《雲笈七籤》Vol. 2

Hunyuan

“Hunyuan” refers to accounts of the time before primordial chaos, when primordial Qi (vital energy) first began. Before primordial Qi had taken visible form, there was stillness and emptiness, and nothing at all. Later, the finest Qi was stirred into response, giving rise to “True Unity.” Primordial Qi set into motion, and Heaven and Earth were established. Creation unfolded, and all things came to grow and function.

What is called “primordial chaos” was empty within, without form or appearance on the outside, vast and boundless, and difficult to name in words. Theories of Heaven and Earth are broad and profound, but the classical texts do not exhaust their mysteries. Even so, the subtle scriptures offer glimpses of their outlines.

From ancient times to the present, there have been eighteen schools of thought on the celestial realm. On examination, some accounts prove correct and others mistaken, each with its own strengths and shortcomings. Written descriptions of the “Huntian armillary sphere” have been handed down, but its practical method has been lost. As for Zhuangzi’s “Free and Easy Wandering,” Wang Chong’s Lunheng, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Liezi’s discussion of clear and turbid Qi, Han dynasty theories of the ecliptic, Zhang Heng’s bronze armillary sphere, the Zhoubi Suanjing, and the theories known as “Xuanye,” “Xintian,” and “Antian,” their views differ, as do the lineages through which they were transmitted. Later, Yu Xi, Yu Song, Liu Zhuo, and Ge Hong, as well as Zu Chongzhi of the Song dynasty (named “Chengtian” in the original text), Zu Geng of the Liang dynasty, and Li Chunfeng of the Tang dynasty, all wrote works on the subject. The Gougu method of Lujiang and the account in the Buddhist Abhidharmakośa also each offer their own explanations. Some use their words to convey a particular view; others speak only in general terms.

As for an account that establishes how the celestial realm is divided into two compass-like circles, further explains the paths of the Sun and Moon, and accurately describes their positions in longitude and latitude and their relations above and below, only the “Huntian method” does so. Ge Zhichuan (Ge Hong) said that the form of the Huntian is like an egg: the Earth is like its yolk, situated at the center of Heaven, while Heaven bears Qi and revolves around it. The circumference of Heaven is 365¼ degrees; half lies above the Earth and half circles beneath it. Of the twenty-eight lunar mansions, half are hidden and half visible. The author considers this account consistent with the secret teachings of Shangqing and in accord with clear evidence from celestial phenomena.

Empty Cavern

The Lord of the Dao said: Primordial Qi arose from a place of utmost remoteness and obscurity, beyond the realm of darkness and formlessness. Within the “Empty Cavern,” the “Great Nonbeing” came into being; the Great Nonbeing transformed and manifested the “Three Qi,” the three kinds of Qi that constitute the cosmos. The Three Qi took shape amid primordial chaos and arose from the “Great Void,” the vast, empty primal state. Thus the “Cavern” was established, and from the “Cavern” the “Nonbeing” was established—the original text breaks off here.

From emptiness, being comes into existence; through being, emptiness is established. Emptiness and nonbeing give rise to one another, and from the void comes forth the natural order.

The upper Qi is called “Beginning,” the middle Qi “Origin,” and the lower Qi “Mystery.” Mysterious Qi arises from emptiness, primal Qi from the cavern, and beginning Qi from nonbeing. Thus the One transforms into Two, and Two into Three. The Three transform and generate the myriad things, continuing through the Nine Mysteries; then the nine return to the One, and so enter the Great Dao. True Qi is clear and light, congealing to form Heaven. The turbid dregs gather to form Earth, while the middle Qi harmonizes and gives rise to humanity. The three Qi each divide and transform, and from them all things receive their endowment and come into being. The sun and moon take their places and move in their courses, shining in every direction; the Five Stars—the stars of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—shine brilliantly. The Three Heavens above are formed from the purest portions of the three Qi. They lie above the Unbounded Heights and reach the state of the Limitless.

Chaos

The Scripture of the Great Beginning says: In ancient times, before Heaven and Earth had separated, the state was called “Vast Source, Deep and Murky.” It was then dim and undifferentiated, shaped like an egg, and was called “Chaos.” Within it was a dark stillness without light, form, sound, or ancestral origin: a profound and remote darkness. Yet it contained Jing and Qi. These were utterly real, filling boundless space, and existed in a limpid emptiness within the depths of the primal source. From this, the One Qi came forth.

