《太平經》Vol. 51

“Pure” was terrified and bowed with his forehead to the ground. After bowing twice, he asked, “What else should this disciple seek your guidance on?”

The Master said, “What else do you wish to ask?”

“Now I see an enlightened master correcting the scriptures and other books, and only now do I understand that these are the Heavenly Utterances: scriptures sent down from Heaven, speaking on its behalf. But I fear that my thoughts may become confused and disordered, and that I may lose track of what comes first and what comes next. How can I correct this scripture so that it is accurate and true?”

The Master said, “If you want to grasp its truth, compare the words of the sages from high antiquity, middle antiquity, and late antiquity. See whether their teachings are consistent, then see whether their actions accord with their words. That will make the matter clear. You can also compare the Daoist books from the three ages, reading them together and matching like with like; this too will help you discern the truth. Yet all scriptures today are called Heavenly Utterances. Why, then, are there still times of good government and disorder, of peace and unrest? I would like to hear the reason.”

The Master replied, “When words are made upright and books are clarified, the principle is contained within them. When they are neither upright nor clear, disorder arises from them. Upright words and careful statements surely lead to good; crooked words and ill-omened statements surely lead to evil. You keep asking, and before long you will want to investigate the matter deeply. To bring about good, you need only rectify the root. When the root is upright, it accords first with the celestial patterns and harmonizes with the sages’ words; then, in a second turn, it accords with the patterns of the earth; in a third, with the patterns of human society; and in a fourth, it reaches all things. Once all things flourish, excess and ornament arise; these in turn bring disorder and ruin. The celestial patterns and the sages’ books appear at their appointed times to examine and correct the origins: first removing errors, then establishing what is true and clarifying its principles. Every book embodies the Way of Heaven. If its words are upright, they accord with Heaven’s intent; if they are crooked, they summon evil and malign Qi, throwing Heaven and Earth out of harmony and leaving all things without their proper place. Emperors are then troubled in their governance, and disorder returns to the realm. That is why these texts must be examined and corrected without delay.

“From high antiquity to the present, writings and books have been plentiful, yet there has always been concern that, when gathered together, they might be kept in an impure state, mixed up and confused. This leaves wise and discerning people in doubt and bewilderment: they do not know what to follow or what to trust. They then lose Heaven’s innermost intent, and each follows what conflicts with it. This takes them far from the meaning of the Dao of Heaven and its subtle teachings and profound principles. Such works are all crooked words and crooked books. The harm they cause is that they cannot set Yin-Yang in order; calamities arise one after another. The fault lies within. I see how earnestly you have asked, and cannot bear to leave you without an answer, so I have explained the matter fully and repeatedly. You should quickly set my words in order, then ponder them deeply.”

This scripture teaches that merely knowing the Dao without wholeheartedly practicing it brings no benefit. Only through genuine implementation can great calamities be dispelled. When celestial patterns fall into disorder, people yearn for their restoration; when humans contract grave illnesses, they desperately seek healing. Why is this? Though you may appear slow-witted, do you truly not understand? Untreated serious illness leads to death; unregulated celestial patterns descend into chaos.

The four seasons thereby lose their proper rhythms, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) clash and contend, the sun and moon stars lose their natural radiance—all deviating from their proper courses until ultimate collapse ensues. People become displaced refugees, elders and children flee their homelands, half the population dies prematurely, states plunge into benighted chaos, and humanity wanders in confusion. The supreme Dao and virtuous De become obstructed, while the worthy remain buried without mutual salvation. Is this not the gravest of maladies? Thus we must exert full effort to rectify it.

Now foolish people spend their days studying superficial writings, engaging in petty arguments without recognizing these as great harms, dismissing them as trivial matters. How could they know these actually constitute the great sickness between Heaven-Earth's Yin-Yang? The very reason the world cannot be properly governed lies herein. The Shen (divine spirits) have precisely because of these sufferings dispatched me to repeatedly inquire. Day and night I contemplate these essential truths, not daring to treat them lightly, for they concern the august Heaven's great affairs.

Now when rulers lose the people's hearts, the transgression becomes severe. Though I speak only with you two now—seemingly a minor matter—in truth I convey the correct words on behalf of august Heaven. I dare not speak recklessly, lest the blame fall upon me, a crime too grave to absolve. When divine punishment descends, none may escape as with worldly matters. Would you dare join me in frivolous words, quarreling like common folk? Trembling, I say I dare not.

