《太平經》Vol. 45

A humble seeker, his heart filled with confusion, could not help but approach the Celestial Master (Tianshi, a Daoist honorific for enlightened masters) with questions. Restless and troubled within, like a child unable to restrain his curiosity, he earnestly begged the Celestial Master to resolve a great doubt. The master treated him with the tenderness one shows an infant, surely understanding his thirst for the Dao (the Way).

The Celestial Master responded: Your question is excellent! I often commune with the spirits of August Heaven (the supreme celestial deity) and Sovereign Earth (the earth goddess), my thoughts perfectly aligned with the cosmos, as precise as compass and square. I know what troubles Heaven and Earth most deeply. Though you consider yourself ignorant, your courage in asking about matters most dreaded by the celestial spirits is praiseworthy.

The master continued: I am delighted to address this. What Heaven and Earth detest most are those who lack filial piety and disregard natural order. The three Qi (vital energies) of Heaven, Earth, and humanity should harmonize like a family nurturing all creation: Heaven as father governs growth, Earth as mother provides sustenance, and humanity as children must steward all beings. Children should revere their parents and follow the rhythms of celestial timing.

The master explained: The father (Heaven) teaches all things through seasonal cycles, while the mother (Earth) nourishes beings in accordance with Heaven's movements. When evil people violate this order—like unfilial children disobeying parents—celestial patterns go awry and governance fails. Thus, Heaven punishes such wrongdoers through ominous portents, bringing disasters and plagues upon the world.

The situation is like a father at home becoming angry and disciplining his son. When a son refuses to obey and submit to his strict father’s teaching, Yin overcomes Yang and those below oppress those above; rebellious sons proliferate. When ministers neglect their duties, ghosts and spirits rise up and join together to harm people. Deceitful and cunning men take over the roads, and all kinds of baleful, disobedient forces appear. The fault lies in defying Heaven and Earth. How could a perfected person fail to follow their order? This is the natural principle, like a shadow following its form or a horse kept by its reins.

The disciple respectfully receives your teaching and wishes to hear about the taboos against offending the Earth. Perfected One, please listen closely. Heaven is the father and Earth the mother. Father and mother are both human beings—what difference is there between them? Heaven is Heaven, and Earth is also Heaven; father and mother are distinguished only as Yin and Yang, male and female, yet their likes and dislikes are the same. Heaven nurtures human life, and Earth nurtures the human body. But people are profoundly ignorant and blinded: they do not know to honor and revere their own parents. They often cause Heaven and Earth to feel regret and sorrow over mortals, without understanding why.

“What does this mean?”

“Excellent! Your words accord deeply with Heaven and Earth’s intent. Great calamities will cease, and people will find good fortune.”

“What does this mean?”

“Only the Celestial Master can explain it.”

Yet people throughout the world collectively harm and wrong their parents. What does this mean? The seasons and their weather are set in motion by Heaven, and when people go against them, they harm their father. What does this mean? People today regard Earth as their mother and obtain clothing and food from it, yet they do not join together to cherish and benefit it. Instead, they collectively harm it. What does this mean?

“Perfected One, listen closely. People are truly without restraint: they collectively dig and pierce the Earth, building on a vast scale without regard for reason. Some dig so deep that their pits reach the Yellow Springs; even the shallower ones are several zhang deep. Only the Earth suffers and grows resentful. Its children are profoundly careless and unfilial, leaving it to suffer in constant anger and gloom, with no way to voice its grievance.

“In ancient times, before the sages’ allotted time had arrived, people acted recklessly, thinking that the Earth felt no pain. But the Earth suffered pain within, with nowhere to make its grievance heard. At last it stirred Heaven above, though people could not know it. It grieved and distressed its children but could not stop them, so it appealed upward to its father. The appeals continued for a long, long time. The accumulated grievances therefore kept the father’s anger from subsiding; disasters and strange transformations arose in countless forms, and the mother too became displeased and remained angry.”

