《太平經》Vol. 96

Taiping Jing, Scroll 96, Instruction Four

The First Hundred and Fifty-First Teaching: The Six Extremes, the Six Fulfillments, Filial Piety, and Loyalty (Modern Interpretation)

The Perfected One said to his disciples: “You have been learning my words with me and receiving the writings of the Dao of Heaven for a long time. Have you understood the main divisions and ultimate conclusions they contain? Apart from heterodox teachings, into how many divisions is our Dao—the Dao transmitted in this scripture—organized? What counts as an Extreme, and what as the Great Ultimate? The scripture speaks of the ‘Six Extremes and Six Fulfillments.’ If I, a foolish student, were to explain them now, I would not know what they mean. Alas, you have not awakened. You still rely on your old confidence in studying the Dao, though you have not yet mastered it. That is why you do not know how far the Dao extends. If you have made a mistake, you have failed your Celestial Master, the teacher who transmitted the Dao to you. That responsibility cannot be removed, so do not complain that my words are harsh.”

The Perfected One reproached himself: “Why speak so harshly?” The foolish student said: “I have heard that an unfilial son cannot do his utmost to support his parents; a disobedient disciple cannot do his utmost to cultivate and clarify the way of his teacher; and a disloyal subject cannot do his utmost to serve his ruler with reverence. The guilt for failing in these three forms of conduct cannot be erased. Heaven and Earth despise such people; ghosts and spirits harm them; all people loathe them. Even after death, they still bear a debt below ground. They are called ‘sons who fail in goodness through disobedience in the three forms of conduct.’ At the end of each month and on the first day of the new moon, they must appear before Heaven, which governs and regulates Yin-Yang. They become divine officials who uphold the proper order between the honored and the humble. Their souls and spirits suffer distress until they are destroyed. So I know that I have not attained true mastery and have failed my teacher, and that this fault cannot be erased.”

“Well said, well said! Where did you hear these words?”

“I received them from my former teacher. I have also seen the Celestial Master expound the teachings and received his methods. From the signs in Heaven, I learned that Heaven and Earth are the parents of the four seasons and the Five Phases. If the four seasons and the Five Phases do not do their utmost to nourish Heaven and Earth, then whatever they bring forth is an unfilial child, and the year will yield few good things and become a year of misfortune. Humans, too, are children of Heaven and Earth. If a child does not carefully and diligently nourish Heaven and Earth, that child is called unfilial. That is why a state that relies heavily on punishments is always in turmoil, danger, and decline.

“All things wax and wane with the four seasons and the Five Phases, growing, maturing, and sustaining themselves. They are their disciples. If they do not do their utmost to follow the seasonal Qi in growing, maturing, and reaching old age, they will ultimately be disobedient disciples. When the things of a year harm people, people instead blame the seasonal Qi. If harmony is lost, the seasonal Qi bears the greater blame than the people.”

A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Scripture of Great Peace

(I, the foolish student) am a disciple of a worthy teacher. Now, foolish and dull disciples of low rank recklessly take the text and force their own explanations onto it. In doing so, they make sages and worthies bear the blame, accusing them of joining in the disruption of Heaven’s Way and acting against it. This is a grave offense that cannot be pardoned, so my own fault cannot be cleared away either.

Wind and rain are, in essence, “ministers” trusted by Heaven and Earth. They receive their charge from Heaven and work together to set Qi and moisture in motion. If they cannot be brought into balanced harmony, the world will be unsettled. It is like a person appointed by the ruler to serve as a minister who turns things upside down and is of divided mind. If all the ministers are disloyal and untrustworthy, and together deceive their ruler, the world will be thrown into fear and turmoil, disputes will arise on every side, and the governance of the state will sink into danger and disorder.

These three kinds of conduct—a son’s lack of filial devotion, a disciple’s disobedience, and a minister’s disloyalty—are all offenses beyond the reach of pardon. Heaven utterly loathes them, and Earth utterly abhors them; they are regarded as great calamities and grave misfortunes. The spirits and gods also condemn them deeply, making them the most wicked of all conduct.

(The Perfected One) said, “Ah! You, Perfected One, have long possessed wisdom, yet you pretend to be foolish and let me speak recklessly, as though my words surpassed Heaven and Earth. What I say is not as profound as what you have just said. For a moment, the foolish student has grasped this much in his heart. At present, I can say no more.

“Great humility, too, can never be misplaced. To remain lowly without humility is just as serious a fault. Yes, yes—I would not dare; I would not dare. As a disciple, the foolish student cannot understand the Way. Knowing that his offenses are grave in his place within the teacher-disciple relationship, he takes the heavenly signs as a means of reproaching himself.”

(The Perfected One) said, “Excellent, your words! I have nothing to add. Now, comparing what you have said with what is written, you have already understood it for yourself and set it down under ‘sections and divisions’—its categories and ordering. There is truly no need to go beyond that. Still, there are points you have not yet fully grasped. I will explain them to you in detail, so that each item has its proper section and division, and they will never again be forgotten for ten thousand generations.

“Now, Perfected One, you have spoken of three kinds of disobedient conduct among people and of words that encourage goodness, with souls and spirits made to testify face to face. This is most precise. Where did you receive these words? Were they passed down orally from one person to another? It is like the gathering of Celestial Masters, when the former teacher, calling himself a Perfected One of high antiquity, instructed the foolish student with these words. I have also seen them in the writings of the Celestial Masters. Thus they were passed down orally, and I know them well.”

The foolish student asked: “In the time of the Perfected Ones of high antiquity, I did not know all the details and had doubts in my heart. Yet what the Perfected Ones of high antiquity said was correct, and I have nothing to add. I now wish to ask the Celestial Masters about its true meaning, and to act with understanding and listen. Therefore…”

(The text here consists largely of exchanges between teacher and disciple, expressions of humility and self-reproach, and an emphasis on the ordering of “sections and divisions” and the admonitions of the Perfected Ones of high antiquity. It should be read closely alongside the original scripture.)

At the end of the month and the end of the year, there are hearings at which people are questioned and held accountable. This applies not only to those who, while alive, were rebellious and disobedient—unfilial children, unrighteous subjects, and disloyal officials—but also to their hun and shen. The spirits throughout Heaven and Earth are subject to the same process.

Heaven takes fifteen days as a short cycle, so after fifteen days the moon turns back: after the full moon, it begins to wane. A month is a “middle cycle,” and a year a “great cycle.” The spirits of Heaven and Earth should work together to assist Heaven in nurturing and bringing all things to life. For this reason, all spirits receive stipends and support. It is like worthy ministers joining in service to the emperor, nurturing the people and all things, and receiving stipends in return.

Thus the spirits follow Heaven’s way: they report upward every fifteen days in a short cycle, give a report at the end of each month in a middle cycle, and face questioning and accountability at the end of each year in a great cycle. Those with great merit are granted promotion and recommendation; those without merit are dismissed and sent away. Cheng is responsible for punishing those who disrupt order. Here, “those who govern through disorder” refers specifically to evil spirits. These evil spirits can still act because the hun and po of wicked people who were alive accompany them. They refuse to serve good people.

