Magical Spells and Aphorisms for Attaining Primordial Truth: The Guan Yinzi

文史真经, a sutra of writs for attaining primordial truth, is a Taoist text also known as Guan Yin Zi. Historically, among Taoist alchemists, mystics, and ceremonial magicians, it's treated as a book of magical spells and powerful cultivation practices hidden in plain sight. The sutra is attributed to the Zhou dynasty circa 1046-200 BC, but the version of this text we rely on today is dated to 1254 AD during the Song dynasty. A historian can really get into the weeds of the old text versus new text debate when it comes to this particular text, because this sutra does or may have a version control issue. Nevertheless, the text is pretty old. Li Zi, circa 400 BC, a classical text on Taoist philosophy, is one of the earlier known documented references to this sutra, and it was widely referenced and commented on throughout the Han dynasty, 200 BC to 200 AD. By 400 AD, the text was canonized in the Taoist canons, attributed to the three sovereigns' San Huang tradition of Taoist ritual magic. The apocryphal legend associated with this text is that it was written by the master of the past, the past referring to the passageway in the western mountains that Laozi took to disappear into the sunset. That's Laozi of Daodejing fame. Before Laozi disappeared into the sunset, a guard at the western gates transcribed Laozi's teachings, which became the Daodejing. Then the gatekeeper himself, Yingxi, became enlightened after transcribing Laozi's wisdom, and himself wrote the nine chapters of Taoist alchemical cultivation practices, in short, a Taoist occult counterpart to the Taoist esoteric philosophy of the Daodejing. One reason that legend might be so enduringly popular is because when you read this sutra, it's got a lot of overlap with the Daodejing. Case in point, line 1 of chapter 1, 1 universe of the sutra, per the 1254 AD version of it, reads, And before we move on, notice the excess, the remainder words, to inquire or speak, and to think, to consider. Loose translation, where there is the Tao, it cannot be described, articulated. The knowledge that cannot be articulated is the Tao. What is the Tao cannot be interpreted. What cannot be interpreted is the Tao. I'm translating si to interpreted or evaluated, analyzed, assessed, scrutinized, examined. Dictionary-wise, the term is more often translated to just think, but the implication of the word in Chinese is more precise than that, so I went with interpreted. Compare that to line 1 of verse 1 of the Daodejing, The path that can be told is not the transcendent path. The name that can be named is not the transcendent name. That opening line in the sutra is, in short, saying that arcane magical practices, like the ones you are about to embark on when it is the true formula, is not to be verbalized to others. And the words in this book cannot be interpreted, meaning I can't read it and then tell you what it means. The only way for you to know what this book means is to read it for yourself. Whereas in the Daodejing, line 1, verse 1, it's conveying a Taoist philosophical principle. This sutra takes the philosophical principles of the Daodejing and applies them to actionable occult practice and arcane teachings. The sutra consists of nine chapters, and the chapter titles are quite intriguing. One universe, two pillars, three thrones, four talismans, five patterns, six daggers, seven cauldrons, eight manifestations, nine medicines, or nine poisons. Put an asterisk on chapter 9 because we'll be returning to that for some further commentary. The text for each of the nine chapters, at least per a surface reading of it, does not seem to have any bearing whatsoever to the chapter titles. It's nine chapters of mind-bending riddles in the form of maxims. So for instance, there's no direct explanation for what the two pillars are in chapter 2. So for instance, there's no direct explanation for what the two pillars are in chapter 2, but in superficial summary, it's in effect heaven and earth, yin and yang, explicating on the basic binary code for transmitting, containing, and expressing all knowledge of the universe, kind of like the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA, and the basic programming code of computing systems and machines, combinations of zeros and ones. You would think you'll come away with actionable tutorials on crafting four talismans in the chapter four talismans, but no. At least not from a word-for-word reading. Instead, the premise is, for those who the sutra is intended to speak to, upon study of chapter 4, you will come away with knowing the secret design of the four talismans. And it's probably a good guess that they're premised on the si shang, four images or four faces of god per yin yang