While the philosophies that were to be named Taoism continued to evolve during the Warring States Period, another important Chinese theory was also articulated during this period. It is ironic that during the Warring States period at the end of the Bronze Age and beginning of the Iron Age that a philosophy was articulated based upon the bronze casting technology. This is the Five phases theory, wu-hsing.
On the external level: To create the synergistic metal, bronze, it is necessary to mix two purified metals, tin and copper. On the internal level: Which are the two purified essences that we need to purify and mix in order to achieve transformation into an Immortal? To understand these essences it is necessary to be somewhat acquainted with the five-element or five-phase theory.
The five-element [or phase] theory was first set down during the Warring States Period of the crumbling Chou dynasty by Tsou Yen (c. 350- 270 BCE).
“According to this system the great ultimate (t’ai-chi) produces the positive-negative dualism of yang and yin, the interaction of which in time gives birth to the five elements (wu-hsing) from which all events and objects are derived.”[1]
According to this theory the five fundamental elements have a cyclical dynamic that moves the universe. An example of one of the dynamic cycles: water puts out fire, which melts metal, which destroys wood, which overcomes earth, which absorbs water.[2] Furthermore each of the elements is associated with directions, seasons, colors and certain symbols or animals.
“Water is connected to black, north, winter, and the ‘black
warrior (snake and tortoise)
Fire is connected to red, south, summer,
and represented by the bird (phoenix).
Metal is connected to white, west,
autumn, and represented by a tiger.
Wood is connected to green, east, spring,
and the dragon.
Earth is connected to yellow, the center,
and the tsung, a circle within a square”[3]
These associations are based upon traditional Chinese symbolism. While the Chinese symbols are certainly not universal, the elements and their interactions certainly are. In the discussion that follows we will attempt to focus upon the universality of the theory and de-emphasize the non-universal aspects.
The five-phase theory, wu-hsing, is based upon the transformations that the five elements, i.e. fire, water, earth, wood and metal, go through between each other. As Westerners, we tend to look at event rather than process. Thus we focus upon the properties of the elements rather than the transformational processes. Many times, especially earlier on, this theory was referred to as the five-element theory. Element, however, implies static rather than dynamic. Another translation calls it the five-agent theory, because agent implies elements that act. It doesn’t really matter which translation is used because the complexity of the wu-hsing theory transcends any single word. This short article only hopes to give a flavor or taste of the marvelous complexity of the many applications of the theory. We will attempt to tie this theory into the Journey, into Alchemical Taoism, and everyday life.
As with any theory, there are adherents which claim that it explains every process in the known universe. Let it be stated that the assumption of this writer is that each theory, while explaining a multitude of phenomenon always have a substantial amount of holes. The Monkey can escape from any intellectual construct created by man. There is no intellectual construct that can contain Life. However the five-phase theory explains many phenomena in an illuminating fashion. This is why we are exploring it.
Although Tsou Yen first elucidates the five-phase theory during the late Chou dynasty, almost a thousand years after the Shang perfect their bronze making techniques, the roots of this theory are in bronze metallurgy developed during the Shang. Before examining the five phases as they relate to bronze casting let us first examine the five elements as they emerge into human consciousness. This will yield a bit of the character of each of the 5 elements on this primordial level.
The five elements are fire, water, earth, wood, and metal. Metal was the latecomer; thus we will examine the connection of the other four elements first. We’ve seen Fire with Homo Erectus. The Fire granted him protection from the elements and wild animals. It established a home base and quite a few lessons, including don’t let the fire go out, and don’t let it burn too hot, both associated with fuel conservation. Also fire was the first domesticated energy, and globally is still the most prevalent.
Furthermore the use of fire pointed to the phase theory. While water, wood, and earth are relatively permanent without external forces, fire exists only to the extent that it is fueled by wood. Water, wood, and earth can exist relatively independently while fire is dependent on fuel or wood for its existence. Thus inherent to fire is phase theory.
First fire transforms wood into heat energy. After the fire has used up all the life energy of the wood, it goes out. The wood has been transformed into earth. Hence under this analysis, the two components of wood are earth and fire energy. Once the fire energy has been used up all that is left is earth. Before and after the fire, water and earth combine to produce the wood that fuels the fire. Hence under this equality water is growth energy while fire is refinement energy. Water applied to earth yields wood, while fire applied to wood yields earth. This complementary aspect of water and fire becomes very important in Alchemical philosophy.
Another example of the complementary aspect of fire and water is that while a lot of water will quench a fire, a little water will be evaporated by fire. The power of water over fire was probably experienced as a rainstorm quenching their home fire. For early humans the idea was to keep the fires burning not to put them out.
The use of fire pointed to the earth as a container. While the soft ground of the Yellow River Valley tended to absorb water, it acted to contain fire. On the other side, while wood contained water in cups, houses and boats, it could not contain fire, which would instead consume it. Another way to express these relationships is that earth and fire do not combine; also water and wood do not combine. Water and earth combine, also fire and wood combine. This is another complementary aspect of the four elements of the cycle.
This process also points to a very important phase cycle. Water nourishes the Earth from which grows Wood, Life, Nature, which is the fuel for Fire, Energy, which then turns the Wood into soil, Earth, foundation, which when combined with water then becomes Trees, Wood, which is consumed by fire, and the cycle continues. While fire dominates wood by consuming it, water dominates fire by putting it out, earth dominates water by absorbing it, and finally wood dominates earth by growing from it. These four phases are an example of an early transition cycle.
