Affl atus of the North is antagonistic to the South; the
Affl atus of the South is antagonistic to the West; the
Affl atus of the West is antagonistic to the East. When
these Five Affl ati promote the growth of one another,
they move freely; but the very ease with which they fl ow
leads to their exhaustion. When they act in antagonism
to each other, their motion is arrested; but if such
arrest be counteracted, they are re-established [in their
course]. Man is in the centre of Heaven [and Earth]; the
heart is in the centre of man. When anything occupies
a central position, it may be removed to the outside.
If one wishes to control much by means of a little, it
is necessary to use contrivances—or, to employ one’s
faculty of contrivance—in manipulating the material
under one’s hand. Nevertheless, let the mind be once
set in motion, everything under Heaven may be
accomplished; while by using antagonistic agencies, that
which is complete and permanent may be produced....
When Heaven sends forth its engines of destruction, the
stars are moved out of their places and the constellations
metamorphosed. When Earth sends forth its engines of
destruction, dragons and snakes appear on the dry land.
When Man puts forth his faculties of destruction, Heaven
falls and Earth is overthrown. When Heaven and Man do so
in concert, all the disorganised phenomena are re-established
on a new basis.
Th e stars and constellations are the countenance of
Heaven. In like manner, when a man is angry, his
countenance will surely change. Dragons and serpents
are the breath and blood [the hidden agencies] of earth.
In like manner, when a man is sick, his breath and blood
will surge up, or overfl ow. Man, situated in the centre
of the Universe, is as it were the abdomen of Heaven
and Earth. When the viscera are injured, the eff ects
are manifest from top to toe; everything, from the
head down to the feet, is thrown into disorder. When
Earth is in harmony with Heaven, Man occupies the
same relation towards each. For Heaven to respond to
human requirements, or aff airs, it is necessary to wait
until such aff airs be brought to a state of completion. If
any one such aff air be uncompleted, even the Sage will
be unable to undertake its achievement; but when it is
perfected—in such a forward state as to be prepared for
the co-operation or assistance of Heaven—the response
of Heaven will come.... Th is may be compared to the
capture of Wu by the Prince of Yueh.
Th e Five Despoilers pertain to the Heart, but their operation
is diff used all over the world. Th e Universe is in one’s Hand;
all transmutations take their rise from the body.Th ieves, or despoilers, are so called because they are
unseen; if, in acting as thieves, they are perceived, their
depredations are put an end to. Th e antagonism which
exists between Water and Fire is turned to advantage
when brought into contact with matter, and eventual
welfare is the result. Th e Five Despoilers of Heaven are
identical with the Five Despoilers of men. Th ese Five
Despoilers residing in the human heart, their agency is
diff used far and wide; but is Heaven within the range of
my—[i.e., any man’s—activity]? Now cooperation implies
the same object being held in view by two persons. If
the other man acts, it is as though I myself acted; just,
for instance, as in riding,—the rider is identifi ed with
his horse; and where the horse arrives the rider arrives
too. Th erefore a journey of a thousand li may be said to
be held in the hollow of one’s hand; for if a desire arises
in the mind to go, say, from Yen in the north to Yueh
in the south, you will be able to reach your destination
supposing you make proper use of your intellectual
faculties....
Th e Abuse of the Nine Openings of the Body having specially
to do with the Th ree which are most important, action and
rest are both possible.
Th e Nine Openings are, all of them, the organs of
intelligent perception; even those which have least
capacity serving as passages for air. Eight of these
openings are channels for the exercise of sagacity; it
is only the private part behind, which is without any
such faculty. Th e implication [in the text] that they
are all liable to misuse, is simply made as applying
to the majority, [the one exception] being wrongly
included for the sake of convenience. But it is the Ear,
the Eye, and the Mouth, which are the most liable to
deception and abuse; therefore their action should be
confi ned within certain limits, and subjected to the
will of their owner. Th en they may be made to act and
abstain from action; by which means the body may be
nourished and provision made [for any exigencies that
may arise].
Th e diseases to which men are subject are the result
of abuse. It is only the Sage who knows how to value
this abuse [of the bodily organs], for, when it becomes
violent, it is only the Sage who is able to hinder its
operation. Th en [the man’s] action becomes in accord
with the principle Yang, and his repose in accord with
the principle Yin; [the man himself] developing mental
powers of superhuman excellence.
From: Frederic Henry Balfour, Taoist Tex ts:
Ethical, Political, and Speculative
(London: Trubner, 1884).(cont inues)558 health and disease: primary source documents