《太平經》Vol. 46

Taiping Jing, Scroll 46: “The Priceless Dao and the Method for Repelling the Yi and Di” (Chapter 62): A Modern Interpretation

The Celestial Master was about to depart, and no one knew when he might return. His disciples still hoped to ask him about one or two doubts.

The Celestial Master said, “I was already preparing to leave. What else do you want to ask?” The disciples replied, “We beg our enlightened master to instruct us. We have a question about the Dao books you gave us earlier. It may seem presumptuous and disrespectful, but if we do not ask today, we fear we will never understand. Please do not take offense. We dare to ask: what, exactly, are the Dao books you gave us worth?”

The Celestial Master sighed. “How dull you are! Do you really think my Dao can be measured in money? Very well, I will explain it in detail, so you can truly understand how weighty the Way of Heaven is and what it is worth.

“Suppose you were given a thousand jin of gold to offer to the state. Could that win the favor of Heaven and Earth, bring Yin and Yang into harmony, wipe out calamities and omens, grant the ruler long life, and bring peace to all under Heaven? Suppose you offered ten thousand pairs of jade discs to be treasured as the nation’s heirlooms. Could they bring perfect harmony to the vital energy of the six directions, make every auspicious sign appear, and drive the Yi and Di peoples ten thousand li away so they could no longer do harm?

“The Dao I have passed on to you is complete. It can win the deep favor of Heaven and Earth for the ruler, bring joy to all the ministers under Heaven and to every living creature that walks or crawls, make the Yi and Di peoples submit and withdraw, bring forth auspicious signs, dispel calamities, prolong the life of the state, and grant long life to its people. If people truly turn toward goodness, act according to my books, and reflect on their essential meaning, everything will respond without fail, like overlapping compass circles and carpenter’s squares that align exactly. Success can be expected. I speak on behalf of Heaven; I will not deceive you.

“If this heavenly method is offered in support of a virtuous ruler, so that he may live without worry, what would it be worth? Can your dull heart understand now?”

“Very well, let me tell you one more thing. Of all people in the world, none are more warmly cherished and welcomed than good people—except women, who are cherished even more. To be with a woman, have children together, become of one heart, and sincerely turn toward goodness is immensely precious. Suppose ten thousand people were given to the state: everyone would rejoice, and those who saw them might feel as if they would never grow old. But could this bring stability to Heaven and Earth and free the ruler from worry?”

Note: This passage takes the form of a dialogue between the Celestial Master and his disciples. It stresses that the Dao cannot be equated with gold, jade, or people in number. Only by practicing according to the scripture and supporting a virtuous ruler can one repel the Yi and Di peoples and bring peace. “Yi and Di” refers to peoples beyond the frontier; “auspicious responses” means favorable omens; and the image of overlapping compass circles and carpenter’s squares describes perfect conformity with the laws of Heaven.

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

All nations rejoice, distant lands respond from every direction, and peace prevails throughout the world. This is the outcome the true Dao should bring about.

My Dao can bring peace to the limitless heavens above and follow the natural order of the limitless earth below. From every direction, all come gladly to return to it. Even those who are unruly and refuse to submit can be transformed by its De (Virtue and Power), and each can find a proper place. What price could these things have? Weigh their value carefully for yourself.

If you wish to bring joy to Heaven in return, honor its achievements, and win its heart, you should quickly repay it with this book of mine. Piling up rare treasures and strange objects like mountains and offering them to Heaven will not make Heaven rejoice. Such offerings will not win Heaven’s deepest favor. To win Heaven’s heart, you must reflect morning and night on the words in my book. Once you grasp their meaning, you will also win Heaven’s heart. How could you put a price on that?

So it is better to give a state one essential saying that can bring order to the world than to give it a thousand gold pieces. It is better to present two great sages than to give it ten thousand pairs of jade discs. Essential teachings, great sages, and the precious Dao can let an emperor rule at ease, bring great joy and peace, avert disasters, and secure the realm. How, then, could one calculate the value of bringing forward great sages, essential teachings, and wondrous ways?

The sage rulers of antiquity were never short of wealth and goods, yet they were often troubled by the scarcity of worthy people. Great sages did not come; the people did not gather, but wanted to attach themselves to other lands. Their numbers dwindled day by day. Thus these rulers failed to fulfill the will of Heaven and lived in constant distress. If they merely coveted riches in rare and counterfeit things, and prized goodness but could not win the hearts of Heaven and Earth to bring peace to the four seas, then even if they piled up gold, jade discs, and strange or counterfeit objects stretching a thousand miles and reaching up to the sky, they still could not attract great sages, perfected beings, and immortal adepts to help govern.

