Neiye - Section 9 - The Flood-like Essence

[dawei]

Section 9: The flood-like essence

 

Eno

 

Where essence is stored there is spontaneous life:
externally it blooms in contentment,
internally it is stored as a wellspring.
Flood-like, it is harmonious and even,
the fountainhead of the qi.
When the fountainhead never runs dry,
the limbs are firm.
When the wellspring is never exhausted,
the nine bodily orifices are penetrating.*
Thereupon one may exhaust heaven and earth
and cover the four seas.
Within, there are no confused thoughts,
without, there are no irregular disasters.
The heart complete within,
the form is complete without:
encountering neither disasters from Tian,
nor harm from man.
This is called: the sage.

* The nine orifices include mouth, eyes, nostrils, ears, anus, and urethra.

Linnell:

精 存 自 生 Where essence exists, there is naturally life –
其 外 安 榮 Outside you, calmness flourishes;
內 藏 以 為 泉 原 It collects inside you, thus acting as a primal spring.
浩 然 和 平 Like a vast lake, it is harmonious and equable.
以 為 氣 淵 It thus becomes a fountainhead of Qi.
淵 之 不 涸 As long as the fountainhead does not dry up,
四 體 乃 固 The four limbs are then strong.
泉 之 不 竭 When the spring is not used up,
九 竅 遂 通 The nine bodily openingsP are then open [to the flow of Qi].
乃 能 窮 天 地 Then you can span the limits of heaven and earth,
被 四 海 And cover the four seas.
中 無 惑 意 When the center is without doubt or desire,
外 無 邪 菑 The outside is without demonic disasters.
心 全 於 中 Those whose heart/mind is whole and complete in the center :
形 全 於 外 Their form is whole and complete on the outside,
不 逢 天 菑 They do not happen to meet heavenly disasters,
不 遇 人 害 They do not encounter people who cause harm –
謂 之 聖 人 We call them sages.

Roth

-- Section 15 --
1. For those who preserve and naturaly generate vital essence
2. On the outside a calmness will flourish.
3. Stored inside, we take it to be the well spring.
4. Floodlike, it harmonizes and equalixes
5. And we take it to be the fount of the vital energy.
6. When the fount is not dried up,
7. The four limbs are firm.
8. When the spring is not drained,
9. Vital energy freely circulates through the nine apertures.
10. You can then exhaust the heavens and the earth
11. And spread over the four seas.
12. When you have no delusions within you,
13. Externally there will be no disasters.
14. Those who keep their minds unimpaired within,
15. Externally keep their bodies unimpaired,
16. Who do not encounter heavenly disasters
17. Or meet with harm at the hands of others,
18. Call them Sages.

 

Shazi Daoren: The Fount of Qi

-- Section 15 --
When Jing is preserved, it naturally grows,
externally it will emanate.
Hidden inside, it becomes a primal spring.
Abounding like a flood, it harmonizes and equalizes,
it becomes a fount of Qi.
When the fount is not dried up,
the four limbs are firm.
When the spring is not drained,
the nine apertures freely circulate [Qi].
Then you are able to exhaust the universe,
and cover the four seas.
Within, when your mind is unconfused,
without, there will be no disasters.
When your heart is whole within,
your body will be whole without,
and you won't encounter natural disasters,
or receive harm from others.
Call such 'Shengren'.

Yueya:

-- Section 15 --

With vital essence preserved and naturally generated,
Calmness will come to flourish externally.
Stored internally, we consider this to be the well-spring.
Flood-like, it harmonizes and balances.
We consider it to be the source of qi.
When this source does not become exhausted,
The four limbs are firm and strong.
When the well-spring does not become drained,
The Nine Cavities are in accord and connected.
Then you may fully investigate the heavens and earth.
You may then extend to the four oceans.
At your centre, there will be no delusions;
Externally, there will be no deviation or calamity.
The heart-mind will be unimpaired at the centre;
The body will be unimpaired in its appearance.
Such people do not encounter celestial calamities;
Such people do not meet with harm from others.
We call these individuals “sages.”

Reid:

174 精存自生,
When pure and vital essence remains, life-energy spontaneously emerges.
175 其外安榮,
One is then externally peaceful and radiant,
176 內藏以為泉原。
Concealing this surging wellspring within.
177 浩然和平,
As a flood of harmony and peacefulness,
178 以為氣淵。
It becomes an abyss of energy-breath.
179 淵之不涸,
If this abyss does not dry up,
180 四體乃固,
The four limbs solidify;
181 泉之不竭,
If this wellspring is not exhausted,
182 九竅遂通,
The nine bodily orifices are free and unblocked.
183 乃能窮天地,
One can then absorb all of Heaven and Earth,
184 被四 海。
Covering the four seas.
185 中無惑意,
Within, one’s intention is not vacillating;
186 外無邪菑,
Externally, they are without affliction and calamity.
187 心全於中,
Their heart-mind is maintained, within,
188 形全於外,
And their body is maintained, externally.
189 不逢天菑,
They do not meet upon calamity,
190 不遇人害,
Nor do they encounter hostile people.
191 謂之聖人。
We call them “sages.”
 

Edited July 31, 2019 by dawei

[Taoist Texts]

On 7/26/2019 at 7:32 PM, dawei said:

183 乃能窮天地,
One can then absorb all of Heaven and Earth,
184 被四 海。
Covering the four seas.

this is obviously a misplaced or a garbled insertion. At any event translators just rendered it literally not even trying to comprehend the meaning

 

Otherwise everybody got it more or less correct. Would be hard to mess up a passage this clear

Edited July 27, 2019 by Taoist Texts

[dawei]

On 7/27/2019 at 1:42 PM, Taoist Texts said:

this is obviously a misplaced or a garbled insertion. At any event translators just rendered it literally not even trying to comprehend the meaning

 

Otherwise everybody got it more or less correct. Would be hard to mess up a passage this clear

 

I tend to agree... seems out of place. 

[Taoist Texts]

should be

 

183 乃能窮天地,
THEY ARE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND all of Heaven and Earth,
184 被四 海。
THEY VIRTUE IS Covering the four seas. (or SITTING AT HOME SEEING FOUR SEAS 坐于室而见四海)

 

originally two well attested formulas in contemporary lit

Edited July 31, 2019 by Taoist Texts