The Taiping Jing: A Plain-Language Interpretation

Those who refuse to devote themselves to nurturing the people and all things show that Heaven and Earth, as parents, have failed. All things and the people…

They die for no just reason, and the fault lies here. The conduct of later generations grows more extreme by the day. They fail to grasp Heaven and Earth’s true intent and instead resent them. Their words turn discordant, and they join in condemning their rulers, saying that the rulers cannot govern and bring order. Within the court, everyone thinks themselves right and shifts the blame to Heaven and Earth, without recognizing their own faults. They push their own failings upward and blame those in power.

So Heaven and Earth no longer cherish people; they watch them die suddenly. Even when people fall ill and cry out as they approach death, their guilt is plain, and Heaven and Earth, their parents, no longer save them. Their sins are too deep and their faults have piled up; that is where the blame lies. The conduct of later generations is especially extreme, surpassing that of those who came before. People imitate one another and take this as the norm. They no longer restrain or govern themselves, and do not know to forbid one another from doing wrong. So calamities grow more numerous by the day. In truth, people collectively wrong Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth are humanity’s parents, yet their children collectively harm, injure, and abuse them. This is no small offense. Above all, Heaven and Earth resent a lack of filial devotion and obedience, and no longer pardon it. Though people’s lives are short and the dead are countless, there is no injustice in this.

Does the Perfected One truly understand these things? (Reply:) Yes, yes.

Today, Heaven has sent you to ask about these matters in detail, knowing that I can speak of them. Perfected One, do not think lightly of yourself, and do not fail to be careful. (Reply:) Yes, yes. Now people collectively harm their parents and defy the orders of the authorities. In your view, Perfected One, can they be nurtured for long? Surely not. That is why Heaven shows them little mercy.

Today, the Master pities the foolish and dull creatures and explains these matters to them in detail. How do you know that Heaven and Earth are often angry and troubled, resenting people for frequently breaking ground and undertaking construction?

Good! Heaven has sent you to humble yourself and ask. This is enough to show that Heaven and Earth sent you to inquire about this matter.

(The Perfected One) said: Good. I hold Heaven in great awe and dare not conceal anything, for I fear calamity will befall me. I will now make you understand this clearly. Keep it engraved in your heart forever, and do not forget it again.

Today, when one household begins digging and building, several nearby households may fall ill. Someone may die, or thieves may come, or trouble with the authorities may arise. There may be armed conflict, disputes, or lawsuits, or snakes, wasps, tigers, wolves, and fierce birds may come to harm people. Major earthworks bring major calamities; minor earthworks bring minor calamities. This is the anger of the earth, which causes spirits to send down these misfortunes. This is clear proof that Heaven and Earth bring illness upon people. Do you understand? (Reply:) Yes, yes.

Now, perhaps someone breaks ground…

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

Question: What does “when the soil turns, it is auspicious and harmless” mean? That is a good question. In fact, all soil causes harm. When the soil is good, it does not harm people right away. Instead, danger gradually appears in the four directions; given enough time, it still causes harm. When the land is bad, people find it hard to endure, and it harms them quickly, with effects reaching even distant places. Why is this so? Think of a kindhearted person. Though wronged, they may hold back for a while, but they cannot forget what happened and will eventually take revenge. An evil person cannot hold back even for a moment and strikes at once. That is a good question.

Question: The human body is so large, yet tiny beside the great earth. The small things people do are smaller still. How can they harm the earth so quickly?

Celestial Master: That is a difficult question, and a good one. Heaven has made it hard for you to see clearly. How do I know? Your words show that your heart is troubled: you want to speak, yet feel stifled. The spirits and essence of Heaven and Earth are within your belly. They respect you and urge you to speak. You may not understand this yourself: whenever an ordinary person wants to do something, Heaven makes them speak of it; they cannot keep it hidden. You have understanding and virtue. Yes, yes. You say that when people make a small move, they cannot harm the earth. But a grown person may be one zhang tall and ten arm-spans around the waist, and still have a toothworm in the teeth. Though the worm is small, when it acts, the person cries out in pain. In time, the teeth all fall out. Compared with Heaven and Earth, people are like worms compared with people. The worm is only flesh and bone, so how can it harm a person? Yet the hardest parts of the tooth are like metal and stone, and still the worm can cause illness. People harm the earth in the same way. Do you understand?

