Commentary on the Cantong Qi (32): The Sages of Old Embraced the Mysterious and Held to the True

The 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.

The sages of old embraced the mysterious and held to the true, subdued and refined the nine tripods, hid their traces in reclusion, then contained and nurtured spirit, communicating virtue with the three lights; they swallowed saliva and drank fluids to moisten the interstices, making sinews and bones firm, banishing the many evils within the body so that upright qi could endure. Over long periods, they transformed form and became immortals.

Compassionate toward later generations and those who love the Way, following their styles and colors, they sketched ancient writings, compiled them into illustrated collections, and opened them for later descendants; they revealed the branches but hid the root, entrusted them under various names, and covered over errors in the texts. Scholars who obtained them stored them in cases for a lifetime.

Those whose cultivation succeeded, compassionate toward later seekers of the Way, followed popular tendencies and drew some pictures, adding some texts as illustrated collections to enlighten later descendants. These collections revealed all the branches of practice but hid only the root, and took various names to correct mistaken understandings. Yet some scholars who obtained them stored them in cabinets for life.

Children succeed their fathers' work, grandchildren follow their ancestors; handed down through generations in confusion, ultimately none have seen or heard. Thus officials abandon office, farmers lose their tilling, merchants abandon their goods, and aspirants remain poor at home. I grieve greatly for this and have settled on recording this text — concise in words and easy to think about, sparse in affairs and not complicated — setting out its branches so that verification is clear; division and weighing have their numbers, and one follows accordingly. Thus I offer this in disorderly words, opening the gate at the aperture; let the wise reflect carefully and use intent to join with it.

Passed down generation after generation, over time no one had seen these illustrated collections. As a result, many who became officials abandoned office, farmers no longer tilled, merchants no longer traded, and those with aspirations for cultivation became ever poorer at home. I grieved greatly for this and therefore decided to write this text, striving to be concise and easy to understand, simplifying the operations, sorting them item by item, so each could be verified and its proportions clarified. Thus following its outline, I gathered the essentials and pointed out the key points; one need only be good at reflecting and use intent to investigate them.

The models and images are none greater than heaven and earth; the Dark Trench is tens of thousands of li.

Among things known to human cognition, the great models and images are nothing but heaven and earth, and the Dark Trench (the Milky Way) stretches for tens of thousands of li.

The ancients said: "The methods of the Dao are not many; the Southern Star pours into the Northern River." Here the Southern Star and Northern River refer to the division of the Dark Trench in the sky, from between Chou-Yin and Wei-Ji to the boundary between Wu-Wei and Xing-Liu, divided into two parts through the middle.

If discussed in terms of human cultivation, it is the Celestial Gate and Earthly Axle within the human body, eight hundred and forty thousand li apart, and right in the middle is the Dark Trench, the image that separates metal and wood.

He Gu approaches Xing Ji; the people are all alarmed. The gnomon's shadow moves wrongly forward and back; for nine years disaster afflicts. The August Sovereign surveys it; the king withdraws and corrects himself.

He Gu consists of three stars: the center is the Grand General, the left is the Left General, and the right is the Right General, located north of the Ox mansion. The Celestial River's Xing Ji occupies the Chou position among the twelve branches, the place where the central Milky Way passes. Originally He Gu is at the Chou position; when it oversteps its order to approach Xing Ji at the Chou position, the stars become disordered, and floods arise among the people — hence "the people are all alarmed." The gnomon's shadow moving wrongly is likewise a loss of the correct way, hence the saying about nine years of disaster. In ancient times, disasters in the human world were mostly due to the ruler's lack of virtue; so if the August Sovereign conducts a tour of inspection, the king can correct himself, and the matter can be resolved.

Some say in the world that the Leading Ox is the same as He Gu, which is actually misleading, because He Gu is north of the Ox mansion. Yet according to the Treatise on Astronomy in the Book of Jin: "From twelve degrees of Southern Dipper to seven degrees of the Maid is Xing Ji; in the branches it is at Chou, the regional division of Wu and Yue, belonging to Yangzhou."