Hearing the Celestial Master (Tianshi) speak thus, I feel both fear and joy, sincerely wishing to exhaust my strength to obtain divine approval, relieve the world's sorrows, settle rulers' hearts, and enable all things to find their proper places—this is my aspiration. Do you merely think of perfecting yourself alone? This cannot achieve the goal. The reason I've long maintained good intentions is that through study I've comprehended the principle of virtuous action. Thus when others age and die, I alone survive; when my ancestors and descendants perish, I alone avoid death—truly I've received Heaven's generous gift. Facing august Heaven I feel profound shame, having no means to repay except through constant devotion to my utmost capacity.

A Plain-Language Interpretation

“Though I devote all my strength to it, I still do not know what I should take as my model. I see that Heaven and Earth are out of harmony, and that wind and rain do not come in due measure. I know this is a grave illness afflicting the world, and I often grieve over it. Now I have heard the words of the spiritual person and gained great awakening. I think I should give my life completely to serving the enlightened Heaven, curing this grave illness and bringing order to the patterns of Earth. Surely this would help restore the work of the emperors and kings, enabling all things to find their proper place. I hope in this way to repay Heaven’s great kindness. Yet I do not know whether I am capable of it, so I ask to inquire further.”

“You have not yet encountered a truly wise teacher. Your words are excellent. Seeing what you have said, I am glad already—what need is there to speak of Heaven? My writings are entirely reliable; not one in ten thousand is mistaken. You need only work hard, without slackening, and put them in order. Then you can help restore Heaven’s work, and need not doubt again. If emperors and kings can put this teaching into practice and gain strength from it, how much more can you? Having heard your words again and again, I will hold nothing back. Though I am your teacher, my resolve does not match yours. We now share this Heaven and Earth; I hope we can work together to bring them peace. I would rather say nothing, but fear that this would bring you even greater harm and earn me a heavier punishment from Heaven. Listen carefully as I explain in detail, again and again, the original text that sets out the Way. It rests on the heart of Heaven and Earth and preserves the source of their ordering principle and primordial Qi.

“In ancient times, the writings of the sages appeared from time to time. People examined the original texts and corrected the characters. As the Way was handed down, each transmission relied on the one before it. The subtle words, when explained, all conveyed the essentials of primordial Qi. A second transmission produced hidden expressions; a third shaped them into chapters and sentences; a fourth turned them into ornate embellishment; a fifth divided them into conflicting meanings, each serving its own opposition; and a sixth produced writings that deceived one another. Even a sentence still preserves, in some small measure, the form of its source. What goes beyond this is a grave illness: it makes the Way of Heaven lose its course, leaving emperors and kings in long distress, unable to grasp its principles deeply. This is exactly what has happened. You hope to repay Heaven’s kindness and restore its great work. Heaven takes no pleasure in people offering money or strange, contrived objects. It asks only that people work together to put its writings in order and keep them from becoming confused.

“When I first saw you come to study, I thought you would ask about one or two matters and then leave. Who would have thought you would want to comprehend the whole Way of Heaven? Even when I speak, I cannot always be precise, yet the Way of Heaven can still be glimpsed. If you wish to set Heaven and Earth in order, take the subtle words and examine them in reverse, checking them against their origins. When they accord with their source, you will grasp Heaven’s intent and be able to bring peace to the world. Compare the writings of High Antiquity, Middle Antiquity, and Later Antiquity, sorting them by kind and calling them together so that what belongs together may be joined.”

A Plain Language Interpretation of the Taiping Jing

Those who uphold the root each have their own abilities, and the various scriptures each have their own lineages and traditions. Ordinary people should each bring their abilities together for discussion. Each person should explain their understanding and the meanings of the words in full; then the key points can be gathered and compiled into chapter-and-verse commentaries—explanations of the scripture arranged by chapter and section. In this way, people’s hearts can draw close to the true Dao, resolving Heaven’s worries, curing its great affliction, and relieving Earth’s suffering. Then rulers will act in accord with Heaven’s intent, and all things will find their proper place. This is called “not missing a single one among ten thousand.”