After the One Qi had transformed and given birth, ninety-nine trillion and ninety-nine million years passed before it gave rise to the Three Qi. Each of the Three was separated from the others by ninety-nine trillion and ninety-nine million years. Together they generated the “Supreme Height.” After the Supreme Height came into being, another ninety-nine trillion and ninety-nine million years passed before the middle Two Qi and Three Qi emerged. The middle Two Qi and Three Qi were separated from one another by ninety-nine trillion and ninety-nine million years. Together, the three formed De and generated the “Mysterious Elder.”

After the Mysterious Elder came into being, another ninety-nine trillion and ninety-nine million years passed before the lower Three Qi were born. The lower Three were separated from one another by ninety-nine trillion and ninety-nine million years. Together, they formed De and generated the “Great One.”

The Lingbao Scripture says: The One Qi divides into the Mysterious, Primal, and Beginning Qi, which govern the Three Treasures. The Three Treasures are all revered spirits among the three Qi. The combined names of the three Qi give rise to the nine Qi. The nine Qi arose before the Great Void and lay hidden within the empty cavern. At that time there was no light, image, form, name, color, beginning, or sound. They guided movement and governed the world, opened its gateways, and made the mysterious Dao flow through all things. The three colors appeared and disappeared within Chaos. They moved and shifted until the cycles of Qi had run their course; only then did the Three Qi reveal their light. The clear Qi rose high and grew pure, while Yang Qi gathered to form Heaven.

Heavy, dense matter condenses and accumulates to form the Earth. The Nine Qi each take their places, establishing the sun, moon, and stars; Yin and Yang then divide. The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), people, and all things depend on these forces for their generation. None of the myriad transformations between Heaven and Earth could come about without being brought forth by the Three Qi and guided by the Nine Qi. The Three Qi are the most exalted forces between Heaven and Earth, while the Nine Qi are the foundation of all things. Thus, the Three Qi and Nine Qi unite to form the power that sustains the workings of Heaven and Earth: this is the ultimate expression of the Way of Heaven and Earth.

Primordial Chaos

The Taizhen Code says: Before “Primordial Chaos,” the Qi of the Dao had not yet manifested and remained in a hazy, undifferentiated state. At that time there was a “Heavenly Worthy Without Form,” meaning that no form could be discerned. After another kalpa—a period of immeasurably long duration—the “Nameless Heavenly Worthy” appeared: a substantial body could now be seen, but it had no name. Only after yet another kalpa was the “Primordial Beginning Heavenly Worthy” born: one who had both a name and a form, and was the beginning of all things.

The Dao is the root of the Supreme Great Way, born of nature. Its lifespan cannot be reckoned in hundreds of millions of years; it has neither beginning nor end, but endures without limit. When the Dao disperses, it becomes Qi; when it gathers, it becomes a human being. It can be described as neither nonexistent nor existent, neither visible form nor emptiness. In the upper realm, it is the source of the heavens; in the middle realm, the origin of the transformations of all things; in the lower realm, the sovereign among the emperors. It originally had no name by which it could be revered, so it was provisionally called the “Dao.”

Kalpic Cycles

The Correct Teachings of the Three Heavens Scripture of Highest Clarity says: Heaven is round, with twelve guiding cords; Earth is square, with twelve governing lines. When Heaven’s guiding cords complete three hundred and sixty revolutions, this counts as one cycle; when Earth’s governing lines complete three hundred and thirty revolutions, this counts as one measure. After Heaven completes three thousand six hundred cycles, “Yang Surge” occurs; after Earth completes three thousand three hundred measures, “Yin Eclipse” occurs. The Qi of Heaven reaches the Great Yin, where Yin Qi is at its height, while the Qi of Earth is exhausted at the Great Yang, where Yang Qi is at its height. Thus, when Yang Qi surges, a “Surge” occurs; when Yin Qi is blocked, an “Eclipse” occurs. When Yin and Yang undergo Surge and Eclipse, the Qi of Heaven and Earth reverses. This reversal is called a “minor kalpa.”

