A Dialectical Analysis of the Tripartite Qualities of 'Dao' in the Guanzi: Intricacy, Expansion, and Solidity

Chapter 11: "Once the four limbs are proper and the blood-Qi is tranquil, with one intention grasping the mind, and the ears and eyes are not licentious, though distant things will seem near." — Specific Practices of Cultivation

I. The Sequence of the Four Phrases of Cultivation

These five short phrases describe a complete cultivation process:

"Once the four limbs are proper" (四體既正) "Four limbs" (四體) refers to the four limbs, here representing the entire body. "Zheng" (正) means proper, upright. The first step of cultivation is to straighten the body—sit properly, stand upright, with the body not crooked or slack.

Why start with the body$34 Because body and mind are one; the state of the body directly affects the state of mind-Qi. If the body is crooked, Qi flow is obstructed; if the body is slack, the spirit is weak. Straightening the body is a prerequisite for straightening the mind-Qi.

The Analects, "Xiang Dang" (鄉黨), records Confucius's daily posture: "When sleeping, he did not sprawl like a corpse; when at home, he was not dissolute." It also states: "If the mat was not straight, he would not sit." Confucius's attention to bodily posture reflects the pre-Qin emphasis on bodily uprightness.

"And the blood-Qi is tranquil" (血氣既靜) After the body is straightened, the blood-Qi gradually becomes tranquil. "Blood-Qi" (血氣) in pre-Qin thought refers to the vital energy at the bodily level, in contrast to "Jing Qi" (精氣)—Jing Qi is the subtle vital energy.

When blood-Qi is tranquil, it means the body is no longer restless or tense. Breathing is steady, heart rate is stable, muscles are relaxed—these are the physical conditions for entering deep cultivation.

The Analects, "Ji Shi" (季氏), records Confucius saying: "In my youth, my blood and Qi were not yet settled, so I was cautious about sexual desire; in my prime, my blood and Qi were strong, so I was cautious about fighting; in my old age, my blood and Qi had declined, so I was cautious about seeking gain." Blood-Qi has different states—not settled, strong, and declined—cultivators need to bring their blood-Qi to a state of "tranquility," which is different from these natural states but achieved actively through cultivation.

"With one intention grasping the mind" (一意摶心) "One intention" (一意) means the intention is unified. "Grasping the mind" (抟心) means to gather and condense the mind. We discussed "grasping Qi" earlier; here "grasping the mind" goes a step further—not only must Qi be gathered, but the mind must also be gathered.

The gathering of Qi is at the physiological level; the gathering of the mind is at the psychological level. When they are unified—"one intention grasping the mind"—it is true grasping.

This responds to the first question "Can you grasp it$35" and the second question "Can you unify it$36" in the previous section—"one intention grasping the mind" is the specific practice of "grasping and unifying."

"And the ears and eyes are not licentious" (耳目不淫) "Yin" (淫) means excessive or unrestrained. "Ears and eyes are not licentious" means the ears and eyes are not unrestrainedly directed outwards—they are not pulled away by external sounds and sights.

Why specifically mention ears and eyes$37 Because ears and eyes are the main channels through which people receive external information and the primary ways the mind is disturbed by external circumstances. When ears and eyes are not licentious, external stimuli cannot invade the inner mind; when external stimuli do not enter, the mind can dwell in unity.

Laozi, Chapter Twelve, "The five colors blind the eye; the five sounds deafen the ear"—this is a warning against this very issue.

"Though distant things will seem near" (雖遠若近) When the body is proper, blood-Qi is tranquil, intention and mind are unified, and the senses are restrained, the cultivator reaches a cognitive state of "though distant things will seem near"—distant things are as clearly known as if they were close at hand.

This does not mean the physical eyes can see distant objects, but rather that the mind's perceptive capacity transcends spatial limitations. When the mind is no longer disturbed by external circumstances and not limited by the senses, its scope of perception naturally expands—all things are connected to the cultivator through vital energy, and distance is no longer an obstacle.

II. The Internal Logic of This Cultivation Sequence

Body proper → Blood-Qi tranquil → Intention unified → Senses restrained → Cognition expanded. This sequence has a rigorous internal logic:

The body is the most coarse and tangible level, and also the easiest to work with, hence starting with straightening the body. When the body is proper, Qi flows; when Qi flows, it can become tranquil. When the mind-Qi is tranquil, the mind's activity is less disturbed, allowing it to unify. When the mind is unified, it no longer needs external sensory input, and the senses naturally become restrained. After the senses are restrained, the mind's cognition is no longer limited by the sensory range and naturally expands to distant things.

This sequence progresses from the external to the internal, from coarse to subtle, and from tangible to intangible—a very logical path of cultivation.

III. Similar Descriptions of Cultivation Practices in Pre-Qin Literature

Zhuangzi, Human World (人間世):

"If you unify your mind, do not listen with your ears but listen with your mind; do not listen with your mind but listen with your Qi. Listening stops at the ears; the mind stops at what it corresponds to. Qi is that which is empty and awaits things. Only the Dao gathers in emptiness. Emptiness is called 'fasting the mind'."

This description highly corresponds to the cultivation sequence in Neiye:

• "If you unify your mind" (若一志) — One intention grasping the mind (一意摶心)
• "do not listen with your ears" (無聽之以耳) — Ears and eyes are not licentious (耳目不淫)
• "listen with your mind... listen with your Qi" (聽之以心……聽之以氣) — Deepening from mind to Qi
• "Qi is that which is empty and awaits things" (氣也者，虛而待物者也) — Blood-Qi is tranquil (血氣既靜)
• "Only the Dao gathers in emptiness" (唯道集虛) — Though distant things will seem near (雖遠若近, as the Dao gathers in emptiness, the cultivator achieves emptiness and can sense the Dao)

The common point between the two is: both advocate transcending the sensory level (ears and eyes) to the level of the mind, then transcending the mind to the level of Qi, ultimately reaching the state of unity with the Dao.

Related discussions in Guanzi, Xinshu Shang:

"Heaven is called emptiness; Earth is called stillness. Then one does not attack. Cleanse your palace, open your gate, cast aside self-interest and do not speak; then the spirits and divinities seem to exist. Though chaotic as if in disorder, stillness brings self-governance. Strength cannot universally stand; wisdom cannot exhaust all plans. Things inherently have form; form inherently has names... Reside in your place and be content in your dwelling; love Qi, and your lifespan will be complete. Tian (天, Heaven) is benevolence; Di (地, Earth) is righteousness."

"Cleanse your palace" (潔其宮) means cleansing the mind's dwelling (proper body); "open your gate" (開其門) means opening the gate of the senses but not being unrestrained; "cast aside self-interest and do not speak" (去私毋言) means discarding selfish thoughts and ceasing speech; "then the spirits and divinities seem to exist" (神明若存) means the spirit is bright as if spirits exist—this is of the same lineage as the cultivation sequence in Neiye.