I see that you speak as though driven by Heaven, and I would not dare deceive you. To deceive you would be to deceive Heaven. Heaven would be displeased and might shorten my life. I would bring shame upon August Heaven and be of no benefit to the people. The offense would be grave. Keep this firmly in mind: I will hold nothing back. The disciple repeatedly assented, feeling both fear and reverence. Since he was asking about Heaven’s affairs, he dared not delay, but he also needed to hear everything through. He asked his master to make allowances for his shortcomings and explain what was difficult and what was easy, so that he could ask his questions freely.

There are many documents now, and I want to know which are true. This is just like what you asked before: only those in which ten and a hundred correspond to one another are true; those that do not are not. In governing a state, only practices that produce results are true; those that do not are false practices. To produce results, the people and the ministers must all be kind, loyal, and trustworthy. Why? Only when a son is virtuous and kind can his parents be at peace. Only when a wife is virtuous and kind can her husband avoid mistakes and receive her support. Only when ministers are virtuous and kind can the state enjoy lasting peace. When both ruler and subjects are good, Heaven will bring no disasters. That is the reason. Do you understand?

I would like to discuss something with you. Can you draw out the essential points from my book and bring them together into a thorough understanding? You are still young and inexperienced; perhaps you have not fully grasped it. Tell me what you think, and I will see whether you truly understand. It seems you want to make all the material work together, with the upper and lower parts complementing each other to form a complete set of rules. Use a hundred passages to check a thousand, and a thousand to check ten thousand, comparing them with one another; perhaps then the whole will be self-contained. Otherwise, it may be hard to exhaust all the ancient writings. Still, what you have just said is true. What you recorded earlier of my words…

A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Taiping Jing

Scripture:

Doesn’t the book say: use one to check ten, ten to check a hundred, a hundred to check a thousand, a thousand to check ten thousand, and ten thousand to check a hundred million? That is precisely the principle.

The disciple replied, “Yes. I would like to know: who should be entrusted with checking and collating these scriptures?” Each person should work according to their ability; those who understand the fundamentals should rely on them.

People who are wise and capable gather to explain and spread the teachings. From the emperor down to the common people, all change their old ways and follow them.

People of lesser wisdom discuss matters together and meet in small groups, compiling their findings for those of middling wisdom. Those of middling wisdom then gather and compile their findings for those of great wisdom. Those of great wisdom gather in turn and compile their findings for the emperor.

Then all the worthy people discuss the matter together and settle on a version, making it more reliable. This is the way to plan wisely. The process extends down to the common people: nothing is left out, discussion is never cut short, and no text is discarded.

Worthy people of lesser standing collate the texts together and submit them to those of middling standing. Those of middling standing collate them and submit them to the great worthies. The great worthies collate them and submit them to the emperor. Once the emperor has spoken them aloud, they become an orderly text, and so there can be no error.

When the truth has truly reached Heaven’s heart, and the divisions and principles of Yin-Yang are understood, the emperor and his officials will all know what is true. Only then should the text be sent out among the people, so that all under Heaven can recite its correct version. In this way:

The qi of Heaven will be well balanced, and Great Peace will arrive. The qi of supreme harmony will descend, and songs of praise will arise. All things will live in lasting peace, and the people will have nothing to complain about. False writings will disappear on their own; Heaven’s ills will be cured and Earth’s ills will vanish. The emperor will move about freely, Yin and Yang will rejoice, evil qi will lie hidden, and thieves and robbers will be no more. The Central States will flourish, and the emperor will be acclaimed as one of the Three August Ones. The non-Chinese peoples will withdraw, all things will thrive, and the whole world will be blessed. All will cry, “Long live the emperor!”

Do not keep my text from others.

“Yes. I would not dare conceal it. Having received the Master’s instructions, I will faithfully report them and return. To conceal them would, I fear, be a grave offense.”

“The work is done.”

“Your words are good. You have reached Heaven’s heart, and your name has already been recorded for this great service to Heaven.”

“Yes. I will indeed return to a quiet place, reflect on the full meaning of what I have heard, and never slacken in my efforts.”

“Go on your way. Have no further doubts.”

The Essential Instructions for Collating Texts (the key principles for collating texts)

Note: This section describes a system for checking and collating texts: people of lesser wisdom submit their work to those of middling wisdom, who submit it to those of great wisdom, and finally to the emperor. The emperor gives the text its final form, after which it is circulated among the people for recitation. The result is peace throughout the world and harmony among all things. The section ends with the “Essential Instructions for Collating Texts.”