Perfected One: Let me explain it more clearly.

Question: Yes, yes. Someone may be one zhang tall and ten arm-spans around, while a sore-worm is no more than an inch long, so small it is hardly noticed. Yet it lives beneath a person’s skin, gnawing and burrowing day and night, until the person falls ill and dies. People are to the earth as different in size as the worm is to a person. Why can a worm so small kill someone?

Perfected One: Why are you so obtuse? Have you become just like an ordinary person? I can hardly reason with you, and you say you cannot reason with ordinary people. I have been at fault and foolish. I only ask the Celestial Master to explain everything to this foolish student.

Celestial Master: Very well, I will hide nothing from you. I know Heaven and Earth…

Note: This passage from the Taiping Jing takes the form of a dialogue between a Celestial Master and a disciple. Its central comparison is between a toothworm or a worm beneath the skin and a person: the human body is smaller than Heaven and Earth, yet can still be destroyed by tiny worms inside it. In the same way, though people are small, accumulated wrongdoing can “injure the earth,” harming Heaven and Earth. The phrase “when the soil turns, it is auspicious and harmless” does not mean that the soil truly causes no harm. Rather, harmful or poor land differs in whether its harm appears slowly or quickly.

An explanation in plain language:

Because the illness is severe, I will tell you one more thing so you can reflect on it carefully and understand it deeply. Good, good.

Here is a strong, healthy man who cannot even control things as tiny as itch mites and fleas, nearly too small to see. There is a dou of rice, and everyone gathers to eat. This man is so sick with pain that he cannot lie down; in severe cases, he can only stay in bed. Itch mites and fleas may be small, but when they gather in great numbers, they still bite people. Insects can bite a person to death. Scabies and fleas make people restless and miserable, unable to sit still, and can leave the whole body covered in sores and ulcers. Compared with the great earth, people, whether many or few, are just like this. Do you understand? Good, good.

If you think what I have said is not enough to serve as a principle, I will tell you more. Though people are small, the harm they cause and the damage they do to the shape of the land are plain to see, and their guilt is grave. These days, one li has a hundred households and a hundred wells; one township has a thousand households and a thousand wells; one county has ten thousand households and ten thousand wells; one commandery has a hundred thousand households and a hundred thousand wells; and one province has a hundred million households and a hundred million wells. A large well is one zhang deep, a medium well several chi, and a small well three chi. People now dig down through the earth until they reach the Yellow Springs. How deep is the earth below us? Some families have several wells. Even if we count only small wells, ten wells together amount to three zhang; a hundred wells, thirty zhang; a thousand, three hundred zhang; ten thousand, three thousand zhang; and a hundred thousand, thirty thousand zhang. How many wells like these are there in the whole world? They are dug through the earth until they reach water—and water is the earth’s blood vessels. If someone pierced your body and drew out your blood, would you not fall ill? How many li would a hundred million wells cover if their lengths and widths were added together? Work it out carefully yourself: how many hundred millions of wells are there in the whole world? People’s wrongdoing is already plain for Heaven and Earth to see. When people harm the earth, it is like a son making his mother gravely ill. The earth’s Qi is leaking away, and the illness is already deep, yet people neither care for nor pity it. Instead, they complain that Heaven and Earth are always wronging them and ask why Heaven and Earth are not in harmony. Is that not turning things upside down?

So far I have spoken only of wells of various kinds. Consider, too, the great houses throughout the world; hills and burial mounds; the mining of gold and stone; kilns for tiles; the setting of pillars and reckless digging; the cutting of ditches and channels; and the many ways people block or obstruct what ought to remain open. Springs and streams should flow and run freely, yet people speak of blocking them and digging through them…

A Modern Interpretation of the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace)

Question: How deep should one dig into the ground?

Today, spring water should flow freely and naturally, following the advantages of Heaven and Earth, and be channeled from higher ground to lower ground. But some people do not do this. They dig into the earth recklessly, making the land resemble a sore: they block what should flow and cut off what should run. When rulers fail to govern their kingdoms harmoniously, the earth suffers deeply. Yet no one is willing to acknowledge this affliction. The earth’s spirit reports its grievances to Heaven without ceasing, day or night. As a result, neither Heaven nor Earth is pleased, and the pure Qi of great harmony cannot arrive.

