Nature and Principle in Islam

The fourth volume sets forth what the third volume left unsaid. The transcendent wonder of the Human Ultimate may be sudden or gradual; the classes of sage and ordinary person may be of Heaven or of human effort. To know the sudden without knowing the gradual is to make the sudden unusable as a method, for sudden transcendence is the road of one or two people, while gradual entry is the road of hundreds and thousands. To rest content with the ordinary and not aspire to sagehood is to abandon oneself, whether in matters of Heaven or of human effort. For whoever knows shame becomes brave, and whoever perseveres can become a sage; without bravery and without perseverance, to wish to transcend the three worlds and enter the unsurpassed is hard indeed. How much worse, when one is not brave and persevering oneself, to go on to speak rashly of others' bravery and perseverance! That is abandoning oneself and abandoning oneself again.

Scan vol. 4, p. 63Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

Before nature and principle were divided there was only this one heart. The heart is that which has no place or location. After nature and principle were divided, it was no longer called heart but called nature. When nature passes from the world of principle toward the world of images, it has no form and no body, and lodges in the heart. The wondrous substance of the heart is empty, still and without outside; the heart that is within the body is the heart's location, the place where nature lodges. The wondrous substance of the heart is nature's Former Heaven; the square inch of the heart is where nature is lodged and attached, and the square inch is its Latter Heaven. The heart of the Former Heaven is the source from which nature is divided out; the location of the square inch is the aid by which nature is made manifest. Why? Although the square inch belongs to the Latter Heaven, the talent and intelligence it possesses are truly sufficient to know nature and truly sufficient to see nature. The empty wonder of nature contains everything, yet it is wondrous without being able to manifest itself; it must obtain the heart's talent and intelligence, which are able to bring it forth, and only then does nature have something to borrow and rely on in order to appear. Nature may be likened to fire, the heart to coal: coal without fire does not blaze, and fire without coal, what would it cling to? To put it briefly, the principle of the Former Heaven must rely on the heart of the Latter Heaven, and must also rely on the vital energy of the Latter Heaven. With the heart of the Latter Heaven, principle is illuminated; with the vital energy of the Latter Heaven, principle is carried into action. How does the heart of the Latter Heaven have the power to illuminate principle? When the embryo's bodily apertures first divide, there is already something belonging to fire which issues as the apertures of numinous clarity, standing opposite each other on the left and right of the heart. The apertures of numinous clarity are the root of talent and intelligence, and the power to illuminate principle already lies hidden there from the start. How does the vital energy of the Latter Heaven have the power to fulfil nature? The nature of vital energy is that which obediently receives the function of the original nature and takes it as its own function; it is the horse that the original nature rides. The heart's talent and intelligence suffice to know it, and the native capacity of vital energy suffices to carry it out, so that the ordered pattern of nature from beginning to end may approach the point where everything is gathered together. This is why the Former Heaven must rely on the Latter Heaven. Even so, it is not right to say that the nature of the Former Heaven has no means at all of exerting its own strength. For heart and nature serve as function to one another, and the Former and Latter Heaven each shine their own capacities into the space between. When the talent and intelligence of the square inch meet with the pure and subtle wisdom contained in the original nature, its knowing becomes all the stronger; when the talent and intelligence of the square inch meet with the natural reflected light that appears within the original nature, its discernment of principle becomes all the truer. From this we know that the nature lodged in the square inch is not entirely without means of exerting its own strength. It borrows the location of the square inch as its lodging and uses the brightness of the square inch as its function; and when the heart's talent and strength are exhausted and the six grades of the substance of nature are gathered into one, the location of the square inch has no further use, and it becomes once more the heart of wondrous substance, no longer falling into place and location. Then one may say that the heart is nature, and one may say that nature is the heart. Note (Hei of Qingyuan): "The formless heart is that from which the nature of the Former Heaven comes forth; the heart with form is that into which the nature of the Latter Heaven enters. Heart and nature are names: seed and fruit are one meaning. The heart is the outer wall of nature; if there is no abiding with the heart, everything falls to one side."

