; they harbor unresolved grievance and die young. That resentment reaches August Heaven; the harvest fails entirely; the state is driven to destitution, offerings taste thin, ancestral rites are scant, the realm is afflicted, the people slaughter one another, ruler and minister deceive each other, inner and outer words do not agree—and calamity begins here. That is only when the myriad things are not given their proper place; how much more so with human beings? That the realm cannot be well governed stems from this. It is the root of great harm and the road to peril and ruin—can one fail to be cautious? Can one fail to turn it over again and again in the heart?

Therefore the great sages and worthies of old, when employing talent, always first tested what each person did well and poorly, then conferred office accordingly—and only then put them to use. If there was fault, they questioned them in light of what they did well and did not fixate on what they did poorly. Thus people did not resent Heaven and Earth; instead they became more diligent and careful in the arts they had learned at home, and so they could win the hearts of all under Heaven.

This passage explains that if people in later ages treat state affairs lightly, fail to ponder deeply the words of the ancient sages, yet shift responsibility onto those who ought not bear it—demanding of others what lies beyond their strength, pressing them on what they cannot possibly see—it is like the blind who cannot see the sun or the mute who cannot speak, while each party seizes the other's faults as grave offenses and punishes accordingly; if they do not seek the people's benefit or mutually aid and protect them, but instead play power games up and down the hierarchy and harm one another, that is the great failure of the realm.

From antiquity, feudal lords who brought about great peace as rulers had no miraculous arts; it was all because they employed people for what human strength could accomplish, so they could gather the breath of great peace and keep the people free of pent-up wrongs. When disorder is about to arise, it often begins with putting the wrong people in office, assigning them duties they should not hold, and then heaping heavy punishment upon them; even when punishment reaches execution, it still cannot make each person manage his own post properly. Disasters and anomalies follow one after another and cannot be stopped—then the realm falls into ruin; fortune and misfortune, safety and danger, take their start precisely here.

Therefore in antiquity, when selecting scholars for the sovereign, they first observed and tested their talents to see whether they could align with Heaven and earth, Yin and Yang, and auspicious responses; those who could not align were all regarded as hypocritical conduct. What is meant by alignment? The highly virtuous received great confirmations, the low in rank received small ones: wind and rain came according to the seasons, the myriad things flourished thereby, the people had less litigation, birds, beasts, and insects were at peace—this was the proof. Thus whoever wishes to settle the realm with good governance must examine how people are employed and given office.

Heaven in giving birth to the myriad things endows each with its capacity, and each truly has its proper place—as when dragons ascend to heaven and fish swim in the deep; that is the principle meant. In governing the realm, from the opening of Heaven and earth, the myriad things each use their capacity and each keep their position; when examination and assignment of posts are not confused, the realm can be secure and at peace.