That is why those who are rebellious, unfilial, disobedient, or disloyal are driven by these evil spirits to disrupt Heaven’s order and defile its governance. So whenever an evil spirit appears, it must be brought to account, along with its “guests”—the lesser spirits attached to it. It is like a treacherous minister who commits a grave crime: even his guests are held responsible. That is the principle.

“Excellent, excellent! This foolish student understands now. So while a person is alive, a son should be filial, a subject loyal, and a disciple obedient. If filiality, loyalty, and obedience remain with him throughout his life, then after death his hun, po, and spirits will not be called to account. Do you understand, disciple?” “Yes, yes—I understand!”

“How astonishing! How astonishing! Now only the Celestial Master, in his compassion, has revealed the patterns and numbers of Heaven’s laws. I beg you not to stop halfway. Please transmit the writings from the realm of the document bureau under the celestial decree.” “But you asked about the general numbers, so I ought to explain them. If I say nothing, that would be called jealousy over the Dao; to study and then stop would bring Heaven’s punishment.”

“Agreed! Six Perfected Ones, please take your seats and lay out the teachings for this disciple, one section at a time. There are six sections in all: the first is the Great Collection. Those who guard the One follow one another according to their kind. Across ancient and modern times, the writings on guarding the One have been much the same, with only minor differences. If the great and worthy study my writings, hold to them, and put them into practice, they can grasp the essentials even without consulting divination manuals. A beginner can become a filial son; at an intermediate level, a loyal minister; and those who continue studying into old age without stopping or growing lax can all attain deliverance.”

There are still further measures that can be put into practice in the world. If people can put them into practice without stopping, they may perhaps grasp the principles of the “six directions” and the “eight extremes”—above and below, the four quarters, and the farthest reaches in all eight directions. Then everything will be complete; what more could one want? They can assist a virtuous emperor in bringing peace to Heaven and Earth, and his benevolence will reach down to plants and trees. Among all the beings caught up in turmoil, none will fail to find their proper order. Heaven and Earth will rejoice, and the emperor will roam freely for long ages, hearing only the music of zithers and lutes and knowing no more troubles. Do you understand? (Answer: Yes, yes.)

Those of middling virtue who uphold and practice these teachings need only reflect on their meaning day and night. They too may become filial children in modest measure and, over time, worthy ministers. They can help the state attain peace, bring all under Heaven to submission, and win universal praise. They will be careful in outward conduct and trustworthy within; they will also examine and correct themselves, daring neither to fail Heaven and Earth nor to deceive their superiors. If all the worthy join in applying themselves to these practices, their ruler’s governance will come to resemble Heaven’s: he will model his conduct on Heaven, and his benevolence and affection will reach down to plants, trees, mosquitoes, and gnats, so that all find their proper place. Do you understand? (Answer: Yes, yes.)

If ordinary people uphold and study these teachings, and firmly put them into practice, while sharing and cherishing them together, they will take such delight in them that they cannot hold themselves back. Fathers will be kind, mothers loving, children filial, wives compliant, elder brothers good, and younger brothers respectful. All their neighbors will delight in doing good, and there will be no more secret malice, love of theft, or harm inflicted on one another. Everyone will devote their thoughts to loyalty, obedience, and filial duty, aspiring to the example of the worthy and the most worthy above them. The people will no longer know how to commit evil; each household and each person will discipline and govern themselves. Thus order can be maintained without punishments. When people of high, middling, and low station all put these teachings into practice, peace will be established throughout the world in no time. Do you understand? (Answer: Yes, yes.)

(Room of One Who Upholds the One and Knows the Spirits; Precepts—Chapter 152)

Therefore, the Way of upholding the One is this: gather together those from ancient and present times who have upheld the One, grouping them according to their kind. If the most worthy apply themselves to it with clarity and vigor, they can transcend the world. If those of middling virtue apply themselves to it, they can become good aides to emperors and capable officials. If ordinary people apply themselves to it, they will no longer know anger or resentment, and there will be no complaints or grievances under Heaven. This is the foremost and greatest section of my book. I fear that worldly people, long burdened by ignorance and confusion, will not believe what I have written. So I have taught and shown them how it accords with writings on upholding the One from ancient and present times, joining them according to their kind so that they may serve as mutual proof.

Excellent, excellent! I, a foolish student, have respectfully awakened to this. As for upholding the One: the great person does so and still has more to spare; the person of middling ability does so and still has more to spare; even the ordinary person does so and still has more to spare.

There were also three others who practiced and kept to the Way together. Their good conduct reached throughout the six directions and all eight quarters, and their kindness and affection were measured against Heaven and Earth. If the most foolish among people refuses to delight in keeping to the Way, that person is called the most wicked and vicious in the world. Heaven and Earth detest such a person, and the spirits no longer offer protection. In time, ordinary people will also come to dislike and avoid them. This is the method by which the Heavenly Book distinguishes the good from the evil: if someone wants to read and look upon it, Heaven knows that person is good; if someone is shown it and does not want to look, Heaven knows that person is wicked. Use this to judge people, and you will be right in ten thousand cases out of ten thousand.

I have composed this for the Lord of Highest De. Above, I do not fail Heaven or Earth; in the middle, I do not fail the Lord of De or deceive the perfected ones. Whoever keeps to this and grasps its meaning has completed the Way.

The six perfected ones should reflect deeply on its meaning. I cannot fully record all its goodness. This One—the Heavenly Book—is the throat and collar of the utmost Way: what those of the highest understanding delight in as De, what those of middling understanding turn toward in search of knowledge, and what those of the lowest understanding detest. Do you understand? Yes. Thus, when those of the highest understanding receive it, they are overjoyed and cannot keep themselves from putting it into practice. When those of middling understanding receive it, they cannot hold back and are always eager to speak of it. When those of the lowest understanding see it, they regard it as a great taboo. From my writing, consider these three kinds of people, and the distinction between good and evil in the world will be clear. Do you understand? Yes.

This text is Heaven’s means of setting ordinary people’s hearts straight, removing the lingering calamities passed down from the burdens borne by people of earlier times, curing Heaven’s affliction, and lifting the punishment incurred by the Lord of Highest De through inherited burdens. Do you understand? Yes. Excellent, excellent! You have now awakened to the Way.

The second section concerns the boundaries of the realms. Those who read my writings on the Way align themselves with past and present, gathering things according to their kind and grasping the essential meaning. The worthy and wise respond in joyful agreement and cannot keep themselves from doing good. They then go so far as to enter a thatched retreat—a place for Daoist cultivation, quietude, and observance of precepts—and hold firmly to their practice without wavering. They are sure to transcend the world and depart. Their intention and spirit unite completely with the divine; they penetrate so deeply that worldly affairs can no longer win their praise. Their goodness reaches throughout Heaven and Earth, and their spirits assist Heaven and Earth. They also return to help emperors transform what is evil, extending kindness down to the smallest plants and things, so that nothing fails to receive the benefit of their virtuous influence. This is how the worthy and wise masters of De in ancient times were able to help emperors bring about great peace.