Scan vol. 5, p. 4–9Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

The heart of form and colour is originally a single thing, yet it has seven grades, and each grade has its own virtue. Virtue is what the heart obtains and makes into talent and intelligence. Each virtue has its own operation, just as heaven has the Seven Governors and each governor has its own charge. The outermost grade is the store of the virtue of compliance. Compliance means not resisting; yet at times it turns from compliance to resistance, because the place where it is stored lies furthest out. Being outside, it stands in the thoroughfare along which blood and vital energy flow, and the virtue is easily invaded by them; so what is compliant sometimes becomes resistant. The second grade is the store of the virtue of faith. Faith means not wavering; yet at times it wavers and does not believe, because the virtue of compliance is burdened by the thoroughfare of blood and vital energy, turns from compliance to resistance and sends a shock to its neighbour, so that the virtue of faith is shaken by it. The third grade is the store of the virtue of kindness. Kindness means not being harsh; yet at times it turns from kindness to harshness, again because of the changes in the two virtues of compliance and faith, which cause this virtue to change as well. The places where these three virtues are stored lie either in the heart's envelope, or on the heart's surface, or in the heart's lining; in general they all fall within the bounds of form and colour, so they are easily invaded by blood and vital energy and all come to be subject to change. The places where the following four virtues are stored are neither on its surface nor in its lining; though they do not leave the square inch of form and colour, they do not fall within the bounds of form and colour, and blood and vital energy cannot invade or obscure them; so they do not come to change. When the latter four virtues are brought to light, the former three virtues are also enabled by them to keep to their constancy. The fourth grade is the store of clear discernment. When this virtue appears, principle is illuminated clearly and thoroughly, and no other opinions can dazzle or confuse it. The heart's having this grade is like heaven's having the sun: the sun's light can eclipse all other lights, but no other light can eclipse it. The fifth grade is the store of devotion to the Real. When this virtue appears, one turns toward one's origin with nothing pulling one back and nothing obstructing. This grade of the heart is like fire: fire by nature blazes upward and heads straight inward; heading inward, it keeps itself far from the outside. The sixth grade is the store of the disclosure of the hidden. All principles of the Former and Latter Heaven, the deepest and most hidden that cannot be conceived or discussed, are stored and accumulated in this grade. Principle comes from the boundless and limitless and arrives here; this is called disclosure of the heart. Of itself it can delight and investigate until nothing at all stands between, and this too is called disclosure. Disclosure is the gradual approach to appearing. The seventh grade is the store of the appearing of the Real. The substance and function of the Real are so great that nothing is outside them, and also so small that nothing is inside them. From the moment there is a heart, the Real is stored and lodged within this grade; but while effort has not been applied and talent and intelligence have not been exhausted, what is stored remains stored and there is no way for it to appear. When talent and intelligence are exhausted and effort has reached its full, passing from clear discernment to devotion to the Real and on to the disclosure of the hidden, then the whole substance and great function of the Real Ruler appear here completely. When it appears, the traces of the square inch vanish, and the wonder that has no direction and no place makes no division between this and that. Note (Hei of Qingyuan): "The seven grades match the Seven Governors; the reasoning and numbers are plain. See what stage a person's practice has reached, and you know how many layers of his heart are opened. How can a man hide himself? Clear discernment is the sun, the grade of the wise. The sun is never without light; therefore the wise are not deluded. That it does not change means it knows where to stop."

