《太平经合校》Vol. 5

Since earth took form, myriad affairs have unfolded; celestial changes too follow their seasons—the crux lies in receiving heaven-and-earth’s intent and aligning with what heaven and earth wish to accomplish.

Heaven takes the three luminaries—sun, moon, and stars—as its script and record; waxing and waning symbolize the ruler through wind. Earth takes mountains, rivers, and field paths as its grain and order; mountains exhale breath and waters course like meridians; decline and rise, shift and collapse, are symbolized for ministers through anomalous winds. Humankind passes things on through voice and speech, and advances them through writing and documents. The ten thousand things “speak” through decline and flourishing, so that people understand at a glance.

Humans stand at the center of Yin-Yang, chief among the ten thousand things, with the greatest scope for action; like spirits yet embodied, they change, advance, and retreat. Such anomalies ought to be recorded clearly, speaking on behalf of heaven, earth, and the myriad beings. Thus if one kind of speech does not circulate, grievances knot; if two kinds do not, blockage follows; if three kinds do not, estrangement deepens; if four kinds do not, harmony fails to respond and what is born becomes irregular; if five kinds do not, Qi turns contentious and combative; if six kinds do not, evil arises in the six directions; if seven kinds do not, ruin sets in; if eight kinds do not, dwelling becomes hard and society splits into many houses; if nine kinds do not, mutual harm increases; if ten kinds do not, repeated upheaval follows. Therefore one must strive with all one’s strength to keep such speech flowing.

In antiquity there was no writing—by what did people communicate? Writing ought to arise, yet it often stops halfway. When heaven and earth began and when they will end, later ages truly cannot witness this directly. The Three Sovereigns of middle antiquity established speech though there was as yet no writing. In later antiquity, heaven-and-earth Qi again broke off and revived; only divine persons do not know from of old whence they came. Having passed through many events, they know its divisions and principles; within them there should originally have been writing, which later generations never saw—so they say it never existed. Why is there writing at some times and none at others? When celestial Qi is exhausted and people grow foolish, thin, and short-lived, they cannot sustain writing worth carving and recording.

Heaven therefore uses written documents to instruct the people of the world, so that knowledge can be passed down through generations and people may understand: in antiquity, when there were no written characters, people disputed with one another and could not tell right from wrong—each side clung to its own view—so written documents became necessary. That was only because people of that time were too ignorant; books were made for their sake, and Heaven issued credential texts and stipulations.

Someone who heard the master’s teaching said he had understood, and hoped that the documents would be handed down so that people would know that in ancient times, without writing, people litigated, could not set one another straight, and each insisted they were right—hence the need for documents. It was solely because the world was dull-witted that books were written for them, and Heaven gave the voucher texts.

They asked again: “How should one ‘open the flow of qi’ nowadays?”

The answer was: simply let the writings of the Three Ways and the Eight Directions circulate freely, so that the words of commoners, officials, and ordinary people can all reach the top—do not withhold them without cause. Urgent matters should be handled and resolved on schedule; what is not urgent should follow the rhythm of heaven, earth, and the myriad things—wait until the seventh month when the ten thousand things conclude, in the eighth month make a brief review, in the ninth month adjust again in order; if by the tenth month matters are still not returned (or still not closed), then within three years, if someone submits memorials and fully shows sincere intent, seek that person out and employ them. Such a person is a fine minister of the state—sharp of ear and clear of eye, able to observe and listen, never losing grasp of conditions in the four quarters. When a ruler obtains such people, the realm is stable and bright, and they should be put in office.

They asked again: “How should one employ them?”

The answer was: you must question each person separately about what they can do, have each write clearly what they can undertake, what they can analyze, and what they can take long-term responsibility for, and appoint them according to their innate nature—then what they govern will not go wrong. In this way you win the hearts of all under heaven, government grows daily more flourishing, and you enter Great Peace: no excessive punishments, the myriad things are not ravaged, no common people are wronged, heaven and earth stay in harmony, and upper and lower can communicate. Therefore one can live as long as the sovereigns of high antiquity. The reason life spans are long is that there is no penal law and no harm to life; imposing many punishments in turn harms the person who imposes them. That is why sages of high antiquity were unwilling to use punishments heavily; in middle antiquity punishments were used half as much, so lifespans were also halved; in later antiquity punishments were used in great number, so lifespans alone grew short. The malign qi of punishment offends Heaven and violates Yin-Yang, accumulates as malign qi, and injures people again.

(Note: In the context of the Taiping jing, “Three Ways” and “Eight Directions” often mean the channels and documentary systems that link Heaven and humanity, upper and lower, and all regions; “voucher texts” means credentials or stipulations established by Heaven or by institutional order; “opening the flow of qi” means that decrees, information, and the qi of Yin-Yang move freely between upper and lower.)

In antiquity, the sage-kings did not lean heavily on punishments because they cherished their own lives (sharing qi with Heaven and Earth—harming the people was harming themselves). In middle antiquity, people were half foolish; punishments were applied lightly and sparingly, so half the people could still be preserved—the other half still fell victim to execution and punishment. In later antiquity, people were greatly foolish; punishments were applied arbitrarily and treated as normal practice, so most could not attain long life—the root of calamity lies here.

Readers of this book should read it again and again, treat it with reverence, and act with caution—life and death are weighty matters and must not be handled lightly.

When a father is wise, he plans deeply for his household; when a minister is wise, he plans deeply for his lord. If a son is unworthy, he will not plan deeply for his father; if a minister is unwise, he will not plan deeply for his lord. Be cautious: life and death are weighty matters and must not be handled lightly. (This passage repeats in the original with the same meaning.)

What is meant by “youth” can be understood as the fortunes of one’s own person in this life; the fortune or misfortune one meets will extend to later generations—this is a fixed pattern.

Therefore, when the sage-kings of antiquity appointed subordinates, they chose carefully among those who had the Dao, possessed De (Virtue/Power), and did not delight in killing and harming people—not only for the sake of the people, but even more for their own deep planning. Only then would they align with the intent of Heaven and Earth, and every move would seem to be in the company of the spirits. This is what is meant by carefully elevating the right people and becoming a ruler who wins the support of all. In this way they could move the spirits; the true gods in Heaven would also protect them, and thus they alone could attain long life.

Those who are fond of employing punishments walk the same path as yin; yin governs killing and destruction, so long life is hard to attain. Though the Mandate of Heaven is subtle, it can be glimpsed: what Heaven and Earth and human beings abhor is the same.

Note on this section (title at end of original): The passage to the right discusses the way to win the hearts of Heaven and Earth, the people, and the ten thousand things, so that the state flourishes, families are secure, and the realm is free of litigation and strife. It comes from Taiping Jing Hejiao (Collected Taiping Jing), juan 55, ding bu zhi si, related to Taiping Jing juan 50.

Plain Summary of the Scripture

Question: “Can one’s great destiny be known in advance?” Answer: “It can be known. When one meets an enlightened teacher who speaks thus, great confusion is already untied; only there remain things one cannot avoid, and one hopes to be admonished once more.” Answer: “Good. My Dao can now illuminate the mind. When you obtain the scripture you must read it; one often suffers from not being familiar with it—once familiar, understanding comes naturally. If you do not well ponder its utmost meaning and do not read it with care, even if you obtain my book it will bring no benefit; if you obtain it yet do not earnestly practice, how is that different from not obtaining it? Seeing food yet not eating—how is that different from having no grain? Seeing water and drink yet not drinking—thirst cannot be quenched. This is not a matter of worrying about others but of harming oneself—can one not be careful? Therefore the sage applies effort to thought; the gentleman strives to learn the Dao, day and night without pause, and still gladly models himself on Heaven, turning and moving without ceasing; the hundred streams gather and only then form rivers and seas. You must carefully remember my words—I have already warned you again and again; you must hold them close and not forget, and then the mind can be illuminated. In doing good, act together with all the worthy—do not monopolize your own ‘market.’ When goods in the market are few, what people seek they cannot obtain; thus if people do not study broadly, what they see is not clear. Hence people may glimpse the true Dao yet not grasp its essentials, not believe in the Dao, then doubt without firm trust, each trapped in their own ‘market’—this is why people impoverish themselves. Therefore deeply ponder its meaning and use it to save and support yourself.”

Right: Pointing to Lifespan

Method for Knowing Decline and Growth and Returning to Lifespan, Section Eighty-Three (title: the method of knowing flourishing and decline and restoring years of life, the eighty-third section)

Heaven arranges human affairs, each with its measure and rule. Destiny can be assigned to a person, and the Dao also has what may be done; things appear sooner or later, all gradually shown in advance. It is like the myriad things stirring at the zi hour, sprouting at mao, branches hanging at wu, ripening at you, and ending at hai—though one may foresee the course, success is not yet guaranteed. Each matter has what suits it; signs and omens often appear first, and before the event matches, a path is already opened for it. Omens sent down from heaven usually go ahead; they do not lag behind. When the right person appears, the way of the Dao opens for him, and he may receive protection and aid; if it does not open or connect, acting will not succeed—that person is not the one. Take this as clear proof: the Dao speaks only after scrutiny, without error. Only for the right person is the way made clear; for others it stays closed. When scrutiny finds the right person, illness can be removed, disasters fade, and outer tribes submit of themselves—without raising armies, they perish on their own. The growth of the myriad things each has what may be set and arranged; with the right person they show themselves; without him they hide. Where the person is wrong, nothing may be forced; what is not his may not be seized; land that is not his may not be planted by force—planted, it will not thrive. To say the planting was poor is really to say the inner placement was wrong—how could it last? The six extremes and eight directions each have what suits them; the forms of the myriad things differ, and no two affairs are alike. Metal’s phase belongs in the west, wood’s in the east; each in its place flourishes, out of place it perishes. So the myriad things must cling to earth to grow—they cannot cling to heaven; sun, moon, and stars instead cling to heaven and thereby give light. The Dao is the same: when there is the right person, the star is in heaven and the hour has brightness; fallen to earth it has no light—that is not being in its place. Therefore one must not disturb the constant Dao. When there is something that may be done, it emerges; one must not act rashly—if it is the person, it is clear; if not the person, it cannot be done.

Dao (the fundamental law of the cosmos) is unfathomably deep. Lose the Dao and you fail; obtain the Dao and you flourish. If you wish to know rise and decline, look at whether the Dao can be put into practice and whether one can gantong (resonate with) the spirits; when the heart shows signs of extending life, judge by this—you will not err once in ten thousand cases. This is a shenshu (divine book); it concerns the term of life extension and is supremely urgent—you must not fail to consider it.

It should be handed to persons who are humane and wise. Try having them act according to the book and verify their own fate. If the person is suitable, the worthy and the wise will gather, the divine book will arrive in response, and wondrous methods will appear of themselves—everyone rejoices; that is the right person. Verify efficacy in this way. If it is not so, or if there is only a prior vision, you still must not rashly put it into practice; leave it for later generations—the Dao must not be transmitted recklessly.

If there truly is someone fit to receive it, ask only that person and have them reflect for themselves. If the Dao can be entrusted to them, you can neither forcibly forbid nor forcibly compel; listen to whether they can accept it and see whether they can succeed—the Dao must not be passed on in vain.

Even so, talent is not as good as strength, and strength is not as good as doing without stopping. Most affairs under heaven succeed or fail only after trial; spirits of heaven and earth also test people, so people, like the way of heaven, test one another. When you see a good person, their fate has already turned good; when you see a wicked person, doubt has already arisen in their fate.

From antiquity to the present, without moving heaven by utmost sincerity yet calling it forced seizure—sometimes one can still obtain it; when forced seizure fails, it shows it was never truly yours—you must not seize by force, or affairs will often be discordant and perverse.

Human fates divide into three grades: gui dao yu ye (return the Dao to the wilds and common folk)—give it to those who can use it; for those who cannot use it, entrust it to the capital or cast it into the great city—by all means do not bisai duanjue (block and cut off; do not obstruct or hoard so that the Dao cannot circulate).

Plain-Language Explanation

If later generations lack a suitable heir, entrust the scriptures to the worthy and to Daoist priests. Do not fixate on “who is master” or “who has fame”—only hand them to someone who can truly live by them. The Dao has its own fitting course; not everyone may casually add branches and leaves or invent doctrines of their own. It is like a great tree returning to the forest or water returning to the sea—nothing can hold it back; that is nature. Those who align with it flourish; those who oppose it fail. When the divine book is meant to appear in the world, it cannot stay hidden; meeting the right person, it naturally shines forth; meeting the wrong one, it is as if to the deaf and blind—the body and mind are ill at ease, and the eyes have no light.

Reading this “clarifying the meaning of the Way and right versus wrong” policy text in detail brings peace and joy. Heaven’s gift of prosperity and extended life largely rests on this. The qi of Great Peace is already visible: the people’s nature becomes kind, careful, and good; the worthy and sages rejoice; strange texts and unusual teachings are entrusted accordingly; people strive to practice and ceaselessly assist themselves; enlightened kings and sage rulers flourish thereby; the troubles of barbarians are turned back thereby. The myriad people are greatly blessed—words cannot exhaust it; heaven’s mandate of long life is at work, and people no longer wrong themselves; the old finish their lives in accord with fate, the young are preserved whole. The scriptures never perish for ten thousand generations, passed from child to child, taught day by day—they are called true writing, unchanged for ten thousand generations, bringing good fortune to all. When the work of the Dao is complete, accomplishment comes naturally; blessing and rank arrive of themselves, and one dare not refuse them.

(Opening) When a great person obtains this, a whole realm may be settled; when a person of middling attainment obtains it, he may serve as a fine minister; when a petty person obtains it, he may preserve his body and escape harm. (Closing)

Right: Policy text on clarifying the meaning of the Way and right versus wrong (that is, policy texts of this kind that explain whether one aligns with the Dao and how right and wrong are judged, as in the passage above.)

In the section “Cun” (Preservation), Part Ding, Section Four, there is a passage stating that to understand the true efficacy of our great Daoist teaching, one should entrust it to a wise and virtuous ruler and have him carry it out according to the scripture’s intent; only then will it resonate with Heaven and Earth—and that resonance is the clearest, most verifiable proof.

The material quoted in Volume Six of the Yunji Qiqian, in the “Four Auxiliaries” (Sifu) section, largely matches the wording found in Leaf Seven of the Sanhe Xiangtong Jue (Formula of the Threefold Unity and Mutual Penetration) in Volume Forty-Eight of the scripture (this is the collator’s note).

Title and fascicle numbering: Taiping Jing Hejiao (Collated Scripture of Great Peace), fascicles fifty-six through sixty-four, correspond to Part Ding, Sections Five through Thirteen.

