On Clarity and Turbidity
The universe generates Qi, which has its boundaries. The clear and yang, being light and subtle, rise to form the heavens; the heavy and turbid, being dense and stagnant, descend to form the earth. The harmonious and balanced flow between heaven and earth nurtures all things. The essence inherited from heaven and earth manifests as yin and yang; the concentrated essence of yin and yang gives rise to the four seasons; the dispersed essence of the four seasons gives birth to all things.
Clarity represents yang, uprightness, auspiciousness, brightness, righteousness, focus, life, and unity. Heaven attains it and becomes clear; earth attains it and becomes tranquil; spirits attain it and become divine; valleys attain it and become fertile.
The clarity leads to goodness, while the turbidity leads to evil. The ultimate clarity leads to immortality, while the ultimate turbidity brings decay and death to all things; this is the extreme nature of clarity and turbidity. The inherent nature of heaven and earth is such that goodness begets goodness, evil begets evil, righteousness begets righteousness, and wickedness begets wickedness. Clarity governs turbidity, but turbidity cannot govern clarity. The law of heaven and earth dictates that goodness should govern evil, righteousness should govern wickedness, and clarity should govern turbidity. Evil cannot govern goodness, wickedness cannot govern righteousness, and turbidity cannot govern clarity.
Heaven encourages humans to practice goodness, thus granting them life. The way of heaven serves as the teacher and guide for all matters. The celestial law does not emulate clever words but rather emulates the accomplishment of deeds. The righteous path exists to promote goodness and eliminate evil.
Those who are pure and bright cherish purity and brightness. When the human mind is upright and tranquil, and utmost sincerity moves heaven without any malicious intent, auspicious and benevolent things emerge—this is the act of creation.
Cultivators draw upon the clear Qi of heaven through themselves. Cultivation itself has no fixed path; all righteous methods constitute cultivation, and convenience is akin to refining truth. All living beings inherently possess this path. By practicing the path in harmony with virtue and persevering in cultivation, one naturally transitions from turbidity to clarity, with the hope of ascension. Thus, the path lies within oneself. By grasping its essence and cultivating it diligently, one may eventually attain truth. Those who remain ignorant of the secrets of cultivation labor in vain through ritual practices, mistaking the submission of memorials and petitions for divine response, or reducing cultivation to mere breathing exercises and gestures. Consequently, their minds become increasingly deluded, their efforts increasingly futile, their true essence daily dissipated, and their true self daily exhausted.