Scan vol. 5, p. 10–15Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

The principles of the universe, with their thousand beginnings and ten thousand threads, are inexhaustible; yet they are nothing more than the one Real Ruler's own descending and ascending, coming and returning. It descends into the seed and ascends into the fruit; it comes to the very lowest and returns to the very highest. The descending and ascending of the great world is the coming and returning of the small world; but the coming and returning of the small world is more wondrous than the descending and ascending of the great world, because when the great world goes from descent to ascent, its ascent ends in what has form, whereas when the small world goes from coming to return, its return ends in the formless, and the formless is finer than what has form. At the beginning of 'profound and unceasing', before descent and before coming, it is named the Ruler; at the end of human affairs, when ascent and return are complete, it is named the heart. The transformation of the Former Heaven: from the single principle flowing forth come the Continuing Nature, the numinous nature, the living nature, the growing nature, the mineral nature and the nature of the four elements, descending step by step until it stops at primal vital energy. This is the Real Ruler, originally on high, descending of its own accord. The descent of the great world is founded on this, and the coming of the small world is founded on this too. The transformation of the Latter Heaven: from primal vital energy dividing and becoming manifest come earth, water, fire and wind, metals and stones, plants and trees, birds and beasts, developing in order until it stops at the human being. This is the great world passing from descent into ascent, and in reality it is the Real Ruler passing from descent to ascent of its own accord; this is what is meant by descending into the seed and ascending into the fruit. The fruit of the Latter Heaven is the seed of the Former Heaven. The small world comes at the same time as the great world descends from above; and it returns after the great world has completed its ascent from below, returning into what is last, returning into what is finest. The coming of the Latter Heaven comes into a single point; from the single point there is the bodily form, from the bodily form there are firmness, growth, perception and numinous awakening, advancing step by step until it stops at the first-manifested Continuing Nature. This is the small world coming and then returning. It returns to the ground of the Real Ruler's root-suchness, and the great world stands within it like one grain of sand in a vast wilderness. It comes to the very lowest and returns to the very highest; this is what is meant by saying that the formless return is finer than the return in form. The sage Jesus said: "Unless a man is born again, he cannot obtain the meaning of heaven and earth." To be born is to ascend; 'again' means twice. Once he follows the ascent of the great world to complete his image; once he follows the ascent of the small world to exhaust his principle. This is called being born again. When both ascents are complete, the whole depth of the great creation is exhausted here. The Scripture says: "The two arcs meet, or nearer still." The two arcs: the coming and descending makes one arc, and the returning and ascending makes another. When descent and ascent are complete, the two arcs meet. 'Or nearer still' means passing beyond the bounds of names and forms and standing in the realm of Nothing-at-all, the whole substance transformed and merged, fitting exactly with the root-suchness. This is the state that only the Utmost Sage treads. Note (Hei of Qingyuan): "The source and course of the great transformation, the beginning and end of the small world, the stages of practice and realization for sages and ordinary people, the subtle point that distinguishes humans from animals, the path from heaven to man and from man back to heaven: all are fully set out in this one diagram of ascent and descent. Let students who wish to know how far their attainment has reached look at the diagram of ascent and descent and not be careless."

Scan vol. 5, p. 16–20Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

'Ultimate' means utmost: it says that the wonder by which a human being is human is utmost and cannot be added to. If beyond this wonder there were a wonder greater still, then the human could not be called wondrous, and the wonder could not be called ultimate; only because beyond this wonder there is no greater wonder is the human wonder utmost and incapable of addition. The five senses, the body, the five perceptions, the heart, intelligence, nature and virtue are the instruments of wonder. But if the true light has not arrived, one merely has the instruments of wonder and still lacks that which brings the wonder to its ultimate. The true light is what brings the wonder to its ultimate. When that arrives, the wondrous is wondrous, and the instruments of wonder all become wholly wondrous. The true light is like a lamp-flame. Without the wick, the oil, the cup and the shade, the flame has nowhere to attach itself; wick, oil, cup and shade are the instruments the lamp requires. If wick, oil, cup and shade are all present but the flame is not attached, then wick, oil, cup and shade are merely the instruments of a lamp and nothing more; to have the instruments of a lamp without the flame is to have useless utensils. Suppose one has the instruments and the flame is attached to them, and yet the flame does not realise all that makes it a lamp: it is not that the flame is not wondrous, but that the lamp's instruments have not realised all that makes them instruments, and therefore the flame too cannot realise its full wonder. There is a crystal cup, but the crystal cup is not clear and clean; there is oil, but the oil is not clarified; there is a wick, but the wick is not straight; there is a shade, but the shade is not transparent. The lamp's instruments have not realised their wonder, and therefore the flame too does not realise its wonder.