Does the Perfected One understand?

Answer: I understand.

People live between Heaven and Earth, and must build houses for shelter and dig wells for water. What should they do?

Answer: A good question. Heaven does not object to people having houses. But what does it mean to pierce the earth too deeply, making sores everywhere, and sometimes reaching the “bones of the earth” or the “blood of the earth”? Springs are the earth’s blood, stones are its bones, and fertile soil is its flesh. To break through a spring is like letting blood; to split stone is like breaking a bone. Digging too deeply into fertile soil, then packing the earth with tiles, stones, and hard timber in the name of reinforcement, only harms the earth’s inner body and leaves it gravely ill.

What, then, should people do? The earth is the mother of all things, and should be loved and cared for as it nurtures them; it must not be treated carelessly. This is like a person carrying a child in the womb: if the mother’s body is not pierced recklessly and the Way is upheld, the mother remains well. But if her body is pierced recklessly in the hope of bringing forth life, she will surely fall ill. People, too, should not dig too deeply into the earth. They should live at the surface, disturbing it only enough to shelter themselves from wind and provide privacy; then the earth will not fall ill. Loving people greatly brings them good fortune.

Another question: How deep should a shelter for privacy and protection be?

Answer: Whenever earth is moved and dug into, the depth should not exceed three chi; the excavated soil may simply be piled above it. Why set three chi as the limit? The first chi is the place reached by Yang’s light, and its Qi belongs to Heaven; the second chi is where all things are born, and its Qi belongs to the harmony between them; the third chi reaches the earth’s body, and its Qi belongs to Yin. Digging deeper damages the shape of the earth, and brings misfortune.

Another question: What about the ancient people who lived in caves?

Answer: They, too, encroached on the shape of the earth. They mostly carved caves into rock along mountain valleys. Although they entered the earth, they drove few wooden posts into it and usually lived beside flowing water, so they caused less harm. As a result, people suffered only minor illnesses. Later generations did not understand their error and dug too deeply into the earth; therefore, people often failed to live long. This was a grave illness.

Note: This passage uses the metaphor of springs, stones, and soil as the earth’s blood, bones, and flesh, and compares reckless digging to injuring a mother. It sets three chi as the limit for disturbing the soil, dividing the depth into the Qi of Heaven, the Qi of harmony, and the Qi of Earth. These ideas are connected to later traditions of fengshui and rules governing construction.

A Plain Language Interpretation of a Passage from the Taiping Jing

Question: Why do people who live near water but do not dig wells often suffer from illness and die young?

Answer: Heaven and Earth have already become angry, and their anger spreads to neighboring households, just as one family’s wrongdoing can bring trouble upon its brothers. Why do misfortunes befall people who casually disturb the ground to build houses, or who stay in an old house even though they know it is inauspicious? Their actions bring harm and offend the spirits. What spirits are these? There is more than one kind, and it is impossible to name them all in advance.

Do you understand, Perfected One?

Disciple: Yes, yes, I understand.

So, while people live in this world, if they do not make an effort to teach one another to do good, then whenever someone makes a mistake, others are implicated and harmed too. This is how resentment arises. Now, what should people do if they live far from a river and must dig a well to get the water they need to survive?

Answer: A good question. If there is already an old well, people should use it as much as possible and share it. They must not keep changing locations and digging new wells. If they do dig a new one, they must fill the old well in completely so the Earth’s Qi does not escape. Once people draw on the Earth’s Qi and damage its terrain, the land grows weak and can no longer nourish all things. When filling an old well, what does “central obstruction” in the well mean? It means scraps of tile, stones, wood, and other debris inside it. These things were not there originally but appeared later, like a growth that develops inside the human body and becomes an illness. How frightening! You would do better to ask the Celestial Master for more detail. When the Perfected One arrived, the disciples responded obediently. Why do you always ask such detailed questions? The answer is that details matter. When I met with the Celestial Master, he explained that human life depends on Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth must remain joyful if peace is to be brought about and life prolonged for generations to come. So, living between Heaven and Earth, I am always afraid of disturbing them, and this is why I make such an effort. If Heaven and Earth are out of harmony, I cannot live out my allotted years.