While Homo erectus had marshaled the power of fire, they were probably only able to observe the power of water. This was also probably true of the Hunter-Gatherer societies who experienced the power of water, turning it into a ‘crossing the river’ metaphor, but also didn’t use it except passively. It was the agricultural communities that began first harnessing its power with irrigation projects for their crops. These early Yellow River farmers with their sedentary ways also were the first to experience the power of Water to transform the Earth. They too began harnessing the power of the earth, watering the earth to create life.
While the Yangshao culture was the first to begin cultivating the earth in northern China, it was the Longshan culture that first began using the earth for fortification. The agricultural peasantry of North China in the Yellow River basin, dug into the soft ground to make their houses, their burrows. These burrows contained them and their families, protecting them from the elements. During more hostile times, the Longshan began building pounded earth walls around their villages to protect their village or clan from external attack. The Shang extended the pounded walls to protect entire cities. Their walls grew thicker and enclosed more territory. During the following dynasty, the Chou, the Chinese aristocracy began erecting great walls to protect vulnerable parts of their states from attack by the ‘barbarians’, and other Chinese states. After the Warring States Period the First Emperor of China built an enormous wall around the northern periphery of China to insulate it from the nomadic cultures to the north.[4]
These city or state walls had multiple functions. The most common conception is that these walls separated the ‘barbarian’ from the ‘civilized’ Chinese world. While these city walls did indeed protect the Chinese states from nomadic attack, they also were erected to protect the city from attack by other Chinese states. Indeed some of the early walls were built in China’s interior. Hence the most primary function of these walls was to provide defense from attack, just like city walls worldwide.
Its secondary function was to keep the peasantry from escaping.
“During the Early Warring States period … the Chung-Yuan, or Central Plain, of southern Shensi and northern Honan was still the heart of Chinese civilization, protected by the defensive walls which were being constructed at intervals along China’s northern frontiers. The most ancient section of wall was built about 353 BC across modern Shensi, not only to keep the marauding nomads out, but equally to keep the Chinese in, and to attempt to prevent ‘desinicization’”[5]
Hence these earthen walls contained the peasantry. The court historians do not write about this aspect of Chinese civilization. Those who belonged to the imperial culture considered themselves at the height of human civilization. However they were dependent upon the agricultural peasantry to provide the foundation of the society. They did all the work to provide the food for the aristocracy. Judging by the fact that the aristocracy built walls to contain the population, they understood their dependency. Evidently the peasantry didn’t feel dependent upon the aristocracy judging by the need for the great earthen walls to prevent them from escaping. It seems that these walls could have been considered prison walls by the peasantry rather than protective walls.
These earthen walls were the boundaries between inside and outside. At first this was only on the level of inside the home and outside in the environment. Later these walls defined the inside and outside of the city. In the final manifestation these walls defined the boundary between Chinese and non-Chinese. Thus earth has always served a very important function in Chinese culture centering on protection, enclosure, and boundary.
In Taiji this concept of earth is central. The individual is to maintain one’s external boundary at all times. One achieves this with the extremities, i.e. the arms and legs. The boundary is never to collapse. The body boundary is defined as protecting the vulnerable areas at all times, i.e. crotch, neck, face and body.
One way that this state is created is by maintaining sphericity. Hence the individual is to expand to the external limits of his body in the front with his arms and in the back with his spine. This body sphere provides the same function as the earthen city walls. It is the border with emptiness in the middle. The border is to be protected but not extended. Extension past the borders is unbalanced and leaves the center unprotected. In Taiji this manifests when the knee, hand or any internal body part extends past the circle defined by the feet or more particularly the toes. This is the most external boundary. A little more internally the elbow is not to extend past the knee, nor is the chin is to extend past the head cylinder, nor is the belly to extend past the pelvis, nor is the butt to extend past the hips.
Indeed the danger of extension past the boundaries is linked with building of a foundation. If the foundation or defenses are strong, the peasants, i.e. elbows, hands, and knees, will be contained. If the foundations are weak then not only will they be too weak to defend but they will also be too weak to contain. Perhaps the internals don’t feel safe inside and must extend externally to distract the opponent from the lack of defense. Whatever the reasons for over-extension, fear or weakness, some schools of Taiji training focus a lifetime upon foundation building.
If a section of the wall has collapsed, it must be rebuilt. In terms of the body, because of lack of proper maintenance certain parts of our body sphere have collapsed. These parts must be strengthened and rebuilt. Normally this has to do with building up the musculature dealing with maintaining proper posture rather than the muscles having to do with extension. Because of the focus upon extension most people have strong legs and arms and weak bodies. Taiji trains people to have strong bodies to maintain the proper foundation to repair collapse.
Here are some areas that tend to collapse. The lower spine tends to collapse forward, the middle spine backward, and the upper spine forward, producing an ‘S’ configuration. This is a broken wall providing no strength. Furthermore extra stress is placed at the curves causing unnecessary back problems. Proper Taiji training rebuilds the proper body muscles to turn the ‘S’ into a straight line. The back, specifically the spine, once straightened provides a stronger defensive boundary as well as being the source of power. In terms of the boundary of the extremities, the elbows and knees tend to collapse inwards, putting extra pressure upon the knee joint and the shoulders to take up the slack.