Scan vol. 5, p. 21–24Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

Thus the inner light is not bright and the outer light does not penetrate; the light within the cup does not reach its fullness, so how could one hope that it would illuminate things far away? When wick, oil, cup and shade each realise their wonder and the flame is attached to them, how could the lamp fail to illuminate things far away? The wonder of the crystal cup lies in being clear and clean, the wonder of the oil in being clarified, the wonder of the wick in being straight, the wonder of the shade in being transparent. When none of the lamp's instruments is lacking in wonder, the wonder of its flame is a hundred times greater than before. The human being's five senses, body, five perceptions, heart, intelligence, nature and virtue are all instruments of wonder, like the wick, oil, cup and shade. If a lamp's wick, oil, cup and shade do not realise their wonder, the flame does not realise its wonder; if a person's wick, oil, cup and shade do not realise their wonder, the flame of the true light will not show itself in the instruments of wonder. The heart is like the lamp's crystal cup: its wonder lies in being perfectly clear and clean. The body is like the lamp's shade: its wonder lies in being perfectly unstained. Nature is like the lamp's oil: its wonder lies in being perfectly pure and clarified. Virtue is like the lamp's wick: its wonder lies in fully bringing forth. When body, heart, nature and virtue are wholly wondrous, how could the wonder of the true light fail to be wondrous in them? When the wonder of the true light arrives, shining within and shining without, how could a single thing be left out? When the wonder reaches this point, one may take it as the utmost of wonder, utmost and incapable of addition. This is the complete perfection of the human ultimate. Note (Hei of Qingyuan): "The lamp's light and the lamp's instruments: here lies the great division between the loyal and the treacherous, the upright and the crooked. If people merely adorn the instruments and do not know how to make the light shine brightly, how can they be called ultimate, how can they be called complete? Or if they lose their own light and take the brightness of the instruments for light, how can that be a lamp, how can it give light? Alas, how many lamp-instruments there are in the world!"

Scan vol. 5, p. 24–26Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

Since heaven and earth, things and the self came to be, illusory realms have been many; yet none of them is anything but the flowing-forth of the root-suchness. Sometimes it flows from the utmost outside to the utmost inside; sometimes from the utmost inside to the utmost outside. Flowing from the utmost outside to the utmost inside belongs wholly to the work of creation and transformation; this is the flowing that is so of itself. Thus from the flowing-forth of the root-suchness that has no outside there arise the great common nature, heaven and earth, the myriad things, and the human body, heart and nature; and each human being in turn possesses a root-suchness of flowing-forth. This is the flowing that is so of itself. Flowing from the utmost inside to the utmost outside also involves human effort; it does not all come from the flowing that is so of itself. From the manifestation of the innermost root-suchness, a person is enabled to fulfil the nature that he individually possesses. When nature is fulfilled, the heart of his root-suchness's flowing is made upright; when the heart is upright, the body of his root-suchness's flowing is made upright; when the body is upright, everything is upright and the myriad things are nurtured; when the myriad things are nurtured, he is able to assist the transforming and nurturing of heaven and earth, and heaven and earth are set in their places. When placing and nurturing leave nothing out, then all of heaven and earth, things and the self are gathered back into the great nature of the root-suchness's flowing; when the great nature is restored, it merges into the root-suchness that has no outside. This is what is called flowing from the utmost inside to the utmost outside, and it also involves human effort. Yet although it is called human effort, in reality it is all the root-suchness flowing of itself.

