玉樞經髓
The Marrow of the Scripture of the Jade Pivot,
translated by James Legge in his The Texts of Taoism (1891)
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In this post I will republish James Legge's translation of the 玉樞經髓 - The Marrow of the Scripture of the Jade Pivot, reuniting with its Chinese text. As its name implies, it is an extract of the玉樞經 Scripture of the Jade Pivot, a much longer daoist scripture.
In this respect it is not alone. There is the Gashing Yuhuang Benxing Jijing 高上玉皇本行集經 Scripture of the Lofty Deeds of the Jade Emperor, and the much shorter "Marrow of the Scripture of the Lofty Deeds of the Jade Emperor"高上玉皇本行集經髓
Legge quotes another author, Wylie, who stated that the scripture was regularly chanted by Daoist monks. This is true; a version of this Scripture is indeed found as part of the morning service in the 清微玄範道門功課 Qingwei Hongfan daomen Gongke. However, the Marrow found in this particular service differs from the version Legge was using. This and other textual differences are discussed below. It should also be noted the version of the morning service currently chanted by Quanzhen Daoists does not include this scripture.
Whilst Legge's translation was done in 1891, The translation of the full Scripture of the Jade Pivot had to wait over a century. A certain "Daoist Liu" recently published it as Treasured Scripture of the Jade Pivot, and it is available on Amazon, a large (almost A4 sized) but thin booklet. To my knowledge, despite its prominence in contemporary daoist practise, the Scripture of the Jade Pivot lacks academic discussion or indeed, a scholarly translation.
To my knowledge, here is one other translation of the Marrow of the Scripture of the Jade Pivot. It is by Stuart Olson, in his bilingual Taoist chanting & recitation: At-home cultivator's practice guide. He calls it 天尊玉樞寶經; The Heavenly Worthy's Jade Pivot Treasure Scripture . The Chinese text which Olson uses is slightly different from the two chinese texts mentioned below, and the one used by Legge: It has a short preface describing the retinue of gods when the scripture was first preached.
Sources and Texts consulted
I have taken Legge's translation from here:
(1) https://sacred-texts.com/tao/sbe40/sbe4021.htm
You can access a copy on google books here
(1a) https://books.google.com/books?id=h2dRAAAAYAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&pg=PA265#v=onepage&q&f=false
I have taken the chinese original from here:
(2) https://gd4166.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/玉樞經髓/
A woodblock edition (origin unknown) of the Chinese text is available here:
(3) https://taolibrary.com/category/category107/c1070144.htm
The Morning service in the Qingwei Hongfan daomen Gongke 清微玄範道門功課 may be found here. The scripture starts at page 7 of this file.
(4) http://www.ctcwri.idv.tw/CTCW-DZJY/CTDZJY26/NewDZJY26/DZJY2601002.pdf ;
The text in the Qingwei Hongfan daomen Gongke differs from sources (2) and (3) in two ways. Firstly, a slight change of phrase in the early part of the scripture, and secondly, has a short appendix. This appendix is not translated by Legge, and is not included in Olson's translation either.
I have chosen not to translate the appendix for now (not least because of missing characters and difficulties of punctuation), but this is a summary of its contents: The Heavenly Worthy commands the various generals of the Thunder Division to search and destroy all evil spirits, hetrodox sorcerers and their spells. The Heavenly Worthy then adds that this scripture penetrates through heaven and earth, and reciting this scripture soothes spirits and delivers ancestors.
Finally, If any of my readers spot errors either in the transcription or the translation, or have further insights and comments may they inform me of them; I would be most glad.
玉樞經髓
Yü Shû King, or 'The Classic of the Pivot of Jade.'
天尊言。爾諸天人。欲聞至道。至道深窈。不在其他。
1. The Heaven-honoured One says, 'All you, Heaven-endowed men, who wish to be instructed about the Perfect Tâo, the Perfect Tâo is very recondite, and by nothing else but Itself can it be described.
爾既欲聞無聞者。是無聞無見。即是真道。
Since ye wish to hear about it, ye cannot do so by the hearing of the ear:--that which eludes both the ears and eyes is the True Tâo;
聞見亦泯。惟爾而已。爾尚非有。何況於是*。不聞而聞。何道可談。
what can be heard and seen perishes, and only this survives. There is (much) that you have not yet learned, and especially you have not acquired this! Till you have learned what the ears do not hear, how can the Tâo be spoken about at all?' [1]
* The Qingwei Hongfan daomen Gongke has 何見於道 "How have you seen the Dao?" ionstead. Olson's chinese text also has this phrasing
[1] 'Heaven-honoured (Thien Zun)' is a title given by the Tâoists to the highest objects of their reverence and worship. Chalmers translates it by 'Celestial Excellency,' and observes that it is given to 'all the Three Pure Ones;' but its application is much more extensive, as its use in this Treatise sufficiently proves. No doubt it was first adopted after the example of the Buddhists, by whom Buddha is styled 'World-honoured,' or 'Ever-honoured' (Shih Zun).
