Neiye - Section 7 - Controlling the Essence

[dawei]

Section 7: Controlling the Essence

 

Eno

There is a spirit that spontaneously resides within the person:
it comes and goes, none can anticipate it.
Lose it and one is certain to become disrupted;
grasp it and one is certain to become regulated.
Reverently sweep its abode
and the essence will spontaneously come.
Ponder it with tranquil thinking,
calm your recollections to regulate it.
Maintain a dignified appearance and a manner of awe,
and the essence will spontaneously become stable.
Grasp it and never release it,
and your ears and eyes will not go astray,
your mind will have no other plans.
When a balanced heart lies at the center,
the things of the world obtain their proper measures.

 

Linnell:

有 神 自 在 身 There exists a spirit[-like understanding] naturally located in the self –
一 往 一 來 One moment it goes, one moment it arrives;
莫 之 能 思 There is no one who can contemplate it.
失 之 必 亂 Lose it and you will certainly be confused,
得 之 必 治 Attain it and you will certainly be regulated.
敬 除 其 舍 Respectfully* empty its dwelling,
精 將 自 來 And essence will naturally arrive.
精 想 思 之 This essence – consider it and contemplate it,
寧 念 治 之 Rather than study ways to regulate it.
嚴 容 畏 敬 Keeping a serious appearance, and an attitude of awe and respect*,
精 將 至 定 Essence will arrive and settle.
得 之 而 勿 捨 When you attain it and never let go of it,
耳 目 不 淫 Your ears and eyes will be restrained,
心 無 他 圖 Your heart/mind will have no other plans.
正 心 在 中 With a properly aligned heart/mind located in the center,
萬 物 得 度 The ten thousand creatures attain their proper value.

Roth

 

-- Section 13 --
1. There is a numinious [mind] naturally residing within;
2. One moment it goes, the next it comes,
3. And no one is able to conieve of it.
4. If you loose it you are inevitably disordered;
5. If you attain it you are inevitably well ordered.
6. Diligently clean out its lodging place
7. And its vital essence will naturally arrive.
8. Still your attempts to imagine and concieve of it.
9. Relax your efforts to reflect on and control it.
10. Be reverent and diligent
11. And its vital essence will naturally stabilize.
12. Grasp it and don't let go
13. Then the eyes and ears won't overflow
14. And the mind will have nothing else to seek.
15. When a properly aligned mind resides within you,
16. The myriad things will be seen in their proper perspective.

Shazi Daoren

 

-- Section 13 --
The Spirit naturally abides in the body,
one moment it goes forward, one moment it comes back,
no one is able to think of it.
Losing it results in disorder.
Attaining it results in order.
Reverently purify its dwelling-place,
and Jing will naturally arise.
Jing: put aside thinking of it,
still your effort to control it.
Strictly and reverently venerate it,
and Jing will naturally stablize.
Attain it and don't let it go,
ears and eyes not overflow
heart and mind without any scheme.
Align the Heart within the breast,
and the myriad things will attain their full measure.

Yueya

 

-- Section 13 --
There is a numinous [heart-mind] naturally residing in the body.
One moment it leaves, the next it arrives.
There is no one who is able to conceive of it.
If you lose it, you will inevitably be disordered;
If you attain it, you will inevitably be well ordered.
Reverently clean out its dwelling place
And vital essence will naturally arrive.
Still your attempts to imagine and conceive of it.
Relax your efforts to think about and control it.
Abide in dignity and reverence
And vital essence will naturally become stable.
Attain it and do not release it.
Then the ears and eyes will not overflow;
The heart-mind will not desire anything else.
With an aligned heart-mind at the centre,
The ten thousand things will be seen in their proper perspective.

Reid:

 

135 有神自在身。
There is a spirit that alights in the body;
136 一往一來,
One moment it leaves, and one moment it arrives.
137 莫之能思。
No one can comprehend it.
138 失之必亂,
Losing it assures disorder;
139 得之必治。
Obtaining it assures order.
140 敬除其舍,
Respectfully purify its dwelling place
141 精將自來。
And the pure and vital essence will naturally return.
142 精想思之,
If planning and thinking about vital essence,
143 寧念治之。
Calm any thoughts about governing it.
144 嚴容畏敬,
Straightening your form, revere and honour it.
145 精將至定,
Essence will then become settled.
146 得之而勿捨,
Obtaining it, do not give up.
147 耳目不淫,
Do not indulge the ears and eyes.
148 心無他圖。
Keeping the heart and mind without any other designs,
149 正心在中,
And an aligned heart-mind within,
150 萬物得度。
The myriad things will (then) fall into accord. {17}

{17}  Nei Ye, lines 129-150, bear many similarities to ideas in Xin Shu Shang about centering the mind and “purifying the spirit’s dwelling place.” See XSS 22-23, and 38-42.
 