Missing title: The original section title here is lost; surviving manuscripts do not preserve a rubric for this portion.

Responding to Heavenly Principle, Harmony Above and Below, Removing Heavenly Disasters, and Cutting Off Deceit and Apocryphal Prognostic Texts

In high antiquity, people had open hearts, clear eyes, and unobstructed ears; they could foreknow what had not yet come to pass. Pondering the future deeply, they could move even things without feeling; they stood clearly apart from ordinary people, and what they undertook rarely failed. Whatever they said or taught was thorough and solid; they did not lose the heart of “huang xu” (the original mind that keeps to emptiness and stillness and accords with the Dao of Heaven), and they yearned for wisdom and words without limit.

They knew that human lifespan—whether it advances or retreats, long or short—has its allotted place for each person; they regularly received intimations through Yin-Yang harmony, took the essential point among upper, middle, and lower, and entered covenants of constraint with the host of spirits. Yet none might violate the great taboos of Heaven and Earth, or the teaching received along the divine way one serves.

To know the advance and retreat of lifespan, long and short, each in its division; to receive messages regularly through Yin-Yang union; to take the essential among upper, middle, and lower; to be bound with the spirits in constraint—yet not to violate the great taboos of Heaven and Earth: what one receives in service must accord with heavenly intent. Documents inform one another and reach upward to Tianjun (Heavenly Lord). When Tianjun receives the writings and sees that self-restraint and the terms of constraint are clearly kept, he then issues teaching, so that one does not blame oneself wrongly but advances straight and true within. If one does not report clearly, it becomes known of itself; voice and sound penetrate fully; the rules above and below each keep their seasons without missing the term.

Fearing one might fall short, there was never a time without self-reproach; one constantly feared fault and being entered in the supervision record. Spirits testified and reported to one another without slackening; if there was fault, demotion in rank would appear. Hence repeated verbal commands and reiterated written words: one must not go against what was said. This is what Heaven ought to uphold and what the divine powers look up to; all act according to the law and dare not rest. Fearing that something might not get through, what is received is not one thing alone; one must open heart-and-mind, fearing to miss the appointed time. Spirits have high and low; above and below attend to one another; if one does not match what was said, a sparse record appears at once. With anxious, compassionate worry, constantly as if hungry and thirsty and wishing to eat.

Tianjun opens his words; when he knows, he issues teaching and enables mutual oversight. The documents are not one alone; one must grasp their intent, and afterward each has its trust. The people of high antiquity knew gain and loss and coming events, inner and outer, above and below; they observed the four directions; beyond the four quarters they saw the regulating threads—year after year as if hungry and thirsty and wishing to eat. Tianjun opens his words; when he knows, he issues teaching and enables mutual oversight. The documents are not one alone; one must grasp their intent, and afterward each has its trust.

People of antiquity could know what had been and what was to come. Observing from within and without, above and below, and beyond the four directions, they grasped the ordering principles by which Heaven and Earth run their course. As the years advanced, divine intent and the work of creation turned in cycles without end; time itself has no fixed boundary.

The measured courses of the stars each follow their own principle and must not be altered at will. The myriad affairs respond to one another according to pattern, so there is no need to doubt further. Because people knew where fortune and misfortune begin, calendars and year-records were established. A year has three hundred sixty days; by reckoning the large and small months, when the accumulated fractions fall short of a full month, that month is a short month. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter each hold their allotted place. On the clepsydra, water rises and falls; its flow is sometimes fast, sometimes slow. One must consult old and new seasonal rules so that every mark is clear and not off by a fraction.

Each month has its allotted qi (vital energy): the front and rear clepsydra marks each carry roughly seven or eight qi, and on long days there are also seven or eight, to govern comings and goings and sacrifices to the celestial and earthly deities, so that all officials govern by the clepsydra without error. If marks are missed, the heavens are not answered; the faults incurred are more than one. Therefore day and night must be divided, following the length of the day, with a hundred marks as the standard and no deviation. In a kingdom of virtue, days are long and the water runs slow; one inch equals ten parts, matching the numerical law. Today many no longer use this method: the sun and moon are treated as too short, and one mark counts as only eight or nine parts. Hence in the years of the aged, what should be weak appears strong; their years are thinned, and how can they last long? When a state has many ministers and officials and the pivot of government turns slowly, the young may still receive blessing and gain a little respite—not necessarily all is evil—yet invasion and harm still appear. Only the clarity of Heaven and Earth lies in the south: si and wu share one house; Li (Fire) is the orthodox eye; the affairs of the bright hall (Mingtang) and the brightness of the sun apply—when the state has many ministers, the pivot is slack, and the south, Li, Fire, the bright hall, and solar clarity remain the standard by which rule should align with Heaven.

Matters of the Bright Hall (Mingtang): This concerns the rules that the Bright Hall—the ritual space where ancient emperors proclaimed policy and communicated with Heaven—must follow.

Sun, moon, and Yin-Yang: The light of sun and moon shines from south toward north; the advance and retreat of Yang qi follow a fixed pattern and never miss their rhythm. Yin and Yang interact and resonate with one another, all the way to the direction ruled by the zi position (due north, midnight). Cold and warmth answer each other directly; brightness shines through, all arising from nature itself, to one’s delight.

Nurturing life and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water): The way of nurturing life lies in the qi of Lesser Yang and Greater Yang; Wood and Fire nourish each other in glory, each in its proper place—what is there to contend over?

Linking above and below: Inner and outer correspond; ranks and names stay in order. Above reaches the “imperial radiance” (the light of celestial signs and exalted station); below extends to the realm of silence. In stillness and spontaneity, the splendor of the ten thousand things is plain to see.

Heavenly norms and life and death: There is no need to force things; completion comes naturally—this is what Heaven relies upon; one receives the name one is due and performs the role assigned. Where celestial mechanism and measure point, life and death each have their fixed term. Si Ming (Director of Fate), the god who holds the registers of lifespan, keeps the rolls of names; the counts on the ledgers match the documents. If one is not summoned according to the register, what is sought is checked against the divine ledgers in inquiry and verification—then it cannot reach Tian Jun (the Heavenly Lord). Tian Jun has those who lead and receive reports; the spirits who carry messages never leave his side. Reverence within and without; none dare take authority privately. What rises and what descends each keep their season. Tai Yin (the Great Yin)—the yin spirit or yin officer in this charge—dares not slacken; the main gates and pavilions are kept in order, lest anyone speak out of turn; so they pass down what is good and what is essential, record names on official notices, and act when instructed—without the slightest deviation.

Wisdom of high antiquity: In earliest times, intelligence and thought illumined and saw all things; receiving the way of the spirits, it was clear for all to know, and there were norms that never lost their constancy. From Tai Chu (the Grand Beginning)—when heaven and earth were still undivided, or when reckoning of time first began—the sequence of ages has been long or short, profoundly subtle and essential. From antiquity to the present, the key to issuing the calendar lies in where it stops and what it completes; by mind one calculates and waits; nothing accomplished below fails to succeed, matching number and straight as a plumb line; years and months are accumulated, reckoned in great divisions.

Brief notes on terms: Si Ming—the god who governs lifespan and name registers; Tian Jun—the chief god of the heavenly realm; Tai Yin—here, the yin god or yin officer on duty; Tai Chu—the name for the undivided cosmos or the origin of calendrical reckoning.

In the natural order, heaven and earth ought to be in a year of great harmony; the emperor ought to sit at ease without worry; the people ought to wander freely with light corvée; grain need not be pushed to the fore with no stable market price. Yet under heaven wine is brewed on a vast scale for mutual drinking, and the ways of the marketplace have reached an extreme—this is called “water commanding and fire acting,” injuring the transforming nurture of yang qi. When ordinary people get drunk once, the pulse of frenzy rises: buying and selling fail in duty, people beat each other to death, or fall victim to robbers; some leave for the market at dawn and are still abroad when they should be home; some are harmed by adulterers, fall from heights, or are hurt by cart and horse. To trace the harm of wine—its branches are beyond counting.

Consider within the four seas how many marketplaces there are: in a single month the grain consumed runs to hundreds of millions of pecks and bushels, and lives are killed without cause every day—some leave the childless alone with no heirs, some bind parents in resentment and invite disaster, some spread calamity to sons and grandsons. County officials and magistrates cannot judge cases on principle; the people beat their breasts and cry to heaven, moving the imperial numen, so that the qi of yin and yang, the four seasons, and the five phases are thrown out of order, and the governance of the Lord of Supreme Great Peace is obstructed, making the qi of grand harmony run counter to its course. All this comes from letting the people brew wine without cause—both wasting grain and drawing such disasters upon themselves.

Let a ruler of virtue issue edicts and clearly tell officials and people: from now on, whoever dares to drink one peck in the market without cause receives thirty strokes of the rod and three days of penal labor; two pecks, sixty strokes and six days; three pecks, ninety strokes and nine days—each according to the amount of wine. The same for wine shops: all are made to repair city walls, roads, and official buildings. The reason they are punished with repair of walls, roads, and offices is that it is great earth-work: earth overcomes water, to suppress, cut off, and extinguish (the harm of wine), so that water does not exceed its measure and injure yang. Water belongs to supreme yin and also symbolizes the people, yet it in turn damages the way by which kings rise and injures yang essence—the harm is very deep. Repairing roads takes its pattern from divination related to the “Great Dao,” gradually setting Great Peace in place.

Source note: The passage below comes from “Yinjiu yuan” (On the Origins of Drinking Wine) in juan 14 of the Yaoxiu Keyi Jielü Chao (Essentials of Ritual Regulations and Precepts), quoting a dialogue between a True Person and a Divine Person on prohibiting wine from the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace).

People throughout the realm brew wine and invite one another to drink, chiefly out of profit and custom, yet it deeply harms the yang qi and clarity within the human body. When ordinary people drink until thoroughly drunk, they sing wildly and make a commotion: some brawl on the spot and kill one another, or injure and rob each other; some commit adultery because of wine, or fall from high places while intoxicated. The harm done by wine is beyond words or count. Consider how many marketplaces there are within the four seas—in a single day they consume hundreds of millions of dou and hu of grain; because of wine, trouble spreads to local officials; it even makes descendants lament, alarms the August Heaven above, and disrupts Yin-Yang so that the qi of the four seasons and the Five Phases cannot run their proper course. Why deliberately make this drug that drives people mad and urge one another to drink it? Can it be banned altogether?

The Divine Person replied: Well said! Food and drink concern life itself. Some of what I say may be followed strictly and some adapted, but it would be best for a ruler of virtue to issue orders and teach: from now on, anyone who drinks one dou of wine without good cause receives twenty lashes; two dou, sixty blows with the staff; three dou, ninety blows; one hu, three hundred blows—and so on in proportion, proclaimed throughout the realm, so that worthy gentlemen know the law and fear disgrace and will surely not take part; when fools break the ban, punish them; households that brew wine share the same guilt as those who drink.

The True Person asked again: What if there is a guest who has come a thousand li, or elderly or weak family members who need care, or wine required for offerings to the spirits—what then?

The Divine Person replied: A gentleman who comes from afar, knowing the realm has this prohibition, must not commit a grave offense; even a small amount is not allowed, and gathering to drink together is even less so. If there is old age or illness in the household, wine used as medicine may be allowed as an exception.

This passage explains that one should observe the yin and yang of Heaven and Earth and the myriad things, so that above and below cherish and complete one another, establish merit and renown, and keep the heart of the household in harmony—so that people no longer hate one another and can often share one mind and one virtue. Then the qi of great harmony (Taihe) will arise naturally day by day, great peace will flourish under Heaven, the Six Extremes (the four directions plus above and below, or the six fundamental orders) will be of one heart, and the eight directions (all regions) will plan together. When governance accords with the human heart, none fail to respond with joy. Rooted in the primordial qi of Heaven and Earth and aligned with the positions of yin and yang, evil will quietly fade away, the rebellious will all return to harmony, the great numinous Dao will be displayed, and the spirits will be pleased. Above, one presents Dao and De (the Way and Virtue) to August Heaven; below, one marks out degrees and divisions for mountains and rivers; in the middle, one sets laws and standards for emperors and kings—so that the worthy can give rise to good intent, and thereby dispel the great resentments between Heaven and Earth, so that emperors and kings are no longer in distress, the people love one another, and the myriad things each find their place—the law of Heaven endures, and its pattern is not hidden.

In antiquity, sage emperors and enlightened kings valued ministers who loved their subjects and benefited the people without harming them; ministers in turn were loyal and trustworthy and did not deceive their lord, so governance was as if divinely assisted. A worthy father always thought of securing his son, and the son always thought of bringing joy to his father; father and son joined strength and shared one heart, and no household failed to prosper. If they did not join strength and share one heart, the way of the household would surely fall into disorder, duties would be lost, emptiness and extreme poverty would follow, and through quarreling they would scatter and turn to harming one another. When even blood kin—father and son, sharing one lineage and connected as limb to limb—are like this, how much more when one gathers under Heaven people of different surnames to serve as lord, master, or father? Therefore the sage sees the subtle and knows what is coming, and deeply warns and is cautious.

The master (shi) belongs to yang: he loves the disciple and guides him with the good Dao, so that he learns to honor Heaven, cherish Earth, respect those above, and benefit those below; the disciple reverently serves the master, diligent, compliant, loyal, trustworthy, and not deceitful. Master and disciple join strength and share one heart, take ancient and modern law as their model, act on the words of the sages, clarify the divisions and principles of the realms of Heaven and Earth, so that the myriad things each find their place, worthies accumulate without end, and they become fine assistants to emperors and kings—planning together in governance to bring about great peace. If they do not join strength in one plan and do not transmit the essential Dao to one another, but instead exalt flashy empty talk and deceive one another, oppose the divisions and principles of Heaven, and confuse the words of the sages—so that the Six Extremes are unclear—that becomes a great calamity for all under Heaven. If emperors and kings take such people as masters, they lose right principle and law, turn against Heaven and Earth, fail to obtain the intent of the spirits, and become a great harm to the world.

(The original title of this chapter is missing.)

From birth, a person is endowed with Yin and Yang; movement and stillness, anger and joy each have their proper season—and there are times when union of yin and yang is not yet due. At such times, Yin and Yang chiefly serve to “bring forth life.” The Way of Heaven requires the three powers to unite before completion is achieved, which is why a child only walks steadily at about three years. “Three threes make nine” means the path of union is fully rounded only at that point. People may not yet know yin-yang union; desire may arise in the mind, but it cannot yet be carried out in act.