Taiping Jing: A Plain-Language Interpretation

Those who attain this way will speak and act with obedience, kindness, and loyalty because the Dao masters who guide them are good. Does the Perfected One understand? — I understand.

Those of middling virtue make every effort to read our writings. When these are grouped by category with Daoist writings from ancient and present times and read together without pause, those with talent and virtue can become excellent assistants to the emperor and capable officials. They can help a virtuous ruler transform evil into kindness, extending even to the smallest plants. Yin and Yang will harmonize, and wars will cease. The emperor will enjoy lasting peace and freedom from worry; ministers will teach one another and do their utmost. All will be obedient, kind, loyal, and trustworthy, and governance will succeed without punishments. The benefits of this goodness are too many to record. Does the Perfected One know this? — I know.

The people, too, will read our Daoist writings together, linking understanding from top to bottom and bringing their plans into agreement. Then no one will know how to do evil. By collating and verifying Daoist writings from ancient and present times, arranging them by category so that each illuminates the others, they can be passed down from parent to child as the learning of generations, without end. If the greatly virtuous, the moderately virtuous, the less virtuous, and the people all do this, divination will show that the evil Qi of Heaven and Earth has been entirely dispelled, and calamities caused by inherited burdens will no longer occur. When goodness comes together, Yin and Yang and the Qi of Heaven and Earth harmonize; auspicious signs appear, and peace prevails in the emperor’s capital. This is proof that the Sovereign Heaven and Substantial Earth are pleased. Therefore, those who read our writings should carefully reflect on their essential meaning from beginning to end. Once they obtain the key, they will be no different from the spirits. Does the Perfected One know this? — I know.

Three Grades of Attainment

People who attain the Dao often see spirits and can command them.

• The clearly wise of the highest grade: They succeed in ten out of ten matters of governance and can serve the emperor as ministers who ward off evil and dispel wickedness. Some, after a long time, can enter a thatched chamber for secluded cultivation, transcend the world, and depart without seeking fame in worldly affairs. This is why one must maintain the One: only then can one gradually recognize where goodness, evil, and fault lie; only then can one keep to the Dao, enter a thatched chamber for refined cultivation, and preserve the spirit. Thus this is the third grade, the highest.

• The virtuous: They can collate and verify the spirit writings of ancient and present times, using them to confirm one another. Does the Perfected One know this? — I know.

• The moderately virtuous: They maintain the One and enter the Dao, and may also see spirits for themselves. They succeed in nine out of ten matters of governance and can serve as ministers to lords and nobles, working together to dispel evil. Some, after a long time, also hope to enter a thatched chamber. Does the Perfected One know this? — I know.

Note: The original uses “Weiwei” as the Perfected One’s response. “Ten out of ten” and “nine out of ten” are common Daoist metaphors for how many of ten matters one can handle successfully, expressing differing levels of Daoist power.

A plain-language interpretation:

Those who concentrate on guarding the One and study the Dao may sometimes see spirits and deities. They can correctly divine eight times out of ten and help the people drive away evil and dispel harm. They should also compare and collate Daoist scriptures from ancient and modern times, using them to verify one another. In this way, even the ignorant can understand and believe in the Daoist teachings. If someone reads only one volume but does not believe it, instead claiming the scripture is wrong and that they have their own teachings, evil will flourish day after day and harm people. If the great, middling, and lesser worthies, as well as the people, all keep to the way of the spirits and act accordingly, the spirits of Heaven and Earth and the four seasons will all rise up, and malign influences will naturally vanish.

Do you understand, Perfected One? (Answer: Yes, yes.) Then the spirits of Heaven and Earth, the four directions, the six relations, and the six kinds of kin will all rejoice and lend powerful aid, bringing good fortune and dispelling evil harm. Above, they will remove calamities and illness from rulers; in the middle, illness from the worthy; below, malign influences from the people. They will prevent treacherous and evil ghosts from causing trouble.

Good, good. There is an important rule to observe: if you can see spirits and divine events, then getting all ten predictions right means you are in accord with the spirits of Heaven; getting nine out of ten right means you are in accord with the spirits of Earth; getting eight out of ten right means you are in accord with human spirits. Any less, and the method cannot be used. Someone may at first see spirits and, when divining, get all ten predictions right. But if, over time, the predictions become wrong day after day, the spirits are testing the person’s practice, and so are causing the predictions to fail. If the person can mend their ways, correct themselves through their own effort, reflect on their faults and turn toward goodness, and hold no evil intent, then they may again make daily progress. They may grasp the spirits’ intent and get all ten predictions right, or get only one prediction right out of ten. If, over ten days, they make great progress and rise upward, that is because on that day they focused on goodness and accorded with the intent of the Dao. Thus it is said: use this method to divine for yourself, and you will never go wrong.

Some people at first see spirits and get their predictions wrong, but later make daily progress and achieve great success. These are people who understand the intent of the Dao thoroughly and advance day by day. Others remain as they are, neither advancing nor retreating. They do not apply themselves fully and become confined to their old ways. Those who gradually decline are lazy. Divining by these signs, none of them has grasped the intent of the Dao. If someone is tested but fails to wake up, stubbornly remains as before, and continues to do evil, all the spirits will join in deceiving them and lead them into the deviant path. Their fortunes will then become unpredictable: they may fall into deluded teachings or become bedridden with illness. Thus the great, middling, and lesser worthies…

A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Taiping Jing

Among ordinary people who practice the Dao, most rely on self-examination and divination to keep themselves on the right course and avoid mistakes. This is the same as the way the spirits test people. Everything under Heaven often has to undergo a trial before success or failure becomes clear. Heaven and Earth test people by their very nature, so people in the world follow their example, testing and examining one another. Do you, Perfected One, understand this?

The disciple replied: I understand. You want people to remember firmly that they should follow the Dao of Heaven and the spirits. People can truly unite only when their intentions accord and they trust one another. When their intentions do not accord, they deceive one another.

Thus, people in high antiquity were sincere and in accord with one another, so those above and below did not deceive each other. In middle antiquity, people’s intentions were only half in accord, and they deceived one another half the time. In later antiquity, almost no one was trustworthy, and deception became nearly universal between those above and below. That is why people in high antiquity usually acted in accordance with the Middle Way; in middle antiquity, some actions were in accord and some were not; in later antiquity, almost none were in accord, and so people fell into danger and ruin.

The worthy sages of ancient times often used this method to divine their own condition: they first determined through divination whether they could attain the Dao and whether they might make a mistake, and so were less likely to err. I speak to you, Perfected One, in all seriousness. I see how often you labor, so I am giving you this special counsel. You are an envoy sent by Heaven and Earth, with great merit in dispelling the calamities Heaven and Earth send down and ridding the ruler of harm. Few can compare with you. I fear you may grow lax in following the Dao, so I use this spiritual matter to warn you.