theory. Likewise, the five patterns are fairly clearly based on the five alchemical phases of change and how to design astral programs with the wuxing. But beyond that, the mystical idea is that only a special elite few who endeavor to study that chapter 5 will come to know about the primordial truths of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. And the final chapter, nine medicines, but also can be implied to mean nine poisons, will reveal to the selected special few recipes and knowledge of nine powerful magical elixirs. Fun, huh? Now, as for that chapter 9 on nine medicines or nine poisons, yao clinically refers to pharmaceuticals and substances that we typically use for medicine, for treating and curing illness. But the same word can also be used to indicate poison, du yao. For the purposes of an occult mystical perspective, that's relevant. The premise goes, for those who manage to crack the code of this sutra, you can either use its secret teachings to master the nine medicines and become an incredible powerful healer, or you can use the secret teachings to master the nine poisons and become a formidable destroyer and conqueror. According to lore passed down through the centuries, there are, among others, at least two known occult or arcane cultivation practices that are believed to endow the practitioner with extraordinary powers and abilities. The first is ying er cha ni, which I'm going to opt out of translating into English through fun pop culture trivia. It's the arcane Daoist magical practice referenced in a lot of wuxia arts fantasy novels and films. The second is zhang gong bai hu, crimson palace white tiger. And yes, that gong is the same word in inner palace yuan cheng gong in one of my past videos. According to lore, if you want to master those two particular arcane arts, the methodologies are revealed or can be received by you through this sutra. For a sampling of what's in the sutra, let's take a look at some passages. A universal proverb I really like from this chapter. All that rises must fall. All that has fallen will rise. I translated that using positive wording. The original, more literal translation is in the negative. So like, nothing that rises will not also fall. Nothing that falls will not also rise. What rises is fire. What descends is water. That which seeks to rise but cannot is wood. That which seeks to fall but cannot is metal. The two pillars indicating polarities conveyed here is fire water and wood metal, while earth of the wuxing five elemental phases is characterized as neutral as the middle path reconciling the polarities of the two pillars. This passage from chapter two on the binary code seems to suggest that quantum systems do not possess qi. So if something is made up of what we call qi, such as almost all classical computing systems, then it must be built from this binary code of zeros and ones. But if the system does not have a north and south polarity, magnetic fields, planetary magnetic fields, stellar magnetic fields, electromagnetism, emf waves, then it's a square cartesian coordinate system, perhaps a figurative reference to a system of building blocks, qubits, quantum bits. But what do I know? I'm just making shit up at this point. In the three thrones chapter, you get some axioms with hermetic vibes. Know the sacred affinity between what is within and what is without. Within creates that which is without. Without creates that which is within. And of course, very Dao De Jing vibes. Heaven gives us life and death but does not give us love or evil. The sun shines on all things but does not discern between what is ugly and what is beautiful. The sun is neither kind nor unkind. There's a whole passage on how bees will teach you about sovereignty. Spiders will teach you how to cast webs and set traps. Rats will teach you about laws, rights, and rituals. And ants will teach you about how to rally troops and sway the masses. Even those lines are to be treated as metaphors, making references to something else entirely. In the chapter for talismans, there is this line. Harness more potent jing, nutritive life essence through water. The po yin aspect of soul is empowered by metal. Invoking gods and spirits involves fire. And the hun yang aspect of soul is empowered by wood. Hun po there is a reference to soul dualism, the idea that your soul is comprised of a binary, yin and yang aspect of soul. Study those four triplicities to derive your four talismans. When you treat the verses in chapter 4 as puzzle pieces and begin rearranging them, drawing connections where, for instance, you keep on seeing water or metal, fire, and wood, and then also set aside and group the statements on earth, what's revealed, according to lore, are instructions for crafting the four talismans referenced in the chapter