As minor kalpas alternate, the myriad emperors change places, the Nine Qi alter their order of movement, and the courses of the sun and moon contract. The land connects with the Nine Springs; the Mother of Waters breaks through the Five Rivers; great birds gather at Dragon Gate; and the Five Emperors meet at Dark Capital. At this time, wicked and defiling beings are destroyed, while the good are allowed to survive.

After Heaven completes nine thousand nine hundred cycles, “Yang Eclipse” occurs; after Earth completes nine thousand three hundred measures, “Yin Surge” occurs. During Yang Eclipse, the Qi of Heaven is exhausted at the Great Yin; during Yin Surge, the Qi of Heaven reaches the Great Yang. Thus, when Yin Qi is blocked, an Eclipse occurs; when Yang Qi surges, a Surge occurs. When Yin and Yang undergo Eclipse and Surge, Heaven and Earth change. This change is called a “major kalpa.” As major kalpas alternate, Heaven and Earth…

Rivers and seas overturn; the waters surge and burst their banks, drowning people. Mountains sink, gold and jade melt, and darkness spreads across the heavens and the four directions.

White corpses drift across boundless waters, while lonely spirits weep amid the flood. A great bird clears away filth from the sacred mountains; the Water Mother receives her charge at the Nine Rivers, and the Five Dragons breathe forth at the Northern Origin. The Heavenly Horse, holding dark reins, drives away the host of demons; red chains subdue spirits and monsters at the Gate of Chen. The Year Star loses its throne in the Land of Golden Nets, and dark clouds veil the sun and moon in the Hall of the Three Eminences. The Five Qi stagnate in darkness atop the Nine Ridges. The Dragon King stirs resplendent Qi above the Eastern Well, while the River Lord submits to judgment beneath the Nine Seas. The Sagely Sovereign displays his ceremonial guard at the Hall of Bright Clouds, and the Five Emperors examine good and evil according to the ordinances.

At this time, every evil is cut off and ghosts and demons disappear. No place in the distant wilderness of the eight directions or at the four farthest reaches can escape. At the meeting of Heaven and Earth, calamities cannot be warded off without the gods of the Three Heavens, who occupy the heights. Nor can one escape them without the blue registers and white documents—the talismanic and name registers bestowed by Daoism.

It is also said: The Heavenly Pass lies at the northwest corner of Heaven, opposite the Dipper. The nine stars of the Northern Dipper form the framework and handle of the Heavenly Pass, and are also the canopy of Jade Dawn. The Brahma Practice Nine Heavens—the Daoist conception of the ninefold heavens—correspond to the Qi of the Twelve Branches. As the Dipper’s handle turns the Heavenly Pass, the Nine Heavens turn together.

Heaven has four seasonal gates, and the Nine Heavens together have thirty-six seasons. In each day and night, the Dipper’s handle passes through one seasonal gate; over thirty-six days and nights, it passes through all thirty-six seasons. When this entire course is complete, the Nine Heavens are said to have turned once. Three hundred and sixty such turns make one full circuit of the Nine Heavens. When the Nine Heavens complete a circuit, the Qi of the Six Heavens returns to the Three Upper Heavens. The Three Heavens turn anew, bringing about their convergence and quickening the pace of their movement.

Three thousand six hundred circuits make one minor kalpa. As minor kalpas succeed one another, the Nine Qi are readjusted, the myriad emperors change places, the people perish and the ghostly beings are extinguished. Clear and benevolent rule arises, and the heavens, earth, and four directions return to peace and unity. Nine thousand nine hundred circuits mark the end of a great kalpa. At its end, the allotment of Qi in the Nine Heavens is exhausted, and the cycles of the Six Heavens also come to an end. When the cycles are spent, the Qi stirs violently among the Three and Five; every kind of demon and malign force seizes the moment to emerge, spreading poison and harming the people. All of this happens because the cycles have reached their end and the Qi its utmost limit, allowing evil to rise in its wake.