In the late Western Han, when Liu Xin compiled the San Tong calendar, he observed the winter solstice point. His result was that the winter solstice point was "advancing four degrees and five fen in front of the Ox." Since the winter solstice point must always be at the Zi position, and the Ox mansion is at Zi, they must necessarily be different.

The latch rises and falls; harmful qi scurries away. The rivers Huai and Jiang run dry; their waters flow into the sea.

In ancient times "the latch" referred to a door bolt, and "rises and falls" to "highs and lows." Here, in conjunction with the above, it can be extended to mean: if one does not treat matters with caution and high standards, then once one relaxes, it is like water released from a floodgate — and thus "harmful qi scurries away."

The female and male of heaven and earth wander between Zi and Wu. Yin and Yang have their origins in Yin and Shen; exit and enter, return and begin again.

The division of female and male is at Zi and Wu; the distinction of Yin and Yang is at Yin and Shen.

Following the Dipper, summon Zhaoyao; grasp the balance to fix the primary cycle. Ascend the cauldron on the mountain of the steamer; below, the blazing fire is set forth.

Zheng Xuan said: "Zhaoyao is the star at the tip of the Dipper's handle that points the way." Thus Zhaoyao is the Dipper's seventh star, Yao Guang.

The Book of Rites, Qu Li I, also says: "When marching, before is the Vermilion Bird and behind the Dark Warrior; left the Azure Dragon and right the White Tiger; Zhaoyao is above — promptly prepare for its anger."

Thus the Vermilion Bird, Dark Warrior, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger are all beneath Zhaoyao; the division of the four symbols is determined by where the Dipper points.

The White Tiger leads and sings before; the blue-green liquid harmonizes behind. The Vermilion Bird soars and plays, flying with five-colored radiance; encountering the net cast over it, pressed down it cannot rise;

Left the Azure Dragon and right the White Tiger — the White Tiger is in front, and the blue-green liquid that harmonizes behind is the Azure Dragon. At this time the Dipper points at You; when the Dipper turns further, Chen is added to Wu, and the net catches the Vermilion Bird.

The wailing sound is very mournful — like an infant yearning for its mother; inverted into the boiling cauldron, broken and feathers injured. Before half the clepsydra has passed, fish scales and close fins arise. The five-colored image dazzles; change has no constant master.

The Dui of You is sound, hence the image of wailing. What Dui's seven joins with is two; two is Kun, and Kun is the mother, hence the infant yearning for its mother. The joined Kun is again matched with Qian — earth matched with heaven — hence inversion. The transformation of two and seven becomes fire; Qian's six joins with Kan's one to form water, and fire and water image the boiling cauldron. Once this image is obtained, the image of fish scales and close fins also arises, and the five-colored radiance illuminates, changing without constant master.

Gurgling, the cauldron boils and races; surging violently without ceasing. Connected and stacked in layers, dogs' teeth interlock. Form like midwinter ice; luminous gems exude stalactites. Lofty and towering, mixed together, crossing and accumulating as mutual props. Yin and Yang obtain their pairing; faint and thin, they guard each other,

"Lofty and towering" means "high and majestic"; "mixed together" means "intermingled."

At this time it is as if boiling liquid surges violently without cease, piling ever higher, finally like a fountain, shaped like winter icicles, and like stalactites in a cave. Its image is like tall, majestic mountain pillars distributed among the forests, mutually interlocking and supporting one another. This describes the scene in cultivation; here Yin and Yang have obtained their pairing, like the joining of mountain and water, so one must turn to being faint and guarding each other, not overdoing it lest they cease to match.

The Azure Dragon is at Fang six; spring flowers, Zhen at east Mao. The White Tiger is at Mao seven; autumn rays, Dui at west You. The Vermilion Bird is at Zhang two; pure yang mixed at south Wu.

