集 Series
Commentary on the Zhouyi Cantong Qi
- 01Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (1): PrincipleAnyone who can earn the honorific title "Master" from the world has essentially achieved greatness — for even opponents must first acknowledge one's ability before criticizing. Master Zhu Xi was different: nearly a thousand years have passed, and any mention of the Song dynasty still requires mention of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, which means mentioning Zhu Xi. Qi is a philosophical concept filled with wisdom in ancient China, far more abstract than the materialist four elements of ancient Greece. But Zhu Xi held that Principle precedes qi.
- 02Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (2): Qian and Kun — Gateways of the Change, Parents of the Myriad HexagramsQian and Kun are the gateways of the Change and the parents of the myriad hexagrams. Kan and Li form the surrounding frame and turn the hub on its axle. The four hexagrams of male and female serve as the bellows, covering and enveloping the Way of yin and yang — like a craftsman or charioteer, following the ink-line and string, holding the reins, aligning to the compass and square, and tracking the rut. Everything in the world does not depart from yin and yang.
- 03Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (3): The Jingfang SystemMany people believe everything in this world is random: through vast disordered motion, things undergo various changes and interweave into this universe. Buddhism, while unconcerned with where the world came from, has its own interpretation called dependent origination and emptiness of nature. In short: randomness constitutes this world, so everything should be random. Yet if you take a basin and smash it on the ground, it breaks into many pieces; smash another and the same happens.
- 04Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (4): Zhu Xi Seeks the He Tu and Luo ShuWithout the He Tu, Luo Shu, and Xiantian diagrams, the Zhouyi Cantong Qi is almost impossible to understand — yet by the early Song dynasty the He Tu and Luo Shu had already vanished. Zhu Xi was especially devoted to this matter. The origin of the He Tu and Luo Shu is quite mysterious. One account says Fuxi, by the Yellow River, saw a turtle surface with the eight trigrams on its back and was inspired.
- 05On the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (V): In Search of the Xiantian ChartShao Yong, courtesy name Yaofu, posthumous title Kangjie, so he is often respectfully called Mr. Shao Kangjie. He once studied the numerology of the He Luo diagrams under Li Zhicai. Li Zhicai took Mu Xiu of Henan as his teacher; Mu Xiu studied under Zhong Fang, and Zhong Fang studied under the Old Ancestor Chen Tuan.
- 06Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (6): Exploring the Xiantian Diagram Again"On Loving the Lotus" — "rising unstained from the mud, washed by clear ripples yet not showy" — nearly everyone was forced to memorize it in school. Yet the author is more famous not for that essay but for the Taiji Tu Shuo. Shao Yong (1011–1077) and Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073) were contemporaries; both were said to receive Chen Tuan's transmission, both called "Zi." The He Tu and Luo Shu are ancient things.
- 07Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (7): Boiling Heaven and Earth in the Crescent Moon Furnace, Decocting Sun-Soul and Moon-MarrowHeaven and Earth take their positions, and the Change moves within them. Heaven and Earth are the images of Qian and Kun; taking positions means setting forth the paired positions of yin and yang. The Change means Kan and Li as the two uses of Qian and Kun. The two uses have no line positions; they circulate through the six voids, neither fixed in coming and going nor constant in up and down — dark, sunken, submerged, hiding, transforming within, enveloping the myriad things, cords and regulations of the Dao, governing the existent through the non-existent.
- 08Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (8): Zhongni Praises the Primordial Chaos, the Virtue of Qian and Kun Reaches the Mysterious VoidThen Zhongni praised the primordial chaos: the virtue of Qian and Kun reaches the mysterious void. Examining the ancients to the original sovereign, Guanju established the beginning; crowning and wedding, qi intertwines; in the first year the sprouts grow. Zhongni is Confucius — how did he praise chaos? He said: "Great is the primal of Qian! Ultimate is the primal of Kun!"
- 09On the Cantong Qi (9): Governing the First of Administration—Innovate the New and Reform the OldGoverning the first of administration—innovate the new and reform the old. Contain and close in fine subtlety; open, spread, and array the treasure. The essential Dao's Dipper handle governs the guiding principles and keylinks of transformation. Line-images move within; auspiciousness and misfortune arise without. The five planets' errors and alignments respond as the times stir. The Twenty-Eight Lodges in discord and deviation, separating and joining, bowing and rising. Wenchang tallies and records in统; reprimands the terrace ministers and the hundred officials and their departments, each managing its charge. The sun joins the essence of the five phases; the moon receives the regulation of the six pitches. Five times six make thirty degrees; when degrees end, they begin again. Trace the origin and seek the end—the thread of survival and loss: or the lord arrogant and dissolute, overfull and contrary to the Dao; or ministers corrupt and fawning, acting off the proper track. Phases of bows, fullness and waning—deviant changes and ominous blame. The law-enforcers remonstrate and reprove, questioning faults and bequeathing them to the ruler. The Pole Star receives correctness, leisurely entrusting those below. Proclaiming policy in the Bright Hall, the state has no path contrary to the Dao. If policy is issued, the first matter is to "innovate the new and reform the old."