The Earth’s Mechanism lies in the southeastern region, beneath the Nine Springs. At the mouths of the Nine Rivers, numinous energy exhales and draws breath, reaching upward to the Source of Heaven. As this energy surges, it also draws in the waters of the Nine Caverns’ deep abysses alongside it. The convergence of the waters in the four directions can be calculated by the twelve double-hours: as the waters turn back eastward, after a day and a night, the Qi becomes full…

The pivots—the keys to the movement—of the nine rivers converge. They turn for thirty-three days and nights, then the pivot shifts northwest and turns back. The northeast opens while the southwest closes; the southeast opens, and the waters rise and overflow. When it closes, the water level falls. The currents circle through the four directions, meet the source of Heaven, then flow downward and form waves. This counts as one cycle. Three hundred and thirty cycles make one period. At the end of each period, the Water Mother, the spirit who governs the movement of water, urges an audience with the Dragon King and the River Lords, then receives an investiture in the Three Heavens, the Daoist celestial realm, over three days.

Three thousand three hundred cycles are called “Yin Obstruction,” a time when Yin Qi is blocked. During Yin Obstruction, the sun and moon are eclipsed. As Yin Qi encroaches, the waters surge, rivers burst their banks, mountains collapse, and the earth is submerged. At nine thousand three hundred cycles, the great calamity ends, and the Yin cycle reaches its peak. Then the waters of the Nine Springs pour into the floodwaters. The Water Mother beats a drum at Dragon Gate; mountains and seas merge into one, and the four quarters of Heaven and Earth are leveled. This is caused by Yin reaching its fullness and the earth’s Qi surging.

Another account says: On the seventh day of the seventh month, at noon on the Bingwu day of the first year of Chikaihuang, the recipient ascended to the Moon Pavilion in the City of Linlang and received a talismanic mandate from the Heavenly King of Primordial Beginning. Then the Golden Sun Jade Casket was opened. The Jade Maiden Xuanhe orally conveyed the command, and the register of the Imperial People was issued. From before the Kaihuang era, when the Three Signs—those of Heaven, Earth, and humanity—first became manifest, through the Kaihuang era, the number of calamities endured ran into the tens of millions. The formations and destructions of Heaven and Earth were too numerous to count. During the Kaihuang era, the Elder of the Nine Heavens, a revered Daoist deity, calculated and verified the origin of all things and the cycles of calamity. He recorded the names of those who had attained the Dao on white slips and in blue registers, and entered them in the register of the Imperial People. The number of places was reckoned from the age of Tang Yao; this counted as one minor calamity. In each cycle, the number of places added or removed was 240,000, so many people should have been selected.

Counting forty-six Dinghai years from the time of Tang Yao, the Jia Shen year marking the interval before and after would be when the minor calamity converged. The names of those to be selected would also be settled during this period. As the Yang Nine calamity approaches, the two Qi of Yin and Yang separate and unite, and fortune and misfortune intermingle. Those who can pass through unscathed will be few indeed.

Yet after Jia Shen, another nine cycles will pass, beginning with the Ren Chen year and ending in the Gengzi year, when signs of fortune and misfortune will appear. The pattern will then become unmistakable: a red star will appear in the east, and a white comet will sweep across the Moon Gate. Men of ill omen will join forces and gather in rebellion like swarms of insects. Corpses will fill the Yue River, and the people will even devour one another. For ten thousand li, no cooking smoke will rise. Powerful ministers will seize control, while weak rulers are driven into exile.

After this, auspicious signs of the Five Spirits’ manifestation should appear. Righteous people will unite and restore the foundations. A ruler descended from the Dragon Essence will continue the lineage and pacify threats from all four quarters. Those who fulfill the talismanic mandate will bring prosperity to the age of the Dragon and Tiger. Only after the cycles of three and six have run their course will the realm be at peace; the people will no longer die unjustly, and the state will no longer face calamity. Since the time of Tang Yao…

After another forty-six Dinghai years comes the end of one cycle of the “Three Calamities.” Counting a further fifty-five Dinghai years, until the Renchen and Guisi years, brings the end of one cycle of the Great Calamity. At that time, Heaven and Earth will be overturned, gold and jade will melt away, people will sink and mountains collapse. The Six Directions—the four quarters, Heaven, and Earth—will be plunged into darkness, and the cycles of Heaven and Earth will change. Ordinary people will be powerless before such upheaval. Only the white tablets and blue registers bestowed by the High Three Heavens, the upper celestial realms described in Daoism, can enable a person to spread their wings in safety, ride the flying radiance straight into the clouds, and look down upon the four quarters. This passage is said to have been orally transmitted by the Jade Maiden Xuanhe and recorded in the Treatise on the Golden Sun Jade Casket. It explains the signs of Heaven and Earth’s rise and fall, and of good and ill fortune.