The Azure Dragon is at Fang mansion six, responding to spring month's Mao position and the Zhen trigram; the White Tiger is at Mao mansion seven, responding to autumn month's You position and the Dui trigram; the Vermilion Bird is at Zhang mansion two, responding to the Wu month's Li trigram.

All three come to court; the household becomes kin and companions. At the root there are but two things; at the end they become three and five. Three and five together with one all gather and return to two.

The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird are the three. Earlier text quoted the Jinbi Longhu Jing: "When sun and moon emerge from the east and shine to the west, the true qi of the western White Tiger's metal virtue enters the dark unknown and transforms into six Wu. When sun and moon enter the west and shine to the east, the true qi of the eastern Azure Dragon's wood virtue enters the dark unknown and transforms into six Ji. When sun and moon dwell at Wu and shine to the north, the true qi of the southern Vermilion Bird's fire virtue enters the dark unknown, forms with earth, and transforms into dark lead, ever dwelling within the obscure dark, as the root of heaven, earth, and the myriad beings." This also points to this.

At the root there are but two things, in fact Yin and Yang — the sun and moon of the scripture. And when the three meet, Wu and Ji transform into five; hence three and five return to one.

Cultivate it according to the above sections; take the days likewise. First white, then yellow; red and black reach exterior and interior. This is called the first tripod; its food is like large millet grains. What the natural does is not through any crooked way.

"Cultivate it according to the above sections" means following the prescribed methods; the days are likewise taken. Then first take white, then yellow, then red, then black — thus forming the first tripod, whose image can form the dark pearl of millet. This is the correct way.

The qi of mountain and marsh steams together, raising clouds that become rain; mud dries and becomes dust, fire dies and turns to earth.

Mountain and marsh qi steam together — within the body it is like erecting a tripod: true qi rises mistily, then transforms into rainwater, irrigating downward. Thus mud becomes dust, and when fire dies it becomes earth.

Like phellodendron dyed yellow, or indigo becoming green silk; leather boiled into glue, yeast sprouts turned to wine.

Just as phellodendron is a yellow dye that becomes a bluish-green appearance after transformation, and leather becomes gelatinous after boiling, yeast sprouts (wine starter) can become wine through process.

Here physical and chemical examples are used to show that things can transform under certain conditions.

Like things make work easy; unlike kinds are hard to work skillfully. This wondrous art is carefully true and does not lie. Passed on for a hundred million generations, it is clearly verifiable.

Only alike things are easy to work with; if essentially different, it is very hard. One must carefully experience the wonders within, ponder the principles, rather than fabricating carelessly. What this text says will remain universal after a hundred million generations, and the content described can withstand verification.

Bright as stars crossing the Han; brilliant as waters gathering in the sea. Think it until thoroughly familiar; turn and look above and below. A thousand circuits splendid and refined; ten thousand times and it may be seen.

"Bright" refers to its brilliance, its meaning as in the Analecta: "Brilliant indeed are its patterns."

"Han" means the Milky Way, as in the Book of Songs, Da Ya, Dang Zhi Shen, Yun Han: "Great is that Cloud Han, revolving bright in heaven."

Bright as the myriad stars of heaven crossing the Milky Way, and as the waters under heaven all flowing to the sea — this principle must be thoroughly pondered. By repeatedly connecting with what precedes and follows, reflecting carefully ten thousand times, one can understand the principle within.

The spirits and numinous may tell a person; mind and heart suddenly awaken of themselves. Probe the head and seek the thread; you will surely find its gate.

When one truly comprehends the deep meaning, it is as if the numinous spirits have spoken to a person, letting mind and heart suddenly awaken of themselves. So as long as one seriously explores the ends and threads within, one will surely find its gate.

The Way makes no distinction of near or far; it is ever transmitted to the worthy.

For those who cultivate it, the Way has no distinction of close or distant, thick or thin; hence it selects only the worthy to transmit it to.