The idealized Chinese loves his internal world. There is no need to conquer or venture outward because the inner world is so fulfilling. It is only necessary to protect the boundaries from barbarian attack. Hence the individual need never leave this body boundary.
Lest we misunderstand the thrust of this article, one of the main barbarians that humans deal with is gravity. Gravity is an external force continually attacking us pulling us downwards to the ground. And it always wins at the end, pulling us down into a warm grave beneath its surface. If the individual doesn’t defend him/herself from gravity attacks then back, knee, and hip problems follow, if the person doesn’t fall down, off balance and break bones. Gravity is indeed a formidable enemy and probably for most of us the most prevalent enemy. As the boundary collapses one can avoid a serious attack for a long time by relying upon secondary sources, but eventually even these sources will become exhausted and collapse, possible leading to a big hole in the body wall, i.e. a permanent disability.
In terms of Journey to the West, Sha Monk, or Monster in Japan, plays the role of the earth protector. It is his duty to always protect Tripitaka and the horse. Before he joins the Quest Tripitaka is captured while Piggy and Monkey are off defending him. After Sha Monk joins the quest, there are a few episodes when for one reason or another that he leaves Tripitaka to perform another duty, i.e. find Piggy or fight monsters. Each time Sha Monk leaves Tripitaka is captured.
In one episode, the monster sends in decoys to deliberately draw Sha Monk off because of his prowess as a fighter. He then captures Tripitaka for dinner. The point is that without Tripitaka the journey means nothing. Thus protecting the home is the first priority. All the illusions that are thrown at one must be connected to this home front. Identify if the barbarian is an immediate threat. If not, it could only be an illusion. Witness the game of chess. One player is busily guarding their Queen and loses the King, losing the game. One player gives up his Queen as a decoy to capture the other’s King and win the game.
Many times the threats outside the perimeter are merely illusion. A difference between Taiji and Buddhism is that Buddhism shrinks the perimeter to a point and considers everything outside an illusion. With Taiji the perimeter is defined with emptiness in the center. The only time the reality of an opponent is acknowledged is when the opponent broaches the body boundary. As mentioned the key is to have a strong well-defined boundary in order to distinguish them and us. Buddhism would, of course, say that the boundary is also an illusion. The Taoists acknowledge the illusory quality of existence while simultaneously participating in it. The Buddhists attempt to internalize the concept of life’s illusion by ‘leaving the home’, i.e. denying desire by practicing austerities.
Now we can understand the combination of our first three elements, i.e. fire, water and earth, in a Taoist alchemical context. Both fire and water are used for purification. However whatever is being purified needs to be contained. The container is the earth. If water is the purifying element and there is no container then the element is washed away in the floating sands of the sea of nature because of its substance. Likewise if fire is the purifying element without a container then the soul that needs to be purified is consumed and reverts to earth. From dust we came and to dust we shall return. But with the container the water purifies without washing away and the fire purifies without consuming.
There is another issue in this metaphorical context. The home fires of Homo erectus were used for heat, protection and food through until the end of the Paleolithic. Hence their open, unconfined campfires were sufficient. There was no need for concentrated heat. However especially with the smelting of metal ore an intense heat is needed for refinement. The need for intense heat led to techniques of containment to intensify the fire. Hence comes the idea that dissipating the heat of the fire will thwart the process of refinement. Translated spiritually, no matter how much spiritual fire is generated, no refinement will occur if this fire is dissipated. This is also true with water also. High-pressure water hoses can bring down mountains while a low-pressure garden hose can barely water the yard. If there is not enough heat for refinement then the ore cannot be refined and the metals cannot be combined and the synergistic transformation cannot occur. Thus the metal workers were the first to need to generate the fierce fire needed for spiritual refinement. The metal workers were the first ones that need a fire this hot.
Where does the heat for purification come from? The fire of consciousness. This fire must be contained for soul purification and refinement and not be allowed to dissipate. The fire naturally rises to the top, the brain, and is dissipated through the senses located in the head, including seeing, hearing, taste, smell, and thought, which are also connected to talking. Instead the fire of consciousness is to be directed to the belly. This is what Lao Tzu meant when he said, instead of filling their minds, empty the mind and fill the stomach[6].
Just as the fire of consciousness is dissipated through the senses of our head, the water of purification is lost through the desires of our crotch. These include sex, appetite and comfort. They have to do with the substantiality of ‘temporal bones and mortal stock’. This is the analogy of the Sand River. Our substantiality sinks us to the bottom of the sea of nature.
When the ‘fire’ of consciousness becomes the servant of the ‘metal’ of the brain, who is the servant of the ‘wood’ of unrestrained growth, then the ‘water’ of spiritual desire is dissipated, purification doesn’t occur and the transformation is aborted. We go our natural way, sinking in the sea of the shifting sands of nature.
The ‘fire’ is dissipated upwards while the ‘water’ is dissipated downwards through the fulfillment of physical desires. There is no mixture. If there is no mixture, there is no transformation, no purification. One remains base ore, never rising to the purification of metal.