Heaven’s number is five, earth’s number is five, and human’s number is five—three fives make fifteen, and the Qi stored within begins to stir. Four fives make twenty; aligned with the Qi of the four seasons, one feels the urge to release. The four seasons govern growth and generation, so what is sought is the work of “giving life.” Five fives make twenty-five—the Qi of the Five Phases is sufficient to bear release. Five sixes make thirty, and the force is stronger still. Therefore Heaven often puts release on the mind, to thread through the continuity of heaven and earth and to perpetuate the kinds of things. At thirty, there comes a period of “exemption”—a stage when one need not behave like youth in frequent union. In old age one declines; in youth one should restrain desire and keep to the inner chamber. Among all creatures that crawl and walk under heaven, only humans most fully pattern themselves on heaven and earth; other species cannot reach that degree.

Thus heaven and earth, in one day and one night, jointly nurture the “twelve thousand ten thousand things,” enabling them all to flourish. Night Qi is deep, day Qi is dry—“deep” belongs to Yin, “dry” to Yang. Day after day heaven and earth together nourish these twelve thousand ten thousand things so each is brought to fullness.

By heaven’s law, yang essence unites, forming “the giving of two yangs,” then enters the earth below to follow it, jointly generating the twelve thousand ten thousand things. Two thousand of these belong to auspicious and excellent kinds.

Each of these twelve thousand ten thousand things keeps its own spirit, and each has its “chief and leader”; they should follow one Great Way so that upper and lower can flow together. The Way of Heaven has above and below; the spirits of the myriad things turn toward their respective rulers, just as people in the world share one great road and turn toward the king.

The spirits of the twelve thousand ten thousand things are born with heaven and earth, all issue from one Great Way, and are great, middle, and small. What does this mean? The twelve thousand ten thousand things are inherently large and small; the Dao they follow is also large and small—each is generated, each keeps its allotted place and acts accordingly.

The scripture says that among the twelve thousand kinds of things in the world, some are large and some small, and the “Dao” each follows also differs in breadth and narrowness, in magnitude—each grows and operates according to its own capacity.

Therefore, the highest Dao takes “ten thousand paces” as its measure; next, “a thousand paces”; then “a hundred paces,” “ten paces,” and at the finest “a single pace”—five grades in all, corresponding to the five directions. All things are born from the same earth, turn toward the same heaven, and walk the same path. Thus the great Dao can embrace ten thousand paces, the middle Dao a thousand, the small Dao a hundred, the coarse (mao) Dao ten, and the fine (hair-thin) Dao one step: things large and small each move within the span they can hold.

Above they receive heaven’s gift; below they bestow upon the earth. Once they have come forth, all should together pay court to heaven. Hence the great Dao can only be opened and connected—it must not be recklessly gathered in or blocked. Once it is gathered in, they no longer fit one another: some fail to be born, some are injured and die, some never come into being at all, cutting off posterity; what harms people harms people, what kills kills. The sages of old dared not abandon the great Dao because they had clearly seen the mandates of Heaven (tianjin—Heaven’s prohibitions and patterns).

On what grounds would you go against the Dao of Heaven and harm people? Dao belongs to heaven and to yang; it governs birth. De belongs to earth and to yin; it governs nurturing. If many things cannot be born, know that the Dao of Heaven has already been harmed; if there are those that cannot be born, know that heaven intends to cut off and suppress (a category or a line). When one thing cannot be born, one thread of lineage is severed; the more that cannot be born, the more lines are severed; the fewer, the fewer severed. From how many or how few things fail to be born, you can gauge how far the heavenly lineage has been injured.

When Dao flourishes, it chiefly generates, and the myriad things can all be born. When De flourishes, it chiefly nurtures, and the myriad things and the people can all be nourished, without accumulated wrong (yuanjie—grievance and entangled resentment).

This passage asks: when good content in the book uses azure as the background and cinnabar-red for the writing, what does that mean? Because this Way takes “qing and dan (azure and cinnabar)” as its pledge of truth—azure stands for growth, humane mind, and life; red is the color of the sun and also the correct color of Heaven. This Way is like the sun: it follows benevolent governance and does not wish to harm the myriad things.

The Son of Heaven is like the heart of Heaven; the Empress is like the heart of Earth. The role of the “heart” is to uphold the correct Way. Heaven covers and generates everything, great and small; all receive mandate and come to life, hence it is called Heaven. Heaven is the truth of the utmost Way and does not deceive people; all things ought to be approached and cherished. The mind of the person (especially the ruler) must accumulate sincerity and keep faith, always intending to benefit others and not harm them, not failing any single thing—only then does one match Heaven’s pattern.

The emperor is Heaven’s son and the chief among people; in conduct he should likewise be like Heaven. The heir apparent (or all sons) should receive the father’s instructions and follow them strictly; then the household Way matches the father’s mind and becomes a good family. If they do not receive the father’s teaching, great and small go unmanaged—that is a ruined family: wealth scatters in all directions and cannot be gathered, disasters follow one after another, and suffering begins from this.

In antiquity, when emperors were about to act, they first looked up to observe Heaven’s mind, received instruction in the middle, and only then moved. The Empress’s virtue should accord with the land: Earth carries everything, great and small all attach to it, nurturing good and bad alike without distinction. The Empress is Earth’s child and Earth’s heart, bearing worry for the myriad affairs; children should take the mother as their model—only then are they filial sons.

Heaven, Earth, and the Empress correspond to one another like echo answering sound: a fault in small things harms small things; a fault in great things harms great things. Even if the error is as fine as a hair, if it does not match the “mother’s” (Earth-heart) intent, trouble will arise. In antiquity, when the Empress was about to act, she first kept in mind Houtu (the Earth Goddess): nothing is not nurtured, nothing is unbearable, the myriad things have their constants—by this she settled herself and aligned with Earth’s heart. If this is lost, calamities and strange events come in succession, punishments do not cease, yin flourishes while yang declines, the myriad things do not thrive—and the fault lies here.

When the Son of Heaven and the Empress both walk the correct path, then divine truth appears, the true Way prevails in the world, the wise and worthy hold office, and good things return to the realm.

Yuanqi (primordial qi) belongs to yang and governs generation and growth; natural transformation belongs to yin and governs nurturing all things.

Heaven is yang and governs generation; earth is yin and governs nurturing. The sun and daytime are yang and govern generation; the moon, stars, and night are yin and govern nurturing. Spring and summer are yang and govern generation; autumn and winter are yin and govern nurturing. (The text repeats passages on the four seasons, sun and moon, day and night, with the same meaning.)

Among the Heavenly Stems, jia, bing, wu, geng, and ren are yang and govern generation; yi, ding, ji, xin, and gui are yin and govern nurturing. Among the Earthly Branches, zi, yin, chen, wu, shen, and xu are yang and govern generation; chou, mao, si, wei, you, and hai are yin and govern nurturing. “The various nines” are yang and govern generation; “the various sixes” are yin and govern nurturing (nine and six commonly denote yang and yin numbers).

Men are yang and govern generation; women are yin and govern nurturing all things. The male is yang and governs generation; the female is yin and governs nurturing. The ruler is yang and governs generation; ministers are yin and govern nurturing.

All affairs under heaven require yin and yang together before things can be born and nurtured. If yang alone cannot grant generation, yin has nothing to nurture; if yin alone receives no transformation, yang has nowhere to apply its governing power of generation.

When the line of yang qi is cut off and blocked, that is heaven’s great resentment. When yin receives no transformation and cannot bring forth, that is the great fault.

Heaven’s resentment: yang refuses to grant generation properly, so the myriad things do not come to life, and instead it favors killing what has already been born. Earth’s fault: yin refuses to receive transformation properly, to produce and nurture, yet blames people and instead harms what ought to be nurtured.

When heaven does not send rain in season, it is a vicious heaven; when earth does not generate and nurture the myriad things, it is a vicious earth. When men do not take granting generation as their duty, the thread of heaven’s succession is broken; when women do not take receiving transformation as their duty, the thread of earth’s succession is broken.

Main idea: The whole passage repeatedly uses heaven and earth, sun and night, the four seasons, stems and branches, men and women, ruler and ministers, and the like to show that yang manages “birth” and yin manages “nurturing,” and the two must work together; if either side fails its role, heaven resents and earth is at fault, and the myriad things cannot be properly nurtured.

If the way of Yin-Yang is severed and there are no descendants, that is great misfortune. It is as when heaven and earth are once destroyed: no new heaven and earth can ever arise again. For this reason sages and worthies cherish the written essence of heaven’s intent. Heaven is the refined essence of all paths (Dao).

Worthies who love the Dao therefore stand after sages; worthies who enter the true Dao therefore stand after transcendents (xian). Only those who are true ones (zhenren) can become immortals, so “true” ranks after “transcendent.” Whoever knows the true can surely reach spirit (Shen). Spirit shares heaven’s form and principle; hence heaven is called spirit and can command spirit. Spirit is the officer of August Heaven; the spirit-person (shenren) is August Heaven’s foremost heart.

The nature of heaven and earth is that the clear governs the turbid, while the turbid cannot govern the clear. Essence-light is the heart of the ten thousand things. Clear governance uses the heart to examine affairs and should rely on clarity and brightness.

The spirit-person resembles heaven: heaven moves and illuminates, knowing all things. The true person resembles earth: earth is utterly sincere and does not deceive heaven, only following what people plant without altering it. The transcendent resembles the four seasons, transforming the ten thousand things with no fixed form—now flourishing, now declining. The Dao person resembles the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water): the phases can indicate fortune and misfortune and excel at safety and danger. The sage resembles Yin-Yang: Yin-Yang, like heaven and earth, govern affairs and harmonize the ten thousand things; the sage too should harmonize the ten thousand things, complete heaven’s heart, and act in accord with Yin-Yang. The worthy resembles mountains and rivers: mountains and rivers master the circulation of qi and reach distant places; the worthy too should open the six directions for the sovereign. Common people resemble the ten thousand things: wherever things arise there is no high or low—all have common people—so they mirror the ten thousand things. Servants and slaves are born in a declining age; they resemble the weak among grass and trees who must submit, always dwelling in the lower stream and unable to rise; because they constantly stay below and cannot extend themselves, they mirror grass and wood.

Servants and bond-servants are a class of people that appear only in ages of decline and disorder. They are like the weak, ground-hugging kind of plant in the grass and trees—always at the very bottom, and therefore hard to lift upward. Because servants and bond-servants usually occupy the lowest station, they symbolize the weakness of plants and trees.

For this reason, if someone among servants and bond-servants is virtuous, they can rise to become a good person; if a good person diligently studies and follows the Dao, they can become a worthy person; if a worthy person keeps learning without stopping, the next step up is Sage; if a Sage still does not stop, they come to know the gateway of the Way of Heaven, enter the Dao without ceasing, and can accomplish the work of not dying; going further, they become an immortal; if an immortal still does not stop, they enter True perfection; if one who has attained True perfection still does not stop, they enter Shen (spirit/divinity); if Shen still does not stop, they take the same form as August Heaven.

Therefore the highest spirit-person dwells in the Northern Pole Purple Palace, shares the same image as the Heavenly Emperor God, and is called the Heart-Mind Spirit of Heaven; if spirit still does not stop, they transcend even the highest heaven, receiving only conferred qi (the qi of the heavenly mandate), teaching through sound and voice without a physical body, linked above to Heaven and concerned with affairs in the heavens. Below the spirit-person, all alike are concerned with the six directions within Heaven and Earth, harmonizing together so that the myriad things do not suffer illness and hardship.

[Appendix] The Zhengyi Fawen: Taishang Wailu Yixia Ren Siyi Shou Yao Lu cites the Taiping Jing as saying: Servants and bond-servants who obey their lord and ruler and study goodness can become worthy persons, and may be spared to remain good persons and fine commoners; fine commoners and good persons who keep studying without stopping become worthy persons, worthy persons who keep studying without stopping become Sages, Sages who keep studying without stopping become Daoists. [The text repeats a parallel chain:] Daoists who keep studying without stopping become immortals, immortals who keep studying without stopping become True Persons, True Persons who keep studying without stopping become great spirit-persons, and great spirit-persons who keep studying without stopping become conferred-qi spirit-persons.

In the vast realm of heaven and earth—extending to the utmost depths and the six extremes—what is best? Among the thirty-six thousand worlds, longevity is what matters most.

Hence there is a fixed order: Heaven comes first, Earth second, then spirit persons (shenren), True Persons (zhenren), Immortals (xianren), Daoist practitioners (daoren), Sages (shengren), and Worthy persons (xianren)—eight ranks in all. These eight kinds of beings share the mind of August Heaven (Huangtian), the same intent, and combined strength; all may be called Heaven-and-human beings (tianren)—those Heaven employs and sustains. Heaven and Earth place each in its proper role, so their concerns tend to align; they are the ones Heaven cherishes and rears.

Heaven above all desires unending life and lasting existence; Immortals likewise desire long life and survival. Those who cling to life dare not do wrong, each scheming to keep themselves safe.

The Six Directions Perfected One bowed respectfully again and again and asked: “We wish to inquire about the way of Heaven; we dare not speak rashly. We beg the Celestial Master of the Yellow Heaven to grant us leave—may we speak?”

The Celestial Master replied: “Speak; do not hesitate.”

The Perfected One repeated the same request, and the Celestial Master answered again: “Speak; do not hesitate.”

The Perfected One said: “Yes, yes. Today only the Celestial Master can explain for emperors the calamities of chengfu (the burden of ancestral faults falling on later generations) left by those who came before, and can establish institutions that revive the ruler, removing from the world all that is strange and inauspicious. We dull-witted ones wish to assist Heaven, so that the qi of the sun may flow freely and shine bright, that emperors may grow daily in strength, that deceitful men may be wiped out, that the wicked may not prevail, that bandits may vanish, and that demons and monsters may hide themselves and no longer appear—can all this be achieved?”

The Celestial Master answered: “The six of you ask well; Heaven has sent you Perfected Ones to ask this. Good. When the noble person is already without worry, petty men and treacherous ministers dare not make trouble; the way to overcome them has already appeared, and calamities will settle of themselves. Now I will explain in detail for you disciples the tiange fa (Heaven’s normative law), so that you miss not a fraction and each keep it in mind.”

The Perfected One said: “Yes, yes.”

The Celestial Master continued: “Good. ‘Tianfa chuixiang’—Heaven displays its law as omens and images. Sages of high antiquity constantly acted accordingly and did not dare to violate it. Therefore they could often dispel the inauspicious, cut off cunning, and keep treacherous ministers from rebellion—all by relying on the way of Heaven, so that yang qi would daily flourish and the virtue of Fire shine bright. If one does not know whence the time of decline comes, one must quickly cut off Metal qi (the energy of the Metal phase) and not let it take the lead. Once Metal qi is severed, Wood qi can hold sway, Fire shines bright, and there is no longer any season of decline.”