The Scripture of the Eight Radiances and Flying Ascent of the Highest Clarity says: “At the turning point of a Great Calamity, the Three Ways wax and wane; the two Qi of Yin-Yang gather and disperse. All changes among the myriad things come at their appointed times. In the Tang dynasty, a disaster of Yang Nine will descend. The wicked must be cut down, and the Perfected of the Highest Truth must be sought out and gathered.”

The Lord Lao’s Admonitions says: “In the western region of flowing sands lies the Boundless Kingdom. Within it stands a huge stone, two hundred zhang tall and fifteen hundred li in circumference. To the north of the stone is a Mustard Seed City, its walls forty li long on each of its four sides, with stone terraces twenty zhang high on all four sides. Each year, flying immortals bring one mustard seed and place it inside the city. Other flying immortals brush the huge stone with their garments until it is worn away, leaving it level with the ground. When the Mustard Seed City is full, the cycle of the age will have run its course, and the world will enter its next stage.”

The lower volume of the Scriptural Instructions on the Purification Precepts and Ritual Deportment of the Numinous Treasure says: “There is a stone as large as Mount Kunlun, and mustard seeds fill a place forty li square. Celestial beings, dressed in soft, light garments, brush the stone once every hundred years. When the stone has been worn away, one mustard seed is taken out. This is like the end of a single calamity. Time stretches so far—who can grasp the meaning of it?”

The Scripture on the Cycles of Heaven and Earth of the Numinous Treasure further says: “The natural cycles of Heaven and Earth described by the Numinous Treasure include the Great Yang Nine and Great Hundred Six, as well as the Lesser Yang Nine and Lesser Hundred Six. Three thousand three hundred years make one Lesser Yang Nine and Lesser Hundred Six; nine thousand nine hundred years make one Great Yang Nine and Great Hundred Six. A decline in Heaven’s cycle is called ‘Yang Nine’; a decline in Earth’s cycle is called ‘Hundred Six.’ The Jia Shen year after the Golden Heaven Clan marks the end of the period in which the cycles of Heaven and Earth turn from obstruction to flourishing. When the periods of Yang Nine and Hundred Six arrive, Dao and De will become manifest, while the wicked will suddenly run rampant. A sage ruler will receive the Mandate in the Renchen year.”

The Scripture of the Most High Lord Lao on the Opening of Heaven

It is said that before Heaven and Earth took shape, the expanse beyond the Great Purity was boundless and beyond measure. In the void there was endless stillness: no Heaven, no Earth, no Yin, no Yang, and no sun…

There was no moon, no radiance or light; no east or west; no azure or yellow; no south or north; no softness or hardness; no covering or supporting; no destruction or preservation; no worthy or sage; no loyalty or kindness; no departure or arrival; no birth or death; no before or after; no round or square. Between heaven and earth, there are countless transformations, vast and boundless, without form or image. They arise of themselves, empty, still, and unfathomably deep, beyond all measure. They have no boundaries, no high or low, ranks, or inclinations, and no distinctions of left and right or above and below.

Only I, Lord Lao (a deity revered in Daoism), remain within this emptiness and unfathomable depth, beyond Shuliao and within the mysterious void. Look for it, and it cannot be seen; listen for it, and it cannot be heard. Say that it exists, and its form remains unseen; say that it does not exist, and yet all things arise from it. At the farthest reaches in the eight directions, differentiation gradually begins; below, subtle beings slowly take shape, and the world comes into being.

