I. TELOMERES
4. TELOMERIC NUCLEOPROTEIN ORGANIZATION. SHELTERIN COMPLEX . 30
Here Xu Congshi outlines his tradition. He explains how the former sages were moved to honour later generations and how defamation of their name and knowledge may be seen to be a crime. Yet the business of explaining the refining of an Elixir is still a tortuous process. By writing this he will merely ‘hand on a glimpse of its guiding thread’.
Of all the greatest sages of old
And each one improved upon the management of the times – But although their works have followed at length,
Their achievements are not really different from each other.
In my writings, I have followed in their footsteps And examined their work in the minutest detail.
Where there is form, Change is easy to reflect upon;
Where there is nothing, things are difficult to devise.
The matter of this work can now have a model, To set the world to rights through its texts.
Originally I had no former knowledge to help me Then from my teachers I understood –
Gleaming brightly, as at the picking away of the curtain Now, with scornful eyes, I advance up on the stage.
This section tells of the historically continuous tradition of the three ‘sages of old’: the legendary Fu Xi (c. twenty-eighth century BC); King Wen, founder of the Zhou Dynasty ( c.1122 BC); and Confucius (551–479 BC). These ‘noble sages’ have traditionally been credited with the amalgam of texts known as the Zhou Yi. In other words, the Zhou Yi – the Changes of Zhou – has been one single effort. More likely the work derives from the Han dynasty, drawing on the earlier Yin-Yang school. It is traditionally ascribed to antiquity to enhance its prestige.
Following the same tradition, Xu Congshi makes his own uncertain contribution in the Can Tong Qi. He uses the former sages’ work as his model.
Master Shangyang says: Fu Xi drew the trigrams, King Wen put down their interpretations, the Duke of Zhou recorded the line-texts. Altogether these make up the two books which form the true Classic [Hexagrams 1–30, and Hexagrams 31–64].
Confucius put the ten books of ‘Wings’ [the shi-yi] or commentaries after the true Classic. These comprise the upper and lower sections of the ‘running’ teachings [the ‘Tuan’ commentaries]; the great and small ‘image’ teachings [the ‘Xiang’ commentaries]; the lengthy Great Appendix [the ‘Xizi’, generally philosophical]; the ‘poetry’ teachings [the ‘Xu’ or ‘orderly’ and ‘Za’, ‘disorderly’, groupings, in rhyme]; the ‘prose’ teachings [the ‘Wen Yan’ commentary]; and the first, middle and later sections of the ‘discussion on the trigrams’ [the ‘Shuogua’ commentary]. These are the Ten Wings, which explain the Book of Change. But they are not called ‘explanations’ but ‘Wings’, because they give support to the ways of Change.
He continues: When our gentleman Immortal says that the Ten Wings ‘were added, to give support’
his words are indeed far-reaching. The achievements of these sages have been bestowed equally on later generations. Only fear that you scholars lack their supreme happiness and power, and miss out on their great insight and wisdom. If you lack these you inherit only a thousand confusions and contradictions – you are without the sages’ experience, as each improved upon the other’s writings.
Examine what our 10,000 generations have had as a teaching model and submit yourselves to their ultimate path. Heaven gave birth to the clear intelligence of the sages. How can you enlighten yourselves? You must rely on what has been given to you by your teachers.
Surrender and trust to this wisdom, reflecting upon their thoughts. Supposing you have some obstacle to your progress. If you are loving and kind, and you search deep within your heart, in the end suddenly their intent is made clear and a clear understanding dawns upon you.
It is just as if the curtain within the hall were suddenly plucked back, and everything seen clearly and at once – and with half-closed disdainful eyes, you advance up on the stage. You see everything.
Yuyan comments : Fu Xi took as his model heaven and earth and created the Book of Change. He begun by drawing the eight trigrams as a diagram of the ‘prenatal inner world [xiantian]’. Qian, as heaven, was situated above and Kun, as the earth, was below; Li, the sun, and Kan, the moon, were separated left and right; Zhen as thunder and Sun the wind, Gen the mountain and Dui the marsh were then positioned in pairs. How can we do other than follow in his footsteps?