The Perfected One asked: “What does this mean?”

The Celestial Master answered: “Good. The ruler should quickly abolish weapons of war. Weapons belong to the Metal category; therefore they should be cut off at once. Do you understand?”

〈Stop〉〈Start〉 Nowadays it is often reversed: the ruler bestows weapons upon ministers. Weapons belong to the Metal phase, so such grants should be cut off as soon as possible.

〈Stop〉〈Start〉 Again it is often reversed today: the ruler bestows weapons on ministers. Military force is of the Metal category and is what the sovereign alone should hold. The sovereign’s title may be called Metal King—a Metal King will suppress Wood and weaken Fire; a Metal King will also drain the vitality of Wood as represented by Jia and Yi; when Wood is suppressed and the qi of Yi is cut off, Fire loses its brightness. If the Wood ruler (Wood phase) cannot expand, Earth cannot arise either; when Fire is dim, Earth qi instead grows daily, the earth’s energy shifts again and again, and strange omens and anomalies appear—so such grants should be cut off quickly. Do not bestow Metal-type weapons and the like, in order to suppress and extinguish ill omens; that is the principle.

Question: “What Heaven rejects is in nature no different from the spirits. I wish to ask: when the Metal phase flourishes and suppresses Wood, why does Fire also grow weak?”

Answer: “Well asked! Your follow-up can be said to have entered the Way. The perfected one wishes to delight in knowing the greater signs, so: if in spring one follows the trend of promoting Metal and raising armies, it will harm the Wood of Jia and Yi, displeasing Heaven’s Green Emperor (the celestial lord of the east, spring, and the Wood phase) and enraging the Red Emperor (the celestial lord of the south and the Fire phase); Bing, Ding, Si, and Wu (stems and branches belonging to Fire) will also be out of harmony. To avenge the parents’ grievance, Fire is made to produce many portents and great transformations, giving rise to major signs—thus in spring, following the promotion of Metal armies injures the Wood of Jia and Yi, the Green Emperor is displeased, the Red Emperor is enraged, Bing, Ding, Si, and Wu are discordant; to avenge the parents’ grievance, Fire is made to produce many portents, great changes, ill omens, harmful anomalies, and cunning. Its pattern inversely makes the Fire phase’s governance chaotic and muddled—how can it be so? The great fault lies here.”

Question: “Excellent, excellent! I wish to hear why there must be many unruly people, crafty ministers, and bandits.”

Answer: “For the perfected one I explain again so you may know clearly. Heaven’s fixed pattern (constant law) is: when parents see robbers harming people, the children should take vengeance. A house that seeks vengeance inevitably gathers ill omens; only the false, sycophantic, crafty, and young who can practice the wayless are fit to take vengeance and commit rebellion. Therefore, when one follows the granting of Metal weapons and crushing injury to Wood, the Fire phase cannot be governed in balance. This is Heaven’s constant pattern; it cannot be altered because of human affairs.”

The Six Real Persons—heavenly messengers who convey the Mandate of Heaven—said: Because people often do not believe such words, you must quickly put an end to “golden soldiers”—that is, forbid private hoarding of weapons and abuse of military force. Whoever still clings to arms commits a grave offense; once they are dealt with according to law, calamities such as fires will at once subside, governance under Heaven will quickly settle, and everyone will call it good.

Why is this so? Among the Five Phases, Fire symbolizes the ruler, so when Fire’s virtue is abnormal, disasters and portents are often the most severe; the changes governed by Metal, Wood, Water, and Earth are usually not as striking as those of Fire.

If you wish to see how this plays out in fact: among the five planets, Yinghuo (Mars) presides over disaster and change, and its shifts are the most violent—this is clear proof; the other four stars do not reach that intensity. Hold fast to the words of this scripture of mine: the laws of Heaven will not err by the slightest measure. The Real Persons answered: “Yes, yes.” (The scripture ends here.)

[Supplement] The sovereign’s prohibition against casually bestowing weapons on feudal lords reflects royal governance when the qi of Metal holds sway. When Metal’s qi is excessive, Wood’s qi is overcome and weakens; when Wood weakens, Fire does not shine clearly; when Fire is not clear, that corresponds to the omen of weapons about to be raised. Fire represents the ruler and can move the changes of the four seasons; Yinghuo is the most sensitive indicator of celestial change. Heavenly law is strict—not a hair’s breadth off.

This passage repeatedly explains to the six disciples how the seasons, the Five Phases, and the king’s governance correspond to one another, and the logic behind the positions of heaven’s gate and earth’s portal.

First section (Five Phases and seasonal timing)

“Xing” said: This is again setting forth for the six disciples the “method of expounding heaven’s law.” When metal qi is fully extinguished and cut off, wood qi can fully “reign,” pressing down on the position of earth; yellow qi (earth) cannot rise, so in spring wood is strong and earth is weak. Therefore only in spring does heaven, at the wu position, cut off metal qi so that wood can rise smoothly; fire qi then grows brighter day by day, metal qi is imprisoned, and deceitful people are cut off. When metal is imprisoned, water qi rests; yin does not dare harm yang, and the myriad things can be born—be careful, do not bring calamity and change. When wood reigns and there is no metal, wood can hold power; earth qi dies. The people and ministers are loyal—here the original text repeats; the gist is still: when metal is imprisoned, water rests, yin does not harm yang then there is birth, be careful of calamity; when wood reigns without metal it holds power, earth dies; the living people and ministers are loyal and trustworthy and dare not do wrong—this is the stipulation heaven has fixed, the covenant decrees (heaven’s established covenant and written rules). The innate nature of heaven and earth and their constant course—do you know them?

The disciples answered: “We hear, we hear.”

Second section (the king bestowing arms and yin-yang)

“Xing” said: You already know. Now again for the six disciples I reiterate the heavenly law, so that… (the original text here has missing characters). As the realm now rises with armies, it belongs to metal qi. The king may again at the year’s start bestow blades and weapons, or tour the four quarters and halt, yet in the end bestow metal arms. The king is the “king”; giving people metal arms is called “king metal.” When metal is strong, water is in phase; when metal is strong it harms wood; when water is in phase it harms fire. The northwest belongs to yin, the southeast to yang; lesser yin holds reign, greater yin is in phase—called the two qi—both can overcome their yang. Disaster arises below; cunning and wrongdoing; when yin qi stirs there is much reckless speech and bandits arise—this is heaven’s stipulation. Do the six disciples know?

Answer: “We hear, we hear.”

Third section (Celestial Gate and Earth Portal)

“So. The six perfected ones already know; heed the heavenly law.”

Answer: “We hear, we hear. We now wish to ask: the southeast is yang—why is it the earth portal? The northwest is yin—why is it instead the celestial gate?”

Fourth section (meaning of gate and portal)

“So. Gate and portal are where the qi of heaven and earth first arise and where all things enter and leave. Therefore the southeast…” (the following text overlaps the question and is damaged; it can be read with common Taiping jing doctrine): the southeast is the direction of utmost yang, yet it is named earth portal; the northwest is yin, yet named celestial gate—because where qi is born and where it enters is not simply matched to surface yin and yang, but gate and portal are named by “where qi is generated and where it enters.” The qi of heaven and earth is first born here; the myriad things enter and leave here—hence the names celestial gate and earth portal.

Brief gloss of terms (woven above or corresponding)

• Method of expounding heaven’s law / heavenly law / stipulation and covenant decrees: the unchanging rules heaven sets forth and establishes, like bond documents.
• Metal qi reigning, wood reigning, earth dying, etc.: the flourishing, phase, death, and imprisonment of the Five Phases in the four seasons, correlated with politics, military disaster, bandits, and similar signs (Taiping jing often “discusses governance through qi”).
• King metal: the king’s bestowal of metal (weapons); name and reality both belong to metal qi.
• Celestial Gate, Earth Portal: not everyday “doors,” but the directional portals where the qi of heaven and earth first arises and where the myriad things enter and leave (southeast as earth portal, northwest as celestial gate, is fixed in Daoist cosmological schemes).

This passage explains the yin-yang directions of Heaven and Earth, the mutual overcoming and generating of the Five Phases, how a king’s use of armies can invite disaster when the phases fall out of order, and how such disorder must be restrained by the “Heavenly Law” (tianfa).

Southeast and Northwest: the Gate of Earth and the Gate of Heaven

Southeast is the place of utmost Yang. When Yang reaches its extreme, Yin is born; hence southeast is called the Gate of Earth (dihu)—the gate through which Earth-qi enters and leaves. Northwest is the place of utmost Yin. When Yin reaches its extreme, Yang is born; hence northwest is called the Gate of Heaven (tianmen)—the gate through which Heaven-qi enters and leaves. For a zhenren (Perfected One) who wishes to grasp the principle, compare this: chujiu begins from jiazi, and chuliu begins from jiawu—that is precisely the pattern of Yin and Yang turning into each other, head and tail linked.

Thus the Dao of Heaven turns like a ring: cycle after cycle, with no true end. When the king holds power and acts in the proper way, even faint upright qi will rise again with it.

Raising armies and disorder among the Five Phases

(The Perfected One also told the six disciples another matter.) When a king greatly raises armies, the Wood Phase (Wood virtue, the qi of spring growth) is deeply shaken and loses its normal breath; once Wood-qi is disordered, Earth easily “becomes king” and gains the upper hand. When Earth is strong, Metal is greatly assisted; when Metal is strong, weapons and rebellion arise again and again, Qian and Dui (the qi associated with the northwest direction) are set in motion, and barbarians, robbers, and bandits in the northwest also stir up trouble repeatedly—all of this follows the natural law; even the spirits of Heaven and Earth cannot forbid it.

Therefore one must earnestly suppress and cut off Metal things (Metal virtue, weapons, punitive killing, and the like) and not let them run loose at will.

The disciple said: “Excellent! Hearing the Master explain the Heavenly Law, we know how formidable it is.”

The Perfected One replied: “Since you know fear, it is auspicious.”

For one ruler alone, or for all under Heaven

The disciple asked again: “Now High Heaven and the enlightened Master pity our dullness and failure to penetrate the Great Dao, and have explained the Heavenly Law very clearly. Is this law only for one ruler, or does all under Heaven follow this one pattern?”

The Perfected One said: “Yes—Heaven takes this as the constant normative law (changgefa). Still, the Wood and Fire Phases must not rise without cause; if Metal as the ‘peak’ (Metal virtue, military affairs, and the fortune of punitive killing) lets coin and armed force dominate too much and robbers run rampant, the harm becomes great and the realm hard to pacify. Conversely, if Metal-qi is allowed to reign as great king, the calamity is even worse. Whoever can align with our Heavenly Law and cut Metal off is immediately auspicious; good governance can flourish and treacherous ministers vanish—the Heavenly Law does not deceive people.”

The disciple said: “We wish to hear the deep meaning and essential formula of Heaven’s taking this as the normative law.”

The Perfected One said: “How thorough! What the six of you ask. The harm is extreme; those who respond to the Heavenly Law and cut Metal are at once auspicious; governance rises, evil ministers are cut off, and the Heavenly Law does not deceive.” (The later text repeats the request to hear the “meaning and formula of the normative law” and the same answer—meaning to confirm again and again: cutting Metal and following Heaven is the core formula for ordering the realm and quelling chaos.)

Summary

The scripture uses the Gate of Earth in the southeast and the Gate of Heaven in the northwest to show mutual generation of Yin and Yang; it uses jiazi, jiawu, and the like to show endless cycling. It then says that a king fond of war disrupts the Five Phases (Wood alarmed → Earth ascendant → Metal assisted → weapons and bandits)—natural principle of Heaven and Earth, not something human power can wholly forbid—so in governing the age one must suppress and cut off Metal things and not let Metal virtue and military punishment spread without limit. The Heavenly Law set forth is both a fixed norm and applies to all under Heaven, not to a single ruler alone; Wood and Fire must not rise rashly; when Metal is too strong, robbery and disorder make peace hard; cut Metal and follow Heaven brings auspiciousness, flourishing rule, and the end of evil ministers—the Heavenly Law is truly not empty.

The six zhenren (Perfected Persons) asked in great detail. Heaven and Earth take the east as lesser Yang (Shaoyang), symbolizing the sovereign’s first emergence—hence the sun rises in the east. They take the south as greater Yang (Taiyang)—here “Taiyang” means the sovereign: in the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), the Li trigram stands for the sun, and the sun stands for the ruler; the south belongs to Fire, and fire likewise stands for the ruler; the south corresponds to summer, which among the four seasons chiefly nurtures growth—the place where the myriad things conceive and flourish, whose virtue is greatest. Thus south, fire, and sun symbolize the ruler; this is a fixed pattern of correspondence.

Even so, among the Five Tones (Wuyin), the jue tone aligns with the east, and Fire’s position aligns with the south. Now Taiping qi (Great Peace vital energy) has reached its fullness; Heaven is about to raise Yang qi. Seeing the six zhenren come to ask, I know this is the charge of a heavenly emissary (tianshi); therefore I set out in detail the norms the Lord of the Greater Yang (Taiyang jun)—the ruler symbolized by south, fire, and sun—should follow; the zhenren must carry them out with care.

(The following passages repeat the emphasis: Taiping qi has risen to its peak; Heaven will raise Yang qi; seeing the six zhenren inquire, knowing it is the angel’s mission, therefore fully explaining how to enact the Greater Yang Lord’s practice—the zhenren must be cautious.)

The zhenren replied: “Yes, yes” (wei wei).

Vernacular Interpretation

Today the Celestial Master Xinai has explained the laws of Heaven’s Dao for dull-willed students in full measure. I still wish to ask one thing: when the emperor of the age receives his ministers and the people below them—in terms of Heaven’s Dao, the emperor is like a parent, the ministers are worthy children who therefore assist the emperor in ordering heaven and earth, while the common people are unworthy children at home who farm the fields and manage livelihoods for their master. When the emperor meets them, by right there should be gifts; if there are none, grace does not reach ministers and people, and the folk have nowhere to learn the Way—what is to be done?

Answer: The Perfected One asks well. It should be thus: when you meet the worthy, grant them written teachings and classics; when you meet hunger and cold, grant food and clothing.

Question: Why grant written teachings when meeting the worthy?