At that time, the Great Origin appeared. In the era of the Great Origin, heaven and earth had not yet formed, the void had not yet divided, and clear and turbid Qi had not yet separated. Within the mysterious, still void, this stage of the Great Origin lasted for ten thousand kalpas. After the Great Origin divided, the Mixed Origin appeared; this stage, too, lasted for ten thousand kalpas. Afterward, a hundred cycles of completion passed—each cycle lasting 810,000 years—before the Great Beginning appeared.

In the era of the Great Beginning, Lord Lao descended from the void and became its teacher. From his mouth he uttered the Scripture of Opening Heaven, a work of 480,000 scrolls, each containing 480,000 characters. Each character opened up an area one hundred li across, and the scripture was used to teach the Great Beginning. Through it, heaven and earth, clear and turbid, began to be distinguished; chaos was split apart, forms and images established, and south and north ordered, with east and west set in place. Darkness was made bright, and the four directions, above and below, inner and outer, front and back, long and short, coarse and fine, female and male, black and white, large and small, and high and low were defined.

At first, heaven and earth were as if shrouded in night. After the Great Beginning received Lord Lao’s Scripture of Opening Heaven, the clear Qi separated and rose to become heaven, while the turbid Qi sank to become earth. The Three Guiding Principles, the basic principles governing the order of heaven and earth, were set in place; only then did heaven and earth exist. But at that time there was still no sun or moon. Heaven and earth were to transform the myriad things, but had nothing through which to do so. So the sun and moon were created and suspended between heaven and earth, shining down into the darkness.

Although the sun and moon already existed in the era of the Great Beginning, there were still no human beings. Later, people gradually began to come into being: they drew essence from heaven above and essence from earth below, then blended the Qi between heaven and earth to form a spirit called “the human.” Once heaven and earth had formed and the three had taken their separate places, the various kinds of life began to appear. They originally had no fixed forms or images; each came into being by receiving a particular Qi. Some received uncarved Qi…

From formed matter came mountains and rocks; from moving Qi came birds and beasts; from Jing and Qi came human beings. Among all things, humans are the most honored.

The era of the Great Beginning (Taichu), the time when Heaven and Earth first emerged, lasted through countless kalpas and continued until the first appearance of humankind; hence it is called the “Great Beginning.” At that time there were only Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon. No one yet understood things or gave them names.

After the Great Beginning came the Great Initiation (Taishi), the era when all things began to take shape. During the Great Initiation, the Lord Lao (Laojun), the Daoist honorific for Laozi, descended into the world as a teacher. He spoke a scripture called the Scripture of the Great Initiation and taught the people of that era how to establish order under Heaven. This period lasted through ninety-one kalpas. Ninety-one kalpas amounted to one hundred cycles, and one hundred cycles equaled 810,000 years. The Great Initiation was the beginning of all things, hence its name. As all things flowed and changed, they formed refined, unadorned shapes in which Qi became visible. Qi then changed of itself, forming Yin-Yang.

After the Great Initiation came the Great Simplicity (Taisu), the unadorned, undifferentiated state of all things. During the Great Simplicity, the Lord Lao descended as a teacher and taught the people of that era to govern the world according to its patterns. The period lasted through eighty-one kalpas, reaching one hundred cycles, or 810,000 years. The Great Simplicity was the simple origin of all things, hence its name.

From the Great Beginning through the Great Simplicity, sweet dew fell from Heaven and sweet springs welled up from the earth. Those who ate and drank them lived forever and knew nothing of death. After death, they were not buried; their bodies were simply cast away in distant wildernesses. This period is called “High Antiquity.”

After the Great Simplicity came Chaos (Hundun), the state in which Heaven and Earth were undivided and all things remained indistinct. Mountains and rivers first appeared during Chaos. The Lord Lao descended as a teacher and instructed the people of that era in governing the world. This period lasted through seventy-two kalpas. The Qi of Chaos moved and changed, forming mountains and rivers, the Five Sacred Peaks, and the Four Great Rivers; the ordering of high and low, honored and humble, began at this time as well.

Beginning in the era of Chaos, people first began to understand things and give them names. The ruler of Chaos had two sons: the elder was called Hu Chen, and the younger Hu Ling. After Hu Chen died, he became a spirit of the mountains; after Hu Ling died, he became a water spirit. Thus came the names of the Five Sacred Peaks, the Four Great Rivers, and the mountains and rivers’ varied heights.

