Nei-yeh (Chinese Self-Cultivation Manual)
9. The Benefits of Holding Fast to the One
1 Those who can transform a single thing, call them 'numinous' (shên).
2 Those that can alter even a single situation, call them 'wise'.
3 But to transform without expending vital energy (ch’i); to alter without expending wisdom:
4 Only exemplary persons who hold fast to the One are able to do this.
5 Hold fast to the One, do not lose it,
6 And you will be able to master the myriad things.
7 Exemplary persons act upon things,
8 And are not acted upon by them,
9 Because they grasp the guiding principle of the One.
Commentary
Verse 9 introduces a new concept, simply ‘the One’.
Lines 1-2:
1 Those who can transform a single thing, call them 'numinous' (shên).
2 Those that can alter even a single situation, call them 'wise'.
It takes shên to ‘transform things’ and wisdom to ‘alter situations’.
Shên, like ch’i, jing, Tao, yin and yang, is one of those significant Chinese word-concepts for which there is no Western equivalent. Roth translates shên as ‘numinous’, a decidedly ambiguous term – a placeholder with little relevance to the contemporary reader. Shên is commonly translated as ‘spirit’. This frequent association is definitely misleading in that it suggests an ethereal, other-worldly entity.
Suffice it to say that shên is an organizational energy that is linked to our cognitive powers. As such, the following diagram associates shên with mental acuity. We will explore the nuances of this important word-concept in more depth in subsequent verses of the Nei-yeh.
Lines 3-4:
3 But to transform without expending vital energy (ch’i); to alter without expending wisdom:
4 Only exemplary persons who hold fast to the One are able to do this.
Only individuals who ‘hold fast to the One’ are able achieve these changes without losing ch’i or expending wisdom. These lines imply that it is possible to ‘transform things’ and ‘alter situations’ without using any energy, both physical (ch’i) and mental (wisdom). In order to expend a minimum of energy, we must engage in the self-cultivation process of ‘holding fast to the One.’ What does this mean?
Lines 5-6:
5 Hold fast to the One, do not lose it,
6 And you will be able to master the myriad things.
In similar fashion to jing, ch’i and the Tao, the Nei-yeh counsels us to both secure and stabilize the One. The process of ‘holding fast to the One’ results in ‘mastering the myriad (10,000) things’, i.e. everything. Could ‘mastering everything’ be the same as possessing all the necessary skills to manifest our innate nature?
We will explore the Chinese concept of ‘innate nature’ in later chapters. For now suffice it say that innate nature is related to the unique potentials that each of us are born with. In this context, stabilizing the One enables us to master all the skills we need to fulfill our potentials.
What is this ‘One’ that we are to stabilize within us? The Nei-yeh has yet to reveal what it means.
Lines 7-9:
7 Exemplary persons act upon things,
8 And are not acted upon by them,
9 Because they grasp the guiding principle of the One.
These final lines continue developing the same theme – the relationship between transforming the world and the One. Exceptional people are able to transform things without being transformed. Why? ‘Because they grasp the guiding principle of the One’. Due to these practices and understanding, they are able to act upon things without being acted upon.
Could this mean that an individual is not knocked off their personal path by the circumstances that he or she is attempting to alter? Veering from personal values in the midst of the crowd is certainly a common phenomenon, as witnessed by the actions of many of our political representatives. Is it possible that ‘grasping the One’ enables us to maintain personal integrity in the midst of social pressure? Could ‘stabilizing the One’ enable us to continue manifesting our innate nature despite contrary influences?
Tying the entire verse together: ‘Holding fast to the One’ results in three positive processes: 1) minimizing energy expenditure when transforming the community, 2) mastering necessary skills, and 3) maintaining personal integrity in the midst of change.
What does ‘the One’ mean? Roth equates the One with the Tao. This works well in the song-poem. By holding fast to the ‘guiding principle’ of the Tao, we can transform the world without being changed or losing our ch’i. However as we’ve seen, the Tao is quite ambiguous. What are the specifics of this vague process – ‘holding fast to the One’?
Master Ni on 'the One'
The word 'Tao' is frequently employed to mean the ideal way, path or method. Which is the ideal method – the ‘guiding principle’ – that enables us to act without losing energy? Although the Tao and the One are related, Master Ni offers some refinements.
Ni: “From Wuji comes Taiji.
(He draws a circle with his finger and dots the center.)