Answer: Written culture (wen) arises in the east and shines forth in the south. Hence celestial patterns begin in the northeast, books come forth from the northeast, and Heaven shows itself through heavenly signs. The tiger has its stripes, corresponding to the yin position; the dragon has its markings, corresponding to the chen position, bearing heaven on its back—the Li trigram symbolizes culture running in the south. The sun, moon, and stars as the three luminaries are all wen; the sun is brightest of all. Thus wen is born in the east and flourishes in the south; the sun rises in the east and reaches its height in the south. Heaven mandates the emperor to take Heaven as model, so one should grant wen to raise up teaching and transformation.

The sun belongs to the Fire phase; when the sun rises, fire can distinguish and illuminate right and wrong in wen—and wen is also what records right and wrong under heaven.

Answer: Good! Good!

(It is said again) The sun belongs to the Fire phase… (same meaning as above)

Answer: Good! Good! The Six Perfected Ones have already deeply understood Heaven’s Dao.

Question: Today Heaven’s illumined master has explained the Dao in full for Heaven, hiding nothing. I wish to hear what kind of written teachings should be granted when bestowing gifts.

Answer: The six disciples have asked about Heaven’s affairs in full detail; it should be thus… (The following text discusses which written teachings to grant; the scripture here seems incomplete.)

People often suffer from unrest yet long to follow the way of Heaven and see peace come soon. The approach is to select the finest passages from the true Daoist writings of high antiquity, middle antiquity, and late antiquity, compile them into a “Heavenly scripture,” and grant it to the worthy so that each may recite and understand it in their own way.

The question now is how to turn these essential teachings of past and present into the fundamental principles for educating the people and assisting the ruler—how to let each person settle in their nature and keep themselves safe. If this can be achieved, the greatest sages and scholars will all rejoice; no evil thoughts will remain in their hearts, and they will devote themselves solely to the law of Heaven and Earth. Then people will honor the ruler and cherish their own lives, deeply aware how rare a wise sovereign is. Among them, the greatest sages and the benevolent will often worry that the ruler is growing old; they will go in all directions seeking unusual methods and present them to the emperor—hence the Heavenly scripture and its texts should be granted.

(Response) “Excellent, excellent! You have understood. If one acts rashly and only bestows weapons, armor, and gold, everyone will pursue private gain; those above will further stir martial energy and spread harm among the simple people. Then profit and desire will flourish, weapons will rise, the Metal phase will dominate, the cunning will rebel, and bandits will swarm. Metal overcomes Wood and also disrupts the Fire phase—this is the natural law of Heaven and Earth. Do you understand?”

(Question) “Yes, yes. May I ask why other scriptural texts are not granted?”

(Answer) “Other books are not texts of the true Way; they confuse worthy scholars, bring no benefit to governance, and cannot nourish their inborn nature. Some scriptures are also too shallow—worthy scholars recite them daily, so they are unsuitable to grant. But one may select good passages from the sacred scriptures of high, middle, and late antiquity, compile them into a document and grant it—only with the concern that they may not be a path of nurturing nature and may instead make people value words over themselves. Any good text may be granted so that people recite and emulate it and turn it into good conduct.”

(Response) “Excellent, excellent!”

(Continued from above) Those scriptures that were considered good in antiquity were written down and bestowed upon the people. The concern was only that they might not be the true path of nourishing one’s nature, and instead lead people not to value themselves but to chase literary ornament. Still, whatever was well written in words could be granted so that people might recite and emulate it, thereby turning it into good conduct. “Good! Good!” “The six disciples have understood.”

“Decree on Rise and Decline Through Human Action,” Section 111

“Today the Celestial Master has graciously explained this to us foolish disciples; we wish to ask: what is the purpose of giving food to the hungry and clothing to the cold? The hungry wish to eat, the cold wish to be clothed; once that wish is fulfilled, they feel gratitude toward the sovereign and never forget it to the end of their lives—they devote themselves wholeheartedly and dare not have a second loyalty. When kindness and favor reach among the people, if anyone obtains a wondrous and exceptional text of the good Way, they dare not hoard it privately; all wish to present it to the ruler so that the ruler may enjoy long life. Therefore one should reward with things like food and clothing—this is called relieving the destitute and aiding the urgent. The worthy love fine writing; the hungry want food; the cold want clothes. When the ruler as lord rewards subjects and people, he must ensure each obtains what they desire, and the realm will be content.” “Good! Good! Therefore by nature one esteems De (Virtue/Power) and deprecates penal punishment. The east belongs to the Dao (the Way); the south belongs to De. The Dao governs issuing forth, so most things are born in the east. De governs nurturing, so most things receive nourishment in the south. Heaven’s pattern: all things turn toward Dao and De, hence most things are born in the southeast and grow upward; the six yang qi of heaven and earth in the four directions, together with the ten thousand things, take form at the chen and si hours—do you understand?” “Yes, yes. Heaven’s pattern uses punishment below, hence the northwest belongs to lesser yin; greater yin governs penal calamity. Penal calamity governs injury and slaughter, so things in the west age and are harmed, and in the north they die. The qi of heaven clash; the six yin have no yang; all things hide within inner cavities, fearing punishment and disaster, and dare not emerge. The Way of Heaven dislikes and suppresses this, so the beasts there all eat filth and refuse. Therefore the sages of old, seeing Heaven’s pattern clearly, honored the true Dao, good De, and wondrous texts, and depreciated martial force—this is plain proof. Today penal calamity and martial force arise in the northwest yet are honored instead; in name it is ‘birth,’ but in fact they all feed on the vile and discarded. Therefore the sages of old, seeing Heaven’s pattern clearly, honored the true Dao, good De, and wondrous texts, and depreciated martial force—this is plain proof.”

In our time, punishment, killing, and the calamities of war arise mostly from the northwest, yet people still esteem such ways. This is yin overriding yang and the base overriding the noble—much of it comes from fondness for warfare. The result is that the people are not loyal and ministers are not loyal; it does no good to the kingly way, and governance is hard to put in order. Do you, the perfected ones, understand? “Yes, yes.”

“You may say you have awakened. Therefore the sages of old always honored Dao, De, and cultural teaching (wenjiao); they regularly placed wenjiao in the best and highest place, while weapons and war preparations they put in the lowest. When a person is alone, he keeps documents on the bed and weapons beneath the bed—then the barbarians will submit of themselves, and robbers will day by day grow fewer.” “Good! Good!”

“Go; you may say you know this now. You six disciples should ponder carefully the meaning of my book, entrust it to a ruler of virtue, and show it to the worthies. My words do not fail Heaven and Earth or the wise. Go; I speak only to the end of this section—if elsewhere you still have doubts, come ask again.” “Yes, yes. Now we six perfected ones, having received the Celestial Master’s strict teaching, each return to quiet retirement; as we reflect on the Celestial Master’s words, we all have points we do not understand, and we only hope the Celestial Master will explain.”

“Say what they are.”

“Heaven has its own four seasons of qi; earth has its own positions of the Five Phases; Wang, Xiang, Xiu, Qiu, and Fei each have their season—today it is simply that people misuse them. How can one make people serve the earth so that shengqi (the qi of generation and flourishing) is activated, while letting the positions of Wang and Xiang mutually restrain and harm one another?”

Alas! Though you six disciples study day after day, it seems to do little good—you grow duller instead of clearer, almost like people who understand nothing. Why is that?

The law by which heaven and earth operate is that the rise and fall of all things turns on human conduct. What people share in using and honoring gains vigor and fresh qi; what is cast off, unused, and neglected decays and falls into distress. Thus what people actively pursue can establish rulers, teachers, and models; what they compete to use becomes precious and hard to settle; what they discard becomes cheap and worthless. Whatever the world collectively promotes each flourishes in its own qi—one need not wait only for the qi of the four seasons and five phases.

Heaven’s rule is this: human fortune and misfortune are the fortune and misfortune of things; honor and lowliness are set by people. The ancient sages knew that heaven’s intent must not be violated lightly. People of high antiquity deeply honored heaven, practiced the Dao, and raised up the Dao—so the Dao was king. In middle antiquity, when the Dao was not practiced, it fell into restraint and was no longer honored. If in middle antiquity virtue (De) was raised, De was king; in later antiquity, when De was abandoned, De too fell into restraint. When people raise up culture, culture is king; when they raise up martial force, martial force is king; when they raise up gold and money, gold and money are king; when they raise up goods and wealth, goods and wealth are king. Whatever the world jointly promotes flourishes in qi; whatever is jointly abandoned and unused is merely ordinary stuff—why must one wait for the seasons and the five phases for something to become “king”?

You study the Dao—why do you not grow clearer day by day, but instead more confused and ignorant? Even disciples who give their hearts to the teaching are like this; ordinary people defy heaven’s prohibitions and deny it, and that is how they have come to this pass. In your view, people have been dull for a long time. If what the perfected one (zhenren) says resembles my exposition of heaven’s way, my opening of inherited burden (chenfu) for the virtuous ruler, and my relief of disasters left by former kings—if anything in it misleads people and cannot be applied, how could it be put into practice? If it were truly wrong, how could one follow it? If you six have doubts and wish to know whether this teaching is greatly effective and true, quickly memorialise the worthy and virtuous ruler so he may implement it; if it accords with heaven and earth, that is clear proof. Yet now the perfected one still cannot grasp deeply: it is people who make things rise, fall, advance, and retreat—compared with you, are ordinary people any different from the blind?

“Today the Celestial Master has explained this separately for us dull ones—we understand. Is there still fault?”

“Since you study, you must ponder the essential meaning; do not merely memorize the lines. If you know the words but not the key, heaven, earth, and the Dao will resent it. Students must refine their study and act with care.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Go, and keep this matter of heaven’s governance in mind—it can suppress treacherous and demonic harm; do not let the virtuous ruler lose the statutes of teaching and rule.”

“Yes, yes.”

In Taiping Jing Hejiao, Scroll 66, Part Ding 15: “Formula on the Relative Worth of the Three and Five” (No. 102)

A student of the Way named “Great Darkness and Folly,” having long failed to understand the principle, bowed respectfully and twice prostrated, and put a major question to the Perfected One.

Question: What is the question?

Answer: The scripture repeatedly says that “the Shanghuang qi of heaven is about to descend,” and I have never been clear: what exactly is this “Shanghuang qi”?

Question: That you doubt deeply and ask earnestly shows you have grasped the point of seeking the Way. Listen carefully; I will explain in detail for the Perfected One.

Heaven, earth, and humanity each have their “Three Emperors” (Sanhuang):

• The Three Emperors of heaven correspond to the three luminaries—sun, moon, and stars;
• The Three Emperors of earth correspond to the three kinds of terrain—high, low, and level;
• The Three Emperors among humans correspond to the three roles—ruler, minister, and people.

Heaven, earth, and humanity each have their “Five Emperors” (Wudi):

• The Five Emperors of heaven correspond to the five planets—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth;
• The Five Emperors of earth correspond to the five sacred mountains—east, west, south, north, and center;
• The Five Emperors among humans correspond to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the five viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and the like).

Heaven, earth, and humanity each have their “Three Kings” (Sanwang):

• The pattern of analogy is the same as for the Three Emperors (three luminaries; high, low, and level; ruler, minister, and people).

Heaven, earth, and humanity each have their “Five Hegemons” (Wuba):

• The Five Hegemons of heaven correspond to the five planets;
• The Five Hegemons of earth correspond to the five sacred mountains;
• The Five Hegemons among humans correspond to the Five Phases and the five viscera.

Great Darkness and Folly also said: The Celestial Master is compassionate and pities one who does not understand; he has no choice but to point out the law of heaven. I wish to know: among these levels, which are superior and which inferior, and how do they rank high and low?

(This passage mainly lays out the corresponding names and symbols for “Three Emperors, Five Emperors, Three Kings, and Five Hegemons” across heaven, earth, and humanity; the concrete statements on relative worth should follow in the continuation of the same formula.)

Well asked! Your kind of probing aligns with Heaven’s intent and enters the heart of Heaven; for ten thousand generations to come it will be firmly remembered and not lost.

In Heaven there are three honored “sovereigns,” with great differences in rank: the highest are like the sun, the middle like the moon, and the lowest like the stars—such is the gap between superior and inferior.

On Earth there are three honored “sovereigns,” likewise in three grades: the highest are like the Five Sacred Mountains (the five famous peaks such as Eastern Peak Mount Tai), the middle like level, fertile land on the plains, and the lowest like poor, thin fields—the gap between superior and inferior is the same.

Among people there are also three honored “sovereigns”: the highest are like rulers, the middle like ministers and officials, and the lowest like ordinary commoners—the gap between superior and inferior is likewise so.

〔Note〕 Heaven’s three “kings” refer to the Three Luminaries (sun, moon, and stars); the levels on Earth and among humans follow the same pattern. In Heaven: the highest is the sun, the middle the moon, the lowest the stars. On Earth: the highest is the Five Sacred Mountains, the middle level land, the lowest fields and countryside. Among humans: the highest is the ruler, the middle the minister, the lowest the people.

This passage uses the image of “dividing something into four shares and taking a certain number of those shares” to illustrate how much weight or rank each grade holds within the three domains of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

The Five Emperors of Heaven (the ranks of the five sovereign lords in heaven): the highest grade is like dividing one day into four parts and holding three of them; the middle grade is like dividing one month into four parts and holding three; the lowest grade is like dividing the stars into four parts and holding three.

The Five Emperors of Earth (the ranks of the five sovereign lords on earth): the highest is like dividing the Five Sacred Mountains into four parts and holding three; the middle is like dividing level, cultivable land into four parts and holding three; the lowest is like dividing inferior fields into four parts and holding three. (This section repeats the same idea in the text; the meaning is unchanged.)

The Five Emperors of Humanity (the ranks of the five sovereign lords among people): the highest is like dividing a great state into four parts and holding three; the middle is like dividing high ministers into four parts and holding three; the lowest is like dividing the common people into four parts and holding three.

The Three Kings of Heaven: the highest is like dividing one day into four parts and holding two; the middle, one month into four and holding two; the lowest, major stars into four and holding two.

The Three Kings of Earth: the highest, the Five Sacred Mountains into four and holding two; the middle, level land into four and holding two; the lowest, inferior fields into four and holding two.

The Three Kings of Humanity: the highest, a great state into four and holding two; the middle, ministers into four and holding two; the lowest, the common people into four and holding two.

The Five Hegemons of Heaven (the ranks of the five hegemons in heaven): the highest is like dividing one day into four parts and holding only one; the middle, one month into four and holding only one; the lowest, major stars into four and holding only one.