Since you are an envoy of Heaven and Earth: when the days are auspicious, it means you are in accord with the intentions of Heaven and Earth; when the days are inauspicious, declining, or harsh, it means you have fallen out of accord with them. In your dealings with the Dao and the spirits, when the days are auspicious and good, you have gained the Dao’s favor; when they are inauspicious or declining, you have lost it. In your dealings with other people, if goodwill and closeness steadily deepen, your intentions are in accord; if instead hostility grows and relations grow distant, you have lost that accord.

It is like farming: when you tend the fields carefully and work hard, the grain grows full and abundant. When you are careless and do little work, the harvest is poor and the grain fails to mature. Even plants and trees respond to people’s care or neglect, flourishing or failing accordingly. How much more, then, must this be true of Heaven, Earth, the spirits, and human beings? Should you not be on your guard?

Perfected One, these words may sound brief, but consider them closely and their weight is great. This is what is meant by the gateway to safety and danger, good fortune and misfortune. Do you understand?

The disciple replied: I understand. This foolish student has awakened to the truth and respectfully accepts your charge. A wise ruler of the highest virtue should take high antiquity as a model, using it to examine and correct himself…

Plain-Language Interpretation

Classical writings passed down from the medieval period onward should be gathered and arranged by subject, then compared with one another to clarify the Dao (the Way).

One day, when the scriptures have been corrected, they will shine with the full clarity and rectitude of the movements of the sun and moon. Then gather sages of the highest, middle, and lowest ranks on a great scale, along with ordinary men and women. Collect by subject the essential teachings and accounts transmitted orally and from mind to mind, and use them to corroborate the written scriptures. The writings will then be both comprehensive and orderly, like perfectly aligned measuring instruments, without error. The three plans of Heaven, Earth, and humanity will also be completely united, forming an undivided whole. In this way, the true nature of the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—and of the myriad kinds of beings, numbering twelve thousand categories, will all return to the right Dao. Therefore, a virtuous ruler (a ruler of De, or an ideal sovereign) should do everything possible to act accordingly. Calamities can then vanish in a single day, and the world will naturally be at peace. No deviant writings or words will remain; everything will be clear and wholly correct, leaving no trace of deviant Qi (vital energy).

Deviant writings and words are the root from which calamities and troubles arise. To understand more fully how clear and trustworthy this is, consider what happens when someone uses deviant writings to advise a ruler, or when people use deviant speech to foster resentment among themselves: blame and grievance increase day by day, and people come to resent and despise one another. If the ruler believes such words, his judgment loses its proper clarity and he becomes unenlightened. Heaven and Earth condemn him; disorder and danger threaten his rule, and his words bring ill fortune. The people below, in turn, use deviant writings and speech together to deceive and mislead those above them. Over time, even when those above recognize what is happening, ruler and ministers blame one another. Thus deviant writings and words open the gates to evil day after day. They must be diligently examined, corrected, and removed. Do you understand this, Perfected One? (A Perfected One is someone who has attained the Dao in Daoist tradition.) “Yes, indeed.”

If a virtuous ruler makes full use of upright words, all the disasters and dangers inherited from the beginning of Heaven and Earth through the passing down of ancestral burdens—sins of earlier generations shifted onto the present—will be cleared away, and no calamities will remain. Perfected One, do you wish to understand more fully how deeply trustworthy this is? Upright writings and upright words are the proper foundation and root of Heaven, Earth, humanity, and all things. The great sages of antiquity followed upright writings and words in their conduct. Heaven was upright for them, as were the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—and the four seasons and Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). The people and all things were upright for them as well. Upright writings and words are the true root of Heaven, the people, and all things, and their great efficacy. If you wish to understand still more deeply how trustworthy this is, consider what happens when people use upright writings and words to praise one another before the ruler: the ruler gains great clarity of judgment and understanding, and every action he undertakes is free from error. Those above and below then grasp the intentions of Heaven and Earth. The Three Luminaries do not stray from their courses, the four seasons and Five Phases do not go awry, and the people are all joyful and say, “Good.”

When all things each find their proper place, blessings extend to the spirits, and renown spreads in every direction. The spirits manifest auspicious signs, and extraordinary beasts appear in delight. All the worthy scholars in the realm gladly come forward to assist the ruler.

When concealment and hoarding cease, immortals and spirits will bring the elixir of agelessness as a gift. Demons and evils will be wiped out, and the people will be governed accordingly. When words are upright and conduct is upright, people will no longer hate one another, and resentment and blame will be brought to an end. All that is good in the realm will be brought to light, and all that is evil will be hidden away.

A ruler of De need only govern with folded hands. What cause would there be to fear danger or ruin? This proves clearly that my upright text and upright words are the root of goodness. How could one fail to uphold what is right with all one’s strength?

The Perfected replied, “Yes, indeed. How astonishing! Having heard the Celestial Master speak, I have taken it to heart and awakened greatly. I, a foolish man, know that peace already reigns throughout the realm, and that the ruler of De has extended his life by listening and acting. Excellent! You may be called a man who understands affairs; you have seen deeply into them. How joyful, how joyful! Heaven’s sorrow has been relieved, and Earth’s affliction has been dispelled.”

“How does the Perfected know this? When evil has been exhausted, it should indeed be seen departing. The great affliction of Heaven, Earth, the people, and all things has been removed. Now that the upright text and upright words have been examined and verified, we know that the great affliction of Heaven and Earth has been removed. Excellent, excellent! You have seen deeply into it. If emperors and kings put my text into practice with all their strength, they will be in harmony with Heaven and Earth, and calamities will no longer befall them. Excellent, excellent! I will tell the Perfected one essential principle.

“When a ruler of high De obtains my text, let him follow Heaven’s pattern in appointing officials. From the highest, the spirits, to the lowest, the humble and lowly: these are the nine kinds of people—spirits, Perfected beings, immortals, Dao practitioners, sages, worthies, commoners, male servants, and female servants. Among these nine kinds, whoever has true faith and loyalty, follows the good and true Dao, and gladly comes to assist a ruler of De should be asked about their abilities and appointed accordingly. Take care not to assign anyone to a post unsuited to them, nor to dismiss them unjustly; that would be called acting against the people.

“With a diligent and attentive heart, the ruler should not judge people by their station, but appoint each according to their abilities and ask what they do best. Then nothing will be left unguided. A ruler of De should put people to the test: promote those who show good results day by day, taking care not to overlook them; swiftly dismiss those who produce no results. This is called defiling and disordering Heaven’s offices, so that upright Qi cannot arrive. The blame lies with such wicked people.

“The upright and good person’s heart always seeks to give hidden protection, and is concerned for every matter. Therefore…”

(Heaven) says: Therefore, let upright and good people be given positions, while evil people harbor evil intentions, refuse to offer secret protection, and in all things steer matters toward the wrong path. This is the natural law of August Heaven. They should therefore be dismissed at once. If they are not, Heaven will grow angry and send forth killing force from the earth’s Qi, so they must be removed quickly—this is a grave matter. Do you understand, Perfected One? (Answer:) Yes. I, your foolish student, am deeply afraid. You know to be afraid; that may be called understanding what is right. Heaven is about to protect you, and you dare not fail to do good. This does not mean that I have made you witness Heaven’s protection: you have acted well, and so naturally received it. Thus the sages of antiquity dared not stray from the proper standards in their conduct because they had seen Heaven’s warnings and knew that good and evil each bring consequences to the person who does them. They therefore always sought to govern alongside the worthy, fearing that they might provoke Heaven, offend it, and be left with nowhere to turn in prayer. For this reason, the enlightened rulers of antiquity dared not recklessly work with fools, and so alone attained lasting good fortune. Do you understand, Perfected One? (Answer:) Yes.