From Nothing comes the One, which splits Wuji into Yin and Yang.
Although Two Hands, Yin and Yang, Substantial and Insubstantial,
They move as One, Taiji, always circling, like Wuji.
No edges.” (February 16, 2000)1
This quotation suggests that the One is taiji, the balance point between yin and yang, the Two. Further the One emerges from Zero, wuji. In this context, ‘holding fast to the One’ means to maintain the balance, taiji. Residing in the middle, we swing like a door, but are not changed. This interpretation of the One removes some of the Tao’s mysticism and replaces it with a pragmatic suggestion: Hold to the middle.
How do we ‘hold to the middle’? Master Ni provides some suggestions in this regard.
Ni: “Tai Chi is balance of Yin & Yang.
Humans a balance of yin and yang.
If 50-50, healthy. If not, then sick.
Tai Chi 2 - Martial 3 - Tao 1.
How to ‘Return to the One’?
Join Mind as One - this is Tao.
This is ‘Return to the One’.
Tai Chi can go Martial or Tao.
I teach Tao.”
In this statement, Master Ni equates ‘Joining the Mind as One’ with ‘Returning to the One’. Further he equates this process with the Tao2, as the ideal method or algorithm for living. According to traditional Taoist philosophy, we are born integrated. Living in this world fragments this initial integration. One of the goals of self-cultivation practices is to return to our original state, the One – our condition prior to fragmentation.
This is accomplished by ‘Joining the Mind as One’. This implies that the Mind has multiple parts that might act independently of one another – implying a lack of integration.
How do we ‘Join Mind as One’?
Ni: “Mind very powerful. Sees and wants.
Must eliminate desire.
Unite jing, ch’i, shên as One.
Then blend lights, internal and external, with integrated energy.
This is the Way.”
Like the Nei-yeh, Master Ni considers hsin, our heart-mind, to be the source of desire. When he says ‘must eliminate desire’, we take this to mean the obsessive desires that are catalyzed by sight, perhaps the craving for a new car or technological gadget. This type of desire is quite different from our biological desires, such as hunger, thirst or sex.
This quotation indicates that the integration of jing, ch’i, and shên, the classic trio of energies, is linked with controlling our cravings. We must unite these energies and then blend this ‘integrated energy’ with the lights from our eyes in order to ‘Join the Mind as One’. This is the Way, the Tao, of eliminating desires. (We are familiar with the cosmic energies jing and ch’i; shên’s introduction is coming soon.)
Master Ni finishes with this line. ‘This is the Way, [the Tao]’. Instead of being the One, the Tao is equated with the method of integrating the Mind. ‘Joining the Mind as One’ is the process of the Tao. In this case, the Tao is neither the One, nor the Mind, but represents the method of integrating the Mind as One to eliminate desires.
In this context, ‘Returning to the One’ means returning to the original state, when the Mind was integrated and balanced. The Tao is the Way, i.e. the method of eliminating desires via mental integration.
Summary
Verse 9: Transforming a single thing: call it shên. Altering a single situation: call it wisdom. Only those who ‘hold fast to the One’ are able to transform things without losing ch’i and to alter situations without losing wisdom. ‘Holding fast to the One’ results in mastering the 10,000 things. Those who ‘hold fast to the One’ are able to influence events without the events influencing them.
What is the meaning of ‘holding fast to the One’? Master Ni suggests that the One could be taiji, the balance point between yin and yang. In this context, ‘holding fast to the One’ could mean sticking to the mean rather than indulging in excessive behavior.
Master Ni also states that ‘returning to the One’ is equivalent to ‘joining Mind as One’. This process entails integrating jing, ch’i and shên plus uniting inner and outer lights – the internal and external.
Master Ni also equates the Tao with the ideal practices that lead to energy integration. If the Tao is the One as Roth suggests, then holding fast to the One could mean consistently engaging in self-cultivation practices. Integrating the 2 interpretations: the One as the Tao could be the practices that lead to balance. ‘Holding fast to these practices’ results in influencing the community without compromising internal energy or integrity.
Footnotes
1 Master Ni’s Principles for Tai Chi & Life, don lehman jr., Lulu Press, 2015, p. 25. All of the Master Ni quotes come from this book.
2 To differentiate the two, translators frequently employ a lower case ‘tao’ for the process, and an upper case ‘Tao’ for the state.