Answer: A good question. I am often afraid because I see poisonous Qi accumulating in Heaven and Earth, with killing and destruction never ceasing, while rulers are troubled and government is unjust. I often help ease their worries.

Question: Why do you concern yourself with the rulers’ troubles?

Answer: I have heard that when people accumulate merit by helping others, Heaven will reward them. So I gladly speak of Heaven’s will.

Answer: Your intentions are good. The Celestial Master has already instructed this foolish student and shown me Heaven’s taboos. I would like to ask one more question: If someone builds a house on low-lying land beside a river or the sea, where no pillars or beams are needed and water appears just three feet below the ground, what should they do?

Answer: A good question. This is harmful to people, just as the earlier cases were. They should dig more shallowly. That is the land’s “thin skin,” close to its meridians—the channels through which the Earth’s Qi flows.

This is a dialogue in the Taiping Jing between a Perfected One and a seeker of learning. Its central image compares human skin and blood to the earth and its springs, warning people not to bore into the ground and injure it at will.

To understand the consequences, consider this comparison: A person with thick skin is less likely to bleed, but if they do bleed, they are still hurt. A person with thin skin bleeds easily, and bleeding hurts them just as much. In either case, the person is harmed. In the eyes of Heaven and Earth, blood is a weighty “sign and proof”—a bond that must be honored and fulfilled. Whoever injures another is guilty if blood is drawn, whether the other person’s skin is thick or thin; the judgment is clear. Since people take Heaven and Earth as their model, they do not wish to see anyone hurt; when someone is injured, they grow angry. How, then, could the earth be willing to be wounded? Heaven and Earth are the true source of humanity and the parents of Yin-Yang. How can children harm their parents? A Perfected One should keep these words in mind. Fools, however, often dismiss them, failing to notice what they are doing. This is a grave transgression.

Today, you get all your food and drink from your mother. People dig wells to draw water—what great offense could there be in that? Your words already go against Heaven’s intent, though the principle is plain: People receive food and drink from their mother by drawing it where spring water wells up. A woman’s breast is a springlike opening in the human body, where an infant drinks. The earth, too, has springs of water for people to drink. How can one bore through its “skin” without cause and drink its blood? The Perfected One thinks that although you ask many questions, most miss the point. As an ignorant student, I have offended by trespassing on the Celestial Master’s prohibitions and have not shown sufficient humility and respect. Yet without asking to the end, one cannot obtain the essential teaching. I do not dislike your questions. It is precisely because August Heaven is urgently concerned that you have been sent to ask again and again; that is why you keep pressing me. I hope the Celestial Master will pardon me and remove my fault. This ignorant student still has questions and cannot restrain himself. Between equals, why should we stand on ceremony? You have come from far away to ask about the Way of Heaven and Earth. Please do not shut off or cut short the meaning of my writing.

The questioner repeatedly answered, “Yes, yes.” Ordinary people have never seen this scripture and do not know how grave their offenses are. Instead, they often join with others in burdening Heaven and Earth. Why, then, should Heaven and Earth fail to bring harmony? Why should a well-ordered age be marked by injustice? People do not realize that everyone has faults before Heaven and Earth. These faults pass from one generation to the next, leaving debts for those who come after; calamities then fall upon all, the allotted span of Heaven is forfeited, and the time of death becomes uncertain. The Perfected One must do all he can to keep this text from disappearing. Otherwise, Heaven and Earth may not be angry with people alone: the Perfected One will be punished first, and that would be dangerous. The questioner asks again: Would it be right to give the scripture to a virtuous ruler, so that it may be shown to ordinary people? Ordinary people are children of Heaven and Earth and the foremost of all living things. Since they are now to be instructed as children, what should be done? Everyone should reflect on this for themselves.