Since the middle antiquity, people have been half-foolish. They have treated appointments as a trivial matter and failed to examine candidates carefully; half the time they have chosen the wrong people, half the time disrupted the administration of Heaven’s offices, and half the time brought misfortune. In later antiquity, people inherited the carelessness of the middle period and made appointments casually again, without careful scrutiny. They often chose the wrong people, polluted and disrupted Heaven’s offices, and caused the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—to fall out of alignment. This was revealed above in the sky, where Heaven could see it and was displeased. Thus years of misfortune have continued without end. When one calamity subsides, another arises. People do not realize how deeply Heaven resents and abhors them; instead of reproaching themselves, they say it is due to the times and the course of fate.

In ancient times, people acted in this way. Yet Heaven’s Dao was not at fault; instead, they went too far by blaming Heaven. The foolish people of the world did not reflect on their own failings. Again and again, they joined in blaming the ruler and assigning fault to him. Heaven therefore called them a deeply rebellious people: those below deceived those above, calling evil good and good evil, and together they brought about these calamities—then blamed Heaven for them. By assigning the blame to Heaven, they again accused their ruler. The whole world was plunged into dire calamity; these were people among the common folk and ministers who had no regard for proper conduct.

Now the spirits of Heaven and Earth all loathe them. Heaven has therefore personally sent me down to serve as a virtuous ruler and establish new laws. In selecting and appointing people to official posts, one must be careful and thorough. Do you wish to know how closely one must scrutinize these evil people among the people and ministers? It is like a household…

The Taiping Jing: A Modern Interpretation

When a father and mother have several children, the children may conspire together to deceive their parents and do evil. If the parents sit quietly in a room at home, how could they know? Then, after the children have committed violent crimes, theft, or robbery, they turn around and blame their parents: “Our parents were bad, so they gave birth to bad children like us.”

When county officials catch a criminal, they do not execute the son who committed the crimes. Instead, they turn around and prosecute the parents.

Parents hope that the children they bring into the world will be good and virtuous. When would they ever be glad to see you do evil? To blame your parents in this way is profoundly rebellious and unfilial.

Rulers, too, hope their ministers will do good. When would they teach you to do evil? Yet the people and ministers, from the lowest ranks upward, join in committing violent and wicked acts. When disasters from Heaven and Earth strike, they turn around and blame the ruler.

When the people are suffering, crafty officials also shift the blame upward, saying it is Heaven’s decree. This is called the people and ministers joining together in rebellion; their guilt cannot be erased. Blaming the ruler is already a grave offense, yet they go on to blame Heaven and Earth as well. When people’s rebellion reaches this point, can their lifespans fail to be shortened, and can they avoid swift execution?

That is why, in the later ages, the “decree of the tyrant” is always fulfilled: the time of life and death is no longer fixed. It is like a household deciding to slaughter its livestock: it kills whenever it wishes. People are reluctant to see good livestock die, but they are glad when bad livestock die of illness.

Do you understand, Perfected One? (Reply:) Yes, yes. I, a foolish student, greatly fear Heaven’s might. I have understood and will act accordingly.

Send this text out, and have a virtuous ruler show it to all the worthy scholars. Do not hide it. Heaven rejoices when it is circulated quickly. Do so at once. (Reply:) Yes, yes.

I tell you, Perfected One: there is one great principle. When a great and virtuous ruler has appointed ministers and officials, each suited to the position and in accord with Heaven’s intent, he should understand how to govern the people and remove what harms them.

Those who hide in distant places in the four directions are difficult to detect. The most foolish people each pursue their own private gain, and together they deceive those above them.

A virtuous ruler should work with the wise and capable to set things right. Only when all has been put right does this accord with the intent of Heaven and Earth. They will then be greatly pleased, and the emperor’s good fortune will endure.

Heaven knows that people in the later ages are foolish and cannot be governed by admonition alone. So it produced a document for them, called the “Heavenly Book.”

A book is used to establish laws and make them clear. The whole world uses it to record events and the rules that everyone should follow; it can also record the written words of all the people under Heaven.

Therefore, written documents are meant to be read by everyone under Heaven. They are not made for one person alone, in isolation. (Therefore, all under Heaven…)

The sages recorded the principles of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things. The worthy recorded the sages’ words. These are things ordinary people should study and recite together; only by reading them thoroughly can one grasp their true meaning.

Books of this kind should be traced back to their sources, examined, recorded, and recited together. In this way, crooked and malicious ideas will not arise. From ancient times to the present, how many times have the writings left by the worthy and sages been collated, copied, verified, and jointly reviewed and accepted? Errors and distortions remain, and some wording is wrong; these texts therefore cannot simply be put into practice as they stand. That is why the great worthy and the Daoists travel throughout the world, checking the wording and becoming familiar with its usage, examining similarities and differences so that people may understand.

Those who mislead the confused and urge others to speak recklessly from their own point of view cannot be entrusted with authority, nor are they fit to serve an emperor. When a classic contains too many passages, each offering a different account, it throws the Dao of Heaven and Earth into disorder and breaks its proper pattern. This is how calamity from accumulated burdens arises. Do you understand, Perfected One? (Reply: Yes, yes.) Since you have awakened to this, listen to one more grave admonition: people in later ages have long lost the heart of Heaven, leaving Heaven and Earth persistently sorrowful and unsettled. This is because rulers often listen only to isolated phrases and one-sided statements, disrupting the verification of what is true. Their conduct is far from sound and departs greatly from the original intent. This is already clear. If you look upward from this matter, Perfected One, you will understand: the worthy throughout the world examine the wording together, yet do not realize that they are all learning it wrongly. So omens and anomalies continue without end, Heaven is deeply angered, and calamities and illness arise as Yin and Yang struggle without cease.

Therefore, Heaven sent me down to the world below to examine and correct the texts. Since the Middle Ages, people have been deluded by isolated phrases and one-sided statements. Again and again, they have treated the checking and transmission of scriptures as disrespectful, and made this attitude a rule for one another. Their offense is grave. They use isolated phrases and one-sided statements to respond to requests and handle affairs, thereby incurring Heaven’s resentment and disturbing the celestial registers. These registers are meant to let people discuss right and wrong together, yet instead a single person secretly composes the wording alone. Even a sage cannot know the whole Dao of Heaven and Earth by himself, so the works of sages and worthies from different times do not all say the same thing. Heaven says that each person excels in only one area and cannot alone dispel every calamity. It therefore instructed me to gather and collate the entire collection. Yet now people trust the words of one person alone. How could that be acceptable? So Heaven again instructed that written texts be sent along the Three Paths, so that worthy and unworthy, wise and foolish, men and women alike may take part in discussion, examine the matter from different sides, clarify right and wrong together, and seek what accords with truth, passing it from mouth to mouth and reviewing it collectively.