[dawei]

On 6/16/2019 at 1:30 PM, dawei said:

Section 7: Controlling the Essence

 

Eno

There is a spirit that spontaneously resides within the person:
 

Linnell:

有 神 自 在 身 There exists a spirit[-like understanding] naturally located in the self –

Roth

1. There is a numinious [mind] naturally residing within;

Shazi Daoren

The Spirit naturally abides in the body,

Yueya

There is a numinous [heart-mind] naturally residing in the body.

Reid:

 

135 有神自在身。
There is a spirit that alights in the body;

 

ok, no bites yet... so I'll nibble

 

Roth feels to force the Shen to mean mind.. and Linnel's 'understanding' seems off mark.

 

But this section feeds into the next, where I said (in the latter) that the 'heart within the heart' is likely spirit.

 

I don't like Eno's 'spontaneous' so I'll go with 

Shazi Daoren

The Spirit(s) naturally abides in the body,

[Bindi]

To me the 'numinous mind' is the prime driver, the mind capable of seeing the ten thousand things in in their proper perspective, but we don't operate from this numinous mind until we have cleared away the preoccupations of the conditioned heart and mind. 

[dawei]

ok, I will admit you helped me to see numinous mind idea.   I'm just not of the mind that Xin focuses on the mind.  Problem may be that this is my mind talking. 

 

I may be forcing the issue with the old practices of spirits within... but just feels like the meaning on some level.

[Bindi]

9 minutes ago, dawei said:

ok, I will admit you helped me to see numinous mind idea.   I'm just not of the mind that Xin focuses on the mind.  Problem may be that this is my mind talking. 

 

I wonder why Roth uses mind in section seven and eight for xin, he must have some reason. 

 

9 minutes ago, dawei said:

I may be forcing the issue with the old practices of spirits within... but just feels like the meaning on some level.

 

Later in the text it specifies

 

非 鬼 神 之 力 也 However, it is not comprehended by the power of ghosts and spirits –
精 氣 之 極 也 But by the utmost of essence‟s Qi!

 

I don't get the idea that spirits within or without are seen as relevant in the Neiye. The highest in my reading of it is the numinous mind. 

 

 

[dawei]

20 minutes ago, Bindi said:

 

I wonder why Roth uses mind in section seven and eight for xin, he must have some reason. 

 

 

Later in the text it specifies

 

非 鬼 神 之 力 也 However, it is not comprehended by the power of ghosts and spirits –
精 氣 之 極 也 But by the utmost of essence‟s Qi!

 

I don't get the idea that spirits within or without are seen as relevant in the Neiye. The highest in my reading of it is the numinous mind. 

 

 

 

fair enough... but:

 

135 有神自在身。
There is a spirit that alights in the body;

 

Should we take this as singular or plural?  Or what is this spirit? 

 

 

Added: Roth uses mind... like many others.  Just his translation

[dawei]

6 minutes ago, dawei said:

Added: Roth uses mind... like many others.  Just his translation

 

Ok, so I think translation reveals a bias and so will my comments as well.  

 

It is my very bias opinion that to translate as 'mind' is likely one is not a practitioner of the energy arts or is mostly a meditating type.

 

[Bindi]

3 hours ago, dawei said:

 

fair enough... but:

 

135 有神自在身。
There is a spirit that alights in the body;

 

Should we take this as singular or plural?  Or what is this spirit? 

 

 

Added: Roth uses mind... like many others.  Just his translation

 

A spirit, or a spirit - like understanding, it seems it's up to the translator. 

 

To incorporate the concept of something 'alighting' into the body,  I wonder if this 'spirit' might be the equivalent of True Yin, very much a part of our personal make up but not embodied, not 'consolidated', having to be drawn down. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by Bindi

[OldDog]

I really like Eno's rendering on this section. But all have nuance that helps understanding.

 

Elsewhere ... I recall reference being made to the heart within the heart. As I read this section, that phrase comes to mind. It seems to sharply point to something ... or some quality ... beyond just a reverently swept abode.

Edited June 18, 2019 by OldDog