This is the natural way. Humans are born. We are trained to sublimate spiritual yearning into desire. We then cultivate our desires, fulfilling them to the best of our abilities. Our mind, body and soul are all in the service of our desires. Then we die. This is natural way of fate. In Taoist terminology, it is natural for the sperm essence, jing, the creative Water of life to be on the bottom and dissipated through sex and desire. Fire is naturally on the top dissipated through the senses, including thought. Hence the fire that is needed for soul refinement is dissipated through the senses and in the service of desire. Water and Fire become complementary trigrams.
Reversing the relation of Water and Fire, trigrams that is, putting Fire below the Water, means to contain Water in an earthen cauldron, while the Fire is below cooking the water. In other words contain the sexual moisture; channel the fire of desire behind transformation; and then use this fire to cook the sperm essence – to create the ‘sweet dew’ needed for nourishment and transformation. This is the way to transcend your fate to fulfill your destiny.
The sperm essence is contained in the earthen cauldron. The earth represents stillness, quietude. Motion itself sends the sperm down and the fire up. Hence the solution is non-action. Remember non-action does not mean doing nothing, but doing the thing effortlessly.
This is the sung energy spoken about earlier, relaxation energy based upon a strong spine, a supple waist, and a good root. Hence the development of sung energy means the development of internal strength so that things are done effortlessly without resistance. The root is necessary so that one does not get blown away in yielding. A supple waist is necessary to allow the energy to go by without resistance.
The idea of spiritual refinement is alchemical in nature. For the Buddhists we are all there, we just need to realize it. The Buddhist-alchemical merger occurs when one realizes that we are all on the Path of spiritual refinement, and that this is good – the best. ‘Attainment of the Tao’ just means that the Initiate has reached the Path, which Buddhist-style is always right there, and the best you can be. Hence enlightenment to the Tao is immediate and instantaneous and equally accessible to anyone. Easy to say, harder to do.
The Alchemists, like Freud, would say that creativity is sublimated sexual energy. This heat must not be dissipated, but used. The idea behind creative fire is that if it is hot enough it will burn away illusion. But watch that the fire does not go out; it is hard to start again.
This relation between Earth, Water and Fire is reflected in the Journey. Sha Monk, as mentioned, is the Earth Protector. Piggy, Water, Desires, is needed on the Quest, but is regularly plagued by doubts wanting to give up and go home in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles or lack of creature comforts. Sha Monk regularly contains the errant desires of Piggy. Sha Monk is level headed and keeps Piggy focused on the Path. Sha Monk frequently offers Piggy the words of reality or encouragement that he needs to hear. Sha Monk has no doubts about the Journey. He realizes that this is all he has. He can’t go back. There is nothing to go back to. He reminds Piggy that he is in a similar situation. Further once contained Sha Monk and Piggy team up in an effective way. Thus Sha Monk’s Earth is needed to contain Piggy’s Water so that it doesn’t leak out.
To avoid confusion, let it be pointed out that later on the analogy of Earth, Water, and Fire is transmuted into Earth, Mercury, and Lead. While there are parallels between the two systems of symbolism, there are distinct differences. In the second system, Earth is considered spiritual intent, represented by Tripitaka. Mercury, spiritual essence, is Piggy, while Monkey represents Lead, spiritual sense. Each of these elements has both a true and false aspect. We will deal with the specifics of this symbolism later on. In the second system Earth is spiritual intent, T’ai Chi, the grand ultimate, harmonizing yin and yang, the guiding principle, represented by Tripitaka. This Earth, while similar, is a bit different from the Earth of the five-phase theory, which is represented by Sha Monk, the protector. We only mention this now so that there is less confusion between the two systems later on.
A fourth element in the wu-hsing system is wood. Wood is a more complex element like fire. While earth and water are permanent and relatively inert, wood represents life and growth.
The religious significance of trees is seen from the earliest times. Trees have long been a symbol of life as witnessed by the Christmas Tree. Frasier explores this theme in his famous book, The Golden Bough.
A seed grows into a tree. Trees though made of wood are not exclusively wood. Wood is the essence of a tree that has been trimmed of all its excess life. Wood could be considered a tree that has been tamed. Wood while tamed is still alive. This is why lumber must be treated so that it doesn’t’ sprout. Hence there is something very magical about wood. Its seemingly dead elements can still sprout when watered. In the European Tarot deck, one of the suits, Wands, is many times represented as wood, which is sprouting branches and leaves. Wood is thereby connected with life.
The switch in perspective between the Hunter-gatherer and agricultures is clearly seen in their attitude towards trees. While the Hunter-gatherers depended upon the spontaneous life of the forest for their survival, the farmers needed to clear the land of trees to cultivate the earth. Forests and trees were not a symbol of life for the farmers. Trees were things that had to be cleared to plant their crops. Of course they transformed the wood into tools and furniture and homes. So just as they tamed the earth and water, so did they tame the wood.
While the Neolithic Chinese of Yangshao and Longshan probably considered trees an obstacle, trees and wood were incredibly important for the Hunter-gatherer Siberians. They used it for tools, artwork and religious functions. Their woodwork was analogous to that of the Northwest Indians with their totem poles. The pre-bronze Shang brought their wood working techniques with them from Siberia, which they translated into bronze artistic technique in the cross-cultural exchange that occurred between north, south, and west upon the Yellow River plains of north China.
