Wuzhen pian

TheWuzhen pian(Chinese:Ngộ thật thiên;pinyin:Wùzhēn piān;Wade–Giles:Wu-chen p'ien;lit.'Folios on Awakening to Reality/Perfection') is a 1075Taoist classiconNeidan-styleinternal alchemy.Its author Zhang Boduan (Trương bá đoan;987?–1082) was aSong dynastyscholar of theThree teachings(Confucianism,Taoism,andBuddhism).

Title

Wuzhen piancombines three Chinese words.

• wuNgộ"realize; awaken; understand; perceive (esp. truth)", viz. Japanesesatori
• zhenThật"true, real, genuine; really, truly, clearly; (Daoist) true/authentic character of human beings"
• pianThiên"piece of writing; strip of bamboo, sheet of paper; article, essay, chapter"

TheChinese characterwuNgộ "awaken; realize", which is written with the "heart/mindradical"Tâm and aphoneticofwuNgô"I; my; we; our", has a literaryvariant Chinese characterwuNgụ"awake; wake up" with the "roof radical" miên,qiangTường "bed", and thiswuNgô phonetic. Compare the given name ofSun WukongTôn Ngộ Không, the central character inJourney to the West,which literally means "Awaken to Emptiness".

The ambiguity of theWuzhen piantitle, and by extension the text itself, is illustrated by these English renderings:

• Essay on the Understanding of the Truth
• Folios on the Apprehension of Perfection
• Awakening to Perfection
• Understanding Reality
• Chapters on Awakening to the Real
• Chapters on Awakening to Perfection
• The Essay on Realizing the Truth
• Awakening to Reality

Author

Zhang Boduan, or Zhang Ziyang (Trương Tử Dương), was a native ofTiantaiin present-dayZhe gian g.After passing theImperial examination,he began a career as a civil servant, but was banished to the frontier inLingnan,where he served as a military commissioner. Zhang was later transferred toGuilinandChengdu,where in 1069 he allegedly experienced sudden realization from aTaoist masterwho instructed him inNeidaninternal alchemy. Zhang wrote theWuzhen pian,its appendices, and a few other texts, including theJindan sibai zi(Chinese:Kim Đan 400 tự;lit.'Four hundred words on the Golden Elixir').He was additionally an authority onChan Buddhism.

Biographical sources agree that Zhang Boduan died in 1082 CE during the reign ofEmperor Shenzong of Song,but disagree whether he was born in 983, 984, or 987. Zhang was honorifically called Ziyang Zhenren (Tử Dương chân nhân), ranking him as a Taoistzhenren,a title that shares the wordzhen(real/true/authentic) withWuzhen pian.

TheQuanzhen Schoolof Taoism originated in the 12th century with the Five Northern Patriarchs (Wang Chongyangand his successors). In the 13th century, Zhang Boduan posthumously became the second of the Five Southern Patriarchs in the so-calledNanzong(Nam tông;'Southern Lineage'), which Boltz refers to as "ex post facto".

InShaanxi,Hong Kong,andSingapore,there areZhenren Gong(Chân nhân cung;'Real/Perfected Person Temples') dedicated to Zhang Boduan.

Texts

The receivedWuzhen piantext contains a preface dated 1075 and a postface dated 1078, both under the name Zhang Boduan. TheDaozang"Taoist Canon" includes several textual editions of varying lengths.

The core of theWuzhen piancomprises 81 poems: 16 heptasyllabiclüshi,64 heptasyllabicjuejuquatrains, and one pentasyllabic verse on theTaiyi(Quá một;'Great Unity'). Both 16 (= 2 x 8) and 64 (= 8 x 8) have numerological significance, the former denotes two equal "8 ounce" measures ofYin and Yang(alchemical allusions for mercury and lead) totaling "16 ounces" (onecatty), and the latter correlates with the 64I Chinghexagrams.