After Chaos came the Nine Palaces (Jiugong), a pattern of nine divisions. During the era of the Nine Palaces, the Lord Lao descended as a teacher and orally delivered a scripture called the Scripture of Heaven and Earth. He established the Nine Palaces and gave names to Heaven and Earth: pure Qi became Heaven, and turbid Qi became Earth. From the era of the Nine Palaces onward, Heaven belonged to Yang and Earth to Yin. Yang is strong, distant, and difficult to see. In Heaven it appears as the sun, moon, stars, and other celestial forms; on Earth it takes shape as the Five Sacred Peaks, the Four Great Rivers, and other landforms; within the human body it forms the heart, liver, and other five organs. Considered separately, they each have different names; taken together, their essential nature is one. Taking the three kinds of strength…

After the Nine Palaces disappeared, the Primordial Sovereign appeared. During his reign, Lao Jun descended to the human realm to serve as his teacher. He orally transmitted a scripture called the Yuanhuang Jing, teaching the Primordial Sovereign how to govern the world. From then on, this teaching gradually spread and was passed down to later generations.

After the Primordial Sovereign came, in succession, the Supreme Sovereign, the Earth Sovereign, and the Human Sovereign. After the Human Sovereign, other rulers appeared, including Zunlu, Julou, Hexu, and Tailian. The era from the beginning of cosmic chaos up to Tailian’s time was called the “Middle Antiquity.” In those days, Heaven produced five kinds of primordial Qi (vital energy), and the earth grew five kinds of flavors. People consumed them and thereby prolonged their lives.

After Tailian, Fuxi was born at “the beginning of the One Source,” coming into being in accordance with the Dao of Heaven. He harmonized Yin-Yang and established the Eight Trigrams (Bagua). History before Fuxi was not recorded in the Five Classics, and no writings from that time have survived. Only Lao Jun had existed continuously in the empty expanse of Heaven since the creation of Heaven and Earth. His abode lay beyond the countless billions of Ganges sands, outside the Great Clarity, and could not be measured. After the Great Dao differentiated and Heaven and Earth took shape, Lao Jun began to establish teachings, assist the Celestial Emperor, and pass his teachings down to later generations, thereby recording history.

During Fuxi’s reign, Lao Jun descended to serve as his teacher. He was called Wuhua Zi, and was also known as Yuhua Zi. He taught Fuxi ancient methods, elaborated the principles of Yin-Yang, corrected the orientations of the eight directions, established the Eight Trigrams, and composed the Yuanyang Jing to instruct him.

Before Fuxi, people had no surnames, only personal names. They were simple and upright, and had not yet learned to grow the Five Grains. Fuxi taught them to set up nets and catch birds and beasts for food. People then wore animal skins and ate raw meat, their bodies carrying the rank, foul smell of animals. Men and women were not distinguished from one another, nor did they feel jealousy. In winter they lived in caves; in summer they dwelt in trees.

After Fuxi died, Nüwa succeeded him; after Nüwa died, Shennong succeeded her. During Shennong’s reign, Lao Jun descended to serve as his teacher. Called Dacheng Zi, he composed the Taiwei Jing to instruct Shennong. Shennong tasted every kind of herb, discovered the Five Grains, and taught the people to sow and cultivate them. From then on, people lived on the Five Grains instead of relying on hunting birds and beasts for food.

After Shennong died, Suiren succeeded him. During Suiren’s reign, Lao Jun descended and taught him to make fire by drilling wood. The light of fire extended the light of day, and cooking turned raw food into cooked food, removing its rank, foul smell. After Suiren died, Zhurong succeeded him.

In the age of Zhurong, the fire god of ancient myth, the Old Lord (Taishang Laojun, revered in Daoism) descended into the world as a teacher under the name Guangshouzi. He taught people to cultivate the Three Bonds, the three principles that uphold human relationships.

He brought the Seven Regulators—the sun, moon, and five planets, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—into harmony, so that the cultivators of the Three Sovereigns’ age would not fall ill. He also taught methods of massage and of opening and clearing the meridians.