Scan vol. 5, p. 27–29Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

For the human being is a person of the root-suchness's flowing-forth; and when such a person in turn possesses a root-suchness of flowing-forth, then inside and outside the body there is nothing that is not root-suchness. To start from the root-suchness one individually possesses and search out the common root-suchness is still to search out root-suchness by means of root-suchness; to merge one's own root-suchness into the common root-suchness is still to merge root-suchness into root-suchness. When root-suchness returns to root-suchness, root-suchness has no division of this and that at all; there is only the addition of this sequence of flowing. In reality this sequence of flowing is not added; it is only that, seen from the human side, one perceives that there is such a sequence. If one discusses root-suchness according to its reality, root-suchness neither goes nor comes, so how could this sequence of flowing be added to it? People think there is nature, but in the root-suchness there is no such nature; people think there are heaven and earth, things and self, body and heart, but in the root-suchness there are in truth no heaven and earth, things and self, and in truth no body and heart. Why? When the one who returns to the Real returns root-suchness to root-suchness, at that moment heaven and earth are rolled up from this point on, and time and place all lose their traces; this very moment is the day of rebirth. Are heaven and earth rolled up just for this one person? It is because in the root-suchness there never were such heaven and earth; it is only seen from the human side that one thinks they exist. Do time and place lose their traces just for this one person? It is because in the root-suchness there never were such time and place; it is only seen from the human side that one thinks they exist. This state is known only to the one who returns to the Real; those who have not reached the return to the Real do not know it. Note (Hei of Qingyuan): "The true heart, the true light and the root-suchness are one thing. Viewed as returning the mandate and answering the summons, it is called the true heart: the completion of the work of practice. Viewed as manifesting in its season, it is called the true light: the completion of cultivation and realization. Viewed as flowing forth, full and abundant, penetrating outside and inside, present everywhere, it is called the root-suchness: practice has entered into complete transformation. Heaven, earth, humans and things are all the flowing-forth of the root-suchness; once the root-suchness is restored, how could there still be heaven, earth, humans and things? To be confined by things is death; to confine things is life. Therefore it is called the day of rebirth. Rebirth is the return to the Real, and the return to the Real is rebirth."

Scan vol. 5, p. 29–32Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

Heaven and earth above and below, humans and things outside and inside, are all what the root-suchness flows forth into; but only the sage can tread it in real practice and so reach that state. The sage is one who takes the Continuing Nature as his nature. The Continuing Nature is merged and made one with the root-suchness of the Real Ruler; only because it is merged and one can he tread it in real practice. Someone asks: "If it is already merged and one, what need is there of real practice?" I reply: "Real practice means flowing everywhere together with the Real Ruler's root-suchness and reaching every place. Only when it reaches every place does it fully realise the substance and function of merging into one; and only when it fully realises that substance and function can it be called merging into one. The merging of the Former Heaven is merging in empty stillness; the merging of the Latter Heaven is merging in real practice. Real practice and empty stillness are not two states: where real practice is, there empty stillness is. The sage, knowing that the multitude are incapable and yet deeply hoping that they may become capable, points out within their incapacity the road of real practice: first, ritual (li); second, the Way (dao); third, the Real (zhen). Ritual is the rule of deportment in responding to everyday affairs; it is practised in the body. The Way is the direction of setting things aside and returning to the Real; it is practised in the heart. The Real is the reality in which one fits exactly with the root-suchness, and which makes ritual and the Way what they are; it is practised in the nature. To practise it in the nature is to practise it in the root-suchness. These three are not things the nature originally lacks, set up by force to show people; the sage, according to the pattern that the root-suchness flows forth into people and that people inherently possess, divides it into its stages and points them out. Where the root-suchness flows into the human body, there are heaven-ordained ranks and sequences: this is called ritual; to fulfil ritual is to practise the root-suchness that flows into the body. Where the root-suchness flows into the human heart, there are innate knowledge and innate ability: this is called the Way; to fulfil the Way is to practise the root-suchness that flows into the heart. Where the root-suchness flows into human nature, there are whole substance and great function: this is called the Real; to return to the Real is to practise the root-suchness that flows into the nature. Therefore I say: where real practice is, there empty stillness is, and it is not the empty stillness of heterodox teachings." Note (Hei of Qingyuan): "Creation transforms from nothing into something, and its merging finally returns to emptiness; human affairs transform from something into nothing, and their merging must be trodden in reality. If anything is not real, the substance is not yet merged; if anything is not trodden, the function is not yet one. Merging and real practice lie only in the ordinary things of daily life; those who think them remote and far away are wrong."