The phrase Thien Zän, which I have translated here 'Heaven-endowed Men,' is common to the three religions of China; but the meaning of it is very different in each. See the Confucian and the Tâoist significations of it in the Khang-hsî Thesaurus, under the phrase. Here it means 'the men possessed by the Tâo;--Tâo-Zän of the highest class.' In a Buddhist treatise the meaning would be 'Ye, devas and men.' [Legge's note]
天尊言。道者。以誠而入。以默而守。以柔而用。
2. The Heaven-honoured One says, 'Sincerity is the first step towards (the knowledge of) the Tâo; it is by silence that that knowledge is maintained; it is with gentleness that (the Tâo) is employed.
用誠似愚。用默似訥。用柔似拙。
The employment of sincerity looks like stupidity; the employment of silence looks like difficulty of utterance; the employment of gentleness looks like want of ability.
夫如是。則可與忘形。可與忘我。可與忘忘。
But having attained to this, you may forget all bodily form; you may forget your personality; you may forget that you are forgetting.' [2]
[2] All this,' says Lî Hsî-yüeh, 'is the achievement of vacuity, an illustration of the freedom from purpose which is characteristic of the Tâo.' Compare par. 14 in the sixth Book of Kwang-dze [Legge's note]
入道者知止。守道者知謹。用道者知微。
3. 'He who has taken the first steps towards (the knowledge of) the Tâo knows where to stop; he who maintains the Tâo in himself knows how to be diligently vigilant; he who employs It knows what is most subtle.
能知微則慧光生。能知謹則聖智全。能知止則泰定安。
'When one knows what is most subtle, the light of intelligence grows (around him); when he can know how to be diligently vigilant, his sage wisdom becomes complete; when he knows where to stop, he is grandly composed and restful.
泰定安則聖智全。聖智全則慧光生。慧光生則與道為一。
'When he is grandly composed and restful, his sage wisdom becomes complete; when his sage wisdom becomes complete, the light of intelligence grows (around him); when the light of intelligence grows around him, he is one with the Tâo.
是名真忘。惟其忘而不忘。忘無可忘。
'This is the condition which is styled the True Forgetfulness;--a forgetting which does not forget; a forgetting of what cannot be forgotten.
無可忘者。即是至道。道在天地。天地不知。有情無情。惟一無二
'That which cannot be forgotten is the True Tâo. The Tâo is in heaven and earth, but heaven and earth are not conscious of It. Whether It seem to have feelings or to be without them, It is (always) one and the same.'
天尊言。吾於今世。何以利生。為諸天人。演此妙寶。得悟之者。俾躋仙阼。
4. The Heaven-honoured One says, 'While I am in this world, what shall I do to benefit life? I occupy myself with this subtle and precious Treatise for the good of you, Heaven-endowed men. Those who understand it will be allowed to ascend to the happy seats of the Immortals.
學道之士。信有氣數。夫風土不同。則稟受自異。故謂之氣。
'Students of the Tâo believe that there are (the influences of) the ether and of destiny. But the (conditions of) climate being different, the constitutions received by men are naturally different, and hence they are ascribed to the ether.
智愚不同。則清濁自異。故謂之數。數繫乎命。氣繫乎天。
And the (conditions of) wisdom and stupidity being different, their constitutions as fine and coarse are naturally different, and hence they are ascribed to the destiny. The destiny depends on fate; the ether depends on Heaven.
氣數所囿。天命居梏。不得真道。愚可以智。濁可以清。惟命俾之。
'The restraints arising from the ether and destiny are the manacles decreed by Heaven. But if one acquire the True Tâo, though stupid, he may become wise; though coarse, he may become fine;--if there only be the decree of fate.
愚昏昏。濁冥冥。亦風土稟受之移之。天地神其機。
'Stupidity the darkest, and coarseness the densest, are consequences of climate; but the suffering of them and the changing of them may take place, when Heaven and Earth quicken the motive spring.
使人不知。則曰自然。使知其不知。則亦曰自然。
When this is done without the knowledge of men, it is said to take place spontaneously. If it be done with a consciousness of that want of knowledge, it is still said to take place spontaneously.
自然之妙。雖妙於知。而所以妙。則自乎不知。然於道。則未始自以愚之濁之。
The mystery of spontaneity is greater than that of knowledge; but how it comes to be what it is remains a thing unknown. But as to the Tâo, It has not begun to come under the influence of what makes stupid and coarse.
諸天聞已。四眾咸悅。
Hear this all ye Heaven (-endowed) men; and let all the multitude in all quarters rejoice.' [3]
[3] It may be considered as a proof of the difficulty of the Text that to this long paragraph Lî Hsî-yüeh does not subjoin a single explanatory remark. [Legge's note]
__________
<Appendix in the Qingwei Hongfan daomen Gongke version of the Scripture. The original is unpunctuated, and the punctuation below is my own, and provisional.>
天尊言。九天雷公將軍、五方雷公將軍、八方雲雷將軍、五方蠻雷使者、雷部總兵使者、莫賺判官，發號施令，疾如風火，有廟可伐，有壇可擊，有妖可除，有崇可遣，季世末法，多諸巫覡，邪法流行，陰私魘禱，是故上清乃有天延，禁鬼錄奸之庭，帝猷束妖考邪之房，能誦此經其應如響。故此經者，上通三天，下徹九泉，可以遣薦魂爽，超度祖。夻太上[遣?]素車白馬大將軍以監之。
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