As social technology was passed on, wood became used for many sophisticated purposes including houses and boats. Hence a differentiation is made. Trees are growing things; wood is useful. Wood must be extracted from trees to be useful to the farmer, while the eco-system of the forest of trees provides the Hunter with his sustenance.
Initially, wood was used as fuel for fire. The life force of wood is transformed into the energy of fire. As soon as all the life force is drained from the wood the fire goes out and the wood has been transformed into earth again. The earth by itself is relatively inert. However when water is applied it grows life specifically wood in this case.
Hence the four elements are contained in a simple campfire. Water combined with earth yield the life force of wood. This life force of the wood is converted into the energy of fire. Once the life force is removed the wood becomes earth again.
Hence something magical has occurred. While both water and earth are inimical to fire, i.e. they both quench it, their combination, wood, provides the fuel for fire to allow it to exist. However once the fire has consumed the wood, it reverts to earth. This four-element transformation is a powerful metaphor for life. From the earth we come and to earth we shall return. Water and earth combine to create life. The fire of time consumes this life and with death we revert to earth again to begin the process again.
As anyone who has made a campfire knows, the idea of containment arises fairly quickly. In order to prevent the fire from spreading, one contains it with a circle of bare earth. Then to conserve the wood needed to fuel the fire, one might dig an earthen pit around the fire to contain the heat and conserve the wood. Then before going to sleep to further contain the fire one might douse the fire with earth. Earth contains fire.
The Chinese spiritual analogy for this is that the wood of your life is going to be consumed. The only question is whether how long and hot it will be. This is determined by the amount of containment. The individual who runs frantically around satisfying desires, quickly burns out, leaving no trace behind. However the individual who focuses his desire upon fulfilling spiritual intent revealed in the midst of extreme quietude, burns long and bright, bringing comfort to the peoples of the world, achieving sagehood.
This is very different from Buddhist theory that questions the reality of the wood, the fire, the earth and the water. Further it suggests that in order to attain enlightenment that one must understand and integrate the idea of the unreality of existence. The Taoist would tend to grant their reality and then work within their parameters. Both however begin with extreme quietude and control of desires. Ironically their congruence is on the physical plane.
Hence the Chinese concept of chi is like the wood that is finite and inevitably consumed. The only control that we have is over how it is consumed. Slow, hot, and long or quickly burning out with only a smoldering heat. Thus we do not create chi from the atmosphere. Instead we contain and channel its energy like a laser beam. Thus again we are back to the containment by the earthen body structure. Earth contains fire.
While the wood is a given, how the fire is used is again variable. The fire, of course, represents the intentionality of consciousness. The fire can provide light and heat; it can be terribly destructive; or it can just burn randomly. According to both the followers of Confucius and Lao Tzu the sage uses his fire for light and heat. His fire is meant to illuminate humanity. Most fires just randomly burn, some are in for widespread destruction, but the fire of the sage focuses upon illumination.
While the fire of intentionality consumes the life force, the life force is regenerated through the internal generation of the ‘sweet dew’. This is the water that nourishes the earth to produce the wood. Remember the ‘sweet dew’ impregnated Mother Li, the Old Master’s mother. Containing desires in the pot and cooking them with the Fire generate the ‘sweet dew’. The ‘sweet dew’ rises and nourishes the body through sweet saliva in the mouth. Hence water nourishes the earth to produce wood, i.e. life, which is then consumed by the fire of Time, i.e. life experience.
Let us look at how the different cultures viewed the elements.
Humans tamed fire very early on. The simple campfire, a fundamental analogy of the four elements was seen all the way back in the time of Homo Erectus. As mentioned it provided protection from wild animals, cold, and the dark of night. Furthermore it cooked meat making it easier to eat and digest. There is evidence of fires that were kept alive for centuries. We still use the obsolete expression, ‘Keep the home fires burning.’ indicating the importance of having tamed fire continually around.
For the Hunter-gatherer cultures neither earth, nor water, nor wood was tamed. These arbitrary forces of nature were all tamed by the Agri-cultures. They tamed the earth by clearing and cultivating it; they tamed the water by using it for irrigation and damming it. They tamed the wood by clearing the land of trees. Just as they tamed these elements they were tamed and cultivated by the following metal cultures.
The cycle is somewhat complete with the four elements of the campfire, but we will see what happens when metal is added. Enter Metal and we have the five phases mixing in many myriad and interesting ways.
For one the metal is used to carve and shape the wood. Hence metal dominates wood. The metal ax chops down trees. Metal saws and a variety of tools shape and carve the wood. In a spiritual context the metal is discipline added to the wild growing life force. Obviously too much metal is rigid, inflexible, dry, while too much wood is sloppy and overgrown, useless. Monkey is metal, mentally quick, hard body, no flab, Piggy is wood, full of the pleasures of life, loving comfort, food, and security. Monkey is needed to tame Piggy.
In the context of metal carving wood, the metal is added to the wood and then withdrawn. The wood is changed by the interaction, but the metal is not necessary anymore, once the job is finished. This is a powerful Taoist Alchemical metaphor. Metal must be added to the wood and then extracted. Chang Po-tuan, a prominent 12th century Taoist says:
“19. … Extract and add taking care.”
In commentary Liu I Ming says:
“One also works on extracting lead and adding mercury, carefully guarding against any slip-up. If there is any slip-up, this produces falsehood within reality; external influences sneak in, and the gold elixir, once gained, is again lost, forms but then decays. Then the problem of burning the crucible cannot be avoided.” p. 29
Remember lead corresponds to metal while mercury corresponds with wood.