Scan vol. 5, p. 33–37Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

The distinction among sages, worthies, the wise and the ignorant is made by the principle and vital energy of the Former Heaven, and also by the knowing and doing of the Latter Heaven. The principle and vital energy of the Former Heaven are fixed by heaven; people have no share in them. The knowing and doing of the Latter Heaven are a matter of freedom; people can have a share in them. Therefore the distinction among sages, worthies, the wise and the ignorant is half by heaven's fixing and half by freedom. To say that the distinction of these four grades comes entirely from heaven's fixing is wrong; to say that it is not fixed by heaven and comes entirely from freedom is also wrong. When human affairs and heaven's affairs are graded together, high and low are decided. Someone asks: "Vital energy is divided into clear and turbid, so one may say that the vital energy of the Former Heaven differs; but does its principle also differ? Why do you say they are distinguished by the principle and vital energy of the Former Heaven?" I reply: "When nature and principle of the Former Heaven were first divided, they shared one root [the text breaks off here at the end of p. 39] [Continuing the reply:] "...source; but once there is division, then although their principle has no 'this' or 'that', it does have an order of rank. The order of rank is simply the boundary of what has been divided. If we speak of the time before division, there was originally no order of rank at all. But since the first manifestation has already occurred, and within that first manifestation nature and principle have been divided and analysed, how could we not speak in terms of what has rank? Principle is divided into ranks and vital energy has clear and turbid, and what is called 'fixed by Heaven' lies here. The matter of Heaven is fixed beforehand and the matter of man divides again afterwards; this is why sage, worthy, wise and ignorant finally complete their divisions and their grades do not overstep one another. The matter of man is knowing and doing. Although knowing and doing belong to the human affairs of the Latter Heaven, the reason they differ in depth and shallowness, in ease and effort, lies again in whether the vital energy endowed in the Former Heaven is clear or turbid. Within the clear there is the utmost clear: this is the vital energy endowed to the sage, and in it wind predominates. Clear, but not attaining the utmost of clarity: this is the vital energy endowed to the worthy, and in it water predominates. Clear, but standing at the next degree of clarity: this is the vital energy endowed to the wise, and in it fire predominates. Where clarity accounts for one or two parts in ten and turbidity for eight or nine, this is the vital energy endowed to the ignorant, and in it earth predominates. 'The ignorant' means ordinary people, not the class of the utterly obstinate who cannot be approached. The sage, from his most clear vital energy, knows and acts: true knowing and real doing, merged into one body with the root-suchness. The worthy and the wise each know and act from the vital energy they were endowed with. The worthy aspire to the sage and the wise to the worthy, and their knowing and doing each stop at their own capacity. The worthy can only tread the order of their nature, and have not yet merged with the root-suchness; the wise can only tread the order of their heart, and in the portion of nature something remains unfulfilled. The ignorant know and act from vital energy with little clarity and much turbidity: their knowing does not go beyond custom and their doing does not go beyond old rules; they can only tread the order of the body, and are unenlightened as to both heart and nature, and cannot even recognise from what cause the order of the body arises. This is why the ignorant finally remain ignorant." Someone objects: "If the knowing and doing of sage, worthy, wise and ignorant each follow the vital energy endowed in the Former Heaven, making them easy or laboured, deep or shallow, then human affairs are all bound by the affairs of Heaven. There is only what Heaven fixes and no freedom at all; why then say 'half fixed by Heaven, half by freedom'?" I answer: "Within what Heaven fixes there is freedom, and that freedom lies in the subtle beginnings of things; within freedom there is further freedom, and that freedom lies in the working of the striving heart. What is meant by freedom within what Heaven fixes? Within what Heaven fixes there is principle and there is vital energy. Principle is Heaven; vital energy is the self. Where vital energy is, there the self is, and having a self is the root of freedom. What is meant by freedom within freedom? Nothing is undertaken except through the working of the striving heart, and nothing is accomplished except through it. To know and act each according to one's endowed vital energy is what Heaven fixes within freedom; to know and act by carrying to the limit what one's heart strives to surpass is further freedom within freedom. What the heart strives to surpass, even the endowed vital energy cannot confine; even if the endowed vital energy does in the end confine it, the heart never wishes to be so confined. Thus the working of the striving heart has no limit. The striving heart belongs neither to the principle of the Former Heaven nor to its vital energy; how can one not say it belongs to the freedom of the Latter Heaven? Carried to the extreme, the most obstinate and ignorant take pleasure in defying principle and think approaching principle wrong, and push what they know and do even beyond the bounds of humankind; this too is the working of the striving heart, so that its being freedom is all the more beyond doubt. Hence it is said: the division into sage, worthy, wise and ignorant is half fixed by Heaven and half by freedom." Note (Hei of Qingyuan): "That sage, worthy, wise and ignorant are divided by principle, vital energy, knowing and doing is an unalterable teaching. Yet vital energy does not overcome principle, and principle is not confined by vital energy: is a human being a plant, to limit himself within his knowing and ability? The striving heart rests on the temperamental nature, and it is what makes the 'fatness' (the thickening, i.e. the settled grade) of sage, worthy, wise and ignorant. Striving toward the sage, one becomes a sage; sinking toward the ignorant, one becomes ignorant. But the ignorant do not recognise their own ignorance; the four diagrams are set out separately so that each may recognise himself, and so know to exert himself."