King Wen consolidated the trigrams and extended the idea of Change by creating the line-texts. In his diagram of the ‘postnatal outer world [houtian]’, the trigrams Zhen and Sun, both wood, give birth to Li, fire; and this continues until Kun, the soil, covers them over. The trigrams Dui and Qian, both metal, give birth to Kan, water; and this continues until Gen, the soil, halts them. Again how can we do otherwise than follow in his footsteps?
Confucius followed on from Fu Xi and King Wen, and commended the idea of Change by creating the Ten Wings. Although he was not in the position of ruler or king, society saw him as the teacher of rulers and kings. Thus he was the bravest of all sages.
Master Zhuxi comments: Where there is form, change can be regulated – where there is no form, things find it difficult to succeed. Through relying both on Wei Boyang’s [Xu Congshi’s] own words and on your teachers you will understand this principle.
The Fire Records make up 600 chapters Whose main trend is ‘nothing dissimilar’!
The phrases are most tortuous to think upon,
The people of this world are not used to considering.
Yet if you seek to determine their derivation,
You find confusion and clarity occupying the same root!
If I admit to a small talent in voicing this, Dare I be careless in writing it down?
It is as if I’m tongue-tied – unable to speak,
Yet to break-off telling of it would be a deadly sin.
To unburden my feelings now I put them down, For fear of slighting the heavenly tokens.
Yet I sigh increasingly; still undecided,
Starting and breaking off, continuing this stupid business … A potter or founder has a model to measure by,
But I will never know fully how to explain it.
I will hand you on a glimpse of its guiding thread, Its merest outline may be seen as a rough guide.
Here Xu Congshi continues from the previous section by examining his own feelings as he puts down this writing. He outlines the tortuous nature of his alchemical subject, and how Yin and Yang – confusion and clarity – spring from a single root. He is resigned to explaining the little he can, leaving the reader to make up any deficiencies.
Confucius says in the Analects, concerning his own teaching, ‘I throw up one idea and they come back with three!’
Yuyan comments: The 600 chapters of the Fire Records are just the same as the sixty hexagrams. The sixty hexagrams describe the timing of one single moon – the 600 chapters describe the timing of ten moons.
In general during the sixty hexagrams of the single moon, each hexagram occurs only once and is unique; while in the 600 chapters of the ten moons, each chapter matches with another similarly. Thus the text says, ‘The main trend is “nothing dissimilar”!’
He continues: The number of works written on alchemy would fill a cart which would make the oxen sweat! There are at least 1000 terms and 10,000 different characters, while the number of quoted examples is immeasurable. Perhaps you can understand now what is meant by ‘tortuous’!
However if you seek to determine the derivation of these terms and characters, you will find they amount to no more than Yin and Yang. This is all. The two come from the same source, they only differ in name.
The ancient Immortals exerted themselves to the utmost to communicate this idea to the world. But happiness and prosperity in the world create the conditions for shallowness – and many are too fully
occupied to ripen their thoughts.
Wei Boyang [Xu Congshi] wrote this single work in order to describe the location of the cauldron-vessel, the ‘rivers and springs’ of the medicine, and the graduations of its firing times; and along with these he spoke of care and neglect, ‘being’ and ‘nothingness’, and the secrets of ‘host’ and ‘guest’, of what comes before and what after.
He concludes: The old lines go: If you meet someone and it is not transmitted, the path of heaven is lost! But a false transmission from someone wrongly will waste the heavenly jewel! To achieve a transmission means your own self is to be worked on; while a false transmission means seven generations of groping in the dark.
This is the reason Wei Boyang [Xu Congshi] felt ‘tongue-tied’ and unable to speak a single word.
But then for him to ‘break off the telling of it would be a deadly sin’!
Master Zhuxi says: The ‘600 chapters of the Fire Records’ generally describe old books which have been lost. It cannot be known which they were.