“Then the problem of burning the crucible cannot be avoided.” This is the last sentence of Liu I-Ming’s explanatory paragraph. What does it mean? When metal/lead is removed too quickly, replaced with wood/mercury, then the earthen container itself is at risk. It is akin to boiling a pot with nothing in it. Eventually the liquid boils away and the pot cracks. In the Taiji Quan reality, if the metal/discipline is removed too soon, replaced with wood/life, then the earth/body container is damaged. When the Taiji/push hands practitioner leaves the metal/mind/discipline for the spontaneous flowing/growth nature of wood too soon, they put the earth/body at risk. Without proper body structure, metal, the knees, back and neck of the body, crucible, are damaged, and the shoulders are exhausted.
Of course, it is possible to lie around all day developing sedentary diseases and avoid any joint damage. It is also possible to pursue the transformation process lightly. Of course it might take lifetimes to reach the goal, if at all.
A very hot fire is necessary for spiritual refinement. The hotter the fire the greater the necessity of a stronger container. As the spiritual refinement heats up the weaknesses of the body/container/crucible are exposed. Hence the building of a stronger crucible cannot follow the building of a stronger fire.
In the Taiji reality the building of a stronger body structure, metal on earth, should be developed before the fire/practice of forms to avoid physical injury. Master Ni’s strategy, for better or worse, is to stoke the fire of forms to expose the weaknesses in the body crucible. In normal terms, he will spend a lot of time doing forms, without focusing upon body structure.
The theory is that the body structure will develop through the repetition of forms. Because sung energy, relaxation energy, is at the root of proper body structure, he feels that if he exhausts our hard energy through repetition of forms that we’ll have to give up the hard energy and let sung energy take over.
One other aspect of this reality is that the body is the crucible that the transformation takes place in. Born into this world into a physical frame. It is in this container crucible that the spiritual refinement takes place. If the crucible is cracked then the refinement doesn’t work – very different from Buddhism with its assertion of the unreality of the crucible itself. Taiji practitioners focus upon forms believing that this will establish foundation. Wuji practitioners focus upon foundation, believing that the fire grows with the foundation, that the actual building of the body crucible generates the spiritual fire.
One more item: Because of the necessity of a fierce fire for spiritual refinement, the idea of containment arises, earth on fire. If the fire is not properly contained or focused then while burning brightly, the heat is not contained, it is not hot enough, and the purification is unsuccessful. This is the issue of leakage. Practicing the forms hours a day will yield no results if the energy is regularly leaked out. After the practice the energy can be leaked through a multitude of practices, including sex, anger, talking, and viewing. However the most common form of leakage is in the form itself.
If the earth, body structure, is not round, it cannot contain the energy. The energy leaks out through the breaks in the bubble. These are discontinuities. We call the body structure a bubble because it is so round and so light, that nothing can penetrate and nothing can escape. It is so light that it escapes ‘the flowing sand of the sea of nature.’ It is so round that it has no breaks, no leakage. It is like the egg, which nourishes life. It is so round that it cannot be crushed from the outside.
Thus the Taiji practitioner can leak the energy externally, outside the practice, or internally, within the practice. Thus the fire of practice is not enough. It must be combined with containment in order to produce the transformation necessary to fulfill destiny and transcend fate. Hence the intensity of the firing is related to duration of practice combined with internal and external containment. It has nothing to do with how hard one practices; it only has to do with containing the energy of the practice with great care.
In Taiji Quan the body is the earth/crucible, the practice is the firing, the form is the metal, the function is the wood, while the chi is water. In music the body-instrument is earth, the fire is practice, the metal are the notes, the wood is the music, and the water is the life force that inspires the performance.
We see this process of adding and extracting early on in The Journey to the West. First Monkey Metal Lead is the one leading. At one point Monkey is exiled and Piggy/Wood/Mercury takes the lead without Monkey’s help. This proves disastrous. But then as early as the beginning of the second book, Monkey begins to get Piggy engaged. At first he monitors his progress to make sure that he doesn’t lapse into his old ways, which he surely does, unless he thinks that Monkey is always watching.
In terms of the practice, the intellect/metal that learns the movements must turn the movements over to the heart/nature/wood. But because of the pollution of body structure, the mind consciousness must constantly monitor the polluted nature to prevent reverting to old ‘lazy’ habits. Hence consciousness is necessary to initiate, plan and finally monitor. But our nature while polluted must be retrained to return to the source. Thus consciousness is necessary to refine our polluted nature to allow it to return to its natural state. Our nature is far to out of balance to return to balance on its own without assistance. Thus consciousness, while leading the process must be removed as soon as possible, remaining as a monitor on the outskirts, acting more as a sheep dog than as the shepherd.
Thus the process of extracting lead/metal/discipline and adding mercury/wood/life is a crucial transition. If the mercury is polluted, then its addition will distort the result. But the purification of the polluted desires/mercury occurs in the fulfillment of the quest. Hence although mercury is polluted it still must be engaged in this state with lead watching in order for the purification to occur.
In summary the addition of metal on wood is the discipline applied to the life force, careful not to kill it, just applied enough to control it. Many times uncontrolled metal kills the wood to control it. This is what it means to kill the spirit.