(If later lines mix in phrases such as “ministers,” “the people,” or “having two of them,” they do not match the pattern of “the Five Hegemons take one share”; this is likely copyist error or displaced text. By the usual pattern, Five Hegemons in each of the heavenly, earthly, and human levels would also be described by the metaphor of “taking one out of four,” showing a rank below the Five Emperors and the Three Kings.)

Main idea: Using day, month, stars, sacred peaks, soil, fields, states, ministers, and people as proportional measures, the text explains that sovereign lords (Five Emperors) stand highest, kings (Three Kings) come next, and hegemons (Five Hegemons) rank below them; within each title there are superior, middle, and inferior grades, with the better taking more “shares” and the lesser taking fewer. This is a typical graded hierarchy expressed through numbers as metaphors for authority in the Taiping Jing, mapping cosmic order in heaven, earth, and human society.

The Five Hegemons of Earth and Humans, and “Three and Five Each Return to Their Place”

Earth, too, has its “five hegemons.” The better sort are like holding one share among the four quarters of the realm—comparable to one of the Five Sacred Peaks; the middle sort are like one share among the four quarters of level land; the lower sort are like one share among the four quarters of low fields. Humans also have “five hegemons”: the better sort are like one share among the four quarters of a great state; the middle sort are like one share among the four quarters of ministers; the lower sort are like one share among the four quarters of common people.

This is what is meant by the Dao of Heaven not being far off: “three” and “five” each return to their proper correspondence. Hence Heaven has the Three Sovereigns, Five Emperors, Three Kings, and Five Hegemons; Earth has its own Three Sovereigns, Five Emperors, Three Kings, and Five Hegemons; and humans have their own Three Sovereigns, Five Emperors, Three Kings, and Five Hegemons.

Question: Why is it sometimes said “one” and sometimes “many”? Celestial Master, please explain the key points.

Answer: Heaven, Earth, and humans originally issue from one qi; divided, they become three bodies, each with its own beginning.

• Three Sovereigns: like the root and beginning;
• Five Emperors: restoring sovereigns at the height of renewal;
• Three Kings: holding the center, comparatively balanced rulers;
• Five Hegemons: at the end of the line—exhaustion, inferiority, decline, and the qi of punishment, killing, danger, and disorder.

Thus when one speaks of the Five Hegemons, one is already at “one among four parts”—the thread of Heaven’s Dao is nearly severed. Further down, things become too fine and subtle to constrain one another, like the weak unable to restrain the strong, the soft unable to restrain the hard, the few unable to restrain the many; the Dao falls into great disorder and can no longer govern mutually, so one must rise again from the level above.

Question: What does “rising again from above” (geng yi shang fu qi) mean?

Answer:

• Nine Sovereigns (here set alongside the Three Sovereigns system, denoting the highest royal way): all first sprout in the north;
• Five Emperors: first arise in the east;
• Three Kings: flourish in the south;
• Five Hegemons: kill and consolidate in the west (in the west, the pattern of slaughter and rivalry takes shape).

Heaven generates the myriad things; yang qi follows primordial qi and, joining yin qi, brings them forth. Once born, they should emerge and reach fulfillment, hence they flourish in the east (the east governs birth and growth). The Five Hegemons fall in the west, matching the qi of slaughter and closure.

Summary: The scripture uses the Three Sovereigns—Five Emperors—Three Kings—Five Hegemons in Heaven, Earth, and humans to show that rise and fall follow stages: from root (Three Sovereigns) to renewal (Five Emperors), balance (Three Kings), then the Five Hegemons of a decadent age. At the Five Hegemons one is already “one of four parts”; below that, mutual restraint fails, and one must rise again from above. In terms of direction: sprouting in the north, arising in the east, flourishing in the south, slaughter and consolidation in the west—aligned with the principles of yin-yang, birth and killing, and emergence to fulfillment.

Once things have been born, they should flourish—hence “flourishing” belongs to the south. Once they have flourished, they should bear fruit—hence “slaying” (contraction and ripening) belongs to the west. The way of Yin-Yang in Heaven and Earth runs in a full cycle. Nothing can stay forever in a state of fullness; when its time to die comes, it must die. Yet root and seed still hold fullness within them, and will grow again. Thus Yin and Yang are both brought back to the “Gate of Heaven” (Tianmen); at the position of Qian (northwest, the heavenly pole) their Qi merges, and the cycle begins anew upward—this is the inherent nature of Heaven and Earth.

The Celestial Master (Tianshi) said: “Excellent, excellent! Why do Heaven, Earth, and humanity not jointly share the Three Sovereigns, the Five Emperors, the Three Kings, and the Five Hegemons?”

The reply: “Well asked—you seldom hit the mark like this. Heaven, Earth, and humanity are three houses, each with its own place. The way of the sovereign (huang) is like the father in a household; the way of the emperor (di) like the mother; the way of the king (wang) like the son; the way of the hegemon (ba) like the daughter-in-law. Now the three houses each stand apart—how could they share one father and mother, one son, and one daughter-in-law? If people split into three households, could they still share parents, son, and daughter-in-law? Do you understand, Perfected One (Zhenren)?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Be careful—do not raise objections at random. Heaven’s Way has fixed norms; can one simply resist them by force?” (The following repeats the same exchange in substance: one cannot force against them, only do one’s utmost within them.)

“Yes, yes. Though every time I ask I seem to touch the Celestial Master’s taboos, if I do not ask I cannot know—and I still wish to beg one sentence more.”

“Speak.”

“Today there are forty-eight sections (bu)—how are these forty-eight sections to be practiced?”

“You ask well, and in detail! If this manner of practice accords with Heaven’s intent, calamities and anomalies will not arise; if the Way that Heaven requires is lost, calamities and anomalies will never cease. Therefore let myriad generations after myriad generations inherit and carry one another forward. A ruler who governs well can make disaster and fault subside on their own and wipe away what was lost. The foremost path of self-nurture—if reversed—instead lets deviant Qi spread until it fills the world; then all kinds of residual calamities arise, and again become the convergence of the inherited burden (chengfu) and its baleful fate.”

“What does that mean?”

“Good—listen closely.”

“Yes, yes.”

This passage from the Taiping Jing uses a three-tier framework of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity to explain how fully virtue reaches the people relates to the realm’s safety, portents and disasters, and banditry.

Opening three-tier analogies (repeated and expanded)

Heaven: the highest level is like the sun, the middle like the moon, the lowest like the stars.

Earth: the highest is like the Five Sacred Peaks (the ordered centers symbolized by famous mountains and great rivers), the middle like level land, the lowest like lower fields (poorer farmland).

Among humans: first it says the ruler above the people must listen carefully; then “people” are also divided into three levels—the highest like the sovereign, the middle like ministers, the lowest like the common people.

“Having the complete whole”—virtue fully present and coverage complete

When the “whole” is fully there: people and the myriad things are without illness and at peace, with no bandits, fraud, or treachery. Heaven and Earth likewise have no calamities or anomalies. This is called supreme excellence—the state of “having the complete whole.”

“Three parts out of four”

When three parts out of four are present: about three-quarters of people are peaceful and good, loyal and trustworthy; one-quarter suffer injury and death, or become bandits, do evil together, and produce strangeness—and however much of that appears follows that “one-quarter.”

“Two parts out of four”—half

When two parts out of four are present: about half of people and the myriad things are ill; half the people do not believe; half harbor deceit; celestial anomalies and mutating portents also amount to roughly half.

“One part out of four”—only a quarter

When only one part out of four is present: about three-quarters are ill; there is no genuine sincerity, much flattery and treachery, all become bandits, and people lack any spirit of mutual benefit—only one-quarter still count as doing good.

On “celestial anomalies” and territorial bounds

Celestial anomalies come one after another, now here, now there; when they gather they still do not leave their jurisdictional bounds—likewise there is no mutual benefit, and only one part counts as good. (This line echoes the dire picture under “one part out of four” above.)

Question: why is it so?

Answer: well said. If virtue fully covers everyone, then wherever virtue and moral order reach they can restrain and govern, so the myriad things are all good; all things receive that virtue, hence peace and harmony (pingping).

• Three parts out of four: virtue does not reach one part (one-quarter is uncovered), so that quarter turns ominous.
• Two parts out of four: half is not covered by virtue, so half turns ominous.
• One part out of four: virtue is thin—it only reaches one part and does not reach the other three parts, so three parts turn ominous.

Therefore ancient sages and emperors, wishing to know their own standing, used this reckoning as verification—and they never missed by one in ten thousand. Where coverage fell short, illness, disasters, and bandits arose precisely because virtue did not extend there.

Plain-language summary: The scripture clarifies upper, middle, and lower order through the triple images of sun/moon/star, Five Peaks/level land/lower fields, and sovereign/minister/people; then it uses “the whole” and “three, two, or one part out of four” as figures for how much of the realm virtue and good government cover. The more complete the coverage, the less illness and banditry and the fewer disasters in Heaven and Earth; missing one part, missing half, or reaching only a quarter scales sickness, disbelief, banditry, and celestial anomalies in proportion. Emperors who reflect on this can tell whether their rule is strong or weak.

Plain-Language Interpretation

Question: When virtue cannot keep pace, without Wuwei (non-action) and without rulers and elders, the myriad things lack a lasting Way and fall into disorder—illness, deceit, and theft never cease. The ancients used divination to read rise and fall, watching which phase of Qi (vital energy) matched the times, and thus knew clearly whether governance was gaining or losing strength, bright as sun and moon. “Excellent, excellent! By what means can these faults be remedied?” Answer: “Well said. Now that the True Person knows the Heavenly Scripture, you should stop this flowing disaster and inherited burden upon the myriad things.” Question: “By what are disasters stopped?” Answer: “Only through the Celestial Master’s (Tianshi) teaching.” (Asked again about saving failure and stopping disaster, the answer again stresses the Celestial Master’s teaching and stopping flowing disaster and chengfu.) “Yes—each should thoroughly discuss the true Way, each should reflect on the ‘first one’ to govern their own toil and illness; then recovery will be excellent, and all will possess it.” “Excellent, excellent!” “Go—the True Person is admonished in these matters.” “Yes, yes. I have respectfully received the Forty-Eight Sections of Precepts. How long or short is the path of practice?” “You ask with care.” “I dare not ask lightly—the Way of Heaven is weighty and the master’s instruction is strict, so I dare not fail to ask in detail.”

“Well said. To know one’s duty as a disciple is to be able to penetrate the intent of the Way of Heaven. Yet the Way of Heaven has three aspects: the Way corresponds to the Solar Way, the Lunar Way, and the Middle Harmony Way.” The Way divides into three, matching the Solar Way, Lunar Way, and Middle Harmony Way. Those of highest excellence practice the outer; next, the middle; next, the inner; hegemons have no Way. The finest walk the outer path, then the middle, then the inner; hegemons lack the Way. But when borrowing paths, among the Three Kings the inner path is shortest—the Three Kings borrow the inner path, which is the shortest route. The Celestial Sovereign and the greatly excellent mostly walk the outer; the Nine Sovereigns share one Way in sequence, with the lesser ones on the inner. The excellent walk on foot without shifting; next, they shift slightly; next, they know only a little. The excellent walk without moving from the path; next they move slightly; next they know only slightly. The Fifteen Emperors share one Middle Way: the excellent walk the outer; next walk and know; the lesser walk in haste. The Three Kings and nine men share one inner path—they ride; next they go a little fast; the lesser gallop. The Three Kings and nine share one inner path by riding; next they go somewhat faster; the worst gallop. The Fifteen Hegemons most borrow the innermost shortcut; the excellent seem to fly, sharing one Middle Way—the excellent walk the outer; next walk and know; the lesser walk in haste.”

Main idea: Stopping flowing disaster and chengfu (inherited burden) depends on the Celestial Master’s teaching the worthy and on everyone pursuing the true Way and reflecting on the “first one” to govern themselves. The path of practice divides into Solar, Lunar, and Middle Harmony Ways—outer first, middle next, inner last; the Three Sovereigns, Nine Sovereigns, Fifteen Emperors, Three Kings, and Nine Hegemons each share one Way in grade, from walking at best to riding or even seeming to fly at worst; hegemons have no true Way and rely most on the shortest borrowed route.

This passage of scripture first discusses the relative merits of the xingdu (the measure of movement and its speed grade) of different tiers of emperors and hegemons: the Three Kings, nine men in all, ride together along the inner path; the next grade appears somewhat more rapid; the lowest merely gallops. The Fifteen Hegemons rely most heavily on the path of the inner ultimate: their superior ones seem to fly to the outer regions, the middling ones seem to fly swiftly, and the inferior ones are like arrows. The Celestial Master (Tianshi), the master who transmits the Dao, asked the Perfected (Zhenren), the disciple cultivating the Dao, whether he understood, and the Perfected praised him. The Celestial Master said, “Come forward, Perfected. You ask why this matter is so detailed.” The Perfected said, “Since my first birth I have found it strange that years are sometimes long and sometimes short, days sometimes thick and sometimes thin, sometimes advancing and sometimes retreating. If I did not ask the Celestial Master, I fear I would never know; I wish to hear the meaning.” The Celestial Master said, “The thick is the day of Heaven; the next thickest is the day of Earth; the next is the day of humans; the thinnest is the day of the ten thousand things.” The Perfected assented. The Celestial Master told him to withdraw and not to pursue the questioning further. This was the Perfected’s private question; it was not that it was difficult to explain it to him completely, but that the world would be left without any course of action, and it would be of no benefit to the calamitous circumstances of imperial inherited retribution (the idea that the good and evil deeds of ancestors are borne by later generations) or to the people’s sorrow. Therefore he did not explain it to him item by item; it was not out of stinginess. The Perfected assented and said that he had often violated the Celestial Master’s taboo and had committed a great fault. The Celestial Master said he need not be so self-effacing: those who delight in knowing the affairs of Heaven may come when they have private questions, and he would explain them in full. The Perfected assented, and the Celestial Master ordered him to go.

There also appear in the text the Perfected’s asking pardon and the Celestial Master’s reply, “If you have private matters, then come; I will explain them all to you,” and similar words, and the heading “The foregoing: The Method for Distinguishing the Superior and Inferior Xingdu of the Nine Sovereigns, Fifteen Emperors, Nine Kings, and Fifteen Hegemons” is marked out, explaining that the above is the rule for distinguishing the superior and inferior xingdu of the Nine Sovereigns, Fifteen Emperors, Nine Kings, and Fifteen Hegemons. Next comes the scroll title, “The Scripture of Great Peace, Scroll Sixty-Seven,” and “Six Crimes and Ten Governances, Formula One Hundred and Three.” After the chapter title, the Celestial Master asks: “How many kinds of crimes do ordinary common people have?” The Perfected answers: “Ordinary people do not commit offenses; how could they have any crimes?” The dialogue unfolds from this point.