- 10Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (10): The Jianmu Connects Heaven and Earth; the Wondrous Way Comes from the Spiritual RootInternally nourish the self — quiet, still, empty and void. Return to the root, hide the brightness; inwardly illuminate the form-body. Seal the openings; fortify the spiritual plant. The three lights sink on land, warming the child-pearl. Look at it and it is not seen; near, it is easy to seek. Within the yellow, principle gradually opens; moisture reaches the skin and flesh. A correct beginning leads to a correct end; with the trunk established, the tip can be held. It is concealed by the One; the people of the world do not know it.
- 11On the Cantong Qi (11): Know the White, Keep the Black; Spirits Naturally ComeThe virtue of the higher is non-action; it does not seek through observation. The virtue of the lower is action; its use never ceases. This speaks of the natural Way—like human breathing: though a person breathes at every moment, when one does not attend to it there is no awareness; though it seems one does not know where it resides, it yet operates without end—this is the higher method. To still the breath with intention is the mind-mind; if not with intention, it is the spirit. Thus when the mind does not move, intention ceases; spirit naturally appears and regulates—this is the way of mind and breath depending on each other, mind and spirit becoming one. And if operation occurs only when a thought arrives, and does not when no thought comes, then one must keep a single luminous awareness at every moment, not separating for even a hair—this is the lower method.
- 12Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (12): Sudden Death by Heavenly Mandate, Bones Exposed and Flesh RottenIs this right or wrong? The method of reviewing the five stores. Inner vision means during cultivation turning light to illuminate within; at a certain level one can perceive the qi of the five zang and six fu organs, and this perception further produces a visualization-like presentation. The Zhenren Daozi is not magical — accumulating essence and accumulating qi to become true. Without accumulation, how to become true?
- 13Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (13): Yin Spirit, Yang Spirit, Body Spirits, and Out-of-BodyThe clear-eyed grasp its purport; broadly they know its source. Diligent in practice, morning and night without rest. Taking and consuming for three years, lightly rising to travel far. Crossing fire not scorched, entering water not wet; able to be and not be, lasting joy without care. Dao accomplished, virtue fulfilled, hidden awaiting the time. Taiyi then summons; remove to the central isle. Merit full, ascend; receive register and accept chart.
- 14On the Cantong Qi (14): Two Eights Answer to One Catty; the Way of Yi Does Not LeanThe Fire Records are not written in vain; they unfold the Changes to make this clear. The crescent-moon method forms furnace and cauldron; the White Tiger is the pivot of the simmering. Mercury is called the flowing pearl; the Azure Dragon accompanies it. Raise the east to join the west; soul and spirit naturally bind each other. The upper bow of Dui counts eight; the lower bow of Gen also counts eight. When the two bows join their essences, the bodies of Qian and Kun are complete. Two eights answer to one catty; the Way of Yi does not lean. When Song-dynasty Chen Xianwei explained the Cantong Qi, he said: "In ancient times there were alchemical books revealing the workings of fire phases, called the Fire Records, some six hundred chapters; their purport does not go beyond the Zhou Changes." What are fire phases? Colloquially, alchemy is like cooking: different medicinal herbs can be seen as ingredients—some need fierce high heat to bring out their fragrance, some need a low gentle simmer to cook through; only when combined do they become a fine dish.
- 15Chatting about the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (16): Zi-Wu Numbers Join at Three; Wu-Ji Are Called FiveZi and Wu join at three; Wu and Ji are called five. Three and five in harmony — the eight minerals set the measure. Breath inhaling and exhaling nurture each other; abiding in breath become husband and wife. Yellow earth is metal's father; flowing pearls are water's child. Water takes earth as its ghost; earth suppresses water so it does not rise. Vermilion Bird is fire's essence, holding the balance to adjust victory and defeat. Water overflames and fire is destroyed; both die and return to thick earth. Three natures then gather; original nature shares one ancestral source.
- 16On the Cantong Qi (17): Their Arsenic, Our HoneyJusheng still prolongs life; the reverted elixir can be taken into the mouth. The nature of metal does not decay, and therefore it is the treasure of all things. The adepts subdue and eat it, and their lifespan becomes long. Earth roams through the four seasons, keeps its boundaries and maintains its rules. Metal sand enters the five viscera, dispersing like mist in wind and rain. It steams and permeates the four limbs, and the countenance becomes bright and lovely. White hair all turns black; fallen teeth grow back where they were. The old man becomes young again, and the aged woman becomes a maiden. The form is transformed and one escapes worldly calamities; such a person is called a True Person. The "Materia Medica Revered Origins" says: Jusheng is also called Hu Ma, and also Goushi. It originally came from the Hu lands, hence the name Hu Ma. Ju means great. It originally grew in the Hu land of Dayuan, so it is also called Jusheng; among the eight grains, only this one is finest. Kou Zong said: Hu Ma is precisely today's large sesame; only that produced in the Hu lands is plump and large, hence the name Hu Ma, also called Jusheng.