Metal on wood controls the life force. Fire on wood consumes the life force. If the fire is hot enough it can be applied to the earth to get metal. Hence fire applied to earth yields metal. Water applied to earth yields wood. This scheme shows the central position of the earth. Fire and water applied to earth yield metal and wood.
However, in the interconnectedness of the five elements it can’t be forgotten that fire consumes wood to exist. Furthermore the only way that the fire is hot enough to make metal from earth is if the earth contains the fire. Thus with the introduction of metal the idea of containment become even more important.
One thing element that differentiates metal from earth is its permanence. While the earthen walls around the cities had to be constantly renewed due to the rains, water dominates earth, the essence of metal, especially bronze, was relatively permanent once it was created. Further once it was cast, its exterior form was also relatively permanent. Hence the main factor that differentiated metal from the other elements was the permanence of its form.
Metaphorically this becomes the quest for personal permanence. Hence the being seeks immortality for one’s body on the superficial level. On higher levels the being seeks immortality for one’s works, art or deed. Many of us want our personal memory to be carried on by our creations or our actions. Looking at the production of the metal, especially bronze, it was easy to see that purification, integration, and actualization were all necessary parts to achieving immortality. We covered this aspect earlier in our section on bronze. Thus metal was simultaneously the tamer, the shaper, the source of discipline, and also the permanence of the finished product.
The combination of these five elements was crucial to the Alchemical Taoists. It was called the consolidation of the base.
This concept is fundamental to the understanding of the dynamics of The Journey. We’ve already mentioned that Sha Monk was considered earth, the protector and container, of the five elements and is referred to as the Yellow Hag. Monkey was considered metal, discipline, the hardness of pride, and is many times referred to as the Metal Squire. Piggy is wood, unrestrained life essence, and is referred to as the Wood Mother. Tripitaka is fire, the spiritual essence of consciousness that consumes the life force on a temporal plane. It is his mission that is the light that draws the band of five together. The Horse is water, the quality that carries us downhill, forward, inexorably, to our ultimate fate or destiny. As mentioned the horse is actually a dragon, ruler of water, yin essence, master of flexibility and yielding.
Nearly the first quarter of the Journey is devoted to assembling these five elements in a single unit. The first five chapters are devoted to the transformation of Monkey into metal. The next few chapters have to do with Tripitaka’s transformation into spiritual fire. The next few chapters deal with the Buddha’s decision to create a quest, and Kuan Yin’s assembling of the 5 necessary elements for the success of the Quest. She notifies Tripitaka, who immediately begins on the quest, with the blessing of the emperor. Tripitaka over the next few chapters acquires Monkey, who helps him to get the White Horse, Piggy, and Sha Monk to join the Quest. With all the five elements assembled they were now ready to begin the Quest in earnest.
“We now tell you about master and disciples, the four of them, who, having awakened to the suchness of all things, broke the lock of dust asunder. Leaping clear from the flowing sand of the sea of nature, they were completely rid of any hindrance and proceeded westward on the main road.”[7]
Now that all five members of the Quest were assembled, they were able to proceed ‘on the main road.’ The base had been assembled. Now the purification and integration could begin.
Many of the following chapters have to do with the elements learning their proper roles. This is called harmonizing the five phases. What happens without Monkey to maintain order and discern good and evil? What happens when Tripitaka trusts Piggy over Monkey? What is the proper role of Sha Monk and the White Horse? How does Monkey get Piggy more involved? How does Tripitaka learn to discern truth from appearances? These trials have mainly to do with the imbalance of the five elements and how to rectify the imbalance.
In many of the episodes the external threats expose internal weaknesses. This gave the pilgrims the opportunity to learn how to harmonize together. In one obvious episode a Red faced boy disturbs the balance of the five elements, and nearly overturns the quest until tamed by Kuan Yin. In an introductory poem to the episode, it states:
“Muddled, you’ll be besieged by demons.
The Five Phases blocked will break the
spell of mediation,
As certainly as chill comes when the wind
rises.”[8]
A demon sees and wants to eat Tripitaka because of his pureness, as always. He realizes that he will never be able to defeat his guardians. The demon says to himself,
“If I try to overpower them, I may not even get near them, but if I try to use the good to deceive them, I may succeed. As long as I am able to beguile their minds. I can trick them even with the good. Then I’ll catch them for sure.”[9]
The demon turns himself into a naked helpless child. Tripitaka is moved by compassion to help the naked child. He is captured by the demon. When his disciple come to free him the demon’s helpers bring out five carts.
“The little fiends indeed placed the carts at five locations corresponding to the Five Phases of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.”
The demon, an equal match for Monkey, is about to be dominated when Piggy joins in. He retreats and uses the five carts to create an enormous fire that creates a lot of smoke, which scares Piggy and overwhelms Monkey.
“Marvelous fire! …
It’s the realized samadhi fire born of
the demon’s self-cultivation.
The five carts conform to the Five Phases,
Which grow and transform to beget the
flame. …
Growth and transformation, all are caused
by fire,
For all things flourish when fire fills
the sky.”[10]
A few points need be made. First fire is identified as the transformational element. It transforms wood into earth, water into steam, and earth into metal. Furthermore it is fire which transforms metal into an Immortal form through the casting process. Furthermore it is the fire of the sun combined with water, which transforms the earth into wood, i.e. life. Remember in our Taiji Quan and musical analogy fire is practice. It is practice which transforms, not insight.