When Heaven created human beings, it endowed them with the power to discern and to love what is good and hate what is evil.

Once people have this awareness, they know Heaven has the Dao (the Way), yet they treat the Dao lightly and refuse to study it diligently to save themselves. Some could have lived long, carrying on Heaven’s line and the body received from their ancestors, yet they belittle themselves, do not study the Dao, and treat death as nothing; only when death is suddenly at hand do they blame themselves—while their guilt remains uncleared. Some pay the price on the spot, or misfortune reaches their descendants, so later generations are born dull and at odds with Heaven. Why? Heaven itself practices the Dao, so it is constantly auspicious; to lose the Dao is to die in misfortune. Though Heaven loves people and wishes them to delight in goodness, and though it places the Dao in human hands, people refuse to practice it with effort—they are called “those without the Dao,” and Heaven cannot grant them attainment of the Dao or long life; it is as if they cut off the Dao of Heaven, hence they bear resentment toward Heaven.

From birth people know they should cultivate De (Virtue/Power) and do good, yet they refuse to study and practice De diligently; instead they treat De lightly, dislike nurturing it, belittle themselves and do evil, and their guilt is not removed. Either they suffer retribution in their own persons, or calamity flows to later generations. Why? They go against Earth. Earth loves De and nourishes people, yet such a person neglects this, does not love De, and cares only for their own body and the body inherited from ancestors—thus they incur Earth’s blame.

Heaven created human beings and, fortunately, gave everyone sinew and strength so they could feed and clothe themselves. Yet such a person refuses to work hard and instead falls into hunger and cold, failing the body passed down by ancestors; they treat their physical strength lightly and do not use it—though they could obtain food and clothing by their own effort, they perversely complain of worry, hunger, and cold and constantly rely on the wealthy, waiting on others to stay alive, and their guilt is not removed. Either they suffer immediately in person, or it flows to those born after them. Why? Heaven and Earth produce all kinds of goods to nourish people; each should accumulate according to their strength, taking enough without exhausting others. Yet they rest their strength and do not act, belittling their own power; or what they seek they do not obtain, and there is no harmony—all because they forcibly take what belongs to others, making themselves enemies of “central harmony”; the guilt deserves death and is already plain. These six great offenses are detested by Heaven; the guilt cannot be cleared.

The Celestial Master asked: “Realized Person—have you understood?”

The Realized Person answered again and again, “Yes, yes,” and then said: “I wish to hear the Celestial Master’s instruction: that kind of offense—why is it said to be especially grave?”

The Celestial Master sighed and said: “Alas! How is it that you understand less and less? It is the family-extinguishing offense—a weighty crime that brings calamity upon the whole household and implicates every member of the lineage. Need one still ask why it is so heavy?”

The Realized Person still felt puzzled and said again: “This disciple is dull and cannot grasp the essential point. Please, Celestial Master, explain once more so that I may be fully awakened and never dare to transgress again.”

The Celestial Master said: “Very well. I am about to lay out the principle in full; Realized Person, you must follow along and fix it firmly in memory.”

The Realized Person replied: “Yes, yes.”

Worthies who possess the Dao sometimes keep it silently in their hearts and are unwilling to teach others with their full effort. Yet to teach the Way is like handing fire to someone: whether few come to take it, the fire is not used up; whether many come, it is still not used up. Now you should together offer the Daoist teaching to all under heaven—helping Heaven in giving life to the myriad things, helping Earth in nurturing form and body, and helping the ruler in correcting governance. Let every person hold the Dao in the heart, seek life and abhor death, so that those who govern and assist in governing no longer break the law or do evil. When human hearts turn good, they can help Heaven, Earth, and the ruler in nurturing the myriad things, so that all beings may rejoice in long life; when people cherish benevolence and no longer lightly harm the myriad things, Heaven will be greatly pleased, Earth will be greatly pleased, and the ruler will be free from worry—merit beyond measure.

When one person teaches in this way, a hundred foolish people may be transformed; when a hundred return to the right path, each may teach ten thousand more; when ten thousand teach together, they have already moved hundreds of millions; when hundreds of millions teach together, transformation has no end. Such good conduct accords with Heaven’s heart above and reaches the limitless below; the people all delight in life and in doing good, and the ruler too can be without care—what harm could there be? Why not teach one another with full effort?

Now people are fortunate to receive instruction from their predecessors, yet they deeply hold the supreme Dao and seal it away without passing it on, refusing to teach one another, leaving people with nowhere to turn, all forced toward violent death, with grievances and knots of resentment hard to resolve—this is called “severing the Way of Heaven” (duan tiandao). When many lose the Dao and act recklessly, Heaven cannot long give life and nurture, and Earth cannot long give nurture and support. People cannot remain ignorant: petty persons without the Dao often belittle themselves, band together in rebellion, violate the patterns of Heaven and Earth, become robbers harming one another, break the king’s law, and leave the noble person deeply troubled—turmoil beyond counting. Morning and evening the ruler is preoccupied, worried and distressed, until Heaven and Earth lose their proper order, disasters and anomalies multiply without end, and a heavy burden is left upon the ruler.

Severing the Way of Heaven is a great rebellion and great crime, beyond full reckoning. Therefore only the outline is given here, to show the perfected person (zhenren) what is right and wrong—that the weighty crime deserves death, is that clear? Even after death the offense remains, and so extends to later generations. Perfected one, be careful! Only the perfected person knows the One (zhi yi); one may say you have already obtained lasting good fortune and keep far from calamity.

“Yes, yes—I dare not go against your teaching.”

“Good. You are already worthy and wise; you know Heaven’s mandate. You will surely live and leave death behind; doubt no more.”

“Now, having reverently received Heaven’s Way’s command, I wish to learn Earth’s Virtue’s (De) charge.”

“Good. Earth has great Virtue: it wholly follows Heaven’s Way and delights in nurturing the myriad things. The countless myriad things—none fails to receive its grace; all are brought to completion within it. Therefore the great…”

Those who possess great virtue should take as their model those who embody “great virtue,” wholeheartedly following the laws of the Way of Heaven and nurturing all things with a heart of benevolence. Every kind of thing in the world, however numerous and diverse, receives this nurturing grace and grows under it. Therefore, those of great virtue should act in accord with such virtue. Having been fortunate enough to inherit the transmitted power of the masters, they may hold within the heart the good Way and the virtue of the limitless (wuji). Teaching others through virtue is like coming to the edge of great waters to drink: even if only a few come to learn virtue, the source—whether of virtue or of water—is not diminished; even if countless people come to learn virtue, the source is likewise not diminished. If one teaches to the utmost of one’s ability, all can be brought to understand how to hold fast to…

Everyone should embrace virtue (de) and each cherish and nurture their own body and life.

Those who are virtuous above can assist Heaven in nourishing and growing what is still coming into being; below they can assist Earth in raising and bringing to completion what is nearing maturity.

All join strength and share one heart, with no intent to harm.

Among them, great worthies (da xian)—people clear in mind and easy to instruct and transform—can be elevated through transformation and serve as aids to the ruler.

Worthy persons (xian) among them can serve as local magistrates and teachers.

Further down, even those not yet fully enlightened can still be teachers among the people.

There is no ordinary person who does not prefer to be transformed by virtue and to do good.

When teaching is like this, it benefits Heaven above and Earth below—this is the root of great transformation (da hua); it helps the emperor nurture the people so they do not commit evil; the noble person (junzi) can rule with folded hands and be free of worry; merit is great, and Heaven and Earth cherish such a one—virtue can transfer into office and rank (de gong ke zhuan wei guan jue).

Yet now some harbor broad virtue but play the fool and shut themselves off, cutting off the path of the Way and virtue, not assisting Heaven in nurturing what is about to live, not assisting Earth in nurturing what is about to ripen, not assisting the emperor in harmonizing all the people.

Thus foolish people and the young grow ever dark and unknowing, unable to tell right from wrong, black from white; they harm one another to the death and never change, end as petty persons (xiao ren), with no direction in conduct (ke wu dong xi).

(The middle of the source repeats the same idea: blockage, cutting the Way, failing to assist Heaven, Earth, and the emperor; the young grow foolish and dark; black and white unclear; mutual harm; becoming petty persons.)

They follow one another into wrongdoing, piling up crooked and wicked deeds; above and below can no longer teach one another; all is murky confusion with no restraint or taboo.

They violate celestial patterns above and landforms below; their conduct reverses the four seasons and disorders the Five Phases (wu xing).

This becomes great worry for the noble person, brings disaster on petty people, turns them into robbers and thieves; sometimes they destroy themselves, shame their parents, and thus have no heirs—lineage cut off.

Even now, the Perfected Person (Zhenren) only lifts the main threads of the teaching, shows the beginning, so the multitude may wake once and urge themselves on—that is all.

Refusing long-term teaching through virtue is called severing the Way by which Heaven and Earth nurture; guilt reaches this extreme.

Note: The original has repetition and corrupt passages (e.g. the block on great worthies appears twice); this plain reading merges the sense for smooth reading. “Yi yu guan” is taken in the common sense merit in virtue can translate into office and rank. “Hu si bu yi” is read as mutual harm until death without change.

(Continued) Such people seem “formless” and as if dead—so that others may see where the trouble begins and, once awakened, urge themselves on. Those who will not teach lasting De (Virtue/Power) are said to sever the earthly “nurturing of the Dao (the Way)”; their fault reaches that far. Even these “formless and as-if-dead” ones still bear residual guilt, and so later generations suffer for it. Do the Zhenren (Perfected Ones) understand?

Answer: “Yes! Yes!”

Question: “The Zhenren understood early—you may say you have already found the path to life. Be most careful.”

Answer: “Yes, yes. I have already received the precepts of Dao and De; I wish to hear how the benevolent act.”

Indeed. Heaven and earth produce and nourish the resources and wealth of the myriad beings—all of this belongs to the people. Wealth must not take root and cling neither above to heaven nor below to earth. Things arise from Zhonghe (central harmony); they should circulate and move freely, drifting and turning, so that their office is to relieve the poor and rescue those in distress.

Some hoard gold, silver, and precious things until their household wealth runs to hundreds of millions—yet it piles up until it rots and spoils. If the wise and worthy take it and give to the needy, they do no more than seek a name for “benevolence”—while in truth they are helping the earth nourish form and helping the emperor preserve the good and cautious among the people.

A household with wealth in the hundreds of millions could relieve ten thousand families: put out old stock and take in new, without a mind bent on quick profit. When De aligns with heaven and earth, fame reaches far places; one may constantly obtain fresh goods, and what had rotted in heaps can be cleared away.

Among them, the greater sages daily report their merit to the emperor; the lesser sages daily recommend people in their villages. The greatly foolish who do not repay kindness—among ten people there are scarcely two or three—how could that make the masses deeply poor? When goodness does not stop, the greater sages…

(The scripture ends here; what follows is not preserved.)

If a person is publicly recommended and his reputation spreads throughout the country, so that those who praise and speak of him on the roads in all directions are numerous enough to block the roads, and when wise kings and sage rulers hear of him and see that he helps nurture the people, they are greatly pleased; thereupon they issue edicts summoning him and cause him to rise to the office of chief minister, a high court official. He thereby gains honorable status that continues unbroken for generations, and he still counts as greatly benevolent, rarely seen in the world. Such a person does not fail his ancestors above nor his descendants below; Heaven and Earth love him, the hundred spirits protect him, emperors treat him as a friend, and neighbors regard him as father and mother. His achievements are manifest in Heaven and Earth and will never be lost; his stipend is tied to office and he will never again be lowly; his fame is displayed among the myriad people and will never be erased. That being so, how could one not practice benevolence and virtue?

Some people encounter fertile and wealthy land and also obtain goods produced by the harmonious Qi of Heaven and Earth, accumulating billions upon billions of kinds, with treasures, gold, and silver counted in the billions. Yet instead they seal them up and hide them in dark rooms, letting them rot and spoil. When they see others in poverty coming to seek help, they curse them and give nothing; even if they do give, they do not agree at once but insist on demanding double repayment; some add only onefold, while others add four or fivefold before stopping. Such people bestow goods on the rich but refuse the poor, causing them to die of hunger and cold; they are unreasonable and even mock them. This is to incur resentment from Heaven, blame from Earth, and great enmity with people; all the hundred spirits detest him. The reason is that these goods originally belong to the harmony of Heaven and Earth and are meant to nurture people in common. This household has merely happened to occupy a place where goods gather, like a rat in a granary that often eats its fill alone; but the grain in the great storehouse was never meant for the rat alone. The money and goods in the Shaonei, the government treasury in charge of money and goods, were originally not meant to supply only one person; those who lack should all obtain from them. The foolish and ignorant believe these goods should forever be possessed by themselves alone, not knowing that they are actually goods gathered and circulated by the multitude, from which everyone should obtain clothing and food. Their partiality for wealth becomes perverse, and their moods are unpredictable; they refuse to exert themselves to relieve the poor and aid those in urgent need, causing ten thousand families to lose their means of livelihood and have no seed to sow in spring. Yet these goods were originally gathered and circulated by the multitude, and everyone should obtain clothing and food from them.

Turning love into perverse anger and joy, refusing to do one’s utmost to relieve the poor and aid those in urgent need—so that many households lose descendants and cannot sow in spring or harvest in autumn, while the wronged cry out together to Heaven. Heaven responds in sympathy; earth trembles. One who will not help the worthy in relieving poverty and emergency is a person of great inhumanity between heaven and earth.

Some who wish to offer sacrifices cannot even afford them; the myriad spirits loathe them and wish their line to end; village ritual masters (xiangli lizhu, who lead prayers for blessing and averting disaster) also curse them to die quickly; bandits hear of it, raise troops, attack their gates, and families are ruined. They still stubbornly refuse to give, and instead bury wealth deep underground where no one can see it. Without cause they cut off the world’s goods so that what is needed on the surface runs short, while underground they pile up what amounts to “Great Strength” (Dazhuang—excessive hoarding that harms). Heaven greatly hates this; earth is greatly afflicted by it and treats it as a grave fault. The resources of central harmony (zhonghe) and balanced circulation grow daily scarce, so scarcity is watched in idleness and many die of hunger and cold—heavy enmity is tied with people. Heaven loves the Dao; earth loves De (Virtue/Power); central harmony loves benevolence. All things should dwell upon heaven and earth and pass through in mutual aid; when people lack, goods are instead buried—people tie heavy enmity. Heaven loves the Dao; earth loves De; central harmony loves benevolence. Each thing’s role is to move and aid throughout heaven and earth; when people lack, goods are buried instead, and suffering knots up and cannot come forth to be seen. Heaven and earth do not love hoarding wealth. Heaven delights in human life; earth delights in nurturing people. Ignorant petty men instead dam the wealth of central harmony between heaven and earth so it cannot circulate fully—they kill what heaven generates and rob what earth nourishes. Without cause they hide and bury this wealth, leaving the state poor and short of means, unable to save the people’s lives; they bring a ruler of virtue near to ruling over emptiness. Gold, silver, treasures, and goods—accumulated by human labor—are truly hard-won and should serve the state; to discard and bury them above and below without cause—earth also does not rejoice to receive them and treats it as great affliction, great excess (dazhuang). Now foolish men are deeply inhumane; guilt reaches this point—should they not die for it?