- 17A Casual Talk on the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (18): Turning from the Dao, Guarding the Lost Path—Exiting the Correct, Entering the Crooked TrailWhite lead powder thrown into fire—its color ruined, it reverts to lead. Ice and snow meeting warm water—dissolving, they become the Great Mystery. Metal takes cinnabar as master, blending in harmony with mercury. Changes arise from their truth; beginning and end causally depend on each other. To make one who lies down and ingests an immortal, one should use like kinds: to plant grain use grain seed; to hatch a chick use its egg. Completing by kind is natural; things are accomplished through easy smelting. Can fish eyes become pearls? Can mugwort become tea trees? Those of like kind follow one another; contrary affairs cannot form treasure. Swallows and sparrows do not birth phoenixes; foxes and rabbits do not nurse horses. Water does not flow upward when flaming; fire does not moisten downward when stirred.
- 18A Casual Talk on the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (19): The Words Are Solemnly Spoken—People of the World Do Not Ponder Them DeeplyAs for the utmost sage, none surpasses Fuxi, who first drew the eight trigrams, modeling heaven and earth. King Wen, ancestor of emperors, shaped their forms and developed the line statements. The Master, that outstanding sage, composed the Ten Wings to assist them. These three worthies were heaven-endowed, rising in turn to govern their times. Their ranks differ in steps, yet their merit and virtue are not unlike. Their creations build upon one another; they calculated and examined down to fen and zhu. The formed is easy to estimate; without signs it is hard to plan. They made their works models for the world, settling the Odes and Documents. Having no prior foreknowledge, they awakened through teachers. Bright as frost in the curtain; glaring-eyed they climbed the high terrace. The Fire Records number six hundred scrolls; their aims are all the same. The words are solemnly spoken—people of the world do not ponder them deeply.
- 19A Casual Talk on the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (20): Deduce the Numbers of the Five Phases—Simple and Concise, Not ComplicatedDeduce the numbers of the Five Phases—simple and concise, not complicated. Raise water to strike fire, and suddenly the light is extinguished. Sun and moon eclipse each other, always between new and full. When water flourishes, Kan invades yang; when fire declines, Li dims as in daylight twilight. Yin and yang feed each other; interaction and response are the natural Dao. The name is used to fix feeling; the character speaks of nature. When metal returns to the beginning of its nature, it may be called the Reverted Elixir. I dare not speak falsely, but imitate the writings of the sages.
- 20A Casual Talk on the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (21): Dark and Mysterious, Hard to Measure—Cannot Be Drawn in a PictureQian and Kun, hard and soft, pair and embrace each other. Yang grasps, yin receives; female and male depend upon each other. Through this dependence comes transformation, and the essence-qi unfolds. Speaking of hard and soft: Qian's nature is hard, Kun's nature is soft. Only when the two natures of hard and soft embrace each other can Qian and Kun stand together. Thus yang grasps and yin receives; female and male cannot be separated. Moreover, each thing has its own nature, and requires the mechanism of transformation to let its essence-qi unfold. In alchemy one often refines realgar; besides realgar, orpiment is also used, because orpiment and realgar are always found together.
- 21A Casual Talk on the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (22): The Gentleman Dwells in His Chamber, and His Words Are GoodThe gentleman dwells in his chamber; if his words are good, those a thousand li away respond to him. From the Commentary on the Judgments, Appended Treatise of the Zhouyi. The original text says: "The gentleman dwells in his chamber; if his words are good, those a thousand li away respond to him—how much more those nearby? If he dwells in his chamber and his words are not good, those a thousand li away turn from him—how much more those nearby?" Even when a gentleman is in his own courtyard, if the words he utters are beneficial, people a thousand li away can still respond—let alone those nearby. If the words he utters from his own courtyard are without benefit, then even those a thousand li away will turn away from them—let alone those nearby.
- 22A Casual Talk on the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (23): Movement and Stillness Have Constant Law; Follow Their Ink-MarkMovement and stillness have constant law; follow their ink-mark. The four seasons accord with what is fitting, matching the qi. Hard and soft are distinguished, and do not invade one another. The Five Phases hold their boundaries, and do not wildly expand or contract. The Yi moves and circles, bending, stretching, and repeating. Between dark and light, join the tally and act within.