Think carefully about my book. Great sages will come of their own accord to help the emperor govern. They will make plans together in a single day, like a marketplace gathering in which goods from everywhere are brought together and people can obtain whatever they seek. If my book is put into practice, Heaven and Earth will grow brighter; the sun, moon, and stars will shine with renewed light, illuminating far and wide. Seeing this, the peoples of the eight directions and the distant lands beyond the borders will all gladly come to submit. Worthy scholars will emerge in full, no longer hidden away. Weapons and warfare will cease. The world will be governed with folded hands; people will no longer harm one another, but will unite in goodness and bring joy to the emperor. My book can bring about all this. You should know for yourself what it is worth.

Thus, in antiquity… (The idea that sage rulers valued the worthy above material goods has already been conveyed above, following the thread of the scripture.)

Taiping Jing, Scroll 46: “Explaining the Equal Value of Dao and De, and the High and Low of Their Worth, to Open the Hearts of the Ignorant”

Only the sages deeply understand the importance of the Dao and the equalizing of Qi—the balancing of vital forces and peace throughout the realm. They therefore do not treat this heavenly book as an ordinary thing of the mundane world, but entrust it only to people of De. Those who possess De can understand the intentions of Heaven and Earth, and so they honor the Dao and value De. The ignorant are truly false and deceitful, so the heavenly book is not casually bestowed, nor do the sages pass it on recklessly. That is what this means. Be careful: my words are true. Take care to hold fast to my Dao.

When people possess treasures, jade discs, or money, they cannot sleep peacefully, even if they merely carry them while walking or sit guarding them. And these are only worldly possessions. How much more carefully, then, should one safeguard the heavenly treasure diagrams and heavenly book that must be passed down—the secrets capable of bringing peace to Heaven and Earth and to the six extremes and eight distant quarters of the cosmos? Be especially cautious after you leave. “Yes, yes,” they replied.

Heavenly divine officials are always seated beside my book, guarding it. You must be on your guard as well. “Yes, yes.” Divine officials of the sun, moon, and stars—the Three Lights—also follow my book constantly, watching over it. “Yes, yes.” My book is the will and heart of Heaven. Meditate on it more deeply and in silence. “Yes, yes.”

Since you can heed my words, I will tell you a few things that cannot be seen. “Yes, yes.” What is spoken and heard must not be spread among the people.

If an emperor obtains it, the realm will submit to him, and the spirits will help him govern. The people will do good of their own accord. He will not need to issue orders every day; all will naturally come into balance. “Yes, yes.”

The six disciples are all ignorant and dull, and we fear that we might break a taboo as soon as we open our mouths. Now we can only rely entirely on the Master to present Dao and De before August Heaven and make the Ten Thousand Years Treasure for the emperor. We ask that the Master reveal everything about what lies within, concealing nothing, so that we may prostrate ourselves, receive instruction, and strictly keep this secret command. We would not dare disclose it. “Agreed.”

I will first deliberate on your behalf before August Heaven. If everything should be revealed, I would not dare conceal anything. If it should not be spoken, I would not dare act recklessly. The cycles and destinies of Heaven and Earth each follow their fixed course. For now, I will release it in keeping with the time and its circumstances, so that it may endure in practice and bring great good fortune to household and state, without calamity or collapse.

That is why it is not entrusted to petty people, but to emperors. An emperor’s destiny is often in accord with the heart of Heaven and Earth, and so he can carry out this Great Dao. Petty people cannot do so. It therefore belongs to the noble, and is destined to be entrusted to the one appointed to receive it.

Note: The closing phrase, “Explaining the Equal Value of Dao and De, and the High and Low of Their Worth, to Open the Hearts of the Ignorant,” is the short title of this chapter. Its general sense is that the principles of balance in Dao and De, and of value and worth, can untangle the doubts in the hearts of the ignorant. “Yes, yes” and “Agreed” are the disciples’ responses to their Master. “Heavenly divine officials” and “divine officials of the Three Lights” are divine functionaries who guard the heavenly book. “The six extremes and eight distant quarters” is a spatial and cosmic concept commonly used in the Taiping Jing.