This passage mainly admonishes the True Person (the realized cultivator) and explains why the Way of Heaven and Earth abhors those who lack benevolence and seize things by greed.

The scripture says that in the world some people are never satisfied: for the sake of lawsuits they wrong others, yet go on to plunder the little property of the weak without limit. The True Person should treat such conduct as the “main thread to grasp”—seeing from the root how it begins. Those who are greatly lacking in benevolence amass offenses beyond counting; truly they cannot be paid off with goods. The True Person should reflect carefully: Heaven and Earth, together with the Three Harmonies of Qi (the harmonious qi of Heaven, Earth, and Central Harmony), all detest such people; when they die their guilt is not exhausted, and it reaches their descendants. Does the True Person understand?

The other answers: Yes, yes. One may … (the original text is defective here)! I do not wish to hear more of this.

It admonishes again: If the True Person goes against these words, Heaven will surely shorten their allotted life, so that people know their error and turn from evil—then they may still live. They must strictly restrain themselves and act with caution.

Answer: Yes, yes. I respectfully receive the precepts of Dao, Virtue, and Benevolence, and wish to hear: what is the reason that some who have understanding do not care to study the true Way?

It says: Well said. Heaven gives birth to human beings; fortunate are those with wisdom who can learn, for through learning one may attain long life. Heaven has the Dao and delights to guard it together with people; Earth has De and delights to share it with people; Central Harmony has bounty and delights to use it to nourish people. Therefore people from birth delight in seeking the true Way, and the True Person will come of their own accord. To study the Way without ceasing is like plotting together with the spirits; day by day singing and chanting in goodness, goodness naturally draws near; exerting oneself to serve the multitude of worthies, the worthies will also draw near to teach—there is no need to seek far. Thus one may preserve body and life and not disgrace the lineage of one’s ancestors; while others die young, one alone may exhaust one’s natural years; while all are labeled wicked, one alone may be called a good person, fit to be teacher to the multitude, with a name heard from afar, inwardly bearing Dao, Virtue, and benevolence in genuine possession. One assists Heaven in giving life to things, assists Earth in nurturing form, and assists the sovereign in transforming the people.

In sum, insatiability, wronging others in litigation, and seizing from the weak are “great lack of benevolence”; the offense is heavy and hard to redeem, guilt remains after death, and harm extends to posterity. The True Person’s task is to grasp this main thread, reflect on what Heaven and Earth and the Three Harmonies of Qi abhor, admonish oneself, and transmit these precepts. Heaven, Earth, and Central Harmony inherently delight in sharing with humanity; when people delight in seeking the true Way, the True Person arrives unbidden. Persisting in goodness and drawing near to worthy teachers enables one to keep the body whole, complete one’s years, become a model good person and teacher, and assist Heaven, Earth, and the sovereign in nurturing all things and transforming the people.

Superior teachers can transform countless common people, enabling the foolish to uphold the Great Dao and refrain from wrongdoing; middling teachers can influence tens of thousands; lesser teachers can still move hundreds or thousands, benefit rulers, and help petty people know taboos so they do not commit hidden wickedness. To be moved from above and receive rank and honor, not disgracing one’s ancestors or harming posterity—if learning can reach this level, how could one not study? Thus the ancient sages and worthies all made urging people to study the Dao a great concern: aiding Heaven and Earth in generating the myriad things, aiding emperors in ordering chaos—these are the titles of the good among heaven and earth.

There are also foolish people who are born with a heart inclined toward the Dao, yet though they have talent and intelligence they refuse to earnestly study the true Dao, and instead favor showy display, taking deception as their way: as sons they deceive parents, as ministers they deceive their lord, as subordinates they deceive superiors—called deceiving Heaven, sins hard to expunge. Some delight in worldly quarrels and band together for wrongdoing; when they see those who cultivate refinement of the Dao, they laugh instead, mocking them that “studying the Dao is useless.” Thus benighted and ignorant, they also contend for dominance and act as if none could match them, rashly claiming heaven and earth are endless and sages know nothing, indulging desire and acting on impulse. Some specialize in worldly strife and banding for evil; seeing those who cultivate refinement of the Dao they laugh all the more, saying “studying the Dao is useless.” So they sink into darkness, grow arrogant and overbearing, speak wildly that heaven and earth have no limit and worthies are ignorant, and give free rein to lust in their conduct.

If people remain foolish and ignorant, indulge their desires and act recklessly, violate celestial patterns and calendrical order above and transgress the norms of earth and landscape below, and come and go without restraint—even returning home yet failing to serve their parents—then when dull-minded people gather together they all become wicked offspring. Officials return from their duties and slay their own parents, never reflecting or reconsidering; they flee and become bandits, harming, wounding, and killing without end. This is exactly what Heaven abhors, what Earth condemns, what rulers grieve over, what the hundred spirits detest, and what parents find unbearable. It is a great calamity that harms others and severs the line of descendants handed down by ancestors. If one does not earnestly study the true Dao yet acts in this way, in the eyes of the Real Person (Zhenren), is such a person not already deserving of death? Even death would not expiate the guilt; misfortune extends to posterity, and they are still called the generation of evildoers and offspring of thieves—will that evil name not reach later generations? The Real Person here only sketches the beginning; the evils are beyond counting and cannot all be told—does the Real Person not know this? The Real Person must be vigilant in himself.

The disciple replied: “Yes, yes—disciple is truly pained and urgent about this!”

The Real Person said: “Since you understand this principle, you have already put aside this evil.”

The disciple said: “Disciple has listened carefully to these four matters and wishes to hear what follows.”

The Real Person said: “Indeed, Heaven gives birth to human beings and sends them forth only when form and spirit (xing and shen) are complete; from the start Heaven has always wished that people would follow the Dao and cultivate De (Virtue). A benevolent person who is fortunate enough to have understanding can learn De. Heaven and Earth nourish the ten thousand things through De and likewise rejoice to see people emulate this. Thus in most ancient times those of De could practice forbearance, like the great earth nourishing the ten thousand things. If people learn this, their hearts and minds stay at ease and they no longer delight in doing harm; they are cautious in whatever they meet and do good day by day, no longer wishing to do evil. Those of the same kind who gather together rise higher day by day; accumulating over time they become persons of De, and none fail to respond—people turn toward them. Gathering in careful compliance, they do good without stopping, and thereby become persons of flourishing De.”

Teacher (Master) — one whose virtue moves and transforms others — assists heaven in nurturing what is born, assists earth in nurturing what grows, and gladly supports enlightened rulers in educating the people so they guard themselves carefully and no longer commit fraud, violate law, or do violence. Those of lesser virtue may transform hundreds or thousands; those of greater virtue may transform tens of thousands or more. Thus multitudes turn again to nurturing the ten thousand things, gladly assist wise kings in teaching the people to keep their proper place, and no longer know violent or wicked conduct. Small virtue may transform hundreds or thousands; great virtue may transform tens of thousands or more, so that multitudes in turn become virtuous teachers themselves — transformation without end. When virtue does not cease, no ordinary person fails to rejoice; heaven and earth cherish such a one and extend their allotted years; ghosts and spirits favor them and together benefit and protect them.

Those who merit appointment — officials the ruler entrusts with office — find their virtue in taking no joy in harming the multitude. The people rejoice in them and favor them; what they seek is granted; they can often dwell alone in their joy, with none wishing to harm them. This comes from learning to follow the good and accumulating virtue, until their name is heard in distant lands, their merit fills heaven and earth, they do not fail their ancestors, and they do not disgrace those who come after.

Some people today rely on a little cleverness, know good from evil, yet look down on themselves in the wrong way — they refuse to strive to learn and practice virtuous conduct, and instead follow custom and join the foolish and dark in doing evil: they love force and martial display, their words are often harsh, their mouths speak rebellion, and they wish to overwhelm others by intimidation. They claim to be capable, yet someone is always more capable; they boast of courage and strength, yet someone always surpasses them in courage and strength. Thus in all affairs under heaven, each thing has what restrains it and what limits it, and so can be restrained. When a great fire is about to blaze, it seems uncontrollable, yet meeting water it is extinguished. When a person does wrong and is in a rage, it seems uncontrollable, yet entering prison they are brought to an end. The mouth seems as if it cannot be restrained, yet falling ill it is reined in. So heaven and earth in governing people have their own laws and measures. People may have understanding yet refuse to study well, and instead look down on learning and do wrong — where they dwell becomes inauspicious, and none love them.

Heaven and Earth all detest such people, and the hundred spirits loathe them as well; rulers therefore suffer on their account. They cannot become good people but instead make themselves thieves; after death they become evil ghosts. While alive they rely on brute force to throw their weight around; after death they also fail to receive proper treatment (no proper burial, no sacrifices, and the like). Everyone knows the principle, yet they themselves are careless and unwilling to do good, staining the lineage of their ancestors and failing their descendants—so people call them violent criminals and the like. No one wants to speak with them, and passersby will not walk the same road. What fault has this child? Only that they bear inherited evil from the parents’ accumulated wrongdoing; sometimes they are even called a thief’s child. They still carelessly refuse to do good, defile their forebears, and burden those who come after, and are thus called violent criminals and the like. No one will associate with them, and passersby will not share the road. What crime has this child? Bearing the parents’ evil—sometimes regarded as a thief’s child, and even dying young because of it. Perfected One, when people are careless themselves, unwilling to learn virtue from an enlightened teacher, and instead follow petty people, their fault reaches such a pitch—do they not deserve death with guilt still upon them?

“How truly dreadful! Celestial Master, you need say no more; merely thinking of this already makes my heart bitter and my pain sharp. Seeing people not study the Dao, they still treat it as a small matter—who could know it leads to this!”

“People are too foolish, almost like ordinary folk; they do not reflect deeply, and death leaves guilt upon them. Perfected One, since you have merit toward Heaven and Earth, you must be careful.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Do not be careless yourself. I have only outlined the main points and opened the subject; the bitter fruit of not learning does not stop here. When you receive my book, you must awaken and think deeply.”

“Yes, yes. I will surely go find a quiet place and study it carefully in detail.”

“Exactly so. To study without mastering it—how is that different from dreaming?”

“Yes, yes. I have reverently received your instruction on this matter; I wish to hear your teaching on people who are born with strength yet refuse to use it.”

“Good. Heaven and Earth together give birth to insects and beasts, endowing them all with strength; they draw qi from the four seasons and take the Five Phases as their model (living in accord with the virtue of Wood in spring, Fire in summer, Metal in autumn, Water in winter, and Earth).”

Li (effort and strength) is meant for taking initiative in work and sustaining daily life; one should act in accord with one’s capacity and rely on it to earn food and clothing.

Therefore those who constantly apply their strength toil day and night without slackening, accumulating without cease. Whether the gain is great or small, they cherish what they obtain. The myriad things possess Shen (spirit, vital animation) and likewise delight in being cared for; when people cherish them, they willingly attach themselves to people. It is like the Eastern Sea, which welcomes every stream—because it stays in the lowest place, all the waters under heaven gather there, and so it becomes the great sea. The noble person applies strength without stopping and thus amasses wealth over the long term: the household grows rich and lacks nothing.

When people cherish the myriad things, those things come to attach themselves to them. Again like the Eastern Sea, which loves water and, dwelling below, receives the hundred rivers until it becomes the great sea. The noble person does not cease applying strength and becomes master of accumulating wealth; the family grows prosperous and possesses all it needs. Ancestors thereby receive good offerings, descendants receive abundance, and the whole household shares the benefit together.

By applying strength without stopping, the poor and destitute in every direction come to receive their kindness, because the root has already been fully established. Giving without ceasing wins loud praise from the multitude; fame reaches distant places and merit is recorded in heaven and earth. Constantly using strength to relieve the poor, aid the urgent, help heaven and earth cherish the myriad things, and help the ruler nourish the people—rescuing the needy and supporting the exhausted without end—heaven and earth extend their lifespan, the hundred spirits all come to accept sacrifice and offerings, and this household knows nothing but joy. Through such virtue one may even attain high office, bringing no shame to one’s ancestors and no betrayal of one’s descendants.

Yet there are those who have strength but slight it, treating it as nothing—though they could grow rich, they instead go to law, engage in reckless and inauspicious acts; trusting that their strength can overpower others, they do evil without stopping and become great sons of wickedness. When the household is emptied they could still have grown wealthy, yet they pursue litigation and rash, ill-omened conduct; seeing that their strength can subdue others, they act without cease and become great sons of wickedness. When the family is utterly drained, they turn to banditry; hunger and cold press upon them until they cannot restrain themselves and commit outrages—among them, unworthy sons often die of hunger and cold.

When yongli (courage and brute force) is used to harm people, to seek what is not one’s own, to seize what is not one’s own, and to wound others again and again, one binds resentment with heaven, fault with earth, and enmity with noble persons; even the sovereign is troubled on their account. If they still do not stop, the hundred spirits detest them and no longer grant benefit and protection.

Heaven no longer wishes to shelter, and earth no longer wishes to bear; disasters multiply day by day. Some die by the roadside, some perish in prison; parents are slain and wives and children suffer with them; kin and neighbors all wish them dead as soon as possible. If guilt is still not exhausted, it will flow on to later generations—descendants may become beggars’ children or robbers’ sons, leaving a deep stain on the family line.

Perfected One, when guilt weighs this heavily, should one not die and yet still owe more?

“I heard the Celestial Master’s (Tianshi) words and was deeply shaken; my heart ached unbearably, and I feared I could not calm myself.”

“Since you already know heartache, you are not far from being born again. If you still cannot suddenly awaken fully, your time of death is not far off. Be careful! My words must not be violated—whoever violates them brings ruin on himself; it is not I who kill you, but your own conduct that summons it. Now that you know heartache…”