Nei-yeh (Chinese Self-Cultivation Manual)
17. Practicing Coiling/Uncoiling develops the Tao’s Power (Te)
1 For all [to practice] this Way:
2 You must coil, you must contract,
3 You must uncoil, you must expand,
4 You must be firm, you must be regular [in this practice].
5 Hold fast to this excellent [practice], do not let go of it.
6 Chase away the excessive; abandon the trivial.
7 And when you reach its ultimate limit
8 You will return to the Way (Tao) and its inner power (te).
Commentary
Verse 17 is highly significant as it suggests that dynamic physical movement is an essential feature in the development of te, the internal power that results from alignment with the Tao.
Lines 1-3:
1 For all [to practice] this Way:
2 You must coil, you must contract,
3 You must uncoil, you must expand,
Another way of translating these initial lines: “Regarding the Tao: these ideal practices consist of coiling/contracting and uncoiling/releasing.”
Roth associates these practices with breath control, certainly a plausible interpretation. However, the lines could also have an entirely different meaning, especially for those of us who are involved in the art of movement, such as dancers, martial artists and athletes. This snake-like image evokes the dynamic physical practices of Tai Chi, which is a blend of the breath control practices of Qi Gong and martial arts movements. Any of these disciplines would fit the category, as they combine movement with breath. For me, these lines clearly indicate that the Tai-chi-like physical practices that the Chinese have been involved in for millennia are an essential component of self-cultivation.
Further the spiraling image fits with a standard Taoist notion. We must spiral towards the Tao, rather than approaching it directly. Is it possible that the direct approach leads to imbalance? Could coiling make it easier to attune with the natural rhythms of the Tao?
Lines 4-8:
4 You must be firm, you must be regular [in this practice].
5 Hold fast to this excellent [practice], do not let go of it.
6 Chase away the excessive; abandon the trivial.
7 And when you reach its ultimate limit
8 You will return to the Way (Tao) and its inner power (te).
Paraphrasing: We must be both firm and regular in this excellent practice. If we also ‘chase away the excessive’ and ‘abandon the trivial’, we will reach the ultimate limit and return to the Tao and its te (inner power).
'Excess' from Line 6 is an important Chinese concept. It is the opposite of the center (zhöng). We must avoid excess of any kind to attain the center. Excess both takes us past our perimeter and breaks the connection with our core. In Tai Chi’s Push Hands, our opponent can take advantage of the imbalance that is the result of excess. Similarly life’s circumstances inevitably throw us off our center when our behavior is excessive.
The notion of ‘reaching a limit’ from Line 7 is also highly significant in Chinese thought. For instance in the I Ching, yin turns into yang after completing its cycle, and vice versa. This verse suggests that practicing for sufficient duration leads to a breakthrough of some kind. In other words, progress is not gradual and consistent, but instead step-like. Instead of abandoning our practices due to lack of progress, we must patiently wait for this moment when we jump to a higher level of mastery – in this case, attunement with the Tao.
This is the second time that Tao and te are linked. The Nei-yeh’s usage suggests that a plausible translation of Tao Te Ching is ‘The Classic of the Tao’s Inner Power’. While the Lao Tzu tells us about the nature of Tao and te, the Nei-yeh tells us how to attain the Tao and develop te.
This verse seems to suggest that we must engage in some kind of regular practice that involves coiling and uncoiling. Further we must avoid the excessive and trivial in order to reach the limit. After attaining the limit, we are able to tap into the te (the inner power) of the Tao (the Way).