Zhang later appended theWuzhen piantext with 12 alchemicalci(i.e., lyrics) that numerologically correspond to the 12 months, and 5 verses related with thewu xing.

Baldrian-Hussein describes the text:

The verses of theWuzhen pianare a work of literary craftsmanship and were probably intended to be sung or chanted. They teem with paradoxes, metaphors, and aphorisms, and their recondite style allows multiple interpretations. The verses are widely accepted as an elaboration of theZhouyi cantong qi,but their philosophical basis is in theDaode jingand theYinfu jing.Life, says Zhang Boduan, is like a bubble on floating water or a spark from a flint, and the search for wealth and fame only results in bodily degeneration; thus human beings should search for the Golden Elixir (jindanKim Đan ) to become celestial immortals (tianxianThiên tiên ).

TheWuzhen pianis one of the major scriptures of TaoistNeidan( "Inner Alchemy" ) and metaphorically uses the vocabulary ofWaidan( "External Alchemy" ), which involved compounding elixirs from minerals and medicinal herbs. The text proposes that External Alchemy is unnecessary because the human body contains the essential components. TheseThree Treasuresarejing,qi,andshen.Through alchemical refinement of bodilyjingandqi,one can supposedly achieve integration with one's spiritualshennature.

Commentaries

The intentionally abstruse and highly symbolic language of theWuzhen pianis open to diverse interpretations. Many commentators, both Taoist and otherwise, have explicated the text.

TheTaoist Canonincludes a dozen commentaries (zhuChủ ) and sub-commentaries (shuSơ ) to theWuzhen pian.Major commentaries are by Ye Shibiao ( diệp sĩ biểu; dated 1161), Yuan Gongfu ( xa công phụ; dated 1202), and several (dated 1335 and 1337) by Weng Baoquang ( ông bảo quang ) and Dai Qizong ( mang khởi tông ).

In addition, there are numerous later commentaries to the text. Two notable examples are by Qiu Zhao'ao ( thù triệu ngao; dated 1713), who quotes from 25 commentaries, and byLiu Yiming(dated 1794), who was 11th patriarch of the Quanzhen Longmen"Dragon Gate" Lineage.

Translations

TheWuzhen pianhas full and partial translations into English. Tenney L. Davis and Chao Yün-ts’ung, who collaborated on several groundbreaking studies of Taoist alchemy, published the first English version.Paul Crowewrote a detailed study of theWuzhen piantext and a full annotated translation.Thomas Clearyfully translated the text and Liu Yiming's commentary. Partial translations are given by Livia Kohnand Eva Wong.Fabrizio Pregadio translates the first 16 poems, with annotations on individual verses and selections from Liu Yiming's commentary.

Louis Komjathyuses Cleary's version to illustrate the importance of "linguistic competency" in translating Taoist texts. Komjathy describes theWuzhen pian's content as "so highly symbolic that it is all but impenetrable without commentaries or oral instructions." For instance, the Chinese original of the third stanza is written in four paired heptasyllabic verses:

Học tiên cần là học thiên tiên,

Duy có Kim Đan nhất đoan.
Nhị vật sẽ khi tình tính hợp,
Ngũ hành toàn chỗ long hổ bàn.
Bổn nhân mậu mình vì môi phinh,
Toại sử phu thê trấn hợp hoan.
Chỉ chờ công thành triều bắc khuyết,

Chín ráng màu giá tường loan.

The first translation is by Davis and Chao.

If you are learning to be ahsien(immortal), you should learn to be a heavenlyhsien.The most accurate means (for this purpose) ischin tan(gold medicine). The two things, when put into contact with each other, will indicate harmonious properties. The Tiger and the Dragon locate at the places where thewu hsingNgũ hành (five elements) are perfected. I desire to sendwu ssuMậu tị as a matchmaker to make them husband and wife and to bring them into a union from which real happiness will arise. Wait for the success of the compounding, and you will return to see the north gate of the Imperial palace. You will be able to ride on a phoenix's back, to fly high into the cloud and the light of the sky.