(Note: In the text, “examining and collating,” “collating,” and “verifying” all refer to checking and correcting the wording and meaning of scriptures. “Accumulated burdens” refers to calamities borne by later generations as the errors of their predecessors accumulate. “Isolated phrases and one-sided statements” refers to taking passages out of context and building an argument on partial wording alone.)

Plain Language Interpretation of the Taiping Jing

This can be used to promote and appoint worthy people. If anyone above or among them tries to deceive others, the fact should be recorded immediately. In this way, the ills of Heaven and Earth can be cured, and emperors will no longer have to bear the burden of “inherited consequences”—the transfer of guilt accumulated over generations onto the present age.

Heaven and Earth can be free of illness and rejoice; emperors can live at ease and rejoice; worthy people can rise to prominence and rejoice; the people can find release, see no enemies, and rejoice; the wealthy can have enough for their needs and rejoice; servants can find a master and rejoice in not doing wrong; the four seasons and Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) can proceed in harmony, with the people not daring to violate their order, and rejoice; all things can find their proper place, suffer no harm, and rejoice; and spirits and gods can see a virtuous ruler accumulating goodness and rejoice. Evil Qi (vital energy) will no longer veil the sun, moon, and stars, and rejoice. The Supreme Peaceful Qi—the Qi of Great Peace—will arrive, and the ruler will govern, and rejoice. Evil Qi will lie hidden and not emerge, so there will be no need to wage punitive campaigns, and rejoice. The Yi and Di peoples will live in peace and no longer repeatedly provoke border wars, and rejoice. Armies will lay down their weapons, and soldiers will be spared death, and rejoice. There are so many things of this kind to celebrate that they cannot be counted.

When a Perfected One acts, he sets out the main principles and reveals their beginnings. Reflect on their meaning for yourselves; infer from one kind of matter to another, and you will be able to understand them fully. If a virtuous ruler puts this scripture into practice, all under Heaven will submit. That is why Heaven is especially urgent about these three teachings, which are recorded in writing. Take care not to abandon them again, or calamities will not cease. If one seeks to cut off the patterns of Heaven and repeatedly pursue a “deaf-and-blind form of rule,” that is the root of disorder and danger, and a disaster that destroys the ruler. How could one fail to be cautious?

Written texts are meant for all under Heaven to examine and follow; one person’s words alone must not be trusted. Since Heaven and Earth were opened, written documents and people’s statements have been passed down and compared. Unless they are carefully examined and understood, it is dangerous and ruinous to act on the words of one person alone; this brings great loss and harm to all under Heaven. That is why this book does not permit isolated claims or unsupported statements. Instead, it instructs the Perfected One to compare and verify writings from high antiquity, middle antiquity, and later antiquity, so that they may clarify one another; and to compare the statements of people everywhere, so that they may confirm one another. Only then can the realm between Heaven and Earth be set right, and Yin and Yang be free of illness. Use my book to examine the celestial patterns, the writings of Earth’s spirits, and people’s statements from both past and present: they will surely respond like an echo, and accord with the spirits.

My Daoist methods can be trusted, so when I transmit the Dao, I do not rely on empty talk or demonstrations. If I had to demonstrate them, what if they failed? How could that prove that my Dao accords with Heaven and Earth and deserves to be trusted? Putting it into practice today is like speaking with Heaven and Earth: in eight or nine cases out of ten, the response comes, with nothing left unanswered. To practice the Dao in this way is truly wondrous—a joy beyond measure! Do you understand, Perfected One?

Your junior will obey and go. I understand now. Let me tell the Perfected One a great secret: it is “Guarding the One” (devotedly maintaining the Great Dao). Only by devoting oneself to goodness and grasping its true meaning can one enter the Dao. So next I will speak of Dao writings.

Cultivating the Dao should lead to “entering the chamber” (reaching the depths of the true Dao). Once one enters the true Dao, one can surely communicate with the spirits; so next I will speak of the Precepts of the Spirits. Having attained both the Dao and the spirits, one can rise to become a virtuous ruler. Worthy ministers must assist such a ruler, together bringing stability to the six directions and eight realms of Heaven and Earth. Only by grasping the true meaning can a state enjoy lasting peace. To bring peace to the realm, one must correct writing, speech, and discourse. Thus the method of correcting words and expressions brings about great rectification. Then worthy men of high standing will surely appear to assist the ruler as his chief ministers. So next I will speak of the Nine Ministers. Each of the nine will fulfill the proper role, and together they will bring stability to Heaven and Earth. The whole realm will unite in purpose and act as one body. They must remain in regular contact, communicate with one another, and report both good and bad; so next I will speak of the Three Forms of Official Correspondence.

Everyone now knows how to Guard the One, has entered the Dao, has entered the realm of the spirits, and has entered the corrected writings. Rulers and subjects, ministers and officials, each occupy their proper place. Official documents have been exchanged, and the six tasks of working together have been brought to completion. The realm is united in purpose; no one dares to hate another, and all care for one another and seek one another’s welfare, as if born of the same parents. Thus the virtuous ruler wins the deep favor of Heaven and delights in doing nothing. Concerned that the transmission of the Dao might suffer omissions and leave the writings of Heaven and Earth incomplete, I will once again explain the difficulty of the Great Collection and dispel any doubts. The profound teachings belong at the end. When the book is finished, it will be issued in writing and presented to the virtuous ruler.

Once the realm changes its plans and resolves to govern itself well, the change will be as easy as fire spreading along high, dry ground or water flowing downhill. No instruction is needed; things will move of their own accord, and nothing can stop them. Therefore the ruler is called the Son of the Heavenly Spirits and titled the August Sovereign. He resembles the original Qi of Heaven and Earth, and so Heaven...

All the spirits below can be summoned and put to use. Since Heaven and Earth first opened, there has never been a precedent for a Celestial Book or divine writing to be passed down by a perfected person and recorded as a true Dao formula. In the past, scriptures were entrusted to a virtuous ruler and called the “Mother of the Dao.” The Sun’s Qi belongs to Fire, and Fire moves within it. Only by receiving the scriptures and putting them into practice can one verify their efficacy. If one does not understand their meaning or follow their Way, this does not count as a true transmission. Do you understand, Perfected One? The Perfected One replied respectfully, “I will follow your instructions. I shall now entrust them to the ruler who has returned to virtue, and will not keep them any longer.” The Celestial Master said, “Go. You understand now: the Celestial Book must not remain in the human world for long. The celestial spirits will test the people of the world. If it is kept too long, misfortune will befall them, so be sure to act with care.” The Perfected One replied again, “Yes.” After six readings had exhausted its meaning and seven had grasped it fully, the scriptures were arranged by subject so that their passages corresponded to one another. In this way, calamities would be dispelled, and the writing would reach the utmost depths of auspiciousness.