Scan vol. 5, p. 38–45Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

What makes Heaven Heaven is the human being; what makes the human being human is Heaven. Without cause there arise veils and obstructions, and the self and the Real Ruler are then separated and no longer communicate. So the human being is daily within Heaven yet does not know how close Heaven is; Heaven is daily within the human being yet finds no way to be united with him. Everywhere is the root-suchness, everywhere is obstruction. It is not that everywhere is obstruction; everywhere one makes one's own obstruction. So the Real Ruler is never for a day not in communication with me, yet I am never for a day able to communicate with the Real Ruler. Not only the ignorant are veiled; even the wise do not escape it. Not only the wise are veiled; even the worthy do not escape it. But what veils the worthy differs from what veils the wise, and what veils the wise differs from what veils the ignorant. Though the veils differ, the separation from the Real Ruler and the failure to communicate are the same. The veil of the ignorant lies in the body, the veil of the wise in the heart, the veil of the worthy in the nature. To be veiled in the body is to be veiled by what the body seeks. What the body seeks is sound, colour, smell and taste, and so sound, colour, smell and taste all become veils; how would one know that sound, colour, smell and taste are all the root-suchness? To be veiled in the heart is to be veiled by what the heart relies on. What the heart relies on is learning, hearing, study and art, and so these all become veils; how would one know that learning, hearing, study and art are all the root-suchness? To be veiled in the nature is to be veiled because the nature has not yet reached transformation. The nature is the Lord's root-suchness, yet carrying the name and portion of a self. While the nature has not yet merged, the name and portion of the self still remain. It is not that there are no wondrous marvels, but the marvels are in me and not in the Lord; it is not that there is no illuminating awareness, but the awareness is in me and not in the Lord; and so the marvels and the illuminating awareness all become veils. How would one know that, when effort has reached this point, one still takes the marvels and illuminating awareness of the root-suchness as obstructions to the root-suchness? This is what is meant by 'everywhere is the root-suchness, everywhere becomes obstruction'. For the sage, everywhere is obstruction and everywhere is the root-suchness. The nature is what the root-suchness itself manifests; if the nature of the root-suchness is returned to the root-suchness, what obstruction is there? The heart is what the root-suchness forms by its flowing; if the heart that the root-suchness has flowed into is returned to the root-suchness, what obstruction is there? The body is what the root-suchness forms by flowing according to its original upright pattern; if the body of the root-suchness exactly fulfils the intent of the root-suchness's flowing, what obstruction is there? So one dwells daily amid sound, colour, smell and taste, and only then can the ears, eyes, mouth and nose of the root-suchness fully exercise the use of ears, eyes, mouth and nose: this is no obstruction. One daily pursues learning, hearing, study and art, and only then can the intelligence and wisdom of the root-suchness fully accomplish the work of intelligence and wisdom: this is no obstruction. There is no day on which one does not display the power of marvels and illuminating awareness, and only then can the whole substance and great function of the root-suchness fully realise the wonder of the whole substance and great function: this is no obstruction. The sage gathers up the obstructions of the worthy, the wise and the ignorant and returns them to the root-suchness; and further transforms those obstructions so that not even a trace of the return to the root-suchness remains. Note (Hei of Qingyuan): "Between heaven and earth there is nowhere that is not where the Real Lord is: where then do obstructions dwell? There is nothing that is not what the Real Lord manifests: what then can obstructions be called? There are originally no obstructions; they arise from human consciousness. A veil is like paper screening the sun; an obstruction is like a wall cutting off a lamp. Remove the wall and the paper, and the sun and the lamp still shine on me. Yet through paper something can still be seen, while behind a wall the whole is dark. Alas, how can one find a person without obstruction, with whom to speak of the subtle meaning of non-obstruction?"