Later came the three generations of Gaoyuan, Gaoyang, and Gaoxin. After them, Cangjie and Zhongshuo taught people to study writing and literary composition. After the Three Sovereigns came Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor. In the Yellow Emperor’s age, the Old Lord again descended as a teacher, this time under the name Limuzi. He taught methods for harmonizing Yin-Yang and established Daoist precepts and the Kang Jing.

From the time of the Yellow Emperor onward, society began to establish relationships of rank, such as those between ruler and minister and between father and son, distinguishing high from low and noble from humble. After the Yellow Emperor came Shaohao. In Shaohao’s age, the Old Lord descended as a teacher under the name Suiyingzi and composed the Xuancang Jing. At that time, the realm was at peace: auspicious grain grew, sweet springs flowed, qilin appeared, phoenixes flew in, and a brilliant star shone overhead.

After Shaohao came Emperor Zhuanxu. In Zhuanxu’s age, the Old Lord descended as a teacher under the name Yuanyangzi and composed the Weiyan Jing. After Zhuanxu’s death came Emperor Ku, and after Emperor Ku came Emperor Yao. In Yao’s age, the Old Lord descended as a teacher under the name Wuchengzi and composed the Zhengshi Jing. After Yao came Emperor Shun. In Shun’s age, the Old Lord descended as a teacher under the name Yinshouzi and composed the Taiqing Jing. After Shun came Yu of Xia. In Yu’s age, the Old Lord descended as a teacher under the name Zhiningzi and composed the Dejie Jing. After Yu came Tang of Shang; after Tang came the early Zhou dynasty. In the early Zhou, the Old Lord descended as a teacher under the name Guoshuzi and composed the Chijing Jing.

The Old Lord said, “At the beginning of my secret teaching, my true nature was formless and empty. Through endless ages, I have undergone a thousand transformations and myriad changes. I first descended into the world as a teacher before the Three Sovereigns; this was the foundation of divine instruction. After that, I took form as a teacher in the ages of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors. I also guided the rulers of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, urging them all to cultivate goodness.”

Heaven is one, Earth is two, and humanity is three; the four seasons make four, musical tones make five, pitch standards make six, stars make seven, winds make eight, and regions make nine. Together these make forty-five. The positions Zi, Wu, Mao, and You, along with the center, each have nine numbers. Nine is above and one below; three is on the left and seven on the right; two and four are the shoulders, six and eight the feet, and five is in the center. This arrangement forms the pattern on a tortoise’s back and, in turn, gives rise to the Eight Trigrams (Bagua).

Water flows toward the extremities, spreading into eight directions and arriving at the Chou position. Leaves fall back to their roots, spreading into six directions and arriving at the Hai position. Metal is hard and firm by nature; it divides toward two directions and arrives at the Wei position. Earth governs the four seasons; it divides toward four directions and arrives at the Si position. At the Kan position… resentment qi travels alone; at the Li position… (The source text ends here, and its meaning is uncertain.)

Arrange these numerical positions as follows: assign four to the Gen position (one of the Eight Trigrams), eight to the highest position, and three to the third position, proceeding in order from the Kun position (southwest). Treat the Qian position (northwest) as the city position, with the Kun position paired with one. The Xun position (southeast) corresponds to the Gate of Heaven and borrows one from the Qian position. Thunder stirs at the Zhen position (east), while the Dui position (west) takes what is subtracted from it. The trigrams corresponding to the hours of Chen, Wu, You, and Hai each receive a number from the Eight Trigrams; together, the remaining count of nine forms the character “Yi.”

The Old Master then developed the art of calculating travel dates, saying: “The method for calculating travel dates has its own procedures. First raise the Kan position (north) to the Kun position, where the two meet in the southwest. The Queen Mother is in the west, and the Azure Dragon is in the east. Habitual tendencies arise between the Earth Gate (the earthly portal opposite the Gate of Heaven); the four periods at the Xun position enter the central palace. The calculation proceeds from the central palace, then rises to the great marsh west of the Qian position and the summit of Mount Hua. It then reaches the area between Yin and Gen in the northeast, and the Li position in the fiery south, Mount Huo; suddenly it changes and enters the dark clouds in the north.”

Seven Slips from a Cloudy Satchel (Yunji Qiqian), juan 2