“Enduring Humiliation Like Heaven and Earth: Sincerity Brings One into Accord with the Spirits”—Great Precept 153

The Perfected One stepped forward and respectfully answered. The Celestial Master said, “Today I will first establish a great precept for you, Perfected One. The Dao I transmit is for bringing order to Heaven and Earth and stability to emperors. People should cherish the true Dao and true De as Heaven and Earth cherish them.

“Heaven is the substance, guiding principle, and proof of the true Dao; the Dao moves in accordance with Heaven. Earth is the enduring quality and standard of true De; De comes to rest in accordance with Earth. Thus Heaven and Earth can remain forever as the mother of all things. Heaven and Earth always stay low, bearing humiliation and heavy burdens without boasting of their toil. I take these two qualities of Heaven and Earth as the foundation for guiding the ignorant. I constantly act according to their standards and never lose sight of their proper way.

“The book I have written is Heaven’s speech and Earth’s words. Deep within, it enters into a private communion with the spirits, like the two sides of a single whole. Every step and movement follows in accord, like the compass and square that define the round and the square. Those who follow this path gain the intention of Heaven and Earth; those who oppose it will be followed by ill fortune and decline. Today I admonish you, Perfected One: reflect deeply on my words and remain mindful and cautious at all times.” The Perfected One replied, “Yes.”

The Celestial Master continued, “I see that you cherish the true Dao and De and delight in doing good, and that you are young and diligent. So I will offer you one more saying: Those of the highest capacity often delight in the true Dao and good De; those of middling capacity are half inclined to them; those of the lowest capacity behave without restraint and are wholly devoid of the Dao and De. They are all people who commit the grave transgression of opposing the Dao. Those without De who bring great misfortune upon themselves are inwardly unlike Heaven and Earth and do not understand them; they are not among those whom Heaven ordinarily forgives. Because I care for you, I tell you this: Those without the Dao and De have no place among Heaven and Earth, and share the fate and livelihood of birds and beasts. If you still do not understand, listen while I explain further.”

Note: “Perfected One” refers to a person who has received the Celestial Book and practices the true Dao; “virtuous ruler” refers to a ruler entrusted with the scriptures who governs through De; “Mother of the Dao” is a metaphor for the scriptures as a nurturing mother of the Way; and “those of the highest, middling, and lowest capacity” refers to the three levels of aptitude among those who study the Dao.

The six Perfected Ones listened reverently, answering again and again, “Yes.” Heaven is wholly embodied in the Dao (the Way), and Earth wholly in De (Virtue/Power). Those without Dao and De are completely at odds with the pure nature of Heaven and Earth, and so Heaven and Earth will neither protect nor shelter them.

Know that this has clear effects. It is like this: people who have the Dao draw close to others who have the Dao, and people who have De draw close to others who have De. They accept one another and remember one another by name, so their fates can become intertwined and support one another. Those with the Dao delight in bringing the Dao to flourishing; those with De delight in bringing De to flourishing. People with Dao and De are inherently different from those without them, and so they will not accept one another. Their fates, then, are not bound to the Way of Heaven.

(The Heavenly Emperor asked:) “Good, good. I would like to hear what it means to share one fate with birds and beasts.” “Your question is good and profound, but you have not yet grasped its essential point. The fate of birds and beasts is bound to the lands in the four directions. Their nature inclines them to clash and fight; they have no De, and the victor prevails. The most foolish people, too, like to offend and collide with one another, and the victor prevails. Their Qi (vital energy) is the same as that of birds and beasts, and so they share their fate. The Way of Heaven takes this as its rule and uses it to distinguish people’s worth; this is how it can know these things.”

People throughout the world gather by kind according to the names and fates to which they belong. Thus one can know which direction their fate belongs to. Those who contain more of the “Five Natures” resemble Yang and are benevolent; those who contain more of the “Six Emotions” resemble Yin and are greedy. Those who receive more of Yang’s influence are male; those who receive more of Yin’s influence are female. Those who receive more of the qi of kingship and ministers are noble and long-lived; those who receive more of the qi of decline, abandonment, and confinement are often ill, die young, and suffer extreme poverty.

Therefore, at a person’s birth, one should look at which qi and phase they resemble, and to which of the Six Jia (the system of recording time by the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches) their fate is bound. Divining by kind, one will not be wrong even once in ten thousand cases. The sages of old used this method to investigate the myriad things deeply and understand human nature. Perfected Ones, do you understand?” The Perfected Ones answered, “Yes.”

“Good, good. People in these later, degenerate times inherit the accumulated burden of their ancestors’ failed plans. Gradually, together, they sever their ties to De; over time they pile up their own transgressions and become cut off from Heaven and Earth. Their Jing (essence) and Qi no longer communicate, and they no longer know one another’s fates. Instead, they share the fate of four-legged beasts. Therefore Heaven and Earth detest them, and the spirits and vital energies of the ghosts and gods do not protect them. They suffer countless illnesses and endless killing; this is the great calamity.

“Today, the ruler of highest De has a fate bound to Heaven and Earth…”

It is necessary to further emulate Heaven and Earth and to govern the world through Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue). Therefore I have reorganized and clarified the Way of Heaven and entrust it to the people of the world. I entrust all of the above to Tianle (Heavenly Joy), which refers to a peaceful age in which the whole world lives in harmony. If people calculate gains and losses when they do good and are unwilling to let their good deeds have any margin, they are acting like the "four-footed people," those who, like beasts, pay no heed to morality. For this reason my book repeatedly admonishes, hoping to bring people to a complete awakening. I have therefore set forth the principles of the Six Extremes (the six directions of heaven, earth, the four quarters, above and below) and the Great Collection (the essential outline). These principles, however, are hard to entrust to ordinary people, and they can only be entrusted to a zhenren (Perfected Person), one who has accomplished the Way and whose virtue is exalted.

"Do you understand?" asked the Celestial Master (Tianshi). The Perfected replied, "Yes, yes." The Tianshi sighed, "How marvelous! How delightful, how delightful! By what does the Perfected know that this is both marvelous and joyful?"

This foolish disciple, as the Perfected referred to himself, said: "As I have heard the Tianshi explain, when true De appears among the people, the common folk will be transformed in a single day. All will be able to keep to De and emulate Heaven and Earth, and will no longer act like the four-footed people. When everyone walks the right path and everyone possesses virtue, I know the great joy and profound meaning contained in this. The Perfected has spoken well, and there is nothing more to add. Now I wish to ask the Tianshi one question. In the present age, those who pursue De and the ordinary people who cultivate the Way should place what above all else? By what method can one attain it? And by what can a person come into mutual response with Heaven and Earth?"

The Tianshi said, "Your question is an excellent one. One should act with utmost sincerity, from the five viscera (the innermost depths of the body, including the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys), out of true feeling, and only then can one attain something. If one does not act with the sincerity of the five viscera, one will provoke the resentment of De. Even if one seeks goodness, one will not obtain it, and the spirits (shen) will not respond."

The Perfected said, "I now wish to hear: through what does utmost sincerity move Heaven, Earth, and the spirits?"