- 23On the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (24): Even If You Know Cinnabar and Black Lead, Without the Fire Phases It Is All in VainCycling through the Jade Sill, rising and descending, up and down. Circulating through the six lines, hard to observe. Thus without a fixed position — the ancestor of Change. What is meant by Heaven and Earth set in their places, and Change moves within them: sun and moon come and go, with Qian, Kun, Kan and Li as hub and axle — standing alone yet unchanging, revolving endlessly without toil. Its transformations circulate through the six lines. Just as Kan and Li move qi within the cauldron, circulating through the six voids within the images, none can spy or see — the mystery secretly arises, truly the ancestor of the medicine.
- 24On the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (25): Constantly Following Earth’s Patterns, Receiving Heaven and Dispersing the ProclamationConstantly following Earth’s patterns, receiving Heaven and dispersing the proclamation; subtle, hidden, distant and far, divided yet linked. Heaven above and Earth below are joined by one qi; the qi below transforms into mountains, rivers and terrain, dragon veins surge and form apertures, open their curtains and produce nobility — yet this qi truly comes following Heaven. Though Heaven and Earth are separated by vast distance, they secretly communicate and connect, for Heaven has stars and Earth has peaks; Earth’s patterns are in essence Heaven’s patterns.
- 25Chatting about the Cantongqi (26): The Yang Mirror Takes Fire—Without the Sun It Produces No LightThe yang mirror takes fire; without the sun it produces no light. The square Zhū is not toward stars or moon—how could it obtain water? The yang mirror is an ancient fire-making implement. The Lunheng says: “Test the sun with the yang mirror—fire comes from heaven.” Such fire tools are generally bronze concave mirrors, able to catch sunlight over a larger area; when light hits the polished face it reflects and focuses to a point, so the heat carried in the light concentrates and fire is produced. Because this fire is generated by the sun it is called solar fire. The principle is the same as a lens taking fire—one reflects, one refracts. The square Zhū is an ancient water-gathering device…
- 26Chatting about the Cantongqi (27): The Three Treasures of Ear, Eye, and Mouth—Close the Gates and Send Nothing ForthEarlier essays covered somewhat deeper material; this one can be lighter and simpler. It is not long, but it does mention the work’s verified effects—over a long run they can truly be demonstrated. Though one does not say that immortality follows from this alone, dissolving chronic illness and living long in the world is no easy matter either. The three treasures of ear, eye, and mouth—close the gates and send nothing forth. Ears, eyes, and mouth are important outer openings of the body: ears can hear, eyes can see, mouth can speak; all human intercourse goes through them, yet using them is not without cost. Especially for adults: the more they are used the faster they age. Once past thirty, as life qi in the body gradually wanes and blood and qi turn from flourishing toward daily consumption of vital force, this phenomenon becomes far more obvious than in the young…
- 27On the Cantong Qi (28): People Delight in Petty Arts, Not Pondering Whether the Dao Is Deep or ShallowPeople delight in petty arts, not pondering whether the Dao is deep or shallow. They abandon the correct path for the crooked, seeking haste and blocking their own free flow—like the blind without a staff, the deaf listening to music, diving where there is no water to catch pheasants, climbing mountains for fish and dragons, planting wheat while expecting millet, or using a compass to draw squares. They exhaust strength and spirit all year without visible results. If you wish to know the method of ingesting and refining, its affairs are simple and not complicated.
- 28Discussing the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (29): The Crimson Maiden by the River, most numinous of spirits, flies upon meeting fireThe crimson maiden by the river, numinous and most divine, flies when meeting fire; no dust is seen—like a ghost hidden or a dragon concealed, none knows where she abides. If you would control her, take the yellow sprout as root.
- 29Discussing the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (30): Kan as the Male and the Moon, Li as the Female and the SunKan as the male is the moon; Li as the female is the sun. The sun bestows virtue; the moon unfolds its light. The moon receives transformation from the sun, and its body is not diminished or harmed.
- 30Commentary on the Cantong Qi (31): Firm and Yielding Rise in Turn, Distributed Through the CyclesFirm and yielding rise in turn, distributed through the cycles. Dragon west, Tiger east, built with the Weft at Mao and You. In the second month the elms shed their leaves when the Kui arrives at Mao; in the eighth month wheat sprouts when Tian Gang holds You. What Yin and Yang join is what firm and yielding transform. Firm turns to soft, soft turns to firm; after mutual iterative change they redistribute, so the Dragon reaches the west and the Tiger the east — Dragon and Tiger are Mao and You.
- 31Commentary on the Cantong Qi (32): The Sages of Old Embraced the Mysterious and Held to the TrueThe sages of old embraced the mysterious and held to the true, subdued and refined the nine tripods, transformed their traces and hid in reclusion, contained essence and nurtured spirit, communicated virtue with the three lights, their fluids moistened the interstices, sinews and bones became firm, all evil influences were banished, upright qi endured long, and after long accumulation they transformed form and became immortals.