Cleary idiosyncratically translates in capital letters to distinguish the text from his translation of Liu's commentary:

IF YOU ARE GOING TO STUDY IMMORTALITY, YOU SHOULD STUDY CELESTIAL IMMORTALITY; ONLY THE GOLD ELIXIR IS WORTHWHILE. WHEN THE TWO THINGS JOIN, SENSE AND ESSENCE MERGE; WHEN THE FIVE ELEMENTS ARE COMPLETE, THE TIGER AND DRAGON INTERTWINE. STARTING WITH HEAVEN-EARTH AND EARTH-EARTH AS GO-BETWEENS, FINALLY HUSBAND AND WIFE CONJOIN HAPPILY. JUST WAIT FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT TO BE COMPLETED TO PAY COURT TO THE NORTH PALACE GATE; IN THE LIGHT OF NINEFOLD MIST YOU RIDE A FLYING PHOENIX.

Komjathy criticizes both the style and language of Cleary's translation, noting, "Except for punctuation, Cleary’s format gives the reader little indication that he or she is reading poetry." He also says, "Cleary’s translation choices for various technical terms deviate from more standard renderings, and thus without knowledge of Chinese and the Chinese text one cannot easily identify the relevant correlates." One example concerns twoCelestial stems.

Cleary translates the most technical section of this stanza, line five, as “Starting with Heaven-Earth and Earth-Earth as go-betweens.” With no annotation, the reader wonders what Chinese phrases Cleary is translating. An educated reader’s initial guess might beYijinghexagrams. As it turns out, the Chinese text has the characterswuMậu andjiMình, the fifth and sixth of the ten Celestial Stems (tianganThiên can ), respectively. Cleary does not provide an explanation for or introduction to such choices, althoughUnderstanding Reality,unlike his later publications, contains a glossary of terms.

He suggests a "more accurate and technical translation":

[If you wish to] study immortality, you should study celestial immortality (tianxian);

This alone is the most superior doctrine of the Golden Elixir (jindan).
When the two things meet [?], the emotions (qing) and innate nature (Xing) are joined;
The Five Phases (wu xing ) completely settle, Tiger and Dragon entwine.
From the beginning,wuandjiare taken as the matchmaker,
Thus causing husband and wife to be protected in commingled bliss.
Simply wait until the practice (gong) is completed, [then] face towards the Northern Tower (beique);

Amidst the illumination of nine vapors, you mount an auspicious phoenix.

Komjathy concludes, "Although Cleary’s translation has certain deficiencies, he seems intent on staying close to the text and rendering it in a way that generally respects the work’s complexity."

Compare how Paul Crowe translates this same stanza:

[If you are going to] study immortality then it must be celestial immortality,

[which] alone is the most superior doctrine of the golden elixir.
When the two things come together [then the] emotions and inner nature coalesce,
the dragon and tiger entwine where the five phases become complete.
From the beginning rely uponjueji[sic,wuji] to be the matchmaker;
then cause the husband and wife to be calm and joyous.
Simply wait until the work is completed [then] pay court to the Northern Palace;

amidst the brightness in nine rose-coloured clouds [you will] ride the auspiciousluanbird.

For translating the thornywujiexpression, Crowe notes, "WuMậu andjiMình refer to the fifth and sixth of the ten celestial stems (tianganThiên can ) which, in combination, correspond to the earth phase which occupies the central position. "

There is also a poetic translation by Richard Bertschinger.It includes his commentary based upon classical sources. Here is his translation of the same stanza with commentary:

"A Study of Fairyhood must be
A Study of natural Fairyhood
Since the Golden Elixir itself
Is quite evidently unique.
As the Two Materials assemble,
What you feel and what you are unite -
The Cycle of Five coiling entirely
Together as Dragon and Tiger:

At their Origin they rely on the Soil,
There as Go-between,
Enabling Husband and Wife
To protect their happy home together,
Awaiting only the Task's completion -
Dawn at the Northern Gate,
Nine Times layered clouds with Red Rays of light,

We hold back our fabulous Luan... "

Reality is all around us... all around in the natural world. The tender dusk; the beautiful dawn; an unfolding flower; the soaking mist; a snowfall; the moon rise, all is evidently unique. Two Materials are involved in this delicate dance of living water and flame - the central lines of Kan (water) and Li (fire); the one source essence (yuan jing), the other source spirit (yuan shen). As what we feel and are within meld, body and mind are one, tumbling Dragon and Tiger - Wood and Fire, Gold and Water amixed. Praise be to the Soil! Dear Kun-mother, match-maker, breasted woman, Dark Female! She stands as go-between, protecting our happy home. The Elixir born, dawn breaks at the Northern Gate of Kan, the sun rises on a chilly dawn - its first warm rays bless our cold bodies; the clouds ablaze, the sandals on our feet strong. Hold back your fabulous steeds... it does not bode well to release too soon. "

And finally, here is how Fabrizio Pregadio translates the same verses:

If you study immortality,
you should study celestial immortality:
only the Golden Elixir
is the highest principle.
When the two things meet,
emotions and nature join one another;
where the five agents are whole,
Dragon and Tiger coil.

Rely in the first place onwuandji
that act as go-betweens,
then let husband and wife
join together and rejoice.
Just wait until your work is achieved
to have audience at the Northern Portal,
and in the radiance of a ninefold mist
you will ride a soaring phoenix.

In his notes, Pregadio remarks that the imagery of the final four verses is similar to the one found in a passage of theZhouyi cantong qi(see also theFrench Wikipediapage):

With the Way completed and Virtue fulfilled,
withdraw, stay concealed, and wait for your time.
The Great One will send forth his summons,
and you move your abode to the Central Land.
Your work concluded, you ascend on high
to obtain the Register and receive the Chart.

The last line of theCantong qipassage refers to receiving consecration as an Immortal.

References

• Baldrian-Hussein, Farzeen (2007). "Wuzhen pian". In Fabrizio Pregadio (ed.).The Encyclopedia of Taoism.Routledge. pp. 1081–1084.
• Boltz, Judith M. (1987).A Survey of Taoist Literature, Tenth to Seventeenth Centuries.University of California.
• Cleary, Thomas (1987).Understanding Reality: A Taoist Alchemical Classic.University of Hawaii Press.
• Crowe, Paul (1997).An annotated translation and study of Chapters on Awakening to the Real: A Song Dynasty Classic of Inner Alchemy Attributed to Zhang Boduan(Thesis). University of British Columbia.doi:10.14288/1.0099267.
• Davis, Tenney L.; Chao, Yün-ts’ung (1939)."Chang Po-tuan of T'ien-t'ai, his Wu Chen P'ien, Essay on the Understanding of the Truth".Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.73(5): 97–117.doi:10.2307/25130157.JSTOR25130157.
• Kohn, Livia (1993).The Taoist Experience: An Anthology.State University of New York Press.
• Komjathy, Louis (2004).Daoist Texts in Translation(PDF).
• Pregadio, Fabrizio (2009).Awakening to Reality: The "Regulated Verses" of theWuzhen pian,a Taoist Classic of Internal Alchemy.Golden Elixir Press.ISBN9780984308217.
• Wong, Eva (1997).Teachings of the Tao.Shambhala.
• Bertschinger, Richard (2016).Written Upon Awakening to Reality.Tao Booklets.[2]

Footnotes

Further reading

• Robinet, Isabelle. 1995.Introduction à l’alchimie intérieure taoïste: De l’unité et de la multiplicité. Avec une traduction commentée des Versets de l’éveil à la Vérité.Paris: Éditions du Cerf. [Contains on pp. 205–54 an annotated translation of theWuzhen pian.]