From now on, anyone who sees this book should understand that the way people routinely bore into the earth and take from it, wounding it and drawing its blood, is an injury to their “parents.” Heaven and Earth take the earth as mother and its springs as milk. Drawing from them in due measure may be acceptable; boring deep without cause and exhausting the waters are the “drawing of blood” described in this text, and the guilt is plain. This is why the Perfected One urges people to reflect deeply.

In the past, those who sought wealth, long life, freedom from illness, and protection from calamity would carefully consider the words in this scripture, keep them firmly in mind, and each make plans for their own well-being. The Perfected Ones (those who, moved by Heaven and Earth, convey Heaven’s will) never keep these teachings to themselves; they pass them on to one another.

Now the spirits of Heaven and Earth act in accordance with this scripture and observe people’s words and deeds. Do the Perfected Ones understand this? How can we know that the spirits respond to human conduct? Because my words must be trusted. You must not secretly withhold this book. If someone is ill and still dares to conceal it instead of passing it on, that is inauspicious. The spirits of Heaven and Earth then observe people as they act; this is the clearest proof, and it is truly awe-inspiring. Be sure to remember this and strive to put it into practice.

Human life depends on Heaven and Earth. To live in security, we must first let Heaven and Earth be at peace; only then can we ourselves enjoy lasting peace. Yet now people do the opposite: they blame Heaven and Earth, as though Heaven and Earth, together with their parents, were harming them. How could they find peace this way? This pattern has persisted from one generation to the next, and its accumulated harm grows ever deeper, so calamities and upheavals never cease. My words are not mistaken. I often see the Earth Gods (who govern the land and observe people’s good and evil deeds) ascend to Heaven to lodge their complaints; this has never stopped. I therefore know for certain that what I say is true. Perfected Ones, it is as though someone were giving repeated instructions face to face and asking questions in person. In this way you can recognize that the one asking is a Heavenly Envoy, a Perfected One: Heaven wants this matter fully brought to light, so that people may come to understand it for themselves. The people know only to blame Heaven; they do not know to examine themselves deeply and take responsibility. Why has Heaven sent me to ask these questions now? Because the Great Peace Qi (the primordial energy that brings peace and harmony) is about to descend from Heaven, and the world should enter an age of Great Peace. Heaven fears that foolish people will continue to violate the prohibitions of Heaven and Earth, disturbing the righteous Qi and bringing calamity. Then the Great Peace Qi would not be able to flow in harmony at its appointed time. That is why I have been sent to ask these questions. May the people stop offending Heaven and Earth, so that Heaven and Earth remain free of affliction and care for humanity, allowing the five grains and all things to flourish and nourish people. If people are contemptuous, unkind, uncaring, and unwilling to nourish others, there will be years of calamity and no good harvests. When years of prosperity are about to begin, things flourish. That is the principle. Do the Perfected Ones understand?

Excellent, excellent. In ancient times, there was likewise an age of Great Peace. Why, then, were people not forbidden from digging the earth whenever they pleased? That is a good question. When Heaven and Earth first came into being, things were never as they are today. How can we tell? Now all the heavenly courts have risen together, and so the records summon those appointed to bear the destiny of Qi, along with the Spirit Beings, Perfected Ones, Immortals, Daoist practitioners, Sages, and Worthies. All are to appear in the world and assist a virtuous ruler in governing under Heaven. That is why the present situation has never existed before. Those recorded from the beginning, since Yin and Yang first came into being—

The people of the world have never before received such a blessing. This is therefore the greatest good deed—truly a cause for astonishment!

Astonishing indeed! So bring forth this highest and most upright Way, and use it to teach the people of the world to do good. When people do good, the state will be at peace, and the ruler will be free to enjoy himself without worry. How wonderful! How wonderful! How joyful!

Therefore, teach the Perfected Person to bring this scripture out at once. Do not hide it away; show it to ordinary people. When they see the prohibitions, they will restrain themselves. If they still do not stop, calamity will reach their descendants, and there will be no way to save them. They will offend Heaven and Earth, and even prayer will be of no use. Perfected Person, do you understand?

(The Perfected Person replies:) Yes, yes. I will do it at once. If anything in the book is unclear, come and ask me.

(Reply:) Yes, yes.