Chapter Eighteen: Reconstructing the Lineage of the Ancient Tradition of Self-Cultivation

I. From Wu-Shamans to Daoism: The Transmission and Transformation of Cultivation Technique

In Chapter One, this essay proposed that the cultivation tradition of the Neiye may descend from the learning of the ancient wu-shamans. Let us now trace this line of transmission in greater detail.

Cultivation characteristics of the ancient wu-shamans (according to Guan Shefu's words in the Guoyu, "Chuyu Xia"):

• Vital essences undivided -- the spirit is gathered and single-pointed
• Reverent, upright, and centered -- body and mind are aligned
• Wisdom ranging up and down -- cognitive power surpasses the ordinary
• Sagacity illuminating afar -- insight reaches far
• Brightness shining -- inner radiance
• Hearing penetrating -- auditory (responsive) power surpasses the ordinary

Corresponding cultivation characteristics in the Neiye:

• The whole heart abiding at the center; intent unified and heart concentrated -- the spirit is gathered and single-pointed
• Four limbs aligned, blood-qi calm -- body and mind are aligned
• Knowing fortune and misfortune without divination -- cognitive power surpasses the ordinary
• Even the distant seems near -- insight reaches far
• The heart-qi's form brighter than the sun and moon -- inner radiance
• The unspoken voice swifter than thunder and drums -- responsive power surpasses the ordinary

The correspondence between the two is strikingly close. This is unlikely to be coincidence; it more likely reflects a genuine line of transmission.

Yet between the two lies a fundamental transformation:

• The ancient wu-shamans believed these abilities came from "luminous spirits descending upon them" -- the descent of deities into the shaman's body
• The Neiye holds that these abilities come from "the pinnacle of vital essence" -- the natural development of the cultivator's own vital essence

This transformation is the transformation from religion to philosophy: the same cultivation experience is furnished with an entirely different explanatory framework.

II. The Reorganization of Knowledge After "Severing the Communication Between Heaven and Earth"

The Shangshu, "Lv Xing," records the historical event of "severing the communication between Heaven and Earth" (jue di tian tong). Before this event, the wu-shamans were the sole channel of communication between Heaven and Earth; afterward, the power of divine communication was concentrated among a few official shamans and priests, and ordinary shamans lost their legitimacy.

This event had a far-reaching impact on the cultivation tradition:

1. Cultivation techniques that had belonged to the shamans began to flow into the general population
2. Shamans who lost their official status needed to find a new basis of legitimacy for their cultivation techniques -- no longer appealing to spirits and gods but to natural philosophy
3. These cultivation techniques were gradually absorbed by the Hundred Schools, becoming components of the self-cultivation learning of Daoism, Confucianism, and other traditions

The Neiye is a crystallization of this historical process. It preserves the core techniques of shamanistic cultivation (concentrating qi, stilling the heart, sympathetic resonance) but fundamentally changes the explanatory framework ("not by the power of spirits and gods, but through the pinnacle of vital essence"), transforming it into a rational, universally practicable art of self-cultivation.

III. The Cultural Background of the Neiye from the Perspective of the State of Qi

The Neiye was produced in the Jixia Academy of the state of Qi, and this cultural background is highly significant.

The cultural tradition of Qi differed markedly from that of other states. The Shiji, "Hereditary House of Qi Tai Gong," records that when the Grand Duke (Tai Gong) was enfeoffed in Qi, he "followed local customs and simplified the rites" -- preserving local customs and simplifying the ritual system of the Zhou. This means that Qi retained more of the ancient eastern cultural tradition, including shamanistic culture.

The Hanshu (Book of Han), "Treatise on Geography" (though a Han-dynasty text, its account of Qi customs has pre-Qin roots), records: "The lands of Qi abound in silk, hemp, and textile industry... the people are fond of classical learning." The people of Qi valued practical technique, and this is reflected in the character of the Guanzi -- the Guanzi discusses not only the Dao but also technology, economics, military affairs, and other practical matters.

In this cultural context, the cultivation theory of the Neiye bears the stamp of Qi culture -- it is not pure speculation but is tightly integrated with actual cultivation technique. "Four limbs aligned, blood-qi calm, intent unified and heart concentrated, ears and eyes not wandering" -- these descriptions are so specific and so actionable that we may regard them as a practical manual of cultivation.