Scan vol. 5, p. 46–51Transcribed from the scan by AI (Claude), checked as described on the About page. Share

Erlifu (爾里父) said: "Though the eyes are full of things, no doubt arises; though heaven and earth are all rolled up, no belief arises." Does this saying not mean that when the Real is united with the Real, without sound and without smell, there is no use for doubt or belief? Not only is there no use for doubt; doubt has nowhere to come from. Not only is there no use for belief; belief has nowhere to arise from. The beginnings of doubt and belief are silent, neither arising nor ceasing; what flaw could there be in such virtue? Below this, however, one cannot be without doubt and belief. Doubt is departure: to depart from what is right is to approach what is wrong. Belief is settling: to settle in the pure is to be far from the mixed. What doubt and belief bear upon Heaven and man, nature and mandate, is no small matter. The ignorant do not know how to use doubt, nor how to use belief; their doubt and belief are not worth discussing. Those who doubt much and believe much, applying their hearts at the edge of the precipice, are for the most part of the class of the worthy and the wise. Their doubt and belief do not go beyond the three domains of body, heart and nature. Belief is a fine virtue. If what one believes is right, then whether one believes in the body, in the heart or in the nature, it is all good and needs no discussion. Doubt is dangerous. To take doubt as doubt is a shallow affliction; to take doubt as belief is a deeper affliction. The worthy and the wise mostly take doubt for belief. When doubt is taken as doubt, it can still be turned back and returned to belief; when doubt is taken for belief, it grows deeper the longer it lasts and there is never a day of turning back. Yet doubt too differs in depth. Doubt that stops at the body is shallow; doubt that enters the heart is deep; doubt that arises in the nature is an affliction beyond cure. What is bodily doubt? In the ready responses of daily life, turning against the order proper to the body and setting up some novelty never seen in the canon: this is bodily doubt. Bodily doubt is also a burden on virtue, but it can still wait to be turned back. What is doubt of the heart? In the dark and silent search for the Real, turning against the order proper to the heart and delighting in branching and side paths, like a traveller who points his carriage south and drives his wheels north: this is doubt of the heart. Doubt of the heart is a deep burden; yet if there comes a day of sudden awakening, the doubt can still be turned back. Turning back the doubt and returning it to belief, the heart can still be put to use; the affliction does not reach the incurable, and there is still room to step back while waiting for the return. What is doubt of the nature? The day when body and heart have both arrived is precisely the time when the order of the original nature appears: spiritual penetration reaches everywhere and illuminating awareness is complete everywhere. This is exactly the moment when one returning to the Real lets go of his hold at the cliff's edge; no place is more perilous. And at this point a doubt arises: 'Is this my power, or the Lord's power? Does my power stand over against the Lord? Or am I the Lord?' Standing at the most perilous point from which there is no turning, to harbour this wavering, unsettled guess: how could the Real Ruler allow so great a rebel to come before Him? If one then tries to turn back, there is no further room for retreat, and there is no more time to wait. This is why doubt arising in the nature cannot be cured. The deeper the effort, the more dangerous the terrain; the nearer to the Lord, the more the doubt cannot be turned back. All this is the fault of the worthy and the wise who misuse their intelligence. Erlifu's saying may truly be called a mirror for returning to the right and returning to the Real. Note (Hei of Qingyuan): "Doubt is not believing; to believe is not to doubt. The lowest ignorant know nothing of it; the worthy and the wise understand it themselves. In the root-suchness there is no doubt or belief at all; how could virtue be burdened? But if one wishes to believe yet does not believe, and doubt gives birth to more doubt, doubt and belief become locked together: then the worthy doubt and the wise doubt too; doubt burdens virtue, and belief too burdens virtue. How deep is his warning to students!"