While a controlled blaze transforms, an out-of balance fire destroys. In this episode, however, the transformational fire, the inner spiritual fire, the samadhi fire, is out of balance, threatening to destroy the Quest.
This fire of samadhi is a spiritual fire of transformation. It is the fire, which consumed the body of Buddha before he reached Nirvana. Under the Buddhist mythology this fire is a good fire because it burns away the illusionary material world. Under the context of the Journey, this fire is out-of-balance because it threatens the earthly Quest. The message being that we don’t want to leave this world until we have completed our Quest.
The demon tricks Tripitaka through his good compassionate side. The demon knows Tripitaka’s nickname, his substantiality, and is calling him.
“A spirit like that can even possess knowledge of a person’s nickname. If he should call out, hiding in the bushes or in the fold of the mountain, a person may get by if he does not answer him, but if he does answer, the spirit can snatch away his primal soul, or he can follow that person and take his life that night.”[11]
The demon has Tripitaka’s number; he is able to push his buttons. Tripitaka’s unbalanced fire upsets the five-phase carts, creating a tremendous blaze that threatens the entire journey.
In order to control the blazing fire, Monkey is reminded by the cool-headed Sha Monk to balance it with water. Trying all types of regular water unsuccessfully, finally Monkey gets Kuan Yin to use the sweet dew in her vase to subdue the demon. She says to Monkey,
“The sweet dew in my vase is not like that unauthorized rain of the Dragon Kings; it can extinguish the samadhi fire of the monster-spirit.”[12]
We remember the sweet dew as the sweet saliva that is generated when the sexual energy is contained in the earthen pot and cooked by the fire of consciousness. Hence the generation of the internal sweet dew will put out the excessive spiritual fire of samadhi. Hence the Taoist does not exclusively cultivate the spiritual fire but balances it with the sweet dew of life.
The Five Phases linked in sync can create tremendous powers for transformation. Each phase is “conceived as the product or ‘child’ of the precedent Evolutive Phase, which in turn is considered its ‘mother’.”[13]
Does this sound familiar to the Taoist concept expressed in the relationship of Mother Li to Lao Tzu. Each phase is both mother and child – child of the preceding phase and mother to the following phase. No mention of the father, pointing to the origination in the fertility cults of the Hunter-gatherer cultures. This aspect of the five-element theory is Taoist, not Confucian. There is only mother and child, no father. Remember that the father is the keystone of the Confucian system, aligning all of society behind his authority. This aspect of the wu-hsing theory has a distinctly matriarchal orientation.
Also the five elements theory is based on harmonization of diverse elements rather than domination. Harmonization and cultivation are words of the fertility cultures while domination and control are words of the cultures of domination.
On the surface the wu-hsing is not a hierarchical concept as it represents a circle of creation and destruction, each phase alternately a creator and a destroyer. However the Quest aligns itself in a very strict way behind Tripitaka, who establishes and aligns the mission. This order is very important. The Quest is not that of five members of a democracy. While each member has a unique role to play, while each member has unique defects, which threaten the Quest and must be overcome, Tripitaka is unquestionably in charge. Kuan Yin has put him in charge. All the other members of the Quest are his disciples and regularly refer to him as master.
Tripitaka has assembled the members behind him. Furthermore it is his quest, the other four are there to help him but he must complete the Quest for himself. Early on Piggy asks why Monkey cannot just carry Tripitaka over the obstacles. Monkey replies,
“It is required of Master to go through all these strange territories before he finds deliverance from the sea of sorrows; hence even one step turns out to be difficult. You and I are only his protective companions, guarding his body and life, but we cannot exempt him from these woes, nor can we obtain the scriptures all by ourselves.”[14]
Thus in the context of the Journey, the spiritual fire of Tripitaka is the dominant element, which aligns the rest. This alignment will become clearer when we explore the earth, mercury, and lead metaphor a little later on.
In summary, the five-element theory was formalized during the Warring States period. The theory was a powerful metaphor for spiritual transformation. Further the theory is at the heart of The Journey. The many poems sprinkled throughout the Journey are constantly referring to the five characters as the Five Phases. Seen through this light the many episodes make much more sense. Now that we have explored these alternative philosophical undercurrents let us look at the Confucian political undercurrents, which dominated current events.
[1] The Arts of China by Michael Sullivan p 83
[2]The Arts of China by Michael Sullivan p 83
[3]The Arts of China by Michael Sullivan p 83
[4]Contrary to popular modern mythology, the Great Wall of China was not built by the First Emperor of China, and tehn maintained by the following dynasties. Instead he probably built a common earthen wall according to the style of the time, which degenerated within a few generations, while its mythology lived on and then was transformed to inspire future generations. This theme was developed thoroughly in The Great Wall by Arthur Waldron, Cambridge University Press 1990
[5] The Arts of China by Michael Sullivan, p 51
[6]Master Ni constantly reminds us to direct our consciousness into our bellies.
[7]JW, V 1, p444
[8] JW 2 p. 246
[9]JW 2 p., 234
[10] JW 2 p. 251
[11]JW 2, p235
[12]JW 2, p 272
[13] JW 2 p. 433
[14] JW 1 p 436