heading. The fifth grouping of instructions for earth then tells you what these four talismans are for. There are also other passages in here that seem to be explaining soul migration or astral flight, shamanic journeying. Chapter 6, Six Daggers, seems to be about dream symbolism and how to read omens, but I don't know, don't rely on what I say. You really do need to read the text and discern for yourself. The Six Daggers chapter is also giving Zhuangzi vibes with references to two states of consciousness and then the open question which state of the two is the dream state and which state is reality. Seven Cauldrons seems to provide a checklist of powers you will attain if you can master this chapter, like using thunder to resuscitate that which is in a winter stage back to a spring stage of life. You can make ice in summer, cause dead people to walk and live again, and cause dead trees or plants to bloom again. There's something here about how to trap and ensnare ghosts or demons in vessels and something about gateways or painted doors sealed with magical protection talismans that can be broken and accessed. And how to talk to earth ghosts. And then it really gets into how to refine, purify the huanyang aspect of soul. Another one of those really beautifully worded proverbs I like can be found in the chapter Five Patterns. A fire of a thousand years can be extinguished. Knowledge of a thousand years can vanish. There's another proverb or axiom in here that I'm kind of struggling with, like I'm trying to decide whether I agree with it or not. Know to discern falsehoods, but no need to dispel those falsehoods. That's a tough one to follow, am I right? I really like this one from the ninth chapter. Do not take trivial matters lightly. A crack will sink the boat. That's from chapter nine. And remember, you can read it as meaning nine medicines for healing, or you can read it as nine poisons for destruction. Read through the lens of Hexing, chapter nine is giving some pretty provocative tips and tricks. Setting aside any occult, magical, or mystical implications of this sutra, there are some really beautiful inspirational passages in this book. That ninth chapter closes with this reminder that if you're truly wise, then you accept that wisdom doesn't mean you know everything. If you're truly knowledgeable, then you accept that methods of knowledge, like schools of philosophy, are insufficient to fully describe primordial truth. Don't describe the Tao as futile simply because you cannot wield it. Be content with what it has provided. Don't describe the Tao as foolish simply because you find it obscure. Be content with what you can understand. Don't describe the Tao as supreme simply because you have surpassed others. Be content with the affinity you feel for others. Notice how this sentence structure goes on for a total of five lines that produces a total of five codes in a second dimension to the first. And then, like in case you didn't get it, verse 13 ends with this big clue, Translating to something to the effect of this arcane knowledge must be retrieved. So this video is just about providing some thoughts on how to retrieve what's hidden in plain sight in this sutra, in terms of secret teachings to occult and mystical practices. On any subject, one says it is beneficial, another says it is harmful, a third says it is neither beneficial nor harmful, and yet a fourth says it is both beneficial and harmful. Those who know the Tao do not speak. And by speak, the meaning there is more like to give your opinion, to insert your perspective, to give unsolicited advice. You know, if no talking is the key to Taoist enlightenment, I'm doomed. Heaven does not control the winter lilies or spring chrysanthemums, which is why the awakened ones observe timing. Earth does not control the river flow, the orange harvest, or the fox. The awakened one cannot cause fish to fly or birds to gallop, and yet can possess the power to cause such things to move, to halt, to conceal, and to reveal. With the limitation that one cannot be limited, that is how you attain the Tao. Again, notice this pattern of four abilities, hearkening back to the four talismans and the structure of Chapter 4, revealing how to craft those four talismans. This line here is affirming the power and purpose of those four talismans from Chapter 4, and the fifth, completing the to cover the five elements, is a paradox, a riddle. Except you cannot limit. Except, once the Tao is attained, it cannot be contained. Oh, and Chapter 9 ends with all this circle, square, heaven, earth, Tao, de, as in the two books, two parts of the Tao Te Ching, mumbo jumbo on how to achieve eternal peace and how to wield um, checks notes. Oh, the most powerful and sharp weapon in the universe. Meh, boring, am I right?