The Tianshi sighed, "Alas! Your question, Perfected, shows a certain shallowness. My writings are mostly archaic and difficult to understand, so it is only natural that you have not grasped them. This foolish student of mine has been benighted for a long time, and it is indeed hard to awaken all at once. Yet you are very humble and willing to listen attentively once more. I shall therefore explain to you the principle by which utmost sincerity moves Heaven and Earth."

The Perfected said, "Yes, I respectfully receive your instruction."

The Tianshi said: What is called utmost sincerity is sincerity in its true sense. It means looking up to Heaven and acting by following the Dao of Heaven, and looking down upon Earth and transforming one's thoughts by emulating the De of Earth. Heaven, Earth, and parents gave me life, and they did not originally wish me to do evil. One should hold filial piety in the heart and then put it into action. The heart is the most inward spirit and the most noble. The heart belongs to the sacred, pure Yang fire of the Five Phases (Wu Xing), and the nature of fire is to move upward and to share its light with Heaven. The sun is the king of fire and the proper station of Heaven, and there is no place it does not illuminate. Therefore, if a person is utmost sincere and their heart is upright, then when pain or distress arises, it can resonate within the heart. The sacred spirit then sends the intention of the heart up to the sun, and the sun in turn carries it up to Heaven. Thus, when the five viscera are utmost sincere, the intention passes directly to Heaven and moves Heaven, Earth, and the spirits.

A Plain-Language Interpretation

The general meaning of the scripture: The Perfected One warns that matters involving the spirits must be approached with the utmost care. The Foolish Student asks for an explanation, and the Perfected One describes how utmost sincerity can move Heaven and Earth. He explains the relationship between the heart and the liver, spleen, and intention, showing that when one seeks the Dao with a sincere heart, the spirits will come of their own accord.

How could one fail to be careful in matters that move the spirits? The Perfected One replies, “Terrifying—truly terrifying!” The Foolish Student asks, “This is so frightening.” The Perfected One says, “Knowing fear is the root of staying alive; not knowing fear opens the gate to death. Safety and danger lie within you, not elsewhere. Though you often ask the Celestial Master (Tianshi), your heart remains afraid. Ask again, and you may come to full understanding; if you do not ask, you have no way to know. You are right: if you refuse to ask in secret, when will you ever understand? What do you wish to ask? Now that you have listened with a sincere heart, I would like to hear about the meaning of moving the earth.” “Good!” said the Perfected One. “Your words grow more profound by the day; I will not keep anything from you. Sit quietly, and I will explain. If I do not speak, I fear your apprehension will only grow. If Heaven alone is distressed, people in later generations will not be truly sincere, and the Perfected One will have to take charge of the questioning.” “Yes.” “Now I will tell you. Listen carefully.” “Yes, yes.”

When a person is utterly sincere, there is something they hold dear and remember; their heart aches with longing for it. This feeling rises from within, and they lose their appetite. The heart and intention are what remember; they do not forget. The liver is foremost in benevolence, so the eyes serve as its outward expression, and tears flow from them. This is the utmost sincerity of focused thought. The heart is what makes a person lucid and discerning; the intention and the spleen are what keep a thought from being set aside. The heart is pure Yang and belongs to Heaven; the spleen is pure Yin and belongs to Earth. With utmost sincerity, one can focus the mind wholly on what one remembers. Then the heart aches and tears flow; the heart directs the intention to carry out its purpose and convey the message to distant places. The intention is Yin. When Yin feels sorrow, it should report to Yang; therefore it reports upward to the spirits of the heavenly realm. The spleen belongs to the Yin domain and is located in the Earth, so it enters below to report to Earth. Thus Heaven and Earth are moved, and all the spirits respond.

If you wish to know the great effect of this, I, the Perfected One, will not deceive you. Sit quietly in a secluded room, turn your thoughts inward, and contemplate the spirits; they will all come of their own accord. Is this not clear proof? This is how I teach you to trust in utmost sincerity. I have never spoken without a basis in the Dao. Therefore, when seeking the Dao and De, every person’s conduct must arise from utmost sincerity. Only then will Heaven and Earth respond, and the spirits come to give instruction. Without utmost sincerity, one cannot move Heaven and Earth or stir the spirits. Since the time of inherited burdens, people of the later ancient age have truly had no faith and no sincerity. They cannot move Heaven and Earth; they deceive both Heaven and Earth, and so the spirits harm them without end.

“I would like to hear how…” *

Note: The Taiping Jing emphasizes that utmost sincerity can move Heaven and Earth and summon the spirits. The heart, being Yang, corresponds to Heaven; the intention and spleen, being Yin, correspond to Earth. The liver governs benevolence, and tears flowing from the eyes are an expression of profound sincerity. People of the later ancient age lacked sincerity, and so, burdened by inherited consequences, they were harmed by the spirits.

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

Question: How can one understand this principle? There is clear proof in the sun and moon; I would now like to hear the details.

Answer: In the latter days of antiquity, people were born of their parents yet collectively neglected and betrayed them. Among ten thousand, scarcely one had a filial heart. Those who were freed from ignorance and awakened through a teacher’s guidance then neglected their teachers and elders, refusing to regard them as teachers. Instead, they made their teachers humble themselves and perform hard labor. Though their teachers had risen from poverty and low status to wealth and honor through service to their ruler, they in turn taught those below them to deceive their superiors day after day. Among ten thousand, scarcely one was trustworthy. Together, these foolish people deceive and violate the Three Bonds—the bonds between ruler and subject, father and child, and husband and wife. Their conduct is called rebellion and betrayal of trust. Their offenses are plain for all to see, impossible to conceal, and fully visible above to the sun, moon, and stars. Therefore, Heaven and Earth deeply abhor them and bring them short lives and early deaths. Yet they do not examine their offenses again and again; instead, they wail bitterly as they go on their way, saying Heaven is cruel and asking how they have been wronged. They bring this suffering upon themselves. When has Heaven ever wronged you? How astonishing!

Question: Excellent, excellent. This foolish student has heard and will obey.

Answer: If you uphold this as a grave warning, then you can remain free of trouble for countless generations. But should someone doubt even a small part of these words, let them come and ask again.

Question: Yes, yes.

The foregoing is the great assembly of questions on the Way, De, sincerity, and Heaven’s warning, presented to instruct the worthy.

Key Points

This passage belongs to the “Great Assembly of Questions” section of the Taiping Jing. Through a dialogue, it explains “sincerity in the Way and De” and “Heaven’s warning.”

1. The Three Bonds: The bonds between ruler and subject, father and child, and husband and wife. Here, the term refers to the proper relationships among rulers and subjects, parents and children, and husbands and wives.

2. The sun, moon, and three lights: The sun, moon, and stars. They symbolize the manifest clarity of Heaven’s Way, under which good and evil cannot escape scrutiny.

3. Core idea: Those who betray their parents, disrespect their teachers and elders, deceive their superiors, and violate the Three Bonds incur the hatred of Heaven and Earth and are made to live short lives. Those who heed this warning will remain free of trouble for countless generations.